lostmoonchild: Yeah, I know, Friday's almost over but I'm tired due to having to work earlier (my kid count jumped up to five) so as soon as this is posted, I'm heading off to bed. Thanks for the review!
Disclaimer: I don't own DGM so don't sue.
Chapter Thirty Six
Lacrimosa dies illa
Qua resurgent ex favilla
Judicandus homo reus
Huic ergo parce, Deus,
Pie Jesu Domine.
Judicandus homo reus.
Huic ergo parce, Deus,
Pie Jesu Domine
He had wandered the streets of Mater just waiting for his death to come only to be denied the peaceful sleep. Kanda frowned slightly as he looked at the ruined building, remembering his first mission with Allen. He had been so certain that the then fifteen year old Exorcist was going to get killed and that his bleeding heart would do him in.
Even though a year had passed since he had last heard that doll's song, Kanda could still hear her words filling the air. It had been a soothing song and walking around now showed him exactly how that human had survived with the doll for so long.
Kanda stopped and listened to the melody that continued to play in his mind, his mind's eye suddenly bringing Lili's memory to the front of his mind. While he knew he could simply go back, he knew that she wouldn't be there. Allen either wouldn't be at the Order anymore or he'd be dead and either way, Lili would be off somewhere else.
Did she wonder what he was doing and prayed that he was still alive or did she believe him to be dead? Had she moved on already or was she still mourning for him? He'd wait for a while longer before he left this place and tried to find her. Since everybody believed him to be dead then he shouldn't have a problem.
They couldn't drag him back.
Kanda was silent as he stared at the graves that rested below the city. There was only supposed to be the one grave with that dancing doll sitting next to it while he and Alma rested forever on the ground. Why had Alma been granted eternal rest while he was being forced to continue on? Didn't he deserve to die as well?
His thoughts went unbidden back to Lili, seeing her tender smile on days she chose to actually smile at him and feeling her lips on his chest. He remembered her voice, how it would grow slightly louder when she was upset and how she'd pick a fight with him knowing what would happen. Was it possible that he was being kept alive by God just for her?
Closing his eyes, Kanda allowed himself to slip into a peaceful state knowing that sooner or later, Allen would break down and come to see if he was still alive.
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)
Komui sighed as he went to his room, his head throbbing from all of the work that had required his immediate attention. It was a pain in the neck to sign so many papers and not be able to escape from them but he figured that there would be news in the reports from the Finders and the Exorcists regarding the Walker siblings.
As of yet there was no news although there were rumors. Bookman had returned earlier that day with Lavi looking suspiciously happier about something. Both men had denied seeing the Walkers although something told Komui that Lavi was keeping something out of his report.
"The guards need to make their rounds less predictable."
Komui stopped in his doorway, seeing a woman sitting on a chair with her feet on his desk. Mismatched eyes stared at him with a bored expression as she played with a brown bag that rested on her lap. "Lili." Komui breathed as he quickly shut the door behind him. "How did you get here?"
"Does it really matter? Here. Allen sends his regards." Lili tossed the bag at him. "There would be three extra bits in there except an Accommodator for the three extras decided to pop up. One's coming from India and two from Spain. There's like two more that we've seen but they're kids and I've got this thing about kids fighting so their identities are being withheld. If by some miracle the Order finds them and I find out, I'll come here and take them away until they're older."
Komui sat down on his bed, disbelief showing on his face. "I thought you weren't coming back." Komui told her.
"Don't get the wrong idea here. I'm not coming back to this place unless it's to make deliveries or serve as a liaison." Lili responded. "Allen and I both agreed that it's too dangerous for him to go near anybody still connected to the Black Order and that I'm the best bet because my head's not completely on the chopping block.
"I see." Komui looked at the woman patiently. "Is Allen doing well then?"
"He's healing fairly well."
"That's good. You?"
"Fair enough."
There was something that she wanted to talk to him about but from how she didn't seem to be eager to discuss it, it was something serious. "I doubt you came for a social visit, Lili." Komui told her. "So why don't you tell me what's going on?"
"You can bring Bookman in here if you want so there can be a record of it. I don't really care either way but I figure that the Bookman people will get pissed if there's not some record of the discussion between the Black Order's science division supervisor and the apparent traitor's liaison."
Komui smiled faintly at her. "You and Allen discussed this?" Komui questioned.
"More like Lavi and I discussed that the Bookman clan would like to have a record for the history books and Allen wants it to be on record what his opinion is." Lili watched him carefully. "I'll wait fifteen minutes for Bookman to show up. After that, I'm making our position clear and the pricks can shove it up their asses."
"Very well."
-Fifteen minutes later-
"You said that you're serving as a liaison. Care to explain?" Komui questioned.
"Ever since the incident with Alma and the Third Exorcists, it's become painfully clear that Allen's in a pretty tight spot. When Tyke and Road broke him out of the Black Order's dungeon and he escaped back to me, we've been discussing what our options are." Lili told him patiently, knowing that Bookman was going to remember everything. "Since Allen can't come here without the chance of getting killed for heresy, I volunteered my services so the Black Order would know the position that it's in at the moment."
