Cross My Heart
Author's Note: I'm on a roll! I can't believe I got two chapters out back to back! Yay!
E. R. Burke - Sorry about that! (Or am I?) I usually don't like reading cliffhangers, much less writing them, but I had to break up the chapters in order for everything to make sense. I hope I updated soon enough...
Lathya - Yes. I guess. And yeah. I don't know how long this will go, but I'm not killing anyone off this soon, I promise!
James Birdsong - Glad you liked it.
espeon16 - Thanks for the help! Like I said, I speak one language fluently, and the rest I know in phrases. Me no good at Japanese. XP
Yes, I decided to answer reviews at the TOP instead this time. I'm changing things up now that I'm updating faster. Hee hee...Anyway, please enjoy!
Chapter 9: No Man's Land
"Search every room! We must find the girl!"
Is everyone in the Order an idiot?
Kanda scowled and attempted to center himself, which was hard to do with loud shouts and heavy footsteps coming from the hallway. His mind and body finally relaxed as the noise lessened, but he was distracted once again when the door to the meditation room quietly opened.
"She went this way!"
The Japanese exorcist watched in silence as the little Russian girl that everyone seemed to be searching for closed and locked the door behind her. She hadn't noticed him yet. The child let out a heavy sigh when she deemed it safe and sat down against the wall. The little girl glanced around the room after the hallway had grown quiet, and her eyes widened when she saw Kanda sitting in the center of the room.
"Are you hiding too?" she asked in a voice barely above a whisper.
"You could say that," Kanda replied.
The girl visibly relaxed, and Kanda knew right then and there that he wasn't going to find any peace until the child was taken care of. Too bad he was never good with kids.
"So," he began after a few moments, "why are the idiots chasing you?"
"I left my room without telling anyone," the girl replied.
"Why?"
"I wanted to look for my padryshka." (1)
"Your what?"
The girl let out a sigh.
"The word in English is frid. No, it's fri…fred…frend…"
"Friend?" Kanda interjected.
"Yes. My friend. The one that saved me from the darkness," the child stated with a grin.
Kanda frowned. He knew exactly who the kid was talking about. The problem with going to see said person was the security detail keeping watch outside the infirmary. Kanda glanced over at the little girl and saw the emotion in her brown eyes. She was practically begging him to help her.
"Come on," the Japanese exorcist said while getting to his feet.
The girl watched in confusion as Kanda unlocked and opened the door, but she followed him into the hallway nonetheless.
"Where are we going?" she asked as they navigated their way through the maze of corridors.
"To see your padryshka," Kanda replied.
He didn't have to look back to know that the kid was smiling up at him.
"Thank you…um…"
"Kanda."
"Thank you, Kanda," the child murmured.
"Save it for when we actually get there," Kanda stated as he drew to a halt at a corner.
The Japanese exorcist poked his head around the wall and silently cursed. The human guards at the infirmary had been replaced by two of the 'third exorcists.'
"What's wrong?" the girl asked.
"Guards," Kanda replied. "We're going to need a plan."
The girl turned her head to the side and bit her lip in concentration. Kanda ignored her for the moment to think. He could take on both half-akumas, but he was sure to get injured in the process and cause a huge scene. He could also attempt to break in from the outside, but there was a good chance the windows had been sealed with anti-akuma wards. The only option left was to—
"Whatcha doin', Yuu-chan?"
Kanda's body went rigid, and he glared up at Lavi as the Bookman apprentice walked towards him.
"Nothing, baka usagi."
"You finally going to see Rouge-chan?"
"Shut up."
"I got it!"
Kanda turned to the little girl, tuning out Lavi's questions, and waited for her to speak.
"Send out the red head to talk to the guards. He accidentally trips into one of them, making them angry, and runs away. They should chase after him if he does that."
Who knew children were so clever?
"You heard the girl, Usagi. Hop to it," Kanda ordered.
"Wait a sec. I'll help you, but tell me what's goin' on first," Lavi said while turning to the little girl.
"I want to see my padryshka, and Kanda said that he would help me," the child stated.
"Yuu-chan said that he would help you? That's a first."
"Get a move on, baka, before I make you do it!"
Lavi shuttered under Kanda's frigid stare and walked towards the corner.
"By the way, you really ought to tell Rouge-chan," the red head said before disappearing from sight.
What the hell…?
Kanda shook his head. He would deal with that idiot later.
"Oi, get back here, Bookman Junior!"
Once the three pairs of footsteps had faded, Kanda glanced back around the wall. The coast was clear.
"Let's go."
