Hello, dear readers! I'm sorry if I haven't updated in a while and hope this new chapter will help you if only a little to forgive me. Anyways, I am alive and working as hard as I can to update as quickly as possible. Thank you for reading, following, and reviewing! Happy Fiction Reading!
Allen had not slept at all the night before, all her could think about was what to do with Gabriel. He could try to send her back using the Ark, but then he didn't know how she came through the Ark in the first place. What worried him more was the fact that an ordinary girl was able to get onto the Ark without even trying. Did that mean anyone who really wanted to operate the Ark could as long as they could play the piano? So many thoughts rushed in and out of focus that he didn't realize that he hadn't slept a wink. He sighed; it was time for him to wake up.
A knock came from his door, "Allen, get up. Komui wants to see you and Gabbie."
"Thank you, Lavi. Can you go wake up Gabriel? I'll be with you in a minute."
Lavi saluted the door with a mischievous smirk and went to collect the newest edition to the Black Order. Gabriel was sleeping peacefully unaware of anything except for the warm bed she slept in. Her room was filled with a pleasant smell of dry earth and very warm. When Lavi carefully opened her door, all she did was sigh still blissfully oblivious.
"Gabbie, if you don't wake up at this moment I'll have to take extreme measures," Lavi whispered specifically so that Gabriel wouldn't wake up. When she didn't stir, Lavi's eye shined impishly. He crept to her bedside and looked at her sleeping face. He kinda felt bad for doing this. Unfortunately, not enough to actually stop himself, he grabbed her blanket and pulled it off her, causing Gabriel tumble out of bed in the process. "Rise and shine, Gabbie!"
"WAAH~! WHAT! WHAT'S GOING ON!" Gabriel sat on the flour wide-eyed and panicked. "Damn it, you stupid pirate! What the hell was that for!"
Lavi laughed. "Sorry, Gabbie. I couldn't re-." Allen came out of nowhere and smacked Lavi upside the head. "Ouch! What!"
"Come on, Gabriel. You need to get a change of clothes before we see Komui." Allen ignored Lavi's complaining, so Lavi insisted on going with them to make sure Gabriel would look super cute. "Geez Lavi, I never knew you were into kids."
"Hey, I can appreciate a cutie, can't I?"
"You both are creepy."
The trio were oblivious to everything as they teased each other on this and that as they made their way to Lenalee's room. None of them noticed a very annoyed exorcist moving briskly toward their group until it was too late. Gabriel walked smack into Yu Kanda the infamous Ice Prince.
"Sorry, didn't see y-."
"Move it, boy. Your face is annoying me." Kanda walked past her still radiating a dark aura.
"What's up his ass?"
"Don't worry about it, Gabriel. Just count your blessings and thank the Lord you're alive," Allen said with a comically serious face.
"He's right, Gabbie. You have just met Yu-chan and you're lucky he didn't cut you down to size. Then again, I don't see how much smaller you could be!"
"Shut up Lavi, I bet he's just in a bad mood."
"Heh, then he's been in a bad mood for years," Allen scoffed.
They debated about what really was the source of Kanda's sour mood, but when that subject was exhausted they decided to figure out what would look best on Gabriel as they came to Lenalee's room.
"We'll go ahead of you, okay? Just have Lenalee show you the way to Komui's office."
"I'll be fine, see you guys later." Gabriel looked at the door before her. Nothing distinguished it from the other doors, but the faint sound of music came from the other side. "Hello?" Gabriel knocked firmly. "Ms. Lenalee? Are you in?"
A sweet sounding voice called from the door, "I'm coming!" A young Asian girl opened the girl smiling brightly. "Oh, how may I help you?" Lenalee wasn't dressed in anything fancy, but she was certainly very pretty. Wearing the same clothes she had yesterday had made Gabriel feel a bit bashful.
"Um, I'm new here and-. Um…"
"Oh, you must be Gabriel. My brother told me there was a new face at the Order. I'm assuming you need a change of clothes," she giggled."Being a girl in the Black Order isn't very easy, there are so few."
Lenalee pulled Gabriel into her room which was surprisingly plain. Being the younger sister of the Director, Gabriel expected some type of special treatment to be given to Lenalee. The only unique additions of her room were the records and the gramophone that sat on a table.
"I have some old clothes that might fit you. They might be baggy, I hope they'll do."
Lenalee handed her a white blouse, an under shirt, and a black skirt. Lenalee giggled "I haven't worn these since I was fourteen. Wait a second while I see if I can find you a pair of shoes and some stockings."
"Um, thanks. I don't mean to be picky, but you don't happen to have some pants or shorts?" Gabriel looked at the skirt. It reached just past her knees and she was going to wear stockings anyways, but she'd prefer something she would normally wear.
