A/N: I know I'm a little early this week, but I managed to get this chapter out quick thanks to a half day at school and a burst of inspiration. I might even update again tomorrow at my usual time, so stay tuned on that. Anyways, enjoy!
Chapter 14: The Leaf of Revival
Jeryy is in a good mood this morning.
"I'd like cream stew, pot stickers, omelet with mushrooms, green beans and steak, fried rice, and a Caesar salad," Allen is rattling off while the flamboyant chef leans over the counter, hanging on to his every word.
"I'll have mushroom noodles, pork rinds, pop overs, chicken tortillas, eggs and bacon, breaded cod, and blueberry scones," I add after a moment's thought.
"Then cream puffs and chocolate chip pancakes for dessert," Allen finishes.
I grin, "Make it a double on that."
Jeryy smirks knowingly, "And these are large portions?"
Allen and I nod vigorously. "Uh huh!"
The Black Order chef giggles gleefully, "Coming right up! Oh, it's so fun to cook for you two."
With that, he turns had heads over to the many stoves already sizzling with various meals and dishes from all corners of the world. The mixing of dozens of delectable smells is mesmerizing, and it makes my empty stomach growl all the louder.
"Hey." I turn to see Allen's grinning at me. "You look good," he says.
I smirk, "You think so? I thought I'd give this new outfit a whirl." Today I was dressed in something a little atypical compared to my usual attire consisting of a double breasted black waist coat with white buttons over a brown pleated mini-skirt, grey tights, and black knee-high lace up boots. Completing the ensemble is a grey newsboy cap with my long red hair plaited into two braids that drape across my shoulders.
"You really are talented," Allen remarks as we gather up our trays.
"Thanks."
As we turn away from the ordering window, I catch a glimpse of Lavi waving to us from a table across the room where he is sitting with Bookman.
I smile in acknowledgement before we both hurry over to join them.
Allen and I have barely gotten settled in the empty seats across from the two Bookmen before we dig whole heartedly into our meals, downing all six trays of food in a matter of minutes.
I burp into my handkerchief while Allen leans back in his chair, patting his stomach in satisfaction.
"That was fantastic!" he exclaims.
Lavi is gaping at us.
"Whoa, you two have quite the appetite."
"Parasite-type Exorcists need a lot of fuel because they tend to expel more energy than normal," Bookman calmly explains over the rim of his tea mug.
"I'll say."
I smile as I take a sip of my coffee.
"Glad to see you two got back okay. That assignment was a long one."
Lavi nods.
"I'll say; we've been gone nearly two weeks, and the weather's been real lousy."
"It does no good to complain," Bookman sniffs.
"It does no harm either," Lavi replies with a cheeky grin.
"How's Lenalee doing?" the older man then inquires.
I shrug, "She's alright. Still not awake, but the Head nurse says she's improving."
"That is good," Bookman declares.
Allen nods in agreement before a Finder, whose name I've forgotten taps him on the shoulder.
"Allen? Cas?" he says as we turn towards him. He gestures towards the door with his thumb, "New mission. Report to Chief Komui."
With that, he walks off.
Allen and I exchange a glance.
"Well," I say before tipping back my cup and downing the rest of my hot coffee, "At least I got to finish my meal first."
When we arrive in Komui's office, it is the same as ever: the desk and surrounding floor are flooded with hundreds of documents all yellowed and crumpled beyond recognition under one's feet. The Chief himself is lounging in his chair, glasses pushed down to the edge of his nose, beret slightly to the side, usual blue and pink bunny coffee mug in hand. He smiles at us as we enter.
However, there is one very obvious change that I pick up on right away upon entering the office.
"Kanda!" My eyebrows shoot up into my hairline as the tall, dark, perpetually pissed off Exorcist turns to glower at me and Allen over his shoulder.
"Uh, sorry we're late," Allen adds, faltering slightly under Kanda's glare.
Komui chuckles at the exchange, "How do you feel about cold weather? How about heat?"
"Uh, what?" I ask.
"I'm fine with either, I guess," Allen adds.
"Well, then you'll be perfect for this next assignment," Komui declares.
"And what is that exactly?" I ask, meeting Kanda's gaze once more.
He scowls at me; I stick my tongue out at him.
"We've learned of a village experiencing abnormal weather conditions," Komui answers my question. "It's snowing one minute, the next brings blazing hot winds."
"That's strange; what's the cause?" Allen inquires.
