Quick note, things in italics are Ellen's thoughts, or her part in her conversation with Voice. Things that are underlined is Voice's words. Things in both are things said/thought simultaneously by Ellen and Voice.

Second Symphony: Of Conversations and Arguments

"You're so cruel, Millenni. Did you really have to do that?"

The Millennium Earl merely smiled mysteriously. "You'll see, Road, dear. Just wait and see. *heart*"

"You had those Akuma attack her. Aren't you worried that she would die?"

"She lived, didn't she? Besides I would have ordered them to stop if she was too overwhelmed. *heart*"

"But she has an Innocence!" Road hissed. "We should destroy that arm of hers- she can easily regenerate it anyway! Why should we let that Innocence sap away her lifeforce?"

"It's not as simple as that, Road. Mana Walker is a sneaky man. He sealed away the Fourteenth's power and tied it to her Innocence. If her Innocence is destroyed, then she'll die."

"Well! We'll just have to wait until the next apostle of the Fourteenth awakens, then. What's another few decades, we've been waiting for millennia anyway!"

Adam sighed. His hands itched to just hit Road with his cane so that she would stop spouting nonsense. Didn't she learn anything from her past memories? Oh, right, she was the apostle of Dreams. The most childish one, with limited memory and even more limited attention span. Oh, how he wished he had Lustul by his side instead of Road. She was mature and calm, not loud and noisy like Road. But Lustul's previous incarnation was killed by the Fourteenth, Ribaazu, several years ago along with the rest of the Clan. And because of the aspect Ribaazu embodied, it would take a long, long time for them to be reborn.

"Didn't you read anything from the history books in the Ark's library?*heart*" he asked Road. "The bloodline of the Fourteenth runs through the Walker clan. And she is the last one. *heart*"

"So that means, that unless she has children, there won't be any more Fourteenths?"

"Exactly! *heart*" While Dreams could be incredibly childish at times, she was also bright child, always quick on the uptake. It was only because of her personality that she appeared shallow and stupid.

"So what are we going to do now, Millenni? We're not just going to leave her alone, are we?" Road asked.

"Unfortunately, we can't interfere with the Fourteenth's life. Not now. We have to wait. *heart*"

"But, Millenni! She's just a child! What if something bad happens to her?"

"Have a little more faith in your sister, Road *heart*. Besides, I've sent some Akuma to watch over her. She'll be fine, see?"

"Well!" Road huffed. "I still think that we should do something to help her. She'sthe Fourteenth. The one who will win us this war!"

"I know, Road. I know," the Millennium Earl sighed. "I, too, wish for our family to be together and by our side once more. Alas, it is not yet time. Don't make it any more harder on me…"

Road cringed. She hated making Millenni sad or disappointed. It hurt her so much to see Millenni upset. Millenni had been so utterly devastated after everyone was killed by the previous Fourteenth. It was painful to see Millenni not being his usual, jovial self. She herself had been a literal fountain of tears when the deaths of her clansmen hit in full force. She'd spent so many days in her World of Dreams, trying (and failing) to deal with their deaths. That was probably the one thing she would never forgive Neah for, ever.

"If you say so, Millenni…" Road conceded. Road wasn't about to abandon her youngest sister, though. Millenni said that they couldn't adopt her into the Clan yet, not until she fully awakened and they found the rest of the Clan. He said nothing about being her friend, or protecting her indirectly, or even just watching her.

For killing her family, her siblings, Road would never forgive Neah Walker. But Neah's deeds weren't Ellen's. The sins of the father weren't passed to the daughter. And Road, Apostle of Dreams, was more than willing to give Ellen Walker the benefit of doubt.

Back in the graveyard…

"What… what the bloody hell were those things?" Ellen asked aloud. The monsters that had attacked her were now nothing more than piles of dust and sand scattered around her. She stared at her hands. The right hand was covered by a white oversized glove. A clown glove. The left hand had turned into a clawed limb, the fingers changing into long, thin blades. She also noticed strange markings on her shoulder, concealed by the white cape that had also materialized along with a golden masquerade mask.

