Disclaimer:
The D. Gray-Man characters are under copyright or license by Katsura Hoshino, Shueisha, Madman Entertainment, Viz Media, Kaya Kizaki, TMS Entertainment, Funimation Entertainment and/or Manga Entertainment. The Karneval characters are under copyright or license by Tōya Mikanagi, Ichijinsha, Madman Entertainment, Yen Press, Manglobe, Funimation and/or Manga Entertainment. This is a work of fanfiction, for no monetary gain.
A/N:
If you like this story and my Attack on Titan stories, you might also like my original published work, the four book high fantasy series, Descent of Kings, by Maria Albert, available on Amazon and through the publisher, Dreamspinner.
Chapter 21 – Rescue and Retribution
"Mugen," Kanda whispered, sensing his sword, feeling it call to him, the pull of the Innocence impossible to ignore. Kanda held his burden out to Kiichi. "Take him. I hear my sword calling to me. If I can retrieve it, I can provide the distraction you need to escape."
The girl glared at him. "Are you insane? You'll never survive if you split off from us!"
"It doesn't matter if they kill me." He knew that made him sound like he didn't care whether he lived or died, but the truth was, he couldn't die. At least, not permanently. Not until every petal of the lotus was expended. That was both his blessing and his curse. "Take him, or I'll lay him down on the floor."
Her eyes widened and she swung her branding iron to face him, as if she was going to club him with it.
"Don't be ridiculous. If you brain me, you still have to carry Jiki, and you lose me as a distraction. You're wasting time." Idiot. "Your shipmates saved my friends. I'm merely trying to repay that debt." Of course, this was more about retrieving Mugen. In spite of his earlier bravado, he couldn't leave his Innocence with the Earl, knowing he'd destroy it. He hated Mugen, the Innocence that had destroyed his life, but there was no point to that life now without Mugen, not after everything he had sacrificed and endured. Although if Allen, Lavi and Lenalee were here, they'd no doubt argue the point. But Allen and Lavi had one another, and Lenalee already had a brother, Komui. They didn't need him. He was expendable. He frowned at the knowledge. The hurt it brought. Tch. I'm the idiot.
"I'll come with you. We don't know the way out anyway, so whatever direction you're heading in is as good as any other. And if you somehow manage to retrieve your weapon, we'll have an edge," Kiichi reasoned, to his surprise. It was something Lavi or Allen or Lenalee would have said, to keep him from doing something they considered suicidal.
"There is a good chance, almost a certainty, that the Millennium Earl will be with Mugen," Kanda warned, surprised that he, in turn, felt obligated to do so.
"You mean that fat freak who ordered Jiki to be tortured? He likely has our Circus bracelets, too. If I can retrieve them, I'll be better able to fight. They might be where your sword is. We'll see how well he fares against us in a fair fight," the girl boasted.
"Tch. The Earl never fights fair. He tricks, deceives, overwhelms and destroys. But if you're willing to come, I won't stop you," Kanda agreed, heading down the corridor, Jiki still in his arms.
Kanda hated that as they worked their way toward Mugen, they had to hide instead of fight, but it was when they were evading two Akuma in such a manner that they overheard a valuable conversation.
"… course not. Master is going to trick them, using two of us to impersonate the hostages. We'll complete the prisoner exchange, capture the three Exorcists, and we'll be able to attack Circus from onboard their own Ships. Meanwhile, Master will have four Exorcists, and we'll still have the two Circus jokes to give to Kafka, to reinforce our treaty. Then Master will taunt the Black Order with his prize, broadcasting the destruction of their Innocence, as well as their torture and execution, to completely demoralize the Order. He'll make certain they learn that Circus broke their treaty. At worst, their fragile alliance will be shattered, and at best, they'll openly be at war with one another, for the betrayal. Either way, we win. That's why…"
Kanda glared at the girl, and as soon as they were out of earshot, he set Jiki down, facing her angrily. "Your people are betraying us, sacrificing Allen, Lavi and Lenalee to the Earl? You spineless fools! You're dooming yourselves as well as us."
