Despite the fire, Allen could feel no heat. He also noticed how all the candles Road had perched were burning by Lavi's attack. His eyes widened and he tried to spot the red head. Once he did, he saw Lavi spinning his hammer. "My body's moving on it's own…" he heard him mumble before he slammed his hammer onto the floor one more time. "This is my fault for being such a moron, but I'll take care of things now. Hi Ban!" and the fire swallowed Road.
Devina saw Allen call to his discarded sword and it responded, flying back into his open palm, before he made his way towards the flames surrounding Lavi.
"Allen! We need to get in there!" she told him as she pushed herself forward, toward the white-haired male.
Allen stood before the extending fire and he swiped his sword, thrusting it into the flames to create an opening. Devina realized he was struggling to get inside the opening he'd created with his sword and so she gave him a shove to throw him into the flames, barely managing to jump in after him. She found Lavi kneeling, with his head bent and his hands holding onto his hammer.
Devina skidded toward him and clutched his hand. "Lavi… Lavi, you can stop now." She felt Allen's hand close on top of her own, and then something strange happened. Screens of ice fluttered around, demolishing the embers of fire everywhere, swallowing her, Lavi and Allen in the process.
The ice barrier cracked around Allen and Lavi, due to their struggle. It revealed the two coughing and gasping for air; their skin and uniforms frayed and burnt in various places.
They both fell back, clutching their chests and gasping for air. "Ahh, it hurts like hell to breathe, goddammit." Lavi complained, his voice hoarse. "…I'm alive," he chuckled.
"You have a problem with that?" Allen retorted.
"You try some crazy shit, Allen," Lavi joked.
"And you don't, baka-Lavi?" Allen heaved, completely serious.
"I don't know what happened, honestly… All I know is that I feel pretty good right now, even if Gramps is going to be super pissed at me." Lavi opened his eye and tilted his head toward Allen. "Hey… where's Devina?"
Allen jerked, sitting up straight as he scanned the destroyed hall. "She was just-"
"I'm inside your cape, you stupid shit!" they both jumped and Allen moved to release her from underneath him.
"I'm terribly sorry!" he squeaked, holding his hands up defensively.
Devina's eyes narrowed at him. "I swear if you farted or something, I'm gonna kill you!"
Allen's cheeks flushed red and he looked as though he might cry. "I would never do such a thing!" he said, flustered.
"You sure, Allen?" Lavi leaned in to nudge him, "I think I smell something funny, Devin-" the redhead's jaw set in place when he saw her face. Tears were threatening to fall down her cheeks but she seemed to be holding them back.
"You… you… you-" Devina's lips trembled before she moved past Allen and closed her arms around Lavi, holding him closer than she'd ever dared, so tight she knew it was probably hurting him, because it was hurting her so much, but she didn't care. She kept her arms wound around him and rested her head against his chest. She was listening to his erratic heartbeat and it was the most soothing sound she'd ever heard.
His arms slowly snaked around her waist, and he seemed to bring her closer still. Devina didn't know it was even possible for them to get any closer. She could tell the sound of her racing heart must've reached Headquarters by now, and she was thankful she had her head resting against his chest so that no one could see her tinted cheeks.
Devina's stomach was busy doing somersaults and pirouettes by the time her blush had paled. She lifted herself on her tiptoes and Lavi froze to allow her to move, his arms still around her, but sort of limp at the same time. She stood on her tiptoes and held on to him to hastily peck his cheek before her legs gave in and she dropped back down.
Lavi was slow, catching her waist to stop her from falling over, and Devina refused to meet his gaze as the blood rushed up to her head. Where the hell did that come from…?
When he made sure she had her footing under control, Lavi dropped her, and managed to spare a glance at his gloved palms. They came out bloody.
"D-devina, are you-"
"LAVI!" they hadn't noticed Lenalee and Chaoji being set free, but Devina realized it must've been because Lavi had managed to defeat Road somehow. "BAKA~" Lenalee was quickly approaching, and Devina recognized the anger behind the young lady's eyes. She stepped in front of Lavi, ready to stop Lenalee.
