Author's Notes:
This took me longer to write than I anticipated. This is a) because I had a lot of organizing to do considering university and b) I kind of slipped back into one of my old fandoms and was too preoccupied with it to concentrate on writing fanfiction. I am very sorry, I didn't mean to get side-tracked.
Anyway, I've also gave the whole question of getting a beta more thought. I'll move to England at the end of March and might update slower before and after the move, but if – despite this - anybody with a better grasp of grammar issues is willing to put up with me and work with me I'd be thankful. There's also a bit of info on my profile page! :D (You can PM me or if you don't have an account leave a message with some way of getting in touch with you, be it e-mail or LJ or dA…)
And: Thank you Miss Whittington for our discussions about the whole "let Ellen confront Kanda" issue. I think now is a good time to finally get into this! :D
Disclaimer: D. Gray-Man belongs to Katsura Hoshino
Kapitel 57: Rain Cage
The days of the early spring passed in a grey, rainy haze at Bermont Castle. From the day they had come until now, two weeks after transferring headquarters, there hadn't been one day with a single glimpse of blue sky. Ellen had seen many days go by like this in her childhood, but back then the castle or her playthings would have entertained her. Now the rainfall felt like the fluid prison bars that kept her in a place which's sudden noisy business was alienating her more and more as each day passed.
"Terrible rain, isn't it?" Ellen turned her attention away from the window, put a gentle smile back on her face and continued folding clothes.
"You should see the summer tempests. They are always quite a spectacle," she said, looking up at Crowley. He smiled, nodding, taking the clothes she handed him.
"Thanks for helping me out, Ellen," he thanked her shyly, putting the folded clothes into the wardrobe. "I must be quite a bother to you," he said and cast a glance at Link, who was sitting by the door, reading a book.
"Not at all!" Ellen said cheerfully and closed the wardrobe looking around Crowley's room which used to be an old, rarely used guest room. "I do not have much to do and you were unconscious for so long. I am happy that I can be of some use," she told him and Crowley sighed in relief.
"I have missed quite a lot, haven't I? I've only been awake for a bit more than a week and was still confined to the infirmary… Until today…" He sighed again, this time with regret. "I was quite surprised to hear that we are in Bermont Castle! And more than this," he studied Ellen up and down, "that you are married and are going to be… a… a… a mother." He blushed after the word had left his lips and Ellen laughed, shrugging her shoulders in a manner that made him belief that it was no big deal even though both of them knew that it was. Crowley's expression changed to a confused frown. "But Kanda… He seemes like a rude kid… Really strong, that's true… But still rude…" Ellen laughed in amusement. "And that's what everybody was saying about your choice in men. I heard them talk about it and nobody can understand how you manage to put up with him. He is scary…"
"They talk about this? I had thought that their interest in matters such as these would soon subside," the girl said thoughtfully. It made her nervous to be talked about, but there should be no shame in the matter. Better they worry about how such a nice girl as Ellen could manage to marry a "demon" like Kanda, than to have them suspect her of being an enemy.
"I think your marriage is generally known, but not that you will… well… become a mother," Crowley told her.
"I expected it to become known after I confessed to Komui… As soon as he knew almost everyone I interact with knew… But people always talk, I am bound to get used to it I think…" Crowley looked at her with pity in his eyes, but Ellen's confident smile cheered him up.
"Are you two done now? It's past four already," Link said, checking his pocket watch. Ellen looked at him with a frown.
"And what does it matter? It is not as if we had anything to do anyway," she protested but followed Link out of the room, Crowley trailing behind, still studying the corridors of the castle in awe as they were walking.
"There is always work to do," Link reminded her and Ellen sighed.
"Yes, yes…" She looked out of the windows while they were walking but the heavy rain didn't allow for much to be seen. She hadn't left the castle walls for almost two weeks, like most of her friends, and the only things she could do was help wherever help was needed. But she only got irrationally annoyed when people ushered her out of rooms, claiming that they were off limits. Nothing in this castle, she always wanted to tell them then, was off-limits to her.
"I have no reason to get that angry. I did tell my mother that I am here as an exorcist, therefore I must accept to only inhabit this castle as a member of the Black Order. I am not Ellen Bermont here, I need to remind myself of this. It is still my castle, but for the time being I should see it as nothing but the Black Order's headquarters," Ellen thought moodily. They walked through a lively part of the castle where scientists were still busily working on installing electricity. At the other end though stood Charlene, overlooking the process with a sceptical eye. When she spotted Ellen, she lifted her hand and beckoned her to come. Even though both of them were still in the castle, Ellen had rarely seen her mother after their last conversation.
