Title: Forever Trapped
Disclaimer: I do not own -Man. It rightfully belongs to Katsura Hoshino.
Dance: Resolve of Life
I listen to the loud horns of the train while I sat beside Allen, currently my human guide dog. He was supposed to be leading me around through my blind days. However, my so called guide has stupidly left me alone as he leaned against a brick wall. Allen was asleep, dreaming of the terror of the Master that is Cross.
"Allen, wake up. The train is here." Lenalee called from beside the train, waving her hand.
"What the hell are you doing?" Bookman asked, punching Lavi who was drawing on unconscious exorcist's face.
"Master's not human…" Allen mumbled in his sleep.
"Tell me about it." I puffed, blowing the strand of hair out of my face.
"He's dreaming of General Cross again!" Lavi announced to everyone at the station.
"Everyone, hurry and get on! If we miss this one, there won't be another train until tomorrow." Leenalee whined. The train whistled.
"Wake up, Allen." I sighed and whacked his head. Nothing happened. I looked up. "Lavi, give me your hammer for a second." I smiled innocently.
I lifted the hammer and brought it down, hard on Allen's stomach. I felt Lavi clutched his stomach at the sight while Bookman coughed nervously. On the other side of the hammer there was no reaction. I stared wide eyed and glanced at the hammer. Is it defective? I questioned.
"Ow," Lavi cried as he flung across the station.
Huh? It worked on Lavi. I tossed the hammer around in my hands, examining it. Why isn't he awake yet?
I pouted and crouched back into my slumped position. I sighed, resting my head in my hands. I gave up. Or I did until an idea came into my mind. It works for Komui and the boy seemed to have a passion for it. I leaned to his ear and whispered. "Allen, there's pork ribs, chips, curry, mapo tofu, dangos, mango pudding, barbeque chicken and more here."
"Mm… food. Ah, don't make me pay for it, Master." Allen mumbled and scrunched up into a corner.
I basically fell off the bench. "Let's try it this way." I sighed and held onto his ear, I took a deep breath and screamed. "Allen, wake up or I'll show you Hell again!"
It worked perfectly.
Allen screamed and jumped off the bench, falling to the ground. "No, no I don't want to see that again." He pleaded, crawling backwards.
I smiled innocently. "Morning, Sleeping Beauty. The train is here. Now, let's go." I picked up my suitcase and walked... to the brick wall.
"She's scary." Lavi whispered to Bookman. His one eye glued toward me, rubbing my face.
"I heard that." I yelled back at him.
"All girls are." Bookman warned him.
I waited outside the boy's washroom while Allen took the time to wash the graffiti off his face.
"Ready?" He asked and placed out his hand again.
"Yep," I said and placed my hand out. Obviously missing his.
He took it and placed it on his. This was what he called the easier way of leading me, instead of me clinging to his shirt the whole time. It wasn't long before we came to a stop.
"Leenalee, what are you doing here?" Allen asked toward the spacey girl.
"Nothing." Leenalee lied. Her voice sounded force as if she was forcing to smile over her anger.
I listen to her footsteps as she walked away. Once they were out of ear shot I smacked Allen's arm. "What did you do her?" I asked glaring through the bandage.
"Nothing." He said honesty and led me to our suite.
"Let's start by putting our information together." Bookman suggested unfolding a map.
"What, you already took it off? But it was such a funny face." Lavi whispered to Allen.
"Shut up already." Allen whispered back.
I sat in between the two, confused.
"Stop talking you two." Bookman scolded. They were the only two talking in the silent room. "Currently we're heading east. How's Timcampy?"
"He's pointing east." Leenalee said,
"So, if the general is far away, Timcampy can't receive anything more than a sense of direction?" Allen asked.
"Yep," I nodded.
"Where could he be? General Cross doesn't take expenses from Church so we don't have any receipts on him." Leenalee said.
"Then how does he pay for everything?" Lavi questioned. Everyone from their right mind bills the Order.
"Master borrows money." Allen said begrudgingly.
"Then he tells everyone else to pay his debt." I sighed along with Allen. "He also runs away from his people he borrowed looking for their payment."
"Master gets his money from acquaintances and lovers from different places. When we were really broke, I made some by gambling." Allen confessed.
