The Heart of the Agreement
Summary: Jasdero knew what the letters on his forehead meant.
Prompt: Unreciprocated
Disclaimer: D. Gray-man series and characters do not belong to me.
1
When he and Devit awakened as Noahs, Jasdero thought they had come home.
He didn't trust anything called home, and if not for their shared marks this strange family gathered from all over the world would have been no exception. Jasdero didn't know very much. But he thought the marks on his brow were the ink of a contract binding him to something far greater than he'd ever imagined existed.
Jasdero knew about bonds. They started in the beginning and they existed for forever. They emerged without meaning and you accepted them without question. That was how the world worked.
So when the letters found Jasdero and Devit and made their heads and hands and hearts burn up, Jasdero never thought it strange. Two things that had always been connected had been brought together again, that was all. The powers of Noah became part of Jasdevi, and Jasdevi became part of the Noah Clan.
They were wary of other people. But because of the changes that marked them, they were inclined to trust their new home.
2
Jasdero never called it a contract in words.
But in his heart he agreed to it and gave everything to his new home.
Devit resisted this inclination to trust, at first. Devit knew more than Jasdero about the world, so he kept it away with viciousness and insults. Devit was afraid, but Jasdero wasn't. He knew that Devit's distrust had saved them this far, but now Jasdero's trust would save them.
Jasdero thought the contract said, you have a family now. You have a home. You will be greeted when you walk through the door. You will be missed when you leave.
You have suffered, it's true.
Now everything will be fine.
You will be put to bed and kissed goodnight.
Jasdero never trusted halfway, and this had brought them home.
3
Jasdero was not aware of any of the details, but he knew the Noah Clan had a contract with the world. They had agreed to destroy it.
Jasdero was okay with this. He liked the world, but he didn’t like people. This was fair, because people didn’t like him. Jasdero was okay with this too, because the other people weren’t going to be around for much longer.
It all worked out in the end.
As agreed, the Noah Clan would bring the world to its conclusion. (This had been written somewhere too, Jasdero was sure, in ink that burned the eyes.) They would say goodnight, world, and goodbye, and sail away to somewhere else together.
In the place they’d left, another world would be born. So Jasdero knew he shouldn’t be sad about the one they destroyed.
(Besides, wherever he was, Devit would be there too.)
4
No bonds were stronger than those between Jasdero and Devit. Jasdero knew that two things bound were equal. They existed in precise and powerful balance.
There was a moment when Jasdero was puzzled by the Millennium Earl. He wasn't one of the Noah Clan, and Jasdero couldn’t see how he was marked, because he always wore a hat. Jasdero was not sure the Millennium Earl was even human. The Millennium Earl knew so many things that Jasdero couldn't begin to imagine a fraction of them, and he had a good imagination.
The moment went by so quickly that Jasdero didn't even remember it. He might have wondered for long enough to remember, but the oldest child in his new family trusted the Millennium Earl. Her name was Rhode, and she knew more than anyone else. She probably knew more than God. Noah had written things on her forehead like he'd written on Jasdero's, so Jasdero knew it was okay to listen to the things Rhode said. She was part of the contract that Jasdero felt in his head and hands and heart.
The Millennium Earl grinned and grinned. He grinned more often than Tiki, who smiled a lot, and Devit (who always smiled for Jasdero even if others couldn't see it), and he grinned even more than Jasdero, because sometimes Jasdero smiled for too long and realized his face ached and had to stop. Jasdero thought it was funny how the Millennium Earl smiled so much, and he laughed about it with Devit when the Earl wasn’t watching. He must find more things amusing than that Rhode girl, said Devit.
The Millenium Earl helped the Noah Clan. He gave them weapons and told them how to use them. Jasdero couldn't see how the Earl fit into the contract, but he was sure everything would be fine. Everything would work out, the letters on his forehead said.
5
It never occurred to Jasdero to ask who would be wishing them goodnight.
Prompt: Unreciprocated
Disclaimer: D. Gray-man series and characters do not belong to me.
1
When he and Devit awakened as Noahs, Jasdero thought they had come home.
He didn't trust anything called home, and if not for their shared marks this strange family gathered from all over the world would have been no exception. Jasdero didn't know very much. But he thought the marks on his brow were the ink of a contract binding him to something far greater than he'd ever imagined existed.
Jasdero knew about bonds. They started in the beginning and they existed for forever. They emerged without meaning and you accepted them without question. That was how the world worked.
So when the letters found Jasdero and Devit and made their heads and hands and hearts burn up, Jasdero never thought it strange. Two things that had always been connected had been brought together again, that was all. The powers of Noah became part of Jasdevi, and Jasdevi became part of the Noah Clan.
They were wary of other people. But because of the changes that marked them, they were inclined to trust their new home.
2
Jasdero never called it a contract in words.
But in his heart he agreed to it and gave everything to his new home.
Devit resisted this inclination to trust, at first. Devit knew more than Jasdero about the world, so he kept it away with viciousness and insults. Devit was afraid, but Jasdero wasn't. He knew that Devit's distrust had saved them this far, but now Jasdero's trust would save them.
Jasdero thought the contract said, you have a family now. You have a home. You will be greeted when you walk through the door. You will be missed when you leave.
You have suffered, it's true.
Now everything will be fine.
You will be put to bed and kissed goodnight.
Jasdero never trusted halfway, and this had brought them home.
3
Jasdero was not aware of any of the details, but he knew the Noah Clan had a contract with the world. They had agreed to destroy it.
Jasdero was okay with this. He liked the world, but he didn’t like people. This was fair, because people didn’t like him. Jasdero was okay with this too, because the other people weren’t going to be around for much longer.
It all worked out in the end.
As agreed, the Noah Clan would bring the world to its conclusion. (This had been written somewhere too, Jasdero was sure, in ink that burned the eyes.) They would say goodnight, world, and goodbye, and sail away to somewhere else together.
In the place they’d left, another world would be born. So Jasdero knew he shouldn’t be sad about the one they destroyed.
(Besides, wherever he was, Devit would be there too.)
4
No bonds were stronger than those between Jasdero and Devit. Jasdero knew that two things bound were equal. They existed in precise and powerful balance.
There was a moment when Jasdero was puzzled by the Millennium Earl. He wasn't one of the Noah Clan, and Jasdero couldn’t see how he was marked, because he always wore a hat. Jasdero was not sure the Millennium Earl was even human. The Millennium Earl knew so many things that Jasdero couldn't begin to imagine a fraction of them, and he had a good imagination.
The moment went by so quickly that Jasdero didn't even remember it. He might have wondered for long enough to remember, but the oldest child in his new family trusted the Millennium Earl. Her name was Rhode, and she knew more than anyone else. She probably knew more than God. Noah had written things on her forehead like he'd written on Jasdero's, so Jasdero knew it was okay to listen to the things Rhode said. She was part of the contract that Jasdero felt in his head and hands and heart.
The Millennium Earl grinned and grinned. He grinned more often than Tiki, who smiled a lot, and Devit (who always smiled for Jasdero even if others couldn't see it), and he grinned even more than Jasdero, because sometimes Jasdero smiled for too long and realized his face ached and had to stop. Jasdero thought it was funny how the Millennium Earl smiled so much, and he laughed about it with Devit when the Earl wasn’t watching. He must find more things amusing than that Rhode girl, said Devit.
The Millenium Earl helped the Noah Clan. He gave them weapons and told them how to use them. Jasdero couldn't see how the Earl fit into the contract, but he was sure everything would be fine. Everything would work out, the letters on his forehead said.
5
It never occurred to Jasdero to ask who would be wishing them goodnight.
