Rin grumbled to himself, fuming over his newly lost job. He was hoping to keep this one, sadly, and now he would need to find another. On his way home though, with a light breeze blowing black hair, his bright blue eyes caught sight of something. White. He turned, only to find a clown. Something drew him in, despite not liking clowns all that much. The clown's white hair flowed down his back, silver eyes smiling along with his red, painted lips. He had on a large clown outfit, shapes of all colors doting it.
He took a card and handed it to a little girl, who seemed to be enjoying the show with her mother, as a souvenir to the closing show. Her parent put coins in the top hat by the clown's feet, him bowing and the little girl clapping. Rin chuckled, the little girl's happiness rubbing off on him.
"You know," the clown's voice drifted on the wind, "the show's over, but your very welcome to fill my hat." The clown chuckled, the sound of bells ringing softly and beautifully in his ears.
"I would, but I'm sort on change," Rin admitted, coming closer. Now that he was nearer to the clown, he could see golden flecks in the silver dollars of his eyes. The clown lifted a silver eyebrow, questioning the boy as he turned to the fountain behind him and dipped a cloth in it.
"I feel like there's a story behind that," he egged, trying to pry the boy open.
"I just got fired," Rin sighed, "and I can't hold a job because I'm a 'violent thug'," Rin quoted. The words slipped easily, no thought going into the notion that this was a complete stranger. The clown turned back to him, his make-up now gone. There was an odd scar on his face, standing out against pale skin. He smiled softly, standing to his full height. He was at least 5' 11'', if not six foot. As tall as he was, his hair still reached his lower back. It was held at the base of his neck by a black ribbon.
"Bad luck, friend. I can never get one because I'm a 'cursed child'," the man waved his hands dramatically in the air.
"Cursed?"
"This weirdly shaped scar," the clown pointed to his face. "By the way, I'm Allen Walker," the newly named Allen held out a gloved hand. Rin took it, feeling a shiver go down his spine. "Rin Okumara."
"Nice to meet you," Allen smiled sweetly. "Ah, but I think you better get home. It's getting late." Rin realized how late it had gotten and bolted, but not without saying goodbye to the stanger he had met today.
0oo00oo0
"I cant believe you!" Father Fujimoto scolded. Rin sat on the floor, pouting. "Getting fired again! You cant keep a job to save your life!"
"Hey, Dad? I'm finished packing." The youngest of the Okumara twins walked up to them, speaking to his adoptive father.
"See, why cant you be more like Yukio?" one of the fathers asked. More agreed, Rin's temper flaring.
"Shut up!"
The furnace in the room blew with blue flames, startling everyone. Fujimoto walked up to it, looking it over.
"Man, I'll have to get a new one. Yukio, go patch your brother up." As the fathers watched them walk off, Fujimoto's head was to the front of the monastery. "I gotta go check on something, I'll be back."
Heading toward the door, he couldn't help but notice the air change. It wasn't heavy, like a demon would make it, but light. Easier to breathe. He opened the doors, but what he saw wasn't what he thought he would see. There was a man there, a white button-up, black slacks, thick black boots and gloves covered a lean body. Long, white hair was pulled back, but bangs framed a pale face. There was an odd scar, Fujimoto noticed, with a pentagram on his forehead. His eyes were silver, but something in them shined in the dying light.
The Coal Tar, little balls of black with eyes and tails, never hovered near him. There was a good five feet of distance around him that was completely clean of the annoying little demons. He took in a breath.
"Keep him safe. That heart of gold of his is hard to come by."
Then he left. Fujimoto let out a breath he didn't quite know he was holding in. A song hit his ears, most likely coming from his late-night visitor. His voice was like bells, so beautiful it put all humans to shame.
Then the boy fell asleep
and one or two embers in the fading ashes of the fire
flared up in the shape of a beloveds face
Dreaming many thousands of dreams
spreading across the land
your silver-gray eyes shine their light
like stars falling down from the night sky
Even through the countless of years turn so many prayers back to Earth
I will keep praying
somehow, love for this child please
kissing the joined hands.
