A/N: and so before I'm called down to help with cooking I will try to work with this chapter. I might even get finished because I'm not planning on sleeping on today's Devil's Night and following Halloween day… Have fun with the second task, after that there will be likely 2 or 3 more so called filler chapters before we move over to the final task and after that 2 last chapters and it is done and I move over to another fic…
P.S.: this chapter will contain some little NeahKanda fluff…
XIII. Just breath
While the things in the Holy City played out was Komui on his way back inside the Ark. He had not long ago finished talking to Dumbledore whom seemed first surprised before continuing they talk. Of course Komui knew that the other wanted to manipulate him in to siding with them in they war if it should start, but you weren't a Supervisor of one of the three Blood Covered Branches of the Black order, as they called the them sometimes, and to not notice if someone is trying to use you. Luckily he could wind it, if the pope agrees will the girl come with them when they return home and be Allen-kun's charge to train, while they will take in the wizards war, but only if it should affect they own. Shaking his head he entered the Ark's gate to make his way to the room he used as an office before spotting Lulubell nearing him with a smile on her lips. She certainly reminded him on a cat when she did this.
"So, how did it go?" she asked in a knowing tone, something all Noah seemed to have if they are sure about the success of they plans, it was slightly unnerving.
"It went well." was the short reply.
"I was sure it would go, meanwhile has Link sent us a letter the pope agrees and it seems as if we need to ask Allen after he gets back from class that he should make a new door to the North-American Branch." Lulubell said, she would tell about the other things in the letter later to the ones here, it would only ad unwanted stress to things. For the time being it is fine that the rest of they family as the ones still in the European and Asian branch were knowing about it and having discussions.
"Why? Did something happen?" Komui asked worriedly, he may have been mad at Renee Epstein for the Thirds thing, but he understood how painful the massacre of her Branch must have been and according to Reever, Johnny and Back had told him that Renee truly regretted her mistakes so should also he forgive.
"Nothing to worry about she only asked for permission to be placed also under our dear young inspector's watch." she answered in a calming tone not wanting him to worry groundlessly.
"So all sinners are now together seeking they atonement." Komui said with a sad smile.
"And we will find atonement one day." Lulubell said softly as she hugged him carefully, she firmly believed her words. Once had God given the Noah family they powers making them to his Angels, but then they brother had turned from God and they have become Fallen Angels now following the brother still guided by the holy light.
Komui returned the embrace, in the past days he found often comfort by the woman he once had detested for what she had done against them, but now he needed her presence more then anything to silence his screaming demons. Unluckily for him was this just the time when Debitto and Jasdero walked in and were not pleased if those two golden pistols aiming at his head were any type of indication to go by. Well, Jasdevi had acted strangely resentful towards him since a few weeks, but he didn't know what he could have done to anger the twin Noah.
"Just exactly what are you little hmpf…" suddenly was a hand covering Debitto's mouth while another grabbed Jasdero's hand.
"Sorry for interrupting." Tyki said while smiling sheepishly as he still held a struggling Debitto and surprisingly was it Kanda who held the other twin.
"Oh, Tyki, Kanda-kun, how went your search?" Komui asked still not knowing what he did wrong.
"Che." was the General's short reply, which translated meant that still nothing.
"I see, ah Tyki you need to come later today with me in to the Headmaster's office to talk with Miss Parkinson, it seems that we will soon gain a new member." Komui said at which the Pleasure nodded with a little smile, the girl will be pleased thought they will go slow with revealing the truth to her.
Meanwhile was the Golden Trio sitting inside the Charm's classroom trying to complete today's task; Banishing Charms. To not have the whole class after three minutes in to the class visiting the Hospital Wing and Madam Pomfrey after his head decided Professor Flitwick to use pillows to be safe.
Well, Neville still needed a hang on in aiming as it seemed.
As the poor professor whizzed past them again returned the Trio to they little discussion. The class was perfect for this opportunity and they had many things they needed talking about. There was for intense the adventure Harry had after finding out what to do with the egg, the talk they heard after that practicular Defense class with the Unforgivable and now was there also the fact that Allen was sitting for the first time in this class together with his cousin Wisely. Till now they had only seen the former in Potions, Ancient Runes, Transfiguration, Care for Magical Creatures and occasionally in Herbology, he had only visited Defense once. This was also the first time they had seen Allen with a wand. It was according to Hermione's observative skills that it was an 8' inches long wand made out of ebony wood with the holding hilt being probably carved with the wand together, this was the first time she saw such a wand.