"Pay attention! The tapestry is centuries old, don't damage it!" Charlene warned a nearby scientist who nearly tore a hole through the tapestry with one of his instruments. She sighed when a hasty apology was mumbled and turned towards Ellen and the two young men accompanying her. Charlene made a polite curtsey to Crowley, who returned it a bit awkwardly.
"Is there something the matter?" Ellen wondered and Charlene shook her head.
"I wanted to inform you that I will leave this castle later today," she replied, "there are a few things I need to arrange in London." Ellen seemed surprised at first; she had expected that her mother would now be a permanent resident of the castle in order to keep an eye on Ellen. She was not entirely sure whether to be sad or relieved that her mother would leave.
"Will you take somebody with you? It might be dangerous to go alone," the exorcist said and Charlene shook her head.
"How can this be dangerous? It is not as if I was travelling around with the emblem of the order on my carriage," she replied and Ellen sighed, but nodded. Charlene was silent for a moment, but then she put her hand on Ellen's shoulder.
"Are you sure that you do not want to come back home? There is not only one right road to take."
"This is my home," Ellen replied and Charlene withdrew her hand, "thank you for the offer, but at the moment I do not want to think about other options."
"Stubborn, are you," Ellen's mother observed with a hint of irritation in her voice. "Fine. Do what you think you must do. I will continue working towards the day when you will take the emblem of the order off for good." Ellen made a silent curtsey and her mother left them after saying a polite farewell. Ellen sighed deeply after her mother was out of sight.
"You seem familiar with Lady Bermont," Crowley observed, "you know her, don't you?"
"She is a relative of mine, I know her pretty well," Ellen replied. She guessed that it was fine telling him this much. She was not sure if she should still keep the fact that she was her daughter a secret. How much would she still be able to protect her mother by denying their relation if her mother was involved with the Black Order anyway?
"With the Bermont castle as the new headquarter of the order, it would not take much thought to realize that the Bermont family must be connected to it in a way," Ellen thought, "and my rejection of Tyki Mikk's offer was probably quite obvious. If he did not understand it, then at least some of his family must have."
"You seem troubled," Link said when he saw Ellen's gloomy look, "there really is nothing to worry about. Lady Bermont is no target for the Earl."
"Hmm. But maybe I should have sent her home via the Ark…," Ellen mused and Link frowned at her.
"That is out of the question," he refused and Ellen looked at him.
"Why? I was under the impression that we will be using the Ark in the future!"
"There's no reason to start an argument about this now. You are not allowed to use the Ark without authorization, you are not allowed to leave the order and as all exorcists you are not allowed to meet family members," Link told her sternly and Ellen rolled her eyes. "This here was an exception."
"Of course," Ellen spat with a flat tone. "But if you want to subject me to the rules of the Black Order again, then how about you return my uniform?" she asked and lifted up her skirt a bit.
"You are," Link started, but Ellen interrupted him sharply:
"Still a member of the Black Order." Link snorted but nodded. "And I would think that the path the Vatican wants me to follow is still that of an exorcist."
"Fine. I will talk to Inspector Leverrier about it," Link finally gave in and Ellen nodded.
"How about you do that now?" she suggested after a while.
"I have my watch duty," Link told her doubtfully, looking at the girl. Her attention was fixed to a window and he looked over her shoulder. He could only see two black umbrellas. If they were of interest to Ellen then they must conceal some of her friends.
"And what should happen here?" Ellen wondered and Link sighed deeply.
"The security of the place is not relevant for this. An order is an order," he told her, "only if I am told to leave your side will I do so…"
"Why is that even necessary? I do not understand," Crowley spoke up and Ellen looked at him. But Link did not want her to speak seeing as how he put a constraining hand on her shoulder.
"I cannot go into details," Ellen told him, "but you know that I can control Noah's Ark. That alone is reason enough to put me under surveillance." Link showed her a disapproving frown, but decided to let it pass because she merely stated facts that anybody could see. Crowley looked rather displeased.
"That doesn't strike me as a good reason to treat you like this!" he said and Ellen showed him a grateful smile.
"It is I, Howard Link," Link spoke up and Ellen realized that he had pressed the golden pin on his tie that served as a communicator between Link and her uncle. "Ellen Walker requests to receive back her uniform. Have you reached a conclusion yet?" Ellen could not hear the reply, but Link nodded and pressed the pin again. Curiously, she observed his expression as he turned towards her; strict as always. "The uniform will be returned to you. However, this evening there will be a gathering of all the exorcists and generals to inform them." Ellen widened her eyes.
