Chapter 10: The Aria of the Land the Clear Skies 4

In the room

Allen engages the Level Two Akuma with his partially formed Innocence even as it changes its shape, firing countless bars of light.

"It fired…!" Kanda says.

"GYAA!" It screams.

The bars hit the Akuma and stacks on top of one another. Allen turns around and the Akuma slips away, sliding around beneath the sand, taking the form of sand in order to avoid being hit.

"You can't hit me when I shift into sand~!" It taunts.

Allen goes to fire again, but the Level Two strikes at Allen with its malformed trident–like copy of Allen's Cross, forcing Allen to dodge. The Akuma takes advantage of Allen's movement and comes up in front of him, swallowing within its sand-like body.

"KEKEKE, GOTCHA! IT'S OVER FOR YOU!" It says.

"I can't see anything." Allen thought.

"Hmm... how many times do I have to stab you before you die~?" The Akuma begins stabbing its stomach repeatedly.

"SIR WALKER–!" Toma shouts.

"HE'S FINE!" Kanda says.

"I can still feel… Allen's murderous rage. It hasn't disappeared." Alice thought.

Allen though, blocks with is cannon-form Innocence and breaks the Akuma's spear–like fingers. Allen gets out of the Akuma.

"The Innocence showed my mind what to do. And my mind showed my body. How to use the new Anti-Akuma Weapon." Allen thought.

He reforms his Innocence further so a bar-like blade emerges from the mouth. With this blade, Allen cuts the Level Two in half, forcing it to shed the skin of sand it is wearing and making it vulnerable.

"AH! MY SAND SKIN!" The Akuma shouts.

"So that is your real body, huh…" Allen says. "I'm not giving you a chance to change your appearance again." Allen lands on the sand. "This is for you."

"I STILL HAVE YOUR ARM!" Reforming his Innocence again, Allen aims hos Cross' cannon-form at the Akuma and fires.

The Akuma blocks with its Cross copy arm, but Allen remembers Guzol's words and his love for Lala, deciding that he won't forgive the Akuma.

"Unforgivable!" Allen shouts.

The Akuma's arm starts to break apart to its astonishment.

"SH… SHIT! WHAT? EVEN THOUGH I USED HIS HAND… WHY DID I LOSE…!?" It questions.

"It's just you. That's your limit. Even with the same weapon, the users are different. The only one that can use the true power of an Anti-Akuma Weapon is the Exorcist. As the Innocence synchronizes more with the Exorcist, the more powerful he will become." Kanda thought.

Suddenly, Allen coughs up blood and his arm desynchronizes as the backlash of using his too–new arm hits him.

"Shit… rebound! My body can't keep up with the morphed weapon." Allen thought.

"GOTCHA!" The Akuma shouts.

The Akuma attacks, Kanda, and Alice block it with their Anti-Akuma Weapon, protecting Allen.

"KANDA! ALICE!" Allen calls.

"Che." Kanda said. "YOU USELESS IDIOT… WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, RUNNING OUT OF POWER AT THE LAST MINUTE! YOU WERE THE BASTARD THAT BABBLED ON ABOUT PROTECTING THOSE TWO!" He shouts at Allen. "I HATE THE WAY NAIVE PEOPLE LIKE YOU DO THINGS… AND EVEN MORE SO, I HATE PEOPLE WHO DON'T KEEP YOUR PROMISES!" Alice nods.

"Ha… ha. Whichever it is… you still hate me… Alice you didn't have to agree with Kanda…" Allen says jokingly. "It's not that I've run out of power or anything like that… I'm just taking a little break."

"…Everything you do is irritating…" Kanda notes.

Kanda and Alice cut off the Akuma's fake Cross arm as Allen forms his cannon again.

"Give me one more shot! Innocence, activate!" Allen thought.

"SCATTER!" Allen, Kanda, and Alice shout.

Allen uses Cross Paling (firing volleys of rod-shaped energy palings), Kanda uses First Illusion: Netherworld Insects, and Alice uses Silver Rain (using Silver's bow form).

"E… EXORCIST!" The Level Two Akuma screams.

A hole is blown straight through the side of the town of Martel.

"Exor… ci… st!" As the Akuma breaks apart and the light of the explosion fades, the shard of Innocence, Lala's heart, arcs through the sky before falling back down and landing beside the exhausted bodies of the injured Allen Walker, Alice Lakefield, and Yu Kanda. Allen reaches out for the Innocence.

"Please… live once more. For Lala's sake…" Allen pleads.

~Three days later~
In a hospital

"Aaah… blue skies. Emerald green ocean. Por favor~ Italia~" Komui says.

"So what?" Kanda says.

