Full summary: What happens when an unforeseeable force decides to play a trick on a group of exorcists by interfering in their fight and making them end up at an unknown place? Well, of course, surprise comes first then the Wheel of Fortune (or rather Doom) starts to move. And the exorcists? Lavi enjoys the events way too much, Kanda just makes faces as usual, Allen is on edge, Lenalee is extremely angry and the others... they cannot decide what they feel about the whole situation just yet. However, an inevitable encounter with a group of not too ordinary nestlings and their even less ordinary and overprotective mother may just solve this problem of theirs. And this is just the beginning of their slightly nightmarish adventures in Dimension X...
A/N: Please forgive me for my potencional mistakes, I'm just trying to practise my non-existent english knowledge here (well... yeah... almost a decade of not using what I have learnt did not have any mercy on it XD). So sorry again ^^
Ch. 1
Neither of them knew what exactly happened or why did they end up where they currently were. In one moment they were at the suburban region in London battling a Level 4 Akuma in order to protect the new Innocence fragment they have just found, and in the next they were standing stupidly in a foreign ancient-looking forest, still blinking rapidly from the blinding flash of light that have just occurred. No Akuma, no ruined or crumbling buildings and no traces of the dirty streets of London either. They stared for what felt like hours in awe at the scene surrounding them: huge rugged oak trees and various other species like hornbeam, maple, ash, birch and elm; their trunk covered by mosses and lichens; lianas hanging from above making them feel like they were in prehistoric times. However it did not matter how much they have watched or how hard they have tried to comprehend this strange situation, it could not change the fact that all six exorcists – namely Lavi, Kanda, Allen, Lenalee, Crowley and Chaoji – were by themselves in that god damned endless-looking forest.
"Anyone any idea where are we?" Lavi asked who was first to recover after the initial frozen state caused by shock. When silence was his only answer he glanced at his still dazed friends. Lenalee was mutely staring out of her head with widely open eyes, Kanda just made various scales of annoyed faces, a deep frown marking his sharp features. Allen's eyes were roaming the area trying to assess the situation, his mouth slightly ajar, however, his expression betrayed he had no idea what was happening around. Crowley was looking back and forth between his friends while Chaoji was examining dumbly the nearby moss-covered snag. Upon receiving no response Lavi made a coughing noise in order to snap his friends out of their trans-like state. Allen blinked then turned towards his red haired friend but having no rational explanation he merely shook his head. Kanda just snorted and muttered something inaudible under his breath. The others still did not move, showing no sign of grasping the situation around them.
"So?" Lavi persisted.
"Obviously in a forest" Lenalee stated. She was still dumbfounded, looking at the enormous trees like a lost little girl. She raised a hand and gently touched the rough, striated bark of the nearby sessile oak. "But the exact where and how is still beyond me."
"I can't sense the Akuma anymore" Allen said carefully. "It has completely vanished"
"Congratulation, Moyashi" Kanda grunted impatiently. "Say something that we don't already know"
"Seems you don't understand what that can mean" the silver haired boy retorted with a tired sigh. "But seriously, what did I even expect from your slow brain?"
"You want a fight?" Kanda glared murderously at his fellow exorcist. For a few moments they were fighting silently, trying to overpower each other, neither of them willing to back down.
"Guys, please stop this" Lenalee jumped between them. "Allen, what did you mean by don't feeling the presence of the Akuma?"
Said boy finally broke the glaring contest, though he gained the right of the last word by slightly bearing his teeth and immediately turning his head away from the long-haired exorcist. Kanda's hand found the cold metallic hilt of his Innocence-laden katana. After all, he could never admit defeat. But a side-glance from Lenalee had him freeze up and halt his all planned movements. He dropped his hands then walked away with heavy steps; leafs and branches painfully cracking under his boots. Allen rolled his eyes but chose to say nothing.
"I can sense a Level 4 Akuma within a radius of at least two miles" the silver haired exorcist stated. "The fact that I cannot feel the presence of the Akuma we've been previously fighting means this isn't an illusion. And this can imply we are not even in London anymore."
"So" Lavi began after a few seconds of silent thinking. "Basically you suggest we've just got teleported?"
"Well... yeah... something like that" Allen stuttered. Considering this possibility in his head and saying out loud were two different things. It sounded a bit foolish like this. His glance shifted upwards at the canopy, looking at the leaves softly rustling in the gentle breeze. A bunch of white-gray clouds were temporarily shrouding the bright midday sun.
"Isn't it possible that somehow you used the Ark?" Lenalee asked trying to find an explanation but her friend shook his head.
"That's very unlikely. Even if it's accidently I can sense the power of the Ark when I'm using it. Besides, I cannot connect places I have never been before. And I'm sure as hell I haven't been here ever in my life"
"So how did we end up here?" Crowley asked. "Was it the Akuma?
"Nah" Lavi waved his hand. "That's not in its interest. Besides, we still have the Innocence, don't we? So why would...?"
"The Innocence!" Allen cried out like he had just discovered the most important piece of the puzzle. "That light! It could have been the Innocence! What if the Innocence did this?"
"Why would it teleport us in the middle of a forest?" Chaoji cut in. He was still new among the exorcists, just a few weeks since he had joined the Black Order, however, that was not an excuse for not attending any missions so the superiors assigned him with a group of more experienced ones. Chaoji was not fully qualified in respect of Akuma, Innocence and the whole Holy War yet; hence it was an understatement that he did not know anything about the strange or paranormal activities God's Crystal can occasionally cause. Lenalee was kind enough to shortly explain the situation Allen was implying. Despite having a vague idea about what happened they weren't any closer where exactly the Innocence had teleported them.
"This is so bloody crazy" Chaoji burst out.
"And we still don't know where we are" Crowley continued.
