D. Gray-man Fan Fiction ❯ Twilight Generation ❯ Power III ( Chapter 3 )

When bathed in the blanket of night, New York City was a wondrous site to behold. Its lights of different patterns and colors could be easily seen from afar as its towering skyscrapers rose into the night sky. Despite the late hour, the city was still bustling with activity as its citizens were now out to enjoy the night life.

Meanwhile, a party was raging in one of the city's high-class, rooftop penthouses. Wild and frisky youth were drinking and wasting the night away, dancing and flirting shamelessly amongst themselves. In the middle of this intoxication and debauchery, one particularly drunk individual was teetering slovenly towards one of the penthouse's balconies.

“Heeey Mac…” he said slurred as he saw one of his friends. “Whatcha' doin' here? Trixie and her girls are about to start their little `show' hehehe…” he asked suggestively as he recklessly smacked the back of his friend.

“Whoa Dean, watch it dude!” Mac said irritably as the pair of binoculars he was holding nearly fell out of his hands. “I got a good view of a hotel room right here…” he added excitedly. “Aww, c'mon man… what's gonna happen here is waaay better than that cheap-ass shit.” grunted Dean.

“This is just a little appetizer man hehe…” Mac replied deviously as he continued scanning a well-decorated hotel building far ahead. “Hey what the...?” he then said, his voice suddenly sounding confused.

“What?” Dean asked curiously as he noticed that his friend seemed to have spotted something else. Mac quickly gave the binoculars to him and pointed to the very top of New York's iconic Chrysler Building which could also be seen. “There's someone there!”

The drunken party boy looked at his friend with a raised eyebrow, “Get outta here…” he said skeptically before using the binoculars to see what Mac was pointing at. Despite his drunkenness however, he was stunned to actually find that his friend was right.

There, sitting on top of one of the famous building's steel eagles, was a young woman. She had short, dark crimson hair and had long bangs that covered her right eye while the color of her unconcealed eye indicated that they were a deep indigo. What really caught Mac's attention however, was the outfit she was wearing.

It looked like a tight leather jacket but it ended somewhere halfway down her thighs like a mini-skirt. It was colored dark blue and had gray lines running down in a pattern from her shoulders and around her cuffs. Stitched to the upper arms of this girl's strange uniform, Mac saw a large, gray cross with a circle formed around it. She had a black belt strapped around her waist and had the same encircled cross as a buckle. Meanwhile on her sides were two gun holsters, although what was strange was that their shape didn't seem to fit with any gun Mac could recall. The pocket was unusually wide and roughly looked like the quarter piece of an oval. On her feet were dark blue socks and a matching pair of hiking shoes with gray outsoles. Finally, on the left side of her fairly busty chest was a silver rose-cross with rings of roman numerals around the center.

Dean couldn't help but stare at this girl; she looked like something out of a superhero movie (not to mention she had an attractive figure, with her slender, revealing legs and curvy physique). However, despite all that, he couldn't help but notice the expression on her face. It seemed very melancholic and her eyes appeared lost in thought.

Suddenly, Dean tensed his grip on the binoculars when the girl had slowly turned her head. To his surprise, the girl was now staring directly at him all the way from where she sat as if she had long known that they were watching her. There was a strong wind and the hair covering her right eye was gently blown off. When Dean saw what was underneath however, his eyes widened and his drunken mind was temporarily jolted awake.

A crimson mark in the shape of an upside down star was above her right eye followed by a thin line that ran across down to her cheek where it ended in a small cross with a long lightning-bolt shaped tip.

“You guys!!” a voice then called from behind them, causing the both of them to jump. They turned around to see one of the girls from the party standing with her arms crossed. “What are you still doing here? Everybody's already started!”

Dean, however, beckoned the girl over to him urgently, “Lizzie you gotta see this!”

“See what?” Lizzie said irritably as she rudely grabbed the binoculars. “Over there! At the Chrysler Building, do you see that?” Dean answered exasperatedly as he pointed to where he saw the girl. “There's a… girl over there dressed in some crazy outfit!”

For a while, Lizzie didn't say anything as she looked through the binoculars. But after a few seconds, a displeased frown appeared on her lips. “Ugh, I don't see anybody!”

“What?” Dean said incredulously as he snatched the binoculars from her hands and looked again at the spot where he saw the girl. To his dismay, the spot was now empty and there was no other sign of her. “She's gone!”

