Chapter 3- Innocence
Lenalee crossed her legs, looking intently at the doctor seated in front of her. He was sipping at his tea, his pinched face quite contented. Exquisite paintings hung around them, and though Lenalee was no art expert, even she could tell that they must have been expensive. The couch underneath her black skirt and pinned up navy cloak was wonderfully comfortable, and she took a moment to indulge in the soft, plush cushions of her seat.
She glanced at the boy beside her, looking like a young heir in his crisp white blouse and loose black slacks. Edward has his long haired tied back into a ponytail, looking very much like he belonged in the world of the rich. So why didn't he stay in the world of the rich?
Lenalee quickly squashed that though, feeling herself blush slightly. No, she shouldn't be thinking those things. But… Allen had a big appetite and a big heart; he was very easy to get along with. Edward… not so much. The golden eyed boy was reclusive, and Lenalee didn't want to put in the effort of befriending him as she had with Kanda. She knew it wasn't right, since Edward had healed Kanda right after, and even apologized to her, but she couldn't so easily forgive someone who had almost taken one of her precious puzzle pieces.
It was just then that golden haired boy leaned forwards, steeping his fingers together. "I would have thought that Doctor Tristo -excuse me- would have been far older, it's impressive to see such a good doctor at your age. I at first thought you were a hired secretary, to make guests feel more comfortable. Excuse me for my mistake."
Ah, talk about self compliments. If Doctor Tristo's age was impressive at 30, then what did that make Edward, who was 16? Lenalee shook her head. No, no, she had to stop with these horrid thoughts! If she viewed Edward in a bad light, everything he did would seem bad to her, no matter how honourable. She knew that, yet she couldn't stop herself.
"Oh don't worry about that," Tristo gave an embarrassed laugh, obviously taken by the blond boy's charm, "I'm glad that I'm don't look as old as I think I do."
Edward's lips twitched, but he quickly covered it up by coughing into his hand, "I am quite embarrassed for requesting this, but I am a wandering apprentice looking for a suitable master of medicine. I know that as a reputable doctor, you're probably not in need of assistance, but will you please be generous and let me in? I could do all sorts of things, like carrying your tools for you or-"
"No!" Tristo jumped up from his seat, his cup of tea crashing to the floor. His face was wild, a sharp contrast to his previous amusement. "You're one of them aren't you? Just one of those people looking for my secrets? Well I won't let you have them, I won't!"
"Please calm down," Lenalee placated, also standing. She took a step towards Tristo, hoping to calm him, but the frantic shaking of the doctor's head stopped her.
Edward leaned back on the couch, a bored expression on his face, "Looks like he's the one."
"What do you want with me?" Tristo asked shakily, taking a step back and almost tripping over his chair.
Lenalee shot Edward a small glare; honestly, did he want Tristo to call the police? She sighed, and turned back to Tristo with a pleasant smile, "Don't mind my companion, he's hopeless at phrasing things. Don't worry, we won't hurt you, or even touch any of your stuff if you don't want us to."
Tristo looked a little reassured, "Alright, then what do you want with me?"
Lenalee put her right hand to the pin on her cloak, undoing the clasp. Flinging the navy cloth to the ground, Lenalee took yet another step forwards, proudly displaying her silver starred insignia which had been previously covered by the dark blue cloak. "We are the Black Order, looking for Innocence which causes strange phenomenon to occur. We need it to combat demons, so please can you help us find some? We have reason to believe that you know about something like it; because Edward says that the things you're doing shouldn't be possible for a normal doctor. Don't you have anything like that?"
Tristo blinked, and sat down with a sigh. He buried his hands in his face, looking defeated. "No, no, I'm sorry. I don't have anything like that. Please, just go."
Lenalee opened her mouth, wanting to argue some more. She knew that he knew something, and he just wasn't telling them. She needed to convince him to… Suddenly, Edward stood, placing his hand on her arm, and shaking his head at her. He bowed slightly at Tristo, "Thank you for your time. We'll take our leave now."
The doctor nodded into his hands, not looking up, "Yes, yes, goodbye."
Without another word, Edward made to leave, tugging Lenalee gently behind him. Finally, when they had made it out the gate, did Edward let Lenalee go. Charles, the finder, looked up from his seat beside the gate, an expression of anxiety on his face. The finder picked himself up, and bounded up to them, "How'd it go?"
"Not well," Lenalee replied in confusion and a hint of anger, glancing at Edward, "Why'd you force us to leave?"
"Because," Edward drawled, putting his hands into his pockets and looking back at the house with an intent stare, "He was obviously lying. He does know something."
Well… that didn't explain anything. But Lenalee waited patiently, knowing that Edward would probably explain.
"If you'd just kept questioning," Edward continued, turning back to Lenalee and Charles, "He still wouldn't have told us anything about it. He'd just become more wary. It was best to leave and come up with a new method to find out where the Innocence is."
"And how will we do that?" Lenalee wondered aloud.
Edward seemed to have been waiting for this question. A cat like smile spread across his face, giving him a rather predatory look. "Simple. Espionage."
"Hun?" Lenalee looked at him a little worriedly, surely he didn't mean… spying? "But that's…"
"Unethical?" Edward shrugged, "Who cares? We have to get this Innocence don't we? It'll save him and us a whole lot of trouble in the end."
Lenalee pressed her lips together, displeased. She didn't like this method, not one bit. It was unethical, immoral, and completely heedless of Tristo's feelings. She supposed they would have to steal the Innocence too. But… it was probably the only way they could finish this mission quickly. Finally, she sighed, "Fine then, though I don't like it. I think you and Kanda would get along well- you're both so focussed on finishing the mission, no matter what method you use."
"What, that Akuma?" Edward snorted, crossing his arms. "Yeah right. We were trying to kill each other on the first day, remember?"
Lenalee's lips twitched despite herself. She was really starting to see the similarities between Edward and her long time friend. "And you're both so discriminative too."
