Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray Man in any way, all credit goes to Katsura Hoshino.
Summary: Forced to leave the Order, Allen comes across a secret hidden in the depths of the Ark. Now, hunted by the Noah Clan and considered an enemy by the place he once called home, he has to search for the truth... The truth about Mana, Neah and himself. Where he came from and who he really is. Uncovering a web of illusions and doubts, Allen still moves forward as he promised to do... But what do you do in a war, when you feel like you don't belong to any side?
"It has been said "time heals all wounds". I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone." – Rose Kennedy.
Act Fifteen – Unchangeable, Unforgotten
She didn't know where she was.
Not a source of conscious worry, though. Just a fact to be accepted. She was reduced to the purest and most instinctive state, to which every being regresses when crossing the limit of horror that the mind is able to stand.
All she knew was the darkness, the desperate beating of her own heart…
And that there was someone there with her.
Then, something new. A disrupture.
Screams, she could hear screams. They echoed around, making it impossible to discern one from the other or the source. The words were incoherent, except for the emotions they carried. If this was due to the sound alone or if an echo in her, as a wave in her brain, she could not say.
Although she couldn't see, she somehow knew there was no way out. Still, she walked back, until finding a surface. She shrunk against it, trying to feel her path as she searched for a hiding place, an escape route, anything.
For a second, there was silence again, haunted by the ghosts of the wailing and screams. Her heartbeat made a buzz in her ears. Surely, whoever was there, chasing her, would hear it as well.
She stayed still.
Should she go on? Should she stay there?
A bang.
Something shone in the dark in front of her.
She avoided it, but now a river of agony sliced her nerves as her flesh was torn.
Holding her arm, she felt the warmth of her own blood.
The vibration in her throat could be sobs or words, there was no difference. The blood flow between her fingers, gushing and gushing as if it wanted to run away too and the tears burned her eyes.
The blade sought her flesh again and she jumped, knowing (more than seeing) where a passage was. Her persecutor shrieked.
Screamed? Laughed? She didn't know, didn't know!
The smell of her own blood left a trail in the air.
She tried to ignore the ache in her legs.
Run and run, it was all that mattered. There was no way of knowing how long this passage was, but she couldn't risk stopping. Screams, or laughter, chased her with a blade.
Something slid down her face, a liquid mask. Blood. Her blood.
Suddenly, a fall.
Body slamming against an irregular surface, bones hitting hard edges.
When she realized it, she was tossed against a smooth surface once more. Blind and in pain, her hand felt around it before the girl stood, shivering with an agony that reached her mind, her nerves, all that was her.
Darkness. All around, darkness.
She took off.
Her hair was pulled back, neck bending backward, bones crying out in protest.
Something cold, oh so cold, at her throat.
Her body jerked forward with the shock, light hurting her eyes and breathing out of rhythm as her hands sought her neck and face…
No wounds. No blood, though the smell was still alive in her senses.
Raz took some deep breaths, fighting to calm herself down. The sensation of dread still holding her organism was familiar and she knew this was the nightmare she used to have (or at least one of them). The first thought to find its way across the haze of her mind was that this was the first time she managed to remember the details so vividly.
Now she was not so surprised that most of the dreams would be forgotten once she was awake.
Or that what remained of them was this fear.
Something warm landed in her shoulder and she recoiled instinctively.
But it was Allen, his face marked by worry and hesitation.
"Raz…?" He muttered, lowering his hand before the Noah's reaction. Seeing her shaking in her sleep, he had rushed to her intending to wake her up when Raz had suddenly sat straight, her breathing quickened, pupils a small risk. She hadn't even noticed him until when he touched her.
"Ah…" She muttered, not knowing what to say and running her hand through her hair, putting away the uneven bangs from her face, still remembering the sensation of her own blood down the skin. Allen saw that her hand was shivering.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, yeah… I'm fine…"
It was a lie and they both knew it.
Allen straightened the straps of his backpack, not taking his eyes off her. Raz raised her shoulders in a stretch while looking through the window to the station and picking her own backpack that she had left at her side.
"Were you having a nightmare?" It was more an affirmation than an actual question, trying to test the waters with a gentle tone.
Raz hesitated, almost repeating that she was fine, but became quiet under Allen's gaze that, without a need for words, reminded her of what she had told him when the boy had confessed everything regarding himself and the chain of events that had pushed him to the present situation.
"You remember what you told me?" He asked, keeping the same tone. Raz had asked him to let her be his friend. The opposite was valid just as well and she understood that was what he meant. While the hesitation remained, there was now something in her pushing against it. She might not understand the dream properly, but she could trust it to Allen, right? He would not have any explanations either, but he would listen.
Raz sighed and nodded slowly.
"It's the first time I can remember it. At least a little…" She whispered as they left their cabin and followed the hallway. A man of dark hair and beard passed by them, muttering apologies when he bumped into Allen's shoulder in his hurry.
Allen didn't mind, his gaze still on the Noah.
"Was it something to do with your memories?" If so, it hadn't been a pleasant moment of her life, that much was obvious with how she had seemed to twist, a whimper apparently caught in her throat as a spide.
"I'm not sure…" Raz remembered the pain caused by fear. But it hadn't been just that or the wounds that had hurt her. Now, keeping the sensation and the images as fresh as she could, Raz realized that there had been something more, something unpleasant that squeezed her heart until it felt like it was full of worms.
"But I think it might be." She concluded, trying to act as if it wasn't anything that serious and failing at it. Any other person wouldn't have noticed it, but this was Allen, who had been living with her for months by now and could feel the vibration of her voice.
They left the train, being welcomed by the afternoon sun. Leaving the station, which was close enough to the city's limits, they prepared themselves for a long walk across the green fields. This wasn't where they had agreed to meet the Exiled. The town they were at was smaller and hadn't a train station of their own, but it was close enough to cover the distance on foot in a few hours (should they not meet anyone going in the same direction who might agree to give them a ride for a small payment).
"I… I don't know where I was. I couldn't see." Raz told him. Perhaps it was an illusion due to the sun, but Allen thought that, for a moment, her eyes had a golden gleam. "At first, I only heard screams, but then, there was someone trying to hurt me…"
Her throat got dry once more. It wasn't so much that there had been someone with her, but after her and the girl needed to control her hand so it wouldn't go to her shoulder, trying to feel a wound that wasn't there.
Had it been a memory? She had no scars that would confirm this, but it meant nothing in the end. The cut in her dream could have not been deep enough to leave scars, no matter how much pain there had been and for what Allen had told her of his battles with the other Noahs, they healed quickly…
But what about the screams? There had been so many… So many voices all around her, like birds caught in a storm.
In face of the nature of her nightmare, Raz would have preferred if it had nothing to do with reality, but she wasn't convinced of it.
Her spine felt cold.
"Do you have any idea of who it was?" Allen asked, curious and concerned. Raz, however, just shook her head, disappointed that she had no answer. Her thoughts were going in the same direction as Allen's: The person of her dream could have been Neah.
"Maybe it wasn't so much that I couldn't see anything, more like I didn't want to…"
Allen didn't know what to say and just held her shoulder, relaxing once he felt she didn't shiver or flinched anymore. Had it been Neah? An Exorcist? Or her dream hadn't had anything to do with any of it?
Raz, on another hand, tried to push the dream to the back of her mind. She didn't want to think about it, to be honest, it didn't feel worth the reaction it caused. The essence of whatever it had been still lurked inside of her. The bites on her flesh. Her blood running down. And there was no context for any of that…
All Raz knew was that there had been someone trying to harm her (if to hurt or kill, she didn't know).
The "who" and "why", she had no idea.
The second most likely answer was that it had been an Exorcist. That made sense as well. Wasn't it how things were supposed to be? This was a constancy that had been made quite clear, be through Allen's tale or that male Noah's actions back in the Forest of Lights…
Why did that make her uneasy? An Exorcist trying to kill a Noah (and vice-versa) would have been… Well… Natural. And she would have known this before, too.
She still didn't feel any better.
