The Difference Between You and I (D.Gray Man fanfic) (Lavi Story)

Chapter 5: Convincing

Allen trudged down the street. The Black Order (a.k.a Komui Lee) had now officially left him to "capturing" his sister. A sister he barely knew. 

He knocked into a small boy. "I'm sor..." Allen wanted ot apologise, but for the second time in the day, a cannon barrel was pointed to his face. 

But this time, it's a fake one. The boy squeezed the trigger and water sputtered over his face. 

Allen was conned by a boy.

The boy ran off around the corner and Allen continued from where he left off.

Once convinced that they were unseen, a girl in white appeared around the corner. She handed a loaf of bread and  a bag of sweets to the boy with the water gun. The boy grinned in satisfaction and she patted his head. Then he was gone. 

Snow White knew very well now that the Black Order wanted her. They sent Allen on the mission. From the start, she knew the white haired boy was her brother. She was shocked, but she recognized the cursed eye. The eye that could see Akuma. 

"Found you." 

Snow White turn around in high alert. She half-expected Allen to be there but was relieved to see her mysterious good-for-nothing master Cross Marian 

"Master Cross." She greeted and bopped into a half-curtsy. She pushed a few straying brown wisps of hair behind her ear. General Cross had an intimidating quality about him, which bought Snow White's silent respect. 

He was leaning onto the brick wall of the pub she works at, "The Sunshine". She observed him carefully. General Cross was still the same old womanizer he was years ago. How they met was a long story, probably best reserved for later.

"So I heard my idiot apprentice is your brother?"

He began. She tactfully avoided the question. Snow White eyed the delicate wine glass in his hand. Judging by its rich colour and fragrant aroma, it must be ....

"Yes, it's my favourite, Romanee-Conti."

General Cross confirmed her suspicions. Snow White mouthed and "oh". He took a sip and Snow White watched as he savoured every single drop. He stopped and looked almost serene for a moment.

Then he faced her so suddenly that it frightened her. Snow White jumped a little and started hiccupping. General Cross smiled amusingly at his other apprentice.

Then his hand tilted a little and drop by drop, Romanee-Conti splashed vibrant red on the dull grey cobblestones. Snow White's eyes widened as one of the finest red wine in the world was emptied thoughtlessly onto the streets. 

"Master Cross! *HICCUP* I thought that you, out of everyone would've known *HICCUP*  it'd be such a waste to ---"

"It's a waste, isn't it?" General Cross interrupted abruptly. He stared at her with his unmasked eye.  

"Excuse me?" Snow White said, unhappy for the red wine and his interruption.

"Your brother's here now, isn't he?" He pointed out. Snow White bit her lip. So much for 'tactfully avoiding' the topic.

"It's a waste of your time and his time, isn't it?" He continued. General Cross paced slowly around her, fiddling with the wine glass. He stopped and looked knowingly into her eyes. "Snow White?"

Snow White nodded. "I understand, Master Cross." 

He raised a gloved hand to ruffle her hair. Snow White grimaced a little at the thought of being publicly touched on the head, but understood her Master's ways.  

"Catch him before he slips away again." 

"I will."

Snow White turned around and breathed in the Romanee-Conti infused air with the determination to face her brother. 

"SNOW WHITE!" 

She heard her Master yell. 

"Yes, Master?"

She was feeling good and all light inside now. 

"Get me another Romanee-Conti."

That sent Snow White crashing back down to earth. 

"WHAT?" 

"Romanee-Conti don't flow in rivers and I believe the lecture was not free of charge." 

He raised his wine glass, wiggling the delicate thing to tease her. She grunted and turned back.  Snow White snatched the wine glass from his hands and he watched amusingly as she uncorked a bottle of  Romanee-Conti and filled the glass to the brim. 

She splashed little puddles of wine in her haste and cursed herself. It didn't take much for her to grab a cloth and wipe off the mess.  

Snow White shoved the wine glass into his hands and hurried off to the streets. General Cross felt pleased to have tamed such a feisty dragon of a girl. And her less-rebellious brother. 

**************

Snow White's was exhausted from running around town aimlessly. Was it possible that her brother had simply given up and returned back to the Black Order? It could go both ways, considering the fact that he has become a stranger to her during the past 11 years.

An explosion a few blocks away caught her attention. An ugly metal-like deformed creature with a horrible face hovered above the ash. It held an Exorcist in it multiple-fingered hand. A Parasite-Type Exorcist with white hair. 

In a glimpse, Snow White relived the moment when Allen was taken. Torches, shouting, voices, murmuring, shadows. Shadows that buried her and exposed her brother.  

"ALLEN!"