---Chapter 09: Soaring Bird---

Don't you die on me,

You haven't made your peace.

Live life, breathe,

Breathe.

(From Dark Wings – Within Temptation)

---

He woke up to the sound of people arguing.

Slowly, Allen opened his eyes and dragged himself back into consciousness. The sun was shining brightly outside, a new day had begun without him knowing-

"Allen!"

His head jerked up when he heard Matron's shriek. His vision focused; he turned his head from side to side looking for her, and found her standing by the infirmary's door with her arms widely spread. Apparently she was trying to stop the Third Exorcists from leaving-

Reality hit him with destructive power, and Allen stood up abruptly, knocking his chair over, "What's going on? Wh-What are you doing?"

Goushi and Tokusa turned their gazes on him. They were both dressed in full Third Exorcist attire – cloak, hat, veil and all. Tokusa was standing face to face to Matron, while Goushi just stood quietly behind him, hanging onto the handles of a wheelchair that carried-

"… Link," Allen breathed out, eyeing the still body on the wheelchair. Even though Link had his eyes opened, he didn't seem conscious and didn't react to the sound of his name; Allen then understood that he had fallen once again into the standstill state of an inanimate doll. Gripped by fear, confusion and frustration, Allen turned his look to Tokusa, asking furiously, "Where are you taking him?"

"Forgive my rudeness, but I believe it has nothing to do with you, Master Disciple. This is an order from Central, or should I say, from Inspector Malcolm C. Leverrier himself-"

"Leverrier is just Central's puppet, of course his order is Central's order!" spat Matron. "Now you listen to me– Howard Link is currently under my responsibility, and I'm not allowing you to take him anywhere – he hasn't recovered yet!"

"I respect your devotion, Matron, but let me tell you… There is no need for him to recover, not at all." Tokusa's eyes glittered dangerously as he said so, and Allen had to suppress a chill.

"What are you implying?"

"This matter doesn't regard you, Master Disciple. Matron, please move out of the way. If you don't-"

"Just tell us where you're planning to-"

Events followed each other, all happening in a flash. The moment Allen dared to take another step forward, Goushi let go of the wheelchair and moved to block his way. Since Allen didn't expect aggression, he didn't ready his Innocence, nor did he even think that Goushi would attack him, but the big man did. With a sudden push of the heel of his palm, he sent Allen flying through the infirmary. The boy collided against the wall and collapsed, falling into a cart that carried medicine bottles. Blood wet his white hair as he slowly slipped to the floor, into a puddle of mixed contents from the broken bottles, glass shards crunching beneath him. He recognized an eye-watering smell – it was, but it shouldn't be – ether. He tried to hold his breath, but his body wasn't under his control. He gasped. His senses instantly went dull, his vision distorted – and Matron was shoved aside, her head made a sickening sound when it collided with the floor. Tokusa stepped over her still body to leave the infirmary; Goushi pushed the wheelchair after him, and there were no more crimson cloaks in sight.

---

"Who are you?"

My Link… Little Howard… Come here…

"Who – What are you? Where are you? Where am I?"

Come… come this way, just come this way… and you will be suffering no more…

"Where am I going? It's too dark, I can't see-"

Follow the fire, Howard, follow the firebird…

"What is the meaning of this? I'm scared…"

There's no need for you to be scared. You have much to be proud of. You only need to come this way… and everything will end – your fear, your sorrow, your suffering, everything. Everything will end soon.

---

His consciousness was lost, and found, and lost again; Allen found himself wandering between reality and hallucinations. For a moment he thought he was really staring at a pair of green eyes, and was wondering how to chase away the pain and sorrow in that look, but it took just a blink for those eyes to vanish from his sight and for the scene to switch into the infirmary room. Silence was broken when a group of nurses came in; they cried out in surprise at the sight of the two lifeless bodies on the floor and, not wasting a single moment, they hurried to do their work.

