Chapter six
"You are free to leave the infirmary now. Your burns have healed up quite nicely."
I touch the newly recovered skin, finally unveiled after a week beneath a thick, hot, annoying layer of bandages. They feel light, a little stiff, but renewed nevertheless. The burns are the worst injury I have ever suffered, however the recovery has been the swiftest, probably because it was professionals doing the healing, not someone like Tyki.
My heart throbs as his name pops into mind.
I've refrained from allowing my thoughts to wander back to my family. It hurts to know that I may never see them again. Based on the records of the Black Order, my name does not exist therefore there is no way to make connections to Tyki, Lize, Erne or Eaze. Never have I been so frustrated at my stubborn voice and my lack of education.
I am grateful though, for the efforts of the Order and everything else they have done for me so far. I feel very lucky indeed to have received such kind services from utter strangers, which makes me wonder about Lize, Erne and Eaze…
In my mind, I see the worried faces of Lize and Erne, who have returned to Eaze after they'd taken the wrong door while leaving the tavern in a haze of drunkenness. They discuss the possibilities of my disappearance right in front of Eaze with loud, booming voices. Eaze's expression though is as nonchalant as ever.
"She's gone after Tyki," says Lize, "Like last time, remember?"
"Oh yeah," says Erne. "When he left the first time…we thought she'd got kidnapped!"
"Bloody hilarious when we called Tyki and he had to go after her…"
"Downright pissed he was. Nah, no need to worry. We don't have to call Tyki. She'll be back in a few days…"
Okay, so they're not that worried. And they have each other. I don't need to worry about them either. I just have to get back to them before they do call Tyki…
My attention focuses back to the nurse in front of me.
A smile stretches across my face as the nurse fusses over me. She is not the matron, who has looked after me for the majority of this week, though seems to care just as much. She even gave me a new coat and everything.
If only Eaze was here; maybe she could cure him.
"Yes I think you're good to go." She says after checking every inch of my arm. "Don't do anything that involves excessive strain of your arms and just take it easy!"
She bends down to retrieve my suitcase and hands it to me. I take it from her slender fingers, confused. She guides me gently by the elbow and stops at the door.
"Bye-bye now!"
Before I have a chance to show my confusion, the door slams in my face. Dazed, my mouth hangs open like a codfish. What was that for?
Perhaps she has more important things to attend to, or maybe she assumes that I know where I am going, that I have somewhere to go.
My hand lifts to knock on the door.
I supposed it wouldn't hurt to wonder around a bit.
No one would notice that I'm gone anyway.
My hand lowers.
I look to my right down a straight, dark corridor of doors. The further I look, the darker the corridor seems to become until my eyes can no longer make out where the floor ends and the wall starts.
This way seems like a good way to start.
As I move closer, my eyes adjust to the transition of light and finer details start coming through. The walls are not as neat and well maintained as the ones outside the infirmary; the white paint is peeling off. Blotches of some kind of dark substance are stained in the strangest patterns. I touch my fingertips to the substance. It's dry, flaky and smells like metal.
Blood perhaps? I shudder.
A loud bang erupts from a door beside me. My heart almost jumps out of my mouth.
A ghost perhaps? It doesn't seem to like my presence. I turn to leave.
I collide with something hard.
Tentatively, my eyes wonder upwards and meet a pair of glowing, black eyes.
"You're in my way."
The owner of the voice stares at with annoyance. Did I do something wrong? His facial expression matches his voice, all the delicate, refined features contorted to form unhappiness. Through the dim light, I perceive a ponytail of hair swishing behind him. Had it not been for his voice, I might have mistaken him for a girl, a very angry girl.
"I said you're in my way."
His brows furrow even more. I realise I have been staring at him for a while too long, or his patience is simply non-existent. Either way, I bow my head in a small apology and I try to walk around him.
I accidently step on something as I do.
"Watch where you're stepping…" he says in the same irritated voice.
Oh no! Did I just step on his foot? A murderous vibe pulsates in the air, reminding me of the Akuma that had attacked at the tavern.
