TWP: Alright, I got the idea from episode 19 and thought that poor Crowley didn't have any family members (that we've heard of at least), so I thought, hell, why not make one. Hope you find this readable. I haven't submitted any fanfic since my One Piece fic, Innocence, so sorry if it's a bit stupid in the beginning. I'm going to work on it.
Dislaimer: I own nothing, only my OC.
The black and white haired girl jumped off the train and walked into the little town. Once she entered it, she could see the castle that towered over the town, looking quite intimidating, even in the middle of the day. Her hair was cut short to her shoulders, except for a thin braid that trailed down her back, her bangs white, the rest of it black. Her eyes were golden and her skin pale in contrast to her dark clothing. Her uniform consisted of a long sleeved cloak that reached her ankles behind but only her navel on the front with a high collar. Inside she had a top that only covered her front while she had normal, tight black pants and combat boots. She began looking for a place to stay when she overheard a conversation between a group of people.
"Did you hear about the attack last night?" one said.
"Yes. I heard that it was something called Akuma." This got her attention pretty quickly. "Yes, I did too. Apparently, the black clergyman that came yesterday warded them off with another two that came during the night."
"Excuse me, ma'am." The women turned towards the girl and smiled gently. "Yes, my dear?"
"Where are those clergymen now?" She asked politely and the women pointed her towards a building with the sign of a clinic on it. She thanked them and hurried over. She walked in just in time to see two of three clergymen look at the crowd with wide eyes. "Excuse me, coming through, thanks." She skillfully moved through the crowd and managed to get in and in front of them, Lavi could only stare before he got his thumbs up.
"Strike!" He exclaimed but the girl ignored him. "Alright, does anyone here know of a way up to the Krory castle?" She asked and everyone stared at her before the mayor nodded.
"We're going there tonight." Then he noticed her clothes. "AH! You're also one of the black clergymen?" He cried out and she grinned sheepishly. "Um, yeah… well, at least I'm an Exorcist. That's not a problem is it?" Rather than looking angry or distrustful they almost looked like they were going to cry from happiness which freaked the girl out a little.
"A-anyway, could anyone give me directions? I'm in a bit of a hurry actually." She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
"What business do you have in the castle?" She turned back to the Exorcists behind her and met the Allen's questioning stare. "I'm gonna meet my cousin, Arystar Krory." She grinned. The moment she said that someone forced her to turn and she saw a wooden stake and a hammer. She dodged it and hurried to the opposite wall gaping at the villagers.
"What the hell?" She yelled, pointing at them accusingly as they turned towards her with stakes raised.
"If you're a part of his family you're a vampire too! A wooden stake to the heart will kill a vampire!" The mayor called and a vein appeared on her forehead as she twitched angrily. She grabbed the nearest thing she found, which was a chair, and hurled it towards them, effectively scattering them.
"A human would die from it too ya morons!" She yelled and rolled up the arms of her uniform, her expression a mix between annoyance and anger. "What the hell do you think you're doing, you could have killed me!" The group bowed low on the floor and exclaimed apologies while the other three exorcists watched in amusement.
"Allen, your eye needs some medical attention." The two boys and girl turned towards the Bookman who was staring at the white haired boy. He nodded and grabbed a chair and sat down, letting the old man examine it.
"Hey, I'm Lavi." She glanced to her right and saw the red haired boy smile as he extended his hand.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Even though I just kind of barged in here I didn't introduce myself." She grabbed it and smiled back at him. "Ava, Ava Krory." She replied.
"I've seen you around the Order now and then, but not often." Lavi pointed out and she nodded.
"Yeah, I'm usually never back at HQ. They usually update my missions through my golem." She explained and went to shake the other twos hands since they were finished with what they were doing.
"Sooo, what do we do now, Bookman?" Allen asked. "Continue the search for answers of course." Bookman answered and said that the only place they would get those answers were the castle where General Cross had visited not too long ago, where the vampire resided.
"Then I guess we're going the same way." Ava grinned at Allen.
"Even with one eye, it would have been alright going alone." Lavi reassured him but gaped at his master when he said that he was going too.
"What?"
"It's all part of your training."
