Arideris Marie Delacour's Story

Arideris


She had stayed out too late, and Ari knew it. Around 11pm the night before she had sneaked out of the church and left to her hill over looking the village. It was a little after 6 now and she knew if she didn't hurry she would be scolded.Not that it mattered too much though. She would much prefer to stay out late and get scolded than stay hidden from the world. Besides, the night had been at its most beautiful. The stars had glimmered and shined brighter that usual in the moonless night, so it had been hard to pull herself away from the sight. Even the cold didn't bother her, in fact she rather enjoyed the nipping breeze and the scent of wet foliage.

Ari sighed and pulled her jacket closer and hood further down to hide her face. She held her precious stuffed cat, Mr. Mew, close as she walked through the nearly empty town. She stuck to the shadows and alley way trying to stay out of view of all. She felt pretty relaxed, some could say happy even, so she didn't need her mood to be spoiled by a the towns folk spreading more rumors or just flat out calling her a monster. That though alone made her eyes water a bit, but she sniffed it back, not letting herself think about those times.

Besides I need to focus on getting back home she thought as she went down an alley that would lead her straight to the path back to the church. She continued down until she looked ahead and noticed someone standing there. She froze in her place, and bit her lip.

"Well if it isn't the town witch. What is a monster like you doing out this early in the morning? Killing some of the other good people of this town" Monsieur Falgout, the town baker, sneered.

"Or maybe she was poisoning our livestock with her witches brew" Madame Pruitt added from behind her. "No wonder your parents didn't want you. They knew you were trouble the instant you were born" She laughed then turned serious again. "You should have been burned years ago."

Ari turned so she could see them both. She backed up against the wall and clutch her Mr. Mew tighter as the two made their advance. I'm going to get beaten again aren't I... she whimpered as the thought crossed her mind. Thats when suddenly things got ten times scarier. The two began to grow, shedding their skins.

"I have a better idea lets just kill her now" What used to be Monsieur Falgout said. His voice sounded scratchier and he now looked like a giant ball with pentacles and giant cannons. The same went for Madame Pruitt.

"No...not again..." Ari mumbled her eyes over flowing with tears as the memories of that night rushed back. The the person she considered a mother had turned into a monster and attacked her. "No its not...It can't..."[/color] The monsters fired their canons at her aiming to kill. She closed her eye hiding under her hood. "SOMEONE HELP ME!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. A bright light shined then dimmed. She peaked out from under her hood and saw Mr. Mew standing in front of her. He had taken the attack and he was now moving as quick as a whip punching, kicking and scratching her assailants.

She watched in amazement. The last time this had happened she thought she had been dazed, but she watched in amazement as the small stuffed toy stood its own and beat the monsters to a pulp. The two monsters tried to hit the now living doll, but it was too fast. They would end up hitting a wall and sometimes each other. They were tiring out, even she could tell and apparently so could the doll. Mr. Mew jumped up on the wall and propelled himself up and straight through both the monsters who in turn disintegrated into ash.

The doll then came back to her, jumped into her arms and went lifeless. "How did you...?" She began asking the doll, but she felt a wave of exhaustion and staggered a bit before promptly fainting.

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As Mai walked out and shut the door, Morgan looked down at his hand, shocked. Or he would have, if he could see. Still, he had a very shocked look on his face. In four years, Morgan had never actually touched Mai, except in the rare case where they accidentally bumped into one another. And she had just grabbed his hand. Granted, he had offered it to her, but he hadn't actually thought she would accept it. She never had before. He had felt hesitation when their fingers had touched, and then she had just grabbed it. A small, half-smile formed it's way onto his face as he walked over to the window again. Maybe that meant she was working past her demons.

Maybe there was hope for him as well.

Morgan pulled on his uniform coat and headed downstairs. He rarely carried much with him, so it didn't take long to check out. He walked outside, cocked his head from side to side, and then turned to his immediate right. "Well, Mai, we have a train to catch. Let's go, shall we?"

~+~+~+~+~+~+~

Nearly two hours later, they arrived at a small village train station, the weather looking bleak and dismal. Morgan could feel it. "Let's get moving, it's going to storm soon." The wandered the town, and soon felt something. Or Morgan did. He activated his Innocence. "Mai, we've got Akuma. South end of the village. Come on." He took off, knowing his partner would follow him without question. In the black and white world he saw, he certianly wasn't expecting to see the Akuma turn to ash.

