Chapter Fourteen
"Alright, Allen… Let's see. Assignment, assignment. There's a small village in China where an elderly bow maker, and archer says that he made an incredibly fine bow decades ago, out of a strange tree that he's never seen another example of, but that the bow wouldn't work, and in fact, it backfires on anyone who uses it, usually killing them. There's a pretty good chance that this is Innocence in the bow, so I want you to go to the village, and pick up the bow. Also, there is one request I would like to make, if you would. Please bring along a member of the Science Department so that they can take readings on their new uniforms, which, speaking of which, there is a uniform with your name on it waiting for you down there. Lou Fa says she'd be more than happy to go with you."
"Okay. I suppose I had better get my new uniform, then. After all, it wouldn't do at all to incapacitate myself because of lack of caution." Allen said with a smile, walking out the door, only to run into Lou Fa, who was kneeling at the door, with a stethoscope pressed to it. As Allen opened the door, it slammed into her face, breaking her glasses and hitting her nose.
"Owowowowowowowowow…" Lou Fa moaned, sitting up and looking at her badly fractured glasses. More like completely shattered.
"My glasses! Damnit! I can't see a thing without my glasses, and now I won't be able to accompany Mr. Walker on his assignment, and I'll never get to see how the new uniforms work, and he'll think I don't want to be around him! Ohhhhh!" She wailed in despair, forgetting that she had an extra pair of glasses in her pocket for just such an occasion. Allen knelt down and looked at Lou Fa, holding her head still for a moment.
"Sorry, Lou Fa. Are you alright?" He asked kindly, giving her a handkerchief to wipe her nose, which was now rather bloody.
"Oh, I'm fine. I just have no idea how I'm going to get back to my room. It seems Mr. Walker must have passed right by me, too, even though I was listening the whole time. Maybe this blow to the face disoriented me more than I thought."
"Is that so? Would you like some help. I think you have something in your lab coat pocket. Maybe it's a spare pair of glasses?" He hoped that now, she would put on her glasses, realize that the person she was talking about was standing right in front of her, and get done with it. Unfortunately, nothing of the sort happened. She nodded and reached for her pocket, but didn't put them on yet.
"Hn? Oh! Yes! My spare glasses! How could I have forgotten that! I feel so dumb, now! What would Mr. Walker think if he saw me like this! I'm such a mess, and my hair is completely hopeless, and now my nose is probably as flat as my chest!" She complained loudly. Fortunately, Allen was the only one around at the moment. He was about to tell her that Allen was right in front of her, but instead of listening, she just plowed on. "Not that I would be any match for that Lenalee, anyhow, even if my hair and my boobs were worth looking at…" It seemed like she had totally forgotten that Allen was there. He felt about as significant as a lamp at the moment.
"It's not fair that she gets all the looks, and the strength, and the talent, and I'm stuck with nothing but some skill with math!" She despaired. Finally, after what seemed like ages, and after much embarrassment on Allen's part, she fumbled with her spectacles and put them on, looking around and seeing Allen standing right in front of her. Slowly, a crimson blush crept up her face, along with a look of pure morbid horror. She almost looked like she was going to be sick.
"M-M-M-Mr. W-Walker! H-how long have you b-b-been here!"
"I was the one who hit you on the nose." Allen said apologetically. "Sorry about that."
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE RIGHT THERE!" She sobbed, tears flooding her eyes, now.
"I tried! You wouldn't let me say anything! You were talking too fast!" Allen protested.
"Oh my God! I-I am so sorry you had to hear that! You probably think I'm a horrible person, now! Please don't tell Miss Lee I said any of that! I swear I don't have anything against her! I just…" But he didn't get to hear what she was, because after that she broke down sobbing, falling to her knees, not seeming to notice everyone around her, staring at both her and Allen. Quickly, noticing all of their stares, Allen helped Lou Fa stand up and pulled her into a spare room, where she could finish her nervous breakdown in relative peace. After a while, she stopped crying, and noticed that Allen was still sitting there next to her, waiting patiently for her to calm down.
"W-w-why are you b-being s-so nice to me M-Mr. Walker? Y-you don't owe me anything, a-and I'm not an Exorcist… A-and… I can't even be happy for you that you and Lenalee are t-together, now…" She said, still hardly able to keep her voice steady. Allen looked at her sympathetically.
