Even though I went on a trip this weekend, I somehow managed to finish this chapter early! Thanks to Spottedpath for adding the story to their favorite list, Annie Matsukaze for also adding it to her favorite list, for reviewing and adding it to their alerts, Alice Nyte for reviewing, and ilikedan for reviewing! It means a lot everyone!

Dobby's Imaginary Sock

Disclaimer: Gosh, I forgot to put on of these on the last chapter or two. I do not own D. Gray-man or any song lyrics used in this chapter. The version of "My Johnny Was a Shoemaker" comes from English Country Songs (1893) by Lesley Nelson-Burns. Ye Hole in Ye Wall is an actual pub in Liverpool dating from the year 1726.

Part Sixteen: Der Tod und Das Mädchen

"I am a friend, and come not to punish.

Be of good cheer! I am not fierce,

Softly shall you sleep in my arms!"

Matthias Claudius

It was a very odd group in which Cross found himself: Mana, Sanjiv, and himself. Mother had put Bubba in bed, and now she wanted some red wine. The woman drank way too much at night. It made it really ironic that she lived in an old church. Cross refused to clean up after her if she ever had a hangover, though. He had spent enough time taking care of Jacqueline and then Mana on rare occasions. Mother and Mana would be like two peas in a pod if they got to know each other. However, he expected Mana to skip not only this town but the entire country once the sun rose tomorrow.

They were silent as they walked down the slippery, slush-filled path. Cross could almost hear the few sporadic snowflakes that fell from the sky hit the ground. Pretty much everything that could be said had been said. It was too big of a risk continuing to discuss the explosion outside, so they had to make do with small talk. Unfortunately, he was with Sanjiv and Mana. Sanjiv either wouldn't or couldn't make small talk and Mana... well he was a nervous wreck. It was far worse than last year in Berlin. Normally, when Mana was upset, he would act very calm until something pushed him over the edge. He'd put up a brave face, but in the end his heart always sat exposed for everyone to see. Right now, Cross was certain he was thinking of a certain wayward Noah who might or might not be up to something. The raven-haired boy kicked up slush in his path, splattering it on Sanjiv's cloak and his coat. Cross was quickly becoming annoyed. He wished that one of them would just say something.

It seemed, however, that it was up to him to diffuse the tension. "You said last year that you were going to Greece, correct?" he asked Mana. Mana looked back and nodded but then continued walking and splashing them. "How was it.?"

"It was lovely, well, until the latest revolt started," replied Mana. He didn't even turn back to look at him. They came to a stone bridge just outside the town. Mana hopped up onto the rail and began to wobble. He caught his balance and then walked on the wall.

"You better not try any tricks," grumbled Cross. "I'm not fishing you out of the river."

"That's unfortunate," responded Mana. "I'd fancy a nice swim right about now."

"You're mental," said Cross.

"I know," stated Mana with a fleeting, cheeky grin on his face. The grin never reached his eyes. He came to the end of the bridge and hopped off the wall.

"So where is the spirits store here?" inquired Sanjiv. If at all possible, the young Bookman looked more bored than usual. Obviously he wanted to buy the wine and go back to the church.

"Usually Mother buys it from a pub that's in the town square. It's only a couple blocks away," answered Cross. He began to lead the way, Sanjiv and Mana following close behind.

The streets were filled with cheerful drunks bumping into each other and wishing everyone a happy holiday season. Although they had work the next morning, most people chose to celebrate late into the night. Cross didn't really see the point of all this cheer for one week of the year. If he was a mean bitter person then he would be as mean and bitter as he damn well pleased. He supposed that this attitude wasn't the fault of the merrymakers. The light snow, the crisp weather, and the time of year all made him think of Sophia.

It had been almost a full year since he had last seen her. If he had known then that it would be the last time...

He should have said something to someone. Sure, it would be hard convincing just the average Black Order member that there were superhumans in league with the Earl, but not everyone would have doubted him. Cross knew that if he had told Mother or even Khanna, they would have been willing to help. He could imagine Khanna smashing the front door of Walker Manor down, swinging his scimitar Asha around in a fury. The Indian exorcist was rumored to have destroyed at least a dozen residences or businesses connected with the Millennium Earl. Walker Manor could have just been another 'liberation front' for the Order, but now someone else had done the job. It was because of his tight lips that Sophia was dead.

