Chapter Eight – Recovery
Kanda sprang away from Lulubell and lifted Mugen.
"First Illusion: Hell's Insects!" A swarm of monstrous insects streamed from around Kanda and flowed through air towards Lulubell, but just as they were about to surround and consume her she leapt into the air and shot her arms out towards Kanda. Shiori barked a warning as her arms stretched and became long, thick whips. They tore through the group of insects and ripped them apart, then continued for Kanda, who quickly got over his shock of the attack being pushed aside so easily. The exorcist brought Mugen up before the arm hit him and held it back for a few moments, but was suddenly tossed into a building. A shower of debris flew out from the impact site, but a second later Kanda was emerging from the debris with a glowing Mugen still in hand. Allen tensed his legs and sprang up toward Lulubell and swung his sword at the same time Kanda did, but the Noah suddenly dropped down out of harm's way and shot both her whip-like arms for Shiori, who leapt over one and then the other as if she were jump-roping. One finally tripped her up, allowing the other to strike her. Lulubell smirked as she wrapped it around the wolf's body tightly before yanking her twenty feet into the air, and then accelerating her toward the ground at about eighty miles an hour. She howled in alarm as she was swung towards the ground, and Lulubell released Shiori seconds before impact, causing the wolf to create a deep, wide crater in the pavement. Timcampy was still clinging to the wolf's fur but had begun flapping his wings frantically, trying to stir Shiori into moving.
Lulubell shot her arms towards the fallen exorcist again, and the whips changed into sharp trident-looking prongs, but right before the impact Shiori lunged towards the golden golem and snatched him in her jaws, then pushed off the ground and leapt up into the air just in time. Allen felt relief flood through him but saw that the wolf hadn't escaped injury; her front right paw appeared to be twisted in a sickening way—it was probably broken, and his suspicions were confirmed when Shiori landed next to him and didn't put her weight on the injured paw. She also growled and twitched her ears in pain when she breathed. He looked at her, concerned, but she shrugged and sprang at Allen, shoving him aside as Lulubell's arm, back to a whip, created a deep rut in the ground where they'd been moments before. Allen pressed his hand into the pavement and used the surface to help him flip over so he wouldn't slam into the hard cobblestone.
Shiori twisted her head to make sure Timcampy was beneath her collar and saw a flash of gold—he and the Innocence were safe. Allen brought his sword up to block after flipping over and fended off another strike from Lulubell's arms, now in the form of two swords, but they continued striking at the broadsword and Allen was being forced slightly back a few inches each time they hit. Kanda suddenly darted in from the right and Shiori saw a chance: she lunged past Lulubell's whip arm and bared her teeth, drawing a long red streak down the coil's grey surface. She ended the attack with a jerk of her head, which ripped the gash open even wider and caused blood to splatter the wolf and the pavement. The arm whipped around to knock her away but she quickly landed on the ground, avoiding her injured paw, and sprang back up and out of the way of danger, but just barely. Her injuries were starting to slow her down, so it was either finish this fast or lose the Innocence and the fight.
Kanda sliced Mugen down the length of Lulubell's arm as well, and sprang out of the way of the flailing arm in a similar fashion as Shiori had. Allen was charging between the thick, whipping limbs now, and had replaced his sword arm and had long claws ready to slash the final blow on Lulubell. It happened before Allen could blink; the arms came together around him and wrapped around his body, crushing his arm to his body and immobilizing him. He let out a long scream as he felt something in his left arm crack, but Lulubell didn't let him try and deal with the pain. She began squeezing him tighter, and Allen began losing the ability to breathe properly. Shiori snarled angrily and charged Lulubell, but the female Noah suddenly flung Allen at her, which sent both of them flying into a nearby building with a deafening crash of stone and wood. Kanda growled and suddenly Mugen grew a brighter blue. "Two Illusion Blades!" Seconds later Kanda was holding two glowing swords that were connected behind him by the same blue light.
Lulubell, although injured and bleeding from Kanda and Shiori's attacks, merely raised an eyebrow, unconcerned, as Kanda charged her and swung the swords over each other: one towards her midsection and the other towards her head. She merely leaned over backwards and did a flip and slight twist, avoiding both the glowing swords. She flung her bleeding arms at him and he jumped over both, but suddenly flung one at him from above and the other from below. Still being in midair he was struck by them and tossed backwards. He gave a yell as he flew and turned to face the impact as he headed for the building Allen and Shiori had been thrown into, but a white and gray blur suddenly shot towards him, grabbing his arm and launching him away from the building to shoot towards the ground. Kanda righted himself and landed on his feet, as did the figure that had caused him to avoid flying into a building.