Edward turned away, ignoring her. "So here's the plan. We sneak into his house while he's busy, and then we just wait and see what he does to his patients. Then, we should be able to easily steal the Innocence."
"But," Charles argued, "Who knows when the next patient will come? It might take days…"
Edward whipped around to face the finder, an evil smile spread across his face, "Well, that's where you come in…"
Lenalee and Edward hid behind a small bush, waiting for the doctor to go out and tend the rather abused Charles. Even on his spot by the doorstep, Lenalee could see that the finder's face was in extreme pain, his leg refusing to move underneath him. The noblemen's clothes that Edward had transmuted for Charles as consolation hardly helped the finder any.
"Are you sure you weren't a bit too extreme with Charles?" Lenalee whispered, managing to convey her disapproval even in the near silence she was restricted to.
"It's not extreme at all," Edward whispered back, somehow able to sound patronizing. "It has to be something worthy of the 'miracle doctor' after all."
"But what if Tristor doesn't heal Charles? Then what?"
"Then I can fix him," Edward shrugged, "You know that 'skill' I displayed when we first came to the Black Order? Well I use that when I'm healing, so I can do a lot of things regular doctors can't do."
"Then how do you know Tristo doesn't just have the same skill as you?" Lenalee asked, looking truly curious.
"Because," Edward explained, "There were some injuries that he defeated that even I couldn't cure. Besides, why do you care so much? It seemed to me that exorcists don't value finders all that highly."
Lenalee opened her mouth to argue, but then had to shut it again. She blinked, thinking about Edward's words. Was it true? Sure, she knew Kanda certainly didn't care about them, but did she…? Lenalee thought back to all those times where she had simply requested the finder to do their duty, but hadn't even thanked them afterwards. She was so focused on her friends, that she didn't even notice an important aspect of her life! A blush crept up her cheeks; she would definitely be nicer to finders next time!
"Hey," Edward spoke, jolting her out of her thoughts. He stuck five knives into the ground, and gave Lenalee an intent look, "The doctor's coming out- get ready!"
Nodding, Lenalee raced to the back door, just in time to see a complex rune appear onto the doorknob. The air cackled with blue lightning, but thankfully the doctor was too busy tending to Charles to notice. Without wasting a moment, Lenalee pushed the door open, quickly followed by Edward. Closing the door behind them, they raced though the rooms, making sure to avoid the front foyer.
Edward moved through the rooms fluently, eyes glittering, and Lenalee suddenly felt a chill down her spine. He had never been planning to talk the doctor out of it! The previous visit was simply to get the layout of the building, so that their espionage mission would go easier! She felt a bubble of anger well up inside her, though she wasn't sure if it was from not doing something so dishonest on purpose, or for not telling her.
They hid behind a door, and as the doctor came in, supporting Charles, Edward motioned for Lenalee to follow him. The crept along the heavily decorated walls, shadowing Tristo as he walked through one room, and then another. Finally, Tristo seemed to pause in one room, and without warning slammed the door shut.
Looking at each other in surprise, Edward once again dug his kunai into the ground, making two small peepholes into the walls.
The doctor took out a needle, and wedged it inside Charles's forearm. A moment passed, and finally, the finder's eyes fluttered closed.
"Alright," The doctor called, "You can come out now."
A girl of about eight years old walked into the room, carrying a large, life-sized doll in her arms. The doll looked frighteningly realistic, like a structure one would use to teach a class. But, with an eight year old girl carrying it, Lenalee had to admit that the picture looked rather ridiculous. The girl shuffled over to Charles, and put a hand over his leg. She closed her eyes, and the room filled with a soft, peaceful glow. Lenalee's eyes widened; it couldn't be…!
The wounds on Charles's mangled leg disappeared.
Her doll's leg on the other hand, crumpled. Every single wound that had been on Charles appeared on it instead, making the otherwise normal doll look demented in its new form.
The girl's face lit in a brilliant smile, and she hugged the doll tighter. "Thank you Anne, I'm sorry for hurting you, but you heal much faster than this Mister right here, and you like to help too, don't you?"
Tristo turned his eyes to her, sneering, "Talking to your doll again? I thought I told you to stop; it's annoying. Ah well, whatever makes you work your magic I guess. Go ahead, talk to that stupid doll, just do it out of my sight! Dumb street girl, if it weren't for me picking you up, you wouldn't even have that doll! If you dare talk to 'Anne' in my sight again, rest assured that I will take her away!"
The girl's lips trembled, and she immediately looked down.
"Well, well," The doctor cooed, looking back at Charles with an absolutely wicked gleam in his eyes, "You're off the hook for today, because of this patient! He's the son of some duke you know? You can tell by his clothes. We'll be sure to get a lot wealthier with this!"
"I don't care about that," The girl murmured, turning to walk away, "I just want to cure people."
Tristo's face suddenly twisted, and he whirled around to face the girl. He grabbed her by the collar, lifting her up off the ground. Ignoring her little gasps of pain, his face turned demonic, "You'll only cure whom I tell you to cure! You won't go and heal beggars again! Your doll only has a limited use, and once that quota is fulfilled, you can't seem to heal again until your doll gets better. Last time you went to heal the beggars, I couldn't do anything for the noble I was attending, and I was disgraced! You're not healing anyone I don't want you to!"
The little girl's eyes filled with tears, but she bit her lip, refusing to let them fall. Edward's fists clenched at the poor treatment, but Lenalee had more of a reaction than that. Her mind flashed back to her own childhood- being forced to bear Innocence for the will of men. Being tied up… constrained… Suddenly, without a conscious consent, her Dark Boots activated.
She didn't mind. Without even telling Edward to get out of the way, she kicked at the wall, leaving a pile of rubble in her wake. Surprised, Tristo dropped the little girl to the ground, who coughed violently. Lenalee stepped forwards, a fierce glare in her eyes, "You've been found out Doctor Tristo, by the Black Order, and you won't escape.
