Stella: Chapter 2 revised! Wow...I wrote so much...
Rose: You're right, this one is defintely longer!
Stella: Now off to redo chapter 3 and 4 and 5... xPP
I opened my eyes and immediately jumped up. I regretted it though, as my head started throbbing from the pain. I looked at my unfamiliar surroundings. It was a bright room and there were multiple beds all around. It seemed like a hospital wing or something of that sort. So, was everything that happened back at home…true?
"Ahh..." I winced and rubbed my head gently. I noticed there were bandages around it and I decided not to mess with it. I slowly ran my hands through my hair, just to check if it was there. I sighed in relief as I felt the familiar, curly locks. Although, it looked as if it was cut a few inches and now it was only an inch or two past my chest. I noticed that some red was mixed in with the dark brown hair and I sniffed it and inhaled a familiar scent of iron. There was a small bucket of water beside the bed which had a cloth hanging with red stains on it.
"Careful there." I turned my head, slowly, to the voice that just spoke. It was a man, probably about thirty or so. He looked different than the red haired man. Maybe he seemed more…serious? I'm guessing he was probably Chinese and he had dark eyes and long dark hair. He had a white coat with a matching white beret that kind of clashed with the serious look he was giving me. The coat he had on had the Rose Cross. So that only meant one thing.
"Who are you?" I asked quietly .
"I'm Komui Lee, section leader of the science division and chief officer at the Black Order, which is where we're at now." He replied in a calm tone.
"The Black Order…I guess that seems right. How long have I been here?"
"You've been unconscious for about three days."
"T-three days?" I exclaimed and shifted my weight so I could get off the bed. "What's going to happen to me now? My…my home and my parents – " I stopped short, recalling the memories from a few days ago. Mom and dad weren't the only ones that died that day. Other people I cared about had their lives taken away from them.
Komui gazed at me as if he was trying to figure out what I was thinking about. "I know it's sudden, but…you're an Exorcist now. You are an accommodator for Innocence and that's why you're here."
"I let people die that day…" I mumbled, more to myself than to him.
"Your people aren't mad at you, if that's what you're worried about." He informed and pushed his glasses up. "You know your town has many supporters of the Black Order, right?"
"S-supporters? My hometown?" I questioned in disbelief.
He nodded. "Yes. Well, I guess you might not have known yet. Your father was a man of secrets after all. He probably didn't want you involved until the time was necessary."
Tears gathered in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. "Dad…" I smiled sadly and sighed, "How did it turn out this way?" I felt numb. Not from the pain, but from everything that's happened.
Komui put a gentle hand on my shoulder. "It's okay. They say suffering brings people together. All of us have suffered a great deal of physical and mental pain, but that's what makes us stronger and closer together."
"Even you, Komui-san?"
He smiled reassuringly and nodded. "Yes. Now if you don't mind, I need to make sure these records are accurate. So a simple yes or no would do."
He shuffled his papers around and cleared his throat.
"Name, Rosalie Hinode?"
"Yes."
"Date of birth, 7th of December?
"Yes."
"Daughter of Cassian and Kaname Hinode?"
"Yes."
"And lastly, owner of the 'Hands of the Earth' anti-akuma weapon?"
I thought back for a second at what the red haired gentleman told me. "Something tells me it belongs with you." I stared at my hands that were wrapped with the familiar metal. I didn't even notice they were still on. It just felt natural.
I took a deep breath. "Yes."
He finished scribbling down some notes, glancing up at me every few seconds. He seemed nice enough. I don't think my dad has ever mentioned him though, but then again, dad didn't talk about anyone else from the Order. He basically just told me what he had to do as an Exorcist. He told me he didn't mind though, because it meant saving other people. Dad wasn't able to come home much and I always thought of it as him out in the world somewhere saving lives. And now…that's what I was going to do.
"Okay, well if you'd follow me, please." Komui stated and got up.
"Um, okay."
He helped me up and we went on this elevator like machine all the way at the bottom floor. This place was way better than I imagined. Huge, dark, but strangely enough, it felt welcoming like the bracers that wrapped my arms.
"Okay, I'm going to ask you to not activate your weapon during this process. Hevlaska is going to check your synchronization rate with your Innocence."
"Umm, okay I guess." I was starting to feel nervous all of a sudden. This was all happening too fast.
Komui nodded and then something huge and white and tentacle-like lifted me up and touched my forehead. I was too freaked out to even scream or move.
