Further into the Shadows
There was a silence between them. Teal didn't know how to respond. She hung her head and glanced at her Innocence. She thought that the only thing that made her a monster was that woman. Does Innocence create monsters? To some people, it may seem like it's a monster.
"Well, I'm going back to bed. It's freezing out here." Devitto yawned.
"Later." She said weakly and waved. 'I don't think Innocence would make me a monster. Although, I can't say that I like it. The day these ribbons wrapped themselves around my arms, it felt like chains. Somebody had to choose my life for me, whether it was that woman or God. I'm not happy about that one bit.' She started to practice her attacking techniques on the tree.
'I keep on thinking about Allen… I wonder how much time is left for him.'
-----------------
At the Order… A Few Days Later
"Komui, here's the Innocence we collected…" Allen yawned.
"Allen, I'm not Ni-San. Are you sure you're alright?" Lenalee asked. She held him up by his arm.
"Yeah, I'm alright. I'm just…" The shadow of the fourteenth appeared out of nowhere and was standing beside Lenalee. "Tired." He finished.
'That shadow has been appearing more than usual. It's like he's trying to tell me something but I can't quite make it out. And I've been having these weird dreams lately.' Lenalee leaned towards Allen.
"It's not him again, is it?" She whispered.
"LENALEE! ALLEN I'LL MURDER YOU!" Komui just walked in the area and from his angle, it looked like Lenalee was about to kiss Allen. He had his infamous drill in hand.
"Ni-San, don't embarrass me again." Lenalee threw an icy glare at her brother but she dropped it when she saw Rouverlier.
"Good day, Allen Walker and Lenalee." He gave a cold smile.
"What do you think he's doing here? He's not supposed to come here until next week." Some Science Members were muttering.
"Maybe they finally found her. That exorcist that was taken by the Noah."
"I heard that she's dead. Last time the Order heard from her was almost three weeks ago. First Cross, then her. At this rate, we'll lose all the exorcists."
"Not necessarily. I've heard that…"
"Shut it, runt! We're not supposed to blab about that!"
Lenalee turned to Allen. "Do you think something has happened that will give us an advantage? I've been hearing stuff like that for a little while now."
"For now, I'd think its best if the exorcists stay out of it." Link came out of no where. "Some secrets are not meant to be uncovered. As for your friend, she's the least of your worries."
-------------
"Teal…" Road poked Teal's shoulder. She had her back to Road and was lying on a couch. "Teal, wake up."
"…No." She moaned. "Your math is on the table. Go to school." Road took her book and went out the room.
'I can't get back to sleep. I wonder who else is here.' She checked her map and the only Noah in the mansion were Tyki and Sheryl. The Earl was probably making more akuma, Road was going to school, and Teal didn't know where the others were.
For the past few days, Teal tried training by herself in the woods but only got a little bit of progress.. She could still fight but it is not as effective as normal.
'I think what I'm gonna do is see if I can't get my job going again. Or I'll see whose hiring. There's no way I'm staying with those two.'
After Teal got changed into a long sleeve shirt and casual pants, she was stopped by akuma in the hall.
"Where d'you think you're going, girl?" It had a firm grasp on her shoulder.
"I'm… going to town. To meet up with Devitto and Jasdero." She smiled. 'I have no idea where they are right now. Please, for once please be in town.' "Besides, I haven't done anything stupid in the past week and a half." She put her arms behind her head.
"Perhaps one of us should escort you." The akuma said suspiciously. "So you won't run away again."
"Um… Hello?" Teal rolled up her sleeve revealing her Innocence.
"So what? How do we know that you still won't try to run?"
"Well…" Teal thought about it for a minute. "Look, just give me a chance. I'm not going to run, I swear!"
"Not buying it, exorcist." Teal mentally slapped herself out of frustration. 'Okay… Think! Think! They're obviously smarter than the cops but much stupider than the Noah. How the heck do I con them? Unless…'
Teal summoned a power that stopped time and showed the memories of the akuma. They were like small photographs/ video memories in a circle. She chose the recent memory of the conversation.