He found himself in front of Ye Hole in Ye Wall. There were people stumbling in and out of its doors laughing gaily. The place was overcrowded and looked to be a downright mess, but Mother would not be satisfied unless she had her red wine. He pushed his way into the pub and found that the bar was crowded. Several people waved to the bartenders while those who were already drunk either leaned against the bar for support or had laid their heads down in defeat long ago. It left hardly any room for them to go up to the counter and get the damn bottle of wine.

Cross began to curse under his breath as Sanjiv and Mana caught up to him. Mana looked around the pub in awe. Perhaps if he could persuade Mana to visit Liverpool again he'd take him here one night. It was definitely the kind of place the raven-haired boy would like.

"You two wait here while I get the bottle," said Cross. With that he began to push his way through the crowd until he was in front of the bar.

A voluptuous young barmaid walked up to him. "'ow can I 'elp you, sir?" she questioned.

"A bottle of Romanée-Conti, please," he requested.

The barmaid looked skeptically at him, batting her heavily made-up eyelids. "That's a bit ambitious," she commented. "Aren't you young to be drinking that by yourself? If you need company, though..."

She leaned over the bar. Cross could hear Mana guffawing in the background already , so he tried his best not to turn scarlet in the face. Apparently seeing his embarrassment was enough to push aside the thought of a certain brother for the time. "I'm afraid it's for a friend, Miss," he stated. "Perhaps some other time."

The barmaid pouted. She placed a hand on her hip. "I see. You're just going to break me 'eart," she whined.

"N-no," he stammered. Mana laughed even louder. "It's just that-"

She sighed and reached a hand out. The barmaid patted his cheek. Now Cross was certain that his face must be scarlet. "I'm only pulling your leg," she said. "'ere. Let me get your bottle o' wine. Sit tight for a moment. If you're lucky, then the show will start."

The barmaid retreated into the back room swaying her hips as she walked. There was no space to 'sit tight' so Cross settled for leaning against the bar. That's when he heard the music start.

It was an upbeat tune, perfect for a pub. However, it was not the song choice that caught his attention but the voice. It was a young voice, but it was also very beautiful, the kind of voice that melted the ice around a wintery heart. There was something awfully familiar about it. Cross whipped his head around to look at the singer.

He saw her standing there, looking happy and perfectly healthy. She had even grown a few inches, although he still stood a full head higher than her. The normal shadow of fear did not pass across her features as she sang. Instead of her usual long-sleeved cotton dress she wore a cheap green evening gown with the short sleeves falling off her shoulders. A black choker was tied around her neck covering the skin in front of her pharynx. The emerald ring he had given her last Christmas sat securely on her right ring finger. Cross couldn't think of a time he'd been happier to see Sophia.

She sang:

"My Johnny was a shoemaker,

And dearly he loved me

My Johnny was a shoemaker,

But now he's gone to sea;

With nasty pitch to soil his hands

And to sail across the stormy sea,

My Johnny was a shoemaker."

Sanjiv seemed to be just as shocked as he was, which was a first. Mana's gaze, however, was not fixed on Sophia but rather the pianist. It was none other than Neah Walker. The young lord had traded his finer threads for an off-white cotton dress shirt and a pair of brown trousers. His hair was very messy, much like it had been as a child. If it were not for his handsome features, it would have been easy for the brat to pass as a normal civilian. The biggest difference in Neah's appearance, though, was the large smile on his face as his fingers danced over the keys. Cross had never seen a moment when the boy looked more like Mana.

The patrons listened intently as she sang, smiling brightly at her. Some boys around his age whistled at her. Cross had half the mind to walk over there and smack them upside the head like Rhian used to do to him. They had no business whistling at a twelve- no it had been a year- thirteen year-old girl. Sophia walked away from the performance space and weaved between the tables. Her curly black hair bounced as she moved, dancing merrily over her green skirts.

"His jacket was a deep sky blue,

And curly was his hair ,

His jacket was a deep sky blue,

It was, I do declare;

To reef the topsail now he's gone,

And to sail across the stormy sea

My Johnny was a shoemaker."