Kiichi shook her head. "They would never do something so despicable. It must be a trick, a trap that Captain Tsukitachi and Captain Hirato are laying. Although I have no idea what treaty they're talking about. I never even heard of the Black Order, until we came to Ship's Haven."
Kanda had never heard of Circus before now, either, or a treaty, but that didn't mean there wasn't one. The Generals or the Administrators could well have one that the rest of them had never been informed of.
"Regardless of what our respective organizations do, if you allow these monsters to drive a wedge between the three of us, here, now, then you're playing right into the Earl's hands. He's trying to be divisive," she argued.
"Fine. You can still come with me, and I'll still protect you. But you carry Jiki," Kanda compromised. He hadn't trusted her to begin with, but now he did even less than before.
She glared daggers at him but carefully lifted Jiki. It didn't even occur to him before she did so that she might not be strong enough to carry him, but she appeared more than capable of the task.
He hurried onwards, towards Mugen, not thrilled to have her at his back, especially with her angered against him, but somewhat reassured by the fact that she was encumbered by her friend.
0 0 0
Hirato, Eva, and four other Combat Personnel emerged from the shuttle just outside the hostage exchange point, in front of a number of old, dilapidated warehouses, carrying the three stretchers with their three fake Exorcists, just enough personnel to transport them, as agreed during Hirato's negotiation with the Earl. Of course, every other able-bodied man and woman, the combined Combat Personnel of both Ships, were in the clouds directly above them, ready to swoop down and join the fray.
But there was no sign of their people, only the Millennium Earl, beside a bizarre piece of furniture, some sort of red and black checkered wardrobe. Has he already realized the deception? "Millennium Earl. Where are our people?" Hirato demanded, hoping they were in one of the warehouses, determined to bluff it out as long as he could.
"Here, as promised, Captain Hirato," the Earl said, opening the wardrobe. And out of it, impossibly, came five people, surrounding two others, shrouding them from his view.
Damn it. It appears to be some sort of gateway, a dimensional portal, like the one we use to visit the Council. We won't be able to locate and rescue Kanda. And they'd have to be damned careful, or they'd lose Jiki and Kiichi, too. They couldn't let them go back through the portal. They needed to destroy it, but he couldn't risk transmitting that to their forces in the Ships, lest the transmission be intercepted. It would be his first target, and then the Earl. He wouldn't allow him to escape from them through it. Which of necessity would doom Kanda. Double damn. He'd honestly thought they might be able to save him as well.
Hirato, Eva, and Lawrence tilted up their three decoys, Yogi, Gareki and Tsukitachi, and the men on the opposite side parted, revealing Jiki and Kiichi. To Hirato's relief, they were both on their feet, looking the worse for wear, but to all appearances, still in one piece.
"Wait! Where's Kanda?" Yogi asked softly.
Hirato turned to face him. "Keep quiet. He might be reading your lips. Kanda wasn't part of the prisoner exchange and it's doubtful now that we'll be able to rescue him. Unless you want Jiki and Kiichi to die, continue with the plan."
Hirato watched Yogi's eyes widen in shock and fill with disappointment and betrayal, the light of hero worship fading. Gareki's eyes narrowed, but he remained silent. Tsukitachi's eyes flared, a bizarre combination of admiration and disgust in their depths. "Soulless bastard," he muttered under his breath, without moving his lips.
Hirato knew they'd all have plenty to say, after Jiki and Kiichi were safe. Damn it. My legendary luck has finally run out. He felt a flood of self-revulsion. Self-centered ass. Kanda's blood saved your life. His death is on your head. His blood is now on your hands, as well as in them. Hirato forced himself to turn and face the Earl, his face its habitual mask.