'I only know how to show memories and erase them… a little bit. If I could manipulate them then does that mean I could make them the way I want it?' She focused on the part where the akuma didn't believe her and she imagined them believing her and letting her go without question. When she let go of the memories, they automatically flowed back into the akuma and time returned back to normal.
"What are you still doing here? Get going!" The akuma said.
"Alright." 'That was interesting…' She thought as she jumped off the roof into the forest. 'So the Deceiver killed others by erasing every one of their memories? It feels kinda weird. A part of me wants to kill. This feeling… kinda makes me feel like its okay to do these things. I know it's wrong! I just have to do what I think is right. Shishou did say that many people have different sides on different things and the only right way is what is right in your heart.' She gave a small smile. 'I want to fight with my friends and I also want to break the curse so the Noah can be spared. Is there a right way to do both things?'
"Inspector Rouverlier, to what do we owe this pleasure of your early visit?" Komui placed his chin on his hands.
"I've come to talk about the exorcist that you recently lost."
"Teal? What about her?"
"I'm not so convinced that she's an ally." He threw some thick files on Komui's desk. "After we started the investigation on Allen Walker, we have learned that one of the original 13 Noah resides at the Order through another investigation."
Komui was looking at Teal's criminal record, reports of the Noah Clan, and a few other things.
"Inspector, I don't believe that this is enough evidence to support your argument. Just because she was a juvenile delinquent doesn't mean anything. True, the marks that she has are a sign of Noah but she knew nothing about them. And she has an ability that has only been used by a Noah but she has used it to help us."
"You try so hard to protect the Exorcists, Supervisor. Do you recall in the report of the ark that she nearly killed Allen Walker? She somehow was possessed by the Deceiver and now since she's gone, that makes her the next Noah. It has been nearly a month since she last contacted the Order. I'm starting to wonder if she hasn't already betrayed the Order."
The phone rang on Komui's desk.
"Hello?"
"Komui? That you?"
"Teal?! Where are you?!"
"Do you really want to guess at that? I'm back at square one." She sighed.
"What's taking you so long to get out of there?"
"Okay… I maxed out my Innocence. They've been keeping a close eye on me after that and I finally was able to get back to town. Long story short, I can't make it back unless I recover my Innocence and I've got a feeling that's going to take a while." Rouverlier took the phone from Komui.
"Hello Teal, this is Inspector Rouverlier." Teal shivered. She briefly saw him at the Order and he frightened her. She swallowed hard.
"You said that you're Innocence is maxed out? But they haven't been able to destroy it?"
"Yes sir. Inspector with your…"
"Excellent." He interrupted her. "What you can do is force an evolution into a crystal type."
"What?! I can't even activate it! I don't think I have a good synchro-rate."
"Well then, try to raise it and when it's high enough, it should evolve. In the mean time, I have a mission for you. Will you accept it, Exorcist?"
"Yes sir."
"If you think it will take some time to reactivate it, make use of it and spy on the Noah. Send us any information that you can, whether be it by telegraph, carrier pigeon or whatever, send whatever you can. Do you know another language that is not commonly spoken? Like Hindi, Hungarian or Japanese?"
"Yes. So I send it then you'll translate it?"
"Precisely. Bookman is more than capable of doing that. Gain their trust, gather any information about the Earl's movements, akuma factory, anything at all. One more thing: collect any Innocence that you come across. You're uniform has a powerful spell that hides the scent of Innocence. But be careful. If you have too many, then the spell will not be able to protect them."
"Alright. Also is Allen alright?"
"Do not worry about him. You're first priority is your mission."
"Please, I have to…" He hung up before she could finish. 'I hate him.'
------------------
"Why'd you just send her on a suicidal mission? If she's caught, the Earl will kill her for sure."
