My hand slipped.
Hosting under a kotatsu table wasn't exactly something that Allen had expected, ever really. Importing song birds from France, bringing in an Austrian orchestra, or taking the whole club to Fiji, that would have been typical of any special occasion for him or any normal day of hosting.
He thought vaguely in the back of his mind that the other him would have found the sight of even the tame things that the Hosts do for their guests utterly ludicrous.
"I just love this cozy atmosphere," one of the customers practically cooed.
"Isn't it just wonderful! What do you think about it Allen?" her friend asked.
"It's nice. Actually, my friends back at England really like them."
"There has to be some kind of story behind that, don't leave us in the dark." The girls were all staring in attention.
Allen started. "It was something that Yuu had over at his house. Me, Lavi, and Lenalee came over one day during Winter and when Lavi found it he insisted that we sit under it. I think we actually ended up falling asleep. I mean, it was already pretty late then, and-" The ringing of his phone cut him off. He checked the caller ID. "Excuse me for a minute," he said before getting up to answer the call away from prying ears. The teen pressed the green call button, mildly annoyed.
"Lavi, I'm in the middle of club activities, what is it?"
"Orders from on high. There's a new procedure, and they want you here ASAP."
Allen sighed, he had a history exam tomorrow. "I guess I'll be leaving first thing tomorrow."
"Better make that tonight. This one's pretty urgent." Lavi could never manage to sound completely serious at the best of times, but he did have a certain tone that told you when something was coming, whether it was Yuu and his Katana, trouble back at the lab, or an akuma. He hung up afterwards not waiting for any sort of confirmation.
"Is anything amiss, Allen?" The boy in question nearly jumped at the sudden presence behind him. He really would have to be more careful. He collected himself.
"Maybe." He mentally shook himself. A real answer out of him mouth would be nice. "There are some issues back home, that I need to attend to." Kyoya nodded. He had figured as much. He also knew that the chances of him getting the entire truth on the issue was highly improbable.
"I'll send your customers to Haruhi. You two tend to attract a similar type after all." Allen nodded, not completely listening to what his senpai was saying. The white haired boy merely grabbed his things and left when he thought the twins and Tamaki-senpai weren't looking. He wasn't even surprised when Neah was already waiting out front with a car. His uncle had probably gotten the call far before he did.
Getting in the car Allen asked, "Do you have any idea what this new test is?"
"Nope, they just told me to get you now. Odd thing was that they told me to be there too." They usually wanted the Noah, former or not, as far away from the main building as possible. Every word that Allen tried to say after that died in his throat. Neah turned on the radio, not paying attention to what was playing. Choosing to look out of the window, just to do something besides worry, Allen couldn't help but think that the everything outside from the slowly dimming sky to the random passersby looked so peaceful.
Neah was worried that he would never be able to fulfill his promise.
Samples were taken. Physical stats were recorded. More samples. Checks. Double Checks. It took much longer than usual to get processed through. Perhaps they did find something huge. No I know they found something important. It's why Lavi can't really smile. And why Lenalee looks so scared. Allen was sent out once the last blank was filled. Neah, who had gone before him was waiting along with everyone else outside of the makeshift lab of the makeshift Black Order. The grey eyed teen sat next to Kanda who was completely tense and placed a bare hand over the older boy's clenched fist. He loosened up ever so slightly. Reever walked out of the door with a clip board looking like a doctor that was ready to tell his patient that the case was terminal. He cleared his throat before starting.
"As you know, we've had the theory that the Innocence that you all once used was deep within the empty vessels that you all have. Allen's arm, Kanda's sword, Lavi's hammer, and Lenalee's shoes," she was wearing those specific boots today too. She hated them. "Recent events however have made us rethink this theory, primarily the state of Lenalee's Innocence in the 'Other Place.' Her evolution to Crystal Type made us rethink how Innocence bonds with it's user at all. We had to consider that it wasn't as much bound to a body part or an object that a person could control as it was bound to the person themselves. The first place we looked was of course the blood.