Tristo shook, falling to his knees in terror. "You- you-"
Lenalee didn't feel like being overly merciful. She took another step forwards, knowing that her armoured uniform must have looked menacing to the regular citizen, "You will be stripped of your title and privileges, left to be a beggar on the streets. Since the use of Innocence should not be used for money, your earnings due to it will be confiscated."
She didn't really have the authority to do that, but she was the director's sister, and for once she was willing to beg her brother for something. This man- this monster, didn't deserve anything less.
"N-no!" Tristo suddenly lunged forwards, grabbing the little girl by the neck. The girl squealed, but Tristo didn't pay any attention to her, instead focusing a crazed stare at Lenalee. "Don't come any closer or I'll- she's the thing you're seeking isn't she? So if she gets damaged then- argh!"
Two long spiral spikes had shot up from the ground, piercing Tristo's arm. His hands spasmed, letting the little girl go involuntarily. Lenalee ran to the little girl immediately, checking her over for injuries. The spirals retreated, and the carpet took its place, wrapping Tristo in a prison of immobility.
"Are you alright?" Lenalee asked the girl worriedly.
The girl nodded, rubbing her throat. Then, she crawled towards Tristo, hugging her doll closely and putting her hands on Tristo's arms.
Edward moved forwards, grabbed the girl's wrists, stopping her. The little girl looked up at Edward with slightly betrayed eyes, no doubt thinking that he wanted to use her just as Tristo did.
"He still took care of me," The girl said softly. "So I want to heal him."
Edward shook his head with a gentle smile that Lenalee didn't know was possible on the blond boy's face. "Your doll has limits doesn't it? Well, I'm a doctor too, so let me heal Tristo."
The girl blinked, and her face broke out into a brilliant smile. She scooted backwards, and watched in awe as Edward did his work. Lenalee had to stop herself from watching in awe, as well. She had only once seen Edward heal, and that could hardly count, as she had thought that he was trying to kill Kanda. But this sight… was rather amazing.
Edward's eyes were closed, and for once a peaceful expression flittered across his face. The blue lightning seemed to dance instead of slash, and somehow the faint blue glow seemed a lot more serene. Slowly, the wounds around Tristo's arms closed, leaving not even a scar. Lenalee couldn't help but be amazed.
Edward opened his eyes again, his golden orbs glowing with something otherworldly. "Let's go."
Nodding, Lenalee stood, holding out her hand to the little girl beside her. Smiling, the girl took her hand, getting up in an instant.
"My name's Lenalee," Lenalee smiled, looking at the girl with a gentle expression, "He's Edward. What's your name?"
"Maria," The girl replied in a small voice, gazing up at Lenalee in wonder, "Are you a superhero?"
Lenalee blinked, and laughed, "No sweetie, we're not. We're-"
She hesitated, and glanced at Edward, who seemed to be performing another transmutation. She knew that this girl was compatible, but how old was she? Eight? Lenalee didn't want to curse anyone else with the life she had led. If it had been the doctor, she would have had no problem bringing him to the Black Order, but Lenalee couldn't condemn an eight year old.
"We're going to find you a better home," She finally concluded, deciding in her heart that there was no way she was going to let another person experience the same thing she did. She wouldn't allow it. Edward would just have to agree.
"Re-really?" The little girl asked, a tentative smile spreading across her face, "Then are you angels?"
Angels? Ah, didn't she wish it were so. Lenalee shook her head, tugging gently on the girl's hand. "No, I'm afraid we're only human, but don't worry, humans can be nice too."
"Oh I know that," Maria replied wisely, hugging her doll closer with her free hand. She looked towards the Innocence, a tender expression on her face, "Don't we Anne? There are some really nice people outside, though the doctor doesn't let us out much. Once, I didn't listen to him though, and I-"
She paused, looking so sad that Lenalee could practically feel her heart break.
"You will get all the best as of now," Edward smiled, suddenly appearing in front of Maria with a bundle of clothes in his arms. He set them down next to Maria, and scratched his head in slight embarrassment, "They're not very good, but they'll do for now. We'll get better ones for your- um… Anne later, but right now, can you deal with these?"
Maria's eyes widened, and in the next instant she had tackled Edward to the ground, hugging onto his legs tightly. "Thank you! Thank you-"
She blushed, getting up again. Ducking her head, she shifted her foot shyly, timidly. "Ah, sorry mister. I'm sorry for being so wayward."
"Don't apologize, Edward doesn't mind." Lenalee quickly assured, and then threw a glare that warned that he'd better not mind.
Edward groaned slightly, slowly picking himself up off the ground. He shook his head, giving a smile to Maria, but his eyes looked strangely sad, "I don't mind at all. It's been a long time since I was tackled like that… And I keep wishing I would be tackled again."
"Re-really?" Maria stammered, looking absolutely blissful as she raised her head with a huge smile on her face. "Then- then I'll tackle you again sometime! For sure!"
"Eh-he," Edward smiled painfully, and gestured to an unused corner of the room, "Why don't you put some clothes on Anne first? She looks chilly."
Bobbing her head happily, Maria complied, scurrying over to the corner with Anne in one hand, and the new clothes in the other. As soon as she was out of earshot, Edward threw Lenalee an asserting look.
"Is that Innocence?" Edward asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Yes," Lenalee muttered, feeling a flush of guilt as she considered her next words. It would be one of the first times she lied, but it had to be done. "So we'll have to take it. But Maria's too young to be an effective exorcist, and it'd be a waste of time to bring her back to HQ.
Edward's eyes were piercing, and Lenalee had the uncomfortable feeling that he had seen right through her. Still, he nodded in consent, "I agree, she'd most likely be a hindrance to the Black Order at that age. We should find her an orphanage or something."
