….
'I'm so bored!' Phoenix claimed aloud, Allen had just about enough of her whining voice. They had been waiting a good fifteen minutes but during this time Phoenix had just been plain annoying for a lot longer.
Judging from her behavior and what the finders had told him, Allen was safe to assume that Phoenix was always like this when traveling by boat. But even so, it still didn't make the situation any better.
'We know already!' Allen groaned as he covered his ears with his hands. He had preoccupied himself with the dark waves that battered against the hull of the boat. It was still boring but at least he was doing something.
Phoenix glared at him from her position on the roof of the cabin. She had been roosted there as soon as they set sail.
'At least ya found some form of entertainment,' she grumbled as Allen tried once more to block her out but was still failing miserably. Luckily enough, Phoenix quieted down after that and landed on the deck with a soft thud.
'Oi, get in contact with them now,' she pointed to the finder who happened to wonder onto the deck at the time. The finder blinked at her before nodding his head and hurried off, probably towards the controls cabin.
'Aren't you suppose to say please?' Allen sneered as Phoenix gloated at him before putting her hands on her hips.
'Please~ politeness are for those who have time,' they crackled up afterwards. Allen hadn't expected such a response from this girl but it was enough to amuse him to laughter.
Phoenix slumped herself down on a seat nearest Allen, she was still giggling ecstatically.
'Heh~ watch this,' Phoenix held her hands in front of her as she suddenly slapped them together. Allen watched with amusement as he saw spark fly from the impact of her palms. As so as she parted them a small flickering flame could be seen.
'Is your innocence fire?' Allen asked as he watched as Phoenix began fiddling with it
'Sort of, I can produce flames with any part of my body so I'm parasitic,' Phoenix blew on the flame and it seemed to come to life. Allen saw it flutter towards him before he outstretched his left hand.
'New trick?' Allen asked as the small flame appeared like a glowing red butterfly. Phoenix just grinned.
'Of course, being stuck in doing punishment gives me some spare time to do stuff like this,' the butterfly flittered away and back to Phoenix whom just caught it again between her hands. Seeing this Allen looked at his discolored hand, all scaly and segmented.
He doubted his innocence could do something like that but it was still fascinating to see innocence being used like that. But it was still a substance of God, something he had never asked for.
'Oh don't be so bummed out, I heard that innocence can evolve,' Allen blinked away from his hand to Phoenix. She might have been cheering him up but Allen curled his hand into a fist and leaned back against the railing.
That was when he noticed something… things had gotten too quiet.
'Hey Phoenix, shouldn't the finder be back by now with news?' Phoenix straightened as a frown appeared and her red eyes darkened.
'Come to think of it…' she stood up and went to the control cabin where the finders should be. Allen was behind her as he felt a sicken twist create nausea in his stomach. Phoenix opened to door and glanced around a surprisingly empty cabin.
'Uh…?' Allen rushed past her and went to check below deck but was met with the same result.
'Where'd they go?'
'If there was a struggle we should have heard them,' Phoenix seemed to be getting agitated the longer they were unsure of the finders. Allen was more concerned about the fact that both he or Phoenix couldn't drive a boat and that was worrying.
Suddenly the boat was tipped dangerously to the side. Allen grabbed the side of the boat while Phoenix fell back into the cabin. The rocking settled shortly but it had left them both in a state of shock.
'What was that?' Phoenix emerged from the cabin nursing her head as Allen looked towards the water. He was at a loss; it couldn't have been another boat because they were out here alone. The finders were gone and it only left one single conclusion.
'Akuma!' Allen turned to Phoenix to see a ghastly webbed creature looking down on them from the cabin roof. Phoenix was quick to react and summoned a ball of fire before shooting it straight into its grinning face.
But all it did was smolder.
'Damnit, that fucking thing's wet!' Phoenix snarled as she jumped back to Allen. The akuma was laughing at them, a deep nauseating laugh.
'What ya laughing at?' Allen gripped the girl's arm knowing fully well that the akuma was only trying to intimidate them and Phoenix was sorely falling for it. The akuma's wide toothed grin only got bigger as it dropped down onto the deck.
