God Eater: Clouds

100% legit book 2 preview what

A/N: Dedicated to RoiNelIl for any and every reason. I've been spending a lot of time on this book, and I feel that I've really poured all that emotion and hype into this chapter. So enjoy!

Fenrir echoed with the wails of the dead, the halls littered with bodies in various states of decay. Ghosts limped down the corridors, slumping against the walls as if not even the weight of reality could tie them down.

When Soma awoke, it was not to the cries of the undead- such sounds were familiar to him in both dream and reality, and they no longer concerned him. No, he awoke to the steady sounds of footsteps.

His eyes narrowed, and he fumbled for his bedside light, the soft glow doing little to illuminate the darkness of his room.

It was then that he felt it. A hand tugging at the duvet, slowly dragging it over the side of the bed.

"Oh God." He clutched the fabric but it slipped easily through his fingers, and he backed quickly into the corner of his bed, eyes wide, as a second hand appeared upon the covers.

"Soma." That voice was unmistakeable. Soma cringed, his arms unconsciously covering his face as the figure approached him, scrambling up onto the bed with some difficulty before standing before him. All thirty horrifying centimetres of him. "Guwd mowning Soma, how is my wittle tswundewe?"

"Oh Gods no!" The Director considered his son's cowering state before scrambling up his left leg and sitting on his knee, his huge chibi eyes boring into Soma's, inescapable. Fear was radiating off of Soma like a foul odour. "Please, no!"

The Director blinked as he processed this, resting his chin upon his folded hands. His cheeks were pink with the exertion of getting to this height, and was in no state to think clearly. He finally pushed himself to his feet, and to Soma's horror, tapped him on the forehead. "Hawppy biwfday motherfuwcker."

As if he had been touched by acid, Soma curled up, weeping.

"Hey Soma, you're late for-" The door slammed open to a tall brown haired God Eater, who stood staring in shock. Upon meeting the intense gaze of Johannes however, he immediately stood to attention. "Many apologies Sir."

"Wiiiindow." Johannes clasped his hands under his chin, elbows resting upon his knees. "Cowpewal Wiiiindow Amima...Ami...Ami..."

"Amimaya, Sir."

"Yeeeeees..." Johannes contemplated the man's presence carefully. The man was a threat to the Aegis project, and needed eliminating. "I've got a vewwwy, vewwwy impowtant tawsk for wu, Wiiiindow."

"...It wouldn't happen to be a suicide mission, Sir, would it?" Lindow coughed, readjusting his salute.

The tiny cogs in his tiny brain worked to find a valid response. It was vital that Lindow was not aware that the mission he was going on would be his last, and that it had all been part of Johannes' elaborate plan to kill him. It was as if a lightbulb had appeared above his tiny head, and he suddenly knew exactly what to say. "Yeeeeees, Wiiiindow. I'm going to (inadvewtentwy) KEEEEL yuw."

"Good." Lindow clicked his heels, barely able to contain his joy. Who knew life without nicotine was so wonderful? "Just checking. Village of Cruelty?"

"Yeeeeees, Wiiiindow..." A demented grin lit up his face momentarily. "Yeeeeees..."

"M'KAY!!!" Lindow turned on his heel, spreading his arms out and looking to the ceiling. He took a deep breath before running off down the corridor. "CLOUDS WHEEEE!!!"

A blond Russian God Eater shortly trailed after him, God Arc at the ready. "Daddy...Mommy..."

"NO NO WAIT WAIT WAIT!!!" A man ran screaming from the hospital, grabbing her shoulder. "REMEMBER THESE RANDOM WORDS THEY'LL TOTALLY MAKE YOU STRONG OR SOMETHING!!! ASBSKOFLENHSU DEBENCK TOEBSNKCO."

There was a pause.

"Ajin...Duva...Touri..."

He patted her on the back. "Eh, close enough."

"Daddy, Mommy," A lost look came back into her eyes as she stared at her Leader's retreating back. "Did I avenge you?"

Almost in an echo of the past, the ghostly voices of her parents whispered in her ear. "No, you did not, so go try and accidently kill our dear leader Lindow."

Alisa's eyes dimmed, then she ran after Lindow, implementing heel clicks and skips between every other step. "YAY HIDE AND SEEK IS BAE!!!"

"Sakakwi." The Doctor looked up to find Johannes sitting on his lap, his big eyes piercing his employee's. "I hawve a BIG secwet to tell you, and it will totawwy nowt fowshadow my deawth."

"Is it the Aegis Project?" Sakaki peered at him through his glasses, clearly ready for the mindfudge that was all conversations that they had.

"My uwtimate show and tell." He nodded solemnly. "I WILL win the gowld stawr. Even iwf I do nowt make it mysewf becawse I am retiwed and my hands awe too smawll."

"Did you ever really retire, though?" Sakaki raised his eyebrows, and Johannes stared him down. "I mean YAY NUMBERS!!!"

Just then, an orange-peel like substance sped past the door. Johannes steppes out into the corridor to see it running back and forth, screaming nonsense. "YES I AM THE GUM-GUM MAN WHO LIVES ON DRURY LANE!"

"Aptitude tests begin in ten minutes." The loudspeaker stated, emitting calming whale noises that everybody appreciated because who doesn't love whale noises?

Upon arriving at the Reception, Johannes took his station sat on Hibari's shoulder, a kind of throne upon which to survey the respectable organisation he owned and oversaw.

It was to this that the dark-haired girl arrived, and stood stock-still in what Johannes could only assume was awe. She clawed her wet black hair from her cherry-red eyes, blinking as if waking from a dream.

"Wewcome to my kingdom."

She took a step back, only to find a girl gripping her hand with wild green eyes. "My mommy and daddy died so my therapist is abusing my PTSD to make me kill an innocent man. But it's okay because CLOUDS MAKE ME HAPPY."

Lindow ran straight past her, crashing into the wall with the force of twenty elephants. He lay dying, clutching the cigarettes he had stolen from Sakaki like a bouquet. His eyes drifted shut.

"OMG LINDOW YOU'RE A LEADER IT'S YOUR JOB NOT TO DIE!!!" Soma wailed, unmelting as he knelt beside Lindow. The raven-haired girl peeled Alisa's arms off of her waist, only to find her grabbing her legs to stop her from running away. Soma blinked back tears. "NOT THAT I CARE ABOUT ANYONE OR ANYTHING. I JUST HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS ABOUT EVERYTHING, AND IT MAKES ME CARE."

Lindow's gaze went glassy, and everyone went quiet to hear the Corporal's final words. "Each cigarette... Reduces your lifespan... By 2 minutes."

"War...war never changes." Johannes murmered, eyes darkening. Loud weeping and wailing filled the room, and Johannes stood at his full height as he delivered the funeral service. "War has changed."

Coffee. The smell was unmistakeable. Bitter, dark, brimming with caffeine. Raven's eyes snapped open, and warm sunlight poured into her vision. She slipped out of bed, padding down the stairs into the kitchen, where her sister stood waiting for her, a mug in each hand.

"Good morning." Her sister tilted her head slightly, pink curls swaying with each movement as she pulled out a stool to sit on.

"Morning, Serah." Raven sighed, rubbing her temples. She felt the worst migraine of her life slowly receding with each sip of coffee, even if a troubled night's sleep had done nothing but aggregate her symptoms.

"Feeling any better?"

"Less feverish, more migraine." Raven gulped another mouthful of coffee before setting her mug down on the countertop, a wry smile tugging at her lips. "Speaking of fevers, I had the weirdest damn fever-dream last night."