An old man in the middle of the room stood up and offered her his seat. Sophia took his hand and then hoisted herself up onto the chair, now standing a couple heads above her audience. They began to sing along during the last verse.

"And he will be a captain by and bye,

With a brave and gallant crew,

And he will be a captain by and bye,

With a sword and a spyglass too,

And when he is a captain bold,

He'll come back to marry me,

My Johnny was a shoemaker."

At the end everyone applauded loudly except for Sanjiv, Mana, and himself. Sophia hopped off the chair and returned to her spot near the piano. Neah began to play another song, this one slower. Cross began to examine the room. There was a dark hallway behind the piano from which Neah and Sophia must have entered the room. The hallway was blocked by a large beefy man with thick gray hair and an even thicker moustache. He was the kind of man Cross was sure could take on Mana, Sanjiv, and himself and still emerge victorious, mostly because Sanjiv probably wouldn't help. They would have to convince the man to let them past after the performance ended. However, that would prove extremely difficult, for the man didn't seem like the kind who would want to negotiate. There was someone else, though, who might be a bit more compliant. Cross tuned them out as the barmaid returned. He had an agenda now.

"'ere's your Romanée-Conti," she chirped. Cross felt a bit sorry for the girl, for she had obviously spent some time wrapping it up nicely for him. It was unfortunate that he would have to use her obvious infatuation with him against her.

"Thank you very much," he replied with a smile. He saw her blush. "What was your name again?"

If there was one thing that Cross had learned at the Black Order, it was that girls apparently thought he was attractive. It caused him to receive a lot of unwanted attention- such as the time with Gwendolyn- but he found it could be used to his advantage. As long as he smiled the right way or paid close enough attention to what they were saying, girls would bend over backwards trying to help him. This strategy was mostly employed as a 'Khanna Alert System'. If the exorcist was keeping tabs on him, Cross might as well know who was helping him. He now knew when the exorcist was in Headquarters, who he was talking to, exactly what was said, and where his next assignment was taking him. This system had allowed him to contact Sanjiv behind Khanna's back and plan this whole escapade to Liverpool. The exorcist would never have known about the whole incident if Mother hadn't recognized the young Bookman. He'd have to worry about that later, though.

"I-I'm Ruth," she stammered.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Ruth," he stated. "Sorry about earlier, by the ways. I wasn't expecting such a crowd, but it is a holiday weekend."

"It is very crowded," agreed Ruth. "I've 'ardly 'ad the time to sit down. Those sailors over there are causing quite a ruckus."

"That's very unfortunate," said Cross, working as much sympathy into his voice as he could. "I don't suppose that there's anything I could do to help."

"I'm afraid not," she sighed. Ruth batted her eyelids again, causing some of her heavy make-up to flake off. She began to twist a loose strand of her brown hair around a finger. "Unless you want to help me carry a keg from the back..."

He was afraid it would come to this. However, if he and the others wanted to get anywhere near Neah and Sophia they needed permission to go through the back of the pub. Cross would have to take this one for the team. "Of course," he said with a fake smile. Ruth fortunately bought it, and she moved to let him around the bar.
He returned ten minutes later with the keg, Ruth hanging on his arm. The audience applauded as Sophia finished singing the last song. Neah stood and gave a short bow before placing a hand on Sophia's back to guide her out of the main room. Mana spoke furiously in a hushed tone to Sanjiv. Cross placed the keg on the counter behind the bar, took the wine bottle from behind the counter, and then returned to his two accomplices.

"I can't believe he's here!" hissed Mana. He looked angry, but there was also a sense of relief present on his face since seeing his brother on the stage. "What the hell is he playing the piano in a barroom for?"

"That's something only he knows," responded Sanjiv. "I'd like to find out, though, for I'm sure it will make an interesting log. However, I don't think we'll be able to get past that."

Cross followed Sanjiv's gaze to the beefy man standing in front of the hall. "Don't worry about him," he stated. "I've taken care of everything already."

Ruth walked up to them. "'ere, I'll talk to Jeremiah for you," she quipped with a smile, winking at Cross.

