Title: The Salvation of the Invisible Bonds
By: EsTeLweNadia
Summary: Sequel to Invisible Bonds. Now no longer alone, Allen and Co. strive to salvage the bonds forged, rescue kidnapped friends and save the Black Order from the clutches of the Noah. He is going to show them who the master of his own destiny is; himself.
Rating: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship/Angst/Adventure
Warnings: Whenever there's Kanda, profanities are bound to follow.
Disclaimer: Not mine, and will never be. Except in my dreams, maybe. ^^
Author's Note: Impatience can do you wonders, apparently. My imagination simply takes hold of me and drags me around according to its whims and fancy, and I am too overwhelmed to stop unless I get it out of my head. I still don't know where will this take me, though, but let's play by ear, okay? ^^
As always, comments and constructive criticism are immensely appreciated.
All of my stories are not beta-ed, so all mistakes are mine, with many apologies.
Hope you'll enjoy the ride!
Continuation from Invisible Bonds:
Something crackled underneath their feet.
Something round and frighteningly black.
Grotesque arms began to emerge from the darkness; reaching and grasping for the…
"…14th… I feel the 14th… I feel the 14th…"
"Shit!" Kanda swore. "Johnny, grab Moyashi. Doggie, gather the things. We're getting the fuck out of here! Move it!"
Swiftly kicking open the nearest window, Kanda leapt down to the streets below, and the rest followed.
Chapter One: Freischutz
Allen had lost track of how long they had been running. Streets and trees simply blurred past as they pounded the ground vehemently in search of a clearing, and Allen had to stifle pained groans when occasional steps jarred the wound on his abdomen. Dazedly he had to admit that Johnny was surprisingly stronger and faster than he looked; supporting most of Allen's weight while keeping pace with Kanda, with Link bringing up the rear.
They finally burst into a clearing, and almost immediately, hordes of Akuma appeared from nowhere to surround them. Level Ones, Twos, and Threes led by a single Level Four watched them with feral glee and crackles of sinister laughter that echoed ominously throughout the still night.
"Johnny," Allen wheezed, "Please. You can let go of me. I'm fine. I can still fight."
Johnny stubbornly refused to relinquish his hold on Allen but when Allen looked at him with imploring eyes, Johnny had no choice but to let go. Cracking a reassuring smile at the troubled scientist, Allen activated his Crowned Clown and rushed to join Kanda in the fight.
"Go with him, Link," Johnny said softly, his eyes never leaving the horrific battle unfolding before him. Allen and Kanda seemed to dance among the Akuma, dodging hits and dishing out their own devastating attacks. But Allen was still weak and sporting a barely-healed abdominal wound from Kanda's Mugen, and Kanda had not even rested once since they had found Allen. No matter how many Akuma they had cut down, many more seemed to take the place, and the presence of a powerful Level Four didn't make things easier, either.
Link stared at Johnny in apparent shock. "Johnny…"
"I'll be fine, Link," Johnny smiled even when he could feel tears pricking his eyes again. "Please, Link… just help Allen."
Link scrutinized the scientist for a long minute, before reluctantly nodding. Shedding off their luggage near Johnny's feet, Link leaped into the fray.
Johnny knew it was only a matter of time before an Akuma would notice him all by himself, and would move in for the kill, so he hid himself as best as possible while anxiously watching his friends fought their lives, desperately praying for their safety.
Please, he prayed fervently, please let them be safe. I don't want them to have to rescue me again. Goodness, I have enough of being held hostage, of needing to be rescued, of them getting hurt because of me. Please, for once, let me be the one to save them, to protect them. Let me return the favor. I want to fight with them, side by side, not cowering and hiding in a corner fearing for their lives. I want to help protect others. I don't want to be a weakling forever. I don't want to be a spectator forever. Please… please… just this once…
So hard in wishing with all of his heart, Johnny didn't notice a streak of green flash descending from the sky until it landed right in front of him in a bright, green glow. His eyes widened when he saw it for what it was.
"Innocence?" He whispered in awe, hesitantly picking it from the ground and gingerly held it in his palms.
The Innocence cube pulsed and shone brighter in response.
