A/N: Yay! Another update!:D Thank you to Cutiepie120048, Takei Daloui, and Guest for dropping a review!(: Now you get to see Cross again, so I hope you enjoy.(x
Disclaimer: I neither own D. Gray-Man or the lyrics to the later song in this chapter.
Chapter 5
Time Frame — Night of February 26th, 1896
—3rd Person POV—
~Allen~
"What the hell do you think you're playing at, punk?" the much larger General snarled in a low voice, keeping a hold of Allen in his vice grip. No matter how much he tried to squirm out of his grasp, Allen was no closer to escaping. How could this have happened?! For one, the General had supposedly run off, so how had he found him so quickly, even knowing the lies he'd allotted to the Order? Could it be that the General actually knew of his association with the Noah?! "Well?" the much taller red-head demanded with a ruthless glare.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Allen feebly lied, unsure of what he could possibly say. What side was General Cross even on? He'd run off, doing who knows what, but Allen doubted he'd be in anyway sympathetic to his plight.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about, brat. I've been looking for you for the last fucking seven years, and what the hell do I find out? That you're apparently some rich kid that I apprenticed two years ago and have now sent to the Order! You better tell me the fucking truth kid, before I obliterate you with my gun," Cross growled with a fierce look in his one visible, maroon eye. Allen managed to keep his relief at bay. So whatever information the General had managed to gain was from someone within the Order, meaning it was every lie Allen knew by heart.
As calmly as he could manage, Allen asked, "Why were you looking for me?"
"Well someone had to keep Mana from going out of his damned mind. Or at least what's left of it, anyway," the General scoffed, slightly loosening his grip on Allen once he seemed like he'd be willing to cooperate.
This instantly grabbed Allen's attention, but trying his hardest not to seem too eager, Allen asked, "Mana? Where is he?"
"Hm? Last time I checked, somewhere in northern France, though by now he's probably traveled back to England. But that's no longer any of your fucking concern, kid. How much do you know?"
Allen filed the information away for later, and then gulped when the General's glower intensified. "K-know about what?"
"About all this crazy shit that's been going on for decades. I don't know why the hell you lost your memories, but if you suddenly began to remember, at least tell me why the fuck you ran off and why the hell you decided to join the Order."
Allen blinked for moment, trying to figure what the General was going on about. Lost memories? Running off? He'd been kidnapped! But there was clearly something else at large here. How did this Cross even know Mana in the first place? Recalling what Road had once told him, he suddenly remembered that Cross had been part of whatever this renegade group that Neah and Mana had joined. But that still didn't explain why Cross pretended as if there was more to all this. As if Allen played some larger role.
In the meantime though, he'd do his best to play along and attempt to make him divulge as much information as possible. Narrowing his eyes, Allen asked fiercely, "What else did you expect me to do?"
"Cut the crap, Allen," Cross sneered. "You know you're done for, so I don't know what the hell you're trying to prove. This was your fucking decision! Live up to it, because either way, you know you're a goner."
If the General's previous comments hadn't confused Allen, these ones definitely did. What could he possibly mean? Allen was unsure of how to proceed, but then decided that stating the obvious was the best way to go. With a small frown, Allen pointed out, "I'm not a goner yet."
Cross faltered for a moment, as if the statement were a slap to the face, but then swiftly shook it off. "Like that fucking matters! It's too late now; you already made your choice when you made that foolish promise to Neah! I just hope that when he takes over your fucking body and kills you, that you won't regret it!" Shoving him roughly aside, General Cross stormed out of the alleyway, leaving the young, shaken Allen all alone.
By the time he thought to check, the General was already long gone.
Time Frame — Night of March 3rd, 1896
"Allen~! Allen, are you there? Yoo-hoo~! Allen~!"
Glancing up from where he was lounging on his bed, Allen noticed the voice coming from his rucksack—which he'd never bothered unpacking—which was placed on his nightstand. Sitting up and leaning over, he grabbed a hold of his golem/umbrella Eira. Though it was Eira's voice that was speaking, by the tone of speech, Allen could tell that it was probably Road talking through Lero, and in turn, Eira. It had become a habit for Road to contact him when she grew bored, but had thankfully managed to evade getting in touch whenever he was on a mission. Allen was forced to bring his golem everywhere, just in case of emergencies, and had received enough grief over the ridiculousness of the object from the other Exorcists.
Bringing his golem close enough so that he could be heard, Allen finally interrupted Road's rambling. "I'm here, Road. How's it going?"