"Inform us? Of what?" Crowley asked but Ellen already knew the answer and lowered her eyes to the floor as Link turned his attention to the other exorcist.
"Of Ellen's status within this order," he turned around, ignoring Crowley's perplexed expression. "I will get your uniform, you have half an hour to yourself. If you wish to use it, then do whatever you want." Ellen clenched her hands to fists, not replying.
"What… What exactly is going on here? Ellen?" Crowley asked with a worried tone, looking from Ellen to the leaving inspector.
"I am sorry Crowley, would you excuse me for a moment?" Ellen asked without replying and rushed off in the opposite direction, leaving the corridor. Crowley just stared after her in confusion, but he didn't try to follow her.
-
Ellen left the castle through a wooden door near the kitchen, getting out into the paved courtyard that was enclosed by stables and the servant's quarters. The rain was quite cold, but Ellen only shivered once and chose to ignore it. The girl left the courtyard by an open gate and walked around the castle, to the place where she had seen the two umbrellas.
"Kanda?" she asked and the young man turned around, looking past Rabi. "Might I have a moment?" Kanda seemed surprised, but nodded and Rabi patted him on the back.
"I'll go inside, it's kind of chilly here. See you two later!" he said and waved at Ellen before he went back into the castle. Kanda looked at her, drenched by the short walk in the rain, and lifted his hand.
"Come under the umbrella," he told her and she nodded, walking up to Kanda.
"What did you discuss with Rabi?" Ellen wanted to know.
"Nothing of importance. I was out to think a bit and he came to annoy me," he told her and Ellen looked up at him. He was gazing into the distance, but there was nothing much to be seen because the rain just blurred the sight.
"What were you thinking about?" she wondered but he just shrugged and didn't give her an answer. Ellen tried not to frown and busied herself with combing her fingers through her damp hair.
"Why are you on your own? Did you run away?" Kanda wanted to know when he realized that the blond nuisance was not a few steps behind his wife. He had become so accustomed to Link, that he just ignored him but took his presence for granted. It was quite surprising to see Ellen without him and it also caused him some apprehension.
"I did not," Ellen replied and they fell back into silence. "I…," the girl started after a while, because the constant drumming of rain on the umbrella made her nervous. "I have not really seen you much these last two weeks. What were you doing?" Kanda took some time until he gave her an answer.
"Nothing much. I was as confined within the order as you were. Komui wouldn't give me any missions. But I think he merely uses the rain as an excuse," Kanda mused and Ellen looked up at him.
"If you had nothing to do, then why didn't you come to spend some time with me? It's not as if I was constantly busy," she told him and Kanda appeared to feel slightly uneasy about it.
"I received Mugen back, I had to train," he told her and Ellen pressed her lips together. As no reply came from Ellen he turned to the side. "Let's go back inside."
"No, wait a minute," Ellen said, stopping him from leaving. Her expression when she looked up at him was both serious but also slightly hurt. "What is the matter? I do not understand if you won't talk to me."
"What? What's to worry about now? Stop being stupid," Kanda hissed, though he clearly wasn't as annoyed as he pretended to be. It didn't take much for Ellen to conclude that he would just rather get out of the situation. She breathed in deeply and reached out to put her hand on Kanda's arm.
"Ever since you met mother, we have not had a single moment for us alone and you avoid talking about anything but irrelevant things with me."
"Does that surprise you?" Kanda asked with a snort and Ellen frowned.
"We still don't share a room yet, so our privacy is limited. That is most certainly true. But I've asked Link to leave us for a moment a couple of times. He would have done so, you know, but every time I suggested it you had something else to do. I know that this is not because you do not want to be close to me or because you consider mother's presence." Kanda remained silent, which prompted Ellen to continue speaking, even though she was unsure whether it was the right moment to address the problem. But now that they finally were alone and Kanda had no excuse to remove himself from their conversation, she had to dare. "Two weeks have passed and I have not tried to pry into anything yet. I wanted to give you the time to come to me when you are ready to talk. But you did not come, even though I have been waiting for you," she said, "and don't you think it is about time that you told me about yourself? I only get hints and even my mother dares to raise the questions I have been too afraid to ask. I just… I just want to know who you are." Kanda looked into her eyes and he knew how serious she was about it. But he snorted after a while, making Ellen's expression turn from gentle to hurt in the blink of an eye.