"Do you… accept my resolve?"
As an answer, the cube liquefied in his hands. It felt warm, almost… alive, and surprisingly pleasant to the touch.
Was this what Lenalee and Kanda have to go through before they acquire their Crystallized-Type Innocence? Johnny wondered dazedly as he stared in disbelief at the glowing substance on his hands.
For a brief second he looked up, and his focus zeroed in on Allen. Their gazes locked in that brief second.
Johnny cracked a bright grin. "Hang on, Allen, I'm coming."
He tilted his head up and drank the Innocence from his cupped hands.
"Johnny!" Allen yelled, watching in horror as the scientist began to ingest the Innocence.
"Where the fuck did that Innocence come from?" Kanda barked, smoothly slashing through a Level Three who attempted to sneak up from behind Allen. "Watch your own back, baka Moyashi!"
Link grunted as he deflected the blow of a Level Two with his knives. "I recalled Komui mentioning reports of Innocence sightings in London sometime ago, and since we are already in the outskirts of London, I think this must be it."
"Fucking-tastic," Kanda growled icily, hissing in annoyance when Allen took out an Akuma right in front of him. Allen returned his glare with a sickeningly sweet smile. "At least it saves us the effort to fucking look for it."
"But to think Johnny is a potential Exorcist…" Allen trailed off, and he literally stood stock-still in the middle of the battlefield actually frowning and cupping his chin in deep thought, leaving his two other comrades to frantically cover him.
"This isn't the time to fucking think about it, Moyashi!" Kanda snarled, slicing yet another irritating Level Three. Even Link had to agree with Kanda.
Allen scowled. "I can take care of myself, BaKanda." And to prove his point, Allen unleashed Crown Belt, effectively impaling numerous Akuma with hardened white spikes lengthened from the Crowned Clown's cape. He smirked at Kanda for additional measure.
"Show-off!" Kanda huffed, then proceeded to demonstrate the extent of his strength.
Link could only shake his head in barely-concealed exasperation at the childish banter between a man who didn't act his age and a child who grew up too fast.
A piercing yet terrifying high-pitched laughter rang out in the darkness. Simultaneously, the Exorcists, including an ex-Crow member, whirled around to face their almost-forgotten opponent, the Level Four.
"Well, well, well," the Akuma crooned in delight. "I had a bit of fun myself watching you having fun eliminating Akuma with hardly any effort at all. In fact, it seems so fun that I've decided that I had enough of watching, so now, allow me to join in your fun."
If glares could kill, no doubt the annoying, grotesque Level Four would be nothing but burning embers right now.
"Oh," the childlike Akuma suddenly perked up, "If you think I'm going to let a new Exorcist join our little party, think again…"
Already, three Level Twos had left the battlefield to charge directly towards Johnny, who knelt on the ground soaked in his own blood, frozen with pain.
"No!" A desperate scream of denial tore itself out from Allen's throat, and in a flash he moved in towards Johnny, only to find his way blocked by the leering Level Four.
"Your opponent is me, Allen Walker."
As Allen struggled to counter the abomination's lethal attacks, Allen screamed Johnny's name again.
"Johnny!"
Dimly Johnny heard Allen yell his name, but he was too stunned to answer.
As soon as he had swallowed the Innocence, his heart thumped once, and then he could feel blood dripping steadily from his fingertips before he felt the agony.
It hurt… it hurt so much. The intensity of it drove him to his knees, in the puddle of his own blood.
"At long last…" a whispery voice lazily floated within his consciousness. "At long last, I am free. At long last, I have found someone that I can call 'Master'."
With difficulty Johnny lifted his head, and saw a shiny crimson almost-humanlike figure, with feathery wings, leaning towards his face.
Crimson, Johnny realized numbly, that was his blood that he shed. Crystallized. And it was… truly a magnificent sight to see.
"Activate me, now, Master," the voice, no, his Innocence, said. "There is danger approaching, and your friends require your immediate assistance." As if sensing Johnny's anxiety, the voice continued, "Do not worry, Master. I will guide you, and show you what to do."
What is your name, Innocence? Johnny wondered.
He could almost hear the voice smile when it replied, "Freischutz is my name, Master."