"This will prove where her loyalties lie. Besides, you have her record and I've seen her in battle. She is capable of doing something like this. I wouldn't worry about the Earl killing her. They are desperate and they can't afford to lose another Noah."
--------------
'Great, just great.' Teal's silencing spell wore off and she slipped her golem into her backpack. 'This is gonna take a while. But I won't go back until I find everything I can about the curse.'
She checked her map and she saw that Devitto and Jasdero were at the other side of town. She was scanning her map then she came across two familiar names. It was her master and her friend.
'Oh my god. They're here! Wait, is this supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing? I don't care!'
"Rawk! Special delivery! Shadow Siren! Special delivery!" Her master's pet parrot was standing on the post just out side the door.
"Oi! Lady! No delivery birds allowed! Get out before I call the cops!" The manager of the shop was furious.
"AlRIGHT! Sheesh." Teal offered her arm and the bird jumped on it. "Hey, mind moving to my shoulder? I can't support you." The bird moved up her shoulder and she untied the letter attached to his leg. She read it and started walking down the busy street.
"Teal, Yoshi noticed your scent in town, (as you know he's a delivery bird and has been trained to track a person by their scent) so I decided to stay in town for a while. I've set up a dojo and I hope you come to visit me some time. Don't worry, I won't be leaving until I meet you at least a few times. If I do decide to travel again, I will let you know and you are welcome to come with me. See you soon."
Teal checked the date and it was written the day after she was on her second escape attempt.
"I haven't seen Shishou in over a year. I think I'll visit him since I'm here." She said to Yoshi.
"You bet, Weakling. Rawk!"
"I defiantly didn't miss you. You still are a loud mouth bird brain."
"Shut up, Shadow Siren. You made me like this. Rawk!" Something touched Teal's shoulder and she jumped.
"Excuse me, did I hear that bird correctly? You're dead, Siren." It was a cop that Teal recognized.
"Okay, what the hell is going on here?! You show up as soon as I'm about to have a reunion!" She pointed at the cop.
"Someone got lazy. Besides, I'm here for another day then I'm going back. And I'm hauling you back with me."
"Uh oh! Busted! Sorry kid, you're on your own." Yoshi flew away.
"Not gonna happen. You weren't able to catch me when I was 13 so why bother now? And what was your name again? It's on the tip of my tongue." Teal tapped her head. "Oh yeah! Turdfergison." She grinned.
"It's TURKSON! Bob Turkson, you little brat." She walked over by a fruit stand.
"I know, I'm just doing that for old time's sake. But I'm also…" She threw a tomato at him. "Not going anywhere without a fight. So if you're going to arrest me for no reason, then you're gonna expect me to fight back." Some people backed off and were watching eagerly.
"After you get convicted, you're gonna be paying double!" He charged at her and she jumped over him just before he was at the food stand.
'Note to self. Not too many stupid stunts. I still have a limit.'
He was covered in tomato juice and he was absolutely furious.
"Huh, Y'know, I turned over a new leaf over the years. You are still as slow as ever. And I still got it in me."
"Hold still and fight like a man!"
"Alright, you asked for it." Teal put up her fists and the cop pulled out his bat.
"Your move." She said. The cop ran at her and hit her with his bat and she dropped to the ground.
"This time, I win." He laughed. Teal kicked his legs, knocking him down and she jumped up.
"Geez, you never learn, do you? And you have to work on your aim." When he stood up, he swung at her again. She blocked and dodged them then spun around and kicked him hard in the stomach.
He didn't go down this time but he was winded. Teal sent him a small distance away.
"Care to surrender?"
"No. This time, I will not be embarrassed by such an annoyance." He panted.
"Well, you don't need any help from me."
"That's right. Wait… Darn it!" He charged at her again and grabbed her arm and bent it back. She turned around, kicked his helmet downward as hard as she could and it covered his eyes. He let go of her arm and his bat. Teal used the bat to hit him on the head like a bell. He fell to the ground again.
