Yeah I know it's still late but it's not as bad as it was last week. Hopefully next week's chapter will be on time. I think it's pretty impressive that I updated on Friday and managed to get this one out today. Anyway next week will be a Christmas special slash a birthday chapter for Tyki and Allen. Anyway lets get onto the reviews!
Dear Alexc1209, Luca is the one who is most likely to argue with Lvellie and Central. She completely disagrees with pretty much everything they say and do. As her thoughts have said she believes that Lvellie will lead many exorcists to their deaths. She believes that the person in charge should have to know what the battlefield is like. Chaoji is blinded my his rage and hate.
Dear Wolfs Child, Yes she did. Luca did also forget. Don't worry something or somebody will remind her and she'll try something. Poor Komui or perhaps poor Lenalee. I don't know yet. Keep your eyes peeled for the next surprise! Enjoy!
Dear Puella Lector, Your praise had me blushing and your encouragement was very much needed and appreciated. I hope the story continues to meet your standards and that you continue to enjoy it~!
Dear Cam, Sorry for the confusion. No you didn't ruin it for me. I was referring to the part in China when the others were wondering if he had died, Allen had stated that a little death couldn't kill his Master. Yep Eternal Hunter is around now which means that Luca has a new problem but it wouldn't be Luca's without problems. Link's awkward moment was hilarious to write. It's probably the nicest they will ever be to each other. As for Tyki and his ability to get the gifts to Luca well you'll just have to wait and see! Enjoy!
Dear Zon Yokai Blade of the Spirits, The next canon chapter will start in hallow with the mission to France. But Red Like Roses and this chapter had to happen first. Timothy and Luca is an interesting pair. You have to remember Luca doesn't like kids. She's not good with them nor does she have Allen's patience to deal with them. Originally the ghost wasn't a ghost but I decided to go with that instead. I thought it would be better. In a way it was Harlequin but it a way it wasn't too. Luca just always has to be complicated. XD Tyki's knowledge of Luca's birthday as well as the gift showing up with be explained later. Also it's not Road. The prophecy took me forever to write but for some reason the name just clicked. I'm glad you liked them both. Enjoy.
Dear Skiescloud, Welcome to the story. Hearing the fact that you binged my story brought a grin to my face. It means a lot to me to hear that. Also you are right on the money! That song is perfect for Luca and Tyki. Seriously you just introduced me to my new favorite song! I love P!ATD in general but that song is so perfect! I always love music recommendations so let me know if you have anymore! Enjoy!
Dear Bunny~chan, The Aztecs didn't leave the piercings in but Luca tweaked it a bit. I had fun with the scene about Gambit. Luca is totally unaware that Gambit changed colors and doesn't see the problem with it. Link has a slight suspicion but she hasn't done enough for him to confirm it. Luca was a little busy but she'll remember. She also has to find the Earl first. Luca may have forgotten in all of the chaos but I haven't, I promise. The akuma was actually based on a puffer fish. I thought I would try something a bit more interesting and a bit more odd. I'm not sure how I feel about it to be honest. It was a bit of a pain to write. I explained in the chapter but I'll go over it again here, Hunter cannot copy the moves. Only physical forms and only if Luca understands them and how they work. So no Luca will never be able to copy Judgment and while it could form a cloak it would be able to do anything that Crown Clown could do. Hunter was able to recreate the melody that Maria sang but it was no different to Luca herself singing the song, it doesn't do anything. It just over powered the level 4's shrieking. Like their mistress Gambit and Scor don't like the cold so they respond similarly to her. Link may hold a slight grudge against Gambit XD! The new prophecy has something to do with Tyki huh? Interesting, very interesting indeed. Luca wasn't expecting the party and Allen knew it. Link is only being awkwardly nice because it's her birthday and he feels like he should. They'll go back to their bickering as seen in this chapter. Luca's thought process in that moment was literally, "Well it worked for Lenalee and Allen and the others are gonna die if I don't do something" so she drank it. Besides it's naturally in a liquid form anyway. As for her birthday and Tyki knowing it there's more than meets the eye which I will show in the next canon chapter so you're just gonna have to wait. Once again you looking up the meaning behind the flowers is wonderful. Enjoy the chapter!
Dear Destiny's Gem, Very good! You're killing me here. You were spot on in your theory on why Gazella messed with Hunter. You're too good at this XD. Figuring out all of my tricks like that. Honestly with Luca and Allen it's a very vicious cycle. He worries about her but not himself and so she worries about him and not herself and it just keeps going round and round and nothing ever changes. Lenalee tries but she's not very successful (read: not at all) but she does make the effort. The siblings can be a bit closed off to others especially outside of each other. It's just something that stuck with them through their childhood. You had me cracking up with you "How's that for not fighting her seriously?!" line. Even now whenever I read it I burst out laughing. You sound just as indignant as she is and was about that little piece of information. You're very close with one of your thoughts on the prophecy and what a part of it means. You are better at it than you think. Keep trying! No Luca never told him her birthday. It doesn't mean that much to her but somebody told him ;D. You're gonna have to wait to find out. You're theory about Luca's father is very interesting. Enjoy the chapter!