"Hm… I'd like to face you one day, Allen." I smirked while everyone stared shocked.
"You don't seem like you can still open your left eye." Leenalee said to Allen.
"Huh? Allen you took off your bandage?" I asked, leaning over to glance at his face.
"Oh, yeah." He said.
"That means I only have one more day." I sighed happily.
"Wrong, two more." Bookman said whacking my head.
"No, they've been healing faster recently. You can check them yourself." I said and slid off the chair and kneeled in seiza before the panda Bookman.
Bookman stared to take out of the needles embedded to the side of my eyes face around the outside of my eyes. He took off the white bandage and opened my left eye and blew into it, blowing out some dusted blood. Leenalee went to get a wet towel to wipe away the crust of the blood forming around my eyes. While Bookman was doing this, he talked to Allen about getting his eye healed quickly so we can predict the moments of Akumas.
I thanked Leenalee for the towel and started to wipe the blood off my eyes. I passed the blood drench towel back to Lenalee and looked back at Bookman, both eyes closed. Slowly I opened them halfway, revealing my orange iris and bronze cross in the centered. Though the whites of my eyes were still a fainter shade of red almost pink like and it was rather clear. Everything looked blurry.
"Ugh. Everything's all blurry." I mumbled closing my eyes and rubbing them. They were tired.
"Don't force yourself, Esme. They're just about healed. You should be able to see properly tomorrow. Until then still wear this." Bookman said replacing the needles and bandages. "It'll come off then you should be able to see again.
I laughed at Allen for still being scared of the needles as they neared my eyes.
The train had a pit stop at a nearby city and Lenalee went out to buy some food for us to eat, while Allen still lead me around, he lead me outside wanting to finish the his business with Lenalee. Allen talked to her about how they haven't talked since the time on their mission to the rewinding town and the fight the two went through on their first mission together. Finding his fault with my help he apologized and bowed. I heard a bag of food land on his head. Leenalee spoke her feelings of the time and if she accepts his apology; just like her, she had yet to forgive the albino. Soon she started to cry talking about how she hates his left eye. Then there was silence and she ran away grabbing the bag off his head.
"You made her cry." I hissed angrily. "But she basically forgave you." I smiled.
A long high pitch sound filled the air. The train was ready to leave.
"Shit!" I snapped my head around, towards the train.
"We need to get on." Allen said grabbing my arm and started to run forward.
I followed his lead and ran a few steps behind him when a hand lashed out and grabbed my wrist. I squeeze Allen's hand, catching his attention. He turned around to see the situation we're in.
"On your chest is that a cross?" The man holding my other arm asked.
I heard the train start and rolled out without us.
"The train," I yelled and ran towards the source of the sound only to get tackled by the big man holding us there on the platform.
"The train… it left with…out…" Allen said exhausted.
"I'm very sorry, Master clergyman. But, you are urgently needed here as well." The man apologized.
"We are extremely busy as well. If you needed on of our helped you could have just called for it." I sighed angrily, stepping on the man.
"But a man wearing one of your suits came here and dealt with the problem." The man said.
"If it's dealt then, why do you need us here?" I asked irritably. Allen was holding me back from killing the man.
"The man said if the problem was to arise again to contact you black clergymen and everything can be solved." The man said and lifted us both up. "Sorry it's so late but my name is Georg." He introduced and pushed a door open, revealing the several villagers that hid inside it. "Everyone, we're saved the black clergymen are here."
Everyone swarmed us in seconds and before long, both Allen and I were tied up against a chair while the villages explained their trauma with the vampire they've been facing that's been drinking the villagers. Each victim's body would evaporate into sand as it lost their blood. So far there have been eight victims. The villagers say that the vampire is the man living in the mansion upon a mountain.
Out of nowhere, and giving everyone a scare, a bunny came in. He was hiding in a barrel for the time. No one knew how he got in or when. All that was clear was that he came by to rescue us but he did a terrible job of it seeing at how too he was also captured and tied up.
"Stupid Lavi." I muttered under my breath as he was placed beside me.
We walked along a thick forest with me constantly tripping on the roots. I held onto Allen's hand tight, not wanting to fall once again. Allen was talking and trying to reassure Leenalee on the other side of the golem connecting to us. She made us promise to not get bitten by the vampire. The two boys were shocked at how Leenalee was into vampire stories but that made sense from all the silly stories that I teased her with.