"Position?"
"You see, Allen and I find ourselves with several options. One of those options is simply to sit back and let both sides kill each other then if it turns out the Noah clan is victorious, attack the Noah clan while they're weak."
Komui looked at her, seeing that she was being dead serious. "Allen won't." Komui stated.
"Which of course left us with the option of which side we'd help. Allen wants to help the Black Order so I'll let him go with that whim. I, on the other hand, will neither help nor hinder the Black Order's efforts. I'm only doing what Allen wants."
It truly was a miracle she hadn't been turned into a Fallen One by now. Those with wavering faith and general indifference towards the Black Order's cause and towards God's will generally had been turned into a Fallen One but yet here she sat before him still human. "I see. So you two will remain on the Black Order's side." Komui stated.
"Yes. We're watching the Noah clan and it looks like they're gearing up for one hell of an onslaught. Right now we're thinking that the Earl may attempt to open a door here then have a repeat performance like at the last headquarters."
"Could he?"
"He broke into the dungeon where that psychotic child whore and that sadist bastard snatched Allen and ran. I'd think he'd be able to." She brushed her hair from her eyes in frustration. "Look, I respect you far more than what I normally respect a guy with some authority and I do like you guys. I just don't agree with what in the hell is going on with the higher-ups."
"Unfortunately we have no say. We can protest as much as we'd like but still they'll do what they want." Komui informed her.
Yeah, she had gotten that impression fairly quickly. "We've been doing some talking and we got Neah to agree to hold off total possession of Allen for fifteen years." Lili informed Komui. "Once Allen's fifteen years of freedom is up, Neah will become the new Millennium Earl so the world will have fifteen years of cursing God as much as they want with no new akuma running around."
"Once he becomes the Millennium Earl?"
"That's actually entirely up to the Black Order and it's not open for discussion." Lili told him. "If we're left alone and not attacked for the sole reason that we exist, then nothing remotely interesting. If there's somebody stupid enough to attack us that's from the Black Order or is affiliated with this organization, then the fifteen year holdout is void and the offending party will be crucified and placed in front of the headquarters for everybody to see."
They were going to assume that Neah had suggested that part and that Allen had protested rather loudly at the assumption. "That doesn't sound like something that Allen would agree with." Komui told her.
Lili sighed slightly. "According to Neah, Allen will be 'sleeping' during the whole thing. My personal opinion: Allen will be dead." Lili sighed a little. "I can't say that I'm thrilled with the whole thing although I'm actually hoping that it'll be a schizophrenic thing. People used to believe that someone that's schizophrenic actually has more than one soul."
And science has proven otherwise. "So once the Earl's dead, there will be a fifteen year period of no new akuma." Komui said with a thoughtful look. "What happens afterwards depends entirely on our actions."
"Right. Allen doesn't want to go against the Black Order and I like you guys so I'm not eager to come marching in to kill anybody other than Leverier." Lili told him. "Neah even respects you, Komui, so that's a pretty high compliment."
If only he knew how to respond to that. Never once did Komui think that he'd ever have a Noah's respect and here he was being told that he had the respect of one. "Uh, thank you?" His voice was questioning and confirming that he wasn't overly certain whether or not to be thrilled.
"Well, I'd better get going before somebody realizes I'm here. Allen's going to be hungry before too long and I'd like to get the food before he decides to leave the Ark without me."
"You two are staying in the Ark?"
"It got moved away from the Order, didn't it?" Lili suddenly slapped her forehead before pulling a piece of paper out of her pocket. "This is for Leverier. I guess it's a list of conditions that's expected to be met if the Order wishes to resume its usage of the Ark."
"From Allen?"
"He'd just put 'Do not kill, torture, or imprison me and let me eat as much as I want' as the first and only condition. Neah's not that damn forgiving." Lili responded. "If there's one thing I've learned about Neah, Komui, it's that he's not a liar. Whatever he promises, he keeps that promise."
"He's a Noah, Lili."
"And? Normal humans lie almost all the time. Does that make their empty promises and lies better than a Noah's?" She grinned slightly, her eyes showing pain. "I'll be back in one month with more pieces of Innocence and with whatever Allen wants you guys to know. If anything remotely important happens before then, we'll come here regardless of the danger."
Nodding slightly to Bookman, she willed the door to open before stepping through. No sooner had she stepped through the door did it vanish without a trace. "What do you think, Bookman?" Komui questioned as he eyed the letter in his hand.
"I think that it would be foolish to refuse their help and that they should both be heard out." Bookman replied. "Convincing anybody else to listen, however, will be next to impossible."
And yet it was the next to impossible that Allen was always good at making a reality one way or another.
lostmoonchild: Okay, I'm heading off to bed! Plot bunnies aren't playing with me very much these days so hopefully within the next five weeks or so they'll start up again. Read and review!