Canis Lupus

Chapter 7 – The Ghost of Matel pt. 2


From the Previous Chapter

"Who is letting what get the best of them… Exorcist~?"

Kanda smirked satisfactorily when he heard a hollow thump on one section of the floor. He hastily broke it open and plummeted into the darkness below.


A loud screech filled the hallowed underground halls. Two figures skidded down a wall in the darkness, a small silhouette holding onto another, larger and misshapen. Landing on the dirt covered floor, the smaller of the two quickly recovered and sat up, dredging up a cloud of dust.

"Are you okay, Guzoru?" A pale, delicate hand was extended.

"I'm fine…" A breathy voice enunciated slowly. Grasping the hand, he carefully pulled his failing body off the ground up against a crumbled pillar. He breathed heavily from the effort. Lala approached Guzoru, who instantly noticed the girl's fingers, mangled, twisted and knotted in awkward directions from sliding down the wall. "Lala, your hand…!"

Lala's undamaged hand closed around the wrist of her other hand. "It's nothing. It doesn't hurt." She moved it out of his sight, trying not to stress the sickly man. "As long as you are okay, Guzoru…" Lala trailed off, smiling sadly. It was much too late for comfort.

The man coughed abruptly, his hands balling into fists as he clutched his chest. An onslaught of wheezing, harsh and dry, began. "Ugh…" Gasping echoed within the ancient dome. Lala caught him in a gentle, yet needy hug as his coughing gradually subsided. Her pointed hat, long discarded after the fall, no longer held up her hood. It slipped, revealing two antennae like devices sitting atop a sea of long, waving, and beautiful blonde tresses, freed from their confinement.

"There isn't much time left for Guzoru, is there…?" Lala closed her eyes. "Is there anything I can do for Guzoru…?" Her grip on his arm tensed as her body shook with barely suppressed sadness.

"…sing for me, Lala…"

Tenderly moving his head onto her lap, she placed her hand onto his face and caressed it.

"Hai, Guzoru."

「Lacrimosa dies illa

Qua resurget ex favilla

Judicandus homo reus.

Huic ergo parce, Deus:

Pie Jesu Domine.」

(See A/N for details)


Down Allen's flank flowed red. Blood escaped from the wound and hit the crumbled rocks beneath them with a loud plop. I was careless… Allen chided himself. But luckily, he missed the organs. The pain was bearable, but his vision was beginning to blur. This fight… was too long. My body's almost at its limit… Even though he was feeling rather hazy from the pain, Allen found himself able to think properly. He glanced around weakly, processing his surroundings and enemy. I underestimated it.

The Akuma he had cleanly sliced in half was in actuality a paper mirror clone.

"Eh~? Not what I expected…" The Akuma's eyes shifted back and forth from examining the results of his new power and Allen. Fascinated much like a child with a new toy, the Akuma was currently ignoring Allen in lieu of the manifestation of its power. While Allen had deduced the Akuma's ability was to clone, he was quite certain what the Akuma was intending to clone – him – did not even remotely resemble its source. Allen faced a young boy with hair as white as an angel's robes, jarringly contrasted with a long red scar running through his left eye. In appearance, the boy was gentle on the eyes, yet his dead orbs gave indicated that yes, this was indeed the Akuma.

isn't that… a Black Order uniform? Allen squinted his eyes, trying to force his blurry vision into focus. The dulling eyes instantly sharpened when Allen felt recognition hit him. This… him-! Growling, he snapped his jaw, his teeth easily ripping through the claw impaling him. The arm detached from its owner, and along with it, Allen dropped to the floor. As the Akuma screamed, clutching the stump of his mutilated appendage, the wolf struggled to remove the claw from his flesh, kicking its side with his feet. With a sickening squish, the bloodied claw fell loose and Allen leapt backwards, hoping to place some distance between him and the still agonizing Akuma. His heart beat in his ears. Hurriedly, he searched for an advantage.

