White Lies

(A/N: I post it here since FFn forbids duplicate posts. So yeah--enjoy.)

To: Someone who's nowhere to be seen.

From: One whose name doesn't need to be written here.

Hey, Landkarte. Without being written here, I'm sure that you've known my name already—and I'm positive that you knew it. You always disturb me whenever you have your chances and make me go berserk without caring that Fest's grandfather's old clock has been chimed 12 times.

…You don't have Alzheimer or Zehel's forgetful syndrome, did you? If you forgot about me, Landkarte, I really am not going to talk to you when you returned to here.

.

An amused smile formed itself on the recipient's lips; a smile that silently said, "I still remember your name."

Landkarte would never forget Ea's handwriting and way of speaking, which was always like that since the first time they met.

Oo—O—oO

White Lies

[Those innocent lies you gave to me since that day]

Oo—O—oO

Genre: Hurt/Comfort – Angst

Rate: T

Warning: Death chara, AU, mother-hen!Kreuz, hints of shonen ai. Grammar mistakes and misstypo which like to play hide and seek too. :I

Disclaimer: 07 Ghost © Yukino Ichihara & Yuki Amemiya.

Oo—O—oO

The further apart you go, the more it hurts the person you love.

The more I chase them, the more my heart feels the cruel distance.*

Oo—O—oO

Okay… Maybe it'll be better if I go straight to the main problem than talking about my name which you probably have forget after we haven't meet in a month—the reason why I write this absurd letter for you, of course.

Where are you, you jerk? Don't you realize that you've made everyone worried? Disappeared without saying goodbye after leaving farewell gifts for everybody on the living room's table with 'thank you for everything' attached on the wrapper… Really, where're you? Everyone—yes, everyone. That means I'm included too—are worried about you. Profe fainted in shock after she read your message, you know? Because of that, get back here quickly, Landkarte!

P.S: I don't know where you're, so I put this not-so-awesome-letter by myself in your old house's mailbox (honestly, even if I don't want to admit it, I always get this goosebumps feeling whenever I come there…). If you've read this letter already but you just laugh without any intention to reply, believe me—I won't hesitate to throw you to that haunted lake when we meet again. Zehel has offered himself to help me when he vied this letter from me when I was going to go to your house.

~Sincerely,

One who was caught in rain when went to your house just to put this letter in a mailbox which almost changed into a cobweb.

.

The golden blonde-haired boy who was implied in the letter laughed loudly after he read his friend's handmade letter. Oh, how amused he was when he imagined the writer's expression when he wrote this; his stoic, silent friend and only would explode when he started to cuddle with that dark-haired boy…

… Gosh. His stomach and chest really felt painful now.

#

To: Someone who didn't reply my letter several weeks ago.

From: One who always had woken up by you in the midnight only to accompany a certain loafer to make midnight snack.

Have I told you how pissed am I now, Landkarte? If I haven't, let me tell it in my second letter (and what I mean is really my second later; I've just write two letters in my life, just for your information):

I-really-am-pissed-off, LANDKARTE!

You didn't reply to my letter, you've made everyone worried, you didn't give us any news, and blah-blah-blah—there're too much things that make me angry until I can't write them all. I'm afraid that my fingers will go numb or I'll be lack of papers stock if I wrote them in this letter.

I wasn't kidding when I told you that Profe fainted when she knew that you've gone. I wasn't joking too when I said that everyone was worried with your condition now. Vertrag asked his brother to help us to find you too, you know? Just in case if you've forget about Vertrag's brothers, he is the older one—yes, that one; the man who always carried Little Tiashe when he's visiting Vertrag.

…Ah. Pardon my forgetfulness. I forgot that you'd never care about that.

Relikt told me once that 'best friend' will share everything with each other and will always be there if the other need him. You do consider me as your best friend, didn't you? Tell me what's the problem that made you ran away from manor, Landkarte. If that's a shameful thing, I promise that I won't spread it—no, I swear that I won't laugh and I'll keep it till I die if that's a stupid reason.

Please.

Give me your reply; tell me how you are now, tell me where you are if you want, and explain your reason why did you left without telling me anything before, Landkarte. And, if you can, come back to manor. Everyone—once again, everyone—missed you so much.

The manor isn't the place I know without you, really.

~Sign:

Ea

.

This time, it's not an amused smile nor did a laughter that appeared on the boy's lip after his electric lime eyes read the letter. His face grew sad; fingers trembled a bit after he read the name at the letter's end.

Ea.