While Lavi and Allen discussed on whether or not vampires do exist the Mayor suddenly pulled us to a stop, which reminded me that we were still tied up. Something I definitely didn't get. Apparently we have reached the gates of the vampire and beyond it is the garden of which he owns. From the gloomy aura that suddenly appeared around the two male exorcists I was glad I couldn't see how the gate look or much of the inside for all that matters. I could tell that the two were scared to death, having already prepared their weapons.
A faint, murderous aura filled the air. I crotch down reaching my hand back on my fan while my other hand was between the two male's back as they stood back to back due to the ropes still binding one of my arms.
"Something's here and its coming." I said quietly. "Stay on guard, you two."
The aura ran past us quickly and past the crowd of the villagers.
"It's fast." I noted.
"Franz…" Someone from the crowd screamed.
Everyone turned to witness the vampire sucking the blood off the human. Well everyone but me since I still couldn't see. I heard the screams and footsteps of the villagers as they ran away from the vampire while the two male exorcist's jaw was wide open as if trying to eat some flies. I place my hand on either of their chin and closed their mouth for them.
Quickly, Lavi threw up his weapon and activated it and held it out before him as well as Allen who had his cannon ready. I held the fan to my face and glance at the general direction of the vampire, not seeing anything. Allen pointed his cannon to the ground and blasted the ground up to stop the vampire from getting any closer.
"Grow!" Lavi chanted his hammer grew larger and larger with every commanding word. Lavi jumped and shoved it down towards the vampire. "No way," I heard Lavi's exhausted gasp as he watched the vampire stopped his attack with his teeth. The vampire tossed the hammer away.
I moved towards the vampire and stepped behind him. "Freeze." I warned placing the edge of my tessen against his throat.
The vampire started to laugh. "Stupid children! You are monsters too! Stop wasting my time."
"We're exorcists." I corrected.
"Let go of me." He yelled and grabbed at me and baring his teeth.
"Esme!" I heard Allen yell.
Taking the defense I flipped my fan over and spread it out big and blocked his teeth. "That was close." I sighed knowing that Leenalee won't talk to me again if I was bitten. I pushed the fan forward and up and closed it as it landed behind me from the shove.
The vampire jumped back and hissed as it tried to grab me. I kept jumping back dodging his swipes, sometimes using my fan to block. Before I know it was backed against something. I glance up and felt the familiar optimistic aura of the man who's been leading me along for the past few days.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
I nodded.
"We have you. Now don't do anything stupid." Allen said, gripping the vampire, his claw on the fellow's neck.
"Enough of this!" The vampire yelled and bit Allen's finger.
"Geh!" Allen cried.
"What's wrong?" I asked looking back.
I heard a slurping sound and I stepped back a bit. Allen was bitten. The vampire screams after tasting Allen's blood and ran off back to his fortress.
"Allen, Leenalee isn't going to talk to you anymore." Lavi said.
"Does your blood taste that bad?" I questioned.
"The clergymen scared away the vampire!" The mayor cheered. "Tonight is victory."
"Why is everyone keeping a distance from me?" Allen questioned.
"Never mind that!" The mayor yelled over.
"It's because they're worried about you becoming a vampire after being bitten." I said cleaning his bite wound.
"Don't worry about it." Lavi said wearing a garlic necklace while holding a stake in his left hand and his activated hammer in his right.
"Lavi, you kill my guide and I'll kill you." I threatened.
"Let's go to the castle already!" Allen said storming off and grabbing my hand.
"Why are you going there in such a hurry?" Lavi asked.
"Wasn't one of the villagers taken? Under these circumstances, we don't know if he's alive or not. If he's alive, we can't abandon him." Allen explained slipping on his hood.
"Krory always takes his food back to the castle so he can take his time eating them! It was that way with all eight victims!" Mayor Gerg shouted through a bullhorn
"Mayor, you guys wait here! Lavi, Esme and I will head to the castle." Allen yelled.
"Are we going to get eaten?" Lavi asked.
"No," I said sternly.
"Of course! We humans will die if we're in the middle of a battle between monsters!" Mayor yelled.
