Ah! I am in a rush right now, for I'm going on a trip this coming week (luckily this time I'll have internet access!). I'm hoping to get two chapters done this week, though the second one probably won't go up until the latter part of next week. Thanks to ThorongilAnime for the review and adding the story to her favorite's list. Thanks also go to Guest.
Last of all, I must give a big thank you to the Polka-Dotted Sock who (last chapter) agreed to be my beta reader for the rest of the story. I am forever in her debt!
Disclaimer: D. Gray-man und die Charakteren gehören Katsura Hoshino... yeah, I've run out of ideas for disclaimers.
Part Seventeen: Recordare
"Provide me a place among the sheep,
and separate me from the goats,
guiding me to Your right hand."
Mozart's Requiem
After five months of loose cotton shirts, it felt odd to be wearing a starched dress-shirt and a bow tie. It was necessary, though, for him to maintain some sort of appearance with the family. Neah would just have to tolerate this visit so that he could continue to stay away from home. He doubted that his family would be as understanding if he didn't grace them with his presence every now and then.
It had been Cross' idea for him to go today. He hadn't given them an RSVP for the occasion, so he'd catch them off guard. That would give him the power over the situation so that he could get what he wanted: time and as little money if possible.
Just as he- well, he and the others- planned, his appearance caused a great shock to everyone at the dinner table. Road looked just about ready to jump out of her seat and run over to him, but she remained seated. Neah wasn't sure if it was because of her dignity or the large navy silk dress she wore. Uncle Adam was in his Millennium Earl form, grinning at him from the end of the table.
"Ah, Neah," he said. An akuma maid placed a chair at an empty spot by the Earl's right hand. "It's been too long. Why don't you take a seat?"
"Thank you," he replied with a courteous bow. Neah took his place next to the Earl. As soon as the first course, a light vegetable soup, was set on the table, the questioning began.
"We were so worried about you Neah," drawled Uncle Sheril. He blew lightly on his soup. "I thought Road would wither away before you returned. She has been pining for you this entire time. Whatever were you up to?"
"You were so cryptic in all of your messages," sniffed Uncle Jasdero.
"I was starting to think that you were doing it on purpose," added Uncle Devit.
Neah focused on bringing his soup spoon up to his mouth. His family waited and stard at him intently as he swallowed. "Well, I couldn't exactly send long telegraphs," he responded. "I didn't have time to grab any coins, so I only had the change in my pockets. You have to pay per letter when you use a public telegraph machine."
"Really?" inquired Uncle Maitora.
"How dreadful!" remarked Aunt Lulubell. She dabbed at her full red lips with her napkin. "I don't know if I could survive with only the change I keep in my purse. How did you do it, Neah?"
He then told a completely fabricated story of living on the streets and dodging anarchists. His family was fascinated, thus distracting them for through the appetizer, entrée, and cheese courses. By the end of his tall tale, they were applauding him for his bravery and his aptitude. They laughed over how disgusting the life of an average human being really was and how easy it would be to crush them all. Neah had to remind himself not to smirk. None of them really knew anything about the real world. His family was a group of gullible idiots just like any other noble family. If they were not immortal, then an average human being could probably have taken at least five of them down in twenty minutes. Of course, he'd never tell them that.
Uncle Tykki sloshed wine around in his glass. "Did you dispose of those anarchists yet?" questioned his uncle. "It really is unacceptable for them to be running about thinking they've outwitted us."
This next part would be the trickiest. Thankfully, Uncle Devit spilled his wine glass close to Aunt Lulubell's new custom-made dress from France. He had some time to think while she gave Uncle Devit a piece of her mind and an akuma maid cleaned up the offending beverage.
"I've traced them back to their hideout," he stated. "I wanted to obtain permission from the Earl before disposing of them."
The Earl grinned at him like always. "If that is what you want, then I won't stop you," the man chuckled. "Make sure you remain unseen, though. After all, to everyone else in the world you are dead."
