So...hi? *dodges bullet* okay you see what had happened was...okay I have no excuse. At least it wasn't three months, right? Right?
It was late in the afternoon when Allen and Cross returned from London. They stepped into the entrance bay, Allen clutching Cross's coat in his hand. His other hand pull down his hood, letting Thomas and Timcanpy come out from their hiding place. Thomas scampered down his head to his shoulder to sit there while Timcanpy hovered above Cross's head.
"Welcome home General, Allen." A scientist hurriedly greeted, "How was your mission? Longer than expected I hear." Allen only knew his name vaguely from seeing Lenalee serve coffee to them; Markus. He was a scientist in the research department-and he had an incredible soft spot for kids. Markus ruffled his hair affectionately.
Allen laughed, "We got trapped in a forest and couldn't get out." He explained; his poor sense of direction certainly hadn't been any help. They went in circles for hours until Cross got sick of ending up in the same spot over and over. It took them days for them to escape.
"That certainly sounds terrible. Well I'm certainly glad you're back." Markus said turning back to his work, "You better go see Lenalee though; she's been missing you terribly. Lavi too I bet."
Allen had almost forgot; Lenalee had probably waited for a while for him. She had probably been worried when they didn't return on time. He nodded, "Okay!" He turned to Cross, bowing, "I'll see you Master-I'll come back to the room once I say hi to Lenalee and Lavi."
"That won't be necessary." Allen turned to the door, practically curling into himself at the voice. He recognized it all too well and it scared him. Anxiety suddenly gripped at him, sending him stumbling several feet back until he hit Cross's chest. Cross grabbed his shoulders to steady him, and the touch helped Allen calm down.
Back then, back during the tests, Lou Fa taught him a way to help this. When he felt like that, it was hard to breathe but Lou Fa's method helped. What was it again?
Breathe Allen...count to ten. Now count backwards from ten. See? You're fine. We'll never let anything happen to you. Never.
Allen took a breath, one...two...three…
"Inspector Leverrier." Markus suddenly stood, bowing, "How are-"
Cross interrupted, "Why are you here?" He asked coldly. Allen stayed quiet, playing with the hem of his jacket. Leverrier always scared him; he hated the tests while he was there. They were always so much longer, so much harder.
Three...two...one...breathe...I'm okay.
"Hello Inspector." Allen greeted softly, gently moving away from Cross. Beside Leverrier was Link, and seeing him helped a bit. Link was nice in his own way; Allen liked him.
"Hello Walker." Leverrier greeted, "How was your mission?"
Allen played with his fingers, "It was fine." He replied quietly. The scientists working stopped their jobs; it wasn't usual to see Allen so quiet and subdued. He was always so full of life and happiness; he was never like this.
Then again, this was Leverrier.
"Good, Good. Please come with me Walker." Leverrier reached out a hand expectantly, waiting. The hand was probably meant to be comforting; Allen was a child after all and Leverrier wasn't such a horrible man to intentionally traumatize a child. It was only that it did the opposite.
Allen took a small look at Cross, and then Timcanpy. Timcanpy shot forward to land on Allen's head as Allen walked forward to take Leverrier's hand.
"Good day." Leverrier said to the rest of the room and they were gone.
The rest of the room rested in silence; they were shocked.
"That...that looked an awful lot like how General Lee used to react to the Inspector." A scientist observed shakingly, "Allen is usually so cheerful and welcoming."
"Yeah," Reever scoffed, "The bastard has that effect on a lot of people." They just never expected it to happen to Allen.
~insertlinebreak~
Leverrier led Allen to his office, ushering him in quietly. He had been previously looking down at the floor quietly, but when he lifted his eyes they widened. Lavi and Bookman stood at the far corner; Bookman was mostly in the shadows but Lavi could be seen easily. Lavi gave Allen a small smile, and then a nod in greeting.
Komui sat on the couch in the middle of the room, and he smiled gently at Allen. The real shock sat across from Komui; Johnny. He looked as he always did; maybe more tired but it was still Johnny. Allen didn't realize how much he missed Johnny until he saw him. He missed all of them really; Lou Fa, and Bak, and even For.
"Professor Johnny….?" He echoed and then ran towards him, "Professor!" He crashed into him, hugging him tightly. Johnny squeezed him back, tucking his face into Allen's shoulder.