Realizing Raz was lost in thought and not having to guess the reasons, Allen poked her arm gently with his elbow, pulling her from wherever she was sinking. Her eyes looked dull.
"C'mon, Raz. You know there is no use in thinking about it now…" He tried, not knowing how much of a comfort that was. He could only hope that in their search for info about Mana and Neah, they could perhaps find some answers for her as well. The chances might not be in their favor, but it was still a far better option than going straight to the Earl.
"Yeah, I can imagine how well that would turn out…"
"And if it was a memory, well, you are here, right? We'll find out what happened." He refused to dismiss her feelings by saying it didn't matter or that she shouldn't be bothered. Slowly, he pressed her shoulder again, in a gesture of comfort. It wasn't the same as it had been with the song about the ericas, that had been a knowledge coming back, more like the name of objects and colors and she had no idea where the song had come from. While that dream might have been just a nightmare (Heavens knew she had enough reasons to have those), the alternative meant it was the closest of a memory she had.
Raz nodded with a sigh.
"Maybe you're right…" And she stretched her neck back, turning her face to the sky as if trying to force the thoughts away by relaxing the muscles, before deciding to change the subject. "What about the restaurant the others told us to go to?"
Allen embraced the change.
"It is called the Honey Vine or something like that. If you ask, I think Elana even will…"
Suddenly, he held her arm, nails digging her skin, and forcing her to stop. Raz had no need to ask him what was wrong.
His eye turning red was enough indicative.
Allen turned in some direction and ran. A normal person wouldn't be able to hear it or would blame it in noises from the woods, but they were like hounds at this point, used to catch determined sounds of prey. It was something among the wind in the trees, something that had nothing to do with nature.
Raz growled in frustration and worry.
Allen rushed between trees, not feeling or hearing anything else. The sensation in his eye was something he knew. It didn't quite hurt, but it seemed to make his eye shiver in the socket, sending waves to the mind.
"God, let me be wrong if this is what I think it is…"
Raz jumped the rocks with him. The silver anklet that hadn't left her ever since Allen had given it to her tinkled in an insane cadence.
"What is it?" She knew it was an akuma attack, but the way Allen ran, his gray eye almost silver with a gleam of worry and his tensed muscles, it seemed to be something more this time. She couldn't help but wonder if this wasn't a reason to run away from whatever that was.
"Just run!" It was the reply. The low sound was intertwined by others, of things hitting against others and falling. There was something else as well. An acute sound that made a twisted rhythm.
Allen knew that, whoever was in that forest, was lost.
Raz felt his urgency. It was easy for her to keep up with Allen. Her endurance had been increasing rapidly with their training, reminding her body of how its limits differed from normal humans.
The muttering of a waterfall became louder. Allen's eye indicated the right direction. His heart was cold, his lungs had shards in the flesh. His mind conjured images that invited involuntary sensations. Even if he wished he was wrong, the boy knew what he would find soon ahead…
He would have entered the area without hesitation if Raz hadn't held him, almost making him fall when forcing him against a large tree to hide.
"RAZ! What do you think…"
The girl's hand went against his mouth as she nodded to the area.
The trees retreated, giving space to flowers of white and shell-pink here and there. A lake surrounded by smooth rocks. A waterfall muttered its song. A spot that, on any other occasion, would have been beautiful was now a battlefield and it carried its marks. The ground was torn by large scratches, revealing the dark earth as a wound shows flesh. Some trees had been bent or bore other markings of missed blows and one of the rocks seemed to have been broken.
And the creature hovering there, with a smile made of perfectly equal teeth, could have been made of bones. The eyes were red, bereft of anything that resembled sanity, yet having a sort of intelligence to them. The black pentagram on the forehead gave the illusion of a hole.
A Level Four Akuma.
Allen felt his stomach turning just by being close to it. He could see the soul, could hear its whimpering and even now, his body reacted in both repulse and compassion. The akuma's eyes twisted in its skull, having just a hint of resemblance to human eyes, which somehow only emphasized how out of place they seemed in that body, just like those teeth.
Everything about that thing was not supposed to be.
In the horror caused by previous experiences and the sight of the tortured soul Allen, however, hadn't seen that there was someone else there. A tall woman, blonde hair in a ponytail with just a few strands escaping. With her, there was something that could be a kind of white marmoset monkey, if it wasn't for the fact the animal was almost as big as the akuma.
But it hadn't been any of this that had made Raz hold Allen back.
It had been the black coat with a silver symbol.
"Exorcist…" She muttered with a voice Allen had heard before from other Noahs when they referred to the members of the Order, but never from Raz. Lately, with the training and exposure to the presence of Innocence, she had affirmed to be getting more used to it, making it easier to control the storm that had almost dominated her before.
The situation now wasn't like that at all.
Perhaps it was because she knew this woman was from the Order, an Exorcist, made her blood stir. For an instant, her eyes became golden and Allen thought her skin was about to darken.
"Klaud Nine." Allen whispered back. "She is one of the Generals."
Raz glanced at the fight once more, then turned away carefully, face made of ice and ignoring the growls of the monkey and the voice of the akuma. Allen saw at once that she found no reason for them to get involved.
"We can't!" Allen whispered, not making a move to follow her. They were at a safe enough distance to talk, covered up by how the Akuma and the General alike were too focused in their fight, but he didn't dare to risk it.
"Listen to yourself!" Raz hissed back, her mouth twisted. It was the only sign of expression and it looked out of place as her face remained somehow empty. "What do you think she is going to do?"
Allen hesitated.
Even if they won against the akuma, there was still Klaud to deal with. There were several ways this could end and none sounded beneficial.
Nonetheless, this knowledge existed in essence alone: He still remembered the first time he had seen a Level Four… And the giggles he heard now were not from memory nor was the crying of that soul. A man. He wasn't even begging for help anymore. He didn't remember how hope felt like…
That man, that soul… He was just in absolute despair.
"I told you about the Level Four, Raz…" He whispered back. Raz nodded, showing no reaction. Even she, a Noah and unable to see souls, had been unable to avoid being disturbed when Allen had explained to her as much as he could. What she knew about Akumas was what Allen knew and, perhaps because of this, the Level Four was as obscene to her as it would be to any human.
Her eyes slowly drifted back to the clearing, the view largely obscured by the trees. As if this was a cue, they heard a childlike giggle. Low, but sharp enough to cut the sound of the waterfall. A voice mechanic and organic at the same time. Allen almost winced at how it seemed to echo in his brain.
"We can't leave it like this. I can't." He grabbed her wrist, as if wanting to keep her from leaving. Raz turned, holding his shoulders in the same way.
"What you can't do is to save everyone!"
Both stayed in silence before Raz carried on.
"Allen, please, listen to me… Assuming we manage to deal with a Level Four, assuming we manage to run away from that woman, she is still going to tell everything to the Order!" It was impossible to believe otherwise. The towns closer to the road would be investigated and the Exiled would have to leave as soon as possible as well.
And that wasn't all…
"How do you think they will face this?"
Allen hesitated. All the akumas knew about them. And the Earl himself had told Allen they could be used as his own eyes. He didn't know how that worked, but it had been how the man had figured out Allen was actually Neah's host.
Even if Allen convinced Raz to stay hidden, the Level Four would know she should be close by. And he would probably say something about it as well. As pointless as it was for her to stay hidden, if she fought with him, Klaud could easily figure things out for herself.
No matter what they did, if they interfered, then Klaud (and the Order) would know Allen was traveling at the side of a Noah.
What they would take of this?
"Why didn't they just trust me?"
His heart throbbed.
They already saw him as an enemy… What would they think then?
What would Lenalee and the others think?
Such thoughts didn't take more than two seconds. As important as they were, they were secondary.
He couldn't. He still couldn't just turn away.
"Raz… Even so… It just doesn't matter!" There was more he could say, to try to explain, but he limited himself to get free, tossing his backpack among the roots and running around behind the trees so he could attack the akuma's back. The surprise element could at least be somewhat useful, he hoped, if the creature was distracted enough.
