Stella: Whoop! Two chapters revised in one night!
Lavi: But you edited this about a week or two ago...
Stella: Ugh, you just have to point out everything don't you?
Lavi: *pokes cheek*
Stella: Stop...that...
Rose: You'd better stop, Lavi.
I was dreaming, I think. No, it was definitely a dream. Mom and dad were still alive. That was enough proof to know it was a dream.
'Rosalie, please don't be mad at me…' Mom looked at me apologetically. Dad held her hand, but he looked like he was about to collapse.
'For turning dad into an akuma?' I asked her coldly.
'Rosalie, there's something I wanted to tell you. You're going to become an Exorcist, just like I was. Please, I need you to be strong because you're also…' Dad's voice sounded really weak. I tried to walk closer to him, but then…
'No! Stay back. I don't want you to see me like this.' Dad put an arm out, but then he fell to the ground.
'Cassian! Hold on, I'll call Lord Millennium.' Mom stood over dad's lifeless body and rubbed his back as if he could feel it.
'Mom! Don't! You know what's going to happen! Dad doesn't want this.' I yelled at her desperately, hoping to stop her madness.
'I know what he wants, Rosalie. I'm very sorry. I hope you can forgive me one day. Keep on smiling, okay?'
'Get out of here, Rosalie. I…I don't want…to hurt you.' Dad told me sternly and I turned to run away, but then I felt the cool familiar metal on my arms.
'I have to do this…I'm sorry, mom. I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive you for this…but I'll always love you. You too, dad.' Suddenly, the whole house started shaking and I was falling. It seemed like I was falling for a really long time.
~…~
I woke up in a strange room with nothing but dark, gray walls surrounding me. My arms and hands, from my wrists to my elbows, were completely wrapped. I walked up to the door, which was the only thing in the room, and twisted the doorknob. It was locked. I looked around to see if there was another exit, even though I already knew there wasn't one.
'Rosalie?' My golem popped up beside me.
"Rosalie, it's Komui. We had to keep you in that room because your Innocence…it became unstable. At least, that's what we think happened. We couldn't take your anti-akuma off ourselves though, so we had to use your own hands to pry if off…however..."
I looked down and saw that even all my fingers were wrapped up. I started to regain what happened on that mission. How long ago was that? And…
"Komui-san, where's Lavi? Is he okay? And Kanda?!"
"They're fine. Lavi's still in the hospital wing and Kanda is probably…sulking somewhere."
I sighed in relief. "So, how did we end up getting back here? I don't really remember much after…my Innocence went unstable…"
"Kanda found you and Lavi in the snow and brought you two to a hospital. Bookman met up with him and treated your wounds, but there wasn't much he could do with your Innocence in the way. So they brought you back here. Lavi regained consciousness the next day, but he still needs to rest, to be on the safe side. And then that's how you and your bandages came into play."
"And what about…" I could hardly say it. "What about…Jim?" I managed to choke out.
"We brought his body back here and cremated it. Don't worry, his death was not in vain."
My eyes started watering a bit. "T-that's good. Are my bracers with you now?"
"Yes. The science division is doing inspection as we speak. But how are you feeling, Rosalie?"
I stared blankly ahead of me for a few seconds before replying, "I'm fine now I guess…but I…"
"Yes? What's the matter?"
"Can I go see Lavi? Please?" I needed to make sure he was okay. I wouldn't be able to think straight if I didn't find out soon.
"Sure you can. We were going to let you out right when you woke up anyways. He's in the hospital wing. And Rosalie?"
"What is it, Komui-san?"
"Well, we're just all glad you're okay. Lenalee and Allen were very worried about you, but I told them you were doing alright now. We won't be sending you, Lavi or Kanda on a mission for a few more days so just take it easy, alright?"
"Yes, thank you."
The door opened in front of me and I bolted right out. It felt colder than usual, but then I realized I didn't have any sort of shoes on or anything. Actually, all I was wearing was a long, white sleeveless shirt. Was this supposed to be a hospital gown? Despite that, I kept running until I reached the hospital wing. I only knew where it was since that was the first room I remembered being in when I woke up at the Order a few weeks ago.
