A/N: Gee, I feel so giddy reading all your nice, and long reviews^,^ Thanks so much to Lenore91, KoiKyuuiKitai, bougainvillea blossom, Black wolf White wolf77, EpikalStorms, Dana, Allyieh, Jazebeth, negimarules52, Fallen's child, Lucia Tsukiyomi-hime, Cindar, and Will of the Abyss - AllenxRoad for reviewing!(; And thank you to all those who have also put this story on their favotites and alerts! As well as putting me on your favorites and alerts! You're too nice^,^
By the way, you're all lucky I'm actually updating this, even if it is a little late. I've been horridly sick these past few days, and am currently nursing a splitting headache, so you all better enjoy this chapter!;D Though I am sorry for any mistakes. I was not well, while editing this chapter x/
Disclaimer: I don't own, or will ever own, D. Gray-Man. I just like to borrow it to fill the void from its lack of updates. )x
Chapter 4
Time Frame — Afternoon of March 2nd, 1895
—3rd Person POV—
~Allen~
The rest of the train ride continued on in a slightly awkward silence while each individual contemplated what they'd just discovered. Allen felt completely drained as he hadn't thought that the change in Lavi would have been that drastic. Lavi's years at the Order must have really affected him to the point that the Bookman part of himself had probably been buried back into the deep corners of his mind, while Lavi had overtaken by the time Allen had met him. It was such a depressing thought, Allen wasn't sure what to do. Wouldn't letting Lavi continue the way he had last time, hurt him more? But Allen wasn't sure he could keep his distance. After all, he and Lavi had been best friends once upon a time.
Before either could think deeper on what they'd learned, the Finder accompanying them informed them of their arrival. Grabbing their belongings, they headed for the outskirts of the small town and began the long hike that awaited them in the deep tangles of the forest. Allen, much to his relief, noticed that Lavi seemed a lot more alert then before, and maybe even slightly paranoid. He didn't really consider that a bad thing. After all, just because you were paranoid, didn't mean they weren't out to get you.
Eventually, after a small period of strenuous silence, Lavi reverted back to his cheerful self, asking questions left and right about the Order. Allen ignored the occasional teasing, and shortly answered each question thrown his way with the Finder adding in his own two cents at times. Despite Lavi bouncing back to his lively persona, Allen felt uncomfortable with him, knowing this wasn't his Lavi. How long it would be until then, Allen wasn't sure, but he knew he'd welcome him back with open arms.
"Finally! We have found civilization!" Lavi exclaimed with a laugh when they broke through the trees and saw the small village in the distance, though it seemed slightly forced with his ragged and dirty look. Five hours of speed hiking through the forest had not done either of them any good, as they were covered in dirt and the occasional scratch, though the Finder seemed impossibly untouched. Though unfair in their eyes, Allen knew he was probably used to this kind of thing, as all Finders were.
Thankfully, it wasn't long before they entered the town and made their way to the only available inn. After having a quick meal and freshening up, Allen and Lavi—accompanied by the Finder—split up to see if there was any more information they could gather from the locals. Night was swiftly approaching, and a trip to the lake itself would have been useless. Lavi and Allen had decided to meet back up in their room in at least an hour.
"Excuse me, ma'am?" Allen called out politely to an older woman closing down a shop, with a friendly smile. Allen knew being friendly would probably be the best way to gather information from the locals, as well as honesty considered they were probably a bit paranoid from the strange phenomenon that seemed to take place in the lake.
"Oh, I'm sorry hon. You'll have to come back tomorrow," the woman called out apologetically.
"It's not that. I was just wondering if I could have a word with you. You seem like a nice and honest person." Flattery could work wonders as well, especially when accompanied by a cute smile from a child.
"Oh, well, I don't know about that…" Trailing off with a slight blush, the woman shook it off, and stepping down from her shop, she suddenly began to usher Allen into the back room of the shop. "Well, if you were looking to talk, then I might as well offer you a cup of tea. And where are my manners? My name's Randy Olson," she rambled, as she pushed Allen onto one of the seats and busied herself in the small kitchenette.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Olson. My name's Allen Walker," Allen introduced himself, his grin a little wider. He'd definitely hit the jackpot. By the way she chattered and was easily flattered, Allen could tell that she was a first class gossip.
Setting the slightly chipped cups on the table and pouring the tea in, Randy finally sat herself across from him, while saying, "A newcomer I see. We don't get many visitors out here. But enough of that. What was it that you wanted to talk about, hon?"
