Hey there ^^ Thank you to Stavarn100, JustAnotherAnonymousReviewer, hollieobygollie, OceanicCrownClown and The 'Me' Defined for reviewing! *gives cookies* It seems I made the code too easy to crack which makes me feel stupid XD However, it is more the meaning of the poem opposed to the de-coding of it that is important so... yeah... ^^'
[DISCLAIMER]: I, unfortunately, do not own D Gray Man or any of the characters that Katsura Hoshino-san has created.
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Once to speak before the world, rend bare my heart, and show
The lesson I have learned, which is death, is life, to know.
I, if I perish, perish: in the name of God I go.
Christina Rossetti; A Royal Princess
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Chapter 2 – In Two Parts
The journey back to Satna was the worst journey that Lavi had ever taken. His head burned in the dying afternoon sun, the blood from his wounds drying from the ever present heat. They had to travel by using his hammer, which was just about withstanding the burden of himself, a barely conscious Lenalee and Krory, and the unmoving Timothy (who was lying over Lavi's shoulder).
After Lavi realised what had happened back at the temple, he found himself unable to speak. There was nothing that any of them could do; only Allen had access to the Ark and they couldn't wait at the temple for him to return without endangering their lives due to their injuries. That helplessness and frustration ate away at them as they neared the town of Satna.
By the early evening they had arrived, feeling woozy from dehydration and blood loss. Deciding to return to the hotel from earlier that day, Lavi extended his hammer to just outside the doors of the Hotel Om Palace. After stopping, he fell to the ground with a thump.
All faded to black.
When the red head awoke, he found himself in the bed he had slept in the night before at the hotel, his wounds dressed and cleaned. It was daylight. Sitting up gingerly, he spotted Bookman sitting on the edge of the other bed in the room, the shard of Innocence that Lavi had recovered in one hand and the mysterious slip of paper in the other. The old man looked up, expression unreadable.
"So you are finally awake."
"How are the others?" Lavi asked instantly, his voice etched with concern. Bookman narrowed his eyes.
"They will recover in time," he answered simply, standing up and placing the items in his hands on the bedside table. "I have informed the Order of Allen Walker's disappearance. We need to return to England."
"How? It'll take forever to get back without the Ark..." Lavi murmured, looking down at his bandaged hands dejectedly. The last time Allen had been alone with Tyki... Lavi remembered how he had felt back then, watching Allen get hurt and almost killed by that monster of a Noah. Unable to help. Unable to do anything. And Lenalee, crying like that on the forest floor... Lavi clenched his fists.
"That boy, Timothy... He can possess and use the powers of a Level Two Akuma, correct?" Bookman said, narrowing his eyes at his apprentice. Lavi looked up, frowning.
"Yeah, I think so... why?"
"When I went to the library yesterday evening, I noticed something odd about one of the people working there. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that she was an Akuma. She did not notice me."
"So what?" Lavi asked, frown deepening. Bookman crossed his arms.
"She is a Level Two who can teleport. That's what."
Lavi's eyes widened slightly. "So... we can use Timothy to get back to England!"
"Yes. He is currently unconscious, however, so we shall have to wait until he is fit to use his Innocence," Bookman explained. Lavi nodded in agreement. "Now, though, we must try to unravel this new mystery."
Bookman held up the map carefully. "Describe yesterday to me. Don't leave out a single thing."
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He couldn't go on much longer.
Slumped against the wall of an alleyway, Allen pressed a hand against a deep wound on his side, his hands dripping crimson. He had been fighting for God knows how long, battling against the Akuma he had dragged into the Ark. He had destroyed quite a few of them now; there couldn't be more than a dozen left. Odds like that normally would have filled him with hope but he could feel only worry as he ran around the Ark.
Tyki wasn't there.
Back in the temple, it had gotten to the point where he knew that if the others continued to fight, they would die. And the fact that Lavi had gone missing... He couldn't let his comrades die on any circumstances. So he created an Ark Gate and used his Innocence to drag all of the Akuma in with him. But where Tyki had been one minute, he was gone the next. He had simply disappeared. Before Allen could even try to find him, the Gate closed, leaving him with the Akuma on one side and his friends with Tyki Mikk.
"Damn it..."
Allen winced. More of his blood dripped to the ground. He had to destroy these Akuma first. He could worry about everything else later. As a Level Four came flying around the corner of the alleyway that he had been hiding in, Allen found himself smiling.
"Just keep walking... and don't stop."
Leaping forwards, the white haired teen gave a yell as he used his Crown Belt to grab onto the Level Four to try to impale it on his sword. The white mockery of an angel dodged the tendrils of Innocence, sniggering as Allen winced at his wounds.
"Having problems, Exorcist?" it asked, smirking devilishly.
"The only... problem here... is you," Allen panted, grimacing as he coughed up a bit of blood.
"Oho, if you say so!" the Akuma chortled. "The main problem here is that I don't want you to die before I kill you!"
Chuckling as it went, the Level Four flew into Allen and aimed a ball of dark matter at the teen's stomach. Gritting his teeth, Allen grabbed the Akuma before him by the neck and flung it away, wincing as the dark matter brushed against his side and burnt him. With a crash the Level Four smashed into a nearby building, causing the whitewashed structure to crumble around it into pieces of rubble.
Screeching angrily, the Akuma built up energy in its palms and threw the dark purple coloured balls at Allen, who dodged the attack with a quick roll to the side. Raising his anti-Akuma weapon, Allen swung it forward and released a large beam of green energy, the sheer power of it cracking the ground beneath as it hit the Level Four with a loud explosion of light.