Creeeeeeeak…

Allen jumped out of their enclosed fighting space, landing shakily on a pillar that had fallen over in their battle.

"E-exorcist! Running away?" The Akuma taunted, trying to ignore the burning pain. The Akuma's skin coming in contact with Allen's Innocence plated teeth appeared to make it unable to regenerate at its usual rate. Fortunately, it had kept the Akuma busy for long enough to allow Allen to recover his wits.

Rather, I'm being smart. The wolf bounded away.

Mere seconds later, the entire section of the dilapidated buildings collapsed.


Kanda's eyes strained, attempting to clearly see his inadequately lit surroundings. The darkness was just blurring one object into another. Just like the girl had said, the underground city of Matel was elaborately designed, built to keep intruders in. He glanced warily at the various dirt crusted doors which he knew led to rooms specially constructed with confinement in mind. He considered breaking the floor open again, but giving the age and condition of the area he was in… what he had done upstairs to get down here was the exception, nevertheless.

His concentration broken by the faint sound of wing beats approaching from behind him, Kanda calmly turned around and tensed, a hand hovering near Mugen's hilt.

Toma emerged from around the corner, followed by his golem. "Kanda-san!" He panted heavily.

"Report." Kanda was still preoccupied looking for the pair, but in his peripheral vision, he glanced at the disheveled Finder. The bandages, normally so carefully wound around Toma's face, were slowly unwinding and coming undone. It looked rather odd – Kanda thought that he resembled a sea urchin, the way the frayed ends of the bandages protruded at odd angles. The bottom of the Finder's beige coat was in tatters, although that was no surprise, considering how often the other man was out on missions. Worn like a backpack, the communication device fortunately seemed undamaged, easily shouldered by the experienced Finder. Toma's golem levitated conspicuously next to his head, its wings flitting speedily. Yet it was unable to shake off what appeared to be dust that had accumulated on its sleek exterior. Now that he noticed, Toma seemed to be covered in a large amount of powdered gravel as well.

"As requested, I went to monitor Walker-san."

Kanda grunted. "Drop the honorifics, he's just a wolf."

"Yes." Toma lowered his head in acknowledgement before continuing. "I was investigating a building away from them. It seemed like there was a heavy battle. I believe I saw Walker escape before the building collapsed on the Akuma he was fighting."

"So that good-for-nothing wolf couldn't eliminate the Akuma. At the very least he was smart enough to leave before the structure crumbled." Kanda mused. "Fine. Did you get a visual on the enemy? Describe it."

"The Akuma's appearance changed from what it looked like before. Apparently, it can create 'skins' of a sort to wear… much like how a snake sheds its skin." Toma paused, trying to pick his words as he recalled. "I believe it had the appearance of a young man. Strangely, this young man was in an Exorcist uniform."

"What?" Kanda stopped whatever he had been doing and turned to face Toma properly. Cobalt eyes smoldered seriously. "What did it look like?"

"A scar through the left eye, silver hair and a large silver claw with a cross etched into the back."

Kanda stilled, ceasing all movement. Silver hair… a scar… an Exorcist. There was only one Exorcist that he knew – that all standing Exorcists knew; that the entirety of the Black Order knew – that matched that description…

Rustling and scratching echoed from the hallway to their left. Kanda tensed instinctively; his hand went to his sheathed katana again, closing around the hilt.

"Kanda-san, there." Toma pointed into the inky darkness of the hallway.

"K-kanda-dono…" A boy in a black coat whispered as he stumbled awkwardly out of the shadows. His red scar, luminescent in the dim lighting, seemed to pulse. Silver locks shook as the boy advanced forward, unsteady.

An image flashed before Kanda's eyes.


[ "What business do you have with me, Eli Trick?" ]


Without hesitation, Kanda drew Mugen in a single fluid motion. He activated it swiftly with a smooth slide of his fingers. He raised the katana, holding it in front of him with one hand.

