This story and another one I've been working on were hard to get done. That's because the incredibly annoying gremlins are back and my flash drive is missing! Those stupid gremlins.
However, through several hours of Deadmau5, I have made a chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Ao No Exorcist or -Man.
Chapter 17
Mephesto, more out of curiosity than concern, asked the Vatican for records on the Musician and was waiting for the files to be brought to his office. He busied himself with paperwork that concerned the academy as well as its increasingly high expenses. He figured the only way to cover the cost was by charging higher rates for the food. It was expected though, since the chefs working for the academy were world-renown.
A knock on his door caught his attention and he quickly called in the man the Vatican had sent to deliver the files. However, he was surprised to see the man they sent was Fujimoto and he was empty-handed.
Shiro shrugged, "The Vatican wanted to send someone else, but I took the job instead. I was coming to see you anyway."
The demon nodded the motioned for the man to sit down, "Of course, Father Fujimoto~! Please, make yourself comfortable. We have a lot to discuss."
"Yeah," the priest groaned as he sat down, "The files you asked for weren't there. The Vatican have been informed about the archives being breached and they're ordering a lock down until everything has been accounted for."
Mephesto deflated at the news, "Oh dear. I had figured something like this could happen. Those archives were never properly guarded, despite how many times the security was reworked. However, it seems we may have some questions that need answering that only those files have. At least, that's the only way we can get the answers without having to go to the source."
Shiro rubbed his chin in thought, slouching in his seat, "Wouldn't you want to go to the source in order to get more accurate information? You don't usually rely on just the files when you're seeking answers."
"Unfortunately, the person I want information on doesn't seem like he would willingly give me answers and neither would his associate," the demon spoke as he got up from his desk, "They were willing to tell me some tall tales from their past, but there is no proof what they said would even be real. Thinking back on the story, it seemed rather far-fetched."
"Says one of the Demon Kings," Shiro snickered to Mephesto's displeasure. He did see the irony in it, but he was truly being honest with himself. He wouldn't have even considered the story to be true if he had never met the two before. He wanted more information about the Musician and the organization the being had worked for.
"Speaking of which," the demon wondered on, "Whose to say the files were stolen recently? They could have been taken a while ago and were just found missing today. The only question we must ask is 'who would want the files to remain unseen?'."
"Well," Shiro muttered, "It depends what is on the documents inside. If there were files on Yuri, I would probably take them to protect her from anything those files could cause."
Mephesto's eyes lit up, "You would do it to protect someone," Shiro nodded, "Hmmm. I might know where those files are then~!"
"What," Shiro sat up, confused, "How do you suppose that?"
"Simple," Mephesto grinned as Shiro stood to follow him, "If I was him, I would want to protect this person with my life."
The albino followed Mephesto as he twisted a key into his office doors and threw the door open. On the other side, he saw the Dark Matter specialist and the Musician. The two of them had each other shirts twisted into the other's grip and were extremely close to each other. Kanda was moving closer when the Musician finally saw them in the doorway. He quickly panic and acted out of instinct.
Kanda was about to drag his moyashi into a kiss, when he felt sudden pain and was being thrown back. He took him only the second he landed on his ass to realize the Musician had punched him in the face.
"Fuck," the Second Exorcist shouted, "What the hell is wrong with you, baka!?"
"My my, Kanda," Mephesto sighed as he made himself and Fujimoto's presence known, "Is that the kind of language you always use around your guest?"
Kanda growled as he picked himself up, "Only when I don't know I have guest. Besides, what type of guest doesn't call before barging in?"
"Are you alright," the Musician asked, concerned for his friend/lover? -he didn't know what he was.
"Yeah," he groaned as he rubbed the side of his face, "I was just surprised. Next time, we can finish what we started."
The Musician nodded, his face flushed a slight pink. He had wanted to 'finish what they started' as well, but the two True Cross members had to walk in on their private moment. Kanda and Moyashi settled down, sitting at their usual spots with Mephesto and Shiro sitting on the opposite side of them.
Mephesto smiled at the Musician, "You know, I wouldn't have came over if what I wanted was where it belonged. Do you know what I need?"
"No," the hybrid smiled back, "I sadly do not know what it is you are missing. Is there some way we could help?"
"Considering whose prison record it is, I was hoping you could," Mephesto shot back to the hybrid's surprise.
"Record," the white-haired being inquired, "I'm sorry, but I really don't know anything about that. Kanda?"