"Maybe Mother Nature's on her period," I offer.
"We believe the cause is Innocence, of course," Komui declares. "Now, you, Cas, and Kanda are to retrieve it, as a team of course."
I scowl, crossing my arms. "Oh yeah, because that worked out so well the last time."
"Oh please," Komui waves his hand dismissively, "You three are a dynamite trio!"
"Don't say that," Kanda grumbles before turning and heading for the door, "Now c'mon you two."
Allen sighs dramatically before hurrying to catch up with Kanda's much longer strides, me not far behind.
The underground canal is lit by only a single lantern, so I nearly kill myself coming down the old steps towards the docks as I fumble with the clasps of my Exorcist cloak.
We'd barely gotten ourselves settled in the gondola when:
"What are you doing here?" Kanda snaps.
I glance up in time to see Lavi and Bookman melt out of the darkness towards us.
Lavi holds up a hand, unfazed by Kanda's crass greeting. "Didn't ya know? We're coming too."
Kanda rolls his eyes as they both clamber into the boat between Allen and me, "How annoying."
"Oh, now don't say that," Lavi chides, "We can all work together on this, Yu."
Kanda's nostrils flare. "Do not call me that!"
"I'm sure we'll be glad to have your help," Allen quickly interjects before Kanda has a chance to knock Lavi overboard, the former of which is still glaring furiously.
I groan, hugging myself as I slump down in my seat, "Great, this entire trip is going to be me third-wheeling at the international dick-measuring competition."
As Allen pushes away from the dock and begins rowing along the dark water, out of the corner of my ear, I hear Bookman lean over and whisper to Lavi: "This is the perfect chance for us to confirm with our own eyes whether these youngsters are Hevlaska's Destroyer of Time and Creator of Space."
"Yeah."
I quirk an eyebrow at this, but don't say anything as we continue on.
The train whistle echoes through the white void of snow that bombards the engine as it hurtles through the storm. It's practically a white-out outside, with nothing to see past the torrent of wind and ice. Allen is half asleep in the window seat beside me. I'm sitting with my legs propped up on the bench across from me, smoking away on my pipe.
Lavi had found a means of amusing himself by asking me how to say stupid phrases in German.
"How do you say 'dirty socks'?"
"Schmutzigen socken."
"How do you say 'bubblegum underpants'?"
I close my eyes with a sigh, "Bubblegum-unterhose."
Lavi snorts with laughter, "Really?"
From the seat behind him, Kanda growls as he whirls around.
"How do you say 'annoying red-haired idiots better shut the fuck up before I stick my sword up their nose like a shish kebab'?"
"Argerlich rothaarige idiots herunter besser die fresse bevor ich mein schwert stecken ihre nase wie ein schaschlik," I reply without missing a beat.
Kanda glares at me; I calmly return his gaze, unperturbed.
"Tell me, Boy Toy: is your default emotion 'pole-up-the-ass'?"
Kanda draws his sword on me while Lavi roars with laughter.
"Boy Toy! Did you seriously just call Yu a boy toy?"
"You're next, Eyepatch, so shut your hole!" Kanda thunders.
"C'mon, Yu; take a pill."
"Call me that again, and I'll snap your neck!"
I roll my eyes. "You can smell the testosterone," I say as I raise my arm to move Kanda's Mugen out of my face.
This action causes a dozing Allen's head to fall into my lap.
"Gah!" He cries, sitting up and whipping his head from side to side, blinking rapidly. "What happened? Are we there yet?"
He stares, confused as he drinks in the sight of Lavi and Kanda still yelling at each other.
"I think Bookman had the right idea sleeping with the luggage."
Finally, we make it to our destination. The storm has gotten even worse by this point. I can barely see my nose at the end of my face as we exit the train, and the wind is so harsh the flecks of falling ice feel like bits of steel hitting my raw cheeks.
Our Finder is waiting for us at the station, all bundled up in extra layers of the signature beige cloaks.
"Glad to see you made it," he shouts over the wind, "I'm your finder; the name's Michael."
He holds out his hand.
I shake it, and Allen's about to do the same when a particularly strong gust of wind blows Timcampy, who'd been nesting in his hair like a bird, off his head.
"Whoa!" Allen quickly snatches the tiny golem out of the air. "You've got to be more careful, Tim."
"This is really nasty," Lavi adds to Michael as the Finder helps him and Bookman carry our luggage into the station's main building. "Should we wait it out here until the storm dies down?"
