*Shifts feet awkwardly* Ya this is pretty late... I was really unhappy with the pacing of this chapter but... I really don't know how to fix it so here ya go. This chapter should clarify more about Allen and Mana leaving? THANK YOU SO MUCH! I didn't realize the release for the chat corner of vol 25 was already available! This is… Going to end up changing some things…
Thank you to Alice2795, Ryuakilover, amenokuma, Ern Estine 13624, karina001, and bonewishes for reviewing, and many others for favoriting and following!
Link to vol 25 chat for anyone else who has not read it: search/and-komui
The news of Cross and his interests took to the Order operatives like wildfire, much to Allen's regret. This would not have phased him, for Mana often preached the irrelevance of what people thought of you, his response whenever Allen accused him of being weird. But since Mana had not returned from his 'talk' with the chief, Allen was left feeling shaken. As a result, he stayed in his room, where he had retreated to while Reever was speaking with Komui. Quite some time had passed since then, still with no sign of Mana, leaving Allen to huddle in a ball at the base of the bed. He always left the bed for Mana. He, of course, insisted Allen sleep with him instead of the floor, but Allen was still hesitant around him. Despite his generally caring nature, he was unstable, his fault, and could hurt him, not that he didn't deserve it. Allen thought in many ways he certainly did, despite what most of the former performers thought and practiced, he did not need to be told this. He knew he was a monster but Mana… Mana…
I don't want to be alone anymore. He bit his lip, now trembling. Allen could count the times that he had cried, sobs muffled of course, he had only made that mistake once, on one hand: that count included now. Darkness settled in the room as the sun vanished, taking with it any sense of security Allen was clinging to. Dark. Cold. Alone. Not again. Not again.
"Allen?" Lenalee arrived at his room come late morning the following day. He had failed to arrive at the dining hall and during his short stay he failed to miss a meal, regardless of what Mana was doing or attempting to do. Her worry only increased when Mana did not arrive either. The man brought Allen food whenever he was resting, but neither came. She had sat, waiting behind the counter with Jerry for two hours. What Reever and the others said greatly concerned her, so she wanted to be with him, offer reassurance.
"I waited for you at the dining hall. You didn't come so I figured you were resting… But then Mana didn't come either…" At the mere mention of the man, Allen tensed and ducked his head back down.
"Allen…?"
"Mana didn't come back." Lenalee flinched, surprised, yet having a fairly good idea of what had transpired without Allen's knowledge. But Komui was supposed to stop it all…
"He'll come back!" It sounded desperate, but the thought of even false hope, regarding Mana, was enough to make Allen brighten slightly.
"Really?"
"Ya!" She nodded, determination sinking into her features. Normally, she would follow that up with reassurances that Komui would fix everything, but given his position, there was a chance he was already aware of what happened, but was unable to do anything. If that was the case, Allen most likely would not find the mention of Komui comforting.
"Do you wanna do something while we wait?" she offered. Allen's eyes narrowed, focused, as he considered. He finally shrugged and she smiled, before offering a hand to help him stand. He smiled slightly, accepting.
"What do you want to do?" There was a pause.
"I'm sorta hungry…" His smile was sheepish and small. He nervously continued.
"But we don't have to go back…"
"It's fine! Let's go!" She nodded with a smile, proceeding to grab his right hand and pull him from the room.
"Really? But you were waiting…"
"It's alright, really. Jerry might think it's weird though, since I was already there for a couple hours."
"Y-you waited? That long?" His eyes widened, despite his poor efforts to hide his surprise. She nodded fervently.
"Ya! I was really worried so…" She shrugged, turning her gaze back in front of them. They rounded a corner and silence fell over the pair.
"Why worry?" Allen finally whispered. She almost stopped. Almost.
