Disclaimer: Here is chapter 8! I did not think this story was going to get so long. I also did not think it would take so many chapters for the AllenxTyki Mikk to actually start. Sorry about that.
I do not own D. Gray-Man.
"Everyone knows what they're doing?" Lenalee asked, brows furrowed in concern as we approached the school building.
"This is the easy part." Lavi laughed and clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Allen's got the hard part tonight. Right, Allen?"
"I don't like this at all." Lenalee huffed out a breath and crossed her arms over her chest. "We should wait."
"Until what?" Lavi asked. He gestured to a house. "Until more kids end up like him?" He gestured again toward another line of houses. "Things can only get worse."
"I know, but Allen shouldn't be the one doing this."
"Who should?" I asked, my voice carrying far less challenge than Lavi's. Lenalee looked down. There was no answer to give. "You two are involved in this just as much as I am." I offered a smile, though my words would be far from comforting. "This would be impossible without all three of us. If we get found out, that will not go unnoticed."
"I wish we'd never told you about them." Lenalee spoke after a long silence.
"You think that would've done any good? Tyki Mikk's had his eye on him since he walked through the doors. There was no way around it. At least this way he knows what he's getting into." Lavi's expression showed obvious annoyance, though it was not at all directed at Lenalee or myself. "You know that as well as I do. Anyway, we should probably stop going on like this if we don't want anything to get overheard." He concluded briskly. We made the rest of the walk in silence.
"Hey..." I rubbed the back of my head. Lenalee and Lavi looked to me. "It might look kind of weird if we walk into the swim meet like it is some sort of funeral. I am far from an expert on the topic, though." The two laughed.
"After all, we are here to cheer on Johnny. The poor guy might not get another chance to swim after driving with you."
"Come on! Allen isn't that bad." Lavi exclaimed.
"I wasn't talking about Allen." Lavi feigned offense and walked ahead. Lenalee and I laughed.
"What are you guys doing here?" Johnny asked, making his way from the team to us.
"We came to cheer on our third wheel!" Lavi grinned.
"I don't think that's the right way to use that phrase." Lenalee shook her head. Lavi just shrugged.
"I didn't know you were a swimmer, Johnny." I looked around the pool. It was packed with people. Our team usually won.
"Well, I'm not exactly a swimmer. You see, if I didn't join a sport, it would hurt my chances at a good school. Swimming was the only reasonable option. Can you imagine me playing basketball?" He laughed, but his discomfort with the whole thing was clear.
"I'm sure you'll do well." Lenalee offered comfortingly.
"You're here to improve, right? You don't need to worry about breaking records or carrying the team. Everyone will be glad just to have you here working your hardest. Who knows? You might even find yourself enjoying it."
"Yeah! It's like Allen said, you can only get better from here."
"Thanks, guys."
"Good luck! Let's find a place to sit." Lavi suggested and walked toward the bleachers. Lenalee nodded and followed.
"Johnny! You're up next. Better go check in." A man I assumed to be the coach called.
"I'll do that now." Johnny looked to me nervously "Thanks again, Allen. You guys really didn't have to come out for this."
"Make sure to let me know when you have your next meet.." I smiled and gestured toward registration. He smiled, nodded, then left for the registration table.
Before I'd gotten away from the pool, my clothes were drenched by two simultaneous splashes from the pool. I looked behind me to see Jasdero and Devit laughing.
"How cute! The three little losers came to cheer on their little friend. Too bad we're about to crush him in the preliminaries." Devit called. Jasdero laughed and swam backwards, kicking unnecessarily hard to make sure that any article of clothing that had stayed dry no longer stayed that way.
"Jasdero! Devit! Out of the race lanes!" The coach yelled. The two answered with over-dramatic agreement and swam away before I had a chance to respond. Irritated, I found where Lavi and Lenalee were sitting and did the best to wring out my clothes.
"I thought they were still barred from meets." Lavi made a face and offered me his jacket apologetically. I accepted it gratefully.
"Barred? What for?" I asked.
"They were being idiots. They managed to hook up a hose or something to drain the pool so that the audience could 'feel more included.' Apparently the other team's parents were too loud for their taste." Lavi sighed and leaned back in his seat.
"Isn't that clever." I watched as the lanes filled up with the racers for the next event. Johnny was in the last lane. "Go Johnny!" I shouted.
"Do your best!" Lenalee chimed in then the race began. It was exciting to watch. I wasn't sure which event it was, but it was over within three minutes. Johnny had managed to beat two of the other competitors. Unfortunately, Devit had come in first, Jasdero in third, thus knocking Johnny out of the running for the finals.