"8 percent…17 percent….34 percent…..52 percent…..78 percent….89 percent….92 percent…Your synchronization rate is 92 percent." Hevlaska said simply and put me back down.
"Your synchronization rate does not proceed past 92 percent. Please do not push your limit." She paused and looked at me closer. At least, it seemed as if she was looking at me. "You are different from the other Exorcists."
"Different? W-what makes me so…different?" I inquired and looked up at her after she placed me back down.
"You'll find out…when the time is right, Creator of Earth .You are the one who will be able to reshape the world after its devastated form."
"Creator of Earth? What're you talking about?"
"Allen Walker…is the Destroyer of Time…the one that will be able to destroy the Earl of Millennium…" She informed me slowly and continued. "Rosalie Hinode…you are…the Creator of Earth…the one who will recreate the world after its devastated state."
"W-What do you mean? I…I don't understand…" This was all too much to keep up with. Who was Allen Walker? And how could I recreate the world? That seemed…impossible.
"Her synchronization rate is unusually high. What kind of Innocence does she wield? It's can't be an equipment-type but…" Komui muttered to himself, although I could hear clearly what he was saying. "Well, enough questions! Let's get you into a uniform! Thank you, Hevlaska~" Komui sang. Suddenly, I didn't feel like he was the same serious man I just met. I guess everyone has a playful side to them, too.
We went back up and entered a room with papers that were literally everywhere. I tried to not step on them, but to no avail. Inside, I met a scientist with swirly glasses named Johnny Gill. He seemed very nice and welcoming and my uneasiness settled down just a little bit.
"Let's get your measurements so we can get you a new uniform!" He was very cheerful.
"Oh…okay."
"Sorry for the mess, this is my office!" Komui pointed out and gestured to his extremely chaotic-looking office in pride.
I tried to smile, but that idea seemed so far off at the moment. I was then greeted by members of the science division. Reever Wenhamm, Jack Russell, Tup Dop and some weird thing called Number 65.
Afterwards, Johnny took my measurements. I had to take the bracers off first, and my arms felt unnaturally bare as I did. I was a little self-cautious, considering my chest wasn't that…big...at all. I mean, they weren't tiny, but it was really nothing to show off. I was probably a little on the small side compared to other girls my age. That was probably mom's fault though. She hardly came to up dad's shoulders. I shook my head and tried not to think about them at the moment. I made the mistake of moving my head too fast though…
"Oww…." I muttered to myself, hoping that Johnny didn't hear.
"Hmm…well you're pretty short. Shorter than the other teenagers." He stated simply after scribbling down 160cm on a piece of paper. I cocked my head to the side a bit and glanced at him. Johnny was pretty short too...
"There are other Exorcists my age?" I asked in awe. I never thought about the other Exorcists I'd meet here. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad then.
"Of course! There's Allen, he's about 168 centimeters, but it's okay because he's still young. There's Lenalee, Komui's younger sister, but she's about 166 centimeters though. And there's Lavi and Kanda who are…" He trailed off as he saw my eyes casted on him curiously.
He smiled sheepishly and laughed as he realized what he was talking about. "Hahaha, sorry about that. I'm sure you're not really interested in their heights, huh?"
I giggled a little, surprising myself. "It's fine, really. I want to hear more about them."
He nodded enthusiastically and told me about the other young Exorcists as he took the rest of my measurements. Allen Walker was fifteen and had something called a "parasitic-type" Innocence. Lenalee was my age, sixteen, and Komui's little sister and she had an "equipment-type" Innocence. Lastly, there were two other guys, Lavi and Kanda, who were eighteen and nineteen and both used equipment-type weapons.
When he finished, he asked me what kind of special features or accessories I wanted for my uniform. I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted, so I told him just something casual. Before he left, he shook my hand and gave me a pat on head. He really was very nice. I hoped other people at the Order were like him.
Komui came up from behind and tapped my shoulder, "While you're waiting for your uniform, why don't you get something to eat? I'll have Lenalee show you around."
"Your little sister?"
He beamed. "Yes! My precious Lenalee! I'm sure you two will get along fine. She so adorable and she makes the best coffee and - "
"Alright, brother. Stop talking her ear off." I turned around and was face-to-face with a young Chinese lady who was strikingly beautiful. She had long, dark green hair that was pulled up in two pigtails. Her eyes were also a dark shade of purple and she was, of course, a bit taller than me. She had the warmest smile and for the first time, I didn't feel nervous meeting someone new around here. And of course, she had an Exorcist uniform that consisted of a dark blue, almost black, jacket and a mini skirt.
