Time to get started on a new chapter! This chapter has been in the works for a while, so I'm excited to start working on it. Thanks to Guest, WillowC1, and ilikedan for reviewing. The feedback really means a lot!
Dobby's Imaginary Sock
Disclaimer: I'm not nearly imaginative enough to think of SPOILERS! (Don't worry, there are none in this chapter.)
Part Twenty: In Paradisum
"At your coming
May martyrs receive you,
And may they lead you
Into the Holy City, Jerusalem."
On one rare day when Cross actually managed to escape Khanna's training regimen, he snuck out of Headquarters with his equipment and the Thing in tow. He'd made very little progress on its function so far, mostly because of his schedule at the Order and Khanna's nagging. Today, though, the exorcist was away on a mission for the first time in a month. That meant that he could not only work on the replay device for the Thing, but he could also freely go outside. Cross had to tuck the Thing further down into his bag because it kept trying to escape. He regretted giving him stubby little legs, for now the Thing was always trying to waddle off somewhere. It was as bad as having a toddler like Barba around, and the Thing wasn't even technically living. Giving him wings would probably make the situation even worse, but Neah had said he wanted the Thing to be able to fly.
When he arrived at the house, though, he realized that he wouldn't be getting much work done. Even outside Cross could hear the shouting of at least two if not three people. The akuma kid was on the upper floor looking out an open window. He gave Cross a half-hearted wave and left his perch. Moments later the kid opened the door. The others were standing in the kitchen. Neah and Mana looked like they were about to lunge at each other's throats. Sophia stood on a chair not far from them yelling at the two brothers to knock it off. Sanjiv sat at the desk reading a book, not paying attention- or maybe he was in his own Bookman way- to the drama unfolding in front of him. The akuma kid sat down in an empty corner looking very bored.
"I can't believe that you forget!" hollered Mana. He ran a hand through his messy bangs. "I asked you to do one thing! Just one thing!"
"Well I'm sorry!" spat Neah. "Perhaps if somebody else could run people across the Ark- oh wait- no one else can! Can't you see I have thousands of other things to think about so why would paying the rent be at the top?!"
"But I told you five times yesterday!" bellowed Mana.
"Yesterday was two days ago for me because Road insisted that I must meet her in Quebec for lunch the other day!" seethed Neah. He stood on his toes to be at eye level with his brother. "I had to live a 48 hour day because of her and I have yet to sleep, so excuse me if I forget to pay the bills once!"
"Stop it you two!" Sophia shouted at them. They didn't seem to be paying her much attention, for they were too absorbed in their shouting match. "This wouldn't be a problem if you'd just trust me for once! I'm just as capable as you are to walk four blocks to the landlady's house to pay the rent! You won't let me do this because I'm a girl, is that right?! I may be little, but I have better chances then the both of you against any of the Earl's accomplices! Stop thinking that I'm weak!"
Cross set down his bag and slammed the door. The three bickering teenagers stopped to look over at him. "I could hear you all from the end of the block, you know," he said.
Sophia hopped off of the chair, her cheeks flushed pink in embarrassment. "Sorry," she muttered.
Cross took the envelope that Mana held in his fist and handed it to her. "Are you sure you know the way?" he asked.
"I'm positive," she stated. Sophia opened the door and ran off to the landlady's house, her eyes alight in excitement.
He then turned to the Walker brothers. "Did you two pay the other bills, Mana?" he inquired. "I know that I told Neah about them yesterday when he snuck into my room to leave that obnoxious note."
"It wasn't obnoxious!" retorted Neah.
Mana began pushing his pointer fingers against each other, a cheeky grin plastered on his face. "Well… you see… between the rent and shopping for groceries…"
"Not to mention buying Sanjiv more ink since the kid spilled his last bottle…" added Neah. He also grinned at Cross.
"Sorry," apologized the kid. "How was I to see it behind that pile of sheets Sophia had me carrying?"
"Oh yeah, we had to replace those sheets, too," mumbled Neah.
"We, uh, don't have enough money for the rest of the bills," admitted Mana. He laughed nervously.
Cross groaned. Every single damn month this day would come, and they would be short on money. He had picked up the rest of the bills the last three months, but this was his limit. Neah opened his mouth to obviously ask for some money, but Cross cut him off. "I don't have any right now," he said, "and I'm not walking back through the city to make a trip to the bank. I came here to work, so why don't you two go out and do the same."
Mana began running up the stairs. "That sounds like a good idea to me," he called over his shoulder. "Do you want to come with me, Neah? Some background music might make the performance more interesting to the audience."
Neah sauntered over to the base of the stairs. "Fine," he sighed. "Can you grab my violin while you're up there?"
"No problem!" replied the older Walker.
Cross set the Thing down on the table, and he immediately tried to crawl off of it. The kid came over and caught the Thing before he hit the ground. He set the Thing on his head and began to run around the room with his arms extended like some sort of bird.
"Did you finish running the tests on him?" questioned Neah quietly.
"I was able to identify thirty kind of metal from both the bullet and the blood sample," answered Cross. "The virus is a lot trickier. So far the only known substance that can overcome it is Innocence, but I'd have to know more about what makes up Innocence to make more progress."
Neah huffed and looked at the kid. "The kid doesn't seem as violent as the last time you worked with him," said Neah. "When are you getting back to that?"
Cross hadn't thought much about that project. He'd been too busy with his work at the Order and the Thing to think much about it beyond running the tests on the samples. "Soon, I guess," he responded. He also looked at the kid running around with the Thing on his head. "I don't exactly have a curfew today, so maybe now is the time to do it."
"But Sophia isn't back yet," argued Neah, frowning slightly. "The kid might blow up this whole place if you don't have Sophia around to stop him."
"I think I have a bargaining chip," commented Cross, tilting his head towards the Thing. Neah raised both eyebrows and then smirked.
