Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own anything. At all. I'm just enjoying myself.
D. Gray-man Countdown: The 219th Night
Day 2 – Black and White "The world as he see it is hell."
Bak was starting to see how fantastic alternate dimensions were. With the arrival of the Ark, ferrying people across the world from Headquarters to the Asia Branch was now a feasible thing, and Bak was delighted to take advantage of this. The past two nights had been hectic while the science divisions of both Branches allowed no rest as they analyzed the intricacies of the alternate dimension and how it functioned. Bak rather enjoyed having the ability to travel thousands of miles in a minute, and the perks of seeing a certain Exorcist on the other side certainly encouraged him.
Stepping out of the Ark into the middle of the chaos that was Headquarters was becoming normal now, and hardly anyone turned their head. Bak adjusted the stack of files in his arms and shuffled past the overworked scientists to Komui's office, daring to hope Lenalee would be there serving coffee.
Fortunately, he didn't have to carry heavy stacks of mostly irrelevant files for much longer, as Komui's office was near by. With no hands to knock, he nudged the door open with his back and came upon the familiar sight of papers covering literally every inch of the floor and more scientists draped across desks staring blankly at numbers that really made no sense. Komui, however, was sitting in his chair at his desk with his head in his arms while Reever stood beside him, whacking him in the head and gesturing to the various piles waiting for Komui's stamps of approval.
Lenalee was absent, a fact Bak was disappointed with, but seeing as the exorcists had only returned from Edo in the early hours of the morning earlier that day, it was likely she was confined to the infirmary. From what he understood, the medical division was just as overworked as the science division, with everybody coming back injured. The newest accommodator, Arystar Krory arrived comatose, even before Miranda Lotto deactivated her Time Record, and Allen Walker had certainly taken a beating.
"Ah! Bak! You've come to take me away from this dreadful place! Please tell this slave driver to give me some rest!" Bak jumped back as Komui leaped from his desk, arms open wide to cling to him.
"You smell like you haven't bathed in days, Komui." Bak frowned, and skirted around the crying chief. "Reever, Shifu told me you needed the data we recorded from Walker's progress, so I took the opportunity to deliver it myself. For the sake of speed, obviously." Reever held out his arms for the files and snorted.
"You just wanted an excuse to use the Ark again. But yes, I do need these. Even though we're in the midst of figuring out the Ark, we need to document the changes in his Innocence and pass it on to the Matron. She's at a loss on how to handle his heart while there's an Innocence-filled hole in it." Reever chuckled and left the room, stopping to kick Komui in the leg to get him to get off the floor.
"How is Walker, Komui? He was pretty eager to leave last I saw him." Komui nudged his glasses and shuffled back to his desk. He reluctantly grabbed his stamp and approved a form before answering.
"I'm not sure he's woken up yet. Krory, Allen, Miranda, and Lenalee passed out almost as soon as they came home, and Lavi and Marie aren't in much better conditions. Of course, Kanda is perfectly fine, just confined to bed rest. Chaoji Han fell asleep for a few hours, but he woke not half an hour ago. I was planning on visiting the infirmary to formally meet him and check up on our Exorcists."
"Chaoji Han?"
"General Tiedoll was carrying a piece of Innocence that reacted with one of the survivors on the ship to Edo, and he was pulled into the Ark as well. He's an equipment type."
"Are you still going to go visit him?"
"Anything to escape this. Would you like to come with me, Bak Chan-chan?"
"Don't call me that. But I will. Fo threatened me to come make sure Walker didn't kill himself recklessly." Bak absently rubbed his head, still feeling her violent kick. Komui glanced around while stamping another form, acting nonchalant.
"AH, I see you require my assistance, Bak Chan! I suppose I shall come with you on this very important task that is not in this office! So nobody expect me to be here! I'm just too busy to stamp forms! I'm sorry, I'll miss you all!" Everyone in the room sighed and shook their heads, not bothering to do anything to contradict him. Komui grinned and darted out the door, stumbling slightly on his slippers.
Komui's gleeful mood calmed as they arrived at the infirmary, partially because he was concerned, and partially because the Matron heard him coming down the hall and lectured him about disturbing her patients. Bak slipped past them and looked around at the beds containing the injured teenagers that in the midst of recovery. He hadn't met some of them, but he'd familiarized himself with most of their files. To the immediate left was Noise Marie, whom Bak had met before, and next to him was the comatose Arystar Krory. Kanda was next to him, though he look rather sour. Across from Kanda was an old man, probably Bookman, asleep and barely visible under the covers. His apprentice Lavi Bookman Jr. was beside him on one side, and the other side was someone new, who was looking around drearily. Lastly, the bed next to Lavi was Walker. All of them were connected to IVs and surrounded by nurses.
Komui came in and smiled at the man Bak had not met, introducing himself as the Section Leader of the Science Division, despite that being completely wrong. He'd been promoted to Chief Branch Director of Headquarters, and Reever Wenham had taken over his former job, but according to said Section Leader of the Science Division, Komui often referred to himself as such. Something about not wanting the responsibility.
Bak ignored the questions coming from the new Exorcist, and chose to observe Allen. He looked just as bad as when his heart was chewed out, and just as restless. It seemed they hadn't gotten around to washing him, for blood was in his hair and on his face. If Wong saw him now, he'd be panicking and fanning Walker while washing his face with a warm rag, as he often did for Bak when he had an outbreak of his infamous hives.