Mana watched her in complete shock as she talked to the beefy man. He stroked his moustache for a couple moments before gesturing for them to follow him. The man pointed out a room at the end of the hall before leaving in complete silence. Ruth gave them a little wave before returning to work behind the bar. As they walked to their destination, Mana tried to catch his eye. "What did you do to that girl?" asked Mana.

"You mean Ruth," he remarked. "She was pretty easy to persuade. I told her that Sophia was your childhood sweetheart."

"What?" Mana questioned. He gave Cross a fascinated look. Apparently he wasn't angry about the lie. That was all for the better. "She really believed that?"

"Yes," he replied. "She's a bonafide romantic. Ruth will do anything to ensure that love conquers all."

"That can't have been all that you did," protested Sanjiv.

"Perhaps," said Cross. "Perhaps not."

Mana stopped in his tracks, staring intently at him. "You snogged her!" he exclaimed, pointing at Cross dramatically.

"What makes you say that?" inquired Cross. This was getting to be too much. All he wanted to do was question Neah about what the hell he was doing. Mana would never let him live it down if he found out he really had snogged Ruth.

The young Bookman seemed to be staring at the same thing. "You missed a bit of her lipstick," stated Sanjiv, pointing to a spot on his neck.

Damn her," he muttered. He took out a handkerchief and rubbed the remaining lipstick off while Mana snickered at him. The dumb brat taunted him for the rest of their walk down the hall, making Cross question whether it had truly been worth it. Ruth was an awful kisser, and that was saying something since he'd only ever kissed Gwendolyn that one time. When they reached the door at the end of the hall, Mana stopped laughing. Once he was certain that he was presentable, Cross knocked on the door.

oOo

"Come in!" called out Sophia. Cross opened the door to see her sitting at a small vanity against the opposite wall humming and brushing her hair. She couldn't see them in the mirror, so she continued brushing. It was a nice sight, much nicer than the somewhat stiff shyness he'd seen in Berlin. Sophia seemed to fit right into the shabby room with its unfinished wood floor and peeling light green paint. A tiny twin bed was pushed against the same wall as the vanity. The ramshackle table and two chairs in the middle of the floor finished off the cozy interior. "I'm afraid Nathan is in the other room, but if it's about tomorrow's performance-"

"Nathan?" questioned Mana.

"Bullshit," grumbled Cross. He had cursed many times before, but after working with only frustrated scientists for most of the year, his language was even gruffer. "Like hell his name is Nathan."

Sophia turned to look at them, eyes wide in panic. She gasped when she saw them standing there in the doorway. Before she could say anything else, though, a door in the adjacent wall opened. "Sophia, is everything alright?" asked Neah, shutting the door behind him tightly. He held a pocket knife in his right hand. When he saw them standing there, he dropped the knife. His eyes widened, too. "Cross, Sanjiv, Mana-"

Mana shoved his way past Cross and grabbed his brother by the front of his shirt. "What the hell is all of this?" he questioned. His golden eyes were narrowed and his knuckles white. Cross could see the older Walker boy's arms shaking as he tried to contain his growing frustration. "Here I was actually worried about you for once. If you were any other person you could've died in that blast, but here you are smiling and playing the piano like nothing happened! What were you thinking?"

Neah, however, did not seem intimidated by Mana's display. In fact, the boy smiled. Cross couldn't believe that the kid was even smiling as his feet dangled off the ground, his back shoved against the door. "You guys actually found me," he laughed. "I was beginning to think I'd actually have to go looking for you."

"Looking for us?" questioned Cross. "You wanted us to find you."

"Mostly you," stated Neah. "We've been working these past few months on the mainland, mostly in northern France. I was biding my time waiting to hopefully overhear where your next meeting point would be. It was difficult, for I didn't want Bookman discovering where I was or what I was doing yet. Fortunately, I ran into a bit of luck the other day when I ran into a public office to get out of the cold- I honestly don't know how you and Mana manage living like this all the time. That's when I happened across a record saying that a Mana Walker was applying for a travelling visa to Liverpool. The official Bookman stamp was next to it, so I knew that brother and Sanjiv could only be going there to meet you."

