Disclaimer: I don't own -Man.
This is my first time trying to write an action story so forgive me if the fight scenes are a little sparse. The story's timeline starts in the Rewinding Town Arc.
The sobbing of a child echoed in a dark room, following by the sound of someone shushing the child.
"Don't cry, Erin," a quiet voice soothed, "I won't let them hurt you again." Her arms tightened around the smaller child, her cheek resting against her head. The two bodies were pressed tightly into the corner, seemingly hiding from the world.
"Big sister... I don't want to do this anymore..." Erin whimpered, "it hurts too much... Why can't I be strong like you?" Tears rolled down her cheek.
"You don't have to be strong, I'll always protect you, I won't let them take you," Kieran promised fiercely, but at that moment, the heavy wooden door swung open, the light coming from the corridor blinding them temporarily.
"Take the child," a cruel voice said, Kieran blinked and clutched on tighter to Erin, her mind registering what the voice was saying. Three men entered the room and wrestled Erin away from Kieran, another man restraining Kieran, effectively separating the two.
"NO! LET GO OF ME! ERIN!" Kieran screamed, writhing in the man's arm.
"Bring them both to Hevlaska, we'll see their synchronization rates," Leverrier said, rubbing his palms together. Erin paled and began to scream, begging them not to.
"Shut up!" Leverrier ordered and slapped Erin across the face.
"STOP! DON'T HURT HER!" Kieran screamed.
Despite their wailings, Leverrier forced them to where Hevelaska was.
"Hevlaska, check their synchronization rates," Hevelaska's tentacles reached out for Kieran, her body suspended in the air, white tendrils bringing out a cube and inserting it into Kieran's body.
"Synchronization rate... 1%... 15%... 38%... 54%... 62%... 78% Her synchronization rate is 78%." Hevlaska released Kieran who fell to her knees and gasped for breath. A man forced her to stand up.
"Good, give her her Innocence," Leverrier ordered Hevlaska, who produced a staff, the handle wrapped in bandages and the top some sort of gothic looking cross and carefully placed it in Kieran's hands who clutched it tightly.
Hevlaska picked up Erin and Kieran began to thrash around in the man's grasp, "No! Don't! She can't take it!"
"Synchronization rate... 5%... 12%..." Erin began to scream in pain, cuts and wounds opening up on her body. Hevlaska released Erin who fell to the platform, "it's impossible, she can't synchronize with the Innocence."
"Try again!"
"NO!" Kieran screeched. Hevlaska picked Erin up and inserted her white tendrils into her body. Erin's screams of pain and agony was too much for Kieran to endure, tears streaming down her face.
"Stop your whining!" Leverrier commanded.
"INNOCENCE ACTIVATE!"
A thick grey cloak and a hood concealed most of Kieran's face and body, her brown eyes observing everything from the shadow of her hood. Most people tended to avoid her because of her shadiness, who would wear a thick cloak and conceal themselves in broad daylight if they were not involved in shady business?
The moment Kieran stepped into the town, she felt something was immensely wrong. It felt as if she was stuck in a tear in the fabric of time, it felt like something was repeating over and over again.
'This must be the work of Innocence... Or maybe I'm just paranoid, yep, definitely paranoid,' Kieran thought to herself, a bitter smile appearing on her face. Her hand moved up to feel for the crystal that was around her neck.
"Miranda! Miranda!" A childish chorus of voices sang and mocked. Kieran looked up to see a bunch of children mocking a lady who was dressed in black, her hair put up in a severe bun. Kieran walked over to the lady and chased the children away. A extremely frightened look was present on her face.
"Are you alright, miss?" Kieran inquired concernedly.
"Yes, I'm fine," she said unconvincingly, her hands trembling. 'I've not met this person before! Could it be-!' Miranda thought joyfully.
Out of the corner of Kieran's eye, she saw the black coat of an exorcist, the rose cross embellished on it. Kieran cursed under her breath.
"Well, good day then," Kieran nodded her head slightly and disappeared into a nearby alley and watched the children terrorize the poor lady again, one of them threw a snake at her and she dodged easily.
"Eh? She dodged it!"
"You've been repeatedly thrown that snake at me, I'd be stupid if I couldn't dodge it!" 'Repeatedly?' Kieran watched the woman stomp away into a nearby alley, the exorcist trailing after her. 'I'd better get out of this town,' Kieran walked out of the alley and retraced her steps back to where she had entered the town, but found that she could not get out. She exited the town but found herself inside again. 'This must be the work of Innocence,' Kieran groaned, just her luck to be stuck in a town with Innocence and exorcists.
Kieran walked aimlessly, brown eyes darting here and there, deciding to enter a pub. As she entered she spied the black coats of the exorcists. Kieran cocked her head to the side, recognizing one of the exorcists. 'Lenalee Lee...'
