Disclaimer - I do not own D Gray Man
Chapter Fourteen - Encounters in Cairo
"I can't believe that I actually survived that," Allen thought to himself as he knelt on the ground, thankful that he was finally back among civilization. This latest job that he had been forced to take on had almost been the death of him and the white haired youth once against thought about how much he would like to punch his master in the nose.
Allen had been forced to travel through the Egyptian desert, leading a camel caravan, and the journey had almost been his last. And of course it had absolutely nothing to do with becoming an Exorcist.
"Is he ever going to train me?" the boy grumbled to himself as he shoved his earnings into his pocket. He was half tempted to flee and keep the money for himself but in the end that was something that Allen would never do.
No matter how much he might want to.
He had made a promise to Mana, a promise to save all of the unfortunate souls trapped inside the Earl's Akuma, and there was absolutely no way that he was going to break that promise. Despite all of the hardships that he was being forced to endure Allen would remain by General Cross' side until he learned what he needed to know in order to fight the Akuma.
This was something that he had to do but Allen found himself thinking that he really needed to find a better way to earn money. "This is starting to get dangerous. There has to be an easier way to earn enough money to pay off Master's debts and feed myself."
As this thought was running through the boy's mind Allen passed by a bar. The building was noisy, owing to the open door, and Allen happened to glance inside as he walked by. A group of men were sitting at a table in one corner and each of them were holding playing cards in their hands. A large pile of money was situated in the center of the table and Allen's eyes widened.
Wanting a closer look at what exactly was going on inside the bar Allen slipped inside, hoping that no one noticed him. Hiding in the shadows Allen approached close enough to the men so that he could hear what they were saying.
It turned out that the men were playing a game called poker, which Allen was vaguely familiar with. Mana had taught him to play during a rare moment of free time but he had never really been any good at the game.
He had rotten luck after all.
But watching these men play Allen came to realize that you didn't really need luck in order to win. At least not the way that they played. All of them were cheating and it seemed to be a contest on who could cheat the best.
The winner seemed to be the person who cheated and got away with it.
"What the hell are you doing here boy?" a voice suddenly called out, startling Allen and causing him to jump slightly.
Without waiting to see exactly who it was that was yelling at him the youth turned and ran from the bar. He had learned all that he needed to know and had reached a decision concerning his money problems. He had a deck of cards after all, which he had been using to rehabilitate his partially paralyzed left hand, and was fairly confident that he could learn the methods of cheating that he had witnessed.
The sight of the large pile of money that the men had been wagering proved to be a lure that he simply couldn't resist. It was more money than Allen made in a week's worth of work and would perhaps keep his master happy.
"I'll do it," Allen decided, clenching his hand into a fist. "I'll learn to be the best poker player ever."
This was a turning point for Allen and, as he made his way toward the inn where his master had promised to meet him, the boy thought about all of the practice that he would have to put in so that he could become a master at poker. It wasn't going to be easy but Allen was determined to do it.
And he was also determined to keep it a secret from his master.
When the boy reached the inn where General Cross was supposedly staying he inquired about his master with the man in charge. The man gave the boy a room number and Allen thanked him and set off.
"What the hell took you so long, idiot apprentice?"
This was the greeting that Allen received the moment that he opened the door of his master's room. Allen jumped slightly at the harsh words but continued into the room anyway.
His master was seated at the window and Timcanpy was resting atop the man's hat. Both seemed to turn their attention toward him as Allen entered the room.
"I'm sorry Master," Allen muttered as he closed the door behind himself. He wanted desperately to shout at Cross over the fact that he'd almost died completing this latest job but he held his tongue.
It wasn't as though anything would be accomplished by him losing his temper. All that would do was anger his master and that never boded well for Allen.
"Well brat," Cross said, holding out one gloved hand and glaring at Allen through his one visible red eye. "Hand it over."
Allen needed no further explanation to know what his master was demanding. The red haired man wanted the money that he had earned during this latest in a long string of odd jobs. Sighing Allen pulled the folded up bills from his pocket and placed them in his master's outstretched hand.
Cross casually counted the bills and then stuffed them in his pocket. Turning away from his apprentice he went back to gazing out the window, which Allen took to mean that he was dismissed. The youth made a move to turn away and leave but stopped short as his eye turned red and a chill swept through his body.
Having traveled with General Cross for awhile Allen had became familiar with this particular sensation.
An Akuma was nearby.
Hearing the small gasp that escaped the lips of his apprentice Cross turned and gazed at the boy. Seeing that the brat's cursed eye was activated the General began searching for signs of something out of the ordinary.
Searching for signs of the Akuma that Allen was sensing.
"So where is it you useless brat?" Cross asked, his voice containing a slightly taunting tone.
Allen made his way to the window and surveyed the people who were milling around below. It only took a couple of minutes for him to locate the Akuma hidden amongst the humans and he pointed it out with a shaking hand.
"Let's go," Cross ordered as he got to his feet. Most Exorcists would be in a hurry to get to the Akuma and destroy it but Cross wasn't like most Exorcists.
He prided himself on that fact.
For his part Allen had no idea how to battle the Akuma but he knew enough not to refuse the orders of his master. The white haired youth obediently fell into step behind the red haired man and together they left the inn and made their way out into the street below.
Once he emerged from the hotel General Cross sought out the person that Allen had pointed out to him. At first the creature, disguised as a middle aged man, attempted to act like a normal human but once it became obvious that Cross wasn't falling for the disguise it shifted to it's true form.
Not even remotely concerned about his opponent, Cross casually flicked his coat aside to reveal a gleaming silver gun. This Akuma was weak, hardly worth the effort, but Cross knew that he had to kill it.
Drawing out the firearm Cross pointed it at the Akuma and pulled the trigger. The bullet flew through the air, struck the Akuma, and caused it to explode.
Allen's gaze was locked onto the soul that only he could see and, the moment that Master Cross' bullet struck the Akuma, the soul was freed from the chains that had bound it. In that moment it's appearance changed, becoming more human, and a smile appeared on his face.
This sight served to reinforce the promise that Allen had made.
"You're free now," the boy whispered as he watched the soul disappear.
He now knew that what the Exorcists did really was beneficial to those trapped inside the Akuma and he resolved to learn to fight as quickly as he could. Freeing the trapped souls would be his life's work.
"Let's go idiot apprentice," Cross snapped, breaking into Allen's thoughts. The red haired general was already walking back toward the inn and Allen hurried to follow.
A/N - here's another chapter, hope that you enjoyed. Please leave a review and tell me what you thought.