Lizzie though chuckled humorously, “God, Dean you better go easy on the booze otherwise you'd be wasting yourself waay to early for the night.” Mac, however, took the binoculars as well and he too was now at a loss for words.

The girl raised her eyebrow and looked skeptically from Mac to Dean. “Seriously you two, you've been out here waaay too long. C'mon!” she then said suggestively as she grabbed both boys by the arms. “We've still got a few more girls to spare…”

At that moment, all of Dean's uneasy thoughts to what he just saw instantly evaporated as he now smiled drunkenly once more. “Ooh really? All right…” Mac however, was still looking anxiously at the building but then resigned when it appeared that the opportunity to recheck was now impossible.

Pity though… for if he had looked on the other side of the building, he would not have been disappointed

The mysterious girl stood quietly on one of the eagles' heads looking over the city like a shadowy sentinel. From her height, she had one of the best views of the city and most people would be marveled at the beauty that lay before her. Sadly, she wasn't like most people.

The girl grimly looked to the stars as she recalled the many Exorcists of the past when they fought the first Millennium Noble, the Millennium Earl. She recalled the pain and loss they were said to have had to endure to bring it all to end. Who would've thought that it was all in vain…? she thought gloomily to herself.

She looked down to her left and saw on a street corner a group of men huddling together. Despite the distance she between them, she easily caught a glimpse of money being exchanged for a plastic sack of white powder. On the other side she saw a strip club where dozens of shady men came in and out with one, two (sometimes even three) girls who looked at least half their age.

Or an even more important question… was our world even worth saving to begin with…? she then added as an afterthought.

She looked over to one of the buildings beneath her and saw shadows of two people shouting heatedly at each other. One was waving arms while another was pointing fingers. Just then, she saw a young teenage boy come out of the building. He stood quietly around at the sidewalk for while until a hoodless, beat-up, 1966 Lincoln Continental drove up next to him. As he got into the car, the girl saw him look around before taking a handgun out of his jacket and loading it as they drove away.

Despite all those pains… despite all those people who gave their lives to protect this world, to protect humanity… despite all those sacrifices… humanity still lost itself to the darkness. Not just to the darkness brought by the Nobles… but to the darkness within itself. the girl thought cynically, her expression cold and unfeeling as she now recalled the current state of the world.

Today, crime infests every corner on the streets, while corruption infects even the most prestigious of authorities. Pain and suffering are everywhere with immorality and debauchery being as common as the rats in the sewers. Poverty is at an all time high in many parts of the globe. While there are few who wish to help heal the world of this misery, the rest of mankind simply ignores and continues to wallow in its own selfish wants.

Is there really enough hope left for this dying world…? Enough hope to have us risk our lives doing another thankless job of saving it…?

These thoughts continued to float in her mind as she meditated upon the many dark realities in this world today.

Just then, from the corner of her eye, the girl saw a small flicker of light and was quick to sense the presence of another being now standing behind her. “You're late…” she muttered in her mellow yet firm voice, as she turned to face who it was.

A young man stood before her, wearing a uniform similar to hers in color and scheme but with an entirely different design. The boy's uniform resembled a long robe, with fairly wide sleeves and a large eerie hood that covered his face with its shadow. “Sorry, don't remember you calling this meeting.” the young man sourly retorted. “Oh give it up Merrick, you know Kirai just can't help being bossy.” another voice then spoke snidely, this time it was female and sounded very young (even child-like). From the shadow of the corner on Kirai's right, a girl shorter than the two of them stepped out. She had a pair of deep-blue eyes and golden-blonde hair that was tied into two loose bunches. Like Kirai and Merrick, her outfit had the same patterns and color scheme but the form was entirely different. Her uniform was in the shape of a sleeveless turtle-neck and on her forearms she wore a pair of white cut-out sleeves. Instead of a skirt, she wore a pair of white pants along with a pair of knee-high boots that matched her uniform. In her arms, she carried a stuffed toy that looked like a fat, bag-shaped, yellow cat with a fox's tail.

“Besides…” the girl then, added “what'd you expect from the Order's 1st Captain?”

