Authors Note(Kougetsu): Wow, 12 reviews? I think that's the most reviews I've gotten on a single chapter in my life. In fact, it's almost more reviews than I've ever gotten on a single story!(Except Jinx of the Sphinx but that had ten chapters). My greatest thanks go out to Lilanimefan247, Addenza, KuroiWing, Rin'negan_Naruto, Allen_the_Musician, Pri-Chan_1410, Elementstar, Animeandvamps_pwn_all, and Orchamus for their lovely reviews! And I can't forget the just as lovely reviews from my anonymous people out there, Hount, Sared, and luvu. Seriously, you guys made me SOOOOOO happy. I can't thank you enough. But I'll try with this new chapter I've whipped up. I also want to thank Allen_the_Musician for helping me with developing this a bit of this so far!
I'm also very happy because this chapter turned out to be probably the longest chapter I've written for a story ever. E-V-E-R. Thirteen full pages baby, thirteen awesome, freakin' pages! And I loved writing every bit of it. I think this may have almost replaced 'Of Divine Instruments and Innocence' as my favorite story to write for. It's just that awesome. I also decided to throw a little in there for Cross since he and the Earl had a little meeting in the last chapter. Hopefully I did him justice? Even when he finally comes into the story for a few chapters and you get to see how he is, he's still a bit of an enigma. Which is sad, because I happen to like Cross. Why are all the most awesome characters so enigmatic? –sigh-
Plus I wanted to throw some comedy in here so I hope I accomplished everything I set out to do this chapter. So, without further adieu, here's chapter 2!(Oh dear god, it rhymes…)
Disclaimer: Sadly, I cannot claim the honor of owning the rights to D Gray Man. Maybe if I asked Katsura Hoshino reeeeeaaaallly nicely…? Sadly, that'll probably never happen. Except in my dreams…
Distortion
A D Gray Man Fanfiction
By: Hakuma_Twins
Chapter by: Kougetsu_KitsuneHinote_Hakuma
Chapter 2: The Welcoming
"Damn it…" Black boots slapped against the cobblestone streets as a tall figure in black walked at a swift, purposeful pace. It wasn't so much that he was heading anywhere particular, or at least not that he knew of yet, he was simply furious. His long, wild red hair whipped behind him. A black hat covered the top of his head and his black uniform was adorned with glimmering gold instead of the typical silver on the uniforms of most other exorcists. Not but some thirty or so minutes ago had that damn fatso eluded him and scampered off with a boy who was not only the vessel that the traitor Noah, but was also an Accommodator for Innocence.
He'd had a bad feeling ever since the day had started, a nudging force in the back recesses of his mind that had warned him something was off. At first he thought it was just some side effect of the wine he'd had only the night before and that had left him with a hangover when he'd risen just some time after dawn. But even after the incessant, non-existent hammer to his brain had subsided, that off feeling did not. It had only been a day or so since the traitor Noah's older brother had died, leaving behind that one small boy. Was it coincidence, or Fate, that that same boy who had become the vessel of the traitor Noah's memories should end up being taken in by the same older brother of that particular Noah? He wasn't too sure.
The funeral was short, blunt, and long over. No one had really shown up except the men who had been the cause of the unfortunate accident, the priest who would give his speech for the dead man, those who would bury him, and the child. And as soon as the funeral ended, everyone left. Everyone but the one, newly orphaned, child. He wanted to give the child some room to mourn. Sympathy for such situations wasn't really his thing, and he was sure the child needed some time to return from his pit of sorrow. How could he have been so stupid as to allow himself to do that? He should've known better. He was an exorcist, damn it. He was Marian Cross. He of all people should've foreseen what would happen.
He should've been quicker. He should've been more alert. He should've been there.
He only growled low in his throat over his own idiocy. The boy had just lost the only person who mattered in his life. He was in pain. His only reason for living was gone. He wanted his Father back. And of course, that was all the incentive the Earl needed. And as night crept in, his bad feeling only worsened, egging him on. For a while he simply ignored it, but the incessant warning finally caused him to make a hasty move to head to the cemetery, if only to quell his rising feeling of doom. And as he went, it was only growing. It got to the point that he'd sent Timcanpy ahead of him, to be sure, and yet the knot only grew.
It wasn't until he'd reached the cemetery that he knew that his bad feeling wasn't just some odd sense of paranoia, as he saw that stupid fatso luring the child away. Taking him.
That was something he couldn't allow.
