YAY! REVIEWS! TORTURE! LAVI! To be honest, I was a little worried that it was too harsh for a first original chapter...
Maa, whatever. I'm glad you liked it!
Answer: I like Gab. Gab is good. Gab is fun. Gab was inspired from the one in Supernatural too.
Enjoy!
When Lavi came back to everyone with the girl limp in his arms, an unreadable mask on his face, they all feared the worst.
"L-Lavi… is she…"
Timothy was struggling to finish his sentence, and all let out relieved breath when the redhead shook his head in a negative motion.
"She's alive" he assured. "Barely, but still alive"
"Thank God…" Lenalee fall to her knees.
"I-I-I'll take c-care of her in-injuries for n-n-now" proposed Miranda, raising her Innocence.
"Don't" intervened Bookman, eying said injuries carefully. "It might only turn for the worst, what with her own Innocence already acting"
"It is slower than usual" frowned Krory, worried.
For a moment, they all watched as, in fact, her wounds barely healing themselves.
"We should go back before the Noahs find our trails again" finally said Madarao.
"Oi, Beansprout! Open the damn door, would you?" called Kanda, Mugen still in hands.
"The name's Allen" grunted the white-haired boy.
But he executed himself nowadays, and an Ark Gate opened. Lavi was the first to go in, Aryane still cradled in his arms and Bookman on his heels. Krory, Miranda and Marie followed, before Timothy and Lenalee walked inside as well. Madarao and Kanda, after a last look around, walked back to safety, and Allen was the last one to put foot on the Ark.
The door closed.
Six seconds and a half later, dozens of Akumas emerged from the trees, only to find an empty clearing.
Needless to say that many exploded when they came back to the Earl empty-handed.
"It's only a minor set-back…" his eternal grin turning in an ugly rictus. "We'll find the Heart, no matter what!"
But none of his words reached the Exorcists, already far from there.
The red-haired girl was, to say the least, in a very bad shape. Ugly bruises struggled to fully disappear, rending her overly pale skin blue, yellow and green in many places. Flesh was missing in full flaps on her arms and legs and long, neatly traced scars had settled on her tattered back due to the lack of healing.
Those wouldn't disappear, the redhead feared.
He was sitting next to the bed she had been settled in, keeping her hand in his as the Head Nurse bustled herself around the the teenager. He was the only one who hadn't been sent away, but it must have been because he was the one giving his blood –both were type O+- rather than his mere desire to stay by her side that swoon the old woman.
Aryane had lost a lot of blood. So, so much. She was in an horrible state and yet, her lips were still twisted in the same smile that he found two days ago.
Why was she smiling? Did she knew they were coming? No, she wouldn't have been able to tell. So why?
She must have been ready to give up, then. The Noahs were probably about to get their damn information despite everything, and she had decided to go before they could get their hands on the memories.
His grip tightened, but he instantly released it as he felt the bones in her hands. There was barely any skin on her.
He was angry, though.
Angry at the Order.
Angry at Apocryphos.
Angry at the Noahs.
Angry at himself.
The boy gritted his teeth, and the Head Nurse gently nudged his shoulder.
"Go eat" she ordered. "And rest, too. You need it"
"I'm not leaving h-"
"Now!"
Loosing her gentle expression, she literally kicked him out. Annoyed, but knowing she was right nowadays, he let out an heavy sigh before making his way to the dinning hall, his hands in his pockets.
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I remarked was the smell of chemicals lingering around the room I was in.
Slowly, I tilted my head to the right, then to the left. My whole body was extremely sore, but nothing I couldn't overcome.
After a few seconds, I realized that, while I was in what seemed a medical wing, I couldn't say where. The beds, the room… nothing was familiar. And the blue sky behind the window wasn't helping.
... Hold up. Blue sky?
So I wasn't in Headquarters, but I wasn't with the Noahs anymore either.
Finally awake…
Trickster? Are you alright? What happened?
Wisely broke in. I… I was about to… shut everything die, as you put it… but Lavi came in at… at the last moment and… blasted the guy away. I think… we fell unconscious on… the way out…
You sound tired, Trickster. Let my wounds be for now, you'll heal them when you feel better.
Al… right…
As he went to rest, I sat on the mattress and eyed myself with a scrunch of my nose. I wasn't filthy, which I was glad for, but I never liked hospital gowns. Plus, my bones were showing so much I was afraid they'd just pop out my ghost-like skin.
God, for how long had I been there? It felt so long…
"Ary!"
I turned to the door, and found Tewaku gaping at me.
Then, her eyes watered, and she was suddenly next to me, hugging my frail body as if there was no tomorrow. Smiling softly, I stroke her golden hair until she calmed down somewhat.
After a few minutes, she pulled away and wiped her tears.
"So, what happened? I know you managed to escape with everyone, but…"
"When we fled, I had to convince the apprentice Bookman that you were dead" she admitted. "He wouldn't leave otherwise. After that, when we were far enough, I told them the truth about how you freed us Thirds, and my… promise. He was pissed, to say the least"
I snorted at that.