Neither of them knew that Wisely was holding tab on they conversation and sending everything telepathically over to Allen as these placed a new pillow on his pile without even looking up from the old book he was reading.
"Allen, just a question, not that I mind this class it is pretty interesting, but why are we here exactly instead looking for the Innocence?" Wisely asked curiously.
"Well, most of the classes I visited were once my favorites and well I wanted to see if I'm still somewhat good with my wand." was the amused reply.
"Nah, you are still pretty good at it Neah thought you never did tell me what the core was."
"Not that you haven't tried finding it out." Neah replied chuckling while Wisely pouted remembering all his failed attempts regarding that task.
"No need to rub salt in too your poor brother's wounds, you are a cruel older brother."
"Is your Majesty done with being a Drama Queen?" Neah said chuckling at his younger brother's childish antics.
"I will if you finally tell me what core you have in there."
"Lavi certainly gets that from you." Neah thought with a sigh before answering his brother finally. "Fine, the core is dragon heart string with three drops of the same dragon's blood."
"Nice, dragon blood is pretty powerful and we should know." Wisely said with a little amused laugh knowing perfectly well that they have again earned the trio's suspicious gazes thought he was feeling annoyed by that redhead's thoughts. Really, and people here think that Gryffindors are so great if he remembers correctly were they also in fault about many things and beside that…
"Wisely, I don't think you want to explain to Lu, why my nephew's arm is broken and Yuu might go after your head." the sudden voice of his brother interrupted his thoughts and so he finally could notice that he was gripping Allen's arm a little to tight.
"Ahhh…sorry…"
"What do you think they are doing?" Harry asked Hermione while Ron was glaring at the white haired duo, anyone related to a Slytherin could only mean trouble.
"Well Allen is reading while using his wand and Wisely is only watching him and the others." Hermione replied feeling a bit envious at Allen's skill.
"I also see that Hermione." replied Harry before remembering something important he wanted to ask. "Hey Hermione, do you know how I could manage to breath under water? I know that Muggles use Aqua-Lungs." after explaining what they were Ron immediately looked thrilled.
"Why not just use a Summoning Charm and get a pair of those?" the redhead suggested, but shrinked somewhat in his seat in his seat by the look Hermione was giving him.
"No Ronald, it would be impossible for Harry to learn the proper use of an Aqua-Lung and get the task done in an hour and if they don't then he will be in trouble for breaking the International Code of Wizarding Secrecy because some poor Muggles got scared because an Aqua-Lung zoomed past them." she chided her friend for his foolishness before turning to Harry again while Ron sighed in relief. "Of course, the ideal solution would be for you to Transfigure yourself into a submarine or something. If only we'd done human Transfiguration already! But I don't think we start that until sixth year, and it can go badly wrong if you don't know what you're doing…" she exclaimed, not noticing both Allen and Wisely holding back a laugh while the later also muttered something to the other.
"Yeah, I don't fancy walking around with a periscope sticking out of my head," said Harry shuddering at the memory what taunting he got from Malfoy because fainting by that Dementor attack on the train, he would not give the blonde something to laugh, at least did Skeeter disappear from view. "I suppose I could always attack someone in front of Moody, he might do it for me…" also a bad idea because Hermione was now glaring at him.
"I don't think he'd let you choose what you wanted to be turned into, though." Hermione said seriously while still glaring at her friend.
"That only leaves Charms." Ron said at which Harry groaned.
After class was the Trio on they way to find a way to help Harry in his task to find a way to breath under water while both Allen and Wisely made they way through the long hallways to get back to the Ark, Allen would later get back to Ancient Runes. As they passed through the gardens someone called out Allen's name which made both boys turn in the voice's direction.
"Allan, it is nice seeing ya again." spoke Victor Krum as he held one large hand out as greeting which Allen accepted.
"Aren, howz are you?" Fleur asked smiling as she hugged him, she certainly liked Allen because he saw her as the person who she was and not her Veela heritage.
"Victor, Flour it is nice to see you two." Allen greeted the two while they greeted Wisely who surprised them both as he spoke in they respective mother languages.