"I guess… Maybe it was because you were so encouraging when I was trying to get my Innocence back. I had almost given up hope, but you being there to encourage me helped me face the Akuma, and reform it, because I knew there were people right in the Asian HQ that I wanted to protect. You risked your lives to drag me to safety. I couldn't let that go to waste."
"Mr. Walker! Miss Lee would be appalled if she heard you talking like this to me!"
"Ahaha! You think so? I don't. Whether male or female, Lenalee understands how important you all are to me, because you're all equally important to her. She told me once that her friends were her entire world, so losing a friend was like a piece of her world being destroyed. It made me think about how I'd feel if I lost someone else important to me. The pain I felt was unbelievable."
"Hey… Mr. Walker. I know this may be a little bit insensitive, but… Who is Mana?"
Allen's eyes widened at the mention of his adoptive father's name. It was one that nobody besides he had spoken for a long time. He had not had to hear that name in ages. Truth be told, he hadn't thought about that day in the snow for almost a year.
"H-he was… my adoptive father. I don't know who my birth parents were. But the first person I remember who ever cared about me was Mana. He taught me how to perform in the circus, and make a living. He let me travel with him, because he knew I had nowhere else to go. Then, he was hit by a rogue horse drawn carriage, and he died. That was the first time I met the Earl."
"M-Mr. Walker! No!" Lou Fa gasped.
"Yeah. I turned Mana into an Akuma. For a moment, I thought I was going to see him again. But then, when Mana cursed my name, I realized that the Earl had tricked me, I was so afraid I was going to die. But my Innocence activated, then, and destroyed Mana. I'm not sure whether I should be happy or depressed, though, that the Earl decided not to kill me."
Halfway through the story, Allen had sort of forgotten that Lou Fa was there, and had continued to talk, more to himself than to her. When she heard him say that last sentence, though, she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"No! Mr. Walker! You have to be happy that you're still alive! If you weren't alive… The Order still needs you! I-I still need you!" She said fiercely, looking more determined than ever. Allen looked at her, surprised at the enthusiasm with which she was speaking.
"Thank you, Lou Fa. Maybe…"
But before Allen could finish, the door opened, and Allen and Lou Fa saw Lenalee standing there, looking at them blankly. Allen was sure that he was going to be in huge trouble now, but Lenalee just smiled and said, "Nii-san says you two need to hurry up and move out."
"Wait! Lenalee! This isn't! I just…!" Allen sputtered running after her as she left, finally catching up to her, and slowing to walk at her speed breathing heavily now, partially from exertion, but partially from surprise.
"Lenalee! Lou Fa and I…"
"You don't have to explain. Half the Order overheard what happened. I think it's nice that you tried to help her. I don't know if you realize how strongly she feels about you. It probably meant a lot to her that you stayed to comfort her."
"Yeah… Sh-she already told me once how she felt. I hope I was tactful enough in turning her down… I wouldn't want to think that I hurt anyone's feelings.
"I'm sure you were fine, Allen-kun. I have to finish up this report, though, so you and Lou Fa should grab your new uniform and head out."
Lou Fa kept glancing nervously at Allen as they walked towards the town. They were unable to travel directly into town because of the uproar that it would cause, so instead, they were transported through the ark to a spot about two miles out in the countryside, where rolling hills and grasslands dominated the landscape for miles around, with occasional trees dotting the fields. The only road through the area was a simple dirt path, only wide enough for one carriage to travel through, and cutting across the field, and the road, underneath a simple wooden bridge was a small creek that gurgled loudly with the amount of rain that the area had gotten recently.
Although Lou Fa wanted badly to talk to Allen, to apologize for embarrassing him in front of Lenalee, and for putting him out like she did, she couldn't find the words to say, and so, the two walked on in what Lou Fa felt to be an extremely oppressive and awkward silence. Was Allen angry with her? She wondered. Allen occasionally noticed her staring at him, and tried to smile back at her, but found it difficult. It was a little bit unnerving to be aware of being stared at. Finally, the white haired exorcist gathered the courage and spoke.
"Are you alright, Lou Fa? You haven't said a word in over half an hour."
"I-I'm fine… I just… Haven't been outside in ages, since I was first brought to Asian HQ…"
"You were brought to Asian HQ? I always thought that you joined on your own." Allen replied, smiling in polite interest. Lou Fa blushed lightly and shook her head.