"I can imagine" I nodded. "But I told you not to come back" I finally remarked. "It was risky. Why-"
"I promised, not the others" she pointed out with a proud smirk.
I blinked in confusion.
"Others?"
"Everyone's here" she smiled at that. "Ary, all your friends are here. They took on the Noahs and managed to free you, before coming back here"
"Here? Everyone? What the hell is going on!?" I whined, not understanding a single thing.
"M-Miss Aryane! You're finally awake!"
I gazed in surprise as the Head Nurse from Headquarters started taking measures and test, buzzing around me in such a way it made me feel dizzy.
"But… we're not at Headquarters…"
"It's… complicated. I'm going to fetch the others, they'll explain better"
"Don't"
Tewaku stared at me in confusion as I pulled out the damn needles despite the shrieks of the old hag.
"What are you doing!? You are in no state to run around!" she protested.
"I need to eat" I replied seriously. "A lot. Otherwise, it'll take even more time to heal myself. Do you have any crutches?"
After a few minutes of bickering with the Head Nurse, she made me promise to come back if I felt my state catching up to me. Then, she shoved to crutches in my arms before walking back to what seemed to be her office, grumbling under her breath about "damn Exorcists who couldn't stay in bed".
Little did she know, it was more to get out of the room rather than the sheer envy to spite her. Staying chained up in the dark cell with the Noahs wasn't a far away memory, and I didn't think I'd be able to stay in small spaces for a certain amount of time before long.
So, helped by the crutches and Tewaku, we went outside and-
"Holy shit! We're on the Ark!?"
I recognized the white buildings, the streets, the blue sky… We truly were on the Ark, and I felt my eyes watering as a breeze gently brushed my face.
It had been too long since I've been outside.
"Come on" I blinked them away. "I want to see everyone"
She nodded, biting her lower lip, and guided me towards the main tower.
Apparently, it was dinner time, so they were all in the dinning hall right now.
As we roamed the hallways, I could sense her uneasiness despite my lack of aura-sensing thingy.
"You don't have to feel bad, you know" I remarked casually.
She snapped her eyes at me.
"But I-"
"Not you, the Akuma" I shook my head. "The Earl was controlling the Akuma inside of you, and you weren't even aware of what was happening, were you?"
The girl shook her head.
"It was… a bad decision" she then said. "All this Third Exorcist Program. It was an horrible choice"
"Do you regret it?" I asked.
"Yes"
"Then it was" I hummed.
At that, though, she sent me an unimpressed look.
"Geez, so helping" she deadpanned.
"Hey, I don't do sugarcoating" I shrugged. "If you regret, then it was a bad decision. Don't do it again, and you should be fine, shouldn't you?"
The teen tried to find an answer, but finally settled for smiling back.
"I'm glad" she breathed out. "You haven't changed. I was afraid…"
She trailed off, but we both knew what she wanted to say. Now grinning fully, I ruffled her hair despite the crutches.
"It takes way more than that to bring me down, Doll" I assured. "I won't say I'm fine right now, seeing as even I wouldn't believe it. But I will be fine, so don't blame yourself and don't worry too much, alright?"
"A-Alright"
"Good. Now are we there yet? I'm truly starving"
That finally earned a short laugh, and we reached two doors. She pushed them open and walked inside first as the chatting inside died down, and I followed.
I could feel all their eyes on me and, unable to stop myself, I raised my hand in a peace sign, grinning from ear to ear.
"Yo! How's life going?"
"ARYYYYYYYY!"
It had been utter chaos, a mix of screams, cries, sobs, cheers… quite intense, and I had been laughing all along.
Couldn't tell if it was because I was happy or just because I clearly lost a screw or two back then, though.
After around five minutes, I finally managed to settle down at a table, where plates of all sorts were scattered.
So I ate.
However, as they all chatted around me, I couldn't bring myself to eat more than a single plate, which earned a worried glance from Lavi, who hadn't left my side all this time.
"Later" I said quietly.
He nodded and squeezed my hand under the table, before I turned to Lenalee, just in front of me, and Allen, who was sitting next to her.
Needless to say that I had been clearly confused when I first say the white-haired teen.
"So, what happened since I left?" I asked, pushing my plate away.
If they noticed, they didn't say a thing, and Lenalee's light dimmed somewhat.
"After you and Allen fled, it was chaos at Headquarters" she answered. "Link informed us of what truly happened with Apocryphos, so everyone was on edge. After around a month or so, he came back with all of Central's guards and disbanded the European Branch, saying we were corrupted and everything. He tried to trap us Exorcists so that he could absorb us, and… Chaozii didn't make it. He pushed Timothy out of the way and took the blow"
I sent a silent thank to the soul of the man and, after a few seconds of silence, Lenalee pursued.
"Allen came back via the Ark and we fled inside. Apocryphos couldn't reach us in there, and we evacuated all of the survivors. After that, all scientists and Finders were sent back to their families, and we lived in the Ark ever since" she concluded.
"You talk about months… how much time has passed since we left?" I frowned.
