*nervous smile* Um...hi? *runs away from angry mob* I'm sorry! I was focusing on Cutting Ties. It's almost finished now...so this chapter doesn't actually feature much Allen. Just people talking about him. Also you get to see a really passive aggressive Komui...which was pretty fun to write tbh. And to all who guessed the right General...you were right XD. Also...73 reviews and over 100 favorites and follows?! Thank you all soooo much! I thought this would get like...two reviews. XD.
Komui tried, he could honestly say that he did. Keeping secrets in the Order was hard enough, especially with so many people inside. After talking with Lenalee, he made all the scientists present in his office promise that they'd keep it a secret. They promised, of course, but the walls have ears and it was stupid to think it wouldn't get out.
After a few hours everybody knew about the Second Exorcist Project being revisited, and of course, about Allen Walker.
"A-ah...Chief?" Reever poked his head in, looking more stressed than he had in months. Komui knew Reever was doing what he could, but even with all of his temper he couldn't keep the rumors quiet. He smiled at him.
"Yes?" Komui organized the papers on his desk, for once working, "What is it?"
Reever looked nervously, "Um...Cross wants to see you. Should I send him awa-ah! Hey, Cross! You can't just go into his office like that-" Cross pushed past with little remorse, shoving Reever out and slamming the door behind him.
Ah...I guessed it reached Cross now huh?
Komui had hoped that he'd have some time to escape before Cross found out. That was wishful thinking...he tried to smile. He felt so bad for Cross; because he had basically raised Allen, right? He raised him since he was ten and then watched him die at sixteen. That's six years of knowing somebody, and as much of a demon that Allen said Cross was, they were close.
"General Cross…" Komui smiled painfully, "You found out...huh?" He walked around his desk, eyes watching the silent man. For once, Komui could see he wasn't drunk. He probably hadn't even thought to touch a bottle of wine after he heard the news. Komui bet that Cross came straight to him-Komui was the only high up position that would let him beat on him and talk him down.
"Komui." Cross greeted plainly.
Komui stopped in front of him, "Cross?" He got onto his knees and bowed lowly, "I'm so, so sorry." He pressed his forehead onto the floor, "As the chief of the Order I apologize on behalf of everybody." He hadn't had to apologize on behalf of the entire Order since Allens' death.
Cross scoffed, "Stop groveling. You know I hate it." Komui stood up, his head bowed. He tried not to let on how guilty he truly felt, because in reality, this could be chalked up to his carelessness, right?
"I honestly didn't think this would happen. With all my genius and I didn't even think to investigate the Asian Branch, " He slammed his hand down on a table, "I knew something was going on! I knew it! Bak wouldn't just stop talking to me! We would never just stop talking to each other. I-"
"Shut up." Cross rummaged through Komui's desk, "I know I hid at least one bottle in here…"
"You put a bottle of wine in my desk? How-" Komui sighed, "Nevermind. The point is that...this is technically my fault. I should've paid more attention to the organization I run...that was my mistake. For that I'm sorry."
Cross chuckled bitterly, "No...I underestimated my ability to protect him. That was my mistake." He shrugged, "Not much I can do about it. The question is...what do you plan to do?" He looked at Komui, "This does fall under your jurisdiction right?.
Komui nodded, "I've arranged orders to bring him here to the European Branch and...I was thinking…" Komui looked at him, "Timcanpy will probably go to you when he sees you because you are his master and Lenalee isn't a good match for Allen. She's much too emotional and Allen has been with Timcanpy for a while so…" He was rambling.
"Are you asking me to take him again? Really?"
Komui bowed his head once more, "I'm sorry. I'm selfish. I don't want Leverrier to turn Allen into a puppet. He will...and if Allen goes to any of the other Generals Leverrier will take control. You never listened to me so you'd never listen to Leverrier."
"What about me?" Komui froze as Leverrier walked in, "Oh? Are you arranging Walkers' new master? Or...old master?" Leverrier narrowed his eyes, "I assumed I would be present for it."
Komui titled his head, "Really? And why would you? You disliked Allen in the first place." He didn't fight hard to keep the bitterness and hostility out of his voice, and so it bled in. His own eyes narrowed calculatively as he sat behind his desk.
If Leverrier wanted to play games, that was fine. Komui wasn't an easy man to manipulate, and he just loved games.
"I renewed the project."
"I wouldn't going around saying that, not a lot of people support this particular project. But to answer your question correctly, yes. I am appointing General Cross as his master." Komui bit his lip, "If he accepts, that is."
Cross smirked, downing half of the bottle of wine in one go, "Why not."
Komui beamed, "Thank you, Cross!" He bowed politely to Leverrier, "If you could excuse us, Inspector, we both need to get ready for the meeting tomorrow...so if you would please…" He gestured towards the door.
Leverrier stared at Komui for a few moments before stalking out the door. Komui grinned victoriously after him, waving cheerfully, "Goodbye, thanks for stopping by!" He called after him. The door slammed in response.
Cross smirked at Komui, "Since when do you talk back to Centrals' lapdogs. Better yet-since when did you hate this place that much?"
Komui reclined back, deciding to abandon his work for the time being. (Meaning: he wouldn't do it until Reever made him.) He faked innocence, "I have no idea what you mean. Now, you really should prepare for that meeting. A lot of it is towards what happened, so you should probably-"
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."
"Cross, listen to me for once!" Feeling like a broken record, Komui sighed as the door shut. He leaned back, toying with his coffee.
"When did I start hating this place huh?" He smirked bitterly before taking a sip.
