Hana: I'M ON TIME! YESH~!
Allen: Uh...good job?
Kanda: Che. I could care less.
Lavi: Hey, be a little nicer, Yu.
Kanda: Call me that again, and I'll decapitate you.
Lavi: SCARY! -hides behind Allen-
Allen/Hana: ...
Hana: Neither Xavier nor myself own D. Gray-man. A pity, really...the things that just might happen...
Allen: ...Uh...enjoy the story?
... ... ... ... ...
+ - Chapter 25 - +
Humming filled the room, as the 'holy man' cleaned and polished his prized cross. One of a kind of pure silver, with an old Latin phrase engraved from one end of the guard to the other. Another glance revealed a small gap between the longer portion and shorter. A hidden weapon.
"What does a holy man need a dagger for?" A deep voice asked, eying the cross the man before him was taking great care in. He stood in the shadows, hidden from the torso up. The only features visible are dark raven tresses, only held back in a small ponytail at the nape of his neck.
He stopped what he was doing, placing the items on the table, as he turned to look at the man. "Well, in our day and age, one can never be too careful." He said, "Even if God watches over me, as I cleanse this world, I am only as safe as the next man in this tainted world."
"You say that a lot." The unnamed man said. "Tell me, what is it I gain from our agreement? Vengeance? Repentance from the one who wronged me? My beloved was taken from me, Father."
"A loved one to be taken before their time is always the time where grievances will thrive." The man adjusted his glasses, looking up at the other male. "But all we are doing for this world is to right the wrongs, and deliver judgment and punishment amongst the sinners that have evaded the judgment of God."
"You fail to answer my question."
"God will have His answer for you. You must pursue it, my child."
The other man sighed. "Even with all you've done, you still sound like an actual priest."
"Because I am," Apocryphos said, and rested a hand on his chest. "All I'm doing is acting as the hand of God."
"And yet, you still let someone like me get off easily."
"God cares not if you love another man nor a woman." The curly-haired man said, before turning back to face his work, "After all, if love is blind, then perhaps it is in His design it is so."
"God may not care, but I get the feeling you do." Trekking through dangerous waters was always something he'd done. Even before his lover passed away, he always did things that made the other man worry. "You had every intent on offing me. Yet here I am."
"A pawn should never question the player who uses it." He then looked up towards the door, and grinned, "While speaking of pawns, I believe you've over welcomed your stay, my dear sir. He's coming back."
The room was empty before he finished his sentence. Apocryphos grinned, as he sent a silent prayer. Time to rid another useless pawn. He stood as the door opened, his knife at the ready.
The target never had the chance to scream.
(* - *)
Shortly after leaving the lair, he heard rushing footsteps. Seems someone was in a hurry. Quite weird considering how late it was. He continued walking, it wasn't long before a flash of white passed by him, his eyes widened, as he quickly turned just in time to see the young man it belonged to.
It was that kid...
...that kid that gave him happiness...
While he was forced into despair...it wasn't fair.
It wasn't fair...
...it wasn't fair...
He clenched his fists, and glared where the young male had disappeared.
Soon.
Very soon...they will know despair. Revenge...he would get revenge...
(* - *)
Allen stopped in his tracks, and turned to look behind him. He didn't just see Kanda earlier, did he? No...that couldn't be. Kanda was at work and he...was totally running late for his part-time job! "Dammit!" He all but screamed, as he continued rushing off. This was one of those times he really hated his last professor. Bastard purposely did this because he thought he was better than everyone else...how does a guy like him even keep his job?
He was so gonna get scolded for being late again! Arrg!
Why was this always happening?!
Not long later, he soon found himself at the door. "WALKER!"
"YESSIR!" He panicked. His panic was met with laughter, and Allen found himself growing annoyed. "Dammit, Wise!"
Said ex-NOAH grinned. "I couldn't resist."
"Bastard," he growled, and crossed his arms.
"Careful," the older white-haired male warned. "You're beginning to sound like your grumpy-ass fiancé."
