Hi!
This chapter is such a gamble. I'm afraid that half of you might not understand what's going on, but this mostly explains what really happened that made this different from canon storyline. All of this is flashback. Again I must repeat that this is not a Yullen/Laven/ whatever non-straight pairing story. Sorry. We'll leave that for other storylines, shan't we? I can't imagine writing TOS in any other format, so pardon me.
Thanks for the reviews and I'm sorry this popped out so late. There may be a third part to the interlude before we continue from where Chapter 2 left off and I'm sorry because I know you guys hate flashbacks.
Goodness, I have a lot to apologise for, don't I?
Enjoy.
So much about the mission brief was questionable and there was lots of missing information on this General Walker, but Kanda kept it aside. He didn't care what Central did with their files, he would just get the mission over and done with. At least before he'd heard what Lenalee had told him.
"Kanda, the General is headed for Barcelona. As I'm sure you know, last month the area was filled with hundreds of akuma, and many died there. Due to his unique…abilities, General Walker has been ordered to travel to Barcelona to scout out any remaining akuma. They could still be swarming the area for all we know."
Allen had bet a melted hunk of gold that came from a candelabra melted by Lavi's Fire Seal and stuck on Krory's shoe. His coat had been all but torn to shreds in the fight against Eliade, so he kept it tucked away in his suitcase while he wore his vest and red ribbon.
"Call!" Allen spread out his hand with a flourish on the table for his opponents to see.
"Royal… Straight Flush…" The flabbergasted men who scammed Krory stared in disbelief.
"I win again." Allen said, smiling like he'd dealt it fair and square. Lavi shivered.
"Unbelievable!" The three, now in their underwear, wrung their heads.
Krory received his suit back from Allen with a look of complete admiration for the boy.
The train slowed to its stop at the Kirilenko Mine and the three alighted with their young friend.
"Here you go." Allen hauled the suitcases out of the window and held it out to them with a smile. "I don't care as long as I got my friend's stuff back, and it's hard to be naked in such cold weather, no?"
"Kid…" The one with the thick fuzzy glasses said as he took the cigarette from between his lips, "We haven't sunk so low as to be pitied by you."
"So why are you reaching for them?" Allen said, grinning at the men who had their fingers clasped on their cases.
"Ahahaha…would you look at that…"
As the men turned around to change, the boy, Eeez tossed something to Allen, who caught it.
"Thanks." His word of gratitude was mumbled by the mask.
Allen turned it in his hand, and saw that it was a silver pendant of some sort. "Ah, but I couldn't…"
He froze. No wonder the button had looked so familiar. On the back of it was engraved the unmistakable words…
…'Kevin Yeegar'.
Allen quickly schooled his expression and threw it back to the boy in a heartbeat. "Thanks, but I couldn't have it. You keep it."
Tyki, now in a dusty singlet, gasped. "Eeez, that was your treasure!"
"Boy, I'll let you have this." He threw a pack of cards at Allen, who ran a gloved thumb over the thread that bound the deck.
"Let us off with that, okay?" The miner called as the the train departed.
Allen remained silent as the town disappeared slowly into the smoky distance.
"Lavi, I need to report something to Headquarters right now."
"Kirilenko? That's pretty near to…" The mug hit the floor, splintering in a mess of coffee on the carpets.
"Thank you, Allen."
Komui immediately dialed another golem. "This is Supervisor Komui. Get all units to evacuate from Barcelona immediately."
"The sky is filled with akuma! We're under attack!"
"Devon from the German contingent here. The evacuation was not successful. Thirty-two finders and two supporters died last night. Sokaro's unit consisting of Katherna Reed, Chaka Ribon and Cloud's unit of Tina Spark, Gwen Frail, and Soul Galen are confirmed dead. Suman Dark of the Sokaro unit is missing."
"Did you see their bodies? Just like the General's. Had their internal organs removed, but with no visible deep cuts."
"Send Terry Brav, Gozu and Buzz to investigate someone in Kirilenko. The targets are three men in singlets and a young boy with a mask."
Kanda grunted in irritation as he shook his golem. What was going on with the lines? All his attempts at connecting to Headquarters were failures with fuzzy white noise indicating either busy or cut lines. The winged thing wriggled out of his grip, blinking its single eye at him stupidly. Without making his report, he couldn't return after the mission and was stuck in the neighboring town of the Witch's Village. And Kanda really hated being idle.
With the remaining strength Allen didn't know he had left in him, he launched himself at the Noah.
"You..! What did you do?!" The boy's wild eyes flashed in the moonlight, but his voice trembled with vengeful despair.
"Cheating boy A?!" The man in the top hat gaped at Allen, who merely stared back in confusion. The man seemed to ponder something for a minute before he straightened his hat. "I suppose you wouldn't recognize me like this…"
"Cut the crap!" Allen slapped the Noah with the back of his broken left hand hard.
"What did you do to Suman?" Then, in a lower voice, he whispered, "Did you kill him?"
"He was my enemy, wasn't he?" The Noah laughed and shrugged, with that damn face of innocence. "Shouldn't I kill him?"
"Since you're bold enough not to run away, I guess I'll tell you a few things."
Allen grit his teeth. He could barely do anything but sit there with his two wasted arms hanging limply by his sides.
"I was wondering how the Order could read my movements. Nobody should've known about Suman's betrayal, and I was careful in covering my tracks…And then I remembered you."
"I didn't know you were an exorcist at the time, to be honest." There was a blur of movement, and Allen realised with an awful chill that the man's hand was stuck through his chest. "Can't feel it, can you? My ability allows me to pass through all existing matter of this earth, except for what I wish to touch."
"So, this is what happened to your other exorcist friends. Let's say I wanted to touch your heart, boy… Then I could just close my fingers around it," Allen felt a grip in his chest. "And rip it right out, how'd you think that'll feel?"
To the Noah's surprise, Allen lifted his head with a steely-eyed poker face, then regained his composure.
"Aah, you ruined my fun." He shook his head in a disappointed manner. "I won't take it, it'd get my gloves dirty, which is why I usually let the tease eat them anyway. It's a good thing that we're just lone orphans looking around for work and didn't raise suspicions, but you did put quite a jam in the Earl's plans."
"You know boy, life's fun because I have both black and white sides." The Noah took the cigarette out of his mouth in a sickeningly familiar gesture.
The night air's atmosphere took a drop in temperature as the man continued,
"You threatened to destroy both."
"But I'll keep no hard feelings, boy. Unless, of course,…." The man shrugged, crouching down to get closer to Allen.
"…Your name happens to be Allen Walker?"
So basically I left out all the parts in which you all know what happened, unless you haven't read the manga or watched the anime. In that case you really shouldn't read this because spoilerspoilerspoiler.
I'm writing a Lavi+Allen story on the side now. Do you think I should call it...
a) Longlost Days
b) Bookmark
c) Diary of a Hundred Years
Thanks again and see you around!
-Quill
