"Ka… nda…"
Kanda swore as he once again opened his eyes, sleep avoiding him like the plague.
"I'm going to kill whoever is behind this." He muttered angrily as sat up, the dark sheets pooling around his waist.
Disgust filled him as he throws off the covers, feet connecting with the cold concrete floor as he sits up, back slightly hunched forward under the invisible pressure.
He glares at the wall for a moment, willing it to grow a face he can yell at.
Yet fact faced fact.
Alma was still haunting him.
Sneering, he stood up and marched towards the paper wall, sliding it to the side. He would never completely get over Alma, he knew that but this was ridiculous. It was like a dam, the moment Alma resurfaced he stayed. Not disappearing from the front of his mind like he had before shit went down by the Headquarters.
Kanda picked up one of the various swords that stood sorted against the wall. He might not use them during fights but it was nonetheless important to stay familiar with the weight without drawing Mugen.
He easily sank in position, holding the bladed weapon with ease as he slowly began to move. He swept through the room, cutting through invisible enemies before kicking up the pace with a notch.
It was relaxing, to allow his body to simply move, letting the sleep deprived part of his brain hand over the commando to the more reflexive part.
He continued for some time, feet sweeping across the carpet floor soundlessly, the steel glinting with every twist and turn.
It felt right, despite it's not being Mugen.
"Wow." Someone said with awe, interrupting the almost trance like exercise.
Kanda exhaled slowly, allowing himself to feel every muscle sing under his skin. Dark eyes connected with wider, lighter eyes.
"Lotto." He said, far more neutral than usual.
Light brown eyes widened as their owner stammered out apologies and praise.
"What are you doing here?" Kanda asked, irritation already returning with an alarming rate.
"A-ah. S-sorry, K-Kanda-kun!" Miranda stammered before shaking her head, reorganising her thoughts.
"I-I knocked but- " She stopped, inhaling, before a serious expression covered her features. "Lenalee-chan told me to get you, she said it was important." Kanda was already on the move, quickly sheathing the katana with care.
"Did she say what it was about?" He asked with narrowed eyes, reaching the uniform jacket.
"She said that General Cross contacted us."
No more needed to be said as Kanda rushed out from the room, grabbing ahold of his uniform coat and throwing it on as he rushed towards the door that were left half opened.
"Lotto! You better put the katana back!"
"Eh?!" The baffled woman said with a small shriek as the door closed with a bam.
Allen let out a gasp as he fell to the cobblestone covered ground, gravity suddenly far more pressing than usual. He clutched Lavi close as the other let out a pained groan, the taller body swaying despite leaning on Allen.
It felt like his head was split in two, instincts screaming at him while betrayal raged.
"We have to move." Bookman growled, voice harsh due to the lack of use as he steadied himself against the brick wall with a thin hand. Allen stared, he had never seen Bookman like this. Bookman was old, he knew that, everyone knew that, but now… Now he looked beyond old. He looked frail.
Purple eyes blinked before forcefully tearing themselves away from the sight. What looked like a rather dark alley meet his sight. Something within him squeezed painfully as he recognized the alley, recognized the broken walls and smashed ground.
Allen stared horror filling his gut.
This was the town where he first meet Mana and Neah again.
How could he be so stupid!?
"We have to move." He said with barely contained horror. Because shit, seriously!? Out of all the places to land in, this was the place?!
Bookman eyed him strangely.
"You know this place." He said, it wasn't a questioned and judging by the pinched expression the shorter man had he probably made a qualified guess judging by the obvious battle signs that somehow had remained despite it being weeks since then.
"We have to move." Allen merely repeated dully, more or less dragging the quietly protesting redhead with him. He didn't bother with turning around to see if Bookman followed him. He merely stumbled forward, attempting to put as big distance between him and the alley as he could.
He numbly recognized the streets he had raced down when Apocryphos hunted him, he saw the narrow turns that he once ran by, body crashing into walls in his hurry to get away.
"Well, well." A gruff voice suddenly said causing Allen to freeze in disbelief.