"Freischutz," Johnny said aloud, watching in surprising lack of fear at the three Level Twos heading towards him, "Activate."
A bright flash of light, and before long, Johnny found himself gripping a huge bow with beautifully carved wings in the middle, ending with a scary horn on each end, and already notching not one, but three arrows to the bow as he automatically took aim at his approaching targets.
"Freeze Shock," He found himself saying as he released the shimmering icy arrows.
The arrows cut cleanly through the air, and the Level Twos were in too much of a shock to move away. Each of the arrows pierced each of the Akuma, freezing them over with the impact before exploding.
"Wow…" Johnny breathed, amazed at the power of his newly-acquired Innocence.
"Now is not the time to be amazed, Master," Freischutz chided him gently, but Johnny could hear how pleased it was at Johnny's compliment of its prowess. "Now that we have eliminated the immediate threat, let's refresh and strengthen our allies. With this move, their defense, offense and balance will increase for as long as you have me activated."
Johnny clasped the bow close to his heart, bowed his head, closed his eyes and whispered, "Gold Crown."
Allen, Kanda and Link were busy fighting for their lives when they were suddenly enveloped by a soft, warm light.
Light, and there were even sakura blossoms falling gently all around them.
Then, they found themselves standing on a grassy plain underneath a large oak tree. Clear blue sky stretched endlessly above them, and in the distance they could hear birds chirping as flowers bloomed and swayed in the loving caress of the breeze.
Suddenly they were back in the battlefield; the tranquil scenery vanishing as soon as it came.
But to their amazement, they realized that they were not as weary as they were before, and in addition to that, they felt pleasantly energized. Power thrummed within their very being; their visions sharpened, and movement all around them seemed to slow considerably.
"Wow," Allen breathed. He glanced at Johnny, who waved cheerily back at him. This is the power of his Innocence?
"Quit standing around gaping and start attacking, baka Moyashi!" Kanda snapped, already moving to vent his irritation on nearby Akuma.
"Would it kill you to be nice for even once, BaKanda?" Allen shot back.
Kanda's reply was lost to him, because the Level Four suddenly descended on him with a devastating strike, and then everything ceased to exist except for the burning need to survive the deadly battle.
"Good job, Master," Feischutz praised him, and Johnny beamed. "Let's bring on our next move; Zielregen. Aim your bow to the sky above the battle and let loose the arrow."
Johnny did exactly as he was instructed.
First, there was a distinct explosion in the sky.
Allen, Kanda and Link, including the remaining Akuma and the Level Four, paused whatever they were doing to look up.
A barrage of flaming arrows started to descend on them with frightening speed, and it was a frightening sight.
"Kanda! Link!" Allen shouted, hurrying over to his two friends, who were thankfully fighting back to back. As soon as he reached their side, he shouted, "Crowned Clown!" and wrapped his Innocence's cape over and around the three of them.
It appeared that Allen's worry was unfounded. The fiery arrows simply gave the three fighters a wide berth; piercing their way through each individual Akuma with terrifying accuracy, before exploding.
However, the attack was not as deadly as it looked, but what puzzled Allen, Kanda and Link was that their enemies just stood stock-still in confusion, muttering questions like "Where the hell am I?", "What the heck am I doing here?", and even, "What am I?"
Even the Level Four was momentarily dazed.
"Now is our chance!" Allen hollered. "Attack! Crown Belt!"
Kanda and Link simultaneously unleashed their respective offense.
And just like that, the remaining Akuma were effortlessly wiped out from the surface of the Earth.
Now all that remained was the Level Four, but then suddenly, Johnny was there.
"Johnny?" Incredulity was literally dripping from Kanda's tone. "What the fuck are you doing? Get the hell out of there!"
But Johnny ignored him. He raised his bow, and to everyone's shock, two more Johnny's emerged from Johnny, and they catapulted to the sides of the Level Four, so that the three Johnny's formed a triangle, or more accurately – as glowing green-dimensional lines began to appear – a pyramid, so that the monster was trapped within the Innocence barrier. As they watched in stunned silence, the Level Four was pulled to the middle of pyramid, as though it was being pulled by a string. Pulling the arrows back, with the other Johnny's mimicking exactly the same thing, yellow energy began to accumulate at the tip of the arrows. Shouting "Delta Split!" Johnny released the three arrows simultaneously, impaling the Level Four with three sickening thuds. But that wasn't all. Abruptly Johnny spun around and slashed his bow downwards and he stamped his foot at the same time, and almost immediately, the arrows embedded in the Level Four exploded.
