Note: Yes, I know you don't put disinfectant on a burn! But I didn't think about that until after I wrote the scene and I don't feel like changing it. 3
Chapter Ten:
Chants filled the air. Ariel twitched awake, the look in her eyes murderous.
"What the hell did I tell you brats about tormenting people?" She snarled. The kids shrieked and ran off. Allen sighed softly and shook his head, the wide smile on his lips never faltering.
"You have such a way with kids."
"I know don't I? Now hush up." Lenalee shook her head.
Allen jostled the girl in his arms awake. She growled stubbornly and squeezed her eyes shut. "No."
"We're about to go into Miranda's home. I have to set you down." Ariel groaned but complied with the white haired boy's wishes, slowly lowering her feet to the ground. Her hand rose to her side, where the ice had sizzled through her skin the most, and gritted her teeth. Allen scowled.
"I didn't realize it was that bad! Ariel, lift up your shirt."
The redhead sent him a startled look. "Excuse me?"
He shook his head. "Not like that. Let me see your side."
She lifted the black shirt, grimacing when most of the material had melted into her skin. It hurt. Bad. It was like someone was slowly peeling all her skin off of her bones. Allen's sweet smile melted, a dark frown taking its place. He lifted a gloved hand to her side. A small whimper ground it's way past her gritted teeth. Lenalee gasped.
"We need to get inside. Maybe Miranda has bandages!" The girl carefully opened the door.
Miranda screamed and tried to run off. Allen held up a hand. "No wait! Miss, do you have any bandages? Or disinfectant?"
"Oh hell no." Ariel shook her head. "You can forget the latter request, Miranda. There is no way you're putting that shit on me."
Miranda's brown orbs flickered down to Ariel's side, which was covered by both the redhead's and Allen's hands. "W-what happened?"
"The akumas thought I was a marshmallow. They tried to roast me over an open flame and eat my insides."
Miranda's mouth fell agape. She visibly shook. Allen scowled and shook his head. "She just got burnt. Ignore her. Do you have bandages?"
The woman nodded and darted towards the small door to their right. Once she opened it, and they realized it was a bathroom; Miranda turned and began to filter through something on the wall. She gathered a fairly large roll of bandages and a big bottle of alcohol in her arms. Ariel shook her head, lips curling back into a snarl.
"No!"
Allen grabbed her before she could run. He carefully wound his arms around her waist, avoiding the bad side, and pulled her down. He fell back onto the couch with her in his lap. "Lenalee, hold her down!"
It took all three of them. Miranda held down her left arm, which had been burnt slightly and not really usable. Allen held her whole body down, winding one of his legs around hers so she couldn't kick out. Lenalee held down her other side. Ariel shouted menacing threats.
Miranda opened the bottle. Ariel turned pleading.
"Please! Please don't!" She whimpered, tears pricking over.
"I know it'll hurt, Ari-chan, but it'll help it." Allen murmured reassuringly in her ear, pressing his lips to her bright red tear stained cheek. She turned her head to him, her eyes squeezed shut. She buried her face against the skin of his neck.
'It's going to help her.' He told himself. He had to force his arms to stay around her. He wanted to give in to her heartbreaking tears. But he couldn't. He wouldn't. "It's to help." He murmured.
Her scream ripped past her barred teeth. The sound sank to Allen's core and turned him ice cold. Another scream as Miranda blotted a small puffy white cotton ball to her charred side. Ariel's body went limp in his arms. He gasped out.
"Ariel?"
Allen sat at the redhead's head, his pale gray eyes never leaving her now peaceful delicate features. Lenalee sat with her best friend's feet in her lap, listening to Miranda's tale with half listening ears.
"That's why it's so precious to me." Miranda was saying, watching the old grandfather clock tick by slowly. "I felt like it acknowledged me."
Ariel's eyes fluttered open. The bright light hurt like a bitch. She turned to see Allen's relieved smile. "Good morning, love.
She sent him a small smile. "Morning."
Miranda smiled slightly, "Are you feeling better?"
Ariel shrugged. "Somewhat. What are we talking about?"
"The clock."
A wide smile stretched across her lips. Miranda graced the clock with the same smile. "I was just telling them why it's important to me. It's makes me feel important."
Ariel nodded. "That's because you are important, Miranda."
The woman's eyes flitted back to Ariel, wide with astonishment. "What?"
"You are important, Miranda. The innocence must have chosen you for a reason." She smiled. Miranda blinked.
"What's innocence?"
"It's known as God's crystal." Allen explained. "It can cause strange phenomenon. The monsters that attacked us are called Akuma and they too are after the innocence. As exorcists, it's our job to eliminate the akuma and retrieve the innocence."
Miranda slowly began to shake her head. "Why would they attack me?" She cried. "I haven't touched anything that amazing!"
Ariel laughed softly. "You must've come in contact with it somehow."
"We need your help Miranda."
"N-no! I can't do anything! You're the ones with the super powers! It's your job, not mine!" She jumped up and fell to her knees in front of the large grandfather clock, somehow finding a white cloth to wipe the glass with.
"Miranda-san. We need your help to figure out where the innocence may be. Please."
Ariel slowly sat up. Allen whirled on her, placing to gloved hands to her shoulders. "Oh no you don't."
"Move it, Walker." She growled. "I wanna talk to Miranda."
He scowled. He moved his hands so he could lift her up. Once she was standing, he wrapped an arm around her waist, careful to not touch her burn, and walked with her to Miranda's side.