"Right," he replied. "I've also discovered that they're only a small satellite of their group. If at all possible, I'd like to take care of the entire organization at once, that way they shall not make a fool of us again."
Everyone at the table nodded in agreement. "It seems like Neah has a personal vendetta," laughed Uncle Fiidora. His uncle had no idea how correct he was in assumption, excluding the fact that his vendetta had nothing to do with anarchists.
"It's only in his nature," remarked Uncle Tykki.
"You'll have a great time!" boomed Uncle Skinn. He swung his arms out, knocking over the akuma maid behind him as well as his dessert. His uncle glared at the maid and grumbled about how useless she was, all the while crushing his spoon in his fist.
"I'll permit it," said the Earl, taking a huge spoonful of pudding out of the dish placed in front of him. "It will be good practice for the next stage of the war. Although, do try to keep in touch this time, Neah. I'm anxious to hear about how it all pans out. Before you leave I'll even give you twenty pounds to start you on your way. I don't want to put a damper on your resourcefulness."
Neah smiled at the Earl, but felt a bit defeated. It appeared that his uncle intended to keep a bit of control over him by using his money. He had hoped that perhaps his Uncle Cyrus would have control over his account, but then again his mother had married Lord Adam Walker. There wouldn't be a dime to his name until the Earl was gone, which was the entire reason he needed the money in the first place. The only chance he had at seeing any money would be if Uncle Cyrus was dead and had left him money. That was a very morbid thought, and he didn't wish it. Plus, he wasn't certain he'd be given control over the account since he was only fifteen.
"Thank you," he responded. "I will not disappoint you all."
"When do you plan to leave, Neah?" asked Uncle Sheril. His uncle glanced at Road out of the corner of his eye.
Neah would just have to let him down. "I'm leaving as soon as dinner is over, dear uncle," he replied. "There's not a moment to lose. I do want to get back as soon as possible to help the Earl."
"Yes," seethed Uncle Sheril. If he were as strong as Uncle Skinn, he might have bent his spoon at this point, as well. "Do hurry."
"Well then, we won't keep you," announced the Earl. He held his glass aloft. "I propose a toast! To Neah: may your journey be successful and end in victory!"
"To Neah!" called out everyone else at the table. They didn't notice that he did not take a sip from his wine after the toast.
He ate his pudding as neatly and quickly as possible. As soon as he was done, he washed it down with a sip of water. Neah stood, bowed to the Earl, and then headed towards the door.
"Neah!" cried out Road. He noted that this was the first time that she had spoken the whole meal. That was certainly one to go down in the record books. "Aren't you-"
He sent a wave over his shoulder. "Until next time," he said. Neah didn't have to look back to know there was a look of utter despair on his cousin's face. He was certain he heard the rest of the family chuckling behind their napkins.
oOo
It was amazing that he'd even made it outside of Headquarters. Cross hadn't really obtained permission to leave the building, but he wasn't needed in the laboratory at the moment. He didn't think anyone would be missing him for a while, so it was time for him to make a little break for it. The most impressive part was that a certain exorcist he'd rather not be thinking about hadn't noticed him sneak out.
Cross really had not gotten a chance to appreciate the beauty of the papal city since arriving there a little less than a year ago. The large piazzas, the cathedrals, and the fountains all brought the images of long lost grandeur to his mind. It was also sobering to remember just how much power the Vatican once and still held. However, he didn't really have time to appreciate the architecture. He had a house call to make.
The first thing he noticed upon leaving the center of the city was that not everything in Rome was as beautiful as many people would think. Just like every other big city he had seen in his travels, there were the dirty parts hidden in the back streets. The farther out he travelled, the narrower and dingier the streets become. Houses were built closer and closer together with laundry hanging almost low enough to hit him in the face. He almost stepped on a dead cat on the side of the road while avoiding a group of children playing in the dirty gutter water. Cross decided to be more careful about where he was stepping.
