Story: A Touch of Colour in the Gray

Book 1: Shading the Black.

Date: July 25, 2020, corrected February 2023

Beta: Nouillesverte (2020) and Nobody (2023)

Fandom: D Gray Man

Disclaimer: No, I don't own D Gray Man, and I'm not making any money on this story.

Summary: After landing in the 19th century, Estelle, taking the name Eve, becomes Tricia Kamelott's lady-in-waiting. Eve quickly becomes aware of the social and gender differences of the time and begins to fear for her future, especially when Road, the twins, Tyki and even Allen arrive. But the exorcist leaves for India and the twins are sent to boarding school. She meets Baroness Lucie Belle, the twins' older sister and her feline counterpart, and then follows her employers to Portugal when Sheryl wins the election. In the last chapter, Eve and Tyki had a stupid fight and Tyki lost control of his Noah and almost killed Eve.

Chapter trigger: None, I think (let me know if you think it's necessary to add one!)

Look! Eve isn't dead!

(yet)

Enjoy your reading :3

Shading the Black Chapter 35: Reconciled

Saturday 17 July 1886

...air!

My lungs, which were still empty of any oxygen, took some time to understand they could function normally again, but once they did, everything went back into place so fast that I was completely shaken. Panting, it took me forever, although probably a few seconds in reality, to process I could feel the ground behind my back and small hands on my shoulders. My ears were ringing. I let my eyes take time to focus on my environment and I saw…

"Ro...ad" I coughed at the small figure just above me. What did I... Tyki! Suddenly remembering what had happened, I tried to stand up but Road's hands pinned me down.

"Eve." She said in a calm, almost cold voice, her eyes fixed on mine so intensely that I let myself fall back to the floor to give her my full attention. "What happened?" She asked, still in the same strange tone that made my blood run cold. "Nothing!", I had wanted to scream, but thanks to some divine intervention or whatever else, my lips stayed shut, and my eyes lost focus as I tried to think. It was difficult. I wondered if I had a concussion...

"I... fell off the bicycle." I finally whispered and Road hummed in response. "I think... Tyki caught me? Is he alright?" I asked next, letting my fear and worry creep into my voice. It wasn't complicated, to be honest, I was terrified.

Road turned her head, looking at what I couldn't see, and I was suddenly aware of muffled sobs not far from us. "He's hurt too, it was a bad fall..." She said. "But he'll be fine." And then she turned to me again, her eyes flashing gold and I knew it wasn't a trick of the light. My tremors increased without my permission, I felt new tears forming at the corners of my eyes. I contained a whimper as she leaned towards me, and soon I could not see much anymore, my tears blurring my vision.

"Hush", she said softly, almost with kindness, as she put her hands on my eyes and… everything went black.

The next time I woke up, things happened more slowly.

Wrapped up in sheets so tightly tucked in that I couldn't even turn over, it was a very long time before I came to my senses. It wasn't even the pleasant kind, like one of those mornings, where you would stretch in the sunlight, with a smile on your lips and plan to laze under the sheets for one more hour. No, it was more like the kind that shatters a dream, leaving you in a total state of disorientation and a loss of bearings so intense that your skull was ringing and all the options - sleeping, dozing or waking up - seemed more painful than the others. But anyway, it wasn't as if I had a choice and it was with a pasty mouth and squinty eyes that I woke up to Tricia's hand raking through my hair.

"Eve!", she exclaimed with relief, when she saw me open my eyes. "You scared us, you know, what an idea to go out to bike with Tyki! These things are dangerous, as a woman you-..."

"Is Tyki all right?" I stammered with difficulty, cutting her off before she could carry on with her presumably very sexist next sentence.

"He hit his head but the doctor said it was nothing to be worried about, fortunately, he's just going to be a bit confused and irascible for the next few days." She said, but even though I knew she wasn't lying to me, I didn't believe her either. I was very doubtful that Noahs' issues could be treated by a doctor, and I just assumed she was parroting what she was told. On the other hand, there had to be some truth to it, as it was difficult to get him to walk around the manor for Tricia to see if he wasn't well. With a bit of luck, it shouldn't be too serious.

Or that's at least what I thought up until Tricia told me he went to rest at the Earl's place in the countryside for a few days. Which was complete bullshit because, despite the fact that we were only an hour from London, the local village certainly didn't qualify as a town, and so we were already in the countryside.