Kanda led the way over to the infirmary doors, and he pushed them open enough for the little girl to pass through before squeezing in behind her. The infirmary was eerily silent, and only one bed wasn't empty. The little girl ran over to said bed with concern in her eyes.
"Padryshka, I'm back," she whispered while crawling up onto the mattress.
Kanda glanced down at the person the child was referring to and sighed. With her long red hair splayed out on the white pillows and the yards of bandaging peeking out from underneath the loose black shirt she was clothed in, Chloe Bellerose looked even smaller and weaker than usual.
"I got better, just like you told me to," the little girl said.
The child gently grabbed Chloe's limp hand and squeezed it.
"Kanda, who is she?"
"Her name is Chloe Bellerose," Kanda stated.
"Why did she help me?"
"I don't know."
The girl turned to Kanda with a frown.
"No one helps someone else without a reason."
Kanda closed his eyes. This child was too inquisitive.
"You want the truth?"
"Yeah."
Kanda sat down at the foot of the bed with his back to the little girl and pulled one leg up to his chest.
"Listen carefully. I'm not repeating myself."
He knew the little girl couldn't do much harm, but he was on guard nevertheless. After all, she had tried to stab him only a few moments ago.
"Kanda, a Noah is behind this," Chloe murmured as she watched the child.
The child was moving strangely, as if her body was being controlled by another source. It was exactly like when…shit.
"I need you to distract her for me."
"Che."
Kanda lunged at the little girl, and he easily dodged her clumsy swings without missing a beat. From the corner of his eye, the Japanese exorcist could see Chloe slowly moving behind the child. When the red head was a few feet away, Kanda leapt back, leaving Chloe to deal with the spell-bound little girl.
"Reinigen," Chloe whispered while wrapping her arms around the child. (2)
The girl's body shook violently as her mouth opened in a silent scream, and the knife she had been clutching like a lifeline dropped to the floor with a loud 'clang.' Chloe gently lowered the child to the floor and placed a hand on her forehead. A laugh suddenly erupted from the little girl's throat.
'You can't save her, Chloe.'
Kanda's eyes widened. He knew that voice.
"I will save this child, Charlotte," Chloe stated. "I will save her to spite you!"
'What noble motivation you have.'
"I won't let you take any more innocent lives!"
'You can't stop me.'
"I will!"
'We'll see if you can. For now, try not to die.'
Before Chloe could react, the girl's hand wrapped around the knife once more. A moment later, the blade landed home in the red head's back. The child went completely still after that, and Chloe smiled slightly while picking her up.
"I won't let her hurt anyone else, no matter what."
"Hey, Allen, seen Yuu-chan around lately?" Lavi asked as he sat down next to the white-haired exorcist in the cafeteria.
"Not since this morning," Allen replied through a mouthful of miturashi dango.
"I see."
Allen continued to eat until a thought struck him.
"Have you been to see Chloe since…?"
"No," Lavi replied. "I tried to go yesterday, but the guards wouldn't let me in."
"Same here. Why do you think they're guarding the infirmary anyway?"
"Haven't got a clue."
Allen put down his fork and turned to face Lavi.
"What if she didn't make it?" he asked.
"You think that Central would have guards for a dead body?"
"Central has done stranger things."
"Very true."
Conversation ceased between the two friends as tension filled the air around them.
"You don't think…?"
"Leverrier's name is written all over it."
"What do we do?"
Lavi thought for a moment. His eyes widened when he came upon the solution to all their problems, and he couldn't help but smirk.
"Yuu will do something. You can count on that."
Kanda absentmindedly rubbed his nose and refrained from sneezing through sheer force of will. Someone was talking about him behind his back.
He heard a soft snore and frowned. The little girl—Sasha—was sound asleep. Sasha had curled up against Chloe in her sleep, and the child held the exorcist's hand as she slept. Kanda watched the two of them for a few minutes before sighing. Sasha was deeply upset, and Chloe was terribly scarred. Which one was better off, he wondered.
"I won't let her hurt anyone else, no matter what."
"Kanda-kun?"
He'd forgotten about Matron. She'd had to come back eventually…but why now? Kanda got to his feet and moved out of the woman's way so she could check on her patient.
"Is Bellerose going to…?"
"I don't know, Kanda-kun. Her wounds were ghastly enough, not to mention she nearly lost her entire body's supply of blood. Only time will tell," Matron replied while fussing over the blankets. "She's strong-willed, though. She will pull through."
Kanda made an affirming noise, and Matron smiled at him as she turned to leave. She took a few steps forward and stopped.
"Oh, and Kanda-kun, would you watch over Chloe and Sasha for me? I have to speak with Komui, and I don't know how long that will take," Matron asked over her shoulder.