"Kanda-do-"

"Kaichu… Ichigen." Ripping themselves from the blade's surface, the insects materialized, shrieking. The phantom insects swarmed before surging towards the Akuma…

And stopped, erupting in a hellish screech before they faded away.

"What the hell?" Kanda voiced, disbelieving. He made to swing his katana again, yet the sound of heavy breathing prompted him to turn to the right.

There the wolf Exorcist was, beads of blood sliding down his silver pelt. Odd wheezing sounds escaped his slight ajar jaws.

"Was that you, Moyashi?" Threateningly, Kanda raised his Innocence. "Are you protecting an Akuma?" His eyes swept back and forth between the injured Exorcist and the boy, now unconscious on the floor.

Stopped you before it was too late there, Kanda. The Exorcist leaned against the wall, exhausted. The blood running off Allen's wound slid down the wall and began to collect, pooling ominously.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kanda flicked his katana, irritated at being impeded.

Do you honestly think that a level two is that stupid? Or that weak to be destroyed with such a low level attack?

Before Kanda had a chance to respond, the wolf suddenly appeared between the Asian Exorcist and a clawed hand which belonged to a Finder with an abruptly emotionless expression. The filed tips dug into the wolf's flesh and Allen yowled in pain as he was thrown roughly against the wall. The Exorcist slid to the floor, limp.

And in case the idea hasn't gotten across yet, that's the real Akuma. The wolf coughed weakly. Ugh, that attack got me in the wound that was already open…

Kanda moved between Allen and the Akuma, poised. "You really are a masochist."

After all the trouble I went to warn you too. A sarcastic voice drawled. Let me do you another favor then. Mustering whatever little strength dwindled in his body, Allen willed the Innocence spread through his body to center on his vocal chords. Drawing a breath, he howled. The walls of the underground structure began to vibrate slightly.

Disrupted, the Level Two covered its ears, shuddering as the sound waves wracked its copied body with spasms.

My Howling isn't strong enough to destroy a Level Two, but at the very least…

Kanda was already a step ahead of him. In a flash, he easily sent the humanoid Akuma spiraling through the concrete walls, flying through several rooms before coming to a stop quite a distance away.

"Che." Kanda scoffed. "That weakling put you in such a miserable state?"

Oh, he's quite durable. The wolf coughed. But I got careless. That's all.

Ignoring the slumped Exorcist, Kanda glanced down the stone corridors. "Now we've wasted valuable time in trying to locate the Innocence."Several pieces of gravel dislodged from the ceiling and fell with a thunk next to Kanda's feet. "And you've resigned us to certain doom if you keep using that attack down here."

Disregarding Kanda's second comment, the wolf chided. Ah, but don't you remember I am prime in locating Innocence?

"…" Kanda, unfortunately, was forced to admit that he certainly wouldn't make any progress stumbling around in the darkness of the underground passageways looking for the Innocence. It would certainly be more counterproductive than not. Immediately, the fifteen pieces of Innocence that Allen had managed to bring to the Order upon his arrival came to mind. It was a much greater figure than what the Generals could return with, even in a longer amount of time. "…fine." He reluctantly conceded.

Yes, yes. I understand your personality quite well. You don't like to be in debt of others. And considering that completing this mission is your higher – or should I say, your only priority... carrying Toma and me will be sufficient. I'll tell you where to go.

Kanda was not the type to compromise his mission. The Akuma, if as strong as Allen claimed, would not stay dazed and down for long. Subsequently, if he spent time loitering here, he would just allow the Innocence to get further away and even escape.

"Che." Swallowing his pride and choosing the (only slightly) lesser of two evils, Kanda hoisted Toma on one shoulder and supported him with a hand whilst he kept a limp Allen tucked under his arm.

are you doing that on purpose? Kanda's fingers had pressed on Allen's open wound. As if to mock him, Kanda's grip tightened.

Allen's voice chuckled sardonically in Kanda's head. Pride is useless, you know. When the pressure increased on his wound, he let out a few low growls in protest before learning his lesson and deciding not to further aggravate the already impatient and pissed Kanda. Okay, take a left here—

The Japanese Exorcist began to walk, per the other Exorcist's instructions. As Kanda walked down a particularly long hallway, his boots clacking and echoing in the crushing silence, Allen spoke.

Kanda… the Akuma, in Toma's form, mentioned the appearance it took in the battle with me. It sounded like you stilled for a few moments after he told you. Did you… did you recognize who the boy was?

He grunted. Stopping at a junction, he asked the wolf, "Left or right?". Receiving an uninterested response, Kanda turned and walked in the indicated direction.

Did you?

Kanda halted in his steps again. Allen looked up. They were in the middle of a rather long straight corridor. Several images raced through Kanda's mind again – attempting to grasp them only gave him a large headache he didn't need. He heard flashes of them as they passed, though.


[ "I could ask the same of you, Allen Walker." ]

[ A young man, dressed fittingly in a gold trimmed uniform, smiled. "It's been a while, Eli." ]


Allen flicked the unresponsive Exorcist lightly with his tail. Kanda?

Said Exorcist blinked and snapped out of his reverie. Shaking his head, he seemed as if he had not heard the other Exorcist's worried query and continued to walk.

Did you—

"Allen Walker." Kanda started gruffly, hoping to shut the Exorcist up.

What?

"Allen Walker is a lesser known name. The Order's Historians know him as Neah or just call him the Destroyer of Time."

Then how do you know about it?

Kanda did not answer and continued speaking. "He is considered one of the greatest Exorcists in the history of the Order. Walker joined up as a regular Exorcist at fifteen became a General at the age of sixteen. No records really remain about him or his Innocence, but according to Hevlaska, he was destined to kill the Earl."The Exorcist stopped at an intersection. Allen pointed out the direction and after Kanda turned, he continued talking.

"During one of the greater conflicts, he disappeared from the central battlefield to fight with the Earl. And lost, apparently. The Order never found his remains, so he's still listed as MIA. But if he was still alive now, he would be old." Kanda stopped at another junction. "But what was significant was that this was the first time that a prophecy given by Hevlaska was wrong."

If Earl's side was able to kill the Order's 'savior', then why didn't the Earl just destroy the Order? It obviously posed no threat to him…

"…what people ask but doesn't know the answer to."

Allen's head lowered his body relaxing as he turned the information over in his head. Suddenly, he jerked up, as if he had realized something.

Can you hear that?

Kanda stopped and listened carefully. Faintly, a soft lullaby drifted into his ears… it was much too soft to pinpoint a direction, though.

The dolls of Matel were made for singing and dancing, weren't they? He felt himself tensing as the nostalgic tune became more distinguished. They continued walking down the hallway. The volume of the voice was increasing. It was hauntingly beautiful.

I think there's another way into another area somewhere in this hallway. A hole or opening of some sort. Allen's wounds had slowly began to heal over. Squirming in Kanda's grip, Allen bounded down the hall, hearing the other Exorcist's irritated berating for making him lose his balance. Coming to a stop in front of a section of wall, Allen waited for Kanda to catch up and tapped a paw against the wall.

Here.

Even with Toma teetering precariously on his shoulder, Kanda removed his katana from its sheath with ease and sliced the walls to bits. Roughly pushing past the wolf Exorcist, he sourly slid down the chute, no longer concealed with the demolition of the wall.

Shaking his head with barely contained amusement, the wolf Exorcist followed suit.

Executing a flip after being blinded by a sudden surge of light at the end of the crudely constructed chute, Kanda landed steady on his feet and allowed his eyesight a few seconds to accustom themselves. They had been walking for quite a long while in the darkness. Several moments later, Allen, who was not expecting to come shooting out of the tube at a breakneck speed, tumbled onto the marble floor, yelping and stirring up dust.

