~Hey! Brand new and wanted to see what everyone thought! I made this one up in the middle of my religious activities. I love spacing out…This is based on the manga, not the anime. So if anything seems incorrect to you, feel free to message me. But be sure to have substantial proof before you try to correct me (i. e. In episode #00, Allen didn't get stabbed in the eye, he got stabbed in the liver.).~
~I don't own ANYONE from D. Gray-Man or You Know My Name by Chris Cornell. The Jonah idea was mine.~
-AND GOD SAID UNTO JONAH'S POSTERITY, GO UNTO NINEVAH AND DESTROY THY MORTAL ENEMIES, FOR THEY HAVE FALLEN FROM MY PRESCENCE….-
One could suppose this side of HQ wasn't normally traversed by the regular members of the Black Order. It was just too depressing. The floor was stained white tile, the walls an off white that looked reddish brown when the light of the soft florescents didn't reach it. The doors though…The locked doors with barred windows that still let the screams and moans and giggling escape…That's what got to our famous four.
Kanda 'harumph'ed though it sounded a little shaky.
"Scared, Yu-chan?" Lavi smirked, but his hands twitched restlessly.
"Don't make me laugh." Kanda sneered.
"Hey you two…" Lenalee squeaked and jumped back as somebody started rattling the door right next to her.
"You okay Lenalee?" Allen looked at her worriedly.
Lavi rolled his eyes and shared a look with Kanda. It was so obvious Allen was head over heels for the girl exorcist.
"I…I'm fine…" Lenalee brushed herself off.
"Gee, I wonder what happened to them all…" Allen whispered, half in awe, half in fear.
"The akuma. What else?" A voice breathed in his ear.
Lenalee screamed and grabbed Allen's arm, who put a hand up in between himself and whatever was there in an attempt of protection. Lavi jumped back with Kanda, who had his sword out before you could say 'katana'.
Komui emerged into the light, a bright smile on his face. "Wow! Wonderful reaction time! Glad to know we're all in top shape!"
There was a collective sigh of relief and exasperation as everyone relaxed.
Komui's expression turned from playful to serious. "I did, however, bring you four down here for a more substantial purpose." He pushed past them and started to walk, explaining as they followed. "Allen, you remember that girl Road who said she was from a clan called Noah?"
"How could I forget?" Allen said bitterly, touching his left eye. It had yet to heal over from the violent encounter.
Lenalee looked at the ground, lost in her own bitter reverie of the incident.
"Well when you brought this subject to our attention, we decided to further research it." Komui paused for a minute to peer at a dimly lit old sign. "302 that way." He muttered, pointing and readjusting his glasses. "Anyway," Komui continued, "We found out that the Noah are an ancient bloodline that had turned their backs on God to follow the Earl and his designs. Very dangerous and very unstable."
"Wonderful. First akuma, then Noah." Lavi muttered.
"I'm not scared." Kanda said arrogantly. "We just need to know how to kill them, that's all."
Komui held up a finger. "The plot thickens, boys. There's another bloodline commited to the extermination of the Noah and, consequently, the only ones who know how to get rid of them."
"Really? Who is it? Are they going to help us?" Lenalee asked.
"We don't know much about them besides they are called the Jonah…" Komui stopped at a door and opened it.
Inside, an old feeble man in a tight white jacket and pants was walking in a circle that looked worn from constant use. He was muttering under his breath, his eyes on the floor. On the walls was the words Jonah, and Rochezqua, all written around the one large mark on the floor that resembled a J mixed with a cross. He was circling around the middle of it. All of it seemed to be written in whatever he could get his hands on. Marker…crayon…pencil…pen…blood…
"…And this is what the Jonah do to their enemies." Komui finished softly.
Everyone seemed frozen in horror, the man's sorry state etched in their minds like the scratched names on the walls.
"We sent him fifty years ago to investigate strange occurrences in a small town in Romania. He came back like this." Komui watched him impassively. "Our sources suggest there's one in South America that goes by a different name. A Tsume. You three are to go and reason with it to join our side, since they are, in this battle, on neither side. If it won't listen to you, capture it an-"
Suddenly the old man stopped his pacing and started to laugh. It was a harsh racous sound that ate away at everyone's senses. "C-capture her, sir?" He turned, his eyes black and insane. "There is no capturing a Jonah! They cut you to pieces then make you eat those pieces! They're gods of evil! The Avengers of-!" The man began to aspirate and choke, violently shaking where he stood. He fell to the ground, twisting and writhing on the sign he had scratched out in his own blood.
