The Whole Truth And Nothing But The Truth-Baiken And Jalter X Reader
Baiken glared at the girl with permanent duffel bags under her eyes who sat across from her with a rather self satisfied smile on her face as she pulled out a small pocketbook and opened it to the first page.
“So then, let’s start with something simple. What are you feeling at this moment?” Delilah asked, reading from her small book aloud.
Baiken tried to bite her tongue to stop from answering, alas, it was all for naught.
“Equal parts seething fury and begrudging pride at you getting one over on me. Also, you better know that you ain’t gonna be making tea any time soon and that you are going to be cleaning the house for the rest of time.” Baiken answered in a venomous voice that would strike most mortals dead.
“I expected that and we both knew I would already be doing that. You are hopeless when it comes to cleaning.” Delilah retorted before returning to her book.
“Listen here you little-” Baiken began to curse but was interrupted once more as a blur of blue shot into the room, making Baiken’s stomach plummet to the deepest depths of hell.
“Delilah, I just got your message! What did you do!?” Anji Mito exclaimed in fear, a piece of paper drenched in some sort of red residue clenched tight in his hand.
“I see you got my summons. I apologize for the ketchup stains on the note.” Delilah stated seriously.
“KETCHUP!?” Anji exclaimed in equal parts shock and relief.
“Yes, now zip it. We have questions to ask.” Delilah ordered Anji, swatting his concerns away with ease.
“Wha- What does that mean!? What’s going on!?” the man in blue exclaimed in confusion.
“If you must know-” Delilah began before she was oh so rudely interrupted by Baiken, who, as to be expected in a situation like this, blurted out-
“This little gremlin drugged me with a Truth Serum!”
“DELILAH!!!” Anji exclaimed with a disappointed tone of voice.
Delilah ignored him.
“That is incorrect, I used a magic sign on the bottom of the cup to make you tell the truth.” Delilah stated, correcting Baiken’s previous statement.
“Where did you even learn to do that?” Anji asked, deeply confused.
Delilah’s eyes quickly cut to the side and in the direction of the bed that was in the corner of the room before looking back at the blue clad dancer.
“Secret.” was all she said in response to Anji’s question.
Anji looked as if he was about to prepare an argument but then he remembered who he was talking to.
Delilah, the second most stubborn creature alive.
At this realization he promptly sat down next to the girl, his confusion quickly turning to a mischievous smirk on his face as he realized the situation he was now a part of and the unique opportunity it allowed him.
“So, Delilah, this truth spell, it means Baiken can’t lie?” Anji asked the young girl with a smirk on his face.
“Correct.” Delilah responded with her usual dead expression on her face.
“So… Baiken, am I your best friend?” Anji asked, looking the poor samurai dead in the eyes.
The second the question left Anji’s mouth and entered Baiken’s ears, her jaw immediately clenched and her teeth began to grind against one another as a vein in her head began to throb and she went red in the face.
“Y…Yes, y-you are my best f-f-friend!” Baiken struggled out, and as soon as the words left her mouth slammed her head into the table and let out a long, drawn out “Fuck” as the smuggest smile in the history of smug smiles grew on Anji’s face.
“The two of you are horrible people.” Baiken hissed, her glowing red face still on the table.
“I am aware.”
“That’s fair, best friend~.”
Baiken proceeded to let out a bloodcurdling scream of pure embarrassed rage.
This, of course, grabbed a certain someone’s attention.
Yours.
And that is what led you to where you stood right now, looking at Baiken who had an utterly terrified expression as she looked into your eyes and you looked into hers.
“Uh… Delilah? What’s going on?” you asked, deeply confused.
“We are forcing Sis to talk about her feelings. Here is an example.” Delilah answered before looking at Baiken once more and asking a question.
“What do you think about them?” Delilah asked as she pointed at you.
Baiken’s face turned crimson as she looked at you, however, unlike the last few questions she had been asked, it was not due to strain from being asked the question, it was due to something else.
“I… love them. Far more than I should. Far more than I deserve to be able to.” was all Baiken said before she had enough of this situation and flipped the table as she shot up and bolted out the door.
For a moment, you, Delilah, and Anji watched the now broken door before you spoke.