"But why would you want to find us?" interrupted Mana. "What more can you possibly have to say?"

"Well..." began Neah, "I ran away from home."

"You were the one responsible," clarified Cross.

"Yes," responded Neah.

"I thought as much," muttered Sanjiv.

"You killed a man and blew up your house," said Mana. He no longer looked furious, but he still held Neah against the wall. The older Walker looked anxiously at the younger. "Do you even think about the consequences of these things?"

"You have really high expectations of my work," commented Neah. "I did blow up the house, but I picked the man up off the street. He was dead before we even left the rally site. After that we rode off in the cart. We had to sell it outside of London, but in the end everyone was safe. Well, everyone minus the dead man."

"Good God," mumble Mana. He let go of his brother and began to walk away, running a hand through his messy bangs. Cross could see that Mana was moving quickly from brotherly anger to brotherly concern. If he was a Bookman, he might actually have been interested in this change. However, he knew Mana too well. No matter how angry the older Walker boy was, he wouldn't be able to maintain his anger against his younger brother, even if he was a jerk.

"Why the hell would you want to do that?" inquired Cross. "And why would you bring along a witness?"

"Oh, I'm not a witness," clarified Sophia. "This is the first time I've even heard about how he managed it."

"You knocked her out," remarked Sanjiv blankly.

"Guilty as charged," chimed in Neah, putting on his most charming boyish smile.

The kid was much too happy at the moment in Cross' opinion. He sauntered over to where Sophia sat and began to look at her head for any injuries she may have obtained from the kidnapping episode. "I swear if there's even one mark, Neah-" he grumbled.

"I didn't hit her," replied Neah, waving his hands in front of him. "I only used the ester in the cabinet. She was asleep the entire time."

Cross glared at the younger Walker. "That's not any better," he said.

Neah only looked at him sheepishly. Sanjiv reached into his pocket and then pulled something out. He walked over to Sophia. "I found this in the ruins of the manor," he stated. He placed her pendant in her hand. "I think you might be wanting it back now."

Sophia smiled up at him, her eyes curling like commas. "Thank you," she responded. She tied the pendant around her neck so that metal portion rested on her chest just below the crevice where her collar bones met.

Sanjiv turned around to close the door to the hallway. "I suppose you used the Ark to accomplish your feat."

"That's correct," he replied. "I haven't used it since then. It's much too risky."

"Why is it too risky?" demanded Mana, finally turning to face his brother. "Does this have anything to do with what you did already? What have you been up to these past few months?"

Neah sat down on the threadbare rug in the sparsely furnished room. "You told me to find my own side," he said to his brother, "so I did."

"You're going against the Clan?" questioned Cross. He couldn't believe that Neah, perfect little Neah, would do anything against his family. The brat had worshipped the ground that the Earl walked on and never stopped talking about how great was the might of the Noah. This was the boy who had reminded him of the horrible demise waiting him once the Clan took over and reformed the world.

"Yes," he repeated. "I'm going against the Clan."

"They don't know about this yet," stated Sanjiv. "They're out there waiting for you to come home."

"Well, I wouldn't get very far if I just went out there and waved a flag saying, 'I'm a traitor!' That's daft," snapped Neah. "I need them to trust me for a little while longer."

Cross narrowed his eyes at the boy. "Why?" he asked.

Neah took a deep breath. "I'm going to kill the Millennium Earl."

Sophia gasped. Mana turned around to face his brother. Everyone in the room stared at Neah in total silence, eyes wide. Cross could hear the patrons in the pub laughing and shouting at each other down the hall. The silence felt like it lasted forever until he finally broke it.

"You are batshit insane," decided Cross.

"Neah!" cried Sophia. "You can't just do that! He's been alive for over 7000 years!"

"I can't believe your Inner Noah is letting you do this," said Sanjiv. "I would have thought the Clan would notice your intentions by now."

"We don't agree about everything," explained Neah. "Both of us, however, want to see the Earl dead. I just have to figure out how to stop myself from trying to take over the world after he's gone."

"I told you to find your own side!" hollered Mana. He looked terrified. Cross actually thought the juggler's bulging eyes would fall out of their sockets. "I didn't mean blow up houses and plot to kill an evil overlord!"