And of course, even as he faced that stupid, grinning demon of a rolly-poly, the boy had eluded him, falling straight into the Earl's palm. Damn it. Damn it all to Hell. The short battle, which had been more to acquire information about the brat that the Earl had so easily tricked, hoping to retrieve the boy, had been pointless in the end as the Earl himself escaped. He didn't know where the boy was. He didn't know what the Earl planned to do with him. This had just thrown a giant wrench into his entire plan.
That boy was the only remnant of the traitor Noah. That Noah was the only one who could move and control the Ark. The fabled Noah's Ark. That Noah's memories were implanted and preserved in one place and one place only. That boy.
Muttering a string of curses, he whipped around a corner with his gold golem following him. Luckily Tim had made it in time to catch and record the whole scene as the Earl made his fateful, dreaded appearance. Cross probably wouldn't have even known the boy possessed Innocence had Timcanpy not seen the scene as the boy's left arm activated and tore the Akuma that was once his father to pieces and ultimately destroyed it.
He finally reached a nicer inn he'd been staying at, bursting through the door and scaring the front desk attendant half out of his wits as it crashed against the wall with a loud bang and he stormed past him up the stairs to the second story, up towards the rooms and whipping down the hall, entered a door to his left. The room wasn't luxurious, but it wasn't bleak or cheap either. He didn't have the patience or humbleness to stay in anything cheap. It just wasn't up to his standard otherwise. It wasn't his thing.
Storming across the room, he went to a table that sat at one corner and swiftly whipped out a piece of parchment, laying it on the table before searching for a quill and a vial of ink. When he found it he hastily wrote across it with his quill, practically fuming in anger. When he was satisfied with his somewhat sloppy, quickly written letter he sealed it in an envelope, folding it in half.
"Tim, I need you to fly this to headquarters, now." He ordered. The gold golem looked at him for a moment before obediently snapping the letter up and darting out the open window. It was only a few seconds before the gold creature disappeared into the night sky and Cross walked across the room, plucking a glass from the counter and pouring wine into it before walking across the room and flopping into a chair with a heavy sigh, careful not to slosh the cup of wine around too much. No decent wine should ever be wasted, in his eyes. Not a single drop. With that in mind he took a large sip, tipping his head back as he let the alcohol burn the back of his throat before pulling the wine glass away from his lips, letting his head fall back over the top of the chair in dismay.
When had things gone so wrong?
Allen awoke with a start to the sound of something crashing just outside his room and, jumping up, the boy rushed to the door without even bothering to grab his discarded shoes or the jacket that he had removed the night before, noting out of the corner of his eye that it was morning. The kid thrust open the door and came face to face with two of the strangest people he had probably ever seen. And he practically grew up at the circus, home of the Clowns, acrobats, and most notably the Freak Show. Which was saying a lot.
One had messy, wild black hair that spiked slightly in the back and heavy eye make up drawn into spikes extending from each eye lid and a length of gauze wrapped around his neck. A baggy black coat with white fur trim sat over a white tank-top. One of his black pant legs cut off at the thigh and he wore boots that also had fur trim.
The other was a - that was a boy, right? – with flowing blond hair over his(?) shoulders, with oddly unfocused eyes and stitching across his mouth, while what seemed to be some blue orb of light on the end of a twig extended from the top of his head like some kinds of fish Allen had heard about. Both his hands and arms were covered in bandages from just below his elbow to the base of his fingers. An unzipped vest with fur trim on the collar was the only thing that covered his otherwise bare chest, and his pants and boots were the same, only both pant legs extended all the way down instead of one cutting off near the top.
Both figures were pointing a pair of gold pistols at each other, making the brown-haired boy a little nervous.
"So there really is someone new around here," the man with black hair commented, his gaze focused on Allen.
"Strange, strange." The blond whose mouth seemed to be stitched closed commented, although exactly how that was possible Allen wasn't sure. The black haired boy raised an eyebrow and narrowed his other eye slightly in scrutiny, though it was hard to see his eyebrows with the heavy amount of black make-up around his eyes, as he looked Allen up and down critically. After a few seconds Road appeared coming up the stairs, skipping up the steps two at a time. The black-haired boy's eyes landed on Allen's left arm and he stared at it for a long moment as if not believing his eyes.
"Hey, what gives? Why does this kid have Innocence?" He growled suspiciously, waving his pistol through the air with the barrel pointed at the ceiling. Road skipped from the stairs to the door of Allen's room, and instantly wrapped her arms around the somewhat smaller boy affectionately.
