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-o- Turned Tail –o- Chapter Ten –o-
"Where is Walker?!"
The tone was venomous to all ears.
A crow appeared from around a corner, respectfully bowing once he was in front of the Inspector. Komui, who was presently behind Leverrier, swallowed nervously. He was worried about what this crow wanted to report.
"Sir, the head nurse has informed us that Walker is being held within the medical wing."
"Oh?" Leverrier raised an impressive brow. His anger didn't depress. "He wasn't in there earlier when we checked." He noted curiously, firing a questioning glare at Komui.
Komui did his best to look unaffected and remain innocent.
"We're heading there now, Supervisor." Leverrier demanded sharply. Komui bowed, following the man out.
-o- Turned Tail –o-
"Please don't disturb my patient's rest, Inspector." Matron warned, furious when the man and his crows barged into her ward without any shame.
Leverrier ignored the woman, stealing the clipboard from its perch and scanning over the medical report.
"Internal bleeding, fatigue, high fever… What caused these conditions?"
"Akuma. Allen sensed some Akuma in a nearby town on the way back from the Asian branch and we headed over there to take care of them." A new voice spoke. Leverrier blinked, feeling a foolish for not having noticed the presence of the young bookman hidden in the shadows of the white washed room.
"Why did you norWalker report your actions?"
"We were caught up in the moment… I apologize. We wanted to salvage the town as soon as possible."
"Rather unprofessional work coming from you, Junior." Leverrier addressed. "I expect a more detailed report of the event submitted tomorrow."
Lavi nodded in consent.
Allen Walker, the subject resting on the bed, was concealed under a thick layer of blankets. His complection was pale besides the pink flush running across his nose. Like a ghost, he blending in with the white sheets. Extending out from under the blankets was a tube that met up with a drip set up at the side of the bed.
"You've got what you came here for, now leave!" The head nurse hissed. She snapped a sharp finger in the direction of the door.
"So it seems." Leverrier hummed. Lavi was disturbed by the smirk that marked his lips.
"Matron, make a copy of the medicals for me, please." Komui spoke politely.
"Not a problem, Supervisor." Matron replied in understanding. She carried a lot of respect for the Supervisor, unlike the immoral Inspector.
"Thank you kindly." Komui smiled.
"Once Walker is well, Komui, I want him dispatched to this island." Leverrier handed Komui a brown folder. "Central has ordered for Walker to set up a few gates coordinated in these files."
Komui accepted the folder with an unsettled expression.
-o- Turned Tail –o-
2 days later.
…
…
…
He thought he was still in lala land. Mana appeared a lot, and he thought that as unusual. Mana was dead, right…? Although he'd rather refuse to believe that truth. Playing dumb for a while wouldn't hurt anyone, would it? He thought it was ok to be selfish for a bit.
This "paradise" Mana created was intoxicating. The warm and happy memories he held in his heart obnoxiously repeated their moments. He never complained, the memories were nice. It was a bit lonely, he recalled, but Mana's presence was reassuring.
Some sense of him understood that this paradox wasn't existent, likely some delusion or dream. He couldn't touch it. Couldn't move. And it wasn't logical to experience the same memory twice. They were real events, but the placement was all wrong. He was being lied to.
At first, he was lost in the message in what these memories truly intended. He was too indulged and misguided by his own heart and emotions to think properly or even be willing to listen. His heart pulsed strongly for this warmth and he almost didn't want to return to reality.
It was careless of him. I was silly of him to have allowed himself to be trapped in these memories for so long. He wanted relive them and feel them. But doing so would hinder his walking, his path...
Mana was speaking to him again... Then. He remembered his promise.
Slowly, with Mana's guidance, he began to understand. The memories weren't there to soothe him or shield him away from the outside world and the unforgettable memories that did wound his heart, it was a fine reminder of the reason why he had to return to reality, of why he had to keep walking.
He needed to create more dear memories.
He still had things to do and precious people to return to.
But… he wanted to be with Mana too.
He made his choice.
…
…
…
He thought he was still in lala land. When he awoke, his mind wasn't there. The image of Mana was still fresh in his consciousness, blocking everything else out. Red. Red was now overshadowing his father's warm smile. It was a nice orange-red, like a burning flame. Nothing like the horrid colour of blood. He liked it. With some comprehension, he realized he had seen this pretty red before.
"…len? Al, you down to earth?" He knew that voice too.
Allen's white lashes fluttered harshly, trying to bat away his murky vision and open his awareness.
"…f-father?"
"What? No, it's Lavi."
"Lavi?"
"You know? The stupid rabbit?"
"Ah…" Allen rasped. His throat was still tender and sore. He shook his head wildly, white hair flying around. The action helped clear his head somewhat.
"Here," Lavi offered him a warm mug of hot chocolate. "For your throat."
Allen gratefully accepted the beverage, taking a small sip. The warm liquid was soothing and a relief on his throat. The heat of the cup also warmed up his chilled hands. It was nice.
"I placed an order with Jerry to have your dinner delivered here. I'm sure you're starving – I mean, you haven't had a decent meal in 3 days, including the birth."
Birth.
Silver eyes widened considerably. The white haired boy rose abruptly in realization, knocking the blanket off his form and banishing it to the floor. He almost dropped his cup of hot chocolate before finding the table beside his bed. His feet touched the cold stone floor and as he shifted his weight to stand, he noticed that his body felt faintly lighter, as if he had lost some weight.
"Oi, sit your ass back down." Lavi growled, standing up as well. "You're not fully recovered yet."