"Yeah, now would be a good time to walk away."
"Never. If I go down, you're coming with me." Teal climbed on to a tarp above a poultry shop.
"Alright, do your worst." He was so dizzy that he started to act like a drunk. He swung at everything he could see and was far away from Teal. He hit a large woman and she started to beat him black and blue and chased him down the street.
Teal counted how many people watched them fight and there weren't that many people other than the vendors.
"My work here is done." She said as she jumped off.
'I wonder where Erin and Shishou are. I'd better check to see if Jasdero and Devitto are still at the far end of town. Just in case.'
"Teal!" Someone called out to her. She was about to pull out her map and she looked around but no one that she knew was around.
"Teal!" That voice just glomped her and almost knocked her down. "Guess who?"
"Erin?" She smiled. Erin got off her back and Teal turned around. It was her friend. Erin was about the same height as Teal. She had red hair and wore a short violet dress
"Erin… I missed you so much!" Teal gave her a hug and they headed towards the main market area. "Hey, you grew your hair longer! I almost didn't recognize you. Although I really should since…"
"Ah-ah. A lady never reveals her secrets. Although, I should say you're the one who can't be recognized. You've went through a growth spurt and you've changed your hair. But you still wear guy's clothing. Isn't that ironic?" Erin smiled.
"Okay, I admit, I'm being cheap. And I find it easier to fight in pants. Or short dresses work too. So what's your excuse? Don't you dare say that you're being cheap. I already took that." Teal put her arms behind her head.
"I like looking this way, that's all there is to it."
"Heh, you haven't changed a bit. So what brings you here?"
"Yoshi picked up your scent a while ago. And it was still pretty strong which means you're nearby. So we thought we'd stay for a while. You?"
Teal froze. She couldn't tell Erin that she was kidnapped. "Um… Well I kind of got a big job that requires a lot of travelling. And I'm stu… staying here for a while."
"How's you're odd-job service coming along? You have any offers here yet? Oh! And where are you staying? If you're living in a tent in a crappy countryside again, I'm gonna shoot you. You deserve better than that." She narrowed her eyes at Teal.
"No. I haven't been in town much. I am staying in the countryside but I'm not living in a tent. Is business booming here?"
"Yeah. A lot of places are hiring for higher wages if you're interested."
"Hey, that's not a bad idea." 'If I can get a part time job here, I can train my arms and legs. If there's a job that's REALLY weird, Innocence might be near.'
"Alright, slowpoke. Let's hurry then we can go meet Shishou." Erin grabbed Teal's arm and they ran to the advertisement board.
"Let's see… Ah! There's an odd job service logo! Put your flyer up!"
"Wow, you really are energetic today. I wonder what delivery birds they use. I hope that none of them are part loud mouth part parrot."
"Beats me." Erin shrugged. There was an explosion somewhere in town. It wasn't near Teal and Erin but it was very loud. Teal slightly opened her map to see what was in that area. Devitto and Jasdero were in the area where the explosion just occurred.
"What is that thing?!" Some people were shrieking. A giant white akuma could be seen from this part of town. It looked like a mix between a giant tiger and a shark and its eyes were glowing an eerie red color. Faint red balls of fire were seen and it was hardly affecting the akuma.
"Jasdevi…" Teal whispered. She spotted a black smith nearby and he was watching the akuma while panicking.
"Hey!" Teal ran up to him. "You have a katana by any chance? I'll pay you back later."
"You're not gonna fight that thing are you?" He handed her a katana in a black case. "If you can come back in one piece, I'll give it to you for free." Teal nodded and ran towards the north sector of the town.
"Teal! Hold up! We have to get out of here!" Erin held her back.
"Erin, my friends are over there and they're gonna need help."
"Fine. But I'll go with you. That monster looks like it's near the cliff and you'll get lost easily."