The one that Landkarte always disturbed only to see his expressions; someone who've always listened his childish blabbering with bored face and choked on his tea several times when Landkarte said gore stuffs with excited face. The one whom Landkarte always forced to accompany to make midnight snack in the kitchen without getting caught by Profe because they skipped dinner many times.

The one that Landkarte always told lies to many times to without being realized by anyone with his fake childish smiles.

/Forgive me, eh, Ea?/

#

That day was a cloudy morning.

There're no hummingbirds after the certain blonde-haired boy's departure. The sun chose to hide behind the clouds, too afraid to see a dark-haired boy in black with an annoyed look on his face. Ea was sitting on the fountain's border, hugging his left foot and bent his head. He didn't care at the slightest about his beloved scarf that was blown away by the wind and fell into the fountain; he was waiting for the reply from his friend since a long time ago, but the only thing that he got was nothing. He has been writing a large amount of letters, put them in the usual spot, found that the loafer has took it, but he didn't receive what he wanted.

He felt like he was going to kill something—or someone? —just to release his anger now.

That was his thought, until a sound that he was waiting for came to his ears and made him ran to the closed gate as fast as he can.

.

"Are you Ea?"

The owner of those melancholic amethyst eyes nodded. He couldn't speak since he needed to catch his breath after running from the fountain he was sitting on to the gate, where the spaces between them just like an area of a soccer field. While mentally cursing, he was hoping too that the letter he's going to receive now was the one he wanted for a long time ago—since that jerk went away without telling him anything. "Well, seems like you've get an unique letter, kid. The sender doesn't write the name here, but the emoticon on the backside… Is he your friend?" Ea sighed, signed the paper from the postman, gave the paper back to it's owner, then wore a poker face when he saw the stuff the old man's mentioned before.

There's only one sane person in the world that prefer drawing a laughing emoticon of himself to writing his own name on the letter's envelope.

/That jerk would never change his old habit, wouldn't he?/

#

To: My favorite secret admirer but didn't want to admit it since the first time we met (*ran away before you hit me with your shoe*)

From: The one you missed the most all the time~ (Gaaah! Don't kill me for this name—but you do miss me, don't you?)

Sorry for not replying those messages you sent to me, Ea. I have some problems with my hands until I can't hold anything lately, even a pen. So, don't throw me to that haunted lake with Zehel's help, please? *Insert my trademark puppy eyes here*

There, there. Sorry (again) for making you worried, okay? It's not like I'm a bad person or anything like that—I was just needed to go hurriedly. So… Is there any forgivement left for me? Is there? Is there? Please don't hate me, Ea~. I can't live in this cruel world without you, I swear~…

Uhm. Sorry for that blabbering. Just some stuff about the misreading of 'I-was-pissed-off-by-you' that turned to 'I-hate-you' by my troubled eyes. Really, it seems like I need to wear glasses too like Fest. My eyesight became troubled lately, Ea… But there's no need to be worried—I still can see everything clearly, anyway. I'll come back to the manor as soon as possible, and please—I'm begging you right now, Ea; please don't make me eat Profe's cooking again! My stomach still accepts her handmade tea (it's the sweetest and most delicious one I've ever drink, I swear), but her unique-scratch-horrible cooking…

…If you ever do it, dear friend, I'll wake you up in the midnight again to make you accompany me to make instant noodles—again.

And, the last thing I wanted to say since a long time ago to you was…

.

.

Forgive me for all of my lies I've told you before, Ea.

~Sign:

The one who actually shouldn't be your friend—Landkarte

.

Ea froze. The amused smile on his lip that appeared when he read the beginning of the letter gone in a blink after he read those last lines.

/What the hell does he mean—/

"Are you going to go to Landkarte's old house, Ea?"

He turned to see the voice's owner. His hands moved to hide the letter in his jacket, trying to do it without getting caught by the wavy-haired woman in front of him. "Well… No, actually. But do you need me to go to there, Profe? Can I help you?"

The older one sighed slowly, then showed him the small box wrapped in black paper and red ribbon gift that she held since she woke up. "I want to give it to Landkarte, actually. Can you put it to the place where you put your letters, my dear?" Ea nodded. After all, he couldn't let the person whom he considered as his own sister—or sometimes as mother—down. "I'll put it there, don't worry. Take a rest, will you? Your eyes are going to be like pandas' if you keep awaken all the night."

Profe smiled sadly. "I can't stop myself from being so worried about his condition now, Ea. That boy will always be boy no matter how old he is."

