Alright, so this is the VERY last chapter of One Raindrop Raises the Sea. It certainly started out rough and at one point I wasn't even sure I wanted to continue it because it seemed to be going absolutely nowhere. I'm glad I found my muse though, because I have enjoyed writing this. I can't believe it's over. Thank you all for following, favoriting, and reviewing! You all pushed me to continue this story; it's because of you all that this survived!
Chapter 25
A Conclusion for New Beginnings
He dreamt of some indescribable place. There were no words to describe it other than Paradise, perhaps Eden. He never wanted to leave its blanket of safety and security, but he found himself being called upon. He couldn't help himself, so little by little he forced himself to enter the harsher, cruel world of reality.
Allen Walker opened his eyes for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. Almost at once, memories bombarded him. Sweet memories, bitter memories, painful memories; he could recall every moment he had spent in captivity. If the latter part of it could be considered captivity. There was no sense of right or wrong that could tell Allen what to do, if any of it had been real. If he was having a nightmare or had just woken up from one. He simply didn't know what to think. He was conflicted, and despite the Earl being his enemy, he felt betrayed. The wetness that poured from his eyes onto the pillow beneath his head was hot like blood.
Allen didn't know what to think anymore. He wasn't even sure if he was Allen now, or Ash. He simply wanted to forget everything.
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General Cross opened the door a crack. For the past few days he came by every hour so to check up on his apprentice. It had quickly become apparent that Allen's memory had been erased. Cross had figured that out as soon as he had found his apprentice in the alleyway. Bookman used his needles to keep the boy from waking, because Cross didn't want Allen to have yet another set of confusing memories to sort through once he could recall his status as an Exorcist. The General had even used magic to undo the Earl's work and he was surprised to discover that Allen had yet to wake up.
Cross discovered his Apprentice with open eyes and he felt relief flood through him. Then he noticed the trail of tears running down the boy's face. So he calmed himself down, walking in slowly. The General pulled a chair up to Allen's bed and sat onto its hard, unforgiving surface.
"I take it you remember everything you experienced there," he said softly. His voice held none of its usual gruffness because he felt that at the moment, Allen needed understanding. "The Noah know how to make you doubt your own beliefs. They are cruel in that aspect."
The flow of tears thickened. "It's not that they were cruel. I can still see Road, trying to kill me with her candles. I can remember what it felt like to have my heart pierced by the Tease. Every drop of blood I've spilled, I can look back onto it without fear. But their humanity?"
Allen's voice cracked and he covered his face with both hands. "What is real? Did they care about me? Are my own feelings for them fake? If I fight in this war, will I have to kill them or will they have to kill me?"
The boy sobbed hard. General Cross watched him silently. He had been in this same exact position, over thirty years ago with Neah. It seemed that the past had a way of repeating itself, although the solution he had given to one person would not work for another. General Cross reached into his pocket and withdrew a cigarette. The red headed man lit his first smoke in months.
"I am not allowed to influence you in any way, Allen. I know that you have come to love them as family. Those are your emotions. You have to decide how you want to go about this," the man told him. Every word was said with smoke billowing from his mouth. "I'll come back in three days, do you hear me? By then, you had better make up your mind. No Apprentice of mine should be sitting in a bed, looking as if he wants to die."
Allen watched his master stand up and leave. Cross's words had merit, he hated to admit. The boy drew his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He didn't have the faintest idea of how to make meaning of the mess that the Noahs had left him. Allen didn't really want to ponder too much on what had happened in Portugal. However he knew that in order to find clarity, he had to sift through all of the experiences, not just the ones he could easily face.
Allen drew in a deep breath, allowing himself to relive the very moment where Tyki had killed him. It began with the familiar scent of cigarettes, only these ones weren't his master's brand...
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General Cross continued to peek in on Allen, observing his progress. It took one day for Allen to gain steel in his eyes. He let the boy have the last two days alone for time to relax. On the promised day, Cross gathered three Exorcist to follow him into Allen's room. He waltzed into the room without even knocking.
"Good morning, my stupid Apprentice," he drawled. Lavi, Lenalee, and Kanda followed the man in. They had all seen Allen before. Kanda knew him before the boy had become their doll. Lenalee knew him before he was a prisoner. Everyone was surprised to see the boy with neatly trimmed hair, simple slacks, a white shirt, a dark vest, and a scarlet ribbon tied about his neck. Allen's sleeves were rolled up (something that Cross was pleased to see because the boy used to be self conscious about his arm). The white-haired boy looked towards them with a polite and mildly benevolent expression.
"It's been a while since I have seen all of you, so just let me introduce myself." The boy smiled. "I am Allen Walker. It's a pleasure to meet you."
General Cross had a single eyebrow raised. He hadn't expected to see his apprentice act so collected and mature. He was definitely not the same kid who became polite after Mana had died; the pleasantries only seemed to be out of habit.
"It's good to see you're awake," Lenalee replied. "How are you feeling?"
Allen's smile slipped a little.
"I've been better," he admitted honestly. His attention passed to Kanda and he scowled. "I see you're still alive. While it's surprising...I'm glad you weren't killed. I would hate for me to have been the cause of someone's death."
He isn't even apologizing, thought General Cross with amusement. Maybe being with the Noah was good for him. He almost looks like the bratty kid Mana adopted in the first place.