And deffinately not at the hands of a stuffed toy. Morgan halted, staring. A young girl with pink hair was cradeling the toy, talking to it, before she fainted. The Exorcist caught her before she hit the ground. Studying her for a second, Morgan turned to Mai. He nodded to the ash piles before speaking. "Well...I think we may have found our child."

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Theodin sat at the bar, swirling his glass. All that was in it was water, ,but he still attracted quite a few odd looks and stares, as well as the occasional murmer. After three years, he was used to it. A fifteen-year-old in a bar with no other supervision demanded that sort of reaction in most parts. The boy sighed, threw a bill down on the bar, and left. There wasn't much work in this town, so he figured he'd keep moving. He was running low on money, so he needed to find a job soon, or he'd be rumaging through garbage cans. He was in a small village off the souther coast of England, a farming village.

The rain was driving down the boat runs, so Theo wasn't able to get a boat to the main land yet. So far, he'd been stuck here for three days, and the storm didn't look to be letting up any. He sighed. He was getting edgy, he hated staying in one place for so long.

Mai

It never ceased to amaze her how Morgan was able to tell where she was. Nodding she followed/lead Morgan to the train station and they were soon on their way.

Some time later they arrived in the village Morgan had mentioned earlier. Not long after they got there Morgan sensed Akuma and they were off at a running start to deal with the demons. Looking up at the sky Mai noticed the dark clouds rolling in from the east and frowned a bit not wanting to be caught in a storm if they had to deal with Akuma. It hadnt taken them long to reach the Akuma sighting but what shocked Mai the most wasntthe fact that the Akuma had been reduced to ashes but the fact that a stuffed animal had done their job for them.

The young girl who looked to be the owner of said before spoke to it before fainting right after. Thankfully Morgan had caught the pink haired child and stated the obvious. "No doubt about it. We'll have to find lodging or where ever this girl lives before it starts to rain on us" glancing at the sky as she spoke.

"Though seeing as she is unconcious we'll simply have to find somewhere else to stay. As you said before she's rumored to be a witch. So I doubt they'll welcome her in just any place. We'll have to hide the fact that she's the one we carry."

Mai did not hesitate or even show a hint of her being nervous. Once she got to work her quivering would cease and she's become like her usual self. And with all that said Mai let Morgan carry the girl while she wore her jacket over her head so no one would recognize her. Thankfully they would have an excuse for doing that since it started to rain when they found a place to stay. Mai was even more thankful that the clerk was a woman.

Mai lead them to their rooms and had Morgan set the girl down on the bed. She then looked her over to make sure she hadnt hurt herself as well as the stuffed animal. Once done Mai sat on the edge of the bed watching the girl. After a few minutes Mai spoke, "I'll go make us some tea to warm us up. Hopefully she wakes up soon so we can question her. I'm rather curious of that stuffed animal of hers."

Standing up Mai went to the kitchen and made them tea. After making it she gave one to Morgan and kept one for herself. She resumed her spot as before waiting and watching for any signs of the girl waking.

Arideris


So warm was Aris' first thought as her consciousness slowly began to return. She snuggled deeper into the blanket, savoring the unusually comfortable bed. This is nothing like the cots at the church.... That's when it hit her. All the memories flooded back. She sat bolt up in the bed and looked around wildly like a frighted deer. She was in an average sized room, bland in color and in decor. Behind her she could hear the pounding of the rain on the window mixed with the loud cracks of thunder; it was storming. But inside the room is what interested Ari most. Two people, a man and woman, stared at her. She stared at them, taking them in. They seemed to be doing the same.

BOOM!

