Disclaimer : D. Gray Man is Hoshino Katsura's property.
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Chapter 8
Kanda was sent on a mission again, with Lenalee. So both of them were sitting in a train somewhere in France, keeping silent. The Chinese girl didn't dare disturb Kanda who seemed to be deep in thought…
He shouldn't have done that. He should never have kissed Allen the previous night, because he realized that it wasn't the kiss he wanted. What he wanted was Allen to be fully awake and conscious, to kiss back or to punch him because Kanda had dared do it. Now the Japanese Exorcist was bitterly regretting it. His strict education was telling him that he had taken advantage of Allen, while his own heart only longed to feel those pure lips once more ; and this was torturing Kanda's mind to no end.
« Hmm, Kanda, we've arrived to the station. » Lenalee's voice interrupted his thoughts.
He quickly refocused on his mission for the time being as he got out the train. To Lenalee, his bad mood was no different from what it usually was, but she still felt that something else was wrong, though she kept quiet about it.
The mission went well. The Exorcists had managed to retrieve the Innocence without any problem.
« Kanda, there's still one hour left before our train departs. How about a walk in the town ? » Lenalee asked.
« Whatever. »
And so they strolled in the streets ; Lenalee seemed to be enjoying herself while Kanda couldn't care less. After a moment, the Chinese girl stopped before a church.
« Kanda, do you want to go in ? »
« What for ? »
« Well, I was thinking… I'd like to pray for Allen-kun. » She added softly.
« I don't believe in God. » Kanda immediately answered.
Lenalee looked at him, then smiled :
« It's fine then. Just wait for me there. »
Kanda followed her to the entrance of church, planning to wait for her there. However, as he took a look inside, he felt something that was inviting him in. It was a bothering feeling, which prompted him more than forcing him to go in.
« Che. » He had nothing else to do anyway. So he stepped in.
In front of him, at the end of the nave was standing an imposing altar and the back wall was sculpted with beautiful golden statues and columns. It wasn't the first time Kanda saw the inside of a church, but in this one, he was feeling a warm and inviting atmosphere surrounding him.
He followed the nave and stood in the transept crossing, watching the many statues of saints in front of him. The sculptures seemed to captivate him for an unknown reason. 'Che. What's wrong with me ? It's not like I believe in God, no matter what that old General could say about us being His apostles…'
« Good morning, Yuu-kun. From today on, and until you become an Exorcist, I'll be your General. General Tiedoll. » said the old man with a bright smile.
« It's Kanda ! » the young teen answered.
« My, my. It looks like we have a bad-tempered one here. Tell me, do you know what Exorcists are ? »
Kanda thought for a few seconds then said :
« They are people who kill Akumas. »
« Well, they do kill Akumas, indeed. But what you need to know is that Exorcists are called the Apostles of God. Do you know why ? »
The boy shook his head.
« It's because very few persons on this Earth actually have the abilities to fight Akumas. And those who can are given a unique weapon which is said to be a gift from God. It's your Innocence. You could say that compatible Innocence-users are born by the will of God, in order to fight the evil in this world. »
« I don't believe in God. »
« You don't ? »
The general simply chuckled.
« The mere fact that you are here now proves that God still hasn't abandoned us. You're still young, Yuu-kun. Later, you'll realize later what it means to believe or not in God. »
'Always saying that crap.' So, according to the old man, God had sent some chosen ones on Earth to protect it from evil ? Why did He not take care of getting rid of evil by Himself, then ? Actually, it was the first time the question crossed Kanda's mind. Before, he never bothered about theological issues ; his job was to destroy Akumas, that was all. He followed orders without any questions. As for why…
The whole village was burning. Some huge flying monsters were destroying everything : houses, streets, people. In the midst of that carnage, a twelve-year-old boy was running desperately, trying to escape the slaughter. His whole family hadn't managed to escape with him, killed along with many other villagers. The boy didn't know where to run, but he ran. He had to flee that battlefield so anywhere else would do. However, a sudden blast hit him and sent him flying away in the middle of tall grass. The boy was seriously injured, bleeding everywhere and in no shape to escape anymore. He was suffocating in his own blood, unable to breathe normally.
As he was about to give up and let himself die, a figure appeared in his blurry field of view. That figure spoke with a calm voice :
« Tell me young boy, what's your name ? »
« Y-Yuu Kanda… » he replied between two chokes.
« So, Yuu Kanda, tell me something else. Do you want to live ? »
« …Y-Yes. » Kanda had no idea who that person was, and he didn't care at that moment. All he wanted was to live.
« That's a good answer. »
The figure said no more, but Kanda felt that his wounds were progressively closing, that he didn't hurt anymore, and his vision was clearing again. Completely incredulous, he checked his body to see that there wasn't even a single scar left on his skin. Only… only some sort of weird black tattoo on his chest. He raised his head, and looked at the person standing in front of him who was smiling.
« Feeling better ? »
« Yes, thank you but… »
« Oh no, don't thank me yet young boy. Now let me tell you. You wanted to live, so I granted you life. See that tattoo you have here ? It's a curse I've put on you. From now on, you'll train to become an Exorcist. You'll live, fight, struggle against death, but you'll live. Give me proof that I was right to keep you alive. This curse will heal your injuries, no matter how serious they are, but in exchange, it will consume part of your life. »
An hourglass with a beautiful lotus flower inside suddendly appeared in front of the person, who took it and handed it to Kanda.
« From now on, your life is bound to this flower. See the petals ? As the curse consumes your life, the petals will fall, one by one. When all of them fall and the flower withers, you'll die. Tch, don't say anything and let me finish. Your only way to get rid of this curse is to keep on living, become a powerful Exorcist and exterminate all evil on this world, then go find me. Look for me, and when you find me, at that moment I shall remove the curse from you. I'll give you a sign when it is time for you to look for me. Now go, and join the Black Order. They'll make an Exorcist out of you. »
At the second that person was done speaking, everything went black around Kanda as he lost consciousness. Next time he awoke, he was lying in a bed, and standing next to him was an unknown person who was wearing a pair of glasses.
« Who are you ? Where am I ? »
« Hello there. My name is Komui Li. You are within the Black Order grounds. »
And that was why Kanda had to keep fighting. And that was also why he didn't give a damn about God or anything, he just wanted to fight then go find that person to remove his curse.
But right now, there was someone else in his life. Now he wanted to believe that a miracle could occur and that Allen would wake up and reveal the smile that cheered everyone up.
'But I don't believe in miracles.' Kanda turned round and started to head for the exit of the church. 'Allen will manage alone.' His steps slowed down. 'The moyashi is strong enough for that.' He was about to go out, when he stopped on the spot. He turned round and faced the huge sculpted monument at the end of the nave. He wasn't going to ask God anything, he couldn't, since he didn't believe in Him. But just in case… just in case God would exist… Kanda closed his eyes.
'To all the saints here, and to God… save him.'
Kanda got out of the church. Lenalee was waiting for him outside, a smile on her face.
« Come on, we're going to miss the train. » she said.
As soon as they stepped in the Headquarters, both Exorcists knew that there was something going on. The place was agitated, and the first thought that went to Kanda's mind was 'Allen'. As Lenalee and him were still standing in the hall, Reever appeared and, as he saw them, called them in an excited tone :
« Kanda ! Lenalee ! Hurry up ! The doctors said Allen's woken up ! »
Kanda remained motionless for a second, then rushed to Allen's room.
Finally, after three months of waiting.
'Thank you God.'
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As you may have guessed, the next chapter will be the last one... See you there then. Don't hesitate to give your opinion on this chapter, I felt like there was something missing in it, but dunno what -_-.