Komui pressed a button and pushed everyone out of the way. "Come, come. He needs medical attention and it's best not to get in the way." He said.
They watched as white medics rushed in to save the old man.
There was a silence between them as they listened to the man's desperate wheezing.
"Is…is the Jonah…the same as…as the one that did this to him…?" Allen asked, his voice sounding raspy.
Komui hesitated. "We don't know. All we could get out of him was this…Rochezqua…had bright blue eyes that made the sons of Adam do as she wanted…"
"So…if this…Tsume has bright blue eyes…?" Kanda asked.
"You run." Komui said softly. "You run and you don't look back."
*~*
"Kiwis! Venta kiwis!" (Kiwis! Fresh Kiwis!)
-AND IT CAME TO PASS THAT THE JONAHS WERE A CHOSEN PEOPLE…-
"Comprar dos conseguir uno gratis!" (Buy one get one free!)
-…HIGHER AND MORE GLORIOUS THEN THE DESCENDANTS OF ADAM…-
"Dama que quiere una manzana?" (Hey lady you want an apple?)
Bright blue eyes pierced into the vendor's very being, threatening to unravel it.
"Quiero que mi alma." (I want my soul.)
His eyes rolled back into his head as he screamed. The market place went silent as every fearful brown eye turned to him and the black clothed figure.
-…A PEOPLE TOUCHED BY THE AWFUL MIGHT OF GOD…-
The black robed being grabbed an apple that had fallen to the ground as the vendor started a mad slaughter of anyone too close. The apple crunched as the nails on the being's hand pierced it. Juice dribbled to the ground.
"Ya no quiero ser condenado. Quiero ser natural y su conjunto. Y las manzanas no se cura esto. Quiero que mi alma." (I do not want to be condemned. I want to be natural and whole. And the apple does not cure it. I want my soul.)
The apple hit the ground with a thump as the being walked away from the screams and yells and cries of the descendants of Adam.
-…YEA, A PEOPLE SO POWERFUL THAT THEY WERE SO NAMED THE AVENGERS OF GOD…-
*~*
Allen was sitting in the cafeteria when Lavi found him. Lavi stopped and watched him for a bit, noting the listless attitude on the younger boy's face. He smiled. Sure he'd only known Allen for a little while, but the kid grew on everyone. Except Kanda, of course, but Yu-chan was the exception to every rule in the 'How-to-make-a-friend' book. He walked in and sat down next to him, elbows on the table as he cupped his face. "Hey there, kid. What's up?"
Allen blinked at him owlishly and smiled a little. "Nothing. Just thinking…"
"About?"
"Well…" Allen hesitated and looked at the table. He drew circles on the wood with one finger. "It's kinda a long story."
"Well…" Lavi stretched. "I'm done packin' so I've got some time."
Allen frowned. "Well…when Lenalee and I went to go save Miranda…there was this akuma…and Road, the Noah told it to self destuct…And I went to save it, but Lenalee pulled me back…"
"Mmhmm?" Lavi prodded.
"And well…" The younger boy sighed. "I kinda yelled at her. And I don't think she's forgiven me yet. But I don't know how to apologize to her because everytime I get the chance, there's always something that comes up or gets in the way…"
"Ah." Lavi nodded. "I see." He rubbed his arm, thinking. "Well…then don't apologize."
Allen started and turned his head to Lavi. "What?! I can't do that!!"
Lavi shrugged. "Why not?"
"Because that's not polite! And I owe her an apology!"
"Well if you can't make it, like you said, then why even try?" Lavi smiled and let his head rest on his hand as he peered lazily at Allen out of a half lidded eye.
Allen turned back to the table, thinking this over. "Well…because she's my friend…and I guess…I guess I should anyway…and stop making excuses…I mean, we'll have plenty of times on this trip, right?"
Lavi just smiled. "Sure, kid."
A comfortable silence fell between them.
"Are you scared?" Allen asked.
"About?"
"Not coming back after this mission…not winning the war…dying in general, I guess…"
"Nope."
Allen stared at him. "Why not?"
Lavi chuckled. "If I worried about all that, I don't think I could get anything done. True?"
"True." Allen smiled.
Again, a nice and gentle silence.
Allen stood. "Thanks Lavi."
Lavi opened his mouth to ask what for, but instead, just nodded. "Get some sleep Allen. It's gonna be a long trip."