"The story of D. Gray-Man," Fujimoto breathed. Only one knew that song. Only one could remember. Even now, just as he heard it, the words slipped from his mind, never to be remembered. "God's Child is here." He turned, walking back to the monastery. "Where's Rin?"
"Still out back, why? What happened?" one of the fathers asked.
"God's Child is here." He headed out back, finding the brothers in the medical room. Yukio had finished patching the elder twin up, but they had stayed here talking of the future. "Rin." They both jumped, the harsh tone of their father scaring them.
"Yes?"
"Did you meet anyone on the way here?"
"Yeah," Rin put a finger to his chin and looked at the ceiling in thought. "A clown. He had long white hair and silver eyes. He also had a weird scar on his eye. Why do you ask?" Rin questioned, looking back to Father Fujimoto. Yukio's eyes hardened as he gave his father a look.
"Nothing Rin. I just think I know him, is all. I thought I saw him pass by." Rin, accepting the excuse but not quite believing it, left the room, leaving the younger and oldest to themselves.
"Is it who I think it is?"
"Yes. He just walked by the church. Told me that Rin's heart of gold was hard to come by and to protect him. Just to add a bit of salt, he started singing," Fujimoto grumbled. "Like I need to be told to protect my son."
Hearing a ruckus from the main sanctuary, both men went to see what was going on. Apparently, the fathers had ganged up on Rin, forcing him into going to a part time job at the mall. Smiling, both men chuckled at the the older brother's plight.
0oo00oo0
"I got the job!"
"Really? Good job, Rin! I'm happy for some good news before I leave," his brother's voice from excited to somber over the phone.
"Don't think that way!" Rin scolded. "Your going to that big academy right? Be happy!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know," his brother smiled over the phone. Someone jerked the phone away from him, getting a indignant 'hey!' from his brother.
"Hurry up and get home. Where having sukiyaki for dinner to celebrate," the voice of Fujimoto broke over the phone. Rin cheered, the small telephone booth not quite holding in his excitement. He hung up, exiting the little booth. His smile was wide, but it faltered when he saw a little girl running in the parking lot chasing her pink scarf. He ran and caught it, trying to give it back.
"Here you go," he smiled softly. She looked at the scarf hesitantly. Suddenly, the thing felt heavier in his palm. He looked, only to see a monkey looking thing on the other end. He gasped as the thing ripped it out of his hands and ran into the store. Him and the girl gave chase, only to knock down everything in their path. At one point, they knocked down a stack of heavy cans, all of them going to fall right on top of the little girl.
"No!"
Something white blocked the cans from hitting her, someone calling out 'Yui!' in panic. The man he met yesterday stood, the little girl in his arms. Her forehead was bleeding, but nothing else seemed to be wrong with her. Her mother ran up to him, thanked him and Allen, and left. Allen looked after her, a soft look of loss in his gaze.
"Allen?"
His name snapped him out of his daze, turning his attention to the younger male. He smiled, but noticed a pudgy woman walking there way. After watching Rin get thoroughly chewed, he walked home with him. He found that his companion had led him to a park, where he sat on one of the swings. He was back in his suit, what he must have been in before he changed to work, Allen guessed.
"Why not go home, Rin? It's late," the soft voice of the albino questioned, sitting on the swing next to him.
"I couldn't face them. I promised the old man that I would show him that I was grow up, that I could handle myself. They were so happy that I got the job. There's no way I could face them now," Rin choked out.
"Just keep walking." Rin looked at him with confusion. "Those are wise words. No matter what ails you, keep walking forward. What other way is there to go? Backwards? What good would that do anyone? Walk forward Rin and don't give up." Rin smiled softly, nodding. Someone called his name making his head snap up. It was his brother. He looked back to where Allen sat, only to find him gone. He jumped slightly and looked around.
"What's wrong, Rin?"
"I was just talking with Allen, but now he's gone," Rin muttered, confused.
"Allen? The clown you met? Huh, I didn't see anyone. It's late, Rin, and we should be getting home," Yukio held out his hand with a inviting smile. They walked in relative silence, but as they approached the monastery gates, noticed their father talking to a very tall man.