"Lenalee," Devina started, "you shouldn't…" she trailed, but Lenalee's eyes were tearing up and her arm was raised, ready to slap him. "I know, I know… but he- what he went through, in Road's world… you can't even begin to comprehend the insanity of it-"
Lenalee seemed to be conflicted, before her hand fell to her side and she sniffled.
"WAIT!" Lavi shouted from behind Devina, "THAT WAS YOU?" his hand wound around her arm and he turned her to face him.
"Ahh- I- well, you see…" Devina rambled, trying to find the right thing to say. Her brain was miserably failing her, though. "Lavi, we both made it out okay, so that's that!"
"Not really," Chaoji spoke for the first time. "You both went really crazy after coming out of that trance,"
"See? Wait, what? Chaoji, what are you talking about?" Devina asked, turning to look at the Asian man. She didn't recall anything like that happening.
"You idiot, what were you thinking?" Lavi scolded, neglecting her question and Devina shrank back.
"I- I was trying to make sure you made it out of that place in one piece?" she grinned, hoping her nonchalant act would ease his anguish.
"You lied to me! You told me you weren't real!" Lavi yelled. "Devina, you died in that world…" He trailed, his eyes narrowing at her.
"I don't think you're really focusing on what really matters, here, Lavi, dearest." Devina reprimanded, coolly, trying to steer him off topic because she didn't understand how she managed to get into Road's dreamworld. "You happen to be the sole successor to the Bookman clan and Bookman's last hope. Despite how unnerving and annoying you are, the poor old man would have a heart attack if something bad were to happen to you. I was just doing him a small favor-"
"Will you stop joking around, Devina?" Lavi asked, angrily.
"CAN YOU TWO FIGHT WHEN WE'RE BACK HOME? THIS PLACE IS FALLING APART!" Allen yelled over their argument, and Devina blushed at the prospect of getting caught arguing so openly with Lavi in front of everyone else.
They were all eager to get out of Noah's Ark and they started helping each other stand and move when they heard Road's cackle. They all swished in her direction. She had fallen out of the insides of one of the frozen dragons and she managed to stand, somehow. "A… Aa… Aaaaa…llen." And she then turned to dust.
"Road-tama, R-road-tama!" the pink umbrella cried after its mistress.
Devina could sense her comrades' discomfort, all but for one redhead who decided to immediately strike a joke. "Didn't that sound like Allen to you?" he nudged the white-haired boy. "What kind of spell do you have her under, Allen?"
Allen elbowed Lavi in the stomach, "stop speaking such nonsense. I didn't do anything to her."
"Allen! My body already hurts so bad from all the burns!" Lavi complained, and Allen squeezed his cheeks to shut him up.
"You did that to yourself, you know?" Lavi tackled the younger male's cheeks and they both began arguing.
"Ahh, Allen, you're one to talk, lecturing me about arguing with Lavi, but here you are, doing exactly that." Devina mocked, placing her hands on her waist.
"Guys…" Lenalee broke in, "Road is gone… so, does that mean her door is, as well?"
Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing, and the sight might have been somewhat comical, had Lenalee's question not felt like she had just exposed a ticking bomb, nearing its explosion, and their impending doom.
"Lavi! Lavi! Use your hammer and check that hole in the ceiling, quick!" Allen shouted, hands still clutching the redhead's cheeks.
Lavi nodded, before he pulled himself out of Allen's grip and placed his hammer's head on the ground, while extending the handle. "I'll go see if the gate is there and come back and pick you up." And with that, he was off, heading into the crack in the wall.
The ground began to shake beneath them and Chaoji lost his footing. Devina was about to help keep him steady, but Lenalee beat her to it, so she abruptly acted as though she was just scratching her extended arm. Allen noticed though, and he cracked her a small smile.
She felt a lot lighter than she had when she was fighting Lavi and it dawned on her, that she was no longer activated. Her mask and all the extensions that came along with it had disappeared. She wondered what it had looked like.
"I hope Lavi-san finds that door," she heard Chaoji muse and she smiled. She hoped Lavi would find it, too. She was so tired and her abdomen seemed to be bleeding still. She knew she'd lost a lot of blood, and she knew she needed her cozy soft bed.