Kirai looked at the young girl sternly. “You know Annie, a girl your age still needs to show respect to her seniors. Then again…” she said as she walked back down the eagle's head and jumped with amazing agility over the railing that prevented people from climbing over it. “… what else could I expect from a newbie Captain?”

A comical vein appeared on Annie's forehead. “Why I oughta…” she growled as she angrily clutched the head of her stuffed toy and thrust it forward like she was about to shoot something with it.

“Dear, dear, already at each other's throats are we?” a new voice suddenly spoke. This one was male and had the same accent as Merrick's but sounded bolder and more arrogant. Kirai turned to her left and saw two more people walking towards them. They too wore the same uniform, but with their own unique alterations.

One was a young man with short spiky blonde-hair and red-brown eyes. He looked about the same age as Merrick and his uniform by far had stood out the most because it did not just consist of mere cloth like the others. Instead, it resembled a full suit of medieval plate armor along with a nice, long cape bearing a cross. Strapped on his left side was a sheathed rapier that looked very similar to a jousting lance. Behind the young man was a taller and much larger individual. He was extremely muscular and looked like he was in his thirties. He had long black hair that was tied into two braided pigtails and wore a head band with two eagle's feathers sticking out on one side. His skin was light brown while his eyes were deep amber. He had an unusually large, bronze nose while underneath his eyes were red tribal markings. His uniform was extremely rugged with its sleeves completely torn off and its front severely ripped by the sheer size of his pectorals, reducing the shirt into the shape of a crude vest. Even the jeans he wore looked heavily battered and he had no footwear on him at all, he was completely barefoot. Upon his right shoulder, he carried a massive wooden totem with the top carved in the shape of a bull's head.

“Uther. Bain. You guys are also late, explain yourselves.” Kirai demanded, standing in front the one with the blonde hair. “Well nice to see you too.” he replied as he grinned mockingly at her. “Hello Annie, missed me?” he then said seductively as he walked past Kirai and placed his hand on Annie's head.

“Hands off Prince Charming.” Annie said grumpily as she whacked Uther's hand away with her toy, “I've got enough lolicon addicts hitting on me without you being one of them…”

“Then why doesn't your brother get rid of them for you?” another voice spoke, this time from right behind Annie. The blonde-haired girl however, didn't seem surprised. Uther looked up and came face to face with another woman around his age.

The girl had a deep voice that sounded slightly tomboyish. She had deep navy blue hair that fell all the way down her back and ending just right above her waist. Her eyes were a bright golden yellow while a dark blue mask of cloth wrapped around the bottom half of her face and her neck. Her uniform resembled a long-sleeved leotard that gracefully revealed her well-toned thighs. On her feet, she wore a pair of knee-high boots that were similar to Annie's.

Merrick looked towards her, the expression on his face hidden underneath the shadow of his hood.

“Oh I almost forgot it's not your nature to watch out for anyone is it?” she said sarcastically as she placed her hands on Annie's smooth shoulders. Merrick didn't say anything and returned his gaze towards the city. Annie however, groaned irritably and grabbed one of the blue-haired girl's hands off. “I don't need anybody Miko! I can watch out for myself!”

Miko though only giggled as she then hugged Annie and pulled her closer to her voluptuous bust. “(Annie-chan is so kawaii when she acts all tough ne?)” she said playfully in Japanese while the young girl blushed slightly. “(Oi! Knock it off!)” Annie whined in the surprisingly same language as she struggled to free herself. Although for some reason, she seemed a little less violent when it came to Miko. “(Besides, where's Shinji? He's the only one who hasn't shown up and you were supposed to bring him.)” Annie then asked, still unable to pry the older girl's arms off her.

“I'm right here.” a calm, cool voice answered. Behind Miko was a young man with smooth medium length white hair and emerald green eyes. His uniform though seemed the least altered of them all and consisted of the standard jacket and pants with the jacket merely opening up to reveal a dark blue shirt underneath. On his back was a sleek, black electric guitar held by a strap over his right shoulder.

Kirai looked carefully at her six other companions and finally said, “Then we're all present and accounted for. Let's start…”

The seven of them all gathered around in a circle as Kirai took a cellphone out of a small pouch behind her back. On the back of the phone was a strange round stub that had a white ring at the center. She then pressed a few buttons and the white ring suddenly began to glow a faint sky blue. She slowly bent down and placed the phone on the floor with the stub facing upward.