"There are more important things to worry about at the moment. First think about yourself before you want to burden yourself with my problems," Kanda told her.
"Why? Why should I? What can I do about my problems other than wait and see how things develop? Once this day's over all of the exorcists will know about what dangers lurk inside of me." Kanda widened his eyes in surprise.
"Leverrier wants to tell everyone? That-"
"And when everybody knows I might feel less at home here than I do now. And you won't make it any easier for me with your constant silence," Ellen told him. "It really is getting to me! If you don't want to tell me then fine, I can be content if you give me a reason I can understand. But why do you need to avoid me? I hate this!" Kanda looked at her, unsure what to say, but after a while he reached out to pull her nearer.
"I'm sorry. But there were a lot of things I had to think about on my own. I know that I have to tell you eventually, but I don't know what to say," Kanda said, looking into Ellen's eyes.
"Just tell me. Everything that you want to tell me," she replied but Kanda shook his head.
"There is nothing I want to tell you," he said and Ellen narrowed her eyes upon hearing that.
"I think you have kept me in the dark for long enough," Ellen told him, her voice no longer gentle and understanding. "There were so many things that I did not want to tell and I nearly begged you to let me do it when I'm ready. But you got impatient, you doubted me. So you pushed me, you forced me to speak about things I was uncomfortable with." Ellen took a few steps away from Kanda, crossing her arms over her chest, glaring into to landscape that was swallowed up by the rain. "And I wanted to give you that time, I did not want to be as pushy as you were. But I am really annoyed at the moment and I am disappointed."
"Ellen…," Kanda said in surprise, looking at the younger exorcist.
"Maybe you think it's not my place – as your wife – to pry into your affairs and maybe you would be right under normal circumstances. But I jumped over my own shadow time and time again, crossing boundaries that were very important for me. For your sake, Kanda. I think I at least deserve that you understand that you are being unfair in the way you treat me!" For a long moment, the downpour of the rain was the only sound to be heard. Kanda had been stunned into silence by his wife's words. Words he knew had cost the girl a lot of courage to formulate, but probably also a lot of pain. Ellen did not want to accuse Kanda of anything, she really had no intention to force him to reveal what pained him, but she could not put up with this displeasing feeling any longer. While it had been part of Ellen's character not to keep information about her family to herself unless it was necessary, she had also tried her very best to make Kanda understand who she was. And she got almost nothing in return. Ellen searched Kanda's face for some kind of emotion that went past surprise, but there was none yet.
"Well?" she asked after a while and it made Kanda shake his head. He walked the step forwards that separated them, to get her back under the umbrella.
"Not now, beansprout," Kanda told her but received a disappointed glare. "What? You just throw accusations at me and expect me to come up with an intelligent answer right away?!"
"I'm not throwing-," Ellen started, but stopped with a loud groan, touching her fingers to her forehead. "Fine. Take your time to figure out a response, I need to get back." Without another word, Ellen turned around and went back inside of the castle. Kanda didn't follow her and Ellen assumed that he really tried to sort out his thoughts. But at the moment she was too angry, disappointed and in some part of her head ashamed for having voiced her displeasure. Without Kanda being prepared for it at the least and his usual rather defensive way of reacting to her having doubts considered, she should not have expected anything else than feeling even worse than before. She was not all too surprised to see Link frown at her when they met on the corridors.
"Wipe your eyes and blow your nose, Ellen," he advised her and Ellen pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket, wiping her face. "Your uniform is in your room." The girl nodded and they returned to her room, where the uniform was indeed neatly placed on her chair. "What happened?"
"Nothing…," Ellen replied and put a smile back on her face, as she stuffed the handkerchief back into the pocket of her dress. Link nodded politely and returned to the sitting room. Ellen took a deep breath to calm down again. Slowly, Ellen changed into her uniform, noting that there were no changes done yet to it. It felt good to wear it again after more than two weeks and a look into her mirror almost made her sigh in relief; the shadow hovering behind her somehow seemed less threatening now. Almost as if the uniform provided some sort of magical barrier against it. Ellen tugged her thumb under the waistband of her trousers with a little frown.
"It almost seems a bit tighter, but that might only be my mind playing tricks on me…," Ellen thought and pulled her hand back. "It still fits, that is the only thing that counts."
"Can I ask you something?" Ellen wondered, as she walked up to Link, pulling on her gloves.
"What?" Link didn't even look up from his book, absorbed in whatever he was writing.
"You had documents about me," Ellen started and Link lifted his head with a sceptical expression, just as if he knew exactly what she wanted to say. "So do you by chance also have information regarding other exorcists?"