Slipping silently into a booth behind the exorcists, she eavesdropped on their conversation with the woman she had met on the street before. The four men sitting at the bar seemed unnaturally tense, and Kieran reached up to pull the crystal off her necklace.
The four men transformed into Akuma and the white haired exorcist and Lenalee activated their innocence, the woman screaming hysterically.
Kieran tugged on the woman's arm, pulling her behind herself, "don't move, stay behind me." She ordered quietly, the Akuma unleashed a powerful blast of dark matter and Kieran thrust out her hand, Innocence in her palm. "Innocence activate! Protection!" A yellow barrier appeared in front of them, shielding them away from the blast, the two skidding back slightly.
Glass shattered upon the impact of the bullet and the Akuma screeched as the white haired exorcist ordered Lenalee to take Miranda away. Lenalee turned to Kieran and Miranda, and demanded to know who Kieran was. Kieran simply thrusted Miranda to Lenalee.
"Take her away," Kieran said simply and joined the battle against the Akuma. It was three level two Akuma against two exorcists.
"Who are you!" Allen demanded as he blasted at one Akuma.
"An exorcist," Kieran spat, spheres of crackling electricity appeared around them, "Thunder Bombardment!" The spheres launched themselves at the Akuma easily destroying them. The resulting blast made the two exorcists slide back.
"Whoa..." Allen gaped at how easily Kieran destroyed the three level ones. Lenalee appeared beside them, Kieran leapt back, a growing sphere of electrical energy floating above her palm.
"K-Kieran?" Lenalee reached out for the woman, fingers trembling slightly, Kieran backed away.
"It's been a long while," Kieran said in a bitter tone, Allen kept turning his face to look at the two women's faces, the crackling energy dissolving into the air. Kieran's head jerked up suddenly, her fist tightening around her Innocence. Allen's left eye activated, the black and red spreading in his eye.
"More Akumas!" Three level twos came crashing through the broken door.
"Ice Fire!" One Akuma screeched and released fire from its mouth, the three dodged the flames, the floor turning into ice.
"Sound Pulse!" Another Akuma screamed releasing sonic waves which Kieran gritted her teeth through. 'Damn Akuma.' Kieran thought and allowed a yellow sphere to form in her palm and threw it in the direction of the Akuma screaming who flew aside.
Allen was about to fire his cannon when a eerie voice echoed through out the bar, the three Akuma froze, and flew out of the destroyed roof immediately. "What the-"
"Leave them, they're gone for now," Lenalee heaved a sigh of relief and deactivated her Dark Boots. Her hand found it's way onto Kieran's wrist as Kieran turned to leave. "Don't go, please." Doe like purple eyes stared up at dirty brown ones.'She looks so much like Erin...' The thought floated into Kieran's mind, and she felt an intense flood of guilt.
Hesitating for a moment, Kieran nodded stiffly, snatching her wrist away from Lenalee, a sweet smile spread on Lenalee's lips.
"Let's go find Miranda," Lenalee said and turned to walk out of the bar. Allen slipped on his white glove onto his left arm and straightened his coat.
"I'm Allen Walker," Allen held out his right hand towards Kieran.
Kieran stared at his hand as if it was a poisonous object before taking it gingerly, "Kieran Heard." The two followed after Lenalee.
"This is it," Lenalee said while looking up at a dark building with many windows, it was a sort of apartment complex. The dark oak doors swung open easily and the three exorcists climbed up the stairs with Lenalee leading them.
"Miranda?" Lenalee knocked at the door of the apartment that presumably belonged to Miranda. When there was no response from the black haired woman, Lenalee turned the knob and entered.
A shrill scream pierced the air as Miranda scuttled back till her back hit the wall.
"Spare us the dramatics," Kieran snapped, arms crossed over her chest.
"Don't suddenly come in like that!"
"We knocked but there was no answer, so we thought something happened," Allen replied sheepishly. Miranda backed away and climbed over the table still screaming. Losing her balance suddenly, the chain that she wore snapped and a winder flew through the air, the table rocking and fell over with her on it.
"Ah!" Snatching up the winder, Miranda clutched it to her chest protectively.
"Is that something precious to you?" Lenalee asked in a gentle manner, kneeling next to the woman. Miranda nodded as she secured the chain around her neck once more.
"You must think that I'm stupid..." Miranda murmured as she looked at her grandfather's clock.
"No," Allen replied, "we all carry something that's close to our hearts, something that we never want to let go of." Kieran leaned against the wall, preoccupied with a memory, a tear rolled down her cheek that did not go unnoticed by Lenalee no matter how fast she swiped it away.
"Where's the Innocence?" Kieran asked plainly. "You're obviously it's Accommodator, so where is it?"
"Kieran!" Lenalee scolded the older woman, "she's still confused, she doesn't know what's going on!"
