A/N: I'm back. Seriously. I can't seem to stay away. xD It's been a while, and I apologize for taking so long with the next update. I promise that I've had good reason, and that I haven't dropped the story.
oxo
--Dead Like Us--
Chapter Five:
Lost and Found
oxoxoxoxo
Coming to his senses, Allen blinked himself out of his aimless wondering and looked around for a landmark, anything familiar at all.
There were none.
This place was foreign-- he had rarely ever traveled farther than his neighborhood, and this place was far from anywhere he had been. Shops lined the busy sidewalk, and cars lined the busy street. Tall buildings shot towards the sky all around him.
Allen was now utterly alone and utterly lost.
"Oh no..." Allen groaned, scanning past the tall buildings, still looking for a hint of familiar territory. "Oh no...oh no..."
People pushed past him on the busy sidewalk, though Allen had gone into a state of panic and hardly noticed the looks people shot him.
"Oh...E-excuse me," he tapped someone on the shoulder, and suddenly hoped that that did not remove their soul, (which it didn't, thankfully) and asked, "Would you happen to know where someplace called the Komfy Kitchen is?"
The man gave him a look, which Allen understood, but instead of answering the poor boy, he made an important huffing noise and walked away. Which Allen neither understood nor appreciated.
"E-excuse me-- sir--!" He shouted after the man who waved him away.
The problem with this neighborhood was that no one was particularly keen on speaking with strangers who needed directions to tacky cafés known as the Komfy Kitchen. This did not help Allen Walker any.
"Excuse me-- Ma'am? Sir!...oh..." Allen turned almost in a 360-degree circle trying to catch someone, but they all fled in their business-like way, in their business-like attire.
Allen was beginning to dislike business suits very much.
"Please, wait!" Allen took a step forward, and, of course, as his luck went, promptly ran into someone. He fell to the ground with thump.
"Ah..." Allen grunted, looking up to see who it was he had crashed into. A man stood above him, his face quite impassive, an eyebrow raised. "I-I'm so sorry!" Allen pushed himself up. "I wasn't looking were I was going. Are you alright?"
He shrugged, and Allen took that as a yes. But the man didn't move.
Not knowing what else to say, Allen sighed an, "I'm glad..." and then quickly added, "Oh-- would you happen to know where the Komfy Kitchen might be...?"
The man looked young, and Allen realized he was much more of a boy than a man. He had a long pony-tail, and he was dressed in a much more casual way than the rest of the crowd, but there was an air of professionalism about him.
He seemed to look Allen over before he huffed an exasperated sigh, and a scowl came across his features. "You the newbie, then?"
"H-huh?" Allen froze. Did he hear him right?
"That moron dump you on me, eh, Beansprout?"
This must be Yu. The nickname and the fact that he knew him as the "newbie", coupled with Lavi's oh-so-accurate imitation of him earlier made it quite obvious. Moron, Allen supposed, could only refer to Lavi.
The new reaper gulped-- the boy standing in front of him was intimidating, to say the very least, and the annoyed scowl permanently scrawled across his face didn't make him look any friendlier.
"Well?" the other boy said impatiently.
"Y-yeah, that's me."
"Good," he turned around, and began to walk. Over his shoulder, he called, "Are you just going to stand there, then?"
Allen balked. "N-no," he said, a little defensively, and followed his new acquaintance as he stalked through the crowds of people.
Yu walked deliberately, and fast, so that Allen almost had to jog to keep up with him.
"Uh, I-I'm Allen Walker," Allen said hopefully, trying to instigate a conversation. The boy did not answer. He decided to chalk Yu's silence up to the noisy street, over which anything was hard to hear, and tried again. "I'm new to this."
Again, the boy did not answer. Allen decided to take a different approach.
"Listen, Yu, thanks for--"
The long-haired boy whipped around so fast Allen almost ran into him again. He cowered under the malice in the other boy's glare.
"Do not-- under any circumstances-- call me that. Ever. It's Kanda. Understand, Beansprout?" Beansprout nodded slowly. "Good. The moron only does it because he wants to die-- again."
Said moron had quite obviously set a bad example for said Beansprout. Allen made a mental note to spend as little time with Kanda (Allen would be sure never to never call him anything other than) as possible.
The younger boy squeaked out a timid "sorry", and the elder snorted derisively and continued to make his way through the crowds in his quick stride. This time, Allen put as much distance between them as he could.