'Voice, do you have any idea?'

I don't know anything either. I only know what you do, remember? But you should change back, in case someone's nearby. We don't need anyone to see us in this state.

'C-change back? But how do- oh.' Her body returned to normal the moment she thought of changing back. 'Whoa…'

Well. That was interesting, Voice commented dryly.

'So what are we going to do now?'

What are we going to do now? Well, Mana did leave us with some money so that's not a problem for now. But we have to find some way to make money soon.

'Easier said than done.'

Well, yeah. I didn't say that it would be easy, or did I?

'First things first, though. It's getting late. We need to find a cheap inn or something. And food. I'm hungry. Actually, I'm starving.'

You're always hungry. Voice accused, doing the mental equivalent of eyerolling.

'Well, yeah. I wouldn't be me if I weren't hungry all the time, would I?' Ellen asked, mimicking Voice's words.

Right. You're the one who can eat food for three grown men in one sitting.

'I refuse to comment on that.'

Oh phooey. You're such a killjoy, Ellen.

Ellen was about to retort when she felt something cold and wet land on the back of her neck. She jerked in surprise and looked around to see snow slowly falling around her.

'Huh… look at that. It's snowing, and it's still the middle of November.'

Yeah. It's almost like the sky itself is crying for Mana.

'I never knew you could be sentimental, Voice.'

I hated Mana for leaving us like that. I never said that I wasn't fond of him, or that I had lost my affection for him. He did care for us. He was the only one who ever did.

'But in the end, he was just like us. Human.'

"I'm sorry, young miss, but unfortunately, we don't have a job opening right now," the restaurant owner, a middle-aged woman said apologetically. "Perhaps, you can return in a few months. I might have an opening by then." Ellen plastered a fake smile on her face.

"That's quite alright, ma'am. I apologize for bothering you," she said, fully meaning it. It was winter, after all, and most cafés and restaurants were closed for the time being. Especially with the rumors of a war coming and the recent hostility with France. Maybe she'd have more luck in spring, but the money Mana left her was beginning to run out thanks to her enormous appetite.

This is the thirtieth rejection we had today.

'Well, there's always the circus…' Ellen suggested. She then had to hold back a flinch as Voice hissed angrily.

Never. Never! We are not returning back to that hellhole, she spat venomously.

'We might not have a choice, though.'

No! No means NO! Voice threw a hissy fit. Going back to that place means meeting him again!

'I know but-'

Are you retarded, or have you forgotten? That man killed Allen! Allen! And do you remember what he nearly did to us?

Ellen shivered. She'd rather forget what Cosimo nearly did to her. She could still feel his grubbly hands touching her body, slipping under her clothes and-

Ellen! Calm down! Breathe! Voice ordered. Only then she realized that she was borderline hyperventilating.

'S- sorry…' Ellen took a few deep breaths to regulate her breathing. 'Better?'

Yeah. Changed your mind about going back?

'If it means never meeting Cosimo again, then yes.' Ellen let out a small sigh. 'What do you think of returning to the inn for a while? I'm feeling rather tired.' She would need all the rest she could get. She had the feeling that she would have nightmares of Cosimo for the rest of the week. Voice quietly agreed, it was partially her fault for bringing up Cosimo again after all.

Sorry, Ellen… I thought you've gotten over it.

'…' Ellen didn't reply, but waves of reluctant forgiveness came over their mental link. It was a few minutes before she finally spoke (or rather, thought) to Voice again. 'Hey, Voice. We haven't had time to look through Mana's stuff, have we?' she asked.

Yeah. We need to sort out his things. Should have done that first before trying to find a job, really.

'You're the one who insisted on finding a job as soon as we could.'

Voice sighed. I was worried, okay? You didn't seem to be up to it. And honestly, I didn't want to, either.

'I know. It still hurts, doesn't it?'

So, very, very much. Another sigh. Do you think that the pain would ever go away?

'I doubt that very much.'