"Nope. It was back when I was thirteen. My parents were destroyed by an Akuma, but before it killed me, an Exorcist saved me. He brought me back to Asian HQ. I suspect he thought I would make a decent Finder. But they realized I had some talent for math and science, and put me in the R&D Department."
"Well, I'm glad they were able to save you. Look…" Allen said. "The town's right up ahead."
"Lou Fa looked up and saw that Allen was right. It was a pretty little town, built next to a large cliff to the east, and a river that would eventually intersect the creek that they had passed to the west. In the middle were smooth walled stone houses with thatched roofs. It seemed that the village never worried much about fortification because there was no protective wall around the outside of it. As Allen and Lou Fa walked into the village, they noticed that everyone there was wearing peasants' clothes, and seemed to be fairly old fashioned, and though there were many children, they were all much more subdued and serious than Allen would expect of ones their age.
They seemed to be drawing suspicious looks from the villagers, as they moved through the dirt streets, trying not to attract too much attention, but failing miserably, largely due to their strange clothes. After all, Lou Fa was still wearing her usual blouse and skirt with a lab coat, and Allen's exorcist uniform looked good on him, Lou Fa had to admit. It wasn't loose on him like his first jacket, but it was slightly longer than his last one, going down to his knees and bearing a resemblance to a military jacket with the loops on the shoulders and the high collar and a Marion Cross* on his left pocket. To these villagers, they must have looked very strange, indeed.
"Mr. Walker… They're all staring at us." Lou Fa whispered, leaning over to Allen, who smiled and nodded.
"I'm sure they're just not used to outsiders. And please call me Allen. Let's see. My Chinese is a little bit rusty." Allen said, thinking for a moment before his eyes lit up, and he turned to a man who looked like he might be a fisherman. "你好。 我們尋找bowmaker。"(Good afternoon. We are looking for the bowmaker.)**
"噢. 他在最後房子在右邊在這條街道。 但他是非常老和可能不會想要被打擾。" (Oh. He is in the last house on the right side of this street. However, he is very old, and will likely not want to be bothered.) The old man said, staring between Allen and Lou Fa, occasionally glancing at the scar on Allen's left cheek, narrowing his eyes suspiciously and turning away. Allen turned and smiled at Lou Fa, and started to walk again. Lou Fa continued to follow Allen.
"I didn't know you spoke Chinese, Mr… I mean… Allen!" Lou Fa said, amazed at how talented Allen was.
"Yeah. I speak a little bit. I had to learn a lot of languages when I was travelling with my master. I'm pretty sure the only country I never went to was Japan."
"Really? Why not?" Lou Fa asked blankly. Allen smiled. "Master never told me. But now I know it was because the Earl's base was in Japan, in Edo."
"Oh. So you don't know Japanese?"
"Nope. Not a word of it." Allen said with a good natured laugh, causing Lou Fa to laugh as well as they approached the end of the road, which merged into the cliffside, along with a huge estate that seemed quite out of place with the rest of the village. Allen went to the front gate and rang the huge bell that was there."
"So… D-do we go in, now?" Lou Fa asked uncertainly.
"No. We wait. This is more than just a house. This place is a monastery for Zen Archers. The head monk will come and open the gate when he feels we are ready to enter."
"So we just wait?"
"Yep. Pretty much. Guess I'll take a nap. It's such a nice day, and so warm, but the ground isn't wet at all, despite the rain." Allen said, sitting down on a rock and leaning back against the sturdy stone wall, yawning and closing his eyes.
By the time anyone came out to call on Allen and Lou Fa, the sun was setting, and the sky had been dyed blood red with the hue of the evening sun, the clouds a deep gray/purple, and outlined like fire. The sky to the east was a deep violet color, and the first stars were beginning to appear in the night sky. Allen could even see the moon, now, in the North sky, a waxing crescent, barely yet a sliver in the night, for the new moon had just passed nights before.
"Greetings, foreign monks. Welcome to our monastery…" The monk said with a heavy accent, although his English was pretty good. Allen debated whether he should speak Chinese, or let the monks speak English. He eventually decided that their English was probably better than his Chinese, and so, he decided on the latter option.
"Thank you for having us." Allen said politely, bowing to the old man. Lou Fa jumped at this, and also bowed.