"Because you're my friend… And I heard about what happened with Cross… And you missed dinner then breakfast! I was worried." Lenalee continued forward slowly, but turned to meet his eyes, making sure the message got across. After a few moments, color crept across his cheeks and he threw up his arm, ducking behind his hand to the faint blush. Lenalee would have laughed, had she not gotten a blush of her own. Unfortunately for the pair of flustered children, it was around then that they arrived at the dining hall.
"Well aren't you two adorable?" Jerry cooed, drawing eyes to both of them, who defiantly protested. Regardless they graciously took refuge in the kitchen, patiently waiting for their food while chatting about trivial things.
Kanda sat, grinding his teeth in a desperate attempt not to break something. This was not going well, and sure enough his pencil snapped, drawing his Master's attention. General Tiedoll glanced up from the book he had diligently been reading aloud to his treasured pupil.
"Yu?" No response was offered, not even the usual growl insisting that he not be referred to by his original name. He only clutched the remains of his pencil tighter gaze obscured by his continuously growing hair. Tiedoll took these at face value as a warning signs, preparing for another of his rageful tantrums. As beneficial as Kanda's strength and healing capabilities were to the war effort, they were not a particularly good combination when the child wanted to break everything in sight.
"What's wrong?"
"Where's Lenalee? How come I have to sit here and do this crap and she doesn't?!" Lenalee's absence had surprised him to. Due to her understandable clinginess, the mere suggestion of Komui dropping by was generally enough to persuade her into studying. Not to mention she did not generally like traversing the Order corridors alone, as this typically brought waves of twisted thoughts and unwanted memories. Tiedoll himself had found her in tears, sunken to the stone floor of whatever hallway she happened to be in, on more than one occasion.
"She has to study just like you do." He reassured, voice both soothing and stern.
"Then why isn't she here?" He growled, hands forming shaky fists and demolishing the splintered remains of the pencil. Kanda had been his apprentice for a little over a year. Kanda made it blatantly clear that he loathed almost every minute of it, making his job significantly more challenging. Especially considering that Tiedoll viewed part of his job as helping the younger ones work things through.
Unfortunately, the majority of the exorcists were wiped out a few years ago, leaving only Lenalee and Kanda as the young ones. And since Lenalee's master was among those to fall, the two were inseparable whenever they were both at Headquarters. Regardless, Tiedoll was still somewhat surprised that Kanda would make such a fuss.
"Do you want to go look for her?" he offered after sighing and closing the book. Since there was not going to be anymore studying done until the matter was resolved. Kanda shrugged but relaxed greatly; shoulders falling slack, finger going limp, jaw unclenching and head tilting slightly upwards.
"Alright then." Tiedoll rose and crossed to the library's exit, waiting patiently for his apprentice to follow.
"Let's go find Lenalee." The two wandered about. Kanda, still not used to the labyrinth of Headquarters, as he was actively trying not to learn his way around, Found the various places they checked random. In reality, Tiedoll was checking places he knew Lenalee frequented, stopping periodically to ask if anyone had seen her. This quickly led them to the dining hall. They entered and began scanning for the girl.
Kanda's attention was drawn to a group of finders, people he did not particularly care for, based on the limited experiences he had with them. The same dislike filled his small chest now, as he caught the whispers and odd looks directed at them. Subconsciously, he leaned slightly towards Tiedoll, drawing the man's attention. A few seconds later, after realizing what he was doing, Kanda bristled and stormed off with little more than a 'tch'. While he did not hate people, it was obvious that as he became more aware of his situation, his anger boiled and brewed. What would happen when he finally reached his breaking point was beyond the general, but he hoped to God that it was after the end of the war, for Yu's sake.
As Tiedoll gazed after his pupil, he caught sight of another black-haired youth, and a smile danced across his face. He pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose before proceeding to catch up to Yu and steer him towards his friend.
