The Word Is... D-Gray Man One~Shots

Bravery or Stupidity?

The word is... Bravery.

She had begged the inspector time after time again and finally he had agreed to let her visit with her King, Allen Walker. Why Natalie Tsuyosa was so intent on seeing him was beyond anyone, but some speculated that it was due to the Noah-akuma relationship. That wasn't it at all. Natalie, being half human, had had a sinking feeling in her gut and for whatever reason she had insisted that she needed to see Allen transferred out of his cell and into Komui Lee's office. She had also insisted that the remaining exorcists, her sister included, be moved there with the rest of the science division, Inspector Leville, and a few of the Crow agents. The only exception to this change in confinement was Timcampy, who had to stay in order to make the illusion of Allen's presence believable... At least that's what Natalie had told Link and the white haired boy.

Needless to say, it was a good call on her part when a man with no clearance had waltzed into the cell. He was significantly taller than Natalie, with pale skin, and curly light brown hair. He was dressed like a Cardinal, but for whatever reason he wasn't wearing the clerical collar only a rosary. His eyes landed on the half demon and by the way his lips parted lightly she could tell he was shocked to see her sitting on Allen's cot. He was equally distracted by her tight black jumpsuit that exposed a majority of her chest and abdomen. Her smooth tan skin was appealing, but the Cardinal was more distracted by the asymmetry of her sleeves. Both were loose, but one was long and fanned over her left hand at the cuff while the right sleeve resembled an over stretched tank top strap that fell down her shoulder. Attractive, but the Cardinal had a scheduled agenda and he intended to keep it... Even if it meant moving Natalie Tsuyosa's death up sooner.

"Miss Tsuyosa... I wasn't expecting to find YOU here... Where is Allen Walker?"

"Cardinal... I heard a rumor you were looking for me, but you needed to see Allen first... Thought I'd make your search easier... Anyway, I have a hunch about why you were looking for us, but before I share can you answer a question?"

"What is it my child?"

"Have you figured out what I am?"

"Of course I have... Everyone in the Order knows that you are an akuma wearing the skin of a poor girl..."

"Poor girl...? That's how you would describe my sister? How you would describe me?"

The acknowledgment seemed to do what the original siblings had hoped and caught the man off guard, but the eldest was still skeptical when the Cardinal hadn't visibly shown his surprise this time. Instead he adjusted his spectacles on his nose and offered Natalie a confused smile and an innocent tilt of his head. He seemed to have answered two different versions of the same question, but he had no idea how that was possible. It was common knowledge that akumas were created from the souls of the deceased thanks to the Millennium Earl, but it was unheard of that those tormented souls would acknowledge the fact that they had killed their host or that their host may somehow acknowledge the fact that there was indeed a tormented soul within them. Natalie smiled softly at the man and bit her lip feeling a rush of excitement while shadows started to stretch out, an ability she had gained from her akumatized brother.

"You're thinking that it's odd we have acknowledged our situation in this way... Here's the thing Cardinal I was never killed... I share my body with my older brother and in return for a physical form he lends me his powers... His extended life, his gluttonous needs, his control over darkness... You could say that this makes me dangerous compared to other akuma... Compared to the third exorcists... Do you know why?"