"Red Bomb!" Jasdero and Devitto fired two fire balls at the akuma but used its tail to send it back.
"White Bomb!" The fireball disappeared and the twins were exhausted. "If we can't get rid of this akuma soon, we're in deep doo-doo." Jasdero panted. The akuma went berserk for no reason at all and it started attacking indiscriminately and ignored the Noah's orders. Jasdevi knew that if this went on too long, the people would start to wonder about this and the Clan would be exposed sooner or later.
"Too bad we can't just shoot each other and combine. There are too many people watching." Devitto glared at the bystanders who were watching them fight. There wasn't many but they couldn't risk exposing the Clan of Noah to the civilians.
"Whoa, this thing is bigger than I thought." Erin said. They were on a higher cliff than the akuma, Devitto and Jasdero. The bystanders were on the higher cliff as well.
"Erin, get those people to safety. As for me…" Teal slipped on a small mask on her face. "I'll handle the rest." She unsheathed her sword and jumped off the cliff. She landed on the akuma's spiky back and moved closer to the neck that was armored.
"Take this!" She stabbed the akuma in the scruff. She hit it in the wrong spot and it didn't paralyze it. It stood up and it's hind legs and roared. Teal was thrown off and landed on her back. Her sword landed right next to her and it was sticking out of the ground.
'Plan B… I need a Plan B…'
"Oi! What're you doing here, Teal?" Devitto asked her. "Get out of here! We can handle this!"
"You guys didn't honestly think that I'd let you have all the fun, did you?" The akuma swung its claw at them, they all jumped to dodge it. "So what's going on with this akuma?"
"It's gone berserk. It won't listen to us anymore and if this gets out of control, it could expose us!" Jasdero said. Teal landed on a branch and Jasdevi landed under her.
"Just stay there, Teal! We can handle this!" Devitto shouted to her.
"Not a chance! Innocence or no Innocence, it's my job to get rid of akuma!"
"Inno…cence… Must capture and destroy Innocence!" The akuma roared.
"Oh boy… At least it remembered its primary function." Teal said to herself. 'I'm still live bait!'
The akuma swung its claw and destroyed the tree. Teal jumped on the arm, jumped towards the unarmored chest where the 'face' was and gave three large slashes. It gave some damage to it but it wasn't even close to coming down.
Teal's arms and legs gave a sharp pain. It felt like she was close to her limit and she couldn't move for a minute.
'Damn… That akuma isn't even close to defeat and I might be near my limit.' Tags with kanji on it started to circle the akuma. It started to make it shrink so it was small enough for it to be attacked at a short range. Teal looked up to the higher cliff and Erin had two fans in hand and she was moving them as if she was controlling something.
'I didn't know Erin knew magic. I don't think Shishou taught him any.'
"Alright, I think that should make things easier on you guys." Erin smiled. She crossed her fans and was waiting for it to move. Devitto and Jasdero ran up to the akuma and were ready to shoot it.
"Thanks Erin!" Teal shouted. The moment she regained use of her legs, she ran up to join Jasdevi.
"Blue Bomb!" They shot its four legs and Teal attacked its chest. She slashed it five times and it retaliated by shooting her from the spikes on its back. She was blown back and Devitto broke her fall.
"You alright, Devitto?" Teal was shot in her side and pentacles started to appear for a moment then vanished. 'My healing powers can still repel the virus. But it's not enough to heal my wound quickly.'
"You should be more worried about yourself." He had a slightly cold tone in his voice. He stood up and went back to the akuma. When Teal removed her hand from her side, it was covered in blood and the vision came back and everything was covered in blood. Her friends were gone and the Deceiver was standing in front of her. Her eyes were wide and she covered her ears. 'Stop… Please… I have to continue fighting.' She collapsed to her knees and couldn't do anything except wait until the vision had passed.
There was an earthquake and the akuma was knocked to the ground.
"What just happened?" Jasdero asked.