Finally he reached the outer limits of the city. It was here past the Jewish Ghetto on the Tibur River that he stopped at a tiny rowhouse under a bridge. The entire block appeared to not have been renovated since perhaps the Middle Ages, and hardly anyone in their right mind would live here by choice. Most of the residents of this neighborhood were the very poor who had lived here for generations. This house, however, wasn't occupied by one of those families.
He was unfortunate enough to have Mana answer the door. "Cross!" exclaimed the raven-haired boy. Mana walked out in the perfect impression of an old grandmother, hugged him, and attempted to kiss him on the cheek. Cross, of course, swatted the boy away.
"Get the hell off me, Mana!" he hissed. The people on the street looked at them funnily, so he grabbed Mana by the elbow and pulled him back inside.
Mana gave him a little tour of the main room. It was pretty cramped, but they'd managed to fit six chairs around a circular table, as well as a small writing desk and a sofa. Mana proudly proclaimed how he had stolen the sofa out of a pile of trash at a junk yard. Somehow, Cross wasn't surprised, for the miserable excuse for a piece of furniture had several springs sticking out of the thin upholstery. He bent down and performed a couple spells that would allow people to sit on it without having their buttocks punctured. It also appeared as if they had made some progress in unpacking. Then again, they didn't really have anything to unpack. Neah and Sophia only had a couple pairs of clothing and a violin, so Cross had been forced to withdraw some money to buy them some proper winter clothing. He couldn't believe that Neah had left without thinking to take coats for the two of them.
"I tried to make the explosion as authentic as possible," he had said with a shrug of his shoulders as he wrapped a new scarf around his neck. "People don't flee exploding houses in the middle of August thinking that they should take a coat with them in case the weather turns sour."
Because of that brat, he was now broke. First it had been the clothing, then they needed a security deposit for the row house otherwise the landlady would kick them out, and then they were going hungry… the list went on and on and they'd only been there for about a week. Sure, his only expense was for food from the cafeteria in Headquarters, but it had been nice to have at least a little bit of security in case he ever did get fired. Of course, Khanna would probably lock him up in jail if he ever got fired.
Sophia came out from one of the back rooms, the akuma following her at a distance. He grumbled as he held a bucket of water, complaining that the little tin pan was too heavy. She smiled when she saw him. "You made it," she chirped. She came over and gave him a hug. "We were starting to think the Order would never let you go outside."
"Well, we had all these mandatory masses to attend for the past week," he replied. He'd heard enough chanting to last him a lifetime now. Cross thought back on a history book he'd once read, and how some people used to go to church every day. If all church services were as long as a Christmas Mass, it was no wonder some of the less devout humans chose to work for the Earl instead. "I don't have much time right now, though, so I had better get to work."
The akuma glared at him and held the bucket tighter. "Actually, I think I'm getting stronger," he stated, trying to side-step his way out of the room. "I'll just help Sophia."
"Sit down," ordered Cross, gesturing to the one chair in the room. He pulled on a pair of thick medical gloves. Cross felt it was best not to take any chances with the virus.
The kid looked at the front door behind Cross and then the stairs to his left. He made a dash for the stairs, so Cross jumped in front of them. Then the kid changed directions and ran for the door. Cross looked to Mana for help, but the juggler didn't seem to want to go near the akuma if at all possible. Thankfully, Sophia began to hum under her breath, making the kid stop in his tracks. He slung the kid over one shoulder and carried him to the chair.
Once he'd placed the kid down, Cross reached for the bag he'd brought with him. He extracted a syringe with a large needle. The akuma visibly paled. "What are you d-doing?" he asked.
"I want to take out some of the virus in your system," responded Cross. "We have some dry samples back in the Science Division at Headquarters, but none of them have really been useful. I'm hypothesizing that the poison runs through your body like blood, and in that case there will be traces of other things, too. For example, I may find particles that relate to your power source-"
"Wow," interrupted Mana. He leaned against the wall closest to the oven. "Hasn't Cross become a smarty-pants? I knew that you liked to read, but now you're whipping out the big boy words, too."
