A/N: Wow. Sorry this is so late, but I had to completely restore my computer. Everything seems to be okay now, so chapters might start coming out more regularly…Anyway, this chapter was both fun and challenging to write, since I don't live in a place where a lot of basketball is played (aka a small, cold, drunk town). I spent a lot of time reading stuff up on Wikipedia for the action-y parts of this chapter. I'm sure it sounds pretty ridiculous to anyone who's actually played a lot of basketball, but whatever. :D It's all in good fun, right? Right…
The title of this chapter is from the song "Fire It Up" by Modest Mouse.
Oh, and I don't own D. Gray-Man.
Chapter 4
Fire It Up
The hot afternoon sun beat down on Allen's head as he slowly dribbled the basketball on the blacktop. Boing. Boing. Boing. He took the ball in his hands, making a relaxed free throw. The ball slipped through the net with hardly a sound. Swish. The ball slowly bounced off to the side of the court, but Allen made no move to retrieve it. Instead, he looked down at his feet and took a deep breath. The back of his neck was starting to sunburn. Stupid pale complexion, he thought absentmindedly.
"Allen!" Lenalee called from down the sidewalk. She came jogging up to the court with a backpack and a blue plastic water bottle. "Here! You'll want this. It's pretty warm out, don't you think? Are you sure you want to be doing this right now?" She handed him the bottle, looking a little worried.
"It's August, Lenalee," Allen smiled at her as he took a sip of water. "It's going to be warm outside."
"Yes, well…" she chewed her lip. "Maybe we could just delay the game until sunset. It might cool down a bit then. I mean, this court's like one big frying pan." She gestured at the blacktop, where heat waves were shimmering their way up to the sky above.
"It'll be fine, okay?" said Allen. "Although I might need a little sunscreen if I don't want to look like a cooked lobster by the end of this game."
"Oh! I have some," Lenalee replied, digging in her backpack and producing a green bottle. Allen noticed that her bag seemed to be stuffed to bursting with stuff. He shook his head at Lenalee as she handed him the sunscreen. I wonder what she has shoved in that bag? he wondered, and then smirked as he thought of a plan. Maybe a little charm could get her to talk…
"You're so kind to bring sunscreen for me, Lenalee," he smiled ridiculously widely and moved towards her until they were inches apart. "Thank you so much." He wrapped one arm around her and held her tight as he carefully reached for the backpack with his other hand. Almost there…
"Allen!" Lenalee shoved him away, clutching her bag fiercely. "I knew you were up to something!"
"What?" he laughed, reaching for the bag. "Come on, Lenalee, I just want to know what's taking up so much room in there."
"Well, I'm not telling you after that stunt you just pulled. You nearly gave me a heart attack! I thought you were reaching for my ass or something!"
"Come on, Lenalee, just tell me what's in there. I promise I won't laugh."
"If you must know, and you could have asked me to see it, you idiot boy," Lenalee sniffed, "it's first aid equipment."
"First—Lenalee," Allen sighed, "I'm not going to die playing one basketball game."
"Well, Kanda's supposed to be really good!" she replied, hugging her bag tighter. "And you seem to be so serious and I just…I don't want to see you get hurt over some stupid jerk, okay?" She looked away from Allen, frowning.
"Lenalee…" Allen stepped forward, hugging her with genuine affection. "That's really sweet of you to worry about me like that. I really appreciate it, I do. But you've got to trust me a little more than that," he smiled. "I can do this, okay?"
"Okay," she mumbled as she squeezed him back, "but promise that you won't keep playing if you get badly hurt."
"I promise," Allen replied, pulling back and grinning. "Feel better?"
"Idiot," she scowled half-jokingly. "You're an idiot and you're going to do something stupid."
"Well, that's what us idiots are best at!" he playfully punched her on the shoulder before jogging over to the abandoned basketball. "Here, help me warm up before Kanda shows up."
"Okay, but let's not work too hard. It's hot out here."
They spent the next few minutes in amiable silence, taking turns shooting baskets. It was relatively quiet in the neighborhood, magnifying the boing and thump of the basketball and their breathing. A loud bus suddenly passed by, breaking Allen's concentration as he focused on a three-point shot. Thump. The ball hit the backboard and bounced away, not even touching the hoop. Allen swore.