"Sure," was all Kanda could say as the head nurse walked away.
"I will save this child."
The Noah had been right. Chloe's words were noble.
"I will save her to spite you!"
Chloe had sacrificed everything to save the little Russian girl, and it nearly cost the exorcist her life. Some would call that selflessness. Others would think of it as stupidity. Kanda didn't know what to say. He admired the girl's determination and loathed her lack of self-preservation. She would rather die helping someone else instead of trying to keep herself alive.
"You're an idiot, Bellerose."
She was just like Moyashi.
"I won't let you take any more innocent lives!"
No. She's wasn't like the white-haired boy at all. She was even more stupid.
Kanda wished he could leave. He didn't want to see Bellerose like…this.
"Kanda, I don't know if I'll be any help, but there's no hurt in at least trying, right?"
Look at yourself now, Bellerose.
Kanda slowly reached out and touched the back of Chloe's hand. It was uncovered, revealing the strange black markings he had grown rather accustomed to seeing. He gently traced the marks with a frown. This was why he didn't get involved with other people. Attachments led to emotions, which inevitably led to hatred, pain, tragedy, and eventually, death.
So why did he always worry about Bellerose?
Because you're attached.
Kanda scowled at the logical reason his brain had come up with. Like hell he was 'attached'!
If you weren't, you wouldn't have brought that kid here or stayed all this time.
When had he gotten so…annoying?
Face it. You like this girl.
He did not.
She's strong, smart, beautiful—
Not to mention annoying and stupid—
You say that, and yet, you still stay with her.
It was his job. Komui had partnered them up for the mission. He preferred solo runs to partner ones.
But you like her better than any other exorcist in the Order.
Why did his brain have to make such valid points about this?
Because you lo—
Kanda shook his head to clear his mind of such…foolish thoughts. He glanced back down at Chloe and sighed. He couldn't get his head straight.
"Get better soon, you insufferable idiot," Kanda muttered under his breath. "I've got no one to talk to otherwise."
He pulled his hand back and got to his feet. He had told Matron he would stay, but he needed to go.
"…Kan…da…"
The Japanese exorcist froze. Was that…? He turned back to Chloe and sighed. Her blue-green eyes were half-open and unseeing, and her free hand was reaching out to grasp something that wasn't there. Kanda gently grabbed Chloe arm and pushed it back down on the bed while covering her eyes with his other hand.
"Sleep, Bellerose," he whispered.
"…but…"
"No buts, or I'll tie you to the bed myself."
"…fine…cabron…" (3)
Kanda felt Chloe's body relax after a few moments and released her wrist. He pulled his hand over from the red-haired girl's eyes, but a hand quickly reached up and grabbed his in mid-air. Chloe practically smirked in her sleep as her fingers loosely gripped Kanda's, and Kanda was glad she was unconscious so she couldn't see his flushed face.
"You enjoy making my life hell, don't you, Bellerose?"
Kanda swore he saw the red-haired girl's smirk widen even more.
"Oh my."
That was the only intelligent phrase Komui could come up with when he walked into the infirmary with Matron. He hadn't meant to keep her for so long. The sun had almost completely set. The pink and orange rays illuminated the bed Chloe was occupying, along with two unexpected visitors.
"So this is where Sasha went," Komui mused while heading for the bed. "I'll let Reever know to call off the search."
"I was more surprised to see Kanda-kun here," Matron stated as she came up beside the supervisor.
Said exorcist was currently sitting on the floor with his head resting against the mattress, and his fingers were loosely intertwined with Chloe's.
"It would be a crime to wake them," Komui said with a smile.
"Agreed. Besides, I think it's rather cute to see them like this," Matron said as she grabbed two blankets from the next bed.
"You said it."
Matron gently placed a cover over Sasha, and she draped the other one across Kanda's shoulders.
"Well, good night, Supervisor. See you in the morning."
"Yes. I'll see you then."
Short once again, I know. The last 3 chapters were actually one at some point, but I broke them up in order to make it smoother; hence, the shortness.
Tranlsations:
(1) padryshka - means "friend" in Russian. Didn't have it last chapter cause I didn't think to use it until this one. Oh well...
(2) Reinigen - throw back from Chapter...3, maybe? It means "cleanse" in German.
(3) cabron - Apparently, it's Chloe nickname for Kanda. It's in a lot of the previous chapters if you want a translation.
By the way: No man's land = land that is not occupied or more specifically land that is under dispute between countries or areas that will not occupy it because of fear or uncertainty.
Just thought you'd like to know!
Reviews are welcome! Thanks for reading!