A nurse came to assist Allen. Her voice was soft and soothing – He wished he could fall asleep, right here, right now, with that voice whispering into his ears. He was so tired; his eyelids were heavy and would drop any moment… Why should he be standing, why couldn't he lie down and-

"Damn it!" Allen screamed at his own weakness. He swept the nurse's hand off him and tried to get up, but his mind was fogged and his body not under his control. Frustrated, he felt around, not knowing exactly what he was looking for at first, but then the cold, sticky glass shards came in contact with his skin. A small groan escaped his lips as he grabbed them and closed his right hand into a fist around them.

The shards' sharp edges immediately cut into his palm, sending a burning sensation up his arm. Allen's eyes squeezed shut at the sudden pain, but when he opened them again, his vision was no longer blurred. He tried to get up; his feet obeyed him this time. Step by step he made his way towards the nurses who were gathering around Matron, and asked, "H-How is she?"

The nurses looked up at him; from their expression he could tell he was a terrible sight. "She hit her head – She'll be out for a while, but she'll be fine. Master Exorcist, wha-"

"Listen," Allen interrupted their questions even before they began. "I need to find the Third Exorcists. Do you, by any chance, know where they're going?"

The nurses looked at each other in confusion, and Allen waited even though he felt like he already knew the answer. When a nurse finally shook her head, Allen boy almost choked on the lump in his throat. Mumbling an almost inaudible "Thank you", he dragged himself out of the infirmary. Timcanpy followed him. They tried to move as fast as they could, but the golden golem occasionally went the wrong way and hit the walls. Allen didn't blame him – Tim got almost the same dose of ether as him, and they both were experiencing the same loss of control over their own bodies.

"Allen!"

Allen recognized the voice. He had, somehow, made his way out of the Medical Wing and was now in a corridor that he couldn't yet identify. Leaning against the wall for support, he looked up to find Lavi and Lenalee in front of him.

"Allen! What happened?" Lavi grabbed Allen's shoulders; the redhead's strong grip hurt a bit, but it stopped him from collapsing again. "You're bleeding!"

"Were you attacked?" Lenalee asked, glancing at Timcanpy who was blindly swaying around in midair.

"Yes, attacked… The Third Exorcists," Allen managed, "Did you- Did you see them?"

"No, but- Did you just say they attacked you?"

"Yes, they did, because I tried to stop them… They're taking Link- they're trying to take him somewhere-"

"Wow, easy, Allen… Maybe they're taking him out for treatment? They're the only one who can cure him from that spell, right, I mean-"

"That's not true, they tried to take him out without letting us know… When Matron and I asked where they were taking him, they-" Allen's head was throbbing painfully, making it difficult to concentrate on his speech. "-they attacked us. Matron hit her head, but the nurses said she would be all right… Listen to me." From Lavi and Lenalee's looks, Allen could tell that they needed more persuasion. "That man with his hair tied up to one side… he said that Link wouldn't need to recover. What do you think he's implying?" Allen saw Lavi's eyes widen; of course the redhead understood—there was only one meaning in Tokusa's words. "I have to go after them—where do you think they would take him?"

"… I think I know where they would go," said Lavi after a moment of consideration. "Follow me."

---

It was a circular room, with a very high ceiling supported by thick marble pillars, which gave the impression of being trapped in an endlessly dark well with no way out. The whole floor was covered by the drawing of a magical ring, and more runes were carved up the walls, marking every corner like a spider's web. A small candle stood in the middle of the room, dispensing its shivering yellow light.

In a corner, sunk in the depth of darkness, Malcolm C. Leverrier sat quietly. For years and years he had been serving Central with all he had, moving forward without looking back even once. He never felt a wavering of his heart, not even now. Sure he was feeling strange, but it was merely hollowness, a space in his mind, a lack of his daily thoughts and calculations. Time had stopped for him once, ever since he had departed from the house where he used to live with his family and had been introduced to the Order as the heir of the Leverrier family; time has been moving on and his world has been evolving around the Earl, Akuma, Exorcists and other Exorcists. Now, it seemed the flow had been halted again, and the Inspector Malcolm C. Leverrier couldn't tell the reason.

A simple knock on the door interrupted Leverrier's thoughts. "Come in." He said.

Soft rustles and steady footsteps announced the arrival of Madarao. The male Crow came in first, then held the door open for Tevak to push a wheelchair in.

"Is that him?" asked Leverrier, never standing up from where he was sitting.