Starting to get seriously worried again, I was cut off by another lecture from Tricia about our idiocy and how devilish bicycles were for a good half an hour. She was almost at the point of saying that my sprained ankle was totally deserved (but not completely since she wouldn't stop pampering me at the same time) when the Earl knocked and poked his head through the door frame in response to our answer.

"Oh, wonderful, you're awake!" He exclaimed and was about to open wide to enter my room when Tricia jumped to her feet, startling us both.

"No, no, no! You can't come in, she's not fit to receive!" She exclaimed as she positioned herself in front of my bed as if to hide me from view causing me to frown in confusion, it wasn't a sprained ankle that would stop me speaking, before I reflexively rolled my eyes as I realised. I was certainly in underwear, but not only did it encircle my whole body, but the duvet over it effectively hid even the slightest curve, leaving only a vaguely cylindrical shape. Well, apart from the prudish considerations of the time, I didn't really feel like talking to the Millennium Earl in my bed. It felt a bit too much like he was taking my last wishes at my bedside and... yeah, no.

Glancing at the clock, I asked, "I can join you in the lounge for tea if that's alright." No need to put it off, it would only make it more distressing. And he didn't look particularly angry, so maybe that wasn't what I was dreading? Ahah, since when was I an optimist? I was going to get my throat cut.

In any case, it was said, and I couldn't take it back. He nodded and a few minutes later I found him in the small lounge. For once, I thanked the dresses, it would have been very painful to try and get trousers on over my ankle, even with Tricia's help. Speaking of trousers, mine had mysteriously disappeared, and I doubted I'd ever see them again, given the disapproving look on the lady's face. It had been a bit perilous walking to the small sitting room, but Clarisse had come to help us and with both their help I had managed to more or less limp along properly. It certainly helped that, with just a few steps, I was still able to lean on it at least a little without collapsing in pain.

Settling down at the table for tea, the three of us were soon drinking in deafening silence when the Earl began to make small talk with Tricia. After three assertions of "Nice weather today, isn't it?" a few "The Baroness is having a ball." and "Plum is the highest fashion this season." interspersed with scones and sips of tea, Clarisse returned to tell Tricia, with much howling in the background, that Road and the twins were having a fight. Without so much as a glance in our direction, Tricia rushed out of the room, and I was soon left alone with the Earl.

It seemed a little too well-timed to be anything other than calculated.

Sipping nervously from my cup, the Earl placed his own back on its saucer with a clang that sounded like a death toll and set it down on the table. With his hands clasped and a genial smile on his lips, he leaned forward. "So..." he began in a light voice that didn't make me feel at all confident. "I'm surprised you both went cycling, Tyki didn't seem to enjoy it much this morning." He continued and I didn't know what to say. There weren't even any questions in it.

"I don't even know how we got here myself." I replied, and I wasn't even lying. Was it me who had asked? Or was it he who had suggested it? In any case, I didn't say anything else, preferring to take a sip of tea. I had absolutely no idea what to say... or not to say, for that matter.

He didn't speak for a few moments longer either, and I was pretty sure this was a technique to get me to spill my guts, but as I didn't utter a word, he opened his lips again, "Road said you fell?"

"Yes, I lost control of the bicycle but Tyki caught me." I answered succinctly, wondering for a second if I should say more, afraid of telling a lie in front of the Earl. He wasn't supposed to have the power to read minds, but I wasn't a good liar, and I already had enough of the feeling that his eyes were piercing my soul as it was.

"Is that when you hurt your ankle? And... fainted?" He insisted. He was totally trying to ask me if I'd seen Tyki's powers, that was for sure. I was pretty sure Road knew I knew they had powers but... Maybe she hadn't told the Earl? Or maybe they wanted to see if I could keep my mouth shut? If it was that, no worries: I was a world champion in denials!

"I don't handle pain well." I answered honestly. Not quite to the point, of course, but honest all the same. It would almost be funny if I didn't feel that my continued existence was at stake.

"I see..." He said and his eyes crinkled slightly. "And it was after that that Tyki hit his head?"

"Unfortunately, I don't remember anything after passing out until Road woke me..." And technically, again, that was true. Only, I had definitely seen things before I passed out. And then I blinked because... "Road was there, wasn't she, in the forest?" I asked, worried, wondering for a second if I'd hallucinated.

"Yes, we'd been out for a walk together, how lucky to have heard you! You couldn't have come back with an ankle like that, and I doubt Tyki would have been fit to walk back himself." He said with a relieved smile. For my part, I was fairly convinced that they had, in fact, saved my life by arriving so early. Because, as much as I'd hoped, nothing I'd done had succeeded in waking Tyki from his trance and if it wasn't me, then...