"Keep it down!" Kanda hissed, dropping Toma none too gently onto the ground. The Finder groaned, and Kanda realized that he was still wearing the paper shell that the Akuma had wrapped him in. Not wanting to fight off another migraine from the rush of images he had witnessed earlier, Kanda barked at the now awake Toma to get rid of the shell and started in a direction.

How would you know where to go?

Giving Allen a look that made the Exorcist immediately aware of the fact that Kanda believed he was a complete idiot, Kanda answered simply, "Aura."

Allen contemplated the word. Perhaps when he couldn't rely on his enhanced senses, he would need an auxiliary. He relaxed, trying to feel for this aura with his whole body. Ignoring the thrum that immediately rushed into his body initially – that was Kanda's Mugen – he sent his senses outward and discovered that yes, Kanda was headed towards the Innocence.

「The Akuma is coming...」

「Guzoru is dying...」

Allen could hear the voices of the Innocence. One of the advantages of having a completely Innocence infused body. The Innocence had come to care for this human Guzoru, it seemed.

"Walker-dono?" Now fully awake and composed, Toma glanced questioningly at the loitering wolf Exorcist. Thankfully, when Toma was captured by the Akuma, he only suffered a light concussion resisting and nothing worse.

Quickly understanding he was meant to follow, Allen bounded past Toma and tried to catch up to Kanda. He could hear Toma's own hastened footsteps pattering behind him as he attempted to follow.

"Quiet!" Kanda muttered under his breath when the two came to a stop a few steps behind him. They had found their targets, but apparently Kanda had heard something interesting that had stopped him from interrupting. Allen realized that the singing had long faded. So this girl had been the source.

Bathed in the moonlight in the center of the dome shaped hall, the man was resting, using the girl's lap as a pillow. "Why did you say you were the doll, Guzoru?" The girl inquired, touching the fully cloaked figure's arm. Her hood had slipped, Allen realized, which was why he had trouble recognizing her a moment earlier.

"Because…" He coughed. "I am ugly… an ugly human." He leant over, wheezing. Spitting weakly, some droplets of blood mixed with saliva hit the ground with plops.

The girl shuffled forward to steady him, worried but not surprised.

"So… I don't want a stranger to break you. Please, Lala. Stay with me until the end… and then I'll break you with my own hands."

The doll's pupils widened in surprise. The expression lasted for only a moment though, as they quickly returned to normal size with and regarded the man with a warm, affectionate gaze.

Allen suddenly felt a pang. How could something inanimate express such profoundly human emotion? He felt his chest tightening and his teeth gritting. …why, Innocence? All I wanted…

And his mother and siblings turned tail and left him behind…

「Let me sing for Guzoru…just a while longer, Exorcist…」

Allen's head whipped up, surprised.

Lala hugged Guzoru, whispering. "Yes, Guzoru. Lala is your doll." She looked up at him, expectant. "What should I sing next?"

As Kanda made to step out of their hiding place, no doubt to claim the Innocence, Allen felt the earth vibrate slightly beneath his feet. A repugnant smell filled his nose. Rapidly deciding that Kanda was more durable as an Exorcist, he tackled Toma, knocking the surprised Finder out of the way.

"What the hell, Moya-"

AKUMA!

A white claw, submerged in sand shot up from the ground underneath Kanda's feet. The Japanese Exorcist managed to dodge the hit, barely. Leaping, he maneuvered gracefully in the air, avoiding the claw which followed him. Following the large white hand to its source, Kanda saw the pierrot Akuma standing triumphant in the middle of the underground hall, basking in the moonlight, just as the pair had been doing not a few moments earlier. Impaled on the Akuma's other claw was the now unresponsive doll and Guzoru, the tip of the claw bloodied from piercing through his frail body. Discarding Guzoru like he was a bad toy, the Akuma shook the lifeless doll's body off his other clawed fingertip to reveal the Innocence, glowing a gentle green in a small, rounded container. Guzoru fell to the ground with a thud, motionless.

