Alright, this story has reached over 400 hits! Thanks to everyone who has been reading. I haven't written a (serious) story for this universe yet, so any comments on how I'm writing the characters, the timeline, etc. are welcome!

Recap: Gitano and Mana ran away to London and then sought to join Ziegler's circus as tumblers. The manager initially rejects them, but then takes them in when he needs a magician for that night's show. Mr. Ziegler renames Gitano, and he starts going by Cross wherever they go. Mana, now reduced to an errand boy, befriends one of the clowns named Pierrot and learns how to juggle from him. However, this friendship is short-lived as Pierrot's young son dies and his wife turns the child into an akuma. Pierrot sacrifices himself to save Mana and Cross, and the akuma is destroyed by Kevin Yeager. Mana is disgusted by the disaster his family has caused and leaves Ziegler's to set out on his own in hopes of becoming something other than a Noah.

Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own it.

Part Seven: Der Erlkönig

"'My son, wherefore seek'st thou thy face thus to hide?'

'Look, father, the Erlkönig is close by our side!

Dost see not the Erlkönig, with crown and with tail?'

'My son, 'tis the mist rising over the plain.' "

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

He should have known that the peace would not last. When he had been Gitano he had always been aware that something would eventually upset even the best of days, whether it was a surprise visit from Road or Neah eating his lunch. However, he had grown a bit careless while living as the Magnificent Magician Cross. Cross had been careful enough whenever he toured in Great Britain, making sure to change his mask to cover his whole face. Mr. Ziegler had given him an odd look when he had requested this, but the old manager gave in to his strange request.

After seven years of living on the run, things began to catch up with him on a snowy night in Berlin. It was Sunday, so he had the night off from performing. Cross had gone into the Prussian capital city and rented a room in a dodgy looking inn in some dark alley. He had seen the place during his last stay in the city, and it seemed like the perfect place to meet Mana. The brat was now a lanky fifteen year old with very long raven hair that he wore tied back in a pony tail. He was quite tall now too, but not as tall as Cross. The magician would always be proud of his height. Mana now traveled as a juggler, joining various circuses and performance troupes every now and then. He spent a lot of his time alone, but the boy seemed to be happy. Cross supposed that that was the least he could ask for considering their situation.

His problem that night was not that Mana was late. It was that the other Walker brother came first.

He had been sitting in a chair in the small room he had rented, looking into the dirty fireplace where a single log burned. Cross had not been expecting much for the cheep rent. All that had really mattered was that it had two chairs and some form of heating. He'd been surprised that the room came had arm chairs, not to mention a shabby oak coffee table to match. There was a bed in the back since he wouldn't be returning to the circus that evening. Knowing Mana, however, Cross wouldn't be surprised if he would end up sleeping on the floor that night. The juggler always forgot to make plans.

When he heard the door open he hadn't bothered to turn and address Mana. He noted, however, that Mana usually knocked.

"Found the place easy enough?" he asked.

"On the contrary, it was quite hard to find," drawled a very proper voice. It held an odd tambour of the voice of a boy that had just reached his teenage years.

Cross whipped around in time to see Neah Walker lock the door. "It's been a long time, Git," said Neah. The boy wore a white dress shirt with a high collar under a satin black vest. A simple cravat that matched the vest was ties lightly around his neck. Neah finished off this gentlemanly attire with a black tailcoat, pants, and a top hat to match.

God, he looks like Tyki, was all that Cross could think. He wouldn't have been surprised if the older Noah had put this outfit together for the boy. Despite how dapper it might have been, Cross still felt that it didn't suit Neah. It might have been the lack of imposing height. Neah wasn't nearly as tall as either him or Mana. Cross, however, still felt an air of authority around the boy. It was the same kind of air Lady Arienne commanded.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. He regretted it after he said it, for it truly seemed like a dumb question that only someone cornered would pose.