"You bastard!"
Eyes glittering with an almost insane fury, the Akuma got up and raised its hands, a purple aura surrounding it. As its hands rose, bits of building and pavement floated into the air and surrounded Allen. The white haired Exorcist gripped his sword tighter.
With a scream the Akuma dropped its hands, the debris falling downwards with such speed that Allen barely had time to lower his mask and use Crown Clown to destroy and dodge the rocks above him. Just before Allen reached the top layer of debris, a sharp jolt of pain from a wound on his torso made his vision blur. With a loud thwack, a large stone block dropped on his head and sent him spiralling downwards, red drops of blood falling with him as he hit the floor.
"Heeheehee, I've got you now!" the Akuma cried joyfully, grinning as the remaining debris fell on and crushed Allen. Sauntering forwards, the Level Four hummed as it made its way to the pile of rubble.
Suddenly, with a smash, the Sword of Exorcism flew out of the debris and missed the Akuma by mere inches. It smirked.
"You missed!" it cried, laughing.
"No... I haven't."
Blinking, the Level Four watched as the stone blocks exploded into miniscule fragments, eyes widening as it noticed Allen standing upright, a hand pressed aganst the wall behind him to keep him from falling over. The Exorcist's uniform was in tatters, blood trickling from his many wounds.
Allen smirked.
Soundlessly, the Sword of Exorcism impaled the Akuma from behind, sending it flying straight into Allen. With a choked cry the Akuma smashed into Allen, the sword impaling the white haired teen. The Level Four screamed at the Innocence invading its body, eyes wide in pain and hatred. Allen grabbed the sword's hilt from behind the Akuma and shoved it in deeper, making the Level Four scream louder.
And that was when the pain started.
Allen screamed as he felt something deep inside of him writhe in agony, the sensation of something breaking apart making him feel as if his insides were being ripped apart. The pain increased until Allen's vision started to blur around the edges, white noise erasing the sound of his screams. Then, all of a sudden, his consciousness slipped, all turning to black.
And Something Else woke up.
The Level Four froze and stopped screaming as Allen smirked sadistically, his eyes glinting with a malicious golden haze. A horrifying aura surrounded the white haired teen, and the Akuma began to tremble in fear. Smirk widening, Allen raised his hands and cupped the Akuma's face.
"Good evening, Noah."
Crying out in agony and terror, the Level Four disintergrated and blew away in the cool breeze wafting through the Ark. And, with a sigh, Allen's eyes returned to a dull exhausted silver just before he hit the ground with a thump.
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The room span slightly as Lenalee sat up, her hands clutching the edges of the bed tightly as her vision cleared. There was a severe pounding in her head, and her neck stung terribly. But she lived. Just as she felt herself smile at being alive, her expression crumpled. Allen was missing.
"Oh Allen..."
Tears slid down and pattered onto the bed sheet as she tried to stop herself in vain from crying. But all she could remember was that moment in China; Allen all alone, bleeding, dying. And that Noah hurting him in such a way... Lenalee buried her face in her bandaged hands.
"It'll be okay, Lenalee."
Looking up, Lenalee noticed that Lavi was standing in the doorway of her room, expression pained. The girl wiped her eyes.
"H-how are you feeling?" she stammered, sniffing and trying to regain her composure. Lavi gave a small smile.
"Like crap. You?"
Lenalee blinked then smiled. "Not much better, I'm afraid."
With a slight laugh the red head sat down on the edge of her bed, fiddling with the hem of his bandana thoughtfully. After a while, he patted her bandaged hands.
"We'll find him. I promise," Lavi murmured seriously, looking her straight in the eyes. Lenalee leant forward and hugged him gently.
"I know. I just… don't want him to be all alone like before…"
She felt Lavi wince as she said it. She rubbed the small of his back comfortingly. Eventually they broke apart, both smiling slightly and blinking back tears.
"So, what's the plan from now on?" Lenalee asked quietly, tightening a bandage on her arm and wincing slightly. Lavi sighed.
"Gramps has found a Level Two Akuma in town that can use teleportation so when that little kid wakes up he can use his Innocence to possess the Akuma and take us to England."
"… We're not waiting for…"
"No. When he finishes with the Akuma and that Noah he'll come back to the Order. We can't afford to wait," Lavi murmured, slight regret in his voice. Lenalee's expression softened. "Plus, I found another clue with the Innocence which we need to check out before the Noah discover it."
"Another clue?"
"Did Komui explain what we found in France?" Lavi asked. Lenalee nodded. "I found a slip of paper with the Innocence back in the temple. It was a bit of a map for the town of Bath, which is in England. Gramps thinks we should go and investigate it before going back to the Order."
"Is that safe, considering how beaten up we all are?"
"We can't afford to let this wait, Lenalee. Plus, Gramps seems to want to act rather cloak-and-dagger about all of this; I think he wants to keep this whole clue thing quiet from Central until we fully know what we're dealing with."
"… Okay, I understand. Do… do you have any ideas what the clues could be about yet?" Lenalee asked tentatively, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Lavi laughed.
"Not really, no. I definitely think the Heart wants to be found now, maybe by us since it can't just be coincidence that we found another clue on this mission without knowing it was there beforehand. But I don't trust it either. It seems all too easy to find these clues and the way the first clue was coded was so easy to unscramble, like it wanted to be easy to read. And the first clue talks about the world ending too. What if the Heart isn't as good as we assumed it to be? It could be bad for all we know…" Lavi explained quietly, looking out the window at the rising sun. "I still think we should keep trying to unravel this mystery though, before the Noah catch on to what's going on."