The inn Ellen had rented a room at was a modest, respected establishment. Its rooms were well lit and clean, unlike most others. It had a small bed with clean sheets, a desk and writing implements, a mirror, and a washing basin. It was filled with lukewarm water by the time she came back, which she gladly used to clean her body from sweat and grime. She would take a bath in the communal bathroom later, perhaps when it wasn't so crowded.

'Well, I guess this is time.'

Yeah. Better do it sooner than later. Voice all but ordered.

'Mmhmm.' Ellen sighed and looked at the pristine suitcase on the bed. She and Mana had been travellers, never settling in one place for a long time. Mana was incredibly paranoid, making her use fake names and disguises. They never stayed at a place for more than a fortnight. Mana did odd jobs around, somehow managing to sustain him and Ellen's enormous appetite. As a consequence, Ellen only owned what could be stuffed into a suitcase. Mana, on the other hand, had his sorcery to rely upon. She had learned a small bit before his death, nothing much. She did know how to open his magically sealed suitcase, though.

Careful. It has security measures installed in it. It could blow up if you did it incorrectly.

'I know.' Ellen rolled her eyes exasperatedly. Really, the way Voice acted, one would think that Ellen was a clumsy, forgetful novice. She pulled the suitcase over and stared at the combination lock, the first layer of security on it. She adjusted the displayed number to show '0-0-3-9'. There. Then she bit her thumb and smeared blood over the lock. Mana had keyed the magical protection to the both of them. The lock clicked open.

Now for the tricky part. It was, basically, the complete transfer of ownership of the suitcase and its contents from Mana to Ellen. She had to be really careful here. Humming a certain tune, she picked up a piece of paper and started writing the code Mana taught her, in their very own language. It was a complicated writing system, and she couldn't make a single mistake. As she wrote, she channeled her magic into the paper and hummed the lullaby Mana used to sing her.

Soushite bouya ha nemuri ni tsuite

Ikidzuku, hai no naka no honoo

Hitotsu, futatsu to

A circle, the second largest of them all. She had to make sure it was large enough to contain the rest of the runes, though, but not too big to not properly contain her magic. And it had to be a perfect circle too. Thank God for calligraphy lessons.

Ukabu fukurami itoshii yokogao

Daichi ni, taruru iku sen no

Yume, yume…

Long, thin lines protruding from the circle. It had a certain pattern to it, though Ellen wasn't sure what the pattern was supposed to resemble. She'd seen it before, but where? Another circle, larger than the first, encompassing the symbols she wrote before.

Gin no hitomi no yuragu yoru ni

Umare ochita, kagayaku omae

Ikuoku no toshitsuki ga

Ikutsu, inori wo, tsuchi he kaeshite mo…

Smaller symbols, shaped like vertical lines with an oval attached them. Some of them had a flag like shape or two, some were upside down, some of the ovals were white and some were black. Again, it was incredibly familiar to her. Maybe she'd seen it before she lost her memory? Yes, that had to be it.

Watashi wa inori tsudzukeru

Douka kono ko ni ai wo

A black sigil in the middle, somewhat resembling a coat of arms. Now she knew she'd seen it before, she was sure of it! But where? When? Deciding to ponder about it later, she took a deep breath and sang the last verse of the song aloud.

"Tsunaida te ni, KISU WO…" Ellen sang melodiously. Not breaking the final note, she smeared her still bleeding thumb over the paper and placed it right over the suitcase. It glowed for a few seconds before something in Ellen's mind just clicked. She made a small smile, she didn't make a mistake after all. At a mental command, the suitcase's lid flipped open and Ellen peered into its contents.

The suitcase was magically enchanted to be larger inside than outside. The topmost items were Mana's normal clothes: white shirts, some from cotton, some from considerably more expensive fabric, dress pants, ties, and a pair of polished shoes. Then there were his underware, which Ellen hastily skipped through in mortification and embarassment. Some magic spell books- they'd be useful but way ahead of Ellen's current level, and she wasn't about to learn magic without an instructor. That was only asking for trouble. A leather photo album, magically sealed and she didn't know how to open it. She decided to respect Mana's privacy and didn't pry further. A stack of letters, some still in their envelopes. They went to the same pile as the photo album. Ellen's eyes widened at something deep inside the suitcase.