"Are you nervous aboz ze task?" Fleur asked while Victor started talking with Wisely, but you could see that he was half listening.
"Not really about the task, but about the reactions I will receive." he admitted.
"Doz worry Aren, if someone iz spekin wrong about yor arm then…"
"Ve vill protect you." Krum finished for the French witch at which Allen blushed while Wisely laughed.
"Don't worry, Allen has his cousin, uncle, aunt and lover to protect him beside his friends." he said while Allen felt glad that he already told those two about Kanda or he would again be tackled by a delighted Fleur.
"That iz good to ear."
"Yes, ah Fleur, did you already meet my aunt? She is actually French from heritage and would probably not mind having a little chat with you." Allen said suddenly knowing that the young woman would probably like talking to a person from her nationality who wasn't one of her classmates or Headmistress.
"Iz wonzerfull idea." Fleur said delightedly.
"Ve vill all give our best to vin by the second task." Krum said at which the other two contestants also nodded before they departed again.
The last weeks before the second task passed just as quickly as y the first one and Harry felt again just as lost as to finding a way to get alive through it as by the dragon. Also from now on he would probably never be able to look at the lake the same way again and to put more on it had Sirius written to him and asked about the next Hogsmeade weekend after which he found himself in Hagrid's class who much to the girls delight presented them two unicorn foals. They were more trusting to males then the adults and they were still a golden color and hornless. Harry also spotted both Road and Lenalee on the class while Professor Camelot only watched, but it was still strange when Pansy Parkinson walked up to the two girls and started talking with them civilly. He couldn't have known that since a few weeks was Pansy slowly building a relationship with her new "school mates", she would hear the truth later because for now she needed to get acustomated with the ones she would work together to protect. After that were Harry and his friends still trying desperately to find a way for the former to breath under water, but even after hours in the library there was still nothing helpful for they problem.
The searching session was then broken by the Weasely twins who informed them that a grim looking McGonagall was looking for Ron and Hermione. They didn't understand the ground, but went with the twins while Harry was left to carry as many books he could into the Gryffindor Common Room.
Thought neither of his friends showed up and so he decided to use his father's cloak to return to the library where Harry fell asleep with a new nightmare from which he was suddenly woken up by Dobby the House-elf he freed from Lucius Malfoy in his second year.
It was already bright outside.
"Harry Potter needs to hurry!" squeaked Dobby. "The second task starts in ten minutes, and Harry Potter…" oookkkeeeyy…he just didn't hear that.
"Ten minutes?" Harry croaked, his hopes to have misheard slowly fading. "Ten…ten minutes?" he would now surely fail this task.
"Hurry, Harry Potter!" squeaked Dobby while pulling at Harry's sleeve. "You is supposed to be down by the lake with the other champions, sir!"
"It's too late, Dobby." Harry said hopelessly. "I'm not doing the task, I don't know how…"
"Harry Potter will do the task!" squeaked the elf. "Dobby knew Harry had not found the right book, so Dobby did it for him!"
"What?" said Harry in shock, but his hopes were flaring up till he remembered the times Dobby tried to "help" him. "But you don't know what the second task is…" and there was that also.
"Dobby knows, sir! Harry Potter has to go into the lake and find his Wheezy…" now what did that mean?
"Find my what?" he had no clue what the elf meant.
"…and take his Wheezy back from the merpeople!"
"What's a Wheezy?"
"Your Wheezy, sir, your Wheezy-Wheezy who is giving Dobby his sweater!" Dobby plucked at the shrunken maroon sweater he was now wearing over his shorts."
"What?" Harry gasped feeling cold dread washing over him. "They've got… they've got Ron?"
"The thing Harry Potter will miss most, sir!" squeaked Dobby. "'But past an hour…'"
"… 'the prospect's black,'" Harry recited, staring, horror-struck, at the elf. "'Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.' Dobby …what've I got to do?" he couldn't loose his best friend, not like that.
"You has to eat this, sir!" squeaked the elf, and he put his hand in the pocket of his shorts and drew out a ball of what looked like slimy, grayish-green rat tails.
"Right before you go into the lake, sir, gillyweed!"
"What's it do?" said Harry, staring at the gillyweed.