The wheelchair took a small turn, allowing the feeble light to carve a figure into darkness. Leverrier noticed with slight confusion how different that supposedly familiar face had become. He glared at the black-tainted arm with bitterness. It was a pity that someone so promising in skills who had served him in utmost loyalty had come to this – infected, dragged by that cursed Exorcist into his twisted circle of sin and rebellion.

"Yes sir, it's him," said Madarao. "Haven't you seen him since-"

"I didn't find it necessary."

"I see. Shall we begin?"

"Yes. Go on."

Having gotten Leverrier's order, Tevak took some more steps forward. With an abrupt movement, she yanked the wheelchair violently, causing Link to fall over to the floor. Lying on his stomach next to the candle, he made a small movement with his head, as if trying to look up, but it was all he could do. Madarao looked down at him and stated, "Inspector Howard Link, you have fallen into the hands of the enemy and have failed to end your life before causing more risks to the Church. You have been transformed and are now a threat to the Order. Therefore, Central sentences you to death for treason and heresy. We members of Crow shall execute you to prevent any possible harm to the Order-"

"NO!"

A loud "BANG" interrupted Madarao when the thick wooden door was sent flying through the room. The marble was much less sturdy than it seemed, and so, cracks appeared on the wall where the door collided with it. Light poured in from the holes where the door had been, illuminating the figures that came into sight. Leverrier stood up.

"You! What do you think you're doing?"

Allen was first to answer. "Inspector Leverrier, please stop! This is a mistake!"

Pure hypocrisy. You are a mistake, this is all your mistake. "How did you get here?"

"Not only Central's hounds can track," said Lavi, kicking a crumbled brick out of his way. "This area has been recently assigned to your use. You even held Allen's questioning in the room next door – The door has such nice designs, I felt sorry for knocking it down."

"The guards…"

As if responding to Leverrier's query, the Crow Kiredori leapt out from seemingly nowhere, charging for Lenalee. Even though she only had half of a second to react, the female Exorcist still managed to block Kiredori's attack with her Innocence. The counter-attack ended with Kiredori stumbling backwards. Lenalee pursued her, trying to dominate by speed. The Crow, however, managed to dodge all crucial attacks aimed at her; soon a large hole was dug in the cracked wall when a Dark Boot's heel missed Kiredori by inches. The Crow deliberately fell outside and took Lenalee with her. Slightly shocked, Lavi called after the Chinese Exorcist, but he didn't have much time to worry about others. Goushi had risen from the ruins and resumed his attacks. Tokusa followed the big man and lunged on Allen from above like a predatory bird coming for a rat.

"Do it, quickly!"

The Crows obeyed. Tevak and Madarao clasped their hands together and began chanting the incantation in an unknown language. Link shifted a bit as the candle was blown out and the magical ring beneath him began to glow. Then, suddenly, a flame burst up from the floor and swallowed him.

"NO!" shouted Allen. "Inspector, stop it! That spell is curable; Matron said he is already recovering-"

Allen's unspoken words died in his throat when Tokusa punched him hard on the face, sending him flying through the room and into the flame.

"ALLEN!" cried Lavi. "Hold on, I'ma get you outta there! Hi Ban-"

"Stop." A voice commanded, and Lavi felt something cold pressing against his temple. Leverrier had his gun aimed at him; Goushi and Tokusa were also ready to strike. "Don't move. You can't control that flame with your Innocence, Bookman Junior. For an observer, you interfere quite a lot."

"Gah," snarled the redhead, glaring back at Leverrier. "You aren't going to kill an Exorcist, are you?"

"I am not going to kill you, but I can keep you from interfering… in many ways. As for Allen Walker… this is all an accident. He had been placed under suspicion of heresy, anyway."

"You-" Lavi's gripped tightened around the hammer's handle. He clenched his teeth, glaring at the fire in the middle of the room. Once his eye had familiarized itself with the blazing light, he recognized some strands of green in the fire. Green sparks danced among red flames, glittering like fireworks.

The successor of Bookman wasn't the only one to notice this phenomenon. Leverrier and the Crows had their eyes fixed on the fire too. "What's happening?" asked the Inspector.