The kid noticed that they were looking at him and scowled. "What do you want?" he asked grumpily.
"I was wondering if you'd let me look at some of your controls if I let you play with the Thing," remarked Cross.
The kid looked like he was going to say no, but then he stopped to contemplate it. "How long?" he inquired.
"Well, I'm only planning on making some basic observations, so that will only take about half an hour to an hour," replied Cross. He pulled out the camera he planned to install in the Thing. "I still need to work on the recording device, so you can play with him until I'm certain that the camera works. This will probably take me the rest of the day."
The kid thought about it for a few more minutes. "Okay," he agreed.
Cross pulled out a chair for the kid to sit in. Before the kid sat down Neah turned him around to face him. "If you try anything funny-"
"Why would I do that?" questioned the kid. He let an innocent smile grace his face. "This city is crawling with Innocence and exorcists. I'd be committing suicide if I tried to escape or kill anyone."
Neah let go of the kid and went to fetch his coat. Mana ran down the stairs dressed in a ridiculously flamboyant outfit. Sanjiv raised an eyebrow as he looked at the polka-dotted waistcoat. The kid snickered while Neah became red in the face. Cross hoped that he'd never looked that stupid in any of his magician costumes. "What are you wearing?" questioned Neah.
"Well, since we're hiding from the Earl, I thought I'd try something more subtle," explained Mana.
"That is anything but subtle," stated Cross.
"It's more subtle than my own face," argued Mana. He waved his hand in front of his face. "I don't think he'd take a second look at some street clown, so I decided to give it a try. Rhian might have given Cross and me protection, but you, dear brother, are still detectable. I'm not taking any chances."
"Whatever," muttered Neah. He pushed his brother out the door. "Let's go. Cross, keep an eye out for Sophia. If she doesn't come back in the next fifteen minutes-"
"You're such a worrywart, Neah," groaned Mana as he smeared some grease paint onto his face. "I'm sure Cross knows what to do if Sophia doesn't come back soon. Now let's go. See you later, Cross. You, too, Sanjiv."
Sanjiv nodded at the door and went back to reading his book. The kid sat down on the chair and looked up at Cross. "So… what do you want me to do?" questioned the kid.
"I said that I wanted to look at your controls," replied Cross. He pulled on a pair of work gloves. "I'm not sure where they are, so it's up to you to tell me."
Cross wasn't sure if the kid would cooperate now that he had complete control. When the kid hopped off the chair he thought that their session was through. "There's a panel on my back where I think the controls are," said the kid. "However, I'm going to have to transform in order for you to be able to see it."
"Um…" began Cross. He was glad that the kid was being so cooperative, but he wasn't sure he wanted an akuma just sitting there in the living room. "Will you fit in here?"
The kid looked around the room, stroking his chin. "I think I should," responded the kid. "It might be a bit cramp, though…"
Sanjiv picked up his books and moved to a spot on the staircase. Cross looked at the kitchen counter to make sure there was nothing sharp or made of glass that could go flying if the akuma kid were to hit the counter while transforming. "Okay…" agreed Cross. He backed away as the kid first began to glow and then swell in size. Thankfully, the kid had been right and the room was not destroyed. He took up about half the room in his akuma form, successfully pushing over both the desk and the kitchen table (he would have to nail that thing into the floor the next time he got a break). Cross couldn't help but to think that the kid looked like a baby clown in his akuma form. The head like on most akuma was far too big and contained rows of sharp teeth, giving him a kind of nightmarish look. He wondered if Mana would still have the same fondness for clowns once he saw the kid like this. After searching for a few minutes he found the back panel and opened it.
He had never seen a system like this. Of course, he was only an amateur scientist who knew very little about technology and the newer field called robotics, but he was certain that the kid- at least on the inside- was a robot. The only parts inside him that resembled a human being were the pipes that carried the akuma virus, oil, and other fluids. There was no heart, no lungs, no stomach, no… guts…
"Has anyone ever done maintenance on you before?" asked Cross.
The kid thought for a moment. "The Earl did some stuff when I became a level two, but that's the last time anyone has seen the controls."
"It shows," said Cross he wiped some dust off a wobbling gear. "You're about ready to fall apart."
"Of course I am!" snapped the kid. "I'm hanging around you guys all the time. Do you know how much stress that puts on my system? I'm supposed to kill you guys!"
"And how do you know that?" inquired Cross. He really was curious for it could contain a hint about how to shut off those orders. If an akuma really was only a robot, then there would have to be some sort of off switch.
"I hear voices in my head," explained the kid. "Lots of voices. Some of them are akuma, but mostly I hear the Earl. It just repeats over and over again to destroy the humans and the Innocence. It's annoying, really. I think I could have figured out that I should destroy the stuff that can destroy me without being told to."
Cross really hated to do this, but he would have to do some maintenance on this kid. It would possibly indirectly be helping the Earl, but if he didn't do something then Neah would have to go out and get a new akuma. He took out a wrench and began tightening bolts, praying the whole time that the kid wouldn't explode in his face. "Yeah, I'm sure you would've," he mumbled as he carefully removed a stripped screw. "Can you transmit back to the Earl?"
"No," stated the kid. "At least I don't know how to. I suppose he could get into my mind with his sorcery stuff if he needed to see what I was seeing, but I'm not that closely connected to the Earl. There are loads of Level Two akuma higher ranked then I am. I'm just the bottom rung."
"Great," Cross responded sarcastically. A bottom rung akuma- even a Level Two- wouldn't be much use to either side in a fight. No wonder Neah had chosen this one as a prototype for a spy. He looked at what appeared to be a big metal box in the center. It had to be the control panel. The only question was if it was safe to open. "Hey, kid, I'm going to take the lid off of the box in here. It's not connected to any pipes, so it shouldn't release any fluids or fumes. Just don't get upset."