Lenalee felt a bubble of rage well up inside her. Maria wouldn't be a hindrance! She'd be brilliant, because having an Innocence that healed would be helpful no matter what your age! The only reason Lenalee was pretending otherwise was because- Lenalee blinked, then felt a warm, dazzlingly smile spread across her face. So, Edward was more like Kanda than even Lenalee had thought, "You're actually being kin-"
Edward quickly turned away, no doubt embarrassed. Well, Lenalee wasn't going to let him get away with that… but his next words stopped her. "So what are we going to do about the finder?"
The finder? She had completely forgotten about him. Feeling a blush rise up on her cheeks, she gave Edward a hesitant look, "I…"
But thankfully, Edward's question seemed more to himself than anything else, "He has a mixture of powerful chemicals in his bloodstream, and it'll probably take three hours before he even wakes up. By that time… Man I don't want to come back to this place, let's just leave him a note. From what I heard, he's prepared for this type of thing right?"
Lenalee pursed her lips, deciding not to get so caught off guard again. She thought for a moment about Edward's proposal, and nodded. Tilting his head in consent, Edward dug into his pockets, pulling out a sheet of paper and a pen. Scrawling a quick message, he stuck it onto Charles' chest, and then took a few steps away from the bed.
"Let's go then," The blond boy directed, lazily eyeing the entranceway as he sauntered past.
Lenalee cocked her head, giving Maria a slight, questioning smile. Nodding enthusiastically, Maria skipped forwards, hugging her doll tightly in one hand and practically dragging Lenalee with the other. Laughing, the black haired exorcist quickly followed, feeling happier than she ever had in a long time.
They looked around for hours for an orphanage, although there couldn't have possibly been even that many. Still, they didn't know the town well, and were prone to getting lost. When they did find an orphanage, Lenalee always stayed a while to inspect it, which took even longer. But, Lenalee wanted the best for Maria. Finally, they seemed to find one.
"I like it here," Maria said contentedly, sighing happily as she sank deeper into her chair. She held out Anne in front of her, tilting the doll this way and that as she admired the new dress. "Anne likes it too."
They were in the lounge; the place used for adults wanting to adopt, or in this case, someone needing to drop a child off. Lenalee and Maria sat facing each other, while Edward sat on the window ledge, one knee hugged loosely to his chest. The room was indeed nice, and so was the rest of the orphanage. Edward hadn't been pleased about the lack of books, but he didn't make a big fuss about it, and Lenalee decided that it was the lesser of two evils. The kids here were actually nice, and very accepting. She thought Maria could do well here.
But… there was one more issue they had yet to discuss. Glancing around, she quickly made sure that there was no one around other than the three of them. Good. The patron of the orphanage had decided to give them a time to say goodbyes, and no one was to disturb them.
Lenalee leant forwards, placing her hands on her knees, "Maria… you know how Anne can heal people?"
Maria nodded enthusiastically, "Yep! Anne's the best! I've seen other dolls, and none of them are nearly as good as Anne."
"Well…" Lenalee said hesitantly, "That's because Anne's an Innocence, a special substance that has magical powers, you could say. I have one myself."
Lifting her leg, Lenalee silently asked for the Dark Boots to activate, and in a flash of light, her calves felt the familiar, restricting touch of her Innocence. Her throat constricted; she hated having to explain, and disillusion the eight year old about the rosy world, but it was better than Maria keeping her innocence and being in constant danger. Perhaps… perhaps Maria would forget about this once they were gone, and live her life normally.
"With these boots," Lenalee forced herself to explain to Maria's wide-eyed look, "I can jump anywhere. Likewise with your doll, you can heal anyone. But, with power comes responsibility. There's an evil being in the world, who creates demons from a human's despair. When someone dies, some people want to bring them back, and the creator uses that anguish to create Akuma. The Akuma then takes on the form of the person who called them back, so they're virtually impossible to detect. Then, they kill to evolve. They can only be defeated using Innocence."
"So…" Maria whispered, "That's Anne?"
Smart child. Lenalee nodded grimly, "Yes, that's Anne. Since Innocence is the only thing that can destroy them, Akuma are constantly trying to destroy Innocence. Unfortunately…"
"They'll try to get Anne," Maria finished bleakly.
Lenalee felt her heart break. She swallowed, unsure if she could continue. Thankfully, Edward came to her rescue.
"So you'll have to part with it if you want to live," The blond said coolly, not moving from his perch by the window. "Or else the Akuma will be after you, and they don't care who they kill. Everyone around you die as well. Do you want that?"
Maria flinched violently, and looked away. She gulped, her hands trembling, "I don't- I don't-"
Lenalee sighed. Edward had been too harsh. She leaned forwards, extending a hand to pat Maria reassuringly. Maria jumped back before Lenalee's hand could land, clutching Anne to her desperately. She shook her head wildly, curly strands of brown hair slapping at her face.
"Go away! Don't touch Anne! You can't take her from me, you can't! She was my first friend, my first…" She bit her lip, tears visible in her eyes, "You're just like the Doctor! I won't let you take Anne!"
Without warning, she bolted, pushing through the door and slamming it shut behind her.
Edward sighed, leaning his head back against the wall.
Lenalee frowned at the blond, "You shouldn't have been so hard on her."
"She needed to know," The medic said softly, "It's better if she knows now and makes the decision after long thought, than if she were to make the decision on sparse information and regret it for the rest of her life. Don't worry, she'll come around. If it's true what you said that your Innocence reflects your personality, I don't think Maria will want to endanger others."
"Do you really think she'll give up Anne then?" Lenalee murmured, "The way she talked about her Innocence…"
She couldn't imagine it. How could Maria like her Innocence so much, when it was obviously just using her? Lenalee brought her legs up onto her chair, fingering the hard material of her Dark Boots. She had always hated her Innocence, how could Maria like hers so much?
As if reading her thoughts, a small, fleeting smile spread across Edward's features, "The gift of healing, is very different from the power of combat."
