Discalimer: I do no own any -man. I wish I did but seriously, would I be writing this now if I did own it? I think not... and actually, I'm getting really tired of doing this so I'm going to give it over to my mini-Komui from now on to do the disclaimer. Thanks for reading! Sorry this chapter is so short. I've got midterms coming up and I'm working on NaNoWriMo this month. Over half way done YAHOO! Anyways... enjoy!
Komui sat at his desk examining a paper in his hands. It was the latest report that had been sent in from the Asia branch. The news of Allen Walkers assumed death had reached him and had spread around the rest of Headquarters quickly, despite his attempts to keep it quiet. Now he was being constantly being badgered for updates on the young exorcist's condition. He sighed as he put the scrap back down on his desk and sat back. His mind wandered to all of the exorcists in the Order that were under his command: Allen, Lenalee, Lavi, Marie, Daisya, Kanda, Suman, and all of the others. They were all faithful to their jobs. They fought valiantly but he couldn't help but think that they also fought to free themselves from the bonds that the Order placed on them. According to the report Reever had just given him, many people had succeeded in that idea. They had lost their lives. Komui began to wonder if death was really the only way out of The Black Order and everything it encompasses. One thought that stuck out was how did Kanda feel. The child, yes he was still a child to both Komui and Sida, could not die, could not rid himself of the chains that were forced on him from an early age. And how did Sida feel when she would be sent out on assignments when she was an exorcist? Anytime Komui would ask her, the most informative answer he would get would be that she merely knew it as her duty and did as she was told. It appeared she didn't have much to say two days earlier when the reports were given about the battle in Barcelona and the encounters throughout the rest of the units. She had stood behind him, silent and hadn't said anything about it since.
Of course, Komui knew she was like this. When it came to death, she was always shocked speechless. She had seen it so many times that the only way she felt that she could keep herself from becoming hard and unemotional was to not speak but only think. He respected her for that but wished that she would show something more than she was so he would know how to help her get over it; not only for her but for himself too. It was with this thought that he looked up to find Sida walking into his office, tears pouring down her face. The shock that was on her face told him something more was wrong than just the fact that Kanda had insulted her again. He had come home and left nearly a week earlier to go find General Tiedoll. She closed the door behind her and nearly collapsed.
"What's wrong?" Komui asked, holding the woman in his arms. She looked up at him after a moment with a pale, tear streaked face. She couldn't speak. Komui looked up again as the door opened once more. Reever walked in, a serious expression covering his features. The sadness behind it was nearly unbearable for the sobbing woman to look at.
"You're needed Komui." He said. Komui nodded.
"Alright. I'll be there in a moment. Let me make sure she lays down first." Sida shook her head violently.
"I'm fine. I don't need to lay down. I'm coming with you. I need to be there." Komui was still somewhat confused as to what was going on. He had a feeling he knew but he was praying he was wrong. Sure enough, his hope was shattered when he walked into the grand hall to find rows of coffins laying side by side. Six coffins were draped in white while one hundred forty two plain wooden caskets lined the entire area. The rest of the headquarters listened while Reever read off the names of the deceased. All the while, Komui and Sida were listening for two names in particular, neither of which were read out much to their relief. But still One hundred and forty eight member of the Black Order were dead. Komui couldn't help but feel the pain in his chest as he realized that he was the one that sent them all out on their assignment.
Sida could hardly make out the whispers surrounding them. But she knew what they were saying. For a moment she had been thinking the same thing but sense had told her otherwise. She turned away from the coffins, unable to look at them.
Shut up. Shut up all of you. Sida wanted to scream at the workers surrounding her.
"I've heard enough!" Reever shouted. Sida flinched at the harshness of his tone, clutching to the edge of Komui's lab coat. He remained stone still, showing no emotion. "A hundred and forty eight soldiers died to keep you safe. They deserve more than your whining." Sida closed her eyes, trying to keep back the tears that threatened to overflow. Now was not the time to be sentimental. She had to keep her emotions under control for the sake of stability. Finally giving up, she removed herself from the grandhall and found herself on the couch in Komui's office crying until her tears ran dry.
It took days for people to get over what had happened. Sida, Komui, and Reever had discussed the situation and came to the conclusion that their new enemy had to be the Noah clan. It had been centuries since they had shown their faces with the Millennium Earl. Now it was almost shocking to find them revealing themselves once more in history. This was another night when the three of them were discussing ways to find out if their hunch was correct.
"I guess all we can do right now is wait." Reever said. Sida leaned back in her seat (Komui's lap) and stretched.
"We've got the exorcists out there searching for the generals. And I have as much confidence in them as the two of you have." Komui added.
"We all do. But the question is, are they strong enough?" Sida continued. She draped her arm around Komui's shoulders. He kept one hand on her waist, the other writing occasional notes on their theories.
"I'm not saying that I think their weak." she corrected at their curious expressions. "I'm just not sure how strong this enemy is. Will they be able to handle it?" She stood up and walked across the room, replacing a few folders that had found their way out of their correct spots. "I saw Lenalee go through her training and I helped with Kanda's. I know how strong they are but if the Noah clan can do this to a general what's to say that they can't do it to anyone else?" She made her way back over to her husband and stood beside him.
"Well, all we can do is trust in them. They're all we have." Komui said. Sida nodded in agreement.
"Alright. I'm going to bed." She kissed Komui on the cheek. "You boys don't stay up too late. You both need your rest." Her motherly tone was more noticeable in that moment.
"Yes mother." Komui and Reever said in unison, sarcasm dripping from their voices. Sida rolled her eyes and closed the door to Komui's office behind her, leaving two of the men in her life behind for the night.
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