Kanda obviously hated his guts already. And Allen did not wish to make that hatred any deeper, so he wisely kept his mouth shut.
The rest of the walk commenced in almost utter silence between the two. Kanda did not speak a word, and Allen was inclined to return the favor.
Allen found he wasn't as lost as he had initially thought, for in only about fifteen minutes, they had passed his old school, and then his apartment, and then-- lo and behold!-- there was the quaint Komfy Kitchen situated on the corner of 9th and 12th.
Allen, who had been sulking behind Kanda as he strode along, lit up immediately. No more sulky Mr. Antisocial-Man! The younger reaper leapt at the door, and opened it with a slight creak and the faint chime of a bell, and the elder (if not grouchier) of the duo made a disapproving sound. Allen did not really care.
In a worn faux-leather type booth in the café sat three familiar faces-- and one not-so-familiar.
Lavi, who was seeing how far he could slouch into his seat before his head disappeared below the table, was the first to notice Allen as he walked in. He immediately perked up and waved a cheerful hello.
"Where've you been?" Lavi asked, scooting over to make room for his white-haired companion. The booth was made for a maximum of four people; it was currently attempting to seat six. Needless to say, it was a tight fit. "We've been looking all over for you, Beansprout!"
Allen smiled a tired smile. His previous frustration with the redhead was long forgotten. "I got...a little lost."
Kanda scoffed, and Allen gave him a reproachful look, but the older boy didn't quite seem to care. Allen could've sworn he heard something that sounded like "That's an understatement..." but the café was alive with the slight rumble of background noises and Lavi had interrupted, "Hey! It's Yu, too!" to which the dark-haired reaper growled dangerously.
Next to Lavi and Allen sat Lenalee, who waved politely over the redhead at Allen as Lavi and Kanda bantered. Allen smiled back. Apparently, Kanda and Lavi were well used to greeting each other this way.
Across the table sat Komui, an amused look on his face, and next to him sat another man, one Allen did not know.
"Sit down, Kanda," said Komui, interrupting Lavi as he laughed boyishly at Kanda's rather violent talk. "We've got some new assignments."
"I'd rather stand, actually," Kanda snorted, giving Lavi and Allen both wicked glares.
The bespectacled man shrugged. "Suit yourself," he said, and turned to address Allen. "It looks like you've already meet Yu Kanda, another resident reaper. Of the grumpy variety," Allen nodded a greeting in acknowledgement and Kanda grunted. Komui motioned to his left at the man sitting there and said, "And this is Arystar Krory."
Krory was in his mid-twenties or so, and when he saw Allen, stuck out his hand kindly to greet Allen, which the boy gratefully took.
"I'm Allen Walker."
"Krory. Pleased to meet you," the man said, smiling timidly. He wore a rather old-styled shirt, and his short black hair was uniform save for a shock of white that fell into his face.
"You as well," Allen responded.
"Now that you've been introduced to the team," Komui said, addressing Allen and then turning to the rest of the company. "I have some post-its for you all."
The group groaned, except for the newest addition, who dropped his gaze worriedly.
"Again?" Lavi asked, slumping into his seat. "I already took one today!"
Komui nodded cheerfully, taking out his notebook again and his stack of yellow post-it notes. "Sorry," he peeled a couple off. "One for you, Krory, and two for Kanda..."
"Two? Why do I get two?" Kanda snarled, taking the post-its reluctantly.
"Because you do. Lenalee, Lavi-- if you would do me a favor and let our newest member tag along with you to this one,"--he handed another to Lenalee-- "I would be very grateful."
Lavi leaned over Allen at the post-it Komui handed Lenalee, glancing down at the name and time written on it. "Oh, good. We have until tomorrow-- but this's all the way out in Campbell! How're we supposed to get out there, huh, Chief? None of us has got a ride!"
Komui smiled slyly. "You've got legs-- use them."
Lavi huffed, and Allen watched Komui put away his notebook.
He eyed the pen and the stack of post-its carefully. "There's...none for me, is there?"
Komui eyed the other boy."Nope. You need some more practical training before going out on your own reaps."
Allen stared fixedly at the table and sighed a silent breath of relief.
"Oh-- Beansprout," Lavi said, perking up a bit and looking to Allen. "You left your bag at the park. Good thing I came back and found it there." He kicked something under the table that made a muffled noise.