Nothing happened for a few moments, then a sound similar to television static but more electronic came from the stub and a fuzzy blue light burst from the center. Suddenly, a small, hazy, holographic image of a woman appeared before them. The color of the hologram however, made it difficult to distinguish the exact color of her appearance. The woman looked like she was still in her twenties and was wearing a coat that bore the same emblem as the ones on the uniforms of the seven people around her. She wore a beret on her head and had long hair that was tied in a braid which hung over her left shoulder.

“Greetings Exorcists.” the woman spoke, her voice was soothing and calm, “I trust you completed your recent missions?”

“If that's what you call those menial tasks, then yes.” Uther said arrogantly while Annie rolled her eyes. The woman however, simply smiled and continued. “Excellent, just what I'd expect from the Captains.”

“Supervisor Cory, why have you called us here?” Kirai asked in formal manner. Cory looked around at all of the Exorcist Captains before saying. “First of all, I would like to thank you all for what you've done for the Black Order. Your years of service in fighting the Demons and the Millennium Nobles have greatly contributed to our cause in preventing humanity's untimely destruction.”

The Captains didn't say anything and continued looking at her while Annie gave a sleepy yawn.

Cory kept on smiling and said, “You all know by now that our arsenal of Innocence shards has increased fairly well these past few decades ever since the First Awakening. However, with more Innocence shards comes the need for more people capable using it in our war with the Nobles. Sadly, we still use the same process our predecessors used when they fought the Millennium Earl. We send people all across the world and manually seek out those who have been chosen to fight.”

Everyone was feeling a bit lax by now and Annie was already leaning half-asleep on Merrick's side while Uther was staring lazily at the starry sky. Only Kirai was still paying close attention.

“So far only the Exorcist Generals are allowed to undertake this task of finding compatible hosts and overseeing the training of new recruits… that is until now.” she then finished.

All seven Captains suddenly looked at her a seriously and even Annie woke up saying, “What?” Cory smiled but more mysteriously this time and said, “General William Hawk will explain the rest to you.”

Cory's hologram disappeared and was replaced by another one, this time it was a man. He wore a coat also bearing the Black Order's emblem along with a military-style combination cap. His eyes were hidden beneath a pair of aviator sunglasses and his bushy moustache gave him the look of an old war veteran.

“Good evening Captains. It's good to hear that you've been doing pretty well.” his voice was very gruff and commanding. “Hey Old Man Bill, how's it going?” Annie greeted teasingly in return. Kirai looked at her disapprovingly but the General merely chuckled, “Well, it's nice to see you finally up with these high-rollers kid. Merrick, you must be proud.”

“I am filled with joy.” the hooded Exorcist said sarcastically as Annie scowled at him and gave him a quick punch to the arm.

The General laughed amusingly and then continued, “Haha... well anyways. You've all heard it from Cory. With the more Innocence shards we've been finding lately, it's been harder for the Generals to find potential Exorcists. Despite the great power God has given us to fight the Demons and free the poor souls trapped inside them, the shards alone would be useless without people capable enough to use them. So… as of today…”

The seven Captains now looked attentively at General Hawk.

“…Exorcists of the Captain rank will now have a new privilege: The right to locate compatible Exorcists.”

Everyone was stunned by this announcement. Since the beginning of the Black Order, only the Generals have been deemed experienced enough to be allowed to search the globe for people who are able to wield the purifying power of these shards. There have been cases where people of lower rank manage to find compatible people but these were instances where the Innocence shard and the user were found right next to each other and already synchronized (albeit unknowingly). It is entirely different when only the shard is found and its chosen user is still unknown.

“However, make no mistake, we will not let you exercise this privilege instantly.” the General said warningly. “I will be training you along the way. From here on, each time any of you encounter an Innocence shard, you must report to me and I shall give you instructions on how to find its possible host. Understood?”

A few of the Captains nodded while the rest continued to listen. “There are also a few more privileges to be granted to you. You will also be granted the right to conduct independent investigations should you ever find possible phenomena related to the Innocence. I trust you all know the basic signs that tell if a shard is nearby?”

“Yes. First, Innocence phenomenons are usually supernatural and paranormal occurrences that cannot be explained by modern science.” Kirai then began to explain, “Secondly, Demons are highly drawn to its presence so a huge number of them would usua -”

“Save the lecture for the rookies Kirai…” Uther interrupted tiredly. Kirai did not retort at this but instead, stared at the knight coldly.