"Around three months" answered Marie, just across.
Three months? So I passed all this time with them…
Repressing a shudder, I then reported my attention to the white-haired boy.
"So? What happened with you?" I asked curiously.
"I… settled matters" he shrugged. "What you said, back when we were in the cells at Headquarters… about how scary it was to not know… well, it struck a cord. I mean, I never did questioned Nea's motives, did I? I was just set on staying myself no matter what. And then, Tyki and Road let me go, the first saying that I had to settle matters with my own monsters before calling them monsters…"
"Let me guess: you went to Mother?" I snorted.
"Yeah" he sweatdropped at that. "Gave me the beating too. But, in a way, I guessed it worked"
"What have you settled then?"
"I've talked with Nea" he admitted more quietly. "He won't try to take over, but I have to leave him the control when we face the Earl"
I could tell there was more to it, but didn't push farther. He probably hadn't told more to the rest too.
I sighed, kind of tired by now, and let my head fall on Lavi's shoulder.
"So, let me resume everything: the European Branch is no more. Apocryphos has taken full control of Central and the Vatican. Three months have passed since I left. Allen don't have to worry about becoming a Noah against his will anymore. Finally, the Noahs won't get their hands on Gabriel's memories anytime soon. Oh, and we're on the Ark"
"That's it" nodded the redhead.
"So… who's there?" I gazed around.
He thought for a moment.
"Ji-ji is more than probably checking the library right now" he answered finally. "There are Lenalee, Allen, Marie, you, me, Miranda, Timothy, Krory and Hevlaska, plus the three Marshalls who are probably at the training grounds again. You also saw Komui, Reever, Johnny, Jiji and Dop, plus the Head Nurse and Jeryy. Tewaku, of course, and Madarao and Tokusa, plus Link, are somewhere working on their Feathers –the papers- to gain a larger range of attacks. We've got some Finders too, seeing as they didn't have any family to go back too and didn't want to leave. And –please don't kill me- Leverrier is here too"
"The bastard? Here?" I repeated, more surprised than anything else. "Isn't he the watchdog of the Vatican?"
"His allegiances changed after Apocryphos" he shook his head. "He's still an ass, though"
"Not surprised here. Anyone else?"
His scowl turned to a grin, and I raised an eyebrow as those who heard us chuckled.
"What? What is it?" I scratched the back of my head.
"Well-"
He whispered the name in my ear, and I felt my heart miss a beat.
Next thing I knew, I was darting out of the door, leaving my crutches behind.
As told, he was at the top of the tower, meditating.
I froze in spot, staring at him, unable to believe.
It was him.
It was truly him.
"Kanda…"
"About damn time you woke up, Akahato" he scoffed, not even glancing at me.
I saw red and, without thinking, I hit his head.
Hard.
"Oi! The hell was that for, wench!?" he protested.
"You idiot!" I yelled, clenching my fists. "How could- how could you come back!? After everything, you could finally be free, damn it! Wasn't it what you wanted? You could finally… finally be free.."
I let myself sank to my knees, and I felt the tears burning my cheeks. I wiped them away, but they wouldn't stop flowing. As for the moron, he just stared at me.
"You could be free… you could finally be happy… away from all of this…" I wheezed out. "So why… why did you come back, you stupid jerk?"
He stayed silent as I tried to keep my damn tears inside, in vain.
"It's the second time you cry for me" he then flatly remarked. "I'm flattered"
"Asshole" I whimpered, hitting his arm without much strength. "You utter asshole…"
"You've got uglier too"
At that, I laughed. He hadn't changed.
"You look more like a girl than before, Jerkface" I replied, easing my sobs.
He actually snorted at that, before looking at the city at our feet.
"I had a debt" he finally said quietly. "For the Beansprout, because it was my fault if he awakened the Fourteenth. And for you"
"Me?" I repeated dryly. "Kanda, I put you through Hell's Salvation. Trust me, you have no debt to pay"
"I returned the favor by trying to kill you" he retorted, raising an eyebrow. "However… you let Alma and I escape. Because of you, he could die at peace. And that… that's a debt I won't forget"
A smile graced my lips, and he instantly hit my head.
"Ow…"
"Don't let it get to your head, Akahato" he grunted, getting up.
"Don't hit me, I'm injured" I replied.
Trying to mimic him, I found myself unable to take more than two steps. I smiled sheepishly at him.
"Help me back down?"
He scoffed, but lifted me on his back anyway. As we went down the stairs, I couldn't help but laugh.
"Why are you laughing?" he huffed.
"We've come a long way since it all started for us, eh?" I remarked softly.
"… I guess we did"
His hair was soft, and I was really tempted to pet it.
Don't, he might kill you.
Trickster! Finally awake?
I'm feeling better now. I'll start healing you.
You do that.
"Tenshi!"
Lavi ran to us, and the he-she samurai instantly dropped me in his arms.
"The idiot came all the way up" he said. "Keep watch on her before she dies of her own stupidity"
"Will do, Yuu" Lavi saluted with a smile.