"Oh, go ahead," replied the kid.
Sanjiv looked at them with a raised eyebrow. "Why are you letting him do this?" questioned the young Bookman. He backed away further up the stairs as Cross began removing the screws from the metal box. "You could explode, and then you'd be dead."
"I'm bored," huffed the kid. "I can't escape because of those spells Neah had Cross put up- don't think that I didn't see you two- so I might as well do something exciting."
Cross removed the lid of the box. Inside were hundreds of tiny wires and switches. He could see circular lights glowing green next to switches that were flipped to the right and red next to switches flipped to the left. Some of the switches were moving now even without a hand pushing them. It must have been ingrained magic or perhaps some Skull deep inside the Earl's laboratory, chanting under his breath to keep the akuma alive. If there was one thing he was certain of, it was that the Earl had to be a technological genius. Cross slid the cover over the switches off next. Under this were even more wires packed tightly together. Many of them were marked with symbols, magic symbols. He took out a pad of paper and began writing them down.
"So… how does it look?" asked the kid. "I've never actually seen it, so I was just wondering…"
"There are lots of wires, kid," responded Cross. "It appears that your panel is controlled by some sort of enchantment, although I can't be certain what kind. The strangest thing is that I don't see a source of power. You have oil pumping through some of these pipes, but I don't see anything inside that could ignite it to create power."
"Well that's just great," he groused. "So I'm incomplete?"
"Not necessarily," answered Cross. He finished his diagram and replaced the cover. "I'll just have to keep looking."
"Alright," said the kid. "Are you almost done? You said it wouldn't take long, and I don't know how much longer I can control myself without Sophia here."
He began screwing the lid back onto the box. "It will only take a couple more minutes," he replied. "Then you can go play with the Thing. Hold on a moment, though, because there's something that's giving off sparks. Can I take a look at it?"
"Fine," grumbled the kid. "Just be quick about it."
Cross removed a cover off of a smaller, thin rectangular box next to the big one. There was some sort of a green metallic card with odd lines engraved in it. The sparks came from a yellow wire running over the card, connecting to a longer black wire on the outside. He saw that the friction between the wire and the card was causing the sparks. Using a pair of tweezers, he bent the loose wire away from the card. He looked through his bag and found a thin rubber square that he'd been using for insulation in the Thing. Cross placed it over the card and fixed the wire back into place. "There you go," he told the kid. "The Thing is on the table."
The kid changed back into his human form and looked at the front window. "No it's not," retorted the kid. "He's over there."
Cross caught a glimpse of the Thing balancing on two legs as it tried to push the front window open enough to hop outside. Sanjiv rolled his eyes and set his book down before heading over to the window. However, he ducked down to the floor before reaching the Thing.
"What-" Cross began to ask.
"Get down," Sanjiv breathed. The kid and Cross both complied. When the Thing succeeded in getting the window to move another centimeter, though, Cross began to crawl over to the window.
Before he could grab the Thing, it pushed the damn window open and fell out. Luckily, he didn't hear the sound of metal parts falling out, so he raised his head up just enough to catch a glimpse of why Sanjiv wanted them to get down. There were three men walking down the street, all of them with the rose cross on the front. One of the men even had gold trim on his coat- an exorcist general. Cross doubted the man would be very forgiving if he saw Sanjiv in the house. If Khanna knew about him, then surely the top generals knew exactly what the young Bookman looked like. He hoped that they wouldn't notice the Thing and just keep walking.
Unfortunately, people had a tendency to notice shiny things. "What's this?" questioned the voice of an elderly man, most likely the general. Cross looked at the shadows cast on the opposing wall inside the house, right over the oven. An arm held up something round with a tail: the damn Thing. He knew he'd have to get it back now, so he'd make it quick and hope that the men forgot all about him.
"It looks like some sort of tiny machine," replied an all too familiar voice. It was his boss, Dr. de Orta. There was no way he could stand up now. If he did he would have to explain what the Thing is and why he was inside this house. He sat firmly on the ground and leaned his head up against the wall. Now he would lose all his work because of some stupid old men out for a stroll.
"Raphael, you think that everything is a toy," sighed a third voice. "It is interesting looking, though. I wonder who left it out here."
"Excuse me!" called out a child's voice. The child happened to be right next to Cross, now standing and looking out the window. Cross looked at the kid and then at Sanjiv. The young Bookman shrugged and looked up to watch the kid. "Could I have my ball back? I was playing with it in here but then it fell out the window."
"Is this a ball, young man?" inquired Dr. de Orta. "It doesn't look like a ball to me."
"I think it does," pouted the kid. He crossed his arms in front of his chest in a display of childishness. "I found it in the junk yard, so it's my ball."
"Just give it to the child, Raphael," stated the general. Cross saw a larger hand drop the Thing into the kid's hands. "Sorry about that, child. My friend here has quite a big imagination."
"That's okay," responded the kid. Cross could see his legs shaking, the akuma fluids racing through his veins. He was reaching his limit.
"Now you take care of your things, young man," chided the third voice. "May God be with you."
"And also with you!" chimed the kid with a strained smile. As soon as Cross saw the shadows leave pass from the wall, the kid shut the window and ran up the stairs. "Leave me alone for a while."
"Alright," agreed Cross. He heard the kid slam the door of his room. "Um, thanks for getting the Thing back."
"No problem," called out the kid. "Old geezers are suckers when it comes to kids. Always go for the old geezers when picking pockets. Them or the overburdened mothers."
"Right," chuckled Cross. He shook his head as he looked away from the stairs. It was really a shame that the kid was an akuma. He would have made a decent actor once he had grown up. With that ordeal over he thought back on Neah's instructions and realized it had been quite some time since he had last seen Sophia. Cross poked his head out the door and didn't see her or the generals on the street. He began pulling on his coat. "I'm going to look for Sophia."