'Oh, wow. A sword, all polished and sharpened. Who knew Mana was carrying something like thi- wait, is that a shotgun? And ammo?'

Who knew Mana had been carrying things like these all the time? Oh hey, that's one mean-looking dagger. And that's a war axe! And a crossbow! Dear God, Mana's been totting around an armory all the time?

'I'm not touching any of that,' Ellen resolutely decided. 'I don't even know the basics of self-defense. I'm not touching weapons I don't know how to use.'

Are you crazy? Voice asked incredulously. We could use those things! At least, in self defense. Just imagine how we'd look carrying around that sword! We'd look so badass! No one would try to bother us, then!

'We'd look like a violent, murderous eleven year old who needs a stay at an asylum.'

…Point. But still! At least you should try to learn how to use one of them. In case, you know, someone like Cosimo comes around. Like that dagger. It's easily concealable and easy to use. When someone tries to do something on us you could just stab him and rip out his intestines. Voice sent a series of incredibly vivid mental image at Ellen, who tried not to puke at them.

'Voice! Stop that right now! Ack, I think I'm gonna be sick!' Ellen hissed furiously.

Oh, what's wrong, Ellen? Can't stand a bit of gore and blood? Voice teased.

'No I- oh my God, stop it, stop it! That's… that's just so wrong! STOP IT, VOICE!'

Geez, geez, calm down, girl. It's just a bit of blood. Nothing you can't handle. And I thought I told you to give me a proper name!

'Fine, then. From now on, I'm calling you… Bob.'

Bob? BOB? I'M A GIRL, DAMMIT! Voice threw the mother of all hissy fits.

'…Do disembodied voices really have genders?' Ellen wondered idly. 'I dunno, you sound plenty like a boy to me, Bob.'

I'm a girl! Well, I think I'm a girl, since I can't really check, but my self-image is as a girl! Not as a boy! I demand that you give me a new name, right now!

'I think it suits you well, Bob.'

DAMMIT. I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, ELLEN WALKER!

'And how, exactly, are you planning to accomplish that? You're nothing more than a voice in my head, which may or may not be real, or merely a figment of my imagination.'

Err… Gah, damn you, Ellen. If I can't kill you, then I'm going to make you SUFFER. SUFFER, you hear me? SUFFER!

Ellen yelped as she felt something hammer against her mental walls repeatedly, causing a considerable amount of pain on her side.

'GAH! Damnit, Bob, stop that! You're giving me a headache! Gah! Alright, alright! I'll call you by a girl name, alright? There! What do you want your name to be?'

…Umm… Actually I have no idea.

'You've got to be kidding me… Alright, how about Leah? That sounds like a good name.' Voice considered the name for a while.

Leah… I like that name. It sounds nice, I guess. The newly named 'Leah' purred. It sounds… sexy. Ellen was assaulted by countless images from the passenger in her head.

'GAH! Leah, stop tha- argh, the images! The images! Dammit, we're just eleven! Have you ever heard of too much information?'

Why? What's wrong with boys, Ellen?

'Boys are icky!' Ellen declared.

For some reason, Leah found her statement incredibly amusing. She started giggling.

'What are you laughing at? Argh! I can't stand this! I have a jerk for a guest in my mind!' Ellen hissed furiously.

*Snicker* Oh, Ellen. Well, you'll just have to deal with me. I'm not exactly capable of leaving, you know.

'Humph!' Ellen huffed in indignation. Then something came to her mind. 'Say, Leah, we've never had this conversation before, but… just what are you?' she questioned curiously.

Leah paused,as if considering Ellen's questions. You know, I've been wondering about that too. Actually, I don't know either. I just know, that I came into existence when you woke up after getting amnesia.

'In other words, you have no clue,' Ellen said dryly.

Bingo!

Ellen sighed. Just great. She had a bipolar, perverted, possibly insane passenger in her mind.

'I wish Mana was here. He could sort this mess out.'

You rely too much on a dead man, Leah reminded her. And I doubt that even he can deal with this fucked-up relationship we have. We'll just have to deal with whatever we get. It's not a matter of getting a good hand in life. It's a matter of playing it right.