"Alone, the samples didn't look any different, then usual, but when a sample of specifically Rhode Walker and Allen Walker got mixed together by accident. The effects were profound, and although there is no confirming it yet, we think it may have activated both the Innocence and the Dark Matter. We will need you all here for the next few days so we can find a safe way to attempt to activate the Innocence, since just performing blood transfusions willy nilly is a good way to land you guys in the hospital."
The claim wasn't anything new. Although they were rare as of late, Allen remembers when he used to be called in every other week and with every other week came a new idea and a new breakthrough. They hardly noticed when the calls to the lab slowed to almost a complete stop.
"Well, if that's it then I might as well just leave," Kanda said seemingly bored.
"Do you always have to be that way?" Allen asked with a bit of bite.
"As long as you're still a Moyashi, yes," The samurai returned with a smirk.
"That insult doesn't even make sense!"
Crashing into his bed after a day like the one that he had just experienced could be nothing but satisfying, so why did it only make him feel worse. Missing his classes for the day, wasn't too bad he supposed. He'd leave it at that. If there was one thing that Kanda would not do, it was angst. Leave that for the people who actually give a damn. Mugen hadn't been polished in a while, he thought as he examined the sword.
As he was gathering the needed supplies he attempted to drown out the noises of absurd levels of domesticity emanating from downstairs by Noise and his new girlfriend Maria something or other through sheer force of will.
18 January XXXX
Synthesizing a genetic activator to Innocence without creating at best a biohazard and at worst give one of the subjects a raging infection is no small task. The idea of administering the dark matter particles as one would stem cells popped up, but the compatibility of the Noah and Exorcists is not very good. Chances of adverse effects are quite high. The idea is investigated anyway, but only half heartedly. Other proposals to come.
22 January XXXX
The board has not so subtly brought up the very first idea of blood transfusions in order to activate the Innocence. The risks to the subject would be far too high, though, and side effects would be completely unpredictable. The search for a way to isolate the Dark Matter and mutate it to a rather harmless form, not unlike one would an antibiotic is the current method being employed.
24 January XXXX
Much of the Board continues to insist that making the "Antibiotic" would waste far too much time and resources. Isolation of these dormant Dark Matter particles does seem possible. Even with that they may not hear my appeals. If an executive order comes, there is nothing I can do.
27 January XXX
How dare those self interested pigs. Putting human beings on the line like that. One day. ONE DAY. Working out all of the bad kinks of this method is going to take at least three. We're already bypassing so much protocol in doing this entire experiment in TEN. Tomorrow one of them has to have the procedure done one way or another.
28 January XXXX
Procedure is scheduled for today. Isolation of the Dark Matter was done successfully after much trial and error. The sample received from Tyki M. Walker (Blood Type O) is to be administered to subject Lenalee Lee first. The sample was never proven to be harmless to my sister the subject but final tests must begin.
When Lenalee read the last messily scrawled journal entry (that she had initially opened out of worry for her friends), she didn't know how to respond. She decided that she wouldn't say anything. Perhaps she could protect them this time, she thought.
Allen's phone was buzzing off of it's proverbial hook by the time day two passed by, not to mention day ten. He had felt a bit bad for not being able to answer them all day, that day, due to this supposedly being the last day of the trials. He took another look at his phone.
Suoh Tamaki 121 Messages
He shut off his phone.
He looked back up at the guarded doors with a strange feeling in his stomach. Lenalee, the first to go in for the day, was in the lab at the moment, and had been in there for some time. Not much was said about what would happen today, but the tight lipped smile that she had held.
A commotion began behind the closed doors startling all of those waiting in the hallway to be called next. Muffled yells could be heard, but few words could be made out.
"What's going on in there?" Lavi asked letting the worry seep into his words. Link didn't answer at first. Lavi stood up, and Link stared him down like he would any other threat.
"My orders were to keep you out of this room. I don't know what's going on in there." With his last words the lot of them realized how silent it was suddenly. Kanda looked like he was thinking of how he could get away with taking down Link, and Allen was trying to see if he could remember anything about disarming a man. The tense atmosphere didn't last for very long though. A quiet click of the door alerted the group of a new presence. Reever looked more exhausted than he had ever been for any all nighter. His hands were practically twitching for a lighter and a pack of cigarettes.
