A/N: It's my work anniversary month! One year of earning my own keep makes adulting...not easy. Nope. Not at all. With no longer being "kids" at the workplace, yours truly is slowly sinking in the work-pile though she is valiantly swimming against the tide so that she can still write chapters for you guys. January had been a pain but thankfully I think I am getting used to it now. *sad sighs
How was the New Year celebrations for you guys? Any funny incidents? *waggles eyebrows
Ok, enough rambling for now...read on!
Chapter 07: The Saint Potter
Two hours ago
"Who is my mother?" Allen repeated, staring at McLean blankly. Even Fou stilled, her eyes narrowing at the question.
"What does that need to do with the discussion we are supposed to have today?" she growled.
"Ah nothing," McLean replied hastily, slightly cowering at Fou's smoldering face. "It's just that Mr. Walker reminded me a lot of Madam Alice – I was her secretary till she left Crown three years back. You both have that soft gentle aura – please excuse my momentary indulgence in nostalgia."
Allen couldn't help but notice that McLean's eyes almost sang of a longing, an unrequited one on which erstwhile poets had sung ballads on. He had a nudging suspicion that the secretary had more-than-professional-admiration for "Madam Alice".
"I have been an orphan as long as I can remember, Mr. McLean," said Allen softly, playing with the fabric of his shirt in his lap. "My orphanage burnt down when I was eleven – my left arm is testimony to that."
Allen gave the man a rueful smile before continuing. "Mr. Froi Tiedoll ran that orphanage, and he thought that I would make a good student, so I was enrolled as a scholarship student in Nietzsche Academy in Devisham. After school, I came to the US and auditioned for Laurenze, got admitted with partial scholarship in the Music division and so, here I am."
If McLean thought that a lot laid unsaid between Nietzsche and Laurenze, he did not say anything. Allen began playing with the hem of his shirt, the silence feeling a bit uncomfortable.
"So, what is it that Crown wants from the kid?" Fou asked, breaking the uneasy silence easy with her raucous, no-nonsense voice.
"Mr. Walker is very interested in re-creating the band…you must have heard of Tidelands, right?" McLean replied, now facing Fou. She frowned, puzzled, before realization dawned in her eyes.
"No…you don't mean…" she began softly, sitting up straighter. Allen could vaguely recall the name as something Bak had said in passing a long time back but apart from that, it was all a haze for him.
"Yes, Ms. La. It is the belief of Mr. Walker that Allen would be instrumental in restarting the band that laid foundation to this company – from what we have seen from the videos, there is simply no cause of disagreement. Allen is a genius in what he does. And with proper equipment and the master of the game himself to train, I believe it would be a wonderful opportunity for you. And if I may say, it could be a career-defining move," said McLean, his voice becoming more excited by the second. Allen had a feeling that the man in front of him was invested in the project more personally than professionally.
It was rare to see such excited corporates.
McLean stood up and walked up to a rather impressive chest of drawers and took out a folder from the topmost one. He handed it to Fou.
"Please go through it – this folder contains all the lyrics, music pieces and ideas of music videos from inception of Tidelands till date which haven't seen the light of day. As of now, Allen is our primary vocalist and mixer, we are still scouring the country for drummers, guitarists and the like. Please do let us know your thoughts on our proposal," he said, his eyes almost drilling into Allen.
Fou was looking through the folder so Allen conveyed their farewell and walked to the door.
"You could go up to the cafeteria – it is pretty famous. I will call and the let them know beforehand."
Fou nodded absently before walking out.
The silence of McLean's office was nothing like the chaos outside. Fou stopped her perusal and looked around, as if suddenly realizing the existence of humanity.
"That McLean guy said something about a cafeteria, right?"
*/*/
"One cheeseburger, onion rings, a portion of coleslaw, fried sausages….do you have fried rice? Okay then, a portion of fried rice with chilli chicken and mushroom salad. And yeah, a glass of strawberry cream milkshake to wash it down with."
"I guess that's the order for the two of you?"
"Oh no, Fou? What do you want to eat?"
"Get me a Caesar salad with grilled chicken and a lemonade – get the food to the table please, Allen. I want to go through the folder till then."
"Okay. Please add that to the order too, Ma'am."
The cashier punched the keys with an unusual ferocity as Allen stood nonchalantly, whistling.
"Ave Maria in D-minor?"
Allen turned abruptly, almost knocking into the person in question.