"Shut up, Mana," sneered Cross. Despite using one of his more threatening tones, Mana still laughed at him. There was no winning against the juggler's bizarre sense of humor. Cross decided to ignore Mana's laughter and continue with his little side project.
A knock came from the door, causing Cross to almost jab the needle through the akuma's entire arm. The kid drew back in fright, though Cross wasn't sure if it was because of the knock or the near accident. Mana picked up a dirty frying pan ready to swing it at any intruders. Sophia went to answer the door. It was only Neah and Sanjiv. Neah was still wearing a pair of clothes he must have gotten from the Ark, for they were much fancier than the cotton shirt and pants he had been wearing back in Britain. Sanjiv carried a leather rucksack on his back that held several books and a few scrolls. The young Bookman placed them on the desk. Cross hoped that Sanjiv wouldn't be living here. It was bad enough that an akuma, a Noah, an ex-Noah, and a rogue exorcist were all sharing this tiny house. Naturally, they should all be enemies (well, except for the akuma and Neah, although the boy wasn't fond of the Noah of Destruction), so Cross felt this was a very unsteady peace. Adding a Bookman would be pushing their luck.
"So you finally came around, Cross," said Neah as he unceremoniously threw his damp coat over the back of an empty chair. Sophia winced at the sloshing sound it made when it hit the recently cleaned floor.
"Bastard," muttered the kid. Neah seemed to notice his mistake then, and he moved to hang up his own coat before Sophia did it for him.
"Sorry I'm still alive," replied Cross dryly. He stuck the needle in the akuma's arm. The kid didn't even seem to notice since he was too preoccupied with glaring at Neah. "I hate to disappoint you."
"Cheeky," stated Neah as a concentrated on removing his gloves.
"How was the dinner?" inquired Sophia. They all looked around a little awkwardly. It was a topic they knew that Neah didn't want to address, and Mana didn't want to hear about. Unfortunately, though, it was necessary that they talk about it.
"It could have been worse," started Neah. "It was pretty stiff compared to past dinners. Everyone has taken to calling the Earl by his title. I was able to give them a satisfactory explanation for my brief disappearance and they full heartedly- well, at least the Earl did- gave their support for my 'revenge seeking.' I didn't even have to speak to Road, which was a nice change. Now I have at least two weeks before I must report again."
"That's good," sighed Mana, twirling the frying pan in his hands. His anxious face cleared into an easy smile. "That gives us a lot of time to get settled here."
"What about you, Sanjiv?" questioned Sophia. She picked up the pail of water and set it down in the kitchen.
"Neah sort of borrowed me from right under Bookman's nose," said Sanjiv as he sorted through his tomes. "He waited until the old geezer went out to smoke, and then opened an Ark gateway. The other Noah were out at the moment, so there was no one there to follow us."
"That's fine and dandy," stated Cross as he removed the needle from the akuma's arm. He carefully emptied the syringe into a phial, wrapped the sample up, and then placed it into his bag. The kid didn't even notice what had happened until he saw Cross cleaning and wrapping the puncture mark. He disposed of the syringe and his gloves in a small waste disposal bin he'd brought with him. The akuma looked at his arm in shock. "Were you able to get money for next month's rent, though?"
"You see-" began Neah. He didn't even have to finish, for everyone was already groaning.
"You're a lord!" moaned Cross. "I thought getting money would be easy!"
"I'm an underage lord," explained Neah. He looked like he was going to say something but then changed his mind. Something about the next part wasn't so convincing to Cross. He'd have to question Neah about it later. "I don't gain control of the estate until I turn sixteen next year."
"Well what do we do until then?" inquired Sophia. She took a seat to the left of Cross. "I know that Mana, you, and I can find work in the city, but will that be enough?"
Mana got an evil glint in his eyes. "We'll just have to prostitute somebody," he decided. Neah, Cross, and Sophia looked at him in utter disbelief. Sanjiv raised both of his eyebrows. "It's the only way. Sorry, kid."