"Well, it worked," his words didn't quite register.
"Wait, you mean." Lavi was for once in his life completely lost for words. He seemed torn between writing down what was sure to be history and rushing into the lab through the now unlocked doors.
"I mean what I said. Lenalee isn't a former exorcist anymore. She's a crystal type too, just like how you all described, blood anklets and all."
Allen spoke up. "Then that was what all the panic was about. The anklets forming?" Reever suddenly became hesitant.
"I'm afraid not. She had a rather bad reaction to what we administered to her. She seized. It wasn't for very long but it sure freaked us out. She's still unconscious right now, but otherwise fine."
"Oh, so she's fine, just had a little seizure is all. Bullshit!" Kanda yelled. "And now I'm guessing you expect us all to come in quietly and do the same thing now." Reever didn't have an answer. All three boys pushed by the Australian man to see their friend.
Lenalee was lying down on the patient's chair, with undone soft restraints hanging limply from the side. Her face was surprisingly peaceful. Komui was staring down at her appearing to almost be in a trance. His expression was blank, but his eyes looked pained. His hands were settled at his sides. The three were blocked from getting any closer by the bustling scientists and most notably Link.
Reever had already weaved through to go up to Komui. He placed his hand on the Chinese man's shoulder and said something quietly to him. Whatever it was Komui seemed to agree as he nodded slowly. He picked up Lenalee, one arm under her knees and another around her back. He stopped for another moment still looking at her, before walking past the doors and into the hall. He came back a moment later.
"Lavi's up." Reever said. "The rest of you need to wait outside. Komui brought Lenalee across the hall to some patient's cots to get some rest. You can go see her if you would like, but try not to bother her."
"You gonna be alright, Lavi?" Allen asked. Lavi just grinned.
"'Course I am. What kind of boyfriend leaves his girlfriend to suffer alone? I'll be out in a jiffy."
"I already hate you for more reasons than I can count. Don't add lying to that list, baka-usagi," Kanda said with a glare. Both Allen and Lavi knew that meant the long haired teen was worried for him.
"Just check on her for me, kay."
Lenalee was still unconscious when Lavi walked into the resting area appearing a bit worse for wear, sporting a small bandage on each of his his wrists, but otherwise fine.
"Apparently being an equipment type makes a huge difference," he answered the unspoken question. "My hands kinda hurt, but otherwise, I'm fine. Kanda, you're up next." Kanda simply nodded before getting up.
"Wasn't he the one screaming about 'not going quietly' or something?" Lavi joke slightly.
"That's him for you. More bark then bite. Plus, he can probably sense that something's up more than anything."
"That's for sure. Why would they want the tests to be done so soon? What's the rush about?"
"Impatient higher ups, probably." Lenalee suddenly started stirring. Lavi and Allen scrambled up to get to her side.
"Lenalady, you alright?"
"Lenalee?"
She blinked a few times, before her vision seemed to get into focus. Allen just now noticed that her hair was starting to get longer. It reached her chin now.
"Allen, Lavi?" she stared for a moment before she became fully aware of what was around her. She got up into a half sitting position. She glanced down at her feet under the sheets as if unsure at what would greet her when she saw them. She realized that their worried gazes were on her and blushed a bit, embarrassed at being found in such a compromising position. "I'm alright."
"How are your feet?" Lavi asked subconsciously rubbing his own hands together.
"They're fine. Not as heavy as I thought they would be. Why was I asleep?" She was fully upright now and didn't look as if she just had a foreign substance injected into her that awakened a century old power.
"After the procedure, you had a seizure," Allen answered solemnly. "We were worried about you."
"Sorry to worry you all."
"That was why you seemed so tense this morning," Lavi started. "You knew didn't you. You knew what was going to happen, and that you would be first." He suddenly let out a chuckle and took her hand in his. "Don't you get a martyr complex too. No one should have to bear that kind of thing alone, kay."
