Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC!
A/N: Sorry, neither Lavi nor OC will be appearing yet! And thank you, crownclown25 and joeykun938 for the favourites!
-CHAPTER 2-
"Noooo! Don't come in!"
The two exorcists could only share uncertain looks, faced with the sight of Miranda quivering and wailing like a banshee while huddled on top of a table. The expression on her face said that she would have liked to throw Allen out of her house – given that she had been screaming about his metamorphosing arm 'His hand! His hand just-!' and how they just barged in (even though the door was unlocked) – if only she could muster up enough courage to even go near him.
"Calm down, Miranda!" Lenalee felt like crying herself. Dealing with her brother's tantrums suddenly seemed so much easier.
"How am I supposed to calm down?!" Miranda gestured wildly. Already on the verge of a mental breakdown, Lenalee's pacifying attempt didn't have as much impact on the crying woman as she thought it would. Allen wisely kept silent, not wanting to draw attention back to him (and his arm) to not agitate Miranda further, only smiling uncomfortably.
"You're- Ah! No!" A small key on a necklace chain slipped out from under Miranda's dress collar, the delicate chain snapping from her frantic movements.
Allen and Lenalee let out gasps of shock as the woman instantly lunged for it, toppling off the table in the process. It had all happened so fast that Miranda was already on the ground by the time their exorcist reflexes had kicked in. Scrambling over quickly – despite her rough landing – to where the pendant had landed, Miranda snatched it up and cradled it tightly to her chest, heaving a sigh of relief. It was obviously something she treasured greatly.
Lenalee bent down, smiling at Miranda. "Is that a clock spring? Does it belong to that over there?"
They both turned to look at the tall grandfather clock sitting in the corner.
Miranda fidgeted nervously under their gazes. "Yes, it does. It might sound ridiculous but it's really precious to me."
"Don't say that!" Lenalee scolded her gently, yet firmly. "Everyone has that something that is precious to them. I'm sure that clock holds a lot of treasured memories to you."
Miranda inwardly wailed at the kindness Lenalee displayed towards her, barely resisting bursting into tears again. Her! Of all people. How could she even have thought of the white-haired boy as a monster when he was clearly not one? The two of them had saved her, and even brought her home to safety away from those real monsters. Oh, she was such an ungrateful wrench!
"You know how there are those kinds of people who can't do anything no matter what they try or how hard they try..." Miranda started, getting lost in the memories of her past struggles. "I'm one of them. I was always slower than everyone else. No matter what it was, they always did so much better than me. Even when I started working, I couldn't do anything right, and always got fired soon. And then the people started calling me a plague; Miranda the Unlucky Woman, the symbol of bad luck."
It hurt Lenalee's heart to see the woman who had clearly just been unfortunate through no fault of her own to speak of herself in such a self-deprecating way. Just because you did not excel in areas that others did didn't mean that you were useless after all. Everyone has their own faults and specialties of their own.
'Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb trees, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.' As a wise man once said.
"I've never been thanked. That means I've never been useful in any way to anyone." Miranda continued, still smiling that sad smile as though it was natural for her to be this way, and to be treated so. "I just wanted to be appreciated, to know that my existence was helpful to someone, even if it was just a little. To be acknowledged that I was a human being… And then, I saw it."
"That clock was useless too, sitting outside the shop, about to be thrown away. It was like looking in a mirror. The shopkeeper said it didn't work, but when I tried winding it, the clock hands moved and it chimed. The beautiful chimes from the clock that no one else could turn. It somehow resonated deeply with my soul. It felt like it was accepting me, even with all my shortcomings. So, it's my most prized possession. It's the only thing that needs me, after all."
"Actually," Allen hesitantly started. "We need you too."
"Eh?" Miranda startled, looking up at him.
"As we mentioned before," He glanced at Lenalee, who gave him a nod. "You're the only one in this town unaffected by the time loop. I'm certain it's because you've came in contact with the Innocence causing this."
"..Innocence? What's that?"
"It is a material with mysterious properties, often called God's own crystal. The Innocence often causes paranormal phenomena. Those monsters who attacked us earlier are called 'akuma', and they seek to destroy Innocence." Allen explained in a serious tone.
Lenalee continued. "We're exorcists, from an organization called the Black Order. We work to recover the Innocence and defeat akuma."