"Are you sure you don't want to stay here with the kid?" questioned Sanjiv. He picked up his books from the stairs and placed them on the overturned desk. "I could look for her if you'd like."
"I don't want to trouble you," said Cross as he buttoned his coat. "You mentioned that you had a lot of reading to do, and I don't know where she could have gone off to. The kid shouldn't be a problem, just leave him alone and he'll cool off."
"I'm not a babysitter," remarked Sanjiv as Cross walked out the door.
"I never said you were babysitting," he retorted. "I don't see how your Bookman credo could conflict with you sitting by yourself in a practically empty house. Now if I said to sit outside the kid's door, then you'd be babysitting."
Before Sanjiv could argue, Cross bounded away from the row house on the path to the landlady's place.
oOo
By the time they reached the nearest piazza he was already swimming in sweat with grease paint starting to melt off his face in colorful droplets onto his costume. He'd have to keep in mind that two layers of cotton clothing was too much for springtime in Rome. Nevertheless, there was a performance to give, for a small crowd of children had already gathered when he and Neah stopped by a statue. His younger brother grumbled and turned red in the face as he pulled out his violin. Mana was now certain that his brother was not fond of young children. That was too bad. Some vestiges of the Victorian upbringing would never be lost. He'd just have to respect his brother for sticking to his inclinations.
He set down his suitcase and pulled out his juggling pins. Mana also had some silk scarves, flaming batons, multi-colored balls, and some tomatoes but he'd save those for later. Tomatoes were to be saved for later if the crowd proved to be difficult. Plus, there was a risk of hitting his brother and he wasn't sure Neah would appreciate getting hit by a tomato or a flaming baton. It could hurt him or, even worse, his violin. Neah must have gotten it after he'd run away with Cross because Mana didn't recognize the instrument. Of course, this meant that the violin was potentially very expensive for their family went to all lengths to possess only the best of everything. He wondered why Neah didn't buy a cheap wooden flute for these occasions, but he decided not to ask. Mana was pretty sure that a certain unnamed Uncle must have given the violin to his brother.
Ever since they had met Neah in Liverpool, his brother had not mentioned the words 'Uncle Adam.' Whenever he came up in conversation, Neah would always call him the Earl. It was plainly obvious that something had happened in the last year, but Mana wouldn't pry. This was a matter between two noblemen of England, and he certainly did not count himself as a nobleman. If it were that important to his brother, to his mission, then Neah would tell them eventually.
Mana began to walk on his hands, wobbling a bit, which caused some of the younger ones to giggle. Neah began to play an up-tempo jig, so he fell down- as gracefully as possible- and started to dance. The kids seemed to really enjoy this, so Mana threw in a couple of lopsided cartwheels. If there was anything he had learned about clowning from watching others in the circus, it was that clowns were far from perfect. They weren't awe-inspiring or handsome, but clowns were still his favorite part of the circus.
Perhaps it was because he was so much like them. He wasn't particularly brave, although he could perform some pretty daring acrobatics. The most handsome part about him would be his hair if he ever took the time to care for it, but he didn't because Mana wanted others to see him as flawed. No matter how hard he tried he would never be perfect because he had made a mistake eight years ago that had caused his youngest brother to disappear from the face of the planet. It was the only time he had really tried to be brave, and all that came of it was a torn apart family and a lost Rory. And when Pierrot had tried to be brave… Yes, being brave wasn't all that it was cracked up to be.
He went back to dancing his jig and finished it with a deep bow. Their small audience erupted in cheers and began begging their parents for a coin to give to the funny clown. Mana set out a hat to collect the bits of spare change. When he picked up the hat they had enough to pay for this month's tab at the butcher's. He resisted laughing as his brother worked the math out in his head. Neah was clever, but he had never been good with numbers.
"Neah!" called out a voice. For a second the brothers looked around in terrified confusion. Mana was relieved to see not a Noah but Sophia.
"Don't call out my name like that!" hissed Neah. He put a hand on his forehead. "Anyone could be listening."
"Sorry," apologized Sophia, looking very interested in the tips of her shoes.
"And wear some gloves next time," he said. Neah pulled off his own and handed them to her. "I don't want the landlady thinking we're just a bunch of illiterate teenage bums."
"Alright," responded Sophia. "I still think I look like an illiterate teenage bum wearing a pair of men's gloves."
"Well, after we pay the bills then we'll buy you your own pair," commented Mana. He moved to drape an arm around her shoulders but then remembered how sweaty he was at the moment and maintained a distance. "Nobody will be able to say you're a bum then."
Neah shook his head. "What did you want to tell me?" he inquired.
"I wanted to tell you that Mr. Giuseppe has an open performance slot tonight at 21:00," she said.
"That's good," stated Neah. He walked over to his violin case. "I'll go over and work out the details with him."
"You don't have to," replied Sophia. She blushed and began wringing her hands. "I already did. We agreed on a slightly higher wage than last time, and I booked a show for next week, too. Is that okay?"
Neah blinked, astonishment very clear on his face. "Yes, that's fine..." he remarked. "So that's it then."
Mana snickered as his brother tried to wrap his head around the fact that he was no longer in control of everything in life. It was nice to see Sophia of all people telling him what to do for a change. She really was growing up. Someday he and Cross would have to take her to see the world. He bet that she would really like that. Neah and Sanjiv could come, too, for Mana was sure there were some places where even he and Cross would get lost.
Speaking of a certain friend, Mana saw Cross make his way across the now crowded piazza. "There you are," he sighed upon seeing Sophia. "It has been almost an hour. Were you here the whole time?"
"I just came here recently," she explained. "I was booking a show for tonight at La Forella. Were you worried?"
"I- uh-"
"How's it going with the kid?" interrupted Neah. Mana shook his head. His brother had no tact.