Kanda came in with sickened expression. "If I had known that kinda fluffy shit would be in here I would have stayed in the lab." He massaged the crook of his elbows a bit in discomfort. He sighed heavily before continuing, "Blah, blah, blah, I'm fine, blah, blah, fucking arms, blah, blah, equipment types. There will that keep you from forcing me to play twenty questions with you guys." He plopped down heavily onto the cot to the left of Lenalee with relief on his features. "Moyashi, you're up." He pointed over to the door. "Don't die or whatever, but hey you're good at that at least."
Allen looked like he was going to start yelling but instead shook his head in defeat. He knew he should have never showed Kanda that webcomic. The older boy said he thought it was stupid, but Allen swore that his rants were getting more and more creative in a suspiciously Karkat-like way. "Why are we dating again, Bakanda?"
"Just go," Kanda says. Allen rolls his eyes and mutters a quiet "idiot" before leaving for his turn.
It's a short walk back to the lab, being only across the hall. Allen vaguely remembers how hard it was to walk even that length late last year. He also recalls how the doctors marveled at his fast recovery rate. He and his personal doctor had expected it however. Tamaki of course upheld it as some miracle, which was enough for the others, even though they did tease him for his over the top proclamation of said miracle.
Inside the lab it was much calmer then it was when Lenalee was passed out inside of it. Komui, Reever, and a few others were ready at the patient's chair, restraints already in hand. The chair was a dull green and looked hardly used at all. Allen sat in the chair and allowed them to fasten him down. One of the scientists that he couldn't recognize took off his left glove while Komui prepared something out of his view.
"Lenalee, woke up, you know," he said looking at Komui's tense back. "A little while ago. She's perfectly fine too. She even got up on her own." The scientist's actions paused for a moment, before he appeared to relax for the first time all day. He continued his work. Allen hardly even heard the "thank you."
Reever began explaining what would happen. "Just as with all of the others, you're going to be injected with a dormant form of dark matter at the source of your Innocence. For you that's the center of your left hand, right?" Allen nodded. Someone was already swabbing the aforementioned area. He inwardly cringed. "As a parasitic type, we aren't sure how your body will react, but I guess time will tell."
Komui turned around with the prepared syringe. A rather large one too. The British boy gulped a bit. Heart surgery had made him more than done with needles. He would bear through it, though. He took a deep breath as he forced his body to relax. A scientist grabbed his deformed arm, devoid of the glowing green cross. He prodded with his fingers for a moment to find the vein before the sharp sting of the needle came. The syringe withdrew.
Allen didn't feel any different. He looked up at the scientists above him only to see them waiting for something. What, he could only imagine, and he really didn't want to. He felt a sharp sting in his hand. Another one came immediately after. It felt the same way it did when he managed to shock himself a bit while plugging in a laptop charger when he was ten. Now, having a limb that normally experienced dull sensations go through an almost pain was rather, excuse the pun, shocking. It got stronger the higher it traveled up his arm. By the time it had reached his shoulder he had yelped loudly in pain a few times already. He swore he could feel it go as far to penetrate his heart, but by then he was out.
His eyes opened up, vision blurry. This must have bee how Lenalee felt. He felt groggy at first, and didn't even want to think about getting up. It wasn't the faces of his three oldest friends that made him become fully awake, even though they did help. It was a presence nagging at him from the back of his mind to get up, to not just lie around, to do something. He listened to it and was suddenly wide awake. He couldn't quite make out what that presence was, but he did know that it wouldn't hurt him.
"I'm alright, guys."
WHOOP WHOOP finally got shit done. I hope that this sequel reaches for a higher standard than the prequel did, and I especially hope that you all will love it. I have a specific plan drawn out, and no set date for any updates, but I will try to write whenever I can for the sake of you all who have already been waiting for far too long (sorry).
Just leave a review (and a favorite, please). Tell me if you like the new direction this story is going in, or if you don't.
Also feel free to ask me anything that perhaps I didn't make clear, and I will attempt to clarify in the best way possible.
Peace out!