Kanda glared, before walking away.
"Hey, Jerkface!" I called.
"What?" he didn't stop.
"You don't have to stay, you know" I remarked, feeling my consciousness slowly slipping away once more. "It's not the Order anymore. You're free to go whenever you want"
His step actually faltered, before pursing it's advance.
"Which is why I'm staying. Baka"
I exchanged a knowing grin with Lavi.
"Aw, Yuu! Just say you don't want to leave your friends!" he shot after him.
"Tche"
The door closed behind the long-haired Exorcist, and I chuckled along with the redhead.
Why are you so happy? He didn't confirmed it.
He didn't deny it either.
"Come on, let's get you back to bed"
I yawned, really tired by now.
"Okay" I nodded. "We'll talk… when I wake up…"
"Rest"
He didn't have to ask me twice.
"So, let me repeat all of this: the European Branch has fallen, we're now living on the Ark and Allen made a truce with Nea"
"Yep! Crazy stuff, uh?" I stretched.
Now in my mindscape, I had explained all that had happened to Gabriel, and we were now lying on the white grass.
"Also, we survived three months with the Noahs"
"Yeah, we're awesome like that" I smirked a little at that.
"That we are"
We bumped fists, before laughing.
It was good. To finally be free. To be away from them. Not having to worry about what would befall me today.
The Angel shifted next to me.
"I really was going to do it, you know" he suddenly added.
"You promised me" I replied, more serious. "If the others hadn't intervened when they did, Wisely would have prod deeper and would have found the memories. We couldn't afford that"
"I know" he sighed heavily. "Doesn't mean I have to like it"
"The past it the past, Trickster" I remarked, sitting up. "We did what we had to do, and that's that. Hakuna Mattata, okay?"
"… Okay"
However, he didn't seem at peace. Frowning, I nudged his side.
"What is it?"
His own frown became apparent.
"The barriers have fallen. I can't build them back up again, seeing as they were an aftereffect of the spell I used to make me forget. Now, the memory flow will probably strengthen"
"Wait, you mean that… the Heart will soon appear?" I blinked.
"The nightmares… my memories, will only get worse too" he added, more darkly.
I looked down at my hands for a moment. After so many millenniums –seven, eight, more?- the truth would finally reveal itself.
The Heart would be discovered.
I… didn't know how to feel, to be honest. Happy? Of course. Wary? That's a given. Scared? More than anything. Relieved? Maybe a little of that too.
"It'll be over soon. This millennium war is coming to it's end, at last"
"And we'll win for sure" I clenched my fist. "If not, then we'll come back and fight again, simple as that"
"That's my girl. Now shoo and let me do my damn job, would you?"
I rolled my eyes, but left anyway, having a lot to ponder about.
But first, I had to talk to my friends.
Gabriel now back in force, my worse injuries healed easily. My Innocence hadn't been damaged, seeing as I didn't activate it during my, err… visit, at the Noah Mansion to avoid unnecessary pain, so he just had to take care of my body.
…
That sounded weird.
Passing on!
Now able to walk on my own without the damn crutches, I was making my way towards the Thirds' auras, that I could feel not far from the room Lavi had put me in before leaving again.
Them first, because I needed to make sure they were alright, what with my Shield and the Alma cells.
So, after a few minutes of roaming the empty hallways, I finally reached what I recognized to have been Skin Bolic's room when we first came on the Ark. They were testing explosive Feathers in company of Link.
"Yo!" I called, making my way at that.
Surprised, they turned to me. Tokusa let one of the papers fall onto Link's foot, which caught on fire and, in the sudden panic, he stumbled onto Tewaku, who lost her balance. Madarao tried to grab them, but lost his foot and fall with them in the pond just next to everyone.
There was a moment of silence, before I started laughing.
"O-oh God…"
I tried to stifle my laughs with my hands as they stepped out, wet and scowling, but it wasn't working too well.
"Don't laugh, Ary" Tewaku sent me a small glare.
"Trust me" I choked. "You'd laugh in my place too. Nice welcome, by the way"
Tokusa grunted, Tewaku shook her head, Link actually rolled his eyes and Madarao simply twisted his shirt to get rid of the water.
Calming my laughter, I then bowed before the green-haired man.
"I wanted to thank you, for coming back" I said. "And for saving me. Arigato"
As I straightened again, though, I was surprised to see him bowing too.
"It was the least I could do, for you saved my sister, my brothers and I" he replied.
"Brothers?" I blinked in confusion.
Then, I realized he was talking about Tokusa and Link.
"Oh, right. By the way, Cupcake, I won't apologize for knocking you out back at Headquarters" I warned.
"It actually hurt" he replied with a scowl.
"Better hurt than dead, ne? Apocryphos would have killed you if you intervened in our fight" I retorted seriously. "I wasn't even a match for him, he almost killed me with one blow, so honestly? You were just an ant in his way"
He nodded, apparently accepting my explication, and I turned back to the Thirds.
"How are you three feeling?" I asked. "I can guess that coming back wasn't exactly a comfortable experience, but… are there any after-effects? Dizziness? Sudden envy to strangle me?"