Lenalee's lips tightened, and she couldn't help the glare she gave the newcomer. Was he trying to rub it in? But no… he looked sad, sitting on that lonely window ledge, staring outside as if he didn't belong here. And then Lenalee remembered, the frightening skill he had displayed when fighting Kanda, how thoroughly he had been researching medicines when she had found him for this mission. No, Edward was talking from personal experience, of someone who had enough of fighting, and decided to heal instead.
Lenalee felt her eyes soften. Their newcomer wasn't bad at all, was he? Everything he had done so far, seemed a cover for his true feelings. Lenalee had been too blind to see if before, but looking at him now, with his sunspun hair falling gently across his features, his golden eyes heart-rending and wistful, she wondered how she had missed it.
He made himself out to be the bad guy, but everything was calculated with him. He had seen the corruptness of Tristo way before she had, and planned for it accordingly. Hurting Charles wasn't because he was sadistic, but because he saw no other option of infiltration. If Lenalee remembered correctly, Edward had actually done something to Charles to make the pain go away, though Lenalee hadn't paid much attention to it at the time. With Maria now, it was the same thing. Every word Edward said was meant to be biting, but also meant to help Maria heal in the long run. Why hadn't Lenalee seen it before…?
Suddenly, Edward crouched over, his face contorted in an expression of pain. He was shaking badly, his face taunt with sweat. Feeling a stab of worry, Lenalee jerked upwards, running over to Edward's side. "Are you okay?"
"Go," The blond commanded, his breath coming out in harsh gasps. His eyes feverish, he pushed Lenalee away from him, "Get Maria! There's an Akuma here! You're faster- I'll catch up."
Lenalee's eyes widened, and she stood frozen for a moment. No… no! Then, her exorcist instincts kicked in. Activating her Dark Boots, she prepared to depart.
"Wait!" Edward's weak voice stopped her. There was a moment's hesitation, then… "Be careful. This one feels… I dunno, stronger?"
Level Two! There was no time to waste then! Lenalee kicked off, blasting thorough the roof. She didn't care about property damage; she had to take care of the Akuma before it found Maria! Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Lenalee scanned the city, wondering where the Akuma could be. A sudden, piercing scream split the city, and a second later an alleyway close to the orphanage came crashing down. Lenalee didn't waste an instant- she sprinted to the scene.
The Akuma had revealed its true form, ugly and twisted as its nature. It had blades where his hands should be, and it stood upright like a human. Lithe and agile, the Akuma looked like one made for speed.
Maria was not far ahead of it, facing the creature with an expression of terror. Anne was still clutched in her hand, but the dress was ripped and shredded to pieces. Her lips trembled, and tears flowed freely down her cheeks, "You… you… those misters…"
It was then that Lenalee noticed the carnage around them, and it took all her willpower not to barf. The bodies of passerbys who only had the sin of being in the wrong place at the wrong time littered the alley, soaking the street in red. Some had been fortunate enough to have been turned into dust by the Akuma bullets, but not everyone was so lucky. Many had their limbs cut off, or bodies sliced in half, ensuring that they died a slow and torturous death.
The Akuma advanced, showing his teeth in a grotesque grin, "You're next missy."
Lenalee decided it was time to act. She didn't care if this was a Level Two and she didn't have backup- she had to save Maria. Racing towards the Akuma, she jumped, pushing her legs together to hit maximum velocity. Before the Akuma could even raise a hand, she had ploughed through it, her Innocence glinting in savage glory.
The Akuma jumped back, and she flipped to Maria's side, standing protectively in front of the little girl.
"What's this?" The Akuma hissed, purple liquid flowing out of his stump, "An exorcist?"
Lenalee nodded, raising one leg in preparation to kick. She charged once again.
The Akuma gave a hissing laughter as he swayed slightly, and completely avoided Lenalee's attack, "You won't get me again. You're too slow. The only reason you got me the last time was because I was surprised, see? But I'm going to make you pay for making me lose my arm, when I had finally evolved…"
The blade on his remaining arm glowed, and suddenly discs of light shot out at her. Eyes widening, Lenalee quickly jumped, just barely dodging them all. A loud crash rang in Lenalee's ears, as the buildings behind her crumbled to the floor. She didn't have time to give it any heed. She flew towards the Akuma, willing her speed to the max. But it still wasn't enough for the flexible, sinewy beast. The Akuma simply bent his body in ways humanly impossible, avoiding nearly all of Lenalee's attacks.
A wide smile spread across the demon's face, and the Akuma's arm glowed once again. Tensing, Lenalee leaped, calculating the best ways to avoid the attack.
But it wasn't aimed for her.
Maria's scream pierced through the air, loud and penetrating. Lenalee felt her heart stop. Feeling numb, Lenalee turned from the demon.
But Maria wasn't cut open. Edward held her in his arms, standing a little ways off from where Maria had been previously. Sobbing, the little girl clutched her right leg, and Lenalee suddenly noticed the deep gashes n the limb. The doll had been covering the wounds before, but now Lenalee could see… the horrid angle Maria's leg was bent.
"Lenalee! Watch out!"
She reacted to the shout more than anything else. Without even turning, she leaped, just avoiding the sweeping swipe of the demon.
Edward set Maria down, gesturing for Lenalee to go over to them. Lenalee complied.
"We can't move Maria," Edward murmured as soon as Lenalee was within range, his face pale. "Her right leg's broken, and… since she healed Charles earlier on the same leg, Anne can't… "
Immediately, Lenalee understood. The Innocence could only heal one body part once, and after that… There must be a certain time limit for renewal, and they had not reached it yet. Anne was virtually useless for Maria until Anne's leg fixed itself. Lenalee bit her lip, her body trembling, "Then… I'd hate to say this but… Maria will just have to deal with the pain. It's better than…"
Edward gritted his teeth, shaking his head. "It's not that. If we move her now her leg will be… I won't even be able to fix it. It's that bad. We've arrived too late."