"Baka Moyashi," Kanda growled quickly. The interaction was short, and slightly hostile. Cross guessed that would pretty much be the way they would interact for the rest of their lives.
"So have you decided on what you're going to do?" he asked. Allen nodded.
"Earlier today Komui took me to see Hevlaska because an Accommodator exceeded 100% synchronization," he replied. "Since I'm the critical point breaker, they've chosen me to be the next General."
Cross had been reaching into his pocket for a cigarette. The stick fell from his fingertips when he heard that. The red headed man glared at Allen.
"I have an Apprentice for three years and he becomes a General?" he demanded angrily. "Do you know what that means? I have to find another apprentice!"
Allen laughed at his master's words. It was kind of strange to think of Cross becoming his equal. The man wouldn't be able to put debts onto him anymore or order him what to do. He would miss Timcampy quite a bit though. A thought ran through Allen's head.
"Master, where's Tim?" he asked. There was a silence that filled the room. General Cross considered the question as he lit the cigarette.
"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen Tim since Portugal."
Allen groaned. He was never going to see Tim again. Somehow that idea didn't seem completely impossible. If the golemn had been left behind, Tyki or one of the others might have found it. Allen hoped that wasn't the case.
"So you will be the youngest General to ever walk the halls of the Black Order," mused Lavi. His green eye twinkled playfully. "It's somewhat appropriate that your name is Allen Walker."
After a moment he realized that as a General, he was more likely to be targeted by the Noah as well. It was why his predecessor had been killed. It was unlikely, however, for Allen's executioner to be Tyki. The boy still felt love for the man and if they had to fight, he would surely fight. Should the time come when he would have to kill Tyki, or be killed...Allen would rather have Tyki kill him. It wasn't as if Tyki would ever care for someone ten years younger than him, let alone a child.
"It's a curse to only be thirteen years old," Allen muttered, knowing that his feelings for the Noah of Pleasure would not easily fade. General Cross heard him say this, and he understood what the boy meant. Instead, he said something that sounded similar but held a different meaning.
"It's a curse indeed to force a thirteen-year-old child not only to fight in a war, but to lead it," he replied. With this, every Exorcist in the room agreed.
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Tyki sat alone in the room that used to belong to Ash. The family of Noah had been hit hard. If it seemed like they were in mourning, it was because they were. Ash had been their beloved family member. He had integrated himself into their lives so seamlessly that all plans to use him as a tool had gone from their minds without a second thought. Allen Walker had awoken once more, killing the person who had been Ashley Camelot. Ash was dead, forever. The one responsible, in Tyki's eyes at least, was Allen Walker. A deep well of anger grew in the Noah's chest. He wanted to wrap his bare hands around that childish throat until all the life bled out of the boy's body. He wanted to be the one who killed Allen Walker.
Tyki looked down at the broken bits in his hands. They were the remains of General Cross's golemn, imbued with magic so that it would not reform or escape. He very much wanted to destroy it, but the little machine had been so carefully crafted that it was impossible. Tyki imagined the broken pieces were Allen's Innocence and rolled them between his fingers.
Earl, I am the reason that Ash ran away and was captured by the Order. Allow me to be the one that kills Allen Walker.
Tyki marveled at how small the pieces were, how delicate and curious the make was. Almost like the delicacy of human flesh.
When the time comes Tyki, I will let you have Allen.
The Noah of Pleasure imagined snow white skin slowly turning grey as the result of Akuma blood bullets. He imagined how it would darken and become brittle, crumbling into pieces not dissimilar to the rubble remains in his hands.
After all, Walker has always been on your list, Tyki-pon.
Tyki squeezed the broken golemn in his hand until the pieces cut through his palm. He let his hand go limp, watching as the pieces tumbled to the floor. As the blood dripped from his hands to stain the tiles of the room.
"Next time, Allen Walker, my hand will be wrapped around your beating heart," he promised darkly. "I will rip it from your chest while you're still breathing."
Unbeknownst to him, a small girl stood outside the room with a photograph in her hand. She heard his dark promise and the grief in her eyes could not be chased away. She looked down at the picture she held in her own hands, caressing the face of a white-haired boy that she would always love. The girl couldn't help but long for the hope that perhaps, even with every memory he possessed, the boy would still love the Noah clan as family. Perhaps one day, he would join them despite being their mortal enemy. She raised the photograph up, kissing it lightly and lovingly.
"We once said you were like an impossible raindrop, raising the entire ocean so that it might spill over and carry an ark full of people to new lands." Road laughed lightly. "Maybe you are the raindrop for the Exorcists, a beacon of hope.
"For us, Allen Walker is more like a tempest. You wreck our very foundations and drown us in this sea of emotion. A curse to the Noah."
Road clutched the photograph to her chest, eyes closed mournfully. "So ends our time together, my most beloved brother."
That is it! One Raindrop Raises the Sea is now complete! I've decided to name its sequel "The Tempest". Feel free to leave a review telling me what you thought of this first fic of mine.
Alright, so you know that this story has been complete. The second part of the story has been posted now. It is called The Tempest.
Please read it if you enjoyed this one.
(Awkward moment goes bye, as I say farewell to the end of my first fanfiction )