It makes me so happy to read all of your reviews and I'm so glad you all are enjoying it! :) Unfortunately, I can't keep up with updates :'( so I going to switch to a new chapter alternate Saturdays with the same chapter length. At this point, I've summed up Fragment of Snow, so from now on this will be AU, the question is how much… I've got the next arc planned out, but after that I'm not sure if I should add in characters early (Miranda, Krory) or do a timeskip…? I'm always open to suggestions so if you have any… On that note, this world does need more hugs! So I'm lumping two requests together, although this probably wasn't what either of you were looking for but…
Thank you very much MesuNeko, Lena-luvs-cats, Ern Estine 13624, SakuraNyaa, and Jinx for reviewing, and so many others for favoriting and following! Enjoy!
Chapter 4:
"Freeze!" A sudden breeze disrupted the snowfall as men with long tan coats carrying boxes surrounded them. In an instant there was no escape. These people…
"Sir, step away from that child!" Please no. I finally have a purpose, a reason for living. Please don't. Mana turned to stare down at Red, shoulders shaking; slightly from the cold, his fears after years of abuse, and leftover rage he may need to get him and Mana out of the situation. Red abandoned this action when the delusional clown tightened his grip on the boy's hand, not painfully so but protectively, and turned to face the men. 'I am being chased. If I am caught, I will definitely be killed.' Oh no… They aren't going to kill him, right? Is it my fault too?
"That's enough." A familiar voice cut through the crowd, placing his hand on the shoulder of their opponent, who signalled the others to fall back slightly.
"I'm Reever Wenham. I'm with the Black Order." He raised his hand slightly, but seeing no similar movement by Mana, whose hand remained clinging to Red's, he abandoned the action and returned his own hand to his side with a sigh.
"Sorry about that, would you mind if we talked to you two about what happened?" Reever glanced concernedly at Red once, whose own focus was on analyzing the familiar looking group of men. Those boxes do something… Before… That's right! These're the guys that… But… Mana needs… And they don't… Red's eyes glazed slightly as his thoughts spiraled, meanwhile the two adults continued conversing.
"What is there to talk about?"
"Something happened to your fellow performers...?"
"Really? Is it a secret?" Reever's eyes narrowed as he carefully processed the man's words, not failing to acknowledge the copious amount of blood caked over his smeared make-up.
"It's not a secret, they died. Do you know how?" The man's eyes took on a much less foggy sheen at Reever's words. Golden gaze growing intense, the clown narrowed his eyes at Reever while tightening his grip on the boy. Red's eyes widened and he winced as Mana's grip on his hand tightened, but he deserved it, so he did not protest.
"You killed them didn't you?" It was neither a question or a phrase, simply an accusing snarl. The boy, having equal amounts of dried blood on his hair and skin, shifted slightly away from the clown. WIthout looking, he yanked the boy closer to him, as a child might do with a rag doll when throwing a fit. Reever winced for the boy, running through possible solutions while the man grew angrier.
"Your agents of the Earl aren't you?!" Everyone in the circle paled. General Tiedoll, having left the children in Marie's care after determining that no akuma remained, approached the scene warily.
"What more do you want?! You've already taken everything! Do you want Allen to? Is that it?!" His screams were high with hysteria and his own body shook with the volume. The boy beside him trembled slightly, most likely subconsciously, but did not protest when he was flung about by the clown's fit.
"Sir, release the child." Tiedoll entered the circle, placing himself in front of Reever. His hand lay casually on his Innocence, prepared to intervene if necessary, and by the looks of it, an intervention seemed mostly likely.
"Relax, we are not with the Earl, the opposite in fact." The man's eyes widened slightly before he began to cackle.
"Are you insane?"
"Why is the Earl after you?" A pause.
"Strange… I don't-" The man halted his speech, relaxing, and straightening, looking almost happy.
"Mana…" All eyes turned to the nearly inaudible words spoken by the boy, whose feet were gently returned to their former place on the ground.