"The Duke took him in to be part of the family before the Exorcists could get to him." She explained simply. The blonde's eyes widened in shock as he listened to her explanation.
"Are you serious?" The black-haired boy asked, completely ignoring his companions gawking expression. Road nodded at the black-haired boy who scowled in response disapprovingly.
"Um…" Allen was slightly uncomfortable, owing to Road's arms wrapped around him as well as the two pistol toting newcomers. "…I'm not going to get shot, am I?" Perhaps it wasn't the most polite question he could have asked but it seemed an important matter, at least to Allen. And of course his question went unanswered.
"And just what use is an Innocence-wielding runt to us?" He growled, leaning over and waving the gun in front of Allen's nose, making him pale considerably, sure that he was about to loose a nose or an eye any second.
"Yeah, what use? Hee!" The blond crowed. Road pouted at them disapprovingly.
"The Duke will explain it soon, so stop scaring my Allen!" She warned. The threat of being shot was somehow forgotten as Allen almost choked.
"Y-your…Allen?" The boy's gaze shifted back and forth between the gun that was mere inches from his face to the girl who had her arms wrapped around him. And, even though it should've been blatantly obvious, Allen found that he couldn't decide which one was more of a threat.
"Feh…leave it to you to fall for an Accommodator." The black-haired boy sneered, standing back up.
"Traitor, hee hee!" The other agreed. Road gave them a dark look before changing her attention to Allen.
"Those two are part of the family, too. The black haired one is Debitto and the blond one is Jasdero." She introduced.
"And together we are Jasdevi!" The blond one cheered.
"Now, about what I came up here for in the first place." Road stated, ignoring Jasdero and Debitto for the moment. "I wanted to ask you if you wanted to come downstairs for breakfast." Allen had been thinking that Debitto and Jasdero were a little insane but all thoughts on the matter disappeared as soon as Road mentioned the magic word and a bright smile appeared on the boy's face.
"That sounds great…just let me grab my shoes and jacket!" And with this Allen pulled himself from Road's grip and rushed back into his room. Jasdero and Debitto exchanged a glance while Road just blinked in slight surprise over his enthusiasm. Road took her eyes away from Allen for a moment to look at the two seemingly older boys. Technically Road was 'older' but she never appeared that way.
"Aren't you going to talk to Duke Millennium about your mission?" She asked with a blank face. "Or…did you fail?" The two got an insane gleam in their eyes at that, waving their guns again as they both leaned almost face to face.
"Of course we didn't!"
"Jasdevi never fails, hee!" The two cried rather loudly. "Jasdevi wanted to see the new person!" Road only stared at them blankly, despite the ferocity of the two.
"Well, that's good then. I'm sure the Duke would want to know." She pointed out.
"Yeah, yeah, we're going." Debitto sniffed contemptibly with a hand on his hip, waving her off before the two indignantly waltzed off.
Allen returned within minutes, hastily pulling on a black jacket that had been left for him the night before. He wasn't used to wearing so many clothes but got the impression that Duke Millennium liked formality.
"I'm ready." He said, slightly out of breath as he rejoined Road in the corridor. He saw that Jasdero and Debitto were leaving and this helped him to relax a degree. "Are those two…um…right in the head?" Road merely shrugged slightly in dismissal.
"Yeah, I suppose so. You get used to them after a while." She said, leading the way down to the dining hall. Allen followed along behind Road, his gaze shifting about and taking in his surroundings. He supposed that he could get used to the two crazy boys, so long as they didn't shoot him.
'I just hope they're not dangerous.' He thought. However, all contemplation on Jasdero and Debitto vanished as they reached the dining hall. It sat close to the large room from the night before and was also rather large, with a circular polished oak table, and across it sat many different assortments of food, while a pair of Akuma maids shuffled about, finishing setting the table and laying out the food. His mouth immediately began to water and his stomach let out a rather embarrassing growl. He noted the Duke sitting at the opposite end of the table with the same perpetual grin as before, hands folded on the table.
"Welcome, Allen~! So glad you could join us!" He purred. Jasdero and Debitto entered the room and flopped unceremoniously into a pair of chairs beside each other.
"What's up with taking in an Accommodator?" Debitto immediately questioned.
"In a moment, I'll explain everything. But first, why don't we start eating and discuss it over food? We wouldn't want our newest little family member to remain hungry any longer after all. Come, eat, Allen~. As much as you'd like." He said, motioning to the table for him to sit down. The corners of Allen's mouth twitched up into a smile as he immediately sat down in the chair that the Duke had motioned to.