"Fine," responded Cross, his face slowly returning to a normal shade. "Just made some observations and minor adjustments. He was running out of willpower in the end, so he ran upstairs with the Thing. Since that was done I thought I had better start looking for Sophia since it had been such a long time. Sanjiv is still in the house reading, so the kid should be fine."
"I'm right here actually," said the young Bookman. They all turned to see him standing by the statue.
Neah's eyes looked ready to pop out of his head. "What are you doing here?" he questioned. "The akuma-"
"Is on the edge of the crowd over there," remarked Sanjiv. He pointed the kid out, standing in the shade as far away from people as possible. The kid looked around with wide eyes at the sunny sky, the vendors, the people milling about, and then them. Mana wondered if this was the point where they should start screaming that a killing machine was on the loose. "I don't know what you did, Cross, but it seems to be working. He mentioned something about his head feeling really clear all of a sudden, and then he walked outside. I think he wants to talk to you."
Both Cross and his brother walked over to the kid. Sophia followed them a bit timidly but with purpose. Mana really wanted to stay close to his suitcase and as far away from potential explosive, fiery death, but he realized he'd have to follow them as well. Sanjiv even helped him pick up his juggling items and pack them away. They crossed the square in time to hear Neah finish scolding the kid.
"- realize what you could have done?" his brother seethed. He pointed at the crowd behind them. "These people have nothing to deal with whether you're angry at Cross or me. If you even think about trying to kill one of those people, then I will order you to self-destruct. Got that?"
The kid glowered at the ground in perfect juxtaposition of the cowering Thing in his messy brown hair. "I wasn't angry," he groused. "I was just..."
"Just what?" asked Cross.
"Feeling different?" responded the kid, seeming very unsure.
Sanjiv raised an eyebrow in intrigue. "What do you mean by different?"
The kid screwed up his face in concentration. "Like my mind is really clear for once," he finally said. "I normally can hear bits of conversations from other akuma nearby and the orders they're given by the Earl, but after you put out that spark I heard nothing."
"Well, that seems like a good thing," commented Sophia. She looked at the others. "That is a good thing, right?"
"It's completely unheard of," mumbled Neah. "All akuma are connected to a network that links them directly to the Earl. For him to be able to ignore these messages... it should be impossible."
Mana did have one question. "I thought you were at your limit earlier," he stated. "Shouldn't you be inside?"
"I'm feeling okay right now," replied the kid. "I even passed a group of nuns. They didn't notice a thing."
"The liner must have increased his resistance to the basic akuma programming," muttered Cross. He reached down and took the kid's pulse. "He still has a bit of a reaction to the presence of human beings and it appears to increase with time. However, I'd say-"
"He's the first successful case of a conversion," finished Sanjiv. Mana felt that he could see the tiniest gleam of excitement in the young Bookman's eyes. He supposed that something unheard of like a converted akuma would be a big development in the records of the war. This was probably about as exciting as recording history could get.
"Quite possibly," agreed Cross. "I don't want to push him too hard right now, but I'll have to run some more tests. Perhaps we could take him somewhere less crowded next time."
"How about the show tonight?" inquired Sophia. "The audiences are never too large. Plus, Neah and I will both be there to stop him should anything go wrong."
"I don't know..." trailed Cross.
"It sounds good to me," said Neah. He pushed to kid towards Cross. "For now, take him back to the house. Leave him alone for a while so that he's ready by 21:00 tonight. I'll ask for Mr. Giuseppe to reserve a table for you, the kid, and Mana. Do you need to go back before then Sanjiv?"
"Bookman is away," he responded. "He left about a week ago and said not to expect him until next Tuesday."
"Good, then I expect you'll want to come along," stated Neah. He turned to walk back to the statue. "I expect to see you all then."
"Right," replied Cross, rolling his eyes at the back of Neah's head. "Let's go, kid."
"My name's not 'kid'," mumbled the akuma, but he let Cross lead him away. Sophia waved at Neah's retreating back and then at him before running off to follow Cross with Sanjiv.
Mana wasn't sure how he felt about this. For starters, he didn't agree to sit in a dingy little pub at a tiny cramped table with an akuma. His brother probably wouldn't have given him or anyone else a choice, though. He would just have to go along with this reckless experiment and hope for the best. Mana wondered if he should go to a church and have confession before going to the pub. He doubted that a priest would listen to him even if he were an ex-Noah. With that thought in mind he walked back to the statue to prepare for another performance.
oOo
He was glad that they at least didn't have to dress up to go to the show. Cross was not sure that he could have convinced the kid to wear a tie let alone a nice shirt. Mana would probably have soaked his clothes in a nervous sweat, which would have been a shame considering Cross would then be cajoled into buying him a new one. Sanjiv looked stranger than all of them with the hood of his cloak covering most of his face. He knew that it was to keep people from noticing his presence, but Cross felt that a cloaked stranger would still elicit questions.
The Thing fell asleep in his bag- sleeping… that was a new one- before they left the house, so Cross closed the bag and sealed it with a piece of rope. He didn't need the Thing wandering off or, better yet, trying to steal a drink. When they arrived, Mr. Giuseppe, an old balding man smelling strongly of cigars and whiskey, showed them to a table in the back. The place was surprisingly pleasant and lacked the sloppy drunks of other dingy establishments. Then again, it was too early for sloppy drunks. He was certain they'd see one by the end of the night.
Sophia walked out in the same emerald evening gown that she wore for all her performances. The audience began to clap enthusiastically, and some patron even whistled. Neah glared at that patron from his spot on the piano bench. Cross elbowed Mana in the ribs to get him to stop shaking as Sophia began to sing.
"Ouch!" he whined, giving Cross a pathetic look.
"Stop it," he said. "We don't need to attract more attention to ourselves."