"It will make Harry Potter breathe underwater, sir!" Dobby said proudly.
"Dobby," said Harry frantically, "listen…are you sure about this?" there was the nervousness again.
"Dobby is quite sure, sir!" said the elf earnestly. "Dobby hears things, sir, he is a house-elf, he goes all over the castle as he lights the fires and mops the floors. Dobby heard Professor McGonagall and Professor Moody in the staffroom, talking about the next task… Dobby cannot let Harry Potter lose his Wheezy!" that was good enough for him, grabbing the gillyweed broke Harry out in a mad dash and made it just in time to the lake.
At least was he in time, but his sides hurt and he was grasping for breath, there was not even time to switch to swimming wear like ot…Harry felt his eyes widen as he spotted Allen standing between Krum and Fleur. This was the firs time he saw the boys deformed arm, it was really black, but on his shoulder it seemed more like a strange tattoo, but what got most peoples attentions who didn't back away from the glares they received from the boys family, were the two scars on his upper body. The larger one went across his chest and back as if something large would have been showed through him, there was also a shorter scar, but it seemed as if the skin around it had become gray.
Meanwhile had Allen again a little mental conversation with his uncle about what they would do to get Kanda back, because he was the only one missing from they loved ones.
"Allen, you should let me take over, for the time being." Neah suggested.
"I can do this, you know that I can hold my breath back for a pretty long time." the other answered back.
"Saddly yes, but I have a plan to use my powers to created a sound resonating shield which will hold in air for forty five minutes after that you can play breath holding."
"Are you sure this would work?" Allen asked while his silver eyes traveled occasionally to the lake.
"Yes, trust me and now be ready we are about to start and while our lover can't die truly, but you remember how he hates drowning and if we don't get him out of there soon will we never hear the end of his rant." the Musician stated chuckling at which Allen grinned, he remembered how Kanda acted in the memory part when Alma threw him down a cliff to protect him.
"Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then One… two… three!" the shrill sound of a whistle cut through the cold air and the champions jumped it to the icy water.
At least they didn't do this in December.
The plan was working and Neah was swimming quickly through the water, it was not easy to see down there, but being a Noah had also the advantage of better senses and beside that, he could always feel the presence of his lover. Sure it took the samurai some time to be friends with the idea that when being together with his nephew he was also together in a double relationship with the uncle.
Talk about a polygamist relationship…
As Neah was swimming through the dark lake, using the reflecting sounds to guide himself onward come suddenly a familiar voice to him. Someone was certainly using a spell in a distance of fifty meters from his position. Heading in to said direction he could easily spot the Potter boy as he was trying to get away from some of the grindylows living here while shooting occasionally hexes at them which was a wise idea. It took the Noah not long to reach the young wizard whom stared slightly shocked at the other's piercing golden eyes.
"We need to head in that direction." he told Harry who felt taken back by the other's seemingly deeper voice and was it only because of the water or was Allen's hair really looking more wavy in a way?
Thought he could think about all this later after saving Ron from drowning. So taking all his Gryffindor courage together swam both teens deeper in to the dark lake. Suddenly a new haunting melody caught they ears;
"An hour long you'll have to look,
And to recover what we took…"
Both swam faster, thought Harry felt more disturbed by the song then his compannion did, and soon saw a large rock emerge out of the muddy water ahead. It had paintings of merpeople on it; they were carrying spears and chasing what looked like the giant squid. Harry swam on past the rock after Neah, following the mersong though stopped suddenly.
"… your time's half gone, so tarry not
Lest what you seek stays here to rot…"
A cluster of crude stone dwellings stained with algae loomed suddenly out of the gloom on all sides. Here and there at the dark windows, Harry saw faces… faces that bore no resemblance at all to the painting of the mermaid in the prefects' bathroom…
The merpeople had grayish skin and long, wild, dark green hair. Their eyes were yellow, as were their broken teeth, and they wore thick ropes of pebbles around their necks. They leered at Harry as he swam past; one or two of them emerged from their caves to watch him better, their powerful, silver fish tails beating the water, spears clutched in their hands. Harry couldn't understand how Allen could still be so calm, thought little did he know that Neah was actually a welcome guest in they ranks because the Musician being the one teaching they ancestors how to sing.
