Chapter five
It is early morning. A chill still hangs in the air from the frozen night before. The sun is barely peeping through. Not a soul can be heard in the hallways of the Black Order.
But Lavi Bookman Junior is awake, dressed and already on his way for an early morning session with Bookman. He walks with lethargic movements, practically dragging his feet along the ground. His mouth forms a gigantic yawn as he rubs his one uncovered eye.
He is headed for the library, or at least the makeshift room where all the books and documents are temporarily stored. Many times he had been there at the command of Bookman and majority of those times, had been in the wee hours of the morning. There was no need for his brain to be fully functioning in order to locate the library; it was an automatic journey, programmed into him during the two years and nine months he had spent at the Order.
How quickly those two years had passed in just the blink of an eye, literally…
Past the many unknown, forbidden experimental rooms belonging to Komui, he turns right into a wide corridor. He passes several closed doors, all part of the medical wing, and pauses in his mindless steps when he reaches an opened door.
He hears the voice of the Head Nurse through the slight gap.
"I'm sorry dear, but I have no idea what you mean. Do your arms hurt? Are hungry?"
Lavi hears no words of response and then he remembers the girl from yesterday.
Instead of continuing on his course, he swings the door of the ward wide open and steps inside, purposely placing a wide grin on his face.
"Hey Head Nurse. What's with all this racket so early in the morning?" He adds a tone of exaggerated cheer to his voice.
"I say the same to you Lavi," replies the nurse with a frown.
"Just came to check on the damsel in distress I saved last night."
He walks right up to her bed, arms folded behind his head. He greets her with a smile.
"How are you feeling?"
Lavi guesses the answer before she can open her mouth. He sees the layers of bandage wrapped around both her arms, her hands, her neck, although most of it is covered by the thick waterfall of brown hair that falls over her shoulders. He notes the pasty, yellow tinge of her skin and how she only sits at the top of the bed as if she is trying to be as small as possible. Her dark green eyes stare at him with a spark of recognition, but still they hold uncertainty, cautiousness. They are the eyes of a person who has seen a demon.
But the answer never comes. She doesn't even open her mouth. She simply stares at him and hugs her legs tighter.
"She won't talk," says the matron. "She hasn't uttered a word since waking up. She gave me a quite a fright when I walked in this morning and she just stared at me like a petrified doll. I don't know if she just doesn't want to talk or she can't."
Probably both, Lavi thinks. The aftermath of witnessing a demon always leaves one lost for words.
"She probably just needs some time to recover, but it's very hard when I don't know if she's thirsty or hungry. Perhaps she would respond to you, after all you did save her."
"Perhaps."
Lavi considers the invitation. Bookman could wait. He settles into a chair beside her bed.
"My name's Lavi. Nice to meet you."
She blinks and reaches for the coat on her bedside table. She pulls out a sketchbook.
Lavi watches her flip it open. She holds the page in front of him.
It's a picture of a young boy, a smiling young boy. Lavi recognises him as the young boy from the train who was with the group of card-playing men, except he is not wearing his mask.
"Do you want to know where he is?"
She nods with much more energy.
"That's an improvement," the matron says.
"I'm sorry. I don't know," Lavi says with a sympathetic smile. Her arms fall limply to her side.
But that short moment of hope inspires her. Her face lights up again.
This time, she flips her sketchbook to a new page. Her hands delve into the pockets of her coat again. She pulls out a pencil, with its lead missing from its head. She frowns at it.
"Do you want a pencil?"
She nods at Lavi, delighted that he has understood her both times.
"Miss…?" The matron pulls a pencil out of her breast pocket before Lavi can finish his question. She hands it to the girl, who starts scribbling away.
But it is not words that are formed on the page; it is a picture.
Two circles with a short line connecting them in between.
"Glasses?" Lavi guesses in surprise. She nods. "You mean Thick-Lens? I don't know where he is either."
Her face falls in utter dismay.
"Maybe if you gave us some names dear, we could try find them for you," asks the matron gently. The girl shakes her head.
Lavi curses in his mind for not asking for their names. It would make things a lot easier.
"I don't think she knows how to write," says Lavi.
"She doesn't speak or write? Well I'm stuck then."
"But she sure can draw well. Maybe a little creativity would help. Do you think you can draw something that sounds like their names?" Lavi asks her. She chews her lips as she thinks. Then she shakes her head.
And then her face lights up again. It seems inspiration comes easily to her. Amazed, Lavi wonders what picture could possibly represent a name.
When she finishes seconds later and holds it up, he sees the name straight away.
"Rose."
She nods happily and points at herself.
"It suits you." Lavi remarks.
Weather Rose did not agree, or did not care, she simply lays her to rest beside her and sighs like an enormous weight had just been lifted off her shoulders.
"Well thank-you Bookman junior," says the head nurse, sounding like she means it. "You've made a lot of progress with her but she needs some rest. Maybe you can come back another time."
"No problem at all Miss. Glad to be of-"
Something connects with Lavi's head most painfully. He yells at the sting it leaves behind, causing Rose to gasp in surprise.
"Idiot apprentice! Don't be so full of yourself."
Bookman has entered unbeknownst to Lavi and slapped him mercilessly, as goes his usual method of discipline.
"That hurt Old Panda!" Lavi protests.
"Shut up fool! You don't show up at your lesson and I find you playing around in the medical ward?"
Inadvertently, Bookman extends his arm to Lavi's head again and grabs him by the ear. He twists his wrist slightly and pulls the red head towards the exit.
"Ow, ow, ow…bye Rose! Nice to meet…" Lavi yells as he is dragged unceremoniously from the room.
When they are out of sight, Bookman lets Lavi drop to the floor with a loud thud. "What was that for Gramps, I was going anyway." Lavi wipes the dust of his shirt.
"Do not meddle in the affair of others. That girl is not of your concern."
"I was just being friendly."
"You are wasting your time. If you carry on like this, you'll-"
"Alright Gramps, I've got it already. I must not get attached to those I people I save."
He had heard this several times, too many times to his liking.
"Not to anyone. Do not forget the bigger picture here. We are here to record the history of the war between Exorcists and the Millennium Earl. The individual is not significant."
With an indignant sigh, Bookman marches off. Lavi watches his small figure move away and sighs himself.
No, had it not been for him, she would have come a piece of history, lost in its pages forever.
Free talk:
Two updates in two days straight! Yes, hope I can keep this up. It sure is time consuming O:
Nevertheless, hope you guys liked this chapter. It's kind of a break chapter (I apologise if you found it boring), a bridge between the first arc and what is to come…? –suspense- Anyway, it felt necessary to me. I mean, I would want a break after losing my family and getting attacked by Akuma, wouldn't you? Either way, there will be a few more chapters like this, just Rose getting to know the Order and such.
And to SkySight49, thanks for the review and you are totally right about the publish date in relation to the number of chapters. Appalling, I know! ): I abandoned this fanfic when the Alma/Kanda arc began because it was just too mind-fuggling. But its picking up again so I am too! I'll make up for it by updating faster, I promise I will!
Thanks for reading!
~FSR