"There's no guarantee that it actually will die down," he replies.
Wordlessly, Kanda gets up and heads out of the building and back into the blizzard.
"Hey! Are you going to search?" Allen calls after him.
"Of course I'm going to search; that's why we were sent here," he snaps, "I'm not going to waste time sitting around."
"But-" Allen starts to protest, but Kanda cuts him off.
"Don't worry about it. Look, why don't you just wait here and build a snowman or something, Short Stack?"
Allen's brow furrows. "I'm coming with you."
"In that case, we might as well all go," I add before turning to the others all huddled in the warm glow of the doorway. "C'mon guys; we're gonna fight through it."
The wind is rough. Even I can feel it against my face, and it's something akin to getting swarmed by hornets; the noise of the storm is deafening, like a perpetual explosion going off around you, and it blows with such force that it nearly knocks you off your feet.
And just our luck we have to go into the wind.
We struggle along as the snow builds up around our knees. Kanda strides along in the lead with me following close behind along with Allen, and Lavi, Bookman, and Michael bringing up the rear.
Allen staggers along, gritting his teeth as he holds his hand up to try and shield his face.
I give him a reassuring smile. "Chin up, kid."
"This sucks!" Lavi calls from behind me, his voice half-muffled by his orange scarf covering to his mouth, "How are you not freezing, Cassandra?"
"My Blood's heating me," I reply, slowing up a bit so as to walk beside him, "I think I'm running about a hundred and four degree fever right now." For emphasis, I take off my glove and press it to Lavi's half-frozen forehead, so that he can register the difference in temperature.
His eyes widen, "Oh wow! You weren't kidding."
"Being able to manipulate your physical functions in order to better your endurance of a rapidly changing environment," Bookman muses, "You have the perfect body, Cassandra."
"Nearly perfect," I correct, "And it's Cas."
Beside us, Lavi trips and falls flat on his face in the snow. He sits up, gasping as his scarf falls away from his mouth to show that his lips are blue.
"This is going to be one of those stories where we all freeze to death, and they don't find our bodies until spring!"
"Like these two?" Kanda calmly remarks.
"What?" I rush forward, along with Allen, to find two people lying face down together in the snow. One appears to be the body of a large man, layered several times over in bulky winter gear. The other is a young girl, dressed in the same manner. They're carrying packs on their backs filled with gear, and ski pools lie limply at their sides.
"Sir? Sir! Can you hear me?" Allen asks, dropping to his knees beside the man.
"Hey, you alright?" I add, genuflecting in the snow beside the girl. Gently, I reach down and lift her tiny body up. She's young: around Allen's age. Her hair is golden blonde and her eyes, although half-closed are a robin's egg blue. Her face is pale as death and bitterly cold.
"Alright," I announce, sliding off my glove once more, "Sorry about this sweetheart: it's going to taste awful, but it might save your life." I then bit down hard into my middle finger, the familiar taste of my Blood exploding in my mouth.
I quickly tilt the girl's head back and lower the dripping digit over her mouth, allowing the scarlet fluid to spill between her partially parted lips. She gulps a few drops down before convulsing, choking forcefully.
"That ought to keep you warm."
The girl's eyes flutter. She shifts somewhat in my arms. "Is my father alright?" she whispers weakly.
I look to Allen for an answer.
"I think so."
"We should carry them to shelter immediately," Bookman declares.
"We-We've been staying at a nearby inn," the girl stammers.
"Don't worry," Allen reassures her, "We'll take you there." He then turns to me, "You better do the man too: he looks to be in worse shape."
I nod mutely, passing the girl to Lavi before hurrying over to the man, turning him on his side and repeating the process. He is older with a hard, lined face like withered stone; his hair is salt grey with a matching moustache.
"If you're taking them back then I'll keep going," Kanda announces.
Allen gapes at him, opening his mouth as though to protest.
"What?" Kanda snaps at him, "I'm pretty sure they don't need all five of us to rescue them from some snow."
With that, he turns and continues on.
"Hey! Wait!" Allen makes a move after him, but I grip his arm to hold him back.
"Let him be. Kanda can look after himself; let's just focus on getting these people to safety."
"In the meantime, I'll go with Kanda," Michael declares, shouldering his mobile phone backpack and heading off after our fellow Exorcist.
"We'll catch up to you," Allen calls after him.
