Nearly Christmas 2016, but first, I must get through finals. Also, it's been a rather crappy year, so...maybe 2017 will be better?
Speaking of which, these years just go by quickly the older one gets, don't they? No wonder immortals in most media never feel time passing.
Ah, enough rambling. Let's move on.
"This. Is. Ridiculous," Blake snapped, emphasizing every word as he and Allen pushed their way through the crowds of London.
Allen sighed. "Blake, you have to admit he made sense. We've been through this."
"Yeah, and we've also established that you're not much happier about this than I am, no?" Blake retorted.
"Well, what can we do? No one else knows our job better than we do. You should be grateful that he let Lenalee and Lucia come with us," Allen pointed out.
Blake gave him a half-lidded look. "You realize that the only reason they're coming is to charm him into returning with us, right?"
Allen imagined Komui crying endless rivers of tears at having to expose Lenalee to the job. "You do have to feel sorry for Komui, though."
Blake grunted. "Fair enough."
As they arrived at their destination, the Royal Quarter, there was a short queue, allowing Allen and Blake to think back to the events of the previous evening…
Both Allen and Blake were still screaming, until Lenalee and Lucia, having had enough of it, smacked them both upside their heads. "Calm down, guys," Lucia ordered.
Blake glared at her. "Lucia, you and Lenalee should consider yourselves lucky! You don't know what we know!"
"Exactly, which is why both of you are necessary for this mission. As his apprentices, there's no one else who knows General Cross better than you two do," Komui said.
"Besides, wouldn't it be easier if both of you were to confront him instead of just one? And with all four of us on the job, there's no way we'll fail," Lenalee added.
Allen gave her a hopeless look. "I'm holding you to those words. You have no idea just how much of a bastard Master is," he sighed.
Lenalee smiled back at him. "Then you'll just have to tell us, won't you?"
Allen responded by sitting down in the fetal position, rocking back and forth. "Never...never again…"
With his partner...incapacitated, Blake reluctantly took the lead. "This goes against all of my instincts...but I accept the mission. Allen, too. But only for the sake of information!"
Komui smiled and looked at Lenalee and Lucia. "And what about you two?"
Lucia sighed. "These two idiots are going to have a mental breakdown if we let them go by themselves…"
Lenalee nodded in agreement. "Yeah. So of course, we're going too, Brother!"
Allen gave them all a happy look of thanks. "Allen," Komui called, making Allen look up. "Protect my precious Lenalee~!"
Allen stood back up and nodded. "No Akuma, Noah, or Earl will leave unscathed if they hurt her. Thief's honor and aristocrat's word," he replied, beating his chest once in a salute.
Komui nodded and left, but not before whispering, "It's not them I'm worried about," to Allen.
Allen nodded back. "I know," he whispered back.
"In the end, I was the one who accepted, and you didn't stop me. So, really, I think we're both at fault," Blake said.
Allen gave his and Blake's credentials to the Royal Quarter's soldiers, and took them back once they were cleared and allowed to enter. "It doesn't matter. We have a few days to do our research," Allen replied.
"To that end, Allen, I've...prepared a good source," Blake muttered.
Allen sensed a drastic change in tone, and realized what Blake was talking about after a few moments of thinking. "Are you sure? The last few visits haven't done you good, have they?"
Blake gave a halfhearted shrug. "She's going to pass soon. But I might as well share one last moment with her."
Allen stopped Blake with a strong grip on his shoulder. "Not for this, Blake. She needs to know who you are. Haven't you felt any guilt, lying to her all these months?"
Blake shrugged his friend's hand away. "Of course I have! But how do you think she would react to how I've turned out? Trust me, it's better this way." With that, he turned sharply away, heading towards the nearby hospital where his source awaited.
Allen shook his head in annoyance. "You idiot. You've become at least as good a man as me, or even Desier. I see it, Lenalee sees it, Dulcinia sees it, Desier sees it, and especially Lucia sees it. Why can't you?" So having muttered, he followed closely behind Blake.
Allen and Blake arrived, greeting the nurse at the front desk. "Hello, Anna," Blake called.
"Blake. Are you here to see Aoura?" Anna asked.
"Yes."
"Wait one moment." Anna called up a doctor, exchanged a few words with him, and hung up. "She's in the same room as before."