She extended her arm out towards me. "Hi, I'm Lenalee Lee. It's nice to finally meet you, Rosalie-chan! I'm really glad to see you're doing better."
Wow, beautiful and incredibly nice. It was kind of hard to believe she was my age. I hesitantly shook her hand and returned the smile.
"N-nice to meet you…Lenalee. You can just call me Rose."
"I'm sure you're starving. Let's go get you something to eat!" Before I could follow her, she already grabbed my arm and started dragging me along with her.
"Rosalie-chan, I…I hope you like it here." Lenalee said quietly and I walked behind her through the long corridors of the Black Order.
"U-uh, umm…yeah, me too." I finally replied, albeit a little too late.
After that, we walked in silence for a bit until we arrived to the cafeteria. It reminded me of a regular school cafeteria, maybe just a little bit smaller. She led me to this window where a cheerful-looking man with multiple braids was waiting.
"Good morning, Jeryy-san! This is Rosalie Hinode. She's our newest Exorcist!" Lenalee explained with a happy expression in her face.
The man seemed just as happy. "Well, hello darling~ Welcome to the Order. I'm the head chef and whatever you have an appetite for, you just tell me, okay?"
I nodded shyly and grinned. "Thank you, Jeryy-san."
After the introduction, he asked me what kind of food I wanted. When I told him I didn't know, he gave me another huge smile and handed me a bowl of soup and hot chocolate. Apparently he said he could sense my…depression? Nonetheless, I politely accepted the bowl of soup and hot chocolate and followed Lenalee to a table.
I noticed a lot of people inside were giving me all different kinds of glances. Most of them had tan coats on. I didn't see that many people with an Exorcist uniform Lenalee had on. I swirled my spoon around in my soup and looked down, trying to avoid the stares I was getting.
"Hey," Lenalee called out for me. "Don't be so nervous, okay? It's not everyday we get a new Exorcist."
I gave her a nervous smile. "Sorry. It's just…a little different, you know? I'm not really used to this kind of attention."
She giggled, "It's fine, Rosalie-chan. Well, now that we're here, why don't we get to know each other a little better? We will be working together from now on after all."
Before I opened my mouth to say something, a young man waved and sat down beside Lenalee with a mountain of plates. My eyes darted to his face. He looked about fifteen. He had white hair and an unusual scar on his face, but he was very well dressed and he looked polite at the very least. His left arm was a strange, dark red color with a cross on the front of his hand while his other arm looked…completely normal. I noticed some yellow looking…bat…or spider? that was whirling around him. The young teen didn't seem to see me and he started gorging his mouth with food.
Lenalee sweatdropped and tapped the youth on his shoulder. Only then when he looked up did he finally notice me. Now that I got a better look at his face, I saw that he was somewhat pale, but he was cute too. As in, adorable cute. He gulped down his bite of food and wiped his mouth.
"I'm really sorry about that." He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm Allen Walker."
So, this was Allen. I guess he just wasn't wearing his uniform. But it made me feel better that I got to meet another Exorcist that was close to my age. And his arm might be what Johnny called his parasitic type Innocence.
"Rosalie Hinode, but you can call me Rose if you want." I told him and gave him a small smile.
"Yeah, I know." He stated politely. "You're the newest Exorcist. I hope you like it here in your new home."
I blinked a few times. "Home…?"
Lenalee gasped and Allen and I looked at her in surprise. "That's right! I wanted to ask Komui, but I figured it'd be better if I asked you first."
"What is it?" I asked her, eager to find out what she wanted to know.
"Brother told me that your town had supporters of the Black Order. Where are you from?"
"Oh." I gazed at her for a second before replying, "I'm just from the outskirts of London. Nothing too special."
"So you're from England?" Allen spluttered out after swallowing another plate of food. "I am too! I guess I should've already known though, you have the accent like me."
I grinned at him. It was nice meeting someone that was from around the same area I was. Maybe Allen and I would be able to get along.
"I'm only half-British though. My mother's from Japan." I told them proudly. I was a little surprised at myself. I was telling them all these facts about me without thinking. "She came here on a business trip or something like that and then she met my dad and….well, yeah."