"Miranda." The tiny girl in his arms said softly. "I know you don't think you can do this. But I know for a fact that you can. Please, we need your help to bring back tomorrow. Don't you want to move forward?"
Miranda's hand froze, her head twisting around to face Ariel. Tears sprinkled past her wide eyes, dripping in rain-like patterns to the wooden floor below. She ducked her head.
Allen shifted Ariel around, making sure she wouldn't slide off her back.
"I like this. Now I don't have to walk anymore."
"Don't get too comfortable." Allen grumbled.
She giggled and pressed her lips to his flaming red cheek. They were following Miranda through the town as she pointed out her 'daily' schedule. They stopped in front of a closed shop, a sad little filthy bin of trash sitting in front of them.
"Every night I take stuff from this and fix them." She sifted through the junk, pulling out a torn cat stuffed animal. Ariel blinked.
"Oh. My. God."
Allen's pale gaze flickered back to her. "What?"
"You killed my cat!" She scowled at the white haired male, smacking him upside the head.
"Owe! What are you talking about?"
Ariel climbed down from his back, moving so she could stand in front of him. "MY CAT! The one that ate Timcanpy in the first episode. I just realized that!"
Allen rolled his eyes. "Slow much."
She hit him again. "I was starting to like that fat ball of fluff! I even named him Fluffy!" She scowled at him, folding her arms across her chest. He sighed softly and shook his head.
"Don't you remember? I didn't kill him. The akuma did."
Ariel's scowl deepened. "Oh yeah." She whirled, walking towards the bustling streets.
Allen reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Where do you think you're going?"
"To find a replacement!"
Allen shook his head and brought her back to him, wrapping his arms around her defiant figure. "We have a job to do right now. No time."
She scowled at him but climbed back onto his back. "Cat killer."
He let out an exasperated sigh. Lenalee shook her head.
The tiny pinprick needle slowly slid through the small stuffed cat's back, the stitches holding the seam back together. Allen, Ariel, and Lenalee leaned over Miranda's shoulder, watching as she talked about her love for abandoned items. Miranda yawned slightly.
"The day will be over soon." Lenalee noted, watching the clock.
The big hand moved, coming together at the top center to meet with the little hand. It chimed twelve. Miranda stood. Ariel blinked.
"Miranda-san?"
The woman was like a zombie, only she didn't walk with her hands dangling out in front of her or drool seeping into her clothes. She walked over to her bed and climbed in.
"Are you going to sleep?"
She turned away from them and pulled the covers up.
Ariel shook her head. "She can't hear you guys."
"She's already fast asleep!" Lenalee gasped.
A small musical noise seemed to seep through the walls, reminding Ariel of a circus. She cringed and squeezed Allen tightly, preparing herself for a clown massacre. Circular shadows appeared all over the floors and walls, slowly transforming into the face of a clock. The grandfather clock appeared in the dead center, in front of the sleeping Miranda, and the area around them turned a vibrant blue.
"The clock's hands are turning backwards." Allen nodded towards the clock.
"It's rewinding time." Ariel murmured.
All the clock faces in the room jerked up into the air as the grandfather clock began to suck them up. Powerful winds pulled the teenagers towards the clock. Ariel latched herself onto Allen tight, where Lenalee wound her arms around the white haired male's. Clocks shot through the windows, like a spray of akuma bullets, and Ariel lost her grip.
She cried out, limbs flailing wildly, and smacked Allen in the face. He gasped and staggered back from the blow, a hand raising to his nose.
"Ari!" He jumped forward, momentarily forgetting about Lenalee, and grabbed the redhead's wrist. Lenalee lost her grip on Allen and flung back.
Luckily, Lenalee was able to grab onto one of the metal rods that made up the bed frame. Allen pulled Ariel back into him, still clutching his nose. "Gah, I think you made my nose bleed."
"Okay, I know I'm hot. But I didn't realize I was that hot, Len-kun." She giggled slightly, kissing the hand that covered his face. He rolled his eyes.
"Look at those!" Lenalee gasped, pointing towards several of the clock faces that zoomed past.
One held a picture of Ariel. Another of Allen. One of Lenalee. One of the akumas. One had a picture of Allen holding Ariel, his lips stretched into a wide smile. They were both sharing a loving look. Ariel watched that one in particular. Is that how Allen really looked at her?
Allen held her protectively. "What's it doing?'
"Sucking up today's time?" Lenalee guessed. Ariel nodded.
"Something like that."
The wind stopped. Allen dropped to his knees from the sudden pressure lift and hugged Ariel to his chest. "Are you okay?" He murmured. Her cheeks flushed from the close proximity. She nodded quickly and pulled her head back so she could see him.
'He really does look at me like that…'
She pressed her lips to his lightly, a quick feather light peck, and then pulled back, her eyes darting to Lenalee. "How about you, you okay?"
Lenalee forced a small smile and nodded. "Perfectly fine."
Bright blinding sunshine quickly flooded the curtains, illuminating the once dark room. Allen gasped. "Its morning already?"
The clock chimed. Miranda slowly sat up, yawning. "Huh? When did I go to bed?"
The three stood behind her, their once glued-out-the-window orbs slowly turning to look at the woman before them. The look on Allen's and Lenalee's faces was priceless.
The woman sighed. Ariel let out a weak, feeble, wheezy cough.
She screamed.