Dear WinterYule, I know you told me not to wipe myself out writing really long chapters but it just keeps happening. I don't even know how. They just get so long. I guess I'll have to try again to make you cry. I'll keep it in mind. Luca and Kanda don't argue the way Allen and Kanda do but they still bicker like siblings. Her falling synchronization rate was so hard to write. Every word I wrote I had no idea if it was getting what I wanted to say across or not. The diamond patterned scared her. One of the worst things you can do to her is have her innocence not react because it means that she's unable to defend Allen so it scared her to no end. Her solution? Turn it off and try turning it back on again. XD Brilliant plan Luca! A logical person would have gone to Komui yes, but nobody ever said Luca was logical. She has no regard for her own personal safety. Allen and Luca very rarely get down time but Luca really needed it and they are both still reeling from the loss of Cross. It's worse for Luca due to her feels about Cross. Luca thought the tongue piercing was cool and just went with it. She never paused to think about it. Krory does come off as a little green. The coloring of the teez doesn't just change in hallow. If you look at the teez when Tyki and Road save Allen in the manga they look like how Gambit does now. That's why I changed him. Trust me, Link will regret doing that. Of course Allen should have stayed home and of course he didn't. The boy doesn't know when to quit or even take a break. He's such a twit. At that very moment, Link was more afraid of what Luca would do to him if he didn't listen to her at that very moment. Luca's thoughts reflect her mentality and the issues that she carries with her. It will all make more sense when we get to her background and how she ended up with Cross in the first place. Even though Allen is her first priority she will not deny that she thinks of Tyki often and that he has had an effect on her. Every once in a while Luca gets to act her age. The aurora excites her and she swears that she will see it! That she'll take Allen to see it with her. The warning will come back into play later. Keep an eye out for it. ;D This chapter basically forced Luca to come to terms with who she is and what her innocence is and does. If she wishes to continue to protect Allen she must give up denying who and what they are. Luca has a lot to learn about Hunter, it's been a while since it's been called what it truly is and this is the first time that it's in it's true form, as one with it's accommodator. I will admit to being really excited her and Tyki's next meeting. She's gonna be ready for him. The answers to your questions about Hunter's effect on him will be revealed in that chapter so you're gonna have to wait. Luca will always take the opportunity to piss Lvellie off or give him a hard time. It bringers her such joy. The little devil. Lenalee could probably hug somebody to death. Chaoji has earned himself no favors from Luca by his reactions in the ark. I dread the day the two of them end up on a mission together. I'm glad it made you laugh though. Luca has no respect for him at all. The others have been smart enough to keep them apart. Honestly Komui is just so done with the mystery that is known as Luca. He can't even keep up with the girl and what's going on with her anymore. It's always changing. Her prophecies only prove this. Her falling was definitely a subject everybody wishes she had brought up. Luca is slowly clawing her way up to kicking major ass. She's coming for the forces of darkness and there's nothing they can do about it. The plaque was the science division making a joke at her expense but she turned it around on them by being proud of it. It's hung up in her room on her wall. Even though Luca doesn't like her birthday Allen does and he strives to let her know and Lenalee was all for it. Gazella's meddling is the reason that it's not just one or the other. More will come out as she explores it and it's new abilities now. Everybody loves Link's very awkward happy birthday. It was entertaining. Also Butterbeer XD This will always amuse me. Enjoy the chapter!
Dear 15th, I'm glad to know that my efforts to make the chapter suspenseful were a success. I tried to raise the stakes and make it seem hopeless. Luca finds herself in those situations a lot, have you noticed that? Gazella didn't weaken the innocence she tried to do something else with it. It will get explained later. Luca's reason for hiding it will come out. I will say that it ties in with the theme of Hunter. I can honestly say that I've been plotting the reactions to her first prophecy for a while I think Komui's was my favorite to write. He's just so confused. If anyone can give him a headache it's Luca. In some ways fighting yourself is hard as Road showed Lavi in the ark and lord knows Luca has a lot of things that she'd prefer left buried in the past or kept in the closet never to see the light of day. I hope you enjoy the chapter and I can't wait to hear from you!
Luca woke with a groan and a throbbing in her skull. Why was it blinding white in her room? She was pretty sure she had painted her room, whether this was allowed or not she didn't know nor did she care, a dull shade of blue gray. A lot of people thought it was weird but she liked the color. It allowed the content of her room to speak about her. From her clockwork inventions, to her black covers with bright paint splattered all over them, to the top hats that she had pinned up on her wall, and the pile assorted junk that was in a pile in the corner of her room. None of it was hers, rather things that she had pilfered for whatever reason. She didn't know why she still stole things, especially these things. She didn't need them nor did she have a use for them. It was a quirk she never got over from her childhood. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Blinking rapidly she tried to get used to the brightness in her room. She looked around once she could see again. Oh. It wasn't her room. She was in the ark. That would explain the whiteness of it all. Grumbling she stood up. And immediately regretted the action. Her head was pounded. Clearly she had too much to drink last night and was paying for it now. Every part of her body ached. Her right leg was killing her. She shook her head. She almost didn't want to know what she had been doing last night. She glared at the bottle of whiskey. Stalking over she grabbed the empty bottle and headed back to her room. God, what did she do to her leg? She felt like cutting it off would be less sore. The girl slunk into the baths after gathering some clean clothes.
"I'd say I'm never gonna drink again but I know that's not true." Gambit nuzzled his mistress sympathetically. There wasn't anything he could do. Scor went to bump heads with her as they often did before freezing centimeters away from Luca's throbbing skull. She smiled at the golem. "Thanks for remembering Scor. Maybe later after this hangover is gone. Thankfully the bath was empty excluding Luca who had just walked in. Sighing she stripped herself of her dirty clothes, tossing them away. She'd pick them up later. Right now she just wanted to soak in the bath. Her eyes widened. Her right leg was bandaged. Starting from her knee and climbing up her thigh. There wasn't any blood so that was probably a good thing. Sitting down on a bench she slowly unwrapped her leg. There was no injury. No there was something much worse. A tattoo. Her drunk ass had gone out and gotten a tattoo. Spanning from her knee up her thigh on the outside of her right leg was a trail of small butterfly silhouettes. A very familiarly shaped butterfly silhouette. They were teez. Luca groaned and dropped her head into her hands. How could she have possibly thought that was a good idea? It was one of the stupidest things she had ever done and there was a rather long list. Footsteps. She could hear footsteps. Luca dove into the water. Nobody else could see this. God she just wanted to die right now. Great, she hadn't gotten to brush her hair before it got wet. Now it was going to be a nightmare, well more than it already was. Lenalee walked into the room.
"Oh! There you are Luca! We've been looking for you for a while. Allen said that you weren't in your room this morning when he went to check on you." Luca smiled as best she could. She didn't feel like smiling but she couldn't tell the other girl what was going. The tattoo and her drinking would get her into some seriously hot water.
"Yeah sorry, I don't know when I woke up, just that I felt odd. I dunno. Maybe it's the mission. I'm still not used to Eternal Hunter being, well," she shrugged here, "Hunter. It's been Harlequin for so long." The Hungarian glanced down at her wrist at the scar on her right wrist. What Lenalee didn't tell anybody about this new form of innocence was that it hurt. Her arms ached. Her scars hurt and the skin around it was red and irritated from constantly being reopened. The wound would never heal nor was it meant to but her body didn't know that. She was incredibly tired too. She felt like she had no energy at all.
"Well I'm not surprised. It took me forever to get used to all the changes." Lenalee joined her friend in the water. The pair of girls entered the cafeteria, one of them in a far better mood than the other.
"Luca's in a bad mood." Marie noted as he sat up. Daisya and Kanda both looked up at him. The girl was on the other side of the cafeteria.
"So why do we care?" Kanda snorted going back to his soba. He wasn't even sure why they were sitting with him.
"Sounds like she's got a hangover." Daisya jumped up.
"I'll bring her some coffee!" Grinning the man ran off and came back with a steaming cup. Kanda rolled his eyes.
"Doesn't she put creamer in hers?" Daisya blinked for a moment.
