Shirayuki
--
Prologue
--
In an endless sea of black, it is white that stains. White that is cursed. White that taints and sullies the mercy that oblivion brings. It is a deceitful color, blinding the innocent with its brightness and promises of light. It is a Pandora's Box, imprisoning all the maladies of men within its bejeweled structure.
And yet hope still lies among the sins.
--
General Cross took a long, slow drag from his cigarette as he glared at the small body blocking his path. The child's hair was a shocking snow-white, paler than the toxic smoke of his addiction and more radiant than the soft ice crystals that covered the ground in bitter winter.
This broken child belonged to this colorless, static world—a testament to the harsh realities of life where the guiltless are devoured in the wake of destruction.
"What an inconvenience," growled Cross as he made to turn around and change direction. He had almost succeeded in erasing the regretful-yet-common incident from his mind, but a slight movement from the otherwise silent child caught his eye and froze him in his tracks.
The boy—as the child proved to be male despite initial impressions—raised up his head to reveal a hauntingly beautiful face. The dirt and bruises that stood out against the white skin told their own story of a harsh life and abuse. The glassy silver eyes saw without seeing as if darkness was more familiar than light.
But the white child was also stained another color.
On the left side of the child's pale face ran a blood-red wound, still fresh and bleeding hot crimson drops upon the snow. But Cross was not stunned by the grave injury, he had seen much worse on far younger children during the course of his travels, after all.
What stunned him was the smile on the boy's face. Cross had seen tears run as strong and plentiful as rivers, but never with the signs of such hopelessly complicated optimism. The boy's gentle smile belied the horrors and pain hidden in the cloudy silver eyes. The boy knew what it felt like to be abandoned and confined.
Yet all he knew how to do was smile.
A disgusting feeling of sympathy rose up from within the crimson-haired general's chest, worming its way into his heart and gnawing at it like a disease. Cross could not suppress a grimace at the unfamiliar emotion, but before he could fully comprehend the situation, he had crouched directly in front of the small boy and held out a hand.
"Can you stand?"
The boy nodded and didn't hesitate to take out the man's outstretched hand with his left hand.
"You're too trusting, boy." Cross sharply reprimanded the snow-white child, but the acidity normally lacing his tone died from his lips when he saw that the hand he was holding was colored a dark red. But instead of being revolted by it, Cross found the deformity intensely fascinating. He turned his attention back to the child's face and what he saw caused irritation to tear at the frail bonds of his short temper.
The child still smiled.
"If you have nowhere to go, you can follow me from now on," said Cross as he started walking forward. He did not need to turn around to know that the boy was following him. "Can you speak?"
"… yes…" The soft reply was given by a voice that was unsteady from disuse.
'Or overuse from screaming,' thought Cross bitterly. "What is your name?"
As soon as he asked the question, the sound of footsteps behind him ceased completely. He turned around to repeat himself but stopped when he saw the boy's face cast in shadow, the annoying smile, gone as if it never was.
Cross took another deep drag from his cigarette but kept his sharp eyes upon the boy. This boy was going to be the death of him. But he was going to crush that fake shell even if he had to subject him to tortures even worse that what the child escaped from.
"What is your name?" The tone he used was sharper this time.
The boy froze and slightly quivered with what looked like fear. He hesitated to answer, but just as Cross' temper was about to snap, a quiet, steady answer was heard from the boy.
"Mana. My name is Mana Walker."
The blood that dotted the ground was joined by tears as the child resumed walking forward.
--
End prologue
--
Author's Note:
- This is just a short prologue for now as this is my first dalliance with D.Gray-man. But this is definitely not my first time dealing with slashing pretty boys. I seem to just be drawn to characters with similar personalities to Kanda and Allen. I find them easiest to write.
- Shirayukimeans "Snow White" like the princess… but don't think that this is going to turn into a fairytale. The chapters will be longer in the future, but this background is needed. There are similarities, but please note that this story is AU.