Neah looked up at his older brother. "I don't expect you to understand, Mana," replied Neah. "I don't even expect you to follow me. If you want to, you can go along with your normal life. This is something I have to do, even if I do it alone."

"Running away is enough," pleaded Mana. He knelt down to where his brother still sat on the floor and placed his hands on Neah's shoulders. "As long as the Earl doesn't have the entire family's support, he can't do anything."

"I'm only a spare, Mana. Even if I don't support him, the war will continue to drag on as an eternal stalemate. People will die even though I could have done something to prevent it.," responded Neah. "Plus, I promised Mother that I wouldn't be like him. She was terrified of the Earl's plans in the end. I've got to do whatever I can to make sure that he doesn't achieve his goals."

"Neah-" said Sophia. It was odd to hear her call the younger Walker anything besides 'Lord Neah.' Cross supposed she'd gotten past that usual barrier after traveling with him for the last four or five months.

"I made my decision long ago," he declared. "I can't turn back now."

"Do what you want," said Cross. Everyone looked at him now. Mana's eyes pleaded with him to try and convince his fool of a younger brother to forget all of this. "I'm not going to stop you. I just want to know why the hell you were looking for me."

Neah smiled, not the usual large grin, but a small sincere one. "I can't do everything by myself," elaborated Neah. "I've already had Sophia help me with a couple things. Don't worry, for in the end they won't be able to trace it back to her or you."

"Alright," said Cross reluctantly. "Spit it out already."

"Straight to the point as always," mused Neah. "I have something that I'd like for you to do. It relates to this." He pulled out a golden ball from his pocket.

Cross looked at it, but it didn't do anything. "What is it?" he asked.

"It will be whatever you make of it," replied Neah. "All I ask is that you can make it into a communication and recording device that can move on its own- quickly, I might add. Just don't spill the contents inside out when you're working. They're vital."

"And why do you think I'm qualified to do this?" inquired Cross.

"You're a magician," stated Neah. "You make things happen that couldn't happen in normal life. I've seen what the Earl is capable of with his sorcery, so I'm certain you can pull something simple like this off."

"I'm a scientist now," said Cross. "I'm not really practicing magic right now."

"Really?" questioned Neah.

"He's with the Black Order," explained Sanjiv.

Sophia raised a hand to her mouth. Neah's smile only grew into a full grin. Cross had expected the Noah to blow him to pieces on that revelation. The grin, though, was far more nefarious. He somehow felt that he should have kept that last bit secret. "That's even better," remarked Neah. "You might be more qualified than I thought."

Cross did not like the tone in his voice. It was a tone that said the younger Walker boy was thinking, and it was never a good thing when Neah was thinking. "What are you thinking?" inquired Cross hesitantly.

"I want you to take a look at something in the other room," stated Neah.

Sophia stood up. "Neah, you can't!" she protested. "It's much too dangerous."

"You know, I have no idea what the hell she's talking about, but I'm going to agree with Sophia," quipped Mana.

"Then come with us, Sophia," said Neah. "It's just in the other room."

She shook terribly, but Sophia stood up to follow Neah into the other room. Cross knew that Neah was certain he would follow along with Sanjiv and Mana. He wondered how the hell the brat managed to plan these things ahead.

oOo

There was a little boy tied to a chair in the neighboring room. He had shaggy brown hair that seemed to stick up at every angle. His clothes were well-worn, reminding Cross of himself as a young child wandering the countryside. From all appearances, it seemed as if Neah had gotten into the kidnapping business. Rhian must have been rolling in her grave. She wanted them to be good, but here they were in a room with a bound boy.

"Neah," moaned Mana upon seeing the boy, "you can't just take kids off the street, especially not like this."

He would have felt sorry for the kid, but then he saw the glare. Now, Cross wasn't afraid of the kid, but there was something truly frightening about his grey eyes. His glare sent death wishes all around the room. "So you're finally back, you bastard," spat the kid.

Cross raised an eyebrow, impressed that the kid even had the guts to call Neah that. He knew that street rats like this kid said all kinds of things these days, but this had to take the cake. It only took a few moments, though, for him to realize that this was no ordinary street rat.