The Noah felt her blood agitating once more. It was lunacy. They shouldn't be doing that. They should just…
She heard the akuma laughing again.
Growling to herself, she threw her own bag at the ground.
"Damn your "heart of Exorcist", Allen…"
Klaud backed away, ignoring the pain in her arm. Due to being Parasitic, all that Lau Shimin suffered affected her as well. The monkey waved his tail, hissing in anger. Right now, their minds were connected, thoughts touching.
The akuma lifted a fingertip to its mouth, the gesture of a child excited for a perverse game.
It attacked.
Lau jumped backward to avoid it, also protecting his owner, who could feel in a corner of her own thoughts the monkey's rage for the akuma. It wasn't so much what the akuma was, but the threat it posed to Klaud.
Fist still in the ground, the akuma tilted the head to the side, the smile never moving.
"You're fun!" It chirped in that twisted voice. Having barely no lips, it just opened and closed its mouth, words coming from the throat. "Try to not die soon, okay!"
Lau jumped with a roar that wouldn't ever be heard from a normal monkey, throwing himself against the akuma, claws against the metal without being able to pierce it.
"We're not here to play." The woman snarled dryly, despite her usual refusal to talk during battles. As much as provoking one enemy could make it lose focus, it rarely worked with akumas and she preferred to not risk her own attention. Besides, battles were not places for chatter. She concentrated her energies in her hands and feet, joining her strength to Lau's.
Pain pierced her insides when the Akuma's wings hit the animal's shoulders, meaning to break his bones.
Lau backed away and attacked again. At the same moment, a ball of Dark Matter came to her. Klaud jumped with the grace of a cat, landing in a rock nearby. Her right shoulder and Lau's were a mass of flesh that throbbed.
Neither of them paid attention to it.
The akuma giggled in delight and rushed to her.
The part of her mind that was hers and Lau's reacted in a second. The monkey grabbed the wings, pressing them with all strength they both shared, legs crossed around the Akuma's waist to avoid a fall.
"Let's crush those wings, Lau!" She sent the thought to her Innocence-monkey, a deep agreement coming from the animal. For the first time, the Akuma shook itself with anger, diving to the ground, intending to crush Lau. They fought back, Lau managing to use his weight to mess the akuma's balance, then holding its head and aiming towards the ground.
At the last minute, they had to let go. Lau felt the akuma would be able to turn in the last second. The wings looked somewhat damaged, but not enough.
A wave of Dark Matter was cast in the air. Klaud jumped, but the vibration in the air hit her foot. Pain sliced her when she felt the Akuma grabbing Lau's ankle as he tried to avoid the attack.
The creature threw the monkey down, but made the mistake of releasing him. Lau jumped to his paws, avoiding a more painful impact.
Klaud stood over the rock, managing to balance herself.
The akuma seemed curious, as if it had thought that by distracting Klaud with pain, it would have been able to attack the monkey more easily. It wasn't possible. Once the Innocence that was Lau was activated, there was no way to break their link.
The akuma rushed to her with a sound that could be a laugh or shriek.
Lau ran to stand before Klaud.
The akuma let out a scream.
At first, Klaud didn't understand what was going on. The creature clawed its face in agitation… Then she saw. There was something black in its eyes, like a mist. The akuma shook itself, trying to get rid of something that was on its back.
"I… I didn't expect this…" The thought came out of control. She had no time for hesitation or disbelief, there was no way of fooling herself upon seeing the cape, the whiteness that was so different from the akuma's.
It was Allen Walker.
The boy stabbed his sword in the middle of the Akuma's back, who cried out and tumbled in the air, agitating the wings to throw Walker off or piece him with the sharp damaged ends. He jumped, the cape helping him in the air so he didn't have a bad fall, landing near Lau.
The Akuma growled and attacked blindly. More black stuff threw itself against its back as dark jewels, holding his wings. For some reason, whatever that was, she found as grotesque to look at as the akuma.
"Walker!" Klaud couldn't hold the yell. What on Earth was he doing here?
He turned to her with a smile. She had a strong impression it was more fragile than what she remembered from the times she had seen him…
"Good afternoon, General Nine!" And with that, he turned back to the akuma, attacking it and quickly joined by Lau. With the proximity, Klaud could see better what was in the akuma's back, though the understanding escaped her. It looked like a kind of living oil while that on the eyes was the darkest mist she had ever seen, more like…
That was it. It wasn't mist, it was a shadow. Pure shadow. She had no idea how that could be possible but didn't care. Suddenly, Klaud noticed another person ahead, who kept staring at the akuma, darkness moving around her as serpents.
Allen pressed the Akuma's throat as he attacked with the sword. The monkey joined him, jumping and holding the wings, unable to avoid contact with the black threads. As thin as they seemed to become under the paws, the touch was still unpleasant. There was something about those, but both ignored it in favor of breaking the akuma's wings. The creature refused to give in to the double attack, slicing both with its clawed hands. A sharp movement of the wings seemed to cut the black straps.
Allen stood in front of Klaud and the other person, a girl with long hair in a sloppy ponytail, came quickly and wasted just a glance at the General. The boy had a cut on his arm and his leg was apparently hurt as well. While the girl had not approached the akuma, her face bore a thin cut. Seeing a shiver running down her arm, Klaud had a moment to wonder if the girl was as connected to the shadows as she was to Lau.
The akuma backed away and studied the new opponents.
It smiled.
"Ah! Ah! It's you!" It shouted in excitement. It was an obscene sight. "It's you! Allen Walker and Raziah! Lu-cky-y!" Renewed by the enthusiasm, it attacked, hands full of Dark Matter.
The boy lifted his sword. The girl had shadows slithering around, Lau and Klaud flexed their muscles…
The Dark Matter came for them. Walker called upon Crown Edge, a white symbol shining from his sword before going against the akuma and a black wall of tendrils or thorned branches rose in front of them. Raz's arms shivered when the akuma's attack hit her barrier, which faded as broken crystal. It had at least confused the akuma enough for Allen's sword to pierce its shoulder.
"Why isn't she attacking in another way?" The blonde wondered. If the girl could control those things in such a manner, then she shouldn't be limited to just hold the creature or making shields. The akuma's laugher called her attention. It didn't sound like before. It was lacked sanity, but it wasn't out of mockery anymore…
"Didn't expect to find the two Noahs! The Earl wants you! He will be so happy!"
Klaud felt her blood stopping as time ceased its existence.
Two Noahs?
Her gaze went from Allen Walker to the girl and back to the akuma. Calling Walker a Noah was understandable, but… Yet, it had no reason to lie, not about this, nor could it be mistaken. But if that girl was truly a Noah, then why was she fighting against an akuma?
Allen avoided looking at the General. The worry for the consequences of what she had just found out was the last thing in his mind, but he still didn't want to see how she must be looking at him now.
"What he wants or not is of no matter." Raz said, her smooth laced by coldness and nothing else. She could only hope she sounded braver than she actually felt.
"And if he wants us" Allen completed, raising his head and pointing the sword to the opponent in a challenge. "Let him come and claim us!"
Something gleamed in the Akuma's eyes as it gritted its teeth with a sound of nails against a blackboard. Its head tilted to the side. Allen couldn't tell if it was debating something with itself no more than he could tell if it was charmed or aggravated by their words.
"I wanted to play with the Exorcist some more." It moaned, the face then twisting in pleasure. "But the Earl wants you!"
Allen held his sword, but Lau stood at his side and Klaud approached.
"Walker, get ready to jump over him!" She told him. The boy nodded, still not looking at her. Klaud glanced at the girl with the corner of her eyes, trying to get whatever clues there might be in her behavior. The usual feelings regarding the Clan whispered to her, but the situation was bizarre enough for her to ignore them. "Noah, can you blind it again?"
Her only response was a nod.
Klaud had no idea of how she felt about all this, but there was no time to care.
When the akuma darted to them, Walker jumped, using his cape's straps to wrap the creature's neck and grab its back, once more piercing it with his sword. The akuma let out a cry of rage and pain. The girl avoided a blow and waved as if casting something against him. A gush of shadows was on the red eyes, around the head. Fast as it was, with Walker's attack and the sudden blindness, the akuma had no time to change directions.