"You see, my comrades and I were sent here by our employers to take care of something. It seems we need to figure out exactly what's going on with the lake that resides near this village. Unfortunately, we weren't given much information to go on, and I figured a pretty lady like yourself might know something," Allen explained, offering her an adorable, toothy grin.
Randy suddenly gave him an appraising look. "Aren't you a little young to be involved in this sort of thing. Children shouldn't be involved in such dangerous affairs."
Allen knew no amount of flattery or begging would be able to get the woman to spill unless he could reassure her that he would be in no danger. Slightly fidgeting, Allen gave her a timid smile and replied, "I know. I'm just here to learn, but I thought I'd help out by trying to gather information." At this, Allen gave her a wide-eyed, pleading gaze.
Randy calmed down at this, and offering him a kind smile, she began, "Well, if that's all. Truthfully, we don't know much ourselves. The regular fishermen that go would go out there every day, spoke of a strange blob lurking down there. It seemed to be very spread out, as it kept wavering in one large spot, but the waters were too murky to be able to tell. They did say that it was a mix of the darkest black and purest white, which is why they were able to spot it so easily. Sadly, whatever it was, has been scaring the fish away, and the depletion of food has been hard on us, as the nearest food source is the village hours away, and the game here isn't the best. Some say that it's been haunted, but I don't know much about that nonsense. Anyway, after the death of those two newcomers, no one has dared to go near the lake, so I'm sorry to say that I don't know much other than that."
Allen nodded in understanding, and was soon leaving her shop, with a quick "Good night and be safe!" thrown his way. Afterwards, Allen wasn't able to get much more than that from the other villagers. Unlike Randy, they seemed to be a lot more paranoid and suspicious, and even his sweet smile wasn't able to get more than warnings to stay away from the now deemed 'cursed lake'. Knowing it would be useless to continue, Allen decided to head back into the inn once he spotted it. Seeing Lavi causally lounging at one of the tables of the mini diner situated in the first floor of the inn, Allen headed his way.
They barely exchanged words of greeting, the atmosphere between them a little tense and silent. "Is there anything I can get you?" A small, eight-year-old, brown-haired girl asked them timidly with a slightly blank expression on her face. Allen identified her as the innkeeper's daughter, though her expression was slightly disturbing. Allen discreetly searched her with his left eye, but found nothing else weird about her. Lavi and Allen placed their orders, and she didn't so much as blink at Allen's large list of food, despite Lavi still staring at him in shock. Then again, he'd never actually heard him order before.
Allen watched her walk away with a small frown and slightly jumped in surprise when Lavi began to suddenly speak, watching her slow retreat as well. "Her name is Sophie. I suspected her of being an Akuma when I first met her and her family, but now I'm not so sure…"
"What makes you say that?" Allen looked back at Lavi's thoughtful face. It was true that Sophie was strange, but knowing how intelligent Lavi was, there was probably another reason for his suspicions on her being an Akuma.
"After you were done eating and you left, her mother came over to apologize for her behavior. Apparently, a little over a month ago, around the same time the phenomenon began, her best friend drowned in the same lake we're investigating. After I managed to get some off the villagers to talk, they spoke of the lake being cursed and all sorts of superstitious nonsense. So the only thing I managed to find out was that most of them believe it to be this 'Kaylee girl' to be the one causing all the havoc."
Nodding, Allen replied, "Yeah, the woman I spoke to said something similar. I also managed to get a description from her. She described it as 'a mix of the darkest black and purest white'. She also said that it was very large and kept wavering in one spot, so that might mean that it's not a solid form. We'll have to check it out first thing in the morning," Allen decided.
"You don't think it's a water-type Level 2?" Lavi asked a bit nervously, discreetly glancing at Sophie who was managing the counter while her mother was busy in the kitchen. A moment later, Sophie began carrying numerous plates to their table, which Allen began to enthusiastically dig into.
"It could be a possibility…" Allen replied thoughtfully after swallowing a bite, thinking back to when he'd dealt with something similar with the Akuma in the shape of a large ship. Shaking his head he continued, "But that wouldn't make sense considering the only deaths accounted for were those two Finders. No matter how smart, Akuma aren't that patient. It would have slaughtered everyone here by now somehow. And no Lavi, Sophie is not an Akuma. I can at least tell you that much."