"That's why I was attacked?!" Miranda recoiled from them again, though she managed to retain some of her composure and not go into a fit again. "But I've never seen anything with such amazing powers! Are you sure it's me?"
"Yes, I'm sure you've touched it somewhere." Allen smiled encouragingly. "So, come on, let's look for it together."
"Isn't that your job?! I can't do anything!" Miranda crawled away from them, seemingly back in her self-deprecating misery again. "You both have superhuman powers, don't you? Then, please hurry up and save this town!"
Don't place this kind of expectation on me! I'm the Unlucky Woman! There's no way I can help you do anything! I don't want to burden you..
"We will. But not without you. We need your help. You're connected to what's happening in this town. Please help us, Miranda!" Allen pleaded. "Let's get the real tomorrow to come."
Miranda hesitated, looking like she desperately wanted to stay out of it but yet, couldn't resist Allen's sincere plea (and puppy dog eyes).
Lenalee knew there was a high chance Miranda would help them. Miranda was just that kind of person after all. Kind and hardworking, to a fault. Also, hadn't she just admitted that she wanted to be of help to someone? She only needed to get rid of her fear of failing. Neither her nor Allen would blame Miranda in any case even if they failed. If anything, it would be their faults instead.
"Nothing really caught my attention.." Allen remarked, a little troubled at how their lead had become a dead end again.
"Me too.." Lenalee sighed.
Miranda only kept silent, equally as or perhaps even more discouraged than them.
The three had just returned back to Miranda's home. With Miranda agreeing to help them, the two teenagers had suggested that they retrace her daily routine to see whether they could sense the presence of the Innocence since it was established that the woman had touched it somewhere.
"Should we try- Miranda?" Lenalee stared puzzled at the woman who had suddenly stood up. "Do you have an idea?"
The clock struck midnight, starting to chime.
"Eh? You're going to bed?!" Allen cried out in shock. Miranda had just marched over to the bed without a word and promptly conked out upon lying down.
"She's acting strange, to suddenly go to bed mid-conversation.." Lenalee mused, eyes flickering over the room to see if she could find any reason for Miranda's behavior.
The clock is.. silent. The chimes have finished?
"Allen! Look at that!" She yelped, drawing his attention to the many clock faces of all shapes and sizes appearing on the walls of Miranda's bedroom. They were all shimmering a soft golden colour. "They're all over the town's buildings as well!"
"W-what's happening?!" Allen's gaze snapped to the grandfather clock as the hands started ticking backwards. "It's the clock!"
They both stared, stunned speechless. Lenalee squeaked, nearly getting blown over as all the clock faces were sucked towards the grandfather clock.
"Hang on, Lenalee!" Allen reached out a hand for her, his other hand holding tightly onto the wall. She barely managed to grab hold of his outstretched hand, regaining her balance and planting her feet firmly on the floor.
Wait, is that-?!
"It's sucking in today's time!" They could clearly see the images of the events that happened today, recognizing their faces and the familiar akuma in the clock faces as they zoomed past.
And then, as the last clock face disappeared into the grandfather clock, there was a resounding final tick from the clock hands of the grandfather clock.
Bright sunshine shone through the open window.
"It's morning?!" Allen exclaimed in disbelief.
It was only night not even a minute ago! What in the world?!
"Huh?" Allen and Lenalee instantly whipped back around, spotting Miranda sitting upright in bed. She stared at them confusedly. "I don't remember getting in bed..?"
They could only gape back at her, goggle-eyed, still reeling themselves at what they had just witnessed.
"Lenalee! Look at this!"
Both women turned around at Allen's voice, only to scream in horror at the sight.
"Wha-what have you done, Allen?! How are you doing that?!"
"My clock!" Miranda gasped, hands clutching at her face in an expression eerily similar to the iconic 'Scream'.
There was a wide smile on his face. It would have been nothing out of the norm. Except that only his head and arms were sticking out of the grandfather clock. "I'm a clock man!"
"Don't worry. I can't touch this clock." Allen reassured them, stepping out of the clock quickly.
Lenalee thought dryly that that was a good move. Miranda looked like she was a inch away from a heart attack if Allen had stayed any longer in the clock. The woman had stumbled over to the clock the moment he stepped out and grasped it in a loose hug, still staring at Allen, horrified.
He waved a hand towards the clock. "I just tried touching it, and see?" His arm disappeared into the surface of the clock, like the clock wasn't there at all, hand popping back up to wave at them though his elbow still remained inside the clock.