Soon the two reached what looked like a mer-version of a village square. A choir of merpeople was singing in the middle, calling the champions toward them, and behind them rose a crude sort of statue; a gigantic merperson hewn from a boulder. Five people were bound tightly to the tail of the stone merperson.
Ron was tied between Hermione and Cho Chang who was next to Kanda. There was also a girl who looked no older than eight, whose clouds of silvery hair made Harry feel sure that she was Fleur Delacour's sister. All five of them appeared to be in a very deep sleep. Their heads were lolling onto their shoulders, and fine streams of bubbles kept issuing from their mouths. Harry speed up immediately adrenalin and worry spreading through his body as he looked around not seeing anyone other then him and Allen. The weed ropes binding the hostages to the statue were tick and slimy. He was already about to try borrowing one of the merpeople's spears, but Allen halted him.
"They are only here as observators Harry, they aren't allowed to help." Allen told him in a clear voice which made him wonder what kind of charm he was using.
So was he looking for something sharp, wishing he had Sirius's knife with him, while the other swam up to Kanda and activated his Innocence while Harry wasn't looking. Cutting the weed through grabbed the Noah his lover, holding him close carefully. Meanwhile had the young wizard found a sharp rock, they time was fewerly running short and they were still the only ones present.
Holding the rock sharply swam Harry in Hermione's direction, only to be held back by several gray arms.
"You take your own hostage." one of the merpeople said to him. "Leave the others…"
"No way!" said Harry furiously, but only two large bubbles came out.
"Your task is to retrieve your own friend… leave the others…" another said at which Harry wanted to argue back, but Allen spoke up, Crown Clown deactivated and Kanda still held tightly in his arms.
"Harry, listen to them, get Ron and if you are worried about the others we will stay and make sure that they will be fine." he said sternly and the black haired wizard noticed that all the gathered around them were nodding in submission.
Suddenly the merpeople around them pointed excitedly over the younger's head. Harry looked up and saw Cedric swimming toward them. There was an enormous bubble around his head, which made his features look oddly wide and stretched.
"Got lost!" he mouthed, looking panic stricken. "Fleur and Krum're coming now!" he said while pulling out a knife and freeing Cho before leaving for the surface.
Then the merpeople started screeching animatedly. Those holding Harry loosened their grip, staring behind them. Harry turned and saw something monstrous cutting through the water toward them: a human body in swimming trunks with the head of a shark… It was Krum.
He appeared to have transfigured himself, but badly as Allen pointed out.
The shark-man swam straight to Hermione and began snapping and biting at her ropes; the trouble was that Krum's new teeth were positioned very awkwardly for biting anything smaller than a dolphin, and Harry was quite sure that if Krum wasn't careful, he was going to rip Hermione in half. Darting forward Harry hit Krum hard on the shoulder and held up the jagged stone. Krum seized it and began to cut Hermione free. Within seconds, he had done it, he grabbed Hermione around the waist, and with a little backward glance at Allen who nodded to him in return, began to rise rapidly with her toward the surface.
While this all was going on down under the water were the ones on the surface staring worriedly at the dark water.
The Order members were all staring down worriedly. Sure, Kanda was a Second Exorcist and Allen was a Noah, but knowing they friend he will probably want to make sure that everyone is fine.
Everyone let out a collective sigh at this.
"What do you think how long Allen-kun can survive under water?" Lenalee asked her brother worriedly.
"Allen will be fine, he can hold his breath for a pretty long time heeee." Dero said smiling.
"And how do you know that?" Debi asked his twin.
"Because Cross made him pearl dive when he was twelve heee." the blonde replied matter of factly at which several people started growling death threats against the General who was now sneezing every two seconds.
Somewhat farther away from them was Pansy standing with the other Slytherins looking bothered.
"Hey Pansy why are you looking so glum?" Blaize asked the other.
"I'm just worried about Allen." she answered, even if she had not much time talking with the white haired boy had the others much to say about him.
"Why?" Goyle asked confused while Draco threw a scared glance at the twins not far away from them.
"Well, there is nothing bad in being concerned about your classmates." she retorted her hands on her hips.
"What?" the five males asked stunned.
"You heard me, I asked Professor Camelot if it would be possible for me to transfer to Rose Cross and they Headmaster talked with Dumbledore so is this my last year here in Hogwarts." Pansy explained while turning her gaze back to the lake just when Krum appeared with Hermione the others meanwhile stared in shock at her.