Lau punched the face, tail wrapping its ankles to stop the creature from getting away. The girl gestured again and Klaud felt the shadows slipping between the monkey's tail to hold the ankles as well. The creature that looked like made of human bones struggled.
Klaud felt its strength. The claws against her skin.
Lau grabbed its waist with the hinder legs and hit the skull with the paws, pressing to crush it.
Allen's fingers were iron as he fought for balance and to stab it again, piercing the armor. The akuma's struggled, hitting him. He didn't let go. Neither did the monkey or the shadows that fought to hold it.
There was an explosion of dark matter.
Allen jumped, the white cape around him in a shield, but the pressure hit his bones as invisible hands. Lau let go along with Klaud, jumping back to avoid the explosion. Shadows wrapped Raz in defense.
The akuma stood, growling, and gritting teeth.
Still alive.
Klaud stood with Lau. She knew the akuma wouldn't dare to kill Walker as the Earl had already made clear he wanted the boy alive. It was safe to assume the same could be applied to that Noah girl (even if she was indeed on Walker's side)… But this meant no advantage, the woman knew it.
Lau attacked again, managing to hold the akuma's head, claws pressing the same points of before, trying to crack it open. The akuma grabbed his throat in reply and Klaud couldn't breathe. The bones of her neck screamed in protest.
Then, air again.
Walker hit the akuma's waist, the Noah's shadows holding its wrist and pulling them up, twisting them. Walker proceeded to attack the same point in its back that was already weakened by the previous stabs.
The akuma struggled. The wings were now nearly useless and it could only keep itself a few centimeters above the ground. It managed to turn, its claws closing around Walker.
Lau held it, trying to bite the neck. The akuma avoided it with a demented smile, twisted even more by the cracks on the skull.
Shadows again. They held its throat, pulling back. When the akuma released Walker in an attempt to grab whatever was doing this, oily straps held the wrists and twisted its arms back in a movement that would have dislocated a human's arm, pulling as if set in ripping them apart.
Lau took the chance to hold the akuma down.
With a growl that could be an eardrum-piercing scream, the akuma struggled in rage and its hand went against the Noah, who couldn't move in time and rolled in the grass leaving blood drops.
It went to her, feet on her chest, pressing to cut her breath.
The monkey went for it, claws in the very spot between the wings, breaking the armor that it was its skin. Walker was on his feet again and aimed the side of its face, throwing the sword and hitting the cracks previously made by Lau and Klaud.
The explosion's impact threw them all to the ground, a wave of heat that gave the sensation of standing next to a door to Hell before the akuma finally died.
Klaud felt the bones shivering inside the skin. Yet, she refused to give in. Deactivating her Innocence, Lau was back to his regular size and when Klaud approached, the monkey let out an "eep" and went to her, movements slowed down.
With gentle hands, Klaud leaned down and picked the small white animal, holding it in her arms. Lau nestled there, exhausted. Now that it was over, their wounds hurt more with nothing to distract them from it. Klaud's shoulder was pure agony and she would have several bruises in her abdomen later, not to mention the deep cuts.
Still, her face remained calm and didn't denounce anything when she took a few steps towards Allen Walker and the Noah girl. The boy was on his knees, still holding his sword for support. The other was on kneeling on the grass. Both were catching their breaths as shiver-like spams shook their bodies.
The ground under them was stained with blood.
"What are they doing together?" Her mind ran fast through the possibilities and the rumors about Walker that had been renewed by Chaozii's report. She recalled the first time she had seen a Level Four akuma for a moment before tossing the image aside, studying the two people before her. Both wore cheap clothes. Walker looked thinner, his hair longer. The Noah had jet-black hair and Klaud saw a small chain with pendants around her ankle.
The blonde stepped closer.
The Noah turned to her.
Darkness took Klaud's eyes.
Klaud raised her hand to her face. The touch of those things… For a moment, instinct made her want to scratch them, to do anything to try getting rid of them before her self-control came in her aid. Lau, who had time to run to her shoulders, screeched and the woman knew his eyes had also been covered. Although there was no pain, the way her optic nerves twisted told her that there could be…
"We're very sorry for this, General!" Walker's voice came from some point, fading as he probably took off. Klaud couldn't say anything in response, only relieved once she could see again. A needle of coldness ran inside her spine and her fingers touched her eyes, as if needing to be sure the shadows were gone. Her fingers trembled.
For a moment, she wanted to go to the lake and wash her eyes.
She realized that, for what she had felt, it had been more a persistent mist than the more solid form she had seen the Noah converting them into. And she was glad for that, having no desire to know the touch of those shadows.
Walker and a Noah…
"That was… Strange…" It was one way of saying it. She had several other terms for this.
On her shoulder, Lau made a small sound of agreement.
XxX
"Yo, Allen, Raz!" Lauren lifted her hand upon seeing the two entering the small restaurant, smiling when they approached. She frowned a little, seeing a bandage on Raz's face and how they had tried to hide stains in their clothes. "Was the trip that bad? Because, no offense, you don't look so good…"
"We just ordered, you guys pick something too." Elana said gently, gesturing for them to sit when they remained standing there as she studied their state, not masking her worry. "What happened?"
Allen felt his body becoming empty. He didn't regret his decision of helping Klaud, but now that he had to tell them how they should leave at once… His eyes went to the restaurant's door and he half-expected to see Crows coming in.
Had Klaud called the Order already?
His mind, taunting itself, repeated words of the whispers he had tried to ignore when everyone had learned how he was the host of a Noah and of when Levelier had ordered him to be placed in the dungeons…
It gave him some idea of how they would react now, even when a part of him tried to hold to some hope.
Why did it still hurt? Even after months?
He swallowed hard and forced himself to say.
"Actually… I think we should finish eating and get any train we can as fast as possible…" He said quickly, the words almost stumbling on each other. It didn't stop the group from understanding it and the atmosphere changed at once. It was one of the occasions in which Allen would have liked to not look at anyone as he felt the air grow thicker with tension.
"What happened? Did you see someone on the street or on your way here?" Alison asked as she frowned, leaning over the table to his direction. Allen looked at Raz for help, but she had an air of serenity that didn't match the situation.
"You explain it." Her gaze seemed to say, leaving the message clear: He had decided to help the General, then he should be the one to tell the others about it. Allen took a deep breath, hoping they wouldn't at least be too angry at him… If someone asked, Allen might have admitted that even though he had never been quite close to Klaud Nine, it had agitated something inside him. It was as if he still wasn't as used as he thought to the idea of running away all the time and how the Order probably wanted him dead now…
Such was the effect of seeing a known face.
It wasn't like running away from people he knew were from the Order just due to their clothing.
His eyes passed by the Exiled, who were waiting for the explanations. Samuel was leaning as to better look at him at Elana's side, his dark eyes on him with the seriousness of someone getting ready for the bad news. Elana examined Allen and Raz, her worry clearly growing while Alison remained leaning over the table, curious and nervous. Allen wondered, not for the first time, which their reasons for leaving the Order had been, and if they were used to running away from people they had known or if they still felt like he did.
With a sigh, he started to talk about how he had felt an akuma's presence and found Klaud Nine with a Level Four, how he and Raz had fought it and been seen, trying to get it over with quickly even if it was not a long story. Food arrived with no one interrupting, safe for Elana insisting that the two of them ate something even if it was just a sandwich.
"You moron!" Alison muttered, shaking her head as her green eyes remained on the boy without blinking. While her tone was more surprised or of confirming a fact than angered, there was no denying she was far from pleased.
"Oh, Allen… That was really insane! And very irresponsible." Elana said sternly, though somehow not unkindly. And it wasn't as if Allen's choice of actions came as a great shock to her. "Look, I understand that you meant well and I'm not saying that it was wrong, but you need to think more about your own safety. You can't afford to take risks like this ever again!"
The white-haired boy just shrugged. Although he felt bad, it was just because of the consequences and how it could affect the rest of the group, he couldn't (nor wanted to) regret helping Klaud.