The rest of the meet went on without much occurrence. At the end, our team had won by a landslide. We found Johnny but didn't have a chance to say much other than good job. The team was so boisterous that, within a few moments, they had pushed everyone into the locker rooms shouting about victory dinner plans.
"You're supposed to listen to my post-meet speech before doing that." The coach rubbed his temples and sighed. Despite that, it was not hard to tell that he was pleased with his team's continued success. "Is that Lenalee?"
"Hi coach!" Lenalee smiled brightly.
"Your brother still refusing to let you join the team?"
"Yep. He says the bathing suits are too revealing." She answered, laughing.
"Well, let him know we'll keep pushing to get scuba diving suits for next year." He responded, laughing as well.
"Got it. Congratulations on the win!"
"Thanks. It was the team, not me."
"But you're a good coach."
"Thanks, kid. Get out of here before you get stuck listening to the other team grope and whine about foul play. That'll sour anyone's mood."
"Was that thing about Komui a joke?" Lavi asked.
"I wish..."
"Your brother is great." Lavi laughed. "Should we go to the band room? You've got a playing test on Monday, don't you?"
"Oh, I suppose you're rght." The two spoke their lines perfectly. It did not sound at all rehearsed.
"I didn't know you played an instrument, Lenalee."
"Neither does anyone else. She never practices. The poor flute spends all its time in its cage."
"The only reason I am in band is because they needed another flute player." Lenalee retorted.
"And you just so happen to be the best one in the city." Lavi grinned.
"Really?" I looked to Lenalee.
"I hate the flute." She spoke sharply, indicating that the conversation should stop there. Lavi laughed and started talking about Lenalee's accomplishments on the flute as we walked to the band room. "Enough already!" She shoved him. Off-script, Lavi tripped and almost hit the band room door.
"Been lifting weights or something?" Lavi asked.
"You tripped over your foot. Don't try to play it off as anything else."
"Awh, come on!" Lavi pretended embarrassment and opened the door. "After you, madam flute player."
"One more word and I'm telling Allen about your history class last year."
"It was geography and-"
"What happened?" I asked. Lavi put his hands over my ears when Lenalee started to talk.
"Lenalee failed art class in third grade." Lavi spoke over Lenalee and uncovered my ears. By this point, Lenalee and Lavi were beside themselves with laughter.
"Something tells me I am better off not knowing." I muttered, walking around the band room, pretending to be interested in the posters and stands with music that students had not put away.
"Oh no. They changed the locks." Lenalee tried her key in the lock one more time before giving up. "I wonder when he did that. Looks like I can't practice after all."
"Nice try, but even I can tell those are not flutes. If you're going to try to pull off that excuse, at least pretend the clarinet locker is the flute locker. I'm pretty sure you're standing in front of the trombones." Lavi took the key from Lenalee's hand and opened the flute locker.
"Since when does how often I practice my flute matter to you?" She asked, taking her case in a huff.
"I'm just trying to help out my good friend." He shut the locker and locked it.
"Hmph." She hit him playfully with the flute case and walked toward the door, opening it before Lavi could. As we left, I slipped the sharp edge of a pocket knife into the lock and twisted it. I heard the sound of the bolts bending and quickly slid the knife back into my sleeve. The door shut behind us, but the automatic lock did not budge.
After that, we all separated for our own houses.
I turned off my alarm before it went off. I had not been able to sleep and had watched each hour pass until the designated 3AM had come. Despite that, I was not tired when I got out of bed. Every nerve in my body was strung tight. I dressed quickly, wearing as much dark clothing as I could without it looking too suspicious. A black hooded shirt, dark jeans, dark shoes. It looked like something anyone would wear, but it was still dark enough to make it harder to see me in the dark. At least I hoped so.
The streets were completely deserted. In the distance, there was the infrequent sound of a car on the highway and the sound of a stray animal foraging for food or shelter. I kept my pace and posture controlled. If I got stopped on the way to school, I would say that I wasn't able to sleep and was taking a walk. Why couldn't I sleep? I'd made the mistake of trying an energy drink after the swim meet so that I could get my homework done. Why get homework done on a Saturday? Simple. Sunday, Cross was having someone over and I did not know if I would be able to concentrate.
I carried an assignment with me. It was a copy of an assignment due Friday. If I got stopped inside or outside the school, I would say I was turning this assignment in to avoid getting points docked for it being late.
If I got caught in the gym, there was nothing I could say. Every time I thought over this potential, my heart skipped a beat.
Despite all my planning, no one approached me. I was able to walk to the doors of the band room with no interruption. I took in a deep breath, looked around to make sure no one had appeared, and pulled the door open. No one had noticed that the lock was broken. It opened with ease.