I glance up just in time to see the beige and black and white coats vanish into the white abyss of the storm.
Finding the inn is less trouble then I'd thought it would be. It's a tiny but homey little cabin, half buried in the large drifts. The rooms are warm and inviting, and Allen and I hurry about carrying blankets and stocking the fire in the hopes of restoring the man and girl.
Upon first arriving, we'd settled them each in one of the twin beds nestled against each wall. The girl became lucid first and sat up, blinking in the dim light of the candle beside her bed.
"How are you feeling?" Allen asks, hurrying over to her bedside.
"Fine, thank you," the girl replies, smiling slightly. "You were so kind to help us."
Bookman, meanwhile, is seated in a chair beside the man's bed, experimentally tapping a silver needle along his large hand.
"Is that acupuncture?" I inquire curiously, leaning in for a closer look.
"Yes, although I don't believe it will be necessary," Bookman replies, "It seems this gentleman has avoided frostbite."
"Well, that's good."
As I speak, Lavi sidles into the room carrying a tray with two steaming bowls of hot chowder.
"I asked the landlord's wife to make something warm for you," he says to the girl, setting the tray down on the table between the two beds.
"You didn't have to," the girl exclaims, "Father," she turns to the man, now awake and lying still in the bed, staring up at the ceiling with an expression almost as cold as the snow outside, "Father? See how good it looks?"
He doesn't respond. Man of few words I guess.
Allen takes my hand, "C'mon, we should leave them be."
"Right," I turn back to the girl, "We'll be right downstairs, holler or whatever if you need anything."
With that, we leave.
When we return to the main dining area, we find the landlord's wife has started a fresh pot of chowder. The broth really did smell delicious and Allen, Bookman, Lavi, and I are more than happy to indulge along with steaming mugs of hot chocolate as we all settle down at the table for supper.
"What do you suppose a father and daughter are doing out in weather like this?" Allen wonders aloud as he slurps his chowder.
The landlady, who'd been adding fresh wood to the fireplace, turns to look at him. "I know why: they went looking for the Leaf of Revival, just like everyone else is doing."
I raise an eyebrow. "The Leaf of Revival?"
"Yes, it's a legend around these parts."
Lavi chokes on his drink, "The Teeth of Revival?"
"Not teeth, leaf, dumbass," I snap.
"The Leaf of Revival is a peculiar and mysterious item that appears in Norse Mythology," Bookman explains, "Legend has it that the hero Sigmund originally discovered it; the Leaf can supposedly restore to life those taken before their time. It is said that families around the world have been looking for the Leaf of Revival for hundreds of years without success. Even today, many still search for it."
I set down my empty chowder bowl and light my pipe, puffing on it thoughtfully, "Seems a bit odd for people to still believe in such a thing in this day and age," I muse.
"It's hard to believe that some poor people are still looking for that thing," the landlady agrees. "And for some bothersome reason, every time they come around here, the weather turns on his head."
Allen's eyes widen. He and I exchange a glance.
"You don't say?"
A few hours later, the late afternoon sky is a clear, cloudless blue. The azure heavens shine with a kind of glow that only summer can typically bring as though oblivious to the storm that had just rocked the landscape to its core.
"It's cleared up!" Allen remarks as we step outside.
A sudden blast of hot air bombards our bodies, nearly knocking us backwards. It's a little like being submerged in hot bath water.
"Is it just me or is this wind kinda warm?" Lavi asks, squinting through the steaming haze.
I'm about to respond when a sudden clump of snow breaks off from the roof and lands right on my head. I shriek as the soggy, freezing substance slithers down my neck.
Lavi and Allen laugh as I flail about, flapping my arms and yanking off my newsboy cap in an attempt to shake the snow off.
"It's not funny!" I cry as the two boys continue to chuckle.
"Yeah, it kinda is," Allen replies, sniggering slightly.
"Kid, you wound me," I exclaim, whipping flecks of ice from my bangs.
Allen smiles apologetically before turning to Lavi. "Hey, where's Bookman?"
"He said he was tired and went to go lie down," he replies simply, "I think this extreme weather's getting to him; I tend to forget that old panda's age sometimes."
"Well," I glance up at the sky, "It's not too late; we should probably start searching."
Allen nods in agreement, "The wind seems to be coming from that direction," he points down a hill that slopes into a line of thick pines, "If we follow it, we should reach its source."
Lavi whistles, "Well, aren't you a smart one."
