Anciel & The Akuma

Chapter 8: Something There That Wasn't There Before

A few days passed since Marc tried to run away, Evillustrator started to treat Marc more like a gentleman and Marc began to trust him more. They both felt something special for the other, even though they were oblivious. The other Akumas watched in fondness and anticipation as the two began to bond. If this continues, they will soon fall in love, the curse will be broken, and they will turn back into humans.

One day, Marc went outside with Tikki and Timebreaker to explore in the snow. Since the Akumas never left the castle, by Evillustrator's orders, they had rarely experienced snow. So Marc decided to show them how to have fun in the snow. The young boy was getting lost in his thoughts when Tikki nudged him and made him giggle. Then Marc spotted Timebreaker out in the open, oblivious to her surroundings. He motioned Tikki to be quiet, grabbed a hand of snow and threw it at the unsuspecting Akuma, successfully hitting her back. Startled, she turned around and saw Marc laughing uncontrollably. She smirked as she picked up some snow of her own and threw it at Marc, hitting his head. With the snow covering his hair, it looked like he had black and white hair. Timebreaker and Marc both burst out laughing.

Meanwhile, Evillustrator was watching them from his window. Chat Blanc and Bubbler, who were also with him, stood by and made sure they were out of trouble. Evillustrator looked at Marc, absent-mindedly rubbing his bandaged arm and smiling. Since that night, he had felt something for his companion, it felt like his heart was fluttering inside and if he was being honest, he liked it.

"I never felt this way before," he murmured. "I want to do something for him! ... But what?"

Bubbler looked at him and suggested, "Well, there are a number of things you can do... Give him flowers, chocolate, promises you don't intend to keep, or--"

"No, no, no," Chat Blanc interrupted, shaking his head. "It has to be something romantic, unforgettable, something he will definitely like."

Evillustrator thought for a moment, then he had an idea. He knew the exact place to surprise Marc. Later that day, Marc followed Evillustrator into the end of West Wing. He had no idea why the redhead was taking him into the part of the castle which he was 'forbidden' from, but he knew there was no point asking. As they walked along the hall, Marc could not help but it seemed brighter than before.

Guess Nathaniel must have drawn some light in here, he thought.

Once they got to the door at the end of the hallway, where they found Chat Blanc, Bubbler, and Lady WiFi, standing by. Evillustrator got behind Marc and placed his hands over his green eyes.

"It's a surprise," the Akuma told Marc before he could say anything.

Marc was confused but did not say anything. Evillustrator beamed excitedly, watching Chat Blanc opening the door, then he guided Marc in. He turned around and he could see his Akuma ser... friends, giving him thumbs-ups and encouraging him. Afterward, he removed his hands from Marc's eyes. The fair-skinned boy looked astonished as he took in the room. It was a library filled millions of books, but what really caught his attention was the canvases of drawing and artworks.

Marc asked Evillustrator, pointing to the paintings. "Did you make these?"

"Yeah," Evillustrator shrugged, rubbing his neck sheepishly. "But it was a long time ago. I had not touched a pencil or a paintbrush for a long time."

Marc's eyes widened in shock, he had no idea that the Akuma had such a talent. After thinking about his own skill in writing and storytelling, he had an idea. Marc turned to Evillustrator and suggested they worked together and create something.

"Create something together?" Evillustrator questioned, taken aback. "You mean like... a comic book?"

Marc blushed slightly, "that's a great idea. But if you don't want to--"

"Let's do it!" Evillustrator cut him off, taking Marc's hand and making him blush harder.

Throughout the next few days, Marc and Evillustrator grew closer together. From playing outside in the snow to work on their comic. Marc realized he might have been wrong about the Akuma from what the first impression perceived. Evillustrator was in denial of him falling love with the village boy but slowly got to the idea. As they would say, there may have been something there that wasn't there before.