Horror flooded Lenalee, "It's that bad? What do we do? Edward, this is a Level Two, and worse yet, its strength is in its speed and flexibility. Even I can't compete with it because it always dodges my attacks."
Just then, blades of light once again harried in their direction. Gritting her teeth, Lenalee turned and kicked away each incoming blade, dancing through the sky like a butterfly. Eventually, the torrent stopped, leaving Lenalee panting. It would have been easier to dodge, but she couldn't possibly leave…
Edward's lips thinned, "Maria's Innocence seems to have a limitation, does yours too?"
"Only of my body," Lenalee gasped, trying to suck in as much air as possible. "But I'm pretty sure I can hold on until you two get out of here."
"Not possible," Edward frowned, "Unless…"
"Unless?" Was it possible that Edward had a plan in this type of situation?
"It seems that the Akuma must recharge before sending off barricades of blades, so we'll use that time," Edward said quickly, moving in front of Maria. "There's no point in you trying to distract him, since he'll probably just aim for Maria. If you defend Maria all the time though, you'll tire out eventually, and we'll all die. So… what we have to do is… beat him before you tire out."
Lenalee's eyebrow twitched; yes, she knew that already. The question was, how?
"Agh! It's at times like this I wish I had Innocence. As it is, I can't even scratch the guy, no matter what my speed is," Edward muttered in frustration, messing up his hair. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face Lenalee with a determined look in his eyes. "I'll have to perform a transmutation- er, that thing that you saw me do with Kanda, but it won't harm the Akuma, especially if it's Level Two. I've tested it out during my travels with Allen. However, it'll immobilize it, which is what you need right?"
Lenalee nodded, feeling a glimmer of hope return to her. Why hadn't they thought of this earlier?
"But, I'm not sure how long it'll hold him for. My alkahestry is not as strong as…" Edward shook his head, "Anyway, you'll have to be right there when it activates, so that you can act as soon as possible. It might figure a way out otherwise, then we won't get another chance to trap it again."
Lenalee thought about this for the briefest moment. It was a good plan, but… "What about you guys? Without me here, how'll you defend yourselves? If what you said about the time frame between attacks is true, at least allow me to get rid of another barrage first."
"You said this was a Level Two right?" Edward asked fiercely, "Have you ever defeated a Level Two?"
"Well, no…"
"Than we can't take the chance! You need to be at the best of your strength when you attempt to take it out, or else it might survive! Lenalee, you must go before it sends another barricade at us. Look-" Edward took a deep breath, his voice the gentlest Lenalee had ever heard it, "We'll be okay. Believe me, I'll make sure of it."
Tears in her eyes, Lenalee whipped around and raced for the Akuma, seeing out of the corner of her eyes Edward stick his five knives into the ground and losing his eyes in concentration.
The ground glowed blue.
The Akuma didn't give them a chance- immediately, he launched another attack,
Lenalee felt her heart drop as the blades went whizzing past her. But… but Edward would be okay, right? He was just as fast as she was, if not more. He could definitely… he could definitely… she would just have to trust him. She had to concentrate on her own attack. She couldn't abandon the plan, she couldn't let Edward down. She had to take this chance!
The ground exploded. The earth bubbled, and mounts of lava-like dirt rising to entrap the Akuma.
"What the-?" The Akuma struggled, but to no avail. After all, how could one fight the earth itself? Lenalee didn't give it a chance to think of a way. Calling on her Innocence, she slammed down on the Akuma. Not able to dodge like it normally did, the demon didn't stand a chance.
"Argghhhh!" The demon exploded in a cloud of light.
Feeling the energy drain out of her, Lenalee deactivated her Innocence. It had worked. Sighing in relief, she landed softly on the ground, turning to Edward and Maria in happiness. They had done it. Now… Now…
No…
Edward!
She raced towards him, almost stumbling with shock as she finally made it to his side. She fell to her knees, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "No… Edward! Why are you- how could you be- but you said-"
"I guess…" Edward swayed, and fell forwards. Lenalee quickly caught him, feeling his barely perceptible tremble. He lifted his head, giving a weak smile to Lenalee, "…this is retribution."
Lenalee felt her heart break. Though she wasn't a medic by any means, and she could only see his back, even she could tell Edward didn't look good. Slashes ran across his body, soaking her clothes and skin in a dark red. Only the gleaming metal of his right arm and left leg remained undamaged. He hadn't avoided the blades at all. Coughing, Edward weakly reached for his array, "Lenalee… I need to heal-"
"Yes, yes, of course," Lenalee nodded, shifting Edward closer to his circle of knives. "Of course, you can heal right? Haha, why am I worrying."
"Yeah…" Edward murmured, placing his hand on the array, "Why are you worrying…?"
He closed his eyes, in what Lenalee assumed to be concentration… the ground flickered a faint blue, and Lenalee heard Maria give a little gasp of surprise. Lenalee smiled slightly, waiting for the wounds on Edward's body to heal, as it had done when he fought Kanda.
It didn't come.
The smile fell from her lips. The outstretched hand fell limp, his body feeling like a sack of potatoes on Lenalee's knees.
"Edward? Edward?" Lenalee shook the blond slightly, but he didn't open his eyes again. She wanted to shake him harder, to force him to get up, but she didn't dare to agitate his wounds. Biting her lip, she looked down at Edward with tears in her eyes, her voice coming out in a broken gasp. "Why won't you wake up?"
Maria finally seemed to snap out of her stupor. She crawled over to Edward, Innocence still clutched in her hands. It was then that Lenalee noticed that Maira's leg seemed to be completely healed.
"He…"
Maria nodded shakily, and put a hand on Edward's back, closing her eyes in concentration. The air hummed with a faint green, and large, long gashes started appearing on Anne. Slowly, the wounds on Edward's body receded.
Maria's eyes flew open, but the glint of hope within them was crushed when she saw that Edward still wasn't moving. "He's not… he's not…"
"It's… it's fine," Lenalee said unsteadily, her voice refusing to come out louder than a whisper. She swallowed, taking a deep breath; she had to be strong for Maria, she had to. "He's probably just faint from blood loss. He'll be fine once he gets some rest."