The akuma seemed to realize whom Mana was talking about and stood up on his chair. "HEY!" he shouted. "There's no way in hell that I'm becoming someone's plaything!"
"Mana," said Cross, rolling his eyes as he secured the lid on the waste disposal bin. "This is the papal city, and prostitution is illegal. If you want to prostitute somebody so badly, then prostitute yourself."
Mana waved his hands in front of him. "Oh, nobody would want me," he stated. "I may have dashing good looks, but I'm nowhere as good looking as my dear brother. What do you say, Neah?"
"Hell no," responded the younger Walker. "I'd rather beg."
"That's too bad," tittered Mana. He walked around the table to come closer to the desk. "I suppose prostitution is against the Bookman credo, right Sanjiv?"
Sanjiv didn't even deign Mana with a response. Cross presumed that that meant absolutely not. He was kind of hoping that Sanjiv would flip out and start throwing books at Neah, but that was not the case. Apparently the stoic nature of a Bookman could not be broken for personal reasons.
"I thought prostitutes were all women anyhow," grumbled Neah. Sophia seemed to suddenly realize she was the only woman in the room, causing her to begin shaking. Between Cross hitting him across the face and Mana pulling the chair out from under his brother, the younger Walker soon found himself at the mercy of his two older 'friends.'
"Absolutely not," snapped Cross. "Just because Sophia worked in your fancy old house doesn't mean that she has sell herself on the streets for you now."
"Hey, I didn't even suggest it!" retorted Neah. There was a look of complete shock on his face. The young Noah had not expected such a backlash.
"Plus she's very much underage," stated Mana. He held up his right pointer finger like a scolding school master.
"You're the one who suggested using the kid!" shouted Neah. "How do you have any right to say that?"
"I didn't actually mean it," sniffed Mana. He rolled his eyes to maximize the effect of knowing something that Neah did not.
The akuma child snickered, "I can't believe you thought that all prostitutes are girls."
Neah's face turned very red to match Cross' handprint. Sophia put a hand on the countertop behind her so that she could steady herself. "I-I think we'll be fine with everyone taking up odd jobs," she stuttered. Everyone nodded in silent agreement. Cross was glad that no one had brought his name up. If they had, then he surely would have decked them.
"Plus, you wouldn't want anyone finding out that Sophia is an accommodator," added Sanjiv. "From the little I know, parasitic accommodators generally have some kind of mark on their body identifying themselves as such."
"That's right," chimed in Mana. His eyes got a faraway look in them. "Rory had a little green cross on the back of his left hand. Do you have one of those, Sophia? You don't have to tell me though, if it's too personal."
Sophia untied the black choker around her neck. Cross almost smacked his forehead, now understanding why she always wore the choker. He couldn't fathom why he hadn't noticed the green cross all those years ago. She must have hidden it under high dress collars and now this choker for years. Soon he realized that everyone in the room was staring at the green cross as if enchanted, even the akuma kid.
"It's not too personal at all, Mana," she responded. "I just receive a lot of questions about the choker at times, though I think people come to accept it."
"Does it… hurt?" asked the juggler, his wide golden eyes reflecting the subtle green cross.
"Not usually," she said. "I did have a sore throat for a few days, though, after Neah attacked the factory in Paris. I think I overexerted myself, so I'll have to be careful next time."
Cross decided to use the akuma child's preoccupation once again. Using just a little bit of magic he made one of the kid's bullets drop out of his right ear. The kid shook his head head, waking from his momentary trance. "How did you do that?" he inquired.
"Magic," replied Cross simply. He used a pair of tweezers to pick up the bullet and place it into an empty tin can.
"Yeah right," snorted the kid.
"Oh but he did," stated Mana. The evil grin was now plastered across his face again. "Cross might be an amateur scientist right now, but he's a damn good magician. If he really wanted to, he could make you disappear off this plain of existence."
"Sure," responded the kid. Cross could see a bit of what looked like fear in the akuma's eyes. Perhaps akuma really could be afraid of something besides the exorcists and Innocence.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" exclaimed Neah. He walked back over to his coat and pulled out several pieces of paper. "I got these from the Earl today at dinner. They're new plans that he wanted me to look over."