Suddenly, the door opened. It was Bookman.
"Ah, Miss Lenalee. You are awake," the old man said quietly, noticing the closeness of his apprentice and the girl sitting in bed. His eyes narrowed marginally.
"Yes. Thank you for attending to me, Bookman," she replied with a slight smile, nodding her head. Bookman did the same.
"Timothy is now awake, so I suggest the two of you get something to eat and get ready for a potential fight," Bookman explained. And with that, he left the room. Lavi chuckled.
"Well, better do what Nurse Bookman says, right?"
Lenalee laughed. Helping her up, Lavi went with Lenalee down to the dining room and sat down with two bowls of curry. While they ate, Lenalee found herself remembering the compass from the night before.
"Lavi?"
"Yes?"
"Do you like Allen?"
Lavi promptly choked on his food. After a little while, which he spent coughing and spluttering red-faced, the apprentice Bookman looked up indignantly.
"Lenalee, I like Allen no more than a best friend would. I like women!"
"Oh, is that so…"
"P-plus I'm gonna be a Bookman one day too, a-and we're not allowed relationships anyway."
"Oh, really…"
"Stop it."
"Stop what?"
Lavi pouted. Deciding to ignore the girl grinning mischievously in front of him, he tucked into his meal with vigor, cheeks still red with embarrassment. Of course he didn't like Allen! He placed his spoon in the empty bowl before him.
Then, as Lenalee finished her meal also, Bookman walked into the dining room with a rather pale Timothy and an exhausted Krory. Lavi and Lenalee stood up.
"Are you ready to leave?" Bookman asked, adjusting his travelling cloak with a hand. The two Exorcists nodded. "Then let us set off."
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"So, Tyki-pet, you have something important to tell me? "
"Please stop calling me that..."
Lighting a cigarette, Tyki put his legs up on the table he and the Millennium Earl were sitting at.
"I saw something interesting while in India," Tyki murmured, taking a long drag from his cigarette. "I learnt from one of the Order's little pawns that a group of Exorcists were heading to a temple in Khajuraho for some Innocence. I just had to gate crash, of course. And who else would be there but the 14th and his 'precious comrades'."
"Go on. "
"The Boy's eye didn't pick up any of the Akuma that I brought with me. Not a single one."
The Earl leant forward in his chair eagerly.
"As well as that, both the girl and the red head who follow the 14th everywhere didn't put up much of a fight either; like they were distracted." Tyki explained, tapping ash onto the table. "Then Eyepatch Kid suddenly ran away from the battle. I had to find out why, of course. So when the Boy used the White Ark to fight the Akuma alone, to protect his comrades and nurse his hero complex no doubt, I followed the Bookman apprentice's trail."
"And? " the Earl questioned, the tension within the small dining room increasing, his glasses reflecting the glow of Tyki's cigarette. The curly haired Noah smirked.
"The brat found the Innocence. I would have taken it from him and ripped out his apparently non-existent heart but he found something with the Innocence; a piece of paper. It seemed to be important, for he started shaking like a leaf. There isn't much use killing someone with knowledge so I let him live. For now." Tyki grinned menacingly.
"You have done well, Tyki-pet. I trust you will follow them and find out about this piece of paper. "
"Sure thing, Earl."
Tyki left the room, humming as he did so, leaving the Earl to ponder on the news given to him. The head of the Noah Clan chuckled darkly as he pictured what would be done to the Exorcists once Tyki found them.
"Your time will come, Exorcists. "
Suddenly, a voice rang clear in the Earl's mind, making him flinch and screech in anger.
Good evening, Noah.
"Fou-Fourteenth ? !"
The Earl's features contorted with hatred and wrath, his eyes glinting with an anger terrifying in magnitude. Slamming his hands onto the desk before him so hard it smashed in two, the Millenium Earl gave a manic grin.
"Good evening to you as well, Fourteenth. "
As the Earl started to chuckle, the dying sun outside reflected off of rounded glasses and with a rustle the glasses disappeared, only a few pure white feathers being left behind.
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"That woman there?"
Timothy pointed a trembling finger at a tall brunette stacking shelves with books. He glared at his finger until it stopped shaking. Bookman nodded. The boy closed his eyes, ignoring the pain racking his body, calling to his Innocence. Before him, though the others could not see him, stood the spiritual embodiment of his Innocence; Tsukikami. It looked like an older version of himself, with purple hair and pointy ears wearing a long white kimono. Tsukikami smiled.
"Ready to go, Master?"
The young boy nodded.
"Innocence Activate, Divine Possession!"
Timothy's soul flew out of his body, heading straight for the Akuma before him. Looking back quickly, he noticed that Tsukikami was giving him a thumbs up and a grin. Turning back towards the brunette woman, Timothy shoved out the Akuma's soul, converting the true form of it's body into his 'own' form. The Akuma's soul cried out loudly, looking around in shock. Tsukikami immediately destroyed it, leaving behind only a few specks of spiritual dust. The now Innocencified Akuma, that Timothy was controlling, turned towards the Exorcists.
"All done."
Lenalee, who had been holding onto the souless body of the young boy, gave a slight squeak as Tsukikami took hold of Timothy's body to control it and gave her a rather inappropriate squeeze on the arse. Lavi grimaced.