"Ohohoho~ so this is what Innocence looks like?"

"Dammit!" Kanda cursed. He activated his blade with a quick swish and made to lunge at the Akuma only to be distracted by a sudden, blinding pulse of green light that filled his vision. When his sight cleared, Kanda saw the claw moving straight towards him and knew there was absolutely no time to dodge. He braced himself for the pain—

Before something caught the back of his jacket and firmly yanked him backwards, sending him sprawling onto his back next to an equally surprised Toma. Quickly recovering from the impact, Kanda sat up and made to yell at the other Exorcist, whom he knew was responsible for holding him back.

"Moyashi, what do you think you're doing?"

Stand down, Kanda. The wolf's voice said sharply in his head. That Akuma and its claws can appear out of anywhere within the sand and there's a limit to how much you can move in the air, regardless of how good you are. Craning his neck, the wolf, still pulsating like a polished green gem, fixed Kanda with an icy, frighteningly golden stare. Any silver that had been present in those eyes had vanished.

Kanda had to consciously keep himself from flinching, though it was not the wolf that had incited this reaction. The dark green plates of Innocence which normally enclosed the entire wolf's body were rearranging themselves. It seemed to center around the stomach and back area, much like a belt. Six distinguishable blob-like shapes protruded from the back and began molding themselves.

Kanda remembered that Allen's Innocence was classified as parasitic. Like clay, it meant that he could conceivably change its shape per the Exorcist's emotions. Having exuded the same aura himself many times before in the past, Kanda immediately identified the barely suppressed emotion overflowing from the wolf Exorcist.

Anger.

He winced, his hand moving to his chest. Sliding some of his clothing to one side, he found his bandages soaked in his own blood. The Akuma had earlier dealt a superficial, although heavily bleeding wound. Groaning under his breath, he took several steps backwards until he found a wall and slid down against it.

"Kanda-dono?" Toma had seen the blood before Kanda had a chance to fully conceal it, and the Finder reached for the standard treatment kit he kept along with the phone.

Kanda waved him off. "It'll heal on its own." He said simply, and ignoring the throbbing pain and Toma's protests, he focused on the other Exorcist.

Several other plates of Innocence moved to cover Allen's feet, much like Lenalee's Dark Boots. Launching off the ground, the wolf remained suspended in the air for a few moments before he found stable footing on a pillar. Kicking it, he launched him towards the Akuma.

Kanda's mouth set in a line, his expression grim. The Innocence hadn't finished reshaping itself yet, but considering what he had heard before Allen had taken off…

Unforgivable…

The wolf zipped in the air towards the Akuma.

Even us fakes have feelings…!

「Let me sing, Exorcist... one last time.」


To be continued...


Phew, that took a while. Severe writer's block and stress from school is not healthy. Although the epic lateness of this chapter was due to the former.

The lyrics above are from Lala's Lullaby, a lovely piece of music from the D. Gray Man anime - it is the song that Lala sings for Guzoru, and it is in Latin, if I have my facts straight. If you want the English meaning (from a YouTube video made by arvyknowsbest) -

[ Tearful was the day

From which the ashes will rise

The guilty man is condemned.

So have mercy on him, God,

Compassionate Lord Jesus. ]

Latin is such a beautiful language. ;_; I wish I could learn it (but I will probably never get around to, because I'll be busy trying to teach myself Japanese).

Hopefully this chapter made you a little more interested in my story. :) I think the events are starting to drift from the original plotline now - 1) Allen's a wolf, 2) He doesn't know what it's like to be loved, so I can't have the scene where he refuses to let Kanda take the Innocence because he doesn't want to see a sad thing happen - his whole life has been a string of abandonments, so why should he try and help someone when he was never helped in return?

That's my thinking behind this. But of course you don't need to read that or agree. :D

Thank you for reading my story, I hope as much as my readers do that I can get the next installment out. Quick!

-Mirai no Kibou