I laugh, "Yeah, he's not just a pretty face."
Allen blushes heavily just as the door opens, and the girl from before steps out.
"Hello, how are you?" the latter asks brightly. "I'm sorry again for all the trouble we caused you yesterday."
"No problem," I reply, winking at her, "By the way, I don't think I ever caught your name."
The girl smiled sweetly, "It's Elda, and my father's is Frey."
"Are you sure it's a good idea for you to come back outside so soon?" Allen asks her.
"We'll manage," the man called Frey replies gruffly, appearing behind Elda with two sets of skis, "I won't let you and your friends find the Leaf before we do."
"Oh, um, we aren't really looking-" Allen starts, but the man cuts him off.
"Go get ready, right now," he says to his daughter, handing her a pair of skis.
She nods before they head off towards the edge of the slope.
Allen, Lavi, and I watch as the two strap on the skis, grab their poles and then take off over the cusp of the hill, streaking along the angled plane at a surprisingly fast pace.
"Whoa!" Lavi cries, "Where can we get some of those?"
Allen grimaces.
It is actually pretty easy to locate three more pairs of skis from a shed behind the inn. The tricky part soon proves figuring out how they work; fortunately, Lavi and I seem to pick it up pretty quickly.
Allen on the other hand…
"AUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!" the poor flails helplessly as he rockets down the hill at top speed, clearing well past Elda and her father and toppling over, head over skis, to finally come crashing against a tree at the bottom of the cliff.
"Kid!" Lavi and I race down after him.
As we approach, Allen sits up, groaning, "Well, that was a miserable failure."
"You still in one piece?" Lavi asks him.
Allen nods; I hold out a hand to help him to his feet; he staggers somewhat, shaking the snow out of his hair.
"Hey, you're like an Artic hare," I exclaim, reaching up to brush some lingering frost out of his already white hair, "You'll blend right in."
"You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" Elda asks as she and her father come up behind us.
"No, I'm fine."
"Well, that's good."
"Listen," Lavi turns to her, "We were told that not even the locals will set foot beyond this point; those woods are very dangerous."
Allen nods in agreement, "Maybe you two should head back to the inn."
Elda nervously glances over her shoulder at the dark line of trees, seemingly agreeing with us.
"And what are you three planning on doing then?" Frey demands, "While we're stuck at the inn, you're going to go and take the Leaf all to yourselves, aren't you?"
"That's not-" I start, but the man cuts me off. "Let's go Elda."
"Sir, with all due respect, we aren't searching for the Leaf of Revival," Allen calmly asserts as he bends down to retie his skis, "I can't tell you what it is we're searching for, but Lavi, Cas and I are Exorcists: clergymen gifted with the power to destroy Akuma."
Elda's eyes widen, "Exorcists?"
"Akuma?" Frey scoffs, "Please, those creatures don't even exist."
I scowl, "Excuse me, but aren't you the ones searching for the so called 'Leaf of Revival'," I frame the last phrase in finger quotations.
"Listen to me, sir," Allen continues to implore the man, "You really should go back, trying to revive a person you've lost will only lead to regret, and there is an evil presence in this world that will try and take advantage of those desires."
"And what would you know of it, boy?" Frey thunders.
"Father, please," Elda implores.
"Forget it, kid," I say to him, "Let's go. C'mon, Lavi," I gesture to them. Allen nods, attempting to stand up again on his skis, but he slips and does an awkward half-split.
"Oh for God's sake," I exclaim as I snag him by his hood and hoist him back up, "Keep your body centered and your balance will be better, legs partially apart, shoulders squared," I instruct, nudging Allen's body in certain places until his posture is correct. "There. See?"
Allen seems too busy blushing to really be paying attention.
"If you're settled, Allen; we should probably make a move on," Lavi says to him.
"Yeah," the other boy replies thickly, "Alright."
We then take off along the uneven ground towards the dark shadow of the forest.
Allen slips again just as we break the treeline.
"Square your shoulders!" I call over his shoulder as the tall, dark pines close in around us.
It wasn't long before the blizzard started back up again; the sky darkened the color of steel and the snow exploded up from the ground, cycling violently around us as though it intended to close in and swallow us up into a void.
Allen, Lavi, and I draw up short in the middle of the clearing, shielding our eyes as we squinted through the wind.
"How can a hot wind turn into this?" Allen shouts over the bluster.
