Disclaimer: We do not own D.Gray Man…if we did our original characters would actually EXIST.
Chapter 1: Endless March
It all began so normally. The town clock struck seven-thirty and let out two booming gongs to signal the mid-way point of the hour. Dusk had fallen a little over an hour ago.
Upon a near desolate main road a group of teenaged girls wandered down the sidewalk. All but one of their gazes was trailed upon the passers by or the dark shop windows. And all but one of them wore black and white outfits. The tail end of the line was deeply engrossed in the ink written contents of several pages of letters posted to none other then her very brand-new, very first and very best friend, Emma.
Given the strawberry blond's naturally clumsy nature it could be considered a miracle she didn't trip and fall, she was so deeply engrossed in the letters she would not have noticed an uneven cobble stone or that one of her feet had stuck itself in a place where it shouldn't. So deeply engrossed was she that she failed to notice a wagon rattle loudly past her and she completely ignored the yellow ball that fluttered after it.
"How are you?" brown eyes moving from left-to-right as she read the carefully penned words. "I miss you…I wish you'd talk to me…I got a new haircut…won't you tell me how it looks? Do you like it? Hate it? If you don't like it I'll change it…"
Seven letters, that's how many letters she had procured from the older, fair haired girl's bag. Seven letters detailing a man's desperate attempts to earn his fair-haired maiden's forgiveness and love. Seven letters that, based on the dates of the letters and their content, had been neglected and unanswered by the addressed "fair maiden".
"Hey…Emma…"
Emma stopped her yawning and stretching and turned to look at the girl behind her, long strands of hair pulled back to leave her beautiful face un-obscured, "Hm? What's up, Eve?"
"These…"
"Eve?" Emma stopped, surprised to see Eve's face turned towards the ground.
"…Are the sweetest letters I've ever read!" she cried regarding Emma with shining brown eyes, "Why don't you answer him!?"
Emma's face clouded over almost instantly. Eve had, unknowingly, set off the biggest and most painful emotional landmine. She brought up Emma's ex-boyfriend, the man who gave her the lavender-colored flower pin worn to keep her bangs from her eyes.
"W-Where did you get these!?" she stuttered as she snatched the pages from Eve's hands, delicately folding and storing them in her bag. "You're not supposed to be reading them! T-This is private you know!"
"I-I'm sorry!" Eve bowed low. "I just wanted to get to know you better!"
"We're friends! We just have to talk to each other to get to know each other, right!? RIGHT!" Emma cried punching the air.
"Right!" Eve giggled mimicking her friend's actions.
Meow…!
They blinked at the sound of a cat, heads turning until they could see the cat seated before the wrought-iron gates of an abandoned church.
"Eh," they knew without turning to look at the speaker that it was the youngest Shiratori sister, Yaya. "What a creepy church…" Yaya blinked as Eve's back suddenly became straight as a pole as someone down the road near the church gave a muffled yelp. "What's up?"
"I…I think I just saw…that cat eat a…flying, yellow, golf ball…"
Emma's expression mirrored Eve's shocked one, "R-Really?"
"Y-Yeah…it snatched it right off someone's shoulder and ran into the church…"
"Hmm…the church huh?" Kiriri, the eldest Shiratori, said. "I guess we could stay there for the night…"
"EH!?"
"It's getting late and we can't find any inns, you got a better idea?"
Eve faltered, "Well…no…" she admitted.
"But…it's so scary…!" The other blond added eyeing the gate and fence topped with metal points that, to her imaginative mind, resembled the pointed, cavity infested, teeth of a large, hungry creature.
"It's ok!" Eve reassured Emma as she took her hand in hers. "I'll go with you and check out the church first! That way we can scare away any ghosties or ghoulies that are in there!"
The Shiratoris could only stare, one in mirth and the other in disgust, as Eve regained her energy and sprinted towards the open gate, the deathly afraid Emma trailing behind her, fluttering like a piece of paper in the breeze.
"See! There's nothing scary in here!" Eve smiled as she gestured around before reaching for a nearby doorknob. "There's really nothing to be afraid of in here! Sure, maybe there's a few bats but---" she stopped abruptly, staring at the room's contents before snapping the door shut and ran a mental tally. Something definitely didn't belong in that room…
"E-Eve?"