“Speaking of rookies…” the General then continued, “there's another important privilege that has been given to you. Once you have learned the basics in locating a host, I will allow you to go out and search for him or her. However, unlike us Generals, you will only be allowed to carry one shard at a time and it has to be one that you found. Once you have found the person chosen by the shard to be its user, you are given two choices: either you bring the person to the Order to be trained or…you can take in the person yourself to be your Apprentice.

If the first announcement stunned them, this one completely left the young Captains at a loss for words. For the first time, Bain spoke, his voice low and deep. “By take in, you mean like when you first found us?” The General nodded but then added, “Take note though that there's a rule. You are only allowed to take in one, and only one, Apprentice for your entire career as Captain. You must choose carefully. The Exorcist you select will not just be your student, but also your assistant, your partner, and most importantly… your friend.”

“Tch.”

Everyone looked at Shinji; the young man had now turned around and was preparing to walk away from the group. “(Sorry, but I'll pass. I play solo so I don't do `partners'. ja-ne)”

General Hawk however, sighed and said, “I had a feeling you'd say something like that Shinji and I can't force you.” Shinji stopped in his tracks and looked back at the veteran Exorcist. The General then looked at Merrick and said, “I suppose you feel the same way as he does, don't you?”

The young man crossed his arms and said glumly, “I'm afraid I have more important things to do than train a bumbling Apprentice.” After that, the General next looked at Kirai who was also surprisingly glum about this. “And it looks like you're not too keen for a partner either Kirai.” The crimson-haired young woman shook her head sternly. “Forgive me General, but I feel that any form of bonding for me would jeopardize my ability to focus on my mission.”

“Well I certainly am up for it.” Uther suddenly said proudly. “I've always wanted to know what it feels like to train a squire. Bain seems to feel the same way as well. Don't you big fellow?” he added as he nudged Bain.

“Hm.” Bain grunted as if to imply a yes.

“Annie what about you?” Uther then asked the youngest captain who still had the stunned look on her face. “Annie?”

“(Annie-chan?) Miko said concernedly as she waved her hand in front of Annie's face.

“A…ssistant?” she muttered incoherently. The General raised his eyebrow warily at her and carefully said, “Yes… your Apprentice is meant to also assist you in your duties.”

“Assist? As in serve? Obey without question?” she asked, her voice sounding more maniacal with each word.

“Well I wouldn't really say-“

“I GET MY OWN PERSONAL SLAVE!! WOOHOO!!” she suddenly cheered as she jumped up and down. “My own slave! My own slave! My own Will-do-everything-I-tell-him-to-do slave!” she yelled in a sing-song voice.

Everyone including the General sweat-dropped as she then began rubbing her hands naughtily.

“Boy, I don't know who she's gunna pick but I already feel sorry for the poor bloke.” Uther commented as Annie began mumbling to herself on what she would ask her future `slave' to do.

“Well, what about you Miko?” the General then turned the last Captain. “Do you think you're up for the task?” Miko closed her eyes thoughtfully for a while and said, “To be honest sir, I can't be sure right now.”

After hearing all of the Captains' opinions and settling things down once more, the General calmly adjusted his hat and said, “Very well. Despite the misgivings from some of you, I know that we still have a long battle ahead of us so let's not be hasty about this. With your privilege to conduct independent investigations, you will now be allowed access to the more restricted Black Order data files. These files contain more information about the Innocence and possible places to find them. You can access the files any time from any communications device by using your Golems. Keep in mind though that you are being given classified information so take care to keep this information only to yourselves and to those authorized. Understood?”

“Yes sir.” the all replied.

“Then I guess this concludes this meeting.” he said, “I hope that with these changes it would help us in our race against the Nobles. Good evening Captains and Godspeed to all of you.”

With that, his hologram vanished and the glowing ring on the stub had returned to a plain white once again. Kirai quickly walked over and picked up her cellphone before looking around at her fellow Captains. They didn't say anything and were now slowly beginning to walk away, disappearing into the shadows of the building, their footsteps slowly dying away until she could no longer feel their presence.

The young girl quietly looked down upon the city once more and meditated for a few more minutes before walking away and disappearing somewhere as well.