AN/
*Sobs comically like Komui does when Lenalee 'betrays' him*
I'm so sorry everyone! I know I haven't updated since what… mid November? Late November? I don't know… In any case, I'm back now! I'll try to update more frequently, but no promises… School's really getting crazy now… And – OMG! THERE'S SNOW HERE! It's just a little bit, but it's still SNOW~! :D I can't wait for Christmas… My mom – back in AUGUST, mind you – told me: "I know what you're getting from Christmas, and I think you're going to like it~!" …And now I want to know what she got me really badly… My response was: "Is it a cell phone?" But she said "No." D: But, then again, why would she tell me what I was getting? And, I know, I know, it's so pitiful that I don't have a cell phone… A FOUR YEAR OLD I KNOW HAS A FREAKING iTOUCH FOR GOD'S SAKE! XP
Anyways… *nervous chuckle* I'll shut up and get to the story… :P
Chapter Eleven –
Nadeshiko quietly ate her white rice, alone in the Black Order's mess hall. Her, Lavi, Allen, Lenalee, and Vera had returned earlier that morning, and were free to do as they wished for the time being.
The brunette sighed to herself as she put her chopsticks down on her now emptied plate, mind racing far too fast for her liking.
It matched her heartbeat.
Smacking her forehead slightly harder than necessary at her body's stupidity, Nadeshiko stood up quickly and grabbed her dish firmly. Making her to the dish drop-off section, she all but slammed the fragile plate down onto the counter for it to be cleaned later. She was just about to turn and leave the room, when a voice called out to her.
"Oh, Nade-chan~!"
Said teen turned her head to stare at the pink-haired, excited cook.
"Yes, Jeryy-san?" She replied calmly, wanting nothing more than to ignore the man and head to her room where she could hopefully beat some sense into herself with her pillow.
"I couldn't help but notice your expression earlier," The cook nodded his head towards the table the brunette had been sitting at moments before, while Nadeshiko raised an eyebrow in mild shock. She had been making a face? "If you ever need someone to talk to, dear, you know where to find me."
She smiled faintly, the action not very convincing as it didn't reach her eyes. "I'm fine, Jeryy-san."
"Psh, as if." The cook scoffed lightly, rolling his eyes at her lie. "I have a sort of sixth sense for these kinds of things."
"And what 'kinds of things' would that be, Jeryy-san?" Nadeshiko asked, playing innocent.
"Relationship issues of course!"
Hazel eyes widened as she momentarily choked on some air, cheeks turning a very faint pink. "W-W-What?"
Jeryy smirked – actually smirked – knowingly. "Don't deny it, Nade-chan. I know you have feelings for La-"
"Friendship is as far as those feelings go, Jeryy!" The brunette interrupted, eyes narrowed dangerously.
The excitable man just waved the wooden spoon in his hand, dismissing her snappish behaviour. "Whatever you say…~"
"Shut up, wise guy."
"So you admit I'm right!"
The brunette scowled and turned around, dismissing the conversation.
What she wasn't expecting, though, was for Lavi to be standing there, grinning childishly.
"Lavi!" Nadeshiko exclaimed, jumping slightly at the shock of seeing the red head. Her heart raced, but she blamed the surprise for that. How much had he heard anyways? "What the hell!"
He tilted his head to the side slightly, looking confused. "What?" His eyes gave him away though, he had intentionally allowed a sparkle of amusement to shine.
"…How long were you standing there?"
"Oh, not long… Just long enough to hear everything from "relationship issues"."
"…I'll be leaving now." The hazel-eyed female darted around Lavi, keeping her eyes on the floor, face tilted downwards. She cursed the fact that her cheeks were still burning, a sure sign that she was blushing.
She walked quickly down the hallway, trying to lose the persistent red head on her tail, following behind her closely. Just as she rounded a corner though, Lavi grabbed her wrist.
'…Damn…' Nadeshiko thought, looking around for something to distract the grinning fool that was blocking her from escaping. She didn't have much luck though, seeing as he was blocking out most of the stuff in her sight. The green-eyed teen had a hand on either side of the brunette's head, preventing her from escaping to the sides, while he was standing in front of her.
Not to mention her back was pressed up against the wall.
The red head, being a couple inches taller than her, looking down at his comrade, resisting the urge to laugh when he saw her looking everywhere but him. He gently grabbed her chin and turned her head so that she would look at him, only to have her avoid eye contact.
"C'mon, Nade-chan, look at me~!" The male whined, smirking in his head when said girl hesitantly allowed her eyes to drift towards him.
A light blush decorated the brunette's cheeks, so faint that a normal person would have missed it, but Lavi wasn't exactly a 'normal' person – he was a Bookman.
Shaking his head to get rid of those thoughts – since they would only remind him of the laws that came attached with his job – Lavi grinned idiotically at the hazel-eyed girl, liking the fact that she was blushing.
She looked so cute~! Almost like an innocent little girl~!
This was a side of Nadeshiko that Lavi had never seen before, but it was adorable! The real Nadeshiko was very reserved, so seeing her actually blush –because of him, none the less – was great.
"So…" The girl murmured, still obviously looking for an escape the way her eyes kept flickering around the space they were in.