"The order gathers information on any exorcist and person working for the organization," the young man replied.
"Also on Kanda?" Link fought the urge to sigh at this and nodded.
"I happened to look over his data some time ago," he told her, not adding anything to it. It didn't appear as if Ellen wanted to actually ask him to tell her about her husband's back story though.
"Do you think I should not want to know about it? As an exorcist? Or as his wife?"
"As an exorcist, it does not matter what kind of things you did before the Innocence chose you. You lose every claim on your personal past and private life as soon as you become an apostle and it's your duty to sever ties with who you were before becoming a chosen one. Therefore I would say that as an exorcist, you have no need to know about who your comrades used to be before they joined the Black Order," Link explained calmly and Ellen sat down opposite him with a heavy sigh. "But putting this aside, I do think that a wife should know who her husband is. For someone of your standing this is very important, especially as your husband is supposed to determine a big part of your life." Ellen looked up at Link and he crossed his arms over his chest. "I am not married myself and by no means an expert on the matter though… It's likely that you gave up a lot to make this marriage possible, but I do not think that this entitles you to receive an equivalent amount of self-sacrifice from your husband."
"I am not talking about anything like self-sacrifice! If telling me about his past is really such an awful feat, then he can keep it to himself. But if he does, then I at least want that he understands that he did not grant me the liberty of deciding what to say and what to keep as a secret. Apart from just telling everybody of my marriage and pregnancy, which are delicate matters for me, he also pushed me into other things that I would have liked to do slower… But he doesn't acknowledge this and neither is he prepared to confide in me even though he claims to trust me. What should I do with this knowledge?" Ellen lowered her head and Link studied her, thinking of a fitting answer.
"Well. This realization should make you aware that there are still things you need to work at. It's not entirely surprising that a relationship, and especially a rushed marriage, does not run smoothly all of the time. You don't need to hold back just because you're his wife; if there is fault with what your husband does, then mention it. You need to make marriage a place of comfort and if you can't, then there's absolutely no point in fighting for it." Ellen sighed, but she was thankful for Link's evaluation of the situation. The young man put the book on the table. "It's about time to go, your uncle will want to exchange a few words with you," he said and Ellen nodded.
-
Leverrier was sitting in her late father's office as Ellen was guided to him. He was calmly studying the girl in her uniform without a comment for a minute or two, then he got up from the armchair, but didn't walk to where Ellen was.
"You have made a decision, I am sure," he said and Ellen nodded. "Hopefully one that will turn out favourably for you."
"I will continue being an exorcist," Ellen said, putting her hand to her chest, fingers touching the emblem of the order, "even if there is a Noah inside of me. But I am not doing this for the Vatican, I am doing it for myself and for the Akuma." Leverrier snorted almost inaudibly, but he nodded.
"The Vatican has decided that it's far too dangerous to keep the knowledge of the 14th to ourselves. The other exorcists must know. This is not to make them doubt you, but to ensure that you will be controlled should anything happen."
"How am I to understand that?" Ellen wondered, with an eyebrow raised. Leverrier lowered his face for a moment, but when he looked back up his expression was more serious than before.
"We don't know on which side the 14th stands. Just because he's the enemy of our enemy does not confirm that he's on our side. If he awakens, you fail to control him and he does anything against the Vatican's wishes, then he needs to be seized and maybe even destroyed." Ellen widened her eyes and took in a sharp breath. "The 14th is a ticking bomb, Ellen… This is not to say that you are, we know that you are on our side, but this Noah inside of you…" Leverrier sighed deeply and Ellen knew that he was troubled by this, she was his niece after all… "We need him. It would be best if we could just have his abilities awaken so that you can use them without you turning into anything that endangers yourself… But we don't have the time to find a way to make this less dangerous for you… And the Vatican thinks that a Noah on our side is more valuable than an exorcist… And if their plan fails, they are going to destroy him and disregard what will happen to you…" Ellen studied her uncle's face and watched him turn his head to a picture of her father hanging on the wall. "All we can do is hope that your mind is strong enough to coexist with the Noah and see that the transformation is controlled properly… I cannot do more for you… I am sorry…," he said and even though he was speaking to Ellen it also sounded like an apology to his deceased friend. Ellen sat down on the armchair and stared at her feet, staying silent even after Leverrier had sat back down, also brooding. He did not ask her to leave and so she stayed. She was not angry at her uncle, he had done his best to protect her. She wasn't angry at the Vatican either, for only seeing her as a tool. But she was very uneasy thinking about the future in the order.