Ari jumped, the thunder breaking her from the trance. She pushed herself to the far side of the bed, away from the two, pulling her jacket closer around herself as if it would shield her from the two. She noticed their coats and began shaking. "I k-know why your here. Your Exorcists." She stated trying to be brave, but failing miserably. She had heard of the Exorcists. The villagers had threatened her enough to know they hunted demons and monsters. Their signature trademark were their black and sliver jackets "I know they paid you to k-k-kill me b-but please don't!" Her eyes overflowed with tears and her shaking grew worse. "I swear I'm n-not a witch! I didn't kill them!" She sobbed pulling herself closer into a ball. "I-I don't have much, but I'll give you everything I have, m-m-my clothes, my books, my glasses! I swear I wont tell anyone...I-I'll leave and never come back....j-just please don't hurt me or Mr. Mew...." Ari begged holding the doll tightly protecting it the best she could.

Mai

Mai was surprised by the girl's reaction to seeing them. "I k-know why your here. Your Exorcists. Mai was surprised that girl knew and she turned to Morgan with a questioning look on her face. "You do? The girl was shaking at this point, fear evident in her voice and in her eyes.

"I know they paid you to k-k-kill me b-but please don't!" Mai nearly dropped her tea onto the bed by the girls answer.

"I swear I'm n-not a witch! I didn't kill them!" She sobbed pulling herself into a ball. "I-I don't have much, but I'll give you everything I have, m-m-my clothes, my books, my glasses! I swear I wont tell anyone...I-I'll leave and never come back....j-just please don't hurt me or Mr. Mew...."

Mai truly and surely was baffled by this point. Rubbing the bridge of her noise and shaking her head quickly to clear herself of any thoughts. Without turning to Morgan, Mai cleared her throat. "Morgan dont worry I'll handle this. (Facing the girl with a kind smile) My dear now why on earth would we kill you. Do you really think we would have gone through all the trouble of bringing you here. We could have easily just left you there in the rain and simply let you body do the rest for you. Now I know that sounds harsh but I can assure you we have no intention of killing you or harming you in the very least."

Smiling Mai paused for a moment to let her words sink in. "Our reason for being here wasnt because the villagers told us to but because we came here to investigate a young girl who we might think is the person we've been looking for. And I think you are that special person. Letting go of her kind smile Mai became serious for the occasion.

"Now from what I understand this Mr. Mew is very important to you correct? Is he the stuffed animal you carry in your arms, would you mind if I held him. I'll give him right back to you so dont worry." Mai hoped she would say yes to her request. If their theory was correct then Mr. Mew was indeed used to destroy those Akuma from earlier.

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Morgan kept his normal goofy smile plastered on his face, acting like he didn't have a care in the world. He listened as Mai explained things to the girl, never interjecting. That was simply Morgan's way. He often let Mai take charge of situations where females were concerned. It only seemed right since he handled most, if not all, dealings with men. He kept his eyes focused on the ceiling, wondering slightly what the girl looked like. He could tell just by the way she alked and moved that she was small and slender, and from when he had carried her he knew she had long hair. It was incredibly soft.

As Mai was waiting for the girl's answer in regaurds to her stuffed animal, Morgan decided to pose a question of his own. He easily could have activated his Innocence in order to look at the girl, but that usually unnerved quite a few people. It generally turned out better if he asked for permission to "see" them, by usng his hands. He stood up slowly and felt his way over to the bed, sitting down a few feet from the girl.

"My dear, I have two questions for you. The first would be to ask your name. My name is Morgan Alistair. How you address me is up to you, I have very few preferences. Now, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I'm blind. I would very much like to see you, if you would let me. I'm not going to hurt you." He spoke to her kindly, while his eyes were turned off toward the left of her. He made no movement, and waited patiently for her answer.

Arideris


Ari wiped her eyes, as the woman spoke, listening intently. She was right, if they wanted to kill why not have done it while she was out. She calmed at the thought and berated herself for being so stupid. She gave the two a better look and instantly knew what they said was the truth. They didn't have a mean or hostile demeanor; she could trust them.

At the mention of Mr. Mew Ari grew a bit tense, but decided it was ok. She listen to the man, Morgan, and nodded then remembered he couldn't see. "My name is Arideris Marie, but you can just call me Ari...and yes Mr. Mew, this stuffed animal. is my most precious treasure." She said softly. "You may do what you need to see me, Monsieur Morgan." She took off her jacket and moved a bit closer so she was sitting in between Morgan and the woman. She pushed her glasses up and sat up straighter, quickly trying to wipe off her face and straightening her two braids. "Please don't hurt him Madame..." she mumbled setting Mr. Mew carefully on the the womans' lap then turning more towards Morgan.

