Disclaimer and Legal stuff:
-Man®, including Allen Walker®, Yuu Kanda®, Lavi®, Lenalee®, Komui®, Miranda® and others are registered trademarks of Shonen Jump. Based on characters and comic books created by Katsura Hoshino.
This story is written purely as a side-story to -Man® and not meant for any commercial profit or infringement on copyright. This story will immediately be removed if Shonen Jump wishes so.
The story, is copyright © 2010 by Jalon Dee Stock (ChaosDisorder).
The character, Envy Culus is copyright © 2010 by Jalon Dee Stock (ChaosDisorder).
Warning: This story is rated T due to mild course language, gore and violence. If you do not like gore, then don't read this story.
Not My Time – Chapter 2 – Lullaby
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap-Tap. Tap.
An uneven tapping sound echoed throughout the hall as Envy walked (as best he could with crutches) down it, calmly humming a small tune he'd heard a Noah sing once. It was a stupid song, and said to be centuries old, but it was just one of those songs that stuck in one's mind no matter what you did to get rid of it. Unfortunately he spoke Japanese as well, so the words stuck even harder than normal.
"Sennen... ko ha... sagashiteru..." He softly sang, his voice only cracking at a whisper level as his emerald orbs glanced over the large oak doors that lead to the forth floor's church; they were a lot alike to the ones back in his time. It looks like they weren't kidding when they said they based it on the old order, since this place was so closely designed to his home he could easily navigate it blindfolded. Even the number of stairs were the same.
"Daijina... hatto... sagashiteru..." He suddenly stopped in his tracks to cough a bit, before wiping his mouth lightly and ghosting his fingers over the single patch that covered his left eye. He'd been told that in a week they'd send him on his first mission, which relieved him to an extent... though he'd still rather be in his own time, than anything else.
"Anata wa atari..." He hummed out again as he began to walk back down the corridor, a small smile etched onto his face as he clearly remembered the Noah of Desires dancing around him, singing that song with a look of innocent glee in his eyes- though the boy was anything but innocent, he later found out.
"Tachikami yo..."
---
"Good morning Envy, how are you?" He heard a chirpy voice ask from his left as he'd just calmly stepped from his room, the bags under his eyes very evident now that his eye patch was gone as he yawned lightly, before giving the girl a light wave in greeting as she walked over to him with a smile.
Her hair was short and choppy, and she didn't seem to have innocence on her at the time being, making the boy sigh lightly. He'd been doing some research lately and became aware that the event matched up, meaning he knew exactly what was going to happen. He'd tell them, but every-time he opened his mouth to do so, it just shuts again. It's like some force is preventing him from disturbing the past.
"Hello Lenalee-san, I'm alright. How about you?" He asked politely as they began to walk towards the cafeteria's direction. He was still holding a slight limp in his step, since broken legs weren't fast to heal, if they ever truly did.
In words of time, Envy had been in the late 19th century now for three months and thirteen days, and had slept on abut a quarter of the nights presented to him. Envy feared his dreams, the terror they beheld... frightened him to no end, so as a result he hardly slept... no, he hardly dared to sleep. He always pushed his limits until fatigue won and he'd be whisked into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Envy sighed a bit, before smiling kindly at Lenalee again as they turned a corner. The sight in front of them was shocking, yes, but unexpected? No, not really.
Because right now, in the middle of the hall, lay a tall feminine man Envy had learned was named Kanda Yu (he'd also learnt to keep a distance from said Kanda Yu) and a slightly small albino moyashi of a boy who was, according to Lavi and the rest, named Allen Walker... well back on point, they were currently wresting like a pair of five-year-old children in the middle of the hall.
Let's just say 'anime-style sweat-drop' doesn't cut it for the typicality of the situation.
"Will you two cut it out?!" Lenalee suddenly yelled from beside the male (of whom she was completely oblivious, as was everyone else, to the fact he was born in the late 20th century... defintely over 100 years after she was born) before storming down to the two and unceremoniously peeling them apart from each other. Envy just let out a light sigh and rubbing the side of his temples with both hands in annoyance.
"I'm going to go ahead to the cafeteria." The long silver-haired boy said with a calm, gentlemanly English tone to his voice before he limped by the others and began to head towards the cafeteria and turned the corner.