Neah saw this as well, and took the opportunity to relax and make himself comfortable. The boy began by taking off his hat and gloves and setting them on the table by the door. "You know, I honestly was afraid I was going to have to fight you," stated Neah. "It seems, however, that you are open for negotiations. Perhaps being a magician isn't as powerful as it sounds."

Cross smirked inwardly. If they had been in his trailer, then he would have blown the brat to high heavens with a flick of his hand. He wasn't willing to pay for property damage, though, so he'd have to listen to what Neah had to say. Plus, he was curious as to how the brat had worked pass Rhian's potion. "No, it's pretty good. I'm just on vacation at the moment, so I suppose I'll forgive you for your presence," he replied. He smiled as Neah frowned. "Let's cut to the chase. You're obviously here for something, and I want to know how you found me."

"True. If you weren't some little human, I might actually like your attitude," declared the golden-eyed brat. He sat down straight backed in a chair opposite of the magician. "I'll be polite and go first. I admitted earlier that it was difficult. Uncle Adam has been looking for my brother and you for ages, but he has never been able to find a trace of either of you. Everyone else tried, but there were no results. In the end, I began to suspect that someone must be tampering with us. I thought about eliminating the source."

Cross didn't dare to look at his right hand holding the arm of his chair in a death grip. Neah thankfully did not seem to notice. "But then I thought better," continued Neah. "Why would someone go through all this trouble to protect you two-"

"If the spell would just ware off at the time of death," finished Cross. He had to hand it to the kid; he was smarter than he thought. Cross had been thinking that Neah would just end up being one of those aristocrats who didn't know anything except how to charm people with good looks and talent. "It would be a waste and rather impractical."

"I decided to wait," responded Neah. "As I suspected when the old hag passed there was no change. Uncle Adam still could not find you two."

Cross felt his heart fall a bit. "So Rhian has passed," he said.

"About a year and a half ago," replied Neah. "It was a shame. She was a good cook."

He wanted to smack Neah across the face. Apparently the boy had not developed any sense of respect for the older woman during his absence. "She was much more than that," he practically hissed at Neah.

"Who cares? She's pushing daisies now. I suppose you learned nothing from my lectures all those years ago," stated Neah. He arched an eyebrow.

"You are fourteen and I am sixteen. What the hell makes you think I'm ever going to listen to you?" inquired Cross furiously.

"This is getting much too heated," interrupted Neah. "I'll continue with my tale. Perhaps you'll feel a bit more civilized after that."

"Like hell," muttered Cross under his breath. He was about ready to punt the kid out the front door.

"I came to a realization one day as I sat playing the piano," continued Neah. "The old hag probably didn't want us to find you, but not everyone. There must have been some stipulation that any member of the Clan would never find you two. The distinction in whatever magic she used was people being a member of the Clan. That meant that in the end I would never be about to find you. Someone else, however, could."

"Someone else?" asked Cross. Now he really was curious.

"Uncle Adam has some acquaintances, some lowly humans that he allows to loiter about as we work towards our bright future. I thought nothing of them at first, but I learned that they were actually pretty clever and more persistent than your average human," responded Neah. "In the end I struck a bargain with them, for they will do pretty much anything if the pay is right. I was to give them information, and they were to find either my brother or you."

"I suppose that I'm the lucky one," Cross grumbled.

"You proved to be much easier to find than Mana," agreed Neah. "They heard of traces of him, but apparently he travels around on his own time. I'm surprise you two actually thought ahead and split up. I must commend you for that."

He was pretty sick of being patronized by the younger boy by now. "So why did you go through all this trouble to find me anyways if I'm just some lowly human doomed to die?" he questioned.

"Oh, you're just a way to get what I want," responded Neah. The boy turned to look him directly in the eyes. It was somewhat unnerving. Neah's eyes seemed to have some sort of predatory glint to them that Mana had never had. "I want to speak with Mana."