"How is she, Anna?" Blake asked.
Anna gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, Blake. At this point, she does not have long."
Blake sniffed. "Well, thank you for the support you've given her. At least she lived her last years in comfort, just as she deserved." He left with that, and Allen smiled at Anna before following him.
They climbed a few flights of stairs easily before traversing down a few hallways. Allen stopped a bit to purchase a bouquet of red and white roses from a flower vendor, without comment from Blake. They continued to the room where Blake had been visiting in secret ever since he had returned to London, the room where Aoura Phantasia was living out her final days.
Aoura Phantasia was the last survivor of Blake's family, aside from Blake himself. For most of Blake's adolescent life, Aoura's physical and mental condition had deteriorated due to her advanced age. It was a miracle that she had survived so long, even considering constant medical care, especially after the shock of hearing of her oldest son's death and her grandson's disappearance after being branded a criminal.
Now, Aoura was battling senility. She was almost completely bedridden, and rarely left her hospital room. It was in this condition that Blake found her when he first returned to London. The Queen Natalia's kindness had kept Aoura from being condemned like the rest of her family; Aoura was the last of the generation of grandparents, and she had been a very kind aunt figure to Natalia herself. It was this fond reminiscence that had saved Aoura.
But ever since Blake had found his grandmother, he had not been able to bring himself to introduce himself to her after she had looked at him without recognition. He had instead presented himself to Aoura as a passing stranger who wished to give company, comfort, and when he became an Exorcist, protection to those who feared death. But to Aoura, he was her closest confidante and listening ear.
It was undeniable to Allen that Blake was suffering quite a bit, forcing himself to remain anonymous to his own grandmother. Allen knew that Blake thought of himself as inadequate compared to the grandness of his father. Aoura had deeply loved Blake as a child, and had high hopes for him. What would she say if she discovered that Blake was a thief, a criminal, a murderer, even? To Blake, that was unacceptable. And so the ruse continued.
"Hello again, Mrs. Phantasia. How are you feeling today?" Blake asked.
Aoura's face broke out in a smile when she saw Blake. "Hello, young one. Is this your friend?"
Allen bowed. "It is good to meet you, Mrs. Phantasia. My name is Allen. Here is a gift." He held out the bouquet.
"Oh, thank you. You are both such sweet boys, just like my grandson was. You know, if he was here, he would be just about your age, Allen," Aoura said.
As Allen dumped out the previous roses from a nearby vase and refilled it with his fresh ones, he could very well imagine the pain that had flashed in Blake's eyes at Aoura's statement, and his heart went out to his friend. But he remained silent as Blake asked, "Do you miss your grandson, Mrs. Phantasia?"
"Oh, just call me Aoura, young man. My last name is such a pain to say sometimes, and it's what everyone else calls me," Aoura suggested.
Blake nodded. "Very well...Aoura." He pulled up chairs by Aoura's bedside for himself and Allen. "I'm going to raise your bed so you don't have to strain your neck so much, okay?"
"Thank you." She stayed silent as Blake raised her bed, and then continued as Allen sat down. "To answer your question, yes, I miss my grandson very much. The papers all claimed he was a thief, a criminal, but I knew that even if he was, there was a reason for all his crimes. So imagine just how happy I was when I learned he joined the Black Order as an Exorcist!"
Allen gave Blake a knowing look, which Blake ignored as Aoura continued. "I just wish he'd visit me. Those uniforms...you two are part of the Black Order too? Have you seen Blake? How is he?"
Allen took up the story. "Blake is doing well, Aoura. He's gone through a lot of pain in past years, as you might imagine, but he's pushing through all of it. He misses you very much, though."
"Does he even know I'm alive?" Aoura asked.
"I wouldn't know. He doesn't tell us everything," Allen said.
"Well, tell him where I am. It would be so sweet to hold him in my arms again, almost like I did when he was just a baby. Him and his friend Allen both," Aoura said.
"As you wish, Aoura," Blake replied, his voice beginning to break. Allen could see tears brimming in his eyes.
"He'll come, Aoura, even if we don't tell him. Blake has an odd way of knowing and noticing things," Allen said.
"He's just like his uncle Scion was…" Aoura whispered.