'I don't know, maybe the fact that the exorcists that showed up are nothing but a bunch of kids,'
'How dare you!' In his fury, Allen let Phoenix got and lunged at the akuma smacking it squarely in the gut. The akuma was shocked by the sudden attack as it got flung back just outside the cabin door.
'Hey, I didn't know ya could fight them barehanded?' Allen couldn't reply as the boat was once again knocked about like some toy in a bathtub. Phoenix squealed loudly as she gripped the nearby seats in panic as water splashed aboard.
Allen stumbled but slipped on the puddles that formed and was tumbled to one side of the boat. His back hit the side with a loud smack and Allen was certain that his body was temporarily stunned.
The Akuma seemed to be the only one not affected by the river's tantrum. It just slowly got back onto its feet and strolled towards. Its yellow eyes flickered from Allen then to Phoenix who was too petrified to notice.
'Which one should I kill first?' Allen glared at it but could do nothing. The tumble he took was far worse than he thought; he could only twitch his fingers. The boat tipped dangerously again and because of the water, the deck had become slippery. Against Allen's will, his entire body was bashed against the other side but he couldn't do much to stop it.
'Allen, parasitic innocence don't have to be controlled through physical movement! Use…kyaaah!' During Phoenix's sentence the boat tipped again and the seat slipped from her grip and she was smashed violently against the side of the boat like Allen. Water splashed over her causing her to wail loudly.
'Why does it always have to be fucking water?' She cried in anguish as she glanced as her soaked state. But Allen was left to puzzle over what she had been trying to say, he was aware of how rare parasitic types were but why?
Allen tried one last attempt to regain control over his stunned body but it still wasn't working. He watched as the akuma walked towards Phoenix mostly likely it had decided whom it was going to kill first.
'Phoenix!' But despite Allen's warning, Phoenix didn't have time to dodge or even move as its hand snaked its way around her neck in a vice grip. Allen struggled to gain control over his body as he strained to keep his panic in check.
From what he could see, Phoenix was struggling desperately but she still couldn't free herself from the akuma's grip. Allen then began wondering what the hell was taking Lavi and Lenalee so long to return, were they being attacked by akuma themselves?
'Let her go!' Allen flung himself at the akuma once more, ignoring the numbness that he could feel in his spine. His innocence activated and skewered the akuma right in the chest. The akuma screeched in pain and let Phoenix drop back onto the deck.
'Took… ya time,' Phoenix spoke between coughs as she slowly stood up and crossing her arms over her chest like she was warding something off.
'Now I'm angry!' Steam started rising off her body as Allen watched while continuing to pin the skill squirming akuma against the deck. It took a while but the girl soon opened her eyes that were alight like burning ember and a giant orb of flames appeared lapping against both of her arms.
The heat was that intense that the stray waves that tried to hit the deck evaporated before even touching anything.
'Hold it down,' Phoenix seemed to order him as Allen growled at her. If she hadn't noticed, he was already doing that. She knelt beside the akuma and placed her searing hands against its moist skin, causing rapid evaporation.
'NO!' The akuma screamed in pain as its body began to crack and crumble as Phoenix's flames touched every each of its body. Allen was amazed how she was doing this while he was still pinning it to the deck with his activated innocence.
Soon enough the ordeal was over and Phoenix fell back and her breathing labored.
'I hate water~' she complained like some toddler not wanting to eat her vegetables. Allen released his activation and collapsed onto the deck feeling the recoil of forcing a body to move with damaged nerves.
Phoenix glanced in his direction briefly before sighing.
'I hope usagi and princess pampered come back soon,' Allen only hummed his agreement to her statement but he was beginning to feel slightly foolish. When he had attacked the akuma, he forgot about his innocence.
'Ya know, I still don't know why ya attacked that akuma without activating ya innocence?'
'Shut up!' Allen growled as Phoenix giggled before she suddenly stopped.
'Hey you two, we're back!' Allen glanced up but barely saw a figure clamber into the boat. But there was still no mistaking that stupid grin on his face.