The monster collapsed ungracefully on the ground, and the two Johnny's disappeared back into the real Johnny, who began to pitch forward. Luckily Link was there to catch the scientist-turned-Exorcist before he hit the ground.
"Finish it, Allen!" Johnny rasped, even as his eyes started to slip shut. His Innocence Bow, too, started to dissolve; spiraling to form a red bracelet around Johnny's wrist.
But when the two Exorcists turned around to face the Level Four again, they were surprised to see it still sprawled on the ground, still struggling to get up but was unable to.
"Why can't I move my body?" it whined through gritted teeth, its normally childish voice started to slur. "Why am I so sleepy?"
Allen and Kanda exchanged twin looks of confusion. Then they shrugged and moved in for the kill.
"How's Johnny, Link?" was the first thing Allen asked as soon as the battle was finally over.
Link offered the white-haired Exorcist a reassuring smile. "Please do not worry. Johnny is merely unconscious from blood loss and exhaustion. He is completely unharmed."
"That's a relief," Allen breathed, and he was so relieved he didn't realize he was swaying, until Kanda steadied him with a painfully-tight grip on his shoulder.
"Baka Moyashi," the Japanese swordsman muttered darkly under his breath, but aloud he said, "We must quickly get the fuck out of here. By now Hevlaska should have known of the emergence of a new Exorcist, and then the fucking Order will come looking. So we have to scram. Right now!"
Allen lifted his heavy head to glance blearily at Kanda. "We'll use the Ark. It's faster for us to get to some place, and harder for the Order to trace. I will seal off the connections to the Order, so they cannot get in."
Within moments, a bright light flashed, and the door to the Ark appeared. Link slung half of their belongings over one shoulder, and carried the unconscious Johnny in his arms, while Kanda carried the other half of their luggage, with Allen's arm pulled across his shoulder. Together they stepped in, and the Ark faded from existence.
- Meanwhile, back at the Black Order, European Branch –
"Why have you summoned us, Hevlaska?" Komui asked, looking at the Accommodator of the Cube in concern. "Is there anything wrong?"
Komui watched as Hevlaska broke into a huge smile, and the anxiety in his heart eased away. "Nothing of that sort, Komui-san. In fact, I bear great news."
"Just spit it out, Hevlaska!" Leverrier demanded harshly, annoyed. He wasn't someone who played guessing games, and he wasn't about to start now.
The smile didn't even falter. In fact, it only widened and she was even glowing with pleasure. "I am truly overjoyed to announce the birth of a new Exorcist."
There was a moment of stunned silence.
"What?" Komui finally asked, his voice strangled. "Where? How? Who?"
"Where, and how, I know not," Hevlaska drawled, "But as for 'who', it is a 'he', and he is someone very close to you."
"Hevlaska…" Leverrier warned.
If Hevlaska had eyes, she would have winked, but since she didn't have any, her lips parted to show gleaming teeth.
"Johnny Gill."
-To be continued -
Okay, I'm so relieved to be to get this out of my system. ^^
As for Johnny's Innocence attacks, I took them from Disgaea 2 (bow class) and Xenosaga III (Momo). Man, how I missed those games… *wistfully*
I was thinking, 'Why not Johnny be an Exorcist too, since Chaoji, who is a weakling (pardon me, I don't quite like that guy) got to be an Exorcist?' And archery, because Johnny is definitely not made for close combat, much less any combat, but that can be easily fixed.
I hope you like the story so far. Just to give you a heads-up, Chapter Two will be more of a rest and regroup sort of thing, and mostly on Johnny's past, then on Chapter Three… Allen will be returning to the Order, all by himself, even if it is just for awhile.
And there will be more, I promise! ^^
Thank you for reading. Reviews are very much appreciated! ^^