Lavi cheerfully whistles to himself as he ambles along the deserted corridor. He is heading to his bedroom to catch up on some sleep, or rather sneak in some extra hours before Komui sent him on another mission. Not only are they tiring, but extremely time-consuming, as they left so much time for sleeping.
Now he thinks about it, he has been getting a lot of mission in this past week, ever since he visited Rose in the infirmary. Something in his intellectually advance conscious tells him Bookman had something to do with it…Even though Lavi has ensured him that he will never talk to her again, Bookman remains vigilant as ever. Curse that Old Panda for not having faith in him.
He rounds the corner, entering the formidable corridor of Komui's private experiements. The temperature seems drop dramatically.
Even worse, he notices a dark figure in front of him. A deadly aura surrounds the figure and Lavi cannot help but imagine Komui with an evil grin on his face. He shivers violently at the though.
But as he gets closer, things become so much worse than he has anticipated.
It is not Komui, but Kanda with a look to match that of an Akuma. Behind him, stands Rose, staring at him with a clueless expression. Everything spells trouble.
"Yu! How's it going? Haven't seen you for ages." Lavi prances up to Kanda quickly and loops his arms around the unsuspecting Exorcists shoulders. Kanda shifts his focus to the sudden intrusion of privacy he feels on his back.
"Get off me idiot-rabbit," he says, practically growling at Lavi, who sighs in relief. Now that Kanda isn't going to kill Rose but him instead, Lavi quickly lets go. He notices Kanda's hand millimetres away from Mugen and twitching restlessly. "And don't you dare call me Yu again or I'll-"
Before Kanda can finish, Lavi grabs Rose by the hand and pulls her away from attacking range.
"Got to go now Yu! Catch up later!" He dashes away, towing Rose behind him, leaving Kanda baffled and angrier still. It is risk he had foreseen, but he would pay for it later.
They finally stop running when they reach the elevator and Lavi presses desperately at the down button. With a 'ding!' the doors slide open and Lavi jumps inside, with Rose following him. The doors slide shut again.
"Phew," says Lavi, wiping the sweat off his head. "That was close."
He looks at Rose, who is staring at him a little flustered and baffled from the exercise, and grins widely. Getting Kanda angry has always been an enjoyable hobby of his and this time was no different. It is unfortunate that Rose had gotten caught up in it though. What a bad first impression…not that Kanda would care.
"Now what were you doing, getting some like Kanda Yu mad?"
Rose purses her lips sheepishly. She lifts her foot and pretends to stomp on Lavi's.
"I've tried that before. Works every time."
Rose shakes her head with wide eyes, clearly denying that she had done it on purpose. Lavi laughs at the expression.
"Of course, it was an accident. That's what I always say."
A smile slowly spreads across Rose's face when she realises he is joking. The mild smile develops into a chorus of laughter.
"So you do have a voice then." Lavi says. He likes the way it sounds like bells tinkling, but it immediately diminishes when the words leave Lavi's mouth. The sudden change stirs Lavi's curiosity. "Sorry, touchy topic? I won't ask then."
Rose smiles again, like she is happy Lavi sensed the tension so easily and quickly.
"You're always in need of saving, aren't you? Lucky for you I'm here."
Lavi raises his hand over Rose's head and gently tousles her hair. He withdraws quickly when Rose tries to meet his gaze with a questioning look that says 'why'd you do that?'
Good question, Lavi thinks to himself. Maybe it is because her head is at the perfect height of reach and he just couldn't resist. The excuse satisfies him.
But a better question, pops to mind: why are you still here? This is exactly what Bookman is always lecturing him about. That, and he is missing out on sleeping time.
The door of the elevator slides open. The two of them out.
"Come on, I'll show you around."
Free talk:
Thanks for your opinions guys! Sorry I haven't replied to you individually: for some reason your review doesn't show up so I can't reply ): glitch in the system maybe? So most of you basically said I should continue if I want…SO…I've decided to persistent with one chapter in present tense.
How does it sound so far? I feel quite disappointed with this chapter and a little put off by it. It felt really awkward to write, I don't know who to explain it. Didn't check for grammar and such so, sorry!
I'll be going on holidays soon, so I say sorry in advance for not updating for a week or so.
I think I say sorry too much.
Wish you guys a happy new year!
~FSR