Mission re-assigned: Cross:
Allen set himself on the bed disappointedly. He has been training very hard for a weeks since he got out of the infirmary, but he as still really pushing himself to do only two hundred one handed push ups. It took him a while to regain his balance on his chair. He has pretty much trained with out rest for two weeks. He slept very little because his sleep was plagued with strange dreams. It was dawn. Allen showered and got dressed. He paused for a moment as pain shot through his shoulder protesting his movements. Two large angry red scars reminded of the ordeals that he has gone though. His wounds still hurt him, but he ignored it. He has even stopped taking the pain medication, because it made him drowsy. Like his master always said: pain is what make us know we are alive. For the first time in two weeks Allen decided to go down to the mess hall for breakfast. He has not had much of an appetite for these two weeks.
"Hey Allen!" Jerry said cheerfully. "Glad to see you down here finally."
"Hehe. I never got a chance to thank you for the cake." Allen said shyly.
"You are welcome." Jerry smiled, "Now what can I get you?" Before Allen could reply he saw Linali and Rabi walking towards the Komui's room with Riba. They seemed to be heading out on a mission. Allen followed them. By the time Allen had reached the door to Komui's office was closed. Allen's curiosity got the best of him and he pushed the door open just a crack.
"He was spotted in a town near by the head quarters. The finders saw him fending off a group of akuma. Then they lost sight of him," said Komui. Allen could see through the crack that the team Komui was talking to Linali and Rabi.
"How are we even sure that he is still in town?" Rabi asked.
"He sent a message back with Timcanpi requesting back up. He said that there was something he needed to protect." Komui told them.
"So the old timer finally came to his senses huh?" Rabi said looking down at his file.
"I think so." Komui agreed. "So your mission is to go retrieve General Cross." At the mention of his master's name Allen was so shocked he stumbled though the door. The loud noise made everyone look at him. Allen got up slightly embarrassed, but quickly got down to business.
"Please let me go." Allen said seriously. "He is my master. Please Komui."
"I don't think that is a good idea." Riba said looked at Allen. "You have not fully recuperated yet from your injuries."
"I've been training since I got out of the infirmary." Allen told them then instantly regretted his words.
"You were suppose to be taking it easy until everything healed!" Linali's outburst came as expected.
"I had a feeling that there would be a mission out for my master soon." Allen explained, "That's why I trained really hard to get back in shape."
"Well he did ask for you to come." Komui said bluntly.
"Komui you are not seriously thinking of letting him go are you?" Linali looked at Komui in disbelief.
"It would make this mission a lot easier. Cross did say that he is hiding somewhere only Allen knew of." Komui explained. Allen instantly knew what his master had meant. Linali pouted. She went over to Allen and punched him in the shoulder where his wound was. The pain was completely unexpected, but Allen managed to not flinch.
"See all better." Allen said trying really hard to mask the pain in his voice.
"Fine." Linali said angrily. "At least this way I can keep you out of trouble. You better not forget your promise." And with that she left Allen with a room full of very confused men.
Allen met Rabi at the under ground water way. They were ordered to not wear their uniform for this mission. Allen had tucked Linali's wooden cross into his shirt. Rabi's keen eyes caught this.
"That's new." Rabi commented. He immediately noticed the color change in Allen's pale cheeks. "From Linali?" Allen didn't say anything. He only nodded. "You lucky bean sprout." Rabi ruffled Allen's hair and laughed. Allen ducked away grumbling. Linali arrived with two finders following her.
"Mr. Walker and Mr. Rabi and Miss Linali, Carlo and I will be assisting you on this mission. Please take care of us." The larger of the two finders told him. Allen recognized him as Bazu.
"You were the one who had a run in with Kanda when I was first here." Allen noticed the man's face under the hood.
"Yes." The finder said quietly. "I am honored to assist an honorable exorcist such as you Mr. Walker." The finder's words made Allen blush furiously. Rabi evidently found this to be funny.
"Yeah, you are one of the most popular exorcists among the finders." Rabi egged Allen on.
"Please we have to go." Linali said trying to sound serious, but Allen could tell that she have laughing at him as well.
Within twenty minuets the group was heading towards General Cross's hiding location. Allen was in the lead the whole way. Rabi was having trouble keeping up. He could not understand how Allen, who was not completely healed from near fatal wounds could move so fast. Linali seemed to have noticed this fact as well. She looked worried. Suddenly Allen stopped so abruptly Rabi almost ran into him.
"Twelve." Allen said to himself. "Everyone duck!" Allen shouted as he readied his weapon. Allen shot down three in one hit to his right. Then he turned and shot down two more. By then Rabi and Linali had their weapons invocated and joined the combat. Allen was glad that Linali was too busy with her own akuma to see that he coughed up a mouth full of blood. Allen's injured body couldn't keep up with the weapon. Allen heard a scream. Bazu was trying to fight off an akuma with a talisman. Allen quickly re-invocated and arrived just in time to keep the akuma from ripping off the Bazu's head. Allen felt his ribs crack as the akuma came crashing into him as he placed himself between the akuma and the finder.