"Hey, you're really challenging this guy, bro? He doesn't seem that good," a familiar voice commented. Allen turned to see Daisya grinning at him from the entrance to the court. Next to him stood his two brothers-- Marie with a water bottle and towel in his hands, and Kanda with a black basketball tucked under one elbow and a scowl.
"Right back at you, Daisya," Allen smiled. "I'd love to see you try to make a basket from here."
"Oh, is that a challenge, Snow White?" Daisya swaggered up to Allen. "Hey, baby, grab that basketball for me." He looked at Lenalee expectantly.
"Excuse me?" she raised one eyebrow. "I have a name, you know."
"Oh, sorry. Could you get that ball for me, princess?"
"I am so going to rip some balls off--"
"Kanda!" Marie thumped his brother's back menacingly. "Why don't you lend your basketball to Daisya?" Kanda scowled even deeper and grumbled as he reluctantly chucked the ball at Daisya's head.
Daisya caught it and dribbled awkwardly a few times before glancing up at Allen. "You ready for this?" he asked. Carefully lining up his feet with the arch of the three-point line, Daisya underhandedly launched the ball towards the basket, Grandma-style. The ball bounced precariously on the edge of the rim before dropping in through the hoop. Allen, Lenalee, and Marie all made sounds of disbelief.
"Oh!" Daisya yelled, looking jubilant. "OOOOOHHH!!!! Who's your daddy now, bitch?" He did a crazy dance on the court, singing "We Are The Champions".
"Cheater!" Lenalee stuck her tongue out before turning her back on him, still seeming miffed from Daisya's comment. Allen and Kanda both rolled their eyes at Daisya, who was now doing crotch thrusts to "Hot Stuff". Marie shook his head and strode up to his brother, grabbing him by the scruff of the neck in mid-thrust.
"Come on, idiot," Marie said, roughly pulling Daisya off the court. "Let's let them get started." He sat down behind the chain-link fence, dragging his brother down with him and ignoring his protests. Lenalee began to walk off the court, too, but she stopped halfway and ran back to Allen, hugging him tightly.
"Lenalee!" Allen smiled despite her coddling. "Stop worrying!"
"I'm not worried," she replied, stepping back and grinning a little too cheerfully. "Good luck, okay?" She gave him a playful punch to the shoulder before leaving to sit next to Marie.
Now the nearest person to Allen was Kanda, who was leaning against the entrance to the basketball court. Allen looked at him, noticing that his eyes were closed. What's he doing? Allen inwardly wondered. Is he annoyed or something? But Kanda's brow was not furrowed, like it often was, but smooth and relaxed. He almost seemed to be meditating. Then he opened his eyes, looking peaceful for a second before scowling at Allen. Allen scowled back.
"Hey, idiot," he called, "when are you going to get over here and get this started?"
"Don't start with me, sprout," Kanda grumbled. "I'll kick your ass."
"Why don't you come over here and try?" Allen placed his hands on his hips. Kanda gave him a scorching look and stalked over to his basketball, which was lying on the ground from where Daisya had made his shot. He dribbled a few times, then made a casual shot. The ball slid effortlessly through the hoop. He caught the ball, and then threw it hard at Allen, who caught it easily.
"Buckets?"
"Yeah."
"We play until…what, twenty-one?"
"Fine."
"You can start first." Allen tossed the ball back at Kanda, who deflected it back to Allen.
"Consider that your check. You're starting." And with that, Kanda was rushing towards him, one hand reaching for the ball. Allen pivoted, attempting to keep his back towards Kanda as he dribbled up the court. He set himself up for an easy shot, but Kanda jumped in the way, almost touching the ball. Allen kept moving, barely breaking stride. He got close to the basket and tried for a lay-up, but missed when Kanda got in his way. Damn.
"Pathetic," Kanda smirked at him as he gained possession of the ball, dribbling backwards to the half-court line. Allen took a deep breath and rushed towards him, trying to regain his rhythm. Kanda suddenly darted to the left, crossing over and faking Allen out. Allen skidded to a halt and sprinted to catch up with him, but it was too late. Swish. The ball sailed through the hoop, leaving Allen shocked. I can't believe he scored that easily.
"Two to nothing!" Daisya shouted. "Yeah!"
"Come on, Allen!" Lenalee shouted. "I know you're better than that!"
"Yeah, Al, stop taking it easy on him!" Lavi appeared next to Lenalee with tall, strange-looking man with a lock of white hair.