"Thank you," Allen said in a quiet voice. The boy had intended to show his manners however the sight of so much food reminded him of the fact that he hadn't eaten in a couple of days.
'And he said I can have as much as I want,' the youth thought happily. At the moment it didn't matter to Allen that the two boys from before still seemed to resent his presence.
"Now that we're all seated, let's begin. Allen, do you know the story of Noah's Ark and the flood?" The Duke purred curiously. The boy tilted his head to one side in thought.
"I think…I may have heard it a long time ago."
"Well, it tells of a man long ago who gathered his family and two animals of every kind in the world aboard a giant Ark after being told by God that the world would flood, so that the humans who had become corrupt and sinful would be destroyed, and the world would be able to begin anew. For many long days it rained, as the story goes." The Duke explained. He seemed to have caught the full attention of Jasdero and Debitto, while Road seemed solemn and thoughtful. Allen gazed at the Duke and listened intently, finding that the story that he told seemed vaguely familiar to the boy, although he couldn't remember where he'd heard it.
"Well, there is some truth to this story, but many of the details are different. Those who know the true story of Noah's Ark and the flood refer to it as the 'Three Days of Darkness'. A very long time ago, a human made the substance known as Innocence and attacked Noah's family, because the Noah's were specially chosen by God, while the Innocence was the work of the Devil. In the end, he nearly destroyed all of the family, and the world itself had been destroyed. That was the Three Days of Darkness. But as the world began to return to its normal state, the remaining Noah's left the Ark, which had been their safe haven that they had escaped into at the end of the battle. Over time, children were born into the reborn world and over time, it became as it is now." He explained carefully.
"Every human in existence carries the genes of Noah, but most humans do not know this and have cast aside their true selves, while a few individuals have awakened. Those who have 'awakened' are part of Noah's family, while the other humans, we ourselves call 'sub-humans'. They are significantly weaker than us. And now, as you have no doubt noticed, the sub-humans have become corrupted once more."
"So…" Allen began, trying to get a firm grip on what Duke Millennium was telling him. "That means that I'm one of those 'sub-humans' and this," his gaze shifted to the little green cross that was embedded in the back of his hand, "is evil. The work of the devil." At this point the child turned questioning eyes to the man that had taken him in. "So then why did you take me in?"
"Yeah, I'm still not getting this." Debitto added, surprisingly agreeing with him.
"Jasdevi is confused, hee…"
"Yes, under normal circumstances this would be nearly unheard of. However, as I said before, you had not been tainted by the Order yet, the organization of exorcists, and although Innocence is the work of the Devil, you have control of it. For the longest time, Noah's family and the exorcists have been at war with each other. Although it will not be for a while, I would like you to fight with us against the exorcists, to cleanse this world, just as is God's will for his true apostles to carry out. Although not an awakened Noah, you may prove to be just as important to this war, and be able to use the devil's weapon against them. An accommodator turned to the path of the true God is the last thing the exorcists will expect. You are every bit as important to this family as you would be if you were an awakened Noah." The Duke assured with his usual purr.
"Oh, I think I get it…" Debitto said, reclining back in his chair. "Give 'em a taste of their own medicine when they least expect it." He mused, a smirk forming.
"Good thinking, hee! Jasdevi would have never thought of that." Allen continued to gaze at the little green stone for a few moments longer before turning gray eyes to the Duke.
"I'll do whatever you want me to…it's the least I can do for the kindness you've shown me." The boy had mixed feelings about the idea of fighting in a war but if he could be of use to the family that had taken him in then it was something that he had to do.
"Good. It brings me great happiness to hear that from you. After you get settled and comfortable living here, and once Tyki-pon returns, you can begin your training." Duke Millennium said with a nod of approval.
'Tyki?' Allen thought to himself, head tilting slightly to one side. 'Oh yeah, the guy with the cigarettes…'
"Exactly what kind of training?" The child questioned, slightly curious about what he would be asked to do.
"Well that depends on what Tyki or anyone else training you decides to do, but for the most part, it will be for fighting with and controlling that arm, of course~." Allen's gaze became downcast at this moment.
"You mean…making it do what it did before…in the cemetery." Thoughts of Mana and what his cursed arm had done immediately flood Allen's mind but the child forced them to the back of his mind. He had no idea what had happened but it was almost as though his arm had a mind of its own.
"Yes, except you will be in control of it this time." The Duke promised, folding his hands in front of him on the table. "And this time, you will be doing it for the betterment of the world."