"'What?' Hehe~" Komui says. "I'M JEALOUS, DAMN IT! IT HAS BEEN THREE DAYS SINCE YOU DEFEATED THAT AKUMA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? EVERYONE IS USING ME LIKE A SLAVE! THEY DON'T LET ME GO OUTSIDE. IT'S LIKE I'M A PRISONER IN THE DUNGEON OF SOME CASTLE…" He whines.

"Stop shouting. Shut up." Kanda says "If you got a problem, complain to him! Actually Komui, I don't get along with him!"

"You don't get along with anyone so… where is Allen?" Komui asks.

"Che. He's still in that city with the doll!" Kanda answers.

"That doll called Lala… it'll be soon, right?"

"Probably. It has already been working for 500 years. It's not the same doll. It'll stop by itself." A doctor bursts into the room to find Kanda removing himself from intravenous catheter and taking off his bandages.

"Wait. Wait… what are you doing!?" The doctor asks.

"I'm leaving. Claim your money there." Kanda points at Toma who has the money.

"No, no! Your condition is critical! It should take you five months to recover completely."

"I'm healed." Kanda states.

"THERE IS NO WAY!" The doctor says.

Kanda throws the bandages to the doctor and puts on a shirt.

"Thanks for everything." Kanda says.

He takes Mugen and his coat. He and Toma leave.

"How can that be… the wounds have disappeared…" The doctor mumbles.

Outside

"Your injuries took quite some time, Kanda." Komui notes.

"But I'm healed." Kanda says.

"But since it took some time, it means it's starting to deteriorate. You can't afford to misgauge. Your life reserve…"

"So… what do you want? If this is a prank call, I'll hand up."

"GYAAA! YOU! REEVER, DID YOU HEAR THAT? THOSE SHARP WORDS!" Komui shouts.

"Huh?" Reever says.

Kanda starts to walk pass an alley, where a mother is cradling her child.

"You've got it wrong– the next mission…" Komui says.

"My, my… what's wrong this time?" The mother says. "He never sleeps unless someone sings a lullaby. Maybe it's because the breeze picked up today. The rustling of the trees must sound like a song."

~Three days ago~

When the heart returns to Lala, she begins to move. But-

"Master human…" Lala calls. "How about a song…?" She asks. It was no longer 'Lala'. It was the doll Guzol first met. "Master human…" Lala calls. "I am a doll… I sing… Master human…"

~Guzol's memories~

"Guzol," Lala calls. "What song should I sing next?" She asks.

When the young Guzol was brushing Lala's hair.

"Look! Loke how beautiful it has become, Lala!" Guzol says happily.

"Lala?" She repeats.

"Can I call you that, Ms. Ghost?" He asks.

When he first met Lala.

"Boy… how about a song?" Old Lala asks.

~Present (still three days ago) ~

"You would do sing for me...?" Guzol asks as he smiles and cries. Lala smiles. "Lala." Guzol calls. "I love you." Guzol dies.

A perpetual smiling and deteriorating Lala reach down towards Guzol's head.

"Are you sleeping?" Lala asks. "Then I'll sing a lullaby."

From then on, the dolls continues singing the lullaby.

~Present~

Allen sits outside of the chamber she and Guzol are in. Alice sits next to him.

"What are you sleeping for? Stay on guard!" Kanda says as he walks towards Allen.

"Huh…?" Allen says, not lifting his head from his arms. "What is someone who supposed to take five months to recover doing here?" He asks.

"I'm healed." Kanda answers.

"No way…"

"Shut up." Kanda sits six steps below Allen. "I got a message from Komui. I'm going ahead with my next mission. You and Alice deliver the Innocence back to headquarters."

"Understood." Allen says.

Kanda looks at Allen silently then face forward.

"If it's hard to bear, just stop the doll. It isn't Lala anymore, right?" Kanda suggests.

"But it's their promise. The only one who can break Lala is Guzol."

"You're naive. We're destroyers, not saviors." Kanda says.

Allen lifts his head.

"… I know that. But I…" Allen pauses as a gust of wind blows, Lala's voice no longer hear.

"The song stopped…" Alice says.

Kanda and Allen both look at her.

In the chamber

Allen walks into the chamber to find Lala frozen in place over Guzol, her mouth open to sing but her body no longer functioning. As he kneels to take the Innocence, Lala suddenly turns to him, her appearance as it had been before and no longer deteriorating.

"Thank you." Lala tells Allen with a smile. Allen's eyes widen. "For letting me sing until I break. The promise has been fulfilled."

Lala collapses in Allen's arms, a simple, deteriorating doll once more. By the entrance, where Kanda, Alice, and Toma stand.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Kanda asks.

"Kanda…" Allen says tearfully. "Although what you said is true, I want to become a destroyer who can save."