"Who cares? Now's our chance!" There was another earthquake and a fissure had opened under Devitto and Jasdero. Devitto was the first to fall and he grabbed Jasdero's hands and Jasdero was almost in the hole.
'Oh no!' Teal ran to them as fast as she could and grabbed on to Jasdero's leg. She was on her stomach trying to anchor herself but she was being dragged in and was almost over the edge.
"Pull us up!" Jasdevi shouted. Teal couldn't move her arms or legs.
"Erin! Help me!" Erin had disappeared from the cliff. She was on her own and she couldn't use anything to boost her strength.
'Somebody! Anything or anybody! Help me! I don't want to lose them again!' Her arms started to glow and she could feel that pressure around her legs was relieving.
"Ouch! Teal what's going on? That really hurts!" Jasdero nearly let go of Devitto causing to Devitto hang on to his hair.
"Hey! I'm running out of things to hang on to here!" The pressure around her arms and legs was coming back. Teal held on tighter. 'I don't want to lose them. I have to protect them!' She moved her leg back and she noticed it was easier to move them.
'My Innocence? I'm losing power. I have to hurry.'
"Convert!" She cried. The marks on her arms formed faint ribbons and merged with her legs to make it more effective. There were rings around her ankles and the ends of the ribbons were digging into the ground. She kept on moving backward and slowly pulled Jasdero out. Her Innocence gave out and reverted to marks around her arms and legs.
Devitto was clinging on to the edge and the fissure was closing. Teal grabbed his arm and tried to pull him up but it was no use. Jasdero grabbed his other arm and they pulled him out right before the fissure closed.
"Geez. That was close." Devitto panted. "Good thing that akuma fell. It saves us the trouble of landing on our butts trying to destroy the stupid thing."
"Actually, we did that already." Jasdero said hoarsely.
"I'll say. You two aren't half bad." Erin appeared out of nowhere and was standing in front of them.
"What did you just say?" They shouted. "Like you could do any better, girly!"
"Why, thank you." Erin smiled. She still had her fans in hand.
"Erin! Are you alright?" Teal put her sword in its case and walked towards Erin. "You disappeared and I thought that… thing got you."
"Hold up, you know each other?!" Devitto and Jasdero were annoyed and had little patience for surprises.
"Uh-huh. Oi vey, might as well get this over and done with." Teal was almost at her limit and was about to collapse any time.
"Okay… Erin this is Devitto and Jasdero. Jasdero and Devitto, this is Erin." She said it as fast as she could. "Erin is my friend from Shishou's and I'm staying with Devitto and Jasdero. Also…"
"Teal-chan…" Erin whispered in Japanese. Shishou had taught them both Japanese and it was a code language between them. "Remember a lady never reveals her deepest darkest secret until the right moment. I think they should figure it out."
"Also?" Devitto leaned forward a bit.
"Uh… Never mind. I just lost my train of thought." Teal laughed.
"Well, we have to get going." Jasdero said.
"See ya later! It's was nice to meet you! Teal, you should…"
"Erin. I have to go back too." She cut her friend off. She knew that an akuma going berserk was something to report to the Earl. She wasn't on the Noah's side so she had no reason to report to him. Still, she would be in trouble if she didn't go back with them.
"I'll come back soon. Promise."
"Alright, wrap it up." Devitto put his hand on her head and he was leading her down the path.
"Would it kill you to not drag me this quickly? I'm near my limit." Teal said as she was walking backwards while Devitto was still leading her.
"Okay. Once you stop doing the opposite of what you're told. That's what's really annoying about you. And you wouldn't be at you limit if you didn't activate your Innocence, idiot." He grumbled.
"One: I neither do what I'm told nor do the opposite. I just do whatever. Not always the best idea but it works for me. And two: I didn't activate it on my own."
"Hold up." Devitto and Jasdero stopped in their tracks. Teal's legs gave out and fell backwards.