"That reminds me though..." Allen said, thinking back to the man he past, "Wisely, I think I saw someone while I was rushing, but I only got glimpse of him."
"And that's relevant, how?"
The younger of two crossed his arms, "Honestly, the moment I passed him, I felt...something familiar. Not in deja vu thing, either."
"Bloodlust?"
"Yeah." Allen affirmed. "You picked Eliade's mind the other day, but can you—"
"Done."
Allen glowered at the other British male, disbelief also written on his face. "Seriously, Wisely?"
"Seriously. And you should seriously get to work before your boss kills you." He also noted, before leaving. He heard the panicked screech as he left, but had no time to enjoy the other's suffering. Seems he had another clue to work with. The image that flashed in Allen's mind wasn't as detailed as he'd of liked, but it was a start. Pulling out a sketchbook from his satchel, he found a clean page, and quickly drew out a rough sketch of the image. "Hm...I think I saw him somewhere before...haven't I?"
. . - * - . .
"Arystar, how are you feeling?"
"Like I've been hit by a bus, to be perfectly honest, my dear Eliade." Krory said. "But, I do have some good news. I'll be discharged soon. Has the shop been well since my...er...leave, I suppose?"
"Bookman and Lavi have been helping where they can. It was nice of them to do so in order to help me keep the doors open for the day."
"That's nice. I just feel awful I can't work to help provide at the given time."
"You could make up for it when you're at full health again, Arystar." Eliade smiled.
Her husband tried too hard, really. He needed to be resting right now, not worrying over her. Besides, it was in both their best interests if he stayed where he was. What Eliade planned on doing... she didn't want her husband involved.
Even if she'd sworn to forgo this life...If it meant protecting Arystar...
She winced when she felt flick between her brows. "Eliade, if you keep making that face, you'll get a wrinkle."
"Ah." Had she not been the one to tell him that when they first met? It seemed so, she recalled. "How foolish of me."
"I suppose you should man the shop. Thank you for visiting in this dreary setting."
"I believe I'm obligated as your lawfully wedded wife, my love."
Krory chuckled. "I'll see you next time, my beloved." Eliade then stood, and leaned over kissing her husband goodbye. She left soon after. There was much on her mind, nothing Krory needed to worry about.
She cupped her hands over her womb. It'd only be a matter of time before she wouldn't be able to hide it. Somehow, it hurt not telling her husband he would be a father soon. But while she couldn't tell her husband, Allen had things he wouldn't tell his fiancé. Kanda was a sharp man. She was pretty sure Allen's secret would be found out sooner rather than later.
Eyes widened in a sudden realization. Although secrets were meant to normally be hidden from those around you, there was the painfully obvious truth about others. Some secrets...were never meant to be.
Why did such a recognition...have such dark ominous sense of foreboding?
Maybe... because soon, all of their secrets, both her's and Allen's, would be brought to light.
How would Arystar look at her when he found out? Would he want their child?
Eliade felt herself smile, and sighed. Of course he'd want the child. Of course he'd still want her. That was just who he was, and why she married him in the first place.
"Such a man like him, is hard to come by these days." She mused.
. . - * - . .
"Hmm..." The Portuguese male skimmed through pages amongst pages of different articles, but so far, he hadn't been able to find anything he was looking for. He knew what he needed to find, but no matter where he searched, it was like there wasn't anything there. Like the family as a whole never existed. It was strange, to say the least, until he came across a government website. "Oh? What have we here?"
One talent Tyki prided himself in, had actually been his ability to hack. It was a trait all the NOAH learned, and while he wasn't a pro, he knew enough to hack the system to win most games in an online Poker match. To this day, none knew the wiser. Now, hacking into a website that was more likely than not constantly being tracked...that was a whole new ballgame as a whole. He'll admit, he was a little rusty, after all, it was ten years since he bothered to do something like this, but he was certain it was like riding a bike. He cracked his knuckles. "Alright you little piece of shit," He muttered, "Let's see what you can do."
It was only five minutes later that Tyki realized Wisely would have been better suited to this. That had been the ex-NOAH of Wisdom's main role, after all.