Lavi tilted her chin upwards a little bit, leaning down slightly, causing the hazel eyes, which were now oh-so-close, to widen.
"L-Lavi…? What are y-you –"
The red head cut off the girl by leaning in even closer, leaving an inch between their mouths.
"What do you think I'm doing?"
Slowly, agonizingly slowly, Lavi leaned forward, and Nadeshiko forced her wide eyes to close. She didn't know what else to do – what she could do – in a situation like this.
When there was only a miniscule gap between the two however, something went wrong.
Lavi was suddenly jerked back, away from Nadeshiko, by his ear. The red head yelped in pain, while the brunette's eyes flew open and she stepped away from the wall.
"Damn it, you stupid old panda!" Lavi cursed, wrenching himself out of his mentor's firm grip and rubbing his now red ear. "What the hell was that for?"
It was a pointless question. All three people present knew the answer.
"…I-I…" Nadeshiko shook her head lightly when she noticed her voice was trembling. "…I'll be on my way now… Until next time, Bookman-san… Lavi-san…" She turned and hurriedly left.
The green-eyed eighteen year old frowned when he heard the honorific. '-san'? Really? He sighed. 'I just screwed up big time, didn't I?'
Hesitantly, he turned to face Bookman. The elder was glaring at him, irritation, anger, and even a little bit of disappointment lurking in his dark eyes.
"Heh, so… I was just –"
Bookman held up a hand to silence his pupil as he closed his eyes, almost as if he couldn't stand to look at him. "Save your petty excuses, Junior, and follow me. Now."
Lavi winced, frown growing. If Bookman was calling him 'Junior', something the old man hadn't done in forever, he really was screwed.
On one of the higher levels of the Black Order, Nadeshiko lay in her room, on her bed, right palm pressed against her chest – where her racing heart was – while the left one was on top of the right.
"I can't believe he just…" The brunette murmured, wide hazel eyes staring at her blank ceiling. "…He almost… kissed me…"
Shaking her head, she placed her arms by her side, sighing.
"…I think I'll take a nap, maybe when I wake up, this will all just be a dream."
As exciting and shocking as it was to almost be kissed by Lavi, Nadeshiko was a little worried for the red head. He was Bookman Junior, after all, and the Bookman Clan forbid Bookmen from having any attachments. No friends, no girlfriends or boyfriends, no lovers, no contact with family members…
Everyone was just ink on paper to Bookmen; something that would fade as time passed and the world move on. In the eyes of a Bookman, everyone would eventually be erased from the history they recorded.
And if they were erased, they weren't important to a Bookman.
With those depressing thoughts, Nadeshiko drifted off to sleep, even though it was only around two in the afternoon. Before her breathing completely evened out, she mumbled,
"…That's all I am to him… ink on paper…"
"What did I tell you, Lavi?" Bookman snapped, glaring at his pupil that stood across from him, who was leaning against one of the library's many bookshelves. They had moved their conversation to the library shortly after Nadeshiko had fled, so that no one would overhear their talk.
"Yeah, yeah, I know." The red head muttered, looking out the nearby window. "As a Bookman, I must not get attached to anyone during our time here; I must not fall too far into my persona of 'Lavi'; I –"
"Exactly." Bookman interrupted him. "And I find you about to kiss Miss. Nadeshiko."
"What's the big deal, gramps? You know I wouldn't have gotten too attached!" He lied – he already was far too attached to the brunette. "Why do you care so much? I get the feeling that you wouldn't have been this angry with me if it wasn't Nade I had tried to kiss! How do you know her, anyways? You say it's 'nothing', but I can tell that you've known her for at least a while before the day I met her! You trained me better than that! You –!"
"Quiet!" The elder Bookmen snapped, cutting Lavi's rant short. "I have told you before, and I will say it once more – how I know Miss. Nadeshiko is none of your business!"
"Fine! Don't tell me!" Lavi retorted. He didn't know why he was getting so angry – he was normally so collected and kept a good hold on his emotions. But having his mentor hide something from him was pissing him off. "I'll just find out for myself!" He stormed out of the library, slamming the door behind him.
Whether Bookman realized it or not, he was actually very important to him. All the teasing and insulting, it was all a front. Bookman was the only person Lavi really had left. Having no family anymore, and being forbade from making any friendships with others, his mentor was the only person the red head could ever go to.
So when Bookman decided to keep something that obviously was his business, Lavi suddenly felt very lonely.
AN/
O.O …Whoa… Eheheh…. Well, wasn't that a dramatic chapter?
And; sorry animefreak653, no passionate kiss this chapter! There will be one in a few chapters though… Maybe four or five? Maybe sooner? I don't know… Sorry! There was an almost kiss, though, so I hope that at least made you – and the other readers – a little bit happier…
Yeah, that ending though… WHOA! I don't even know where that came from! But I hope you guys enjoyed it! I'll start on the next chapter tomorrow if I can, so it should be up in a few days… But maybe not… Hopefully this weekend I'll have it up…
Next chapter will have more of matchmaker Lenalee, don't worry! She's been scheming all throughout this chapter, and her first plan will be put into action next chapter!
Please remember to drop a review~! :D