"Lavi!" Allen shouted. "When did you get here?" But Kanda was clicking his tongue in annoyance.
"You have three seconds before I start dribbling, sprout," he said, turning his head to the side. Allen turned back to the game. After a brief check, Kanda was driving down the court again with Allen in hot pursuit.
"They're playing for keeps, huh?" Lavi said to Lenalee, taking a seat in the grass.
"What are you talking about?" Daisya asked.
" 'Keeps', or 'buckets', is the term used for when the scoring team retains possession of the ball until it is forcibly removed from his control," The strange man replied succinctly, his eyes on the game.
"In English?"
"Kanda keeps the ball until Allen takes it from him," Lavi said. "No tradeoffs after a score." He and Lenalee cheered as Allen stole the ball from Kanda. "Come on, Al!" he shouted as Allen dribbled back behind the half-court line.
Allen, meanwhile, focused hard on his game. I'm going to do this, he thought. I'm going to make a three-point shot. He envisioned the path he would take, and how Kanda would attempt to block him. He smiled, sprinting down the court. Kanda reached one hand around to get the ball, but Allen pivoted suddenly and dribbled the ball behind his back. He darted forward, pretending to go for a layup, but he backed up at the last second and aimed for a long shot. Thump. Swish. The ball hit the backboard and cleanly went through the basket.
"Yeah!" his teammates yelled from the sidelines. Allen shot them a glance before he grabbed the ball, jogging towards the half-court line again. He allowed himself a small smile before racing down the court. Kanda was immediately on him, but he managed to sidestep around him, getting in close for a two-point shot. He threw the ball towards the basket, jumping backwards a little as he did so. He connected with something softer than pavement, and he lost his balance, falling down hard on his butt. He was soon crushed down to the blacktop as Kanda followed.
"Shit," he panted. Lavi and Daisya were laughing their heads off, while Lenalee clutched her backpack anxiously.
"Idiot," Kanda replied, rolling off of Allen and sitting up. "How did you manage to do something so stupid so easily?"
Allen tried to catch his breath. "Shut up," he said. "Did it…go in?"
"Didn't see," Kanda said, turning to yell at the onlookers. "Shut the hell up, you losers! Did the ball go in or not?"
"Well, you sure went down! Down on Allen, that is!" Daisya and Lavi collapsed into fresh peals of laughter. Lenalee looked gave them a disgusted look.
"It most veritably did, Kanda," the strange man called, looking equally affronted at his two companions.
"Alright then," Allen stood up and offered his hand to Kanda, who ignored it. "Let's keep going then. Five to two, isn't it?" He smiled at the glare Kanda gave him.
"Give it a few minutes, bean sprout," Kanda replied, tossing the basketball at Allen. "That's not the last bit of pavement you'll be eating." And they were on again, with Allen struggling to keep the ball away from Kanda's hands.
He had a feeling this was going to be a long game.
*********
An hour later, the score had been raised to fourteen to thirteen, with Allen barely hanging on to the lead. True to Kanda's word, Allen had had a few more rough encounters with the ground, but he had not yet been seriously hurt. He and Kanda had decided on a timeout for the moment, since they were both sweating profusely and in need of a water break. They stood apart from each other on the sidelines, both surrounded by their respective teammates. Lenalee was rubbing more sun block into Allen's neck as he chugged from his water bottle, while Lavi chattered on about the game.
"I was a little worried when Kanda took the lead there, but you came right back and scored! Although you did trip again. Seriously, did you just buy new shoes or something? You're like a three-legged elephant out there. Is he tripping you up on purpose? It's kind of hard to—"
"Hey, Lenalee," said Allen, tuning Lavi out, "who is that guy, anyway?" He pointed to the strangely familiar man with the lock of white hair, who was holding out a towel for Kanda.
"That's Kanda's teammate, Krory," she replied, looking towards the man. "He, Kanda, and Marie form a three-person team." Allen realized with a start that he had seen Krory in a painting in Tiedoll's gallery.
"Krorykins!" Lavi suddenly exclaimed, breaking off from his monologue. "Man, that guy is a blast! Have you heard him talk? He's all proper and stuff. It's crazy."
"Yes, you would be impressed by someone who can actually speak English," Lenalee laughed, turning to Allen.
"Hey, Lenalee, babe, don't be so cruel. You're breaking my heart over here."
"Oh, please."