"How can you be so sure?" Lavi sighed poking at his food, suddenly looking tired. For once, he didn't seem to be faking, and Allen was saddened by the fact that the first emotion shown in his single eye was the utter exhaustion of fearing for his life that came with the job of being an Exorcist. Maybe it had been a mistake to leave him on his own. Especially with the suspicion of a disguised Akuma being nearby. Heck, Allen wasn't even sure Lavi knew how to use his Iron Hammer.
Sighing, Allen knew it would be best for him to tell the truth. "Most Exorcists have to be on the constant look out. Suspicious of anyone who comes up to them. That's why we wear the Rose Cross; all Akuma recognize it for what it is, and won't hesitate to try and fool you into believing that they're harmless before they give you the killing blow. You always have to have your weapon at ready."
"You've already told me all this, but what makes you the exception?" Lavi frowned.
"When I was twelve my father was killed by an out-of-control carriage. I mourned by his grave for days, and then a man came to me. He offered to bring him back. Said I would get to be with Mana again," Allen begin with a shaky breath. Lavi's eye widened and he leaned forward in curiosity and a trace of horror in his forest green eye. "I accepted. I called for his soul and turned Mana into an Akuma. He hated me for it, and so he cursed me to forever see the agonized souls of the Akuma. I can recognize the Akuma by seeing the writhing souls of the person called back, chained to their disguised forms."
"But I was told it was impossible to turn a loved one into an Akuma without being killed," Lavi said with a horrified expression, which actually seemed genuine.
Allen shook his head and explained grimly, "That's just the last part of the process. Being killed and used by your loved one. My Innocence reacted to the Dark Matter and tore Mana apart."
"That's… sick," Lavi replied with a disgusted face. Unfortunately, whatever little progress Allen had made seem to evaporate as Lavi shook the feelings off and his eye blanked away once again and turned slightly calculating, processing all the information he'd been given.
Allen sighed and spoke up again with a small yawn, "We should probably go get some sleep. We need to keep up our strength for tomorrow."
Lavi nodded and pushing his barely touched plate aside, began to follow Allen upstairs. Just as Allen reached the top, he paused as he heard Lavi call out in a surprisingly small voice, "Allen?"
"Yes, Lavi?"
"Your eye will wake you if the Akuma attack, right?"
"Yes, of course, but remember… I might not always be around."
"I understand."
Time Frame — Midnight of March 3rd, 1895
Allen blearily blinked his eyes open, coming to face with the open window displaying the twinkling, midnight sky. Allen frowned in muddled confusion; that wasn't right. If it wasn't daylight that had alerted him awake, than what had? The answer soon came in the sound of creaking stairs. Someone was either trying to sneak out or break in, but his cursed eye could detect no Akuma in the vicinity. Glancing over to the nearby bed, Allen assessed that Lavi wasn't the culprit as he was snoring and dreaming away, though he did seem a little tense.
Peering out the window once again, Allen was slightly surprised to see the vague shape of Sophie closing the front door behind her while her eyes darted nervously around the surrounding area—it was unlikely she could actually see anything in the pitch darkness, unlike Allen who was trained for it—before pushing the hood of her cloak over her head and scurrying in the direction of the forest. The same direction in which the lake lied.
"Lavi! Up! Now!" Allen slapped Lavi a couple of times, before quickly pulling on his boots and throwing his coat on in a flurry of black and silver fabric with quick succession.
"Ugh… Wha' issit?" Lavi slurred, still half asleep, as he attempted to rub the sleepiness away from his eye.
"Sophie isn't an Akuma. But she's definitely up to something," Allen frowned, tossing Lavi's discarded Exorcist coat and boots at him, not bothering to wait as he began heading for the door before he missed anything.
"Huh? Oh, wait up!" Lavi exclaimed, hopping on one foot each as he slipped on his boots, coat still tossed over his shoulder. As they silently hurried out the inn, Lavi finally managed to straighten his clothes up and look somewhat presentable, not that it would really matter considering where they were headed. Shaking his ever growing hair out of his eye, Lavi pulled out his plain, black bandanna and began pulling his hair up and away from his face. Slipping further into the forest, Allen briefly noticed Lavi nervously fingering his Iron Hammer strapped to his thigh.
Despite Cross' twisted ways, Allen was thankful for the little training Master had given him, even if it had involved a noose, a kitchen knife, and a frilly, pink braw. In any case, it had enhanced his night vision, and Allen would gladly put that memory far behind him, where it belonged, as he continued to silently sneak through the forest, only a couple feet behind Sophie. Fortunately, Lavi had his own experiences as a Bookman, so he didn't have trouble keeping up with Allen, despite his nervous twitching.