Though he didn't want to admit it, Bak was worried for the boy. He was only just a child, but he was this injured and fighting a fight the rest of the adults couldn't handle. There were too many expectations on his shoulders, and the worst part was that most of them came from himself. He dedicated his life to saving Akuma, an odd concept to everyone else. He was convinced that his life only amounted to the amount of souls he saved. And still, he felt the terrible weight of guilt each time he failed to save a human. Allen Walker decided he wants to save the world, and the world was crushing him.
Like this, unconscious and broken, it was painfully obvious how small he was, and yet his position as an Exorcist made him larger and stronger than the average 15 year old. It was too much.
A sudden beeping caught Bak off his guard, and he flinched at the volume. Bak turned to look at a nurse questioningly who was approaching Allen's bed.
"Oh, don't worry about that. It's just a warning that Mr. Walker's breathing and heart rate are picking up. It means he should be waking soon." Looking at Allen supported her words, but Bak felt that something was wrong. Allen's face was pale and clammy, and his mouth kept twitching. The nurse saw none of this as she turned off the alarm and changed some setting on the machine Allen was connected to.
The whir of gears was the first warning that something was wrong and suddenly the world went monochrome. Everyone in the room froze as all color disappeared in a blink of an eye. Lavi gasped audibly and was the first to look to Allen.
Allen was staring up at the ceiling intensely, his left eye swiveling around madly, but never resting in one spot for longer than a second. With a yelp, Allen sat up, bringing his left hand up to cover his eye, not yet aware of his audience.
"W-Walker?" Allen's head shot up, finally seeing where he was and he blinked. Although Bak had called out to him, he seemed busy looking around the room as if it were a puzzle to solve. Allen noticed everyone else was staring at each other or out the window. Allen couldn't ask what was wrong as another throb raked across his eye. This time, Komui called out, rushing over to Allen to see what was wrong.
"Allen, your eye! Are you okay? Are you in pain?" Komui paused before continuing. "Are there Akuma nearby?" He looked up nervously, but Marie shook his head.
"I do not hear any Akuma within the immediate vicinity." The nurse who had been next to Allen's bed leaned over the Exorcist and tried to lay him back down, but Allen waved her away wildly, while he folded over on his side. He made no attempt to answer Komui's questions.
"Komui. His eye did something similar during his stay in China. The curse has been acting on it's own lately," Bak spoke up over Allen's whimpers.
"And did everything change color?" Komui asked, still watching Allen in concern.
"No. It usually just- searches." The nurse attempted again to help Allen, but she couldn't move Allen from his spot on the edge of the bed. A whisper came from the quivering boy, and Komui winced.
"Please stop- I can't..." The fear on his face was clearly visible and Bak took a hesitant step closer.
Suddenly, the swiveling cursed eye froze and sank back into Allen's scar, bringing back color. Allen slowly sat up with his hand still over his eye. Seeing Komui's worried face and Bak looking serious behind him was unnerving.
"Did I disturb you?" Allen murmured, looking around the room apologetically. Bak was the one who broke the silence.
"Your eye, Walker, like in China, it activated on it's own. Although, this time it affected everyone in the room. Are you alright, Walker?" Allen smiled and slowly brought his hand down, revealing his normal eye.
"I'm fine now. I'm sorry I worried you. I thought with Crown Clown's new form, it would stop, but it's restless. Usually I can keep everyone else from seeing souls, but once before it escaped me. That was when we met Krory." Allen chuckled nervously under everyone's stare and Lavi coughed.
"I guess we're lucky there weren't any Akuma around, right short stack? The soul..." Lavi trailed off, thinking to himself and Allen frowned.
"Well," the Matron brushed her apron, "Visitors out. I need to take care of my patient." Bak and Komui looked like leaving was the last thing on their mind, but eventually Komui sighed and nodded. They couldn't exactly go up against the Matron.
As they filed out the room, Bak looked back to see Allen's smile while he spoke with the nurses. A smile that hurt to look at since it hid so much. Walker shouldn't have been smiling like he was clearly in pain, but Bak was starting to learn that that was just like Allen. Whenever he's on the verge of falling apart, he puts on a smile and keeps walking, even as the ground crumbles at his feet.
Even as Komui walked away to go see Lenalee, Bak did not follow. An urge came over him to do something to help. Anything. Finish analyzing the Ark, bring Allen's files to the nurses, end the war, anything to allow the teenagers they were sending off to their deaths to have a life again. To change the world from their personal living hell to a chance at living. Because what Allen saw through the curse every time he faced an Akuma was not a gift nor something to be coveted.
How many times had Allen wished, dreamed, prayed, that he would have never received his eye and the ability to see the souls of Akuma and the lack of color in a dying world? How many times did the curse activate on its own, forcing Allen to never rest and save every Akuma? How many times had someone said, "I wish I had your eye," believing that it was such a blessing?
For the sake of Allen and every other child caught up in this war, Bak left the infirmary with a new resolve.
Apparently some have not heard the glorious news, and who am I to deny them happiness? SQ Crown announced that a new chapter of DGM would be published July 17th, and quarterly, meaning only four times a year. I know that only four times a year is like a knife to the gut, but I'd take four chapters of pure gold over the emptiness of no new chapters over anything. I can't read Japanese, unfortunately, but from what I could tell from Google translate, Hoshino confirmed it in one of her recent posts on Instagram ( Hoshino1000). She essentially said:
"[DGM] is now to be resumed, as there was an official announcement (by SQ Crown). Some people might be disappointed in the quarterly magazine..."
SO YES. COMPLETELY REAL. MARK YOUR CALENDERS, GUYS, JULY 17th!
(Also, Hoshino apparently reads all the comments and encouragement on her Instagram and she thanks all of you, because we're the ones that encourage her T^T)
Abyss-chan out~!