"Oh yeah you're right. I'll be right back." Once again running off is search of the dairy, he left Kanda to guard the cup of coffee. Even those who were desperate were not desperate enough to fight Kanda for it. Despite the fact that in the Black Order is was worth it's weight in gold. Glancing around for a moment Kanda slit his wrist open. Marie raised an eyebrow but pretend that he didn't know what Kanda was doing. It would only upset the younger man. Blood seeped from the cut and into the steaming beverage. Daisya came back right as he slid the cup back into it's place. "Here it is!" Dumping the creamer in the coffee, he bounded over to present his offering to the girl.
"Luca!" The dark haired girl found her Turkish friend offered her a steaming cup of coffee. She smiled at him.
"God I love you so much Daisya!" He grinned as she cheered taking the cup from him, letting the heat warm her hands. "You are just the best. This is just what I need!" Setting the cup down she threw her arms around her.
"Yeah I know I'm the best but it's good to hear it. Enjoy!" Luca sat down drinking her coffee happily. Allen shook his head.
"I think you have a problem Lu. You drink way too much of that stuff." she stuck her tongue out at him.
"I do have to agree with him, Walker. That's far too much caffeine to be healthy." Luca turned to glare at Link.
"Says the man eating cake for breakfast. I think you just need to zip it Blondie." He glared at her.
"Walker! Do not refer to me as Blondie. It is very rude. You may refer to me by my title or at least by my surname." Luca rolled her eyes at the man and took a long drink from her flask. He always had this effect on her. She took another one before putting it away.
"I have news for you Blondie. You're not the boss and even if you were it's not like that would stop me. I'll tell you the same thing I told that dictator of yours. Respect is earned. If you want my respect earn it!"
"Guys! Please don't fight at the breakfast table. Can't we all just have a civilized breakfast. You fight all day, let's just leave breakfast out of it please." Lenalee begged. Luca frowned but complied with her friend's wishes. She knew that she was provoking the man but her hangover and early morning discovery had her in a bad mood. Allen leaned over to her whispering.
"Is something wrong?" She sighed at the question and continued to pick at her small stack of pancakes.
"I'll tell you later. There too many people right now." Allen nodded. While Link was dropping over his dishes, the siblings slipped away after the elder managed to convince Lavi to drop off their dishes allowing for their escape. Instead of going to her room, she led him to an empty room that currently had no purpose, a subtle spell allowed it to be locked an used. Her less used magic ingredients and tools were stored here.
"So what's up?" Allen asked looking around the room. He had only been in here a few times.
"So do you remember after you found out about me being half blind I came clean with you?" He nodded.
"Yeah you had said that you snuck in to see Master and he filled you in about the 14th and what was going on with it so you weren't surprised about everything that was going on." She smiled, glad that he had remembered.
"Well one of the reasons he told me is that he and I think that I might be able to find or write a spell to separate you two. Part of the reason he told me then was to give me as much time as he could. I knew something was up the minute that song started playing so I asked him about it."
"You always were more intuitive than I ever was." she smiled at him over her shoulder as she dug around looking for the herbs she needed to make herself a hangover cure.
"I wouldn't say that. I would go with I'm suspicious of everyone and everything." Allen sighed and shook his head as he leaned against the wall.
"Why are you always like this?" she laughed in response and immediately regretting the action. The argument with the inspector had only made things worse though the coffee from Daisya had helped some. She would be better after she drank her cure. Allen sat down on the floor next to her as she crushed the herbs in her mortar with the pestle. "So what was up with you? You seem to be in a mood," he paused and then added with a chuckled, "I mean more so than you normally are around Link." She made a face at him as she finished mixed the remedy up.
"Well I was working on a spell last night and I tried it out. It exploded. I'm just frustrated. So far nothing has panned out. I feel like I'm just running in circles now."
"Is that what all the blue ink on your arms are?" Luca looked down. Sure enough she still had a slight blue tint to the skin on her right arm from where she had washed her notes off.
"Yeah, I don't always have a place to put it when an idea comes to me so I put it on my skin so I don't forget it." She reached down to rub her leg again Okay, time to add pain medicine into the remedy, she sighed.
"Are you okay? You keep rubbing your leg. Did you hurt yourself? Did they backfire injure you?" Allen asked eyes flashed with worry. Luca grimaced. She really didn't want to tell him.
"No, I'm not done yet. You're going to listen to me. I don't care if you don't tell Lenalee or the others but why didn't you at least tell me? I've been worried sick about you for the last several days and you keep brushing me off. We're family! Family helps each other. So why won't you let me help you? I'm your brother and you go to hell and back to help me so let me help you. It's not weakness to admit that you need help. Let me help you." Allen's words and reaction in the infirmary rang in her head. She sighed. She had to tell him. She had promised to stop keeping secrets from him after that.
"Sorta. Please don't freak out." Allen raised an eyebrow and motioned for her to continue. She sighed deeply. "I've had so many spells, backfire, go wrong, or just do nothing. I'll admit that I was more than a bit despondent. So I snuck into Master's alcohol reserve and got drunk. Apparently while I was drunk I wandered out in through the ark and I," she paused. God, this was embarrassing, she thought. She so did NOT want to admit this, least of all to him.
"You..." he prompted.
She sighed but answered, "I got a tattoo and it's rather sore right now." Allen sighed and shook his head.
"I really wish you wouldn't drink so much or at all but I understand the feeling. I will admit to feeling the same way with everything that's going on right now. It's a trying time." he placed an hand on her shoulder as she downed the remedy. "So I'm guessing this is a hangover cure?" she nodded and made a face. These things never tasted good.
"Yeah which only added to my bad mood." He chuckled.
"Yeah I figured when you said you got drunk. Can I see the tattoo?" She grimaced and sighed.
"Do I have to?" He nodded. "Fine." She unbuckled her belt and slid her pants down. Allen examined the tattoo.
"You must have been really drunk to get this. If I didn't know who you were thinking of when you got it I would say that it's pretty."
"Yeah. I know. I don't have a clue why I got that but I did and I'm stuck with it. But it's really sore right now." She pulled her pants back up and buckled them. She took the time to refill her flask. It was almost empty.
"Walker! This isn't funny! Come out right now! You are going to be in serious trouble if you two don't show up right now!" They fell silent as Link went storming by clearly looking for them. He couldn't sense them with his ki due to the many spells that covered the door. As his footsteps faded Allen sighed.
"We should head back." Luca nodded as she hid her things away again.
"Yeah, it sounds like Link's about to have aneurysm." she snorted almost laughing. Allen shook his head as they left, Luca locking the door manually and magically. The walk away from the unused area of the Order was mostly silent both siblings contemplating what was happening and where their life was going.
"Lu?" The girl glanced to side out of habit before she remembered that she couldn't see anything on her left side. Neither sibling was quite sure when or how they had done it without coordinating it but Allen was always on his sister's left, guarding her blind side. Huh, it almost seems as if the darkness isn't as dark as it normally is. How weird, she ignored that thought and answered her brother.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for helping me."