"I'm agreeing with you about that one."

She chuckled. "And you're the only one who can keep him smiling since you moved here, you know?"

Ea blinked. Hearing the word that said he was the one who Landkarte always did pranks to (just like what Relikt and Vertrag usually said to comfort him) was usual, but 'the only one who can keep him smiling' was just…

…strange.

"What do you mean by that, Profe? Does he never smile before that?"

"Well, it's not like that actually…" Sometime, Ea couldn't help himself from thinking that Profe knew anything that the others didn't. "Ah, it seems like the sky is going to cry. If you don't go now, you'll be caught in rain. Zehel and the others haven't come home, and you'll be walking alone. Is it okay for you?"

"You're the one who should be worried for now, beside Landkarte."

"Nah… I'm okay. Be careful on your way, my dear!"

"… Stop treating me like a kid, will you?"

Seeing Ea's annoyed face, Profe knew now the main reason why did the missing boy always chose Ea to be his pranks' target.

#

"Kreuz-oniisama**."

Hearing his real name was called by a familiar voice, the blonde man turned to see the owner; his own brother, the younger one. "What's wrong, Krowell? Does something trouble you right now?" The man with black hat placed on his lap shook his head, still with his stoic face. Out of the three, Krowell Raggs was the one who only show his smile to the right person. "It's just… You know the truth, aren't you?"

"Hmm?"

"You know the truth about that boy's condition, don't you?"

The little brunet on Kreuz's lap looked at his eyes with curious expression. Being the only child in the room, little Wahrheit Tiashe Raggs didn't know why did his uncles suddenly wore sad expression on their face.

"… I do."

"And you do know his location now, don't you?"

"…"

"Then why did you keep it from the others?"

Kreuz sighed, and then continuing his task (brushing his nephew's hair) while saying, "I just can't break my promise to him, little brother."

"By letting Ea shocked when he knows the truth?"

"It's Landkarte's last will, anyway. He's going to tell it by himself—that what's he said to me that time. With a happy yet sad, wide grin on his face like usual, I can't help but agreeing with him."

That was enough to make his brother kept his mouth closed for now.

"… Is there anything you want to say again, little brother?"

Krowell a.k.a Ayanami sighed, turned the magazine's page to the next one while saying, "You're the best actor I ever know since this 21 years I live on earth, Onii-sama."

Kreuz smiled amusedly. "And why did you say that, hmm?"

"You do know his recent location, yet you still acted like you don't know where he is and asked help from Krom-oniisama to make them believe. And by the way, your expression when you receive the telephone from your friend—Fest, wasn't it?—really didn't corresponding with the your speaking tone that time."

"I'm honored, then."

"Cunning man."

"Is that so?"

"Mother hen."

"…Well… do you want to take care little Tiashe for a while, Krowell? I think I'm going to help Ea to find Landkarte now…"

"…Let's just pretend that I never say that last one in my life."

Kreuz chuckled, Krowell sighed, and Tiashe just stared at them with his childish, curious expression from where he sat.

#

Meanwhile, at Landkarte's old house, Ea's intention to 'just put the gift from Profe then went back to the manor' changed into 'put Profe's gift for Landkarte in the usual spot then went into the creepy looking house to search a clue about the loafer's whereabouts'. He almost screamed like a girl when a bloody head fell from God knows where right in front of him when he opened the door. Realizing that it was just a mannequin's head covered in red paint, Ea quickly shooed away his fear—Landkarte (or someone in his family) must be using it to frighten those robbers or naughty children who wanted to do something bad to this house.

Old habits die hard, people said.

"That loafer will not care a bit if I'm the one who got heart attack after seeing this damn prank, will he?" Ea grumbled, pulling the rope to hang the scary-looking doll in the midair. After finishing his sudden job, he closed the door (he can only pray that nothing bad would happen after he did it) and wandered around the house for a while. The scarf he wore whenever he went out of the manor was really useful—he used it to cover his nose and mouth, just in case if he had to come near with those dusty things around. Not like he's allergic with dust… It's just that it annoyed him to the point that he would go berserk whenever he remember that Landkarte used those stuffs to do pranks on him on his birthday.

Bathing dust when you got flu wasn't the thing you ever wanted to do in your life, really.

And sometime, Landkarte could be very cruel if he wanted to.

.

A white door with many kinds of emoticon draw on it snatched away his attention from the dusty corridor.

