No beta again. This is getting out of hand...
Thank you very much for all the reviews, faves, alerts, and all. I'm just the writer here, so I can't say anything more...sorry.
For easier reading, I won't put in the "written/beta by" thing again.
Without further ado, this is the chapter.
Mission
Allen stared at Robin's sad face with widened eyes.
"Physically, I'm a boy. But to be precise, I'm a girl."
"WHAT!?"
"It's a bit confusing. Not many people know this fact." He paused for awhile as if recalling something. "With you, there are a total of…four people who know about my condition."
"Must be Cross…" Allen mumbled to himself. Robin picked it up and nodded.
"Lenalee also knows-"
"Lenalee? How could she have known?"
Realizing his mistake, Robin shook his head. "Not the Lenalee here. I mean, the Lenalee I met in Japan."
"There's another Lenalee?"
"Apparently."
"Who's the fourth one?"
Silence overcame him as his face grew grimmer. He sank down into his bed: his cold bed, and clenched his fists.
"The Earl of Millennium…"
Allen gritted his teeth and slammed the side of the bed. That damn Earl…knows?
"How about the Noah? Do they know?"
Robin shook his head again. "I don't know about that. They don't know me, and I don't know them."
"That's good to hear…" Allen's voice betrayed his stoic expression. Deep in his heart, he felt glad that he was one of the very few people that shared Robin's secret. He…she, already felt like a close friend, like family. For once in his life, Mana's death didn't pain him as it did before his encounter with the new Exorcist.
"So…do I call you Robin or Julia?" Allen scratched his head.
"Robin. It'd be better if people don't know my secret." Timcanpy flew in front of Robin's face. He…she smiled and petted his head. The ball purred, strangely like a cat, then wrapped his body within the bed's warm blankets. "Oh, and if you talk to someone about me, please say 'he' or 'him'. I don't want to be questioned."
"Alright. But those who know that you're an Akuma…won't they ask about your real self?"
"That's true…but I don't think they'll ask just yet."
"If it happens, will you tell the truth?"
"Of course."
Both of them sighed in unison once again. It was truly a day full of sighs.
"Allen? Are you in there?"
6.15 AM
Lenalee was silent, waiting for a voice to reply. She held a brown folder in her hands tightly: the specifications of a new mission.
"Allen…?" She pushed open the door and peered in slowly, only to find that the boy he called out for was never present.
"Where could he have gone?"
Robin's Room
"Robin, have you seen- ah!"
Lenalee gasped, her hands clamped on her mouth. They're both asleep…
Allen and Robin were sitting on the bed, backs stuck together. They were sleeping soundly, as if nothing in the world could even bother them. Timcanpy was sleeping on top of Robin's head, sometimes stirring and flying sleepily on top of Allen's.
Robin woke up with a cramped back. He felt as if God (if he did believe in Him) was mocking him behind his back. Since that dream he always had everyday haunted him, he couldn't even get a decent sleep. This day, he felt worse than ever. He felt as cold as ice and as tired as hell.
"Wake up, Allen!" Robin turned his head and saw Lenalee. He smiled groggily and nodded off to sleep again, mumbling the words "Good night…"
"Wake up, Allen!" Lavi stormed inside the room and prepared a squishing assault on Allen until Lenalee slammed her boots into his guts. Without her Innocence's power, of course, or else her foot will be the last thing he sees before he flies out of the Order.
"Quiet, Lavi…they're sleeping…" Lenalee put a finger on her lips and whispered.
"…Your kicks hurt a lot…they?" Lavi gazed over Lenalee's shoulder and saw Allen and Robin's form, sleeping soundly.
"Well, well…it seems that Allen here's got a friend." He smirked and approached the two sleeping boys.
"Lavi, don't you dare!" Lenalee hissed and readied her kicking stance. Lavi raised his hands and shook his head, indicating that he didn't mean any harm.
"Relax, I'm not going to do anything…" He walked towards the bed and ruffled the boys' hair. "I just find it amusing, that's all."
"Both of them sleeping, you mean?" Lenalee sighed and looked at them. "I don't find it amusing…just, well…"
"Cute? Extremely irritating? Lovely? Or is it-"
"Stop it, Lavi," she raised her hand in a halting gesture. "I just hope they wake up in time for the briefing."
"You don't have to worry about that!" Before Lenalee could even reply, Lavi let out a deafening shout.
"WAKE UP MOYASHIS!"
"Lavi!"