"Ah, you went though it!"
"Seems like the only person who can touch it is its owner, Miranda."
"Eh?" Miranda's eyes bulged out. Who'd have thought that the clock she picked up coincidentally could have turned out to possess such a weird ability?
"This must be the Innocence for sure." Allen shared a glance with Lenalee, both remembering what had appeared to be the clock rewinding time earlier.
"..This is what is causing the town to be weird?" Miranda glanced dubiously at the clock. A thought struck her and she gasped in horror, turning a frightful glare coupled with an ominous aura on them. "Don't tell me.. you plan on destroying it? It's my friend.."
"Calm down. Please." The two exorcists paled, hands instantly flying up in the I-mean-no-harm-I-surrender pose, the words blurting out of their mouths in unison before they knew it. Miranda truly was a force to behold. She was terrifying and creepy all in one package.
"Miranda, you really don't know what could have happened to cause this? There must be a reason for the clock to do this. Think back to the first October 28th."
"That day," Miranda shrank in on herself, head in her arms. "I was fired for the hundredth time.. and-"
"I hate it. I hate it.." Miranda sobbed, tears and snot alike pouring down her face. She chugged a bottle of alcohol, blindly reaching for the next one. Empty and new bottles were littered across the floor around her.
How could the number of times I've been fired reach the triple digits?! Am I really so worthless?
"Every day, nothing good ever happens! There's no silver lining, no bright side! I don't care about life anymore.."
She slumped against the grandfather clock, legs sprawled out uncaringly, fingers stubbornly clutching onto the nearly empty bottle of alcohol.
"I wish.. tomorrow wouldn't come."
"Ah." Miranda held her chin between her index finger and thumb in a thoughtful pose. "I think it's that..?"
She turned to look at the two exorcists. They gawked at her, eyes and mouth open wide.
It is that!
"The Innocence granted your wish!"
"B-but I was just complaining to myself.. And first of all, it's a clock! Why would it do that?!" Miranda wailed, just as clueless about this whole situation.
"Miranda," Lenalee reached out, gently taking Miranda's hand in her own, softening Allen's unintended but accusing tone. "Could you be the accommodator of this Innocence..?"
"Eh?!" Allen reared back in shock. Was it so easy to find an accommodator? "You think so?"
"Yes, if the clock responded to Miranda's wish, they may be synchronizing."
"What? What's an accommodator? Synchronizing?" The woman in question mumbled, utterly lost.
"Miranda!" Allen unconsciously raised his voice in his eagerness. "Tell the clock to stop what's happening!"
"Uh.." She tentatively pressed her hands against the clock, glancing at the two teenagers unsurely. "Clock, please return this town's time to what it should be."
The moment the words left her lips, the two were already running for the newspaper.
Flinging it open dramatically, their eyes scanned it and narrowed in on the top.
October 28.
"It.. didn't change." Their disappointment was practically tangible.
Miranda wilted behind them.
Oh well..
"Welcome! The theatre's newest show 'The Pumpkin and the Witch' opens today! Would you like a ticket?"
There was a long line of people queueing up in front of the woman dressed in a witch's costume. The male behind her dressed normally in a shirt and vest with pants but had pumpkin as a head instead. He was balancing on a large ball juggling swords, attracting all the awed children and adults.
"Good job!" The owner of the theatre roughly patted the both of them on the shoulder, before throwing over his shoulder as he left. "Take a break! If it continues like this, we'll hire you full-time!"
"Allen!" A call of his name brought his attention to the girl standing at the corner of the building.
Miranda waved him off with a smile, clearly in a better mood now. She wanted to bask in the happy attitude the townspeople were treating her with a little more anyway.
Eyeing her carefully to make certain, Allen finally nodded and waved before jogging over to Lenalee with a smile.
"How's the job?"
"Alright. If it goes well, he said he'll hire us full-time." He grinned.
"Really? That's great!" She beamed.
After Miranda's failed attempt in controlling the clock's powers, they had thought up another plan. Since Miranda's wish and agony at being unsuccessful was the root cause, they decided that the most important thing that needed to be resolved first was her negative energy and outlook. Their plan was constructed around the assumption that time would start moving again if Miranda got a job and in turn, a positive mindset on life.
"The akuma are staying low too.." Allen heaved a sigh of relief. "I don't know why they are, but I'm glad. I hope we can finish this while we have the chance."