Grumbling at his stupidity, he took a breath, and relaxed himself. There really wasn't a point in getting all worked up over this. After all, only he really knew what he was looking for. And also Wisely could catch a glimpse of what information he was looking for, the young man wouldn't be able to actually find what he, Tyki Mikk, was officially looking for.
"Alright, Mikk. Let's brush up on your hacker skills, and hope you get somewhere." He finally decided. "Never thought I'd actually need to use this thing again." He pulled out a necklace he normally kept hidden. At first glance, it seemed like a normal charm of sorts. But the truth of it was, it was an USB. He yanked it from the cap, and plugged it in. "Let the hacking commence."
His golden eyes scanned through sentence after sentence of information, narrowing when they still couldn't find what they wanted. "Where are you?"
It was faint, but he was still able to pick up a buzzing sound. "Dammit..." He growled. He'd set off an alarm. There was only one thing he could do at this point. Download everything, and look it over in a safer place.
Granted, doing this in a government building...there were a lot of risks involved after all. But this had been his brother's office, granted. He was surprised some of his things were still here...why were his things still here? He'd figured that out on a later date, this was more important. A soft ding alerted of the completed task, and he quickly removed his device, and then quickly programed the computer to self-destruct the data.
Not a trace will be left. Not even a fingerprint. Gloves, in that aspect, were quite useful.
Now all he had to do was get out of there before he was captured. Again.
Kanda probably wouldn't be too pleased about that.
. . - * - . .
"Kanda, are you feeling well?" Miranda Lotto asked, taking note of the state of her colleague. The Japanese man had barely eaten in the past few days, and she was more than certain he was getting less sleep than herself.
"I'm fine."
"B-but Kanda..."
Said Japanese male scowled. "I said that I'm fine, Lotto."
"Y-You're not." She wasn't sure what was getting into her, but it was too late to turn back the moment the words left her lips, "Kanda, you need rest, food. You can't continue on this way. You'll surely work yourself into your grave, and I fear you're already half way to it...what would Allen do if you suddenly dropped dead? Those two children you want to adopt? Goodness, do you never think of how your actions would affect those closet to you?"
Taken aback, Kanda paused, and took a good look at his co-worker's face. She was afraid, still, but much of that was hidden by worry. Worry for him. "Che." He stood, gave the woman a glare, and grabbed his bag. "I'll take a half-hour lunch break."
"K-Kanda... You st-still need re-"
"Fine." He growled. He had practically growled. "I'll fucking eat. I'll fucking rest. If it will get you to fucking shut up about it."
"That's really all I'm asking for, Kanda."
"Che." Annoyed as he was, he stood, and stormed out of his office. Miranda stood there, releasing a breath she wasn't aware she was holding.
"My gosh, I don't think I've been so scared as I was just moments before..."
"Miss Lotto?"
"YESSIR?!" She blinked realizing the voice wasn't Kanda's...much less male. "Oh...er...Brigitte Fey...wasn't it?"
"If I didn't know better, I would say you were almost like his mother." Brigitte Fey pointed out.
"Oh, no, no, no. Far from it."
"Then you're close?"
Miranda fidgeted in her place, looked down at her feet, and shrugged. "It's just... we've worked together for a long time... and I know how much people worry when he does this to himself."
"People?"
"His fiancé, for one."
Bridgette tucked a strand of curled hair behind her ear, thick eyebrows rising. "Fiancé? How someone with his personality..." She shook her head. "There's someone for everyone, I suppose." Dark eye focused on the other woman. "What's her name?"
Miranda stepped back. "He. His fiancé is a boy, and his name is Allen."
"A male?" Miranda was honestly feeling highly uncomfortable speaking with this woman. She nodded. "Interesting."
"Fey, what the fuck are you doing in my office?"
Miranda screeched, a hand over her heart as she turned to face the Japanese male who hadn't been gone for five minutes.
"So, you're gay."
"You're point being?" Kanda sneered. "I came back to get my fucking wallet, and I find an annoying rat."
"You didn't deny it."
