IMPORTANT! MY GLASSES BROKE! This means that uploading is now going to be much slower until I get new ones that I can actually see out of. I should be getting them by the end of this next week, but I'm not counting my chickens just yet.I was going to have this chapter done and out by Wednesday, but I had some trouble with time. We got back late on Monday from my trip so all of my unpacking moved to Tuesday and Monday night is when my glasses broke. Tuesday was going to be a writing day while I did laundry, but I ended up unpacking and seeing if I could get my glasses fixed instead. Well so far they are held together with glue. Wednesday I worked on writing this chapter, but had to go to work so it wasn't finished. Thursday I had to work again and picked out new frames that day. Friday I got to get a new prescription for my glasses and finally get them ordered after a few problems with that. I also did more work on this chapter, but wasn't able to finish it because they dilated my eyes so I couldn't see my screen too well. I worked on this while I could today and here you have it.
The contest for reference pictures is now closed. The lovely Mitzuna is the only one to send suggestions, so they will receive the credit for the cover art to accompany this story on my dA account. Thanks again Mitzuna!
On a random note, I now own the first four volumes of D. Gray Man :D I plan to eventually get them all, but I can only afford a few at a time.
I do hope to release at least one chapter this next week, it probably will only be one as I am determined to finish my Naruto fanfic (The Voice of Silence) this week as well. Also, this next chapter for Pouring Rain will be quite long so it will take more time to write, especially as I can't see too well right now.
Sorry again for the delay!
Warning: OOC Miranda
Disclaimer: I don't anything but four copies of volumes 1-4 of the manga
Chapter 6
For Allen, the following Saturday and Sunday are very repetitive. It is the same both days: wake up, eat whatever they give you, go and sit in the other room numbered 14 for the rest of the day. There is no interaction with any of the others, just solitude and the occasional Akuma.
However, when the monotony of the weekend ends and Monday finally comes around, everything changes.
He is sleeping semi-peacefully when the Akuma come into his room. Instead of one, there are three this time and they are accompanied by Lulubell. She says and does nothing as they carefully pick up the still groggy Allen and remove him from the room. They head off down through the maze of hallways until they reach the white room. Once inside, they release Allen and move to join a few other Akuma that have gathered along the walls.
Allen wonders sleepily over to his usual corner and is a little surprised to find that Alma is already there, conversing with a neko he has never seen before. For the most part, this new comer seems quite normal, long brown wavy hair with matching ears and tail, and a pale skin tone, but the thing that throws Allen off the most about this particular neko is that it is female.
He is fairly surprised to see a female neko as they are usually kept in another portion of the building with the kittens so he hasn't seen one since he was kidnapped, which make him all the more curious about her. He tires to not be too obvious in his observations of her, but he does sit close enough to her and Alma to do so without looking too suspicious.
Alma notices him as he sits and gives him a look of grim amusement. "So, it looks like I was right. I knew you wouldn't be here for long considering what you are. Know where they're sending you yet?"
"They're sending me somewhere? I haven't heard anything." Fear starts to taint Allen's curiosity, causing a nervous uncertainty to resurface yet again.
"Yeah, todays Monday remember? That means that if we were sold sometime over the weekend, we are officially bought today. That's why we're here so early, that's why we actually get to be near some of the girls right now." He sees the growing concern on Allen's face. "Oh, before I forget, Allen this is Miranda, Miranda this is Allen. He's the one I was telling you about."
She finally looks at Allen, giving a faint smile despite how tired the dark bags under her eyes betray that she is. "It's an honor to actually meet you Allen. You've caused quite a stir for both the humans and the nekos. I'm sure you're getting sick of hearing this, but you really are a rarity and that gives us some hope, no matter how twisted that hope might be. You have our support and our grief as well."
"How can I bring you hope, and what do you mean that it's twisted?"
She looks thoughtful for a moment. "I'll try to phrase this the best I can, but I'm sure that you've already heard most of this, so please be patient." She takes a deep breath. "You know that nekos have always been small in numbers, right? Well that's partially because we don't have very many kittens. Like our ancient feline ancestors, we tend to carry large litters, but normally only one or two will survive the birthing process. This also limits how many kittens we can have overall, so most couples only have two or three kittens maximum survive to adulthood, which accounts for our smaller population growth.