'Yeah, yeah. We should continue sorting Mana's things, then.' Ellen decided.

The next few items weren't as interesting as the pile of weapons she pulled out of the suitcase. A clown suit. A disguise kit. Woman's make up kit. Several bottles of perfume. Miscellanous objects that couldn't fit into his normal rucksack. Finally Ellen reached into a fairly large leather case at the bottom of Mana's suitcase.

'Well, well. What's this?'

It's called a violin, dummy.

'I know what it's called, Leah. I'm just wondering what it's doing in here.'

Obviously, it was Mana's. It's his suitcase. I mean, was his suitcase. Whatever.

Ellen took a deep breath. Sometimes it got difficult to deal with Leah and her attitude…

'Well, he never showed any particular interest in music, much less that he owned a violin!'

Hmm, yes, Mana never told us a lot of things, did he? That jerk. If he were here, I'd give him a piece of my mind for leaving us alone! Leah hissed, low and filled with anger.

And sometimes, Ellen couldn't figure out whether Leah loved Mana or hated him. She settled for a love-hate thing, though it probably wasn't entirely accurate either. Figuring out Leah made her head hurt. She sighed and decided to ponder about it later.

The violin was very pretty, made of black ebony wood. Somehow Ellen just knew that it was of very high quality, well cared for, and perfectly turned. She just knew it. Almost unaware of what she was doing she picked it up and played a note. D, re, something in her mind told her.

Ellen? What are you doing? Leah asked, alarmed. Ellen ignored her and tried out the violin, a pensive expression on her face. She played several notes in rapid succession.

'Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do-ti-la-sol-fa-mi-re-do, C-D-E-F-G-A-B-A-G-F-E-D-C.' Ellen didn't know where her sudden musical knowledge came from. She just knew it.

Stop it! Stop it, Ellen! I don't like it! Leah screamed in her mind. Ellen ignored her and started playing the intro to the lullaby Mana had sang to her… only to shriek and nearly drop the violin as pain lanced through her head.

'LEAH! What was that for?' she demanded furiously.

IDIOT! Don't you find your sudden musical ability suspicious?

Ellen paused to consider it. 'Well. I could have learned about it before I lost my memories.'

…True. But still! Why hadn't Mana told us about it?

Maybe he wasn't sure that we still knew how to play.

Yes, that's a possibility. But I still don't like it. It's suspicious.

'Oh do shut up, you paranoid jerk,' Ellen said. To say that she was incredibly upset at Leah would be putting it lightly.

I am most certainly not paranoid.

'Candy Incident, Easter 1887.'

…Okay, maybe I am paranoid. A bit. Not much.

'A bit- oh, you're hopeless! Now will you shut up and let me play this violin?'

Oh, fine! Fine! I won't bother you!Leah seethed. Ellen smiled triumphantly and started playing the lullaby by memory.

It sounded awful. Very, very awful. Even Ellen had to cringe at the off-tone notes and wrong tempo. She placed it aside and sighed.

That didn't go well.

'Oh, do shut up for a moment, Leah! I don't need you to rub more salt in the wound!

Oh, come on. Did you expect to play it perfectly on first try? I don't think you're that stupid, or naïve.

'Than- hey! Did you just call me stupid and naïve?'

I believe I just did.

'Why you- argh! Forget it! You're such an insufferable jerk!'

Why, thank you.

'Oh, for the love of God. Shut up!' Ellen seethed, rather out of character for one usually so nice and sweet. Leah decided not to provoke Ellen further.

Hey, she might be a jerk, annoying, and rude, but Leah was not suicidal, thank you very much. And although she doubted Ellen could ever do anything serious to her, short of lobotomy, Ellen could cause her pain just like she did before. Their link was a two-way thing. What Leah could do to Ellen, Ellen could also do to Leah.

It's getting late, Leah observed. Sleep.

'Not sleepy,' Ellen protested, but they both knew better. Leah pressed again.

That spell took a lot out of you. You should rest. We still need to find a job tomorrow.