Allen and Blake exchanged glances. "Aoura, you've mentioned Scion a few times before. Who was he?" Blake asked.
"Ah, yes, I never told you. Scion Phantasia was my nephew, my brother's son. He was very different from his cousin, always keeping to himself and so quiet...but it was with Nea that he seemed to be truly friendly. They got along very well, despite their different personalities. Also, Scion had something special that neither Marcus nor Nea had. When any of his friends were being bullied at school, Scion stepped in and beat them up. He got in so much trouble for all the fighting, but he just couldn't stand it when someone was in trouble. So quiet and antisocial, but so kind...personally, I was proud of him for what he did, but a mother knows certain things about children. And being a mother myself, I knew that Scion's need to protect others by himself would get him into trouble one day," Aoura recalled.
"And what happened?" Blake asked.
"Melisande happened. That beautiful French songwriter bewitched Scion the instant he saw her. He stood up for her every chance he got, but was too shy to confess how he truly felt about her. It was sweet, but also worrying. How could Scion fall for someone like her, a Frenchwoman, and not a proper Englishwoman? And he and his mother argued almost every day about her…it led to him running with away her. But he wasn't alone. Nea fell in love with someone forbidden, too. She was a performer, just as beautiful as Melisande, but she was a Chinawoman. When Nea's parents opposed their marriage, all four of them ran off together."
Aoura shook her head angrily. "We were all so enraged, frustrated at these women who had stolen away our sons. But after time passed, I realized the truth...Nea and Scion were not bewitched, they left of their own will. The others never got the chance to see it, but time has allowed me to forgive Scion for what he did. And even more so when we saw our grandchildren. They say people are better grandparents than parents. So when we saw the next generation...Allen, Blake, Wendell, Dulcinia, Regulus...we promised ourselves we'd try to make sure they were happy. And now look how that turned out."
"Aoura…"
Aoura shook her head, interrupting Blake. "No, I know what you'll say. There's no point in dying with regret. And while you are right, there's also no point in saying it. Everyone dies with regrets." She sighed, turned to look at the ceiling, and smiled. "But at least I saw my grandson again, one last time before I go. I know Wendell and Dulcinia are happy, too."
"Wait, I thought you said Blake hasn't visited you yet," Allen said.
Aoura gave a weak but joyous laugh, before turning to look at Blake with tears in her eyes. "I lied. I know he has. Ever since he came back to London."
Allen looked at Blake with wide eyes. His friend's eyes were just as wide. "How could you…?"
Aoura scoffed. "Come now, Blake, did you really think I didn't know who you were the moment I saw you? I would be a poor grandmother if I didn't." She gave him a wide smile and weakly held up her arms. "I'm so proud of you...my dear grandson Blake Phantasia."
Blake broke down, taking Aoura in his embrace and burying his head in her shoulder. "Oh, Grandmother...I'm so sorry, I…"
"Shhh, shh...there, there. There's a good grandson. That's right, no shame in crying in front of me," Aoura soothed her grandson with gentle strokes of his back, before looking up at Allen. "Hello, Allen."
Allen gave a weak smile. "Hello, Lady Phantasia…"
Aoura laughed. "Thank you for staying by Blake's side all these years. Your father would be proud of you."
Allen bowed his head. "Thank you, Lady Phantasia."
Blake raised his head. "Grandmother...I…"
"I'm so proud of you, Blake. I'm proud of both of you. You and Allen have both become strong, fine young men. I'm glad both of you survived St. Rowena's Square. Now I can move on in peace," Aoura said.
Blake wiped his eyes and smiled back at his grandmother. "You've been suffering all these years. I didn't want to let you know what kind of person I've become. I thought…"
Aoura shook her head. "You thought I would be angry with you. That I would be disgusted with you. Well, Blake, you were right. I was, at first, until I found out your reasons. These Akuma, the Millennium Earl...what terrible things you have to face."
"It's our job, Lady Phantasia," Allen said.
"I know."
"Grandmother...you don't have to suffer anymore. You can let go now, if you want. We'll be fine," Blake said.
Aoura smiled. "I have been waiting...so long for you to return to me. Thank you, Blake."
"I'm your grandson, and your good boy. I'll always come home," Blake replied, almost like a child.