Lenalee's eyes sparkled and she clapped her hands together, "That's soooo cute!"
I nodded, but then remembered the events from a few days ago. I guess the wedding vows, "Till death do us part" didn't really apply to them. I sighed softly and stared at my half eaten soup.
"Something wrong?" Allen asked from the other side of the table, his silver eyes filled with concern.
"N-no…not really." I gave him a halfhearted smile, but neither he nor Lenalee were convinced. Before any of them could say anything, Johnny came running by our table with a set of clothes in his arms.
"Rosalie…I…f-finished…." He managed to say in between taking breaths of air, "your…uniform…."
I stared at him in confusion for a few seconds. At the very most, it's only been half an hour. Could he really have finished it that fast? Needless to say, I nodded and followed him back to Komui's office with Allen and Lenalee by my side.
"Has she met Lavi or Kanda yet?" Johnny asked to the other two Exorcists.
"Believe me, she doesn't want to meet Kanda." Allen muttered angrily.
Lenalee laughed softly and shook her head, "Kanda's a great person, Allen-kun. You two just need to learn to get along." She looked at me and smiled. "Lavi and Kanda are good friends of ours, but I think they're both on missions right now. Hopefully they come back soon. It'll be great for you to meet them!"
We arrived in Komui's super messy office and Johnny ushered me into this miniature changing room that mainly consisted of a curtain that enclosed itself in a small circle. I changed my clothes and neatly folded the clothes I was previously wearing. I buttoned up the jacket and tied the red ribbon around the collar. It was pretty though, and it flowed in the air whenever I moved. I supposed Johnny included it to lighten my mood up a bit. I slipped on my skirt, which was a little bit like my school uniform skirt except with white lace on the bottom. I put the black socks on which stopped right above my knees and the dark brown boots that had silver zippers on the sides. After making sure to check I put everything on correctly, I opened up the curtains and saw everyone in the office gaping at me.
I blushed. "U-uh….what's wrong? D-do I look weird?" I was about to run back into the curtain room, but Lenalee shook her head.
"No, you look…so cute!" She stated cheerfully. Johnny, Allen and Komui nodded their heads in agreement.
"I should've asked if you wanted anything for your hair! It's pretty long." Johnny suggested after my face turned back to its original color.
"No, it's fine, but…" I twirled my hair around my fingers. "I guess a clip for my bangs would be nice. I could've sworn my hair was longer than this…"
"Oh, umm…." Komui started fidgeting around with this thumbs. "Well, you had hit your head pretty bad and it was getting in the way of the injury so we…."
"Cut it off?" I finished for him. He nodded regretfully and sighed.
I sighed, but sent him a smile. "It's fine, Komui-san. I should be grateful. At least it wasn't my all my hair.."
"That's right. We're just glad you're okay, Rosalie-chan." Lenalee informed me and took my wrist. "Now, go look at yourself in your new uniform!" She placed me in front of a full-length mirror.
I blinked a few times and stared at my reflection. My uniform was identical to Lenalee's, except I had buttons going down the jacket, sort of like a cardigan. It was the same dark blue and the only thing that really made a difference between mine and hers was the red bow I was wearing. Overall, it was pretty casual. I thanked Johnny before he left to go get a hair clip.
But what I was really looking at was my own face. It just looked…different somehow. It wasn't due to the fact that I just turned sixteen. I did look sixteen, but compared to Lenalee…I did look a little bit younger. That wasn't it though. It was my eyes. It was still that light shade of green. Jade green as my mom would call it. They didn't have that same, soft look anymore. They looked determined, like I finally decided on a life-changing decision, which in a way, I did. I tried to adjust myself to the look in my eyes. They weren't the eyes of a normal teenage girl anymore. As I slowly ran my fingers over the Rose Cross, I realized they were the eyes of an Exorcist.
Stella: I wonder where I found the sudden urge to revise these. I know this one is kinda just a description of the Black Order and stuff. :P Not the most excting chapter to read...
Rose: Yeah...I understand.
Stella: *glares* I hate you!
Rose: I was kidding!
Stella: Oh...yeah...I was kidding too...haha.
Rose: *staredown*
Stella: *blinks* ahhh!
Allen: What're they doing?
Lenalee: I don't really know...
Stella: *clears throat* Ahem, well anyways. Please leave reviews and thanks for the support of this story! :D