"It's not helping until I actually managed to change something." Allen reached over and rubbed her shoulder comfortingly as she lamented mournfully. Gambit chirped mournfully and nuzzled into her hair. He couldn't help his mistress or cheer her up. Only sit with her. Allen heaved a sigh.
"Fine but know this. Even if nothing works out and I lose to the Fourteenth I have always and will always be eternally grateful for everything you have done for me. It's the most anyone has ever done for me. I can never repay you."
"Don't be so dramatic. I'll figure this out, no matter. It will be okay. I promise you." Allen smiled, his heart warming up. Her dedication was the best thing in the world to him. She had proven it so many times. Their small family, yes despite what he said Cross was family, was broken, yes but they were family. Their Master may be missing but he had a reason for it and would come back.
"I love you Luca." She turned and smiled at him.
"Mindennél jobban szeretlek öcs (I love you more than anything little brother)."
"There you two are! What have I told you about running off! I am suppose to be guarding you and I cannot do that if you are not here!" Link started in on the lecture as soon as he found them ruining the soft moment between the siblings.
"Link do us all a favor and don't lie. You're a glorified babysitter sent by your overlord and central to keep and eye on us as if we are plotting to overthrow the Pope and go running to the Earl." Allen sighed as they immediately began to argue.
"Guys stop arguing we have a mission!" Lenalee called over to the small group. Grumbling they headed to Komui's office with Allen silently thanking the man and his timing.
"Kanda and Daisya. You two are going to Spain. Lavi, Lenalee, Luca and Allen you are all heading to Portugal. Unfortunately Lenalee, you and Lavi are heading to a different part of Portugal that the Walkers. The reason I'm telling you all this is because you are all heading out from the same gate. It's the closest to all of your missions. You have half and hour before the gate opens. So you should all go get ready." The group split off once again each heading off on their own, minus Allen who was followed by his shadow.
Luca sighed as she changed into her uniform, pulling on her cropped tank top on. It was far more comfortable than the strapless she had been wearing before Harlequin had evolved into Eternal Hunter. She glanced at the black ink on her chest. The silhouette of three crows flew from her heart up towards her shoulder. One for each member of their little broken family. The closest crow was her, the next one Allen and the farthest was Cross. She'd never abandon her family no matter what. Another swig of whiskey burned her throat at that thought. She slid the smooth fabric down her skin. It was soft and breathable. Johnny was a genius, she'd give him that even if he was a bit weird. Grabbing her long curls she knotted it around the base of the pony tail several times before letting the now short end fall above her shoulder. Tugging on her jacket she grabbed her bag and met the others at the ark gate.
Luca groaned, Leave it to Komui to get the train schedules mixed up and strand us here for hours. They had been sitting at the train station for over and hour and none of the trains were there still wasn't there. Kanda leaned against the wall, annoyed but at least this time it was justifiable. She would give him that. Lenalee sat at one end of the bench with Luca in the middle and Allen on the other end, leaning against his sister, sleeping on her shoulder. She could see the bags under his eyes. His nightmares were still bad. Daisya sat on the ground back against the side of the bench. Link stood on the opposite side of the bench a ways away from the exorcists with Lavi sitting on the wall above the siblings one leg pulled up to his chest. The group was silent, nobody knowing what to say and some just unwilling to talk. Any attempt at conversation seemed to fall short and stale. Luca spent the time examining the ring she had gotten from her Master. It had been hidden in Scor with a small note. She still didn't know what it meant entirely. The ring itself was a small silver dragon ouroboros with black diamond eyes. "You'll make it to tomorrow" was inscribed on the inside. Allen bolted up with a startled cry. All heads snapped over to the youngest. Luca grabbed his hand as his head swiveled wildly clearly looking for something.
"It's okay. It was just a nightmare. Everything's okay. Go back to sleep." Reluctantly the boy lay back against her and closed his eyes. Despite this she knew he wasn't actually sleeping, his breathing too irregular. God she needed a drink right now. Taking a deep breathe she glanced up at the golem. "Scor, melody." immediately the golem responded to the order, letting the familiar music spill from her open mouth. It was Allen's playing. Luca began to sing, allowing the words to flow from her lips.
Falling fast asleep, may this little boy find blissful dreams
Among the ash and the flames that light up the night sky
...one by one... falling softly
With your silhouette casting shadows of your lovely face
I watch the sky as a million dreams are shining
Little dreams, little dreamers
Within the tender night, your silver eyes were trembling
That moment you shine pure, born anew into this world
Across a million years, time has brought us here
Our prayers burn into the earth, back where they shall return to time
I will never stop this prayer leaving my lips
Someone please show this child what love is
Take those tiny hands and leave a kiss
Falling fast asleep, may this little boy find blissful dreams
Among the ash and the flames that light up the night sky
...one by one... falling softly
With your silhouette casting shadows of your lovely face
I watch the sky as a million dreams are shining
Little dreams, little dreamers
Within the tender night, your silver eyes were trembling
That moment you shine pure, born anew into this world
Across a million years, time has brought us here
Our prayers burn into the earth, back where they shall return to time
I will never stop this prayer leaving my lips
Someone please show this child what love is
Take those tiny hands and leave a kiss
The last note hung in the air as Allen now slept peacefully. Nobody commented on the lullaby though she did notice Link jot something down in his notebook. Luca couldn't care less. The man was nuisance in general. Him knowing that she knew the lyrics didn't change anything else. Lvellie already thought she was the devil and plotting evil things with her brother. Might as well give him 'proof', she snorted at the thought. That idiot will be the death of everybody at the Order, she sighed.
Allen was still asleep by the time their train showed up. Kanda and Daisya had left some time ago but their train ride was longer. Shifting slowly the older managed to move the younger sibling onto her back not waking him once. She waved as best as she could at Lenalee and Lavi before heading to their room, ignoring Link. He would follow. He always did. It felt weird to sit on the other side of the compartment but she couldn't look out the window with her left side anymore. She drank half her flask in the time the train ride took.
Portugal was swarmed with akuma. The exorcists walked right into an attack. All around them people ran and screamed. Tripping and trampling each other to get away from the akuma. Luca grinned cheekily at her brother.
"All work and no play."
"No is not the time for quips Walker!" Luca rolled her eyes at Link.
"Activate!" Both innocences sprung to life at the command. The cloak enveloping Allen's shoulders while the blood exploded from the scars on Luca's wrists floating around it's mistress.