Aoura ruffled his hair. "Yes, you will, Blake. I love you…and I'll see you tomorrow."
Blake nodded. "I love you, too, Grandmother. I'll come back tomorrow. The Black Order keeps me busy." He kissed Aoura's forehead and lowered her bed back down to sleeping position.
"Thank you, Blake...I'm so tired…" Aoura sighed.
"Go to sleep, Grandmother. Good night. I'll see you tomorrow," Blake replied, getting up,
"Good night, my grandson…" Aoura closed her eyes, and her gentle breathing soon assured she was asleep.
Allen kissed Aoura's cheek and pulled his chair away, following Blake out of the room. They were silent the way out of the hospital. There was no more need to go through family records, either; Aoura had told them all she knew, or wanted to tell.
So with that, Allen and Blake took the long trek back to the Black Order's Headquarters. They could have taken a coach, but both of them wanted time to think, and besides, they liked the fresh air.
"She will not last long, Allen," Blake said.
"Right after General Yeegar, huh?" Allen replied.
"If nothing else, he'll protect her. They'll watch over us, wherever they are," Blake said.
"Yeah."
As Blake had expected, when he returned to the hospital the next day, Aoura Phantasia had passed during the night. He was pleased when he was told that her passing was incredibly peaceful, almost dignified, like the elderly aristocrat she was. He spent the first few hours of the day in a silent vigil in his grandmother's room, while Allen went to confirm the status of his and Blake's inheritance with Her Majesty.
When he returned, he assisted Blake with the carrying of the coffin, and a few hours later, both of them attended Aoura's funeral, along with the royal couple, the queen, and the Exorcists of the Black Order. The Exorcists did not know Aoura personally, but they all noticed the pain in Blake's demeanor, and so they stood with him, granting him a bit of comfort in this dark time, right before the mission to find General Cross.
But it was the four original friends who stood together the closest. Allen, Blake, Desier, and Dulcinia found unity, all of them having cared for Aoura as more than a mere kind old woman. She had cared for all of them in some way special, and she would be missed.
As the others filed away, Dulcinia embraced Blake, and even Desier did the same. "I'm sorry, Blake," Dulcinia said.
"She went in her sleep. That is all I could have asked. But I will miss her," Blake said.
"We will all miss her," Desier said.
"By the way, some of our sources have said that you two are going on a mission to find your master, along with Ms. Lee and Ms. Remier. Correct?" Dulcinia asked.
"Your sources are quite terrifying, Highness. What they revealed is kept very secret, which means that someone in the Black Order talked. When we get back, he'll have to be dismissed. But for now, go on," Allen replied.
"I assure you, Allen, my sources are loyal only to me. They will not talk even under the threat of death. But I digress. Do you know where your master is?" Dulcinia asked.
Allen raised an arm, and Timcampy lighted on it. "Wherever he is, Timcampy will know. He'll lead us."
"Then...if it doesn't take you too far out of your way...please keep an eye out for my brother," Dulcinia requested.
"Lord Regulus?" Allen asked.
"We haven't heard back from him in years, Your Highness. And even so, while we were out training with Cross, we saw neither hide nor hair from him. And this was seven years in exile," Blake pointed out.
"I do not ask for you two to bring him back or send him a message, or go out of your way to find him. I only want you to see if you can. I'm very worried about him," Dulcinia said.
"He literally threw away his inheritance to go on a journey of soul-searching and left you to rule by yourself, my dear. He was a very irresponsible person, as I recall," Desier pointed out.
Dulcinia smiled. "He left me in your very capable hands, as I recall, Wendell. Although I'm certain he intended for Allen and Blake to watch over me as well." She gave the two a wry look.
"I certainly hope he didn't mean in the way Wendell takes care of you," Allen retorted.
Dulcinia giggled. "Oh, dear Lord, no."
"But Wendell, you loved Regulus just as we did. At the end of the day, you're just still angry that he left all of us, aren't you?" Blake asked.
Desier stiffened, but nodded, as he and the others recalled their greatest memory of Regulus, the former crown prince, from when they were kids...
"These flowers are beautiful!" Dulcinia giggled as she knelt down and sniffed.
"Dulcinia, you're going to give yourself allergies again," Desier chided, smiling down at her.