'It wasn't possible!' he told himself as he felt how his heart kicked up a notch. It wasn't possible.
But God, he wished it was.
"Master Cross?" He whispered, purple eyes easily finding the tall man standing in a dark corner, a top hat easily hiding the upper part of his face as smoke rose from the cigar in his mouth.
"Cross." Bookman said, stepping out from behind Allen with narrowed eyes. The dark circles around his eyes even more visible against the gaunt color that his skin had taken during the capture.
Allen stared at his supposedly master, brain practically doing flips in frustration as he tried to figure out how in the world it was possible.
The easy answer was that he faked his death. Plain and simply. But Allen had seen his body, he had seen the crime scene and none of them very fake.
It wasn't possible.
"Impossible." He said, mirroring his inner dialogue.
Cross simple exhaled, a white cloud of smoke leaving his open mouth before it closed again, glasses glinting in the dull light.
"Stupid apprentice." He said, pushing himself off the wall and taking long measured steps towards them.
"Let me guess, you blew off that fat-ass right?" Cross chuckled as he stopped, practically looming over Allen's shorter frame.
Allen stared. All doubt blown away by the sheer Cross-like behaviour. No one could be such an arse.
"You." He said slowly, eyes narrowed as he channeled his inner Eve. "Have a lot to explain." He hissed.
Cross eyed him, a sharp glint entering his eyes as he threw his head back and started to cackle.
"Oh, this is precious." He said between gasps of breath, "Have you really fallen so far, stupid apprentice, to not even offer your teacher the proper greeting?" He chortled as he turned his back to the smaller group.
Allen narrowed his eyes. "Last time I checked, teachers didn't abandon their students under the belief that they were dead!"
"Pot meet kettle." Cross drawled as Allen froze in realisation. "At least I didn't play dead for over 30 years. Can you say the same?"
Allen snarled but stayed silent. He didn't really have the right to scold Cross at all, did he?
He looked up as he heard retreating steps.
"Wha- Wait!" He shouted as Cross walked back into the alley he came from, a gloved hand waved lazily in a urging motion before it fell back into the deep pockets that covered the dark cloak.
Allen didn't hesitate, clutching Lavi close he began to follow the retreating back of his master ignoring the muffled swear words that came from the injured redhead.
Bookman was quiet but the quick steps behind him informed him that the older man was following despite his silence.
Thus the cat and mouse game begun.
Allen exhaled harshly as he forced his legs to quicken into a sprint almost completely, carrying Lavi as the man truly fell unconscious.
"Wait!" He shouted as Cross quickly walked into an ever smaller alley, his dark cape fluttering around the corner.
Allen hissed in irritation sprinting into the alley-
Thud.
-only to run right into the raised hammer.
Allen blinked as every nerve in his body turned numb and darkness crept over his vision.
The last thing he heard were the muffled voices of Cross and Bookman who quietly hissed at each other.
Allen groaned as he returned to consciousness. Everything was far too bright and his head was practically screaming at him in pain. He gently rested the tender appendage between two shaking hands.
"Ugh…" He moaned as threw his right arm around in an attempt to kill whatever blinding light that filled the room. He almost cried in relief as the light died out and a dry sigh filled the air instead.
Allen froze.
He knew that half exasperated half tired sigh.
"Link?" He whispered, eyes still closely shut and hands still cupping his head.
"Walker." The dry voice greeted back.
For the first time since the death of Neah, Allen truly smiled.
Mana was frozen. There was no other explanation for it, he was frozen in sheer terror.
Allen couldn't.
Allen wouldn't.
Except…
Allen could!
And obviously Allen fucking did!
Mana opened his mouth and screamed.
He hated how powerless he was, he hated that he had trusted Allen! Trusted Allen to stay!
He should've known, Allen never kept his promise when it truly counted. But Mana had hoped, he had hoped that Allen for once would value him over his human friends and choose to stay. Stay with him and Road!
How naive of him.
Beyond his screams of anguish he could hear the smattering of small feet clattering against the floor.