Allen unexpectedly came to an abrupt stop, nearly causing Lavi to ram into him before he caught himself. They both crouched down when the realized Sophie had superstitiously glanced around her in fear. After a couple seconds, Sophie calmed down and turned back to the thing she'd been staring at. The cursed lake.
Allen frowned in confusion as they watched Sophie completely relax and sit back on the shore, simply watching the lapping water with a tranquil gaze and a small, expectant smile—a complete contrast from her apathetic attitude earlier before. This continued on for another fifteen minutes, but Allen knew better than to be impatient. It soon proved to pay off, as Allen and Lavi watched in awe as the dark waters of the lake began to light up with the familiar, eerie green glow that usually came to be associated with Innocence. Allen was so focused on the glowing, murky waters, that he didn't notice the rising figure in the middle of the lake.
"Pss! Look!" Lavi whispered urgently, jabbing him in the ribs with his elbow and then nodding towards the form pulling itself out, near the shores of lake. Allen did a double take as he finally recognized what it was that was making its way over to the beaming Sophie. It was a girl! She looked to be the same age as Sophie, with thick, dark hair plastered and dripping against her, down to her knees and a long, white and soaked nightgown encasing her small figure. Her skin was a pallid white with a tinge of gray that reminded Allen of corpse and her dark eyes seemed to be devoid of life, in contrast to the crazed grin that played on her lips as she walked closer to the shore, twitching and spazzing as she went. But the most important feature that drew the Exorcists' eyes was the long chain hanging around her neck, an Innocence fragment suspended at its end.
Realizing how close she was getting to Sophie, Allen instinctively stepped forward in order to protect her from her former friend. At that instant, the deceased girl snapped her head around, towards him with a loud crack, though Sophie thankfully didn't take note, as she was still giving her old friend a hopeful gaze. The crazed girl's eyes were wide as saucers as she stared directly at Allen, her grin growing wider, and if possible, slightly crazier. Before Allen could take any sort of action against her, she suddenly threw herself back into the water with a loud splash, flailed for a bit, and then completely vanished, taking the vibrant shine of the Innocence along with her.
"No! Kaylee! Please come back!" Sophie called out desperately, suddenly shaking in sobs of despair. Momentarily forgetting about the Innocence, Allen rushed towards the young girl in an urge to comfort her, Lavi hurrying along with him.
"Come on, Lavi. Let's take her home," Allen suggested, giving the lake one last, worried glance, as they escorted the weeping girl home.
Time Frame — Morning of March 3rd, 1895
"I swear, it was her!" Sophie insisted the next day, after she'd managed to get some sleep.
"I don't want to hear it, Sophia! The dead can't come back, and whatever is out there, I don't want you going near it!" Her mother scolded her with a chastising frown.
"But mother—" Sophie cried, but was cut off by her mother's hand slamming the table.
"Miss! Do you mind if we spoke with your daughter for a moment?" Allen cut in, attempting to calm her down.
Sophie's mother let out an exasperated sigh, and waved her hands as if to say 'go ahead', and walked into the kitchen.
"Alright, Sophie. Do you mind explaining to us exactly what's been going on with your… friend?" Allen questioned, hesitating on the last word.
Sophie gazed at her hands, resting on the wooden table for a moment with a nostalgic expression, and without looking up, began to explain, "About a month ago, my friend Kaylee and I went swimming to the lake after lights out. We weren't suppose to, but Kaylee thought it would be fun. Something caught her foot, and she never came back up." Sophie took in a shuddering breath, and squeezing her eyes shut, she continued on to say, "I-I… I thought I'd never see her again! But three weeks ago, she began calling my name in my dreams. I didn't think it was real, until I followed her voice back to the place she'd drowned. She was there! Not all of her, but each night, she came closer and closer. I thought she would finally escape tonight. She was so close!" Sophie swallowed down her oncoming tears, and finally looked up at them with a desperate gaze. "You see now!? I have to be there! I have to save her!"
"Sophie…" Allen hesitated. "Did you ever notice the rock chained to her neck?"
Sophie gave them a perplexed look, and then slowly responded, "I guess… But Kaylee's always had that with her, since I can remember."
"You don't think she was an Accommodator?" Lavi mused, glancing at Allen for an answer.