"Allen! Finally! Guess what~!" Road giggled. It was creepy how well Eira was able to imitate it. Allen was just grateful that his golem wasn't forced to reiterate her name at the end of all of Road's sentences.
Knowing that Road truly meant it when she asked him to guess, Allen took a moment to come up with some preposterous idea, before asking, "Hmm… Did the twins finally manage to prank Millenie and Tyki into joining that ballet dance class for six-year-old girls?"
Road erupted into boisterous laughter before managing to say, "Even better! You're temporarily coming home, Allen!"
The russet-haired boy sat up in surprise. "What?! Are you being serious, Road? What's the special occasion?"
"Actually, Allen, it's something that Millenie has wanted to try for quite a while. We were originally going to wait until Neah awakened, but that Cross has been coming far too close for comfort." Allen winced slightly, at the mention of Neah. Ever since his confrontation with Cross, it was all he could think about. It was all just so confusing!
Before Road could elaborate, Allen quickly interjected, "Road? Can I ask you something?"
"Of course, Allen!" Road promptly replied in a cheery voice. Allen paused for a moment before he began in a small voice.
"When the Noah inside me awakens, what's going to happen Road? Will I become a Noah like the rest of you, or will this Neah person take over my body while I cease to exist?"
Road stayed silent for a while and then hesitantly replied, "Honestly, Allen? We can't really be sure. Neah was after all, the first reincarnation of the 14th. The Noah have been reincarnating for centuries. When Millenie began his desperate search after he realized that many of the Noah were beginning to reincarnate already, he felt his Will inside of you, but we're not completely positive on what this could mean, because that's not the regular method of how Noah reincarnate. Millenie doesn't actually know when a Noah has reincarnated until the Noah itself has actually awoken."
"What does the mean?" Allen frowned.
"Allen, it means that someone purposely planted the Will of the Musician inside of you," Road explained in a somber voice.
This was your fucking decision!
It's what Cross had said, and with a dreaded feeling at the pit of his stomach, Allen was beginning to believe that maybe he was right. With a small sigh, Allen stated, "So Neah will take over."
"We don't know that yet, Allen," Road insisted. "We could be wrong. We'll just have to wait it out and see, alright?"
"Alright," the silver-eyed teen reluctantly agreed.
"I don't want to lose you too, Allen," Road suddenly said in a small voice.
Allen paused, before pointing out, "But you'll have Neah back."
"Not really. I lost Neah the day he slaughtered us all. He might be back, and I won't ever stop loving him, but I don't think I'll ever really be able look at him the same way again." She dwelled on that thought for a moment, before saying, "And I love you too, Allen. Don't forget that."
Allen chuckled, feeling slightly better. "Of course, Road. You know I love you too." They stayed comfortably silent for a bit, before Allen recalled, "And what was it that Millenie needed me to do?"
"Oh, yes! We need to position the Ark in a new location. All we need you to do is to play the song of the 14th. It's what Neah used to lock in where the Ark is placed, and though it was never a problem before, that General seems to be searching for it. The only other method is to completely destroy this Ark and reprogram a new one, and that takes a little more work, so we thought we'd try this out first. What do you say? Are you up for it, Allen?" Road asked after her long-winded explanation.
"Err, yeah. Just one problem; I have no idea what the song of the 14th is," Allen pointed out sheepishly.
"That's fine! We managed to salvage a copy of the Score, but Millenie and I can't make headway of it, so it'll be up to you to figure it out," Road responded.
Allen nodded in slight nervousness, though she couldn't see him. "Ah, alright then."
"Great! I'll be there to pick you up in a jiffy!" Road exclaimed enthusiastically.
Before Allen could question on how she was planning to do that, Eira exclaimed, "Connection severed, Eira~!"
"Um, right. Thanks Eira," Allen said, slightly exasperated at Road's antics.
"Master Allen, I'm tired, Eira~. May I rest now, Eira~?" Eira moan exhaustedly.
A little amused by her dramatics, Allen simply nodded with a, "Of course, Eira." He then tucked her back into his rucksack with his clothes. Not a moment later, Road's dazzling, heart-shaped door materialized before his bed, and out stepped Road.
"Come one, Allen! There's no time to waste!" Road declared, and swiftly pulled him along before Allen had a chance to react.
Many different emotions engulfed Allen in that moment, as he sadly stared at the Musician's Score. So Mana had been a part of it as well, hadn't he? It had never even occurred to Allen who could've planted the Will inside of him, but now it suddenly made so much sense, because it was Mana who had taught him these symbols. It had been their secret language. Allen had thought it was special, but it was all just a lie, wasn't it?
This was your fucking decision!