Lenalee herself was seated at the table closest to Jerry's counter, her normal spot when not in the on the other side of said counter. She was feasting on chocolate cake, offering some to Allen, seated beside her and just finishing off what used to be a rather large pancake. Both of them wore a smile, small yet sure, relaxed. Yu's arrival caused Allen's demeanor to appear more downcast, however he remained nearly as relaxed as before. Lenalee giggled as the two glared at each other and Tiedoll approached.
"And what might you be doing ?" He said light-heartedly. Kanda's glare became more serious now and he made it a point to not look at the other youths. They, in turn, did not fail to notice this. Their smiles faltered.
"Allen and I were eating breakfast" her voice was soft was confusion and concern, the same emotions tugging at her features until the purpose of the pair's sudden arrival sunk in. Allen still looked confused and weary so Tiedoll continued.
"You were supposed to come and study, we were worried."
"Oh…" Lenalee dipped her head down, visibly deflating and pushing her cake to the side. She cast an apologetic glance at Allen, who found no clarification in the general's words, before rising to join the two standing. Allen jumped slightly after them, a hint of panic leaking into his voice.
"W-" He stopped himself, then quickly sat back down. Tiedoll's eyes softened.
"Why don't you come with us Allen. Studying may not be fun, but it teaches you a lot." The boy's eyes brightened at the prospect of not being alone, before narrowing, as he recalled past experiences regarding being taught things, namely lessons.
The three worked their way through the labyrinth; Tiedoll humming in front, Lenalee murmuring apologies for forgetting to a grumpy Kanda, and Allen trailing behind. After a few additional whispered exchanges, during which Kanda seemed to forgive Lenalee, she dropped back a little to walk beside Allen. There was silence while she thought of what to tell him, only to have the opportunity to speak snatched as Allen sparked a conversation.
"What's studying?" When Allen first arrived he was nervous around everyone, not to say that he wasn't now. But he always seemed more relaxed around Lenalee, and slightly with Kanda, more so than with the adults anyway. Because of this, he would often come to her with questions, as she tended to do with Komui. Lenalee greatly enjoyed being helpful, despite the oddities that were Allen's questions, usually inquiring about simple things. The latest was the various things required to make coffee.
"Studying is when we sit down, and learn stuff" she offered after a moment of thought. No further comments were exchanged and soon enough they arrived in the library. Kanda and Lenalee took their seats beside one another while Tiedoll took the larger one on the other side of the table. Kanda snatched up the general's pencil, as his own was demolished, before returning to his work. Tiedoll sighed, passed the expectant Lenalee so papers and a pencil, then turned to Allen, hovering uncertainly some feet away from the table.
"Right now I'm having Kanda and Lenalee work on their penmanship." Silver eyes bore blankly into the general, staring blankly back at him: clearly the explanation explained nothing. The general frowned slightly, then proceeded to pull up a chair beside his own, indicating Allen should sit in it. He glanced at the chair wearily, then across to the two sitting rather distinctly on the other side of the table. Kanda, who hated penmanship with a fiery passion, had been watching this happen.
"Baby" he growled. Allen bristled, but before he could react, Lenalee grabbed Kanda's arm, yanked him from his seat, and practically dragged him around to the other side of the table. He muttered curses as Tiedoll pushed their papers towards them with a smile, before returning his attention to Allen. He was still glaring at him warily, but he was now seated in the chair. Tiedoll rose, ignoring the boy's flinch, to grab a thin novel from the shelf. Komui used the book to help Lenalee learn to read, a skill that was neglected before his arrival. Tiedoll suspected Allen's skills in this area were equally poor. Lenalee glanced at the book, smiled slightly, then returned to her work. Tiedoll set the book before Allen then took his seat. He fairly glared at it before turning to the man and arching an eyebrow in question.
"This is a book" He began, luckily Tiedoll was a man of patient, especially when it came to his apprentices, not that Allen was, nor Lenalee for that matter, but there was always the possibility. He took a moment to cast a glance at the other two children, genuinely surprised Yu had not snorted in derision at Allen's lack of knowledge. Then he recalled Yu once had a similar lack of knowledge, and probably figured that would be pointed out if he made a comment. He turned back to Allen once more, whose gaze had returned to the book.