"Run!" Allen shouted at the finder. "Hide." He pushed the akuma away. Bazu did not hesitate. Allen slashed at the akuma and ripped it in half. His eye told him that there were two more akuma coming from behind him. He slashed at one and as he was about to slash at the other he was caught in a fit of coughs. His knees buckled and he coughed up another mouth full of blood. Even maintaining the claw had become difficult. He braced himself for a hit, but none came. Linali was in front of him and had destroyed the akuma. Linali frowned and helped him up.
"You don't have to push yourself so hard." Linali said softly.
"I… I need to…" Allen stuttered unsure what to say.
"I won't send you back." Linali smiled at him sadly. "Just remember your promise okay?" Allen nodded. Rabi and the finders joined up with them.
"Let's get going." Allen said heading off again.
"Wait. We should rest." Rabi stopped him. "The finders have wounds to take care of. We were all injured in the fight. General Cross can wait." Allen was grateful. He collapsed against a nearby wall. Linali came over to him with some bandages.
"Lift up your shirt Allen." Linali's request shocked Allen. "You are having trouble breathing." She said lifting up his shirt to reveal an angry bruise; she lifted the shirt higher to reveal the partially healed scar which was red due to the amount of aggravation. Linali frowned and began bandaging up Allen's bruised, possibly cracked ribs. As she wrapped the bandage around Allen she also noticed how thin he's gotten.
"Don't worry about me." Allen said putting a hand on Linali's hand. "I will keep my promise."
Another half and hour later the group reached a small section of abandoned warehouses. Allen paused and examined the warehouses for a moment. Then he flung one of the sets of door open.
"Where the hell are you Master!"
For a moment there wasn't a response, Rabi thought that they had gotten the wrong place. Then something moved in the shadow.
"A simple hello would suffice." A man's voice broke the silence of the warehouse.
"Master you have caused everyone too much trouble for me to be polite with you." Allen said impatiently as General Cross came into view.
"I am glad your memory is better developed than your manners Allen." General Cross said coolly.
"Don't waste our time Master." The coldness in Allen's voice took Rabi by surprise. "There are about twenty akumas coming our way. We do not want to be caught in that. You didn't come back to return to the head quarters. You came back to leave something here." Allen said firmly looking at his master. He had remembered the first time his master had brought him there to that very warehouse. His master had taken him there when they first met. His master called it the home away from home, where no one from the organization would find him.
"So you remember my words well." General Cross said sounding amused. "That is why you came, even though your injuries wouldn't allow you to." Allen was taken by surprise, which made his master even more amused. "Tim has been reporting to me since I got here." Cross explained as Timcanpi popped out from behind him and flew over to rest on Allen's head.
"Its good to see you again master." Allen said his voice softer. His master had been like a father to him, after Mana died. A very strange father, but a father all the same. "I will not ask you to stay, because I know you won't, but please be responsible and let us take the other innocence to safety."
"Allen but we…" Rabi interrupted.
"It's all right." Cross said to Rabi. "If Komui knows me as well as I think he does, he wouldn't expect me to return with you." Just then a small head popped out from behind General Cross's legs. It was the face of a small girl no older than four years of age.
"Dada, who are they?" The small girl's worlds almost made Allen burst out laughing.
"It's Master not daddy." Cross said to the small girl with great annoyance. Allen knew his master had never been good with children. "She is a conformer of a parasite type." Cross explained pushing the small girl towards Allen, who instinctively picked up the girl. "She was an orphan. I do not know how she got her innocence, but I know you will want to keep her safe." Cross then handed Rabi a bag. "That's the last of the innocence I possess, save my own. Now go, before the akuma gets here." Allen obeyed and began heading out of the warehouse, then he stopped. "Be safe Master." Allen said to the darkness, and then began to run. Linali and Rabi followed him, with the finders close behind.
"The akumas are getting closer." Allen shouted as they darted thought the empty back alleys of the town. "They are moving to cut us off at the edge of the town. A fight in unavoidable." Allen stopped. He handed the girl over to Linali and gave her the bag with the innocence. "Go Linali! Take them back, we will hold them off." Linali shook her head.
"I will fight with you." She cried desperately, but Allen shook his head.
"Protect the innocence. You must." He said firmly. Linali looked towards Rabi for help, but Rabi turned away. He knew that Allen was right. As much as he knew that he and Allen didn't stand a chance against the swarm of akuma ahead he knew that the innocence must be returned to the headquarters.
"Go Linali, hurry." Rabi told her. Linali knew she was fighting a losing battle, so with out another word she invocated and took off.
"Mr. Finders, it has been a great help having you here." Allen said to the Bazu who was reaching for his talisman. "But please hide. There need not be more casualties in this battle." Bazu stopped for a moment then bowed with his partner.
"Thank you Mr. Walker." He said, "It has been an honor to assist you. See you when this is over." With that the two finders left and hid, leaving Allen and Rabi alone.
"Rabi." Allen began, but Rabi cut him off.
"If you think you can talk me into leaving kid, you are dead wrong." Rabi told him, invocating his weapon. "We can do this. Remember last time we took at seventy together, what's twenty?" Allen chuckled, they both knew that most of these are going to be level two akumas, but neither of them said anything as they faced the swarm of akumas that came at them.