"Klaud Nine is a General, Allen." Samuel reminded without sounding condescending, almost speaking to himself as they stood to pay and leave, having barely touched the food. "She didn't get this position for nothing, I can assure you…"
"And she is really strong." Lauren interjected, light affection slowly coming to her tone. "She has been in several battles… And I'm not saying this just because I was in her unit." The girl added fairly. She remembered Klaud as a wise woman and trusted that she would have backed off had it been called for or destroyed the akuma at some point. "I saw her fighting, she knows how to take care of herself."
Allen would have liked to ask more about their days at the Order, but the situation was not propitious and the idea was buried. He hadn't been unaware of Klaud Nine's strength nor did he doubt the woman's skills, it had nothing to do with things of this nature. He just shook his head slowly, as they rushed to the hotel where the group had been staying, grateful that it was close by.
"Even so… You never saw a Level Four, Lauren. When they invaded the Order…" He stopped talking, that being enough to remind them of what he had told regarding the war. Even if Klaud might have been able to deal with that herself, just turning around and leaving, regardless if it would've been in his best interests, it just… Wasn't right.
"I've heard people saying I need to think more before acting…" He reflected as they rushed through a hallway in the hotel. When he had heard comments of this nature, he had just brushed them aside or thought his behavior wasn't that bad. "Well… Perhaps I should take the advice"
"I just couldn't."
He was just thankful that no one here was mad at him.
"You're crazy. You're definitely crazy". Lauren turned to Raz as she entered the room and started to pick some clothes, throwing them in her bag in a hurry. "Raz, I think you should watch out. You're going to end up crazy like him."
"Speaking of it…" The dark eyes of Samuel landed in the girl lightly, but with enough firmness for Raz and Allen feel their organs turning into stone. "Did you fight as well, Raz?"
It was certainly the impression Allen had unwillingly given. There was no lying either, her appearance was not of someone who had merely remained hidden. Both were aware of how this might seem weird when, back on their first meeting, Raz's behavior had been of someone who had no way of getting involved in a battle, even when cornered by a Noah.
"It's just that…" She tried to think about a lie, anything that could work while wanting to keep her eyes in his, but for some reason, the girl found out she was unable to do so. It was easier to look at the floor. At her side, Allen grew tense as he noticed the others looking at them, perhaps knowing there was something there neither was telling. Perhaps they should be honest and tell the truth, but Allen couldn't deny the fear that was creeping inside him at the idea.
What would they say once they learned Raz was a Noah?
What would they say once they learned Allen was a host?
They might not be with the Order anymore, but they were still Innocence Accommodators. They were still against the akumas. And the Noahs.
"How will they look at us?" The thought came to Raz without control and she felt strange. Heavy. Everything became bitter to the senses.
The same question came to Allen. The difference was that he had enough basis to have an idea of the answer. He remembered people who had been pleasant to him back home and how they had started to look at him as if he was something rotting or a dangerous snake…
His friends had remained with him, of course, but those looks were still real…
He… He just didn't want those people to look at him like that.
He didn't want to go through something like that again.
"Raz?" Alison asked in a gentle tone as the two kept their silence.
The girl and Allen exchanged looks. None of them was sure of what was the best decision… And they hadn't time to deliberate either, they had to leave.
Raz didn't know what to do.
But it didn't seem she could lie.
"They will probably scream…" The thought came with resignation as she recalled that night in the forest and Allen's tales of the battles against the Noahs. They would scream. If they didn't attack her immediately, that was. "They will remember the akumas and Tyki Mikk…" And her eyes burned with the image of Samuel taking stitches in his chest and how it had probably left a scar, Lauren hurt, Alison fighting…
But the alternative of a lie…
"Don't they deserve the truth?"
At least, unable to bear it anymore, Raz took a quiet breath and let the truth resurface.
It was the first time since she had woken up that she allowed her appearance to change, but it was an easy enough process, as much as slipping a piece of clothing off or letting invisible water to wash a fresh stain from the flesh.
Her skin became darker, slowly reaching the ash color that was natural of the Noahs. Black stigmas crossed her forehead, in the manner of wounds that started to bleed. The gray-blue of her eyes dissolved, leaving in its place an animalistic yellow.
Someone let out a sound of shock.
"Oh, my God…" A whisper.
"You gotta be kidding…"
A part of Raz wanted to keep her head high. It felt that she should do so, but it was a weak sensation and she found out she didn't want to look at anyone. It was easier to look at the ground and it was enough to feel those gazes upon her, anyway.
They would scream. Or attack, she could bet.
It was how things were, right?
Yes. It was. Innocence and Noah. Enemies.
Yet, she did not call upon her shadows and merely waited.
Allen looked at the others warily. He liked them, but if there was any sign of hostility, he and Raz would not hesitate to defend themselves. He watched them, almost expecting to see their eyes becoming like the eyes he had seen in the Order before.
Raz felt someone coming closer and looked up to see Alison standing closer in front of her, face not letting anything out. She just stood there, her green eyes studying the Noah. Raz almost wished the girl would… Scream, hit her, do something instead of just stand there. But as they looked at each other, Raz saw there was no hostility or disgust in her.
In slow steps, Lauren approached her as well from the side.
Samuel and Elana exchanged glances before looking back at her. Allen thought he caught a glimpse of something strange in Elana's eyes before it was gone.
He, on his turn, kept his head high as he stood close to the Noah as the two girls seemed to be considering her, Alison hiding her feelings as much as Raz's, who just looked back at her. For all the world, Raz looked as if she couldn't care less about what the others' reactions would be.
Allen knew better. And he couldn't say he liked seeing her like that. She looked… Vulnerable. His own throat got dry as he imagined how they would look at him once he told everything. And his mind once again placed the eyes he had seen in the Order in their faces.
"Well, I… I did think you were hiding something..." Elana said in a voice firm enough once she caught Allen looking at her. Her coat was still in her hands and the woman seemed to have forgotten she was holding it at all. "I didn't think it would be something like that…"
None of them had. And now… She couldn't avoid looking at Raz. How had that even happened? The fear that had come over her at first was easily overpowered by the confusion.
Even Allen couldn't help observing Raz with the corner of his eyes. It was hard not to, considering it was the first time ever since her waking that she assumed her true shape (at least as far as he knew).
How could someone have the shape of a human… And yet be anything but?
He looked back at Samuel, who was observing him now. He knew this was not something you could respond with a simple "doesn't matter" or just accept and then avoid the matter entirely. With another breath, he said.
"And I'm the host of a Noah."
This attracted their attention back to him. Lauren was unable to hide her surprise, her frown increasing as she blinked, as if trying to find some sense in what she had just heard. Allen hurried up, suddenly needing to do move, to do something and picked a blouse he had been putting away some seconds ago as he had started to help Lauren with the packing.
"But… But you're an Accommodator! Then how…" Elana was at loss, speaking in what could be shock or plain puzzlement. To hear that someone who had Innocence (even more one of Parasitic Innocence) also had Noah genes in him was like hearing that someone had managed to mix water and oil, or fire and water.
Wait, that wasn't quite right, was it? Allen didn't say he was a Noah as well, but that he was a host of one. It didn't sound like he was like Raz. Then what…?
"It's a long story…" Allen sighed. "We… We don't have much time." It seemed the blonde woman was going to insist until she shook her head, folding her coat once again as if remembering she was still holding it. Allen was unsure if she was going to insist, just as he was unsure of how to explain it. It had been something to tell Raz everything. He glanced at her with the corner of his eyes.
She stood still, also attentive to the reactions of the Exiled, not saying a word. Now in front of her, Lauren bit her lower lip for a moment while looking at her. Then, slowly, she lifted her hand close to her chest, hesitant, her eyes questioning… Raz showed no reaction and when Lauren's hand moved closer, in silent permission, the Noah lowered her head to the shorter girl.