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Morgan felt the girl move closer. She gave her consent, and Mogan placed the plams of his hands gently across her face. From there he felt her, seeing her, as it were. It was something he did to everyone he met. The only person he knew whom he'd never "seen" was Mai. He lifted his hands and smiled. "You have a trustful smile, Arideris." He leaned over, speaking to Mai. "I'm guessing that the doll acts according to her blood, no? Some type of telokenesis or such. The Innocence in her blood is what makes the doll react?" He turned back to Arideris.

"You are french, oui, Madmioselle? I spent some time there before, lovely country." His grey eyes seemed to wander about the room. In reality, he was sensing things. Everything had a feel to it, and Morgan had learned how to tap into that due to being blind. He may have been making casual conversation, but he was also scoping out their presence. The girl was not welcome most places they tried to go, and there was a hostile tention in the air. It put Morgan's teeth on edge.

Mai

Mai took the stuffed animal from where Ari had left him, in her lap. Examining it closely one would just think it to be a normal stuffed animal but on closer inspection a few things were diffrent.

. "I'm guessing that the doll acts according to her blood, no? Some type of telokenesis or such. The Innocence in her blood is what makes the doll react?

Nodding Mai then realized nodding would get them any where if Morgan couldn't see it. Berating herself on the inside she turned to Morgan, "Yeah, Though I find it a bit strange since her blood isnt mixed directly with it. So the only good explanation is as you say telokenesis." She spoke softly lifting the doll to face level.

A frown slowly creased her features As she began to dwell a little too much of her own childhood dolls. They were made of china but after she broke one they were soon replaced with simple rag dolls. Mai didnt care then since as long as she had a friend to accompany her she was happy.

Mai watched Morgan at work as his hands seemed to glide over the girls face. Hearing his comment Mai puffed her cheeks a bit as if pouting. Realizing this she squished her cheeks so they let out a fast blow of hair that sounded rather odd. Gasping Mai covered her mouth with one hand, blushing as her eyes flickered around the room. "I apologize for that. Ari may I ask as to how you came about to having this Mr. Mew in your care? Earlier you had thought we came here to kill you, now could you tell us why that may be?"

Arideris


Ari relaxed her tense body after the initial contact, and listen to the the two talk. She didn't understand most of what they were saying, but one thing caught her interest. "I'm not sure I understand completely, but I do know telekinesis is not right." she stated with matter-of-fact like tone. "Telekinesis is the art of moving object, which I didn't do. I think you mean psychokinesis. That's when you move stuff with..." She looked up with a small smile then realized they more than likely did not care and ended up trailing off with a frown, mumbling "...your mind." She decided it was best to stay quite after that, at least until they spoke to her first.

"Ari may I ask as to how you came about to having this Mr. Mew in your care? Earlier you had thought we came here to kill you, now could you tell us why that may be?" The woman, Mai, asked.

Ari had been hoping they wouldn't ask that, but she knew she had no right to hide it. Besides they were the first to actually ask for her side of the story, maybe they might even believe her. She took a deep calming breath and began. "I am an orphan. When I was a baby I was left at the steps of the church, so I became a ward of the church and stayed there. Nobody really likes me here though. They boys in town are mean, they pull my hair and make fun of me and the grown ups say bad stuff too. But I wasn't always alone I had Sister Sophie. She was really nice to me and she would tell everyone to stop being mean. When they didn't she made me Mr. Mew so I could have a friend to play with, and she made my coat so we could match, and she gave me these too!" She pointed at her glasses. "Sister Sophie always said 'Never forget you are special my dear'...She was like the Mama I always wished for....but then she got sad..." Ari sniffled a bit, but after a pause she continued. "Sister Sophies' little brother died in an accident. She was really sad for a long time....But then she got better. I went to visit her to make sure she really was okay, b-but then" She shook a bit, remembering that night. "But then I saw her attack one of the towns folk. She turned into a scary monster and when I tried to run away the she followed me. I ran, b-but got trapped. She was gunna get me, b-b-but Mr.Mew saved me. He made the monster go away."