"He's… struggling," replied Madarao, gritting his teeth.

Aha. Lavi's eyebrows relaxed and his lips cracked open in a smile, "I see. Well, have it the way you want, Malcolm. I won't interfere. I don't think that even my interfering can change the path that they're making."

---

It was hot.

Allen slid deeper into Crown Clown's protective embrace. He coughed and fumbled around to make sure Link was safe too. Fire roared around them wildly like starving carnivorous beasts, but Allen wasn't worrying about the heat. If Akuma and even Noah can't damage his Innocence, it's not like this fire could. In fact, he was more worried about-

He choked, his right hand grabbing his burning throat. Doubling over, he buried his face in Link's back. A voice in the back of his mind shouted at him to get out of there, and he did try to do what it told, but he couldn't move. His Innocence would deactivate when he lost consciousness, which meant this fire would consume both Link and him.

Allen doubted the Innocence would save him again. But it was foolish to even think about relying on the unexpected reactions of an Innocence. It was clear he couldn't protect himself, let alone Link. He could just run for his life now, but he refused to. He didn't want to face that kind of life. He ordered himself to think, but nothing came. Beneath him Link was lying still, his eyes closed, and he didn't seem to be suffering. Wrapping his arms around the Inspector, trying unsuccessfully to cover the other body with his own, Allen whispered into his neck, "Link… I'll get you out of here…"

The last bit of oxygen was consumed and his lungs writhed in agony, screaming for air. Every single inch of his body was on fire. He couldn't tell if it was because his Innocence had deactivated and his body was being physically burned up, or it was just starving for oxygen. He felt so weak, but his arms were still strong.

I'll get you out of here. I'm not leaving you here to die.

---

What's wrong, Howard?

The little boy didn't answer. He spun around, causing his ponytail to whip through the air. Then he just stood, clenching then relaxing his fists; his wide open, unblinking eyes scanning the ruins that surrounded him.

Howard, let's go…

The boy ignored the firebird that spoke in human voice. From a distance, one could mistake the bird for some kind of fairy. However, if one paid enough attention, they should be able to recognize the crest, the long and delicate beak, and swallow-like tails.

Turning his back, the boy broke into a run.

Howard, get back here!

"I hear… a voice," muttered the boy, more to himself than to the bird. Irritated, the fluttering fire came after him. It hovered above him, shouting down at him angrily, but couldn't stop the boy from running further and further into the ruins.

With surprising agility, the little boy leapt past fallen stone pillars, climbed under crumbled rooftops; his little feet stepped on pieces of brick and glass shards; his hands were tainted black from touching many burned wooden columns. The green gaze embraced the whole horizon as he stepped further into what seemed like a huge battlefield.

Howard, don't go there!

The bird's surreal voice had risen into a furious screech, but the boy dared to disobey again. He walked into a small pond and dabbled in water that was as clear as the sound of a crystal bell. The pond was shallow, so he kept walking until he reached the middle of the water, where the firebird dared not follow him.

"I heard your voice," he said, bending so low that his nose almost touched the water surface. He blinked at his reflection, staring into his own eyes, until he heard that weak, faraway voice calling out for him again.

Link, I'll get you out of here…

The reflection in the water slowly materialized. The eyes that stared back into little Link's eyes were no longer his own green eyes, but a pair of gray eyes. The hair was different, too; it wasn't blonde anymore and the bangs were missing…

Out of breath, Link reached out a hand and touched the mirror image on the water surface. He felt something that wasn't water, something soft and warm under his fingers, so he grabbed it. The next thing he knew was that the mirror-like water surface suddenly shattered into millions of splattering water drops; and a pair of arms were flung around his neck, pulling him into a hearty embrace.

"Link!"

Link startled a bit at the sound of his own name. He eyed the other boy in utmost perplexity. Wet brown hair stuck to the sides of his face, but couldn't hide the scar that ran from his eyebrow to his cheek. Grayish-blue eyes glittering in joy, he buried his face into Link's shoulder and squeezed tighter, "Link, Link, I found you!"

Link found himself stuck in a bear hug with a person he didn't know. This face gave him a feeling of déjà-vu, but no matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn't find a name to fit it. This hug was growing uncomfortable… but he couldn't possibly be rude to a person who seemed so happy to find him, could he?

