Not the fourteenth

Chapter 2

            Sunlight streamed through the windows of the Seaside Inn. In one of the rooms the rays of light fell on two identical beds. One of them had rumpled sheets with no one in it while the other bed had two people in it both of them males. The older and bigger one had long, wild, red hair, half of his face was covered by a white mask, his arms were around the other occupant of the room keeping the younger person close in the safety of his arms. The red haired man woke up to the feeling of the morning sunlight warming the exposed skin of his back. Opening his eye he looked down on the boy beside him. His gaze met with the sight of his apprentice sleeping soundly. The fifteen year olds white hair fell limply over his eyes and part of his face. The pale skin was glowing in the soft light of the room. The boy stirred slightly, he curled even more into the broad chest of the well sculpted body of his master, hiding from the light without waking up. The action brought a smile to the General's lips, lifting his right hand he began to pet the silky soft hair. The smile he wore widened at the feel of his pupil's hair, he had always thought it strange that the boy had such an incredible hair after spending the first 10 years of his life not tending to it other than the occasional washing and every day brushing using his hand to brush the tangles out.

The General got out of bed slowly so as not to wake the boy up knowing how he needed great amounts of sleep and food to accommodate his body and innocence which was feeding off of his energy. It still surprised him that the boy had been able to survive on barely any food and sleep. His innocence as he had figured out not too long after he took the boy in had been dormant for years to ease the boy's burdens, but it left him vulnerable. Now that he eat, slept and exercised the right amount he was healthy, but still took a tool on his body to activate his innocence and fight akumas. It took Cross three straight years to get the boy to the point where he could activate his innocence without being in tremendous pain or having to rely on it activating in the face of danger.

The red haired man went on about his morning routine and only once he was done with everything did he go back to the bed where his pupil was still sleeping hidden under the blanket to keep the sunlight from waking him up. The General smiled gently, pulled the covers off of his apprentice then softly rubbed the boy's arm and called his name in a voice so kind and warm that it would have melted any woman's heart. His efforts were soon rewarded with the boy slowly opening his mercury eyes. The beautiful eyes gazed at him blearily with a great sleepy haze in them. The man's smile widened at the sight of his adorable pupil as the teenagers slim arms lifted from under the covers reaching for him in the universal way any child would when they wanted to be picked up by their parents. The innocence wielder indulged the boy just like he did every morning. Putting the boy on his hip and walking with him into the bathroom where he held him throughout the teenagers tooth brushing and only left for a little while to let the boy use the facilities then came back picked him back up in his arms and went back to the bed where he set the boy down next to the clothes he set out for him.

The teenager changed his clothes without paying any head to the fact his master was still there. He had been changing clothes in front of him for so long now that his presence was normal for him. The man waited patiently for the youngster to get ready then took him by the hand and walked him down to the restaurant inside the inn.

He smiled good-naturedly and amusedly behind his mug of coffee as the poor waiter carried out plate after plate full of food only for it to be eaten a couple of seconds by the ravenous boy. It took a great many servings for the parasitic innocence wielder to be full.

"I'm done!" reported the boy happily as he never knew what it was like to eat until you were full before the General took him in.

Cross looked up at him making sure the boy really did eat the amount he needed for they had a long walk ahead of them. After he confirmed the boy's words he paid for their meal and they went back to the room they rented to gather their belongings and go. Locating and packing what little they took out was an easy feat and after it was done they left.