Johnny laughed, "You grew Allen, you're so big now. Professor Lou Fa and Bak are going to cry when they hear!" He exclaimed, "And you look so strong!" He observed, although tears streamed down his face. Allen laughed, pulling back to shake his head.
"Kanda says that I'm not even close to a decent height."
"What does he know? General Kanda's a giant!" Johnny retorted, "We...really missed you, Allen."
Allen's smile dimmed; he missed them too, "I miss the Asian Branch. I miss all the Professors...I miss talking to the others that haven't awakened yet." He paused, "...how are they?"
Johnny tried to smile, although it looked fake, "Your brothers and sisters are still resting. Give them time." He brushed a hand through Allen's hair, "You'll get to meet them someday." He assured him.
Allen nodded. It was hard to have to wait for them; although they had never met they were going to experience the same things. He wanted to be beside them for it-being alone was sad. He never wanted to be alone ever again-he never wanted them to experience being alone ever.
At least, not like he had. He had Johnny and Lou Fa and Bak and even For, but they didn't understand. It was so different being an artificial apostle, and nobody knew that but him. And Kanda...and whoever that 'Alma' person that Kanda mentioned once.
"Tell them I'm waiting for them." Allen said, smiling softly.
Johnny smiled back, "I will."
"Ahem."
At the sound of someone clearing their throat Allen immediately stilled and went silent; Leverrier. He turned to the inspector, "...yes Inspector Leverrier?" He questioned quietly, sitting beside Johnny.
"Ah, Walker. Sorry to interrupt such a touching reunion but there is a reason I brought you here; will you sit at that piano?" Allen looked towards the corner of the room. There was a piano there; it was probably put there while he was on the mission.
"Why?" He questioned; he didn't know how to play the piano. Although his lullaby was played on the piano, he only heard the recording Timcanpy played. He thought the piano was a pretty instrument though.
Leverrier smirked, "Just a hunch I have. Go on." He gestured to the bench, "Sit." Allen did so, wanting the ground to swallow him under everyone's gaze. He met Komui's eyes and saw the Chief give him a sad, sympathetic smile.
He ran his fingers over the keys. Timcanpy flew off of him to sit in front of him. Leverrier moved to stand beside Allen, placing his hands on his shoulders firmly. He leveled a look at Timcanpy, the little golem showing its teeth in response.
"Timcanpy-you have that score don't you?" Leverrier asked, "Show it to him." He demanded and Timcanpy looked at Allen, then back at Leverrier. Then hesitantly, he tipped his head back to display the score of the song.
As if to soothe Allen the melody began to play. There was a brief moment of calm; it had been a long time since anybody heard that song. Allen wasn't there to play it. Back before the execution, they'd hear that song playing from the ark. When Allen died, the room was locked away. So nobody heard the song since then.
Anybody but Allen-it really was such a beautiful song.
Allen looked at the symbols displayed in front of him, "These symbols…" something about them were familiar. It was something in the back of his head, and the symbols suddenly warped to make sense in his mind. Spinning in a circle like a clock, Allen knew the symbols displayed the words to the melody.
"They're my lullaby, right Tim?" He asked and then softly sang along, "Let the prayers return to the Earth...I will never cease to pray…"
The grip on his shoulders tightened, "Oh? Your song?" Leverrier echoed, "Do explain."
Allen looked up, before glancing at the piano keys once more, "Back….back during the tests Timcanpy used this song to help me. I like it-it's pretty."
"And you can read the symbols?" This was Lavi, and the sound of his voice made Allen look up in surprise. He sounded so detached, though Allen supposed it could be because Bookman was with him.
After a moment, Allen nodded, "...yes...but I don't know how...I just can."
The hands on his shoulders released him, "But you cannot play it?" Leverrier asked, as if already knowing the answer. He was smirking; Allen tried not to curl into himself again.
"I...can't. It's like…" It was as if his fingers wanted to but he couldn't. But he decided not to say that, "Nevermind." He shook his head, "I don't know what I was going to say."
Leverrier nodded, as if expecting this, "I see. Well, thank you Walker for participating. You're dismissed. Bookman jr, how about you escort him to General Lee? She had been wanting to see you."
Lavi stared at Leverrier for a moment, before slipping a hand inside his pocket. He walked towards Allen, holding out a hand in invitation, "Sure. C'mon, Allen. Let's go see Lena. She missed you." He told him-as if everybody hadn't said that. He knew Lenalee missed him.
