A/N: I own nothing
Fire and smoke.
That was all she could see, all she could hear, all she could smell.
It clogged her senses and disoriented her.
She was trapped and she knew it but as the world began to fade away, she saw something.
It looked like a man but why did he have wings?
Was he... was he one of those Angels mother had told her about?
Well, whatever and whoever he was, he was gentle as he picked her up and all she remembered after that was a warm glow before darkness swallowed her.
-~~memory shuffle~~-
Suffering and pain.
For the longest of times, that was all she knew. She had lost everything in the fire that she had miraculously survived and people who lost everything, tended to disappear.
She had been taken and sold as a slave, moving from one terrible master to the next, developing a rebellious and angry attitude that only served to get her into even more trouble.
That was when, at age eight, she was rescued once again by an angel. Only this angel wasn't really an angel but an elderly woman named Edna.
Edna gave her a name, Eve, and taught her a great many things, among those was how to be a proper lady and how to read and write but Eve found her greatest love when Edna taught her how to play the piano. Eve had a gift and she could make the piano sing like no other could.
It was with this talent, that Eve hoped to start a new life, not as a slave but as a free person. But before that could happen, Edna died and Eve was forced to run.
-~~memory shuffle~~-
Eve ran full tilt through the woods, briars and brambles cutting at her legs as the sound of baying dogs reached her ears. Panic clawed at her chest as she tried to run faster but she was just so exhausted. Her bare foot got caught on a root and she fell. Getting to her feet, she let out a yelp and collapsed when she tried to put weight on her right foot.
Oh god, she was as good as dead if she couldn't walk!
Tears welled in her eyes. She didn't want to die!
"Hey." Her head snapped up and she found herself staring into a pair of amber eyes. They belonged to a young man about the same age as her. He was tall and strong with brown hair that fell just below his shoulders. He was handsome and Eve found herself blushing.
"Who-?" she said before the baying of dogs got closer. Terror gripped at her heart. They were getting closer. She saw the man look around for a moment before holding out his hand to her.
"Come with me." he said and she stared at him for a long moment.
Was it worth it?
She looked into his eyes again and she knew that she could trust him. She didn't know how or why but she just knew that she could trust him. Without hesitation, she reached out and grasped his hand. In a single movement, he had pulled her up into his arms before he took off running. Eve could only cling to the man as he ran at such a speed that no normal human could accomplish yet she couldn't help but feel safe in his arms.
The man slowly came to a stop in a clearing and she heard him murmur a few words before a glowing white portal appeared. She gripped the man's shirt, slightly scared.
"Don't worry." he said, his voice oddly comforting "I promise you, nothing bad will happen to you ever again."
"Who are you?" she asked as he walked towards the gate "I'm Eve."
"Adam." he said as he entered the portal "My name is Adam."
-~~memory shuffle~~-
"Everyone, this is Eve." said Noah "Adam found her while he was out in the forest. She too has been infected by Dark Matter but she has yet to develop a power of her own. I expect all of you to treat her well."
"Yes, Master Noah." said the group.
"Good." said Noah "Now, everyone, back to what you were doing. Adam, I'd like a word with you." A young boy of about twelve or thirteen skipped up to Eve and smiled brightly.
"Heya, I'm Road." said the boy "The Apostle of Dreams."
"Hello." said Eve "I'm Eve."
"Would you like for me to show you around?" asked Road "I'll even introduce you to everyone!"
"I'd like that." said Eve as she offered Road a small smile before promptly being dragged off by Road.
-~~memory shuffle~~-
The piano sang beneath her fingers as she played a cheerful melody with a smile on her face. This was one thing she would never want to give up. Ever. She loved it too much because, for the longest of times, music had been her only friend and comfort in this world.
"You certainly play that piano a lot." said Adam as he came to stand beside her. Eve felt herself blushing as she continued to play, keeping her eyes glued on the keys.
"I like to play." she managed to say without stuttering.
She always felt so flustered and funny around Adam, like butterflies were fluttering around her stomach or like that odd sensation she had felt that one time when she had got locked in a cupboard in the bath house just before Adam came in to bathe. She had to sit there and wait until Adam finished bathing and Rasutoru came in for her bath before she was able to be freed. She still hadn't gotten back at Bondomu for locking her in that cupboard nor had she gotten the image of Adam bathing out of her head. It had to be impossible for anyone to have a body as perfectly sculpted as a marble statue but Adam definitely did.
She hadn't been able to look him in the eye for two weeks after that.
"Eve?"
Oh right, Adam was standing right next to her.
"Yeah?" she said as she looked up at him.
"Are you alright?" he asked as he leaned closer, making her blush deepen.
"I-I'm fine." said Eve.
"Are you sure?" he asked "Your face is awfully red." he smiled slyly "Are you blushing, Eve?"
He was teasing her! Adam was teasing her! Did he know? Did he know that she had a not so small crush on him?
She leaned back as he continued to lean closer before she found herself laying flat on the piano bench with Adam above her.