And it always came back to that. Had Mana just been doing as he wished? Allen desperately wished he could remember what it was that he had forgotten. Cross had said that it was a promise to Neah that he had made, but it didn't make sense, because when he'd asked Road, she'd said that all this had happened almost 35 years ago. He hadn't even been alive back then! … Right?
A sudden touch to his arm snapped him out of his reverie. "Allen, are you alright?" Road frowned in concern.
Shaking away his muddled thoughts, Allen tried to smile in reassurance and said, "I recognize it. I've never really played piano, but I have a distinct feeling that I'm about to learn how to." Road nodded, and hesitantly Allen asked, "Road, would you mind giving me some time to myself?"
"Of course," Road nodded in understanding. "I'll be with Millenie up in the Control Room. Just play whenever you're ready, and Millenie will take care of everything, alright?" When she received a nod, Road quietly slipped out of the Musician's room with a small click of the door shutting.
Allen sighed softly as he stared at the Score, before he noticed a small movement out of the corner of his eye. Curiously glancing up, and looking for any excuse to distract himself, Allen stared at the mirror, only to end up tumbling off of the bench beside the luminescent baby grand piano, in shock. Unnerved, Allen once again gazed back, only to be met with the image that had come straight out of his nightmares; literally. Rather than his own reflection on the mirror, there was a black, swirling humanoid figure, as if it had trouble deciding what shape it wanted to take. It was outfitted in white, formal attire, though it was hardly noticeable when you were met with that crazed grin, and mad, glowing eyes.
With a slight tremble, Allen came to the conclusion that it must the Noah within him.
"Neah," Allen murmured.
If possible, its grin grew all the wider. It gazed at him for a moment, before pointedly glancing back at the piano. Recalling what he needed to do, Allen hesitated for only a small, sad moment before placing his fingers atop the onyx keys. Gazing at the Score carefully, Allen effortlessly began to play as if he had been doing so his whole life. A sweet, dulcet melody leisurely came to life, deliberately becoming more intricate as multitudes of resonating keys merged to create a heartrending lullaby. As if they had been there all along, gentle lyrics poured out of Allen's lips, harmonizing perfectly with the song.
~Oh so quietly, the little boy falls fast asleep
Amongst the candles, flickering so gently
Ashes fall, first one, then two.
All the faces of the people who lived within this life
A thousand dreams, each one brings, drifting in twilight
All rains down, back home.
The silver eyes, crying, tears falling on that one night
The light in you was born, shining brighter than the sun
A million years may pass, we only ask one thing
All our prayers
Have been answered?
And returned to us back to earth.
Even so I will continue to pray on
Hold this boy so close
Show him what love is…
Two hands sealed together with one kiss.~
Allen lingered on the last word as his hands flew gently across the keys, performing an elaborate interlude between lyrics, the soul wrenching music seeping into the depths of his heart as he reflected back on his fading memories of Mana. Mana had been everything to him, but he no longer comprehended where it was that they stood now. If only he could find him now… Once again, Allen sang, repeating each of the of the sweet words in his low, gentle voice, holding the last note a smidgen longer than the rest before allowing the melody to fade at his fingertips. The silence was penetrating.
"Allen! Good job!" Road suddenly skipped into the room with a beam lighting up her face.
"Thank you," Allen nodded, trying to push all somber thoughts to the back of his mind, allowing her to lead him out of the Musician's room, and stroll along the pearly walkways of the luminescent city.
The ash-skinned girl sighed. "I wish you could stay longer Allen, but it's already morning, and you're bound to be missed."
"That's alright, Road," Allen offered her a reassuring smile. "How is everyone?"
"Ah, you know, doing the same old thing, though I do think the twins are actually starting to miss you," Road snickered.
"More like they miss having someone to fight with," the red-head scoffed, shaking his head in exasperation. He then suggested, "By the way, you probably shouldn't open up your door inside of Headquarters again. If anybody's looking for me, I'd rather you not get caught."
Road frowned. "Are you sure? Where would you want me leave you, then?"
"Just somewhere on the outskirts," Allen shrugged, figuring he could find his way back, what with the tower being located on an enormous cliff. If he couldn't find his way there, than his sense of direction would be even more hopeless than he'd originally thought. Road agreed easily enough, and once Allen stepped out of her bright, checkered door, he found himself in a thick, dense forest. It was so impenetrable, in fact, that the sky was completely obscured, hardly any rays of light managing to seep through the thick foliage. Indeed, he was starting to grow somewhat claustrophobic with shrubbery and plant life crowding in around him.