Delicately, Lauren brushed the strands of dark hair away, the tip of her fingers then touching the bigger stigma, at the center of Raz's forehead. The skin boasted no perceptible difference other than the color that she could sense, yet… Her finger traced the stigma. Yes, she felt it. Right at the center of it, there was something she could not see but that felt like a scar… A thin line, as if someone had cut her with a needle, removing the flesh, forming a fissure that had never closed completely and that was hidden by the black.
"That… That must have hurt… I don't see how it could not…"
She stretched herself, despite the height difference between the two not being more than some centimeters. Yes… If she paid enough attention, she could see them. Her attention went to the Noah's eyes. The pupil was thinner than of a human and oval-shaped, against an iris of dark gold that was larger than those of a human's. Perhaps it was Lauren's impression, but she found there was an almost reptilian quality to those eyes… The inner corner was sharp, pointing down as if meaning to follow the nose, like the eyes of a feline or some other animal.
Lauren broke contact, then looking at Raz's hands. Once more, she looked at her, before gently taking the gray hand on hers That night in the forest had been the first time she had seen a Noah, but she had been taught to fear them before that by both the Order and the life of an Exorcist. This girl before her was the same as the Earl and that man… Yet, the dread she had first felt at the sight was, if not fading, becoming manageable. Her heartbeat was still fast, her senses reacting as they would if she was handling a particular vicious snake, but she forced herself to ignore them and with that, came the curiosity.
Despite her shape, nothing about Raz allowed one to forget she was a different species altogether, and now, Lauren felt a strange curiosity that she wouldn't be able to explain to herself, but she knew herself to be safe. The fear was subsided and she was like a person able to touch a tiger with no fear of being harmed.
She held Raz's hand, her thumb running across the back of it until her free hand touched the fingers. The skin felt normal under her touch, as did the anatomy of the fingers, but nothing about Raz allowed doubts that she was of a different species altogether. Slowly, she touched one of the fingernails.
"They… They are really black…" Lauren muttered as if not aware the thought was escaping her. Black and smooth, they were strong, with only a vague hint of a claw-like quality.
"Lauren, give her a break!" Alison snapped, rolling her eyes. As if realizing now what she had been doing and how childish (or offensive) it could be, Lauren released the Noah's hand.
"I'm sorry, sorry… It's just… I mean…" Her mocha skin darkened with a furious blush. She hadn't meant to invade her space to that point or to make Raz feel like a zoo animal. "I didn't mean to offend you, I swear, I…"
"That's alright." Raz replied and it was true. The innocent curiosity that Lauren had just displayed was far preferable to the reaction Raz had expected. Although she was still unsure of what to say after revealing the truth, she felt a little better having sensed that Lauren wasn't afraid. As she raised her eyes to the others, she realized none of them looked at her with fear or disgust.
Picking a backpack that looked ages-old, Alison hesitated. Her mind was holding to the days they had spent together and how Raz had never shown anything even remotely alike hostility… And Allen had fought at their side and helped them. A part of her whispered it could be a long-term pretense, but the idea sounded stupid and far too "Order-like" for her tastes.
"Do you mind if I ask why you aren't with the Clan?"
Raz and Allen didn't need to look at each other: Both felt similarly to the matter.
"Like Allen said… It is a long story..." But under the gaze of the group, they knew they should start at some point. Then, as they helped the others to get ready and took their way to a train station, the story was told, about the Fourteenth, Apocryphos, Allen's escape and Raz's lack of memories.
XxX
Allen knew it could take a long time until he tracked the old circus down (as necessary as it was, just the idea made him want to puke) and as such, he and Raz decided to stay with the group for some time more until they reached a far away town he remembered being one of the places the troupe used to have a good audience. The time could also be used to gather more money, as it would be a long trip.
And all that aside, there was another factor that while simpler, was the most important: They wanted to stay with them.
Deciding to get as far away as possible for now, they had taken a train and would get down at the final destination. And Allen knew none of them would be against taking another train if they felt the distance was not enough, no mattering if the expense was not something they had been quite prepared for, since they usually stayed in a town enough to earn at least half of what the tickets used to cost.
As such, the rest of their entire day had been spent practically inside the train compartment and some hours in a station. Still, it hadn't been unpleasant. Time went by fast as they talked and explained what had happened, some of the others even talking about when they had been Exorcists. The night fell and stars came to look down to Earth, lights of the town were left behind as the train they were in rushed across dark fields.
Raz and Alison were sitting by the window and looking outside. Lauren was sitting at the Noah's side, head resting back as she watched Allen and Elana playing cards. The woman could see that she would lose easily. Samuel watched as well, sitting at her side and occasionally caressing her shoulder as the woman cuddled closer to him.
"But now I can understand." Alison whispered to Raz. "What that Noah said, when we first met, about you two. How you had no place but with them…"
By the sound of it, Alison considered those words to be nonsensical for some reason. Raz just acquiesced. They had talked a little of what she was, but not out of repugnance for the subject and more because they had somehow found it easier to accept after understanding her situation and Allen's. It was something that would take time to all of them to get used to, yes, but even if things didn't work out in the end, there was something good about not having such secrets between them anymore.
Alison, as well as the others, had remained in silence for quite some minutes after hearing their whole story until Samuel had nodded.
"Well, it was wise…"
Both had looked at the man with clear surprise.
"Say what?"
"Come again?"
"It was wise that you didn't tell us" He had repeated in his deep rumble of voice with a nod. "You had no reason to trust us, I know."
"But…" Raz started, even if she had no words left anymore. Alison still stared at her and evaluated the girl before shrugging, trying to force her muscles to relinquish the tension that still held them.
"Anyway… I guess it doesn't change things much." She was telling this not only to them but herself as well. Samuel was right. First off, they hadn't had reasons to just go and tell everything when they had just met. And second, well, just like Allen wasn't with the Order anymore, Raz wasn't with the Clan. A part of Alison still wanted to get away from both of them, but she hadn't forgotten their days together as few as they had been in the great scale of things.
Samuel continued, looking at Raz who had resumed her human appearance.
"Do you want to kill us?"
"No!" Her reply had been almost laced with despair, in a very rare display of emotions. The man's question had reached back when she had seen Allen's Innocence for the first time, to how she had wanted to rip his arm to shreds with her bare hands and in such a way that it was almost as if she was reliving it again.
She didn't want to do that. She didn't.
Elana took a deep breath.
"I believe in you." She decided. At least she would, until and if given reason to change her mind. What else could she do? "If you wanted to hurt us, you could have done so already. You had the chances…" At this, Elana tried to stop her mind from superimposing Tyki Mikk's cruel smile on Raz' face. She turned to Allen. "And you left the Order. And you're trying to fight this… Neah."
She had almost said "Noah", but with her tone getting colder at the start of the word, she had corrected herself in the last instant.
"And you refused." Alison muttered, bringing Raz back to the present. "That man. You didn't go with him."
"I want to remember what I forgot." The other mumbled sincerely. "But I don't want to go to the Clan for that." She didn't need to elaborate more than this. Alison nodded, her green eyes traveling through the sky and the silver dots that were the stars.
It was quite strange. They had spoken of their days in the Order as well and Alison had to admit there were different sensations of back then and now…
But the Order had always taught them how Noahs were monsters, killers who deserved no mercy (since they didn't have any, to begin with) and it wasn't as if the akumas and the Earl had ever shown signs of it to be an unjust concept. However… Once out of the Organization, free from the imposed mindset, one could start to see things without being so controlled by such rules.
Alison had to admit that if she was still in the Order now, then she would probably never have believed those two meant no harm… Well, except Allen, maybe, as none of this was his fault.
Or maybe she just liked to think she would have.
"Well, don't think about what he said, okay? The guy is an idiot." Lauren smiled, looking from one to the other. They had a place. They had a place with each other, so there. And if Lauren could say so, they had a place with them as well, as far as she was concerned. "And you know… Even if you don't get to remember everything… It doesn't mean you truly lost yourself."
Raz just looked at her.
"I mean that you're a good person." Lauren said, as if it settled the matter, even if she knew it wasn't so easy. She was also perfectly aware that Raz probably hadn't been exactly nice to humans before, but she probably had been to her Clan. And now, she and Allen were part of their group.