The Second Exorcist sat there quietly, thinking over what the demon had said. He had been asking about the files that were in the Vatican's archives. He had taken the files the demon had asked about, as well as other files that had mentioned their home and himself.
Kanda sighed after a while, "I knew someone was going to miss them eventually."
"So, you did take them," the priest growled as he stood, "What other things have you been taking from the True Cross Order!?"
"Only some of the older files that nobody asks about," Kanda replied, reaching into his bag and taking out the files he had stolen. The four files were labeled 'The Musician', 'The Black Order', 'The Noah Family', and 'The Second Exorcist Project'; they were all parts of the past that the specialist had wanted hidden and protected, each one bringing up all kinds of issues for the both of them.
"Kanda," the Musician spoke up, "Why would you steal these? Were they not safe where they were?"
Kanda shook his head, "Not entirely. The security there was shit and I felt better with them on my person, then where some idiot could just as easily lose them. Besides, the information inside is rather personal."
"Personal," Mephesto questioned, "To which one of you? The information I was in need of specifically belonged to the Musician. Why do you even have his information?"
"I'm suppose to watch him, aren't I," Kanda countered roughly, "Are you telling me I shouldn't be more cautious by knowing all I can?"
"Why would you have to take information on someone you already know," Mephesto growled at the specialist.
"Why do you even want the information in the first place?"
"Unlike you," Mephesto stood and hissed, surprising Father Fujimoto, "I need to know what kind of threat is housed under my roof. That includes all the dorms and the school itself, especially this one where an unknown criminal lives."
"I am not a criminal," the Musician stood as well, "I would ask you kindly to not label me as something I happen not to be."
"You are considered a criminal if you have a criminal record. Is that not what is in your files," Mephesto questioned as he glared at the moyashi, certain that he knew. This changed, however, as he saw the uncertain look in his eyes.
"Kanda," the hybrid looked down to him, "what does my files say about me?"
The Dark Matter specialist looked down at the files, moving the other files to the side and opening up the one about his precious moyashi. He quickly scanned the pages and left it open on the one that said everything about the Musician's sentence. Kanda passed the folder over to the Musician and watched him as the sprout's eyes darted across the page.
' ...the Musician and 14th Noah, Allen Walker, is sentenced to life in prison for treason and hearsay against the Church and God...'
The Musician shook slightly after reading this yet he quickly scanned the last couple sentences, fearing what they said.
'...if the alternative becomes too costly, the death penalty will be brought forth before the Grigori for consideration...'
The Musician had to stop reading. It was too much to read. He felt an urge to disappear as a sob escaped him and felt Neah's shadows surround him. He noticed the shadows were tinged a deep red before he felt himself be swallowed up.
Kanda heart wretched as he saw the Musician become undone before him. He felt himself begin to reach out to him as a sob escaped him, only to pull back when Neah's shadows swallowed him up and he melted away before his eyes. The file dropped to the table, the pages becoming slightly ruffled. Kanda hopped up and ran after a shadow he saw skittering away, before sliding to halt next to the door.
"I told myself I would never let him see that," he growled, hand grabbing the door frame, "Why the hell did I let him see that?"
Mephesto cast his eyes to the file and picked it up, reading over the document with analyzing eyes, "He must not have liked seeing the Grigori's opinion of him."
Kanda felt himself tense, gripping the frame of the door harder, "What do you mean by that?"
"Isn't it obvious," the demon smirked, "Seeing someone else's opinion of your actions would make you upset. Especially someone who has committed a crime such as murder. He'll get over it soon."
Mephesto wasn't sure when he had gotten to the specialist, but he knew the moment he snapped. The door frame broke in his hand and he turned to the principal in one fluid motion, glaring him down. He felt the hair on the back of his neck rise as the Second Exorcist drew his sword from the sheathe on his hip. The demon relaxed in his seat as the man stalked closer, sword in hand and anger written on his face. He felt a smile grace his lips as the man pressed the blade of Mugen against his throat, Shiro pointing a gun at the specialist.
"Why are you smiling," Kanda growled with a look of pure anger. Mephesto smile grew as he touched the blade with his finger and pushed it away from his neck.
"You just proved my point," Mephesto stated proudly, " You care about him. You wouldn't act like this if you didn't care a lot about him. Besides, when we just got here, you both were in quite the position. I dare say, I think you love him."
Kanda hissed, voice rising to a shout, "That's what gives you the gall to say such things? That the Musician is akin to a murderer! You don't know anything about him!"
