Cross My Heart
Author's Note: This is my first story on this site, so...yeah.
Disclaimer: The only thing that I have the right to own is the plot and the characters not created by Katsura Hoshino, end of story...
Chapter One: M.I.A.
"Komui, Moyashi and I are heading to the church. We're sending the Finder ahead to recover the Innocence while we take care of the garbage."
Komui frowned as he listened to the message once more. In the background, the Chinese man could hear Allen speaking, as well as loud explosions and cursing, but nothing about Kanda's curt verbal report was out of the ordinary. What was strange was the fact that Allen and the Finder returned through the Ark without Kanda. Allen was unconscious and bleeding heavily from near-fatal wounds, and as Allen was wheeled into the infirmary, the finder found himself being interrogated. The man was badly shaken up, and after three hours of questioning, Komui was nowhere close to the truth. As Kanda had said, the finder had been charged with recovering the Innocence, and once the man found it, he returned to find Allen lying on the ground covered in blood. Kanda's Innocence was stabbed into the ground a few feet in front of Allen, and it pinned the Japanese exorcist's tattered black coat to the bloody soil. According to the finder, there was a small pool of blood near Kanda's sword, but not enough of the sanguine liquid was present to indicate that the Japanese exorcist was dead.
However, something about Kanda's disappearance felt…odd. First of all, Kanda was a fully trained samruai able to wield a sword, as well as use hand-to-hand combat in order to defend himself, and the boy never let Mugen willingly out of his sight unless the sword was being repaired by Komui. The circumstances behind the Japanese exorcist's disappearance didn't add up, and until Allen woke up, Komui could not start investigating. It was all a test of will and patience…which would give out first?
"Supervisor Komui, I heard that one of the exorcists has gone missing."
Komui flinched at the familiar tone. "That is correct, Inspector Leverrier."
"How has the investigation into the disappearance progressed so far?" the Inspector asked while settling himself down on the couch in front of Komui's desk.
"The Finder that was with Kanda-kun and Allen-kun on their mission was quite shaken, and he could only give us a few details about the scene after Kanda-kun disappeared. Once Allen-kun wakes up, I will ask him about the events leading up to Kanda-kun's disappearance. From there, I will send out Lavi, Marie, and Krowley to investigate the—,"
"No," Leverrier interjected, cutting Komui off in mid-sentence. "I want you to send the newest disciple."
Komui paled. "But Inspector, the girl only arrived two days ago from France. She has never been on a mission before, so sending her out alone will only—,"
"Her synchronization rate with her Innocence was over one hundred percent, so fighting the akuma won't be an issue," the Inspector stated, interrupting Komui once again. "That girl needs to show her worth to God," he added with a smirk.
"She won't be able to 'show her worth' if she is dead, Inspector," Komui ground out through clenched teeth.
"You will follow my orders, Komui Lee. Send that girl or I will send Lenalee alone in her place. Which would you prefer?"
"I'll send her out first thing tomorrow morning," Komui murmured after a few silent moments. Leverrier's smirk widened at the defeated expression on Komui's face, and it took all of the Chinese scientist's willpower to refrain from punching the grinning Inspector. Komui quickly immersed himself in his daily paperwork, ignoring Inspector Leverrier, and focused on anything besides what had conspired the past few hours. Ironically enough, Komui actually managed to finish his paperwork, and as he sat back to take a break, Reever skidded into the room with the first piece of good news Komui had heard all day.
"Allen woke up!" the squad leader said with a relieved grin.
Komui smiled as he got to his feet. "If you will excuse me, Inspector," the Chinese man said while heading for the door. The Inspector said nothing as Komui walked past him, but Komui knew the smirk was still present on Leverrier's twisted face. "I hate that man," Komui whispered with a scowl.
"Don't we all?" Reever replied from beside his supervisor as they headed for the infirmary. Komui chuckled, and for the first time in what felt like ages, the Chinese man felt his spirits lifting. He knew the feeling wouldn't last, but it was pleasant nonetheless. Before Komui knew it, he and Reever arrived at the infirmary, and Komui frowned when he heard loud protests and shouts coming from within.
"Allen-kun, you need to rest!" the head nurse said as she held the struggling boy down. Three other nurses held on to Allen's arms and legs, and the boy's struggles grew weaker and weaker as he used up the last of his energy trying to escape. Allen groaned while closing his glazed-over gray eyes, and he winced as fresh blood seeped through the bandages covering his chest.
