Wow, three chapters in three days. That's a record for me. As always, thanks for all the people who read and review this story, as well as the ones who've favorited this story. The next chapter will be coming at some random interval of time, probably when I feel like it, so look out for that one!
And to those people who've read chapter 167, I'm telling you that I'll probably work it into the plot somehow. Just remember, Allen might be kinda evil, but Allen's still Allen!
P.S. I hope nobody gets bored with some of the copied script from the manga and anime…
Disclaimer: D. Gray-Man is owned by Katsura Hoshino, but if I owned it, it probably wouldn't be as popular.
The 2nd Memory: Innocent Innocence
Road stared in shock at the cross embedded in her hand. Her eyes were wide in disbelief and horror, and her body was trembling. T-this can't be! Road thought. Innocence…how the hell can Innocence reside within me? I'm a Noah, right? Shouldn't that mean it's impossible for an Innocence shard to be inside of me? She covered the cross with her other hand. Yeah…it's impossible for me to have Innocence. It's…it's not even there. Allen must've turned my abilities against me somehow, showing me what would never happen…
"You hear that, Allen!?" Road shouted to the sky. "Your stupid plan won't work against me! After all, there's no freakin' way I can have Innocence!"
"…does this girl have problems?" The chief asked Moa. "Maybe we should suspect her for Charles's murder, she seems unstable enough to murder somebody."
Road turned to the chief. "Damn straight I can murder somebody!" she yelled. "Especially if that somebody's a pathetic bastard like you!"
The chief slammed his hands onto the table. "That's it young lady, I'm officially holding you responsible for the murder of Officer Charles!"
"Ah, um, excuse me," Moa interrupted, "But even if this girl's a little unstable, she was with me when the incident occurred."
"What!?" The chief exclaimed.
Another officer went behind him and whispered in his ear. "Inspector, at the scene of the crime there were remains of rather large firearms and obvious bullet holes. However, this girl has nothing but the clothes on her back." The chief bit on his cigarette. "And presently, the firearms that were found at the church have not been taken."
The chief stood up, his face beet red. "Why didn't you pay more attention to the crime scene, Officer Moa Hesse!?"
"I-I'm very sorry sir," Moa said softly.
"Standing firm with guts, huh?" The chief flopped back into the chair. "You should at least try to see the criminal when you're at the crime scene!"
"I know the criminal." Road interrupted. The two officers turned to the girl. "I didn't see it but I know what it is. The criminal is an Akuma." Road grinned. "The more it kills, the stronger it'll become, so that means it will continue to kill more and more." She licked her lips. "And it won't stop until it kills each and every one of you." She sighed. "Of course, if an exorcist with his Anti-Akuma Weapon came in, then maybe you'd have a chance to survive. But of course the chances of that happening anytime soon are 1 in 1,000. So, I guess that means I get to watch all of you die…"
--
"Have you heard," A woman said to her friend as a strange looking man walked by, "A police officer got killed inside of that church. Under awful conditions too, it seems."
"So that rumor was true…" Her friend replied, "The church is possessed, just like with Pastor Mark."
"Eh? What's that about?"
"Well, I don't want to gossip but…" She sighed. "Two years ago, on the day of their marriage, a clergy couple faced a horrible accident at this church."
In the house across from the church, a frail man sitting in a wheelchair breathed mist out of his mouth. "Fufufu…" a voice said as the mist thickened, "Everyone around here is frightened. :3 And it's all thanks to you, my wonderful Akuma. :3" The Millennium Earl grinned. "Kill more and more so you'll continue to evolve! :3 :3"
"Mark?" a voice called out, "I'm home, Mark. How are you feeling?" The Millennium Earl slinked back into the shadows as Moa entered the room.
"Welcome home, Moa," The frail man said, "You're home early today."
Moa smiled. She spotted a full plate of food on the table beside Mark. "Ah, you haven't eaten your meal again?" She sighed as she picked up the food. "Mark, you haven't been eating at all lately. That's no good at all, you need to eat healthily if you want your body to get better again."
Mark let out a weak breath. "I'm full." Moa turned to face Mark. "Sorry…but I'll probably die soon anyway…"
Moa put her hands on his lap. "You need to take care of yourself, Mark, and try to get better. I'm sure that my sister in heaven wishes that as well."
"GODDAMMIT!" A voice screeched, followed by the sounds of falling objects.
"Is there someone else here?" Mark asked weakly.