"Err, Road? Where are we?" Allen attempted to push some of the undergrowth aside, but only ended up pricking himself with a sharp thorn. "Ouch!"
The female Noah huffed, "Well, what did you expect? I don't exactly know my way around here, Allen."
Allen moaned in despair. "I'll never find my way out!"
"Alright, alright! You did have a point about the possibility of being caught if I took you straight to the Order, though, and I can't guide you through this…" Road trailed off before deciding, "So then I guess I'll just give you someone who can!" Closing her eyes in concentration, it only took but a moment for an armored, humanoid figure to appear beside them, startling the red-headed teen.
"You called, Mistress Road?" the Level 3 grinned viciously, razor sharp teeth gleaming.
"Yes," Road replied briskly. "Akuma, I need you to lead Allen out of this forest. I'm sure you noticed a cliff on your way here? Take him there, and make sure to be discreet about it. The last thing we need is to cause pandemonium at the Exorcist Headquarters." At this, Road curled her lips into a wicked smirk of her own. "The Earl has much bigger plans for them."
The Akuma seemed put out by Road's tedious orders, but his smirk seemed to grow all the more sinister in anticipation of the Maker's plans. "As you wish, Mistress Road." Once the female Noah vanished along with her door, the Akuma turned to him and nodded respectfully, "Master Allen." It was something that the Earl had programmed into all the Akuma, so that they would be forced to follow his orders as well, though he was unable to call them to his location in the same manner as Road.
The trek through the foliage was fortunately not too lengthy; it was only about an hour or so of walking, and the Akuma had made it easier by cutting a straight path through the shrubbery. When Allen finally managed to stumble out into the bright open, coming face to with the jagged cliff face, the Akuma bowed down to him this time, once again acknowledging him with a, "Master Allen."
Allen never did notice the conveniently passing Exorcist and her handy golem.
Time Frame — Noon of March 4th, 1896
Allen rubbed at his aching eyes, the lack of sleep from the night before finally beginning to catch up to him. But his ravenous hunger was just as prominent. Maybe he could take a nap after a fulfilling lunch? Heading to the dining hall with a new goal set in mind, Allen was just about to reach his destination when he was, much to his frustration, halted in his tracks.
"Allen! Allen!" Lenalee rushed towards him at full speed from the other side of the hall, just barely managing to stop in her tracks before she could topple into him.
"Err, some the matter, Lenalee?" Allen raised a curious eyebrow, though he was truly more interested in getting something to eat.
"Allen," she gasped and then demanded, "What's going on?!"
Allen took a step back, startled by her outburst. "Um, I could ask you the same thing…"
"Did you not know?" Lenalee gave him a searching gaze, and when he simply shook his head, she elaborated, "You've been accused of treason by the new Exorcist!"
"We have a new Exorcist?" Allen asked, before it fully hit him. "Wait! What?! What do you mean, I've been accused of treason?!" This was the whole reason as to why he's tried to keep Road from bringing him back herself. What on earth could have given them the idea that he was a traitor?! And by a newbie, no less!
"Representatives from the Vatican are already on their way here! It actually shouldn't be too long before they arrive," Lenalee explained frantically. "They'll be holding a trial for you tonight."
"A trial? Tonight?" Allen asked incredulously.
Lenalee nodded and nervously bit her lip. "I'm sorry Allen, but the evidence does seem pretty incriminating."
Allen was met with her pleading gaze, and he briefly wondered why she was so desperate to cling to the hope that he was innocent. He then shrugged it off. That was the least of his worries. "Alright, thanks for letting me know. I'm sure they'll detain me soon enough, so I have to take care of something real quick."
Turning away from her, he began to head in a different direction, only to be pulled back by a hand on his forearm. Glancing back, he was met with her beseeching stare as she begged, "Allen, please tell me they're wrong."
He smiled gently at her. "You always did seem like the type to look for the best in people." Allen slipped out of her grasp and hurried away, back to his own room. Swiftly bursting inside, Allen made a grab for his golem/umbrella, and quickly commanded, "Eira! Link up with Lero!"
"Connection asserted, Eira~!" the female-like golem immediately did as told.
Desperately hoping she was near, Allen spoke, "Road? Road?! Are you there?"
"Yes! Yes! What's the matter, Allen?" Though she seemed slightly exasperated, a slight tone of worry colored her voice.
Speaking swiftly, Allen began to explain, "Someone has got evidence of me possibly being a traitor, and they're holding a trial tonight! I'm sure they'll be here to restrain me soon, but I need to know if there's anything I need to do. Do I continue my façade; reveal the truth; destroy the evidence?! I really don't have a clue as to how I'm going to get myself out of this one, Road!"
