Cross My Heart
Author's Note: Hi everyone! Sorry there hasn't been an update for a while. I've been studying for exams and other crap you don't really care about, so I'll save you from hearing about it. Anyway, I wanted to get this chapter out as a Christmas gift (still 12/25 where I live), so I hope you enjoy it!
Also, thanks to everyone that reviewed! I'm glad you guys liked it.
Disclaimer: If I owned D. Gray-man, would I have any need for a disclaimer?
Chapter 13: Füsilier
In the pale dawn light, a small knot of people gathered around a dilapidated tent. There was nothing particularly special about the tent. It was old and well-used, but it got the job done. The bystanders had no interest in the worn canvas. They were peering apprehensively at the two figures inside the tent.
Rugs in nearly the same condition as the tent had been lain over the hard ground, and upon these rugs was a man. A cloth had been tied around his mangled left thigh, and thick droplets of blood dripped from the saturated fabric and to the carpets below. The man's breathing was shallow at best. His face had grown pale and drawn from the massive blood loss that had accompanied his grievous injury. It was obvious to the crowd peeking into the tent that this man would not live out the hour.
A doctor and the man's family had been notified of his injury, and the crowd was waiting patiently for the grieving family to show up for the man's last breath. The onlookers weren't disappointed. The man's wife and children arrived as the sun peeked over the horizon and lamented over the dying man. The mourning had begun.
As the man's eyelids fluttered and his breaths turned to gasps, a young teenager pushed his way through the crowd and into the tent. The dying man's family instantly went silent at the boy's entrance, and they backed away from the teenager as he knelt down beside the man.
"Hold still, please."
The soft command was followed by a pale blue glow surrounding the injury, and the crowd watched in awe as the wound instantly healed…as if by magic.
The man that had been injured leapt to his feet and let out a joyous cry. The onlookers cheered and praised the young man that had performed such a wonderful miracle. The man embraced his family, who sobbed in happiness rather than grief, and the day began with refreshing brilliance instead of bitter sorrow.
As the tent erupted with excited cries and dancing, four strangers observed the impromptu celebration from the opening of another tent a small distance away. None of the strangers looked overly pleased to be in the small desert village, but no one seemed to pay them any mind. The village had many travelers and traders pass through every day, so seeing a new face or two wasn't uncommon by any means.
However, these outlandish visitors weren't simply "passing through." They had a more sinister purpose for being there.
"Is that him?" one of the strangers, a boy from the Orient, asked over the cheers.
"There's only one way to find out," another one of the visitors, this time a girl from a distant Western country, replied while stepping out into the morning light.
The Asian boy followed after his red-haired comrade, leaving the final two strangers in the shade of the tent, and visibly scowled the closer he got to the mock carnival. The girl didn't seem to be affected by the raucous display of joy, and she easily weaved her way through the throng of people. Just as the girl reached out to touch the teenager's shoulder, the boy suddenly ducked out of reach and pushed his way through the people surrounding him. The teen emerged from the crowd believing he was home-free, but he quickly found himself staring at a deadly blade aimed unnervingly at his throat.
"Where're you going, brat?" the Asian boy asked as he glared at the teenager across his sword.
The boy didn't answer. His brown eyes had gone wide in fear, and his tan face was almost ashen. He was too frightened to do anything more than quiver in place.
"Oi, cabron, put that away before you start a fight!" the red-haired girl said with a smack on the Asian's head for good measure.
"What the hell was that for, Bellerose?!"
"Sorry about that. Kanda didn't mean to frighten you, Shiva," the girl said over her comrade's protests. "He has a terrible temper."
"What was that?!"
"Who are you people? And why do you know my name?" the Indian boy asked while taking a step back.
"We're friends of your father Agni Kasabian," the girl replied. "Now, if you could just come with us, we need to ask—,"
"That man is no father to me, and I don't have to go anywhere with you people!" the boy cried as he attempted to escape once more.
He got no farther than a foot away before the Asian boy practically pounced on him, and a sharp blow to the back of the Indian boy's head silenced all opposition to the harsh treatment.
"Kanda, did you have to hit him?" the girl asked with a frown.
"He wasn't going to sit there and listen to you, so I did the next best thing," the Asian replied while picking the unconscious teenager up. "Now, he'll have to listen to us," he added as he slung the limp body over his shoulder.
The red head scowled but didn't protest her companion's decision, not that it really mattered anymore. As she fell into step beside her Oriental comrade, she vaguely wondered what India's laws said about kidnapping.
"Sorry, Komui, we haven't been able to locate the missing scientist yet."
Shiva knew that voice. Well, he didn't know it, per say, but it was familiar. When he tried to remember exactly whom the feminine voice belonged to, all he could recall was red hair and splitting pain in the back of his skull.
"It's all right, Chloe. Have you guys made contact with any of Agni's family?"
"We found his son Shiva, but he wouldn't listen when we confronted him."