The angry one, the stoic one, the crying one, the pouting one—all of them was very similar with the one on the letter's envelope. The one thing that differs it from the one he received this morning was the hairstyle; the boy had two long bangs on the door's drawing, while the one he received only got one.

/Is that him when he's still a kid?/ Ea wondered curiously. After he looked at all of them, he just realized something that was strange for him.

There's no laughing emoticon on it.

("And you're the only one who can keep him smiling since you moved here, you know?") Profe's words suddenly appeared in his mind. His amethyst eyes widened when he realized what that meant. He tried to open the door, but it wouldn't open. Even after Ea's kicked it, punched it, or anything—that door wouldn't open. The keyhole had been destroyed; meaning that the owner of this room didn't want anyone to come in. Ea cursed mentally about Landkarte's ability to do it even if he was just a kid when he lived here.

("If you can't do it from the front side, then try from the other side. Either it backside, upper side, even the down side; do it till you success, damn brat! I'm positive that you can make him surprised with this if you appeared in front of him wearing this Tengu*** mask, you know?"

Ea's face became horror. "I admit that I'm annoyed with his pranks, Zehel—but I'm not that cruel until I wanted to make him died from heart attack because of that horrible mask of yours, you stupid!"

"Hey, it's not mine! Blame Profe who decided to buy it at festival!"

"But you're the one who suggested her to buy it, aren't you?"

"Well, that's the other problem—and just admit that you love him and you can't do pranks on him because of that, brat!"

"What the hell—quit talking such nonsense, will you?"

"Ea loves Landkarte, Ea loves Landkarte!"

"And you called me brat every time while you yourself acting like a kid? Am I the only one who's normal here?"

"Ea loves Land—"

"Ea loves who?"

Ea's hand immediately found its' way to shut Zehel's mouth when that familiar voice suddenly appeared right beside him. When he turned to see the owner, his panicked—but still hidden behind the stoic mask—amethyst eyes met the electric lime one which shining in curiosity. "Who's the one you love, Ea?"

"Don't ever care about him. He's just drunk after drank too much sake, Landkarte."

Landkarte raised his left eyes. "How come a Zehel became drunk after drank too much sake?"

Cursed Zehel with his big mouth, Landkarte's curiosity that'll never disappeared before he got his answer, and their sensitivity if it's about feelings stuff.)

A neon lamp shone brightly above Ea's head after that not-too-important memory flashed suddenly in his mind.

.

Sound of creaked floor came first, followed by banged one and then Ea appeared from the underground with a dead flashlight in his hand. He coughed several times before finally got up and stood above the floor, closed the opened tiles, then wandered around the rooms with shocked look on his face. Only Landkarte who's able to translate that expression into words that said, "What the hell does this mean?" when Ea saw many angry or furious emoticon on the wall.

And when I said 'many', it really mean a large amount of them; started from the crying one in the left corner until the furious one—and the biggest one too—in the middle of the door.

No wonder if that door can't be opened from outside—Landkarte had destroyed the handle and locked from inside with many key locks on it.

Now, Ea's curiosity about 'how Landkarte could be that cunning-scratch-crafty if it comes to a prank' has been answered. He had done it since his child time, anyway.

And by the way, the black chest beside the bed has caught his attention.

#

Profe's eyes widened. "You've found him?"

"We have."

"You really have found him?"

"Uh-huh."

"You really have found… Landkarte…?"

This time, it's Fest's turn to answer that question. "We really have found him, Profe."

Profe's shocked expression changed into the happy one when she saw a certain blonde-haired and electric lime eyed boy came in with his trademark smile on his face. "I'm here, Profe. No need to be worried again, okay?"

The hooded-boy only laughed when she hugged him while muttering, "You really are here," so many times. He smiled happily too when the hands that's smaller than his—but stronger one, believe me—patted his head lovingly like a mother to her son. "Ea must be glad to know that you've come back. Ah, right! Fest! Would you like to call him, please?"

The glasses man blinked. "Eh? Wasn't he with you since we left this morning?"

"No. I asked her to go to Landkarte's old house to put a gift on it's mailbox, but he hasn't come back since… what… three hours ago?"

Landkarte's amused smile disappeared when he realized a probability that might be happened now.

#

The next day was a rainy one.

Rains kept falling down without caring to stop since the sunrise. The hummingbirds had shown themselves at the place where Ea had waiting for the reply yesterday, singing beautifully with each other without any fear about a possibility that a thunder might strikes down and killed them in process.

A melody that didn't match with Ea's current mood, actually.