“We… should go after her shouldn’t we.”
“Yes.” Delilah stated as she stood up and BED creaked to life.
“Absolutely.” Anji declared as he stood up and stretched.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
It took you about an hour to find her.
She was sitting on the bank of a shallow river, her knees at her chin and an unreadable expression on her face.
Quietly, you sat down next to the pink haired samurai.
For a long while, the two of you remained like that, and not a single word passed between the two of you.
Then, Baiken must have gotten tired of the deeply uncomfortable silence between the two of you as she was the one who started speaking first.
“So, the cat’s outta the bag now.” Baiken muttered, looking down.
“Yup.” was your response.
“So… do you-” Baiken began to ask as she turned to look at you before she cringed and turned her gaze downwards once more.
“Well, seeing as I’ve had a massive crush on you for a while, yeah…” you answered the question Baiken didn’t finish asking.
“Ah.” Baiken quietly exclaimed before looking at you once more.
“Well, be warned, I’m a handful.” Baiken declared, a smirk on her face.
“So I’ve been told, but in my opinion, that’s part of your charm.” was all you said in response as the two of you looked back at the river, the previous awkward silence now replaced with a far more comfortable one.
You expected many things to happen today.
You did not expect to be forced against a wall by Jeanne D’arc Alter, a servant who you are convinced has it out for you personally, and to have words came out of her mouth in a wild tirade that was little more than a stream of consciousness with it all washing over you like a wall of skin melting and bone charring flame directed squarely at you.
“I love you and I hate you. I adore you and I despise you. I want you to be mine and mine alone and I want to burn you to ash so I don’t have to see your face. You make me want to live and you kill me with your very existence. I want to hold you softly and I want to see you crushed under a hail of boulders. Everything I feel for you is completely and utterly contradictory. I can’t stand it. I want more of it. I want all of it.”
She promptly let you go, and stomped off, leaving no room or time for you to fully realize or comprehend what she had just told you.
For some reason, you got the feeling Da Vinci was responsible for this.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
“GASP Do you believe I, the brilliant genius Da Vinci-Chan, is the root of all evil in Chaldea?” Da Vinci asked in mock offense, the back of her hand on her forehead and her eyes closed.
“If it’s not you, it's BB.” you curtly responded with what you believed to be true.
“Rude.” Da Vinci deadpanned.
“And?” you snarked back.
The two of you stared each other down for a long while, waiting to see who would cave.
Da Vinci caved first.
“Ugh, fine. Yes, I made a small tweak to dear Jalter’s Saint Graph. Nothing major, just an experiment to try and stabilize the inherent instabilities of the Avenger Class. It was… partially successful. It stabilized her Saint Graph, but… well you experienced the effect first hand.” Da Vinci quickly explained as she put her face in her hand.
“Yes, it was a deeply surreal experience that I have no idea if I ever want to repeat.” you responded.
“Really? Y’know some people would consider her a catch, right?” Da Vinci asked, turning her head to the side.
“Up until 30 minutes ago I thought she completely despised me.” you answered, your arms crossed.
“Yeah… welp, go get her. In other words, get out of my workshop.” Da Vinci declared, making a shooing motion with her hands.
“You expect me to clean up your mess?” you asked, incredulously.
“Yes.” Da Vinci responded while looking at you like you were crazy.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
You walked down the hall towards your room, a migraine making itself known as you made your final approach.
“Bout damn time, I’ve been waiting here all damn day.” the same voice that has been echoing in your head all day hissed.
You looked up, and lo and behold, there stood the source of your migraine.
Jeanne D’arc Alter, leaning on the wall next to your room with her arms crossed, her finger tapping on her arm, and an expression that clearly did not match her words.
For a moment, the two of you stood in silence until you spoke.
“Uh… hello?”
“Hey.” Jalter responded, her eyes boring a hole through you.
“So… are we gonna talk or…” You began to ask before trailing off.
“Why would I be waiting here if I was just going to ignore it?” Jalter responded, gesturing with her head towards your door.
It was time for Jalter to face something she couldn't burn away.
It was time for her to face something that could only be defeated with words.
If she was being honest, she would much rather be facing a monster she could spear and burn.