Mana sighed and laid his head on the table. It was infuriating to have his friend- acquaintance… brats were only acquaintances- acting like this. Cross thought it was very much like the first few months of traveling with Mana. Perhaps he had been wrong to think that the boy had changed. He pushed that thought out of his head. Of course Mana had changed! He might be sour right now, but Cross knew the older Walker was only frightened since he was sitting catty-corner from an akuma. Anyone would be frightened. Mana, like always, just had a funny way of showing it.
The owner came up to their table and collected the menus after they all said that they weren't hungry. "Anything to drink, Signore?" questioned Mr. Giuseppe.
Now Mana seemed to be paying attention. He looked at Cross who nodded his head in consent. "I'll have a brandy," stated Mana. "Does anyone else want anything?"
"I'm fine," said Sanjiv. Cross wondered if was against the Bookman credo to drink. That was too bad for him if it was.
"I'll order a beer and a glass of water for the kid," responded Cross. "That will be all."
After the Mr. Giuseppe left, the kid looked over at Cross. "I didn't want water," he grumbled.
"Well, I don't know how alcohol will react with your system, so live with it," snapped Cross. He rubbed his temples with his hands. "I've really had enough of you and Mana complaining, so how about you tell me something else. How are you feeling?"
"I'm still fine," commented the kid. He examined the room with the utmost scrutiny. "I don't feel a thing."
The pulse reading that Cross took after that agreed with the kid's statement, so they settled into an uncomfortable silence. He began to look around the pub, too. Thankfully there was no one from the Order there, so he (hopefully) wouldn't have to worry about Khanna hearing he'd been out on the town. Mr. Giuseppe came with their drinks and left without a word. Mana happily sipped his brandy while the kid glared at his water and then went back to watching the show. Cross watched the kid examining everything with wide gray eyes. They sort of reminded Cross of Rory Walker's eyes, only they didn't have that silver light about them. That was where all similarities ended. Whereas Rory had been delicately built, the kid was very sturdy. His long oval face and broad nose, not to mention his rough disposition, screamed street rat. Maybe that was the real reason Neah kept him around. He was so different from his twin that the younger Walker couldn't help but see Rory in him.
Cross took a sip of his beer and decided to never become a philosopher.
"How do they make everything on the stage look so… sparkly? Magical?" asked the kid.
Cross pointed to some gas lights overhead. "They put colored films in front of those lights," he explained. "It gives the performance a bit of flair."
"I think it would be fine if Sophia just sang," huffed the kid. "What's the point of making things look like they have flair?"
"You really have never seen a show before, have you?" inquired Mana.
"Well, I didn't exactly have the money to see one or the talent to be a performer," sneered the kid. "Not everyone can run around in stupid costumes and pretend the world is fine just to get a couple of sticky coins. Some of us actually had to struggle to survive."
"Well there's no point being bitter about it," replied Cross. "It might be hard to believe, but Mana and I didn't start out as performers. We were just like everyone else, swiping bread so we could eat-"
"You said that you bought that bread!" exclaimed Mana in a hushed whisper, face clearly aghast.
"It doesn't matter now," retorted Cross. "The point is that some people get lucky because they take any opportunity that comes their way. Being bitter just keeps you starving in the streets."
The kid looked down at the table in a manner that almost seemed ashamed. "I guess you're right," he mumbled. "S-sorry, Mana."
Mana's mouth hung open in shock. "It's okay," replied the juggler. "You're right about me, in a way. When I was your age, I was just a rich brat."
The kid chuckled at this comment and then genuinely smiled at Mana. "What the hell happened to you, then?"
"It's a long story," elaborated Mana while leaning back in his chair. Cross pushed him back up before the chair could fall over. "If you'd like, then I could tell you it sometime. Perhaps on a rainy day."
"I'd like that," said the kid. Cross and Sanjiv looked on the two with interest as they continued babbling about nonsense things like whether the show would be better with a dancing monkey or if Mana could get a job here playing a triangle while riding a unicycle. Cross didn't think that Mana could even ride a unicycle to which the juggler replied that he probably could if he tried. By the time Neah and Sophia came out from the dressing room Mana had finished his drink and both he and the kid were shaking in a fit of giggles. Neah seemed to have difficulty determining what had caused the change in the atmosphere between his brother and the akuma. Cross wasn't sure he could explain it in words. It was just something that happened. Sophia seemed to think it was an improvement, which he supposed it was. It would definitely make things easier in the house.
After they paid their bill they all walked back together. Mana led the way, stumbling a bit as he forged the trail. Cross began to think that he shouldn't have let him buy that brandy with his extra money. The juggler did look happy, though, as opposed to the worried air that usually hung about him. If a little brandy was what they needed to keep Mana happy, then Cross wouldn't begrudge him of it. Neah followed right behind his brother ready to catch him should the older Walker fall. A small genuine smile graced his face. Sanjiv strolled behind them, grudgingly answering any and all questions the akuma kid chose to throw at him about the city of Rome. Cross and Sophia brought up the rear. Sophia had linked her arm with his, forcing him to slow his pace. He didn't really mind. It allowed him to appreciate the elegance of Rome at night and everyone's company. Cross couldn't remember ever feeling this relaxed.
That all changed in an instant, for when they rounded the corner to walk down the street where the row house under the bridge sat, there was someone waiting for them outside. He examined them all with ancient, kohl-rimmed eyes as he snuffed out his cigarette.
"Get inside," Bookman demanded quietly.
oOo
Mana was glad he hadn't gotten two glasses of brandy; otherwise he'd still be tipsy now. If he were tipsy or even drunk, well, he'd probably have imagined Bookman growing devil horns to frame his topknot. The old man gave off an air of silent fury as he locked the door and began to pace in front of them all. His brother, for once, looked a bit worried. He probably hadn't planned for Bookman to ever find them. He wondered how the old panda-man had found them in the first place.