"What do you mean you didn't activate it? Hee, look, we're not saying we're ungrateful that you helped us get out of there but you could've chosen a smarter thing to do. And my leg still kind of hurts because of it!" Jasdero said.
"It kind of activated on its own. I had no intentions of activating it at first but it reacted to my emotions and it was the only thing I could use."
"Wait, equipment types don't react to emotions. Only parasite types do." Devitto said. He turned to his brother and he shared the same confused and curious look.
"I'm serious! I thought that if I forced it to activate, there is a chance that it could kill me so that's why I didn't use it. It honestly activated on its own when I was thinking about…" Teal turned red. It felt a little embarrassing telling them how she felt.
"Alright. We get it." They said together.
"I feel stupid for asking this but can one of you carry me back please? I can't move my legs at all."
"Alright. You owe us big time." Devitto lifted her on his back. "Don't be expecting me to carry you all the way back. It'll be a short trip."
"How? It takes me almost an hour to get to town. I doubt that's not what you define as 'short'."
"How any times did that akuma hit you on your head?" Devitto was annoyed. "We're using the ark."
"Oh yeah. You have a new ark." Teal shivered as the gate came out of nowhere.
'Relax. It's probably just like the white ark. Relax.' When they went through, it was pitch black and she was afraid. She clung tighter to Devitto's jacket and hid her face like a small child. Within a few minutes, they were inside the Noah mansion.
"We're here. You can get off now, can't you?" Devitto said. Teal didn't respond.
"Hey. You still alive back there?"
"Yeah." She said weakly. Devitto bent down and she slid off his back.
"You go on ahead Jasdero, we'll catch up." Devitto turned to his brother.
"Wait, I'm coming with you to talk to the Earl?" Teal was really uneasy.
"Yeah. Don't know why, but I've got a feeling that he's gonna want to talk to you about your Innocence. Also, why were you hanging on to me for dear life? Not scared of the ark were you?" Devitto was half joking.
"Um… I'm alright. Really. I'm not scared of the ark, I just… Never mind."
"What?" He stood in front of her and prevented her from getting anywhere. "I'm not letting you go anywhere unless you start talking."
"Why? I didn't do anything."
"You're pushing yourself too hard and it seems like you don't care about what happens to you. What really pisses me off is that you don't allow us to help you when you need it."
"I don't know what you're talking about Devitto. Other than the Innocence issue, I'm fine." 'That's a lie. I'm not fine.'
"I don't believe you. You almost always push yourself to the brink of death and yet you can say 'You're fine'?! That is bull and you know it."
"I don't know what you're talking about." She said again.
"You little…" Her cornered her and slammed his hands against the walls so she couldn't get away. "Stop lying! If you're not careful, you can really lose your life. What really pisses me off is that you don't care nor do you let anyone help you."
"… I do care about what happens to me. There, now can I leave?"
"Nope. You still haven't said why you won't accept help from us."
"You won't understand."
"Oh yeah? Try me."
"I just don't like to accept others for help. There have been a few times I have and it did nothing… Hey! Are you even listening!?" He hung his head and looked like he was asleep.
'There's part of me that's telling me to draw on his face… Then the other part is telling me to wait until I can fight back. Know what? Screw it. I don't think he's gonna notice since he has so much makeup on already.' She reached in her bag for her black marker.
"Try it and you die, you stupid girl."
"I'd like to see you live up to that threat for once."
"You have a death wish or something?!" Devitto punched the wall beside her.
"Now I don't. I've got something to do, so you can go without me." She moved Devitto's arm so she could leave.
"Don't tell me you're ditching!"
"I've got something to do. You're not gonna get more out of me."
------------
Later…
'The library here isn't much better than the Order. However, I did find out that the key to some curses is bonds. It doesn't explain much more than that. How do bonds affect curses?' She was sitting on the balcony railing, reading a book about something that might help her.
