Innocence and Instinct: Chapter Two
Mana looked down at Allen's sleeping form.
The brunette was sprawled on the couch in a position that looked quite uncomfortable, but the sound of his snores and the content look on his face told otherwise. His chest rose and fell slowly, his breathing smooth. His clawed hand gave an occasional twitch.
"I can't believe it…" Mana shook his head. Why him? Why did it have to be Allen?
"M-mommy…"
He's sleep-talking, thought Mana.
"Mommy… Where did mommy go?"
Mana's eyes widened. He bit his lip and looked down at the smaller boy with concern in his eyes. "Uh, she left Allen. Go back to bed."
"But…she said she'd take me to the park…"
What…? Oh, that day… Mana cleared his throat. "Just go back to bed."
"No… N-no… I can't… No more, it's… It hurts!"
Mana frowned. He inched over to his foster son. "What hurts? Is it your hand?"
In his sleep, Allen clutched his hand and began to cry. "Y-yes! It hurts! D-daddy did it again!"
Fear began to fill Mana. He grabbed Allen's shoulders and began to shake him. "Allen! Wake up!"
"N-no! No! No daddy! No!"
"Wake up Allen!" Tears began to seep out of Mana's eyes. "Allen!"
The room became silent.
"Allen?"
The boy slowly sat up. He turned and looked at Mana with sadness in his eyes. "Mana, why didn't you leave me like my parents did?"
Mana frowned. "Allen," he said slowly, "I'd never leave you. And besides, I don't think your parents abandoned you, I think they loved you very much-"
"Then why'd they dump me in the crummy orphanage?" growled Allen, "Why didn't my mom even tell me she was leaving me, why?"
"Allen," said Mana, "calm down. That's in the past, this is the present."
Allen looked crestfallen, but he did understand. The past couldn't be changed.
"Alright, go get dressed and then we'll start off."
The sad, slightly rebellious look faded from Allen's face and was replaced with excitement. "Okay!" he said as he ran to his room.
Mana let out a sigh of relief. He wouldn't have to dump the whole story on Allen just yet, he had time.
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"Ready?"
"Ready."
Allen grinned and hefted his knapsack.
They were starting their journey, the search for Kusuri Busshu the medicine woman, hoping that when they did find her she would help fix Allen's arm.
Allen pulled his glove halfway off and stole a glance of the smooth white surface of his wrist. He hadn't gotten used to that yet.
"Allen?"
"Yeah," muttered Allen, his gaze still on his wrist.
"I thought you said you were ready."
"Oh!" Allen pulled the glove down and nodded quickly. "I am!" He marched over to Mana, who wore an amused expression.
"I am," he repeated.
Mana gave a small nod and pointed to a building in the distance. "Okay," he said, "we'll walk over to that building, catch a train to Mount Chills then continue on foot."
"Mount chills?" asked Allen. He felt something come over him, something cold and lonesome. "M-mana?" he breathed, "Can we go now? Something doesn't feel right…" He began to sway.
Mana reached out and placed a hand on the boy to steady him. "Yeah Allen, we should get going…"
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Allen fell asleep ten minutes after the train left the station, which left Mana with quiet to think in.
Geeze, he thought, Allen sleeps more than anyone I've ever met. I wonder what the kid dreams about… His thoughts trailed off.
He looked out the window, hoping to rid himself of the lonely feeling that crept upon him.
The train passed farm after farm and even more farms.
"Wow," Mana said aloud, "I've never seen so many farms in a row." He watched the green fields turn into rough dirt. We must be exciting the town, he thought. I bet there will be more farms on the way back…
Allen grunted in his sleep, his clawed hand began to shake.
Mana placed a finger on the top of the claw and began to move it in circles.
The gentle gesture brought peace back to Allen, his shaking stopped and he resumed his nap.
Mana smiled and closed his eyes. Sleep sure did sound good after the all-nighter he pulled while preparing for their trip. Just a little nap…
"Mana, why didn't you leave me like my parents did?"
Mana winced.
"Then why'd they dump me in that crummy orphanage!"
She loved you Allen!
"Why didn't my mom even tell me she was leaving, why!"
J-Julia loved you! Your Mother, Julia Walker, loved you!
For a second it was like Mana left his body and went into a memory. It was blurry, but not blurry enough for him to forget.
Flashback
"Mana!" Twenty-two year-old Julia Walker threw herself on the ground and began to cry. "Mana, please help me!"
"What is it Julia?"
"John…has… He's finally lost it!" The woman held a bundle out. "He said he'd kill Allen!"
Mana reached out and took the bundle. He let out a gasp when a high-pitched cry sounded from inside the fabric. He grabbed the tip and folded it over, revealing a brown-haired baby. "Th-this?" gasped Mana, he pointed a shaking finger at the baby. "John said he would kill a child!"