"A boy. There's a boy in there, tied up to the window."
"R-Really?"
"Yeah…" she murmured as she consented with her heart to open the door and check again. Sure enough, there was a boy as well as the cat she had seen earlier. "Um…"
The boy looked startled, "Ah!" and then embarrassed. "Um…hello!"
"Are you…okay…?" Eve asked uncertainly as she crossed the room's threshold and eyed the handcuffs binding the boy's hands to the barred window.
"Eh?" the boy blinked as he followed her gaze to his bound wrists, and promptly spasmed at the possibility of a grave misunderstanding. "N-No! It's not what you think! R-Really!" he added becoming more desperate at the disbelieving expressions. "I was just trying to get something back from this cat and a policewoman got caught up in it so she tied me up here…"
"I-I see…" Emma murmured, finally ceasing the trembles that shook even the tips of her knee-length, blond hair.
"Ehehehe, so you're the one I saw in front of the church!" Eve seemed completely care-free and unconcerned as she approached the white-haired boy and began working on releasing the metal rings around his wrists.
"You saw me?" he asked, curiously watching her profile. "Are you from around here?"
"Eh? Oh…no, I'm not," she made a pleased sound as she released his right hand, starting work on the left one as she continued speaking. "Me and some of my friends are travelling. It's a long story…"
Eve watched curiously as Allen made a soft sound of understanding and began to massage his sore wrists, flexing his hand back and forth, testing the joints. She couldn't quite understand him somehow…
"He seems really sweet," she thought, "I wonder how he ended up here…"
Before she could give it another thought, she noticed something very peculiar about the profile of his face. Underneath his eye was a zigzagging red line that descended towards his jaw line and was intersected directly beneath his lower eyelid by a horizontal line. Eve didn't know what it was. It was a mystery…and she loved mysteries. Unfortunately, this mystery seemed like it'd be an open in shut case in a matter of moments. All she had to do was ask him about it right? She never got the opportunity to ask, however, for at that moment, a man's scream suddenly rent through the still air, the sound sending the roosting bats into flight and speeding past the open door like a vast, black cloud.
She whirled around, "I thought this place was empty!!"
"I-It's coming from downstairs…!" Emma stuttered.
Suddenly fearful for the well being of the screaming man Eve bolted out the door. Emma and the boy, whom if they had ask would've gladly told them his name was Allen, followed soon after, finding a shaky Eve on the staircase pointing at the bundle of clothing pinned to the pillar as toxic gas began to fill the room.
Locating the policewomen who tied him to the window, Allen dashed forward, whipping off the handkerchief tied around his head and using it to cover her mouth, "Be careful," he warned looking back at the two blonds. "This gas is toxic. He was killed by an Akuma."
"Aku…ma?"
Eve blinked, "Ah…she passed out…"
If there wasn't a predicament…there sure was one now…
"I said I didn't do anything!" Allen protested as he clutched tightly at the white and brown, fat cat as he and the two girls leaned away from the detective whom had slammed his hands upon the table top. "Why did it become like this? All we did was take the unconscious policewomen here!"
"You were at the scene of the crime," the detective pointed at each of them in turn. "That's suspicious! And this hand…" he grabbed Allen's left hand, which in the light of day, was clearly a dark red. "It's blood red!"
"Maybe…he got it dirty from painting?" Emma pondered tilting her head to the side to peer at Allen's hand.
"That must've been some painting job…you must be really clumsy…" Eve said, tilting her head to the side as well.
"N-No…it's always been like that…" Allen murmured, mildly embarrassed as he tried to pull his hand back.
"…that must be some strong paint…" Emma mused, hoping she'd never encounter this "Permanent Paint" in her life time. Surely it can't do a person's skin, or hair, any good…
"What…what the hell is that thing?" the detective stuttered as the button on Allen's glove popped open as Allen tried to pull his hand back from the detective, revealing the strange cross imbedded in it. "What did you do to yourself? What a horrible thing. You should take care of the body your parents gave you!"