"And you are…?" Lavi asked, although he knew what the old man would say. "Staying here. I'll fend off any pesky Akuma."
"Oh fine. I'll go then, you old panda." Lavi muttered and was hit by a flying kick from the Bookman.
"Who are you calling a panda you fool? And while I'm on the subject, stop calling me old!" Ava and Allen snickered silently.
"He does resemble a panda though, doesn't he?" Ava whispered to Allen who nodded. Allen stood up, grabbed Lavis arm and dragged him out of the clinic with Ava right behind them. Once out Lavi stumbled up on his feet and all three walked together towards the mob of people with pitchforks and spades.
"This doesn't look all too good for my cousin." Ava frowned and the exorcists stared at her. "What?"
"If Krory really is a vampire, shouldn't you be one too?" Lavi asked and she raised an eyebrow. "Vampires don't exist." She answered and he pointed accusingly at her. "That's what a vampire would say!" She giggled then, before laughing loudly.
"Right you are, right you are. But seriously, I'm not a vampire. I have no fangs or pointy ears, see?" She lifted her hair and flashed perfectly white teeth. The boys seemed satisfied and so did the townspeople they had walked up to and so they began their journey up towards the castle.
"Eeeh? Really? You're cursed?" Ava asked Allen when they told her about his eye.
"Yeah. This eye allows me to see the souls of the Akuma and it also detects any nearby Akuma. It doesn't work now though, so I'll simply have to do without it until it heals up." She studied the pentacle on his forehead and the closed eyelid before sighing.
"I bet it's useful." She said wistfully and Allen smiled. "Yeah, but it's not like I'm useless without it."
"I didn't say that!" She hastily replied. "If it sounded like I meant that, I'm sorry."
"Don't worry, it's alright."
"Hey, have you guys heard about this? If you get bitten by a vampire you will actually turn into one." Lavi suddenly said.
"I have heard about that before." Allen nodded. "If that happens our friendship's over, because I'm not gonna put up with the whole sucking-blood-up thing, you know." Though Lavi seemed serious Allen only laughed. "You can stop, I know that already."
"It's only a myth. There's no such thing as a vampire, and if I did have one in the family, I think I would know. Aren't you supposed to be the successor of Bookman? You've gotta stop believing in fantasy stories." Ava sighed exasperatedly but Lavi just laughed at her. Allen suddenly glanced over his shoulder, making his companions do so too, and what they saw made them sigh in embarrassment and smile nervously. The town's people behind them were carrying pitch forks, wooden stakes and hammers and wore necklaces made of garlic.
"What is it?" The mayor asked and they shook their heads, mumbling that it was nothing.
"Think that it's maybe an Akuma that's posing as a vampire?" Lavi asked but Ava shook her head. "No, I don't think so. It's been years since I was here last but I remember that it was hell trying to get in. I don't think any Akuma would have been able to get in." She voiced her opinion and Allen agreed. He had never heard of a blood sucking Akuma before. While the two boys continued their conversation, Ava looked around, trying to get familiar with the territory. Suddenly a giant gate loomed over them.
"Behind this gate is the Krory garden, where it is said that there are Akuma in great numbers." The mayor began dramatically but Ava only rolled her eyes and walked up to the gate. She began banging her fists on the gate and called out.
"Hey! Arystar! It's Ava, your cousin! Lemme in will ya?" Just as she finished her sentence the mayor and his group of men jumped on her and held her back.
"What are you doing? He'll know we're here!"
"That's kinda the point." Ava growled as she tried to break free but then a swarm of bats flew over them and the mob let go of Ava and took a few steps back. After the swarm disappeared there was only an eerie silence before something that sounded like a beast's roar could be heard.
"Did you just hear something?" Allen asked shakily. "I sure did." Lavi answered in the same tone. The mayor appeared behind them and began pushing them.
"Well, go in!" the two swallowed loudly and Ava rolled her eyes again.
"Seriously, I don't see the problem." She pushed the gate open slowly and walked in. "Hm, it's changed some but it's still familiar to me."
"What's changed?" Allen asked.
"There were a lot more flowers here before. Huge man-eating flowers."
