I'll Protect You (07 Ghost Fanfic)

Chapter Two

"Castor! Labrador!" Frau raced up the stairwell to where his two companions awaited his arrival. "Labrador, hurry up. Let's get out of here."

"What's wrong, Frau?" Castor asked, his thick red fringe flying as he hurried along all the same.

"Damn bastards," Frau cursed under his breath. "Just how much have they abused this child?!"

Castor's eyes were calculating. It was more than a little unusual to see Frau like this. He was usually the one to jump in and cut down the criminals, while Castor and Labrador took care of the victims, and healed injuries of the wounded.

His red-brown eyes fell on the boy, and even he bit back a gasp. Thick brown hair fell over the powerful arm supporting his head, but it was untidy, unkempt and not taken care of. He was shivering from the cold, and didn't look to have been clothed any time in the recent past. Not to mention, he was thin as a bone, to the point that his ribs showed, and his shoulder blades jutted out like scythes. His entire body was covered in marks from manual torture methods, but there were several evidences of Zaiphonic torture too.

"Oh, God," Labrador breathed, horrified. "Frau, what have they been doing to this little child?"

"He's ten," Castor muttered darkly under bated breath. "How could they torture him like that, and at such a young age to boot? Unforgivable!"

"Hurry up!" Frau snarled. He jumped elegantly over the wing of the three-man hawkzile, and glared at the other two. "He'll die otherwise!"

Castor knew at once that they had come to the right place. The prophecy about Frau had clearly mentioned how attached he would be to a kid, one that would change the world. Frau would be the force behind his drive, the one whose careful mentoring could result in an Angel of Light or a Devil of Darkness. So this was that kid, then.

Without further ado, he jumped into the pilot's seat, while Labrador calmly stepped into the tother wing. Within moments, they had taken off, and were heading for the 7th District, God's Territory, and the safety of the Church premises.

Frau had no idea what had come over him. With some difficulty, he ripped off his cloak and wrapped it around the stark naked figure. Who would keep a child uncovered in the basement? It was the middle of a horrid winter as well.

Teito didn't wake up until they reached the Church. Frau took the boy to his room, which, once again, was a matter for surprise, but his two colleagues knew better than to question him now.

Once the bloodied little figure was placed on the bed, Labrador summoned his flower vines, wrapping around the boy. The lighter injuries like scrapes and small bruises disappeared, and the worse ones were greatly diminished.

"Well, that's all I can do right now," Labrador said. "All that's left is to wait till he wakes up."

"I'll wait. Please tell Archbishop Jio about what has happened, Castor," Frau didn't look at them as he spoke, but was studying their new protege.

"Alright." Castor and Labrador left the room, guessing rightly that Frau wouldn't follow.

"Nnggh..." Teito unwillingly opened his eyes, flinching visibly at how bright the place was.

"You're awake, finally." Frau sighed in relief. "Do you want something to eat? You must be hungry."

Teito simply stared at the blond, fear plain in his huge eyes as he watched the older man fearfully. Frau sighed, sitting down next to him on the hem of the soft, quilted bed.

"You can talk to me, okay?" he said quietly, hating how desolate the boy looked. No child should have to look so utterly hopeless. "No one will ever hurt you again. I'll always protect you." 

Teito looked up at him disbelievingly, still too terrified to make a single sound, but when the impulsive blond Bishop dragged him into a tight hug, he couldn't smother his startled gasp.

"Hey... kid, you are Teiro Klein, right?" Frau asked, his lips barely an inch away from the matted, thick brown hair. A soft movement against his chest indicated that the boy had nodded.

"Where are you from, Teito?" Frau asked again, slightly encouraged by his silent cooperation.

"D'nno." Teito sounded terrified, as if still expecting to be punished now that he had spoken.

"Okay ... how did you end up with Imoyani family?" Frau tried a different tack to the question.

"T-They took m-me i-in," Teito managed to stammer out, comforted by the warm embrace he was locked in. Frau seemed to notice, and shifted slightly, so that his warmth encased the boy.

"Are you hungry?" That was an unnecessary question, Frau decided, considering how the child had been treated. Obviously he would have been starved, but he wanted to ask him anyway. This time though, he never got a verbal reply, just another, rather shy nod against his chest.

"Alright, I'll call for some food," he smiled, moving a bit so that he could look down into Teito's eyes, eyes that were still slightly teary. "And a change of clothes, too. What color do you like?"

Teito hadn't ever thought about something like that. What color did he like? Not black, that was Ayanami's job, or more specifically, it reminded him of that basement. White? No, that was far too bright for him to handle. What other colors did he remember? Green? That was his eye color, and he didn't like it that much. Blue? Nah, that was everywhere. Too common. Then it hit him.

Red. It had always fascinated him, that mysterious color with nearly a hundred different hues. So beautiful, mysterious, dark and light at the same time. Even when he bled, the color of his blood had always managed to distract him. He liked it, whatever the circumstance had been.

"R-red?" He didn't feel so nervous anymore around this Bishop, but he wasn't used to speaking. 

I knew it! Frau thought, musing over that. He must be the child from Raggs. But if the prophecy is anywhere near correct, that also means that he has, or knows, the whereabouts of the Eye of Mikhail! Damn, this is complicated. If word gets out, then Ayanami will definitely attack.

"Red it is," Frau announced, not making his thoughts clear. He could have read the boy's thoughts at that moment, but the very idea made him stumble across a horrid realization.

This boy is the next Bearer of the Eye of Mikhail, the Heir of Raggs. Once he gets that Eye, he'll be more powerful than the Seven Ghosts and Verloren put together. At his full potential, he will be an equal match for the Bearer of the Eye of Raphael at his full potential. He'll have antagonistic powers of the Raphael Eye. Meaning powers we haven't ever seen or imagined, even.

Shaking those thoughts aside, he called for Rosalie and Libelle, to bring him food and clothes, while he sat in a corner of the room, quiet for a change, thinking about what would happen next. One thing, he was sure of. Whatever became of that child, he would ALWAYS be with him.