"We're monsters?" Lavi questioned.
"I feel a little queasy about this." Allen said his voice faltering.
I walked forward without hesitation. I paused for a second, "Which way now?" Just now, I was lost without my guide.
We walked into the castle while Lavi complained and Allen found it strange that Master was involved in this situation. I considered what Allen just said about our mutual Master being here. I could find no explanation about why he'd be here except for money.
When Lavi got silent, I started to get worried. I smelled a sweet swelling scent then Allen's hand was ripped from mine. I felt tangled in a thin strings and I could hear sounds of hunger of carnivorous beings.
"Allen?" I asked defenseless in the air unaware of what's going on as a flower place me inside their mouth.
"Esme!" I heard Allen yelled followed by a high screeching sound as the blast from Allen's cannon shot past me. "Man-eating flowers?" Allen questioned.
"What?" I exclaimed and activated my fans and reach down for them just when a plant held me upside down. I screamed and held up my skirt, trying to keep it from showing. "Don't look!" I yelled embarrassed, I felt one of the fans slip off from its case and fall down. "No!" I exclaimed reaching one arm down for it, but it was too far.
I crashed through an opening of a wall made by Allen's cannon. I landed beside my other fan that fallen. Quickly I collected it and place it back into its holster.
"Wake up, Lavi!" I heard Allen yell.
I felt around until I felt the soft squishiness of a human. I picked Lavi up by his scarf and started to slap him. "Wake up!" I yelled.
Soon enough he was awake.
"What are you doing? These babies are master Aleister's precious flowers!" A female voice called.
I turn around to the source of the sound and felt the aura beside me get lusty. There was a bright glow from Lavi who had just fallen in love. Allen and I started to call for Lavi to return from planet lovey dovey. Finally having enough Allen smashed his hand on Lavi's head knocking him out from his trance.
"Hey, Bitch. Would you mind not distracting our friend with your body? We're busy right now." I said annoyed with the girl. "Who are you anyway?"
"I am Master Aleister's assistant, Eliade. Why have you come here?" She asked ticked off that we just ruined her fun.
"We're here for the villager who was taken by the vampire?" I explained.
"Ah, this boy? I was about to bury him." She said lifting up a corpse by the ankle. "If you want, you can have it." She tossed the body towards the flowers and watch as it got swallowed up by one of the flowers.
The flower grew stars and exploded.
My eyes widened as I felt the edge of the ground slip past my tumbling body. I shot out grabbing anything I can. Letting out a sigh, I dangled off Allen's ankle hanging off the cliff.
"What's going on?" I cried, finding no ground under me.
"Grab!" Lavi yelled as the two moved further up.
"W-where's the ground?" I questioned nervously.
"Under the sea," Allen grunted.
"What?" I screamed.
"Hold on!" Lavi shouted and grabbed my arm and pulled me up.
"I thought we were gonna die. For a minute there I really thought we were dead!" Lavi panted.
"Got by with just a few bruises. This specially made coat is really something." Allen exclaimed.
"Can I just throw up for a bit, my stomach got hit?" Lavi groan and started to vomit.
I inched away from the sound.
"Lavi," Allen called gathering the boy's attention and pointed towards the graves.
"Rather crude graves. Rest in peace." Lavi said bowing and respecting the graves of those who lay under the wooden crosses that were poorly made.
"Are these the graves of the villages that were taken?" I asked remembering the girl's words about burring Franz and there was eight stakes in the ground.
Allen lightly knock a poorly made cross only to have it crumble under his touch.
"You broke it!" Lavi exclaimed while Allen was busy bowing to the grave.
"Look at this, Lavi!" Allen called. "There are pentacles in the ground. These graves contain Akuma? Let's dig them up and check."
After a lot of huffing and puff they grave was dug up. I froze hearing them hit the wooden coffin.
"Dig up their eternal resting place?" I asked, stepping on Allen. "How dare you interrupt those who passed on?"
"But they could be the remains of Akumas." Allen said.
"Still!" I exclaimed. 'Could be' wasn't going to be enough for me.
"Rock paper scissors!" The two fought.
"Forgive me for doing this." Allen said apologizing and started to open the grave while Lavi was holding me back from killing Allen. "The skin has rotted away. It's an Akuma." Allen informed.