He knew one thing: he wasn't where he was supposed to be. Shiva tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt strangely heavy. On top of that, his head throbbed as if someone was hitting him over and over again with a hammer. He also couldn't remember what had happened since he had woken up that morning very well.
"Were you able to tell him about his father at least?"
"Not exactly…Shiva tried to run away before we could say anything…and…well…"
"What happened, Chloe?"
Shiva heard a soft sigh a few feet away and waited for the answer with baited breath.
"Well, Kanda was tired of Shiva escaping and took matters into his own hands."
"What did Kanda-kun do?"
"Let's just say, Shiva has been unconscious since early this morning, and it is mid-afternoon now."
"Is the boy all right?"
"He has a nice knot on the back of his head from Mugen's pommel, but he is fine otherwise. I treated him, so any brain damage that might have been sustained was healed. I can't say the same for his short-term memory, though."
It all made sense now.
"Komui, I need to go. I'll call you back in a little while."
"Keep me posted."
The room grew silent, and Shiva took deep, slow breaths, hoping that the girl would ignore him.
"You can quit acting now."
Shiva opened his eyes and winced as bright light flooded his vision. He tried to bring his hands up to cover his sensitive eyes, but he found that his arms had been tied behind his back while he was asleep. First, he had been injured and kidnapped, and now he was tied up. Shiva didn't know whether to be afraid or annoyed or disturbed.
"Hold still, Shiva."
A pale hand gently covered his aching eyes, and warmth spread through Shiva's skull as the pain faded away.
"I'd thank you, but I don't give thanks to criminals," Shiva hissed once the healing hand was removed.
"If you must know, it wasn't my idea to tie you up," the girl said as she walked over to the window. "My partners felt that binding you would keep you from trying to escape again, unless you just want another goose egg on your head."
Shiva scowled and turned his gaze from the red-haired girl. Even if what she said made sense, he didn't want her to know that a part of him actually agreed with her logic. Instead, Shiva decided to scan his surroundings for anything familiar.
The room was simply furnished, and there was absolutely nothing in plain sight that gave any indication of the location. Shiva let out a frustrated sigh and leaned his head back against the wall.
"Bellerose, has the brat woken up yet?"
The voice came from the other side of the wall behind Shiva. It was another voice he recognized.
"Yes Kanda, Shiva is awake," the girl—Bellerose—replied without turning from the window.
As soon as the words left the red head's mouth, the door flew open, and an angry Asian boy stomped into the room with two crimson clad strangers at his heels. Shiva glared at the Oriental boy. The long-haired boy stared right back without a care as he sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Shiva, your father Agni Kasabian is a scientist for the Order, correct?" Bellerose asked after the door was closed and locked.
"He's a scientist, sure, but for 'the Order'? Is it a religious cult or something?"
"The Order is a religious organization under direct authority of the Vatican," one of the crimson garbed strangers stated.
"Is it an army or something?" Shiva asked.
"You could say that," Bellerose replied. "Anyway, have you had any contact with your father in the past few months, Shiva?"
The Indian boy thought for a moment before shaking his head.
"My mother got letters from somewhere in Oceania, but that's it. She wouldn't let me read them and hid them as soon as she finished reading them," he finally said.
"Did she get letters from somewhere in Oceania often?"
Shiva nodded.
"At least three times a month. They were long and written in a language I couldn't understand."
"When did the letters stop coming regularly?"
"This month. We've only gotten one so far, and it was the longest of all. Mother cried when she finished reading it too."
The red-haired girl turned her gaze from the window and focused her attention on Shiva for the first time since the conversation began.
"Do you happen to know where your mother hid the letters?"
Shiva smirked and nodded once. The red head smiled slightly at the boy, but it quickly faded into a frown as a thought seemed to cross her mind.
"By the way, how long have you been able to heal people without medicine?" Bellerose asked in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Since I was small. Why?"
The red-haired girl let out a sigh and slowly walked across the room.
"Your powers began to show after your father gave you that necklace, right?"
"They did," Shiva replied slowly. "How did you know?"
Bellerose knelt down in front of the boy and carefully pulled the thin silver chain out from beneath his thin shirt. Connected to the chain was a small oval of jade. The precious gemstone seemed to glow faintly as it sat in Bellerose's palm, and the red head frowned before closing her hand around the once harmless charm.
"Listen to me, Shiva. This is no trinket your father found. This lump of jade is imbued with something called Innocence," she said after a few moments. "Innocence gives its bearer inhuman powers, but it also forces them into exile."
"What do you mean?" Shiva whispered.
"The Innocence is used primarily to fight against the things that wish to destroy this world—akuma. Akumas are monsters created by a creature known as the Millennium Earl, and he is a member of the Noah Clan, which—,"
"What the hell are you talking about? Innocence…akuma…Millennium Earl…what do they all have to do with me?"
"You possess and can synchronize with a piece of Innocence, which, to put it simply, makes you a target for enemy forces. Unless you wish to endanger the lives of the other villagers and your family, you either need to come with us or give us this necklace."