Moa laughed nervously. "Well, about that, Mark…"
Road was lying on the floor, her hands tied to the arm of an upturned chair. A bunch of broken dishes and silverware were around her, too. Moa grabbed Road by the scruff of her neck. "What are you doing!?" Moa yelled, "I thought I told you not to get out of that chair!"
"It wouldn't have been so loud if you didn't handcuff me to it!" Road screeched back.
"You were trying to escape, weren't you!?"
"Well, duh!"
"NO!"
Flashback…
"Exorcists? Akuma?" the chief said disbelievingly, "What the heck are those? Well whatever." He flapped his hand at Moa and Road. "Officer Moa, I'm putting you on reserve. I'll return to the crime scene. Officer Moa, you'll watch over this suspect at your house." He left the two of them with looks of shock on their faces.
End flashback…
In other words, Moa thought to herself, we were placed under house arrest.
Road stared at the church. Stupid humans, she thought, I hope that Akuma kills all of them. Stupid Allen, not letting me use my powers in this stupid dream world…
"Hey Road," Moa asked, "Do you really believe the criminal is a demon?"
"Wha?"
"After all," Moa continued, "Things like demons are fantasy creatures created from fear. They were what people in the old days used to explain stuff like illnesses and natural disasters with." She stared off into space. "They can't be brought to life by just thoughts and words. And I don't believe in things like curses and demons. In fact…I hate those things."
Road sighed. "Stupid human, do I really have to explain this to you?"
"Eh?"
"Might as well, since I'm extremely bored here. The Akuma I was talking about isn't something as dumb as that, 'Akuma' is the name of a weapon. An Akuma is a weapon made to destroy mankind. That's the Akuma I'm talking about." Road grinned. "They usually take the form of an idiotic human, making it hard for other humans to tell them apart but…"
A door slammed open. Mark rolled his wheelchair into the room, his breathing extremely erratic. Moa ran to his side. "Mark, what's wrong?"
Road cocked her head at Mark. "Who's that?"
"I'm…I am…hungry…" His skin tightened. "Let me kill you."
"Eh?" Mark's skin suddenly burst, with several mechanical tubes sticking out of his body. Black blood seeped from his eyes as his skin eroded and he got wider and more menacing. Moa watched in horror as a pentacle appeared on his forehead, signifying the complete transformation of an Akuma. "Mark…" Moa stared at what was left of her brother. "What is this?"
Road smiled evilly. "You're dead, silly hum- eh!?"
The Akuma fired its bullets randomly in all directions, destroying the foundations of the house. A single figure could be seen thrown out of the building and crashing into the church across the street. The police squad investigating the church flinched at the sound of the impact.
"What?" Moa said, shocked. "The church? But how?" She noticed Road crouched in front of her, blood spouting from her front. "Road? You…saved me? But why? How?"
Road coughed out some blood. "Don't think I did it for you, stupid human." She said angrily. "My body just moved by itself somehow. Don't think for one second that I did it for y-" she coughed some more blood out.
Moa saw the bullet protruding from Road's chest. "The bullet…you stopped a bullet to save me?" She reached out to touch it.
"If you touch it you die," Road told her, "The blood bullet from an Akuma has a virus that rapidly spreads throughout the body and smashes it." She removed the bullet from her chest. "But since I'm a Noah, I don't have to worry about th-" Road fell to the floor. "What the…this pain, it-it can't be!" A pentacle appeared on her skin. "B-but I'm a Noah! I'm-I'm a superhuman, one of the few chosen by God himself! I shouldn't be affected by an Akuma's bullet!" More pentacles appeared.
Moa reached out to Road. "Road, that virus, it's-"
"Stay away from me!" Road shouted. "Get your filthy human hands away!" She clutched her body. "That damn Allen…what the hell are you trying to pull!?" Road felt the virus inside her body, already eating away at her insides. "No, I won't let something as stupid as an Akuma kill me, I can't…" Her entire body was covered by pentacles. "DAMMIT ALLEN!!" She screamed, "GIVE ME MY POWERS BACK!!"
Without warning, the virus inside of Road was suddenly purified. "Eh?" Road said, startled. "Was it really as easy as-ugh-" Road clutched her left eye. "What's…what's happening…" Blood seeped from her eye. Allen appeared in front of Road, smiling. "You bastard…" Road said to him, "What are you doing to me!?" Allen just smiled sweetly, and put his hand over her eye.
"Suffer my world of black and white."
The pain from Road's left eye receded, yet blood was still flowing from it. Road removed her hand from her eye, wiping the blood off of it. "What the hell's going on?"