"Whatever Link. Why don't you be useful and get rid of the people. They're in our way." Link opened his mouth to argue but just sighed and did as he was told. She turned to Allen. "Let's get down to business then." He nodded and they took off. Immediately out of habit her gauntlets appeared as Luca lept at the first akuma she saw a green level three taking it's head off with a punch.
"Lu! Try something else! Broaden your horizon." She pouted but did as she was asked. She knew he was right. She just didn't like it. Slowly the dark red liquid slid down her arms and off her skin. Slowly it took the form of two swords. She grinned as they slithered like fire before freezing in that shape.
"There. That will do." She lunged at the closest akuma tearing through it. "Not bad. I still like my chain swords better." She jumped to the next one, a level 2 that looked like a giant scorpion. She rolled out of the way of the giant stinger. The stinger flew at her again. It hit her crossed swords sending her skidding away. "Pretty strong." Pushing the stinger back she bolted forward. The stinger reared back and shot towards her again. She dove to the side to avoid it. Jumping from the ground to the stinger she used it as a spring board launching herself into the air. Using the momentum of her fall, she drove her swords into it's head, destroying it. Gambit chirped at her but it was too late. A foot connected with her side. She yelped and crashed through the wall of a building. She would see the green light spreading through her skin from her ribs. "That hurt." she grunts pulling herself from the wreckage. Flicking her swords out, they smoothed into tiger head swords. The level 3 attacked it's gray armor gleaming.
"You're going to die today exorcist." Luca rolled her eyes at the thing.
"Yeah whatever you say. It's not like every single akuma I've ever met has said that to me or anything." It charged with an enraged roar. She met it head on, swords struggling against it's forearms. It was slowly pushing her back. Glaring she darted to the side allowing it's momentum to send it stumbling forward. Hooking it's ankle with her sword she tossed it into a building. She staggered and her swords liquefied back into blood as she grew dizzy. Her head spun. Another kick sent her sprawling.
"Time to die little exorcist." Luca rolled out of the way of the foot smashing down on the place where her head had been only seconds. She pushed herself up to her feet.
"Activate!" The blood lept back into a single sword. She couldn't manifest a second one. Taking a deep breath the sword changed into a halberd. Grabbing it she swung it around at the akuma.
"That puny blade can't hurt me!" Her headache was back with a vengeance. She needed to finish it quickly. She missed on the first swing but the second swing severed an arm. The third took the head off.
"Deactivate."
"Luca!" Allen ran over and managed to catch her before she hit the ground.
"Al, I don't feel very good." Allen picked her up easily, carrying her away from the carnage. She rested her head against his shoulder in a daze, eyes glazed.
"How so?" He set her down on a bench.
"My body feels heavy, like I could go to sleep right now. My innocence deactivated on it's own. When I didn't tell it to do so." Allen was quiet for a moment.
"Have you had anything since breakfast?" she shook her head in response. "What did you have for breakfast?"
"A couple of pancakes." Allen sighed.
"Your innocence has changed Lu. You need more food to power it now. You used up what little energy the pancakes gave you. You can't eat the way you used to." She sighed at that information. "I'll get you a snack and one for myself too." She nodded and watched him go. Her eyes slowly slid shut. She wasn't sure how she felt about her new diet or lack there of. She wasn't sure she could handle eating the way Allen did. Allen came back and the pair dug into their snack as they wandered the streets. Slowly she looked around once her vision cleared up a bit and everything was no longer spinning.
"Allen," she paused causing him to look at her. "where's Link?" He looked around wildly but was unable to locate the blond man.
"We must have lost him in the chaos." Allen noted to which she nods. Luca popped another cookie into her mouth. The minute Allen had told her that she needed to eat more she realized that he was right and she was starving. If anyone other than Allen was with her she would be embarrassed by the fact that she had already eaten two whole packages by herself. Maybe instead of eating the way Allen does, maybe I can just snack through the day? That could work. Maybe it won't seem so bad, she thought to herself as she looked down at the map. "Well now what do we do Lu?"
"Continue with the mission. Link's a big boy. He can take care of himself." Allen sighed at her shrug but nodded and followed after her. She slowed her pace a bit. Her ribs ached and her leg was killing her again. She winced as she took a breath that was too deep. She was tender. Something wiggled in her pocket. Tossing the empty package Luca handed the map over to Allen and dug around. "Scor! Your wing!" The small silver golem's left wing was bent at an awkward angle. "You must have bent it right before I landed on you. I didn't even know you were in my pocket. I'm so sorry." Luca apologized to the golem and began to gently fix it. Twisting it back into place and straightening out her feathers again. "Hmmm, it won't stay. Since I don't have my tools I'll have to use magic." Luca followed Allen as she fixed her golem's wing. Glancing up she looked around. "Allen, where are we?"
"Uhh," Allen trailed looking around and then down at the map. "I think we're-uhh..." he trailed off again still looking around. Sighing she walked over and took the map from him.
"Allen you had the map backwards." she glanced down at it again. "And upside down. You have no idea where we are do you? We're completely lost." Sighing he nodded.
"You were busy and I didn't want to bother you especially because you were trying to fix Scor and I should have warned you about your new appetite and I thought I knew where I was going." The Hungarian looked around. Clearly they were in the wealthier part of the city if the large grand estates were anything to go by. Sighing she walked up to a random door. It wasn't late so maybe somebody would answer. Just as she raised her hand to knock on the door it opened.
"Oh!" the woman gasped upon seeing Luca and her shocked expression. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." The woman was well dressed in a lovely burgundy dress, she had blonde hair pinned back and a pale sickly tone to her skin. Luca smiled at her.
"Oh, it's no problem. I apologize for bothering you. I just have a question for you if that's alright." The woman nodded.
"Lady Kamelot you must go. I can help them." The butler urged though Luca could see him glaring at her with disdain. Luca ignored him.
"Oh nonsense Fausto. It's just a question and I'm right here." Lady Kamelot as the butler had called her, waved him off. "Now what can I help you with?" Luca kept her smile in place.
"My brother got us lost, and I was wondering if you could give me directions to the church closest to the town square? St. Felix' if I'm remembering correctly." The older woman smiled easily.
"Of course. I don't know how you managed to find yourself all the way out her but it's pretty easy to get back." The woman gave Luca directions to which she smiled brightly.
"Thank you so much, I don't know what we would have done without your help."
"Oh it's no problem! Be safe!" Luca waved and grabbed Allen walking in the direction the lady had told her. Quickly she darted into an alleyway still dragging Allen with her.
"Lu what are we doing?" she sighed.
"You have no idea who we just met do you?" Allen shook his head. He was completely lost. "The butler called her Lady Kamelot. Who else do we know that has that surname? It's not a common one." Allen blinked at her for a moment before it clicked.
"Road!" She grinned.
"Exactly."