Ari blinked her eyes, and focused on calming her breathing. Don't cry. Don't cry. She chanted to herself. "...After that everyone thought I killed Sister Sophie and Monsieur Demount....They couldn't prove it...and they knew my blood was black, so they called me a witch...B-but I'm not! R-r-right...?" Her lips quivered as she squeezed her eyes as tight as she could. Even then the small drops of salty water still found a way out.

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B-but I'm not! R-r-right...?

Morgan directed his eyes towards Arideris. He hesitated for a second before Placing a hand on the top of her head, tousseling her hair a bit. "No, Madmioselle, you are not a monster. Tell me. Do you know what an Akuma is?"

Clearly the girl needed educated. She lable Sister Sophie as a monster when clearly the woman had become an Akuma at the loss of her brother. It didn't surprise Morgan, you heard stories like that all the time as an Exorcist. And the girl clearly knew little. But with how her story was playing out, there had been no one to teach her, and other than the Exorcists, few people even believed in the existence of the Akuma. Morgan nodded in the direction of Mai. He was hoping she would get the hint and help him out. Morgan was not the best at explaining things.

Mai

Mai knew exactly how Ari felt, when her father and all the men in her town had turned on their loved ones. She frowned thinking of the memory of being under what had once been her home. The only sounds being that of the screams of the hunted and the Akuma who preyed on them.

"No, Madmioselle, you are not a monster. Tell me. Do you know what an Akuma is?"

Knowing this was her que to speak, Mai gave Ari her stuffed animal seeing as how precious it was to the girl. Clearing her throat Mai turned to Ari placing one hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

"Akuma are created when a living human is mourning over the loss of a loved one. Their grief causes them to make a contract with the Earl to bring the soul of said lost loved one back, and in Sister Sophies case, her younger brother. The Earl presents the living human with a skeleton of Dark Matter and has them call the departed soul of the loved one back, the soul then becoming trapped within the skeleton and forced to obey the Earl's will. The mourner isn't aware of this until the newly created Akuma kills said person to "wear" the mourners skin. Its crucial that they did so they can move around in the human world in disguise. (pausing for a moment) Now I'll stop there since we havent the time to give you lesson at the moment. Its best we leave for the Order before other Akuma decided to show up."

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Morgan nodded. "Yeah, we should get headed back. It's late, but something about this place is putting me on edge. We can catch a late train and make it back in two days." Morgan stood up and waited for the girls to gather their things.

He was twitchy, shifting his weight from foot to foot. Finally he couldn't stand it any longer and activated his Innocence. He switched to his heat vision. Akuma gave off immense amounts of heat, far greater than the average human being. He glanced around at the other people in the lobby. No one was hot, so to speak.

Morgan sighed, shifting his weight again. Something was off.

Mai had noticed the way Morgan had been acting. And it worried especially when he had activated his innocence. Getting her and Ari's things she ushered the girl outside the inn to where Morgan had been waiting for them. "Is there something I should be aware of Morgan?"

Morgan shifted again. "I just don't know. Something's off, but I can't sense anything. But it doesn't feel right." Morgan led the girls through the town. It was strangely quiet. Not surprisingly, the train station was pretty much empty. Morgan got three train tickets while the girls boarded. He turned to follow them when he saw it. Two passengers were giving off quite a large amount of heat.

Once he gave her his answer she would be prepared for anything. If it was all just him being paranoid well she will just have to let him be paranoid. There were times when Morgan had been like this and it saved lives; sometimes but not always.

"Akuma..." He whispered. Mai and Arideris were already on the train. Most Exorcists couldn't tell an Akuma from a person. Suppressing the urge to get the girls off the train, Morgan joined them. And then he froze. There was eight more Akuma on the train. Morgan swallowed ,his mouth suddenly very dry. This was bad, this was very bad.

He sat down next to Mai, and he leaned in close to her. She didn't like contact, but he didn't have much choice. "Mai. There are ten Akuma on the train. We've walking right into a trap."

Mai and Arideris made small talk while Morgan had bought the train tickets. She got on the train with Arideris in front of her. Mai realized Morgan wasn’t behind her so she looked around. He was standing near the entrance to the train and he looked a bit troubled. With a worried expression she let it slide for the moment and sat back down. Soon enough Morgan sat down next to her which surprised her since normally they would be facing each other.

