Trinity Blood Fan Fiction ❯ Children of Tragedy ❯ Chapter Two: From Here to There… ( Chapter 2 )

AN: Abel and other characters due to appear in more force soon I promise just bear with it. I apologize if the characters seem out of character, I tried.

Warning(s): Language

 

Chapter Two: From Here to There…

(I got lost and it was just across the street.)

 

"You wished to see me Miss Caterina?"

 

The blond cardinal looked up from her tea, beckoning the priest"Ah, Father Nightroad come in."

 

Abel Nightroad, AX agent, entered, coming to stand before the cardinal's desk.

 

"We have received reports of individuals in the downtown slum area just outside of Rome. They seem to be taking part in some illegal dealings," Caterina began without delay. "Your mission is to investigate this matter. Arrest these pests before they cause any major problems if you can, and confirm their actions."

 

"Illegal dealings?"

 

Caterina nodded, taking a sip of her tea. "we don't know any specifics, beside that they are rumored to be establishingastorehouse and check point for adeadly arms smugglingoperation, using a bar like establishment as a front."

 

"Not to sound rude, but isn't this a matter for the local authorities then it is for the AX," he questioned frowning.

 

"Normally I would agree, but it is feared that these weapons could make their way into the wrong hands. Should they get to enemies of the Vatican,imagine the destruction they could cause and with the political situation as it is now,it would not do for them to get into the hands of radical terrorist intents on starting a war," came a blunt reply.

 

Abel nodded, picking up a folder Caterina had pushed towards him, flipping through its contents. Photos, bank transactions, map of the city, detailed blueprints of alleged storage facility, criminal records of suspects, a list of notorious patrons, and a list of police reports of disturbances that had taken place, as well as many other documents laid out neatly in the open folder.

 

"Don't have any specific details," Abel asked, eyebrows raised.

 

"Nothing to make an arrest on, that's your job. Find the evidence needed,then hand the matter over to the authorities. Now go," the cardinal said, waving her hand in dismissal.

 

"As you wish," the silver haired priest bowed,and then he turnedto leave.

 

~*~*~

 

"Azmaria….Azmaria," a voice whispered, poking the owner of the name.

 

The sleeping girl mumbled and rolled over in her seat trying to ignore her persistent friend, who sat beside her on the tiny train in an agitated state of excitement.

 

"AZMARIA WAKE UP," Kendra screamed in the small girl's ear.

Azmaria flinched, frowning as she turned her head and cracking one eye to look at Kendra, "what?"

 

"We're almost in Rome," she smiled, hereyes alight with excitement.

 

"Almost," the sleepy girl asked, cocking an eyebrow at her.

 

"We will be arriving in twenty minutes or so."

 

The only response she got was a low growl, as Azmaria turned back over, drawing her long black tattered coat over her head once again ignoring her friends, grumblingin muttered curses. Kendra soon returned to watching the terrain passing by out the window over top the sleeping girl's head, leaving Azmaria, unable to return to sleep with her thoughts.

 

A week. A single week it had taken the two ragged misfits to get from the northern boarder of the Vatican's territory to Rome. They had lied, cheated, and stole their way across the distance in record time doing whatever was needed to moveforward, away from their shadowed pasts.

 

They had even stole with little remorse for the tickets of the train they were on now from a very wealthy looking gentleman, while he argued with a poor train attendant about the train's standard of luxury, not matching his own or something like that. The issue itself was completely trivial to the two girls who stood under the over hang, trying to as dry as much as possible. So it could be said that they felt little guilt as Azmaria snaked her little hand into the man's luggage, swiping the tickets. Their only justification being that the way the man talked and dressed, he surely could afford a new set of tickets since it was highly unlikely that doing so would leave the man homeless on the side of the road.

 

Azmaria could recall the looks of the attendants and fellow passengers as they boarded soaking wet from the rain outside in their tattered clothes. Though, most looks soon fell from them to the large disgruntled cat that trekked behind them on his leash. Mr. Whiskers, who promptly curled up on the floor in front of Azmaria's seat, forced the poor girl to sit cross legged. He was almost asleep when an attendant came over to "kindly inform them" that the panther like cat could not stay in the passenger's compartment. It only took one low growl from the slumbering feline to silence them. Needless to say, that after that, few people bothered them, leaving them to relax and talk for a little bit.

 

In the past few days both girls had already shared major bits and pieces of their stories,though each one kept the horrific details of their past to themselves. Some secrets didn't need to see the light of day, ever. The girls, needless to say, shocked at the ease they felt when sharing,and the comfort that came from that. It was as if there was this mutual understanding that was strengthening an invisible bond between the two, as they spoke of maters of the gravest degree. Though neither knew how or why, there was a silent agreement to hold these revelations close,and to see that the other never fell back into their depths again.

 

Kendra revealed the tragic tale of a noble family raped of their honor, and a brutally almost systematic murder in an attempt to save the people they had served for as long as they had been in existence, placing them before themselves. She told of imprisonment, as well as twisted procedures that changed youth to a terrifying monstrosity whose purpose was unknown. All this at the hands of a cruel monster himself, a true manipulator of the mind in many senses. A man who could easily make one believe that night was day and that the world you knew something entirely different with powers unheard of by simple people.

 

Azmaria understood many of these things despite her looks of youth, because her story was just as grim. In a soft sad voice the red eyed girl recalled the tragedy of memory loss and having to relearn everything anew, along with torturous rehabilitation from surgery due to some "accident" whose circumstances werefar from clear. The two large books Azmaria had retrieved before leaving the old mansion contained the answers to all her questions, concerning her past that could no longer be remembered and what she had become. Despite this knowledge the girl refused to open the volumes and see for herself. She openly admitted to the fear that stilled her hand every time she made an attempt to open the cracked leather cover. So instead,she held them close to her not allowing anyone access to her only morbid treasure.