"Well then, let's see them," replied Cross. It would be to all their advantage if they knew the Earl's plans ahead of time. That way they could either mess them up ahead of time or at least be prepared.
Neah spread the papers across the table, smoothing out the creases. Cross stood up from his spot next to the akuma child to get a better look. There were several sketches on the first sheet and at least two pages of calculations to go with them. The others also drew closer to the table so that they could read the plans. Mana's eyes became wide as he picked up a sheet across the table from Cross. "These are plans for a Level Three akuma!" he cried out. He dropped the paper back on the table.
"It appears so," stated Sanjiv. "The only question is if it's really possible."
"It seems like there hasn't been any success stories yet," sighed Neah. "The Earl generally uses a replacement spell to switch a Level One akuma to a Level Two form. I'm not certain why he has to do it, although they tend to explode if he doesn't."
"Akuma at their basic roots are machines," explained Cross. He saw the kid frown out of the corner of his eye. "Machines wear out over time. Considering everything that an akuma does, I'd expect that they need to have parts replaced quite frequently. Now these parts may not be suitable for a Level Two akuma. Since a Level Two akuma is more powerful it's quite likely the Level One skeleton cannot contain its power."
"So if I become more powerful, I'm going to explode?" asked the kid.
"It seems so," responded Cross.
"Great," groaned the kid. He leaned back into his chair and crossed his arms. "Just great."
"These equations look all wrong," remarked Neah. "I don't recognize these symbols."
Cross looked at the page the young Noah held. "Thos are magic symbols," he commented. "Looks like it involves some pretty advanced sorcery."
"I guess that's why he has all those Skulls hanging about in his laboratory," said Neah.
"Skulls?" inquired Sophia. Her face now matched Mana's frightened expression.
"I don't mean bones," clarified Neah. He picked up a blank sheet of paper from the desk and quickly sketched something. When he placed it in the middle of the table, all Cross saw were misshapen squiggles. "They look something like that."
"So they look like a vulture crossed with a lion," stated Mana.
Neah glared at his older brother. "No they're not!" he insisted. "That's its skull head and the big overcoat they wear."
Cross concluded that Neah couldn't draw for shit. Before the tension between the brothers could build up again, Sanjiv walked over to the desk and pulled a leather notebook out of his bag. He flipped to a page somewhere in the middle and put it on top of Neah's drawing. "Here," said the young Bookman. "That is a Skull."
It was a much better drawing. The Skull did indeed have a skull for a head and what had been a mane on Neah's drawing turned out to be a fur-trimmed coat. It was a rather frightening looking creature but not nearly as bad as the Millennium Earl. There was something written next to it in a language that Cross could not understand. He supposed it was either a secret Bookman script or, less likely, Sanjiv's native tongue, whatever that might have been. After everyone had gotten a good look at it, Sanjiv closed the log and returned it to the bag.
"Skulls work as sorcerers for the Earl," elaborated Sanjiv. "They're mostly involved in the process of making akuma skeletons."
"I guess working with this kid is right up your alley then, eh Cross?" commented Mana. He winked at him, and Cross felt his eye twitch.
"Well, all I know is that we do not want him making any of these just yet," stated Neah. He began to shuffle through the papers until his gaze zoned in on one. "It appears that he's obtaining some of the parts from a factory in southern Italy. If we can take that out, then that should slow him down for a while."
"Wouldn't it be a bit too obvious?" questioned Cross. "You just destroyed that one in France. One time is an accident, but twice becomes a coincidence. That's when people start to become suspicious."
"Well what else can we do?" demanded Neah. He began walking in circle around the room. "I can't let the Earl get ahead, so I've got to do everything that I can to slow him down! If he actually succeeds in making a Level Three akuma, then what's not to say that he'll keep going? You don't understand him like I do, Git."