"Do you know what it says?" He asked. That received him a look he had seen the boy give Mana many times, one of exasperation over loss of sanity. Allen reached out, grabbing the book with his right hand, he examined it briefly, then dropped it on the table. The sudden thump caused both kids to jump, eyes widening to look from the book to the boy.
"Books don't talk" he declared, dead serious. Tiedoll couldn't help but laugh, Lenalee turned away to hide her smile while Allen glared daggers at the man.
"No, Allen you're right, books don't talk." He rubbed at his eyes then pointed to a part of the cover, colored in what looked to be a gold pattern. For the next couple hours, Tiedoll went between helping Lenalee and Kanda with corrections on an assignment he gave them, shortly after they finished their penmanship, and helping Allen learn to read. He was not expecting much from the boy, but he had assumed he was at least aware of the basics. He was sorely mistaken, so he spent the majority of the time focusing on the alphabet, starting with the absolute basics. Allen proved to be a quick learn, and by the end of the session knew the entire alphabet, how to write it and sound it out, as well as a few simple words.
"All of you did very well" he informed them fondly. Kanda scowled, Lenalee smiled, and Allen tried to look neither surprised nor embarrassed, failing at hiding both.
"Lenalee and Kanda need to train now, do you want to see if anyone in the Science Section wants to continue your lesson?" He inquired, tone softening slightly. Silver eyes returned to the ground as he spoke, quietly.
"Gonna look for Mana…" The general's gaze darkened at the mention of the man, catching the attention of the children, save Allen, eyes still fixed to the floor.
"Alright, be careful." He instructed. The boy nodded and scampered from the library. The general sighed. Kanda and Lenalee waited expectantly.
"So… What's this I hear about you two being able to sense accommodators?"
Komui sat, hunched over piles of disregarded, scattered papers. His brows were knit and his hands fisted together, elbows propped on his desk. Shortly after the revelation regarding Cross was made, reports of the man himself flooded in. He was spotted in various locations about the town near Headquarters. Then a finder had frantically reported that he was here, in a small wooden boat beneath the gate. He had always been one for a grand entrance. Komui was just glad he had the 'courtesy' of giving them a slight warning before he actually arrived. All this happened in one day, but even a few hours was better than nothing. Due to the nature of the man, some mental preparation was always nice.
Of course the reason this was so troubling was the timing of his arrival. Komui had indeed interviewed, or attempted to, Mana. This did not bode well, for the mental stability of the man was constantly dwindling away, made apparent by his delusional ramblings about the sudden change in Allen's appearance when questioned about the boy. Thus little information was gleaned from the meeting and it concluded quickly. As soon as they left to find Allen, Five men, cloaked in crimson stormed the scene. Binding Mana and leading him in the opposite direction, much to the man's confusion. All that Komui was offered was an envelop, explaining the reasons behind Central's actions. Central itself had been keeping a close eye on him since he became chief, even more so since he had, much to their protest, stopped the inhumane experiments.
Komui could only watch as Allen's only motivation for staying, perhaps even a source of strength that could help him invoke, but most importantly his only family, disappeared. He knew what those people did, the CROW. Mana was not to be seen from again. After the man vanished he opened the letter: a brief rant over the importance of isolating young exorcists to enhance their ability to train and fight, something the Science Section was currently and adamantly working to disprove. The letter also went on to mention the potential consequences if a member of the exorcists' family were to become aware of their occupation, or of their death if it occurred in said occupation. Short, breif, and riddled with nothing but empty excuses to kill an innocent man.
Cross had always been smart, his past with the HQ Science Division proved that much. But he had an uncanny way of gleaming information that he should not have access to. Even more so as of late, Komui suspected due to the man's sudden disappearance. One of the many things he would need to inquire about once he arrived. Now, Cross was being escorted up to meet with Komui. He arrived, drawing looks that brought a smirk to his face as he strode into Komui's office.