 

To say she was possessive of those books would be an understatement. Kendra learned this first hand the hard way. They hadn't been on the train but for a few hours, and already Azmaria had succumbed to sleep. Kendra had a suddenly brilliant idea to see what her sleeping companion was afraid to see, though in her heart she knew no good could come of this. Still she picked up the largest of the volumes,looking over the front cover, internally debating on whether doing this was right or wrong, but as it was with Kendra, her curiosity got the better of her and she started to open the cover.

 

Her actions were suddenly halted when a small pale hand of her companion latched onto her wrist, causing Kendra to look over. Her sharp green eyes met the enraged red ones of little Azmaria.

 

"What do you think you are doing," she asked in a low growl. Her normally smooth voice now dripped with anger.

 

"Umm, I was just…umm," Kendra stuttered still shocked, because before her was not the gentle young woman with sarcastic tendencies, but a small figure seething in suppressed rage whose lips formed a serve frown. Azmaria's looks seemed to of have darkened in only a matter of seconds from the sleeping angel to a wakening devil.

 

Azmaria's frown deepened as her small fingers tightened around the crimson haired woman's wrist, nails biting deeper into the flesh unconsciously.

 

"Give!"

 

"Oww! Owwlet go already," Kendra grimaced, attempting to yank her arm free of Azmaria's vice-like grip, though she knew from what Azmaria had told her before that it was useless. "I was just going to look at it since you won't."

 

"Give!"

 

"You said it yourself that you wanted to know, but are too damned to scared to look, so let me do it and I'll tell you anything you want to know."

 

A low growl was emitted from the tiny girl's mouth, "give it to me now," Azmaria screamed, releasing Kendra's wrist as she lunged forward trying to rip the book from Kendra's hands, but the crafty red head moved just in time. She held her arms out just out of reach of her small foes grasp.

 

"No! If you won't do it then I will," Kendra yelled.

 

She began to fight off clawing fingers as she tried to push Azmaria away. Both stayed like that for some time smacking and clawing at each other, trying to gain head way in their possession of the book. It wasn't long before Azmaria started to cheat and began to take advantage of Kendra's long hair, grabbing it and giving it a hard yank.

 

"OUCH!! You damn midget that hurts!"

 

"NO!Give me my book and you can have your damn hair back!"

 

Kendra retaliated. Taking advantage of an opening in the small girl's defense, she swung her elbow back which collided with poor Azmaria's nose, sending her falling back into her seat, clutching her face.

 

"That was my nose you bitch!" Azmaria cried out, surprising Kendra as she leapt back ather, making another grab for the book. She was taken by surprise once again as Azmaria wrapped her hands, not around her wrist as she thought, but her throat this time around.

 

Gasping, Kendra held the book out further as the tiny girl shook her violently. After a second or two she had to stifle back the laughter that was building. The complete absurdity of the situation finally dawned on both of them, bringingtheir antics to a halt. Both stared at each other for a moment before a fit of laugher hit them.

 

Something in Azmaria's mind clicked as she gave a devious smile. "Oh, Kendra."

 

Kendra looked up at the girl who still had her hands around her throat, only to be bombarded bybig, red, puppy dog eyes, and pouting lips similar to that of a three year old.

 

"Can I have my book back, pretty pretty please," the small girlpouted, trying her best not to ruin it by laughing her ass off.

 

Kendra's left eye twitched slightly as she struggled not to cave in, but in the end failed.

"Here take the stupid book," she said, tossing it over in the seat next to her.

 

And like a puppy after a stick Azmaria followed, grabbing it and clutching it to her chest tightly, head bowed, as a strange silence descended upon the two. Moments passed before a quiet voice broke the silence.

 

"Thank you."

 

The red head smiled, understanding completely. "No problem. I was going to give it back to you anyways. Besides, people were starting to stare."

 

And people were staring. They had some very confused looks on their faces. Some even looked angered by the girl's little display. This made both of the girls laugh,because in all honestly they didn't really care. Let them look.

 

"And I don't know aboutyou, but I don't feel like having to deal with these freaks labeling us basket cases, if you know what I mean," she continued, throwing her thumb over her shoulder at the other passengers that occupied their car.

 

"Oh what a tragedy that would be," Azmaria laughed with a sarcastic smile gracing her lips.

 

"Besides," Kendra began, "you cheated anyways."

 

"WHAT?! CHEATED MY ASS!"

 

The two, once again, launched into a heated battle of words; sarcastic comebacks, and sometimes down right rude comments thatfollowed by just as equally inappropriate jesters, all the while a certain cat slept completely oblivious to the girls and everything else around him.

 

Azmaria smiled as she recalled the insanity of their trip thus far.

 

`Damn,if it's been like this in only a week,I can only imagine the hell we have yet to cause.'

 

"ROME! NOW ENTERING ROME! LAST STOP ROME!" a loud voice echoed throughout the car as an attendant walked down the aisle screaming out his little chant,breaking Azmaria of her thoughts. Uncovering her head she blinked at the ungodly bright light flowing through the window.

 

`Damn! Stupid, bright,glowy ball thing. Damn you to hell,' she thought as she stretched her small stiff frame before she gathered together her things, poking awake the slumbering beast on the floor in front of her, and kicking her now sleeping companion.

 

"Hey sleepy head, get your lazy bum up, we have a town to take over."