"Ah, so your finally home," Father Fujimoto smiled at the two, drawing attention to the twins.
"Are you Rin? Rin Okumura?"
"And you are?" Rin asked, confused.
"I'm her- Yui's- father." He moved aside to show the little girl from earlier. "I cant thank you and your white-haired friend enough for helping her."
"White-haired?" Fujimoto mumbled to Yukio.
"He also claimed to have seen Allen again," Yukio added.
"Is she alright?" Rin asked looking down at the little girl, scanning for injuries.
"Thanks to the two of you, it was only a light scrape. She's always been scatter-brained. Tripping, falling down stairs; she's never without fresh wounds," Yui's father explained.
"It's not that the kid's scatter-brained," Rin objected. "She's being picked on!"
"And you saw this? What did he look like?"
"He was short and had a face like a monkey," Rin tried to explain without sounding like a loon. Her father marched away angrily, muttering under his breath. "Wait, where are you going?"
"To the school. I want to find out who's bullying my little girl."
"No, Daddy!" the little girl dug in her heels, stopping the older man. "Their not the humans at my school! Their evil fairies!" Yui tried to explain. Her father laughed, sounding almost embarrassed.
"She's always been imaginative. I'm afraid she cant distinguish her daydreams from reality."
"Their not daydreams!" Rin defended. "Why don't you just believe her? Aren't you her parent? Who is she supposed to go to if you wont listen-" He was cut off with a knuckle to his head. While he complained over his now throbbing skull, the elder Father walked up to and knelt in front of the little girl. He pulled out a small vile, it containing a four-leaf clover.
"Here, this contains a four-leaf clover charm. Hold it and it will protect you," he instructed, handing it to her. She thanked him shyly.
"I do think I could help as well."
All heads turned to find a young man no older than the Okumura twins. As the church-related persons stared at him with awe, he gestured for the girl to come closer, a small smile on his lips. She nodded to Allen, coming slow closer. He held out his hand, and when she got close enough, he took the one holding the charm in it gently into his bigger one. With another soft smile, he put his lips to the cork of the bottle, and to everyone's amazement, the clover started to glow.
"Now it will keep you safe in the dark. No monsters will get you if you keep this nearby. So be careful with it, okay?" Yui nodded, giving Allen a hug before rejoining her father and taking his hand. The older man thanked the exorcists and left.
Father Fujimoto turned to Rin. "It's one thousand years too soon for you to be lecturing others, young man and for the foreseeable future, your grounded." And indignant noise left Rin's throat. The older man shoved a piece of paper into Rin's face, making him take it. "It's from your boss. That's the cost that we have'ta pay for all the damage you did to her store." Rin's eyes widened.
Allen chuckled, re-alerting them to his presence.
"That was nice, whatever you did," Rin smiled at the white-haired clown.
"I simply made the charm a bit stronger so she doesn't have to have in her person all the time. If she puts it on a nightstand near her when she goes to sleep, it'll still protect her," Allen explain, all of it going over Rin's head. He just nodded and went along with it.
"So, your Allen. I'm Shiro Fujimoto, Rin's father. It's nice to finally meet you," the Father put out a hand. Allen shook it firmly, smiling politely as he formally introduced himself.
"Allen Walker. So you run this church?"
"Indeed I do. Why don't you come have sukiyaki with us?" he invited, Rin giving a cheer. "You don't get any. Think of that as the beginning of repaying you debt." A groan came from the older Okumura.
0oo00oo0
The Father opened the secret compartment inside the alter, candle and key in hand. He sighed heavily before descending the stairs. In the dark room that was only lit by the small, flickering flame in the Father's hand, was a red cabinet. The cabinet could have been mistaken for a tool box, all of the different drawers promising that there is something hidden there from the outside world. He had eyes for only one such drawer, the one with a lock. He inserted the key and turned it until he head a distinct click. Slowly opening it reveled a long sword.
The blue sheathe was a mockery of the flames it contained. Silver decorations elaborately swirled along it's length. A paper talisman was laid where the sword hilt and scabbard met, the middle slowly burning itself away.
"How long do you think you can hide him? What he is?"