Allen thought about it, and then shook his head. "I don't think so." Then, turning towards Sophie, Allen began to explain in a solemn voice, "Sophie, that rock she carries with her is called Innocence. It's shown to do many things. I've seen it keep a doll alive for 500 years. I've seen it keep a man fighting a nonexistent battle for a 1000. I've even seen it change the seasons in a matter of seconds and keep a town stuck on the same day for months. Innocence is known to do many things Sophie, but the one thing it can't do is bring back a soul. I'm sorry Sophie, but that thing isn't Kaylee. It's just a puppet of the Innocence she carried, and whatever it wants with you, it's not good."
"B-but…" Sophie protested weakly, tears beginning to leak down her flushed cheeks.
"Promise me one thing Sophie. If a man comes offering to bring her soul back for you, refuse his offer. Nothing but tragedy will result from such a deal," Allen said, a hard look in his eyes.
Sophie stared into his rock-like eyes for a moment, before taking a deep breath, and replying, "I… I promise." Slipping out of her seat, Sophie began to slowly head towards the kitchen, most likely to apologize to her mother.
"There's one thing I don't understand. If deep enough sorrow and grief hits a person, doesn't the Earl target them? Sophie seemed plenty mournful to me," Lavi mused, giving her retreating form a calculating gaze.
"It was hope. When Kaylee began speaking to her, it gave her hope, and that's not something the Earl is looking for," Allen explained to the ever curious Bookman. Before Lavi could bombard him with anymore of his never-ending questions, Allen's eye whirred to life in circles of red and black, causing Lavi to gasp and lean back in surprise from where he was sitting. "Akuma," was Allen's one-word explanation as he began to hurriedly lead him outside and towards the outskirts of the town, where he sensed them nearing the lake.
"Do you know how many?" Lavi asked.
"It's a horde of Level 1's. Around maybe twenty or thirty," Allen explained, slightly worried. Did Lavi even know how to use Iron Hammer?
Seeing the questioning look in his eyes, Lavi shook his head regretfully. "I have no idea how to use the darn thing. They said I would just know when the time came." It was obvious from Lavi's frustrated frown exactly what he thought about that piece of advice.
Reaching the flock of the nearing Akuma, Allen silently activated his Innocence, and recommended, "Remember; just tell it to grow." And then he leaped into the mass of the killing machines.
~Lavi~
Lavi didn't know what to make of the advice. Really? How was telling a hammer to grow, going to make a difference?
With a yelp, Lavi ducked into the surrounding forest, as bullets began to rain down from the multiple Akuma. Skidding under a log for safety, Lavi gasped for breath, and glaring down at the tiny hammer clenched in his hand, he growled, "Well, grow you stupid thing!"
That didn't do the trick.
Lavi began to sprint once again, when an Akuma blasted away the fallen log he'd been crouching under. Darting through the multitude of trees and just barely avoiding the poisonous bullets headed his way, Lavi desperately called to his Innocence once again, "Grow, damn it!"
Lavi clenched at the unheeding Innocence as he continued to run for his life. Dashing behind a tree, Lavi leaned against it as he panted and struggled to catch his breath, while his single eye darted around the surrounding area apprehensively. Unfortunately, he forgot to look up.
Realizing this, Lavi anxiously glanced up, and widened his eye when he realized the numerous canons from the single Akuma pointed his way.
"GROW!" Was the last thing Lavi managed to shout before the onslaught of ammunition was released upon him.
Clenching his eye shut, Lavi wondered why he wasn't dead yet. Finally looking up, he realized his Iron Hammer had actually grown, and was currently blocking the Akuma's assault. Hardening his grip on the handle, Lavi concentrated, and yelled once again, "GROW!" Now feeling a little safer behind the enlarged hammer, Lavi took a deep breath and did the next obvious thing. He attempted to smash the Akuma in. Thankfully, the force of his desperation was enough to destroy the Akuma to bits, as it exploded under the harsh pressure of his hammer.
Realizing that he'd done it, Lavi glanced around again, and being in the clear, leaned against his hammer tiredly.
"Lavi!" He suddenly heard the shortstack call out to him worriedly.
Looking upwards, Lavi realized that he was standing atop one of the many trees, and staring at him with an anxious expression. "I'm okay! Are there anymore of them?" Lavi called back.
Shaking his head, the shortstack replied loudly, "I don't think—" But he spoke too soon, as his eye suddenly came to life. It took Lavi a second to realize that the shortstack's horrified expression was now directed to something behind him.
"Hihihihhi~! Thank you, for allowing me to evolve, Exorcists~!" The Level 2 Akuma sang, and Lavi gulped when he felt something pressing against his back.