Julia's cries grew louder, mixing with her baby's.
Mana fumed. To him, John wasn't that kind of person. He clenched his fists and yelled, "No! My brother isn't a killer! He wouldn't kill a baby, heck, he wouldn't a person! What in God's name would drive him towards something like that!"
Julia didn't answer.
"This child… Something's wrong with him."
Still no answer.
"I'm right, aren't I?"
Mana pulled the cloth off. His eyes widened. A huge glove several sizes too big was covering the baby's left hand. With a growl, he grabbed the glove and prepared to rip it off.
"NO!"
Julia leapt up and snatched the child away. She cradled it to her chest and looked down at her feet. Tears began to drip out of her eyes, each one splashing onto the ground and gradually forming a small puddle.
Mana walked over to the crying woman and placed a hand on the baby's back. "Julia," he said softly, "let me see."
"N-no…" Julia's grip tightened. "Allen isn't a monster… He's an innocent child."
"Then why won't you let me see? Why do you hide whatever is wrong with his hand?"
Julia froze.
"Are you telling me he isn't a monster? Or are you telling yourself that? If he's normal let me see!"
Julia shook her head.
"So you won't let me see him because he is a monster"
"Shut up!" shrieked Julia, "J-just shut up!" She began to tremble. "He was born with it, it's not his fault!" She held the babe out. "Take him. Go ahead and look."
Mana took the child and gulped. He peeled the glove off and prepared himself for the worse. Apparently the worst wasn't enough.
"What the… What the heck is this thing!"
Julia gasped.
Mana held the child several feet away from his face. "This arm… What is he!"
"HE'S A BABY!" Julia snatched the baby away and turned her back towards him. "I trusted you Mana! How the heck could you betray my trust!" Tears of anger, sadness, and hate poured out of her eyes. "I can't believe you Mana; you're just like everyone else! You see someone different and immediately judge them!"
"Where the heck are you getting all that!" Yelled Mana, "What do you mean!"
"You know what I mean. You're just so…so…judgmental!" With those words, she ran, ignoring his calls for her to come back.
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Mana's eyes widened when he read the address on the letter he'd received. He hadn't seen his sister-in-law for four years, the last time being their argument. He opened it, sweat dripping down his face.
To his surprise, it wasn't bearing bad news.
Dear Mana, it read, you were right about John. His threat to kill Allen was only something said out of blind anger. He managed to keep his cool for two years but when Allen got older he began to beat him. I was scared. We're moving tomorrow and, sadly, we have to leave Allen behind. I'm taking him to the orphanage on Kings Street. If you ever see him again, promise me you'll show him love.
Sincerely, Julia Walker
Mana furrowed his brow. Beat him? So John hadn't been as sane as he thought.
The man let out a sigh. Life had just gotten crazier.
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It was a Saturday, also known as Mana's day off.
The man was deep in thought as he walked to his favorite coffee shop. He tapped his feet and listened to the beat, he got so into it that he hardly noticed a small child run into him.
"Yikes!"
Mana watched the child scramble backwards then stand there motionless, his eyes glued to the older man.
Mana guessed that the child was lost for words. He opened his mouth only to realize that he was just as lost.
"I'm sorry!" The two males yelled in unison.
Mana frowned and the child went wide-eyed.
"Well that didn't work," muttered Mana. He looked at the child and smiled warmly. "Hello, my name is Mana. Sorry about…not moving…"
The child nodded, and from what Mana could see, he was a bit confused.
"Is everything alright?" Mana waved a hand in front of the child's face. "Hello? You okay?"
"Oh! Sorry!" The child pulled down the hood of his jacket and smiled. "Hi mister Mana," he said cheerfully. "I'm Allen!
Mana gasped. The boy had Julia's hair! Not only that, but he also had her eyes! It was his sister-in-law's child!
Wait.
That also means…
Mana looked at the child's left arm. It was wrapped in bandages; a large glove added extra coverage. Oh yeah, it was defiantly him.
Mana stood speechless, all he could do was stare. Had he really been afraid of that child? He was so small, so helpless looking… Easy prey on the streets.
"What are you doing alone?" The words came out a bit harsher than he meant, but they got the desired results.
"I… They, um, I mean me…" Allen sighed. He hung his head. "I was turned down again."
"Turned down?"
"Yeah…" Allen drew little circles in the dirt with the tip of his boot. He stopped and gave a nervous laugh. "Ya' know," he said, "It's like some kind of store! Childless couples as shoppers and kids as merchandise, and…the," Allen's lip began to quiver, "the unwanted kids as clearance."
