A Cursed Human…

By redemption2

"Crown Belt!" Allen Walker called out as his Innocence exploded outward into a web.

"Heh!" The Level Three Akuma chuckled in its distorted voice as it disappeared into the darkness, the rock pillars taking the blow.

"He's fast." Allen said as he closed his good eye, letting his cursed eye activate. "But I can still see… uh?!" It came for him without hesitation, opening its mouth wide. He blocked it with his black armored arm as the creature bit down.

"Allen-kun!" Lenalee gasped from down below.

"Eh! Allen!" Lavi rushed next to her after plowing through a Level Two with his hammer.

"You bastard. Just what type are you?" Allen deadlocked against the strong demon.

"Light Armor Type. Made for speed and attack. Kill you."

"Don't be so sure of that! Cross Grave!" He made a symbol with his white hand and pressed it against the Akuma's chestplate. The gray light appeared as the demon released and flapped back into the darkness.

"He's faster than Allen's attacks!" Lavi grunted. "That means mine are useless against him too."

"If only my legs were working…." Lenalee tensed her muscles against the bandages. "Innocence…."

Allen looked deep into the darkness. "I can't believe that an Akuma could become a Level Three by just hiding! You would have had to kill a lot to become this strong!"

"Killed many. Many more die still. Even when dead, still more die."

"You're saying that more will die even if I destroy you? Then your ability is a type of slow poison."

"Hehehe. Poison? Yes, poison. What it is."

"Care to test your ability on me then? Let's see how an Innocence stands up to your poison."

"Yes. Exorcist poisoned. Hehehe!" The demon leapt out of the shadow onto one of the black stone pillars. A giant eye opened on its head plate. "Behold, poison of mind!" A thread of purple light emerged from his eye, and before the Crown Clown's visor could slide down, it entered his cursed eye.

Allen's jaw fell open in a silent scream as his human eye rolled into his head. His innocence kept him hanging there. "Allen-kun! Allen-kun!"

"I curse you!" A voice echoed in the darkness, then searing pain, and the red of blood.

"My curse." Allen stood in the blackness, blood running down his left cheek.

"Your curse." A skull with a spiral on it appeared behind him.

"Mana…." The boy sighed, not even having to look behind him.

"Was the curse justified?"

"It was. I sinned, and this is the penance I pay."

Mana's skull passed in front of him. "Good boy." It backed away. "However…."

Commander Komui appeared in front of him. "A cursed human will never be happy."

"Is this justified?"

"If that is the penalty… I will meet it." Allen lowered his head. "If someday I am forgiven, then so be it."

"Should you be forgiven?"

"That's not for me to decide."

"Do you believe that you will be forgiven?"

"That's not for me to decide."

"What do you believe?"

"That you gave me this curse for a purpose."

"What purpose?"

"To fight with my innocence, for the sake of humans and demons. To save them all and bring them into harmony." His arms were suddenly covered in his black and white innocence, and they crossed over his chest as he closed his eyes.

"That makes you satisfied."

"Yes."

"And achieving that will make you happy."

"Yes."

"THEN YOU ARE WRONG!" Mana's skull, shadowed by the Level Three's face boomed.

"Eh?" Allen looked up, stunned.

"A cursed human can never be happy! That is the rule! By achieving your goal and becoming happy, you will be in violation of that rule!"

"Then…" Allen's arms slumped down to his sides as he went to his knees. "That means I've been wrong this entire time?"

"Correct."

"Then why?! Why did you give me this curse, Mana?! Why did you curse me, who had the Innocence?!"

Mana's skull turned around and backed up into his head. His demon eye activated. "What do you see?"

"Demons… I can see their trapped souls. The people who gave into the Earl. I can see where they are, and my eye throbs when it begs me to go to them!" Both of Allen's eyes opened. "Masaka!"

"Correct. You are not supposed to go to the demons. You are to bear the agony as you live with humans."

"Then my innocence…"

"Was never to be used."

Allen's heart stopped, and his body hit the invisible floor, shattering it as he continued to pitfall. "It can't be…" He whispered. "Then what… is my purpose?"

The demon eye deactivated, and Mana's skull emerged, turning around and looking at him, matching his speed in the fall. "Now what do you see?"

His human eye looked down at the ground below him, at the people who were mouthing his name as they looked up. "Lenalee… Lavi…."

"Who there has undergone suffering?"

His arm weakly pointed towards the girl. "She's always…. Forced into the Order, victim of the deaths of others."

"She suffered because of you too."

Allen nodded. "Road's doll, my death, her lost Innocence, drawn into the Ark…." Tears flowed from him as images from her recent past flew by him. "All were my fault."

"A cursed human…."

"Can never be happy. And avoiding the true meaning of my curse makes her suffer."

"Now you know what you must do."

Allen nodded. "I will sacrifice myself…."

Lenalee wiped the tears off of her cheek. "ALLEN-KUN!" She gritted her teeth. "Innocence HATSUDOU!"

"No, don't! Lenalee!" Lavi gasped as the green crystal began to spread from her heels. "It's going to go out of control again!"

"For Allen's sake, I won't let you control me! I won't live in fear!" She closed her eyes as the crystal reached her neck. "DAI SAN KAIHOU!" The crystal shattered, sending shards flying into the lesser demons as she forced her boots to reform in its third level.

"Egh… GUAH!" The force proved too much for Lavi as he was blown back until he plunged his hammer into the ground.

Lenalee crouched before leaping up, giving the demon a swift kick to the chin. "GuRAGH!" The demon broke contact, and Allen fell to the ground, his innocence returning to standby. The Akuma leapt back into the darkness.

"You're not getting away! Lavi! Wood Seal!"

"Ueh?" He quickly lifted his hammer into the air, and slammed it into the trigram. "Wood Seal! Wind!" A cyclone spread out from the impact zone.

"Dark Boots: Waltz of Starlight!" Lenalee's boots sent blinding slashes of light into the cyclone, lighting up the darkness.

"Eh? Eh?" The demon looked around. "What is this?"

"Your end! Sonic Waltz of Destruction!" Lenalee spun faster than the speed of sound, drilling her heel and toe into the demon's chest.

"Not ended! Mind rots! Will never save! Exorcist finished! Hahahaha!" It was his last cry before the soul inside him was released and sent to heaven.

"Allen! Allen!" Lavi ran up to the boy and picked him off the floor. He was completely limp and unresponsive.

"Allen-kun!" Lenalee landed beside him, but her legs gave out. "Damn it… I wasn't ready. Allen-kun, please say something!" She looked into his good eye, completely glassed over. She bit her lip.

"Lenalee…." He whispered, taking them both by surprise. "What can I do… to make you happy?" He gave as big a smile as he could muster, even though his eye was still glazed.

To be continued?