"General Cross." Komui nodded, uncertain now that the man was before him, on how to proceed. He offered a smirk before retorting:
"Long time no see."
"Indeed." A pause. Komui ran a hand over his face, abandoning any thought of a normal conversation with the abnormal individual.
"Is this vanishing act going to become a habit with you?"
"What, it isn't already?" He feigned being wounded but the smirk was ever-present across his features. Komui sighed again, before finally vocalizing his thoughts.
"I've been informed that you've been lurking around a certain individual. Why?" Cross' smirk vanished, but he made no move to answer. Komui continued.
"How long have you been here?"
"Should've kept his mouth shut, damn brat." he muttered, though not quietly.
"I've been around." He shrugged. He was still standing, eyes constantly roving the room as he shifted his weight, but always returning to lock gazes with the chief.
"Were you aware that Allen was an accommodator?"
"Kind of obvious, don't you think?" Then the extent of the information sank in, snagging Cross' attention.
"What, his name is Allen?" Komui's eyes narrowed, already considering why Cross had focused in on the boy's name of all things.
"Yes, why?"
"Shit!" Was all he received before Cross stomped from the room. Komui, slightly taken aback, hesitated before charging after him.
"Wait, Cross!" He rounded the corner away from his office, but the man was already gone. Komui sighed before aimlessly dashing about the halls, in search of the general.
Allen worked his way, reluctantly, anxiously, through the halls of the Order. Ignoring the whispers wasn't hard, but he kept his ears open for the sound of anyone coming too close. This occurred frequently in the busy halls, however Allen always altered his course to skitter around them. Despite all his precautions, the one man he was trying the most desperately to avoid revealed himself nearby. He was around the bend, silhouette flickering in and out of existence before solidifying. There was a flash as Allen veered away from the desolate hall currently sheltering the man. He heard the mutterings of a foreign tongue, shortly followed by overwhelming footsteps, only magnified by the abrupt absence of others. Finders and scientists alike halted and quickly veered away from the man strutting down the corridor.
"General Cross."
"Get out of the way."
"Who's that?"
"Cross Marian."
"Isn't he dead?"
"No he just disappeared."
"General Cross Marian."
"Why'd he come back?"
"He's dangerous."
"General Cross."
"Don't piss him off."
"The general?"
"Cross."
"Hey." The voice, piercing and familiar was ignored by Allen, startled by how close it was, as he continued down the corridor. He turned sharply attempting to lose the man. He heard a sigh and the clomping footsteps continue after him.
"Don't make me ask again." To this, Allen spun on his heel, eyes of steel boring into Cross' own. The hatred was one of the few things commonly expressed between the two.
"Who are you?" The only answer was a glare, silver eyes unwavering.
"See, I heard your name was Allen. But that can't be right because I asked you before, and you just thought it was the name of that-"
"Ya." The boy interjected. The mutts a soft spot huh? So using that later.
"Care to explain?" The boy thought for a moment, more likely than not running through a list of all the snarky remarks that he could make. Then he grimaced slightly, thinking of the outcome of said remarks.
"Mana gave it" he finally settled on, no doubt the truth, but definitely not what Cross wanted to hear. He made this blatantly obvious; hands curled into fists, shoulders tensed, left eye, the only visible one, widening then narrowing into a glare.
The world spun, then collided with the boy as Cross struck him hard, sending him crashing to the ground. Allen's poor luck was holding true, because the hallway connecting the massive rooms was the only part of the training area without a softened sand floor. He coughed and immediately moved to stand, only to be pinned down by the man's seemingly stone foot. Cross silently watched as the brat squirmed, almost wriggling free before he drilled his heel into the boy's spine.