"We need to go… You said." The boy was practically mute, especially in comparison to the previously hysterical man he uncertainly clung to.
"Oh! That's right!" He turned to leave, smile widening, only to tilt his head in confusion when the mean did not move.
"Who might you be?" His voice was light, holding no malice whatsoever. Tiedoll waved his head slightly and the finders graciously dispersed, eager to find other tasks, but remaining close in case their assistance was needed.
"Froi Tiedoll, you may just call me Tiedoll." The man nodded with a smile, but made no move to introduce himself or the boy. Johnny had informed them halfway through the walk to the circus, or what remained of it, of previous events. The boy was nameless, but was referred to as Red. He was a slave of the ringmaster, who had bought him from a contact claiming to have found him in a quote "God crystal", meaning this was likely the accommodator sensed by Lenalee and Yuu. The fact that the children were already developing that skill was another matter entirely, but one that would have to wait.
"Is this your son?"
"This is Allen!" The man smiled, but did not answer the question. Red, though not answering verbally, turned his head away, gaze downcast almost shamefully. Intriguing Tiedoll thought. He glanced at Reever who was looking at the boy, no doubt thinking the same thing.
"Are you two alright?" The man tilted his head and the boy tensed beside him.
"You both have blood on you" Reever stated, picking up on what Tiedoll was doing.
"Why don't you come with us, we can get you two cleaned up and fed." Mana hummed, pondering the request before nodding in acceptance.
"But then we have to move on." The boy's widened, face contorting in horror at the clown's quick acceptance. When he was pulled forward slightly, like a dog on a leash, he dug his heels into the ground and whined in protest.
"Mana no! We have to go! They… They're." The boy's silver eyes were dark, filled with far more suspicion than Tiedoll had seen since… Tiedoll grimaced as the boy, Allen as the clown introduced him, continued to be dragged along.
"It will be fun! Besides, Allen gets sick a lot, like me!" The boy's eyes widened further, and he jerked his hand out of the clown's grasp.
"What are you talking about? Mana? Mana! Please don't go!"
"It's all right. We are going to help you, like before." Red recalled the speaker giving him money and warmth and food… But he also recalled the same person turning on him, cancelling out the good deed done, leaving only suspicion. Mana continued his journey forward, two men in cloaks escorting him into a carriage. Panic rippled through Red's thin frame as he darted over to the carriage, door closing with the clown inside, still smiling.
"Mana!" Red couldn't remember ever raising his voice so loud, he had no right to, but Mana… The carriage pulled away. Red's foot caught on some debris, latching on and sending him toppling to the ground. His ankle twisted, but the true problem was the debris. He struggled to rise, reaching out towards the carriage as if he could merely will it to halt. The four-wheeled vehicle, continued down the lane, vanishing with Mana. 'We'll always be together.' His heart ached. Far more than his ankle, than his bloody, splinter filled shoulder, then his back, broken by the ringmaster's whip, than all the punches given to him by Cosmos, Red's heart hurt. He shuddered, fighting tears. Everything was gone…
While the boy argued with the clown, Tiedoll solemnly instructed the finder's to escort him to the Order. Marie and the kids would follow closely behind in case anything went wrong, leaving Johnny, Reever and himself to handle the boy. Tiedoll returned from giving said orders, watching as the carriages disappeared, one then another. Johnny was anxiously conversing with Reever, both glancing between some of the nearby debris and the General. Intrigued but not bothering to inquire, Tiedoll headed straight for the debris. He visibly deflated when he discovered why it was so interesting.
"We did not take your father." Tiedoll knelt a few yards away so as not to crowd the boy. His words intended to reassure were met with a glare, softened by the child's sorrow. White continued to surround him, a reflection of his cold, yearning heart.