"You've been staring outside with spacey mind since I came back, Ea."

There's no reply for his words.

"Do you hate it when I'm here?"

This time, Ea closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He shook his head and said, "It's not like that…"

Landkarte, without any permission as usual, placed himself beside Ea and joined him in looking at the scenery with unusually calm smile on his lip. "Then what's troubling you right now, hmm?"

"Your pale skin."

"Eh?"

"Your sometimes cruel attitude."

"Eeeh?"

"Your breathing."

Landkarte's childish façade vanished. He did know where this conversation is going to go.

"Those secrets you've been hiding from me since years ago."

"Uh-huh?"

"And those fake façades you've show me always everyday since our first meeting."

Landkarte chuckled and put his head on Ea's shoulder. He reached his hand to his best friend's head, patted him gently there while smiling softly. "There, there. No need to cry, Ea. I'm sorry about those all, okay? You don't need to forgive me—but I'd like you to do it, actually. And since when did you're a crybaby, hmm?"

The said boy wiped away his tears with his sleeve, coughing softly with eyes still focused on the hummingbirds outside. "I'm not a crybaby, you loafer."

"Yeah, you're not."

"And you're a cruel liar."

Landkarte burst out laughing. "That's a new one. Where did you get that from?"

"Everything I found in that black chest."

"Ah. So you've found it."

"Your horrible journal, your emoticon drawing on the your room, the way you locked your door after you destroyed it's handle—"

Sweat hung itself on Landkarte's cheek. "I think that's enough to be said, Ea…"

"—not to mention your sometime cruel pranks—"

"So you're still remembering about 'bathing in dust' crap, eh?"

"—there's no way I could forgot it, jerk."

"…"

"You never told me about your illness—you let me know by myself when it can't be cured anymore! You don't know how frightened I was when I read that black journal of yours! You—you—you—you damn loafer!"

Landkarte chuckled again, amused by Ea's speaking tone. "In the end, I can't keep anything in secrecy from you, can I?"

Coughing sound was Ea's reply for that question.

"Ea?"

"What."

"I feel very sleepy."

Something struck Ea right on his heart. His face paled, afraid of what might be happened next.

"May I sleep on your shoulder for a while?"

"You're very easy to get comfortable, aren't you?"

This time, it's a peaceful smile that appeared on Landkarte's face. "Uh-huh… But I don't mind if you lend me your lap instead. I'm positive that it'll be more comfy for me than your sharp shoulder."

"Go on, then."

Just as what his best friend said; Landkarte laid himself on the couch at Ea's room, put his head on the dark-haired boy's lap, and closed his eyes with that peaceful smile still plastered on his lip. "Thank you for everything, Ea."

"You're welcome."

"Can I ask you my last favor?"

"Want me to pat your head?"

"Do you really read my journal till the end?"

"I don't have anything to be done for, anyway," Ea said while patting Landkarte's head gently—just like what he'd done several minutes ago to him. "Sweet dreams, then."

No answer again. The sound of rain was the only thing that filled the quietness in that room. Tears fell silently from Ea's amethyst eyes, warmly touch Landkarte's cheek but the boy didn't do anything to wipe it—nor calming Ea, who was hiccupping now from crying too much. "Y—hic—you damn loafer."

Landkarte was still sleeping peacefully on Ea's lap, didn't seem to be disturbed by the nickname Ea gave to him since the first time he arrived in this manor.

"If you didn't wake me up at midnight—hic—, I surely am going to wake you up this time. I haven't eat anything since yesterday's breakfast, you know?"

Still, he didn't answer. His lip didn't form an amused smile like usual. His eyes still closed, similar with his mouth.

"Let's make midnight snack again tonight, okay?"

There's no breath felt when Ea touch his friend's nose, by the way.

"You have to promise me, Landkarte."

.

Far, far away from the place Ea's sitting on now, a boy with asymmetric golden blonde hair and electric lime eyes laughed childishly, saying, "Don't be angry if I make instant noodles again tonight, okay?" without getting heard by his crying best friend.

.

Even if I can't say I've become honest,
Tears have now merged with my emotions and a small sea has formed at my feet. ****

.

The End.

A/N:

* 1/3 Junjou na Kanjou (1/3 True Feelings) Siam Shade.

** Oniisama = (honorable) older brother.

*** Tengu = Japanese mythological creature in shape of crow with long nose.

**** Mayonaka Ookesutora (Midnight Orchestra) © Aqua Timez.

*ran away from Landkarte's fansclub after left a small note*