Lavi looked into the shortstack's appalled eyes, with a fearful expression, and before he knew what was happening, the shortstack was pulling an enormous broadsword out of nowhere, and was flinging it right at him. Not having the time to react, Lavi stared with beyond shocked eyes at the protruding handle in his abdomen. Lavi went slack-jawed for a moment, his eye twitched, and then he promptly passed out, completely missing the exploding Akuma at his back.
~Allen~
Allen winced with guilt, when he realized the horrified expression Lavi was directing towards him. Then gasped when he realized that the dazed red-head had passed out. Jumping down from the tree, Allen hurriedly dashed towards Lavi's unconscious figure, and after checking the vicinity for anymore Akuma and deactivating Crown Clown, Allen attempted to shake the Bookman Junior awake.
"Lavi! Come on Lavi! Stop being such a baby, and wake up!" Allen shook him desperately, hoping beyond hope that he hadn't caused any sort of psychological damage to the poor guy.
A couple of slaps later, Lavi groggily blinked his eye open, and realizing it was Allen who was sitting above his prone figure, he immediately sat up and scooted away from him until he backed himself up into a tree. "You… You… You tried to kill me!" Lavi finally managed to accuse with a pointed finger and a horror-struck face.
"Quit being so dramatic, Lavi," Allen replied calmly, rolling his eyes in exasperation.
"I'm not being dramatic! You… You stabbed me! With a—wait, where's the sword?!" Lavi suddenly began to wildly look around the forest floor, expecting for the sword to be lying somewhere.
Allen cocked his head to the side, and wondered how the Bookman's latest persona would react to being messed with, instead of the other way around. "What sword?"
Staring at his dumb-struck expression, Lavi furiously shook his head, and exclaimed, "The sword you skewered my body with, damn it!"
"Lavi… Exactly where on your body does it look like you got stabbed?" Allen questioned him rationally, he smiling mask just a crack away from breaking and revealing the Black Allen smirk hidden beneath.
"I… I…" Lavi trailed off in confusion, patting himself down, and realizing that he bore no wounds, other than the occasional scrape and bruise he received from running around in the forest. "I know what I saw…" Lavi said stubbornly, though he didn't sound too sure of himself.
"Right…" Allen said unconvinced.
"Are you accusing me of hallucinating?" Lavi frowned.
"Hey, you're the one who said it, not me," Allen shrugged, giving him an innocent smile.
Before an argument could break out, they heard the slight sound of rushing water. "The lake!" Allen exclaimed, looking in the direction behind him. "We have to retrieve the Innocence!"
Grabbing his deactivated Innocence, Lavi immediately got up, and raced after Allen, both hurriedly jumping over fallen logs and branches, and scurrying around the many trees until they reached the lake.
Allen's eyes widened in shock when their arrival revealed the whirring pool at the center of the lake, in which Kaylee's body stood. Her body occasionally spazzed and twitched at the joints, and her head seemed to be cocked at an uncomfortable angle. Upon their appearance, she snapped her soulless eyes open, and slowly turned her head towards their direction. As if their presence offended her somehow, she gave them an inhuman snarl, and with a jerk of her fingers, began launching volleys of water at them.
Ducking and dodging, they managed to avoid most of them, but unfortunately ended up getting hit after being overwhelmed. Choking and spluttering, Allen managed to activate Crown Clown and was able to use the white cloak for protection. Lavi, using his now, enlarged hammer, was able to shield himself as well.
Allen ducked behind one of the trees for a bit, and waiting for the corpse to distract herself with Lavi, jumped in again, headed straight for the chain wildly flying around her neck. Unfortunately, she managed to see it coming, and blasted Allen back with a cascade of water, causing him to land harshly next Lavi, who was crouching down behind his hammer, while trying to keep it in place from all the oncoming water.
Coughing all the water back up, Allen gasped and struggled to catch his breath. "How're you holding up?" He asked Lavi.
"Could be better," Lavi grunted. "Any idea how to take it from her?"
Allen frowned in frustration. "She's standing in the middle of the lake. I need some sort of stable ground to be able to fight her out in the middle of the water. Too bad Lenalee isn't here…" Allen trailed off. Glancing at Lavi's hammer, Allen's eyes widened when he remember what other easy command Lavi could give Iron Hammer.
"Hey, Lavi? You know how you can get your Innocence to grow?" Allen asked rhetorically.
"Yeah. I'm pretty sure we already established that," Lavi replied in a strained voice, trying to keep his hammer from succumbing to the onslaught of water.