Eve and Emma exchanged silent looks as Detective Moore vouched for them and Allen and the conversation continued without them. Eve couldn't be sure, but she was almost certain that Allen's hand was an Anti-Akuma weapon, and Emma was inclined to agree, though this made Eve a bit sceptical as, after all, Emma didn't seem to be the sharpest tack in the box…
"This is an Anti-Akuma weapon. Are you familiar with 'exorcists'? I am a clergyman, specializing in Akuma extermination."
Then again…every dog does have its day…
"Exorcists?" the detective's expression was one of perplextion. "What the hell is that? Anyway…that's enough of that. For the time being you can leave. I'm going back to the scene of the crime. Officer Moore!" he cried pointing at the policewomen standing beside the three teens. "Keep these three under house arrest!!!"
"EH!?"
"WAH!?"
"Ehhhhhhhhh!?"
It had been too long since she was in a house, Eve decided as she wandered through the halls of Officer Moore's home, which was conveniently located right beside the church where the Akuma supposedly appeared.
Did an Akuma really appear like Allen said? Eve didn't know the answer…she was the newest of newbies, the greenest of greenhorns, the runtiest of the runts of the litter, whatever idiom you could think up to describe a new member to anything, she was it and more.
Though, Allen didn't wear the exorcist uniform like Emma, Kiriri and Yaya did…yet he seemed very knowledgeable about everything. Maybe she should ask him to tutor her or something? He seemed very capable…
"Ah! No! Stop squirming!"
MEOW!
Eve winced as she turned the corner and found the white-haired boy sprawled on the ground, an uncooperative cat under one arm and a framed wall ornament bounced off his head as it fell. Maybe he wasn't quite as capable as she first thought…
"Hey…you're so loud," Eve chided lightly as she bent down and hung back up the fallen ornament, replacing it in its proper spot before kneeling beside him and massaging a spot on his head, "There. Does it hurt at all?"
"N-No…" he stuttered, thoroughly embarrassed by his less then coordinated display. "I'm fine, thank you."
"So…you were going to the Dark Order before you got caught, right? Since you're an Exorcist…" she smiled at Allen's surprised look and pulled down her shirt collar to reveal a crystallized green cross set in a black choker. "See?"
"You're an exorcist too!?"
"That's right, my friend Emma is too. She and two other girls, Yaya and Kiriri, were taking me to the Order when we found the church," the blonde pointed at herself. "I'm just a newbie, so I don't know anything."
Allen smiled at her carefree, childish attitude, "I was on my way there too."
"Ah! I see! Oh!" she rubbed her head in embarrassment. "I never introduced myself properly…" she stood and extended a hand out towards Allen to lift him to his feet, tucking a strand of her shoulder blade length hair behind her ear, "I'm Eve! Eve Rowan!"
Allen took her hand with a bright smile, "Allen. Allen Walker. Nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too, Allen! Allen…" she let the name roll off her tongue, savouring the taste the syllables invoked before she laughed. "I like how that sounds!"
"Hey! What are you two up to!?" the two teens turned their heads to find the bespectacled, brunette policewoman named Moore glaring them down, hands on her hips. "Were you planning on going back to the scene of the crime!?"
Allen's smile was guilty as he hoisted the identically grinning cat higher into his arms, "Just for a bit."
"No!"
"Meow!!" the cat protested.
"Boo…no fun…" Eve pouted at the older woman's back as she walked away. Eve waited until she was out of sight and earshot before putting a finger to her lips and winking at Allen. "We'll sneak out tonight when she's asleep," her grin widened when Allen chuckled and nodded. "It's a date then!" she proclaimed as she poked the pentacle on his forehead before running off into the depths of the house.
"E-Eh?" Allen murmured as a deep blush stained his face. Did she just say…a date?
Allen nervously massaged his burning cheek with a gloved hand…he'd never been on a date before…and he doubted acting like his Master was the correct was to go about it…
"A date…? A date…" he chanted in his head as he wandered off. "A date…"
"Allen, do you really think the criminal is an Akuma?"
"Yeah?" Allen was confused but agreed anyway as he and Eve turned their heads to look at Moore. Ever since Eve had came into the room after Emma's 'date prepping' of Eve, neither she nor Allen were able to speak normally to each other. Both seemed a bit nervous about the entire prospect.