"Really?" The two Exorcists yelled out surprised, both at hearing about man-eating flowers and her talking about it like it was nothing new to her. "Yeah. But it's the same intimidating monster statues though." She shuddered as she glanced at the statues surrounding them.
"Whoever this strange Krory guy is, he's got a real weird taste in art." Lavi said as they surveyed their surroundings.
'Tell me about it. I had to grow up with this.' Ava thought. Her home had been a lot like this castle, surrounded by weird monster statues, man-eating flowers and traps. Her parents had forced them to develop their agility and reflexes through those every-day traps. She froze then and looked around at the same time Allen took off his gloves. The sensation of being watched… she was feeling that now.
"Hey Allen, what's up?" Lavi asked and Allen jumped startled. "You took your glove off, is there something we should know? Or are you scared?" Allen laughed nervously at Lavis teasing tone.
"Don't be silly!" Then he noticed that Lavi was also holding his hammer in his fist, his fingers twitching. "And what about you, Lavi? It looks like your hand is getting a bit twitchy." He returned the teasing tone and Lavi glanced at his hand. "I ain't scared of this Krory character." His voice shook a bit before he began to laugh trying to hide his fear. Allen joined him trying to wash away his own fear. Then they both froze as their senses picked up on something. Ava had backed herself into them and they were now all facing a different direction, all of them trying to find the source.
"Is something wrong?" The mayor asked but Lavi shushed him. They readied themselves for an attack but it never came. Instead, something or someone ran right past them. They turned just in time to see someone being taken away.
"He got Franz!" The mayor and the exorcists ran to the back of the crowd and saw Arystar Krory sucking the blood out of one of the men.
"Wait, that's him?" Lavi asked.
"Yes, that's him! That's Count Arystar Krory!" The mayor called out. Both Allen and Lavi were frozen in shock but Ava frowned and took a few steps forward.
"YOU SEE THIS IS THE REASON WHY I DIDN'T WANT TO LOOK FOR MASTER!" Allen wailed loudly. The group took a few steps back before screaming and running back the way they came from.
"Arystar?" Ava reached out but just then the two behind her activated their Innocence getting into their battle stances. Krory spit out the villager he had captured and smirked at them before laughing.
"Am I to understand that you're actually going to fight me? How very brave of you."
"Hey, remember that if you get bitten, you and I are through." Lavi called and Allen agreed. Krory attacked and dodged Allens attacks. The moment before he could reach the boy though, he was hit by Lavis hammer. Lavi jumped into the air, his hammer growing in size as Allen kept him busy with his own attacks. Krory looked up just in time to grab Lavis hammer with his teeth. All three of them were thoroughly freaked out by his display of strength before he flung Lavi away, causing him to crash into one of the statues and fall under the rubble. Allen used this opportunity to grab the man and hold him down. Krory laughed, finding it amusing and fascinating that they were still breathing after facing him head on.
"You must be monsters as well."
"Not really, you're fighting Exorcists." Allen glared at him but Krory continued to smirk. "Exorcists? Really? Fascinating. What do you taste like? Let's find out!" The man bit his Anti-Akuma weapon and none of them could have predicted his next action.
"Why does this blood taste so bad?" The vampire yelled and ran off with the fallen Franz into the woods. The villagers stared for a second before they ran away. Allen turned to Lavi who took a few steps back.
"I warned you." Allen turned to Timcanpy who also created some distance between them.
"Ava, are you going to… stay away too?" He turned around but couldn't see the girl anywhere. "Where'd she go?" Lavi also noticed that she was gone.
"What the…"
"You think Krory took her?" Allen asked but Lavi shook his head. "He took that Franz guy but she was here after he left. You think she followed him?"
"Only one way to find out." The cursed boy said and stared at the castle doors. Without saying anymore they walked through the doors, their guard up in case anything would attack them.
TWP: Yes, before you hit me or throw things at me, YES IT'S FOLLOWING THE GOD DAMNED PLOTLINE! But not forever. There are going to be incidents or scenes or whatever you'd like to call it that isn't part of the manga OR the anime. Chill…
By the way, please tell me what you think. Should I continue or not? This may actually turn out better than it seems to be right now.