I took a deep breath and opened the door. Sure enough, there he was. I walked up to him, but he didn't seem to notice me. He was lying in bed with head turned towards the window. I got closer and then realized he was sleeping. As I got closer, I noticed how…handsome he looked. I never really looked at Lavi this close before. Well, except on the awkward train ride, but this was different. I could feel my cheeks heat up a little…
'He…looks so peaceful. I hope he's not mad at me…what am I supposed to say to him?'
Lavi slowly opened his eyes, or well, his eye. He looked up at me and smiled. His single emerald-green eye met my pair of jade-green eyes with a soft gaze.
"Look who's finally awake. It only took you about two days." He chuckled softly.
"You're the one who was sleeping…" I smiled back halfheartedly. "Lavi…are you alright?"
My eyes trailed over his whole body, which was covered in wraps and bandages.
"I'm fine, Rose." He sat up and put a hand on my shoulder. I blushed involuntarily at his warm touch. "But what about you? Your arms…" He reached down and slowly picked my hands up, but I took them away, wincing a little.
"You're still in pain, aren't you?" He looked me seriously. The way he was looking at me was strange. Was it anger or concern?
"I'm fine." I lied through my teeth and he was able to tell right away.
"Idiot…you could've died! You need to be more careful!" I could see him getting angry and I was a little taken aback.
"But you could've died, too! And everyone else in the city if I didn't do anything. I couldn't just stand there and do nothing! And Jim…he…he…" I felt my tears coming, but I continued. "I'm…stronger than you think I am…"
"That's not the point. If you knew your Innocence was acting weird, you should've told us. You weren't the only one fighting!" His voice started getting louder. When did this whole thing turn into an argument?
I tried to keep calm, but it was too much. "Why do you even care?!" I blurted out. However, after seeing that look in his eye, I regretted it.
Third Person P.O.V.
"'Why do you even care?!'"
She was right. Why did Lavi care anyway? For a second, it seemed as if he was forgetting his duties as the future Bookman. He wasn't supposed to have attachments, let alone care for a comrade, but somehow…it was different with her. It was as if seeing her suffer during the mission…wasn't the first time he'd seen her suffer.
"Lavi?" She looked at the redhead a little nervously. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that…"
He stared back at her for a couple seconds. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to words. He already knew what Rosalie said was an accident, so why was he thinking about it so much? These kinds of things weren't supposed to bother him.
'I'm a Bookman, these kinds of things don't matter. And I've only known Rose for a couple weeks, so it's not she should mean anything to me. She's not that special.'
He kept trying to convince himself of those words, but it just felt so hard to. Was it because of all the pain he witnessed her go through? Was it because that despite all the pain, she was still determined to fight for him and the rest of their teammates? Or was it because that she wasn't crying for herself at all, but instead she was crying for him?
'I have to be prepared to watch my comrades fall and not be affected. They're only people I'm fighting alongside with for the time being They're just temporary.. Nothing more.' Lavi gritted his teeth. 'Why is this bothering me so much then? She's just...she's just one person. She'll probably be excluded from history one day, too…but why…Ugh, damn it, this sucks!'
"Lavi…?" She called his name out again. "Please don't be mad. I'm sorry, really." She leaned in closer to make eye contact and her curls brushed his face. He inhaled the sweet scent of strawberries coming from her hair.
"I'm not…I was just…" Lavi sighed. Why was it so hard to talk to her now? Rose held her arm out. What was she planning to do…?
"Do you think you can wrap these a little tighter? I think they're getting a bit loose." She replied and moved her arm closer to him.
Lavi sweatdropped. So it wasn't a hug that Rose wanted. He sat up and pulled the bandages slowly, mindful of her injuries.
'This is…going to be difficult. Just who exactly is this Rosalie Hinode anyway?'
"Is that better? Your arm is still broken, right?" He finally said after tightening up the bandages. He ran a hand through his red hair and stared straight ahead for a few seconds, before turning to the quiet Rose.
"Y-yes. Ummm…Lavi?"
"Yeah?"
She wiped her eyes dry from the tears that were threatening to fall. "I-I'm sorry…about what I did to you…"
It took him a second to realize what she was talking about until he followed her gaze to the side of his torso. "Oh, this? It's nothing." He told her calmly and gave her a smile.
"But you were losing so much…" She paused and turned her eyes away, "…b-blood."