"I do want to strangle you, but it's more because you stabbed us than anything else" grunted Tokusa.
"Technically speaking, that was Gabriel" I remembered. "He did warn you, though. Well, except for Doll here. Didn't have the time. And… I'm sorry, too. I couldn't save Kiredori and Gushi"
"Ary, you can't save everyone" replied softly the blonde girl.
"Doesn't stop me from trying, though" I shrugged. "But if you really insist: I'm sorry for stabbing you and more than probably saving you from a life as an Akuma under the control of the Millennium Earl and the Noah Clan"
Tokusa scoffed, Tewaku giggled, Link shook his head in exasperation and Madarao actually smiled a little at that.
"To answer your question, there are no after-effects" he then said. "Minor this"
He pulled down his collar, revealing the emplacement of his heart, and I stared in surprise at the distinct form of a feather carved in the skin like some sort of tatoo.
"We tested it" added Tewaku with a smile. "They're not as strong as your Shield, but it effectively blocks the Akuma attacks"
"Wait, wait, wait, hold up a second" I rubbed my temples. "You actually tested it with real Akumas!?"
They just shrugged, and I was really tempted to bang my head against a wall.
"You're worst than I am" I sighed. "No, scratch that, I would've probably have done the same. But anyway, I'm just glad to see it worked better than expected. I gotta go now, though. People to see, places to be…"
"Ary, there's a library in here, a really big one!" suddenly said Tewaku, eyes glinting.
I smiled happily at the memory of the thousand of shelves.
"I know! How about we explore later?"
"Sounds good" she nodded. "We'll see you at lunch!"
"See you!"
Waving, I then walked away, heading for my next target: Komui.
When I entered what had became the office, I could see Reever, Dap, Johnny and Jiji working on what seemed to be a new uniform. Komui was farther away, dozens of papers covering his desk.
I sweatdropped.
"How can you have paperwork when you're not working for the Order anymore?" I asked.
"They're blank, it's just some nostalgia" he replied, never lifting his eyes from what he was working on. "Hello, Ary"
I sat on the couch, waiting for everything to explode.
Waiting.
Waiting.
Wai-
"ARY!?"
"Yo"
"ARY!"
I was suddenly trapped in a choking hold as the four scientists ran to us, just now realizing my presence.
"U-unhand me!" I gasped for air. "Boss, you're k-killing me!"
That made him let go, but not exactly for the good reason.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING, DISAPEARING LIKE THAT? HEADQUARTERS WERE ATTACKED, THEN ALLEN LEFT WITH SOME NOAHS AND YOU WENT MIA FOR THREE FUCKING MONTHS, BEFORE THE THIRDS FOUND US AND INFORMED US THAT YOU WERE PRISONNER OF THE DAMN NOAHS! THEN, WHEN THEY COME BACK FROM THE RESCUE MISSION, IT'S WITH YOU TO THE DOORS OF DEATH, AND NOW YOU'RE IN MY OFFICE AND THE FIRST THING YOU SAY IS ABOUT THE FRICKING PAPERWORK!?"
"I HAD TO GO, AND IT'S NOT LIKE I ASKED TO BE KIDNAPPED BY THE NOAHS, FYI! Well, I kind of did but anyway AND I CAN'T EXACTLY CONTROLLED THE TIME I WAS TRAPPED, CAN I?"
"NOT THE POINT! YOU'RE CONFINED TO BED FOR A WEEK!"
"AS IF! YOU'RE NOT MY BOSS ANYMORE!"
"DON'T CARE, GO TO YOUR ROOM!"
Unable to keep it up any longer, I snorted and let myself fall back on the couch. Komui smiled, and the scientists chuckled.
"Long time no see, Boss" I greeted.
"A long time indeed" he nodded. "Feeling better?"
"I won't say I'm fine, otherwise the others will kill me" I shrugged. "But I'll be okay"
"Good. Have you been briefed on what exactly happened?" he asked, more serious.
"We're not with the Order anymore, Apocryphos is in control, Allen is back, we're on the Ark, three months, and we'll soon be able to find the Heart" I resumed, counting on my fingers.
"Yes, we- what!?"
I shifted in place a little.
"One of the Noahs, Wisely, has been able to break through my mind barriers" I explained, my throat dry at the thought. "It'll allow the memories to reach me more easily. I should be able to find the Heart soon"
"Did the Noahs found out?" he frowned.
"No, the rescue team popped in before they could" I assured. "Everything's fine for now, don't worry about it. I just wanted to stop by and ask how you were doing. Oh, and what exactly are our resources right now, too. Never hurts to know, uh?"
"We're fine, girl" assured Dap, ruffling my hair.
"As for our resources, well, we're kind of limited when technology is concerned" admitted Johnny. "But using the gates, we managed to bring back a few of our equipment. We're currently creating a new uniform, so that you can still do your job as Exorcists. We also have the support of the Asian Branch"
"Wait… now that I think about it… all the living Exorcists are here" I realized. "That means that the Order will more than probably be disbanded, or become a full military force. This has become a three way war: the Noahs, Apocryphos and Central, and us. Oh, this is bad…"
"Their Finders are still searching for Innocence fragments" added Reever. "But we developed a machine that allows us to spot anywhere in the world any fragment that appears"
I whistled at that.