She had to believe that. She had to.
"Ye-yeah." Maria murmured, "That has to be it. Anne can't heal blood loss, since she doesn't have any blood. Right Anne?"
Lenalee nodded, closing her eyes. She felt streaks of something wet flow down her cheeks, but she chose to ignore them in favour of carrying Edward. Wiping away the tears on her shoulder, she opened her eyes again in determination. Taking a step forwards, she looked back at Maria with a faint smile, "Let's get this idiot to the hospital."
"He's awake now," The nurse said tenderly, smiling at the anxious Lenalee, "You may see him."
Nodding, Lenalee shot up from her seat, swaying slightly from her vigil in the waiting room. It was dumb she knew, because it was hardly as if depriving herself of sleep was going to help Edward any, but she couldn't help it. Somehow, she felt that it was her fault. If she hadn't been so cold towards Edward in the beginning, or if she had seen the flaws of his crazy plan…
Shaking her head, she headed towards Edward's room, gently sliding the door open. Her throat constricted when she saw the blond sitting up on the hospital bed, his face as pale as the sheets. He was arguing with another nurse, face twisted in an irritated expression, but with no flush of anger to back it up.
"I don't need to be here! I'm only suffering from blood loss! I'm a qualified doctor; I know what I'm talking about!"
"Well maybe you should check your qualifications," The nurse snorted, "If you seriously think that you can just waltz out of here after losing the amount of blood you loss and still be perfectly fine, then you're more of an idiot than I thought. I heard that Tristo was a fraud, but I didn't think there'd be this many false doctors running around."
Edward sighed in frustration, gripping the sheets tightly, "For the last time, I'm not- Lenalee."
He had finally caught sight of her. Looking surprised, he gawked at her for a moment, then quickly glanced away guiltily.
The nurse sighed in relief, "Your friend? Good, maybe you can convince him to stay in bed. I'll leave then so you have some time together."
Without another word, the nurse strode passed the ponytailed girl, and slammed the door shut behind her. Lenalee stared at the shut door for a long moment, then turned her glare on the blond, "You don't want to stay in bed?"
Edward shifted uncomfortably within his sheets, still not looking up. "Well, you know… hospitals."
Lenalee's lips thinned as she stalked up to Edward, slamming her hands down on the side of his bed, "You don't want to stay in bed, after all the worry you gave Maria and I? After your promise not to get hurt? You don't want the chance to heal?"
"I-I-" Edward stuttered, then paused in surprise. He finally looked up, his golden eyes widening, "Lenalee, you're-"
"Why am I surrounded by idiots?" Lenalee sniffled, her tears creating small, wet splotches on the bed sheets below.
"I'm sorry…" Edward murmured, his voice gaining a soft quality, "I really am."
They stayed like that, lost in their own thoughts but needing the other's company. Just then, the door was flung open.
Lenalee whipped around, quickly wiping away any residue tears, "Charles!"
The finder shifted, looking slightly guilty. "Um, look- I'm sorry to be interrupting a moment here, but this was all the time I could spare you guys. Miss Lenalee… if you don't mind, there's something I need to tell Master Edward."
Something Edward needed to know, but Lenalee couldn't hear? She suddenly got a very bad feeling about this. Giving a slight cough, she smiled nicely at the finder, "I'm not as delicate as one might think, Charles. I'm sure whatever Edward needs to hear, I can hear too. After all, I am the vice-supervisor."
Charles hesitated, but there was nothing he could do against an order authority, and Lenalee knew that. He sighed, and nodded his consent. Lenalee felt a little bad for doing this to him, but she needed to know what was going to happen to her friend. She couldn't allow anything to happen to him, and she would do everything in her power to stop the Black Order from manipulating him.
Charles coughed, "Anyways Mr. Edward, I'm here to brief you on your new mission."
Lenalee's head snapped around, green eyes focussing on Charles. "What?"
"It says here you have a mission with Mr. Kanda," Charles stated, digging out a piece of paper from his breast pocket and reading it off, "Because um… Kanda's latest mission with Walker nearly killed him, so the Supervisor wants to send a doctor with him. Your rendezvous point is at Tist Village, and you have a week to get there. If you rest for three days before leaving Mr. Edward, you'll still get there with one day to spare."
"But- but-" Lenalee protested, "Edward is injured too. It's not fair that he and Kanda are getting missions. Shouldn't I go…?"
Charles looked uncomfortable, "That's not my place Miss Lenalee, you'll have to take it up with your brother. As it is, he wants you home."
"This- this-"
"It's fine," Edward muttered, "I accept the mission. You can go now."
Bowing, Charles quickly left.
"Why did you accept?" Lenalee questioned, sliding down to the ground.
"Like I said, blood loss is nothing." Edward's voice was slightly amused, but underlying grim, "Besides, shouldn't you be happy? I'm practically being ordered to heal your friend."
Lenalee bit her lip, drawing her knees up to her chest, "You're my friend too."
There was a long pause, and then a sigh. Edward's voice was gentle, but also firm, "I'll be fine, and I'll make sure Kanda will be too. After all, it wouldn't do for my reputation as doctor to be ruined by him."
Lenalee's lips twitched despite herself, "You're all the same, you guys. You take on the world as if it were nothing, but you don't really feel that way, do you? It's all hidden inside, and you don't let anyone see it. Kanda, brother… you're all that way."
Edward made a face, his voice light. "A thing in common with that Akuma? Thanks, Lenalee."
Ah? Lenalee bowed her head, hiding a small smile. Well, she supposed she shouldn't have expected Edward to suddenly start showing emotions just because she of her words. He had long practice after all, of hiding everything.
"By the way," Edward hesitated, "How's Maria?"