And like Samuel had said as well, if they had meant any harm, they could have done it already.
Alison nodded briefly in agreement. Experiences helped to shape someone after all. Even if Raz didn't recover her memories, maybe she hadn't lost herself completely. And if she had been totally different before, Alison liked the Noah she knew now.
Thinking well, perhaps it wasn't different from them, who had been Exorcists and didn't want to go back to the Order…? The thought led her to say.
"And just because you're from the Clan, well… It doesn't have to mean anything. I was… An Exorcist. I know it isn't the same, but…" No, it wasn't, since that just meant someone who could use Innocence while "Noah" was more of a species. Alison wasn't truly sure of how to clearly say what she felt (contrary to how Lauren always seemed to be able to do). It was confusing.
Without her knowing, Raz was feeling lighter after hearing this.
"I just meant that you don't have to go with them if you don't want to. Like we didn't have to stay in the Order. We just had to find a way of… Getting out." Her tone was almost joking, but it didn't match her gaze.
"You faked your own death…" Raz muttered carefully, leaning to the girl who nodded. They had spoken of that as well… Of their reasons.
"It was a bit complicated to come up with an idea… I took advantage of a mission I was in. You know the Golems?" And indicated Timcampy with her head. The little golden creature flew around the cabin, either looking at Elana's cards or Allen's or circling their heads. It was amusing, for the woman threw him a dark look and tried to hide her cards every time the golem did so as if he could tell his owner. "We always had to have one with us to not lose communication."
"Allen told me…"
"Since they also have recorded memories, when an akuma attacked me, I destroyed it. So, when the Order tried to recover the images of the fight, it would all end in an explosion. They wouldn't be able to actually know it had been me, at least that was what I hoped. And I left my coat, bloodied and torn." This part had been easier in comparison since she had let the akuma hurt her enough so the others would see it in the recording.
Since Alison knew she couldn't go back to the hotel room she had been staying in (the Order would investigate and then learn she had passed there afterward), she had hidden a smaller bag with extra clothing inside the one Exorcists carried with them during long missions.
Alison had been planning her escape for a while.
The gray-haired girl looked through the window, muttering more to herself than Raz.
"Someone helped me…"
A second of silence passed between them.
"General Yeegar?" Raz guessed, receiving a look of surprise from Alison, who then confirmed. She hadn't revealed that part. It was too personal.
"Yes… Yes, it was him…" She shook her head to herself. Suddenly, her eyes were dull. She sighed. "At first, it was really bad, I didn't know anymore what to do or where to go and I was always looking over my shoulders, thinking someone of the Order would find me and drag me back. It took time. Then later, I eventually met Samuel and the others. Things got better then."
No need to think about the reason. Everything was more hurtful when you were alone and Alison had been more than alone.
After that long day, Raz and Allen knew what had happened.
"Irene… That must have been terrible for Alison…"
The Order had been a home for all of them. There was no way it could have been easy to leave it after spending years there… A bit awkwardly, as someone who isn't sure if she is doing something in the right way, Raz held her hand in a friendly gesture.
Alison blinked to the other's touch but didn't reject it. Both looked to the sky again and the fields when a protest from Elana called their attention.
"Allen, you are cheating!"
The boy assumed an innocent expression, eyes almost those of a puppy.
"Elana! How can you accuse me of this?" He sounded hurt, the "even more since you have no evidence" floating among them so clearly that it did not comply with the pretense. Alison and Raz just glanced at each other before they held a giggle.
"Well, Ela, you knew that was bound to happen, but still agreed to play…" Lauren pointed out, apparently finding the exchange (especially Allen's response) quite funny. She shrugged as if to tell the other those were the consequences. Allen nodded to her words, still keeping an innocent façade.
"Well, what can I say?" He shuffled the cards again in a way that would have shamed a professional. "I had to perfect my skills thanks to my Master's debts, especially with the amount he would spend on women and drinks and whatnot…" At this, Elana rolled her eyes. Even with what she had already heard about Cross, she couldn't accept that someone would be that irresponsible while taking care of someone of the age Allen had been. At least the boy hadn't been tainted by it, something she firmly believed to be due to how Mana had raised him.
"Didn't Cross use to make passes at Klaud?" Alison asked, remembering something of this sort had been mentioned once or twice by either Lauren or Samuel. Allen couldn't help but scoff, as he recalled how he had found his Master on a couch, holding a bottle of wine and having his arm around Klaud's shoulder, insisting that she had a drink with him. When Allen had "dropped" the papers he had been carrying on the man's head, she had rolled her eyes and taken the chance to leave before Cross could try to stop her or, more likely, annoy her any further.
He didn't expect to feel somewhat sad when remembering this… It wasn't that his Master's behavior had stopped being irritating with what had happened, but…
"He did, from time to time when they would meet." Samuel muttered with an amused sound. "Oh, he knew she hated his guts, but it didn't stop him…" And needless to say, nor would Klaud always telling him to drop dead and go to Hell.
"Geez, why I'm not surprised?" Allen asked, finding it a scenario easy to imagine.
"There was a time…" Lauren started, sitting straight. "I was on a mission with her and this drunk guy came to us while we were investigating. You know, too far gone to understand "no" or that he was being an idiot? I don't know if he got on her nerves enough or what, but later Klaud talked to me about people like that and… Well, she didn't mention Cross by name, but she did say a few things about, and I'm quoting, a worthless example of a man. And how it would be better if I never mingled with people like him."
From what Allen had seen of Klaud, she had always seemed a rather patient woman, always in control and often dealing with matters in a professional manner, so he guessed this man (and his Master) were the kind who really aggravated her if she had indeed given Lauren a talk about it. On another hand, it was a little amusing to imagine Lauren sitting there like a child listening to her mother going on about "bad boys".
"Guess she was glad you never met him." Samuel suggested. "Maybe she didn't want you to fall for his "charm" or whatever."
"Honestly, from what I hear, I don't think he is my type, anyway…" She meant that regarding both his personality and also looks, if she were to be completely sincere. Most of the time, she had a preference for darker hair rather than red.
"Oh, Lauren, I don't know…" Allen interjected, his expression becoming solemn. He had seen the effect his Master could have on females (and males) when he wanted to, even those who were aware of his true personality. Maybe it was a good thing that his Master had never come in contact with her or Alison. At least he might have backed off Elana, given her involvement with Samuel. "I really don't get it, but a lot of women really like Master… And some men, too."
Lauren remained unconvinced and scoffed.
"Oh, please. I used to have a crush on Alison." She indicated the girl with her head. "I think this means I have better taste than that."
"Uh… Thanks, I guess?" Alison muttered, a pale pink surging in her face.
"Really?" Allen asked as Raz tilted her head. It was the first time they heard about that.
"Back when we met, I did." Lauren continued in the same tone, glancing at Alison for a brief moment before continuing. The fact in itself had never bothered the other girl or interfered with their friendship, but Alison just never knew how to act when it came up, at times wondering how she had not noticed it. "It was just a crush, nothing that serious. And with a little observation, I got that Ali is straight while I swing both ways, so..."
"What does that mean?" Raz asked, not understand the term.
"It means I like boys and girls."
"Oh."
"Anyway, I knew it wouldn't work, so I decided it would be better to let it go." Lauren finished as if it was indeed just that. There was no need to go into detail. It was one of those things that just happened at times.
"I'll never forget when you told us that." Samuel couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
"I didn't tell you," The girl protested. "It just… Slipped."
"Slipped, she says."
"Look, it was one of those conversations when you talk too much, do you think I planned that?" By then Lauren didn't have any romantic feelings for Alison anymore and had thought she wouldn't ever say anything about it either, but that had been one of those times when the cheerfulness of being with friends end up loosening the tongue more than it should while slowing the brain. The week had been peaceful, they had been talking about amenities and before she knew it, Lauren had commented about it. As for Alison, she had genuinely worried about Lauren's feelings, who had needed to assure her that it was alright and she was over it.