"I'll be controllin' Master until we get ta England," Tsukikami said, his voice lower than Timothy's. The others blinked.
"And... who exactly are you?" Lavi asked, looking from the converted Akuma that had drifted in front of them to 'Timothy' in confusion.
"I'm Tsukikami, my Master's Innocence. I can control his body whilst he possesses Akuma."
"So Timothy is within the Akuma and you are within Timothy's body?" Krory asked, sitting down against a bookshelf. Both the Akuma and Timothy's body nodded.
"Well, to save us getting completely confused, how about we call the Akuma Timothy and you," Lenalee said, pointing towards Timothy's body, "Tsukikami. Okay?"
"Sure, Pigtails!" Timothy replied, sitting down on the floor cross-legged. "It'd make more sense that way anyway."
The group all nodded. Deciding to escape from the library, where a number of people were staring open mouthed at Timothy, they made their way to the outskirts of Satna. Along the way the Exorcists became increasingly entertained as Tsukikami tried to use the roller-skates that were part of Timothy's outfit, tripping often. When they eventually reached an area with little housing and more desert than anything, and Tsukikami was bruised and battered and covered in dust, Timothy turned around to face the rest of the group.
"The Akuma I'm possessing can teleport but I'm not sure how far I can go," he explained, scratching his head. "I could do a test run by myself first to somewhere nearby, then try going further away."
Bookman shook his head. "We don't have that much time on our hands I fear that the Noah and the Earl will find out about the clues soon and things will become far more difficult for us when they do."
"B-but what if I can't get us all the way to this Bath place? What if I can only go to places where this Akuma has gone or or..."
"You've gotta try, Master. I'm sure ya can do it if ya try," Tsukikami said, giving the possessed Akuma a smile. Looking slightly less nervous Timothy closed his eyes and concentrated. Then, after a while, he opened his eyes and looked at Bookman.
"Where do we need to go exactly?"
"A town called Bath," Bookman replied, showing Timothy the map. The Akuma nodded.
"I can take us there, but I might cause some damage to the area where we arrive," Timothy explained, grinning nervously. Lavi laughed.
"The Order can pay for it!"
"You mean my brother," Lenalee said menacingly, giving Lavi a harsh look. The red head gulped.
"Now is not the time, comrades. Let us make haste," Krory murmured quietly, placing his hands on Lavi and Lenalee's shoulders. Bookman nodded in agreement.
Floating towards them, Timothy picked up Lavi, Tsukikami and Lenalee in one hand, Bookman and Krory in the other, and closed his eyes. Purple energy started to build around them. Then, with a bright flash, they disappeared.
It was a bright sunny day in Bath that day. For once the weather typical of the region and the entire country was elsewhere and, for once, the townspeople could enjoy a day of sunshine and nice weather. Most were out in the park; eating picnics, walking dogs, feeding the ducks. One couple decided to fly kites with their two little sons. Until a bright flash dropped a large white thing carrying 4 people on their kites and destroyed them, as well as destroying most of the surrounding area. The two sons began to cry. As did Timothy.
"Pwaaaaaahhhhh! Pwaaaaahhhhh! PWWAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
Dropping the Exorcists to the ground, Timothy continued to cry loudly, causing nearly the whole park to turn towards them. Tsukikami rolled his eyes.
"Jeez, Master, calm down will ya?"
Poking Timothy's forehead, the boy's soul fell out of the possessed Akuma's body, soon turning it to dust. Tsukikami then left Timothy's body and led the boy back to his body. Soon, Timothy was Timothy again. Looking up and rubbing his arms, he gave Tsukikami a glare. His Innocence laughed in reply, then disappeared.
"I... really need a day off..." Lavi wheezed, sitting up gingerly and wincing at his new wounds. Lenalee nodded. Somehow Bookman had managed to escape the crash and was standing in perfect health in front of them, an annoyed expression on his face.
"Come on, we have to go find the Innocence, you fools!"
"5 more minutes, Eliade..." Krory mumbled.
"Great, now Krorykins is talking to his dead girl again..." Lavi said despairingly. Hauling the man up, he gave Krory a few hard shakes. "Get a hold of yourself!"
"AHH! Oh, we-we're here? Sorry, L-Lavi," Krory stammered, looking around in confusion at the giant crater and the sniffling Timothy. Lavi sighed.
"It's fine. C'mon guys, let's go finish this then go home."
The group had been wandering around aimlessly for hours, finding and feeling nothing. They had asked countless people if anything strange had been going on in the area, but all gave them the same answer: No. Things in Bath couldn't have been more normal. Deciding to have a break, the Exorcists sat down on a bench near the local river.
"This is getting us nowhere!" Timothy complained, crossing his arms and pouting. Krory sighed and re-tied a few bandages around his arms that had come loose.
"There's no use in complaining though," Bookman said scoldingly. "The map that we found in India said clearly that we should head to this town. The Innocence is here somewhere, we just have to search harder."
"We're searching pretty hard though, Bookman," Lenalee murmured."And none of the townspeople seem to have noticed anything that would usually suggest that there is Innocence here. Maybe the map doesn't mean anything..."
While Lenalee and Bookman continued to debate whether there was anything in Bath or not, Lavi sat in silence. Looking up at the sky, he found himself wondering where Allen was at that moment. Was he safe? Had he reached the Order somehow? Would he be there waiting for them when they returned? Then, realising that he was pining after his friend like some love-sick puppy, Lavi mentally slapped himself.