"Of course I didn't fucking deny it. Now get out." Kanda's hand was itching to unsheathe Mugen at that point. Saying nothing more, the intruding woman left. "Lotto, I got a job for you."
"Uh...what is it?"
"I don't want that bitch near my office again. She's too suspicious for my liking."
So it wasn't just her that though something wasn't right with that woman. "Yessir." Miranda said. "You're still getting lunch aren't you?"
Kanda rolled his eyes, but otherwise didn't answer. He'd need to have Link do a background check on that rat.
(* - *)
"Allen, was it?" Brigitte muttered. It was a common name, really. She expected a lot of things, but Yu Kanda having a fiancé...of the same gender no less, was a shock. From what she gathered of the man he was rude, prideful, and admittedly good-looking. Perhaps a heartbreaker. Her job was to assist the FBI in their search for the Crowned Clown impersonator. This 'Allen' boy might be an interesting person to look into.
What kind of person was this man? But on the other hand, Miranda Lotto had said 'boy', so perhaps a younger male. Younger than Kanda could mean either a high schooler, or a college student. She would need to look into local schools.
Still... a boy...
Well, each to their own.
. . - * - . .
He finally had a lead on them. It took him longer than he'd care to admit, but he finally them. All of them. It was a long while...how would they react to seeing him at their front door? Dammit, Link, you're grown man now, you have no reason for such foolishness!
"Howard?" He turned to where he heard the voice, and gulped upon seeing who it was who called his name. "Howard Link! Oh my god, it really is you!"
"Uh...been a while, hasn't it, Tewaku?"
"Try three years!" She exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" The long-haired blonde woman eyed her friend she had so many questions. And Link could tell there would be a barrage of them in the near future.
"I...actually came to ask you all a very important question...are they here?"
"My brother is at least," She explained. "In fact, I've been living here with him, and Tosuka...but...you already know that, now don't you?"
"Guilty."
"Why am I not surprised?" She mumbled, smiling wryly. Then she stepped aside and gestured inside with a wave of her hand. "Come in, I guess."
"Don't mind if I do, I suppose." Link said, entering the abode. It wasn't anything fancy. A single family home with an upstairs and down. It was roomy enough for who lived here. The stairs were against the wall and facing the door, where the rest of the house, narrow it was, was open to allow better flow.
"Tewaku? That you?"
"Yes, brother!" She called, "Guess who came to visit after three years."
Madaro, Link decided, hadn't changed too much over the years. He still had that air about him. "Long time no see, Madaro."
"Three years." He said in disbelief. "What the hell have you been up to since last time?"
"This and that." Link shrugged. "I'm working for the FBI in Intel."
"That explains how you found the three of us then."
"FBI...you work under that man, don't you?" It was never a secret Tewaku didn't like Rouvelier. None of the team did. Espeically when he'd left the trio for dead when an assignment didn't go well.
"I do. More or less. You could say I've actually been working under someone else these days if you want to be technical."
"Who?" The girl asked warily.
Link leant his back against a nearby wall and crossed his arms, before answering, "Kanda Yu."
Madaro found he couldn't help himself when he suddenly started laughing. "Kanda. That guy who you complained about nonstop when he came into the picture? That Kanda?"
"Don't get me wrong. He's still rather...for the lack of a better word, an ass, but we've both found we have one thing in common."
"What's that?" Tewaku asked.
"His fiancé." Link simply stated.
"That guy's got a fiancé now?" Tewaku tapped her chin thoughtfully, then frowned. "Wait. Why do you have his fiancé in common?"
"Because his fiancé was that one friend I told you two about in past emails."
"Past…e-mail...OH! That mid-term transfer student, right?"
"Mm-hmm."
"But wasn't that a boy—ohhh." Tewaku's expression changed from confusion to glee as she put two and two together. "I didn't know the infamous Yu Kanda rolled that way."
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised myself." The other male mused.
"And while we're on the subject of Kanda," Link continued his earlier train of thought. "We have a little proposition for you. All of you, really."
"What do you need?" Madaro was the one to ask.
"Actually," Tewaku interjected, "the real question here is whether or not it has anything to do with Rouvelier."