"Ah! Thanks Lavi, I owe you one."
"Know what else I found you?"
"What?" Allen said, curious.
Lavi grinned. "A place to live."
"Really?"
He nodded. "Yep," Lavi scooted closer. "Er, listen, Allen-- I just got evicted 'cause I haven't paid my rent for some at like four months, so...guess what?"
"What...?" Allen scooted back, dubious. Lavi still had a smile on his face, though Allen was quite sure it was more for effect than anything.
"You and I are gonna be roommates!"
Allen stared blankly at Lavi, who seemed quite pleased with himself. Kanda put his head to his face and declared that it was time for him to leave. Lenalee laughed, and Krory, quite unsure of what was happening, blinked several times in confusion.
-oxoxoxoxo-
Between the tan color of the thin carpet, the uniform red of the doors, and the buzzing fluorescent lights, the apartment hallway was much too bright. Allen didn't so much mind. The apartment building was endearing in a way. It was the sort of place you'd find a retired woman of seventy or so, the kind with lots of cats and no children. (Perhaps Mrs. Cat-Food Lady lived here?)
It was only a short ways away from the Kitchen, and the two only had to walk five or six blocks, making it relatively central. The Kitchen seemed to be the apex of town, at least, to the reapers. (Or rather, the reapers Allen knew.) Maybe that was why the embodiment of death met for meetings in a tacky little café?
Allen sighed, and closed his eyes. He had to stop thinking; it was going to be the death of him.
Inwardly, Allen laughed.
Lavi muttered to himself a sequence of numbers that he hadn't bothered to write down, and the white-haired boy followed closely behind, his things in hand.
"Ah-ha," called Lavi quietly as they reached another red door at the end of the hallway. "This is it."
The door swung out noisily on its hinges and allowed the two inside, but only after some coaxing from Lavi's trusty hair pin.
"It would be a lot easier if you'd use the key, Lavi," said Allen, stepping inside the small apartment while the aforementioned redhead followed.
"What are you talking about? We don't have keys, Beansprout," Lavi said, setting his own belongings, a lone bag slightly smaller than Allen's own, down on the floor of their new living quarters. Allen was about to voice concern when Lavi continued. "Here it is. Nice, huh?"
Allen stopped short, his mouth open slightly.
'Nice' was not a word Allen would use to describe the apartment room. Try dark, try dirty, try the opposite of anything that was clean and holy, and you'd have been closer.
A combination of clothes, discarded or half-eaten food and other unmentionable things littered the floor-- in fact, there was no floor to speak of that Allen could see. Various posters of every shape, size, and genre covered the walls. The blinds were drawn on the windows, and there was hardly any light in the apartment room at all.
Obviously, Lavi didn't seem to mind the mess, for he nodded approvingly. Allen looked disgusted.
"Home sweet home," Lavi sighed, and Allen shook his head slightly. "Coming in, Beansprout?"
"Y-yeah..." Allen recovered, shutting the door quietly as he picked a path through the filth, reluctant to set his luggage down. "Erm-- Lavi?" The redhead made a noise in response. "Where did you, ah, find this place?"
Lavi smiled slyly. "'Member ol' Rodney?"
"No, Lavi, you didn't..." The white-haired boy stared at the elder with a look somewhat akin to disbelief.
Lavi pulled himself up a little taller in his defense. "I did. He didn't exactly need it any more, did he, now?"
Allen gave the apartment another glance-over. It was smaller than even Allen's-- the bed sat in the corner of the small living room, its sheets disheveled, and a filthy off-white, and off to one side sat the bathroom, which Allen dared not enter.
It was as messy as its previous owner's death.
"Well, no, but...Isn't stealing from dead people, like, I dunno, bad? Against the rules?"
Lavi laughed, and flopped onto the bed. "We don't exactly get paid for our services, y'know."
"We don't?" Allen inquired.
"Nope. What were you expecting? Food stamps? Complementary coffee?" Lavi chuckled from the bed.
"Well, no, but..." Allen grumbled and Lavi gave a laugh.
"People aren't exactly gracious when they find out they've died. We don't get awards for being good Samaritans and we don't get much in the way of thanks from our charges. Most of us reapers take what we can get. The rest of us get day jobs," Lavi grinned. "I am the former kind of person. And lucky for you."