But it was too late for her to say anything. Both Allen and Robin woke up instantly, their hands reaching instinctively to their ears, blocking the loud voice.
"A few more minutes…" Allen mumbled in his half-sleep. Lavi took his Innocence out, still inactivated, and smacked the top of their heads consecutively.
"Oww…" The first one to wake up was Robin, who rubbed his head and glared sleepily at Lavi. "What was that for…?"
"Something to wake both of you up."
As for Allen, he woke up on Lavi's second hit. His first hit Timcanpy, who was nestled on top of his messed-up white hair. The little critter woke up and successfully bit Lavi's fingers.
"Yeowch! That hurts!"
"Ugh…serves you for hitting Tim…" Allen was also rubbing his swollen bump while staring emptily at the air in front of him. "Morning, Tim."
"It's about time both of you waked up," Lavi ignored the glares that he got from the sleepy pair and took the folder that was in Lenalee's hands. Inside it was a file and a few photographs for evidence.
"Brother told me to give this to you first, since it had some relevance to your knowledge as a Bookman," Lenalee said with a tiny hint of annoyance. I told him not to wake them up…
Lavi skimmed quickly through the pages and closed the file afterwards. "I guess it's about time…"
"What is?" Allen asked groggily, much to everyone's surprise.
"You'll just have to come to the briefing to find out," Lavi replied after giving back the folder to Lenalee.
"What do you mean?" Robin joined in soon after. He rubbed his eyes lazily and yawned.
Lavi twirled his hammer once before pocketing it again. He strolled casually to the room's entrance and glanced at Allen and Robin with an excited grin.
"We have a mission."
Komui's Office – 8.25 AM
"When will the briefing start, Komui?" Kanda sat on an uncomfortable sofa, caressing his Mugen over and over again. He was simply bored; all he could do was just sit there. He had come early for the briefing: almost an hour ago. Komui could've sworn that Kanda was going to kill him if he doesn't start soon.
What's taking them so long?
"Sorry, Brother! Allen and Robin went to the cafeteria first!" Lenalee burst in, out of breath. Komui instinctively hugged his little sister.
"Where were you!? I thought you've gotten into some kind of trouble!" His grip tightened around his sister's body.
"I'm alright, Brother," she replied with a smile. "You can start the briefing now."
"Damn, that took you long enough," Kanda said with a scowl. Allen and Robin joined together and gave their deadliest glare to him. Kanda replied with a 'tch' and sheathed his Mugen. Idiots…he thought.
"Oh, right!" Komui rushed towards a stack of folders, throwing its contents one by one to the ground. With an 'AHA!' look, he grabbed one of them and gave its contents to the Exorcists; Lavi, Allen, Robin, Kanda, and Lenalee respectively.
"Your mission is to retrieve information about a young woman."
"Wait, shouldn't we be retrieving Innocence?" Allen asked with a questioning look on his face. "Or is she a new accommodator?"
"No, she is not. But this woman may know something about the Earl of Millennium."
BAM-
Kanda rose up and smacked the wooden desk in front of him. "What the fuck are you talking about!? How can anyone sane enough survive an encounter with that damn Earl?"
Allen and Robin raised their hands together. "We have."
"Tch…other than these Innocence-wielding Moyashis!"
"It's-"
"Allen!" "Robin!"
"Feminine face!" "Girly guy!"
…
"What the FUCK did you just call me!?"
Kanda grabbed Mugen's hilt and activated his Innocence. Allen and Robin did so too; Allen with his Crowned Clown and Robin with his Abaddon. He wouldn't risk another one of Komui's operations…
"Kaichuu: Ichigen!"
"You do realize that you always use the same tactics, right, Yuu-chan?" Allen smirked mockingly and activated his Crown Belt. He dodged the attacks successfully and ran towards the exit before Komui even had the chance to destroy them with his Komurin. Allen could already see Komui's evil face and his creepy robot's gleaming eyes from the corner of his eyes.
Robin was slashing the insects that came to him while avoiding obstacles around the room. Chairs were sent flying all over the place, sheets of paper scattered around messily, and a frantic Komui trying to chase after the three Exorcists with his brand new Komurin.
WHAM-
Thanks to Lavi and Lenalee's quick thinking (mostly from Lenalee's side), all conflict receded with a few kicks and some hammer knockouts. Allen and Robin were sprawling on the floor, stomachs clutched tightly to reduce the pain. Komui and Kanda were both dazed; Lavi's hammer really did the trick.
"Brother, please stop all of this bickering…" Lenalee sighed and went off to get some tea.