Link shook his head once. "I told you already that I'm working with Kanda now. Besides, Rouvelier is being kept in the dark on this."
The woman smirked. "I like the sound of this already. Continue."
And so he did.
(* - *)
After thoroughly disclosing what their new job entailed, the sibling duo nodded in understanding. "And we're simply going to be known as CROW?" Madaro inquired. "I rather like it, actually."
"I'll even admit, it grew on me." Link said with a shrug. "Now all I need to do is find the rest. I trust you can tell Tokusa?"
"Not a problem." Tewaku grinned. "It'll be an honor working with you. And I suppose this Kanda character we haven't met in person yet."
"I feel I've stayed long enough." Link said, as he stood from his seat. "It was nice getting to see you again."
"You don't have to worry about finding the others. We'll let them know."
"Thank you, Tewaku." The blonde-haired male stated. "I'll give you all the details within the oncoming week."
"Will do," Madaro stated. Link left right after.
Tewaku smiled, picking up the mugs they had used. "I'm looking forward to this, aren't you?"
"Of course. It's a lot to take in, however." Madaro sighed. "It'll be like old times...just with far better working conditions."
The youngest giggled, but sobered up as she looked her brother in the eyes, "I personally want to check on this man we're working for though."
"We won't know what we need until we start work."
"Yeah, I know..." She sighed. "Alright. We'll just have to test him. If he's worthy, we'll stick around."
"If not, then, I suppose we're out."
"I'll tell Tokusa, you inform the others."
"You just don't want a repeat of the last time you tried using that old phone." Madaro muttered, but the amusement of the memory was clear in his eyes.
"Nope. I refuse to touch that thing ever again," she huffed.
. . - * - . .
Slow day... Allen thought as he risked another glance to the clock. I wonder if Wisely can find that guy? I honestly didn't get much of a good look at him to begin with though... It was three hours since he last saw the other British male, and Allen had another two hours left of his shift.
Why did he sign up for this job? It was boring! He had other things he needed to do, dammit!
It's not like he needed the money. Kanda made more than enou-
Allen stopped that thought there.
He knew it wasn't good to financially rely on his fiancé forever. And he didn't feel right doing that, either. He wasn't going to marry Kanda for his money.
Allen's face heated up. Marriage… Now there was something he'd never thought possible. But now that he was actually in a situation where he could, his head was sometimes overrun by it.
It'd be small... Only close friends and family... Lala as flower girl and Timothy as ring bearer... A nice cake... And then the honeymoon would be...
God. He doubted he'd even be able to leave the bed during their honeymoon.
He wondered...would Kanda be okay with...maybe not using the toys on their first night of husband and husband...? Just the first night...he felt that one night should be special. No torturous foreplay, no painful — and oddly pleasurable — rough sex...just the elder making love to him. Allen could feel his face changing from pale to red from the imagery.
"Excuse me?"
Allen blinked in confusion, before belatedly realizing there was someone directly in his face. Startled, he shrieked, and fell off his chair, landing with the grace of a klutzy puppy.
"That's rude."
The young man groaned, as he helped himself up with the counter. "And being in my face isn't?"
Nod.
Who was this weirdo? Allen found himself questioning. She couldn't be much older than he was...if not maybe younger. Her hair was styled in two thick braids, neither which really reached her shoulders. Her expression...seemed a little unnerving, if he was being completely honest. "Um...anything I can help you with?"
"Yes."
"And that would be...?"
"Your scar." Pause. "How?"
"How...did I get it?" Who was this person? "Sorry...but I'm not comfortable talking about it..."
"I see."
"Um... Is there anything else I can help you with, miss...?"
"...Kiredori."
"Well, Kiredori, do you need my help with anything, or was that it?"
"Gum."
"Gum?"
"Yes."
"Er...you can find some in isle four."
Kiredori nodded, and headed to the isle in question.
"...strange girl."
He shook his head and smiled. There were a lot of strange people around nowadays.
Or maybe he'd just never noticed them before...