"However, when nekos started to interact more with humans, there were a few humans and nekos that fell in love and left to have lives together. But there is a problem with this, no matter how hard they try, humans and nekos cannot successfully have kittens together. A few have been able to start litters, but either they all died before birth or they died within their first week of life because they were to frail to survive. This is part of what led to the decline of our numbers.
"I don't know if you know this Allen, but at the height of our numbers, we numbered in the low hundreds of thousands, but now our numbers have decreased into just a few hundred at best, and that's world wide. With our current situation with the humans we are exposed to more things that impede pregnancies, and have lower rates of couples being able to stay together indefinitely like they should, which leads to few kittens. That's why you are so important.
"Bearers have always existed, but never that many at once. What makes you special Allen is not just that you are able to carry litters despite being male, but that Bearers have a much higher rate of carrying a full litter to term and having them all survive to adulthood. Also, you are able to have more litters than most, which greatly helps our numbers.
"However, the humans have noticed this and have been trying to take advantage of this, but there is one main flaw for them. Like humans, we mate for life, and for Bearers, there is only one they will ever successfully mate with and humans seem to think that it all has to do with genetics instead of what is meant to be. This leads to problems for both the Bearer and the other neko involved if the humans do not like that pairing for some reason or another despite them being meant to be together.
Another part of the problem is that if we were still able to live outside of the humans, it would be several years after the Bearer has matured that he and his mate would produce kittens, but now as soon as they find a Bearer and he reaches maturity, they immediately try to mate him to produce kittens as soon as possible. As a result, the Bearers body is not fully matured enough to carry that many litters so soon and more often than not, it becomes too much and frequently the Bearer will die very young because of too much strain forced on their still developing bodies in such a short amount of time.
"Part of the reason that they try to mate Bearers so quickly is that a Bearer can only be born from another Bearer. That is part of the reason that their numbers are so few, but most Bearers will never carry another Bearer, maybe one if they are lucky, but never anymore. Humans want the Bearers to produce more Bearers as fast as possible to help increase the neko population as a whole, but more so to insure that there will be more Bearers for them to research on. Something they can't do because of how many they 'accidently' killed, and because of how few of you are left.
"I know that this is a lot to take in, but do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?" Miranda's wide eyes search Allen hopefully, looking for any sign that she is understood.
Allen wrinkles his brow in concentration as he tires to process what he has just heard and how it is connected to what he has already heard. Try as he might, he can't quite figure out what she is trying to tell him besides some facts that he knew most of before. He looks up at her, trying to make his apology visible in his eyes. "I'm sorry, but I really don't know what you're trying to say."
Miranda looks panicked as she tries to think of how to rephrase everything, but is saved by Alma jumping in. "What she's trying to say, is that female nekos have a hard time being pregnant and so they don't have very many kittens. But for them, having kittens is a natural occurrence so it doesn't put as much strain on their bodies. However, for Bearers like you, you are more likely to be able to be pregnant with a full litter and have them all survive, but since you are a guy, it is more of an unnatural occurrence, and because of that there is more strain on your body.
"The reason that humans are so interested in Bearers is because they are rare, and because the more kittens a Bearer can birth, the less they have to worry and enforce that neko couples have to be allowed to stay together to worry about making more kittens. The problem is that they don't seem to understand that by forcing you to have so many litters in rapid succession, they increase the strain on your body to the point where it gives out, and in a worse case scenario, it kills you.
"However, you at least, are safe for a little while longer. Since you haven't had your first heat yet, they can't really do anything with you as far as finding a mate for you, so your body will have more time to develop, which means a higher survival rate for you. The problem comes when you actually do have your first heat and they try to find your mate on their own and without you being too involved in the process outside of a physical relationship. That typically does not end well for any one concerned when that. When that happens, then you can panic." He stops to take a deep breath. "Now, does that make more sense?"
"Yes, actually it does." He looks back to Miranda. "How do you now all of this?"
She gives him a small smile. "Oh that one's easy. I used to help watch a younger Bearer kitten back when I was still a kitten myself."