Sympathy formed in Mana's heart. So that was an orphanage, a place where only the 'best' kids got chosen.
The sympathetic feeling grew stronger as Allen continued.
"You see," said Allen, "the couple comes in and tells the person in charge what they want; the last couple that I met asked for a seven year-old brunette, I was the only one there that matched the description so they looked at me." Allen stopped and grasped his left arm; he began to finger a loose bandage. "It started off good, the man and I shared a lot of interests and the woman thought I," Allen gave a small blush, "looked cute, but after they saw…"
Mana held his breath.
"…after they saw…" Allen's pupils shrunk and he began to shake. "They looked and they ran away, they hate m-me…" His movements became that of an animal—each one purely on instinct. He slowly backed away from Mana; each foot hit the ground and dug in slightly then repeated as he went farther.
Mana watched in surprise as the meek child he had been talking to transformed into a beast.
"Allen?"
The child opened his mouth and bared his teeth, the aggressiveness of the move shocked Mana.
His gray eyes were glazed over with fear and hate; the two emotions mixed together and created an even stronger feeling.
"N-no," he groaned, "stay back… I'm warning you!"
Mana ran over and grabbed the child by the shoulders. "Allen, snap out of it!" he yelled.
Allen growled and tried to squirm free.
Mana tightening his grip, but was careful not the hurt the child. He looked back down at Allen, ready to face the beast, but instead he found himself facing the meek child he started out with.
"M-Mana… I…" Allen's voice was below a whisper.
"Yes? What is it?" asked Mana.
"I'm…sorry."
That broke the dam, tears rolled down Mana's eyes. He felt something larger than compassion and stronger than love fall over him—it was something fatherly.
With a final sob, he placed Allen on the ground and stood up.
The boy scrambled to his feet and looked up; he stared directly into Mana's eyes.
"Allen," Mana said sternly, "I work at a circus that's near the park, it's been there for a year and we're hardly getting anyone to come. They're not able to pay me that much so I'm leaving to find work somewhere else. You're welcome to join me if you like."
Allen's mouth formed an O.
"It wouldn't be a walk in the park, we'd have to work for food and find shelter -"
"I'll go."
Mana crouched down to Allen's level and looked him the eye. "Now listen, it'll be hard. You might have to go a few days without a bed."
"I'll go," repeated Allen.
Mana grinned like an idiot. The hollow feeling that had formed in his chest while talking with the child had vanished as quickly as it appeared.
After years of losing time after time, he had finally gained something.
He had gained a son.
From that day on his life became an adventure. The odd pair traveled to different towns searching for work, along the way they'd meet new people, see new things, and even gain new enemies.
They never stayed in one place, each day brought new surroundings, and each surrounding brought even more adventure. It was like some kind of adventure novel, a never ending adventure novel.
They did stay in the circus for awhile; it was there that Mana "discovered" Allen's deformity. They only stayed for a few months, but that was long enough for the travelers. With legs itching for venturing and adrenaline pumping, they left for yet another place.
For four years they traveled. Four years searching for life, four years on the run, whatever you want to call it.
Four years also ended it.
"Mana!" screamed Allen
"I'm coming Allen!" yelled Mana, he dug his heel in his horses side, signaling for it to go faster. The horse let out a loud neigh, then sped up.
Allen had been kidnapped. It had taken Mana four days to find him, four days!
His search had taken him out of the state they were staying in and back, only to find that Allen had been hidden right under his nose. It was the states roughest bar, full of angry drunks and dangerous criminals, and Allen had been in there the whole freakin' time!
Mana growled and focused his sight on the black horse in front of him. Its rider had Allen tied up and tucked under his arm, the fact that the boy was without a gag made things worse. Mana couldn't stand hearing the boy's frightened cries.
"Hey you!" roared Mana, "Give Allen back!"
"So hotheaded," sighed the kidnapper.
Mana clenched his teeth. So the kidnapper was a cocky one? Two could play at that game.
"And really," continued the kidnapper, "do you think I'm just going to hand the thing over?"
Mana grew even angrier, had he just called Allen a…a thing?He was going to pay!
Still, the kidnapper went on, "I'm afraid to say that would never happen. It's against my orders to fail this mission." He gulped. "I cannot fail or…he shall have my head. That is why I cannot simply "hand the boy over." He looked over his shoulder and glared at Mana with a pair of glowing yellow eyes. "You're a dead man, Mana Walker."
Mana squinted. The man was familiar… And why did he know his name? It was driving Mana insane. His son, Allen, was out of his reach and his kidnapper bore a resemblance to his brother John, except for the yellow eyes.
Mana tried to get a better view. Was that gray skin? He frowned. A gray-skinned yellow-eyed John had decided to kidnap his own son? Weird…
"John!" he called. It couldn't be real. "John! Get back here!"