When the child's eyes turned to him they widened, then narrowed, and finally turned red. Cross had seen many strange and gruesome things while working in the science department the last year, but never had he seen something like this. Neah rushed forward, calling out to Sophia over his shoulder. One of the boy's hands turned into a pistol. It was now plainly obvious to him that the kid was an akuma. He pointed it directly at Cross and was about to fire when Sophia began to sing. The boy froze on the spot, and then began to cry.

"Stop it!" he howled. He struggled against his bonds trying to loosen his hands to cover his ears. "You're killing me, you bitch!"

The younger Walker grabbed the boy's pistol-hand and applied slight pressure. This only caused the kid to cry more. "Change it back," ordered Neah in a venomous tone. The boy did as he was told. "Now, you're not to transform, even if there are humans about. Do you understand?"

The boy refused to make eye contact with Neah.

"Do you understand?" repeated Neah. He articulated each syllable as he forced the boy's head up, locking on to his gaze.

"Yes," grumbled the boy.

Neah turned to Sophia. "You can stop now," he said. The boy's cries reduced to sniffles as Sophia ceased to sing.

"You're hiding an akuma in a pub full of people?" asked Sanjiv.

"Now you're asking for someone to die," muttered Mana. He looked at his brother with worry-filled eyes.

Cross, however, was truly curious how Neah had stopped the killing machine. From what he knew about akuma, everyone- minus Neah and perhaps Mana- in the room should be dead right now. Plus, there was the kid's reaction to Sophia's voice...

"We've got it under control for now," stated Neah. "We used to have to keep him out in the woods or in abandoned buildings, but now we're able to keep him a bit closer. It's mostly Sophia's doing. He's terrified of her."

The kid was giving her a wary eye, so it didn't take much for him to finally put two and two together. "When?" he inquired. Cross didn't even have to look at her for Sophia to know to whom he directed the question.

"I'm not certain," she began, "but I think it must have been the same time as Rory. There were two pieces of Innocence in the box."

"You're an accommodator?" questioned Mana. "I didn't see you do anything odd, though. The last one I saw was swinging metal chains around like they weighed nothing. I thought Innocence was a bit more... you know... active?"

"She's a parasitic type," elaborated Neah. He began to tighten the akuma's bonds. "It ended up nesting itself in her voice box. Sophia used to activate it accidentally when she sang religious music. It would give me these terrible headaches. After I thought about it, though, everything sort of clicked together- the headaches, her singing, the songs, the way Road hated her, and then that day in the basement..."

Neah trailed off there. Cross could see Neah, Mana, and Sophia's gazes all become cloudy as they thought about that day. He wondered if he looked the same way. Sanjiv didn't seem to understand or didn't seem to care, and Cross was willing to bet the latter.

"How did you manage to capture this one in the first place?" he questioned.

"It was on our journey out of the country," replied Neah. "I knew that for my plan to work that I'd need an akuma skeleton. Since I had been working with the Earl, I knew that he kept a bunch in Paris-"

"That was you?" asked Mana. "You almost killed a bunch of innocent people in that factory!"

"I was very careful about it," responded Neah. He rolled his golden eyes. "I waited until there were all a good twenty meters away. Then I order one of the Level One akuma to self-destruct and it set off a chain reaction. This one, however, almost got away, so I had Sophia capture it. She doesn't seem able to destroy akuma yet, so we had to bring him along."

"I wish I were dead," groaned the kid, clearly not amused at his capture.

Sanjiv scrutinized the kid with his dark eyes. "That's a Level Two akuma that you've got there."

"Now I'm absolutely certain that you're batshit crazy," said Cross. He felt Mana duck behind him for protection, but he didn't complain. Cross would have been surprised if Mana were not scared of the bloody thing after the incident with Pierrot. "What am I supposed to do about this?"

"I want you to study him," replied Neah, placing a hand on the kid's shoulder. "Find out exactly what makes this kid work: the soul binding, the akuma virus, everything."

"You're going to let this stupid human take me apart?" bellowed the boy. "I won't let you! If you even try then I will kill you!"

Everyone ignored the kid as he continued to rave. He really was an annoying brat.