~insertlinebreak~
Allen was still unconscious-since he wasn't injured at all that had no reason to put him into the infirmary. However, he hadn't woken for two days, and it was worrying them. Yes, on that day Allen synchronized with Crowned Clown, but he hadn't woken since. He just laid on the bed as if asleep, not even responding when Johnny called for him.
Everyone was so, so worried for him. This never happened before-nobody ever went into a sleep when they synchronized. Then again, this was Allen and he defied the odds at all times. That didn't stop the situation from being any less terrifying.
Lenalee stood outside of Allens' bedroom, "...Lavi?" The said Bookman junior only hummed in reply, but Lenalee took it as a cue to keep talking, "I was thinking about it...what could be making Allen stay like this for so long? Or…" It was so strange calling him Allen, because the Allen she knew was only a year younger than she was. Then again, the Allen she once knew was also dead.
Lavi shrugged, "Ah, my best bet is that he's just resting. Unless something deeper is happening: we already know that innocence works in strange ways, and that we have no control on it. It could just be making Allen rest or it could be something more serious."
"But do you think he'll wake up?" Lenalee wondered quietly, "Most people forced to synchronize just become Fallen Ones, like Suman, because of the strain. I hope that doesn't happen…"
Lavi shrugged again, "Worrying about it isn't doing us any good. Besides, what else did you want to talk about?" Lenalee had a habit of not saying what she truly felt, and keeping her true emotions inside. Not many knew, but Lavi of course, could tell every time she spoke.
Lenalee smiled, "Was it that obvious?" She glanced at the door, before her eyes rested on the place between her feet. To be completely honest, Lenalee didn't know why she was so affected by this; dark things like this happened every day in the Order, right? She spent a childhood in there, experiencing what no child should experience.
However, gaining more friends her age helped her realize that not everything has to be so lonely and sad. First it was Kanda who came with his own past, then it was Lavi, and finally it was Allen. When she and the three of them spent time together, she felt at home and like she was just another girl hanging out with friends.
"I never thought something like that would happen...not to someone like Allen anyway." She admitted, "And now that it did, I don't think I can look at him and see him any differently than the Allen I knew-because they are the same person, right? And I know that's horrible, because no matter how much I want it to be, the little boy sleeping in there isn't Allen." She breathed, "And even though it isn't...I'd never wish this life on anybody."
Sometimes...I wish Allen just agreed to go with the Noah.
That was so horrible to think, but she couldn't help it.
Lavi's own eyes darkened, looking away at the far wall. Then he smiled, slinging one arm over Lenalee's shoulder affectionately, "Well, we should be happy! Think of it as Allen getting another chance at childhood!" Because they all knew that Allen's real childhood was horrible.
Lenalee giggled softly, "Well...it may just be him having to relive Cross again."
"No way! He's really getting assigned to Cross again?!"
Not even Lavi knew what to make of the situation. He wanted to look into it, but his access to the Order's files was still forbidden and he didn't feel like going behind Bookman's back to find it out. Central couldn't do much to him for snooping, but Bookman could and rewriting the records(or getting kicked) wasn't an appealing thought.
On the other hand...Lavi smirked, A Bookman does anything and everything possible to get accurate and clear information.
And Bookman taught that to him himself.
Lenalee waved a hand in front of his face, "Um...Lavi? Are you okay? You were in Lala land for a second." Lavi shook his head, smiling at Lenalee.
"Yeah, I was just thinking." He turned away and Lenalee knew better than to pry into Lavi's thoughts so she didn't press. Lavi was so secretive now, not that he wasn't before. She couldn't help but think that as time went on he was slowly regressing into the boy she met when he first came.
When Lavi first arrived at the Order, she wouldn't deny that he was a fabulous actor. His smiles looked real, and even though she knew he didn't care about anyone there he played the part well. What made Lavi change his mind about being so false she didn't know, but she knew she preferred this Lavi to that one.
Lenalee hummed quietly under her breath, "I wonder how the Order is reacting to this...I hope we can beat Kanda to the European Branch."
Lavi turned to her, "He's not there? Why?"
"He's in Spain. But you know, word travels fast...I don't imagine he's very happy…"
"When is Yuu-chan happy?" Lavi's expression mellowed out, "It'll probably be for the best if we get here before Yuu does, just in case he attempts to, you know, kill Leverrier." Lenalee winced and nodded.
She slouched against the wall, "I just can't believe this happened...not to Allen...so many exorcists died around that time. Daisya...all of Sokcalo's team...but it was Allen who is the one who's back."
"Not much we can do about it now," Lavi shrugged, "We can only wait for Allen to wake up."
That and hope for the best.
~insertlinebreak~
When Allen awoke, the first thing he noticed was that his left arm hurt. It felt heavy, like lead. He sat up slowly, remembering the tests before. This wasn't the first time that something like this happened, but this time he felt no pain when he passed out.
There was more...warmth...and comfort than anything.
"Tim…?" He called. Obediently, the little yellow ball flew towards him. Timcanpy excitedly flew around him, before resting on his legs. "Tim...what happened?"
Tim tipped open his mouth, and Allen half expected to hear the special song play like it did so many times. However, voices came out.
Boom!
"Allen!"
The sound of running and crying.
"No...no way! Is that….?"
"Crowned Clown!"
A sigh...sounding a lot like Bak.
"So...he synchronized…"
Timcanpy closed his mouth and looked expectantly at Allen. Allen lifted his arm, looking at the red, scaly new feature. It was apparently his innocence.
"Oh…" Allen sighed, "Okay."
.
.