"Me too. Miranda's been fired five times in the past three days.." Lenalee shook her head, somewhat amazed at the woman's inability to keep a job.
"Ah! Hey, Mr. Pumpkin!" A blue-haired girl strode up to them, carrying a pink umbrella in one hand and a lollipop in the other. "Where do I get tickets for 'The Pumpkin and the Witch'?"
"Oh!" Allen perked up, instantly transitioning back into the entertainer mode, hurriedly throwing a 'See you later' at Lenalee as he ushered the girl over back to the entrance of the theatre. "Thank you for your purchase! Tickets are available over this way!"
"Good luck!" Lenalee called out as he left. He's so chipper..
As Allen and the young girl neared the theatre though, there were sounds of shouting.
What's going on?
"What?!" That's the voice of the owner.. "All the money got pickpocketed?!"
"I-I'm sorry.."
Immediately, Allen felt the familiar anger at injustice welling up in him at the sight of Miranda cowering on the floor at the feet of the angry owner of the theatre, yelling until his face had turned a glaring shade of red.
"You idiot!"
Oh, no.
He was torn. Allen really didn't want Miranda to get fired again. She was doing so well, starting to smile and being happier. Things were finally looking up. But if that was the sort of man she had to work under.. Suddenly, thinking of his master, General Cross, and that theatre owner, he felt a rush of gratitude for Komui's caring heart – despite all the weird pathetic sister complex and evil scientist moments – towards all the staff of the Black Order, whether exorcist or finder.
Sorry, Mr. Komui. I promise not to look at you so disgustingly whenever you have one of your moments from now on!
"Hang tight, little girl." Allen muttered, sparing her an apologetic pat on the shoulder before leaving her to run to Miranda's side. He dropped to his knees beside her, fingers curling around her arm comfortingly. "Miranda."
"Allen!" Her face was exceedingly pale, voice weak and trembling. "I-I'm sorry! I was selling the ticket to someone and.."
"It's alright. Did you see the pickpocket?" His voice was calm and a balm to her frayed nerves, despite the firm inquiry.
"H-he had long hair and was wearing a brown jacket. He ran that way!" Miranda stuttered out, voice a little stronger due to the soothing effect his gentle touch and voice had on her. Such a young boy, compared to her age, yet so dependable and reassuring already.
"I'll look from up here, Allen!"
Allen only saw a flash of black and green as Lenalee jumped up onto the rooftops, already dashing away in pursuit of the culprit.
"A-allen.." Miranda whimpered.
"Don't worry." He lifted the pumpkin mask to give her a warm smile. "We'll catch him. Everything's going to be fine."
And then, he was off, manoeuvring through the crowd of people easily in the direction Miranda had pointed out.
(Later, Allen realized it was quite the careless move to leave Miranda – a new unexperienced accommodator – behind alone when she was being targeted. Hindsight is 20/20, after all.)
Running through the streets, Lenalee jumping down to join him after a while, they cornered the pickpocket against a wall in a dead-end alley.
Allen gasped, his eye activating belatedly as the human form burst into the pink-haired akuma from before. It was at times like this, he wished his eye – unwanted as it was – had a wider range of detection.
"It's a trap!" He wanted to curse.
The akuma smirked widely. "We've got the woman you've been protecting. Lady Road has captured her!"
Lady Road.. Who's that?
But there was no time for pondering.
The akuma immediately spat out a stream of blue fire, freezing over the whole alley and sending shivers through him.
"Allen!" Lenalee screamed in warning, spotting the other two akuma of the trio they saw before appearing from behind them, cutting off the exit from the alley.
Allen wanted to curse. "We can't do anything but deal with them first!"
As if on cue, the two of them leapt forward in synchronized movement to face the attacks of the three akuma. It took only a moment for everything to turn disastrous. One moment he was nimbly dodging the energy slices one of the akuma was shooting at him, the next, he had his foot caught and was literally frozen to the spot.
Oh no.
The next thing he felt was the fire burning so hot it was cold. His arm, reflexively going up to shield his head, couldn't even block the brunt of the blow. Everything hurt so agonizingly it ripped a scream out of his throat.
The last thing he remembered was hearing Lenalee's panicked cry of his name.
And then, he slipped into the comforting darkness.
A/N: Reviews would be appreciated :) And the OC will most probably be showing up next chapter, the finale to the Rewinding Town Arc! Still a while for Lavi to appear though!