"We're going to take you to him. Come on." Tiedoll extended a hand. Any traces of tears left as silver eyes hardened with weary resolve. His right hand shoved away debris, then pushed his body from the snow covered dirt. He limped past Tiedoll towards the conversing pair behind him. The group walked in silence, slowly so the boy could keep up, for he refused to be assisted by any of them, eventually reaching a carriage which soon lurched into motion. The trip would be long, and the boy no doubt needed his rest, so Tiedoll began the conversation early.
"Johnny said your name was Red, but that man introduced you as Allen. Which do you go by?" Silver eyes were dull as they turned to meet his expectant gaze. He remained silent for awhile, before sighing, finally conceding.
"Used to be Red. But I'm Mana's now, he can call me whatever he wants." His voice was soft, not nearly as harsh as before. It was nostalgic, leaving Tiedoll to ponder over who he had previously heard speak in such a manner. Everyone else remained silent, processing the words. A few moments later the silence was broken by Johnny.
"The ringmaster told us what happened to you-" He stopped himself as Red- Allen- bristled, switching from relaxed to defensive in a heartbeat. He almost seemed panicked, but attempted to mask it with a glare. His silver eyes were alight with a flame of defiance, while the rest of his body shook at the memories of a life of abuse, darkness and despair. Johnny's own fists shook with uncertainty at the boy's reaction, and with Tiedoll still in a daze, Reever was left to address the matter.
"Don't worry nothing like that is going to happen to you hear. There are even other kids your age." The boy took on a look that was borderline condescending, dismissing the claims assured to him. To Allen, they seemed like nothing more than lies and a true portrayal of how little they actually knew about him.
"They understand. Both of them have suffered too. You won't be alone their."
That's right. Lenalee always speaks in that tone, unless she's with Komui, submissive and hopeless. Yu's is rather similar on occasion, mainly when he's forced to talk about his past. Tiedoll finally recalled at the mention of the other children. He snapped his attention back to reality, focusing his gaze on narrow eyed child. Waves of suspicious doubt nearly rolling off of him.
"So what? You collect monsters? Is that what this is? And you're gonna just hurt all of 'em?" Allen's tone held no emotions, making the form of delivery almost as unsettling as the words themselves.
"No. Absolutely not. That is not what we do." Allen's expression mirrored his previous tone; blank, emotionless, lacking both hope and despair.
"We find people like you, Allen. People who have been hurt for no reason, and we save them, we give them a home and a place to belong. Because that's what they deserve. That's what you deserve." A dull, lightless gray shifted, allowing a glimpse of light to cross it's path as the meaning of the words just spoken were truly processed. Allen snapped from his daze, allowing that glimmer, though faint, to shine across his expression. He turned away from Tiedoll and his words, probably lies for they were too good to be true, and curled into a ball. A few minutes later, exhaustion overtook his small, frail body. Whether he fell asleep or passed out was uncertain, but to those still remaining the action was both a door closing and a door opening. Tiedoll sighed, disappointed that he would be unable to inquire about the child's Innocence, but thankful as well, for he truly needed the rest. Especially if all of their suspicions had been true. Reever sighed then turned to address the others. The conversation that ensued was both short and grim.
They arrived the next morning, having deliberately delayed their trip so the boy could sleep longer. He would need all the strength who could get. When they finally did arrive, Tapp came to meet Johnny, but both were shooed away in haste. Well Tapp was. Johnny, being of poor health and low stamina, passed out shortly after Allen. And despite being conscious now, still needed to be carried to the infirmary. Komui was also their to meet them, standing expectedly, at the docks. A smile plastered onto his face, despite the growing concern held in his gaze. Allen stiffened, more than he already was having not relaxed since he woke, visibly unhappy at the concept of another person. The finder guiding the boat through the underground passage did little to help either. He still refused to be assisted in anyway, so it took him a few minutes to safely get off the boat. When he did Allen was greeted by the towering figure, who knelt down to his height and held out his hand, slowly and keeping it at a distance.
"Hi! My name's Komui." Allen looked him dead in the eye for at least a minute. Despite how unsettling his gaze was, Komui kept eye contact, making sure to show not to show any malice or ill intent in his body language, not that he ever really had anyways. After a moment, the boy's shoulders fell, ever so slightly, into a more relaxed position. His gaze fell to Komui's hand and his brow furrowed in confusion.