The voice made him jump, him swiftly closing the drawer in an effort to hide it. He turned, finding Allen staring down from the top of the stars. He swore he heard humming from the sword in the cabinet.
"I know who you are. How long does the Child of God think he can hide himself?" Fujimoto countered. "And what of Rin? What will you do? Does your very existence not purge all around you of demons and evil? Why is he not affected?"
"I will do nothing about Rin and the demons slaying sword of Kurikara. Rin's soul his light, despite how dark his blood runs. Unless he lets that evil blood control him, I will simply watch," Allen replied, trying to sooth the anger and protectiveness of the Father. "I will help him where I can, but due to my status, I can only help so much."
"Your status? What does that have to do with anything?" Allen went to answer, but another voice beat him to it.
"It's because of the Vatican, isn't it?" Fujimoto locked the drawer and walked up the stairs, past Allen, to see Yukio, his night clothes a bit ruffled.
"It is. I refuse to be any kind of weapon for that place," Allen spoke darkly. "I've been there before and I refuse to do so again. I was almost killed by those idiots who think they know better than everyone else."
"I'm one of those idiots, you know," Shiro grumbled.
"Yes, but you know right from wrong. You will speak up against them if you felt something wasn't right. Look at Rin, a living, breathing example of this. This is why I trust you," Allen narrowed his eyes. "I trust you not to abduct or kill me in my sleep."
"Nice to know the trust is so deep," Yukio chuckled. "Wait, aren't you immortal?"
"Dying still hurts, you know," Allen pouted, "and I've died a number of one hundred and two times."
"Wow," Yukio blinked. Fujimoto just stared.
"You know what," Allen mumbled to himself. "I'll show you something. Come." With that and a hummed song under his breath, an Ark gate opened. White shards of holy glass created a doorway, letting it's master and his guests through. As soon as they were through, the gate closed. Both exorcists looked around in awe, but they landed on a man standing there in frount of them.
"Nephew."
"Uncle."
"Neah D. Campbell," he waved at the others.
"Your a Noah," Yukio gasped. "Aren't they-"
"Evil?" Allen spat. "Murderers? Causers of great chaos and the Holy War over two hundred years ago? Yes and no. They aren't all evil like most think." Allen walked up to his uncle, hugging him tightly. "And half of it was the exorcists's fault."
"What do you mean?" Fujimoto asked.
"The exorcists weren't clean either," Neah spoke. "Poor Allen. Because of me, they locked him away, bound his innocence, and put him on trial. One of their own, thrown out simply because he was Noah."
"They voted to kill you," Fujimoto closed his eyes, remembering what Allen had said.
"I love them."
The three of them looked at the albino who clung to his inner Noah like a lifeline.
"I still love all of them, though Leverrier can go impale himself on a wooden stake," Allen chuckled darkly. "They were scared, but there was always people by my side." Drops of salt water hit the white roads of the Ark. "Like BaKanda, Lenalee, Lavi, and Miranda..." he choked.
"But they had to go, didn't they?" Neah sighed.
"The curse of immortality," Allen smiled up at them, tears still streaming down his face. "But there are a few that suffer with me."
"A few? Is there someone else here?" Fujimoto asked.
"Only two. The rest of the Noah are scattered about," Allen explained, putting his fingers to his lips. Neah hurriedly put his hands over his ears, the other two following without question. A ear piercing- even with their ears covered- whistle broke past Allen's lips. He lowered his hand, looking around. A golden ball whizzed by Yukio's ear, startling both him and Fujimoto. It hovered in front of Allen's face, swaying angrily. "I'm sorry, Tim, I'm sorry!"
The little golden golem huffed, licked his master's tears, and turned to their guests.
"Father Fujimoto, Yukio, this is Timcanpy. He's a golem the my Shisho gave me," Allen introduced. Tim fluttered happily, rubbing against the Father's cheek and then doing the same to the younger exorcist who giggled.
"You lead us to believe there is someone else in this place?"
"Ah, I never told you where you are! How rude of me. Gentlemen, welcome to Noah's Ark! Home of the Clan of Noah and in current ownership of the Musician!"