I froze while the others decided to dig out the rest of the graves. Something called out towards me and I moved back towards the castle. Slowly, feeling my way around, I made it into the castle. I was following the urge of something as it told me where to go I don't know what was it is but it was familiar and seem trust-worthy.
I walked around the castle feeling my way around with guidance from the wall. A stone in the building collapsed as I place my hand on it and the wall beside me disappeared and I fell through the hidden library.
I sat around there, blind while the door behind me clicked. The dangerous aura around this place disappeared and I was bounded to the bookshelf in an instant. I tried to turn around to see who it was, but I couldn't whatever was binding me held me tighter. "Who's there?" I yelled.
"You're still alive? I told Aleister to kill you." She hissed.
"Oh, it's the whore." I growled back, extending my arm down, stretching it, and trying to reach my fans.
"You wouldn't want to make me angry with the situation you're in." She whispered into my ear and bonded my hands down just as I reached my fan. The fan fell and clanged loudly on the floor.
"I don't need suggestions from you." I hissed, panting as she crushed me tighter against the bookshelf. My eyes were getting better that was for sure and they ache to be used to kill the Akuma behind me. Half the bandage slowly dropped from my left eye and my eye opened the golden cross shone brightly through my orange eyes. The white was back.
I tried my best to turn around and get her to look into my eye. She glanced up for a second and quickly looked away, feeling the pain in matters of seconds. "Smart bitch."
"Your eyes have power don't they?" She asked and bounded a slimy substance over my eyes.
I couldn't see through the thick slimy substance that covered my eyes.
"You know, I always wanted to taste the blood of an Exorcist." She whispered in my ear and started to lick my neck.
The doors opened again and the click sound was heard again.
"Esme!" Allen's voice yelled after tumbling beside me.
"Run!" I yelled pulling my head away from her, "Run away from here now!"
"What?" Allen questioned.
"She's an" I yelled only to get my mouth sealed. "Mfm!"
"Akuma?" Allen asked and activated his arm, but it was too late he was already bounded to the bookshelf like I was earlier.
I heard Allen scream as he was force deeper to the bookshelf.
"What's wrong? You were breathing fine just a minute ago." Akuma questioned. "If you don't put any resistance to your chest, you'll be crushed.
The pressure was crushing his chest! I thought quickly. I need to do something. I lifted my legs up and smashed it hard to the Akuma's legs just beneath the knees, ignoring the damage it would have done to my legs. As if she was human she fell and landed to the side.
Following Allen's pants and gasps for air. I crawled before him checking to see if he was okay. I felt the fine, sharp metal on the ground beneath my hand. Slowly I held it in my hand and felt the sharp edges. It was my fan!
"Little bitch! I'll kill you!" Akuma said throwing out her arm again.
I activated my fan and it expanded, blocking it from binding us but it still caused lots of force. With my freed hands, I grabbed onto Allen and hold him tight while using my other fan to make a pathway through the bookshelves.
When I felt my fan behind us stopped I place Allen down quickly and cut the rest of the thick slimy stuff off me. I sliced off the one around my chest binding my arms down then the one over my mouth then I started to work on gauging out the ones over my eyes. I got half it off my face when Akuma was beside me.
"Die bitch." She said and threw me against the wall again.
I held my fan up taking the blow off my body but now I was bound to the wall while Allen was there on the ground defenseless. I need to get out of here. Now.
Akuma walked towards Allen with an axe in her hand. "Extend your neck. I'm going to drain your body of all your blood and hang you at the castle gates, and then no one will come to the castle anymore." She placed the axe on Allen's neck.
"Allen!" I cried hoping it would wake him. It didn't. Invocate! I grunted and commanded my fan to open. Falling free from the slime that was holding me against the wall, I ran, my giant fan behind me. I need to get to Allen before the girl does. She was already swinging the axe down. "Allen!" I yelled again. Knowing that I won't make it, I closed my fan and threw it at her the sharp edge facing her.
I ran down and hugged Allen. Allen wasn't conscious. Quickly, I check for his pulse and his breathing. His heart was slow and his breathing was equal, but faint. He was alive. "Thank goodness." I sighed then froze when I saw Allen's giant anti-Akuma weapon over me. "What?" I asked quickly, turning back slightly to see the girl holding the axe behind me ready to swipe down. I leaned over Allen and hold him under my body protecting him.