Sighing and looking across the river thoughtfully, the red head noticed the other side of the river but, upon further inspection, revealed a huge abbey. It was old too; it had to have been built in the 10th or 11th century. For some reason this set off alarm bells in Lavi's mind, as to why though he had no idea. Then it came to him.
"Guys, I think I know where the Innocence is."
The others fell silent, looking at him sceptically. The red head coughed.
"The other pieces of Innocence to do with this clue were all found in places of religious importance," Lavi said thoughtfully, pointing at the abbey near to them. "We could try that big abbey over there, maybe?"
"Hmm, seems there's some intelligence within you after all," Bookman murmured. Lavi grinned.
Not needing to be told twice, the group of Exorcists made their way to Bath Abbey, knowing not if Lavi had guessed right or if they were following another lead that would get them nowhere and waste their time. It didn't take long to reach the large medieval looking building, and the whole area was full of tourists and locals.
"Seems this is quite the tourist hotspot, hmm," Krory said, trying to avoid being trampled by a group of Japanese school children. Lenalee giggled.
"Well, we won't know until we try," Timothy replied, ducking under a woman's skirt with a gleeful smirk.
Upon entering the abbey, the Exorcists immediately felt the presence of Innocence; it was faint, but enough to confirm that Lavi was no idiot. Following the building pressure from the shard, they found themselves in an abandoned corridor of the abbey, littered with signs saying to keep out due to renovations. The Exorcists ignored them, of course.
They continued forwards until they reached a locked door, a green glow emanating from the gap underneath it. There was no doubt in their minds that the Innocence was inside the room before them
"Innocence Activate! Compass of Spells: North Crime!"
Unfurling a scroll, Bookman invoked his Innocence and summoned a dozen needles which struck the area around the door handle with a dull thunk. With a sharp flick, the handle fell out and the door swung open.
Lying on top of a copy of the Holy Bible lay a shard of Innocence, glowing brightly within the dark and gloomy room. And, underneath the table that the Bible and the Innocence was resting on, was the dead body of a priest. He had been dead for a very long time; there was little skin on the rotting corpse and the skeleton could be clearly seen amongst the ripped clothes and decomposing flesh. Clutched in the corpse's right hand was a folded slip of paper. Bookman instantly took the Innocence and put it in his pocket.
"I don't like this," Timothy said quietly, hiding behind Lenalee fearfully. The girl patted the younger boy on the head comfortingly.
Stepping forward, Krory gently removed the slip of paper from the dead body's hand. On the outside of it were words in a language that he could not understand. When he passed the piece of paper to Bookman, however, he could read it instantly.
"What does it say, Bookman?" Krory asked, noticing that the old man's eyes had narrowed.
"It's Mandarin and says Xīn. It means Heart, or the Heart."
For a while, no-one spoke.
"What does it say inside, Gramps?" Lavi asked quietly, breaking the silence. The old man opened up the slip of paper carefully.
Je suis dans deux parties
Qui allient ensemble.
Un coeur perdra.
Un coeur retrouva
Et un personnage ne sera pas plus.
"It's in French. It reads as such in English: I am in two parts that combine to form as one. A Heart is lost. A Heart is found. A person is no more," Bookman explained, re-folding the piece of paper and placing it in his pocket alongside the two pieces of Innocence that they had collected.
"Yet another riddle..." Lenalee murmured softly, looking at the floor with a frown. "What could it mean?"
"We'll have to wait and see," Lavi answered. "Leave it to me and Gramps; we'll figure it out!"
"Do not be so cocky, brat. For now, we must return to the Order and give them the Innocence that we have found."
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When they returned to the Order later on that day, it was obvious that something bad had happened. There was debris everywhere, as well as destroyed equipment and papers strewn all over the floor. Lenalee set off running instantly for her brother's office, the rest of the group following. When they eventually reached it, the saw that Komui was lying draped over his desk, comatose. Lenalee froze.
"Ge-ge?"
Running forwards, Lenalee shook her brother's shoulder, starting to panic. When the man gave a sleepy snore, everyone gave a sigh of utter relief. Then, they heard footsteps; it was Reever and Jiji.
"Ahh, you've returned!" Reever cried happily, smiling at them all. Jiji smiled also.
"W-what happened here, Reever? It looks like a bomb's gone off or something..." Lavi said, looking around increduously. Reever's face darkened.
"It's all the Chief's fault! When he heard that there had been some wrong information in your brief for India, he set off a new Komlin that he'd been hiding and tried to attack all the Finders who had been he'd been hiding and tried to attack all the Finders who had been assigned to your mission," Jiji explained, looking dejected. "He destroyed most of this floor..."
"Oh. Well. At least it was just Komui acting like his usual self..." Krory murmured. Lavi and Timothy nodded in agreement. Lenalee gave her brother a hard kick to the face.
"GGGAAAAHHHH! W-what the... Ah! My sweet Lenale-EEEUUURFHGH!"
Lenalee kicked her brother again.
"You stupid stupid stupid idiot! I was so worried that the Order had been attacked by Akuma!" Kick. "And it was just you being - " Kick. "a stupid - " Kick. "idiotic - " Kick. "overprotective bastard!"
"A-and I l-love you too, s-sweet s-sister," Komui wheezed, now lying on the floor of his office with several large red marks on his face.
Then, as Lenalee continued her tirade of kicking and shouting, a Finder came running into the office and skidded on the paper strewn floor sliding into a bookcase. Everyone fell silent.
