Thanks for the reviews, and all the wonderful support that people have given me in my writing. Please continue to do so! I will be very happy if you do. :) Time to give a special thanks to Mesonoxian who has reviewed faithfully to me with every chapter! :)
"BOOM!" Kanda felt the house rattle under his hands for the seventeenth time in less than ten minutes. Ten seconds later, there was a duo of equally insane giggles that erupted from the basement/ lab.
He felt his teeth grind in irritation, and he closed his mind to all intruders, trying to block out the sounds of madness that this house of hell had to offer. There was the soft clink of china, and when he cracked open an eye to see Chéri place what looked to be a cup of green tea beside him.
He gave off a barely audible grunt that one could assume to be a, "Thank you." then went back to trying to meditate before another explosion shattered his concentration. He felt his hand tingle to where he had Mugan, which was lying peacefully by his side. Though it wouldn't be staying that way for long. Silently he rose and exited his room without even so much as a farewell to the two teens that were playing chess on a table near the window.
Alma, too, rose and shut the door swiftly when the there was the sound of a door being kicked open accompanied with the sound of a pair of screaming relatives. Alma, then walked back to his seat and after looking at the board for a moment, said solemnly, "Check."
~.~.~0~.~.~
"NOOO! ALENA, DON'T GO OUTSIDE: THERE ARE MONSTERS LIKE GERMS, AKUMA, AND... AND... AND... BOYS OUT THERE!" Once again I attempted to shake my now hysterical Uncle off my leg as I tried to exit the doorway without scaring the neighbors.
"Nii-san, Elena will be fine, she can handle things by herself." Mom smiled gently, trying to be reassuring, while she also tried to force him to let go of my limb, though it was fruitless.
"Come on, it's just shopping." Al stated, though he was soon given the Glare of Death, and a scream of, "YOU JUST WANT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MY DARLING NIECE, DON'T YOU?"
"For the last time, I am not interested in starting a relationship with my best friend, GOT THAT?" Al yelled, finally losing his temper, and he proceeded to whack Komui over the head with his violin case.
I took the opportunity to run. By the sounds of footsteps behind me, I was pretty sure that either Al was being forced out of the house never to return again or Uncle was attempting to go after me in a vain try to halt me in my tracks... like that would work.
I continued running until I couldn't hear the commotion anymore, which was only after I had run about a mile or two. Looking back, I was relieved to see Al instead of the other option.
It wasn't that I was getting tired of Uncle Komui... okay, yeah I was. But that was only because he wouldn't even let Alma or Alistair within a ten foot radius of me without A. Yelling something about sexual harassment, or B. Throwing a fit, and sending one of his multiple robot creations at us.
I stopped, gasping for breath, and smiled at my friend, who looked like he was about to pass out from the amount of exercise that he was just forced to partake in.
"If... you... ever... run... like... that... again, I WILL THROTLE YOU!" Al roared, his black bangs clinging to his forehead with sweat, then he doubled over, trying to drink in the oxygen that he desperately needed.
"Ha, well seeing as we're here, want to go shopping with me?" I knew that I saw a glimmer of agitation and slight paranoia flash in his eyes, and he said worriedly, "Do you have money?" I nodded.
"So you won't make me pay, and or play my violin for money like you did last time... will you?" I shook my head vigorously.
He sighed in relief, "Sure then, I'll come."
Though immediately, at one look at the grin that was plastered on my face he stilled, realizing the important question that he had forgotten.
"Elena... don't even think abo~" I was already dragging him, kicking and screaming down the street into one of the men's clothing stores. I love Paris.
~.~.~0~.~.~
"Ally! Why won't you come out?" I pouted, trying to grab on to his arm as he attempted to scramble back to the sanctuary of the poor store. (I'm pretty sure that he even left claw marks on the door.)
"Because I look ridiculous, that's why!" came the betrayed and childish reply from the eighteen year old.
"There isn't anyone that we know here!" I contradicted, but was only given a, "The hell if they aren't, this is just down-right wrong!"
"You... don't... look ... that ... BAD!" I finished, finally yanking him away from the shop.
I had managed to force him into a pair of brown cargo pants, a blue polo shirt, and placed a tan three-panel hat on his head. In my opinion he looked quite handsome... though in his point of view, he appeared to think that it was just as revolting as going out in your birthday suit.
"I look like a five year old!" he raged, and I shot back, "Well you're acting like one, too!"
That got him: he slumped down and began to fiddle with his violin case, which he carries around everywhere.
Great: I put him into Depressed Mode, this happened nearly every time that we went shopping together, either that or I would forget my money and make him pay. He looked at me sideways, pouting. Damn he had the puppy dog eyes down flat... he was even better than Minnie at it, and that was saying a lot.
"Come on, I didn't mean it like that... come on, we haven't even gone to half the shops yet!" Damn: he just slumped impossibly lower.
"Look, how about we go and get ice-cream and then find a music shop. My treat." His ears pricked up at the words, 'Music Shop', and he looked up hopefully.
One, two, three...
"LET'S GO!" Ha, knew he'd take the bait. We soon were in front of the closest sweets shop, licking away at the sweet, frozen cream and sugar mixture.
Looking around as my eyes habitually scanned around the plaza for awaiting danger, I noted a young girl around the age of eleven gazing through the glass at the taffy being made with a longing look on her pale face. Her short black hair fell around her ears, and her dark eyes seemed to be a honey-brown color. Maybe she didn't have the money to buy an ice-cream...
I reached into my pocket, thinking of grabbing the money that Mom had given me, only to come up with air. Oh, shit.
"Alll.....?" He looked at me wary, knowing the 'I'm-broke-and-since-you're-my-friend-can-I-borrow-some-money' tone all too well.
"What?" he asked.
"I want to get that little girl ice-cream 'cause what if she doesn't have the money to ever pay for one, but I don't have it 'cause I sent it all on your clothes, so can I borrow a couple Euros?"
His eyes turned straight into cloudy rain-clouds and I readied myself to both defend and fight for my life or run and scream like a little girl, while attracting attention. That is always the best thing to do when you get Al mad: draw a crowd: he hates to be the center of the attention.
"Here."
I looked down at his open palm were there was a small wad of banknotes and a glimmer of coins. What?
"Huh?"
"What? You asked for money." Oh crap, he was pissed off. I knew it, he had to be: he was never like this unless he was.
Fearing for my very life, I got up and entered the store as quick as I could without looking like a fool.
Though not before I tripped and fell up the stairs leading to the shop, causing quite a few humored chuckles.
~.~.~0~.~.~
God, that girl needed to learn how to control her spending habits.
Al gave a small sigh, as he plucked at the invisible dust specks off of his new blue shirt, a ghost of a smile crossing his lips. She never would learn, would she?
He watched silently through the glass as his friend paid for the ice-cream for a girl that she didn't even know. Her brown hair was bouncing as if trying to comply with her mood. That polite though still quirky smile was back on her face.
He never understood how she could just get used to things: how she could simply take an ordinary thing and find the best thing about it through all the plainness. It made no sense. He looked on as she walked out, skipping clumsily, almost tripping at least three different times. She slowly approached the girl and handed the frozen treat down to her. The child's face lit up first in shock, then in happiness as she gratefully accepted the gift. Then reaching out of her bag which she was carrying, the Girl pulled out a fruit: a pomegranate by the looks of it, then rushed away with one last thanks.
Elena skipped over to him, a large ear-to-ear grin covering her face, and she held it down for him to see, and said, "Want some?"
He shook his head quietly, as she slapped him on the back, "Come on, don't be so shy!" she chided giddily, and he finally returned her smile.
"Yum, you really should try this, it tastes wonderful." Elena said, and once again he shook his head, tilting his head back to look at the sky, where blue sky gleamed down at him. Al felt his eyes slowly close.
Then suddenly all was silent and he found himself looking into pitch blackness.
~.~.~0~.~.~
I found myself falling, falling into a seemingly endless pit, I couldn't do anything, only scream... until I crumpled onto the ground that is. Or at least what I thought was ground.
"AHHHH! OWWww..." I landed ungracefully on my back and immediately my vision clouded while pain fogged my brain.
Shakily, I sat up and blearily took in my surroundings. What I was surrounded in looked to be a toy shop from Hell. There was dried blood on the walls and flattened stuffed animals that had lost all their fluff in the past years. China dolls with shattered bodies gazed at me listlessly with blank eyes.
Suddenly reality forced its way into my injured head where a knot was beginning to form.
"Al!" I croaked, though only me echo answered my call; I tried again, "Alistair!" My raised voice resounded off the dark walls before bouncing back to ring in my ear drums.
Stumbling foreword I reached for a crack in the wall thinking that it might lead me out into another room. Instead the moment that I stepped my foot outward, I tumbled and was forced to hold on to the sides for balance because beyond the room was thin air. Maniacal laughter filled my ears hauntingly and a childish voice asked sickeningly, "Do you want to play too?"
I spun on my heels, rushing around, ready to be attacked, only to find that the person in front of me was the little girl.
With a closer look at her pitch-black, almost blue hair and twisted smile a horrible sense of déjà vu filled me, as well as a very sharp pain coming from my arm making its way to my mind.
"Hey Voice." I muttered, and after a moment I was answered with a strained, "Yes?"
"What the heck should I do right about now?" There was a soft sigh and of the Voice had fingers and a head I am pretty sure that he would be rubbing his temples when he said, "Find your friend and get the bloody hell out of there!"
Keeping my eyes glued to the girl, whose smile was widening with every passing second I did a quick intake of the surrounding area. No doors.
"If you can't find an exit, just make one. Until then, just sit back and watch the show!" she snickered and walked closer. I summoned my sword in order to warn her off, though suddenly shadows began to move and fill the room so that after a moment of transformation it took the form of strange ruins. The girl had vanished into thin air and the sounds of fighting filled my ears.
A band of warriors rushed past me, all of them only a few years older than myself. Squadrons of Akuma rushed after them in the largest number that I have ever witnessed.
The shadows rippled and within an instant, bloody beings, the very warriors that had surrounded me a moment ago came back into view.
Two of the three girls were on the ground, still, their chests not rising nor falling. A pool of red blood flowed beneath them like a river, carrying away their weary minds.
One of the girls had long, black hair. It was plaited into cornrows and pushed up into a messy ponytail. Her skin rivaled the color of amber, though it was an ashen color: grayed by the touch of death. Her face was peacefully serene and she could have been just as easily sleeping instead of drawing her final breaths on this earth. If only that were the case…
The other's long brown hair was caked with mud and gore and her once blue eyes were now a clouded gray. At one time she might have been as beautiful and free-spirited as a dove, who could tell now? A man kneeled beside her, his short, sweat-darkened locks covering his eyes, masking away any emotion that might escape him.
There were two figures in the distance: one male and one female. The woman seemed to be sobbing uncontrollably, her long brown hair mixed with blood so that it glinted a rusted scarlet. The man holding her patted her head sympathetically, not knowing what else he could do that would ease her pain. His tan skin was layered with a coat of grime and there were long forgotten tear tracks trailing down his soil-colored cheekbones. His eyes were hardened by war, though at the moment they held enough sadness that would drive an ordinary man to madness.
Even so, there was something forcing him to hold back his own pain, something making him to put on a shattered façade that everything would turn out alright. Suddenly the silence lifted from my ears and the Man's voice came to me through the barrier that time had created. His tone was worn and gravelly though it was one that I knew all too well.
"I'm sorry, Elena... I'm so sorry." Al's voice: that was Alistair's voice!
I felt my world around me begin to crumble as I whirled around to face the bodies of the two girls. Two people that I knew as my friends... my family. Two people that were going to leave me.
Chéri and Minerva.
Okay people, I'm so sorry for the skip last time, I was having one heck of time with school and keeping all my grades as an A or B average like my dear parents want. Not to mention that I got grounded because of a bad test grade... damn mathematics: I'M A LANGAUGE AND BIOLOGY GEEK FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! I WON'T BE USEING TRIGANOMETRY IN MY DISTANT FUTURE AS A VETERNARIAN AND PART-TIME WRITER! Whew, okay, I'm done. Anyway, I promise that I will continue the updates at the normal two-week period. Thank you for your cooperation! :)
Translations:
"Tarjetas Santas: Reina de Corazones," Holy Cards, Queen of Hearts, Spanish
'Ōzuchi Kozuchi' Little Hammer, Big Hammer, Japanese
'Jiji' Grandpa-informal Japanese
Please Read and Review! :)
Marine :)