She was a little shorter than him, clad in suave business formals and a pair of kitten heels.
"A chicken shawarma platter please," she said to the cashier before turning to him.
Allen thought she looked vaguely familiar but couldn't place her at the moment. Her twinkling eyes and mischievous smile made him wonder whether he had committed some faux pas of sorts. She let out a tinkling laugh and motioned him to follow, only to see her envelope Fou into the greatest of bear hugs. Allen had never seen Fou look so mortified in her life.
"Now now, sensei," the woman laughed, the trill almost hynotising Allen. "You know I loved your lessons!"
"But that doesn't change the fact that you were a horrible singer," Fou huffed, crossing her hands across her chest in indignation but Allen could see a sneak tweak of her lip pointing up. The woman seemed unruffled by the apparent disregard but like Allen, she must know Fou La well enough to know that more with disdain she treats a person, the more she likes and respects that person.
"Ah, so rude of me! I haven't introduced myself to this dashing young man!"
Allen sputtered, almost choking on the glass of water.
"I am Arise Kanzaki, as evident from my name-tag. I am the secretary to Aisha Campbell, the HR Head of Crown Corp and my job mostly revolves around ushering the newbies and making them feel at home – rather like a professional mommy."
Allen shook the proffered hand, sneaking a glance at Fou. She was gazing outside, humming away one of Mozart's symphonies under her breath.
"Er…hi! I am Allen Walker, Fou's student."
Arise's eyes grew round in surprise.
"Sensei! You took a student in!" she almost cooed, looking at Fou.
"He plays decent," Fou answered with a nonchalant shrug.
Now it was Allen's turn for his eyes to go round like saucers – this was officially going to be his best day ever. Fou La never handed out compliments, and now he felt as if he had won all the prizes the universe had to offer for music.
He heard the counter at the kitchen pinging and stood up to get the order. He couldn't help but salivate as the various aromas enveloped his nose – he could get used to this. He had a funny feeling that McLean wanted to make way to their hearts through their stomachs, though he had no complaints.
Balancing the plates in a precarious yet practiced manner, he wound his way to where the two women were sitting, much to the bemusement of the other diners. They ate quietly, Arise occasionally punching in a couple of remarks about their shared past while Allen opted to listen. The woman had been the only person apart from Bak, Xiu Ai and Fou who did not do a double take at his appearance.
His freaky, no-makeup avatar.
"Ah! How the time flies! Please do excuse me, I need to go down and meet my boss-lady. But you're invited to my house for dinner!"
"Arise!" Fou exclaimed.
"It would be indeed an honour, Ms. Kanzaki," Allen said hurriedly, shaking her hand as she jumped on her feet. She gave him a quick wink and skidded away, dumping the empty plates at the counter on the way.
"You shouldn't have," Fou admonished him, pulling out her phone.
"Come on, Fou. You know we are staying the night and Ms. Kanzaki seems nice and she apparently likes you a lot and misses you too," Allen said placatingly, his eyes gaining the old, mischievous twinkle. Fou sighed before nodding half-heartedly. But she couldn't help but feel glad of the fact that in some way, Allen was stepping out of his shell. And if that involved going to dinner, so be it. Besides, it would be nice to talk to Arise once again – even though she was a tone-deaf singer, she had been a decent piano player. Too bad the Kanzakis were more focused on getting their daughter taught singing while her talents laid elsewhere.
Fou opened the folder on the now-empty table and proceeded to read through the documents. Allen scooted over to sit next to her and read them.
"Contractual agreements and all and currently not our concern at the moment," Fou said finally, after skimming through the papers. "What do you want, kid?"
"I think...I think I will be fine, Fou," Allen said softly, feeling the paper between his fingertips. He had been scared out of his wits in the morning but now, he was sliding back into ease. And this place seemed warm¸ friendly even. The chaos of the place seemed like that of a well-lived house, not a clinical and desensitized office.
Maybe, maybe he could start living on his own. Helping Bak and Xiu Ai. And music was his first love…a strange coldness fell into the pit of his stomach, but he clamped it down.
Yuu Kanda had no place in his heart, mind or body and it was best he stayed forgotten.
Fou ruffled his hair. "The Walkers are good – I have worked with them once so I can vouch for it. And as a musician, it will be good experience for you. You will get a lot of good exposure."