"Well, if your Master is the reason why you got so good with games," She said, changing the subject back to the card game and Allen's skill. "I guess it's something to thank him for."
"I knew you were good, but damn." Allen smiled at Alison's comment and lifted his head with undisguised pride.
"Whatever happens, I never lose in cards."
Picking the cards and ready for another game, Elana shook her head while watching the white-haired boy, as if seeing him under a whole new light. That was a particular side of him one wouldn't expect to exist when looking at him.
"You're evil, boy…" And she wondered exactly how those years he had spent with Cross had been to make Allen turn into such a different person when a game of cards was involved.
XxX
That fight against the akuma remained with Klaud Nine all her way back to the Order, resisting any distraction even when she stopped by the hospital wing. She felt the gauze in her shoulder and Lau had also received the necessary care. As she walked towards a known room, her mind insisted on replaying the scenes, in the same way the tongue returns to a wound inside the mouth unconsciously.
There was no doubt the girl with Walker was a Noah. The akuma had no reason to lie about it and it had looked quite anxious to take both of them to the Earl as well…
Though, by their reactions, it was not a shared feeling.
"Well, what a surprise…" For what she had gathered after returning to the Order after the attack that had resulted in Alma Karma waking up and Allen Walker being placed under arrest, the Earl had provoked Walker with the offer of stopping the attack if he joined the Clan. And a few weeks afterward, the boy had escaped.
"So Walker remains free for now. Yet, he is traveling with a Noah. What is going on?" She thought about the Noahs that the Order knew of, trying to remember if there had been reports of a female like that… The ones the Order was aware of were the Earl himself, of course, that child Road, the shapeshifter Lulubell who had fought her unit, Tyki Mikk, those strange twins, a Noah with a sword who barely talked… Lenalee had fought him recently, his name was Toraido or something like that… The Noah of Wrath had been killed by Yuu Kanda… And there had been two other Noahs too, one who could control people's bodies and another who had mental abilities. There were some others, but she was almost sure the girl wasn't one of them.
But she was a Noah, no doubt.
If the akuma's words weren't enough, there was the matter of what she had done.
She resisted the impulse of touching her eyes. It was hard to imagine an Innocence that felt like that, but a Noah, well…
Klaud didn't care if she never felt the touch of those things ever again.
Her fingers had crossed the shadows but had been able to feel them and no matter how much she had tried, she hadn't been able to open her eyes. If they hadn't faded soon, Klaud would probably have activated her Innocence again.
She pushed the thought aside. That wasn't the main factor, that was reserved for how the Noah had fought at Walker's side.
And that they had joined her to fight an akuma.
It wasn't as if Klaud rejected help or considered herself above such, she just had no way of denying how it felt to know she would have thanked someone she hadn't thought she would see again anytime soon (let alone by chance) and someone who was a member of the Noah Clan.
It was like seeing a lamb suddenly hunting a wolf.
"What have you been doing lately, Allen Walker?" The woman wondered as she caressed Lau sitting in her shoulder, his tail passing by the back of her neck to rest on the other shoulder. "What are you planning?"
Had it all been by chance? The Noahs were cunning, she couldn't dismiss the hypothesis that it had all been prepared beforehand as part of some scheme.
The woman pushed the thoughts away when entering a large room, stopping near a known table. Sitting there were the other Generals who weren't in mission, the chiefs of departments and supervisors among others.
And, of course, Levelier.
"Hello, Klaud Nine. Welcome back." Tiedoll greeted her. The woman replied with a nod, taking a breath before starting her report of her last mission.
Ana: Took sometime with that one (thanks college). So, finally, Allen and Raz told everything to the others.
Allen: I... I was a bit surprised at their reactions...
Ana: Well, they are out of the Order for a long time, this influences things. Not to mention that they did spend weeks with you guys.
Elana: It may take a while for us to get used to everything, but we'll get there in time...
Ana: And wow! 45 followers? You guys are amazing, thanks a lot!
Kanda: I'm surprised people bother to read this.
Ana: You're upset because you haven't appeared yet (don't worry, it will be quite soon). And someone already asked about the pairings, thanks to Lenalee and Road fighting.
Road: Hey, you said that this isn't an Allen/OC, meaning he is mine. I even already kissed him! And I started liking him right at the beginning, so I have the dibs.
Lenalee: As if! You can ask him if he liked this "kiss" that you FORCED on him, you know!
Allen: Uh... No offense, but... It is a bit disturbing to be the subject of this conversation, could you not make me an activate participant of it?
Ana: I just said it wasn't Allen/Oc, never said one of you would be the one to be him...
Road: What did you say?
Ana: Nothing, nothing!
Allen: What am I around here? A piece of meat to be disputed?
Ana: Nah, of course not, but it is fun to watch!
Allen: You're a demon. You know that, right?
Tyki: So what, you're going to make a poll about what ships the readers would like to see here?
Allen: Wait, it isn't as if everyone has met each other already.
Ana: So? There are people shipping Jon Snow and Daenerys and they haven't met, so who cares? And I would like to, but it is too early I guess, so instead... PEOPLE! In the manga, who do you think it is the Heart?
blarg7865: I'm glad you're liking it! I'm having a lot of fun with this and to be honest, I'm quite happy with how this is turning out. Regarding the questions, I'll do my best to answer, but I can't give spoilers...
Regarding character's death, I can't say... There will be development (it is being kinda slow now, but believe me: Things are going to heat up soon). Well, I can say that there will be people getting hurt (and how), after all this is a war and not a walk in the park, but I can't reveal more. Sorry.
I admit this part I didn't pay much attention while planning the events. I'm not good at geography and I'm focusing more in the characters than the places they pass by.
That's an idea, who knows?
About the pairings... Honestly, I believe we do have one already with Lenalee, Road and Allen anyway (that when people don't throw Kanda or Tyki in it, but that's another matter).
Well, about this particular love: The only thing is that in the moment, none of them can truly focus in anything such as love, with Allen in the run, Road in that Dream of hers and Lenalee unable to contact Allen at all. Road and Lenalee do love Allen, but we have to see how things will develop. There is issues with both cases: Lenalee, like the others, left Allen and this won't change. She has her own personal issues that she needs to face in order to grow up. Road is a Noah and there is the deal with Neah and how deep her feelings may or may not be (would she be willing to fight Neah in order to protect Allen?). Allen himself has to deal with a lot and it is painful to think about the Order and the people there, he is now coming to terms with what happened. So he is trying to focus more on what he has to do than whether his feelings for any of them is deeper than he initially thought.
Allen: Meaning, my life is a mess in all senses?
Ana: Pretty much. So, yeah, we'll wait and see what direction those emotions go. Hmm, Lavi and Kanda is kinda cute, to be honest! And now I have the image of Alma and Lavi fighting for Kanda and this is hilarious!
Kanda: I guess you DO want to be skinned alive by my blade, then.
Ana: K-Kanda? You wouldn't hurt a little girl, right? Unarmed?
Kanda: First off, you're short, not little. Second, you're too much of a pain for me to care about your gender or whether or not you can fight. And third... Hmm... No, those are actually enough for me.
jy24: You and a lot of people in the Order. As I said, he gets carried by his grudge and desire to revenge Anita and the others to the point he sees nothing else. And he did say in the manga he wanted to kill Allen...
Alison: I'd like to see him try. Allen can kick his ass.
Samuel: He does have more fighting experience.
Lauren: Not to mention the whole damn clan of Noah would just rip Chaozii inro pieces. And find a way to keep him alive all the time.
Ana: Actually, that's true if you ask me. Even the ones that don't sympathize with Allen, such as Sheryl and Lulubell, would do so out of loyalty for a family member. And... Yeah, they will meet at some point. How and the reactions, you'll have to wait to see.
Allen: I'm... I'm going to see them again?
Ana: Of course you will! And... Hm... Okay, I wasn't going to tell, but I'm going to be honest: No. Neah and Raz knew each other, but while I won't go into details now I can say they weren't in love or anything like that. His betrayal had nothing to do with her, too. I made my own reason/history of what happened, but it will take quite a time to get there...