Allen weakly pushed him away when the older tried to force him back down.
"Wh-Where's the-" He gasped, suddenly out of breath.
"Relax. Leverrier is still dumb to the game."
"This isn't a game!" Allen cried. He flinched, his throat burned.
"Sorry, bad wording…" Lavi said sheepishly. "Anyway, the egg is safe in the pool chamber. Gramps said it's really healthy, by the way." The redhead carried a hand to the crown of the boy's head, ruffling his white hair. "Rest. You can't take care of it if you don't take care of yourself."
"M-m fine… Just a lil dizzy-Ah!" Allen crashed to his knees, arms tightly locked around his middle. His lips trembled, fighting back a cry of pain.
"See, this is why you're a Beansprout."
Allen growled, looking up and narrowing his eyes into a steely glare. That was all he could do. His left hand was situated in a tight fist, desperate to punch the eye patched face.
Lavi frowned, offering his hand to the grounded boy, unaffected by the boy's aggression. "I promise. Everything is fine." He said firmly. When Allen stubbornly refused his help, he sighed heavily.
"I'll take you to see the egg after dinner, alright? But only after you have eaten well."
Those silver eyes gradually brightened and Lavi was blown away by their shine. Lips followed that light and pulled into a smile. That rare and true smile was very powerful. His bookman's eye immediately saved the picture.
-o- Turned Tail –o-
Even in the cold and frigid temperature of the salt water, Allen could feel the presence of warmth radiating. Inside the red sphere was evidence of life; a small heart was beating, slowly growing bigger and stronger as every second passed.
He wish he had the choice to be able to still carry his little one until they were ready. Holding the small life close offered better protection and it eased his worries knowing that it was always with him. Right now, Allen had to be extremely gentle and careful as anything could harm it. A single mistake could dangerously damage the fragile egg and the tiny, vulnerable life inside.
Allen was currently sprawled out on his belly - a stupid idea on his part as his abdomen started to sting when his weight added pressure onto it. His arms were crossed out in front of him, encircled around the egg, Lavi's orange scarf still wrapped around the orb.
Silver eyes fondly stared at the red orb carrying interest. To Allen's opinion (and he had many examples to compare it to) the lavish, power, grace and beauty of any jewel had nothing in common with the egg. It was beyond more than that. None of the gemstones Cross' maidens showed off were more eye capturing or deserved more recognition than the red orb. Nothing else mattered.
Allen's finger followed an invisible trail over the eggs round surface, softly brushing it. He rarely touched the egg with his left hand as he knew the long and unnatural black nails could effortlessly scratch through the sphere's soft membrane. As he watched his egg, his thoughts skimmed over his memories of dinner from a few hours prior. He had read Leverrier's mission file during his feast and we wasn't pleased with the thought of having to separate from his little one so soon. He wasn't used to nor okay with the idea, but he couldn't afford to reject the mission… He had two paths to tread now: To protect and raise his child and to continue walking as an Exorcist.
He had to leave tomorrow morning. Leverrier broke any patience he had and denied him anymore time to rest now that he was awake. He could walk and that was more than fit enough for Leverrier. To Allen's relief, it was a fairly easy and simple mission. If he worked hard and quickly enough he could return to his perch within a few days. Furthermore, he wasn't going alone. Lavi had volunteered to escort him and Allen was curious to understand what had spontaneously brought the redhead to make such a decision. The act infuriated Allen and he had smacked the redhead (he said sorry) as soon as he could. They couldn't both be dispatched. He wanted Lavi here so he could watch over the egg since he couldn't. Lenalee and Kanda had yet to return from their own mission and he didn't have the heart to bother the scientists when they were already overwhelmed with their own work. And nobody else knew about the egg. Lavi had to stay.
With Link in a coma for the last 5 months and unable to surveillance him, Leverrier had recommended for another crow to be assigned to fill Link's roll. Allen was only getting by by pure luck. Leverrier was denied by Central. Before his evasion shenanigans of the pass few days, Allen had a good rating with the higher ups and they loosened some of his chains and dropped the surveillance. Being able to breath without being told how to for the past 5 months was a relaxing change. Leverrier wasn't pleased with the decision. Only now, that positive rating had dropped dramatically to a negative. The higher ups wouldn't take any more chances with him. Leverrier under the orders of Central had set crows around every major area of the Order, including all exits and entrances to the Ark. This was a stricter alternative to the surveillance. The white haired boy wondered if the sudden order had any relation to the conference that was supposed to be held but was strangely canceled. Ultimately, Allen had to step up his game and be more cautious when entering the pool chamber. He absolutely couldn't allow himself to be seen. He was the crow's main target, main enemy, and nobody else was more suspicious or guilty than he was.
Allen bitterly noticed that he had about 20 minutes left until he could transform back into a human. That time was too short. The young siren refocused his attention onto his egg, snuggling beside it and cherishing the time he had left before his mission.
-o- Turned Tail –o-
"Oh, Inspector?"
"Doctor." Leverrier merely nodded in greeting. "I am in need of you expertise."
The tanned man was confused. The Inspector had never personally asked for him before, he had never even spoken to him before. He only knew of the other because of his high rank and power.
"What can I assist you with, Sir?"
-o- Turned Tail –o- Chapter End –o-
Woo, fast update is fast. Hope you guy's enjoyed it [=
I'm thinking about illustrating this story since it will help motivate me to draw more. I want to know what you guys think about this though~.
Review ~!
-Glassy