Allen nodded. The setting sun illuminated the cafeteria in a burst of reds and oranges.
It was indeed a beautiful place.
Allen read through one of the lyrics of the song, his musically inclined brain already setting the words on trial scales and beats. Yes, this would be a challenge. And a lot of fun.
"That settles it then," Fou sighed, standing up. "Let's talk to Arise once over dinner tonight and finalise the contract tomorrow, what do you think?"
Allen nodded, following suit. He started stacking the papers in the folder as Fou walked, texting Arise on the way.
"Hey! Look where you are going, blind pinhead!" Allen heard Fou say, making him grin. He couldn't help but sympathise with the target – most people never thought someone so tiny could pack in such firepower.
"Damn that idiot, lost the message! C'mon Allen, let's call Arise later – time we went home."
Allen couldn't help but laugh, finally closing the folder and lifting it up in his arms
"I told you Fou, it's time you changed your phone. You can't keep blaming people now, can you?" he chortled, hurrying up to her as he passed by a tall guy, not really paying attention to his surroundings.
Suddenly, he felt as if someone staked his heart with a spear of ice.
No…no no no no no NO!
Fou looked back but the stricken look on Allen's face made her hurry to him.
Allen slowly turned at the person he had passed by.
Lavender, lilac, ebony…
No…it couldn't be….it can't be….
"Allen, Allen…what happened? Are you all right?" he could hear Fou say…or was it him?
"No…no no no!" Allen whispered on the verge of hyperventilating. He could hear the blood rushing up his ears and suddenly he felt light-headed. The beeper on his watch, the one that monitored his heartbeat, was on a beeping frenzy.
"Did you really think he loved you?"
"How naïve can you get?"
"Freak!"
The last thing he remembered was a pale face framed with ebony locks, dark eyes blank with…regret? Contempt? Sorrow?
*/*/
"Who is he?" Lavi asked again.
After the white-haired man collapsed, Lavi lifted him directly in his arms – he was slim and frail – and ran to the lift and up to the sixty-seventh floor, Kanda and the short woman following suit. Lavi did not understand but he felt as if Kanda had seen a ghost.
Lavi marched straight into the infirmary and dumped him on to a bed, calling the nurses out loud.
"He has an ICD implanted," the woman said, panting from worry and exertion.
Lavi quirked an eyebrow but Kanda slumped to the floor. If the guy went any whiter, he would be occupying the bed next to the white-haired man.
"Okay…er…"
"Fou La. I am his teacher."
"Lavi Buchmann, I work here."
A couple of nurses came bustling in, one of them carrying the emergency treatment kit.
"What happened, Lavi?" the older of the two asked as she checked and timed the patient's pulse.
Before Lavi could open his mouth, Fou started talking at top speed.
"Allen Walker, age twenty-five, blood O negative, has an ICD implant. The beeper sent an alert to his doctor…"
As if on cue, Fou's phone started ringing.
/*/*
The day had gone pretty well for Bak. Since Allen would not be coming home for a couple of days, he decided to plan a romantic surprise for Xiu Ai. Not that he hated Allen – he loved him and treated him like the little brother he never had and Xiu Ai adored him and spoiled him to bits. His face softened as his wife's image floated in front of his mind's eye. No woman in her right mind would marry a man who had basically adopted an eighteen-year-old kid out of the blue. In those days, Bak wasn't that well-off – he was still in university and still in residency. That plus Allen's treatments did chew a large chunk out of his finances. Even though he felt a strange connection with the kid, he had no right to assume Xiu Ai would feel it too.
But that day when Xiu Ai calmed Allen down from one of his nightmares, he realized he had found the woman.
Having Allen in the initial years was no less than having a child – he was cranky, hyperactive and depressive all at once. There were moments where he could go from laughing to crying to downright throwing tantrums within a minute. But slowly as he settled down and realized the Bak was not leaving him, Allen's better part began to shine through. Bak still remembered the day when Allen first made breakfast as a manner of making amends – since then, it had become an unspoken practice.
Bak was about to leave for the day when his phone started the staccato warning beep.
Oh damn….
It was Allen. The ICD, to be exact. He quickly dialed Fou, hoping against hope that it was just a false alarm.
/*/*
It cannot be….
It felt as if the floor was suddenly yanked away from under his feet. He could vaguely hear Lavi calm the woman as the nurses were hooking...hooking him up…
It was him…but how? He was alive? After all this time?