'Oh hi… Lavi,' Allen said mild but still couldn't move much. Lavi glanced down at him then to Phoenix sitting across the deck.
'What happen to you two, you look all washed out?' Allen felt his eye twitched but luckily he didn't have to react as Phoenix stormed over to Lavi and literally threw the boy far out into the river.
'You'd be like that if you had to fight an akuma that can control tidal surges!' Phoenix yelled out to the big splash that happened to be Lavi.
'What's go on here?' Lenalee and several finders stepped onto the deck from a small tinny. Allen felt rage bubble up inside him but he didn't want to express it in the state he was in.
'Allen! Are you okay?' Lenalee knelt beside him, worry creasing her brows. Allen rolled his eyes.
'What took you guys so long? Were you attacked by akuma?' then he glared at Cody who looked rather skittish.
'Not at all, Lavi and Lenalee had called us out to help when they came across complications,' Cody seemed rather remorseful but Allen felt his entire body shakes with anger.
'Were you worried Allen?' Lenalee asked.
'As if,' Allen grunted as he looked away still not being able to make his body move even an inch.
'Yeah, we almost had the innocence… till a fish came along and swallowed it whole, but we got it now.' Lavi appeared again holding something that seemed to glow a faint green. He heaved himself over the side of the boat and back onto the deck. Phoenix groaned aloud and folded her arms.
'Just like ya to get it stolen from you by a fish~' she teased while Lavi just frowned at her while Lenalee went slightly red in the face and Allen doubted it was only bashfulness.
'Shut up Phoenix!' Lenalee demanded but Phoenix shuddered playfully just to agitate her further.
'Hey Allen? How long are you going to lay there?' Lavi voiced as he pulled down the zip from the front of his suit. Allen grizzled at Lavi for even pointing out that fact for everyone to know.
'My nerves are fucked up from being tossed about in a stupid boat that was being attacked by an akuma,' Lavi nodded slowly.
'Hmm, maybe old Panda's acupuncture could fix that up,' Lavi spoke as one of the finders handed him a towel so he could dry himself.
'Then let's hurry up, I am sick of this fucking water!' Phoenix wailed as she sat down on the seat fixed to the side of the boat.
….
Days after returning from their watery trip, Allen was submitted to having thin needles pricking into his skin. According to Komui and Bookman who did the treatment, it would help regain movement to his limbs.
But even they were surprised at how quickly Allen had recovered.
So Allen was once again sitting on an infirmary bed while Bookman tapped the needles into the skin around his spine. It was rather quiet here and he was slightly thankful for Bookman's insistence that his 'idiot apprentice' sort through the disorderly library.
It almost reminded Allen of the old woman who had given him accommodation before he was taken to this school. The only thing that irritated him the most was the fact that he had allowed himself to be concerned about the other's welfare.
He had only done that with Amber but seeing how the boy died right in front of him only proved the point that he couldn't trust anyone to remain safe or alive. It just pissed him off even more that a school would allow such children like him to fight in this war.
Allen could almost picture other kids his age going to school, having friends and a family. Not having to give a fucking damn about this stupid 'secret war'!
'If you don't loosen up my treatment will be insufficient,' Allen blinked out of his thoughts as he glanced back at Bookman. The old man was staring at him with cynical yet unreadable eyes that it almost frightened Allen. It was like Bookman was trying to read him like the books in the library.
Even so, Allen relaxed his shoulders and muscles so the man could continue the acupuncture.
'I heard Marian Cross almost had to drag you to this school,' Allen just shuddered when the man mentioned Cross.
'So what? I never wanted to come here in the first place,' Allen grumbled as Bookman placed his needles back into their pouch and folded the thing closed.
'There are things we don't like, but why not try something new?'
'I hate God and I hate this innocence that has possessed part of my body, is that what you wanted to here?' Allen grabbed his shirt and put it on and began doing up the buttons. Bookman just stared at him but Allen didn't want to wait for a response as he hurried out the door.
Why…? Why had he said those things to that old man?
….
Hey folks, ending this chapter was slightly difficult but I hope you enjoyed it anyway!
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