"No, seriously, though, he's a pretty cool guy. I ran into him on my way here," Lavi continued to babble. "Apparently, his fiancée died about a year ago. He was in a funk, so he started to play ball around town. He met up with Marie and Kanda, and they've been a team ever since. He's really serious about his game, though. He needs to lighten up a little, don't you think?"
"Well, I think he's a very nice person," Lenalee said. "He's sweet and polite. And he doesn't talk too much." She stared pointedly at Lavi.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'm gonna go piss off Yu a little, 'kay?" Lavi ambled across the court to the others.
Allen took the bottle of sun block out of his friend's hand, squirting out a little for his face. He smiled at her as she watched Lavi pull on Kanda's ponytail. "He's pretty happy today, isn't he?" he said, rubbing the lotion in.
She smiled a little, still watching him. "Yeah."
"You should go over there with him."
"You sure?" She looked surprised.
"Yeah, it's fine. I'd like a little space anyway." She gave him a smile, briefly touching his hair. Then she jogged to the other side of the court, leaving Allen alone. He looked up to the sky, frowning at the gathering clouds on the horizon. At least I won't bake too badly. But still, it would suck if it rained. He closed his eyes as a cool breeze helped dry him off. He tilted his face upwards and let out a sigh.
"Hey," said someone very near him. Allen, startled, lost his balance and fell backwards. He opened his eyes to see a half-irritated, half-amused Kanda. "You're a huge fucking klutz, aren't you?"
"Not usually…" Allen covered his face, embarrassed. "Just recently, it seems. But you could have warned me before scaring me like that."
"I did," said Kanda, "I said 'hey'. You just seem to have a problem with falling over, bean sprout. Maybe you should grow a thicker stalk."
That kind of sounded dirty. Allen kept his face in his hands so he wouldn't laugh. "What do you want from me, idiot?" he asked instead.
"Last time I checked, we were playing a game, you loser. Or do you forfeit?" Allen looked up at Kanda's confident smirk and smiled.
"I'm winning, stupid. Or did you forget?"
Kanda scowled. "Not for long. Get up. I want to get done before the sun fucking sets." He stalked towards the basketball. Allen allowed himself one moment before standing up and getting in position. The others moved off to the side of the court. A stronger wind was blowing now, ruffling his hair and blowing Kanda's ponytail to one side.
"Allen had possession," called Lavi from the fence. Kanda threw the ball to Allen, rushing up after him to steal. Allen immediately dodged, rushing to the side.
He knew something was wrong the moment he started moving. His foot got caught under him, and he stumbled, trying to regain his balance. Kanda, not expecting Allen to slow down, ran into him. Allen seemed to see in slow motion as he fell to the pavement. His wrist smashed against the court with a loud, sickening crack. The ball bounced away towards the hoop, but Kanda didn't move.
I can't believe I just tripped again, thought Allen. Then his wrist throbbed with a piercing pain. Shit, that hurts. A large cloud passed by the sun, throwing the court in shadow. He lay there for a moment, feeling his wrist ache.
"Allen!" Lenalee cried, jumping up from her seat. She began to hurry towards him, but Lavi held her back.
"Just wait," he said. "Let Allen handle it first."
Kanda stood over him, looking down at him indifferently. "Are you going to get up or not, sprout?" he asked. "I'm not going to wait forever."
"Jerk!" Lenalee yelled. "You're the one who ran into him!" But Lavi clapped a hand over her mouth, shaking his head.
Allen took a deep breath, experimentally attempting to flex his wrist. Agonizing pain shot through his arm. Okay, so I can't do that. But he couldn't give up this easily. He wanted to win so badly. The look on Kanda's face if he lost would be worth a thousand hurt wrists. Allen steeled himself, then carefully got up, avoiding putting weight on his hurt arm. He looked at Kanda, who nodded and grabbed the basketball, backing up to the half-court line. Allen followed, making sure to avoid looking at Lenalee.
"Okay," he said, "let's go."
Kanda flitted down the court, setting up for a difficult three-point shot. Allen tried to block with one hand, but Kanda easily dodged. The ball bounced off the hoop, coming back towards them. Allen grabbed the ball, dribbling back to the line. The sky grew even darker, and thick raindrops began to fall, splattering the court with dark stains. Kanda rushed up to defend as Allen sprinted towards the basket. Kanda got in his way, coming up on his bad side. He's not taking it easy on my arm, Allen realized. Good. He didn't want to win because Kanda didn't try. He tried to make a one-armed two-point shot, which Kanda easily blocked, regaining possession. Allen ran after him, struggling to ignore the regular stabs of pain as his wrist was jarred. Kanda was down the court, making a three-point shot before Allen could catch his breath. The rain was pouring down now, covering the blacktop in a slick layer and soaking everyone. The onlookers were all silent, watching the game intently.