She doesn't get to say anything else because the door has opened once again; only this time the Millennium Earl enters the room. "Alright, my sweet little kitties, you are the lucky few who managed to be bought over the weekend. Now, you will each be escorted out of here and taken to your new owners who are waiting for you." He surveys the room once again and notices how the nekos have clustered themselves close to Allen, almost as if daring someone to try and take him. "Now, stay right were you are, and wait for the Akuma to collect you. Good luck, and try to behave for your new owners, little kitties." With that he leaves the room with one last lingering look at Allen.
Lulubell is quick to make her way through the nekos and over to Allen. She gently takes his arm, and pulls him away from Miranda and Alma. He tries to turn back to say goodbye, but their Akuma escorts already surround them, effectively hiding them from view. As he tries to get one last glimpse of his new friends, he is whisked out the door and down through the twisting hallways.
In very little time they happen to arrive in a hallway that Allen actually recognizes. The plush carpet is a dead give away as it leads them to the Earl's office. Upon entering, Allen is surprised to find that there is already someone sitting in the chair opposite the Earl's, the figures turns to face the new arrivals when he hears the door open. He is dressed in business attire with a simple pair of black pants and crisp white shirt, which blend nicely with his slightly ashen skin tone and black hair. His hair is pulled back in a loose ponytail, but a few strands have escaped to frame his face. But the most surprising aspect of this man is his bright golden eyes, such a stark contrast with Allen's silvery ones. He gives a soft smile to Allen, to try and reassure him that everything will be alright.
The man stands and inclines his slightly, signaling the start of introductions. "You must be the famed Allen Walker. I've heard that there are some pretty high expectations on you right now, which is why you are going to be living with my daughter and me for the time being." Seeing that Allen is starting to look confused and scared, he tries to clarify. "My name is Sheryl Camelot, and as a favor to my dear daughter Road's grandfather, the Millennium Earl, I shall be taking you into my home and will care for you until more suitable arrangements can be made."
He stares at Allen, waiting for a replay that never comes. Eventually he sighs, "I'm not your master, Allen. And while I expect you to treat my daughter and me as though we are your masters, we will be a little more forgiving for a lapse in memory. This isn't meant to be a permanent situation, as soon as you've matured you'll be either with another master or at the Breeding Program." He can tell that Allen is still uneasy about all of this. "I'd take advantage of this if I were you Allen. For the time being you are being guaranteed a home and we'll do our best to take care of you. Whether or not you choose to accept this offer isn't a factor. You will be coming with me, and that's that." His tone is slightly annoyed by Allen's lack of response at this, but at the same time he figures it must be nerves that are holding the neko's tongue.
Sheryl shifts uncomfortably for a moment before speaking again. "Now, all the paperwork has already been filled out and turned in, so all that's left is some final details." He reaches in his pocket and pulls out a bight red something. "If you're going to be living with my Road, then we need to make you look a little more presentable. Starting with this." He goes and removes Allen's black collar, and replaces it with a thinner bright red one. He also carefully takes out Allen's earing and replaces it with a slightly heavier one that intensely heats up for a second before rapidly cooling off.
He steps back for a second, observing the small changes. "The collar is a definite improvement, not as large and clunky as the only one, but then this one doesn't have a tracking chip in it, the new earing has it instead. Now before you even think of just taking the earing off and escaping, if you try to remove it, it will superheat and will burn you. The only people who can remove it are the ones that have their fingerprints programed in, otherwise that thing does not come out. Understand?"
Allen slowly nods his head; his head still reeling from how restrictive this will be on his already forming escape plans. He pauses his thoughts for a moment to clarify one thing. "When do we leave?"
Sheryl gives a confident smile. "We'll be leaving now, but we won't be heading to my home right away." Allen looks confused for a moment. "We'll be doing some shopping first to find some more suitable clothes for you to wear. After all, I can already tell that Road is just going to love playing dress up with you."
….
For Allen, leaving the Black Arc wasn't all that exciting. It consisted mainly of following Sheryl through the maze of hallways, being ushered into the backseat of a new BMW, and leaving for who knows where. He did have some hopes of seeing where he is headed, but quickly discovered that windows he could see out of were tinted both inside and out so he couldn't see anything. He also discovered that he couldn't open either of the backdoors, thus ensuring that he is stuck back there. This made the journey far less interesting as time seemed to slow to a crawl without any interaction or change of scenery.