It was a bit uncomfortable being so close and when he leaned in Mai couldn’t help but lean away. With a red face Mai realized Morgan intended to speak with her. Gulping down her cowardice she listened to Morgan. A startled expression settled on her face as she quickly looked around without making it too obvious.

"Can you tell me where their positioned without giving it away? And we can't get off the train or they'll know their trap was seen through." All of Mai's uneasiness with Morgan being so close was gone. Rubbing her wrists Mai twisted her bracelets prepared for when the trap was to be sprung.

By the time Morgan had given her their positions the train had already set off to its destination. Leaning forwards she smiled at Arideris. “Ari, there might be some complications on the way to our headquarters. So when we give you the signal please hid yourself alright.” Sitting back in her seat Mai went back to playing with her bracelets her expression betrayed nothing as she thought of the best way to deal with their opponents if they do indeed decided to attack them.

Morgan kept watch, when suddenly the one closest to the exit transformed. It was impressive they could manuver themselves in such a crowded place. "Well, it's time to move, Mai. Looks like we have to fight. Ari, get somewhere safe. We'll take care of this!"

Mai nodded and quickly jumped up, thus resulting in almost all of the Akuma onboard to transform. The Majority of them were level ones but only two kept their human skin. “Damn, there isn’t a lot of room to move around. Which means they won’t have room either.” Mai activated her innocence allowing the bracelets to become about the size of small rings that could be held in her hand.

Some of the other passengers who were human exited the cart they were in but those who weren’t fast enough were gunned down and reduced to mere ashes. Mai grinded her teeth and threw one blade at an unsuspecting Akuma yelling at the few passengers left to make a run for it. But to no avail the Akuma took them down with their cursed bullets. Leaving nothing left but a half destroyed cabin.

The wind pulled at them but eventually it slowed down as the conductor stopped the train in hopes of getting the other passengers to safety. Mai told them to take cover with her but in fear they ran away only to be killed. Mai yelled at Morgan to protect Arideris while she dealt with the Akuma.

Allowing her ring blades to become larger she spun both at high speeds and threw one to her left. Keeping one smaller than the other Mai attacked Akuma with the smaller ring blade. But since both of them had been spinning incredibly fast the destructive force was immense. And as always Mai seemed to be dancing in the battlefield.

But because of that she hadn’t noticed the two Level2 Akuma gang up on her. Taking down one of the few remaining Akuma, two of which attacked Morgan and Arideris, Mai threw her remaining ring blade at the lvl2 on her right. What happened next was something no akuma had ever done.

It stopped her ring blade with its hands as it tore away its human skin. The akuma bore a human-like skeleton of metal flesh and it laughed at her reaction. As it caught it and Mai's other ring blade returned the second lvl2 attacked her.

Its body elongated until all that was left was a face a multiple metal tentacles. It grabbed a hold of her arm stopping her. Mai made a move to cut at the akumas arm but at the same time the other lvl2 attacked.

As Mai jumped up, Morgan ducked down underneath the seat, taking Arideris down with him. He faced outward, focusing on one of the level one Akuma. The cabin was half destroyed, there were piles of ash everywhere, and Mai was in the heart of it all. Morgan hated this. He hated fighting, because he was no good at it.

Morgan watched as his partner took them out, slowly, one by one. Then there were only the level 2's left. Morgan barely believed what happened, and he could see it. The akuma stopped Mai's ring blade, and then one held her in place while the other attacked. Morgan couldn't stand it any longer. Maybe he really couldn't fight, but he wasn't just going to stand by and watch his partner die.

He slid out from underneath the seat, and threw himself between Mai and the oncoming attack. And what happened next he never expected. He could see the akuma coming, but then in stopped. The akuma just stopped, hanging in front of him. There was a sharp pain in Morgan's forehead, and then he really wasn't sure what happened after that. When asked, he could never remember.

Morgan grinned. He outstretched both of his hands, and then level 2's were forced away from him and Mai. The akuma looked confused, and angry. Morgan moved his arms, and the akuma moved with him. There was a difference in the way Morgan was acting. And in his eyes. When his Innocence was activated, his eyes were a glowing blue. Right now they were red.