This was an interesting and very bad development. Cross did not want to know what Neah wanted with his older brother, and he wasn't about to let the younger boy get it. There was also the fact that Cross had actually been waiting for Mana to show up. He'd have to do whatever he could to get Neah out of the inn before Mana came. "What makes you think I know where he is?" asked Cross. "I'm free and that's all I can ask for."

Neah smirked. "I know you better than that, Git. You might act all cold and tough on the outside, but you've got a soft spot for kids. If you didn't care then you would have run away long before you did," said Neah. "Although my brother may be fifteen now, he's still just a child in your eyes. You're a magician, so you've got your ways to keep tabs on him."

He frowned at the young Noah. "Even if I did know, what makes you think I'd actually tell you?" he inquired. "You know that I don't consider your kind with compassion. Plus, you two are inclined to tear apart whatever city you meet in. I haven't forgotten the last time you fought."

Neah laughed. It was a highly controlled and very cold laugh that only a true aristocrat could pull off. "Oh, I don't want to fight my brother," he chuckled. "It would ruin the suit. I just want to talk to him."

"You want to talk to him," stated Cross in complete disbelief.

"That's all," replied Neah. He gave his most charming grin.

Cross really doubted the boy and his charming smiles. "Talk can have multiple meanings," he said.

"I don't see why you want to prevent two grown brothers from having a conversation. Are you scared for Mana's safety or something stupid like that?" questioned Neah.

"No," responded Cross. He didn't need Neah thinking that he was willing to risk his life for the older Walker boy. "I'm still not going to tell you."

Neah pursed his lips and stood up. He walked over to the fireplace and then to the window next to it. "That's a shame. And I told Sophia Maria that I'd let her know how the two of you were faring in the world. She's taken Rhian's place in the household," drawled Neah. He didn't even turn around to see Cross' eyes widen at the mention of his childhood friend. "She truly has grown into a lovely young girl- sings like a nightingale when I ask her to. She would have many suitors when she reached adulthood if she had been born into respectable society."

He didn't like this talk one bit. It was obvious what Neah was getting at: he still had a part of his younger self under his power. "I'm not here to trade stories," growled Cross.

"Sophia hardly talks, though. I'm not sure if that is Mother's fault or the Camelots' doing," continued Neah. He ran his fingers over the painted-wood windowsill. "She does speak, however, when I mention you. Surely you would like to speak with her again."

Cross remained silent. He would not give into Neah Walker. He couldn't give in to that brat.

Neah finally turned away from the window. "Perhaps you are like my other acquaintances. Fine. I propose a bargain. There's a lovely little country road just outside Berlin. If you agree to bring my brother along for a short visit, then I'll bring Sophia with me. I'll even bring a couple observers- of course no one from the Clan- to make sure that the bargain is met," stated Neah. "I won't even tell the Clan where I am going. Only the six of us will ever know that this occurred."

"Sounds dodgy to me," grunted Cross.

"No, this is just how society works," retorted Neah. "So do we have a deal?" The boy extended his hand.

He did want to see Sophia again. Cross could still remember her face that night when she saw he was leaving. He also thought about Rhian- Rhian who had kept his reasons for running away a secret, who kept Mana safe, who wanted them to wait for Rory…

He couldn't betray that, even if it meant never seeing his friend again.

"There's no way that I'd ever accept any deal from you," he spat. Cross turned slightly away from the boy so he wouldn't see the conflict in his soul.

He still could see Neah raise an eyebrow out of the corner of his eyes. The boy shrugged and retracted his hand. "Apparently you need some time to think it over," he said with a shrug. He pulled a card out of his front breast pocket and placed it on top of the coffee table. "When you've truly made up your mind, then send me a telegraph at this number. It belongs to the acquaintances I mentioned earlier, so you don't have to worry about my family finding out about our little meeting. I think in time you'll come to see that this is a very good bargain."

