The both of them went, Cyndelle followed Vanitas until they were at the top of the building. Vanitas sat down near the edge so the girl did the same beside him.
~~~
"Sooo... What did you want to talk about, Vanitas ?" I started the conversation, turning my head to face him.
But I only got silence in response.
"You know... It looks like you always want to talk when Noé is asleep." I tried to lessen the kind of tense atmosphere and attempted a smile even if it was an awkward one.
So I was surprised when he only glared at me from the corner of his eyes with a scowl.
I blinked in confusion and was about to ask him why he looked angry but he spoke before I could.
"There's no need to talk about him now."
I once again blinked because of his tone of voice and blurted out without thinking nor any ill intent.
"Why do you sound kind of jealous ?"
His reaction was instantaneous as he turned around so quickly I thought he would break his neck or feel some kind of pain in his torso. I honestly had no idea of what to make of his expression as it looked like he was trying to hide his emotions but also a mix of them were battling inside his eyes.
I raised up my hands. "Hum... Sorry, it was just a joke..." I apologized, afraid I angered him more even though I couln't understand how I did that.
Vanitas sighed before gaining his composure back, straightening himself before looking at the sky ahead like moments ago.
I lowered my hands slightly but kept my gaze on him, waiting for his next words or anything coming from him.
He took a breath before speaking. "Why did you act like that ?" He asked me, eyeing me from the side.
I tilted my head at him. "Like what ?"
"When Lord Ruthven came, your behavior completely changed. You were almost... wild, protective even." He propped his leg and put his head on it so he would look at me with a smirk when he called me wild.
I put a hand on my chin as I pondered over his words, looking down at my feet and the ground below them.
~~~
Vanitas kept staring at the girl beside him, waiting patiently for her answer.
"Hmm... To be honest... I don't really know what came over me to act like that..." The vampire trailed off, looking unsure of herself and searching for her words as she was speaking. "Even though I know I should have some kind of respect rowards Lord Ruthven, he just... gave off a really bad feeling to me...
So I guess I acted more on instinct than anything you could say." Cyndelle explained.
"Instinct, huh ?" Vanitas repeated, a sudden faraway look in his eyes.
"But, at this moment, I strongly felt that...
If he did anything to you, I could have hurted him or even KILL him..."
Cyndelle turned to face Vanitas at her last words, the human could feel the bloodlust emanating from her even though that scenario didn't happen.
He could only stare back at the eyes that were a dangerous mix between the red eyes of the vampires and the blue eyes Vanitas usually see when he looked at Cyndelle.
The silence overcame the girl's words, Vanitas had nothing in mind to say back. He was completely stunned to silence.
Suddenly, it looked like Cyndelle came back to her sense and slapped her hands over her mouth before looking away sheepishly.
"Sorry... I probably shouldn't say something like that...
Plus, I don't like it when I'm angry..." She sounded embarrased now. The human boy could even see her cheeks redden a little.
He couln't help himself and chuckle upon seeing and hearing that. "Well, that's something !"
"Could you please not laugh..." Cyndelle sighed before looking ahead, waiting for Vanitas to calm himself.
After a while, the both of them ended up just staring at the sky in comfortable silence when Noé joinned them.
"Vanitas, Cyndelle."
Cyndelle turned her head upon hearing her name and looked relieved to see Noé. "I'm happy you look well now."
He sent a smile and a nod towards the girl in acknowledgement and thanks to her words before standing at the other side of Vanitas.
~~~
"...Can I ask what happened after that ?" Noé asked, looking at the scenery in front of us.
"Nothing interesting. Lord Ruthven took charge and dispersed the crowd.
The official story is that we're Ruthven's guests." Vanitas explained.
"Then... The room I was in... That was him as well ?"
"Yeah."
"...Hey." Noé said, crouching down at Vanitas' other side, also grabbing my attention and turning towards him. "What is it ?"
"What is what ?" Vanitas asked back, wanting Noé to be a bit more specific.
'I don't really understand what's Noé intention right now...' I thought, tilting my head in confusion. 'Nor who he is talking to, Vanitas or me ?'
"You're angry about something." Noé answered, speaking to Vanitas.
'I now have my answer.'
"Huh...?"
"Either that, or you're sulking." Noé went on.
"As if."
I couldn't help myself and tried my best to stifle my giggles at the way they were interacting.
'Vanitas kind of remind me of a child right now...' I smiled behind my hand, my back facing them so they wouldn't see me trying not to laugh, and Vanitas wouldn't get angry at me for it.
"...You have something you want to say to me, don't you ?" Noé asked.
"No." The other boy's answer was quick and blunt.
"Well, I do."
Noé's declaration made Vanitas and me both turned to him.
"You said... ...that what you're trying to do is revenge. Remember ?" The tanned vampire started.
"...Yes."
"I... I want to know what you meant by it ---" Noé went on but suddenly got cut off by Vanitas
"That was a lie."
We both stared at the human in front of us in confusion at his abrupt words.
"...A lie ?" Noé questioned.
"That's right. I didn't think the vampires would listen to me unless I said something like that. So you both fell for it, did you ? Idiots." Vanitas explained.
I frowned while he was talking, crawling to sit closer to him and I leaned a little so I could kinf of face him too.
"Liar
You're lying." Noé and me said at the same time, I was still frowning, looking at Vanitas' surprised gaze on me.