"Ah…?" Lenalee blinked. Truthfully, she had no idea where Maria had went after they delivered Edward to the hospital; it was as if the girl disappeared. Lenalee hadn't really given it much thought, too consumed by her worries about Edward, but now…
Lenalee stood, "I'll go check on her."
"How is her leg?" Edward prompted, then flushed slightly at the startled look Lenalee shot him. He looked away, muttering, "I need to show these nurses that I'm a first rate healer."
Lenalee let a brilliant smile spread across her face, "It's perfect."
Edward let out a soft breath, "That's good."
" But you know," Lenalee continued, "You really should consider…"
The black haired girl trailed off, realizing her audience had fallen asleep. Right after he had heard that Maria was okay, probably. A tender smile made its way on Lenalee's face. So Edward wasn't as unaffected as he let on, then. Good, he needed the rest. Quietly, Lenalee slipped out of the room, and decided to make do with her promise of finding out what happened to Maria.
She found the girl in the kitchen, reading a thick book about medical practices.
"Maria?" Lenalee couldn't help her surprise, "Can you understand that?"
Maria nodded, "Yeah, Doctor Tristo made me read these types of books all the time, so I could understand what to do when people came in with different injuries. And I'm especially going to need it now."
"Ah yes?" Lenalee felt a flutter of sadness in her heart; were no children allowed to be just children these days?
"Besides," Maria smiled, "I'll have to do much better if I ever hope to become better than Mr. Edward in healing. He was really amazing."
"You were amazing too," Leanlee replied gently.
Maria's smile faltered. She immediately bowed her head, looking like she was studying her book intently. "I… I wasn't amazing. If I were amazing, I'd have healed Mr. Edward like he healed me. He wouldn't have to be in a hospital right now."
Oh? Was that what was bothering her? Lenalee sighed, seating herself beside Maria, "Edward doesn't blame you. Think of how useless I was, I didn't even heal him at all. If he doesn't blame me, than he doesn't blame you. In fact, he's really upset that you didn't come see him."
Maria's head shot up, "R-really?"
Lenalee nodded, thinking back to her last words with Edward, "Yes. You're worrying him I think, because he doesn't know how you are."
Maria's lips trembled. She sniffed, pulling out Anne from beneath the chair, which Lenalee had failed to notice before. "Alright then! Me and Anne will make sure nothing bad happens to Mr. Edward!"
Lenalee bit her lip. Oh no, not at a time like this. But she had to leave soon, and she couldn't leave leaving Maria with the wrong impression. The black haired girl cleared her throat, giving Maria a sympathetic look, "Maria… you can't keep Anne. You've seen what those demons who are after Innocence can do."
"I know that." Maria nodded determinedly, all of her childish cheer disappearing into the stern face of someone who had seen dozens die in front of them, "That's why… I've decided to join the Order."
The… Order? Lenalee felt her chest constrict. No… no it couldn't be. But how… but why? Why would Maria join the Order? She was only nine for Pete's sake! How did… how did…
"Who told you about that?" Lenalee asked sharply.
"Some people called Charles, and I talked to them. They told me that I could join the Black Order."
"No," Lenalee shook her head, feeling her heart turn ice cold. If the Black Order's superior officers had indeed learned of Maria, then even Lenalee could do nothing about it. She felt her childhood flash by her eyes, and Maria's smiling face replaced by a horrid expression of pain. "No."
"I'm the only one who can do it," Maria urged, tugging at Lenalee's dress insistently, "I've also heard that from Charles. You didn't tell me that Innocence users were rare. I want to help out too, especially after what I've seen yesterday…"
Lenalee still couldn't stop shaking, "But- but-"
"I won't even see the battlefield," Maria insisted, "I'll be like a nurse, right? This is what I want to do Lenalee, really."
It didn't even matter if Maria wanted to do it or not, not anymore. The Black Order had learned of the little girl's existence, and they would certainly make sure not to let go of her. Lenalee had failed.
It was better than, if Maria kept on believing that she was making her own decision, and not being forced into it. Then perhaps, she wouldn't feel as if she were in a constant trap, like Lenalee did. Yes… yes perhaps this was for the best. Maria's determination would help her in the end. Maybe… maybe…
"Lenalee?" Maria's voice was concerned
"I'm- I'm sorry," Lenalee's voice cracked, "I'm just a bit tired. I haven't slept at all since Edward came here you know. I- I think I'll go get some sleep."
"Okay then!" Maria smiled, burying her face in her book again. "Then get lots of sleep please!"
She was still, just an innocent child after all.
Lenalee moved as a zombie to the outside of the ward, and collapsed against the wall behind her. The door to the library swung shut, isolating the little girl in the mound of dusty books and separating her from Lenalee. Without the light of the library, the corridor was cast into a shadow of darkness, its cold walls turning oppressing and sinister. Lenalee felt the irony of the setting, and she couldn't exactly suppress the laugh that bubbled up within her. Maria… Maria was going to join the exorcists… Maria was going to join the exorcists… Lenalee felt the tears fall from her eyes as she curled into a tiny ball and sobbed her heart out; another child was going to join the bloody war, and there was nothing she could do about it.
A/n: Could anyone actually tell that I don't like Lenalee? I hoped I portrayed her as realistically as possible, and let none of my bias through. Anyhow, I'm not quite sure I'll be continuing this fic... okay, don't give me that evil glare, it's just an honest opinion. Our internet got cancelled, so I can't catch up on D-Gray Man over the summer like I originally had planned, and to be honest my other FMA crossover fic is taking up more of my brainspace/time. However, this story was never meant to be continued for a long period of time, and I actually already had the first three chapters written, so really I was just debating whether to put them up or not. What I've been doing for the past six months is edit when I had the time.
IMPORTANT: Would you as readers think it's better for me to take this story down since I'm not really planning to continue it (or if I do, updating will be a snail crawl), or should I just keep these three chapters up as I originally planned so that people looking for a DGM/FMA crossover have a small reprieve?