Allen managed to step in between Kanda and the ball, blocking it with his good hand. He ran back, then darted up to the basket. He went for a layup, jumping up for better aim. As he landed, his feet slipped out from under him. He landed on his arm, which put immense pressure on his injury. You've got to be kidding me, he thought as the excruciating pain overwhelmed him. I am a huge klutz. If I didn't make that shot, I'm going to have to kill myself. His vision became dark and blurry. He passed out on the ground, the rain pounding on his face and Lenalee's yells ringing in his ears.
*********
Argh, too bright.
"It's a good thing he was out of it when we set it, or he would have passed out again."
Who is that? Are they talking to me?
"Is he going to be okay now?"
"He should be fine. Don't expect him to do a lot with that arm for a few weeks though."
"Tch. Stupid sprout."
What? Was that Kanda? That had to be Kanda.
…
Where am I?
Allen slowly opened his eyes under the glare of a harsh overhead light to see a group of people standing over him. He squinted, trying to make out faces. Kanda, Cross, Lavi, Lenalee, a nurse, and a doctor were all gathered around where he was laying. Lavi noticed Allen moving first and turned his attention toward him. "Hey, buddy, you okay?" he asked, squeezing his shoulder affectionately. Lenalee elbowed him out of the way and gave Allen an enthusiastic hug.
"Allen!" she buried her head in his neck. Allen smiled over her shoulder at Lavi, who pouted.
"Hey, Lenalee," Allen said thickly. "What happ—"
Lenalee slapped him upside the head. "You are a huge idiot!" she shouted, hitting him once more for good measure. "Why didn't you stop playing when you hurt your arm? Why?" She looked away, clearly upset. Allen opened his mouth to reply, not sure what to say. Lavi interrupted, saving him.
"Relax, Lenalee. He just woke up."
"Where am I, anyway?" Allen looked around, realizing he was on a bed in a plain beige room.
"St. Mary's hospital," the rather unkempt doctor answered, turning from his conversation with Cross and a nervous-looking nurse. "You have multi-fragmentary compound fracture in your right radius and ulna, as well as a minor concussion. Basically," he continued, "your right forearm has multiple breaks in the bone and your head took a knocking. You were playing basketball, right? Well, you won't be playing it for at least two months, I'm afraid. Maybe three."
Allen stared at the ceiling, shocked. "Two months?" he repeated. "I can't play for a whole two months?"
"Maybe three," Cross added. "Depending on if you're a fast healer or not." He didn't seem all that concerned with his ward's predicament. Allen closed his eyes, trying not to cry. By the time he could play basketball again, summer would be over and it would already be getting colder. What was he going to do with himself for two whole months? What was his team going to do?
"If you'd excuse me," the doctor said, pushing up his large glasses and interrupting Allen's thoughts, "I have somewhere to be. If you need anything, Miranda will assist you." He walked out, gesturing to the anxious nurse on his way. She looked at the people around her, wringing her hands.
"Um…" she stuttered, her eyes flitting nervously around the room. "Um… my name is Miranda." She swallowed. "Is there anything I could help you with, Mr. Walker?"
"Actually, I'd love a glass of water, if it's not too much trouble." Allen smiled cheerfully. He wanted to talk to his teammates alone.
"S-sure," Miranda said, walking out of the room. "I'll be right back." She shut the door carefully. There was silence in the room for a moment before Cross sighed and stretched.
"Well, I'm going to find some hot nurses and see if I can't get a discount on this huge hospital bill," Cross declared, following Miranda out of the room.
"Uh, I don't think that's how it works—" Lavi started to say, but he trailed off into silence as Cross slammed the door jarringly. Allen turned to his friends.
"Lenalee?" Allen asked, looking at her. She hadn't spoken in a while.
She looked down at him cheerlessly. "I'm sorry, Allen. I just didn't want to see you get hurt. And look what happened." She stroked his hair gently. "Your arm is broken in three places."