"What you said back there was a lie ? No, THAT'S a lie." Noé started to speak while I was in a sort of staring contest with Vanitas who narrowed his eyes at me. "When I heard what you said, it made sense to me." Noé went on with his reasoning. "I thought that was why... ...you looked like that.
Like you'd given up on something."
Noé's last words seemed to trigger Vanitas in a way because, the next moment, Vanitas was standing in front of the vampire, his weapon in the tanned boy hand because he stopped Vanitas from attacking him.
I went back and listened to their exchange, leaning my back on the wall.
"--- Don't... ...try to size me up with ridiculoud assumptions !
Enough. I'm tired of this. I can't deak with a simpleton like you anymore. From now on. I'll have nothing to do with you. So you do the same and stay away from m---" This time, it was Vanitas who got cut off by Noé.
"Huh ? Why should I have to listen to anything you say ?" He asked in a tone that remind me the time he refused to be Vanitas' shield. "I think you've got the wrong idea here. I...
...don't like you ! That means I don't plan to obey your orders... ...And I have absolutely no intention of helping you with anything."
"...I said... ...You don't need to---!"
And now, it was the bell ringing that cut Vanitas off and hurted ours ears at the time while the boys were still yelling at each other maybe but gave up because of the noise.
I heard Vanitas "Tch." in annoyance but I couldn't see the kind of expression he was making since his back was facing me.
"Despite all that..." Noé spoke. "...You interest me as a person." He told Vanitas. "This thing you're attempting... I want to see it trough to the end !"
Even though I couldn't see Vanitas' expression, I could clearly see Noé's face. I saw him smiling before he spoke again.
"So... ...Even if you push me away...
..."I'll do as I please."
"And no matter what" you want..." I smiled hearing him repeat Vanitas previous words the first time we met him. "...I've decided I'm staying with you...
...Vanitas."
'I kind of would have liked to see the face he was making hearing that...' I thought, staring at Vanitas' back before I heard him laugh, kinda startling me.
"Do as you like." He told Noé, the vampire smiled at him upon hearing that.
'What an odd pair.'
~~~
Cyndelle smiled too and turned her head to face the scenery. Vanitas sat back, crossing his legs and yawning while Noé was stretching his arms.
Vanitas' words came back to her mind.
"That will be my revenge on Vanitas !"
"Revenge on Vanitas, huh ?" She repeated in a whisper, talking to herself more than anything.
But Vanitas heard her and turned towards her, not expecting her next action.
Cyndelle chuckled, but the sound had some kind of dark eerie tone to it as she put a hand on her book and caress the blue jewel on its center. "Serves them right then..." She muttered in that same tone, as if she was somewhere faraway or in another time in her life.
Vanitas found himself once again stunned to silence by facing the girl, and once again, it was because of some feeling, something like chills because of her.
But that feeling of tension dissipated when Noé turned towards Cyndelle.
"And what will you do, Cyndelle ?" He asked the blue haired girl.
Cyndelle seemed to come back to reality and looked up at the one who grasped her attention. "Huh ?"
"Are you going to stay with us too ?" The tanned man asked her with a smile.
The vampire put a finger on her chin as she hummed before looking at Vanitas. "Say Vanitas, you want to know what's inside my book ?" She asked the human.
Vanitas didn't expect her question but nodded in answer. "Why you're going to give it to me ?" He asked back with a smirk, looking as the girl stood up and walked toward the left edge of the tower, humming to herself again.
She turned to face the two boys who stared at her, not knowing what she will do. Her book was in her hands and she had a smile on her face.
"Catch !" She exclaimed, throwing the book in the air towards them while she fell back off the edge, towards the ground.
The two boys' eyes widened at her actions. Vanitas immediately went towards the edge, making Noé the one to catch the girl's book.
Vanitas looked towards the ground where the girl seemed to have fallen but got surprised hearing her voice coming to his right.
"Oh, so that how you'll react..." She said as if she understood something.
Vanitas faced the source of the voice and saw the girl, sitting with her back on the pillar and her legs dangling to the side like she didn't almost fell back to the ground from a high place, probably killing her as a result. The human was gawking at the girl smiling at him.
"I'm a vampire, remember ? I won't die like a simple human." She reminded him of that fact.
The human now looked irritated. "You vampires..." He trailed in annoyance. "And what was the purpose of your little stunt ?"
Cyndelle leaned towards him. "Let's say I was wondering how you would react on instinct." She whispered to him, referring to their previous conversation earlier.
She then stood up and blinked upon seeing Noé with her book before walking towards him with a smile. "Thanks for catching it Noé."
"Ah... No... I mean..." Noé fumbled with his words as he gave the book back to her owner. "That book is important to you, right ?" He said as an explanation.
Cyndelle took the book back and pressed it to her chest, humming once again. "Yeah... Something like that you could say..." She trailed off before going back to her place against the wall as Vanitas sat back once again with a sigh.
"And of course I planned on staying with the two of you." She told them, still smiling.
There it is ! The next chapter that I really took a lot of pleasure to write because of a few things :
1. A lot of things are just what came to my mind
2. I got motivated because of the first ep of the anime so I wrote that in a few hours
3. I wrote listening to the opening, the ending and the ep as background noise.
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed reading the chapter too ^^
'Till next time