Allen looked at Lavi, "...did you?" He asked; he knew Lavi did, he just wanted him to say it.
After a moment of hesitance Lavi nodded, "Of course I did short stack, now let's go." The rest of the room let them go. Silence hung for a few long moments as Johnny looked around, struggling to speak.
"Is it…" Johnny paused, "Shouldn't we have let Lavi hear this?" Johnny asked, looking towards Bookman.
"He is preoccupied with his own record." Bookman replied coldly, "I will not keep him from that."
Johnny nodded, "okay...well…" he sighed, "Approximately five months after Allen went to be trained another awakened...we meant to tell Allen, so he could visit her but...two weeks after the tests she fell." He grit his teeth, "we couldn't do anything about it!"
A tear slipped down, "We couldn't do anything to help her! And she was like Allen...she trusted us so much...so, so much. Please...reduce the amount of subjects. Nobody deserves to fall. Let's keep a small contained group." He suggested.
"I agree." Komui immediately spoke up, "What good is a project where ninety percent of the subjects are killed? And Allen wants to meet them so badly, he wants to help them."
Leverrier eyed them, "You are basing a lot off of a child that was only born not even two and a half years ago." He observed, "A lot of your judgement is being controlled by the memory of a Noah."
"He was not a Noah!" Johnny exclaimed, "That was the whole issue in the first place!" He looked up, tears brimming his eyes, "All this is doing is hurting everyone around it. And it didn't even help-Allen can still read those symbols and that probably means he still harbors the fourteenth."
"And by now it's too late for another execution." Link spoke up, "The Order has a unity that hasn't been reported since Walker's funeral and with his return so has it. And losing Crowned Clown would be a liability." And the unspoken comment was left in the air.
And he's only a child.
It was too cruel to execute a child.
Leverrier paused, "We will shorten the group down to six. We have moved Alma Karma to the Asian Branch and when he awakens he will be re-evaluated and sent to this branch."
Johnny sniffed, "...okay…" he whispered, "we have another one who awakened but...he's not doing to well either. I'm going to head back now to check on him."
With that, Johnny left as well.
~insertlinebreak~
That night, when Allen returned to his room it was late. Lenalee had taken him into the gardens to play, and he stayed there with her and Lavi until then. When he opened his door, Cross was in his room. The General sat on the chair that was opposite of his bed.
Nervous, Allen bowed his head, "Good evening Master."
Cross didn't even spare him a glance, "What'd he call you for?" He asked blandly, nursing the drink in his hand. Allen presses himself to the door, after a moment he sighed and looked up.
"He asked me to play the piano-Tim showed me the song.. I couldn't play it but I could read the symbols: it was really strange." Allen explained quickly, going to sit on his bed. The whole situation confused him; he didn't understand.
Those symbols, the song, the piano. It was all connected-he knew that.
"What symbols?" Cross looked up, this time more sharply. Allen tensed.
"They were the song Timcanpy always plays...the lyrics to it. Except they were in a weird state-but I could read them." Allen explained again.
"What was the song?"
Allen paused, suddenly feeling like he was in an interrogation, "And so the boy feel asleep…" he sang softly, "like the embers slowly dying...once...then twice…" After a moment he said, "Timcanpy plays it a lot, so I know the lyrics already...is something the matter Master?"
"Not at all. Go to sleep." Cross stood up and walked to the door. He paused, "And don't ever play the piano for them unless I'm there with you." With that, he walked out.
~insertlinebreak~
That night, Allen dreamt.
Except it didn't feel like a dream.
He was in a golden field, sitting beneath a tree. He leaned his back against it, feeling the wind whip harshly around him. The sunset around him burned everything a golden yellow, but it made everything look warm.
"Huh...where am I?"
There was a chuckle to his left. He stood quickly, turning around. There was a man there, standing just slightly away. When he caught Allen's eye he beamed. There was something familiar about him.
"Welcome Allen...my precious nephew."
Allen took a step back, "who...who are you?"
The man grinned walking towards him until he was about to kneel and frame his face with his hands, "I'm your uncle. Call me Nea, and I'll never anything happen to you. Never. So don't ever think I will." He kissed Allen's forehead gently, "Now wake up."
And Allen woke up.
-End Of Part One-
;)