"Alright, calm down, Allen! Let me a have a quick word with Millenie, and I'll let you know!" The five minutes that she was gone, were probably the longest of Allen's life. Any moment he expected someone to burst through his door demanding answers. Fortunately, she was back before any such thing could occur. "Allen, Millenie suggests that we might as well reveal you now; you've been there long enough, and causing a spectacle of your betrayal seems like the best way to go. He also says that he was planning on pulling you out soon anyway, because he can feel your Noah very close to awakening."
That stopped Allen dead on his tracks. Was it really that close? Attempting to unsuccessfully shrug it off, Allen instead asked, "What am I supposed to do after I do reveal myself though?"
"He says that he'll have a good number of Akuma infiltrate the place, and will have them attack at your command. He'll also send in Lulubell in disguise just in case things get out of hand. Don't worry Allen, we'll help you get through this," she reassured him.
Just then, Allen heard heavily thumping footsteps nearing his door with an ominous intent. Trying to shake off the dread, Allen whispered, "They're here for me, Road. Eira, sever connection!"
"Connection severed, Eira~!" Eira quickly responded before purposely falling limp in his hands, just as the door to his room was knocked down with a jarring slam.
"Halt, Exorcist! You are under arrest under the decree of the Vatican for alleged treason!" Cloaked figures surrounded him, and Allen surrendered with unease as they forcefully secured him, binding his Innocence with their spells, and leading him down to the awaiting dungeons.
Time Frame — Night of March 4th, 1896
~Kanda~
Kanda was irritated. Well, at least more than usual, in any case. Honestly, it was hard to believe that they were making such a hassle over the wimpy beansprout! And like hell he wanted to actually be part of this ludicrous trial, but Lenalee was so adamant, and it was hard to deny her; even if he did want to vomit over her passionate speech about being there for their friends and some bullshit. Him? Friends with the beansprout?! When hell froze over! Unfortunately, his reluctance hadn't stopped her from dragging him here, and now he was being forced to listen to some shitty trial.
From what he could gather from that damned Miranda woman—the same one he had the misfortune to find on one of his missions—she had been given some new prototype golem that was able to record images—why the hell would they give something like that to her, of all people?!—and had apparently caught the idiotic beansprout with what appeared to be a Level 3 Akuma. Kanda didn't really see why the fuck it mattered. So what if the damned thing had apparently bowed to him? For all they knew, it could've just caught whatever disease the dumb beansprout had on him!
Why was this taking so damned long?!
His glower becoming all the more fierce, Kanda began to sharpen his katana in aggravation, for the lack of anything better to do in the stuffy room. He received multiple glares for the distraction, but they were soon put in their place when met with Kanda's intimidating snarl. There. Now no one would bother him and he could whatever the hell he wanted. Leaning back against the wall in which he'd decided he'd rather stay, as opposed to sitting smack dab in the middle of a crowd of stuffy morons, Kanda wished he could be in his training room hacking something up or even just meditating. The latter sounded good. He was beginning to feel restless with all these stupid Vatican officials surrounding him.
Gazing around, Kanda noticed the fidgeting beansprout upfront, and smirked in malicious satisfaction. Stupid beansprout deserved it! He was just as much at fault here as that idiotic Miranda woman. Kanda scoffed. What hell had he been thinking doing what he did? Kanda would forever view him as a wimpy beansprout, so he really had no idea what the shorty was attempting to prove. All it had done was land him in this mess, dragging Kanda along with him.
After a moment of thought, Kanda's smirk widened, as he contemplated inviting the beansprout to become his sparring partner. Waste of his skills, sure, but it would be a healthy dose of revenge Kanda was willing to deal out. The beansprout should be grateful that he wasn't going for worse. Though an outsider does have to wonder what could be worse than bodily harm by your supposed "friend".
Those near the Asian Exorcist shivered at the sinister aura the emanated from him, as further thoughts of revenge filled his mind.
Kanda then noticed that the beansprout had been brought forth, being asked to plead innocent or guilty. Normally, Kanda would have continued to ignore this, if it hadn't been for the abrupt change in the beansprout's demeanor. He had suddenly straightened up from his dejected slump, casually throwing his shoulders back and curiously tilting his head up at the judge, a lazy smirk permeating his lips.
"Innocent, sir? Who the hell asks a Noah if he was ever a damned innocent?"
A/N: Ooooh, Allen's being sassy!(x Haha, I hope you liked the chapter and please review!(: