Author's Notes:
Thanks to Yullen Week this is pretty delayed, I'm sorry about that! But here it is!
A note to Kikyouinuyasha: The story is really getting long and I must give my respects to anybody who still dares to read all of it! Thank you! :D
I'll see what I'll do about her pregnancy's side effect. Craving for weird food is one thing, but it's nothing that happens in each and every pregnancy and, well, Ellen's eating habits are already very strange, so it wouldn't make a difference. And for morning sickness it's already too late now as far as I know. She was lucky and got through the first three months without experiencing morning sickness. But I'll think about things to torment her (and try Kanda's patience) ;3
I feel as if I'm quite daring with this chapter… For reasons which become obvious once you read *lol* Nothing M-rated though!
Disclaimer: D. Gray-Man belongs to Katsura Hoshino
Kapitel 43: Crucial Details
When the early morning sun shone into Kanda's room and woke the young man up he was surprised that he had slept longer than he usually did. Being up before the sun, especially when the days were longer, was one of his special traits after all. One usually shouldn't waste a morning with sleeping. But he must really have been in need of sleep, especially after what had happened the day before. He knew nothing much about him had changed but… being married felt different. As if something important in his life had changed and his head hadn't caught up with it yet. Even small things were different; like looking into his mirror just after looking at his mystic hourglass. There was no reason to look good just after one got out of bed, but Kanda thought that his hair looked particularly savage today (even though they were perfectly fine). Not very chic, in his opinion. Therefore he grabbed some simple clothes and went to the bathroom, before Ellen could make another unexpected visit.
"Oh, Kanda! It's rare to meet you in the communal baths around this time!" Kanda groaned but he still went to an unoccupied sink next to Marie. Around seven in the morning it was a lot more crowded than it was around half past five. But it was good to see that people still backed off when he came into the room; he had no temper to deal with them anyway.
"I overslept," was Kanda's reply and he studied his reflection in the mirror. He studied his face and drew his hand over his smooth skin around his mouth.
"You did?" Marie asked in surprise and Kanda rolled his eyes, but turned on the water and bent down to wash his hair. As no further comment came from Marie, Kanda assumed that the man patiently waited for him to finish. When he was done with washing, Kanda wrung the water out of his hair and rubbed it relatively dry with a towel, then he looked at Marie.
"Apparently," was his short answer and he took the brush Marie handed him.
"Did something happen with Ellen Walker?" the tall man asked and Kanda glared at him. "Honestly, Kanda. Maybe you think I am angry or disappointed in you, but I'm not," the tall man tried to reassure him.
"As if I'd care what you think about my business," Kanda snorted, put the brush away and left his hair open to dry.
"I know you don't but I just wanted you to know that I'll try to help you as best as I can – I am sure that you can manage. You both I mean," Mari told him and put his hand on Kanda's shoulder. Kanda looked at him, then he snorted, unsure whether he should feel embarrassed by Marie's words.
"Whatever," he said and wanted to go, but Marie wouldn't let him, "Hey!" He looked up at Marie and found him grinning at him. "What's with that look?!"
"Oh, nothing! I guess it's too early to congratulate you!" but after saying that he pulled him into a short hug.
"Marie!" Kanda hissed in embarrassment, "stop that!"
"I just gave you a taste of what you will have to suffer through. You better develop a resistance against hugs," Marie told him in amusement after he had released him and Kanda frowned. "So how about some morning training?" Despite being taken aback because of the sudden shift of topic, Kanda thought about the suggestion for a while. Shouldn't he go and maybe wake Ellen? They could take breakfast together. However, there was no need to spend all of their time together, she might not appreciate seeing him all of the time. So he decided to let her sleep and spend his mornings as he usually did: training.
-
In another part or the Black Order the meeting that Cross had mentioned the day before was about to take place. The generals and branch leaders were all sitting around a big table, waiting for today's conference to start.
When the door opened, two further people entered and took the two empty seats.
"Thank you for taking the time to assemble here. My name is Malcolm C. Leverrier, I have come here today on behalf of the Vatican's central administration." He folded his hands on the table and looked around. "I want to be informed of the recent happenings. And, as I see, we will certainly have a pleasurable meeting today as a very special guest seems to have joined us." A cold, sly smile made its way to the inspector's lips and he studied the red haired general sitting across the table. "I was looking forward to the day where we would be able to talk eye to eye again, General Marian Cross!" The general just grinned smugly and put his feet on the table, which earned him a disapproving look of General Tiedoll, who was sitting just next to him.
"Good day to you as well," Cross said, the grin never leaving his face. Komui wore a concerned expression, but he refrained from saying anything at the moment. Those meetings with all of the branch leaders and generals led by a Vatican official was something they did frequently and Leverrier was no stranger to him, but Komui knew all too well that Leverrier always stirred up trouble. Nothing good would come of this meeting, Komui was sure of it. The young man next to Leverrier put a typing machine on the table and, bid by the inspector, rose.
"General Marian Cross disappeared without a trace four years ago after he had failed his mission to destroy the Akuma plant. Since then it had been impossible to contact him or to assign him new missions. The Cross unit and the Tiedoll unit have infiltrated the Ark which was stationed in Edo. The exorcists and a young man, a possible accommodator, were involved in battles against various Noah. The demise of the Ark had at that point already started. After the discovery of the Akuma plant, the General also joined the battle. On the general's command, the exorcist Allen Walker, who is also the pupil of General Cross, was able to control the Ark and stop its destruction. Thanks to this the Ark and the plant were seized by the exorcists. Subsequently, the Ark was used based on the General's decision and he returned to the Black Order after an absence of four years. That is all." The young man bowed and sat back down and started typing.
"I haven't sat on this chair for four years. You really did a good job, General. But, to tell you the truth, I was worried for some time. You seemed to be gone from the face of the earth! But I did not want to suspect you, right?" Cross rolled his eyes, but then he put on a charming smile.
"I was forced to keep a low profile after all. Even I was slightly unnerved when the Earl suddenly started attacking generals!" The inspector smiled, but then he glared at Cross.
"I will only look past it because your mission was successful! If not then this would have had severe consequences!" While a shiver went through the other people, Cross didn't worry one bit and merely replied by showing the angry inspector a smug smile. As there seemed to be nothing Leverrier could do to get a different reaction out of the red haired General, he rose to continue the meeting.
"The battle in Edo has changed our situation remarkably! We have been able to stop the further production of Akuma thanks to the Akuma plant being in our possession! This will stop the Earl from going through with his plan to bring about a second coming of the Three Days of Darkness. However, this will only be so for a short while, maybe a year or half a year. But for us this means we gain a lot of time until the decisive battle takes place. And we need this time to gather more Innocence and find new apostles. We have to be strong enough to be able to destroy the Earl! And the ability to travel through space which we now possess thanks to the Ark will be a very important weapon against the Noah and Akuma with their superior technologies!"
Having heard those words a murmur started going through the room.
"You want us to use the Ark?" Bak shouted in surprise, jumping up from his seat.
"Yes, I want that you all start preparing for it, branch leaders!"
"But to use a ship that has been in the possession of the enemy for 7000 years without doing research on it seems…," Bak argued but Leverrier just shook his head.
"We don't have that time. It is the decision of the grand Generals and the pope," he replied.
"But… this will be a burden on the exorcists…" Bak said but Leverrier stopped him with a glare.
"On who's behalf are you speaking? It is not our duty to protect the apostles! We have to win this war!" Bak stared at him, unable to speak. Leverrier snorted, but then he raised his finger. "But if you address the danger of such actions, isn't there something you should examine more closely than the Ark?"
"What…?" Bak wondered in confusion.
"I am talking about a human! Allen Walker!" Komui and Bak both looked startled to hear that, while Cross still kept silent. "Why was he able to control the Ark, Marian? He is a gift of the 14th am I right?" To hear that did surprise Cross, but while the others started talking in hushed voices because the term 14th was unknown to him, he kept himself from saying something. This was a bit unsettling, but he knew that he would have the upper hand, no matter how much the inspector knew about the 14th. There was something very crucial that he did not know about Allen Walker. And this crucial bit of information would prevent the inspector from daring too much.
"I want to know if Allen Walker has sided with the enemy! If there is the slightest evidence for our suspicion then we will try him for heresy!" Leverrier continued with a stern voice but a cold smile on his lips.
"What?!" Komui shouted in outrage and shock.
"You can't do that!!" Bak argued, "Ellen –"
"Just one moment please, inspector…," Cross started calmly, raising his hand. Leverrier looked at him expectantly.
"Yes, General?" Cross put his hands on the table and grinned up at Leverrier.
"I am really surprised that you seem to know quite a bit more than I guessed, but it seems to me that you missed one crucial point…" Leverrier rose an eyebrow and Cross nearly couldn't keep himself from laughing triumphantly. "There is no such person as a boy called Allen Walker. My pupil is a girl." Leverrier looked at him in wonder, widening his eyes. But before replying, he turned his head to his assistant.
"Inspector Link?" The young man next to Leverrier went through his papers.
"The files we got from the Black Order all say that it is a young boy of 15 years old, Allen Walker, of unknown descent."
"These are old data! I can assure you, inspector, Ellen Walker is a girl!" Komui called and Bak nodded. The inspector seemed to be quite surprised by this and he looked at Cross, voicelessly demanding an explanation.
"Inspector, inspector… I would have thought you would get it right away. A young girl with Innocence called Ellen, adopting the name of her relative…"
"What…?!" Leverrier seemed thunderstruck at that and no one of the assembled people but Cross could understand what was going on at the moment. "Gentleman, I have said everything I needed to say! We will hold another meeting at a later date!" Leverrier announced. When the people started to leave wearing looks of confusion, Leverrier glared at Cross.
"Is this Miss Walker here?"
"Of course she is. She probably is having breakfast around this time!" Cross replied and laughed. Leverrier glared at him, barley able to contain his anger.
"I will not let you get away with your behaviour! Until further notice you will stay in your room and help with administrative work! Have I made myself understood, Marian Cross?!"
"Certainly," the red haired general replied with a smirk and with a last glare shot in his direction Leverrier left the room, the young man trailing behind.
"General, what was the meaning of that?" Komui asked in confusion.
"Everything I do has a purpose, that's why I made Ellen come here looking like a boy. It was all to avoid people from knowing who she really is," he replied.
"And… who is she really…?" Komui asked and Cross had to laugh, patting him on the back.
"Just a spoilt little brat!" Was his reply and then he left the room, leaving Komui in wonder.
-
Ellen had made her way to the dining hall all on her own. She was surprised to find that Kanda had already gone when she knocked on his door. She had half expected him to come looking for her, or even to wait until she came to him.
"How silly… Why would he change his entire routine just because of that?" she wondered and looked at the pale ring on her dark left hand. "And how silly that I can't even tell if I am a bit disappointed that he is not here…" Ellen sighed and walked into the dining hall. "He is probably training around this time, I will just go and look for him if there is nothing else for me to do. I was supposed to stay in my room yesterday because of that meeting, but I guess it is fine for me to go out now… I am hungry after all!"
"Dear beansprout!" Rabi called from a table and Ellen, with her breakfast just fresh out of the kitchen, walked over to him and sat down next to him.
"Good morning, Rabi!" Ellen said and Rabi grinned at her.
"Do you have time afterwards? We still need to chat a bit, right?" Ellen looked a bit uneasy at that but Rabi knew how to make her feel better, "how about Yu or Linali joining us? I don't want you to feel unhappy in my presence!" Ellen had to smile and shook her head.
"I do not feel uncomfortable next to you, Rabi. I am just a little uncertain. We will talk after breakfast if you want," she told him and Rabi nodded in relief. The young man studied the girl for a while, for some reason she wore trousers again and a long sleeved white shirt with a vest – it was the clothes she usually wore on missions. So why did she wear it now?
"Is there a particular reason why you're not wearing a skirt?" Rabi wondered and Ellen looked at him in confusion.
"A particular reason…? Well, my other clothes are dirty, they need to be washed. And somehow…," Ellen suddenly talked in a whisper, bending towards Rabi, "there was something strange going on yesterday. My master said something about secrecy, so I decided to come here dressed like this," she confessed and Rabi looked at her in surprise. "But the clothes do not really fit that well anymore…"
"Well, you grew a bit! It's no surprise that they don't really fit!" Here Rabi put his arm around Ellen's shoulder, grinning slyly. "And I bet that your breasts are fuller as well now! A girl in puberty changes into a woman in the blink of an eye!" Ellen frowned and blushed in indignation.
"My breasts are none of your concern!" Ellen shrieked, quiet enough to not make all finders turn their heads. Rabi roared with laughter and patted Ellen's head.
"Sorry, sorry!" he said, but then he smiled at her, "excuse me for asking, but has anything else of your body changed yet? I am not that knowledgeable when it gets to children." Ellen frowned at him. "Ah, none of my concern again?"
"I just wonder why you ask… But nothing much has changed. Or do you think I gained weight?" Ellen wondered and Rabi had to laugh.
"Well, you're still thin. There is nothing visible when you're dressed like this. Even your tight fitting uniform didn't show anything."
"Well, maybe it is reluctant to develop…"
"Is a bean sprout's sprout, so you shouldn't worry too much about it… And maybe a bit on the slow side, like its papa," Rabi told her and Ellen snorted.
"I do not worry. The less it is visible, the better for me. And do not give me that unhappy face. This is not just my reluctance speaking! I am a woman after all, let me have my moments of vanity!" After hearing that Rabi had to laugh and patted her again.
"Eat your breakfast!" He said and let go of Ellen so that she could continue eating. But a polite "eherm" interrupted her before she had entirely finished. Ellen and Rabi turned around to find a young man in a uniform standing behind them.
"Are you Allen Walker?" he asked and Ellen looked at him in wonder.
"I am," Ellen answered in confusion for she had never seen this man before. He probably was around Rabi and Kanda's age, rather short, with his blond hair taken back into a braid and his hair neatly trimmed around the middle of his forehead. He was good looking, but he wore a frown which didn't look all that inviting to Ellen. The young man studied her and asked her to stand up. "Do you mind me asking who you are?" Ellen wondered, but she complied with his request.
"My name is Howard Link, I am an inspector of the Vatican." Ellen widened her eyes in wonder.
"The Vatican?" she asked in surprise, but there was no worry in her voice.
"What do you want with Ellen?" Rabi asked with a frown, grabbing Ellen's wrist protectively.
"For the moment I only have a question," Link replied and Ellen nodded. "Is it true that you are a woman? And if yes, why do the records give false information?" Rabi had to snicker at that, even though the situation seemed to be serious. Link quickly looked at him disapprovingly, but didn't say anything to him.
"Yes, I am a woman. Why there were false records I do not know. I did not try to fool anyone. And if my choice of clothes seems strange to you then I must remind you that, for sake of decency, I will not go to fight Akuma in a skirt," Ellen told him politely and Link nodded, still wearing a frown.
"Then, Miss Walker, could I ask you to come with me for a moment? The dining hall is too crowded," he suggested and Ellen nodded.
"Of course, Mister Link," Ellen said and Rabi stood up as well. Link shot him a disapproving glare but Rabi wouldn't back off. They left the dining hall and walked into lounge, which was nearly empty at this moment.
"Inspector? I have brought Miss Walker," the young man said and Ellen looked past him to find a tall man sitting on a sofa. He rose and Ellen widened her eyes as he looked at her.
"So it was true. It really is you, Ellen," Leverrier said and Ellen stared at him, but then she broke into a smile and ran to him, jumping into his arms.
"Uncle Malcolm! What a pleasant surprise!" Rabi and Link just stared at this unexpected situation.
"What?! Uncle she says?!" Rabi shouted, completely taken by surprise. Leverrier embraced her, then he let her go again, looking at her with a frown.
"I did not know that you were involved with the Black Order, uncle," Ellen says, still holding on to his hands. Rabi was truly confused when he looked at Ellen; he hadn't seen her smile this openly for a long time. It was especially creepy because it was in Leverrier's company, for God's sake. Who in their right mind could smile this honestly when he was nearby?
"And I am rather shocked to hear that you have joined the exorcists, Ellen. You shouldn't have! That damned Cross, it was him who took you here, wasn't it?!"
"I do not think that I had any choice, uncle. Especially after Mana died… I am carrying Innocence after all…," Ellen told him.
"But… Your mother, was she not against it?"
"Well… I do not know, she did allow me to leave after all… But why are you so concerned? If you are aware of the Black Order then you must have known early on I had Innocence!" Ellen exclaimed in wonder.
"Well, your mother doesn't like me that much, when I asked about your arm she never gave me concrete answers. I thought that it might have been Innocence, but I did not investigate. Your father would not have wanted you to be exposed to danger," Leverrier answered and Ellen frowned, but then she smiled.
"What exactly has brought you here, uncle?" The tall man was reluctant to answer and she let go of his hands to fold them behind her back.
"It is because of the Ark and the Akuma plant," he said, then he looked at Link, "Ellen. I do not like that you are here, but there is no other choice than to keep you. It is very unfortunate… But for your personal protection I will have inspector Howard Link supervising you."
"Supervising me? But why?" Ellen wondered in confusion, "I do not need anybody to chaperone me anymore. There are enough people around that I trust to protect me should harm befall us," Ellen told him but Leverrier just shook his head.
"Ellen, I do not want you to contradict me now," he said and Ellen sighed, but nodded with a smile, "fine. I have a lot of things to do now. I will see you later today. Inspector, do your work dutifully." The young man saluted and nodded.
"Yes, Sir!" he replied then Leverrier left. Ellen looked after him in wonder, but Rabi took her out of her thoughts by groaning.
"I can't believe it! Leverrier is your uncle?! How many secrets do you still harbour, Ellen?!" Ellen looked at him with a frown.
"I do not harbour secrets. I had no idea that he worked for the Black Order. I was aware that he was an official of the Vatican though. I do not know why I did not make the connection…," she told him and Rabi just grabbed his head, lamenting loudly.
"But how are you two related?" Rabi asked after he recovered a bit.
"Well, our families are distantly related. But he and my father were good friends and that is the reason he became my godfather. As my uncle said, my mother is not that fond of him, that is why she rarely allowed us to meet after my father's death…," Ellen explained but then she grinned. "I am happy though that I finally saw him again! We used to write lots of letters!"
"I still cannot believe that this scary person is your uncle…," Rabi said with a deep sigh, which earn himself an indignant glare by Link.
"Miss Walker, if you'd allow, let us leave the lounge," Link said and Ellen nodded, "I think that I must then ask you some question."
"Be my guest, Mister Link, but what exactly did uncle mean by supervising?" Link looked at her.
"I will follow you wherever you go. We have reasons to suspect that," he coughed, "excuse me, we had reasons to suspect that you might be involved with the enemy, Miss Walker, due to your connection to the Ark's musician," he said and Ellen widened her eyes.
"I am as surprised as you are," Ellen said and Link closed his eyes.
"Certainly, Miss Walker. But I must do my duty, it is all for the sake of your own protection. If you show signs of resistance then I must tell Inspector Leverrier, maybe your are being controlled."
"I am not being controlled!" Ellen argued, and balled her hands, "this… This must be a misunderstanding!" Rabi put his hand on Ellen's shoulder to calm her down.
"It's okay Ellen… Things will certainly clear up over time."
"Indeed. You have nothing to fear for the moment," Link said and without Ellen even realizing they were back at the dining hall.
"Ellen!" she could hear Linali shouting, "Ellen, I heard you were called by someone?" Linali came running to them and took a hold of Ellen's hands. "Who are you?!" She asked with a mistrusting glare directed at Link.
"I am supervising Miss Walker on Inspector Leverrier's order," Link replied and Linali widened her eyes in shock.
"L… Leverrier…?!" she breathed and started trembling. "Why… Why does she have to be supervised by the Vatican?! She has done nothing wrong!"
"Linali… Linali you must calm down… Leverrier won't do anything to Ellen," Rabi said and Ellen looked at Linali with a worried expression.
"What has he done? Why are you so scared?" Ellen asked, squeezing Linali's hands.
"D… Don't worry about me, Ellen," Linali said and tried showing her a smile, but it was clear that there was something the matter with her friend.
"But…," Ellen tried to argue, but Link interrupted her.
"Miss Walker, there is work to do," he reminded her and she sighed but nodded.
"I am sorry Linali, we will talk later on," she said, then she waved at her and Link guided her past the dining hall probably towards one of the many studies.
"I…," Linali said, then she turned around, running off
"Linali! Where are you going?!" Rabi asked in surprise.
"I have to tell Kanda about it!" Linali replied then she already disappeared around the corner, leaving Rabi in confusion. He sighed.
"How troublesome…," he said, then he scratched the back of his head, "I'll better keep an eye on that… Man, and I couldn't even talk to Ellen…" He kicked the floor and then he made his way towards his own room.
To be continued.
-
Notes:
Oha, it's out now! ;3
I planned long ago that I would want Ellen and Malcolm to be related, but I feel a bit uneasy now. Oh well. Having him as an uncle will at least protect her from a lot of harm that would have befallen her because of the heresy suspicion. But that does not change the fact that they know her to have a connection to the 14th, the consequences will just not be as vicious.
And even though I doubt Kanda is a vain person, I can imagine him worrying about his looks now. *lol*