"It's a handshake." Komui whispered, lowering his voice so the other's present were unaware of the spoken words, with a smile. The boy's face blushed faintly. He turned his head downwards, attempting to hide it with his blood-stained brown hair. He slowly reached out his right hand, and grabbed Komui's. The motion was light and uncertain. Komui did not tighten his grip, but slowly shook his worryingly small, cold hand up and down, while looking expectantly at him.
"Allen." The boy's voice was as small as the boy himself. It had an edge to it, like Kanda, but act far more uncertain, like Lenalee. Komui's smile faltered ever so slightly at this. He will fit right in… He thought, releasing Allen's hand.
"Where's Mana?" Allen jumped right to the point, any uncertainty leaving as determination settled in. Mana...? Ah, that must be the man who arrived last night. He had never given his name. After his head wound was addressed he was given a room, only to be found meandering about aimlessly an hour later. In his brief stay, they had already determined that he was definitely delusional, most likely suffering from some sort of mental illness. The strange thing was it was not caused by the head injury, the nature of which was itself rather strange. It appeared to have been done by an extremely heavy object, likely metal. Yet the shape varied, forming a distinct pattern, a cross. Innocence. Thus Komui anxiously awaited the boy's arrival. Now that he was here… Komui was unsure of what he had been expecting, but he knew that this blood-stained boy wasn't it.
"Mana is here. You'll get to see him soon." The boy appeared thoroughly unconvinced.
"I promise." The boy sighed, gaze lowering, silver eyes growing pensive, distantly distracted. Meanwhile Komui's gaze kept venturing back to the cuts and the bruises…
"How about we get you cleaned up, Allen?" The child's expression took on a confused look once again. Komui's heart ached.
"Come on" he spoke softly, and began walking slowly. Allen fell in behind him, struggling to keep up despite the seemingly sluggish pace. The infirmary was not far, it was downstairs even, but it still took them almost half an hour to get there. Komui offered a few times to help, but that only seemed to make the boy more determined to walk on his own. When they finally did get there, he requested a separate room for the boy and an experienced doctor. The infirmary wasn't particularly busy, but Komui did not want the boy to be overwhelmed or accidentally see something he should not. The rooms typically held more than one patient and given the nature of the war, it was not uncommon for some patients to be operated on in the presence of others. They waited and Allen caught his breath, before both were led into a small room, holding only one bed.
Despite his protest, Allen was picked up and seated on bed by the doctor. The child tensed as he glanced about the bright surroundings and the suspicious figure. When he set down his medical bag Allen paled drastically. Komui pulled a chair over and sat next to the boy.
"Don't worry, he is here to help, I promise. He won't do anything you don't want him to alright?" Silver eyes had adopted a suspicious gleam, but their was no hiding the genuine apprehension marring his features. Nevertheless he nodded, forcing his breathing to slow.
"Like Komui said, I'm here to help. I need to see how hurt you are, so I'm going to help you take your shirt off okay?" The boy tensed again and shook his head.
"What's wrong?" Komui lowered his voice and addressed Allen. He was met with a glare.
"You don't wanna see it. It's ugly."
"We will not do anything to hurt you. I promise. So I need you to be brave alright?" Allen shook his head and shifted his left arm behind him.
"You don't want us to see your arm right?" Allen flinched, glaring.
"How about this, we only take off part of your shirt, so we can't see your arm. Is that okay?" The boy's glare did not dissipate, but he did not openly protest either. After a moment, he nodded slowly. The doctor moved to help him, but was met with a glare. Allen, using only his right hand, removed the majority of his shirt, leaving his left arm tucked behind him in the sleeve.
"Ah!" The oversized fabric nearly slid off his shoulder, flashing what at a glance appeared to be red veins bulging from his skin. He quickly grabbed the shirt, holding it in place, glaring somewhat expectantly at the doctor. The doctor seemed unsettled by the boy's gaze, but quickly disregarded that as he sat down and began examining the child.
