Another chapter done. To busy with everything else, but hey, at least I'm still updating my stories. Also been working mainly on my other story "Unknown Gender and a Little Fun". Oh, and thanks to everyone who reviewed.



Chapter
Two: War and Bitter Tears

"Linali? Linali? Hello? Earth to Linali!"

"Hu?" she replied as she looked up to see Lavi waving his hand in front of her face. Lavi let out a small sigh of annoyance at Linali's lack of response.

"Well I see how much you care about me, seeing as how much you listened to what I had just said" said Lavi to the young female exorcist, but she had already stopped listening and was once again pushing the food around her plate.

"Linali, are you okay?" asked a soft voice.

"Um….yeah…I'm fine…." Linali replied as she looked up to see Allen staring at her from across the table. He eyed her carefully; his expression was one full of concern.

"If there is anything wrong, please tell us, okay?" asked Allen, "We're your friends, we're here to help you" He gave her a gentle smile, as if that would be enough to prove that his words are true.

For some reason that smile tore her heart in half, and she looked down to break her eye contact with Allen.

"Don't worry Allen. Of course I would tell you…that's what friends do…."


Linali tossed and turned in her bed, unable to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes she could see the evil serpent staring back at her. He was grinning, his mouth stretching across his face, the sharp teeth glinting in the light. Lianli felt herself shiver and she clutched even tighter to the sheets she had pulled up to her face.

She turned again, suddenly feeling very restless. She turned a few more times until she decided that there was absolutely no possibility of her falling asleep now.

She swung her legs over the side of her bed and shoved her foot into the pair of black boots sitting at the foot of her bed. She grabbed her exorcist jacket, which had been hanging over the back of a chair, and stuck her arm through before quickly walking out of the door to her room.

Her footsteps echoed through the dark halls around her. She let her feet carry her away, not caring where she was going. She passed door after door, not once meeting another soul.

Suddenly she saw a light appear at the end of the hall, and upon getting closer to it, she recognized it to be Komui's office. She decided to go in and see what her brother was doing, but before she could, she heard a voice from inside.

"…she was on her way back to report to me when she attacked by several Akumas. She died almost instantly" Linali could just hear the voice which she recognized to be Kanda's. She pressed her ear into the door, hoping she could hear him better.

Komui let out a small sigh of grief.

"How unfortunate that we lost another life. It will be a miracle when this all ends. Tell me, what was the finder's name again?"

"Rose"

Linali gave a sharp gasp, but quickly threw her hand over her mouth as if to muffle the sound.

Oh, how could this have happened? Linali didn't know her too well, but she still knew her all the same. Linali had met her when she first came to the order as a child (much against her own wishes). Rose was one of the few people who actually tried to help her through her dark days Now that she was gone, it saddened Linali to think that she never really done anything for the other girl.

A silent tear trickled down her face as she jumped up and ran back to her room.

She threw the door open upon reaching it and hastily shut it behind her. Her knees suddenly became dangerously weak and wobbly, and she slid to the floor. Tears now fell down her face in a steady trickle. The salty bitter taste of them touching her lips.

This stupid war. It was just causing more deaths to occur, and more precious and innocent lives to be lost. Why did all this have to happen?

Linali pressed her face into her hands as she began to sob even louder.

"Did you call for me?"

Linali looked up to see a face with sharp glistening teeth staring down at her.

The Millennium Earl.


Gasp! What's going to happen now?! Hm…I wonder how the Earl could have gotten into the Black Order….oh well….