"Alright…let me continue the briefing." Komui straightened his beret and cleared his throat. "You will board a train leaving to the port town Merrion in France. From there, you will board a ship heading to Osaka."
"Are you kidding!? That's suicide!" Allen exclaimed. "It's still a part of Japan! What about the Akuma there!?"
"Calm down, Allen. There are no large parties of Akumas in Osaka," Lavi intervened. "That's why Komui sent us there instead of, let's see…Kyoto?"
"Don't worry! I'll assure all of you that everything's going to be fine!"
"Then why send such a large number of Exorcists? Shouldn't two be enough?" Kanda asked in a completely unmannered way.
"Because…" Komui pointed at Allen first. "Allen is a General, so he'll be leading you."
"WHAT!?"
"Why the hell should that damn Moyashi lead me!?" Kanda, obviously. Showers of sparks flew from Allen and Kanda's glaring contest.
Next, Komui pointed at Kanda. "He'll be the translator, since he's a native speaker. And Lavi has to come, because he's the only one who knows what the woman looks like."
"Why can't you just give us her picture or something?"
…
"I lost the picture…somewhere there." Komui pointed towards the mess that was recently created from Allen, Robin, and Kanda's fight.
Damn it…the three thought together.
"Then why does Lenalee have to come?"
"WHO SAYS THAT SHE HAS TO!? KOMURIN! ATTACK THAT PERSON!" Komui pointed to the unfortunate speaker (Robin) and made an attempt to send Komurin at him. Kanda, pissed off as he usually was, grabbed Mugen and smashed the robot into bits.
"NOOOO!!! MY DEAR KOMURIN!!!" Komui ran towards the remains of his robot and cried.
"Tch, that's for pissing me off," Kanda sheathed his Mugen and sat down again on the sofa. "And if you think that I did that to help you, you're a complete idiot."
Robin stopped himself before he could say anything else.
"Anyway…my darling Lenalee will NOT come with you. I mean, really; a girl with a bunch of stupid, immature boys?" Komui hugged his sister and made a virtual wall separating them both from the others.
"I'm not that small, Brother…"
"But he has a point," Allen spoke calmly. "Four Exorcists are more than enough for one simple mission. And besides-" He grinned, somewhat evil and good-natured at the same time. "-I am a General."
"Thank you for understanding, Allen!" Komui nodded vigorously, following Allen's every word.
"Alright then, we leave at midnight." Lavi smiled and went away, not caring if the others followed. Kanda left shortly after towards his private training ground; he needed some meditation after all the commotion he got into.
Meanwhile, Allen and Robin stayed put at their positions.
"Komui, aren't you going to tell us why Robin has to come?"
I knew he'd ask that…"Robin may have some sort of connection with the woman." Komui looked at Robin and smiled. "You know my sister, Lenalee, correct?" Robin answered with a nod. "Perhaps you know of another Lenalee in Japan?"
"Yes…"
"The woman that we're searching for is the Lenalee which you knew." Komui stated. "That is why we need your help to find her."
Robin stared emptily at the space in front of him before snapping out of his trance and nodded.
Lenalee…I wonder how she's faring nowadays…
That concludes the chapter. Please read and review it (as you say, R&R?), especially if you've faved it and such. Comments are widely appreciated, even if it's only a few words or so.
And flames are also accepted. They fire up our writing muse!
And yes, people: this is NOT a romance. Don't expect me to write some love story between Robin (Julia) and Allen. Because I can't. But I will be putting family-ish things: for instance, comforting each other and all that jazz.
Lovely footnotes again.
Robin is French (I think), so he'd have no problem speaking French. AND he's been to Japan before, from the manga ZONE.
Robin will be addressed as 'he' until there comes a point where 'she' is needed. Sorry if it's confusing, but he (she) is technically in a boy's body.
Komurin: Komui's crazy robot(s).
...I'm not putting any Extra Takes right now. No ideas here. Instead, I'll be having a short interview with some of the Exorcists. So that you know why I wrote the next chapter like so - ! Did I just give some spoilers!?
...never mind. Hope everything's clear for you. And this is an info corner, so don't expect any humour or such.
It's quite long as well. Many things to cover. Skip if you want to.
---
Interviewer: So, Exorcists, why did you come here, anyway? Is it because of the publicity? Stress? Or what?
Allen: Free buffet.
Robin: Same here.
Lavi: I'm just bored!
Lenalee: To keep an eye on them...
Kanda: Tch...I was told that there was free soba.
Silence.