"You alright, Kanda?" Allen asked, gripping his broadsword, but Kanda didn't reply. His gaze traveled to where Shiori was standing with her paws, even the broken one, firmly planted on the ground. She crouched and gave a snarl that sounded like a howling cry when it echoed off of the buildings that hadn't been demolished by the battle. Lulubell, seeing the one who had the Innocence, directed her arms towards the wolf. When Shiori was inches from being hit, Lulubell's arms suddenly halted, as if invisible hands had gripped them both and stopped them cold. The wolf made a quick movement towards Lulubell, who responded but seemed to be moving at a fourth of her usual speed. Kanda saw her face contort in shock as Shiori darted back and forth past the Noah, slashing her teeth and claws across her arms and body, leaving long and deep gashes. The wolf then leapt up into the air after countless repeated hits and then let herself fall down, pinning her limbs so that she fell faster. Lulubell tried to pull her arms up to defend and hurl the wolf away but her body still felt sluggish; what was happening with her body? She could only watch as the exorcist wolf free-fell towards her, teeth bared threateningly, aiming for her...Lulubell felt the teeth sink into her body and she gasped in shock. The wolf's fangs had penetrated her chest and just missed her heart; she was still alive but couldn't move. As Shiori withdrew her fangs violently, Lulubell watched her jump away about ten feet and growl, and then lift her head to the heavens. A resolute, piercing howl flooded the air and sent chills through the Noah.
Allen and Kanda felt their bodies tingling as the howl continued, and neither of them felt pain from their injuries anymore—they were still there but the two seemed to have been given a dose of adrenaline, which let the pain be temporarily dulled, and made them able to push their bodies past normal limits. The two exorcists lifted their weapons and streaked towards Lulubell, feeling power reenergize and strengthen every muscle in their bodies. The two leapt once they were a few feet from Lulubell and aimed their weapons down once gravity started pulling them back down; Allen's sword and Kanda's Mugen buried deep into the Noah's chest. An enraged, but agonized scream tore itself from Lulubell's throat as the weapons entered her body, then ripped out excruciatingly, sending arcs of blood everywhere. The Noah lay stunned as Kanda and Allen backed off, gripping their weapons in preparation in case Lulubell rose again.
"I....will...have your....Innocence....then we'll find the Heart, and destroy it—" the Noah rasped painfully, forcing herself up with her arms, which had changed back to normal. Suddenly Lulubell transformed them back into whips, flung them at Kanda and Allen and sending the two exorcists flying. Allen was tossed off into town where his body impacted into the cobblestone ground and tumbled over and over several times before skidding to a halt on his back. His gray-blue eyes were half-closed and dim, and his breath was coming in fast pants as the old pain of his arm came back, and the new pain of his torn skin ripped harshly through his body. Kanda, after being hit with Lulubell's whip arm, was caught and constricted before he could hit anything. His eyes squeezed shut and he struggled uselessly, his arms pinned so that he couldn't raise Mugen and attack. Shiori stumbled forward a little on three paws, then slammed all four against the ground as she charged Lulubell and jumped towards the tendril that was holding Kanda. Baring her fangs, she tried to send all her power and accuracy into her teeth and prayed this attack would do what she need it to. She bit upwards and raised her claws, slashing, saw it coming closer....she had to make her aim perfect.
Her fangs bit into the arm, her front and back claws raked it repeatedly, trying to slash through. Lulubell lashed Shiori with her other arm and Shiori was barely managing to hold on but finally the mangled limb severed and let Kanda fall to the ground. Shiori sank her fangs and claws into his arms and shoulders then kicked off of the mangled whip-like arm of Lulubell's, which was still morphed, and leapt as far as she could away from the Noah. Shiori knew she'd be in for a rough landing when she felt her mind buzz with dizziness and her limbs tremble with fatigue. She and Kanda hit the ground hard and rolled over for a few moments before tumbling to a halt. Kanda shoved Mugen's tip into the cobblestone ground and pushed himself up, then held the sword out, but detected no movement from Lulubell. He waited for at least ten minutes with Mugen still drawn, waiting for her to get up and attack once again, but couldn't even make out the Noah's chest rising as she breathed in and out. He dared to step closer, and when he did, stepped back quickly as a dim red light surrounded the Noah's body. He blinked and suddenly Lulubell had vanished, leaving only an impression in the grass, showing where she'd been. Well, either her body had disintegrated or one of the other Noah had bailed her out. Either way, he was leaving while he still could.