Back under the lake meanwhile was Harry growing impatient, the time was soon up and there was no sign of Fleur. He didn't care what would happen as he started swimming towards the little girl, but surprisingly left him the merpeople alone. Looking over to Allen he suddenly remembered the scene not al to long ago, were the merpeople actually listening to him? Though there was no time to dwell on such things if he wanted to get out of here.
With Allen's help were the ropes quickly down and they could start swimming to the water surface. His lungs were burning and every muscle in his body was screaming in protest, but he couldn't give up just now, others depended on him. Then they finally broke through the liquid surface and took deep breaths, the distant sound of the crowd drifting to them. When he was again able to see clearly again did he notice that the merpeople were surrounding them, but they were smiling.
"Merpeople value honor above anything, with your selflessness you gained they respect." Allen explained smiling while Kanda coughed up some water while clinging to the other.
"Damn Moyashi, what the hell took you so long." he growled.
"I needed to make sure that the task went fine." Allen replied chuckling and Harry noticed Kanda's eyes widen suddenly before they hid every emotion again as the dark haired male leaned against the other's chest.
"I see." he replied with his eyes closed. "Now get me out of this freezing water." Allen chuckled at this while Harry wondered why the other didn't just swim to the shore if he was that annoyed, but then he noticed Kanda1s strong grip on Allen and returned.
Could this mean that Kanda couldn't swim?
A cough from Ron made Harry snap out of his thoughts.
"What did you bring her for?" the Redhead asked when spotting the scared looking little girl so unlike Harry he missed the dark glares he received from Allen and Kanda for that comment and even the mermaids looked annoyed.
"Fleur didn't turn up, I couldn't leave her," Harry panted.
"Harry, you prat," said Ron, "you didn't take that song thing seriously, did you? Dumbledore wouldn't have let any of us drown!"
"That might be not true, it had a pretty valid ground why the Tri Wizard Tournament was banned for so long, it happened to often that one or more champions died or ones participicating as help no matter how good the safety measures were." Allen explained in a dark tone at which both Harry and Ron paled.
"But Dumbledore…" Harry tried, but Kanda cut in.
"Is a human like anyone other and humans have faults, they can make mistakes." he growled while Allen sent a reassuring smile to the still scared looking little girl.
"Don't worry, your sister is probably already at the sore, we will be soon there." Allen reassured her at which the little girl finally smiled a little and nodded.
"C'mon," Harry said shortly, "help me with her, I don't think she can swim very well." he said to Ron because Allen was already helping Kanda.
As they swam in the direction of the sore where they already spotted the Rose Cross students cheering while the judges watched them. The merpeople meanwhile swam near them as some type of strange escorts. Finally reaching the sore was Ron assaulted by a nearly panicking Percy who was not long ago supported by Tyki who tried reassuring him knowing what it meant to worry about your brother. They also saw Fleur fighting with her whole power against Madame Maxime to get to her sister.
"Gabrielle! Gabrielle! Is she alive? Is she 'urt?" she yelled in fear.
"Fleur, she is fine, only tired." Allen explained to the hysteric girl instead of Harry who himself felt to tired now that the adrenalin and fear were down.
Suddenly Madam Pomfrey appeared and dragged them over to the others, wrapping them tightly in to warm blankets and giving them pepper up potion that they wouldn't get sick. Kanda of course tried protesting about the fussing, but seeing that the medi witch could easily become good friends with the Matron was the samurai playing the obedient patient while mumbling something about forceful nurses.
"Harry, well done!" Hermione cried while hugging him tightly, somehow the hug warmed him more up then the blankets. "You did it, you found out how all by yourself!" Harry wanted to say that Dobby helped him, but looking over Allen and his friends heads he spotted Karkaroff watching them with distaste.
"Yeah, it was a lot of work, but it went well." he said so that the aforementioned man could hear.
"You haff a water beetle in your hair, Herm-own-ninny," said Krum before turning to Allen with a little smile. "You did vell Allen."
"Thanks Victor." Allen replied with his normal voice again as he was hugged by both Road and Lenalee while Jasdero gave Professor Crowley a hankie for his tears.