"What's the matter, Johnathon?" Reever asked, helping the man up. The Finder panted for breath.
"Came... to tell... Chief... Komui... that Allen... Walker... has returned to.. the Order."
Lenalee and Lavi forgot how to breathe.
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1 week later...
Kanda hated Christmas.
In fact, hate just wasn't a strong enough word to describe how he felt. Maybe loathing? Despising? Detesting? Yes, that was better. Kanda detested Christmas. All its frivolity and merry making and goodwill towards men. Not to mention the carol singing, pointless present giving, feasting on foods other than soba. Oh, and it was Allen's birthday on Christmas Day too. Even more reason, in his mind, to detest it.
So, while the rest of the Black Order were running around like lunatics giving people presents and kissing under the mistletoe, Kanda sat in the gloomiest, darkest, most miserable room that he could find all alone. He sighed contentedly.
"Perfect..."
Meanwhile, amongst the cheerful Christmas-loving people of the Order, Lenalee was running around in a Santa hat, looking about as if she was searching for something or someone. Screeching to a halt inside the Canteen, she noticed that Krory and Timothy were happily stuffing their faces, both wearing tinsel around their necks. She ran up to them.
"Have you seen Kanda?" she asked, adjusting the bandage around her neck. Both of them shook their heads.
"Sorry, Pigtails. Haven't seen 'im," Timothy said, taking a few drumsticks from a nearby plate. "How's that Allen kid?"
Lenalee beamed. "He's healing up okay. Right now he's trying to get Lavi to go down and join in with the festivities opposed to keeping him company. That's why I've been sent looking for Kanda."
"It's nice to hear that Allen is okay," Krory mumbled through a mouthful of food. Lenalee nodded.
"Anyway, gotta go! Can't let Kanda escape Christmas this year. Bye!"
With a wave, Lenalee ran off to find the grumpy Japanese Exorcist hiding himself away like Scrooge, humming as she went. Just as she passed into the Science Department, she noticed someone she recognised dithering in the middle of an archway. Taking a few steps forward, she smothered a laugh when she saw that said person was standing under some mistletoe with a girl from the Asia Branch. The girl looked less than happy.
"I-I'm te-terribly s-sorry, miss!" Johnny stammered, blushing and adjusting his glasses. "I didn't k-know the mi-mistletoe was there! Honest!"
"B-but my first kiss has to be with Mr. Walker!" Lou Fa cried, looking up at the mistletoe then at Johnny with annoyance. "I don't even know you!"
"W-well, since th-that's the case, h-how about we g-g-get to know each other so-sometime?"
Lenalee raised her eyebrows. Lou Fa seemed just as surprised. After a while, the girl adjusted her glasses and gave Johnny a quick peck on the lips. Then, as if nothing had just happened at all, Lou Fa turned around and walked away. Just before she reached the end of the corridor, she turned around and gave Johnny a timid smile.
"Lou Fa, Asia Branch Science Department."
Johnny blinked, his cheeks red, then smiled back. "Johnny Gill, European Branch Science Department."
And with that Lou Fa left, leaving Johnny standing in the middle of the corridor grinning like an idiot. Lenalee rolled her eyes with a smile, then quietly made her way towards the storage rooms where the elusive Kanda could be hiding.
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"Merry Christmas!"
Tyki winced as two sets of toy trumpets blared in his ears.
"Can't you see I'm busy? Go and bother Wisely or something..." the curly haired Noah grumbled, turning the page of the book he'd been reading. Jasdero and Devit pouted.
"Aw come on, Tyki! Lighten up will ya!"
"It's Christmas, hee!"
"And? Annoy someone else!"
Devit crossed his arms sulkily. "Fine, jerk. We'll go find Road and get some sweets instead."
"Yeay sweets, hee!"
The two twins bounced out of Tyki's room like children on a sugar rush (which they probably were), leaving the Noah of Pleasure alone to read his novel. After a little searching, and annoying Wisely in the process by stealing his bandana, Devit and Jasdero found Road sitting on the balcony rails outside her bedroom, looking out towards the town with a depressed expression, a small party hat crushed in her left hand. The twins looked at each other then back at Road, confused.
"Hey, Road!"
"What's the matter? We thought you liked Christmas, hee!"
The young-looking Noah turned towards them with a sad smile. "Merry Christmas, Jasdevi." Road said hollowly, handing them both candy canes. Though Jasdero took the sweet and stuffed it in his mouth without question, Devit simply held the candy cane in his hand and looked her in the eyes seriously.
"Why're ya so depressed, Road?" he asked, walking forwards and leaning against the balcony railings. Road sighed.
"I had... a dream..."
"Well, you are the Noah of Dreams, you idiot."
Road flicked Devit on the nose, pouting. "I meant a different sort of dream, fool. One in which the future can be deciphered."
"Ohh... What's gonna happen then? Something bad?" Devit asked, eating a piece of his candy cane thoughtfully.
For a while the blue haired girl was silent, her expression thoughtful as she stared out towards the snow covered houses below her. Then, eventually, she gave a small smile and turned towards Devit.
"I'm going to lose someone important to the Heart."
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Allen sighed. It was just his luck to be bedridden on both Christmas Day and his birthday. Though Lavi had been keeping him company for most of the morning, or annoying him whichever way you looked at it, the red head had left the infirmery about an hour ago to do some 'special business' and Allen was becoming increasingly bored.