"A-Adam?" she stuttered "W-What are you..."
"Shh." hushed Adam before he leaned forward "I won't hurt you. I promise." And then, he kissed her.
-~~memory shuffle~~-
It was a beautiful spring day and the whole family was together, which was a rare occurrence due to their tedious job.
Keeping track of Akuma was not the easiest thing in the world after all.
Everyone went quiet when Adam called for their attention.
"Everyone," said Adam "Eve and I have a very special announcement."
"I'm pregnant." said Eve with a slight blush of embarrassment.
-~~memory shuffle~~-
"Are you certain that you have to go?" asked Eve as she looked up at Adam.
"Yes." he said "The whole family is needed to hunt this... thing down before it does something irreversible." he gently stroked her cheek "You will be safe here with Master Noah. Nobody knows of this retreat except for us."
"Please stay safe, my love." she said as she hugged him "Neither of us can afford to lose you."
"I know." said Adam as he pulled back "I will do my best to be back before our little one is born but I cannot promise that I will be able to make it back in time."
"I understand." said Eve before they kissed. It was a tender kiss, filled with the love they shared and they both mourned the loss of contact when they were forced to pull apart.
"Farewell, my Eve." he said.
"Farewell, my love." said Eve with tears in her eyes as he pulled away and left to join the others.
-~~memory shuffle~~-
Eve covered her mouth when she saw the scene before her.
Blood. There was so much blood.
"Master Noah!" she said as she moved to her master's side but there was nothing she could do.
He was already dead.
"I was unaware that there was another here." said an unfamiliar male voice that made her freeze "I would have thought that the whole lot of you unnatural beasts would have gone after my false trails." Slowly, Eve turned around and saw a creature standing there.
The creature had the form of a human male but it was hairless and its only features were a mouth and eyes that had pale irises and black sclera. It was completely white in color though its skin seemed to be cracked everywhere. It seemed to study her for a long moment, assessing and calculating whether she was a threat or not.
"Ah, I know who you are." it said as it approached "Yes, I saw you when that traitor to humanity," he motioned to Noah "Visited the Capital to speak with the Grand Generals. You were with the one called Adam. I remember, yes, I remember you, Eve. I was still human then. Just an Alchemist working for the Order of Exorcists. It was disgusting to hear that the Order was willing to work with vile tainted beasts like Adam and his ilk but then I saw you." he grabbed her arm and pulled her close "You smiled at me and I wondered how such a celestial being ended up with a monster like him. Why would you chose to be with a monster? And then it hit me. You didn't chose to be with him, he forced you with some sort of sorcery. I decided then and there that I would rescue you from these black creatures!" Eve found herself trembling and she wanted nothing more than to shove this creature away but she didn't want to risk a struggle, not if it put the baby in danger "Do you know what I did after that? I stole a shard of Innocence from a fallen Exorcist and I began experimenting with it. Day after day, night after night, I sought a way to make myself an Exorcist but to not avail. I was about to give up but then, there was an accident and I was fused with the Innocence, creating the perfect being you see before you. A being worthy of a celestial like yourself." he grinned at her and it made Eve's skin crawl "Come with me, my beautiful Eve, and together we can recreate humanity! We can make everything perfect, like it should be!"
"No." Eve managed to choke out "No. I'm sorry but you're wrong. Adam didn't force me to do anything. Our souls were destined to be together and nothing can change that, not even Innocence." The creature's expression morphed into something terrifying before he slammed his fist into her stomach, making her double over in agonizing pain.
"We'll see about that." it hissed.
-~~memory shuffle~~-
Everything was blurred and confused. The only thing that was real to her anymore was the pain. The sheer agonizing pain she felt every moment of every day since the creature had taken her.
Nothing made sense anymore and all she could remember was unyielding sorrow. She had lost something important to her but she couldn't remember what. It was lost in the madness that consumed her.
But then, for the briefest of moments, everything became clear.
She was on a battlefield and standing before her was... was Adam. The blade, which had poised to strike only a moment ago, slipped from her hand. The tears began to fall when she realized that she had been about to kill the love of her life.
"Eve..." said Adam as he reached for her and she saw his eyes widen when she grabbed his wrist and pulled it forward, plunging the sword he held into her in order to prevent her sanity from leaving her "Eve, no!" he grabbed her as she fell and gently lowered her to the ground "Eve, my Eve. Please, don't leave me."
"I-I'm sorry, Adam." she rasped as her vision began to fade in and out "I-I'm sorry but I must. We... We will meet again Adam, I promise. Even if many millennia pass and even though the eons will turn many prayers into dust, we will meet again." she grasped his hand and entwined their fingers "With our hands joined I will leave this world and with our hands joined, we will meet again." she managed to push herself up enough to place a kiss on his lips "And our promise will be sealed with that kiss." she all but collapsed back onto the ground as the world began to vanish and with her final breath she managed to utter her last words "I love you, Adam. My Earl of the Millennium."