Grimacing slightly he put Mugen away (against his better instincts) and grabbed the wolf around the collar, then yanked her up in a rapid movement, slinging her limp body over his shoulders. Trudging over to where Moyashi had fallen, he began to search for the younger exorcist's attention-grabbing white hair and finally spotted it among the rubble of a building. Kanda noticed that his Crown Clown cape had been replaced by his exorcist coat. Bright red blood welled under skin that was visible under his torn clothes. The moyashi's face and hands had been torn and in some places were bleeding heavily and already bruising blue, purple, and black. He could tell that the Moyashi had a few broken bones and probably a concussion. Kanda rolled his eyes as he realized he might have to carry the wolf and Moyashi to the train.
Kanda started to reach for the exorcist's arm, but stepped back as the younger teen's gray-blue eyes opened weakly. Timcampy flew out from beneath Shiori's collar and over towards Allen's face, flapping his wings hard, sending up a little breeze that made the exorcist's white hair fly around a bit. Shiori clawed for the ground and soon rolled off Kanda's shoulders, and he swiped a hand for her but she growled at him.
"Timu...." Allen said weakly, then ground his teeth and winced as Kanda grabbed his arm and pulled him up. Kanda heard shuffling nearby and glanced around to see the wolf dragging herself to a limp shape that hadn't been there before. The swordsman narrowed his eyes and realized that the body was Emile, the Finder that Lulubell had impersonated. He lay Allen back down on the ground and moved swiftly towards the canine and Emile, raising Mugen in a swift movement that made Shiori lift her head sharply and snarl at Kanda.
What are you doing?! Shiori yelled in her mind but Kanda didn't hear her and lifted Mugen.
"Out of the way. We can't take any chances, whether he is a real Finder or not. I'm not waiting to be attacked again."
He's not a Noah, Kanda! He's really Emile. I can tell. I knew something was funny about him before—his scent! I know he's the real Finder now! Shiori wished, for the thousandth time, that she could speak but had to just face Kanda, holding her ground while she tried to stop him from killing Emile.
"Move. I won't warn you again and I won't try to avoid hitting you," Kanda growled threateningly, lifting Mugen in preparation to attack. He ran his fingers swiftly across Mugen and its surface glowed blue; Shiori growled and lunged towards Kanda. Her Innocence suddenly activated and a second later she bit down on Kanda's blade and let her back paws touch down firmly into the ground, giving her support as she strained against the powerful exorcist, who was starting to push her back with minimal effort. With a powerful swing Kanda lifted Shiori, who still had Mugen tightly between her teeth, and tossed her away where she collided with a building and crumpled to the ground. Pushing herself up she almost fell back down but tried to run again for Kanda as he raised Mugen high once again, not wasting any time as he brought it slashing down. "You asked for it. Another Accommodator can be found in place of you, and another Finder can certainly replace him, too."
"Kanda!" Allen's distraught voice called from behind the swordsman, who ignored it. But Kanda's arm suddenly froze as white energy suddenly flowed around the four of them and Timcampy and he only had time to notice that the white light flitting around his body was tinged with green before he felt like he was being yanked through a wind tunnel. The scenery around him blurred and he felt himself blacking out.
Author's Note: OH SNAP! Where will the portal take them!? Anyway, as always, tell me how I'm doing. Good, bad, miserable, boring? I'm just trying to see if I could write a D. Gray-Man fanfic and be pretty happy with it even if others aren't but I hope you're all enjoying it ^^ I should start recording the dates I edit and write new chapters...I started writing the story sometime in September 2008, but I can't remember exactly which date. I guessed September 20. Anyway, leave a review if you would please! I don't think I'm that good at writing battle scenes. Hope I didn't make anyone out of character, or Shiori too strong or whatever—still trying to stay away from the OOC and Mary Sue thing. Also upcoming battle scenes will be better (hopefully). I thought that one kinda sucked, but they say the first thing you write is the best, so I just kept it like it was (I wanted to change it at first because I thought it was stupid and too short). Meh. ^^