Neah walked over to the table by the door and began working his long fingers through his gloves. "I'll be expecting an answer by the end of the week. Good night," stated the boy. As soon as he put his hat on his head he unlocked the door and left Cross to brood.

He sighed out loud after he was sure Neah was completely out of ear reach (that being about fifteen minutes later). The atmosphere in the room seemed much darker now than when he first arrived. Cross threw another log on the fire and rubbed his hands together. He began to think more now. Perhaps if he changed his name or cut his hair the freaky golden-eyed boy and his 'acquaintances' would lose sight of him again. Somehow, however, he doubted that.

He heard a knock at the door. This time Cross went to personally answer the door. "Hello!" said Mana cheerily. He was all rosy-cheeked from the cold, but a large grin had spread across his face. Cross saw that Mana's hair was even longer than the last time he had seen the boy, though he had now let his bangs grow longer and even more unruly than before. He was in one piece and did not seem aware of the shadow of an elephant in the room.

Cross stepped aside to let him into the room. "You sure picked a shady locale. I had a real problem trying to find this place," continued Mana. The boy kicked his shoes off and sat in the chair that Neah had left less than half an hour ago, propping his feet up on the small coffee table.

"I'm a magician, not a millionaire," replied Cross. "Someday you're going to take a turn paying for this kind of stuff."

"But I come bearing gifts!" exclaimed the juggler. Cross had not noticed that the juggler had brought a paper bag along with his usual battered suitcase. Mana produced two bottles of wine from the bag. "It's cheap stuff, but I thought it might put you in a bit more of a holiday spirit. Someone told me that it's Christmas next week."

Cross had not really developed a drinking habit at this point in his career. It might have been due to the fact that he was always cleaning up after Jacqueline when she showed up drunk on his doorstep (it was a weekly occurrence). He didn't want to have to take care of himself along with the trick rider. Tonight, though, Cross really needed a pick me up. He used a space transport spell to retrieve two glasses from his trailer. "How kind of you," he said to Mana. "I didn't know that you drank."

"Only on special occasions," responded Mana. Cross poured the boy a glass and handed it to him. "When you hang around a bunch of adults who are plastered all the time you sort of have to copy in order to get along with them."

"True enough," stated Cross. He took a sip from his own glass and felt his throat instantly dry up. "This is definitely cheap stuff."

"When have I ever lied to you?" asked Mana. The magician frowned at him. "You could be an old man already, Git. Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen you laugh."

"The world isn't that funny," he replied. He set his glass down on the coffee table, hoping that Mana wouldn't upset it with some wild movement. Stupid jugglers, he thought. "How have you been?"

Mana lowered his glass. "Oh, I've been well," started the boy. "I traveled all through Spain this year as well as France and Belgium. I'm headed south again tomorrow. There's a circus that I meet up with every so often that's touring in Greece, and they'd like me to meet them there."

"That's good," mumbled Cross. Mana seemed to be able to sense that his mind was elsewhere.

"Do you see what I mean?" inquired Mana in jest. "Staring into the fire and brooding is an old man thing! Unless you're thinking about some girl-"

Cross turned a bright shade of red. "W-where did you get that kind of an idea?" questioned the magician. Mana laughed at his expression.

"Luckily I know you well enough to say that since your face is the color of beets right now that there is no lady in your life," chuckled Mana. Cross was seriously considering smashing his glass into Mana's head. "It's truly unfortunate! I should like to meet the lady-friend if you ever have one."

"And I suppose that at the young age of fifteen you are an expert of romance," grumbled Cross.

"Well there was Veronica…" began Mana. Cross spit the wine in his mouth onto the table, causing Mana to dissolve into another fit of laughter. "Don't worry! I only kissed her once…"

"You're going to be the death of me, you damned brat," he coughed. He took out a handkerchief to wipe the wine off the table. He didn't need the owner of this place charging him for stains on the furniture. Cross didn't notice that he'd knocked the card off the table.