Or...perhaps he just doesn't notice anymore. It wasn't like most people he knew were...well 'normal', at this point. Lavi was a prime example.
Kanda was, too... And himself. Definitely himself.
"Here." Silver eyes blinked when a pack of gum was placed on the counter.
"You don't talk a lot, do you?"
"No."
"Er...right then. Anything else you need?"
"...pop."
Admittedly, there were American slang terms Allen wasn't familiar with. 'Pop' being one of them. "Pop?"
Kiredori remained expressionless. "Soda."
"Ah." Soda pop...that should've been obvious. "What kind do you want?"
"What's there to choose from?"
So she could form sentences... "Take your pick. We have Pepsi and Coca-Cola products here." It was a general store.
"...One."
Well, there went the sentences. Sighing, Allen turned to get the cola in question. "Here you are, your total is $2.81"
"Here." She handed him three dollars.
"Alright...and here's your change. Thank you for shopping here." The girl said nothing as she walked out with her purchases.
Allen watched her leave, and when the automatic doors closed behind her, he groaned. Why did he always meet the weird ones?
Groaning to himself, Allen all but slammed his head against the counter.
He wasn't sure how much time went by, but it mustn't have been that long. Someone was poking his cheek, and he groaned in annoyance. "Allen~ Allen~ Allen~"
"I don't think you should be—"
"STOP THAT Y'BLOODY WANKER!" The British male had shot up in annoyance, glaring daggers at the one to assault him. Jean falls back in surprise, and Leo was fighting a migraine.
"Told you that wasn't a good idea."
"Shuddup..."
"...what are you two doing here?"
"We got stuff but you were sleeping for five minutes." Leo explained.
"Oh...okay then..." Allen sighed.
Jean gave the elder an easy grin. "Should you really be sleeping on the job?"
"All I've been getting is weirdos; I deserve sleep."
"But on the job?" Leo asked. "Aren't ya gonna get fired if your boss finds out?"
"He's not even here." Allen explained, "Hell, that ass left the moment I got here."
"Interesting." Jean mused. "That means you're basically the boss."
"You are not getting anything for a discount, Jean."
"Dammit."
Leo leant against the counter and smiled up at the white-haired male. "Then what about giving stuff to us for free?"
Allen stared at the boy blankly for a moment, before slapping the younger over the head. "Hell no."
"Ow...dammit!" Leo pouted.
Indifferent to the incident, Allen shrugged, "Pay up, and maybe I won't tell your parents about that thing that happened?"
The two teenagers stiffened, before a barrage of 'please don't tell my dad', or 'please don't tell my mom' came forth.
"That's what I thought," the Brit mumbled.
After two minutes of calming them down, Allen had them pay for their things, before they left. Sighing, Allen once again slumped against the counter. At least his second job was in a music store...he smiled at that. Music was calming, and he actually had the night shift tonight. Meaning he had four hours after he got off here to go home, get cleaned up, changed, eat, and get to his other source of income.
The bell over the door rang, and Allen stood up, this time ready to greet his new customer. "Hello, and welcome to..." He trailed off as he got a good look at the man who entered. Allen was sure he hadn't seen him before, but...he felt he'd seen him somewhere...
"..."
"Um...pardon?" Maybe it was years of training, or simply instinct, but something wasn't right with this man. "I didn't catch that."
"...ie...ed..."
The young man tensed, readying to get into action. An arm raised, and with it, a pistol. Silver eyes widened, but his hesitation only lasted a second before he instinctively got out of the way of the bullet aimed for his heart. He knew normally no one would've been able to get out of the way of a point blank shot. But, since when had he ever been normal?
He ducked low behind the counter and listened, and when he heard no movement from the other side, he waited.
This place had cameras equipped, so the authorities would be able to see that this guy's imminent death wasn't his fault, but things still wouldn't look all too good if he turned up at the scene of two murders... First Eliade's, then this. It would be difficult to lie his way out of that situation.
Or he could just kill the guy, erase the footage, and dump his body somewhere. He'd done it before, so it'd be easy enough.