"You know," chuckled John, "you always were a loud one…brother." He stopped and turned his horse around. With an evil creepier laugh, he jumped off his ride and held the frightened boy in the air. "Come and get it Mana!" he said in a sing-song tone.
Mana jumped off his own horse and ran over to Allen and his brother. "John!" he exclaimed "What is the meaning of this!"
"I just wanted to see my dear family," cooed John. He grinned when Mana had come to stand only inches away from him. "Hmmm, you've gotten older dear brother…" He reached out and placed a hand on Mana's cheek.
Mana felt shivers go down his spine. The man couldn't be John. He didn't look like John, he didn't act like John, but…he sounded like John and…there was something just so…so John-ish about him. Mana felt his eyelids begin to droop. So sleepy… What! I- I- Allen…
A soft voice sounded in his ears. "Noah of illusions here, at your service."
"N-no," muttered Mana, his eyelids drooping farther. "I gotta…save Allen!"
"It's no use," purred John. He took his hand of Mana's cheek and used it to untie his prisoner. "I could just hand the boy over, but that wouldn't be any fun!"
Mana's eyes snapped open. "Allen!" He lunged for his son, but was knocked over by the man who Allen in his grasp. Mana yelped as a heel dug into his hand, it dug in deeper, blood began to seep from the wound.
"J-John!" choked Mana, "Why did you do that?" He glanced at his brother. The man wore an insane grin; his yellow eyes were filled with evil intent. No, you can't be John… That isn't John.
The Noah held Allen up higher and watched his struggled with an amused expression on his face. "This little boy of mine…" He lowered the boy and gazed at his left. "Aha! There it is!"
Allen gasped as the Noah yanked the glove of his hand and began to tap the center of the cross mark on his hand.
"So this is innocence," remarked the Noah. He pushed his fingertip down as hard as he could.
Allen screamed and began to thrash violently; his childish actions were beginning to shift into the beasts.
Mana reached out to Allen, his hand was brought down by the Noah's other foot. "A-Allen… P-please spare him…"
The Noah paid no heed to his pleading; he simply pushed down harder, causing the thrashing child's actions to grow even more violent.
Mana felt a hand close around his neck. He gasped.
The Noah had shifted positions, now he was sitting on top of Mana's back with a hand closing in on his throat. "Hmmm, not that bright are you? You hardly even noticed your little things disappearance."
Mana looked around; Allen was nowhere to be seen.
"Y-you bastard!" shrieked Mana.
"Oh, I'm a bastard?" laughed the Noah. "I guess I must be because this is the most fun I've had since I dumped that little brat."
"Shut-up!" Mana yelled angrily "You're not John! Nor will you ever be!"
The Noah switched positions; he was now kneeled down in front of Mana with a sly smile. He leaned down to the human's level and whispered, "Aren't I?"
Then he vanished.
Mana's eyes widened. He was standing up with Allen by his side, the horses had disappeared along with the Noah and his injures.
"M-Mana," whispered Allen, "What just happened? That man touched my…" he clutched his ungloved hand and began to shake. "And then I…" He fell to the ground with a thud.
Mana took the boy to the hospital; it took a week for them both to recover, and at the end of that week Allen's memories of the Noah disappeared. All he remembered was the happenings before the encounter.
End Flashback
Mana looked down at the sleeping Allen and frowned. Upon his remembrance, things had gotten a lot weirder.
Everything tied together, he just didn't know how. The Noah he had encountered before called Allen's deformity "innocence", maybe that had to do with the arms sudden transformation. And then there was the boy's change of character. Not quite split personalities, but something similar. Maybe the innocence had some sort of value to the creatures called "Noahs". And maybe the change of character was made to protect that value.
It all tied together, Mana was sure.
A/N: Wow *double-takes* Ten reviews for one chapter? I feel special...well, my mom told me that I was special a while ago so I guess I'm just specialer. Oh! Teh people who reviewed: XxXxSeriously InjuredxXxX, xXxXLavenxYullenxXxX, Jenaminya, Howlingwolf94, Allen the Musician, Seihi L, ShadowDragon94, Animelover175, Anime girl122, and Water Lily. Thanks guys! Every review brought a big BIG smile to my face! Lets see if we can get another ten reviews! If we do I will love you guys forever...in a friendly way. Info for this chapter: It was kinda hard to write the John/Noah scene, and I was a little unsure of it then I was like "Meh, who cares! They'll like it anyway!" Yeah... Mana is Allen's father's brother which makes him Allen's uncle but he's also his foster father. Interesting. *Passes chibi Allens out to reviewers* Thankyou, one and all.