"I've got it," said Mana. For some reason, Cross didn't even think about stopping him until it was too late. "What's this?"

"It's-" started Cross, but he knew that Mana had seen.

The boy's facial expression darkened. "So Neah was in Berlin," stated Mana. He flipped the card over in his hands. "I thought I saw him go by in a coach, but I convinced myself that it had to be someone else. What was he doing here? And how did he even find you?"

"He didn't," replied Cross. There was no avoiding telling him the truth now. "He had some acquaintances find me. The potion apparently doesn't work on humans working for the Clan of Noah."

"And he didn't hurt you or anything?" asked Mana. He appeared to be truly concerned.

"Nope. Just wanted to chat," responded Cross. He hoped that Mana would be bitter enough to drop the subject, but the boy persisted.

"Neah would never just want to chat. None of them would ever just want to chat. What did he want?" inquired Mana bitterly. Cross decided to pour him more wine. He was definitely not in the comforting or pep talk mood tonight.

"He wanted to know where you were," he said. "You don't need to worry, though. I didn't tell him where you were. It also appears that you move frequently enough that his acquaintances couldn't find you either. Perhaps I should give traveling a try."

"Why the hell would he want to know where I am?" asked Mana. He clenched his glass tightly in his left hand, his golden eyes narrowed and partially hidden by his unruly bangs. Cross was beginning to think that he'd probably be fixing glass later tonight. "Isn't it enough that he's the head of the damn family? I don't have anything left to give to him! And when Rory comes back I'm not letting him have him either! I don't want anything to do with him!"

With that Mana threw the glass at the wall. That was one glass down.

"I didn't think so," said Cross. "That's why I turned him down- three times."

Mana turned to face him. Cross saw that the boy was no longer furious though his messy bangs still flopped in his face. "He asked more than once?" inquired Mana. He appeared to be actually curious now. "That makes it seem like he is desperate."

Cross mulled this over in his mind. "I didn't give it much thought at the time, but that does seem right," he agreed. "The Neah I remember would have thrown me out a window or burned down the inn if he didn't get what he wanted."

"Did he say anything of interest?" questioned Mana.

"He talked a bit about home," he replied. "Rhian passed last year, so now Sophia is working at Walker Manor."

"Sophia Maria? That tiny girl that waited on Road?" asked Mana. Cross nodded. "I suppose that makes sense. Road probably has an akuma maid working for her now. Uncle Sheryl never did take a wife, so there's no reason for them to keep a human around the house. Sophia is pretty lucky that my mother is still around. I don't know what my family would do if she wasn't. Frankly, I don't even want to think about it."

He must have betrayed some sort of emotion on his face, for Mana stopped and looked at him. "I suppose that's no good at all in this situation. She pretty much just functions as a hostage in our case," said Mana.

"Yes," responded Cross. "Neah wanted to meet in a week's time outside of Berlin. He said I was to bring you and he'd bring Sophia and a couple human witnesses to make sure the deal was kept."

Mana's brow furrowed. He set his gaze on the fire. Cross did the same. They sat there for several minutes in complete silence as the fire crackled in its hearth. Finally, Mana spoke.

"I want to talk to him," he declared.

Cross looked aghast at the boy. "I already told him no. I don't see why I should change my mind now!" he exclaimed.

Mana turned to face him. "I'm not crazy about the idea either, but something just tells me that I should meet him," stated Mana.

"What about all that Rhian did?" inquired Cross. "You'd risk everything to talk with your brother."

"I'm not risking anything," replied the boy. "Neah is taking a greater risk because we'll have an advantage. Because of Rhian's potion he probably won't see us until we speak. We'd have every opportunity to ambush him. Plus, the fact that he's going behind the Earl's back like this means he'll be in bigger trouble if anyone catches us. He probably would have told the entire Clan where we were by now if he wanted to. His acquaintances would probably have done the same, but they didn't. I'd like to know why."