"No, I won't! I'm the princess! I...ah...ah...achoo!"
"Oh, boy, I told you so, didn't I?" Desier laughed as he gave her a handkerchief.
"Thank you, Wendell," Dulcinia mumbled as she blew her nose and stood back up. Then she saw something behind him and jumped up and down, waving excitedly. "Allen! Blake!"
Desier turned to see his two middle playmates walking towards them. Blake had his usual happy grin, and Allen's smile was more subdued, but all the same, they both looked overjoyed.
But Dulcinia was jubilant as she ran towards them. "You guys came to play again!"
"Actually, it's more because our parents wanted to help your mother with grown-up things again," Blake explained.
"But we missed you guys too," Allen added as he lifted Dulcinia a little with his hug.
"It's been forever since you came! I don't care! Come and sniff the flowers with me!" She led Allen along by the hand, and the poor boy was too shy to resist.
Blake turned to Desier. "She does know some flowers give her allergies, right?"
"She's already experienced them," Desier replied as they followed Dulcinia and Allen. He sighed. "I'm glad you two are here. Handling her is a very hard thing to do sometimes."
Blake laughed. "Wendell, say what you mean for once! You love her, don't you?"
Desier blushed. "Well, I never! How dare you!" he protested.
Blake shook his head. "You can't fool me, Wendy. You like the princess, you like the princess!" he sang.
"Don't call me Wendy!"
"But it's so much easier to say!"
"Why you!" Desier looked angry enough to attack Blake right there, if not for a calm, strong hand on his shoulder.
"No fighting, boys."
"Big Brother!" Dulcinia raced up to the young man and rammed him with a hug, and he responded by lifting her up, just like he did when she was a baby.
Blake and Desier both bowed, and after a tired Allen staggered up to them, he bowed too. "We humbly greet Your Highness," Desier mumbled.
"And that said, welcome back, Regulus!" Blake greeted.
"It's nice to be back. And hello to you, my little princess." Regulus rubbed noses with his little sister, and she giggled.
"I missed you, Big Brother!" she chirped.
"I would sure hope so." Regulus glared at Desier, Blake, and Allen. "Just like I hope you boys haven't been making moves on my little sister, have you?"
"No."
"Nope."
But Allen, curse him, always had his little moments of deviousness. "Wendell has, Regulus," he tattled oh so politely with his hands folded behind his back. But if one looked into his eyes, one could see a faint glimmer of mischief.
Regulus, however, didn't notice anything like that as he turned his glare on Desier, who was now too nervous to speak or yell at Allen. "Wendell Desier…"
"Yes?" Desier squeaked out.
"I have traveled to many places and learned many things. I have learned ways of extreme discipline. Will I have to use them on you?"
"No." Desier's voice got even smaller.
"Good. I sure wouldn't hope so," Regulus replied.
"Big Brother, stop scaring Wendell!" Dulcinia playfully beat his shoulder with her small fists.
Immediately, Regulus's face brightened. "Of course. Besides, I want to show you all something else I learned in my travels. Follow me." Still carrying Dulcinia like a baby, he walked off, with Allen, Blake, and Desier following him.
As the prince, Regulus was always trailed by guards, except when he came to his private quarters, during which those guards merely stood outside his room.
In these chambers, Regulus gently put Dulcinia down and moved to his bags, extracting a bottle and four small bowl-like cups. He sat Allen, Blake, and Desier down in front of him and laid three cups right in front.
"Did you know that in Japan, sometimes people who aren't blood relatives exchange cups of sake, rice wine, to swear their absolute loyalty to each other. But what makes this even more beautiful is the bond of brotherhood that is forged between the participants. And therefore…" Regulus filled his cup and the three boys' cups with a small amount of white, sweet-smelling liquid from the bottle. "I want to do this with you guys."
"Regulus, you're being a bad influence. We're too young to drink," Allen pointed out.
Regulus winked. "This will be our little secret. You don't have to drink all of it, just a sip of this sip." He held up his cup. "And when we drink, we'll be brothers. I promise that as your big brother, I'll protect all of you. There's no one else I'd rather make this bond with."
"What about me, Regulus?" Dulcinia asked.