"Nice. And it works?"
"So far so good" he answered with a smile. "Seeing as they don't have the abilities to take them, it's easy for us to to just pop in and grab it before disappearing again. We got three more, but one was destroyed by the Akumas. They're with Hevlaska right now"
"Good, good. I'll be going, then" I got back to my feet.
"It's good to see you again, kid" grinned Jiji, patting my back.
"It's good to be back" I retorted with the peace sign.
As I made my way to find Allen, I crossed paths with none other than Leverrier.
We both stopped, two meters separating us, none of us looking away.
"Am I a traitor, Leverrier?" I then asked in a blank tone.
He seemed to struggle, but finally swallowed his pride, and slightly bowed his head.
"You were right" he simply answered. "Exorcists… are not weapons"
I blinked in surprise at this development, and he looked away.
"This man… Chaozii, if I remember correctly" he suddenly seemed far away. "He saved this boy's life, not even using his Innocence, not even asking for anything ni return… They- you, are all humans, and I was a fool"
"That you were" I nodded. "But the real fools are the ones that never learns, don't you think?"
"I would believe that you are correct" he nodded.
For a moment, I truly wondered if he was about to smile, but his eternal poker face kept in place.
My own smile slipped and I found a serious mode once again.
"I don't think we'll ever be friends, Leverrier" I announced. "I can forgive, but I don't forget so easily. However, I won't hold your past actions against you, for you are truly willing to change. You are a right man, fighting for justice despite the wrongs of his chosen path. So, we won't be friends, Leverrier. However, I wouldn't mind one more comrade on the field"
I raised my hand at him, and he eyed me for a second, before shaking it firmly.
Then, we both pulled away.
"I will see you around then, Exorcist Aryane" he said, walking away.
"Have a nice day, Inspector Leverrier" I replied, going in the opposite direction.
I smirked when I clearly felt his aura shift at my farewell.
The use of his title hadn't been mocking, or degrading, and it confused him.
Do you truly believed in what you said, Hime?
You know I do. I can't forget all that he has done, but I'm not God. Who am I to deny a future to a man because of his past?
You're becoming quite poetic.
Doesn't mean I won't fuck with his mind a little, though.
And I take it back. You're an evil, evil little thing.
Proud of it too.
I finally found the white-haired boy meditating in one of the many gardens.
Sitting next to him, I waited for him to talk first.
It didn't take long.
"I'm going to be the next Earl"
"That's nice"
I pulled a strand of grass and nibbled the tip. It was sweet.
After a few seconds, I turned to see Allen apparently struggling with what I had just answered.
"I just told you I was going to be the next Millennium Earl!" he repeated.
"Yeah, I got it the first time" I nodded. "How come?"
"You seriously freak me out sometimes" he grunted. "But… the deal. With Nea. He's going to kill the Earl, and we'll take his place as Millennium Earl"
"But why does he wants to be Earl?" I asked, suddenly curious. "I never asked Trickster…"
"Nea discovered a third side to the war" he answered. "Love"
This time, I examined his features, but couldn't find any deception.
Then, I snorted.
"This is so cheap"
"Tell that to him" he cringed. "But anyway. When his and Mana's mother was killed to protect them, he realized that humans were- are, much more than what Noahs gave them credit for. There was family, friends, hope. He doesn't want the Earl to bring the Three Days of Darkness, and becoming the new Lord Millennium ensures this resolution"
"You'll be trapped, though" I remarked. "If he becomes the new Earl, you won't have any control. If you become the new Earl, then you'll watch as all of us dies of old age or whatever. Are you truly ready to support this burden?"
He bit his lower lip, his lemon aura growing uneasy, but determined.
The strand of grass fell from my mouth.
"You… don't intend to" I realized.
"Once everything is done… Nea becoming the Earl will ensure peace" he scratched the back of his head. "And I can't just watch as you all die around. I wouldn't be able to, no matter what I say or do. So…"
"So you'll die" I understood in a flat tone. "Leave him all the control, let him push you out and die"
"Yeah"
We stayed silent for a moment, and I sighed.
"Are you sure?"
"I am"
"Then I won't stop you"
At that, he actually smiled.
"I know"
"I don't like it, though" I felt very tired, all at once. "After all of this was over, I was really hoping you'd be able to live your life. Free. Happy. Safe. Alive. Guess it won't happen after all, eh?"
"You're saying this as if all of this would happen tomorrow" he pointed out with a dry chuckle.
"Not tomorrow, but soon" I assured. "Sooner than you think. The Heart will reveal it's position in a month, at most. And after that…"
"All the pieces will fall in place" he completed. "But I'm ready"
"I know"
Then, unable to stop myself, I hugged him as hard as I could.