"But what of it? We haven't seen a Noah since Lulu Bell attacked and even then Road hasn't shown up." Luca glanced around before picking up a newspaper. It was several months old but had what she was looking for. She handed it to him.
"Read the headline." He looked at it.
"Attempted Assassination of Minister Kamelot."
"Now look at the picture and caption."
"Kamelot family attends funeral of colleague who saved Minister Kamelot's life." Allen's eyes widened as he stared at the picture. "That's Tyki! And Road! And that lady!" Luca grinned.
"That's his wife. She's getting ready to leave. Are there any akuma in there? I sense 20 presences." Allen activated his eye.
"They're all akuma. Why do you ask? Are we going in?" She nodded. "Why?"
"It's the Noah house. We gotta have some fun where we can find it." He opened his mouth to point of that this was a terrible idea just as the woman walked by. "There she goes. Lets go." Grinning she ran back the door and knocked. The butler opened the door again and she smiled. Upon seeing her uniform he attacked. She kicked him in face sending him flying back into the house and followed after. Allen closed the door behind himself darting after the girl. The akuma fell quickly.
"Lu! We shouldn't be here!" Allen hissed running after the girl. The sound of something running towards them caused both to turn just in time to see the large white dog come thundering towards them. Luca lit up and knelt down. The Great Pyrenees ran up to them growling until Luca help out her hand to let him sniff her. "Lu?" Allen asked uncertainly eyeing the large dog. A lot could go wrong. The dog sniffed her hand before he began wagging his tail.
"Yeah you're a good dog aren't you? Yes you are! Yes you are!" Allen just watched completely baffled as his sister easily tamed the dog and began to pet it all the while talking and fawning over it.
"I don't know how you do this. Every animal that's ever met you, loves you even though you are intruding into his house, he'd rather be petted by you." Allen shook his head at a loss.
"Oh Allen, animals can tell. Ghost's a good boy."
"How do you know his name?"
"Duh, it's on his tag. They could have come up with something a bit more creative though it could be worse, like snow or snowball." She sighed at the name. "Anyway," she stood up. "let's get to work." Her brother raised an eyebrow.
"Uh what does that mean?" He followed after her until she was standing by a coffee table.
"Help me." together they lifted it up and moved it. "Stop!"
"Luca we've hardly moved. What are we doing?"
"We're gonna move everything two inches to the left."
"They won't even notice that." Allen pointed out as they shifted a love seat over.
"Duh, that's the point. They won't notice but it's will be enough..." she trailed off waiting for him to wake the connection.
"That they run into things and trip over them." he finished. She nodded.
"Very good little brother." Allen sighed and shook his head. "Also don't pretend like you don't think it's funny. You can play the innocent exorcist all you want around the others but I know you. You're just as sadistic as me you just hide it better." He let the smirk slid onto his face as they moved everything.
"Fine. You're right. I doubt the others would like it but we do share the trait. Do you think they'll ever notice?" Luca thought for a moment.
"Maybe. Not Tyki though. That man is so oblivious that it's not even funny. Well it's sorta funny." She smirked while he shook his head.
"You're a terrible person."
"Well yeah but it sure is a lot of fun." She stood up and looked around. "There I think we're done down here, let's head upstairs."
"What if they come back?" Ghost trotted up the stairs at Luca's heel, ears flopping as they headed up the grand staircase. The first door she tried was locked.
"Well now what?" Allen asked. Luca merely shifted her weight to her right foot, bending her left leg back until she could reached the heel of her boot. Pushing the bottom of it in a small box popped out. "That's where you keep your lock pick set?" She nodded.
"Well yeah, I'm hardly without my boots and nobody has ever thought to look there." Bending down she picked the lock with the ease of many years.
"You're breaking in?" he questioned.
"Well of course." Luca snorted. "The best things are kept behind locked doors." The door swung open and they stepped in. The office was slightly messy showing that somebody was working on something. "Now lets see what the Minister is up to, shall we?" Allen started flicking through the papers on the desk while Luca explored the books on the shelf.
"Lu come look at this. He's restarting a war. This whole list is political figures across all kinds of counties. All of these people are akuma." Luca walked over to look at the list. It was rather lengthy.
"Well that's probably not good." Allen grabbed another one.
"This one's on gang members and it's even longer."
"Well I guess all this money's got to come from somewhere. Well you know the old saying "A good politician is quite as unthinkable as an honest burglar." It's a saying for a reason." Allen snorted.
"Yeah I know. I don't understand how people can fall for all these lies."
"They all lie. Sometimes you just have to pick the lesser of two evils but I guess this guy is just exceptional at playing the lesser evil." He nodded and began to rummage through again while she moved back to the bookcase. She pulled a thick heavy leather bound book from the shelf.
"Find anything good?" He questioned walking over to her.
"Yeah. This spell book is ancient. It says something about the Noah but I can't fully translate it. I'll need help with it. Maybe Bookman could help me with that. We have to take this with us. We can't leave this in their possession." He nodded. He could already tell that she was enamored with it.
"You and your spell books. I swear." She made a face at him as she closed the book and replaced the belt holding it closed.
"Is there anything else good on or in the desk?" Allen shook his head.
"Nope. Just an enormous picture collection of Road. It's kinda creepy to be honest." She nodded and they left the office and moved to the next door which was down the hall. It was also locked.
"It's just a bedroom." Allen noted as they walked in. Luca walked over to the nightstand and opened the drawer.
"Correction, it's Tyki's room." She held up a familiar silver button.
"So this is what you're really looking for." She nodded.
"Yep. He gave me more flowers. They were on my bed. I found them after the party." Allen frowned at that.
"I wish he'd stop that. You know nothing good will ever come out of all this flirting."
"Oh relax Allen. It's not serious flirting. It's just a game." She walked over to the bed and summoned her magic.
"So how do you know that they won't show up?"
"I left Timcampy outside. If any of the family shows up he'll alert us through Scor." Allen eyed the black wrapped present with a bright green ribbon tied into a bow.
"Just flirting. Right." Allen muttered under his breath. Suddenly voices came through Scor.
"Why do you make me go to these things Sheril? You know I hate them." Tyki grumbled causing Luca to giggle.
"But all the ladies love you!" Road giggled clearly relishing in her uncle's misery.
"Time to go!" Luca spoke to which Allen nodded and darted out the door with Luca hot on his heels. She paused for a moment. Rushing back into the room she grabbed the left shoe before locking the door on her way out. "Down the next left." she called. Taking the back stairs into the servants quarters they darted out of the mansion as Ghost ran to greet his family unaware that the burglars had escaped.
Following the directions that Lady Kamelot had given them was easy and they soon found themselves at the church. There was still no sign of Link but the siblings just shrugged and entered the abandoned church.