"You think you could get your handle to extend? If I can have something to land on, I'll be able to dodge her attacks without having to come back or land on the water," Allen explained, hoping Lavi would be strong enough to keep his Innocence activated for just a little longer. The first time using your Innocence was always the hardest, though Lavi seemed to be doing remarkably well.
"I-I'll try!" Lavi gasped, and commanded, "Extend!" Fortunately, the hammer stayed in place, protecting them from the torrents of water, and the handle twisted around to extend towards and across the lake, creating a perfect pathway for Allen. "J-just hurry!" Lavi panted, sweat visible on his face.
Nodding in determination, Allen quickly raced across the handle, Crown Clown at ready. Kaylee's corpse took immediate notice of him, and with a growl, launched surges of water streaming towards him, which he was able to just dodge, landing on the handle every time.
Once he was near enough, Allen ordered Crown Clown, "Clown Belt!" Kaylee's body gasped in outrage when she suddenly became immobile, every part of her corpse being contained by the white strands of Allen's Crown Clown. Before she could direct anymore water-type attacks towards them, Allen used his sleek claws to snap the chain from her neck, and then released her. Kaylee gasped when her body suddenly began to die once again. "T-thank you," she choked out just before the waters of the lake claimed her body once more, and enfolded her into the depths of its dark waters, soon vanishing her body from view.
"You're welcome," Allen whispered solemnly, just as Iron Hammer's handle began to pull him towards shore, where Lavi was panting from the exertion of using his Innocence for so long.
Landing on the ground, and deactivating his Crown Clown, Allen patted Lavi on the back and said, "Good job, Lavi! You did great!"
"Thanks!" Lavi gasped, returning an equally tired smile.
"Oh, and Lavi?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry for stabbing you with my sword."
…
"I knew it!"
Time Frame — Night of March 3rd, 1895
Allen rubbed his eyes tiredly, while he contentedly stared out the window from the train; not that there was much to see out in the pitch blackness. Glancing up at Lavi, who was immersed in one of his many books, Allen curiously asked, "What did you think of your first mission."
Looking up, Lavi closed his book and set it aside. "It sure was something. Not every day you get stabbed by your supposed comrade," Lavi teased.
Letting out an insufferable sigh, Allen asked rhetorically, "You're never going to let that go, are you?"
"Not on your life!" Lavi cheerfully replied, and Allen was pleased to see that he actually seemed to be somewhat genuine. Maybe not as much as his original Lavi, but he knew it was a work in progress.
"I am curious about one thing though," Lavi began.
"And about a million others," Allen scoffed, but they both knew he was just teasing.
"Well, it does come with the job of a Bookman. In all seriousness, how did you know to command my hammer to grow?" Lavi asked.
Allen shrugged, and simply replied with his usual poker face, "Just a shot in the dark. I doubted such a tiny thing could cause any damage, so making it bigger seemed like a simple solution."
Lavi nodded and sat back, not asking more, though Allen knew he was probably still suspicious. Lavi was observant, and Allen wasn't sure how long his secret would last with him around.
"Oh, I almost forgot! I got something for you!" Allen exclaimed suddenly, digging around the inside pockets of his Exorcist coat.
Leaning forward in curiosity, Lavi eagerly asked, "What is it?"
"Well, I thought that bandana of yours was a little bland," Allen began with a teasing smirk.
"Hey, I happen to be very of fond of this bandana!" Lavi defended, though his lips slightly twitched upwards.
"So, I got you a new one!" Allen exclaimed, finally pulling out the bright, green bandana victoriously, and then tossed it to a surprised Bookman Junior.
"Thanks shorstack!" Lavi replied, replacing his old bandana with the new one, and as if by miracle, offered Allen his first genuine smile.
Beaming in return, Allen replied, "You're welcome."
Time Frame — Night of March 5th, 1895
Allen groaned in frustration when he realized he was utterly and completely lost. But of course, that was to be expected. They'd just gotten back from the mission, and Lavi was away with Komui, giving Hevlaska the new Innocence fragment.
He'd been doing okay at first, the root between the cafeteria, his room, and Komui's office having been ingrained in his mind. And no, taking twice as long to get there as everyone else did not count as getting lost. That thought aside, Allen knew he should have paid more attention to his surroundings, but he'd been so deep in thought that he must have taken the wrong turn. And wait… had that been a staircase back there? But all three places he frequented were all on the same floor! Ugh, it was a good thing he kept his training in his own room, instead of frequenting the training rooms on the other floors. God help him if he did.