"You're crazy," mumbled Cross, glowering at Mana.

"I also hate thinking some kid is the one in danger while we're out here having fun," said Mana. "I can tell you want to see Sophia, and I'd like to see that she's okay."

Cross sighed. "So you want me to send the telegraph?" he asked.

"Yes," responded Mana curtly. He turned to the second wine bottle and uncorked it. "Neah is such a party-pooper. Let's at least be merry tonight!" Mana took a swig directly from the bottle.

Cross rolled his eyes and went to retrieve the shards of glass from the floor. In a few minutes the glass was repaired. He handed it to Mana. "Use this at least. I don't want you vomiting all over the place," he said.

Mana shoved the bottle in his face. "I can't drink this all by myself! If you don't want me to vomit, then drink your fair share!" he sang out cheerfully.

Cross took the bottle and poured himself another glass.

oOo

Needless to say, he woke up the next morning on the floor with a splitting headache. When he looked over at the bed he saw Mana sprawled over it. He wasn't surprised. The boy's face twitched in his face as though he were combating some sort of nightmare. Cross would not have been surprised if it involved Neah.

He slipped out into the early morning air to find a communications station. He had never sent a telegram before in his life, but he found a place on one of the more developed streets, Unter den Linden. The man working there was surprisingly very helpful and even showed him how the machine worked. Unfortunately, he had to use the rest of his spare money to send the telegraph. Cross was about to leave, when he got a reply back.

received message and neah delighted stop take main road ten miles out in countryside december twenty-fourth stop meet under willow tree

B

Cross took the message with him and thanked the attendant. When he returned to the rented room he saw that Mana was now awake, so he gave him the telegraph.

"B?" questioned Mana.

"I'm guessing it's an initial," replied Cross. "I have to go back to the circus today, so how about we meet on the twenty-fourth at the outskirts of town."

Mana nodded. "That sounds good. Do you think the fellow who owns this place will let me stay here until then? Albeit the scary exterior it's a nice room," said Mana, running a finger over the mantel.

Cross shrugged. "Do what you want. I'm not paying for it, though," he stated. He took his bag and left for the circus. Cross decided that Mana could deal with whatever mess was left in the room from the previous night. He'd even let him have the wine glasses.

oOo

He knocked on the door of Latham's trailer as soon as he returned to Ziegler's circus.

A skinny blonde man wearing a straw hat poked his head out of the door and smiled. "Morning, Cross. What can I do for you?" asked the man.

"I was wondering if I could borrow a gun," said Cross.

Latham whistled. "I generally don't lend my guns out. What is it for?" inquired the man.

Now he was in a tight spot. "There's a man who is threatening one of my friends. I'm afraid he may attack him," he stated. He felt that the truth might actually help him on this occasion.

The blonde man nodded. "That sounds like a serious problem. I'm guessing he must be the underworld type, huh? That's the only case when I wouldn't go to the constable."

"Yeah…" replied Cross. He wasn't sure if the Clan of Noah counted as the Underworld or not.

Latham went back inside and came back with a revolver. "Have you ever shot one before?" inquired Latham.

"No," he responded. "I was hoping you could teach me, being a sharp-shooter and all."

Latham smiled and tipped his hat. "Of course, Cross. How about we got out to the big top, and I'll show you a few tricks. Maybe you'll have the basics down by this evening."

They worked at it all day. Fortunately, he seemed to have a hidden talent for shooting. Latham remarked that he should have gone into the army or joined his act if he were not a magician.

"You have very good potential!" exclaimed the blonde man, throwing his hat up in the air. "I couldn't even shoot like that on my first day. Come by tomorrow before the show, and I'll show you some more tricks."

After a week of practice, Cross went to meet Mana on the outskirts of Berlin. They were ready to face Neah.

Alright we have had the return of Neah! What does Neah want? Will both sides keep their promises? And who is B? Please review!