"Ah, is she your disciple? She does not look like any monk I have ever met, although her features are reminiscent of China." The monk said curiously, adjusting his glasses and leaning in to get a closer look at Lou Fa, who felt very much as though her personal space was being violated. It wasn't that she disliked him. It was more that she felt like she was being inspected for any imperfections, maybe in her soul? Would the monk find any? Would he not allow her in?
"Ah. No. I'm not a monk in that sense…" Allen said sheepishly. "I'm an Exorcist with the Dark Order. This is Lou Fa. She's a scientist with Main HQ. Our chief asked me to take her with me to do some tests… I think."
"I see. Well. Come with me, I was told you would want to see the mysterious bow that nobody can seem to use."
"Yes. That is why we're here. Thank you very much." Allen replied, following the man inside, and waiting for him to close the gate. The monk then picked up the lantern again and led the way down the stone path and into the huge monastery that seemed to recede back inside the cliff, rather than remain in the building. As they got into the building, Allen noticed that everything was dimly lit, illuminated by only a few occasional torches, which cast a flickering light over the floor, causing the shadows of objects to be elongated and appear to be dancing, almost animate. The effect was rather creepy, and unsettling, but Allen followed the monk through the myriad halls and tunnels until they got to the final chamber that appeared to be not only far back into the cliff, but also deep below ground, judging by the number of stairs that they had to go down to reach it. In this chamber, the walls and floor were slick with moisture and subterranean growth, and in the distance, an underground river flowed rapidly. Unlike most of the other rooms, this one was well lit, with a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling and torches all along the walls.
Allen went to the center of the room and started to pick up the bow, but Lou Fa hurried over and stopped him.
"D-do you think I could carry it, Mr… I-I mean… Allen?"
"Gee, Lou Fa… I don't know. Komui said the bow backfired on people, killing them."
"That's only if they fire it! Besides, you've been carrying all the bags. The least I can do is carry the bow."
"Okay. Thank you, Lou Fa." Allen said with a smile, as Lou Fa reached for the bow. As her fingers closed around the bow, and she pulled her hand back, though, the bow started to glow, and shake. Allen gasped, and shoved Lou Fa, who was so shocked that she didn't let go.
"Throw it, Lou Fa! Throw it!" Allen yelled. Lou Fa tossed it as hard as she could, but as she did, the bow curved back around and flew back into her hand, which she closed around it. As she did this, an energy arrow was fired from the bow, destroying one of the torches in a flurry of sparks. Allen gaped at Lou Fa.
"C-could it be? Are you an accommodator, Lou Fa?"
"N-no! It isn't possible! I'm just a scientist, j-just some lab geek!" Lou Fa protested, waving her arms around. "I-I couldn't possibly be important enough t-to be an exorcist!"
"Lou Fa, your problem isn't strength, or talent. Your problem is confidence. It was my problem, too. My Innocence wouldn't evolve, if you'll remember, until I could confidently say why I was fighting. For Lenalee, it was the same. Ask her sometime to tell you what happened."
"Allen…" Lou Fa whispered, her eyes sparkling brightly. "You're really amazing. I-I just hope I can keep up with you and Miss Lee."
"Amazing?" Allen laughed sheepishly. "Are you sure you're not confusing me with someone else? I failed the whole Order in our last battle. We lost an Exorcist, and all of the Akuma/Human hybrids because of my failure…" Allen said, suddenly depressed. He hadn't thought about Kanda in ages, but now, almost half a year later, the memory of that man was bringing up depressing and miserable thoughts again. Thoughts of loss, failure, and tragedy. Lenalee never said anything about it, but what if she blamed him for that, too? What about Lavi? Did he blame him? Miranda? Krory? Komui? What if the whole Order secretly felt it was Allen's fault? Did they hate him for it? With that, thought, Allen groaned and shook his head, turning away from Lou Fa and trudging back up the stairs before she could respond to his comment. For a moment, Lou Fa just stood there, but then ran after Allen, to try and convince him somehow that he couldn't possibly have been to blame for what happened.
*A Marian Cross is an informal name for the symbol of the Catholic Church, and General Cross's namesake.
**Please forgive the horrible translation into Chinese. I used a free internet translation site, and, as we all know, they are rarely all that accurate.