Master

(Minor Warnings: Some cursing, nothing that bad)

"...Master?"

"Yes, I'm your master now." his straining smile fit up with schadenfreude. "Whether you like it or not, I'll be teaching you from now on."

Amelia looked up to the sky in disbelief.

"So let me get this straight. You, a person that I just met, wants to be my master."

His head bobbed up and down.

"Furthermore, you're the very same person that was threatening me just a second ago."

His head bobbed up and down once more.

"Don't just nod your head! This is serious!"

The slightly warm atmosphere instantly turned cold. The man slowly walked forward, with his oppressive frame looming over Amelia like that of a giant. Amelia's eyes didn't open wide in surprise nor did she cower in fear. She had never let her guard down in the slightest despite his seemingly comical demeanor. Because of that alertness, she had been continuously sending endless waves of innocence over that even she could barely feel. It was all to determine his true motives.

'Like hell he wants to be my master for some wholesome reason out of the good of his heart. This isn't a novel. These old warriors are all very shrewd. They'll just watch apathetically from a distance as the flower gets trampled, needless to say nurturing that flower. They won't throw themselves into trouble for no good reason.'

Amelia's eyes focused like never before on the man's figure. Even as he slowly grew closer, she made no movements. Despite his seemingly casual stance, there were no opening to attack whatsoever.

'The suggestion needs to work. If I can make him hesitate for a second, no, half a second...'

The man's body accelerated in an instant. Even Amelia's eyes, which were unknowingly improved by her innocence, couldn't keep track of his movement. His callused and rough hand completely wrapped around her neck.

"You're a much more cautious kid than I thought. However..."

His grip tightened.

"Schemes and tricks mean nothing in front of absolute power."

Amelia let out a choking sound as black dots exploded in her vision. The pain left her unable to even think coherently, let alone activate her innocence.

'God... dammit... I.. underestimated him.....'

Suddenly, the pressure dissipated. Amelia was reduced to a hacking mess on the floor, as the man looked down at her figure. He sighed, before bending down to see eye to eye with the 11 year old.

"Still, it was a good effort, kiddo. I wasn't being entirely honest with my intentions, hence why you got the wrong idea. I'm a... retired exorcist."

Upon hearing the word exorcist, Amelia tried even harder to squirm out of the alley. Seeing her worm like actions, a light chuckle escaped the confines of his throat.

"Don't worry, I'm not sending you over to HQ. I'm not senile enough yet to send a child to a war zone. It's just that your innocence has the possibility to be incredibly dangerous."

His face slightly darkened after a bad memory resurfaced.

"When I realized what it was, I knew that I needed to make sure the one who had it wasn't an evil person. If they were salvageable, then I'd take responsibility and be their master."

Amelia was now breathing evenly as she sent a dark glare towards her master.

"Why did you choke me if your intentions are so noble then?"

The man's eyes shaded over in what could only be described as guilt. Despite its relatively small amount, it was still present.

"It was instinct. You were somewhat close to influencing me, so my body preemptively tried to eliminate the threat. I have a bad history with people similar to you."

The two sat in silence. Amelia yelled at herself in her mind. The only reason that she suffered that much was, in part, because of her own actions. If that man, no, her master hadn't regained his reasoning when he did... Hesitantly, Amelia looked up her master as she made the decision.

"Do you have food and water for two?"

His face curved into a happy yet tired smile.

"Naturally. Haa, I didn't think that taking on an apprentice would be so tiring."

Amelia turned her head away and started to whistle innocently. Then a light bulb went off in her head. She turned her sapphire eyes towards her new teacher.

"Master, what's your name?"

His eyes opened comically wide, before sighing in exasperation at himself.

"My name is Lucas. Lucas Wright."

"Amelia von Al-... Ahem, just Amelia." she stated after coughing a little

Inside of Lucas' brain, rusty old gears started to turn. Images of wanted signs, calls from the new director named Komui, and the oddly obsessed police officers all over this country. (Netherlander police officers took their job very seriously, and it definitely wasn't just because Amelia had once hung them from a flag pole. Absolutely not.)

"M-my apprentice is a, a fugitive??!"

Amelia immediately clamped a hand on his mouth, and while looking around for any people.

"...Do you want the whole neighborhood to know?!"

"AHdljkfjgkdjflkdsjflkadsjf!" he mumbled fiercely

"I have no idea what you're saying." Amelia said exasperatingly

He quickly pried her hand off from his face while shouting:

"LOOK UP! Police officers!!"

Amelia slowly inched her head upwards, with a look of dawning horror on her face. The police were wearing smug smiles that screamed of victory. There was even one guy in the back that was laughing like a third rate villain.

"Well, shit."

"Language!" Lucas screamed once more

The ensuing chase was a story that was passed down for generations. Let's just say it involved cabbages, alcohol, and a nice dose of motion sickness. In the end, Amelia and Lucas escaped but that's not to say that the POI (Police Officer Idiots) came here for nothing. In the process of running after Amelia and Lucas, the police took down and caught some of the most infamous criminals in the whole country.

But that's a story for another time.