There were also two cross-shaped marks on his forehead, one at each temple. Morgan closed his left hand, and the Akuma that had been holding Mai in place began to writhe. Places in its body began to depress, and then, without warning, it exploded. Morgan was still grinning.

The other akuma backed away, and then spoke. "But, but...that mark, it's the mark of...if you're one of them, why are you attacking us? Why would a Noah be--"

The akuma's words were cut off as Morgan extended his hand and squeezed it closed, the akuma exploding, just like the other one had. Morgan looked at Mai, his eyes glowing.

And then it was over. Without warning, Morgan just collapsed. As he hit the floor, blood began to leak from his ears.

Mai couldn’t understand what had happened nor could she do anything. All she could do was watch as Morgan dealt with the lvl2 akuma as if they were nothing. Everything about Morgan changed in that moment and it scarred her. The words the akuma said to him confused her and he was the source of all the confusion. Not only did his demeanor change but his appearance but they were subtle.

Cross-shaped marks appeared on his temple and his eyes were red instead of those eerie blue. Mai would never admit it but she loved his eyes when they glowed such a beautiful color. But now those eyes she loved she now feared. It was as if they were capable of so much more, as if they were showing a side of Morgan he never let Mai or anyone else for that matter see.
Once they were taken down Morgan collapsed to the floor with blood trickling out of his ears. His innocence actually put a strain on his body that’s never happened before. kneeling down besides Morgans still body she shakily reached out for him.

“Morgan-Morgan!” she yelled out his name once reality finally registered itself in her mind.

What happened after Mai wasn’t too sure as she stayed in a confused state when the finders came to pick them up. She didn’t tell them about how Morgan got hurt rather she mislead them into thinking one of the level 2 akuma had done it. Mai and Arideris were escorted to the Order a little after Morgan was taken there since his injuries were a bit more severe.

Over the next week Morgan didn’t wake which worried everyone, except Mai, at least that’s what everyone else thought. Why would the man-fearing girl worry over a man? But Mai was worried not so much about his state of condition but rather how she would confront him once he woke up.


"But, but...that mark, it's the mark of...if you're one of them, why are you attacking us? Why would a Noah be--"

Those words kept repeating in her mind and all she could see was Morgan in his changed state whenever her thoughts strayed to him. For now Mai was very much confused as she didn’t understand what was happening. But there was one thing she understood, and that was the fact that her fear of Morgan had resurfaced. All those years of her getting used to his presence shattered to pieces when he defeated those akuma. With that smile on his face as if he was truly enjoying himself, something she had never seen before.

And when the day finally came where Morgan woke up Mai didn’t go to visit him. Mai didn’t want to not now maybe not ever. Mainly because she felt guilty since it was her fault that this all happened. Had she been more careful none of this would have happened. Mai got away clean from the fight aside from the usual cuts and bruises from the akuma who managed to put up a fight.

Instead Mai focused on Arideris making sure she felt comfortable in her new home. Introducing her to new people and those Mai had come to know as friends and the few who were “family”. But she would avoid Morgan until all of her thoughts were sorted out.

'I've gotta hurry' Was the thought that rushed through Aris' mind as she ran to her room to packing the few things she had in a small bag. Earlier as she was going to get dinner she had seen Morgan for the first time in weeks. Ever since the incident on the train (which she still didn't quite understand what happened), Ari had not been allowed to the him for reason she did not know. Whenever she would as Mai, the woman would get a strange look on her face then change the subject or just pretend to not hear her. Ari was worried about Morgan, she truly wanted to to make sure he was alright, and to see him walking out of the dinner hall seem like the perfect chance.

She had lost him at first, but then finally found him in the training room with Mai. Not wanting to interrupt the girl stayed outside the door and listened in, but only made out bits and pieces before leaving them be. She couldn't make out much so she would just asked them about it later. After that she went about her normal routine of dinner, shower, then to bed with a nice book.

That night she couldn't sleep very well so she decided to got to the library to read some of the Orders many books. She passed the west entrance to the cafeteria and noticed Mai was sitting there alone with a bag and some breakfast. Ari was about to walk in to say hi when Morgan came in from the east entrance. He too carried a bag.

"Whenever you're ready, Mai." Morgan said.

“Yeah I’m ready let’s get going shall we.” replied Mai.