"Urgh. Yeah, lucky me," Allen said, looking around at the dirty apartment.
He laughed again. "Oh, c'mon. With a little fixing up and some cleaning and...perhaps a laundry basket and a new coat of paint..."
"...and a flamethrower to burn off the filth..."
"This place'll be great!"
"When can we start?" Allen asked, sitting down on the bed next to Lavi.
"Like I always say; never do today what you can put off until tomorrow." He grinned back.
"...I think it's the other way around, Lavi." Allen chuckled.
"Same difference," Lavi laughed.
-oxoxoxoxo-
"Tell me again..." grunted Allen, hefting three or four dirty blankets off the floor and into his arms. "...why I have to sleep on the couch?"
"Because Beansprout," responded Lavi from the single mattress in the room, proceeding to hog the blankets, the bed, and all of the pillows. "I get the bed."
The new reaper grumbled a little in response, but Lavi took no notice. Timcanpy the golden golem fluttered around Allen's head, excited to escape the confines of his jacket. The thing looked so happy to be out and about.
A dim lamp was all the light supplied in the room, and it was slightly muggy. It was night now-- where had the hours gone?
Allen dumped his load onto the small couch, and Timcanpy swooped upon them immediately, burrowing underneath them and then popping out somewhere on the other side. Allen smiled amusedly.
The ancient springs in the bed creaked as Lavi rolled over onto his side, turning his back to his new roommate. "Welp, g'night, Beany. Turn off that light over there, will ya?"
Allen sighed but complied anyway, and with two clicks of the lamp, the room was cast into a pseudo kind of darkness-- lights from the street shone inwards via the small window, and a thin rectangle of light blared from underneath the door. Allen stumbled and made his way through the half-dark to the couch again, and plopped himself down into it.
"Thanks," said Lavi, and Allen could tell that he was already drifting off into sleep. "G'night..."
"'Night," Allen called softly, but there wasn't a response.
That night, Allen learned two things.
The first was that Lavi snored. Loudly, unabashedly, and uninterrupted. Allen had tried covering his ears with the pillow; he had tried waking his red-haired friend. Neither worked. He even chucked his only pillow at Lavi in an attempt to shut him up, but this was only rewarded by a little snort and a creak of springs as he rolled over.
The second was that Allen, as a newly designated reaper, could not fall asleep. Perhaps it was the sound of Lavi's snores, or his own mind buzzing his brain numb in his skull.
Allen, pillow-less now, lay on the worn plush couch and pulled the thread-bare covers over his body, just covering his toes. His eyes would not stay closed, even though they already drooped like weights.
Timcanpy lay motionless on the armrest next to his head. The white-haired reaper looked over at him, envying his sleeping prowess.
Allen turned away and sighed, and warm breath came out. Blood flowed through his veins-- he could feel the warmth it brought to his body-- and his limbs were not stiff or wracked with rigor mortis. He was real living flesh and blood.
But he shouldn't have been.
In reality, his body should be locked away in a plastic body bag somewhere-- perhaps it was? Perhaps the body of one Allen Walker lay dead in some morgue somewhere, waiting to be identified. Would it ever be identified? Whatever did happen to his body-- his real physical body, the one he had seen last in the street, crushed by a dinosaur skull?
Allen shivered. Despite the lack of covers, it wasn't from the cold. His blood and breath were warm, but inside there was a chill that settled deep in Allen's bones. He doubted he would ever be warm again.
Still, even in his exhausted state, he could not fall asleep. Suddenly, he marveled at how fast he fell into slumber the previous night. His head buzzed-- the day before, his mind was merely numb. Perhaps it was compensating now for the delay? The questions swirling around in his mind were unrelenting, and they made his stomach churn and his head pound.
Why me? Why now? Why a dinosaur?
Allen turned onto his left shoulder, now facing the back of the couch. He couldn't breathe and it was too warm. When that failed to put him to sleep, he turned over again onto his right side. It didn't slow up his mind, and Allen was still dead tired.
With another warm sigh, Allen flopped onto his back, now staring up at the ceiling.
So much for sleep.
--End. Five.--
Ending Note: Again, sorry for the delay. I'm not entirely sure that I'm too fond of this chapter, but I wrote it how I wanted to, and that's all that matters. I'll be sure to update a little more quickly next time, especially now that it's Winter Break. Thank you, and reviews are always welcome. : )