"It's a big bummer about the basketball thing, man," Lavi said, sitting down by Allen's knees. "I had already signed us up for the tournament too."
Allen racked his memory. "Tournament?"
"You know, the city-wide tournament? $1,500 to the winning three-person team?" Lavi sighed. "And the money would have bought me so many hamburgers." Allen detected a sudden movement out of the corner of his eye as Kanda shifted the chair he was sitting in. Allen had forgotten he was there.
"You always did have a big stomach, you hyperactive rabbit," he said, tossing his ponytail over his shoulder. "Too bad you won't be able to play in the three-person division."
"Hey, no need to rub it in my face, jerk," Lavi muttered. Lenalee looked curiously at Kanda.
"What do you mean, 'three-person division'?" she asked. "That sounds like you're implying that we could play in a different division."
"That's because I am implying that," Kanda clicked his tongue. Allen stared at Kanda confusedly.
"There's no two person—"
"I know," Kanda interrupted. "But there's a five-person team division. You two plus my team makes five."
"You'd really do that?" Allen asked, surprised. "How does that benefit you? You'll just be annoyed by Lavi the whole time."
"I know," Kanda turned away. "I guess I owe you one. Or something." He glared at the ugly tan walls. Allen smiled for real for the first time since waking up. Even though Kanda acted cold and cruel on the outside, Allen thought that he was more caring than he seemed on the inside.
"Well, that's great!" Lavi said, enthusiastic. Lenalee, however, looked at Allen worriedly.
"Are you okay with this, Allen?" she asked.
"Of course," he replied as he smiled at them. Inwardly, he was happy that he didn't ruin their summers, but he would much rather get to play with them instead of watch on the sidelines. "I'll be cheering you on."
"Are you kidding?" Kanda scoffed at him. "You'll be way too busy to do that. It's not easy to play basketball with one arm, loser."
"What are you talking about?"
"Look, if Marie can play with no eyes, you can play with one arm. You'll just have to practice. It's not like you're going to have to give up basketball for a whole two months." Kanda rolled his eyes. "Idiot."
Allen was amazed. He had never thought of that before.
"Hey, guys!" Daisya greeted as he opened the door, trailed by Marie and Krory. "How's the world's biggest martyr doing?" He smirked at Allen.
"Great!" Lavi interjected. "So we're going to play basketball with you guys, Krorykins? I can't wait!" He leapt up and hugged his two new teammates. "So how are we going to do this thing?" He, Lenalee, and the two brothers broke off in a complicated conversation about positions and strategies. Kanda leaned forward, blocking Allen's view.
"I'm pissed," he said, poking Allen in the forehead. "Real pissed. You better heal fast, because when you do, I'm coming after you and we're finishing that game."
"Kanda," Allen smiled. He was getting to the point where he almost could stand him. "Hey, I was going to ask... did I make that basket right before I fell?"
"You didn't see?" Kanda scowled. "Then it doesn't count."
"Yes, it does!" Allen smacked him lightly on the head. "Did I make it or not?"
Kanda sighed and stood up. "Technically, you did. But after you fell down like that, it should really only be worth half points." He smirked at Allen's protests. "Later, sprout." And he left, smacking Daisya on his way out. Allen watched him go, pouting.
"I-I'm back!" Miranda announced as she carefully walked through the doorway, carefully holding a paper cup full of water. "Here's your—oh no!" She had just gotten to the bed when she slipped, falling over and throwing the cup in the air. She ran into Lavi, who fell on top of Lenalee. The cup flew in the air before landing square on Allen's head.
"I'm so sorry! I should just... oh, I should just die!" Miranda collapsed into sobs. Allen, however, started to laugh, much to the surprise of everyone else.
"Thanks," he said, licking his wet lips. Lavi and Lenalee started to giggle too, and soon the whole room had collapsed into peals of laughter. Miranda looked around the room, utterly amazed.
********
The doctor strode across the parking lot, pushing back his hair with one hand. He was deep in conversation on his cell phone. "No, it's pretty bad," he said, searching for his keys in his pocket. "Yeah, at least. Maybe three months if we're lucky." He listened for a while, then smirked. The man took off his glasses, revealing the tanned face of Tyki Mikk. "Don't worry, Earl. I'll take care of the boy. Soon he will be in our power."
A/N: Why does Allen fall so much? I have no idea. He fell when he first met Kanda, too, remember? It just always seems to work with the plot. Poor, poor Allen. :D