"Unbelievable," Lavi agrees.
I scan what I can see of the trees thoughtfully, "I wonder where Kanda is and that Finder, Michael. Do you think he's alright?"
"I'm more worried about us at the moment," Lavi admits.
"Look!" Allen points over my shoulder, and I turn just in time to see Elda and her father coming into view out of the trees. They are still several yards back, but it's evident they've been following us since we started. "Maybe we should stop for now," Allen advises, "If we keep going and they don't make it, we're just going to end up having to carry them back to the inn on our backs all over again."
"I agree with the kid, I don't have any more energy to be nice today," I grumble.
Lavi nods in agreement.
Eventually, we happen upon a ditch at the edge of a clearing, nestled under two particular shady trees, which provided shelter from the snow and wind. The ditch isn't deep, so we all crowd into it, Elda and her father joining us. The latter gets a fire going from some loose timber he was keeping in his pack while the former takes out a thermos and pours us all some hots drinks.
"Here." She offers one to Allen.
"Oh, thank you."
"You're really prepared," Lavi remarks as Elda hands a drink to him and me as well.
"Since my father prefers to do so many things on his own, I decided to learn as many helpful ways of supporting him as I can," she explains. "Here," she then passes another cup to her father.
He accepts it, not looking at her. "You shouldn't talk to them," is his only response.
"Oh, and why's that?" I snap. Allen places a hand on my arm.
"Excuse me, but you're the one's following us," I'm surprised at the sharpness in his tone.
Frey eyes him coldly.
The whole atmosphere is cold, not just the storm but the breath that passes between our icy words. The only warm being the gently crackling of the fire before us.
"Father, why don't you try to get some sleep?" Elda advises, gently placing a blanket around her father's shoulders, "At least until the storm calms down, alright?"
The man says nothing in response, but he accepts the blanket and stiffly closes his eyes.
"She really is well-prepared," Lavi remarks, "Hey, you realize if we get lost we're gonna have to cuddle or something," he adds, grinning cheekily at me.
I shove his face away, "Get over yourself."
I don't really remember falling asleep, but when I awake our campfire is nothing but a pile of charred ashes. The sky is ablaze with sunrise, and the air is just as fiery.
I can feel its heat on my face as I clamber up out of the ditch, careful not to disturb the sleeping forms of my comrades, Elda, and her father.
As I straighten up and look out into the woods, still dark in the early dawn, I can't help but feel slightly anxious about Kanda and Michael, wondering if they managed to find shelter for the night.
Then again, I suppose my worry is wasted on them; Kanda's may be stubborn, but he's no idiot and Finders are trained to survive.
I'm sure they're fine.
"Hey, you're awake," Allen quietly calls to me. I turn in time to see him and Lavi cautiously scramble out of the ditch.
"What time is it?" Lavi asks, stifling a yawn.
I pull out my pocket watch from the folds of my clock, brushing strands of my braids as they start to untangle out of my face, "Almost five," I finally say, tucking the watch back into my pocket.
"We should probably start moving before they wake up," Allen says, gesturing to Elda and Frey, "Maybe if they wake up to find us gone, they'll give up and head back to where it's safe."
I sigh, "Somehow I doubt it will be that simple."
"Please feel free to go on ahead, if you wish," Elda calls to us.
We all whirl around in surprise to find her standing behind us on the edge of the ditch. I hadn't even noticed her waking up.
"Don't worry about us, we'll manage just fine. And I'm so sorry for all the rude things my father has said to you."
"It's okay," Allen assures her.
"Don't tell him," Elda whispers, "But I don't believe the Leaf of Revival actually exists. I'm just…hoping that this will make him feel better. He's been really hard on himself ever since the day my brother died."
"So, it's your brother he hopes to revive with the Leaf," I surmise.
Elda nods. "You see, our house had caught fire; the four of us, we were all living there together, but my brother Jacob was born with bad legs, and he couldn't-" she faltered, and I could see tears brimming in her blue eyes, "My father tried to go in after him, despite the flames being much too high. He tried to go in, but I…I stopped him. Since then, my mother has been confined to her bed, and father has so many regrets he can't even look at me." As she looks at us, a small, sad smile appears on her lips, "I won't stop him again; I give him the freedom to do what he wants. As much as I'm able, I want to spare father more heart ache. He'd read that the hero Sigmund accidentally caused his own son's death, but then was able to revive him by placing the Leaf upon the boy's chest; that's how it all started."