Something was wrong though. They seems rather serious, and they didn't have their Order coats on. Her intuition kicked in; they were going somewhere and they didn't want the Order to know about it. She ran to her room at top speeds, on the way she stopping by the currency counter (where someone usually gave the Exorcists money for trip). No one was manning the desk at the time so she grabbed a few wads of different types of money and continued on her way. She knew she would get in trouble later for it, but it was an emergency so she didn't care. After throwing the money, a set of clothes , a brush, some hair ties, a few granola bars, a water canister, and a map in the bag, she was set. After she put on her cat jacket and a simple, long back cloak over it, she grabbed Mr. Mew and the bag and dashed out.

When she got out she noticed the ferryman and cursed. He shot her a questioning look and she gave the most cutest and shyest smile she could muster and said "Please don't tell, but I-I want to get some presents for....the people who have helped me while I've been here. I r-really really want it to be a surprise....." Ari stuttered out of nervousness that she was lying, but the ferryman seemed to think it was for other reasons as he let her on and took her over.

Once off the boat she sighed in relief, until she looked around and remembered they had a head start. Not only that, but they were nowhere to be seen. She decided to try the train station first, since it would be the fastest method of travel. She got there petty quickly and was happy to see her assumption had been right. They were just getting ready to board the 813 train. She bought her ticket, and then jumped on the train as it nearly took off without her.

Ari walked around the train hiding her face in the cloak until she found the car the two exorcists were in. It was empty besides the two of them. Morgan seemed to be asleep and Mai looked like she was trying hard not too. Not wanting to seem suspicious, and get caught she took a seat on the right aisle 3 rows ahead of them. Once she was settled, she took out her bottle of water and a granola bar and munched, listening as she pulled the cloaks hood down lower to hide her face. When she wanted to check on them she would inconspicuously look out the window and peek around the hood at the two.

Ari saw from the corner of her eye movement in their cabin, Morgan seemed to have woken up. Is it just me or is he sick? Maybe I should see if he is ok..... As the thought crossed her mind Mai got up and swiftly closed the door. She could hear them talking, but it was so low she couldn't make out anything. Ari got up nonchalantly, grabbing her things, and moved a few seats closer to their cabin.

"....Head hurting....heart.....and people....surrounded...." Ari could only make out bits and pieces of what Morgan said, so she decided to move even closer. She crept up to their cabin wall and stood by the outer rim of the door. She quieted her breathing and tried not to shuffle around too much.

"..... didn't recognize it at first, but now I do. It's my uncle, my father's brother. I haven't seen him since my parents' funeral when I was six. He said something about testing me, wanting to know how my powers as a Noah would react to my Innocence, since I wasn't born with it like every other Parasitic-type. But saying I have powers as a Noah makes no sense. We need to find my Uncle. You know, the odd thing is, when it happened on the train, all I could think about was protecting you. I didn't want to see you get hurt, so that's why I got up. I don't know where that power came from, and I refuse to believe that I'm part Noah. That just doesn't make any sense."

She listen intently not wanting to miss a thing. She didn't know anything about Morgan so not only was she getting information about the situation, but also a little about Morgan himself. Ari held back an "aw" as a small smile appeared on her face at the "I want to protect you" part. It was sweet. Although she had known them less than a month, Ari had a feeling the two cared for each other greatly. They just had some hurdles they had to jump was all.

At the next comment she sobered up though. He might be a Noah....? She shook her head, no that's not possible. She had read some of the records at the order and had heard many stories about the Noah and that didn't fit at all. Morgan isn't a Noah. He isn't mean or evil, and he most certainly wouldn't help the Earl hurt people.

“It doesn’t make sense but nothing they do ever makes sense to those who live in reality. But Morgan you need to understand I can protect myself so please don’t put your own safety aside for my well-being. Especially now, I chose to come with very much aware of what could happen. But back to your uncle, do you remember where he lived the last time you saw him?”

You may not know it Morgan, but I'm here for you as well. And Mai too. I'll watch over them and help them from the sidelines. I-I'll be like a guardian angel! Ari was determined to be of use for once. Sure she was extremely scared, but she wanted to help. She didn't want to lose the people she considered close. "Ill be brave for my new family...." she whispered.