Allen sighed dejectedly as he took another turn, knowing that attempting to find that one staircase would probably only lead him further into the depths of the Order. That was if he wasn't there already. Allen was so busy sulking that he didn't notice the person headed in his direction, causing Allen to harshly bump into them. Shaking it off, Allen craned his neck to look at an irate Kanda. Wait! That meant Kanda was probably headed back to his own room. It was pretty late after all, and Allen had never once seen Kanda get lost in the original timeline. Allen would never admit that he'd slightly resented the older Japanese because of it.
Giving him an innocent smile, Allen proceeded to give him a cheerful greeting and began to blather on about random things that he knew Kanda would tune out. Hopefully that would distract Kanda from the fact that he was following him… unless he didn't end up trying to commit murder over the fact he just wouldn't shut up, but Allen was getting desperate. "—and then Reever and all the other scientists started yelling all crazy. I was pretty scared, but—" Allen came to an abrupt stop when he realized Kanda had halted in his speedy walk and was staring at him with an unreadable expression. Oops!
"Uh, Kanda? You alright?" Allen laughed nervously.
"Beansprout… are you following me?"
"I, uh… Well, you see… Um, I kind of have this tendency to, um, get lost," Allen finally managed to blurt out, as he shifted from foot to foot, acting like a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar. Allen then suddenly began to better observe his surroundings now that he wasn't blabbering on, and realized that they weren't anywhere near the dormitories. "Um, Kanda? Please don't tell me you're lost as well…?"
"The hell I am!" Kanda protested vehemently, giving him a scathing glare. Allen blinked in surprise, and then burst into light laughter when he realized that Kanda had actually been in his position at one point.
"Why the fuck are you laughing?" Kanda growled dangerously, his hand instinctively reaching for Mugen. But Allen wasn't listening, as he leaned against a nearby door. The door appeared to be ancient with rusting hinges, most of the paint and even some of the wood itself chipped off and peeling, and mysterious splashes of weird chemicals littering the rough surface. Apparently the door could no longer take any weight, so the extra push of Allen's leaning form finally pushed it over the edge, and within a matter of seconds it was groaning in protest as it finally toppled backwards, taking Allen with it. "Agh!" Allen yelled in surprise as he suddenly tumbled back into a large cloud of dust.
Peering inside, Kanda raised an uninterested eyebrow, and dryly commented, "Maybe all that food is finally turning you into a fatass…"
"Is not!" Allen protested rather loudly, but then began to cough roughly when he accidently inhaled a good amount of the dust-filled air. Pounding his chest, Allen blindly grabbed for a random shelf to help him stand up, but unfortunately, just like the door, all the shelves were barely being held by a thread so it wasn't a surprise when Allen caused it to break off and crash right on top of him. Specifically, a mysterious, liquid-filled glass vial that had been rotting away just on top of it. An odd, violet-colored smoke practically exploded inside the tiny area right around Allen, filling every space and making it inescapable.
Komui, I'm going to kill you… Was Allen's last coherent thought as everything began to blur around him.
~Kanda~
Kanda stumbled back, covering his mouth and nose to prevent himself from being affected by the smoke being released. Cursing, Kanda begin to wave it way and was finally able to clear away the small storage room from the lingering tendrils of the dissipating smoke. It was then that Kanda got a good look at the white-haired beansprout shrouded in his now too large Exorcist coat. Carefully picking the thing up, Kanda observed it like you would a newly discovered creature, trying to figure out if he really was looking at what he thought he was. In response, the idiot beansprout bit his nose.
"Argh! You fucking retard! What the hell was that beansprout!?" Kanda snarled, accidently releasing his hold on him. Instead of toppling to the ground, the beansprout immediately wrapped his tiny arms around his neck and had the decency to snuggle into him. Snuggle! That word shouldn't even be in his vocabulary list!
Kanda then realized that not only was he absolutely lost, he had an idiot, and now three-year old, beansprout clinging to him.
Fuck his life.
A/N: What the heck did I just write…? O_o
By the way, you can all thank Lenore91 for poor Lavi getting stabbed. Apparently she wanted somebody getting skewered by the Sword of Exorcism. xD
Dana: Thank you very much, and I'm glad you appreciated the thing with Lavi(; As for that, like I said before, I don't plan on adding romance into the story, but Road will pop in at the most random times, so keep your eye out for that!(;
That last part was for EpikalStorms. Yup, this is what I was talking about Stormy, so now I'm going to go hide so that you don't accidentally strangle me for not telling you^,^
Oh, and don't forget to leave a review please!;D