'I'ms so touched by your caring, Leah.'

Heh. As if. I'm just doing this for my own benefit. It's your body I'm residing in, dummy. It won't help me if you fall sick or something.

'I don't want to sleep!' Ellen hissed before yawning aloud. Curse her traitorous body.

Sleep, Leah ordered. You need to rest, and you know it. You won't have any energy to find a job if you don't sleep, and the sooner we can make money for ourselves the better.

'Fine. I'm tired anyway.' Ellen changed into her sleepwear and curled up on the small, lumpy matress. But while Ellen's mind and body was asleep, Leah was not. She took her time to reflect on what had happened the last few days. A spark of guilt found its way to her heart. Ellen had been miserable, tired, and still incredibly upset. She really shouldn't have goaded her like that, but before she realized it they were arguing. Again. Leah mentally sighed. She really should have known better… but it was so refreshing to see Ellen being something other than depressed. Anything to have her snap out of this phase. For the umpteenth time, Leah cursed Mana for killing himself and leaving the two of them alone.

-na. Mana… Miss you… come back…

Ellen?

sorry… I'm sorry, Ma-na. I'll be good this t'me.

Ellen, it's just a dream. Wake up, dummy!

No! Mana. MANA. MANA!

ELLEN! Leah struggled to wake the other mind in, and owner of, the body she resided in. In her sleep, Ellen's body struggled and flailed, her arms clawing at something that didn't exist. She rolled around and got herself tangled in the bedsheets. All the while, Leah was shouting panickedly at her.

Why? Why? Mana, why? WHY?

Goddammit, wake up, Ellen! Leah screamed. Torrents of images and memories poured at her, overwhelming her. Rage. Sadness. Confusion. Disgust. Hate. Hopelessness.

Mana. I love you, Mana. Why did you have to leave?

Was I naughty? Was I not good enough for you? Or are you disapppointed that I couldn't get back my memories? Did you miss the 'old' me?

I tried, Mana. I did. I really did. Don't you know how much I need you?

Mana, please come back. I miss you. I miss you.

…

You're not coming back, are you? You're gone… forever?

…

I hate you. I hate you.

You think you can just throw me away, just leave me like that?

I hate you, Mana Walker. I hate you.

…

But I also still love you.

I'm so confused.

…

Ellen? Leah tentatively asked after several moments of silence from her other half.

Now Leah was honestly scared, for Ellen's sanity and wellbeing. She decided to throw all stops and shook Ellen awake. Metaphorically speaking, of course. Ellen jerked and blearily opened her eyes.

'Huh? Leah, what's wrong?'

You… you don't remember anything?

'I was sleeping… had a strange dream. There were… things.'

You had a nightmare. I had to wake you up. You can go back to sleep now.

'Aw… but I don't wanna. I can't sleep… not after what I've seen.'

What did you dream of, anyway? Must be bad, for you to get so shaken.

'I dreamed… huh, that's funny. I don't really remember much. But it was awful. I don't want to sleep again.'

Tell me what you can remember.

'Umm. Not much at all, actually, But… there was fire. There was fire everywhere. And the sound of screaming. And there was Mana. He was there. And he was hurt, badly.' Ellen shivered. 'I don't want to see it, ever again. It's bad. Really bad. I don't think I can sleep, even if I try to.'

Heh. You don't need to worry. After all, I am here with you. I'm the best.

'…heh. Lay off the arrogance a bit, would you?' Ellen yawned. 'I think I'll take your offer on that.'

You're starting to learn. Now, sleep. Leah ordered.

Ellen rolled her eyes. 'Yes, mother.' Leah sputtered for a bit before regaining her bearings.

Well, then, daughter, be a good girl and obey my orders. Ellen rolled her eyes again; trust Leah to take everything so seriously.

She was used to it, so she ignored her jest and curled up on the mattress and covered herself with the quilt blanket. Leah made a small smile and began humming a tune under her metaphorical breath.