Interviewer: Didn't expect that...
Miranda: Umm, I was told to come here...did I do something wrong!?
Interviewer: ...No, Miss Miranda; this is just a short interview.
Miranda: Oh...I see...
Crowley: I just came along to see this place...
Interviewer: Oh...alright...well, I only have a few questions for all of you.
Everyone (except Kanda) was eager to answer it.
Interviewer: What kind of Innocence do you have?
Allen: Crowned Clown. Parasite-Type.
Robin: Abaddon, Equipment-Type; and..uh, Unnamed, Parasite-Type. Got it from Master Cross.
Interviewer: You mean your hand, right?
Robin: Uh...yes.
Interviewer: You don't have a name for it?
Robin: I don't know what to call it...
Interviewer: ...Oh, alright then. Next!
Lavi: Oozuchi Kozuchi. Equipment-Type. Or Big Hammer Small Hammer. Also known as Nyoibo. Also known as...
Interviewer: Alright, alright, we get the basics.
Lavi: ...Tessei. Metal hammer...(I hate that name...never gonna use it...)
Interviewer: Hmm? I can't hear you. Oh, no matter.
Lenalee: Dark Boots. Crystal-Type.
Kanda: ...Mugen. Equipment-Type.
Miranda: Time Record. Equipment-Type...
Crowley: Unnamed. Parasite-Type.
Interviewer: Your teeth?
Crowley: Correct.
Interviewer: Well, that kind of answers the question. Okay, next: for Lavi!
Lavi: Bring it on!
Interviewer: Why do you use Japanese words, for calling people and naming your Innocence and such? I mean, you're not Japanese, are you?
Lavi: Oh, that! Yeah, I kind of like speaking Japanese...it's, well, catchy.
Interviewer: ...Even for battle?
Lavi: Yeah, I've gotten used to it.
Interviewer: I see. Alright, this one's for Lenalee.
Lenalee: Yes?
Interviewer: We've heard you and Komui say some Japanese phrases, like Lavi here.
Lavi: Mm-hmm.
Interviewer: But aren't you both Chinese? Shouldn't you be using Chinese phrases, like "Ge-ge" or "Nihao"?
Lenalee: That's a long story...basically, both of us felt that we needed to learn other languages as well. So, I guess Brother picked Japanese as that language. But we speak Mandarin, occasionally, just so that we don't forget.
Interviewer: Hmm...interesting. This one's for Kanda.
Kanda: ...Tch.
Interviewer: ...Right. How many lotus petals are still intact?
Kanda: ...Why the hell should I answer that?
Interviewer: For the sake of knowing, of course.
Kanda: ...Ten.
Everyone gaped because Kanda actually answered a personal (ish) question.
Interviewer: ...Oh. This one's for Miranda and Crowley. Exactly where are you in the story?
Miranda: Um...I'm retrieving an Innocence in Germany...so I'm busy...
Crowley: I'm on a mission to destroy Akumas in Spain.
Interviewer: I'm guessing your missions aren't finished yet?
Miranda: Yes...
Crowley: Yes.
Interviewer: Allen!
Allen: Is it a question?
Interviewer: Yes! How fast can you destroy an Akuma?
Allen: It depends on the level, really. Level Ones and Level Twos are easy to beat, since my Innocence evolved. Level Threes are harder, but I can beat them with one blow. As for Level Fours...they're quite hard to beat, actually. I'd probably need help from other Exorcists.
Interviewer: Will you be using your Sword of Exorcism for hard ones?
Allen: I think so...
Interviewer: Then Level Fours are easy for you?
Allen: As I said before, even with it, it's not easy at all.
Interviewer: Okay. Last question's for Robin!
Robin: Alright.
Interviewer: Don't you feel...guilty for killing your own kind?
Robin: ...A bit. I think I'm alright...but now and then, I feel...uneasy.
Interviewer: Have you ever not killed an Akuma when you met one?
Robin: ...Yes...before...
Interviewer: Before?
Robin: ...
Interviewer: Well, not much from that one.
Kanda: Tch. Are we done here?
Interviewer: Actually, we are. That concludes our short interview. We hope everything's sorted out for you!
Allen and Robin: FOOD!
Lavi: Yuu-chan...
Kanda: DON'T CALL ME THAT! (...where's the soba?)
Lenalee: Kanda, don't kill Lavi!
Miranda: Is it over already?
Crowley: Yes, it is.
---
Hope you understand some bits, now. Look forward to the next chapter, okay?
7/3/09