His injuries were severe. Komui did not have to be a doctor to know that much. Where his skin wasn't broken it was taut over his skin. He had dozens of bruises, all varying in severity and stages of healing. Whoever had done this to him had been doing so for… Months by the looks of it. Glass shards coated his right wrist, wooden splinters lathered his right shoulder. One of his eyes was forced to constantly squint due to the swelling of the bruised skin around it. Half of his face was nearly blackened by the dark, gnarly bruises, while other half was coated crimson by a cut. His face was cleaned, then bandaged accordingly the doctor made sure he did not have a concussion, then moved on to clean up the front of his torso and his right arm.
Afterwards, Allen was instructed to turn around so the same could be done with his back. He did so slowly, but still winced as he settled. Komui's hand clapped over his mouth while his face contorted in horror. The doctor had a somewhat similar reaction, but moved quickly to begin treating the injuries. Allen's entire back, was marred with bloody cuts, most likely from a whip. A few scars across his lower back confirmed this. After a few minutes, Komui swallowed his initial shock, that anyone would do this to a child, mainly because Lenalee had received similarly ignorant treatment.
"Do you know how old those are?" He asked, pointing to the smaller scars.
"I can't say for certain, but at least two years." Two years. This child has been beaten, broken, abused, for two years. How could no one do anything? He's so young… His thoughts wandered to Lenalee. And now he could be forced to fight… Oh God…
While lost in thought, a similar inspection and treatment was done to the rest of Allen, who finished fixing his clothes back into place. Somewhat. His shoes, socks, suspenders and scarf remained off. His hair was down to. Allen observed the pair as Komui turned expectantly to the doctor.
"Some of the injuries were pretty bad. I recommend he stay in bed for at least a few days. He needs to stay warm and eat lots to try and gain some weight." Komui's eyes peered over his glasses seriously.
"Is he well enough to see Hevlaska?" The doctor's own gaze matched Komui's solemnly.
"It would be best if he rested…" His reply trailed off. Innocence was always the exception.
"But he should be well enough yes. Try not to have him walk too much though." The doctor answered. The two exchanged a few more words then took his leave, shortly followed by the pair, though they had a different destination.
"Who's Hevlaska?" Allen asked, raising his voice slightly to be heard by Komui.
"You're about to meet her. She-"
"Where's Mana?" Given the circumstances, Allen had been handling everything fairly well throughout this whole ordeal. However he was exhausted, beginning to stumble, yet still refusing help. And his voice had taken on a hint of desperation. He had abandoned the false glares, exposing just how weak he was. Allen seemed aware of this to, making his mood even more foul. Komui stopped in the hallway, turning and kneeling before the boy. Allen's breathing was labored, his shaking legs close to buckling. He had a long morning already.
"If you let me help you, I'll take you to him" Komui conceded. Allen's face contorted slightly, trying to decide if he should glare or smile. He settled on neither, sighing and nodding. After a few minutes of instruction, Komui was carrying Allen on his back, hurrying towards Mana's room. Unfortunately he was not surprised to find that Mana was not there. Allen's brows furrowed at the open door. Komui entered and set him on the bed. Allen opened his mouth but was interrupted before words could form.
"I'll go look for him while you rest. As soon as I find him I'll bring him here okay?" Silver eyes dulled back to gray, in confusion and exhaustion. Despite having slept a few hours ago, the constant walking, climbing of stairs, and interactions with new people had drained him. On top his injuries and empty stomach, Allen was in no position to protest. Komui pulled back the covers on the bed, and gently pushed him down. He settled the covers over the boy and knelt down.
"I'll go find Mana, you rest." The boy sighed, darkness pulling at his vision as his eyelids drooped downwards. He had no memory of Komui leaving before consciousness evaded him, and he entered a dreamless sleep.