Somehow Cross knew there would be something more to this. "Why would you want to know that?" he inquired cautiously.

"I want to create an accomplice to help me with my task," stated Neah. "It can't be a human since my darling family would notice in a heartbeat. An akuma, though, would go unnoticed. There's so many of them that it would take years for the Earl to notice one of them is different."

"So you need a double agent besides yourself," remarked Cross.

"Exactly," continued Neah. "I need it to willingly refuse to respond to the Earl."

"That's crazy!" shouted the kid. "Every akuma is linked closely to the Earl. You can't just break that tie!"

"Akuma are beings with tainted souls called back by the Earl with black magic," agreed Sanjiv. "I don't know anything about the magic that goes into making them, but I think it's impossible to make one go white."

"What would you want with an akuma that won't fight?" questioned Mana.

"I didn't say that it wouldn't fight," said Neah. "It just needs to be capable of choosing not to answer the Earl, even if it must self-destruct to prevent it. My idea would be for it to be able to tell me more about Dark Matter. I'm going to need to know its limits and its weaknesses if I want to defeat the Earl."

"Even if I could make an akuma that wouldn't respond to the Earl," commented Cross, "what makes you think that I'll actually go along with this crazy scheme. I don't even know your plan yet."

"That's because it's not done yet," responded Neah. He held out the golden ball to Cross. "Although I will say this: until you figure out how to turn off this kid's killer instincts, I can't let Sophia go. That means if my family does find me, they'll also find her, and let me tell you that it would drive Road over the edge."

Cross gritted his teeth. "God damn you, Neah Walker," he muttered. There was nothing else he could do if he didn't want Sophia to become more involved besides to go along with whatever scheme he had in mind. He snatched the golden ball out of the younger Walker's hand, causing the brat to grin. Mana looked at him in disbelief.

"I'm glad we were able to reach this understanding," he chirped.

"You're going to have to move closer to Rome if you want my help," grumbled Cross. "The Black Order has me on a pretty tight leash."

"That's fine," replied Neah. "I'm sure the weather down there is much better anyhow."

"This should prove interesting," said Sanjiv. "I may have to start a new log for this one."

Mana began to shake. "You're all lunatics!" he shouted. His entire body was tense as started to pace.

"That's what I said earlier," huffed the child akuma, blowing a brown lock out of his face.

"I can't believe you're all actually going along with this!" yelled Mana. He was practically pulling his hair out. "Actively seeking to exterminate the Earl, rewiring akuma, moving to Italy... How are any of you okay with this? You'll be killed as soon as the Earl gets wind of this!"

Sophia looked up at Mana. "It's okay with me," she said, smiling at the older Walker sweetly. Mana stopped his pacing to look at her. "If it wasn't for Neah's plan, I would have been dead a long time ago. Now that I know that I have this gift, what else can I do but help in whatever way I can? As long as Neah and... well, Cross want to go along with this, then I will, too."

Cross could see her shaking terribly as she declared her loyalty to Neah's sure-to-fail plan. He placed his free hand on her back to steady her. Mana looked at all of them in despair. He finally stopped his pacing and looked down at his feet in defeat.

"There's nothing that I can say to make you change your minds," he sighed.

"I'm afraid not."

"Sorry."

"Nope."

"It's my duty."

Mana ran a hand through his bangs. "Well then I hope that you guys rent a place with room for four-"

Neah walked up and hugged his brother. Cross supposed it was a sweet moment, even if certain death was hanging above them. "You'll really come?" asked Neah, his voice muffled because of the hug.

"I promised, didn't I?" responded Mana. "What else can I do?"

The akuma child rolled his eyes. "Great," he muttered. "Now I have to deal with more of you stinking humans."

Hooray! Together at last! Our little band is now together… well, I don't know if Bookmen count. XD We'll have to see how they all make this work. A semi-exorcist, a Bookman, a Noah, a sort-of-Noah/circus performer, and an akuma all in one house. This can only lead to disaster… Please review! Feel free to PM me with any questions!

Extra Note: I went back and fixed the spacing on this one. It's still a bit out of sync, but it should be easier to read now. Sorry I didn't notice it before!