"A ticking bomb…," Ellen mused, "No matter what my friends and comrades think of me, they will be forced to see an enemy in me. A constant danger for them, even though I am fighting on their side…" Ellen shook her head, trying to get that sick feeling away, but it stayed.
-
A loud knock at the door made Ellen stir after long minutes of silent pondering. Link opened the door and Komui peeked inside.
"Good evening, inspector," he said and paled when he saw that Ellen was in the room as well. "Ellen…"
"Ah, it's time already… As you can see, Ellen is here. Take her with you. I've said all I wanted to say," Leverrier told him and dismissed Ellen with a wave of his hand. Ellen got up, bowed and walked up to Komui.
"Uh… Yes…," the supervisor said nervously and waited until Link had shut the door after Ellen. "Ellen… Do you know what this will be about?"
"Yes, I have been informed of the Vatican's orders," Ellen said calmly, even though she was feeling far from calm at the moment. Komui squeezed his eyes shut in anguish and they continued in silence.
After a bit of walking they came into a big hall that now served as a room for training. All exorcists, including the generals, were gathered and Komui guided Ellen to the front. Ellen risked a glance at Kanda, but he had his back turned to them, as if he was not interested in the least what this was about. Ellen recalled their previous argument and didn't know whether to feel angry or sad, but there were other things to worry about right now. Komui took in a deep breath and then coughed to gain the attention of the exorcists.
"Well then, I'll be straight to the point," Komui started and Ellen looked down at her feet. "It has come to the order's attention that Ellen Walker carries the memories of the Fourteenth – a Noah." Linali gasped upon hearing that and most of the other exorcists were surprised as well, but they kept quiet, hoping for Komui to continue. "She will stay with us and continue her mission as an exorcist. The order needs Ellen's ability to control the Ark and we can't afford to lose more fighting strength. That is why Central decided to keep the Noah…" The baffled silence continued, so Komui forced himself to go on talking.
"I will now issue an order as your supervisor that I expect every one of you to follow. If Ellen Walker should awaken as a Noah and we conclude that she poses a threat to the Black Order…," here he stopped and Ellen lifted her gaze to look at him. She knew what the order was and she knew why Komui had such a hard time saying it. Ellen clenched her fists and looked over her shoulder where Kanda was still facing the other way. Maybe some time ago Ellen would have had the courage to tell them not to value her life. To give her up if she endangers them. But she didn't want to die, not like this, not for such a thing. This bit of selfishness, this love for her life, she really had to hang on to this. No, she absolutely refused to die because she lacked the strength to face the Noah.
"… then you will have to kill me," Ellen finished the sentence and Komui turned to look at her. "But I won't let this happen," she continued quickly, "I will stop the 14th if he ever endangers you."
"E… Ellen," Linali whispered and Ellen tried to smile at her.
"So… do not worry too much about it," she asked them and was met with silence. Komui looked at her with a mix of gratitude for saying what he had been unable to say but also deep regret and guilt. Ellen merely met his gaze and nodded at him to go on speaking.
"Every time Ellen goes on a mission," Komui continued to break the silence, "inspector Link and a team of two exorcists will accompany her." Ellen felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to find Kanda glaring at her. "That is all…" Most of the exorcists left after that and Komui did his best to usher the worried Linali out before she could ask any questions. That left only Ellen, Kanda and Link in the hall. Kanda sighed and a worried look replaced the glare.
"I already discussed this with Komui and your uncle. I will join every mission you go to…," he said and Ellen looked at him with wide eyes, "and make sure that you do nothing stupid. If you cannot stop the Noah, then I will. You don't have to do this all on your own."
"Kanda…," Ellen whispered and he pulled her towards him, hugging her.
"I will not allow anybody to hurt you, not that Noah and especially not your friends." Ellen looked up at him without speaking, resting her cheek on his shoulder. The movement of the rain through the big windows caught her attention. She was still confined here, confined by something as simple as the rain, but also by that grinning figure lazily floating through the window panes. Ellen looked at the image of the 14th and he raised his hand, waving.
-
To be continued
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Notes:
There are some instances in this chapter where I thought that the pacing was a bit off. I was a bit unwilling to give every exorcist the chance to react to Komui's orders… Linali and co will certainly get their chance to reflect on what this means.
Other than that I wanted to get further with the story but also progress with Ellen and Kanda's relationship (even though it almost seems as if they are doing worse than before).
I'd like to hear what you think about it! :D