"How long has it been like this?" Allen asked, most of the contents were charred black or in ashes.
"Not long. A fire broke out. A lot of people were trapped. Some died from the smoke and some died from the fire itself. It hasn't been used since. Nobody knows how the fire started or even where it started. The body count was at 74 but there were more that were so burned that you couldn't tell if it was human or not." Allen sighed as he looked around, a charred skull sat in the corner.
"So why are we here? It seems like a tragedy, sad but normal."
"A group of finders were sent to see what caused the fire, after people began to report seeing a firey figure wandering around. None of the finders have checked in or returned. No contact has been made in days. We're here to see if it's innocence or an akuma and see if we can find the finders while we're at it." She took a sip of her whiskey.
"There's no need to look any further. I'm right here." Both exorcists whirled around to face the level 4 standing there grinning at them from the large balcony of the church.
"Guess that answers our questions." Luca snorted.
"Activate!" Both innocence jumped to life, both forming swords.
"Lu!" Luca rushed at Allen and jumped up before he launched her at it. He leapt up after her. The tiger head sword sliced a shallow cut on the akuma's arm before it tossed her away. Allen immediately took her place. Jumping to her feet she attacked from behind. One of her swords hooked around her neck allowing her to fling it into the wall. "You okay?" She nodded at her brother.
"Yeah, I'm fine." The akuma attacked. Kicking Allen into the wall. Luca just barely managed to block a punch with her swords which was meant to take her head off. She skidded back several meters.
"You won't be when I'm finished with you. In fact there won't be anything left of you."
Luca snorted rather annoyed, "Same lines, different akuma." It lunged at her, knocking her legs out from under her before kicking her in the stomach which twisted painfully. Her thigh began to ache again. She crashed into the pews, smashing several of them and then hit the ground. A cry of pain that was not her own startled her. It was too young to be Allen who was attacking the akuma. She pushed herself up to her feet and looked behind the last pew that she had hit. A small child cowered behind it. She leapt over the pew to get a better look.
"Please don't hurt me." the little boy begged. She dismissed her swords and knelt down to appear less frightening. Allen would be okay for a moment.
"What are you doing here? It's not safe." The boy looked up at her with wide hazel eyes.
"I have nowhere else to go and the roof is mostly intact." he answered. She eyed his clothes. They were ratty and torn. The child himself had brown greasy hair that was cut unevenly, most likely by himself with one of the shards of glass if the bandage around his hand was anything to go by. He was malnourished too. She could easily see his ribs. This child was unloved and unwanted. Nobody would miss him if he died here. Memories of her own childhood spent on the streets flashed in her head.
"I need you to run. That thing can kill you very easily but once it's dead I promise you that I will find you a place to stay with a roof and food for you to eat but you need to get out while you still can for now."
"How do I know that you'll keep your word?" Allen crashed into the wall causing her to jump up and glanced around wildly for a moment.
"Here." She handed him her ring. "This ring is very important to me. It was given to me by my father. You can hold onto it until I find you a safe place to stay and then you'll give it back to me. That way if I break my word you can sell the ring. Sound fair?" he nodded, looking at the ring curiously. "Now take cover and as soon as I have it's attention run outside and find a safe place to hide!" He did as he told and hid under the pew closet to the door. Nodding she attacked the akuma again as her swords formed. The hooked end caught it's arm and she whirled around and away from her brother.
"Release me you little witch!" Hooking the other sword around the same arm in the opposite direction she yanks, severing the arm from the body. Allen launched his sword through her straight into the akuma.
"Nice shot but it's not enough!" Rushing forward she planted her feet on the handle pushing the sword farther in with her momentum. It fired a blast of dark matter at her. Her swords absorbed it. She could feel the power coursing through them and her body. The level 4 freed itself and kicked her again. She hit the wall with a cry. The kick had broken several of her ribs. She saw the kid make a break for the door just as she had instructed.
"Where do you think you're going?!" The akuma snarled firing a barrage of bullets at him. Allen shoved the blade into the akuma attempting to stop it from firing but it was too late.
"Move!" The kid froze unable to heed her command. She shot forward, not hearing her brother shouting her name. The bullets embedded into her back causing her to cry out in pain. The child cowered bellow her.
"LUCA!" Black stars spread across her skin. Luca swore she could taste the virus on her tongue. She stood up to glare at the akuma. The stars glowed purple for a second before blazing bright green. Her swords melted, climbing up her skin and changed back into her gauntlets.
"Allen, move." she ordered calmly, the power flowing through her veins. Her brother dove out of her way.
"You can't kill me!" The akuma howled trying to dislodge the sword. It moved centimeter by centimeter.
"Cease to exist! Reap, Nightmare's Mark!" The energy erupted from her gauntlet vaporizing the akuma and sending her crashing back and through the wall. Her innocence deactivate immediately. Luca crawled out of the hole. "Yep, still no control. That's gonna hurt in the morning." She rubbed her bruised back and shoulders. Allen reattached his arm and deactivated as well.
"We should get going. The building's gonna-" He was cut off by a loud creak and then a crack.
"Run!" Luca grabbed the kid and the three of them darted out into the street as the church came down. Link stood in the streets glaring at them both. Luca chuckled nervously and set the kid down. "Whoops. My bad."
"Your bad?" Link asked his face growing redder by the minute. Luca sighed and rolled her eyes ignoring whatever he was saying. It probably wasn't anything important. Most likely another lecture. She bent down to face the kid again.
"See? Made it out alive? Now, we'll find you a place to stay..." she trailed off. "I do believe that you haven't given me your name yet. My name's Luca, this is my brother Allen," she motioned to him, "And the angry one is Link. You can just ignore him. So what's your name?" He shuffled his feet uncomfortably, his eyes downcast.
"I don't have a name, or if I did, I don't remember it." Allen winced and Luca sighed sadly.
"Well, can I give you a name?" Immediately the kid brightened up looking at her with big hopeful eyes.
"Really? You'd give me a name?" She nodded. "Okay!" Luca thought for a moment.
"Hmmm, what about Oscar? It means champion warrior." The boy rolled it around on his tongue for a moment.
"Yeah okay! I like it." Oscar smiled up at her brightly.
"Perfect! Now let's go find you a real home." She stood up and offered him her hand.
"Wait." She looked down at him curiously. He placed her ring back in her hand. She smiled and slid it back on.
"Thank you Oscar." Once again she offered her hand. Oscar gladly took it. She looped her arm through Allen's and the three set off with Link following them grumpily. Finding a home for Oscar proved easier than expected. A young couple showed up at the orphanage and the woman immediately fell in love with the boy begging her husband to adopt Oscar. Unable to deny his wife the couple adopted the boy. Luca and Allen waved goodbye to Oscar as he left with his new parents.