"Allen-kun, can you hear me?" Komui asked while kneeling down beside the bed. Allen nodded with another wince, and the nurses slowly released the boy's limbs when he made no move to start thrashing about once more. "I know you're in a lot of pain right now, Allen-kun, but I need you to help me. I need you to tell me what happened during your mission," Komui said, taking Allen's trembling hand between his own.
The British exorcist slowly opened his eyes, and Komui noticed a far-away look in the feverish gray irises. "…Kanda and I…figured out the Innocence's…location…in the old church…the bells…sent the finder…ahead…to retrieve it…" Allen whispered between short gasps of breath. His eyes squeezed shut as tears rolled down his pale cheeks, and he bit his lip before continuing. "…We fought…twelve level 2's…four level 3's…but when we…finished those…the Noah appeared…" Allen paused, and he let out a soft cry while clenching a fistful of his shirt with his free hand. "…Lulu Bell…and Tyki Mikk…Tyki Mikk attacked…me…Lulu Bell went after Kanda…I was so tired…couldn't defend well…Kanda…he protected me…Tyki Mikk…'wanted to play'…more…with Kanda…they took him…they took him!"
"It's all right, Allen-kun," Komui said while rubbing the boy's hand. "You've been a big help. We will definitely get Kanda-kun back."
"Promise?"
Komui gently wiped away Allen's tears away and smiled. "I promise."
Allen smiled weakly up at his supervisor as his gray eyes closed once again, and the boy visibly relaxed as Komui continued to rub his bandaged hand.
"Allen-kun, you rest. I'll come see you again in a little while," Komui said as he got to his feet. He carefully placed Allen's hand back on the bed before turning towards the door, and as soon as he was out of hearing range of the infirmary, Komui let out a vicious curse while punching the brick wall with all his might. Blood seeped from Komui's split knuckles, but the supervisor could have cared less at that moment. Reever could only watch in silence as Komui's calm mask shattered, leaving the Chinese man shaking with the rage he had carefully pushed away in front of Allen. Komui, the playful, lazy, yet brilliant Komui rarely lost his composure, and it hurt Reever to see his supervisor—his friend—having an emotional breakdown.
"Komui, everything will be all right," Reever said after a few minutes of silence. Komui shook his head while turning to face the squad leader. "Kanda is a tough guy, and you know he'll do everything in his power to fight against the Noah, Innocence or not. He won't give up, and neither will we."
"You're right," Komui murmured while stepping away from the wall. "Call the new exorcist to my office. Time is of the essence."
Reever nodded, and he grinned as he turned to head towards the private rooms. Komui went off in the opposite direction with a determined grin on his face, and he went to work as soon as he reached his office.
As the first rays of sunlight broke through the night's vast shadow, two lone figures approached a small town near the French-Spanish border. The town was sparsely populated, so everyone noticed the two strangers that appeared with the coming day. The smaller of the two newcomers wore a long black coat, and if one looked closely, one could spot the long black object slung across the stranger's back. The other stranger bore an odd-looking box on his back, and he had bandages wrapped around the lower half of his face. Each stranger possessed a Rose cross on their chests, which made the townspeople even more curious. The smaller stranger came to a halt in the main square, and she spoke briefly with her companion before they headed off in the direction of the one place the natives avoided like the plague: the old church.
"Bellerose-dono, Komui-dono wishes to speak to you," Toma said while holding out the phone receiver attached to the box on his back. The girl nodded as she held the object up to her ear.
"Chloe-chan, you and Toma have arrived at the church, correct?"
"We have," the girl replied.
"I wasn't aware of this fact before you two left, but it seems that a gold golem named Timcampy that belongs to exorcist Allen Walker is also missing. That golem has a useful trick that you may find helpful in your investigation."
"I will search for Timcampy first, and Toma will take the interior of the church. Any other bits of useful information that I need to know?"
"Be careful, Chloe-chan. I know that your synchronization was well over one hundred percent, but you can still be overwhelmed by akuma."
Chloe smiled. "I'll do my best, Supervisor. I'll call you again when we conclude our search for the day."
"Sounds good. Until then."
With that, Chloe heard the line go dead, and she silently handed the receiver back to Toma while surveying the dilapidated chuch. The roof above the sanctuary had caved in from the elements, leaving the tall bell tower as the only sound structure. Moss and vines covered the ancient stones, and Chloe noticed large cracks in the church's foundation. The sanctuary was separated from the town by a dense forest, and the only road to reach the place of worship consisted of a dirt path worn into the earth by animals and humans over the years. A large river ran alongside the weather-beaten church, and Chloe could see numerous crosses lined up along the riverbed nearest the church.