"Sorry, Komui never got me anything like that and I've never really worn pants." She gave Gabriel the stockings and shoes. "You can change behind that screen. Is there anything else you need?"
"Yes, I need to meet your brother in his office. Could you take me there?"
"Sure, not a problem."
Komui scrutinized Gabriel with an expert eye. Allen had somehow come up with an apparently no so farfetched story about why Gabriel was here and why she had to stay with them while explaining what had happened to the rest of her family. "Well, it can't be helped and we could always use more hands around the Order. Gabriel Marian, welcome to the Black Order Europe Branch!"
"Yeah! We should hold a big welcome party in Gabbie's honor!"
"A party sounds awesome! And I could meet everyone in one go!" Allen sighed at Lavi's and Gabriel's antics. Things would be a lot more lively around the Order.
"By the way, Allen. I think it would only be fit if you would be her guardian seeing as her father was yours." Komui smiled obliviously at Allen whose jaw was very close to hitting the ground. "I mean, who better to raise Cross's daughter than his apprentice?"
"Komui, that's a terrible idea! I'm always busy with missions and have no time to raise a child and I thought we agreed that she would stay under the radar of the Order! The Order is practically watching me all hours of the day!"
"Excuse me! Besides your hair, we look pretty close to the same age, Mr. Walker," Gabriel said pointedly. "And you don't need to worry about me too much, I'll just be helping around with menial chores like laundry and stuff, right? Whoever you're worrying about won't even notice I exist if they're so preoccupied with you."
"Yeah, Allen. She'll be fine. Jerry can keep an eye on her and I'll keep my other eye on her," Lavi chuckled and threw his arm around Allen's shoulders. "And Tim seems just fine with her." Lavi directed the white haired exorcist's attention to the golden golem perched on Gabriel's head as it grinned at them.
Lenalee giggled, "It's going to be great having a girl closer to my age to talk to." She looped arms with Gabriel and showed off the sincerest smile. "We can go shopping in town and talk about the lastest fashion trends and…" Lenalee went on and on with a somewhat uninterested Gabriel only half listening and looking to the gentlemen for assistance.
A shadowy expression covered Allen's usually good-natured face. "Lenalee, why don't you be in charge of teaching Gabriel how to be more ladylike?" A dark chuckle came from his throat. He supposed he could 'enjoy' his new ward if only a little. It was only natural being the apprentice of the infamous Cross Marian.
Gabriel hummed as she and Allen walked to her new room residing right next door to his. It wasn't as though the silence between them was uncomfortable on the contrary they were surprisingly very content with the lack of conversation. Allen opened the door for Gabriel like a gentleman and she humored him with a curtsy, just to be playful.
"Man, living here is going to be great. No school, no homework. I don't mind the hard labor and that library has to be filled with books I haven't even hea…"
"Aren't you homesick?" How he said it was more of a statement than a question.
Gabriel looked at him briefly before shrugging and sitting on her bed. "I'm not sure. Yeah, I miss them even if it's only been a day and I know they're probably freaking out. But here I am in a whole new world I never knew about!" Gabriel stood up and twirled in a tight circle with her arms up, stopping suddenly when she faced Allen. "My dad never told me much about his past, even when I asked. And when it came to his job, he was even more secretive. I trusted him nonetheless and still do, but now I have to wonder. What don't I know about my dad? Was he really a womanizer? Does he possibly have other children with other women? Who are my grandparents? Does my mom know about this or is she as clueless as me? Who was my dad if not the man I grew up believing him to be?" Gabriel sat down again, her chipper attitude faded.
Allen looked at her and could tell he struck home with his question. He sat beside her and placed a comforting hand on hers. "Your father is every bit the man you believe him to be. Yes, he was a bit rowdy and wild and unreasonable and irresponsible and…ahem, excuse me," Allen chuckled. "What I'm trying to say is that he was a good man. He had his faults, but so does everyone. And if he fathered someone like you who from what I can tell is a very sensible person, than he's an excellent father."
Gabriel sniffled and rubbed her eyes in a failed attempt to hide her tears. "Geez, you're like my mom. Making me cry and everything," she chuckled shakily. She accepted the handkerchief Allen offered and wiped her eyes. "You really mean what you say, Allen?"
He flashed a sincere smile, "Every word." Suddenly Gabriel hugged Allen tightly and cried quietly on his shoulder. He smiled and hummed a melody to her, rubbing her back and letting her cry herself to sleep.
As he looked at the tearstained face of the youth he had the oddest urge. He knelt by her bedside and folded his arms, "God, I've never asked anything from you, even when you ask everything of me. But if you could fulfill a single request for me, protect this child and help her find her way home."
Again, thank you for reading! Please review is the urge strikes you and don't hesitate any mistakes I've made so I can fix them. Although, flames will be put out immediately.