Arriving at the shopping center did bring about one surprise. When the door to the back is opened for Allen to come out, Sheryl is not alone. Another man stands by him staring intently at Allen. This man is rather tall and proportionally broad, or at least much taller than Sheryl, but with the same dark hair, bright golden eyes, and ashen skin tone. He wears a simple pair of black jeans and a plain dark blue short-sleeved shirt.
"Allen, this is Skin Bolic. He will be your bodyguard for whenever you are out in public. The two of you might not necessarily get along, but you'll just have to live with the idea of working with each other. And just because you might not be able to see him, doesn't mean that he's not there. Just remember that." And with that Sheryl turns and heads into the shopping center.
It turns out that the shopping center is really more of an outdoor mall. There are some large expanses of cloth to keep out some of the sun and provide some relief from the heat as it radiates off of the ceramic tile floor. The mall is divided into more expensive stores on one side and less expensive stores on the other. For most of the mall, these two parts don't mix too much, a clear sign of the division of social classes, but there are places like the food court, restaurants, and the occasional sitting area that connects the two fairly peacefully.
For the most part, shopping is very boring for Allen. He has a long leash attached to his collar as soon as they enter the mall, making his cheeks redden with embarrassment, and humiliating him to no end. He is also given an oversized gray hoodie to wear and told to keep up the hood and cover his ears as much as possible. While this does annoy him, he tries not to show it because he doesn't want to cause a scene.
Throughout the morning he is led to many of the higher-class stores where at each one he is measured and forced to try on pile after pile of various types of clothes. He tries on so many that he soon loses count and starts to pray for an end. Shopping is more work than he remembers, and he never thought that he'd be so grateful to hear that Sheryl wants to stop to grab something to drink before continuing the shopping spree.
He is thoroughly excited to head to the food court to feed his roaring stomach, and is pleasantly surprised when Sheryl opts to eat in one of the more quiet restaurants. However, he is a little disappointed when he sees Sheryl eating a full meal consisting of a thick hamburger, salad, and large soft drink, when he is left with a large glass of milk. He is grateful for something, but he is still hungry, and Sheryl doesn't seem to notice him eyeing his full plate.
Eventually, Sheryl decides that he's had enough and heads out of the restaurant and back to more shopping, much to Allen's chagrin. As they leave and travel through the rest of the food court to get back to the main area of the mall, Allen is still musing over his empty stomach. And during this musing Allen catches a glimpse of something dark red out of the corner of his eye. He turns to make a double take to make sure his eyes aren't deceiving him.
All he can see is the man's back, but the color is so close . . . he mentally urges the man to turn, just to make sure that his mind isn't playing tricks on him. A moment later, it's almost as if the man hears his mental pleading, as he turns and looks vaguely in Allen's direction. The bright green eyes, and knowing gaze confirm his identity.
"Lavi . . ." His voice is barely above a whisper, as if uttering the name will somehow change what he is seeing. When nothing does change, he stops walking and watches as Lavi looks confused, like he is missing something important, but eventually turns and heads back towards the food court.
Allen stakes a tentative step towards Lavi's retreating figure, having a brief mental struggle to accept that he is truly there, before breaking out at a full out sprint towards his friend. He feels the moment that the leash is torn out of Sheryl's hand, and when his hood flies back with his speed, but he doesn't care about that, or the fact that Sheryl is calling after him. Allen starts yelling Lavi's name at the retreating figure, desperate to get his attention.
Everything seems to move in slow motion as the redhead turns around just in time to see Allen's smile fade away has he stumbles as an electric shock attacks him from his collar, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground. Lavi goes into autopilot and starts to make his way to Allen, a smile bursting across his face at the sight of his found friend. But before he can get too close, Skin appears from seemingly nowhere, and picks up Allen, slings him over his shoulder, and heads back towards Sheryl.
Allen tries to resist as best he can, but his mind is still reeling from the sudden shock, but he is coherent to look up and see Lavi still trying to make his way to him, calling his name in return. A crowd has gathered to see the spectacle, which is impeding him, but he is doing his best to get to him despite all of the obstacles. Allen continues to cry out his name, reaching out his hand as if he can close the distance and grab Lavi's hand. Tears are spilling down his cheeks as his friend grows smaller and smaller in his line of sight.