They all sat in a straight line on the floor, wedged tightly together except for Sanjiv who had chosen to sit away from them. Mana supposed that sitting next to them would only make the situation worse. The young Bookman looked like the perfect picture of stoicism except for his hands. His fingers were buckled as they pressed against the floorboards, probably to release all the tension Sanjiv must be feeling. Mana was convinced that Sanjiv actually had his own opinion about this matter. He hazarded to guess that it was something along the lines of, 'oh shit now I'm in for it.'
Bookman finally broke the uncomfortable silence. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked Sanjiv. It appeared that for now the old panda-man was ignoring everyone else. Mana was relieved. He really didn't want to be in trouble with the panda-man.
Sanjiv didn't respond to Bookman's inquiry. In fact, he didn't even look up at the panda-man, choosing to stare at the small fire now burning in the fireplace instead. That was when Bookman karate-chopped him in the back of the head. Neah tensed up to his right. Mana jumped up an inch on the floor and then leaned in to hide behind Cross. Cross hadn't moved the entire time, probably because- Mana was ashamed to admit- he was accustomed to this kind of a scene. His friend had been on the receiving end of many slaps from his family, so maybe seeing an old panda-man deck his apprentice was completely normal. He decided he would apologize for that sometime soon.
Sophia seemed to have had the same idea, for she was now gripping Cross' left arm tightly while leaning into him as close as possible. Cross noticed that Mana was behind him and pushed him away. Mana had kind of been expecting that. The akuma kid actually yelped and hugged Sophia around the waist in a bid for protection. That was a new one. Mana had expected the kid to run away to his room upstairs. Sanjiv fell on his face, and for a moment the juggler feared that the strike had knocked the young Bookman unconscious. Then he heard his friend mutter, "Ow." Mana relaxed now that he knew Sanjiv was still among them.
"This is the second time that you've been going off without my permission," continued Bookman. Mana was shocked to hear an angry tone in the old panda-man's voice. He thought that Bookmen weren't allowed to feel or some sort of shit like that. When they got out of this mess he would have to ask Sanjiv about it. "Don't think that I haven't noticed! I knew that you had traveled to Italy as soon as I saw that shirt you are wearing now. That's a textile from Lombardy that's not so commonly found in Paris. If you were trying to fool me, then you should have used the exact same cloth as before."
So that was how the old panda-man knew... Mana still didn't understand how Bookman could notice something that small. Sophia had looked everywhere to find a fabric of the same color as Sanjiv's old navy tunic. Apparently that was not enough to fool Bookman. He wondered if all Bookmen were like this.
"It's my fault, Bookman," stated Neah. Everyone turned to look at his brother. Mana hadn't expected Neah to actually interrupt. Neah had nothing to gain by owning up to stealing Sanjiv for most of four months and destroying the last tunic. "I convinced him to come out here."
"I know that you're lying, Neah Walker," replied Bookman, his eyes boring into Neah's skull. "My apprentice needs little convincing to run off if there's any chance he'll gain new information about the war. This time, however, I feel that he is wasting his time with some childish game. Gather your things, Junior. We're leaving."
Sanjiv slowly and reluctantly got up from the floor. He picked up his bag and without looking at anyone else went over to the desk to start packing his books. Mana wanted to scream at him for giving into the panda-man so easily. He knew that his friend was much tougher than this. After all, Sanjiv had fought Neah in his Noah form and had survived with only a scratch (well, a little more than a scratch...). The young Bookman had seen more than any Bookman had probably ever seen before. He'd seen a Noah- two Noahs if Mana still counted himself- who desired to do something good.
"Aren't you curious, though, about why I brought him here?" inquired Neah coyly. It appeared that his brother was going to fight if Sanjiv was not.
"I don't care what you might have asked him," responded Bookman. He turned to face the front door. "Unless I gave explicit permission, Junior never releases any information that I have in my possession."
Neah stood up from his place on the floor. "Maybe I wanted to only give information for a change and receive nothing in exchange," drawled his brother casually. Cross scoffed when Neah said 'nothing'. Mana guessed that that was hard to believe for someone whose childhood friend was pretty much being held captive by his brother for personal gain. "Perhaps I opened the doors to let him see what might become the greatest historical moment of this entire drawn-out war."
Bookman paused before speaking again. Mana now understood what strategy his brother was pursuing. He was baiting the old panda-man. "What could possibly become of you reconciling with your brother?" questioned Bookman.
Sanjiv stopped packing his books into his bag to watch this new twist in the exchange.
"Everything," replied Neah. "With my brother and the other three I'm going to change the way this war is fought. This is my side."
Bookman turned to look at them all with one kohl-rimmed eye. "And what can you do with your side?"
His brother shrugged in a dramatic fashion, reminding Mana very much of himself. He couldn't help but be a little flattered. "I don't know," remarked Neah. "I was thinking about taking down the Millennium Earl, but I suppose you'll have to watch that from the peanut gallery."
Bookman's eyebrows rose halfway up his forehead. "That's impossible," he said.
Neah smirked and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Only improbable," retorted his brother. "We'll just have to wait and see. The only question now is this: are you in or out?"
Everyone already knew what Bookman would say. This development was too tempting for the old panda-man to turn down. "I don't throw my lots in with anyone," stated Bookman, walking closer to Neah. "You're taking a great risk including me in this mad scheme of yours."
"I'm not worried about it," answered Neah. "It would have to be some trade for you to tell the Earl about this. I did expect, though, that you'd be worried about your stance. That's why I approached Junior first. With the way things are now, you can be in Paris where the Earl expects to be while saying your apprentice is off running an errand should anyone call upon you."