"Alright." Allen's gaze was focused squarely on the large man who had taken him in. "I promised to do whatever you asked of me and I'll keep that promise."
It had been a few days since the Duke had brought Allen to the Noah Family mansion, and Road had taken a great liking to him, often trying to get him to dress up in all kinds of different outfits and clothing she thought would make him look 'cute'. He'd also learned the hard way, that 'playing' with her often involved sharp, flying candles pointed into killer spikes and lots of running, and while Jasdero and Debitto still didn't like him, they no longer complained about his presence. At the moment, there were also two other currently awakened Noah's. Tyki's older brother, Sherril, who was the adopted father of Road, and a female Noah by the name of Lulu Bell, who wasn't the most sociable person. The mansion also had a great collection of books and other exquisite items of all kinds.
Road skipped down the hall with the pink umbrella the Duke so often carried, which was actually alive and went by 'Lero', in tow as she appeared in Allen's doorway, a gleeful smile on her face, the boy having left his door open.
"Allen~!" She purred. Allen cast his gaze in the direction of the Noah girl in the doorway, who had once again managed to liberate Lero from the Duke.
"What is it, Road?" the boy asked, a note of caution in his voice. "If you've come to play, you should know that I've barely had time to recover from the last time." Road pouted slightly at that, feigning slight hurt as she stood in the doorway.
"It wasn't that bad…I wouldn't want to hurt my new younger brother, after all." She stated matter-of-factly. Allen actually scoffed at that, remembering the feel of one of her candles scratching against his flesh.
"All that and you say you weren't trying to kill me?" The boy shook his head. "Hate to see what you're like when you seriously want to hurt someone."
"Well what would you rather do?" She asked with slight disappointment edging her voice.
"I'd like to go outside." Allen said, his gaze focused intently on Road. "I haven't seen daylight since I arrived here…I'm not used to spending so much time indoors." Road brightened slightly, idly twirling Lero.
"We can go play in the garden." She suggested, a smile growing.
"There's a garden?" Allen questioned, not having been aware of that. Of course he hadn't seen anything outside of the mansion. The boy's expression brightened despite the fact that Road used the dreaded word 'play'.
"Of course there is." She chimed, seizing Allen by the arm and dragging him down the hall. "It's behind the house." She explained as she quickly pranced down the stairs with him in tow and down one of the many hallways before exiting through a glass-panel door to a very large expanse of land, which had a lush amount of bushes and shrubs, including what looked like a topiary maze.
'Gonna get my arm pulled out of socket one of these days…' Allen thought ruefully as Road once again dragged him along, but this thought was forgotten the moment they stepped outside. The boy's eyes widened as he took in the garden. Then he turned back to Road.
"So what would you like to play?" Holding his hand behind his back the boy crossed his fingers.
'Hope I survive this.'
"Mmmm…" Road placed a hand to her lips in thought, thinking for a long moment for something new to play. Sending her candles flying at Allen and watching him try to dodge them for all his worth was amusing, but she didn't want to do it too much so soon, lest it lose its charm and amusement. An idea suddenly glittered in her eyes as she looked back at Allen. "Let's play 'catch Lero'! He could go through the maze and we try to see who can catch him first!" She suggested gleefully. It had always been an idea of hers but she never had anyone to play it with before, meaning it was no fun anyways, though now she did have a companion to play with.
"What?" Lero cried, wriggling out of her hands and floating in between them. "Road-tama, you shouldn't be using Lero just for your amusement! …Lero." The umbrella protested. Allen smirked as he listened to the parasol's protests, knowing that it was only a matter of time before it gave in.
"Please?" Road pouted with a very convincing puppy-dog face. "It would make Allen and I happy…" She begged. Lero sweat-dropped slightly before reluctantly giving in.
"Fine! Lero. But just this once, for you!" Lero stated.
'She's very good at getting what she wants,' The boy thought as Lero agreed to play their game. Casting a gaze toward the maze Allen nodded.
"Alright, this game sounds safer than the last. I'm in." The boy watched as Lero entered the maze and promptly disappear.
"The rules are simple: catch Lero before the other, and you can use whatever method you want." She said with a somewhat hidden, almost sadistic glint in her eyes. "Don't get lost~" She added before skipping into the maze merrily to chase after Lero. Allen sweat-dropped slightly. The problem with that, Allen was the master at getting lost. Not a master at it. The master.
'Hadn't thought of that.' With a sigh Allen entered the maze and began his search for the umbrella, whom he found somewhat annoying. 'It's supposed to be fun,' He reminded himself as he searched the maze. 'It's a game.'
