Chapter 6
An impact on the ground resounds in the forest leaving clouds of dust.
"Eeeek!" Miranda screams with fear and disgust as the Akuma nearly hit them with its body. Lavi has to push them both out of the way to dodge its attack. Releasing Miranda from his grip, Lavi turns to the Akuma.
"Hey! Stupid monster!"
The Akuma meets Lavi's eyes. "How dare you to insult me, you little brat!" it shouts with anger.
Oh! A short tempered Akuma? Lavi thinks, remembering a certain friend with such tone and temper, Kanda Yu. Lavi smirks in his mind.
"Why? Are you hurt?" Lavi teases in a singsong voice. "Pretty weak, for someone with such a large body like that!" He says while tilting his head to the side then sticks out his tongue to annoy the demon. The Akuma grinds his teeth out of rage.
"I'll skin you to death!" It screeches as it hurls itself towards Lavi, who has already started running a few paces away from the Akuma.
"Lavi!" Miranda cries. She struggles to stand but finds herself tripping over her coat. Lavi and the Akuma disappear from her view as they run away. No! I'm useless, I have to protect him! Miranda yells in her mind.
Tears are falling down her cheeks when the stray bullets rain around her, damaging the forest and leaving craters on the ground. Miranda sees Crowley struggling in the grasp of a Level 2 that looks like an armored knight but has a giant pair of scissors as a weapon instead of a lance. The two roll on the ground a few meters from her, when another Level 2 aims at them. Its canon glows with power.
"Die!" The cry of the Akuma is muffled by the burst of energy as it shoots them.
"Innocence! Activate!" Miranda shouts as she closes her eyes. "Time Out!"
Her Innocence; a disk on her right arm slides down to her wrist and glows with golden light, creating a barrier for about five meters radius. It moves through Crowley and pushes the Level 2 Akumas away from them. The other Level 2 with the canon continues to fire but none of those shots are able to penetrate. Miranda's Innocence can stop time within its barrier. As long as it is active, no attack or damage will reflect inside as it suspends the flow of time.
"Crowley! Are you alright?" She says reaching the exorcist's side.
"Yes. Thanks, Miranda." He says as he stands and wipes the trickles of blood from his lips with the back of his hand.
"You're hurt!" Miranda says with furrowed brows, her tears already dry on her cheeks. She closes her eyes and concentrates after a few seconds, and rings of Time Recovery suddenly appear around Crowley's wound, returning his strength: his state before he was attacked.
"M-Miranda?" Crowley cannot hide the surprise in his voice. "You'll strain yourself if you use your Innocence too much!"
"It's the only way I can help!" Miranda falls on her knees, clutching her Innocence. "Lavi is in danger, we need to find him quickly!"
Crowley understands what Miranda means and he nods to her then shifts to his fighting stance, his eyes turned black, the white streak of his hair stands as his senses raises and his blood boils to exterminate the enemy.
"I'll finish them now!" He leaps out of the barrier and join the battle with Lenalee.
Lavi runs like death is on his heels; he hasn't felt this way for a while. He runs not because he is afraid of the Level 2 chasing him but because he doesn't want to be near Miranda's Innocence. It might kill him or reveal that he is an Akuma.
"Not so brave are you, little brat! Stop running and let me tear you to pieces!" The demon sneers as it crawls not far behind him. Lavi doesn't answer, he is too focused on where he is running, avoiding all twigs and sharp things that may cut him.
A single cut or scratch can expose his true identity. He knows how Crowley would react if he smells his Akuma blood, especially when he's hungry. Good thing Lavi had memorized the forest from the last time he went there, he still has the habit of recording things as a Bookman apprentice. He leads the Level 2 Akuma on a clear path without trees. As they arrive to an open field, Lavi suddenly stops.
The Akuma stops behind Lavi, keeping some distance between them. Something's up with this kid! It thinks as he looks at the back of the redhead not moving from where he stands. It shrugs the thoughts, considering how fragile the kid is.