When the boy was gone, Lenalee and Allen both cast confused looks down the hall where he'd gone too, before the boy faced the girl with a slightly perplexed expression and said, seeming to read her thoughts exactly, too, "Is it just me, or did he seem a little... transparent just then?"
Kanda, however, didn't care and just stalked after Envy; he wanted his soba, after all.
---
"You can play the piano?" A young, deep red-haired boy asked as he sat at a grand piano, though he was facing into a tall girl's direction. Her hair was long and slightly wavy, and her eyes were the same emerald as Envy's as she chuckled and nodded.
"Of course. Why? You want to learn?" She asked with that smile as the boy poked out his tongue and nodded afterwards.
"Yeah-huh! I want to show off to mum and dad and say I can play two instruments!" The boy said in a giddy tone as the girl chuckled kindly at him.
"Alright Envy, watch and learn,"
"A piano?" The boy asked himself as he entered a, what looked like, abandoned old room with what was, indeed, an old-fashioned grand piano sitting, gathering dust in the corner. Blinking in confusion, the boy calmly strode over to the contraption only to discover it was actually an old organ or sorts, meaning this must have been the organ that was the predecessor to the current one.
Just as he was about to lift up the cloth on the contraption, a voice interrupted his thoughts from behind.
"You like the piano?" It was a high, English boy's voice that made a small smile come onto Envy's face. It was the voice of one of this morning's 'immature boys', Allen Walker. Surprisingly, when not around the others, the boy could make good company. They both knew the opposing wore a mask, but neither asked about it, making things... comfortable for them. Why? No idea.
"Yeah, I used to play it." Envy said before turning to Allen to match the boy's fake smile with his own, and chuckled lightly to add to the effect of his deeper voice rung in the room, "Why do you ask?"
A pained look passed on the boy's face as his eyes were suddenly shadowed over by choppy silver locks, before he looked up with a bright smile, as if silently rivalling Envy's own false happiness, while at the same time trying to be inviting. It was an intriguing thought.
"Come with me, I know a place with a better piano than this." He said with that smile, before he seemed to blink a bit in confusion and shake his head, muttering something under his breath. The boy then chuckled again and gestured out of the old room towards the stony hall of the midnight's forth floor. 'Two weeks, 5 days to go...'
"Really? Now I'm fascinated." The taller of the two said with a smile as he walked past Allen into the hall, before turning in order to see the boy already begin walking off towards the staircase. He calmly followed after, without a word.
---
"Here." Allen said with a smile as he pushed in an oak door inside a white city, before walking to a blindingly white room and inviting the taller of the two in. Though confused, the older of the two stepped in and didn't need to turn to know the door vanished behind him. Allen, however, was unphased as he approached a piano with the key's colours reversed, running a finger lightly over the keys, before turning to Envy with that sickeningly fake smile again. Envy just returned it with his own.
He walked over to the boy and lightly ran a finger over the keys as well, before calmly sitting on the chair. "I hope you don't mind, but can I play something?" The boy suddenly asked, making Allen just nod and smile, before he walked over to one of the white couches and sat in it, glaring at the window. "Arigatou."
The boy then ghosted his hands over the keys again, before smiling and beginning to play a melody. The sound of the melody seemed to be familiar to Allen as he snapped his head away from the window before looking at Envy with wide eyes.
And speaking of said man, the boy's arms played over the keys like an expert as he began to sing in his light, yet masculine tone, white hair cascaded lightly down his bag as he did so, stunning Allen even further into silence.
"soshite bouyaha nemurini tsuite" Envy sang with closed eyes as the flash of a tall man in obviously 19th century clothing smiled at him, he smiled back in the memory, while in reality he also smiled as he continued singing, "ikizuku haino nakano honoo hitotsu, futatsuto"
"H-ah..." Allen breathed in shock before turning back to the mirror on the war, not surprised to see the fourteenth Noah grinning at him from behind the glass. Envy, however, kept on playing, as he was very familiar with the song. His older sister, Lust, taught to him when he was only 6 years old, and he spent a whole week practising to get it just right. His parents seemed to proud of him when he played it too.