No. No, no, no! He wasn't that person anymore! He was Allen Walker. Engaged to Yu Kanda, living a normal-as-he's-able-to-live life...there had to be another way...
"...die."
He couldn't dodge what he wasn't able to see coming. The shot rang out, and Allen screamed when the bullet found its way into his arm. "The hell are you doing?" He yelled out, as he moved to the other end of the counter. The panic button was just in reach...
He was answered with another gunshot, and this time, Allen turned to see where it was shot. Much to his horror, it was exactly where his head was. Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! He scrambled to the button, slamming upward on the upside down device. The police would be coming when the signal would get to them...
All he had to do was stay alive...which was far easier said than done. He couldn't see the gunner, and the gunner...wait...Allen quickly took a glance up at the monitor where the camera was wirelessly connected. FUCK! He was quick to duck the moment the gun fired. Of course! That's how he managed to get him in the arm! And nearly in his head just moments ago.
Allen's heart skipped a beat when the man made to move over the counter, and his mouth went dry as he found himself face-to-face with the gun. He scrambled back just in time to avoid the next bullet, and then when he tried to re-aim, the boy shoved the larger male -along with a stack of newspapers- off the counter.
He winced and clutched at his arm, the one in which the bullet still resided, and heard a grunt from the other.
How was he supposed to do this without killing the guy?
It occurred to him that he didn't need to kill him. Allen could disarm the gunner, and knock him out. They teach that stuff in martial arts classes, don't they?
Well, whatever he was gonna do, he had to do it quickly.
He looked down at the blood soaking his shirt and grimaced. It wasn't good to be moving around in his current condition.
He only had one chance at this. Determined, he eyed the monitor, waiting for the right moment.
It came when the gunner aimed once again. He heard the gun click; the intruder was out of bullets. Taking his chance, Allen jumped over the counter, and caught the man off guard.
He saw eyes widen, and, using that moment, he crashed into his assailant and knocked the gun from the man's hand.
He held one arm behind the assailant in a vice grip, one elbow digging into the area between, and his knee was preventing the other hand from moving. "Alrigh' y'shite, the 'ell were ya goin' 'roun' tryin' ta kill me, huh?"
"Die."
Taking a deep breath, Allen glared down at the stranger. He wasn't in the mood to deal with his cockney showing again. "I think I'm the one with the upper hand."
"Kill." Didn't his assailant—? "Me." No sooner did that last word escape the man's lips, there was the sound of gun...sniper rifle...and then the body he was subduing went limp.
"W-wha...?" Quickly standing, Allen rushed outside, to try and find the sniper. He didn't see anyone, but he could still sense something wasn't right. It was only because of his instincts that he realized he was now the target. He dodged to the right, only to have a new bullet embed itself into his left shoulder. "AAAH!" He realized that he now had two bullets in his left arm. This wasn't good...he had to run.
And run he did. His hand clutched his new wound, this was bad, seriously, and totally bad...he was grateful to the NOAH for helping him increase essential points in even being an assassin. Speed, and stamina being more than useful at the given moment. He heard another shot, it was close, but didn't quite hit him.
"Dammit, KID! Over here!" He knew that voice...but why in the hell...on second thought, he'd question that later, as the one who called out to him, had pulled him into their hideaway, and behind the building at the end of the alley. "You always get into trouble, don't you?"
"Fou?"
"Who else? Dammit, that son of a bitch...why were you being targeted?"
"I don't know...someone else was...d-dammit..." Allen had lost too much blood...things were swirling...he could barely make out what his friend was saying before everything went black.
... ... ... ...
I'M ON TIME! It's not the end of the day, and it's not almost tomorrow. I posted around my normal time :)
Life's good~ And I got a C on my History Midterm -victory pose-
Now then. This was an interesting chapter to work on...I liked it~
R&R ain't for rest and relaxation, even though I know and you know I probably need it. Don't forget to give this story some love, and favorite if you hadn't already. Follow this work, and stay recent with new chapters, and to get to these things faster than everyone else leave a reivew, and let us know how we're doing! :D Don't forget to check XavierForest's work~!