Yep, my survival was probably due to a walk in the woods.

...

Did that mean I was contractually obliged to love them now?

"Yes, how lucky..." I murmured, taking another thoughtful sip.

Then all of a sudden, the Earl changed the conversation completely and I felt like I'd passed a test with flying colours.

...phew?

Wednesday 4 August 1886

The next few days were terribly boring. Normally, I had to use a treasure trove of ingenuity to make the time pass pleasantly, but now it was even worse... I had greatly underestimated the small but essential freedom that two strong legs brought. Even with a sprain, which wasn't very serious, it greatly limited my daily life and the slightest action, whether getting dressed or grabbing a book from the library, became painful and tedious. I felt very sorry for the invalids who had to live in this ill-adapted nineteenth century, and I praised my luck that it was only a sprain that wouldn't last more than two weeks. But what a long two weeks... Tricia followed me like a shadow, watching my every move with an eagle eye. I was practically confined to my room or hers, as she refused to let me take more than two steps. I know that wasn't how she saw it, but it felt like a punishment to me...

What's more, I'd had several terrible nightmares, something to take note of given that I usually remembered neither the good nor the bad dreams. One in particular had woken me up with a start in the middle of the night, my heart racing, my throat clenched around a restrained scream and my sheets drenched in sweat. The dream faded quickly, as if chased away by my alarm clock, but I remembered enough to shiver. There had been fire all around me, lighting up the whole dream in red and a black creature with yellow eyes perched on my chest, preventing me from moving. I must have been subconsciously more terrified of the accident in the forest than I realised... I assumed the yellow-eyed creature was my subconscious's way of representing Tyki but I wasn't too sure where the flames were coming from. The other nightmares were less intense, but I often woke up that week with a feeling of intense anxiety gripping my lungs. Fortunately, my impromptu naps in the library, with Road playing quietly beside me, were never interrupted by dreams. In this way, I still managed to rest, but I wondered whether it was the simple presence of someone that reassured me or whether Road had used her powers to help me. Whether it was one or the other, I'll probably never know, but I was very grateful for this restorative sleep.

After eight days of this ordeal, my ankle almost healed by the enforced rest, Tyki returned to the manor. Silent and tired-looking, he didn't even crack his classic smile when Tricia greeted him or his usual groan when Road jumped on him. No, he remained calm and composed, his face betraying no thought. The Earl had a hand on his shoulders and as soon as the family had been greeted, he directed him to his room with an apology. It was then that I had to hurry down the corridor, stumbling through the bookcase and between the shelves so that they wouldn't see me. I hadn't had the courage to go down and say hello to him, and the look on his face now... my guilt was mounting, and I didn't know what to do.

Fortunately, or not, it's hard to say, Tyki kept his room for the next few days, only going out for dinners when I wasn't there. So I didn't even have to bump into him. He could have found me easily, though. The manor wasn't that big, and I'd stuck to Tricia, the library and the music room anyway. So I assumed he didn't want to see me either, and no, I wasn't disappointed. It was just... strange to avoid him like the plague when he'd been the main person I'd sought out when I wanted company.

On top of that, barely a day after Tyki's return, the Earl asked Sheryl and Tricia if he could take Road on a trip. It was a rather strange request for a normal upper-class family, but let's not forget that they were Noah, and Tricia barely frowned before agreeing with her husband. So, with the twins away with their sister, Road with the Earl, Sheryl at work, Tyki in his room doing Merlin knows what, and my ankle still a bit sore, I started going to the music room more and more. Every afternoon, I spent hours between its four walls practising the Earl's piano and music theory lessons, transcribing by ear some of the music from my world. John Powell's music for Dragon came first and was soon followed by Zelda and Final Fantasy, before a random anthology of old English rock, anime, and classical music joined the ever-growing pile.

So that day, just after a shared lunch with Clarisse and Louise, I entered the music room with a pile of loose leaves in my hand and two heavy volumes of musical theory under my arm. Only to let them fall violently to the floor when I saw Tyki Mikk leaning over the small round table behind the piano, where a pile of forgotten sheets laid. My pile of forgotten sheets, I might add.

He didn't even raise his head when I dropped my books, and I hurried to pick them up before wondering what to do. Should I turn around and run the other way? Tempting, but maybe it would be better to start a conversation now that he was standing there in front of me... I should have done it much sooner and... and I didn't even get to finish my thought when he straightened up and fixed his unreadable gaze on me, not seeming the least bit surprised to find me there despite not having reacted before. Meeting his gaze, I remained immersed in it, not really knowing what to say. Despite his skin, which was certainly not grey, and his marked lack of stigmata, his eyes were undeniably golden, and I simply didn't know how to react. Neither did he, apparently, because he took his eyes off me and sat down in front of the piano, looking at it, so intensely it was strange.