At the memory, Envy took a deep breath before continuing his song and melody:
"ukabu fukurami itoshii yokogao
daichini taruru ikusen no yume, yume
gin no hitomi no yuragu yoruni umareochita kagayaku omae
ikuokuno toshitsukiga ikutsu inoriwo tsuchihe kaeshitemo
watashi ha inori tsudukeru
douka konokoni ai wo
tsunaida teni kisuwo"
"Good job!" Lust said with a bright smiled and clapped along with his parents. The young boy got off of his seat and beamed happily at his impressed family, before running up and hugging his sister around the waist tightly.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He ten looked up to the rest of his family and grinned and teary grin, "Thank you!!"
"Envy?!" He suddenly heard called from behind him as he turned his wide green eyes to see a worried Allen shaking him. He let out a shaky sigh and smiled, making a worried look come on the boy's features, before he went back to the couch and Envy spun around to face him, still smiling softly.
"Gomen, I got carried away." Envy said with a light laugh as he rubbed the back of his head lightly, before it was cut off by a rather quiet, yet strong question. "How do you know that song?" He asked his his face shielded by his hair and his legs tucked under his chin. The boy looked extremely vulnerable if anything, making Envy's heart wrench at the sight. Letting out a deep sigh, he walked over to the boy and without contemplating, embraced the boy in a mother-type embrace, despite him being a male. His long white hair fell slightly over his own shoulders and onto the boy's back as he felt the boy begin to slowly break and sobs begin to come from him.
"How-? How'd you kn-now?" He stuttered between sobs as Envy sighed and began to pat down the boy's hair in a soothing notion. He'd never been good at comforting others, since he was usually the one comforted, or just abandoned himself. "Th-The song, h- how?"
"If I told you, you'd never believe me..." Envy replied with a heavy sigh before he pulled back slightly and sat down, not flinching when the boy finally broke and clutched onto his chest for support and began to sob into the long black shirt her was wearing. He just embraced the boy as a result and began to coo him lightly.
After a while, Allen finally pulled back and sniffed, wiping away his tears and smiled a broken smile at Envy, who just smiled back and petted the boy's head in response. He thought with a sigh as the boy finally asked him what was on his mind, which didn't surprise Envy the slightest. "Why wouldn't I believe you?"
"Trust me, Allen, it's just too far fetched... even in this universe." Envy said with a kind smile, as Allen sniff-chuckled and shook his head, gazing at the glass window and sighing. He had rather liked the feeling of Envy petting his hair before, but there was no way in hell he was going to ask 'can you keep petting me like a cat?' since it was just... gay. No, stupid was a better word.
"I have a Noah living inside me... I think I'm open enough for far-fetched ideas." The boy muttered, making a small smile crack onto Envy's face as he began to stroke the kid's hair again, making the boy smile slightly. The last person to pet him like this was Mana himself, when putting him to sleep... so it held a sleeping quality to it. It wasn't surprising that he yawned as he curled up, using Envy's leg as a cushion in the meantime.
"I'll tell you after level 4." Envy said with a sad smile as he could practically feel the boy's confusion. Calmly he just kept stroking his hair, smiling to himself in the process as he felt the boy finally lull into sleep.
'Two weeks, 1 day...'
A/N: Haha XD And there's a little EnvyAllen moment for you fangirls, but I don't care if you see it as romantic or platonic, but the bond between Allen and Envy will become a key point in plt alter on in the story. The first song he was singing was 'Road's Melody' and the second was the 'Musicians Score', both from -Man. Gomen = sorry, Arigatou = thank you. Envy speaks japanese, by the way, that's why the occasional Japanese word pops in. Oh, moyashi = beansprout.
Also, this chapter obviously contained spoilers from Envy's prediction and such. If you didn't get the hint 'I'll tell you after level 4', then you'll get it eventually as the story progresses. This is an angst story guys, just to remind you, so that's why all the moments are gloomy and stuff. I already told you that it was almost strictly in Envy's point of view as well, so yeah. I, personally, don't like Lenalee, but hey, she's too social.
You'll probably also notice the resemblances between Envy and Allen, this will become an important part of the story later on. All things will be explained in later chapters~~ Until then,
Sayonara!
~ Endavi