"Road…" Moa pointed at her. "Your eye…"
Road cocked her head. "What about it?"
"A…a pentacle…"
The Akuma suddenly burst through the roof, followed by the police running in to see it. "Wh-what the hell is that!?" The chief shouted. "I don't know what it is but it looks evil, shoot it!" The police started shooting at the Akuma, their bullets having no effect.
"It won't work you know," Road said, not spotting the Akuma yet.
The Akuma shot multiple times at the police, and in seconds, the virus spread throughout their bodies and forced them to disintegrate.
"Why…" Moa said. "Why Mark! Why are you killing innocent people!?"
"Stop trying to plead with it," Road commented nonchalantly, "Those guys were gonna die someday anyway. Besides, it's only a…" She saw the Akuma. "A weapon…" She stared in horror at the Akuma. "Wh-what is that…?"
Help me…
Road clutched her left eye.
Help me…please…
"Aaaaauuuuuuughhhhhhh!!" Road scurried away from the Akuma. "Get away from me! Get away from me, you disgusting…thing!"
Please…
"I-it's horrible…so…disgusting…is this what Allen sees?" A skeletal figure reached out for Road. "Is this…the soul of the Akuma!?"
"What do you see?" Moa asked, "What do you see inside of Mark?"
"Mark?" Road said with a shaky voice. "Mark died a long time ago. There's only this…thing dressed like a nun or something behind it…it probably took his skin and wore it around…"
"You mean…Mark's been dead this whole time? You mean…that thing just a weapon!?
"No…" Road explained weakly. "An Akuma is a living weapon made by a deceased soul…that woman inside that Akuma was…probably somebody who had a deep bond with that Mark guy…and the combination of a 'machine,' a 'soul,' and 'tragedy,' an Akuma is made. A tragedy that befell Mark probably caught the attention of the maker…" Road coughed. "Wished I was there to see it…"
"A…a tragedy?"
--
"Congratulations, Sister Claire."
Claire smiled. "Thank you, Moa."
To my sister and I, who lost our parents early on, the one who always encouraged us and saved us was Pastor Mark. When my sister fell in love with him and got engaged, she seemed so very happy. Then, on the wedding day…
"You had a fight with Moa?" Mark asked her as they were taking their vows.
Claire nodded. "I'm against her wanting to become a police officer, wanting to capture the person who killed our mother and father." A tear escaped her eyes. "God is so unfair. I lived wishing only for her happiness, throwing away the hatred in her heart. But for Moa to be pointed towards that sort of road…"
"Claire," Mark interrupted, "Believe in God. Moa doesn't want to become a police officer for the sake of revenge. It seems more like she wants to protect us so that we will live in happiness forever. After all, she's a child raised by you and God, isn't she?" He smiled at her. "Let's believe in Moa's feelings, and in God's divine protection. God will not betray those who believe in him."
Moa smiled. "You're right." Snap. "I do believe."
"…Claire!" Mark screamed, "Why God…Claire…Claire…Claire!!"
That incident…when the cross hanging from the ceiling fell onto Claire…was that what created a darkness in Mark's heart?
"God has snatched my wife away from me!" Mark cried brandishing an axe. "How could you do such a thing!? Curse you!!"
"Yeah," Road commented, "When a pastor curses God, that usually does it. The Duke Millennium probably appeared then, and that idiot called your sister's soul back. That's when she killed him and put on his skin."
"So you're saying…that's my sister Claire!?" Moa cried.
"Yeah…and the sight of her disgusts me." Road stood up. "I don't care what I have to do to get rid of the sight of it but…even though I have to do this…I still end up disgusted either way."
"W-what are you talking about?" Moa asked.
"Innocence that's within me whether I like it or not…" A sharpened candle materialized from the cross in her hand. "Get this pitiful Akuma…" She threw the candle into the Akuma. "Outta my sight!" The Akuma exploded and the soul inside of it regained itself.
Thank…you…
"Whatever," Road muttered.
"I wonder if…" Moa started, "I wonder if they've gone to where God is…to heaven…Mark and Claire."
"Who knows?" Road started walking away.
"Wait," Moa called after her, "Where are you going?"
"…The Millennium Earl, that's who makes the Akuma, and the one enacting the scenario of mankind's demise. I'm going to find him."
"But why?" Moa asked.
"Because…" Road grinned, "Duke Millennium's like a father to me."
And with those words, Road left the distraught Moa with nothing but the memory of the Akuma, and the memory of Road's last grin.