Akuma dodged the clawed hand that swiped at her. The attack only got part of her. She watched surprise at the boy with his giant left arm pulled himself up.
"Allen?" I asked half scared, half confused. He was definitely unconscious but his anti-Akuma weapon was still activated. Could it be that it's moving on its own? I thought shocked.
The pentacle on above Allen's left eye started to spin and grow in size. The pentacle was covered. A white swirl appeared in the pentacle. The pentacle covered the eye and half of his face. Written in the pentacle was a letter "D".
The star hissed as it moved from Allen's head. Allen's head tilted back to reveal a skull with the same letter "D" above his left eye that cut through the socket and down to the side of the nose. On the skull there was a pentacle on the top of its head; like the one on an akuma build. The skull looked as if it was laughing. The right eye was empty as if the skull couldn't form there. There were definitely traces that it was trying to make it there by the swirl but it couldn't because the curse from the Akuma was only to his left eye.
I watched scared at the sight, at the thought of a skull passing out through the eye. The skull was staring straight at the Akuma. My glaze moved towards where the skull was staring at. I saw that behind the Akuma there was a soul, it was like a skeleton bounded together tightly by bandages and surrounding it was the aura the dark aura of the Akumas. I watch as the top of the skull was burning and the bandages were getting tighter, breaking his bones and the skeleton screamed from the pain. I turn my head back to Allen and the skull, but the skull was nowhere seen. However his left eyes had open and it was all red, surrounding the eye was a gear. There are two gears. One small one beside the larger one and the two were linked. The other one, the one over Allen's eye was clear in the middle it was like it was a gear ring with a giant hole in the middle; though the hole was a screen.
"You're an Akuma." Allen declared regaining consciousness.
That's what Allen sees on an Akuma? I thought trembling. The picture itself was horrid: A human still alive inside an Akuma, their souls wanting for freedom but never getting it. Being commanded to kill its own kind by the Earl, who leads to it destroying and hurting itself. Making the soul weep and cry over the pain of corruption as it slowly get corrupted and chewed out into nothing but something pitiful.
I fell to my knees, gripping my throat. I just saw the black world and the pain of the Akuma's soul. It was a human soul. I started to cough, the sight was too much. The pain that flowed to the soul as it was trapped into the Akuma build, fighting against their will and dying from the results as their soul rots away. They were all there to feel it. I coughed more, the image of the Akuma's soul not leaving my mind.
A warm touched broke the pain. I remembered where I was. I wasn't the pitiful soul trap in there. I was alive, well and with a friend. I realized there was a hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see Allen. I smiled
"Allen, you're tough." I stated. "All I can see with my eyes are the world we live in and the whiter than white world, a world, brighter than the eye can see – a light world." Invocate.
I reached my hand out and my fan came back. I opened my left eye. It was blue and right now very dangerous. There wasn't the shield made from the eye that protects those who aren't Akumas or those who aren't targeted to look into them. I felt something different of my eye besides the lack of shield. It felt as though if my eyes were new now. Like it changed, it felt as if it changed slightly somehow.
"Ready when you are." I said, opening one fan with my right hand.
Allen watched the girl as she complained her about her clothing and the damage done to her. "Aren't you going to change shape?" Allen asked but it sounded like he was saying: "Go change."
"Ugly, I like this appearance more." Akuma said but started to change anyway.
Out from her belly came a plant-like looking monster; the mask that the Akuma wore was on the forehead and beside it was like a petal splitting into two and wrapping around her mask. Behind it was another copy of it, but there was no mask. The two pieces were connected through this black membrane splotched with white. Connecting to the head was a fur like neck followed by wood-like ribbons down to the human body.
"Let's begin." Allen said preparing his anti-Akuma weapon.
"This would be fun killing you." I smirked and ran forwards.
She shot her long wood-like ribbon body at us. Landing on the wooden platforms she gladly made for us. I smiled innocently and charged off at her, dodging the other attacks that came. Getting her into my range, I jumped up from her body and held out my fans. One to either side of me, both was opened. "Dance: Song of the Swallows." I sang and slashed down with both fans making an 'X'. I flipped back and continue to dance in the air, spinning and slashing down sending high wind pressured tuned to being very sharp at her. I landed beside Allen, waiting for the smoke to clear.