I shut the door quietly behind me and waited for my eyes to adjust to the lack of light. The band room seemed untouched. I doubted anyone else had come in since I'd left. When my eyes had adjusted, I took a step forward then another. The floor did not creak beneath my feet. There were no sounds other than electricity humming in the halls.
I opened the band door slowly, my confidence beginning to grow. By the time I was half way to the gym I felt almost relaxed. It seemed that even the Noah couldn't keep the school under their control all hours of the day.
The gym door was locked, as expected. I took a few things from my pocket and picked the lock. I stepped into the gym and locked the door behind me. The scent of polished wood seemed heavier than ever, sitting motionless in the cold night. I moved as quickly as I could to the shelter of the bleachers. Though I no longer expected anyone to enter, nervousness from the idea stayed with me.
It was hard to keep my footing under the bleachers. No light from the windows reached under there. With the gym lights off, I was left stumbling my way through complete darkness. I used the supports to keep myself upright as I worked my way to the back. The inability to see slowed my progress tremendously. I had no idea how I was supposed to find the entrance that was hard enough to find with light.
Though I didn't want to, I took my cellphone out to use the light. I'd already turned the sound off before so much as leaving my bedroom, but I checked again to be sure. With that miniscule source of light, I found the pattern of cracks on the wall I'd committed to memory. After a moment, I found the lock. It was a simple set up. The wall was set up like a puzzle. The pieces needed to be moved into the right position in order to make the keyhole reachable. There could be any number of false keyholes and any number of failed combinations. Failure to return them to their exact position after leaving would make discovery almost inevitable.
With that in mind, I took several pictures of the wall before I began to move the pieces. It was an excruciating process, but I succeeded. When the door slid open, a sense of unearthly pride flooded through me.
I shut the door and stepped into the room of files. A light caught my attention, startling me. For a moment, I felt stupid. It had only been a notification of a new message on my phone.
My heart sank. I did not want to see who the message was from. I was certain I knew who it was already. I held my breath and flipped the phone open.
New Message From: Lenalee
I let out my breath and tried to coax my heart out of my throat as I opened the message.
Lenalee: Are you still in the school? Please hurry.
Me: Everything is fine. Don't worry.
I put my hands to my head and tried to relax. It was just Lenalee. She was worried about me. I'd let her know as soon as I was on safe ground. I closed the message and used the light of the phone instead of turning on the lights in the room. Who knew how well monitored the room was. If a change in electricity used could be noticed, I wasn't going to risk it.
The keys for the file cabinets were not hard to find. I opened one after the other, looking for any file on monetary transactions, transferred students, or anything else that seemed relatively useful.
After nearly a half hour, I found a useful file. It was a student who had transferred out last year. I flipped through the papers, skimming every page until I found the one I was looking for. "Current Residence." The only thing stated was "Refer to document 0914." I placed the file where I'd found it.
"Document 0914." I repeated to myself and looked around the room. None of the labels indicated anything remotely similar. Everything was sorted by category, last name, or other items that began with letters, not numbers.
Within an hour, I'd looked at every file, not in too much detail, but enough to get an idea of what the document was talking about. I learned that the student council received their money from the city government and that this had been arranged by the second president. The form it was listed on was one to present in case of issues with receiving money, dealing with taxes, and matters of reimbursement. The specific office listed was Department of Education.
The student council secretary and president had access to all student files. The passwords necessary were written below. It seemed that they would change monthly.
Other than that, the only thing I had found was extensive background on the students and the events that took place inside the school. Nothing from the conversation I'd had with Lenalee and Lavi appeared in the files. No traditions, no contracts, no information that seemed particularly shocking. Worst of all, there was no sign of document 9014.
I sat on the ground and tried to clear my thoughts. The information I'd found made the student council appear as if they were a transparent organization. Nothing seemed out of order aside from the transferred students. There were hundreds of questions left unanswered, but the answers were still hidden.
"Wait." I stood up and looked around. "This could be a long shot but..." My thoughts went to the secret compartment in Cross's car. In every car he'd ever owned, in every place he'd ever stayed, he'd managed to craft an almost unnoticeable hidden compartment. Being that they were constructed by him, their locations were often related to his personality. Beside liquor cabinets, near inappropriate pictures of women...
Where would Tyki Mikk hide a secret compartment? I thought back to our first meeting and knew the answer immediately. It was under the chair he'd had me sit on. For his own entertainment, he'd placed me as close to all the information I would ever want as I could be. I gritted my teeth, wondering how much he'd laughed about it afterward.
I pulled the chair aside. Beneath it was a puzzle similar to the one on the wall outside. Though excited to the point of dizziness, I remembered to take a picture of the wood planks to remember how to place them when I left. The first plank I moved reveal a handle. When I pulled on it, it opened. It had not been locked. There was not even a lock on it.