"I'll miss you"
He simply hugged back, but his determination didn't waver.
"Now, I only have to find this stupid Bookboy…" I muttered, heading for the training grounds.
When I got there, I saw him sparring with Timothy, the three Marshalls watching.
It was hand-to-hand combat, no Innocence allowed seeing as Timothy's couldn't exactly be activated in this situation, but I could see Tsukikami floating next to him and guiding his steps.
The boy managed to kick Lavi in the guts, sending him rolling in the dust.
"Nice one, Brat!" I cheered, making my presence known.
"Ary-nee!"
Instantly forgetting his dual, he ran at me and hugged me as hard as he could. Chuckling, I returned the embrace in force as my boyfriend got back to his feet with a slight scowl.
"Hands off, kiddo. She's mine" he warned, coming our way.
"E-eh?" he blurted out, looking at the two of us. "No way! A guy like you wouldn't be able to get a girl like Ary-nee!"
"I'm actually offended" Lavi blinked, surprise at the remark. "And who'd be perfect with her, then? You?"
"Nu-uh! Kanda would be great, 'cause he's awesome like her!"
I hide my face in my hands, choking on my laughter as the two brawled a little. An hand on my shoulder made my head turn to Tiedoll.
"Hey, Tiedoll-sensei!" I grinned. "It's been a while"
And, for the second time that day, I was trapped in a choking embrace.
"MY LITTLE ARY-CHAN IS BACK TO US! IT IS A MIRACLE!"
As he cried his tears of joy, I struggled through his grip and landed on the ground, panting to get back some air in my lungs.
"Batshit geezer…" I wheezed.
An hand presented itself at me, and I took it with gratitude. Klaud smiled at me.
"It is good to see you up, Aryane"
"Please, just Ary" I waved it off. "And I'm seriously glad to be up too. Have you ever had nerve damages in your two legs? Nasty little things…"
"Crazy as ever, eh, Little Girl?" Sokaro roughly slapped my back.
I bite back a wince, my scars stinging a little, but kept on my grin.
"Zombie-dude!"
We bumped fists, and Lavi and Timothy were finally back with us. As if to prove a point, the redhead passed an arm around my shoulders and pulled his tongue to the kid.
I swatted his torso.
"You're ridiculous" I shook my head, exasperated.
"But you love me anyway" he grinned.
"Unfortunately" I rolled my eyes. "Now come on, we've got to talk"
"That's what they all say" snorted Sokaro.
"What do you mean?" asked Timothy, curious.
"And that's all for you" I placed my hands on his ears, before sending a glare at the Marshall. "Keep your perverted ideas to you, would ya? There are chaste souls here, mine included"
You're worse than I am sometimes, Hime.
But I don't say it out loud before kids.
Kids?
Timothy and Lavi.
As Gabriel laughed, I grabbed Lavi's hand and we both waved at the four of them before walking away.
"Wipe that stupid grin of your face, Bookboy" I grunted.
"You're embarrassed" he replied, disobeying my demand.
"No I'm not"
"Yes you are"
"Just shut up, would ya?"
"Make me"
This time, I truly turn to him, my fist ready to strike, but he grabbed my wrist and forced it down, before leaning in and posing his lips on mine.
I instantly gave in, having missed his sole presence in the last couple of weeks.
After a few minutes of making out in the hallway, we pulled away, panting slightly but both smiling.
"Come on"
We went back to his room –no idea where mine was- before both sitting on the bed.
"So, what happened?" I asked first.
He shifted, thinking back.
"We were captured by a Noah" he answered, rubbing his chin. "Kind of freaky, with eyeballs on his tongue"
"Yeah, met that one" I cringed at the memory.
"They wanted information on the Fourteenth, that Ji-ji had, apparently" he pursued, frowning somewhat. "Of course, he didn't talk. Wouldn't want him too, either. They tortured me so that he'd give in"
I squeezed his hand at that. Both of us knew that his grandfather would never give in, no matter what.
Not that we blamed him, of course.
"The Noah put an eye in me" he added, rubbing his chest. "It's gone, now, Ji-ji ripped it out with his needles, but damn, that wasn't fun… anyway, after that, well… they told us you were here, too. Nothing more, just that you were another prisoner. And on it went, and on it went. Seeing as Ji-ji still wouldn't talk, they just… kind of forgot us, someday. They didn't come back, and that was that. But then, the Thirds came and freed us"
"I asked Tewaku" I nodded.
"Yeah, I know" he actually glared at me. "She told me your were dead, Ary"
"It was the only way to get you to leave, and she promised" I retorted. "Don't be angry with her, please"
"Oh, I'm not angry at her" he shook his head. "I'm downright pissed at you. The hell were you thinking, asking not to be saved like that?"
"They would have instantly known, and none of us would have escaped then" I replied. "Plus, it's done now. I really hope you recorded that, apprentice Bookman, 'cause it sure as hell won't happen again"
"You're hopeless" he banged his head against the wall.
I just shrugged, and he became serious once again.
"What happened to you?"