He ran his hand over it. "It's fine. And I think when it comes to losing blood, you get first place." Lavi chuckled softly, hoping to lighten her mood.
"Yeah, I guess so." She ran a hand down her arm and frowned. "Lavi, I'm really sorry. Everything that went wrong on the mission was my fault."
"Why're you blaming yourself? Look, things happen and these were just one of those times."
She forced a smile this time. "You're right. I'm sorr-"
"Stop it, Rosalie." He told her firmly and looked at her seriously. "You can't blame yourself for every little thing that goes wrong. It's not just your burden to bear." He stated, surprising himself. Lavi and Rose stared at each other with great intensity in their eyes. Neither would say a word, but no words needed to be said.
Finally, Rose cleared her throat and smiled genuinely. "Thank you…"
"Yeah, no problem." He grinned and ruffled her hair with his good arm. The tension in the room was lifted, that is, until a certain someone slammed the door open and gave the two a murderous glare from the doorframe.
"Baka usagi. Curly. Komui's office. Now." Kanda spat out. Rose stared at him in bewilderment. He didn't have any scratches, cuts or bruises at all.
"Kay, Yu~" Lavi sang, much to his annoyance.
"Shut up." And he left without another word.
Rose looked back at Lavi and smiled nervously. They made their way down to Komui's office where he and Bookman were patiently waiting.
"Ahh, Rosalie. Lavi. I'm glad to see you two are doing better." Komui smiled at them warmly.
"Thank you, Komui-san."
"Old man, what're you doing here?" Lavi asked curiously.
The old, short man glared at Lavi and ignored that comment. "Miss Rosalie, it's good to finally meet you."
Bookman's eyes flickered with a sense of interest and familiarity.
"Oh, you too. Umm…"
"You may refer to me as Bookman." He said simply. Rose looked at him. He was a little shorter than her, had dark makeup around his eyes, and a single ponytail. When Lavi called him old panda, he must've really meant it.
"Bookman…oh! Like Lavi!" She gasped. Bookman showed the smallest hint of surprise and scowled at Lavi, who looked away, whistling. Rose turned back to the old man, inspecting him secretly…
'I feel like I've seen this old man before. It's like the same feeling I have whenever I feel like I've seen Lavi before, too. It can't all be a coincidence, can it? And since Lavi's his apprentice, then it's definitely not a coincidence. Hmm…but where have I seen him?'
"Correct. We are, to put it simply, recorders of history. I see you've already become…acquainted with Lavi." He shot Lavi another look.
He spoke so passively, something that made Rose on edge. She took slow steps to the couch and sat down with Bookman's eyes still looming on her.
"If my apprentice has made any unnecessary advances towards you, I apologize in advance."
"Hey, you make me sound like some sort of weirdo!" Lavi protested. Bookman ignored him yet again.
"I see you two met difficulties on your mission regarding your Innocence."
"Way to put me out there gramps…" Lavi mumbled angrily to himself.
'Unnecessary advances…?' Rose gave Lavi a confused glance. His arms were crossed and he was grimacing at his mentor.
"Oh, yes." Rose looked nervous. "I'm sorry, it was my fault. I guess I don't fully understand all of the capabilities of my Innocence." She let out a weary sigh.
Komui shook his head. "No, I should apologize. I sent you the mission knowing fully aware that you were completely new to this. I misjudged it. I thought that since you had a good amount of training already that you didn't require a little…extra preparation. Nonetheless, I was wrong." He looked over his papers again, pushing his glasses up.
"If I'm not mistaken, your Innocence is quite…rare. I don't believe the problem was because of her lack of experience as an Exorcist." Bookman looked over at Rose with a serious gaze. She stepped back a little, feeling uneasy under his stare.
Lavi glanced at Bookman. "Then, what do you think it is gramps? If it's not her lack of experience, there's only one answer; her Innocence. Why else would her anti-akuma weapon cause her that much pain if she's the accommodator?"
Rosalie shifted on the couch uncomfortably. "Hevlaska did say not to push my limit. But I didn't think I was." She rested her chin on her palm, "I don't even know what any of this means."
They all sat in silence trying to think of the reason that caused Rose's Innocence to become unstable. Komui walked over to his desk and picked up a small, familiar box. He gave a sideways glance to Bookman, who nodded.