"Yet," the demon retorted, "you haven't denied the fact that you care about him, or that you love him!"
"Is that what you want to hear!? Fine! I love him! Are you happy?! Now, get the fuck out before I decide to vivisect you!"
Mephesto stood up as the specialist turned and strided away, leaving the demon grinning happily and the priest standing there in shock. He couldn't believe everything that had just happened. Seeing anyone explode like Kanda had was shocking, yet it was not even the worst rage he was driven in. The two True Cross members left just as suddenly and quietly as they came, the files left behind on the table. The words Kanda shouted rung in their ears as they went on their ways.
Kanda found himself striding through the halls, looking for the Musician. He opened up the door to their bedroom and quickly identified the shadow of the Musician on the ground, looking as if he was sitting on the bed. A quiet disembodied voice sobbed as he made his way into the room, sitting on the bed next to the shadow.
"Don't be surprised if somebody comes for us in the morning," the Second Exorcist sighed sadly, hanging his head, "I told them something they shouldn't know."
The Musician slowly felt himself return from the shadows, "What was it?"
"That I love you," the Japanese man muttered, "That demon compared you to a murderer and I snapped."
The Musician felt the shadows slide away from him, leaving him sitting there on the bed next to Kanda, "You were defending me. Besides, you only said what was true." The Musician looked over to Kanda, waiting for him to rise from the slumped position he was in. When he didn't, the moyashi hugged him from behind, resting his head on Kanda's shoulder. Kanda's head lifted at this and he tilted his head toward the sprout. The moyashi leaned against Kanda's back more, one of his hands coming up to tilt Kanda's head towards him. The Second Exorcist allowed his head to be guided towards the Musician.
The Musician sighed, "I don't want this to be our last night together." Kanda nodded in agreement. He didn't want this to be their last night either. "Do you want to finish what we started?"
Kanda chuckled slightly, "You mean when you punched me in the face or before that?" The Musician answered him by kissing him on the cheek, where the bruise from his punch had started to form and fade at the same time.
Kanda twisted himself toward his moyashi, capturing his lips with his own. Kanda leaned back with his arms holding him up, as the Musician slowly moved around him and toward his front, straddling his partner. The Musician's hands settled on Kanda's shoulders, leaning down in order to kiss him. They tilted their heads in opposing directions, melting into the kiss.
Mephesto, thinking on what he learned, asked Fujimoto for his opinion on the matter. The priest simply shook his head and wanted nothing to do with the madness he had found himself in. The priest decided to let Mephesto deal with the situation on his own accord.
Mephesto chuckled to himself, "I'll visit them tomorrow. I might even call to let them know I'm coming over~!"
The minute the both of them woke up, they were on alert and listening for anything that could possibly be an attack. The phone ringing startled the two, causing the Musician to jump from his seat, Kanda running off to check the front door in case the phone was a distraction. He quickly answered the phone, being up already since the phone scared him. Mephesto opened up the door right after, causing the Musician to jump again. Mephesto still had the receiver in his hand, impish grin on his face.
"I called just to let you know I'm coming over," he stated as he hung the phone up in his office and quickly walked through the door. The Musician quickly hung up as well, irked from the demon's behavior.
"I suggest you work on your approach," the Musician growled as he walked away, "You lost the element of surprise with that little stunt." The demon simply chuckled, shaking his head as he followed the Musician. "I'm assuming nobody is coming to kill us then."
"Heavens, no," cheered Mephesto, happily unaware of the hybrid's fury, "I was never going to expose your little secret and I'm certain Fujimoto won't either. However, I am curious as to how you feel."
The Musician blinked in surprise, "And it would concern you, because," The Musician trailed off, waiting for Mephesto to state his reason.
Mephesto's grin vanished as he became serious, "I care about anyone who lives under my jurisdiction. That being said, if anything happens or has happened that isn't consensual, I would like to know."
The Musician shook his head, "We haven't done anything like that and I'm not ready for it yet. However, I love him as well; and if something like that does happen, it will be."
"It would be fucked up if it wasn't, " Kanda stated as he wrapped his arms around the Musician. Mephesto nodded happily, deciding everything was alright. "I wanted to see if I could look at your other files."
"Sure," Kanda nodded, "Nothing we don't already know. Moyashi might want to see 'The Black Order'. It was written by Johnny Gill, a friend of ours." The Musician smiled at that, remembering the positive scientist happily. No doubt he would have said positive things about the Order and every member of it.