He cleared his throat in a manner that wasn't even a little bit childish. "Um… Why are you hugging me, if I may ask?"

The other boy pulled back. "What? You don't remember me?"

"… I don't think I know you to begin with…"

"Eh." The brown-haired boy only stopped for a moment to consider Link's confusion. "All right, so this is what it's like. It's you, but it's not you- Now that I think about it, it can't be all right like this. You can't be a child- You were never a child, you were born adult and polite and courteous and all-" He chuckled a little, interrupting himself. "Anyway, let's get out of here before-"

You're not going anywhere.

It seemed like the pond had shrunk. The crystal clear water suddenly vanished, vaporizing into a thick fog. A wall of fire encircled them, and the fire bird appeared again, its angry eyes glittering dangerously as it repeated in a howl, You are not going anywhere.

---

It was… warm.

A flash of light pierced through the darkness that was holding him, forcing him to open his eyes. The first thing that he realized was that the fire had retreated and now formed a ring around him. Link's body was heavy in his arms; a green light covered the Inspector's body and sparks occasionally shot out, just like summer fireworks. Some sparks hit Allen, but he didn't feel the burn. The sparks weren't meant to hurt; they didn't even damage the floor, just crawled to the wall of fire and mixed in with the crimson inferno. In awe, Allen looked down at Link. Shining green runes flowed out from the Inspector's open palms and chained themselves together into a wall that sealed the fire outside.

"Impossible…" hissed Goushi through gritted teeth. "Without a seal or a magical ring-"

"He's forcing release." Tevak didn't even blink an eye. "He may kill himself."

But weren't you already trying to kill him? Allen found himself wondering, but there was no time for everyday sarcasm. The torrent of runes never stopped, swirling in a circle around them, suffocating the fire, slowly squeezing it out. The fire struggled like a living creature before going into its death throes and reducing to red hot scattering ashes. Even then, the runes didn't disappear; they simply shrank to the size of fireflies and continued to storm wildly around the room.

Did Link know that he was no longer in danger? What if this forced release couldn't be stopped and he was really killing himself?

Allen called out, "Link?"

The Inspector's eyes snapped open. Fear and other mixed emotions gripped Allen's heart when he noticed how bright and green Link's eyes had become. He whispered the Inspector's name again, and to his surprise, Link reacted to it. His look turned to Allen's face, and the boy could even swear that he saw a small smile forming on his lips. Slowly, Link removed Allen's hands from his body, deliberately leaving the boy's protection to stand up and face with the Third Exorcists. He walked closer to them, bare feet making no sound, green flames and runes still surrounding his body. The Crow agents immediately formed a barrier around Leverrier, their hands in seal positions, ready to ward off any outburst that could harm their superior. However, Link made no attempt to break through that human barrier. He simply fixed his look on each of them for an instant, before focusing on Leverrier's face.

Link's lips started moving, as though he was saying something, but no sound was made. He stood there, and stared, as if waiting for Leverrier's reflection to carve into his mirror-like eyes. Then he slowly turned his head to look out the hole on the wall that opened to the sky. The fire around him suddenly scattered into a fine, glowing green dust. Carried along by the wind, it made it way higher, towards the opening, and higher, until its feeble light blended into the bright blue sky.

---

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A/N: Sorry for the wait- Both me and my beta are busy, so things are even slower than they are supposed to be. But that is another chapter, folks! *cheers*

*bows* Thank you very much for the nice reviews you left! They filled me with joy. I love every single word of your reviews, and really, they helped me a lot!

This story is drawing nearer to the end. :3 Only one very short chapter left. I would like you to know that I'm already working on another Link-centric fic, "Dark Wings". I already finished three nice long chapters – I'll upload the prologue real soon to make sure you all add it to your alert. XD However, since DGM is going to be released again soon, I'll be writing really slowly, waiting for more Crow members informations… I hope that you'll still keep reading!

Now if you love me, review, please? :3

*goes to sleep* My health suddenly goes on a downhill. *coughs*

Did I ever mention that I love Tokusa? *coughs*