"Allen!" The sound of his new name coupled with the owner of the voice, easily stirred the boy.
"Mana…" The clown had not abandoned his attire, however most of his makeup had been smeared off. Nevertheless he smiled, that unknowing, happy smile that caused the Allen's heart to ache. Tiedoll, who had escorted Mana back to his room on Komui's orders, did not fail to notice this. Mana however did, and merrily began talking to Allen about nonsense things. Some random observations he made while aimlessly wandering around. Allen shifted, sitting up. He winced, but moved to sit beside the rambling man. His stomach growled. The man continued. Finally he slowed, turning to smile at Allen.
"Where did Allen go?" The boy did not answer, so the man answered for him.
"Allen isn't supposed to leave. He's too hard to find." The words visibly unsettled the child, who shivered slightly. Mana, as Komui and the boy referred to him as, remained oblivious to this.
"I'm hungry! Allen needs to eat to. Let's go!" Mana pulled Allen off the bed, carrying him on his back in a way that appeared abrupt and painful, but seemed to comfort the boy in a way that Tiedoll hadn't seen before. Not only that, but the boy had no objections as Mana waltzed them out of the room, walking off in the wrong direction.
"The dining hall is this way." Tiedoll offered, escorting them. "I'm Mana's now." Johnny had explained everything he had learned about the boy to them, and was probably doing the same to Komui. They arrived shortly. Tiedoll ordered food for the three of them. Then he waited, keeping a careful eye on Mana so he wouldn't wander off again. That did not seem as likely now however. He had set Allen down and was talking to him. Their roles seemed reversed as Mana's expression constantly changed as his attention darted about. Allen held a constant smile, and spoke softly in a reassuring manner. Tiedoll's eyes narrowed. How family's conducted themselves was their business, but this just seemed wrong. The general grabbed their food, and found seats for the three of them, which he ushered them into. Allen waited for Mana to happily indulge himself before he even bothered picking up a utensil. Allen ate slowly. He was barely halfway finished when Mana finished off his meal. He sighed dramatically. Mana was rather theatrical, a stark contrast to Allen.
"That was yummy! Hm? Why aren't you done yet? Come on Allen I'm bored, hurry up!" Mana whined, poking at Allen as he continued eating.
"Let him finish." Tiedoll ordered, harsher than he meant to, receiving a glare from Allen.
"I'm done" he lied, disregarding the rest of his meal. Mana pouted and continued to whine.
"Nooo but Allen hasn't finished yet. You finish Allen, I'll wait." Allen continued eating while Mana continued to vocalized his back and forth dialogue with himself aloud. When Allen finished Mana seemed ready to burst, and grabbed the boy's hand. Allen's eyes widened in minute alarm as his left hand was taken by Mana's. Tiedoll did not fail to notice the wine red skin or the pitch black fingernails as Mana dragged Allen away.
Mana and Allen wandered about the Order the rest of the day. Mana continued wandering long into the night as well, carrying Allen around on his back. Komui sent Tiedoll to find the pair the following morning.
"If he is an accommodator, then it will be better for him to start training with someone he already knows." Thus, the general agreed to search for the pair after he finished running some drills with Yu. Lenalee had participated as well, and now the two were silently following him about. It took ten minutes to find Mana, passed out in the library. Lenalee discovered Allen shortly after, curled up in a ball under a table in the corner. Only Lenalee would have thought to look there. She helped him out while Tiedoll attempted to wake Mana, Kanda hovering behind him. Lenalee smiled slightly.
"The General said your name is Allen." She whispered. The boy nodded.
"It is now… That's what Mana calls me so…" His whisper faded away. Silver eye, the one not covered by bandages, growing pensive.
"I'm glad you're here Allen." Lenalee's gaze grew pensive to, her smile softening, expression morphing to take on a sadder look.
"It's hard, being one of the only kids." Her whisper grew quieter somehow. Something pinched Allen's heart, a strange sensation that caused him to act without thinking. He smiled at her, stepping closer, attempting to offer comfort but unsure how. Lenalee was uncertain as well, but caught the gesture. Her smile brightened.