"I told you to stay away from Mana!" His rageful voice filled the halls of the spacious corridor, drawing the attention of all present, though none were able to process the words or intervene: out of their own fear. Volume of his voice lowered then, though the vengefulness remained, drastically so only the boy could hear.
"You ought to show some respect brat. Listen up. Mana is dead. And guess who's fault it is? Yours. You may as well have just killed Mana." Despite having shifted the majority of his weight on top of the boy, Cross still felt him squirm. His stubborn defiance coupled with the tension of his shoulders, no doubt caused by rage, jostled a sense of nostalgia in him, though he couldn't place it. This did however distract him enough that he did not notice the significance of the brat's seemingly minute actions until it was too late. He had shifted slightly, angling his body so he was close to being on his side. Then he pushed upwards and rolled his shoulder. The result was Cross lurching forwards, eliminating his hold on the boy. Allen, in turn, shot upwards.
Whether his closeness to the general was calculated or not seemed irrelevant. An additional hop was added when Allen rose, forcing his head to collide sharply with Cross' jaw, before he backpedaled, nearly falling over in an attempt to retreat from the man. Cross tasted copper. He slowly raised his hand to his mouth. When he pulled it back for viewing, the result sent a fresh wave of anger through him: the glove was stained crimson. The little shit ruined my gloves. He made me bleed. My gloves… He's going to pay for this. The thought was more literal than threat, as when he next purchased a pair of ridiculously over-priced gloves, the brat was receiving the bill.
"Liar! Mana isn't dead! He… He… Isn't!" Allen had little sense of what to do. The man, the monster before him was bigger, stronger, he was powerful. That subtle gleam of the desire to kill had returned to his eye, informing him that he was going to confirm the boy's suspicions about just how powerful. Allen's breaths steadily grew shallower, as though he were desperately fighting for breath. Memories of his years at the circus bombarded him, none of which were present, coupled with his recent and few memories of Mana. Lying, he's lying! Cross, General, whatever is lying! He had to be.
"Aren't you wondering why he hasn't come back, after he promised that you two would be together?" Cross paused, watching the words sink in. Horror spread across Allen's every feature. But… But… What did I do? I was being good? Right? Lenalee and others weren't mean… What… Why?!
"Mana. Is. Dead. And it's your fault."
It is my fault, it's always my fault. He doesn't need to tell me that. They don't need to tell me that! It's my fault, but I wouldn't want to hurt if it wasn't for them. What about Lenalee, she said she was like me, do they hurt her to? Never again. I'm not going to let them hurt anyone ever again. I'll do it myself. Stop them myself. Kill them myself. I'm going to get rid of all the monsters! Starting with him!
The rage was not incoherent, but distinctly channeled, his eyes diamonds, sharping and calculating as he focused in on Cross. His arm had gone numb, and he flashed back to Mana. A thought cut through his mind. He obeyed instantaneously, flexing his left fingers and ignoring the green flash hovering out of the corner of his eye.
The scene unfolded in its entirety in half a second before Cross. Allen was on him in the other half of that second, a surge of power washing over the boy's body as a result from his Innocence. The boy leaped and their gazes locked. Cross was taken aback by the determined, powerful look worn by the normally timid child. He struggled to reel backwards as a massive white claw swung down, hooking his clothes and snagging his skin. Fuck those are sharp. A lethal look slithered onto his own face as he drew Judgement. A general versus some brat who just invoked…
"Judgement" He invoked, aimed, fired, and missed? The bullet was skillfully dodged before he charged again. He humored the boy by waiting to dodge the predictable attack again. After the claw smashed down however, the boy was nowhere in sight. He shivered and spun, jumping and cursing as his coat was caught in the razor talons of the boy's hand. Cross' eyes narrowed.