Before any of us can respond, we hear Frey call to his daughter from inside the pit.
"Elda!" he clambers up over the ridge, carrying their skis and other gear.
He doesn't look at us, and Elda only gives us a small, over the shoulder glance as they pack up their supplies and strap on their skis.
I watch them, "I suppose we can't prevent you from following us."
Frey doesn't answer, but the look he gives me is enough of a response.
"Well then," I declare as Lavi hands me my own skis, "Try to keep up."
Despite the steadily rising soon, the forest is still dark and cold. The hot winds begin to die down as Allen, Lavi, Elda, Frey, and I move swiftly along the frozen ground, skiing in between the trees and bushes.
We are just coming to the bottom of a particuliarly steep hill, on which Allen nearly whipped out several times, when I detect a flash of movement somewhere amongst the thick trunks.
"Hold up!" I raise a hand as I signal to stop, and my comrades pull up around me.
"What is it?" Frey demands.
As he speaks, three people melt out of the gloom.
They are two men: one tall and broad, the other short and plump, and a woman in a purple dress with long white hair. Despite the cold weather, none of them are dressed very warmly.
That is evidence enough.
"I'm afraid we're completely lost," the woman exclaims, coming a few paces closer to us, her plastic smile shining in the early morning light.
"Yeah, would you mind we joined up with you?" the shorter man adds.
"We're lucky we found you; we don't know what we would have done if we were stranded out here by ourselves," the woman continues.
"You forget how easy it is to lose your way in the dark," the taller man agrees.
"Ain't that the truth," the shorter man chuckles, "If you would just point us in the direction of the main road, we'd appreciate it."
Allen's eye darkens, "You're all Akuma; show yourselves."
Lavi smirks, "Did I mention how happy I am your eye's healed up? It really comes in handy."
"I know right," I exclaim.
The woman chuckles, "Well, I guess we have no choice."
Her skin morphs, inflating like a balloon before it explodes in a shower of black tentacles. The two men do the same; their backs tearing open as their true bodies emerge from their fleshy prisons.
The Akuma rear up in their full forms: one of the man a kind of steel dragon, the other has a large blue head full of bulging white eyes; the woman looks the most human with pink skin, shielded eyes and a tail shaped like a snowflake.
Oddly appropriate.
The Akuma leer down at us. They are all Level IIs.
Elda screams.
"What the hell is that?" Frey yells.
"Just stay back," Allen calls to them.
"Tell us where the Innocence is!" Googly-Eyes thunders.
"Did you honestly think we'd tell you?" I snap, rolling my eyes, "You pimple-headed shit."
"What did you say!" the Akuma rears before firing out a series of glowing shard bullets from the many guns protruding from its body.
They streak past my head, disturbing my still partially braided hair. Lavi and Allen crouch down as the bullets explode upon impact with the ground while Elda and her father dash for the trees.
A second blast collides father from me, snow sprays up all around us, temporarily obscuring my vision. As it begins to clear, I see Allen fall to the ground, his skis flying through the air.
"Kid!" I run forward as Lavi steps in front of us.
"Big Hammer, Little Hammer!" he yells, swinging his Weapon through the air. It collides with the painted white face on the forehead of the Steel Dragon. He's knocked backward in a shower of snow.
"You bastard!" He rears his head back and fires a barrage of ice shards directly at Allen and me.
The former glances up, blinking in a daze. "Time to move," I announce, grabbing his arm and elongating my Blood out of my legs to create stilts to carry us above the range of the attack.
"Cas, throw me!" Allen yells as Lavi dives for the Akuma a second time.
I oblige, and Allen slides from my grip as his left arm is consumed in light. Lavi knocks Steel Dragon in the chest, while Allen fires a round of his gold bullets at its head. One of them strikes its painted mask at the top of its brow, stunning it.
I go in for the kill, twisting my Blood around its legs as it stumbles backward. It gives way under my pressure and falls to the ground with a loud crash.
Snowflake-Tail swoops over our heads. "That was quite the show, but I wonder where you're little friends are hiding." Her steely gaze eyes Elda and Frey cowering in the trees.
"Don't you dare!" I yell, rushing towards her. My Blood hardens into spears around my arms, and I jump up to strike her. As I raise my weapon, a sudden blast of frozen water and sleet erupts from the female Akuma's chest. It hits me head on, and I fly back into the ground, smacking against a tree.