"That worked out unusually well for us." Allen noted as they walked back to the train station. Link was oddly quiet but the girl wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Luca winced silently. Her broken ribs ached along with her leg and her back.
Upon returning to the Order the Walker siblings were whisked away to the infirmary once more. Luca sighed. We spend far too much time in here. I hate it so much, she noted. Allen kept her distracted while the nurse wrapped her broken ribs. There was nothing they could do about the small cuts and large bruises that covered her back other than give her pain meds. As soon as the medical staff wasn't paying attention the pair slipped out heading for the cafeteria. Both were starving even though Luca didn't want to admit it. They were only half way through their meal when Lvellie strutted in with Link, ever the loyal mutt, at his heels.
"Walker!" Both glanced at him with boredom. "In the supervisor's office right now."
"We're eating. After." Luca answered coldly.
"Now." Lvellie growled bending down to get in her face. He was instantaneously attacked by Gambit who felt that the man was in his mistress' space and needed to vacate it. The inspector flailed around as he tried to dislodge the carnivorous golem. Link jumped to try and help with little luck. He couldn't get a hold of it. As he rushed forward, Luca discreetly stuck her foot out allowing him to trip and crash into his superior. She whistled and Gambit released the skin and fluttered back over to her, incredibly proud of the chuck of flesh in his mouth. Luca giggled as the butterfly gobbled it down. Allen snorted in amusement as subtly as he could.
"Well I'm ready to go." Luca stood up from the table and left the room with Allen. The pair sauntered into Komui's office. "What's up chief?" The pair of inspectors stormed into the room. Lvellie now sporting a large bandage on his nose.
"You!" He whirled around to face Luca and began to wave a finger in her face until the teez flew towards it menacingly. He retracted his finger. "Such insubordination! If you were one of my CROWS I would have you shot."
Luca snorted, "If I was one of yours I would shoot myself."
"Lets all just calm down." Komui sighed. "Luca what you did was wrong." She shrugged but didn't argue with him. She didn't actually have any problem with Komui. She knew it wasn't nice, she didn't care, but she knew. "Now what is this all about?"
"Inspector Link informed me that the Walker siblings were missing for several hours and made no attempt to find him. Now would you two like to explain what happened or should you just be punished?"
"We lost the tattletale in the battle. It's not our fault if he can't keep up. We wandered around lost for a bit, asking about the fire and what happened before we got directions and went to the church. We slayed the akuma and then Link found us. No problemo." She shrugged. Lvellie raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth but Komui cut him off.
"Can you prove this?" Luca nodded.
"Tim has footage. Scor had a broken wing so she didn't record while I was fixing it." Tim played the footage of the pair wandering around and then asking for directions. Komui nodded.
"See nothing bad happened. You two may go." The pair nodded and headed for the door.
"I guess there really is no rest for the wicked" The girl snorted at the man and left with Link following though he was glowering at Luca. Whether it was from the nickname or the stunt she pulled in the cafeteria she didn't know nor did she care. The sibling parted ways at their rooms.
"Sleep well Allen." He nodded.
"Sweet dreams Lu." As soon as she was in her room she downed what was left in her flask before pulling the book out from her jacket and returned it to it's normal size. She began to translate.
Tyki cursed as his shin smacked into the coffee table again. For reason unknown to them, the house was entirely empty expect for Ghost who had immediately rushed up to greet them. Tricia had patted him on the head before retiring to her room to sleep. Sheril, Road and Tyki had found that no matter what they did they kept running into the furniture. This was the sixth time he had done it. Sighing deeply he stalked upstairs to his room. He heard a crash followed by a string of Portuguese curses. Sheril must have crashed into something else, Tyki noted as he phased through his door. It kept the twins out of his room. Road would just use her door to get in but everybody else had to knock. It was a much needed measure to give him his space. His eyes widened at the box that sat on his bed. The Noah walked over and sat down behind it.
He picked up the card and read, "And this maiden she lived with no other thought than to love and be loved by me." Carefully he pulled the green ribbon away from the box. He placed it in the drawer with the other one and Allen Walker's button. Tyki ripped the paper away, trying to act like an adult. The present was about the size of a hat box. Pulling the top off he pulled out a pile of books. "Edgar Allen Poe huh? A very interesting choice Butterfly. Well at least I have something to read now." He looked through the books. Every book by the man was in the box. He picked up the first book and walked over to the rocking chair by the fire. After lighting it he sat down and opened it to the first page.
Allen sat up. Something had woken up. It was coming from Luca's room. Climbing out of bed, he stepped silently around Link careful not to wake him up. He slid out of his room and knocked on her door.
"Lu? Are you okay?" His question was met with silence. "Luca? Luca?" He knocked again. "Luca are you alright? Luca answer me please." Taking a deep breath he opened the door. Her room was dark with a sliver of light coming from the bathroom. "Luca?" He pushed the door open. "Luca!" he rushed in just in time to grab her hair and hold it back as she vomited. "What happened? What's wrong?" She spit the stomach acid out and he quickly offered her a glass of water to rinse with. She fell over into his lap.
"I don't know. I was almost asleep when it started." Her skin was slick with sweat and clammy like a fish. He brushed her soaked bangs back. "I'm freezing." Taking a deep breath he summoned Crown Clown using his cape to drag her blanket from her bed over to them. He draped it over her shaking form. Her teeth chattered causing him to pull her to her feet.
"You need to see Head Nurse." She latched onto him weakly. She was scaring him. He had never seen her like this.
"No! No! Please, no." her speech slurred and she swayed dangerously. His eyes narrowed and he frowned.
"Lu I really think you should go to the infirmary." She shook her head. He sighed, "Fine. Let's just get you to bed." He picked her up easily, not trusting her legs. She curled up in her bed and grabbed his hand.
"Please stay. I..." He sighed.
"Nightmares?" she nodded. "Scooch over." she did as he instructed and he climbed in. It was just like when they were little though normally it was him running to her with nightmares. She curled up with him, their legs entwining with his arm wrapped around. "Get some sleep Lu." He kissed the top of her messy curls and let his eyes slide shut. Neither slept well that night.
Well shit. Luca seems to be having a problem. This chapter we got to explore some of the down sides of Hunter that Luca didn't realize when it first evolved. There's still so much that she doesn't know about it and is having to learn or relearn since it doesn't work the same way Harlequin did. I can't wait to hear your theories on what's going on with her in the that last scene. Anyway, next chapter will be the Christmas special and then after that we will have the New Years special (somebody spiked the punch at the Order party ;D Won't that be fun?) As always please review! It brings me such joy! Cheshire is out~!