After that went everything fast after talking with the Merchieftainess called Dumbledore a conference for the judges together while Madam Pomfrey gathered the rest of her patients together. Fleur also thanked everyone for saving her little sister even thought Allen tried reassuring her that it was something anyone would have done. At this shook everyone from Rose Cross they heads smiling. It took twenty more minutes, where everyone used the time to chat with each other before the points were accounted. According to those were now Harry and Cedric tied for the first place together with Allen. This made the crowd cheer in appreciation at this, even Fleur and Krum were clapping well the former more enthusiastically then the later, but she had more ground for that, her baby sister was still alive.
"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June, the champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions." Bagman told them all.
The second task was finally over and now they had some time to relax, well some could.
While Madam Pomfrey was ushering her patients up to the castle to feed them more potions and get them in to dry clothes departed the members of Rose Cross, seeing that Lulubell had already informed the healer that she herself also worked for a long time as a healer and with her brother working in the medical wing of they school she could take care of her nephew and lover.
After they got inside the Ark congratulated everyone Allen again while Lenalee went away to meet up with Pansy and Komui was dragged away to do his paperwork, not noticing Jasdevi sneaking after them who were followed by Tyki, Lavi and Wisely. Road on the other hand skipped away to go play around in the Ark while Bookman returned to the study with Krory and Miranda, this only left Allen and Kanda.
"You let Neah do this task." Kanda replied in a soft tone.
"Yes, he wanted to make sure that we would be both unharmed." the white haired aid softly as he kissed the other's still cold lips softly.
Kanda didn't say a word after that he took Allen's hand in to his and let himself be led back in to the white piano room and from there in to some type of living room you would see in a ancient castle. In the large fireplace a fire was cracking softly, illuminating the room and filling it with warmth. Allen led Kanda to the place in front of it and both sat down on the fluffy carpet. They sat there in silence before Kanda noticed a gray hand on his own. Turning to his side were stormy gray-blue eyes looking in to pure golden ones.
"Are you feeling bothered when I take over Allen?" Neah asked in a soft voice, his hand slowly drawing away from Kanda's.
"No, but I seem to forget that the people here have probably never heard of the Noah clan and so you are safe." Kanda replied, he hated this pathetic tone, but he couldn't help it. Sometimes when he closes his eyes he would see the events in the North American Branch again, his murderous rage while fighting Alma which drove him in to insanity, suddenly returning back to normal and realizing that he had shown Mugen through Allen's body which was pressed against him, the Earl's taunting words of gratitude for what crime he had committed, the cruel laughter, the frightening shadow surrounding the white haired teen…
…his thoughts were broken by the feeling of a hand on his. Looking down needed Kanda to realize that his right hand unconsciously had traveled to the wound he had inflicted upon his lover and was carefully tracing it.
"I thought Allen had already told you that this was beyond your control." Neah told the other while his gaze flickered for a second to one pf the crimson colored cushions on the armchair in the corner of the room where two golems slept cuddled together tightly.
"That is no excuse." the samurai growled as he turned away, but a hand soon found his way under his chin, tiling his head back softly so that he was again looking in to those intoxicating golden orbs.
"I never said it was, but you still aren't at fault." Neah said as he pulled Kanda against his chest, cradling the man now clinging to him in his arms. "My sweet Yuu, the insanity is a dangerous enemy and sadly you are since your creation a easy victim for it, but that is why I'm here. I'm the only guiding light through the endless darkness of madness, I will never let your hand go again as long as you are by me I will protect you." the Noah said softly while stroking through his lover's still wet hair as the other snuggled closer to him.
"And as I told you, no matter what path lyes ahead of you, no matter if everyone turns they back to you and even if this whole damned world breaks apart you can lean on me because I will always stand on your side." Kanda replied with the oath he had made to the other back then in Martel.
"I know my sweet little Second Exorcist." the Musician purred as he gently kissed the top of Kanda's head.
They path had become one and Adam could try to tear them apart in any way he knew, but still would fail. Neah hated to give up the things he loved to those who would dare hurting them.
Meanwhile was Kanda thinking similar things. It took him to long to realize what the other had meant to him and he nearly lost him, that wouldn't happen again. He suddenly felt sleepiness taking over him as warm feathers wrapped themselves around his body while two tones started humming the Musician's core to him.
To be continued…