"So this is where you've been hiding. I'd figure you'd be up a little higher." Jasdero said.
"I would but since I'm past my limit, I can't climb right now." Jasdero joined her on the railing and sat on the opposite end.
"Why don't you let us help you when something's bothering you?"
"You're starting to sound like Devitto." Teal closed her book.
"Put us together…"
"And you're Jasdevi, one person. Yeah, I got it."
"Don't steal our line!" Jasdero pulled out his gun on her.
"Okay, okay. Put when you use it a million times, other people know it off hand." 'Sheesh. I thought girls were the only ones with hormones.'
"Heh, that still doesn't answer my question." He sat on the railing beside her. His mood changed in an instant. "Put it this way: You helped us and we're trying to pay you back. And believe me, this is like an once-in-a-lifetime chance 'cause we don't do that very often."
"I appreciate the effort but I don't need help."
"I know you still don't like being here but we, Devitto and me, want to help. As friends. Please?"
"I just… I don't usually… Like to ask for help." She cringed as the nightmare vision flashed before her eyes. She started to shake uncontrollably as the vision was haunting her longer than usual.
"Teal, what's wrong?"
-------------------
"You're finally awake." Jasdevi was sitting beside her on a bed. Teal's vision was slightly out of focus and she couldn't tell what room she was in.
"You might not want to sit up too much, you'll hit you're head. Then again, I don't think your brain damage could be any worse." He laughed.
"Mnn. What happened?" She groaned. She couldn't remember anything except the vision.
"You tell me. You passed out on the balcony because you looked like you had an attack or something. Now I you can't say that you're okay."
"It… It wasn't an attack. I think. It was something else." Teal slowly sat up. The ceiling was very low and she figured she was in Jasdevi's room again. "But I guess you're right. I can't say nothing is wrong with me. I've been seeing things lately. Not my normal random visions, it's more like a nightmare."
"Oh. How long has this been going on?"
"A while. I've had at least one almost everyday and no matter how many times I see it, it scares me. You may or may not believe this but I'm still not really used to being around people and I don't know how to ask because I think that they will think that I'm too weak or too stupid."
"You're not weak or THAT stupid. You are kind of stupid but anyway, every person would feel that way at one point or another. We really do care about you and we do want to help you. Isn't that what friends do?"
Teal's eyes widened and she blushed a bit as if she heard that word for the first time. "I guess. So if I gradually tell you stuff, do you promise to keep it to yourself or yourselves? I mean it, you can not tell anybody else, not even the Earl."
"Well… I can't really promise that. I am kind of a blabber mouth."
"Y'know, once I can move my arms and legs fully, I'll make sure we have an agreement." Teal put her fist against her hand.
"Alright, fair enough. I swear won't tell anyone. I'll save you the embarrassment of getting your ass kicked by us."
"I'd say something 'bout that but I'm too freakin' tired to do anything. Do I have your word on it?"
"Yes. I can do that."
"Thanks." She smiled. "Can I ask a favor? Can I stay with you tonight? I think that when you're around, the visions don't come as often." That was the easiest way she could say it. Jasdevi simply nodded.
"Alright. But no murdering me in my sleep otherwise I'll kill you!"
"Hmm. Same goes for you. Night." She rolled over and faced the wall. After a while, Jasdevi embraced her and drew her closer to him. She was a little startled at first but accepted it and fell asleep in his arms.
Xxxxxxxx
Okay, I've made some major changes with this chapter. I'm so happy with this one because they're finally starting to have a relationship. Okay, I'm gonna give a slight spoiler for the next chapter and most likely it's gonna be long since I still want to get to the part where she does finally become a Noah. (Yes she will become a Noah eventually) And I want to add the recent manga events in here as well. So next chapter, there's gonna be Innocence involved, Shishou and Jasdevi meet (The classic parent meets the daughter's guy friend(s)) and a ball with an unexpected reunion. So I will get that up ASAP.