To my guest reviewers!
No. 8: Glad you liked it. I know, I was happy with the quick update too! I was just so excited to write them meeting again! I really love this chapter too, because of the interaction between her and the exorcists.
LOLgirl200: You spelled everything right, don't worry! Also, thanks so much for reviewing, it really means a lot. I promise that there will be many more adorable moments between Allen and Fever, and maybe some other characters as well.
Also, I will warn you now. There is heavy Lavi bashing throughout this story. I like him, don't get me wrong, but Fever is a different story. This is not meant to be offensive.
By the time the other exorcists ran into the clearing Allen and I were sprawled out on the ground, our shoulders pressed together, talking like old times. Surprisingly, he didn't ask any questions, and I was fine with that. But I knew we couldn't avoid talking about it forever.
We were currently on the topic of Allen's arm. He was telling me how it had evolved, and how Cross had taken him in, and how he was now in the Black Order. My cloak had long since been discarded, and I was now in my 21st century clothes, which Allen hadn't questioned. Even in the first year I'd known him, I still dressed in clothes that reminded me of home. It helped me remember my father, my house, everything.
The happy mood was ruined when Kanda made a comment. Actually, I was surprised they kept their mouths shut for so long. They'd been standing there for at least ten minutes, watching me interact with my best friend.
"Who the hell are you?" Our heads snapped up. Kanda was standing there with his hands on his hips, glaring down at our relaxed positions. Lavi and Lenalee stood a little ways behind him, silently asking the same question with their eyes.
"Oh, uh…," Allen began brilliantly, rubbing the back of his head. "This is Fever. She's a friend of mine." He paused, obviously wondering how to introduce his fellow exorcists to me without sounding insane. He had explained about the Black Order, but was careful to omit some of the stuff that normal people might not accept, obviously not wanting me to run away after we'd just met again. eeA part of me wanted to see what he would come up with, but I knew I would soon have to reveal myself as the person they were looking for. Allen wouldn't suspect me for any reason, having known me before. But the three accompanying him were already looking at me suspiciously. Well, mostly Kanda. But the mistrust was there.
I stood up quickly, as if I was startled. This caused some small, rectangular pieces of paper to 'accidentally' fall out of my pocket. They were the notes I'd been leaving at each of the stolen missions, complete with the thermometer bursting open. Kanda was there in an instant, snatching the paper up from the ground and examining them before showing the other exorcists.
Allen looked shocked, and I couldn't blame him. When they all turned to me, I was in a tree looking bored. "So, you guys all done debating whether or not I'm behind stealing the missions or what? I'm getting kinda bored."
"Y-You…" Allen trailed off, seemingly not able to find the correct words. He fumbled around for a while before getting it right. "You're an exorcist?" And that was it. There was no accusation about me keeping secrets, or interfering with missions. Because he didn't care. There had been tightness in my chest ever since I'd left him. Sometimes it was barely there, but seeing him again made it hit me full force. I had been scared that he would be angry. That he would yell, and accuse me of leaving, or keeping things from him.
I realized now that that was stupid. I mean, this was Allen. Sure, he might feel betrayed (this made me feel extremely guilty), or angry (This made me feel terrified. Allen rarely got really angry but when he did…), but he would never yell. He would wait for me to explain it in my own time. I was extremely grateful for that part of him. The pressure on my heart vanished.
I smiled gently at him. "Sorry, I didn't want to startle you. Generally, when your best friend comes back from the dead right before your eyes, you get a little shocked. I didn't want to push everything on you at once." I jumped down from the tree, and Allen tensed, because really, I was high up. But I landed on my feet, perfectly fine, and Allen let out a sigh of relief.
A question from the resident jackass startled me. "If you came back from the dead that would mean that you're an akuma." He had his hand on Mugen, and was about to slide it out. I could hear the other exorcist's protests in the background, but I wasn't really listening. An akuma? He thought I was an akuma? Well, we'll have to fix that.
I stepped closer to him, so that we were nose to nose. The sudden movement startled him, but instead of whipping out that sword of his like I expected, he went completely still. I glared up into his eyes before hissing at him. "Listen, dumbass, I said that because Allen thought I was dead. So, in his eyes, it's probably like I came back from the dead, after all these years. I was never actually dead. So stop worrying your stupid exorcist ass about me being an akuma right now."
The small clearing was silent until Lavi opened his mouth. "She told you, Yuu! I don't think I've ever seen anyone but Lenalee tell you off like that!" Kanda made a 'tch' noise and turned away. Lavi waltzed over and put his arm around my shoulders. "You and I will get along fine." He smiled brightly, and suddenly I knew it was fake. I'd known before, obviously, but now it just jumped out at me and became more real. His whole life was an act. He probably couldn't even remember what his real personality was like anymore. I shook off his arm roughly.
"Don't touch me, bookman." I glared at him, noting the surprised look on his face with pleasure. I didn't know whether it was from me shrugging him off and reacting so angrily or because I knew who he was. I didn't care. I leaned in closer so only he would hear what I was saying. "Don't think for a second that I'm fooled by your act. All you bookman know how to do is deceive and record history. And if you ever touch me again, don't expect your limbs to be intact when you let go." With that I turned away from him and walked to Allen's side.
My sudden hostility surprised even me. All I knew was that he was going to end up breaking everyone's hearts if he stayed, and if I let him get close to me, he would break my heart too. A hand on my arm startled me out of my thoughts. "Are you okay?" To my surprise, it wasn't Allen, but Lenalee. She was giving me a concerned look, and with a jolt I realized that I'd had very little contact with girls around my age. I'd never made friends at school, and there wasn't much going on in the village. No girls my age at all.
I smiled at her. "Yeah, I'm fine." She removed her hand from my arm and held it out to shake.
"Allen probably told you already, but I'm Lenalee." I took her hand and shook it, grinning at her.
"Fever Reeds, nice to meet you." And just like that, an instant bond was formed.
She smiled brightly at me, before uncertainty crept into her eyes. "Would you… would you come to the Black Order with us? You could learn more about your abilities, and there are more of us there…" I smiled, and was about to tell her that I probably knew more about innocence that she expected when the ever rude Kanda broke in.
"She doesn't have a choice. She has to come whether she wants to or not." He glared at me, as if daring me to run. I glared back.
"I was planning on going with you anyway, idiot." Everyone except Kanda and me seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Well," Lenalee chirped happily, "let's get going then. The train station isn't that far away." Everyone move a little ahead, leaving just Allen and I in the clearing. They turned back, watching us expectantly. I realized this was the first time they'd seen Allen interact with someone from his past. We didn't talk, he merely held out his hand, and I smiled, remembering how we'd always held hands when we were younger. However I ignored the hand held out to me and grabbed the one that wasn't offered. His parasitic arm.
Allen's eyes widened a fraction before he grinned at me and walked hand in hand to the waiting group. Just like when we were younger, our clasped hands swung slightly as we walked, and just like we were younger, I refused to hold any hand other than his parasitic one. As children, I'd often gotten annoyed at his reluctance to show his 'disability.' So I'd taken to only holding that hand, to prove to him that it wasn't that bad, and that I didn't care. The action had done wonders for his self confidence. It had been an adventure, to grow up with Allen. I smiled as I walked to a whole new adventure, and a new chapter of my life.
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