There was a slight rustling in one of the bushes just ahead of him that caught his attention and, with a hopeful expression on his face, Allen rushed forward. He could hear a faint whispering sound before it went quite and the branches suddenly stopped moving.
"What the…" Reaching out, Allen pushed the shrubbery aside but there was nothing there. Growling low in his throat the boy continued through the maze, making twists and turns. "Where could he be?" He muttered darkly. After a while longer there was another faint sound of whispering from the other side of one of the bushes, though it was unclear who it was or what they were saying.
His curiosity was piqued at this and Allen quickly made his way toward the spot where the whispering had been coming from. Picking up the pace Allen trotted along, quickly turning the corner and hoping to find whomever it was that was whispering.
"AAAAAH! JASDEVI DOESN'T WANT TO PLAY, Hee!" Jasdero screeched as he and Debitto were surprised by the sudden appearance of the boy, whipping around with pistols armed and waving before they relaxed.
"Oh, it's just you…" Debitto muttered with slight relief, eyeing him with his usual expression of dislike.
"Have you been forced to play Road's games as well?" Allen questioned, eyeing the pistols that were once again being waved in his face. At this point he was certain the twins weren't going to shoot him so he was a little calmer.
"We have." Debitto confirmed, nodding grimly. "That's why we're hiding."
"Hiding, hee hee!" Jasdero agreed readily.
"Are you hiding too?" Debitto ventured critically, raising a brow. Allen shook his head, thinking that he really should have been smart enough not to get roped into this game.
"Um… no. I'm actually looking for Lero." The boy arched a brow at this point, his gaze locked on the twins. "You guy's haven't seen him by any chance, have you?"
"No, but I don't see why Lero would be…here…" Debitto trailed off as both their eyes widened in realization and they looked at each other then back to Allen, their horrified expressions turning threatening as they waved their guns at Allen.
"You led her right to us, you bastard!"
"Led her right to us, hee!" They snarled.
"Be quiet!" Allen hissed, surveying his surroundings with a wary expression. "I haven't led anyone here but you will if you don't be quiet." This said Allen made a move to walk away. "I gotta find Lero." The two fell silent, slightly taken aback by the outburst before scuttling away, intent on avoiding Road as much as possible.
Allen listened as Jasdero and Debitto hurried away and then the boy turned his attention back to his search. Walking around yet another turn in the maze he spied a familiar looking pumpkin over the top of one of the hedges.
"Gotcha," He whispered with a chuckle, making his way toward the umbrella. Intent on ending this game before something bad happened. Lero cast a wary look around as it floated down the path, spotting Allen after a moment as it rounded a corner. The umbrella seemed like it was about to say something when a spiked candle came flying out of one of the bushes only a few inches from it, giving a screech of surprise and some fear as it was nearly hit.
"Found you~!" Road chimed as she rounded a corner, floating candles in tow before her gaze went from Lero to Allen and a devious smirk crossed her lips. "Oh~ there you are~ Allen~." She rang in a sing-song voice. Allen eyed the candles warily as he took a couple of steps toward Lero.
"I didn't think those…." He gestured toward her weapon of choice. "…were going to be involved in this game…"
"Well I did say you could catch him using any method you want." She reminded as she aimed her index finger upwards, her devious smirk growing. "This counts as well." She said before flicking her finger forward, sending the candle-spikes flying at him. Allen launched himself forward, tumbling on the ground and just barely managing to avoid the attack. "Why is it," he began as he jumped to his feet and whirled around to face her, a scowl on his face. "…that every time I agree to play with you I end up running for my life?" Road pouted at him with slight hurt.
"I'd never kill a member of my family, especially not my little brother." She argued before her smile returned in full power. "I just wanna have some fun before Tyki takes you off to train." She said before she sent another wave of candles out. Lero screeched in fear and flew to find cover.
"This wasn't part of the agreement! Lero!"
"Could'a fooled me!" Doing a series of handsprings, Allen managed to dodge each of the candles that Road directed toward him, thankful for all the acrobatic training he'd received from his foster father traveling from circus to circus, and leaping into the air, seized Lero's handle before the umbrella had the chance to escape. Swinging Lero forward as he faced Road the youth grinned triumphantly.
"I win."
"Release me, Lero!" Road huffed and reluctantly conceded defeat, dismissing her candles with a pout.
"Fine…you win." She agreed before skipping down the path to where he stood. "So…what would you like to play then? Since you don't like my games it seems…" Allen held a thoughtful expression on his face, idly twirling Lero as he'd seen Road do so often.