As agreed, the two groups began walking slowly toward one another. They were only a dozen steps from one another when something burst out of the portal. Hirato spun to target the threat, stopping and staring in shock when he saw Kanda running towards them, a sword in his hands, and a wave of white monsters emerging from it, but more astonishing, Kiichi, carrying Jiki, who looked to be either dead or unconscious, yelling, "It's a trick! That's not us!"
Damn it! The Earl had mimicked their deception. "Attack!" Hirato ordered their airborne forces, as he targeted the portal, cursing as some sort of shield dissipated his attack harmlessly, even as the fake Jiki and Kiichi erupted into monstrous Akuma, and dozens of other Akuma emerged from the surrounding buildings and descended from the sky, engaging in battle with both their aerial and ground forces.
The Earl headed for Yogi, a frightening look of fury, determination and expectation on his face.
"Allen! Look ou… you're not Allen!" Kanda accused, even as he attacked the Earl.
That inescapable fact became apparent to the Earl as well, when Yogi attacked using his Dornen Kiste, attempting to capture him in his vines. But they withered and crumbled from about the Earl, as if he were Death itself, even as Tsukitachi's banshees swarmed him. Kiichi pressed Jiki into Lawrence's arms and then spun and attacked the Earl with her scythe, as the Akuma swarmed to protect their Master.
Hirato turned back towards the portal and stared in horror as he saw Gareki head for it, afraid he was going to do something stupid, like enter it, but instead, he ran around to the back of it. The momentary distraction nearly cost Hirato his life, as an Akuma aimed all its weapons at him, point blank, but he was knocked out of the blast zone – by Kanda, he realized to his chagrin. The man who'd saved his life already, who he'd been ready to throw to the wolves. But you saved his three friends, he reminded himself.
Kanda leapt gracefully to his feet. "Pay attention, idiot!" he scolded as he ran for the Earl, who was now heading for the portal.
And that's why both family and Shipboard attachments are frowned upon, because I was worried about Gareki, distracting me from the battle, the mission, Hirato thought ruefully.
Kanda dove for the portal only seconds behind the Earl, who disappeared into it, the Exorcist refusing to let his quarry escape. Hirato was astonished when Gareki tackled Kanda, preventing him from following, and both of them rolled, disappearing behind a grounded and crippled but not destroyed Akuma. Was that truly Gareki? Or had the Jiki or Kiichi mimic assumed his form?
"Clear the portal! It's going to…." Gareki yelled, his words cut off by a massive explosion, one which threw Hirato and a dozen others who were a little too close to the ground.
Fortunately, this time, though knocked off his feet, he wasn't injured by the concussive wave of the blast. Hirato rose and gaped at the smoking crater where the portal had stood a moment ago. Gareki! His momentary panic was assuaged when Gareki and Kanda both stood, the Akuma having apparently effectively shielded them from the blast.
Damned explosives enthusiast, he chided weakly, as relief flooded him. Gareki had managed to destroy the portal, but a moment too late: the Earl had escaped. Which is my fault. If Kanda hadn't been saving me, he'd have already attacked the Earl, and they would have still been fighting on this side of the portal when it blew. But at least the remaining Akuma will be easier to defeat, now.
As predicted, their forces soon overpowered and destroyed the Akuma. The Earl had evaded capture, but they had successfully recovered Jiki and Kiichi, and even Kanda, and thankfully, this time, miraculously, they hadn't lost anyone.
As soon as the battle was finished, the shuttle left with Jiki and the other wounded, as well as Kiichi, under Tsukitachi's order, though she had wanted to stay with them on the ground to aid in mopping up any potential stragglers.
"Tch. Stupid Princess," Kanda griped, glaring at Gareki, obviously frustrated at losing his chance for revenge, neatly turning Gareki's nickname for Kanda back on him.
"You're welcome, idiot," Gareki replied with a sneer, furious for being teased about the girl's clothes he was wearing, and for not having his saving of Kanda's life acknowledged.