"Toma, if you don't mind heading into the bell tower, I will search for Timcampy in the forest and riverbed area. I will return to the church around sunset," Chloe stated while reaching into her long black coat. She held out a small circular object to Toma, who immediately pocketed it without question. With a nod, Chloe and Toma started off in different directions to begin their searches.
As sunset neared, Toma trudged out of the rundown church's bell tower, and he carefully laid the heavy box he carried on the ground before sitting down beside it. The finder glanced over at the forest when he felt a familiar presence nearby, and he recalled the few clues he had managed to find in the bell tower as Chloe walked up to the ancient structure. Toma noticed minuscule rips and large dirt stains all over the exorcist's uniform, and he frowned when he saw the dried blood and dirt on the red head's fingers.
"Toma, what did you find?" Chloe asked while sitting down in front of the finder.
"I found a faint trail of blood leading into the inner sanctuary. It was still fresh. I also found a playing card alongside the blood. And lastly, I noticed drag marks and footprints covered in blood leading inside as well."
Chloe reached into her coat as she stored the finder's information for later use in the back of her mind, and she produced a small white bandanna with the ends tied together to form a crude pouch. "It took a bit to dig him out from under the remains of a level 1, but I believe I managed to find Timcampy," she said as she untied the knot keeping the bandanna closed. As the dirty cloth opened, Toma and Chloe watched in awe as the recovered shattered pieces began to come together, and after a few moments, a brilliant golden golem fluttered in the air between the finder and the exorcist. "Hello Timcampy," Chloe said with a grin. The golem flew around Chloe's head a few times, as if to measure the red head's worth, and ultimately landed softly on top of the exorcist's red hair. Without prompting, the golem opened its mouth, and a clear image of the previously recorded events began to play for Toma and Chloe.
"We've got sixteen akumas heading our way, Kanda," Allen said as he activated his Innocence.
"Che. Small fry, no doubt. They don't want us getting the Innocence," Kanda stated while unsheathing Mugen. Kanda and Allen lunged for the akumas surrounding the church, and after a half hour passed, the two exorcists were facing off against the final two akumas. Allen panted heavily as he blocked the level 3's attacks, and Kanda glanced at the British exorcist while slamming Mugen into the other level 3's head. Before Allen or the other level 3 could attack once again, Kanda brought his Innocence down on the akuma, slicing the killing machine's body cleanly in half. As the two akumas exploded, Kanda sheathed Mugen and turned to Allen. "Moyashi, what's wrong with you?"
"It's n-nothing, Kanda," Allen stammered while deactivating his Innocence. Kanda frowned as he stomped towards the British exorcist, but the Japanese exorcist froze in mid-step halfway to his destination and reached for Mugen's hilt. "Kanda, what's—?"
Kanda silenced the boy with a glare. "We aren't alone," he said simply as he unsheathed his Innocence once more. "Come out already! We know you're there!"
"What gave us away?" a familiar silky voice asked. Allen's gray eyes widened at the sight of Tyki Mikk and Lulu Bell, and he immediately activated his Innocence with a growl. Tyki Mikk feigned a hurt expression as he lunged for Allen, and Lulu Bell frowned while turning to Kanda. The exorcists appeared to have the upper hand during the first few minutes of the fight; Kanda had inflicted a deep wound on Lulu Bell's side, and Allen had managed to hit Tyki Mikk with his evil-purifying sword. However, as the minutes dragged on, Tyki Mikk gradually gained an advantage over Allen. With a cry, Allen flew back from one of Tyki Mikk's attacks, and the boy slammed into a tree with enough force to snap the thick trunk at the point of impact. Allen heard Kanda calling his name as he faded in and out of consciousness, and Tyki Mikk smirked while strolling towards Allen. "What's wrong Allen?" the Noah asked as he grabbed a handful of Allen's coat and pulled the boy to his feet. "The self-imposed sleep-deprivation finally getting to you? I imagine it would catch up with me after an entire week…"
"What do you know about me?" Allen spat at the grinning Noah. Tyki Mikk's smirk turned wicked as he leaned towards Allen's face, and the white-haired exorcist shuttered when he felt the Noah's breath on the back of his neck.
"I know more about you than you think I do, Allen," Tyki whispered. He lazily glanced at his free hand for a moment with a grin, and the Noah chuckled while sliding his fingers diagonally across Allen's chest. Allen's gray eyes widened in shock as blood began pouring from his body from the deep gash Tyki Mikk's fingers left behind, and the British exorcist bit down on a pained cry when he felt the Noah's dangerous fingers slid into his side between his ribs. "You may be the new fourteenth," Tyki Mikk said while twisting his hand, "but you have betrayed the Earl and the rest of the Noah family. The penalty is death, you know."