He choked as he heard how the door opened violently and the sharp inhale of breath. He clenched the armrest with fury ignoring how his fingers dug into the soft material, ripping the fabric as his fingers curled into a fist.
"Mana!" Road said as she hurried over the floor almost collapsing against the straining male. Small fingers digging into his shirt in attempt to stop the struggling.
"Calm down!" But Mana was beyond the the state of listening, he wanted to act! To find Allen and drag his struggling body back by his hair if he had to!
He wanted to break brittle bones; twist and turn until everything just went snap.
Mana panted heavily as he leaned over, ignoring the soothing motions rubbed into his back by Road.
Allen had really done it this time.
Mana may be merciful but even he had his limits. He had never appreciated traitors of any kind of any side. But this? This was a new and low. For despite Allen's earlier track record he had hoped that this once, this one would be the one time Allen didn't disappoint him by running away.
Clearly too much trust had been put in that thought. Clearly something more drastic would have to happen if he truly wanted to keep the smaller male by his side.
Mana laughed wetly, eyes watering at the cruelty he'd have to put his most precious through. It'd be worth it, it had to, but it would take months if not years for Allen to understand that.
Allen, like Katerina never believed in corporal punishment.
But Mana had never truly been a pacifist like Katerina.
Or an idealist like Neah.
Or overly kind like Allen.
Mana had never truly been like his most precious.
And Allen, sweet, sweet, innocent Allen. Was in a dire need for a wake up call.
"Okay so let me get this straight." Lavi said slowly, his one green eye travelling between the four other people in the room in sheer disbelief.
"Short stack over here is actually the first woman to ever walk earth."
Allen squirmed uncomfortably, when it was put like that, it did sound ridiculous.
"And he's actually the first Bookman Junior." Lavi continued, "As well as past lover of the fucking Millennium Earl, past mother to the fucking Millennium Earl and now, as the cherry on top of this cake of fuckery, the fricking child of said Earl of Millennium."
Cross nodded flippantly as Bookman sighed from the corner he sat in. Link merely looked bored while Allen was the only one who seemed to have the grace to be embarrassed.
Link stared at them all.
"This better be a fucking dream or I will shoot someone."
"Language, Lavi." Bookman said while heaving another sigh, tiredly rubbing the bridge of his nose as he gratefully accepted the cup of tea that Link dutifully handed over.
"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!" Lavi screeched as he bolted up from the bed, arms waving up and down as he seemingly began his journey to acceptance, leaving station 'denial' behind.
Allen winced.
"Lavi look-"
"No! Not 'Lavi look'! I was gone for like what, two months!?"
"Well, three months to be more precise-"
"And then! After flipping rounds of torture from the Noahs, this lands in my lap!?"
Allen sniffed. "Yes, I'm so sorry, I really didn't know the two of you where there."
"And you!" Lavi pointed a finger against the smaller male, his eye widely open in horror and shock.
"Are you technically a Noah now or? I mean, Bookmen doesn't really discriminate but what!?"
"No." Allen said, "I am not a Noah, I was in fact, technically, never a Noah so you can drop that off your list of things to be horrified by at the moment."
Lavi sunk down on the bed again, hands cradling his head as he attempted to wind his head around this one.
14th Noah? Sure whatever the fuck you want.
Literal child of the Millennium Earl? Cliche but whatever the fuck.
Literal child, mom, lover of the Millennium Earl as well as past Bookman Jr.? Now hang the fuck up.
"I… What?" He said with a small whine, furiously rubbing his hands against his side of his head, attempting to see the head and tail of this mess of a situation.
Allen smiled softly, gently reaching out and patting the redhead's shoulder in comfort.
"Lavi, I'm truly sorry." he said honestly. "I never meant for this to happen. Sleep, think and when you're ready, come back and talk to me." He retreated his hand and slowly rose from his chair, distractedly brushing of the dirt of his pants.
"And speaking of sleep, you might want to go to bed as well Bookman." Allen said with a small frown which Bookman merely waved off.