"Little one, you're my blood relative. And besides, I don't want you drinking any alcohol until you're of age."
"So we're the sacrifices?" Blake joked, before smiling.
"No. We'll be brothers. That's all there is to it," Desier replied.
"Okay. Then as the younger brother, I promise to make sure your real sister is safe no matter what," Allen said, showing a remarkable amount of maturity for his age.
Blake nodded. "We're brothers anyway, but...I promise the same."
"Me too," Desier agreed, glancing at Dulcinia.
"I don't need protecting!" Dulcinia stamped her foot.
Regulus smiled. "In that case, from now on…" He raised his cup. "We're brothers!"
He and the boys tipped their cups together and raised them. The others raised their little voices in cheer. "YEAAAHH!"
"At the end, though, none of us drank any of it because Regulus got in serious trouble for giving us alcohol," Allen laughed.
"But our brotherhood stayed strong, even to this day. The problem is, Regulus is missing," Blake said.
Dulcinia nodded. "Exactly. So if not for me, then…"
"No, Dulcinia. For both you and our brotherhood. Regulus always took care of us, and now it's our turn to try to do that for him," Allen said.
"Yeah. We owe him at least that much, even if he did completely throw away his responsibilities as crown prince. He's still our brother," Blake agreed.
"I'm so sorry for asking this here of all places…" Dulcinia started.
Blake held up a hand as he looked at Aoura's grave. "Grandmother missed Regulus too. If we find him, maybe we can give her some more peace."
Allen nodded and bowed to the grave. "Come on, guys. You want to stay here for a bit longer, Blake?"
"Go on ahead. I'll be back in a bit," Blake replied. Allen nodded and led Dulcinia and Desier away.
Blake looked up at the sky. "I'm all alone. The last Phantasia." A smile spread over his face. "But even I know when to grieve and when to look ahead. Watch over me, my ancestors. Mother, Father, Grandmother...watch me. I'll make you proud. And when I find Regulus…I hope you and the others can all rest more peacefully."
He threw one last flower onto Aoura's tombstone and turned around, not looking back once.
Okay, that's done. Leave a comment below if you so wish.
Also, an author must also address his readers' concerns, but because you are guests, I must do so here.
To the first guest, who explained the whole point of the Sword of Exorcism being Allen's left arm...you bring up some good points. The idea of the unity of the two arms symbolizing the union of Allen's wishes is not something I even considered. So kudos to you for that. However, one should also note that this whole thing is only a 'Level 2', not 'Critical Point.'
Yes, the silver claw is unstable, but I like to think of it as versatile. I will admit that to use the Sword of Exorcism as part of a Level 2 is arrogant on my part, but so is changing Allen in my own way. The Allen in my story is very similar to the one in the mainstream manga, but there are differences. Allen is connected to his Innocence rather deeply; Crown Clown and Level 2 prove that. But if he hasn't broken the Critical Point yet, then there's still a ways to go. He is not yet at the point where Apocryphos can say what he did.
And to the guest Omega...I never said Allen was affected by the weight of the sword. I only said that Allen couldn't sustain it for very long. The word "hold" is not literal; I used it to mean "sustain", as in, the sword actually drains Allen's energy. This is even more prominent because Allen is a Parasitic-Type (looking at you, guest #1), meaning that the strain on his energy is quite substantial, even with the increased synchronization rate with Crown Clown. It's the same concept when Blake and Lucia go Level 2; despite their high synchronization rate, to the point of a full-body transformation, neither of them can hold their Level 2s for extended periods of time without getting exhausted.
And if you are put out by my saying that Allen couldn't beat Kanda with the Sword of Exorcism, possibly because of the sword's weight...even with the sword being perfectly balanced and usable in Allen's hands, he still can't beat Kanda! Almost no one in the Black Order could beat Kanda in a sword fight! Hell, even in the manga, Allen has to train his swordsmanship with Kanda!
Anyway, just because it is their Innocence does not mean they are not negatively affected by it. Lavi's hammer is one thing, but the Sword of Exorcism and Blake and Lucia's Level 2s are another, especially since they're not Critical Point yet.
I do apologize to you both and everyone else who did not like Allen's new Level 2, but there must be change from the original in some way. Merely changing the storyline is not enough in some cases.