"Allen-kun," Lenalee broke her from her thoughts this time, "you won't leave with us if the door is there, will you? You'll stay here,"
Devina and Allen blinked at her simultaneously. "Ehh?" Allen's eyes were wide with surprise. "As to be expected from y-"
Lenalee smacked him on the top of his head.
"What's going on?" Devina asked, her chest tightening with worry.
Allen gave Lenalee a warning glance, but she ignored it. "Allen wants to stay behind to look for Kanda and Krory," Lenalee answered.
Devina's head spun, and she was literally spinning along with it. "Kanda… Krory…"
"Lenalee, you've done it, now…" Allen's shoulders slumped.
"THEY'RE HERE?" Devina screamed before she turned around and began to study the room. "Oh, god, oh, god, oh, god." She tried looking for another exit but there was nothing. Only the tower they'd been on. Everything around it has disappeared. "Why would you leave them behind? What the hell is wrong with-" Devina stopped herself from saying more hurtful things. She hid behind her hands and slumped down. "Why do we have such rotten luck?"
"Devina," Allen had come to stand beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll bring them back. They probably just got stalled."
"Have you looked outside the tower, Allen? THERE IS NOTHING BUT THIS! AND IT'S ALREADY COLLAPSING ON US!"
"I will take care of it, Devina," Allen repeated patiently.
"Then I'll stay, too!" Devina and Lenalee said at the same time.
"Look, out of everyone in here, I'm the one who's least beat up. You'll all need to head back because you can't fight anymore. And… I know this is awful of me to say but, please believe me." He gave them a big smile.
Devina stared at him, while Lenalee shook in anger. "You're very cruel, Allen… you always smile like that," Allen's smile wavered and he reached a hand to her cheek. "You smile like that even though you know how we all feel…" Lenalee reached for his hand and moved it gently away. "The reason I knew what you were thinking is because I'd do the same thing if I were in your place." Allen gave her hand a squeeze. "I want… to go home with everyone."
"Yo! The gate is still here, so step on and I'll pull the handle up." Lavi interrupted. "Wait, everyone's injured… Allen, could you help everyone get on the hammer?"
Allen helped Lenalee and Chaoji up and was about to offer Devina his hand when she shook her head. "I'm not going without them." He noticed her gaze land on Tyki Mikk, and his eyes widened. He didn't want to leave the Noah behind either. He gave her a curt nod before he told Lavi they were ready.
Devina turned around and slowly made her way across the rubble and destruction. She knelt beside the Noah and reached for his pale hand. "You were so bent on making me remember something, weren't you?" she asked softly. "You better wake up and tell me what it is."
"Ahh! Filthy Ecthorthitht, get your handth off Tyki-tama!" the pink umbrella bellowed. Devina only smiled at it.
"You're a strange little thing, aren't you?" she reached forward and tried to touch the pumpkin's head, but it flew out of reach.
"Relo will report everything to Hakshaku-tama!" the umbrella retorted.
"Why's your Hakshaku-sama not here, then?" she asked back. "When his disciples are dying…" her hand traveled from Tyki's hand to his cheek.
It was very sudden and abrupt, but a sharp pain shot through her frontal lobe, and she winced at the agony. Her eyes shut tight and a strange image flashed behind her eyes. A picture perfect where a man, a far cry from the Millennium Earl, was dressed in the same hat and suit he had worn earlier. He held hands with a tall, graceful, pale woman who had long black hair, wide golden eyes and a mole bellow her left eye. She looked so ridiculously familiar, Devina's head nearly split in two as she tried to pinpoint where she knew her from, but nothing came to her.
Her eyes snapped open when she felt something closing around her arms, her legs, her waist and neck. She couldn't even manage a scream as she choked.
Author's Note: Hello, I hope you enjoyed that better than I did. I wrote this chapter a while back, and I began editing it to publish it today, but no matter what I did, I couldn't bring myself to really like it. It lacks something. Some explanations are coming up ahead, but more questions will arise, as well. Do not lose faith, I am still in love with this story, and with Devina, too much to let it go just yet.
Thank you to the loyal scorpia1029, and Sonata Fuling! xoxo