"I may be old but I'm not that old." He grumbled irritatedly as he took a long sip from his cup.
Allen smiled. "Well, technically you are that old, but whatever." He looked over to Cross who merely watched him back, patient and tired. Unusual emotions to be spotted in the redhead.
"I'm going to my room, I… have some stuff to sort out." He looked over to Bookman again, giving him a meaningful glance.
"You and I have some business to finish." He said pointedly. "But I guess that can wait until tomorrow, sleep tight!"
He left the room, letting the soft 'Good nights' to wash over him as he exhaled.
Fuck.
"I'm never going to catch a break, am I?" He asked the air as he tiredly made his way down the corridor, one pale hand resting on the brick covered wall as a form of support.
After knocking Allen unconscious, Cross and Link had with a combined effort dragged them back to a hideout that earlier had belonged to Bookman.
If he were to focus really hard, he could still remember this place, jumbled as his memories were.
This particular hideout had been one of his favourites, and why wouldn't it? An ancient library, hidden away from prying eyes deep, deep underground. It hadn't been cleaned for ages, but no amount of dust would ever be able to truly steal the charm away from this enchanting place.
It was like a maze really, shelves after shelves lining the otherwise gigantic room in a confusing order that gave the explorer more twist and turns than he'd ever be able to remind. Above the tall shelves, a higher level stretched itself around the room, the corners decorated with lighted torches that gave the book maze an ire lightning.
Allen loved it.
He snuck behind a dark shelf, twisting sharply on his place only to continue in the same direction he came from, this time hidden away by the cobblestone wall.
He knew this place, he knew the path.
After a couple of minutes walking he soon reached his destination, a dark oak door towered slightly over him, dusty and beaten by age.
A pale hand reached out, gently brushing nimble fingers against the rough surface before they slowly made their way downwards to the metallic handle. After a few seconds of hesitation he pushed the door handle down.
The whining sound the door made as it swung open was his old room's greeting to it's thought to be dead owner. He didn't mind, in a way, it was the nicest greeting he'd have up to date.
Purple eyes lightened up as they saw the strict clinical order of the room, a large bed pushed to the very back of the room, covered by a rather thick blanket that no mouse had taken its chances at.
A desk, darkened by time yet present, still as steady as Allen remembered it. Paintings covered the wall. He recognized some, the large cream colored manor that seemingly covered a majority of them he could easily remember. Fields of hand drawn poppies, some bland and others detailed to a perfection covered the space above the bed.
Allen pretended to not see the largest and yet oldest drawing that hung above the desk.
Three people. A redhead and two identical boys. It wasn't hard to guess who they were meant to resemble despite the childishness that covered the work like an aura.
Allen softly closed the door behind him, waiting for the small click that meant that it truly closed.
He walked briskly over the cold stone floor, stopping with his knees barely shy of the bed corner.
He sighed and fell on top of the made bed, ignoring the thin layer of dust that clung to his clothes and skin. He impatiently turned the pillow around and buried his face in the plush material.
Inhale.
It still smelt of home.
AN: Fucking hell. I'm alive. I think.
I am so sorry for the delay, like seriously. I thought people were kidding when they told me that school would kick up a couple of notches.
Well apparently they weren't and due to my rather short sighted planning, you all had to suffer.
I wanted to write even more as an apology but I honestly didn't know how to continue so you get this! I hope you all like despite it being so short especially after such a long waiting time. Once again, I'm sorry.
I wanted to thank all of you who regularly checked on the story, either by sending me comments or PM asking where the hell I went. I am honestly thankful since it more or less helped with kicking my gears into use again.
I would also like to thank all of you who either reviewed, commented, favourited, bookmarked, left kudos, followed ect.
I truly warms my heart everytime when I check my mail inbox and sees the alerts. Thank you all! :3
(My Beta also thanks you. Do consider them the main reason to why I'm still able to write, they've been in your corner, constantly reminding and probing me for the next chapter. xD Tbh, I'd be lost without them. :3 )