"Re-lease me, Lero!" The umbrella cried out its protests.
"I don't really know any games," Allen said after a moment. "Never had any reason to learn any. I was always too busy to play." Road tilted her head slightly in question.
"You haven't played any games before now?" She asked, tone somewhat disbelieving. A somewhat hard look appeared in Allen's gray eyes as he gazed at the girl.
"I grew up on the streets…and playing wasn't really high up on my list of priorities. I was more focused on staying alive. Then, after Mana took me in, we were usually working."
"Oh…" Road uttered, her face sympathetic before she walked past him, facing the mansion as she stopped a moment. Allen's gaze followed her curiously, noting a change in her attitude. "You know…I was an orphan before Tyki's older brother, Sherril and my mother adopted me…" She stated thoughtfully, her arms loosely hooked behind her back.
"I'm sorry," Allen murmured, his gaze downcast. "I was abandoned by my parents…for having this strange arm."
"But it's okay." Road interjected, turning around to look at Allen with a fond smile. It was an odd, soft look that he wasn't used to seeing on the young-looking Noah girl. He found he liked that look. "Because we both have a family now. We're family." She stated thoughtfully.
"Family…" Allen repeated before a small smile spread across his face. Walking forward, he offered Road his hand, which she gently took as they started walking. "So do you have any suggestions on what we should do next, since I'm kind of clueless about games?"
"Mmmm…" She placed a finger to her lip in thought before a near wicked grin crossed her face. "We could go 'play' with Jasdero and Debitto…" She purred, her expression hinting that whatever she was planning for the twins, it was rather unpleasant.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Allen gazed at Road, pretty much knowing what she was going to say. "They already want to shoot me… is it wise to make that particular situation worse?" At this point the boy gazed at Road forlornly. "Or do you really want to see me get killed?"
"Oh, you don't have to worry. Jasdero and Debitto's guns don't have real bullets in them. Besides, you'll be on the throwing side of the candles with me this time." She chirped, dawning a fairly creepy grin. "And since they're Noah's like me, they won't die or anything from this." She pointed out.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Lero." The umbrella croaked. Allen's gaze briefly shifted to said umbrella that was still clutched in one hand before he turned back to Road and nodded his head.
"Alright…but I'm not so sure you'll be able to find them. They were hiding from you earlier." Road's smile grew as she pulled Allen through the maze by his hand.
"Then we'd better start looking~" She rang.
"Hiding, hee hee!"
"Shut it!" Debitto gazed around, hoping that Road hadn't heard the shout. "I hate to admit it but that runt had a point. She's gonna find us if you keep shouting like that." Jasdero merely grinned. The twins were making their way toward the maze exit but Debitto pulled up short as he heard what sounded like twigs snapping. Holding up their pistols, Jasdero and Debitto turned toward the sound, their gazes landing on Road and Allen. Road was grinning as she held her hands behind her back innocently.
"There you two are. We were looking for you." She said with just as much of an innocent face while they glared at Allen.
"You did lead her to us!"
"Bastard! Hee hee!" Road gave them a disapproving look.
"Awe…you two should be nicer to us…we just wanted to play, after all." She said, a sadistic smirk crossing her lips as she summoned an army of floating candles. The pair deflated slightly, eyes widening, as they both 'uh-oh'ed and quickly whipped around and ran. Road cackled and sent a barrage of her special weapons of choice flying, narily missing as they skidded and pushed each other around a corner. Road laughed and skipped after them merrily.
"Come on, Allen~! Before they get away!" She chimed happily.
"They're going to kill me later." Allen muttered darkly to himself before following along behind Road. The two children ran along the maze, emerging into the garden to find the twins running toward the manor. "I don't really think they like your game." As if to emphasize his point, Jasdero screeched, "Run, hee hee!"
"Of course not. That's what makes it so fun~!" She rang in response, skipping toward the house after them with a rather large, smug smile. Allen shrugged and followed along behind Road as they ran through the garden and toward the house. Ahead of them, the twins were dodging candles left and right, some of them just barely. Running as fast as they could, Jasdero and Debitto entered the house.
"Guess that's the end of the game." Allen commented. "They seem to have escaped."
"Oh no~ they~ haven't~" Road sang, grinning from ear to ear as she pranced after them.
'Gotta admit I didn't see that one coming…she sure is persistent.' Allen thought to himself as he followed along behind.
"Road…" A calm voice called out. "What are you doing?" Allen's gaze shifted toward the sound and he saw it was the tall man in the tux named Tyki. Road paused momentarily to look at her fellow Noah with a smile.