Kanda hugged his knees closer to his chest as a small bloom of joy slowly started to erupt in his heart. Allen was alive. Well. He was breathing, walking, talking. He was living.
It was best thing he could have ever asked for, hoped for.
A tear escaped his eyes, trickling down the contour of his face as he tried to reign in his emotions. It was just beyond belief – he clutched the bracelet tightly, biting his lips to prevent them from quivering. He wanted to touch him, hold his hand, feel him for real.
But the look in Allen's eyes before he fainted made his thoughts stop in its tracks. It was a look of horror, anguish, desperation, anger.
Does Allen even want him now?
/*/*
"I don't care, Bak! Get your bloody ass here!" Fou shrieked, not caring at the looks the nurses were giving her. Maybe her cursing could wake Allen up.
"On my way, on my way – just ask the nurses to focus on stabilizing him for now…I would need at least a couple of hours – I've asked Cloud to come over. She can start treating him till I reach," Bak said, sounding slightly breathless as if he were running. "She's on her way now, would reach in ten minutes max. What happened, Fou?"
Fou stared at the long-haired young man seated on the floor who was currently shivering slightly, his head buried in his knees. "That, Bak, I would like to know too."
*/*/
"Good evening, Mr. Campbell. Isn't it a pleasant day?"
To say that one could choke at the menace and threat dripping from the sentence would be an understatement.
"It is, indeed. How can a day not be good when in your company, Neah Walker?"
Neah raised his eyes, his golden irises almost gleaming like a cat's. Alistair Campbell with his generous proportions almost looked like a clown and preferred to dress like one too – but only he knew the depths of depravity and madness that lay behind those seemingly laughing eyes.
The two men sat in Neah's office, across the circular coffee table which only minutes ago was occupied by Lavi and Kanda. Neah sighed at life's absurdity – vigor of life and strength of imagination and ambition and one lone man's mad crusade. He still wondered how he could have considered this man a friend at a time.
"A meeting of old friends and you won't offer coffee, Neah?" Alistair asked in his booming voice, his round lavender eyes gleaming in a friendly manner but Neah knew better.
This was a man who wouldn't think twice about killing anyone for the sake of progress and growth. This was the man who had almost got Mana killed all those years ago – and now, Alice was missing. Neah gripped the handle of the chair tightly as he willed himself to not stand up and throttle the man sitting in front of him.
"See, Neah. I just want to know about your Saint Potter project, that's all," said Alistair calmly, almost in the tone of a kindergarten teacher explaining a toddler that one plus one equals two. "Tell me about it and I am out of your hair forever. Ark Industries, unlike what you guys like to think, believes in legitimacy and growing together. Why spill blood when all it requires is a chat between mates over coffee?"
Neah clamped down the rising anger and a sense of dread as he rang his secretary for coffee. Bloodshed or not, Alistair cannot know about the Saint Potter project – all their lives are on the line for this.
/*/*
John F. Kennedy Airport did live up to its reputation for being one of the busiest airports in the world. People rushed around the terminal, all in a unified hurry to get their boarding cards, bags checked, get boarded and fly away. There were a few who stood in the middle of hurried sea of humanity and looked around, admire the architecture and general hum of life.
A young man clad in an oversized green hoodie, faded jeans and brown boots walked leisurely from the baggage console, wheeling a large blue suitcase while he carried a similar coloured backpack. He used his free hand to cover his mouth as he yawned, a stray tear escaping his eye.
"I could almost kill for coffee," he muttered, his onyx eyes brightening on sighting Starbucks. He quickly made a bee line for it, oblivious to the stares his shoulder-length stylishly disheveled blue-black hair, athletic physique and well-chiseled face was generating.
"One iced double-shot Americano with hazelnut syrup please," he said, smiling at the barista. The barista almost did a double take at the sight of her customer before her eyes slid to the TV mounted on the wall.
"Celebrity tableware designer and potter Alma Kanda is A-listers favorite when it comes to dining ware. Heir to the Flazenmich Design House and an up-and-coming designer, Alma has all the points checked to become the new celeb to follow…"
Alma grinned at the barista's stupefied expression. "That's me, all right. So I guess I don't need to tell you my name now."
*/*/
A/N: I am thinking of a one-shot spin-off on Kanda's past and why Allen affected him so much for Beautiful Twilight's Anniversary special. What do you think?
Review please? _/\_