"Your anti-akuma weapon, dubbed 'Hands of the Earth,' was one of the first weapons of the kind to ever be used in the first war against the Earl of Millennium. So it is, in fact, many centuries old." Bookman explained, his facial expressing remaining apathetic.
Lavi took this opportunity to make a joke on the old man. "So I guess you were around when it was made, huh jiji?" For that, Lavi received a swift kick on the chest, which knocked him on the floor.
"Please ignore him for now, Miss Rosalie." Bookman apologized and continued on with the information. "Apparently, it was created when the Earth itself was first born. I'm not too sure of the details myself, but this was how it was made. The metal was from the very center of the Earth's core. It was heated and forged by the first fires…" Lavi and Komui looked at him disbelievingly, but Bookman sighed.
"I told you, I'm not sure of the details, but it's something similar to that." He continued, "And after it was reshaped into something more suitable, like bracers, it was submerged into the bluest waters to cool."
Rose pursed her lips together and thought out loud, "But then how does wind come into play with this? Not that...I've actually been able to conjure wind myself…or water…" She smiled sheepishly and let out a nervous chuckle.
"The 'Hands of the Earth' was created in different areas of the Earth. They say the wind led them to the certain areas that fulfilled the requirements to create the weapon."
Lavi groaned and looked at Bookman questionably. "Are you sure you heard that right? How can wind lead them to a certain area?"
Bookman glared at the latter and continued on, "I wasn't finished. All the elements used, including wind, contained small fragments Innocence. That's why the first user was easily allowed control over them, however…"
"The weapon doesn't contain Innocence anymore…" Komui finished. He turned to Rose and held out the wooden box. "Rosalie. I have a feeling we won't get any leads until you put these back on, but if you feel any pain at all, even a little, just take them off."
"O-okay, sure…" She took the box and opened it. Carefully, she picked up one bracer, half-expecting it to shock her, but it didn't this time.
"Lavi?" She beckoned for the redhead to assist her.
"I'm on it." He unwrapped her bandages slowly. Once they were all off of her arm, they all gasped.
"There…aren't any wounds. None at all. But that's impossible." Bookman studied the absence of scabs, wounds or cuts on Rose's arms.
Slowly, Rose put on the bracers and a sudden flash of light shined from them. The bracers started dematerializing until it was just two white circles that formed around her wrists. After that, the circles started turning black and remained as two, black metal bracelets tightly wrapped around her wrists.
"Rosalie!" Lavi worriedly called out to her, much to Bookman's disapproval.
"I'm fine, Lavi…" She held her arms up and looked at her wrists. "Wh-what happened…?"
Bookman took a closer look at Rosalie's arms. "So the weapon was trying to enter into her bloodstream. I suppose, to become one with her. And the only way to do that was to infuse itself by causing that excess bleeding, allowing an opening for it so that the next time Miss Rosalie put on the bracers, it could easily enter through the openings. I believe it also shocked anyone else that came into contact with it because it didn't recognize that person as their user. Of course, to the non-users of Innocence, the shock would be worse."
"It sure was worse." Komui muttered under his breath, remembering that time he touched Rose's weapon and it shocked him mercilessly.
"But how could it enter if there weren't any cuts there?" Lavi picked up Rose's good arm, speculating it.
"I suppose they are there, but they're very tiny. Like pores. The electric shocks she kept receiving must have caused little small holes to appear on her arms somehow and it needed to get rid of a good amount blood so it could seep in." Komui began scribbling notes down again.
"So…the shocks caused my arms to bleed? And I guess the fact that my weapon was trying to enter my bloodstream contributed to the pain I felt. It did feel like something was melting on my skin. I guess all that pain was preparing me for this. My arms do feel slightly heavy now…" She let out an annoyed groan and muttered under her breath, "Man…I probably gained a few pounds because of this…"
Komui looked at Rose seriously. "Rose, can you activate your Innocence?"
She nodded. "Yes. Innocence, activate!"
The black rings turned white, and the black metal of the bracers started materializing around her arms. The familiar shaped bracers reappeared and enveloped her arms.
"Can you take them off still?" Komui asked her. She tugged at them, but they refused to budge. Komui speculated the scene and scribbled down a few more notes.
"Interesting…" Bookman muttered.