The old panda-man mulled this thought for a bit. "Yes," he agreed, "it will be much less suspicious if I'm not here in person. For the most part, Junior can be my eyes and ears here, although I request that you make it known to me which days you are travelling to Rome. You've made it very difficult for me to train my apprentice, Neah Walker, and there are still many things I have yet to teach him. I shall also call upon you myself approximately once a month."
Neah grinned as he looked down at Bookman. "That sounds agreeable to me," he said. "It's definitely a bargain on your part."
Sanjiv relaxed and laid the books back on the desk, his face its usual emotionless mask. Mana was beginning to see this as a sort of expression of contentment and happiness. Now if they could only get Sanjiv to laugh, then Mana would feel that his mission was complete. The Cross-Sophia-kid chain broke apart with all three of them looking quite embarrassed. It made it difficult for Mana to determine who he should bother first once Bookman left. He could go with Cross by default, but he hadn't tried the kid yet. Then again, the kid's good mood from the day could entirely disappear, and then he'd be in trouble. Mana didn't want to be eliminated from the face of the planet, so the kid would get a free pass for now.
"Yes, definitely a bargain," commented Bookman, "but I may add one thing."
They all looked at the old panda-man, curiosity building with each passing second. "What would that be?" asked Neah nonchalantly.
"You seem to be in a bit of a tight spot," replied Bookman. "Your landlady came by earlier today with a man from the waterworks and turned off your water."
"Damn it, Neah!" growled Cross, as the others groaned. "I told you to pay that bill yesterday!"
"Consider this as a settlement for whatever Junior has written down already," continued Bookman. "Have someone open an account here in the city tomorrow- preferably not yourself or Cross. You have someone watching you."
"I know," grumbled Cross. He glared at the ground, most likely thinking of a certain exorcist.
"I would suggest that Mana should open the account, seeing as Miss Sophia is supposed to be dead," elaborated Bookman. "By the end of the day the account should have £10,000 in it."
"£10,000?!" exclaimed Mana. Everyone else in the room seemed just as shocked as he did.
"Where the fuck are you getting that kind of money?!" inquired Cross. He looked up at the panda-man with wide eyes.
"You could probably buy a small country with that kind of money," breathed the akuma kid. He gave a low whistle. "£10,000..."
"It is Neah's inheritance from Cyrus Campbell," explained Bookman. The old panda-man pulled out a piece of paper from his wide sleeves. "He put a lock of a year on the account so that the Clan of Noah would be unable to access the money until Neah turned sixteen. Unfortunately, the Clan of Noah found him before he could deliver this document to you, Neah. He left it with a Parisian banker that I happened to have an account with, and I obtained this from him after he realized that it could be dangerous for him and his family. I decided to hold onto it until I figured out where Junior and you travelled to every day. With your signature you can access the money immediately and hide it from your family."
Neah frantically searched for a pen on the kitchen table. Cross went through his bag, but all he had were some nuts, bolts, and the Thing. He looked at it, and the Thing finally spit out a ballpoint pen. His brother looked at the slobbery writing instrument in complete disgust. Thankfully, Sanjiv offered him a much cleaner pen that Neah used to sign the document. The Thing looked a bit put out.
Bookman stuck the document back in his sleeve. "I shall be off now," he said. "Take Sanjiv back to Paris. He's not to leave again until I return there next week. The Earl knows that I did not take him with me on this escapade."
"Right," responded Neah. He pulled on his coat and then nodded his head at Sanjiv. "Let's go, then."
Sanjiv followed the panda-man out of the door, Neah closing it behind them. As soon as his brother was gone, the Thing blew a raspberry at the door. The akuma kid burst out laughing. "You know, I like the Thing," he chortled. "Are you going to name him?"
"I haven't thought about it yet," admitted Cross. "I was waiting until he's finished."
"Can I name him, then?" inquired the kid.
"Sure," stated Cross. "Knock yourself out."
Mana chuckled as he watched the kid thrust a fist into the air in celebration. He couldn't help but think that like how the kid was fond of the Thing, he was beginning to like the kid, too. Once you got past all of the initial murderous intentions, the kid wasn't half bad. If there was any chance at all that Cross could completely convert an akuma into a non-bloodthirsty machine, Mana really hoped that it would be this kid.
"I don't think I've ever seen £10,000," mused Sophia while the kid sat down on the ground and talked to the Thing.
"Well, at least I won't have to pay your bills anymore," said Cross. He sat down on one of the wooden chairs in the kitchen. "Just don't spend it all in one place, Mana."
"Why would I do that?" questioned Mana. He was a bit insulted that Cross thought he couldn't manage money. "I can be responsible just like you. Just ask Sophia. Who did the grocery shopping the other day?"
Sophia laughed as he prompted her answer with a wave of his hand. "You did, Mana," she replied.
"And who cooked dinner?" he questioned.
"You tried to cook, but then the vegetables started burning," she stated. "I ended up cooking dinner. You don't have to do everything for me, Mana."
Mana shrugged and held his hands up. Cross rolled his eyes. "Typical," his friend mumbled.
"Hey, I did try!" he protested. "I take care of Sophia, Neah, and the kid every day."
"I can take care of myself," interrupted Sophia.
"Me, too," said the kid, looking rather disgruntled.
"Well, keep on looking out for them," stated Cross. He stood up and picked the Thing up off the floor. The Thing waved goodbye to the kid with its tail. "I doubt Neah will."
"He's not as malicious as before, Cross," sighed Mana. They'd had this argument before whenever Neah wasn't around. "He's just... not careful. He means well, but he makes mistakes."
"That's what I'm really afraid of," said Cross. He gave Sophia a hug and then walked out the door.
Yup. It's definitely not Thursday of last week or even Sunday for that matter. I will say, though, that this is officially the longest chapter I have ever written. I'm sure my beta is not happy with me right now. Anyhow, look forward to more developments on the akuma kid next chapter. There's a big revelation coming on that one. ;) Please review!