"Probably finding girls to kiss under the mistletoe," he grumbled, rolling over and wincing from his bruised ribs. About a week ago he'd managed to return to the Order, beaten up and bleeding profusely. It had taken far too long to defeat all the Akuma from Khajuraho and he pushed himself too far in the Ark, earning himself a great deal of wounds and pain in the process. So, when he did manage to open an Ark gate to the Order, he promptly collapsed and ended up stuck in the infirmery with little company due to Matron. After 4 days in which Matron had to deal with Allen's growling stomach whilst he was unconscious, several incidents involving Lavi trying to sneak into the infirmery, many teary pleas from Lenalee to be allowed in and Allen trying to sneak out of the infirmery countless times after he woke up, Matron eventually allowed visitors in to see the white haired teen.
Lenalee upon seeing him gave Allen a very emotional lecture about being selfish and putting himself in harms way, which ended with Link walking in on the two of them hugging (or rather Lenalee throwing herself tearfully at Allen, who comforted her awkwardly) and sending the sniffling girl away. Then Allen received another lecture from Link about the same sort of thing, minus the tears and hugging of course. And then Cross came to visit him, if it could be called visiting - the red haired General came in and told him he was stupid, smoked a cigarette, hit Allen round the face, and left. And then, to top it all off, Lavi kept visiting him to 'keep him company' (though Allen was grateful for the food Lavi brought for him from the Canteen).
All in all it had been a very hectic week.
Sighing and looking out the nearby window at the overcast English sky, Allen thought back on the past two missions. Would they find the Heart soon? He hoped so - the war wasn't getting any easier for the Order and it would only be a matter of time before the Earl succeeded in wiping humans off the face of the Earth. Just as Allen began to feel slightly depressed, the door to the infirmery opened. Standing in the doorway, grinning like an idiot with his hands behind his back, stood Lavi. And behind him was a trolley piled high with Christmas food. Allen's face lit up.
"Happy birthday, 'sprout!" Lavi said cheerfully, wheeling the trolley into the room with a foot whilst still keeping his hands hidden behind him. Allen raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not a beansprout. And what are you hiding behind you?" the white haired teen questioned curiously, noticing how Lavi looked a little bit nervous all of a sudden. Refusing to look him in the eye whilst giving an embarrassed chuckle, Lavi handed Allen a present neatly wrapped in silver paper.
"Is this... for me?" Allen asked, surprised. He looked up at Lavi with a smile.
"No, I'm giving you someone else's present to open," the red head grumbled sarcastically, pouting. "Just open it."
Peeling off the selotape carefully and unfolding the paper, Allen laughed when he saw a beansprout wrapped up with a ribbon on top of a small black box. Elbowing Lavi in the stomach good naturedly, Allen put the vegetable to one side and eyed the box with a mixture of amusement and slight concern.
"If there's a ring in this, I'll make you eat it," the white haired Exorcist said with a laugh, picking the box up and rattling it slightly. It was heavy. When Allen opened up the box, his eyes widened. Lifting the silver compass up, he found himself speechless, even more so when he saw his name engraved on the back.
"You're always getting lost so I thought it might come in handy," Lavi murmured, blushing a little. "If you don't like it, it's fi-"
"It's beautiful," Allen interrupted, turning towards Lavi with a bright happy smile. The red head grinned in reply, looking somewhat relieved. "Thank you, Lavi..."
For a while the both of them were silent, Allen admiring his present with a huge smile and Lavi trying not to seem too happy that his friend liked the compass, sounds of merriment echoing faintly from the nearby canteen. Eventually, Allen placed the compass back in its box, put it on the bedside table and grabbed a plateful of food from the trolley. Lavi laughed.
"By the way, where's Lenalee?" Allen asked with a mouthful of food, demolishing his plate within seconds and grabbing another one.
"She's gone looking for Yuu," Lavi answered, taking his own plate from the trolley and sitting down on the end of Allen's bed.
"Why?" Allen whined.
"We can't let him escape Christmas again! He's too anti-social for his own good," Lavi replied, kicking Allen lightly with a foot and receiving a face full of cranberry sauce in reply. Thus, the food fight began.
Matron was going to kill them both.
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Lenalee was pissed off.
It was nearly 3pm and she still hadn't found Kanda. She had searched most of the Order by this point and seen far too many people under the mistletoe (though seeing Reever trapped under some with Bonnaire was hilarious) and the temptation to just leave the grumpy Exorcist on his own and join in with the festivities with the others was getting pretty strong by the time Lenalee was passing through the lower levels of the archives.
"Where the hell are you, sǐ pì yǎn ?" she grumbled, peeking into a room to her left and finding nothing except piles of smelly blankets. Sighing, Lenalee closed the door to the room before her and carried on down the hallway. Why was she making so much effort for Kanda anyway? She found herself unable to come up with a reason; she just didn't want him to spend Christmas alone. Lenalee remembered bitterly the lonely Christmases of her childhood before Komui joined the Order; tied to a bed, only able to listen to the people outside enjoying themselves, confined to a dark room with no-one to be with. She couldn't let her friend have no-one like she did.
After going past 5 more rooms and seeing no-one, Lenalee stopped in the middle of the hallway and sighed. At this rate she wasn't going to have any fun on Christmas.
"Maybe he'll turn up upstairs eventually..."