"Ah, wait! So, I'm stuck with these on?" Rose gasped in horror. She didn't exactly enjoy the fact that metal was flowing in her bloodstream. That didn't seem…healthy.
"So it seems. But now her weapon is similar to a parasitic-type…" Komui studied Rose's weapon carefully, which was now deactivated. "I suppose the black rings around your wrists are there to represent the weapon, but most of it must be flowing in your bloodstream."
"But…" Rose started and inspected her wrists, now enveloped with the black metal, carefully. "You and Bookman said that the weapon doesn't contain Innocence. So how am I able to use it?"
"You mean it isn't obvious?" Lavi asked her honestly. She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, waiting for his reply.. "Well…you contain Innocence."
"W-what?!"
Bookman nodded slowly. "It's true. I've heard many rumors about the weapon. No one is exactly sure how the bracers were able to survive till this very day, but since its first user, no other Exorcist has been able to wield its power, due to the lack of Innocence. You see, after the war 7,000 years ago, that weapon went a long time without a user and the Innocence eventually wore away, but the power of the elements it contained somehow remained. I suppose you are able to control it because your very own body contains Innocence."
Rose stared at him questionably and shook her head. "No. No way. How can that…are you sure…I don't…" She took a deep breath. "How is that even possible? That Innocence courses through my blood? Is that hereditary or something?"
Lavi laughed and patted her shoulder. "You're really funny, Rose. You can't inherit a gene for Innocence. You gotta be a chosen wielder, remember?"
She rolled her eyes. "Right…I remember, but still…it seems unreal."
"Other Innocence-users do contain Innocence in their bloodstream. Allen Walker, for example. But his weapon comes from his own body, since the Innocence is infused with his arm. You, however, are different. No part of your body is used as an anti-akuma weapon." Bookman explained to her as best as he could. She nodded simply and frowned, still confused.
Komui shook his head. "I'm sorry, Rosalie. If we knew all the answers, you'd be the first to know."
"You know…" Lavi began, "In a way, your weapon relies on you. It's a bit different for us, see. We have to rely on our Innocence because it's forged with our weapon. Your Innocence and your anti-akuma weapon are two separate things. You two wouldn't be able to work without each other."
"I…I guess it sort of makes sense." Rose half-lied. She lifted her arms up, which were now heavier than usual. After letting out a sigh, she turned to the three men.
"Don't worry, Rosalie. We'll do more research into this and notify you once we have the answers. For now, we'll place your Innocence in a new category; the blood type." Komui reassured her and scribbles a few notes down. "Well, that's all we called you down for. You may leave now."
Rose bowed her head and smiled at the three. "Thank you Komui-san, Bookman-san and Lavi. You've all been a great help. At least now I understand a little more about my Innocence. I'll be going now." She turned and left the three in the messy office.
Although Rose didn't see it, Bookman narrowed his eyes at her as she walked out.
"Lavi," Bookman took Lavi aside, "I'm going to ask you to keep a close eye on that girl. Her Innocence type was completely unknown until now. It could very well lead to an undiscovered chapter in history. And we need to look more into this 'Creator of Earth' prophecy."
Lavi looked at him for a second, then replied, "Sure. You're gettin' old anyway, gramps so someone's gotta get work done around here." He grinned and received a kick from Bookman.
"Ow! You old coot!"
'It seems avoiding her was inevitable,' He glanced up at Lavi who was still rubbing his cheek. 'Lavi must not remember what happened all those years ago. It might very well come between his duties as my apprentice.'
Stella:I know, not the most exciting chapter. It's just basically explaining Rose's Innocence. I can't say I did well explaining everything either. Honestly, I didn't plan how Rose's Innocence would be all...important and stuff. I mean, I planned for it to be important, just not how. But trust me, it'll be important later on! If anything...I'll probably rewrite that little part...*nervous laughter* Wow, i really need to plan these things out.
Lavi: You're such a good author...
Rose: Well, Stella-chan, I think it's pretty cool!
Stella: I knew I could rely on you, Rosie-chan! :D
Rose: Of course!
Lavi: So are you going to be able to finally write a new chapter?
Stella: Soon, hopefully. Well, I've done most of my editing for the story! It only took...about a month. xP I hope you all continue to read Innocent Heart! I'll try to have chapter 12 up soon. :D Please leave reviews and tell me what you think! My cheeks still hurt...