"You know, an Akuma is just a fictional character made up by people a long time ago out of fear and disease and illness. I don't believe in things like curses and Akumas. I hate things like that."
"Well, the Akuma I'm talking about isn't like that," Allen said making Moore look at him in confusion and Eve in curiosity. "They're the name for a weapon, an evil weapon that targets beings…that's an Akuma. They usually take on human form, so it's hard to differentiate between them, but…"
He was cut off as the door to the room flew open with a bang and there sat Moore's scraggly haired brother Mark in his wheelchair, moaning and groaning as though in agony, his head tilted back and the skin around his dead eyes seemed to almost be chipping away.
"Mark?" Moore was worried as she hurried around the table she had been seated at and knelt before her brother. "What's wrong?"
"He doesn't look well…" Eve barely murmured as she clutched at her throat, a burning sensation making itself known there, the green cross on her choker suddenly, inexplicably hot against her palm. She turned to look at Allen when he made a small sound and she was surprised to find his left eye had turned completely black his pupil now looking similar to a red target , "A-Allen!? Your eye…!"
Moore stared in shock and Eve released a scream, falling on her rear as, suddenly, a large floating ball that appeared to have been constructed out of scrap metal and bore a humanoid face burst from Mark's body.
"What is this?" Moore asked.
"Is…is that a…!?" Eve stuttered.
Emma stared, cautiously backing away from it, "Akuma!"
Allen felt a bubble of worry inflate within the pits of his stomach. This wasn't good…he wasn't sure how much experience Emma had had with Akuma, but it was obvious that Eve had never even seen one; after all, she had to ask for confirmation. Not only did Allen have to protect a civilian but he also had to keep an eye on Eve, a newbie Exorcist who had likely never invocated her Innocence before. It wasn't necessary; you could even argue that it was Emma's job, the person escorting her, to protect Eve. But Allen felt duty bound to help the strawberry blond greenhorn...
After all…he could see a familiar terror in Eve's brown eyes that he was sure was in his own the first few times he met Akuma and, even if he wasn't the greatest person in the world, he had had his master to, more or less, look after him in those times. Of course…he would do a much better job then his master did…
He wasn't gunna push his debts onto her…
Suddenly there was a bang as a single shot was fired, the force hurling three of the room's occupants through the wall, across the street, and crashing into the church across the way, the fourth occupant quickly leaping through the hole, over the street and into the church where she rolled ungracefully to a stop on the dusty floor, the Akuma following soon after.
It was then that Eve, indirectly in the process of Allen educating Moore, had her first lesson about Akuma. About how the souls of the dead are called back to power them. About how only a person tightly bonded to the soul in question could call it back. About how the new Akuma was forced to wear the skin of their beloved. About how despair at killing causes the Akuma to evolve. Even after it was all over and everyone was composing themselves she was still mulling over all the things Allen said when Moore spoke again.
"Do you think they went to heaven? Claire and Mark."
Allen smiled gently, "I'm sure they did," he stood, his golden golem Timcampy fluttered to rest in his palm. "Let's go, Timcampy." he turned towards the girls after politely inclining his head at Moore. "Well then…shall we go together?"
Eve and Emma agreed and after gathering their bags from Moore's now ruined home they proceeded on their way. Something was nagging at the back of Eve's mind however, she was sure they were forgetting something. And that something dawned on her less then half a block away from the church.
"Ah! Yaya and Kiriri! We forgot about Yaya and Kiriri, Emma!" Eve cried, promptly explaining further when she noticed Allen's confused expression. "I was getting escorted by three people: Emma, Yaya and Kiriri…we split up two nights ago looking for an inn…we were supposed to meet up with them but…ahaha…we sorta got arrested."
"Ah! I see," he smiled gently in understanding. "You can go with them then."
"No!!!" Allen backed up slightly as Eve's face came dangerously close to his. "I wanna go with you!!!"
"O-Okay!!"
Emma giggled into her hand as she watched the two blush brilliantly and look in opposite directions, trying to avoid eye contact.
"I-I mean…" Eve murmured, her hands fidgeting. "It's okay if you don't want to travel with girls…but if you don't mind…I really want to…!!"
"Eve!! Emma!!"