"Well… the others must have briefed you on Apocryphos' apparition, right? Well, after that, I flew away. I couldn't stay any longer. However, I was already tired because of the injuries I sustained during the fight with Alma Karma, and I hadn't eaten either. Plus, I couldn't walk because of some stupid nerve damage in my legs, so when Tyki and Road found me, they just had to pick me up like some sort of daisy and bam! Prisoner of the Noahs"
"Nerve damage?" he repeated, eying my legs.
"All healed now, don't worry" I shrugged it off. "But after that, when I woke up, the Earl tried to convince me to cooperate by bribing me with dinner…"
"I'm surprised you didn't give in"
I hit his head, and he laughed a little.
"I refused" I assured, annoyed at his lack of faith. "And that led me to being tortured each and every day for the whole time of my little stay"
"Why? It's not like you could reveal the information if you wanted too" he remarked, now frowning.
"Torturing me forced Gabriel to heal me, and they weren't exactly feeding me either, so it kept weakening us" I precised, scrunching my nose at the memory. "They thought it'd weaken the barriers too, which actually worked as the stupid mind-rapist kept hitting at the same damn place… in the end, he managed to bring them down. But barely a second after, you were there"
His eye widened slightly.
"The one I knocked out?"
"That's him" I confirmed. "Real bastard too. But, in the end, they didn't get their hands on the memories and now, they cleared the path for us to walk on"
"You mean you can find the Heart?"
"Soon"
His arms were then around me, and I found myself trapped against his chest, his chin on the top of my hand.
"You said you were captured after you fled the Order" he said, more quietly. "You stayed there for three months?"
"I did"
"I'm surprised you didn't suffer psychological damage"
"But I wasn't alone" I pointed out. "Trickster was there too, and he kept me sane. Well, for the most part. I always had a few screw loose in there"
He let out a laugh at that, and I settled more comfortably in his arms.
"I'm not completely unaffected, though" I admitted. "I can't eat much, no matter how much I want too. I guess I'll have to get used to eating again. And I can't stay in little spaces for long either"
"You never could" he replied smartly.
"True"
I breathed in his scent. I missed him.
A lot.
"I love you"
"Love you too"
After that, we fall silent, both content with the embrace.
::
I looked around.
I was in a forest, surrounded by humidity and vegetation of all sort.
A red-eyed frog jumped out of the tree to my right. Green eyes stared at me through the foliage. A snake pressed it's body against the ground.
I started walking forward, never striving from a path I however couldn't see. I had no control over my body, as if I was a mere outsider, watching through my own eyes.
After a few minutes, I reached what seemed to be a temple. Really old, barely standing and half-crumbling under the lianas and the exotic flowers.
Making my way through the rubbles, careful as to not bring it to the ground because of a misplaced step, I finally reached-
::
I snapped my eyes open, breath hitched and irregular as my heart beat so fast I thought it was about to implode.
For a second, the image of a ruby danced before my eyes, before disappearing.
Hime, breath. Calm down. It's alright. Breath. That's it, in, and out. In, and out.
After a few more seconds, I realized I was back in my room.
T-Trickster? Wha… what happened? Was that… the Heart?
More or less. I remember, now. The Heart had… well, some sort of case, if you want the simple term. It's the only thing that can truly and fully control the Innocence's powers. Without it, the Host get's overwhelmed and usually turns insane, before dying.
Ain't that nice. So, we need this case first?
Yeah. What you saw was the emplacement of the first fragment. Before hiding the Heart, I broke the case in four pieces, just in case.
And let me guess: they're all scattered across the world.
Yep.
Rubbing my temples, I recalled the fuzzy nightmare that turned out to be, as usual, a memory.
So, where was this one?
…
Trickster.
Darién Gap.
It took me a few seconds to remember where I had heard that name before.
You've got to be fucking kidding me.
Well, you can't say it isn't safe, right?
This is far from safe, Gabriel! It's the most dangerous jungle in the fucking world!
I could feel him shrug, and my headache only became worse. However, at the same time, I was glad.
Things were starting to move.
Guess the chessboard is set now, uh, Hime?
The pieces are on their cases. Black and white are about to clash.
You're ready?
More than ever. Now… the game is on.
Okay! So, once more, to put things simple: the Heart is the most powerful piece of Innocence, obviously. However, that power usually turns the Heart's Host insane, before killing him or her since it uses so much lifespan. So, a Case was created. This Case hold most of its power in check or, otherwise said, the Host won't turn batshit crazy when using it. So, they'll need the Case first. However, Gabriel broke it into four pieces so that it'd be harder to find the Heart and use it. Since we go with the order of the memories, it means she'll have the most "recent" memory first. The piece in Darién Gap is, logically speaking, the fourth one. Then it'll be the third, then the second, then the first, and finally the Heart.
Yes, I'm going somewhere with this. Don't worry.
I know, Nea isn't like that. Like, at all. However, I'm not following the manga anymore, and it's my story anyway, so I'll just do whatever the hell I want to.
Question: I'm curious, so indulge me: what's your favorite Anime (or manga)?
Reviews are love!