Fireworks go off in my brain, and I faintly hear Allen yell my name.
Dazed, I slump to the ground; vigorously shaking my head as I try to clear it.
"Cas, you alright?" I open my eyes to find Allen kneeling beside me.
"What the…She shoots snow out of her tits!" I slur, gripping my head, "Why is my life so weird?!"
Meanwhile, Lavi takes a swipe at Googly-Eyes; he sinks under the snow and reappears on the other side of him.
The Bookman whirls around, "Allen, behind you!"
Allen barely has time to react before Googly-Eyes blasts him to the side. He cries out as he is sent flying through the air to land in a heap in the snow.
"Kid!" I turn on the Akuma, and swipe at him with my Blood blade. He dodges it easily: cackling as he sinks beneath the snow.
Allen tumbles into Snowflake-Tail's range, and she bombards him with another frigid blast. Allen screams as the sub-zero temperatures collide with his body. His knees buckle as frost begins to build up on his sopping clothes.
"Kid!" I turn away from Googly-Eyes, catching a glimpse of Elda and Frey crouched in a ditch not to far from the lady Akuma.
"Cas!" Allen calls to me, "Take Elda and Frey and get them out of here!" He crumples to his knees, still being assaulted by the frozen liquid.
Behind me, Lavi throws his Hammer at Steel Dragon; the Akuma catches it, and hurls it over his shoulder, taking Lavi with it.
"Lavi!" I yell as he falls out of sight.
"Allen!" I hear Elda cry.
Allen is lying on his stomach, buried deep in the snow and ice. He isn't moving.
Images of darkness and blood race through my mind, and I'm not even thinking as I race towards him.
"Stay where you are!" I yell to Elda as she tries to run to him as well. "Kid!" I shoot out a Blood whip. Allen grabs at it weakly. I brace myself to pull him out, but Googly-Eyes suddenly fires another round of gunfire. Allen is struck in the chest and collapses in an unmoving heap; I'm hit the back and I drop to one knee, my Blood dissolving as I fall.
"Cas!" Elda cries.
"Foolish girl," Snowflake-Tail chuckles, and I feel her long pink tail slither out and coil around my neck. It tightens and I gasp, feeling the pressure against my windpipe as she lifts me off the ground. I can hear Lavi struggling behind me as I try to wrench free from her grip. My hands claw desperately at her tail as she continues to crush my throat. Through the haze, I see Allen lying motionless in the snow.
Then something flashes out of the corner of my eye.
"Mugen, bring forth Calamity! First Illusion: Netherworld Creatures!"
I close my eyes in relief.
God bless him.
There is a bright flash and a swarm of bug-eyed wraiths as Snowflake-Tail is struck with the full force of the attack. Her hold is loosened on me, and I fall to my knees in the snow.
I look up, gripping my throat in time to see Kanda slice his blade once, twice, three time through each Akuma.
Steel-Dragon howls, his body steaming. "Retreat!"
He and his other Akuma then turn and fly off, vanishing into the darkness of the forest.
"Yeah! Yu is here!" Lavi calls, coming up behind me.
I smirk, "Good timing, Gorgeous."
Kanda stoically sheaths his sword. "Shut up."
Then I remember.
Allen.
I jump to my feet, Lavi alongside me, as I rush over to the place Allen had fallen.
The young Bookman gets there first as he drops to his knees and gently lifts Allen up from the snow.
His skin is chalk white and his clothes are stiff with frozen water. His lips are blue and his eyes heavy. They flutter slightly as Lavi props him up.
"Is he alright!" I ask, approaching them.
As I speak, Allen opens his eyes. "Hey, there he is!" Lavi exclaims with a smile.
Allen clenches his teeth, and I then notice that they are violently chattering. His whole form starts shaking and convulsing in Lavi's grasp.
"Allen? Allen, what's wrong?!"
I feel my heart drop into my stomach, and my vision tunnels as I close the space between Lavi and Allen and me seemingly in slow motion.
"Allen!"
A/N: Yay Kanda for saving the day! And Cas is freaking out about Allen! I'll hopefully have the next chapter up soon so you'll find out what happens next. :)
Just a side note: I won't be doing the Millennium Swordsman Arc because its filler, and not very good filler at that, also I felt it dragged a bit too much and I want to keep things moving. So we'll be marching right on into the Vampire Castle Arc after this mini saga is wrapped up. Stay tuned.