The strawberry blond whipped her head around, "Yaya!?"
The Japanese girl skid to a stop before the trio and glared, "Jeez! We were worried about you! Jeez…going off and getting arrested!! Jeez…you really are thirteen aren't you?"
"I'm seventeen!!! Seventeen!!!"
"Yeah, yeah…" Yaya blinked as she noticed Allen. "What's that?"
"'That?'"
"Ah…Um…I'm Allen Walker!"
"Mm! He's Eve's boy-" Emma began, effectively being cut off as Eve clamped a hand over her friend's mouth.
Yaya blinked, "Well then…Eve-Ah!" she whipped her head around as her arm was grabbed. "Nee-san!?"
"Now, now, don't be like that Yaya!" Kiriri chirped. "You'll go bald!"
"Nee-san!?" Yaya looked the other way as her other arm was grabbed. "Emma!?"
"It was nice meeting you Allen!" Kiriri smiled. "Take good care of our Evey! Toddles!"
And with that the two older girls ran off with the abducted Yaya screaming at them to let her go, which they didn't, and soon they were out of sight.
Allen and Eve stared, slack jawed, as the dust trail kicked up by the girls faded and they were the only ones left standing on that particular street corner.
"E-Ever get the feeling…everyone you know has an ulterior motive…?"
"S-Sometimes…"
"Well…I guess I got my wish but…" she scratched her cheek in embarrassment. "You know where we're going right? I haven't got a clue in the world!"
Allen chucked, "I've got a pretty good idea. Well then, shall we?"
"Mm!"
"Ah…young love…isn't it grand?" Kiriri proclaimed as she and Emma watched from an alleyway as Eve and Allen walk past.
"So cuteeeeeee!!!!"
"MPHF!!!!" Yaya protested from her spot on the ground, bound and gagged as punishment for intending to impend on "love's progress".
"Maybe by the time they get to the Order they'll be official!"
"Kyaa! I hear wedding bells!"
"We better get them a present soon…Oh! I know!" Kiriri looked excitingly at Emma. "We should call up Komui and get him to put their rooms nearby! That way they won't be inconvenienced by midnight rendezvous!"
"Totally!!"
"You're jumping the gun!!" Yaya screamed in her head. "YOU'RE JUMPING THE GUN!!!!!"
"Let's go!!" Kiriri proclaimed as she began to drag her younger sister along. "To the nearest telephone!!"
"Ehhh!? W-Whaddya mean she's not here!?"
Moore sweatdropped as she stared at the tall red head on the other side of the counter. Not only did she have to deal with helping conduct the interviews for the new members of the police force, but she also had to endure the investigation about the Detective and the other policemens' deaths…
And apparently disgustedly boys trying to bail his friend out of jail.
"Well…Emma was here being held for questioning in regards to the death of a police officer…"
"Mm. Mm." the boy said nodding eagerly.
"And it's true she was in my care while under house arrest…"
"Mm! Mm!"
"But they were cleared of all charges and discharged."
"WHEN!?!?!"
Moore winced a bit, "A-About a week ago," she frowned at the boy's expression, he look positively horrified, "Sir…are you-"
"EMMIE-PONNNNN!!!!" he howled, head raised towards the ceiling like a dog would raise its head towards the moon. "WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL ME!? YOU CAN DEPEND ON MEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"
Moore hurried around the counter and helped the young man off his knees and to his feet, gently suggesting that he should get a drink as she guided him to an empty room where he proceeded to pour out his heart and tears over a cup of hot coffee.
It was yet another new experience for Officer Moore Hesse. Not only had she encountered Akuma but she had experienced what was likely a first: comforting someone who was upset because his ex-girlfriend wasn't in jail and thus couldn't be a hero…
The world really is…a very odd place…
(Ichigo: Yatta! New fanfic!
Aki: LAVI!!!!!
Ichigo: Ignore her…she's obsessed…(draws curtain around Aki and her shrine to Lavi) well, we hope you all like the new fanfic! We have our own original plot to add to the story, and it starts developing pretty quick so keep an eye on everything! You never know what could be important!
Aki: Laviiiii
Ichigo: (sweatdrops) see you all next time!!)
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