"Moyashi!"
Tyki Mikk grinned while leaning to whisper in Allen's ear once more. "However, I'll make you a deal. Give me the sword-wielding brat that killed Skin and I'll let you live today."
"Like Hell!" Allen hissed as he slammed his head against the Noah's. Tyki Mikk stumbled back a few steps while Allen slid down the remaining tree trunk, and the Noah's grin turned into a crazed smirk as he stalked towards the British exorcist once more.
"I don't think you understand, Allen. I'm not asking." Tyki Mikk slammed a foot against Allen's temple, and the bleeding boy's head snapped to the side as his body crumpled to the ground. "I'm telling."
"Moyashi, get up!" Kanda's voice rang out a moment later, snapping Allen out of the pained fog over his mind. Allen's eyes widened when he saw Lulu Bell take advantage of Kanda's distraction to land a deep wound across the Japanese exorcist's exposed back, ripping off Kanda's tattered black coat and nearly causing Mugen to fall from his hands. Blood poured from the ragged gash running from Kanda's right shoulder to his left hip, and Allen tried to push himself up, only to find that his body wouldn't respond to his brain's demands.
"That boy was doing well," Tyki Mikk commented as he slowly walked into Allen's line of vision. "But all good things must come to an end, no?" Before Allen could call out any kind of warning, Tyki Mikk and Lulu Bell surrounded Kanda, and the British exorcist watched as Tyki Mikk and Lulu Bell struck his comrade down with their combined attacks. Lulu Bell grabbed Mugen from Kanda's limp hands and stabbed it into the center of Kanda's fallen coat, and Tyki Mikk smirked while tossing Kanda over his shoulder like a sack of bricks.
"Wait!" Allen cried as the two Noah began walking away. "Give him back, damn it! GIVE KANDA BACK!"
When recording ended, Toma glanced up at Chloe. The red head stared intently at the ground between them, and after a few silent minutes, she finally made eye contact with the finder.
"Can you show me exactly where you found the blood?" Chloe asked while getting to her feet.
Toma quickly shouldered his heavy box, and he led the exorcist into the decrepit church. After weaving through what was left of the roof, Toma spotted the faint trail of blood once more, and he stepped aside as Chloe came up behind him. The red head slowly climbed over the debris, taking careful precautions not to step in the blood, and she smirked when she approached the large chunk of stone where the trail ended.
"Toma, step back a bit," Chloe said as she reached for the fingerless glove on her right hand. Once the glove was removed, Toma noticed a strange tattoo on the back of Chloe's hand, but his attention soon turned to the glowing characters that had materialized above her uncovered hand. Chloe mumbled foreign words under her breath for a few moments, and the characters gradually grew bigger while circling around her body.
"On!" the red head hissed while pointing towards the stone. The characters charged towards the stone, and a large burst of power sent Toma stumbling back a few steps from the force. The stone exploded a moment later, and Chloe slipped the glove back on her hand while stepping into the strange hole of darkness the destroyed stone left behind. "Come Toma. We have work to do," she said before disappearing into the hole.
Komui glanced up at the clock once again and frowned. It was nearly three in the morning, and he had not received the promised call from Chloe and Toma. Komui squashed the panic bubbling in his stomach, but as he worked, he couldn't help but worry. When the phone rang a few minutes later, Komui eagerly picked up the receiver and waited for the caller to speak.
"Komui-dono, this is Finder Toma."
"Toma, thank goodness," Komui breathed while leaning back in his chair. "Are you and Chloe-chan all right?"
"We are currently in some kind of space created by one of the Noah. Bellerose-dono came to the conclusion that this space is the new Ark the Millennium Earl created after releasing a barrier on a gate hidden in the sanctuary."
"You two can't go into the Ark alone!"
"I knew you would say that, Komui."
"Chloe-chan, the Noah family and the Earl are dangerous. Too dangerous for one exorcist to handle alone."
"I appreciate your concern, Supervisor, but if we turn back now, the gate will most likely be gone by tomorrow."
Komui's eyes widened in shock. "How do you know?"
"I'll explain everything once we rescue Kanda Yuu. Until then, I need you to trust in me, Supervisor. The longer we wait, the more likely we are to be discovered."
"All right. Just…be careful, Chloe-chan."
"I will be."
So that's all for now...if you like it let me know! If you absolutely hate it, let me know and give me suggestions on how to make it better! Please and thanks! :)
04-10-09: I made a few spelling/grammar/random changes. I originally went back to change "Rouvelier" to "Leverrier" since the latter seems to be the correct spelling of the lovely Inspector's name, but if that is incorrect, feel free to let me know.