"Based on the species composition we're still in the temperate zone" Lavi stated after glancing around. "The air is semi-humid and the temperature is warm unlike in Britain. Maybe we are on the continent."
"In any case the Innocence fragment is our only lead now to get back so let's have a look at it" Lenalee suggested. The others hummed in agreement and gathered around their fellow exorcist, namely Kanda, who supposedly had the raw crystal in his pocket. The raven haired youth slowly pulled out the cubical crystal. However, the moment they glanced upon said fragment everyone gasped in surprise. The Innocence had changed shape to a deltoid form, which is unheard of, and it was pulsating with gentle green light.
"It's... activated" Lavi stuttered. Lenalee raised her hand to her mouth and started thinking out loud.
"That means we can be sure that the Innocence made us end up here"
"Yeah" Allen nodded. "Although, the big question is still the why"
"What do you mean?" the female exorcist asked. The silver haired boy just stared at the oddly shaped crystal for a few moments. His expression changed from surprised to thoughtful then suspicious with his brows knitted together.
"Don't you think it's strange for this Innocence to be activated?" he started. He tore away his gaze from the strangely behaving fragment and looked up at his friends. "Innocence only activates when its accommodator is nearby. But there's nobody here apart from us. And since we all have our own Innocence it cannot be connected to either of us.
"Allen is right" Lavi said. "Is it possible that it acts on its own like that time Lenalee's did? And Allen's Innocence did the same when it saved his sorry ass"
"Thanks for making me remember that horrid night" Allen deadpanned. "Really Lavi, I knew I can count on you."
"Sorry Beansprout" Lavi grinned cheekily. It was evident from the tone he used that he felt absolute no shame or regret for what he had said. Allen growled angrily to the hated nickname but did not comment his friend's behaviour. Spending almost a year in Lavi's company made him immune to his sometimes annoying demeanour, however, making fun of his height, which was quite a bit average from his point of view, was not among the tolerable teasing.
"But Lavi" Allen started "I have to make you disappointed. Even though my Innocence was acting without my contribution we were synchronised. Same goes for Lenalee. Contrary to our cases this piece supposedly does not have an accommodator yet so it should be impossible for it to be activated."
"You have a point" Lavi frowned. "Then what the hell does this mean?"
"Who cares?" Kanda cut in. "We obtained the Innocence so let's get back to headquarter and have Hevlaska or that idiot supervisor to examine it."
"Kanda is right" Lenalee agreed. "I'm sure they can come up with an explanation."
"Aren't you interested in this strange situation?" Lavi questioned.
"No" the long haired exorcist grumbled. "I'm fed up with all this shit and it's a waste of time to think about something we are unable to interpret."
"All right" Lavi sighed. "Let's go home! Allen, would you please help us out here by creating an Ark gate?"
"Sure" his friend nodded. "But don't tell a word to Link about this or else I wouldn't hear the end of his lecture about rules!"
His friends sweat dropped at the mention of the inspector and his unnaturally strict attitude to orders. They all agreed that neither of them want to explain why it was, by all means, necessary to use the Ark. They glanced at each other and all nodded at once in understatement. Allen smiled innocently then started to search for the familiar tune in his head. He faintly heard the voice of a piano playing in the back of his mind, felt the softly flowing power of the mysterious entity beneath the surface, although, when he tried to reach out for it he felt like colliding with an invisible barrier. He tried again, his mind heavy and loud with extreme concentration but just when he was about to grab the source of the power the access was, once again, denied from him. He could not use the Ark. Allen felt raw fear creeping up on him and slowly freezing him from the inside out. He remembered well the last time he had faced a similar situation. This one was not the same though. He still felt the power within; he was just unable to reach it. Back then he did not even feel the presence of the Ark. That fact, however, did way too little to ease up his worry. He felt extremely on edge.
"No way" he whispered after one more failed attempt. His friends glanced at him immediately catching a glimpse of his fear.
"What's your problem, Moyashi?" Kanda asked.
"I... I cannot open a gate" the silver haired exorcist mumbled. The others gasped in disbelief. For a few moments they were just silently staring at Allen, not really sure what to make of the situation.
"How could this be?" Lavi questioned.
"I don't really know but..." his friend trailed off then visibly shivered from whatever conclusion he had come up with.
"But?" the Bookman junior urged.
"Remember what I said about the incident in Paris?" When he slightly nodded Allen continued. "This is very much like that situation; however, I can still feel the presence of the Ark. It's just as if my ability to use it has been completely sealed away. And maybe it's the same with my left eye. Which means..."
"We cannot exclude the possibility of the enemy doing this." Crowley finished.
"We have to be ready for anything" Allen stated and he decided to invoke his Innocence just in case of any danger and with that came the next terrific revelation: he could not use his Innocence either. Just like in the case of the Ark he felt the soft pulse of the familiar entity but the divine power did not respond to his call. He did not feel the usual surge of mighty force flowing through his body and the gently enveloping warmth. The more he tried the more tired he became and all of his attempts for conquering the strange hindrance were futile. The only response he got was a faint almost non-existent flash of power but even that left him exhausted. Like he would not have been properly synchronised with his Innocence or simply he could not master up enough energy to use his weapon.
"This is impossible" he breathed.
"What is it?" Lenalee asked but when she caught sight of the pure immense fright on her friend's face she immediately rushed at his side. "Allen-kun what's wrong?"
"I cannot invoke my Innocence either."
"Neither me" Lavi declared after a few moments. The red haired exorcist stared at his Innocence-laden hammer which was still in his small form in spite of trying to call forth. The others tried to activate their weapons too but with no avail. Neither of them had any idea what could have been keeping them away from invoking. The situation was more frightening than anything else they have ever experienced.
"This has to be a bad joke" Chaoji laughed insanely.