"It seems Mana is rather tired." Tiedoll interrupted, abandoning his efforts of rousing the man for they had yielded no results. He turned to the young pair instead. Lenalee was seven, and Allen seemed around her age as well, six perhaps?
"Is something wrong?" He wondered allowed, taking in their slightly saddened looks. The two got flustered as a response, shaking their heads no. Tiedoll chuckled, then decided to make things interesting.
"How about a hug" he offered. Lenalee giggled, because she knew Tiedoll was not offering to provide a hug. She darted over and wrapped her arms around Kanda, who growled slightly before glancing at the general. He sighed, then awkwardly patted her back. They separated, and Lenalee turned to smile at Allen. She returned to him, wrapping her arms about him in a similar manner, though slightly looser due to his injuries. Unsure of what to do, he wrapped his right arm around her, giving her a gentle pat. Lenalee had bandages on her to. Lenalee gently pulled away, stepping back to smile up at Tiedoll. He returned the grin, and said,
"Yu…"
"No."
"Yu…"
"No way in-"
"Yu!"
"I hate you!" Kanda nearly shook with infuriation as stiff arms enveloped the much smaller figure that was Allen, who flinched away but ultimately only succeeded in squirming awkwardly in protest. The hug was short and unwilling on both ends, and though the act made part of Allen loathe Kanda more, the intentions of General Tiedoll were not lost on him. He growled at Kanda, who growled back tenfold between curses, but his eyes were lighter and his stance less defensive.
Not wanting Kanda to injure one of the younger kids in his rage, Tiedoll sent he to get Komui, and tell him they were heading to Hevlaska's chamber. The general lead the way, allowing the pair to fall in slowly behind him. They kept their distance from him, but walked side by side, whispering between each other.
"General Tiedoll is sorta strict in training, but otherwise he's nice."
"That's good…" A pause.
"Where're we goin'?"
"To see Hevlaska. Don't worry, I've known her since I was little. She looks scary, but she isn't mean."
"Why are we goin' there?"
"So brother knows about your Innocence."
"Brother?"
"My big brother Komui. He's the chief, he helps us." Another pause. Then the real question.
"Innocence?" Lenalee grew quiet at that.
"You should wait for brother to explain that…" The rest of the walk was in silence. Lenalee and Tiedoll explained the elevator to a very suspicious Allen as they waited for Komui. Upon his arrival, Tiedoll left to hunt down Kanda, who had snapped at one of the members of the Science Department. If Mugen was involved speed would be the general's friend. The three descended to the chamber, slowly being encased by darkness, while Komui explained Hevlaska to Allen, in more or less the same words as his sister.
Despite both of their warnings, Allen was unprepared to actually meet her. Hevlaska was not human, but a massive being, one comprised of Innocence he was informed.
"Let me learn about your Innocence." Her voice echoed as she spoke, but not in a soothing manner. White tendrils reached towards him, but Lenalee nodded reassuringly, unmoving and smile unwavering.
"It's okay" she whispered. Allen didn't relax, but at Lenalee's words he stopped struggling, allowing his body to be lifted from the platform. Hevlaska held him careful, coiling about his left arm, pulling it away from the rest of his body.
"A parasite-type." Her words echoed ominously. Parasite…? Allen thought. The coils pushed deeper into his arm, not painfully per say, but he felt as if he were being probed. He grit his teeth against the invasive sensation as the beings forehead came to rest against his own. No sound came from her for a minute. She pulled away setting the boy down as gently as possible, but somewhat clumsily as a result of her surprise.
"What's wrong Hevlaska? Is he not a soldier of life?"
"Syncro rate is twelve percent." Her voice echoed. Lenalee rushed beside Allen, reaching hesitantly for his left arm with concern. Komui's jaw dropped slightly.
"A-are you sure?"
"Yes. His maximum synchronization rate with his Innocence is 12%."