"Let's first explain everything's that going on," Allen intervened seeing how irritated Kieran was. Allen launched into an explanation of what Innocence was, the Black Order and all the relevant details. Miranda also explained that the town had been stuck on October 28 for at least 31 days and she was the only one who seemed to notice. She also told the story of how she found her clock.
'God damn it, I just want to find the damn Innocence, end this bloody rewinding town and get the hell out of here before they find me and bring me back.' Kieran thought angrily.
I can always get you out of here.
'It'd be too suspicious, and the last time I did it I passed out for a day. And it was only a small object. Imagine transporting me.'
You're much stronger now. Yet the only reason that you haven't left is because of the girl.
Kieran clenched her fist, 'she reminds me too much of Erin.'
You should have let go of her a long time ago.
'I did.'
Obviously not.
"Leave it," Kieran growled. Allen's white hair was suspended in the air as he turned to look at Kieran.
"Did you say something?" Allen cocked his head to one side curiously. Kieran simply shook her head. "We'll have to trace the source of your Innocence activating, meaning we have to retrace your steps and go to every possible location that might have triggered the Innocence."
"How troublesome," Kieran muttered but adjusted her cloak around her, pulling the hood up and covering her face. "Let's go."
The four wandered through town, all the townspeople seemed to be suspended in motion, not able to move an inch, the only ones who were moving were the exorcists.
They visited Miranda's old haunts and they stopped by a shop, lighting glowing from inside, there they paused and Miranda told the story of how she could never resist the urge to mend the broken soft toys because she was just as broken as they were. Not finding anything useful that was related to the Innocence, they went back to Miranda's apartment.
Kieran sipped her tea while eyeing the grandfather's clock suspiciously. There was a weird air surrounding it. Miranda stood up suddenly, eyes as blank as a marble slab and Kieran turned her eyes towards her.
"M-Miranda?" Allen said in a confused voice. She mechanically went to the bed, laid down and drew the covers over her body. "You're going to sleep!" Allen yelled comically.
The grandfather clock chimed loudly, the clock had struck twelve. A darkness seeped into the room which made the three exorcists stand up, ready for an attack. Clocks floated out of the grandfather's clock and their hands began to spin anti-clockwise.
"The grandfather's clock is the Innocence!" Kieran shouted as the winding of the clock became more frantic and a strong gust of wind blew in, the grandfather clock sucking all the town's time back into it greedily. She grabbed onto the table as the wind became fiercer, Allen had done the same to Lenalee.
Suddenly light flooded the room and the clock stopped rewinding. "It's morning?" Miranda's body shot up from the bed and she rubbed her head wearily.
"When did I get into bed?" Kieran resisted the urge to smack Miranda's head, she was after all almost a stranger.
"Lenalee! Kieran! Look at this!" Kieran turned to see Allen inside the clock.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing, Walker?" Kieran exploded, he could be damaging the Innocence after all, she had no idea what he could have done to the clock. Miranda and Lenalee screamed.
"A human clock!" Allen grinned brightly, waving his arms about. Kieran stomped over and intended to grab him by his damn white hair, eyes widening in shock when her arm passed through the clock easily. Grabbing Allen by the lapels of his coat, she pulled him out roughly.
"Seems like Miranda is the only one who's capable of touching the clock," Allen demonstrated by plunging his hand into the clock.
"This must be the Innocence," Lenalee said in awe, "first the rewinding and now this." Miranda stroked her clock in wonder.
"This clock caused the paranormal activity...?" Miranda whipped out a knife from nowhere, a black aura surrounding her, "don't tell me you're going to break my clock!"
"Calm down, Miranda," Lenalee raised both hands in a peaceful gesture, appeasing her. "Are you sure there was nothing that triggered this? Think back to the first October 28th."
"We can't break your clock anyway, since we obviously can't touch it," Kieran scoffed, 'but I bet my Innocence can break through it.' The dark thought came and crossed her mind quickly.
Her face was scrunched up, Miranda was obviously deep in thought, "that day... I was fired from 100th job... and I drowned my sorrows in alcohol, wishing that tomorrow would never come..." Miranda stroked her chin.
"The Innocence granted Miranda's wish..."
"That could only mean..."
"Like I said before, she's the Accommodator for the Innocence," Kieran stated dryly, "then she can control it, tell the damn clock to stop this nonsense." Allen sweat dropped at how blunt Kieran's words were, straight to the point.
Miranda tentatively touched the glass case, "Clock, clock, turn back time now, turn it back to how it should be." Allen and Lenalee made a mad dash for the newspaper. They unfurled the roll and stared at the date.
"It's still the 28th of October..."
AN: So yeah, that was the first chapter, hope you liked it! Kieran is sort of like a female Kanda in a way, she's very blunt and yeah, you'll find out. I'm working on the next few chapters, so tell me if you like the story!