Shiva didn't want to believe anything the red-haired girl was saying, but the serious gleam in Bellerose's blue-green eyes told him that she spoke the truth. He didn't understand what was going on, but whatever it was, it was obviously very serious.
"If I give you my necklace, will those monsters you spoke of still come?"
Bellerose let go of the necklace and glared at the floor.
"I wish I could say no," she said as she glanced over her shoulder at the window. "But, if you leave that necklace with me, Shiva, there is a much better chance that your village will not be attacked in the near future. That's all I can say."
Shiva knew that he should give her the necklace. His mind was telling him to do so. But, his heart was refusing to let go of the only proof of his father's love so easily.
"Your father gave you that necklace knowing that this day would come, Shiva," Bellerose stated. "He will support whichever choice you make," she added at the mixed expression on the boy's face.
"If I decided to keep the necklace, what then?" Shiva asked.
"Then you would become an exorcist and fight for the same Order your father works for in order to save the world from destruction," Bellerose replied.
Shiva knew he couldn't make such an important decision right then. He had to talk to his mother about this dilemma. She would know what to do.
"How long do I have to think about it?" he asked.
"Until tomorrow morning," the red head replied.
Shiva shivered at the grim tone her voice held. Whatever decision he made, he was going to have to make it sooner rather than later.
As the sun set over the small Indian village, Kanda found himself wandering aimlessly around the brat from that morning's house. Bellerose had insisted that they needed to follow the boy home and protect him from until he made his decision, but Kanda knew her better than that. Chloe just wanted to make sure the kid wouldn't do something stupid and try to run off again.
Something in the back of Kanda's mind told him that the red head also knew something the rest of the group didn't. She had been tense ever since they left headquarters that morning, and she hadn't even protested when Leverrier assigned the two of the 'third exorcists' to follow them on the mission. Something was up. He knew that, but he also knew that asking Bellerose about it would be fruitless. The girl was the queen of ambiguity. But, that's what he liked about her.
Kanda kicked at the rocks lying uselessly on the ground in front of him, attempting to steer his thoughts in another direction, and scowled. He didn't mind Bellerose's company. That fact he would never admit to anyone but himself. However, Kanda's body had other ideas. Instead of suppressing any emotions he may have felt for the girl as he normally did, his mind stored and recalled those feelings without fail whenever Chloe happened to be in his vicinity. It was annoying, and Kanda finally resorted to putting off his confrontation with his newly developed hormones for as long as possible.
"What did the ground ever do to you?"
The Japanese exorcist let out a sigh and continued poking the rocks with the tip of his boot. He kept his eyes focused on the ground and not on the red-haired girl standing a few feet to his left. Maybe ignoring Bellerose would make his mind shut up…
"Hey Kanda, can I ask you something?"
"Even if I said no, you'd ask anyway."
Chloe chuckled at the clever response and turned to face the setting sun. She closed her eyes and bathed in the warm rays. Silence enveloped the two exorcists, and Kanda was in no mood to break it first.
"When you said that you would kick my ass until I returned to normal, should I ever go berserk again, did you really mean it?" she finally asked in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Why would I lie to you?" Kanda replied.
"You're right. Sorry I asked," Chloe said with a grin.
The red-haired girl's expression slipped as she turned to head back to the brat's house, and Kanda felt his hand close around her wrist before his mind caught up with his actions.
"What's bothering you, Bellerose?" he asked after a moment.
"Nothing is bother—,"
"That's crap, and you know it, Bellerose. Tell me the truth."
Chloe scoffed and warily attempted to free her arm from Kanda's grasp.
"Where would I even begin?" she murmured with a bitter laugh. "Besides, the problem doesn't concern you, Kanda."
"Bellerose, I'm only going to say this once, so listen up," Kanda stated while releasing the girl's wrist. "You're the only person I trust to watch my back. Fighting with yourself and enemies is a losing battle," he said in a softer voice, adding, "I don't want to see a skilled fighter get killed over some stupid lapse of concentration."
"Wow. I never thought you would be the one complimenting me, Kanda," Chloe said after a moment.
"Repeat what I said to anyone and I'll kill you."
Before Chloe could say anything in response to the threat, Shiva came running up to the two exorcists shouting about dinner. The boy did a quick u-turn afterwards and ran back towards his home. Chloe and Kanda made their way back to the house, and they sat down with Shiva's large family to eat.
It wasn't until after dinner that a big problem Kanda had been pushing away became a real issue.
"Come on Kanda, don't be a baby," Chloe said as she unbuttoned her coat. "I promise I won't steal the blankets from you."
"Shut up," the Japanese exorcist hissed back.
Kanda and Chloe were sharing a room. Problem? Maybe.
Kanda and Chloe had to share the same bed in that same room. Problem? Most definitely.
"By the way," Chloe said while kicking off her boots, "Komui never hears about this, agreed?"
"Agreed," Kanda replied.
He dumped his coat on the floor next to his boots and reached for his hair tie. Tonight was going to be a very, very long night.
I'm evil, I know. I give terrible Christmas gifts. Sorry. :) Until next chapter!