A hand dashed out from the smoke grabbing Allen.
"Allen!" I cried and jumped up to sever the arm when the other slapped me away.
A bright blow emitted from the hand holding Allen. The hand was blown up and Allen was freed. Allen ran up and held out his cannon and fired again and again at the Akuma.
I watched the sky sparkle through the broken pieces of the mansion. It was truly magnificent to see again. I smiled as the moon came into view. "Dance: Moonlight Grace." I shouted, bathing in the moonlight. I was gone within seconds.
I reappeared behind the Akuma on the tip of its petal head in a half turn. Moonlight started to pour into the secret room by the giant hole that was once the wall destroyer by Allen's cannon. The moonlight shone brightly over me.
"First stance." I called and vanished again, moving at high speed and using my fans to spin, float, guide and cut the monster. I landed beside Allen with my back to the monster. The moonlight ended as the roof collapsed in. With the light gone the illusion time was up. Various rips and cuts appeared out of the Akuma, blood spurted out of them quickly.
"Bastard!" She yelled and threw her tail at me.
I jumped and landed on it as it crashed through the wall. I perched carefully on her tail along with Allen. We had the upper hand. Akuma noticed something and quickly changed from again back and slipped down, leaving Allen and I standing in midair.
"Not good." I thought out loud as we started to fall.
A hand reached out towards Allen and Allen reached out to me. The two of us dangled in the sky while Lavi was holding both of us while he rode on his hammer.
"Hey Allen, Esme!" Lavi said with a big grin on his face.
"Lavi," I acknowledge to the red head, looking up with my left eye.
"What? You look fine." Allen called.
"Huh? Your left eye healed?" He asked.
I reached up and started to dig at the goo connecting to the bandages on my right eye while Lavi took us to the floor.
Lavi looked down staring at the girl who was caring for Aleister noticing the Akuma soul connecting to her. I was watching it too while trying to get the hard slime off. Another cross shone as I looked at the Akuma. The cross tag said "Aleister Krory." I glanced at the vampire and notice the cross on him.
"You idiots! That vampire is an apostle!" I scolded.
The vampire woke seeing the Akuma soul connecting towards her servant and lover. The soul was in a cocoon of bandages, arms tied to chest legs tied together and scrunched up against the chest. Its skull was burning and its mouth letting out a horrible scream from the pain. The vampire pointed towards the soul questioning what it is.
"Back from the dead a soul bounded to the Akuma, works as the energy source, right?" Lavi questioned sweat dropping and feeling rather sick. His face seemed somewhat green. "Is that it, Allen?"
"You can see it too? So it wasn't just me." I said covering my left eye and rubbing it. "Allen, how come we can see it too?" I questioned uneasy.
"Is it because of your left eye?" Lavi questioned.
I watched Allen's face, not wanting to watch the pain of the soul again. Allen didn't look that well, he seemed shock and ill from the sight as well and the thought of bring others to that sight. Allen covered his left eye and the soul vanished.
"Kro-chan! That's the Akuma I was telling you about earlier. Akumas are our enemy." Lavi yelled.
"So you know…" The girl mumbled and changed her form. "I was going to tame you and make you serve me, but fine! I cannot let you become an exorcist! I'll kill you!" She yelled at the scared, confused vampire.
Lavi looked shock as he remembered his battle with the vampire. "Shit! Kro-chan is already tired from fighting me." Lavi announced.
"Then go help him." I said kicking him over.
The ground beneath my feet broke and many plants came out of the ground. Losing my balance, I tumbled into the air dropping my fans on the way.
"Flower's breaking the floor?" I asked confused. I glanced over and saw that both of them looked didn't look so well tangled up in the flower's grip
"Not again!" Lavi yelled, tears streaming out of his eyes.
"They're all over the place!" Allen cried.
"Damn it, what's with you, flowers? You can't break into Kro-chan's place!" Lavi yelled annoyed.
"You two are scared of flowers?" I asked the flower's grip pulled me closer its mouth. I turn around to see that I was basically in the flower's mouth.
"Esme!" Lavi and Allen called.