"Don't call me 'Git,'" seethed Cross. He was sorely tempted to throw the hazardous waste bin at Neah, but there was too much of a risk of hitting the others in the process. If only the brat would keep still…
"We should do something," said Sophia. Cross couldn't believe she was saying this. Neah gave him a very smug look. "Cross is right, though, Neah. You can't just go barging in like the last time. You'll have to make it look like it was connected to somebody else."
"Well then who?" asked Neah. His face now had a sour look after hearing he'd have to actually wait. "If 'accidents' are too suspicious then I guess 'anarchists' are out, too."
"There's the Cosa Nostra in Sicily," remarked Sanjiv. He finished straightening out his books on the desk and then took at seat at the table.
"Who?" inquired Neah. He looked at Sanjiv, but the young Bookman gave no inclination that he'd fully explain the term Cosa Nostra.
"Oh, yeah!" exclaimed Mana. He crossed his hands behind his head. "There's a bunch of thugs down in the south that pretty much run the black market. They're a nasty group of fellows. They beat me up one time because one guy's daughter tried to run away to the circus I was in at the moment."
"Somehow I'm not surprised," stated Cross, shaking his head. "I'm not sure it's a good idea to get those guys involved. They may be crooks, but they shouldn't have to take the fall for your actions, Neah."
Neah stood there in thought for a moment. "I guess you're right," he agreed. There was still a look of determination in his eyes. "Still, it can't hurt to see if there is any animosity between them and the owner of the factory."
"Fine," said Cross. He walked over to where his bag sat and picked it up. "Just don't do anything brash and stupid."
"Why would I do that?" questioned Neah innocently.
Cross jerked a thumb at his brother. "You're related to that one, and if you haven't figured it out yet, he's the king of brash and stupid," replied Cross. Mana stuck his tongue out at him. Neah eyed his brother warily, as if he were seeing him in a new light. "I have to get back to Headquarters before Khanna realizes that I'm gone. Good night."
"Thank goodness we're done!" cheered the kid. He hopped out of the chair and started to run up the stairs. "I hope you get caught!"
"Very funny," responded Cross. He turned to address the others. "I'm going to test the poison for any signs of metal corrosion. It should tell us how advanced of a Level Two he is. We don't want him to self-destruct on us. See if you can get me any more blueprints on akuma. I want to see what kind of controls they are using. There's a chance I could turn off basic mission plan."
"Right," stated Neah. He stood up from the table. "I'm going to change and then check on the kid. Until next time, Cross."
"Don't forget that I must return to Paris tonight," commented Sanjiv. He picked up his bag. "I don't think the old geezer will let me out of his sight ever again if I'm not back soon."
Mana walked over to Sanjiv and flung an arm around his shoulder. "But there's a spare room just for you!" exclaimed the juggler. "Come on, Sanjiv."
The young Bookman pushed Mana's arm off of him and moved to stand as far away from the older Walker as possible. Mana started to pout. Neah fixed his brother into a peculiar stare and then turned to address Sanjiv.
"I'll be back down in ten minutes," said Neah. He began to climb the stairs. "Be ready to go then."
Cross threw his coat on and opened the door. He could see a light rain falling, so he pulled the hood of his coat up. It was really about time that he started looking for a hat. Sophia waved at him as he left. "Be careful!" she called.
"I think I'm plenty safe," he called back. Already he could hear Mana starting to bother Sanjiv once again. "It's all of you together in this house that I'm worried about."
This chapter was a lot of fun to write. Thanks to ilikedan for the inspiration about the prostitute part. XD It just ended up fitting there. I also want to thank her for giving shout out to this story in the latest chapter of Another Side. You guys should really check it out, for it's a wonderful read. The basic premise is that like this story it chronicles the plight of Neah, Cross, Maria, and ilikedan's OC Lizzy who I adore. It's in the final arc, so check it out now before it is over (or check it out then too because it will still be good XD)!
This is the first of several chapters that will contain multiple points of view. Generally, the point of view will change whenever you see the section break symbol (oOo). Please review!