"Innocence" I've been wanting to test this trick some more. He fired another round at the boy, nimbly dodged. Silver eyes widened as the bullets circled back around, forcing him to dodge again. By the third time, he figured they needed to be intercepted, a wise choice on his part Cross figured. However as strong as the Innocence controlled appendage looked, the reality was quickly revealed that the opposite was true. The bullet pierced straight through, right above the small cross and clean through, not stopping until it shot into his shoulder as well, finally wiggling through his flesh, out the other side. He didn't scream, as Cross expected, he was rather annoyed that he could not accurately predict anything about him, unlike most people.
Instead, Allen's eyes widened, shocked that his Innocence was so easily damaged. There was no pain, the numbness had spread to the rest of his body, making it easier to move somehow, yet harder to feel. He stumbled backwards, only subconsciously working to rebalance while his mind reeled over how the bullet trick worked. The man's look had changed, so something thought based? Not to mention he was a general, so more likely than not he wouldn't have to issue a command, regardless of his type. It wasn't a thought, so much as an occurrence, and he acted based solely on that. He leaped, twisting in the air, then smashing his hand into the ground with all the strength he could muster. Allen's thoughts returned to those that had previously granted him such power. Stronger. I have to… To get rid of the demons!
Now the scream came, not in the form of rage or pain, but a declaration of strength. Unaware to the boy, temporarily blinded by the force of his own attack, Cross was unaffected. A finder behind him however, screamed as he was incinerated, clothes burning away from the sudden appearance of a white cross, revealing a black, humanoid skeleton. Screams of other finders shortly followed, as another of their comrades morphed into an akuma. This one attempted to launch a counter attack, revealing its strength as a level two, before being incinerated as well. The room fell into silence for a moment, then Cross screeched:
"Don't just stand there, search your ranks for more akuma! Have everyone see the Gatekeeper at once and bring this up with the chief!" Said chief was already on the scene, having been nearby when he heard the finders' screams. Komui was currently dashing towards Allen, who had collapsed after the attack. Upon spotting Cross and the wave of finders, heading towards him, he held up a hand then turned to address them.
"Have your men, all of them, examined by the Gatekeeper. Commanders, find Reever, explain what happened and have him start a meeting with the control center regarding the security of the tower" his voice carried throughout the training hall to the finders.
"Yes sir!" Was the chorus of replies. Then, fairly glaring at Cross:
"What happened?"
"There's more going on here than you think."
"Such as?" Be now, he was standing before Allen and the miniature crater formed by the force of his hand impacting the ground, but he was waiting until he had a better understanding of the situation before giving the boy his undivided attention. Cross offered little more than a sigh. Judgement was uninvoked so he could avoid Komui's gaze, a rare occurrence when the man was actually around.
"It's complicated…"
"You know what isn't?" Cross' eyes returned to his own, his features hinting at weariness.
"The fact that you are unfit to be a Master on any level." This resulted in Cross' gaze snapping, hands fisting as he stormed away from Komui, who had already disregarded him an begun examining the boy.
Allen's arm had reverted back to it's former wine red state, save the area above his cross, which was white, a cobweb, and trembling slightly. His left shoulder was in a similarly poor, blood-stained state. As for Allen himself, the pain and repercussions of invoking for the first time appeared to be hitting him all at once. His breathing was slightly labored and his right hand was fisted in the sand. His silver eyes, glazed over, kept threatening to shut.
"Allen" He flinched at the sound of Komui's voice, but was unable to react in protest further as the man was already at his side, too close for comfort.
"What happened?" Komui's voice faded, growing softer before ceasing to be heard by Allen at all, gladly welcoming the state of unconscious sleep that would once again numb the pain.
When Allen awoke, he did not question that he was lying down on the cool metal table in the examination room. He did not question the pain in his shoulder or the soreness of his body. Nor did he question the sudden sense of feeling in his right hand. All he asked was:
"Is it true…?" He did not see Komui until he appeared at the sound of his words signalling he was awake, but somehow he knew the man was there.
"...About Mana?" Komui's expression grew solemn.
"Yes." Tears pooled then fell from his eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Allen." Then came the screams.