Gathering my courage, I placed my books on the nearest chair and slowly approached the piano, my fingers twitching. At the last second, I decided to sit down in the nearest chair, the one where the Earl always sat when he wasn't showing me a sequence of keys, and to remain silent, my eyes fixed on Tyki. Outwardly impassive, my brain was in full internal panic and I didn't know if I should speak and, if so, what to say. So I remained silent and, suddenly, Tyki met my gaze.

"You were right." He sighed, and my eyes opened wide in surprise. Tyki wasn't overly proud, he'd readily admit if he'd been wrong, but our argument had been so violent (in every sense of the word) that I was expecting revenge rather than a forgiving hand.

"About what?" I whispered to start him off again when he stopped there.

"The piano..." He said bitterly before a mirthless chuckle escaped his lips. "You were right, sometimes Adam mistakes me for someone else and... I let him." He said, before taking his eyes off the instrument to fix them on mine, suddenly desperate. "I can't let him down, you understand, he's helped me so much... If there's anything I can do for him, anything at all, I've got to do it, it's nothing, I can do it, I ca-..." he mumbled as his hands slid unequivocally across the bench and I felt my lungs contract again with rarefied oxygen.

"Tyki!" I cut him off by cupping his face, shocking him as much as myself with my abrupt gesture. "Breathe with me."

Fortunately, it worked, and soon we were silent again, but breathing, facing each other. Letting go of his face, I let my fingers slide to my knees, but he grabbed my left hand on the way down, and I let him have it. He gently slipped his thumb into the hollow of my wrist, and I looked at our hands without saying anything. Was he... looking for my pulse? If he was, he wouldn't have any trouble finding it. It wasn't particularly fast, surprisingly so, considering the situation, but it was strong, and even I could feel it without trouble. We hadn't seen each other since he... maybe it was a way of checking that he hadn't killed me in the forest?

"You were right, too," I said when the silence becomes too much for me to bear. "I'm reckless, even unconscious, sometimes, and you've probably saved my life a few times and..." I say before biting my lip, my heart screaming to say it while my brain screamed to be silent. "... My memory is a disaster. I don't remember essentials and...I know things I shouldn't." I finally compromised, hoping he wouldn't ask for too many details.

But I needn't have worried. Giving me a cryptic look, he nodded wordlessly, returning the favour for my lack of questioning his own admission. "We're a fine pair of problem children..." He laughed as he squeezed my hand, and I soon joined him with a giggle bordering on a sob. Yes, I thought, alternate world and altered memory and powers and diabolical destiny, not the easiest, that's for sure.

And then suddenly, it was too much.

I'd nearly died, closer than I'd ever been, and, fuck it all, I was still in D Gray Man even more than a year and a half later, and I still had no idea how I'd got there and my whole last year in the XXI century was full of memories holes and...

"I need a hug." I spurted and looked at him nervously. All my spontaneity in physical contact erased since my arrival here, but their needs far from gone.

"Yeah, me too." He finally said before gently stretching out his arms as if he wasn't quite sure how to go about it. Permission given, I stood up and threw my arms over his shoulders in one motion before squeezing him as hard as I could, reassured that it wouldn't hurt him much. Barely two seconds later, his arms wrapped around my waist and I felt him bury his head in my shoulder as his curls tickled my nose.

It was calm, it was good, and for the next five minutes, it was exactly what I needed and so did he, except...

"You're too skinny!" I groan as I detangled myself from him. "Not as horrible as my brother, but it's still not a very nice hug." I forced a half-joking, half-reproachful tone to ease some of the heavy moods that had set in with our open-heart self-surgery.

"Hey, sorry to be uncomfortable!" He replied, and his tone almost sounded normal.

"Apology accepted." I replied and got a nasty flick in return. But it didn't matter, everything was already better, and I'm sure it would only improve from there.

I want to make it clear, they're just two lost people who need a friend, there's nothing sexual or romantic about it... or at least that's how I wrote it, but you're free to feel however you want.

Otherwise, I'm taking my driving test tomorrow morning… My head's not into writing UAPV, but I hope I'll still manage to finish it in time. Wish me luck! And good luck for the end of your holidays too :3

Think about letting reviews, and see you on the 25th of next month!