"Gareki-kun! I was so worried!" Yogi cried, enveloping him in a big hug, typically at the worst possible time, and promptly receiving a punch to the head in retaliation for his overblown affection.
"How are Lavi and Allen and Lenalee?" Kanda asked Yogi, from the expression upon his face, hating to have relied upon them to save his companions and also fearful. Then his eyes widened, and his hand went to his sword hilt. "Why do you have Lavi's Hammer?" he demanded, his voice deadly.
Hirato prepared to intervene, if necessary.
Yogi's eyes widened in surprise at Kanda's blatant hostility. "Your friends are all going to be fine! Dr. Akari was wonderful, and Lavi-kun was so strong and brave. Lavi-kun gave me his Hammer, to help trick the Earl, so he'd sense Innocence, and believe we were really them."
"Lavi gave you his Hammer?" Both skepticism and hurt were strong in Kanda's voice.
Yogi nodded. "He said that if things went badly, I should throw it at the Earl, to distract him, that he wouldn't be able to resist checking it for the Heart. Lavi-kun didn't care if he lost it. He told me just to find you, and bring you back to him. And we did!" he squealed, wrapping his arms around Kanda in a warm hug.
Hirato winced in anticipation, but fortunately for Yogi, Kanda merely froze in his arms and then literally growled, pushing Yogi away.
"The Earl got away," Tsukitachi complained, diverting Hirato's attention from the byplay, for the moment.
"I'm well aware of that, you ass. But we got Jiki, Kiichi and Kanda back. So I'm claiming victory and calling it a job well done," Hirato retorted.
"Tch. I doubt the Council will agree," Tsukitachi warned.
"The Council will no doubt have my hide if not my command, for every single aspect of this mess, not the least of which is having strictly forbidden contact with the Black Order and confronting the Millennium Earl. Although hopefully the Earl will be more angered with Kafka than us, for foiling his plans by drawing us here. The last thing the Council wants or any of us needs is to be fighting a war on two fronts."
Kanda stalked up to them. "I want to see my friends. And we want Hammer back."
Hirato smirked at him. "Why, you're welcome. It was our pleasure to save them. We didn't mind at all fending off the dozens of Akuma that attacked us because of them. How good of you to express your concern. And we were happy to come to your rescue, as well."
"Tch. You didn't rescue me. I rescued myself, and then we warned you the prisoner exchange was a trap," Kanda scoffed.
"Your people aren't our prisoners, Kanda. They sought sanctuary with us, and we gave it to them. We analyzed the poison and produced and administered the antidote, and we tried our best to rescue you, though I will admit, we likely would only have been able to free Jiki and Kiichi, had you not taken action. I am glad they were both able to aid your escape," Hirato prodded, unwilling to allow the hotheaded young man to overlook that fact.
Kanda nodded curtly, in apparent admission, and then to his surprise, grudgingly spoke. "Jiki and Kiichi are both valiant warriors. You're fortunate to have them."
Tsukitachi piped up. "Thank you. They're both my Combat Personnel, you know, not his," he said casually, claiming the praise rightfully due for Ship One. Then Tsukitachi looked Kanda in the eye, all joviality gone. "Truly, thank you for aiding in their escape."
Kanda nodded again, respect and approval in his eyes for Tsukitachi that had been entirely lacking when facing Hirato.
Honestly, why do people always prefer Tsukitachi over me? Am I really so bad? Then Hirato grinned. Tsukitachi wasn't the one Akari was kissing. "Yogi, why don't you fly Kanda back up to the Ship? I believe you have a weapon to return."
Yogi looked warily at Kanda and bit his lip. "I'm not sure he'll let me carry him."
Kanda glared at him and strode over to him, and crossed his arms. "Fly me," he demanded.
Yogi picked him up in his arms and took off. Hirato saw Gareki watching, fuming silently and Hirato sighed. The Black Order had definitely outstayed their welcome, in certain people's eyes.