After Allen left, Lavi put his head down on top of his arms on the table, staring off into space. Having friends wasn't in the job description for him and influencing them like this was definitely against the rules. If Old Panda found out, he'd throw a fit that'd rival a Tsunami. But still, Lavi smiled and chuckled at himself. It was nice to feel like he'd at least helped. He had a feeling that kid had a lot in front of him and any help he could give would ease whatever burden was going to be placed on his shoulders.
Lavi stood and yawned, stretching again. Time for bed. It was going to be a long day tomorrow.
*~*
When the sunlight hit the curtains in Allen's room, he was already awake. His eye had been acting up lately with a vengeance and sleep had only given him nightmares. Nightmares about akuma…blue eyes…Road…Lenalee…more blue eyes…
He sighed, rubbing the shoulder of his left arm. He couldn't wait to get it out of the sling and stretch it, but it still killed considerably if he even stretched it out to a normal resting position. He frowned absently as he felt flashes of memory go through his head about the night they had saved Miranda, followed by a hot burning of guilt and shame as he thought on Lenalee's face. "Well…today'll be different." He whispered. "Today, I'm going to apologize. I mean it. And I won't be afraid for me or for anyone else. Not today."
Now if only his words didn't sound so lost and lonely…
*~*
Lavi yawned and glanced at everyone as they filed into the hall. "So you're not coming, Old Man?"
The Bookman glared at Lavi before looking more serene and wise. "I think it would be wise to turn you loose just this once."
Lavi blinked. That was different. "This is one of the most historic missions of the Black Order, and you're letting me go?"
"Yes." His tone suggested that more prying would not only be unwelcome, but would be met with violence.
Lavi smirked. "Arthiritis again, Old Man? You really should get that taken ca-"
Lenalee blinked as she heard a sound of painful violence and turned around. "Lavi…?"
Lavi was on the ground, face first, having already skimmed over the rug at least five times. "Oooowwww…." He groaned, dragging himself up. "I have rug burns on my face…"
Kanda snorted. "Honestly…"
"Stop picking on him, Kanda!" Lenalee put her hands on her hips.
Allen stood withdrawn, watching the scene, looking troubled.
Lavi, rubbing his face, watched him worriedly. He didn't look to good.
"He deserves it." Kanda retorted.
"You're just jealous cause I can get the ladies, Kanda." Lavi smirked.
Kanda turned his head away and harrumphed.
Komui stepped into the hall. "Everyone ready? Then off you go!"
*~*
Tsume was alone again, watching the predatory animal that watched her. Both had the same glint in their eyes that seemed to be dangerous and exciting at the same time. Her clothes were dirty and torn from wandering weeks in this jungle, her skin the same crystal clear pale as when she had stepped into this place, though it should've been dark brown from all the exposure to the sun. But her bright blue eyes, wide and clear, were the scariest part about her. Not her perfect figure, not her long soft brown hair, just her eyes.
"This isn't the place for things like you, baby." She whispered, watching the large animal start to advance. "Leave now."
It crouched, tail lazily waving in anticipation. It's eyes were focused on her and only her.
Tsume didn't tense. Didn't move, didn't flinch. Just stared back, her eyelids half closed over her bright cerulean orbs.
Suddenly, it pounced on her, revealing itself to be a sleek one hundred fifty nine kilogram melanistic jaguar. The sleek rippling muscles under the black coat promised a quick death for the prey that fell under it's large claws.
Tsume's eyes flew wide open and she snarled, the sound feral and unearthly. Her fist flew up with impossible speed and impacted itself into the front of the jaguar's chest. It penetrated, blistering through the sternum and flesh as it traveled through on it's warpath.
The jaguar, it's eyes clouded in confusion and pain, stopped and let itself fall. It tried to swat her away, raising a large paw.
Tsume's hand closed around it's heart and she yanked her arm out, pushing herself into the tree and making an imprint in the ancient bark.
The animal, unsteady on it's feet, pranced for a bit in a final wave of death throes as its brain shut down. Blood, dark thick and black in the light, poured out of the brand new cavity in it's body. It fell to the ground, it's mouth open as blood forced it's way up through the throat.
Tsume stared at the dead animal at her feet, the still heart in her hand. "I don't know who I really am and I don't like it." Her hands started to tremble as tears spilled down her face. "I don't know who I am I don't know who I am I don't know who I am…" She stared to sob, throwing the heart at the dead cat. She drew her knees up to her chest and buried her head in her bloody hands. "Who am I? Who am I?"
A leather bound book at her side slid down the root to the edge of the pool of blood spreading from the animal. On the front, in curly script, it read: You're name is Tsume and you are an Avenger of God. You are a Jonah.
~Whatcha think? It's a weird one but it works! ^^ Please review!!!~