Soushite bouya wa nemuri ni tsuite

Ikidzuku hai no naka no honou

Hitotsu, futatsu to

Ukabu fukurami itoshii yokogao

Daichi ni taruru ikusen no

Yume, yume

Gin no hitomi yuragu yoru ni

Umare ochita kagayaku omae

Ikuoku no toshitsuki ga

Ikutsu, inori wo,tsuchi he kaeshitemo

Watashi wa inori tsudzukeru

Douka kono ko ni ai wo

Tsunaida te ni kisu wo…

'Leah…?'

Hmm?

'…Thanks.'

You're welcome.

"Well, shit," a red haired man muttered as he made his way towards the graveyard. "Fucking fat bastard, held me up with ladies and booze. Now the Fourteenth's brat is- huh?" he blinked, taking in the destruction around the place. It looked like whole armies had battled there. "Oi, old man. What the hell happened here?" he asked bluntly to the person sitting in the shade of a near-uprooted tree.

"Hmm? Oh, this? I don't know actually." He stood up, flicking away his burnt cigarette. "The people around here say it's a monster preying on the souls of the dead. Not too sure myself, but it seems that there was a battle a few nights ago. Strange thing, though, is that there's only one grave that seems to be untouched." He pointed towards a tombstone. "Rumor says that the deceased somehow came back to life and destroyed the monster. Personally I think it's a load of bull, but I'd advise you to be careful. It can return anytime."

"Feh. That's stupid. No one can come back from life. A monster eating souls? Give me a break," Cross growled. The monster in question had to be an Akuma. He let out several curses. Now that he knew that there were Akuma in this town, he'd have to exterminate them. Feh. What a bore. He was a general, the awesome General Cross. Killing Akuma was a job usually left to normal exorcists, and he was anything but normal. Still, he supposed that it was unavoidable. Despite the Vatican church's best attempts, it was virtually impossible to keep the existence of Akuma a complete secret.

Cross Marian's hands snuck into the gun holster at his waist, smirking slightly. "Well, Judgment, it seems like we're going to have some fun, eh?" Casually he spun around and shot a bullet at the Level One that had attempted to sneak on him. "Yare yare. Is this really the best the fatso can send after me? What a bore." The Exorcist General quickly and effortlessly decimated the horde of Akuma, displaying just why he was appointed a General. "Pathetic."

"I wouldn't say that if I were you," a sweet, childish voice called. "It upsets me when someone insults Millennie."

Cross spun around to see a girl with spiky hair, wearing a black lolita dress standing several meters behind him. What made her really stand out, though, was her ash-grey skin and the seven stigmata scars on her brow. The girl smiled and waved her hand at him. Cross promptly had to duck, barely avoiding the candles she sent towards him.

"Now, what's a Noah like you doing here, brat?" Cross questioned. "Last thing I heard, that Neah brat offed your family."

The girl hissed. "Never mention his name in front of me, ever again!" Her eyes flared with anger. She calmed herself down for a moment before continuing, "as for what I'm doing? I'm just making sure that you won't bother the Fourteenth anymore. I don't want her to join the Black Order or become your apprentice." An evil grin appeared on her face. "And the best way to ensure it is for you to die!"

So. How do you like it? Personally I think it's not one of my best. It's just too rushed and… gah, it's bad, alright? However, I've finally decided on where to carry this story. So you can expect more updates from me. Yay!

About pairings: I, uhh, haven't decided? Pairings aren't really my strong suit. Now that I've got a rough outline of the plot, I'm not sure whether I can fit in pairings in this story. I'm really, really tempted to put in Alma in the story, though. Somehow.

About Leah: She's… sort of a split personality, sort of not? She was created when Mana sealed Ellen's memories. That's all I can say for now. Don't think about it too much. I'm not sure myself. It's just the sort of thing that's really hard to describe. She lives in Ellen's mind. Their connection is a two-way thing.

Ribaazu? That's my made-up Noah name for the Fourteenth, like how Tyki's is 'Joido' and Sherill's 'Dezaiasu'. It's actually my pathetic attempt at transliterating 'Rebirth' into Japanese kana. Ellen is the Fourteenth Noah, and she represents the 'rebirth' of Noah, hence the title of my story.