There were only a few files in the small cabinet. One of which was titled "document 0914." I set the backpack I'd been carrying down beside me and pulled out a stack of printer paper. For every page I took, I replaced it with a blank page of paper. As soon as anyone looked for any of the files, they'd know they were gone, but by then, it would be too late.
I slid the plank back into place, replaced the chair, left the room, reset the puzzle and ran to the gym door, unlocking, opening, then locking it again behind me. As quickly as I could, I returned to the band room and left the school. My heart was pounding.
Doing my best to remember my pace and posture, I turned back for home. I pulled my phone from my pocket, knowing I could not text Lenalee and Lavi just yet. In a few minutes, though, I could even send them pictures of the documents. The secrets would be out by tomorrow.
New Message From: Lenalee
Lenalee: Get out of the school as fast as possible. They are on their way to the school. I don't know why, but you need to get out.
The message was from almost ten minutes ago.
The sound of a car flying down the road caught my attention. The car slowed beside me and the back door opened. I tried to run, but the driver moved the car close enough to where the two sets of arms from the back had no trouble pulling me in. One of them shut the door and the car resumed its earlier speed.
I was pushed to the floor of the car and a heavy cover blocked any light. I tried to kick and fight my way free, but the two figures held me tight.
"Stay still, beansprout! Do you want them to find us?" I'd never been more relieved to hear Kanda's voice.
"Something's about to happen. I don't know if they found you out or if it's something else. Either way, every member is in there by now." Lavi whispered. He tightened his grip on me. "You're lucky you made it out. Did any of them see you?"
"I didn't know they were there." I answered, beside myself with the anxiety from the near catastrophe.
"Be quiet, you three!" Miranda's voice, panicked, was barely audible. A moment later, she stopped the car. The sound of a window being rolled down was audible.
"I'm very sorry to trouble you, Ms. Lotte, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you why you are here. A severely confidential meeting is about to take place and no unauthorized members are permitted." It was Tyki Mikk. Lavi tensed, Kanda ground his teeth.
"I forgot my grade book! Grades are due at noon tomorrow." Miranda's answer sounded honest considering the fact that she was probably truly panicking and terrified at the moment.
"Ah, I see. Please."
"I'll just be a minute."
"I'm sure you will. Drive carefully."
"Thank you!" With a jerky start, Miranda drove the car forward and made the turns I assumed were to lead her to the parking lot. She stopped the car, opened the door, got out, and shut the door.
"What a shame." Tyki's voice was barely audible, but it there was no doubt that he was standing outside the car. "I would've bet anything that he'd be here. I practically invited him to this meeting."
"I guess he's not as smart as you give him credit for." Lulubell answered.
"Maybe not."
"Better for him."
"I suppose so." Their voices faded away as they walked further and further from the car. Miranda returned not long after. She drove for at least five minutes before speaking.
"Is everyone okay?"
"Yeah." Lavi answered and lifted the cover from on top of us. "Man. Too bad you weren't able to get the files." He lifted himself into a seat.
"Actually..." I took my backpack from my shoulders.
"No way." Lavi exclaimed and pulled it from my hands. Even Kanda looked surprised.
"What did you grab? The lunch menu?" Kanda scoffed, watching as Lavi pulled the papers from the bag.
"There was a hidden cabinet in the room. This is every file that was inside of it. I filled the empty folders with printer paper." I was too tired to bicker.
"Tch. Did you even check to see what they said before you grabbed them?"
"One is document 0914, it has all the information on the current residences of the transfer students. The other papers were in a file marked 'sponsor,' 'key contacts,' and 'emergency back up plan C.' Right, Lavi?"
"..." Lavi's silence unnerved me.
"Lavi?" Wordlessly, he handed me the papers.
Document 0914
Dear Allen Walker,
Did you find what you were looking for?
Sincerely,
Tyki Mikk
Sponsor
Dear Allen Walker,
Did you find what you were looking for?
Sincerely,
Tyki Mikk
Key Contacts
Dear Allen Walker,
Did you find what you were looking for?
Sincerely,
Tyki Mikk
Emergency Back Up Plan C
Dear Allen Walker,
Did you find what you were looking for?
Sincerely,
Tyki Mikk
Every paper said the same thing. Each were dated from one week after Tyki Mikk had first brought me to the room.
"He already knew..." I slumped back in the seat, my head spinning.
A/N: Oops, sorry, yeah. Still no activity between Allen and Tyki Mikk. That will end soon. I am actually telling the truth I promise. This is going to be a Poker Pair fic. Though I am probably going to add in a spin-off chapter(s) with other pairings because that seems like fun and I have ideas I do not want to waste but also I do not want to change the original course of the story.
See you next time!