….
For Lavi, he is trying to do everything he can to resist the gathering crowd to rescue his friend. He dodges and twisting around the suddenly crowded food court, calling out to his formally missing friend. He can see Allen being dragged further and further away, his hand reaching out for him, and the sight breaks his heart.
He couldn't believe it when he thought he heard Allen's voice. It had been more than a week since the young neko went missing, and they couldn't find any leads as to his whereabouts. So for him to be here of all places would be hard to believe. He turned to see if it was just his imagination or not, but he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary besides some poor nekos being led around on leashes. When he can't see anyone that resembles Allen, he turns back to go find some lunch.
He starts to move when he hears it again, Allen's voice. Only this time it sounds too real, to solid to be a figment of his imagination. He turns back one last time to see something he never thought he'd see again: one of his best friends running towards him, relief and desperation written across his features. Those emotions are quickly replaced by surprise and pain as he slips and falls to the ground. Lavi sees this and starts to run to his friend, for he sees a large man making his way purposefully towards Allen, as if he is going to catch him and separate them again. Lavi calls out Allen's name, trying to reassure him that he is coming and will rescue him.
Lavi begins to struggle to catch up to Allen, a crowd has gathered having heard their shouting and feeling obligated to come and see what the commotion is all about. They don't seem to notice or care that they are in his way, nor do they even try or care enough to get out of his way.
The man catches Allen and slings him over his shoulder like a misbehaving child, not seeming to be bothered by the gathering crowd. He is imposing enough that people quickly get out of his way and he is able to make faster progress away from Lavi than Lavi can make moving towards him.
Even at their current distance, Lavi can see Allen's tears and wishes to be able to nothing more than stop those tears and hold him close like he used to do when Allen was still a tiny kitten. When Allen reaches his hand out for Lavi, Lavi automatically does the same for Allen, even though the crowd is becoming even thicker and the distance between them quickly becomes so great that they can no longer see one another.
Once he finally makes it out of the food court, the crowds are fairly sparse, seeing as most of the mall's customers migrated to see what all of the commotion is about. He looks about searching for any sign of Allen or the man that took him, but he can't find any clues. He takes off in a random direction desperately keeping his eyes peeled for his friend.
A mall that would normally take him several hours to walk through, is completely seen in nearly aspect in just over ten minutes. Despite all of his efforts, he still can't find a single trace of Allen. It's almost like he managed vanished into thin air.
Lavi stops and sighs for a moment, accepting the inevitable, and letting the rush of emotions run their course. From the frustration of nearly having his friend back, the grief of losing him all over again, and the uneasy nervousness of how he's going to break the news of this discover to the others. Tears of stress threaten to break through his emotional barriers, but he refuses to let them show. He can allow himself to mourn the loss again, but no one will ever know how badly beside himself.
….
Allen starts to cry more heavily and loudly when Lavi is finally out of sight. His desperation and anguish at the situation becoming more and more evident. People stop to stare and a mummer of rumors can be heard as people watch him be taken away by Skin. Eventually he feels another shock from his collar, this one is more centered on his vocal cords, and suddenly his voice is forced to leave him. Despite this, he still cries silently as he is dragged further and further away from his friend.
As soon as they exit the food court, Skin takes them down the most immediate employee service hallway and makes his way to where Sheryl is waiting for them. Even though he can't see his current caretaker, Allen can still feel the negative emotions running off of him.
"I don't know what that was back there, and I don't care. You have embarrassed not only yourself, but by association, the House of Noah as well! Don't think that you will escape from this unscathed." He pauses for a second, trying to relieve a bit of the anger in his voice. "I'll deal with you when we get home. But for now, you are not to make sound or move that I don't approve of. If you don't, your punishment will only increase."
And with that, Sheryl tries to make his face as blank as possible, despite his brow still furrowing a bit in anger, he turns and sets off through the service hallways towards the parking lot. Everyone present could already tell that it is going to be a very long ride home.
Sorry again for the delay, but I hope this makes up for it.
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