How long has it been since my last mission?
Allen smiled and gazed at the ceiling above him, one that had been already decorated with carvings of intricate patterns. It had been some time since he had last went out of the Headquarters, but it wasn't as if he was complaining. The last time he had returned from an unbelievably close shave from the Akumas, he had been sporting a wound that looked as if his skin had been hacked open with a very crude chopper. Of course, it was mostly his fault that that had happened; he hadn't been paying very much attention to the creature. As always, he was more concerned in looking out for his friends, and on that very day, his friend had taken the visage of that of a Finder, one that was named Ken.
As usual, he had jumped right in the face of the oncoming monster and smashed away the rain of bullets with his arm, though the force had thrown him back against the wall. Sure, it had been done many times; he entirely lost count of the number of times his body had been wracked upon some form of establishment or another. But still, that never meant that his body could morph and take on the sturdiness to match what he had been flung against.
As a result, he had promptly fainted, blood flowing freely from the wound a rather large falling fragment of the building had made. The last thing he had felt back then was the warmth of his very own life liquid seeping from the rather grievous wound on his side, the piercing pain that ran the length of his entire being.
And the very last thought that played in his mind was something along the lines of 'stupid coffee beans'.
And it would have been highly amusing had he not fainted then.
And the next thing that he actually consciously knew was that he saw some faces hovering over him. Delirious, he had attempted to reach out and smack that annoying thing out his face, only to hear an annoyed voice waft over him. Funnily enough, that voice had sounded oddly familiar. Blinking rapidly in order to clear his vision, he squinted and tried to piece that drifting face before him into something that actually made sense.
And once that deed was accomplished, he smiled rather sheepishly.
'Bean sprout here actually tried to smack me! We should have left him to die!'
He heard a rather playful voice that actually matched the face of the one that was looking down at him. He saw one eye grinning down at him, creased at the side in laughter. Emerald in hue, it seemed to be noting every single detail of him. He supposed that was excusable, since Lavi was indeed going to be a future Bookman. If he had not tried to note everything down, Allen was sure that the present Bookman, the one Lavi had taken to calling 'Panda', would again leap out of nowhere and start pelting Lavi on the head with a series of formidable kicks.
Shifting on the bed, Allen glanced down and saw his upper torso entirely enveloped in bandages, and he grimaced as he saw the sheer thickness of them. Was it that bad?
A thwack hit his head, and Allen's zenith flew backwards in such an awkward position that a peal of laughter could be heard. Snapping his head back forward, he tried to glare at Lavi, but failed miserably. Except for Kanda, Allen had never really been successful at getting mad at anyone for long. Especially not Lavi. That guy was simply someone that knew how to lighten a mood, even if he himself wasn't feeling so happy. It was one of the perks that made Allen like to have Lavi around. Coupled with the fact that Lavi had prowess that left even Allen in awe at times, he was a very handy companion to have around.
'Lie back down. We don't want you opening those wounds again.'
A soft voice could be heard coming from another corner of the room, and Allen immediately whipped his head around to the direction of the emittance.
Rinali had her hand on the golden doorknob, the door only slightly ajar as she made her way in. Allen could only smile at her presence and the amused smile that was hanging on her face as she quickly took in the scene – Lavi's extended fingers, and the shocked look that entirely disfigured Allen's otherwise amiable face.
'How're you feeling?'
Shooting her with a reassuring smile, Allen nodded at her.
'A little sore, but otherwise very much fine, thanks. What happened?'
'You fainted.'
Turning his head back to Lavi, he found that the male had a rather serious look hanging about his face now, something that Allen did not see very often. As a result, Allen had been a little startled then, but quickly composed himself again, dropping the smile from his face. When his smile was not matched by Lavi's, then he knew that something important was coming up. And Allen made every conscious effort to pay attention and listen, out of respect and duty.
'Did you see the number of Akuma there were?
Allen shook his head.
'I was too busy trying to fend them off. '
Allen shrugged. Indeed he had. His mission was actually quite simple; to gather information and to bring back some coffee beans for Komui. Not that he had really needed a Finder for the latter, but the former was rather important to the Black Order. Rumors that the Millenium Earl would be preparing for his last and final dance had reached the elongated ears of the Black Order. The place in which Allen was send to was situated very close to where the last battle between a Noah and an Exorcist had been, so Allen had been sent to gather information. The Exorcist had vanished into thin air, with no trace. The only reason as to how they knew there was a battle, was due to the Exorcist's golem, with had been sent back with haste to the Order.
'We saw the battling signs.'
Rinali took over, her voice still soft, and yet steady. Allen turned his attention to her.
'We were going to find you, to help you choose the coffee beans, but apparently we came a little too late. Somehow, we managed to fend off those Akuma and got you to safety, as well as the Finder.'
Rinali smiled reassuringly at Allen.
'Anyway. All you have to do now is put your sorry butt to rest. We'll handle the rest for now. And that's the last time we ever send you alone for a mission. You're like target practice for the Akuma, you know. And we do not want levels raising, especially when we're coming so close.'
Lavi grinned at Allen, and this time, somehow, Allen managed to grace Lavi with a death glare. Lavi visibly shuddered.
'Well, when you're alright and able to move around again, maybe we'll go get Komui those coffee beans.'
Changing the subject, Lavi hurriedly moved to the door, wrenched it open, and disappeared behind the safety of a thick piece of wood. Rinali smiled knowingly once more, nodded to Allen, and moved out behind Lavi, closing the door softly behind her.
Allen sighed. Everyone was fighting, and there he was, going to be choosing coffee beans.
How very helpful to everyone.
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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. This goes for all other chapters, so save me the sorrow of typing this over and over again.
Somehow, I think this idea is going to be half baked.
If anyone has any idea or suggestions on how this story should go on, feel free to tell me!
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