I looked straight at the flower my innocence activated. The flower perished into the wind. I dropped down only to get picked by another flower.
"What do you want?" I asked the flowers while Allen and Lavi screamed and complained as their flowers tried to get to them too.
The flower didn't answer just continued to scream and fight each other. I fell free from another flower's grip again as the flower ate its own.
"Cannibals?" I asked disgusted.
Soon enough I was back near Allen and Lavi.
"Hi," I called smiling floating behind them.
"What? You're caught again?" Lavi cried.
"So what?" I asked not seeing the potential danger in this. "They're just flowers."
"They're man-eating flowers!" Lavi yelled.
"They are?" I asked finding it fun to annoy Lavi.
Chomp. Came a sound from Lavi's direction.
Allen and I turn around to see Lavi hand sticking out a flower followed my rapid punching from inside. I started to laugh like crazy while Allen tried to calm the rabbit. Deciding it was time to spare the bunny I glanced over at the flower and it perished into air, dropping Lavi down.
Lavi started to run but got caught by another flower and started to cry again.
I laughed harder. "Allen, you say you took care of these flowers with your Master. How do we stop it then?" I asked trying to stop laughing. There was too many flowers for me to make them all go boom.
"Show these flowers some love and affection. They don't bite humans who are kind to them." Allen explained.
Another flower dropped me into their mouth. I heard their crying and yelling from the outside of the flowers.
I sighed and petted the inside of the flower and started to sing. I song of kindness, similar to the one La La sang on my first mission with Allen. But the song was different. It gave a sort of kindness along with sadness. The melody got louder and louder as it trailed along the wind, calming the flowers down. I give my all into it.
When the song finished I looked around. I was still inside the flower. "Hey Allen, I thought you say they don't those who are nice to them!" I yelled.
"Maybe they want another song!" Allen suggested back his voice sounding like he was in a daze.
I closed my eyes and started to sing again, this time while petting the flower. I sang another song. It was a song about my past. This one sounded sad and painful but at the same time beautiful. The song was full of pain, but love as well.
After the song I opened my eyes to find that I was still inside. Well, that didn't work. I thought and decided to do something else. "Flower," I started, still caressing. "Can you let me out so I can see how pretty you are? I won't hurt you. I'm sorry for hurting your friends. You must be scared. Fear not, for I won't hurt you. Can you please let me out so I can be with my friends?" I asked gently.
The flower opened it mouth and gently took me out.
"Thank you." I whispered petting and caressing it.
The flower placed me out between my friends.
"What are you doing?" I asked Lavi who's chanting "I love you" over many times.
"He doesn't want to get eaten. He's showing his love." Allen explained.
I sweat dropped.
"The flowers have stopped hurting us though, doesn't seem like they want to kill us anymore." I stated. I felt a drop of water land on my face. "It's raining?" I asked looking up as it started to pour.
"What's cold?" Lavi questioned looking up
"Rain?" Allen gasped surprise that it's raining inside a castle.
The rain started to wither the plants and we were able to get freed. Slowly we walked towards the sad vampire who just killed his lover for they were natural enemies and it wasn't possible for the two be together.
Deciding on the path of suicide he started to yell and stomp the ground making the flowers angry. A rose came up and swallowed us halfway. Lavi, Allen and I tried to calm down the vampire but to no avail. Finally, telling the vampire that a part of him and his reason of being an exorcist without actually telling him about it. It he gave the vampire a reason to place over the murder of his lover, a reason to live.
With the vampire calmed, we questioned him about General Cross and his being here. Apparently, he was here to return the baby man-eating flower called Rosanne that Allen was forced to care for. The flower was definitely an odd one. Seems like the flower, Rosanne contained innocence and injected it into the poor Aleister and made him into a vampire. In return for the flower, General Cross wanted money so he could travel east. How typical of him.
We walked outside the castle chattering and waiting for Aleister to come out. Lavi cheered Allen up for feeling guilty about the reason he gave Aleister for him to live on when the castle behind us burst into flames. A picture of Aleister's sad face came into view. He couldn't still be thinking suicide could he?
A black figure came out from the flames. It was Aleister perfectly fine. I relaxed a bit. While he laughed and questioned whether or not we thought he died. He seems to like his reason for life; his new resolve.