Just as Lenalee started to turn around to go back, she froze when she saw the faint flicker of candle light coming from a slightly adjar door at the end of the hallway. Silently, she walked up to the door and pushed it open. Sitting cross legged on the cold stone floor was Kanda, eyes closed. He was meditating. Lenalee pouted and put her hands on her hips. Before she could say anything, however, Kanda opened his eyes and huffed.
"If you're trying to get me to come upstairs and join in with the idiotic celebrations, you're going to be disappointed," he murmured. Lenalee scowled.
"Christmas is a time for people to be together! And you're down here instead, sulking," Lenalee said scoldingly. "We might not get a chance like this again..."
Kanda blinked. Lenalee looked sad now instead of angry, and even seemed on the verge of bursting into tears. Feeling slightly guilty, he looked down at his hands and sighed.
"I'll come up later."
Lenalee looked up, surprised. Kanda's eyebrow twitched. With a smile Lenalee gave him a nod and walked towards the door. Then she stopped. Chuckling, she turned back around and sat down next to Kanda, noticing his somewhat confused expression out of the corner of her eye. Lenalee faced him with a smirk.
"Knowing you, you'll come up and then slink off again five minutes later. So I think I'll stay here and meditate with you to make sure you actually do join in."
"You're impossible, you know that?" Kanda grumbled, closing his eyes. Lenalee laughed.
"But so are you."
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"NOOOOOOOOOO!"
Jerry sank to his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks. Komui patted the cook on the back comfortingly.
"It's okay, Jerry! There's time to make another cake, right?"
Jerry gave Komui a despairing look, holding up the burnt cake with a sniff. "But it was going to be perfect! And we've run out of mitarashi dango..."
"It doesn't have to be mitarashi dango flavoured, does it? How about mango? Mango's good," Komui said cheerfully. Jerry ignored him. Sighing, the Chief of the European Branch of the Black Order sat down on a nearby chair and poked what was supposed to have been Allen's birthday cake gloomily. He and Jerry had spent most of the morning baking the cake to mark the 16th birthday of the white haired teen; whisking eggs, mixing dango in with the cake mixture, making icing to go on top of the cake, licking the bowl of mixture clean (well, Komui did when Jerry wasn't looking). It had been such fun. Until they got distracted by Reever choking on a roast potato and the cake burned. Could they get away with buying one from town for Allen?
Then, with a crash, the door to the kitchen opened. Lavi, covered head to toe in a variety of foods, ran inside and hid behind Komui fearfully, shaking.
"What's wrong?" Komui asked, turning around and patting the red head on the shoulder, regretting it instantly as his hand came away covered in gravy and bits of sprout. He wiped his hand on Jerry's apron.
"She's gone insane! Insane!" Lavi whispered, freezing as the sound of running footsteps approached the kitchen. Fearing for his life, the future Bookman cringed as the door flew open, waiting to be dragged by the ear and murdered cruelly with bleach and scalpels by the lividly furious Matron. When nothing happened, he looked up tentatively. Standing in front of them was Lou Fa, carrying a large box in her arms, tinsel wrapped loosely around her neck. She smiled.
"I heard from Jiji that Mr. Walker's cake got ruined and that you needed some dango?"
Taking the box from her, Jerry's face lit up as he saw the large amount of mitarashi dango inside it.
"Now we can re-make Allen's cake!" Komui cried happily, jumping up. He patted Lou Fa on the head cheerfully. "Thank you!"
"It's nothing," Lou Fa murmured, blushing slightly. Lavi sighed with relief. Deciding to go shower, the red headed Exorcist left Jerry and Komui to make Allen's birthday cake, smiling. He got as far as the end of the hall before a sharp tug on the ear sent him crashing to the ground. Matron chuckled darkly.
"Thought you could escape, hmm? You're not going anywhere until you clean the infirmery."
"NOOOOOOOOOO!"
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A flurry of snowflakes fell on the town of Bergen, the land becoming whiter and whiter as the minutes passed, the rooftops of the buildings within the town soon becoming laden with snow. It was typical weather for the winter there; this particular region of Norway always got a lot of snow storms towards the end of the year.
Pulling his coat around himself tighter, a bespectacled man trudged down a deserted road, his cheeks flushed pink from the cold. Though he was wearing thick leather boots, he could feel his feet turning numb. Spotting a monastery nearby, the man walked quickly towards it, stamping his feet on the doorstep as he rung the bell outside the door, ridding his boots of snow. After about a minute or so the heavy wooden door swung open, an elderly man wearing black robes holding a candle standing before him. The old man smiled.
"Looking for shelter, sir?" he asked.
"If it wouldn't be too much trouble," the man answered, nodding. The old man moved aside and let him in, closing the door behind him. Leading the man through a dark and chilly corridor, the two men eventually reached a small but comfortable dining room.
"My name is Lukas. If you'd like, I could get my wife to cook you some soup; you look frozen to the bone!" the old man said with a laugh, setting the candle down on a small round table nearby. The bespectacled man smiled.
"That would be lovely, thank you," he replied, shrugging off his damp coat and draping it over a chair next to him. "Though I do not have a name, you can call me the Cardinal. Nice to meet you."
The Cardinal grinned.
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[TRANSLATIONS]
- ge-ge = big brother (mandarin)
- sǐ pì yǎn = stupid asshole (mandarin chinese)
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That's the end of chapter 2! Thanks for reading and please drop me a review – they really do inspire and motivate me to write more ^^ And my apologies if my French is wrong – please correct me if I've made a mistake!
xrowa-chanx
EDITED: 31/05/12