"Oh, Tyki, you're back. Allen and I were just playing a game with Jasdero and Debitto. The Duke didn't have any problem with it as long as we don't break anything." She said, smiling innocently.
"What the Hell?" Debitto snarled from somewhere down the hall.
"Everything's locked, hee!" Tyki merely shrugged, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it.
"Whatever." Allen turned his gaze toward Road.
"What did you do? 'Cause I know that you're somehow responsible for that little outburst."
"Nothing much." She shrugged innocently. "I just ordered the Akuma maids to lock most of the rooms so they couldn't escape." She grinned.
"Oh, this again…" Tyki muttered, sighing slightly. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Does she do this often?" Allen asked, casting a questioning gaze to Tyki.
"Locking everything in the house so they can't escape? No. Playing target practice with her candles and mind games with the twins? All the time." He answered bluntly, sighing and releasing a cloud of smoke into the air. At that moment Jasdero and Debitto appeared at the end of the corridor, rather irate looks on their faces. And pistols waving in the air. Allen's hand went to his forehead.
"I can't believe they came back…"
"I can." Tyki threw in there.
"They're just trapped, that's all, and this is the only escape until they can get past us." Road said simply with a sly smile, like the cat that caught the bird, as she summoned another arsenal of candles. Allen stared at the twins, who looked a little more than irritated over the situation. "This could get me-ssy~"
"This could be bad," he muttered. "I don't think this is going to work."
"We don't want to play your games, Road." Debitto said, his gaze focused on the candles.
"No games, hee!" Jasdero added. Road just shrugged in response to Allen.
"This just makes things more interesting." She smiled. Allen's gaze remained focused on the twins and, after a brief pause, Jasdero and Debitto both rushed down the hall.
"They're making a break for it." Allen said, stepping to the side so he didn't get trampled.
"No games, hee hee!" Road just blinked at the sudden change of events, a finger pressed to her lip thoughtfully.
"Oh…I didn't see this one coming…" She stated blankly. "Well, I guess they'll learn the hard way then." She said, flicking her finger forward and sending some of her candles at them while the rest hovered around her and Allen. Debitto rushed forward, growling in his throat as he felt the sharp tips of her candles graze his flesh.
"Well I bet you really didn't see this one coming!"
"Didn't see it coming, hee!" Reaching out the black-haired Noah grabbed Allen by the arm, pulling him away from his spot beside Road inside her fortress of candles.
"Hey!" Allen exclaimed as he was pulled forward.
"Hey!" Road exclaimed, whipping around. "Get your dirty paws off my Allen!" She screeched. Pulling the boy with him Debitto turned to face Road.
"Might wanna put away the candles if you don't want anything to happen to 'your Allen'." This said he wrapped his arm around Allen's throat in a headlock, holding the boy pinned.
"I told you they were going to kill me," Allen said, finding it slightly difficult to breath due to Debitto's hold. Road glared death at them but huffed, waving to dismiss her candles reluctantly and crossed her arms, miffed at being 'defeated' twice in one day at her own game.
"Fine…now let him go…" She growled, secretly contemplating whether or not to maul them here and now.
"I can't believe you're actually going along with this…" Tyki said from the sidelines, sounding bored.
"Here ya go!" Releasing his grip on the boy's neck, Debitto shoved Allen toward Road. Allen stumbled forward slightly but managed to regain his balance before he fell on his face.
"I can't believe it either…" he muttered, his eyes locked on Road. After checking that Allen was unharmed, an Akuma maid appeared that had received orders through her mental link with them, unlocking a door where she ushered the boy in, promptly shut it, and locked it again before leaving to finish other duties while Road summoned her candles back, glaring almost murderously at the twins.
"You are both going to DIE."
Authors Note: Ne…I hope I did good writing for all the characters. Again, Cross is kinda hard to write about. The twins were the really hard ones to write for though. Luckily I had some help :3 I wanted to show the different sides of Road's personality, from her sadistic evil side to her soft, loving side(which is only ever really seen with her family). The Noah's are always very fun to write for 83 And I loved doing that as the ending. I wanted to throw some comedy in there instead of making the whole thing serious and honestly, originally trying to come up with a 'game' for Road to play beside either screwing with Allen's head and horribly scarring him or simply sending candles at him was hard to think up. I honestly don't know what sort of games she would play, especially with Lero, but this came to mind so here ya go!
Anyway, please REVIEW!
~Kou