"Tired of running, kid?" The demon asks while rising its mechanical centipede legs simultaneously up off the ground. All are made of blades that can cut through anything. Lavi slowly turns around to face the Akuma. His eyes are lifeless, like a pit of darkness, and it makes the demon shiver from fear; it didn't take long for it to learn who the kid was.
"I-it's you!" It blurts with surprise.
"Walts: Mist Wind!" Lenalee calls in midair as she stirs a tornado from her Innocence's power by directing a forceful kick towards her enemy. The swirling tornado hits the first Level 2 that quickly explodes upon impact. The tornado continues to fly at another Level 2 but only manages to damage its armor. It falls hard on the ground and quickly scrambles to escape. Lenalee does not waste time and quickly lands a heel to its throat, pinning it down to the ground. Letting out a silent cry, the Akuma stops trying to break out.
"You! What do you want from this town?" She asks, threatening the demon by digging her sharp heel into its throat. The thrill from the battle is still written all over her face.
"T..tr..raitor.." It wheezes.
"What?" Lenalee demands rising her brow, this could be their lead to find out the Akumas' aim for gathering in this place.
"Must.. find.. the traitor!" The Akuma says without thinking, Lenalee's attacks are taking its effects. Small chaps and cracks envelope its body, showing the glowing purple energy inside, while its head swells. Noticing these details, Lenalee jumps away from the dying Akuma before it explodes.
Landing lightly on the ground, Lenalee fixes her coat, what the Akuma said runs in her head.
Find the traitor? What does it means? If it was a Noah... Could it be Allen? Her train of thought is interrupted by an explosion with the death cry of another Akuma above her. She sees Crowley descend to her side.
"That's the last one! I'll go find Lavi." Crowley boasts and turns on his feet to find the boy. Lenalee had no idea that Lavi was gone. A flash of worry stirs her heart but quickly drops seeing how determined Crowley is to recover the boy. She decides to pick up Miranda first, before following them.
"... What do you mean?" Lavi asks casually unlike his childish attitude.
"Stop pretending! You're one of us!" The cat-like Akuma complains. "And Earl-sama wants you back!" It says darkly as it slowly steps forward.
"So that's why he's sending filthy Akumas to this town?" Pieces of the puzzle fall into place in Lavi's mind. It was a good move following the exorcists, if he had not done that, these Akuma might have reached and terrorize his town or the Orphanage itself. "But why?" His eyes are fixed on the demon in front of him observing its reaction. He doubts that this thing knows something important but he has to try.
A wide grin with malice creeps in the Akuma's lips before it speaks. "Earl-sama has plans~! Great plans! Just come with me and he will forgive you!" His smile falls to grimace as it continues. "But if you resist, we have to drag you back even by beating you to a pulp just to do so." It extends its claws dramatically preparing to lunge.
"You won't be doing that!" Lavi gives a piercing glare at the demon.
"We'll see about tha-" The demon almost chokes, its eyes bulging out in disbelief and its breathing dawdles. I can't move! Wa-was this his ability? The akuma thinks while beads of sweat drop from its face.
"Lavi!" Crowley shouts as he looks at the scene. He charges at a great speed coming from the forest. Lavi suddenly drops to his knees, back to his child acting then pretends to escape. The Akuma fights with all its strength to move, but was only able to face the exorcist. Gritting its teeth, it curses Lavi in its mind. Crowley lands a death blow to its chest with his bare hand and digs his fangs to its shoulder. In a few seconds it explodes sending debris of the demon machine flying all around them.
"Lavi! Are you alright?" Crowley asks while helping the boy stand. Lavi looks at the exorcist and nods with a smile of relief.
"I knew you're going to save me!" He says brightly. It was an honest act and it makes Crowley remember his fellow exorcist and friend, Lavi. Crowley tries to put aside the thought; he really wants to find Lavi and the Bookman. But it has been six months and still they can't find any information about them and it hurts him.
"Don't be so careless kid!" He says ruffling the boy's hair while looking at the forest.
Lenalee and Miranda join them as they walk back to the forest. Miranda cries to Lavi and keeps on apologizing on how useless she was in protecting him. Lavi tries to comfort her it takes him an hour to calm her down. Then the group decides to return to the town to report the development of their mission.