I said this story was going on hiatus, but since you people love it so much, I'm breaking that promise. Ah well, whatever… Road doesn't appear in this chapter, because it's Allen's time to shine! Yet Lala still gets more lines…eheh heh heh…
I also started another DGM fic, one of those high school fic things. I know I'm shamelessly advertising, but I'd like some feedback on it. It's called D. Gray High, and it has one of those save the world, romantic comedy plots. Please take the time to read and review it…please?
Disclaimer: If I owned D. Gray-Man, it's popularity would fall all the way down to the quadruple digits. Which is why Hoshino Katsura sensei owns it.
The 5th Memory: The Ghost Town of Martel
The Finders were lined up around three level one Akuma, one of the Akuma swelled into a bulbous form. The Finders were holding up their talismans to keep them from escaping. "All right!" One of the Finders yelled, "We've captured it in a protective ward! Don't let go of it, even if you die!"
One of the Finders went to the Captain. "Don't you think we can make some time with this, Captain?"
"I wonder…" The captain muttered, "Would this amount of talismans be enough? I mean, look at the central form of the Akuma that killed a large number of humans…"
"Ugh…" Blood splattered onto the Captain. "C-Captain…" The Finder next to him fell to the ground, dead.
"Hyahahahaha!!" One of the Akuma laughed. "I am Akuma!" The bulbous Akuma's shape started shifting and convulsing, filling in the volume of the barrier it was trapped in.
"Crap…" The Captain's eyes widened. "Evacuate now! That Akuma is evolving!" A bullet went through the Captain. "D-damn…"
"I am Akuma! A new self born from dark matter!" The Akuma tore open the barrier. "I gratefully thank you for nurturing me…" He pulled himself out. "It's a level up!" He turned to one of the Finders. "Hello there, would you like to be my first victim?"
The Finder fell on his back and tried to crawl away. "N-no…I don't want to die!" He pulled out his phone. "Calling all Finders in the area, one of the Akuma has evolved! Hurry, run away! Run away-aaaauuuggh!"
"We have to endure this." A Finder said as the connection broke. "We must hold out until the exorcists arrive." Beams of moonlight fell onto a girl and an old man. Until then, we must protect the Innocence without fail…" A shower of bullets suddenly crashed through the roof. "Crap, a level one found us!" The level one hovered towards the Finder. "No…I can't die yet! I have to protect the Innocence!" The Akuma pointed its barrels at the Finder. He closed his eyes. "Nooooo!"
The Akuma fired.
"W-what? "I-I'm still alive?" The finder opened his eyes and saw a boy with black hair wearing a dark cloak with his left hand inside the Akuma. "D-did you save me?"
The Akuma exploded. "Why did you have to save the human, Lero!?"
The boy ignored Lero and smiled. "Are you okay, Mr. Finder?"
--
Kanda was sitting inside a train eating soba, with a Finder named Toma sitting across from him. "Excuse me, Master Kanda," Toma said, "Have you examined the mission specs yet?"
Kanda swallowed some of his soba. "Yes, I have. According to the legend of Martel, it is a town uninhabited by people. And it's said that only a ghost lives there." He brought some more soba into his mouth. "The ghost used to be a resident of Martel. Resenting the townspeople who abandoned the town and immigrated, its face became ugly. In order to cure it's loneliness, it dragged in children who approached the town." He swallowed some more of his soba. "When the Black Order investigated the town, they found traces of Innocence, which led to me being dispatched there."
Toma nodded. "You memorized the mission specs, as usual. But you're missing a few details."
Kanda finished up the rest of his soba. "Che, I wasn't finished. Martel was considered to be 'the land forsaken by God.' In order to ease their suffering, the residents of Martel created dolls that sang and danced for them. But eventually, the people got tired of the doll and emigrated to other lands. And even 500 years later, the doll continued to sing and dance, thanks to the Innocence inside of it." He handed his empty soba container to Toma. "Is that good enough for you?"
Toma nodded. "Yes, it is." He disposed of the soba container.
"Che." Kanda picked up his Mugen. "Let's go, it's time for us to get off."
--
"Where are yooooouu!" The level two called out, "Martel's ghost-chaaaaaan?" He walked through the corridors. "Geez, this place is just like a maze, and it's narrow too. But it's so much fun, like treasure hunting! Ghost-chaaaan, I will definitely find you!"
"Damn…" The Finder said after hearing the Akuma's voice echo throughout the corridors. "There's no where else to hide. It's only a matter of seconds before that Akuma finds us."
"Lala…" the old man said weakly. "Run away…"
The little girl named Lala shook her head. "No, I'm not leaving you, Guzoru. I'm not going to leave the only one who's ever accepted me behind."
"You don't have to." Allen knelt behind Guzoru and Lala. "As long as I'm here, I'll protect you."
"Aaaahh, what's wrong with you, Lero!?" Lero shouted. "Just take the Innocence and leave, Lero. There's no need to protect any of them, Lero!"
"By the way…" The Finder looked at Allen and Lero. "Who exactly are you guys? You don't look like exorcists."
"Ah ha ha…" Allen laughed nervously, "Well, how should I explain this?"
"Found you!" The Akuma stuck his head into the room. "Well well, look what we have here! A couple of humans and a doll. I wonder who I should kill first…"
Allen appeared behind the Akuma. "I would prefer it," Allen said sweetly, "If you left everyone here alone."
"Eh, who are you?" the Akuma swiped at Allen and knocked him into the wall. "Are you here to fight me? Silly human." The Akuma grinned madly. "I am Akuma, I will make your blood splatter against the walls!"
Allen leapt over the Akuma and kicked his head into the ground. "Like I said before, I would rather not fight."
"What's this?" The Akuma grabbed Allen's arm. "How could you stand up after I threw you like that, human!?"
Allen smiled. "I said I didn't want to fight." Allen smashed the Akuma's head into the ground. "But I will if I have to."
"S-Such power…" the Finder stuttered. "Who are you?"
"I'm Allen." Allen said simply. "I'm here for the Innocence."
"B-But you're not an exorcist…"
"I know." Allen answered.
"Yet you want the Innocence…"
"I know." Allen put one of his claws to the Finder's neck. "All I want it the Innocence. I don't want to have to kill you."
"Are you…an enemy?"
Allen slashed the Finder's chest. "You could say that I am. But I'm the kind who'd prefer not to kill." The Finder fell to the ground. "Listen, Mr. Finder. I avoided your vitals, so you can have a chance to live. Go back to your home, and pretend none of this ever happened."
"The Order is my home…" The Finder said weakly. "And I took a vow to serve the Order whether it kills me or not." He grabbed Allen's cloak. "I will stop you from getting the Innocence, I must…" He fell unconscious.
"Poor Mr. Finder…" Allen said sadly. "You might get yourself killed someday with that attitude…" He turned around. "Now I'm afraid I have to take your Innocence now, Miss-" A sweatdrop appeared on his forehead. "T-They're gone…"
"This is your fault, Lero!" Lero shouted at Allen. "If you didn't have such a bleeding heart, Lero, we would be home already! You are so stupid, Lero-" Allen grabbed Lero tightly. "Aaaaah! T-t-t-that hurts, Lero!"
"Hey Lero…" Allen said angelically, "If you don't shut up, you'll end up the way you did when you made me lose at cards with Tyki."
The memory of what happened caused Lero to fall to the floor. "S-so cruel…Lero…"
"Let's go, Lero. We have to find Lala and Guzoru before they get to far." Allen left the room.
"Fine, Lero."
The Akuma on the ground twitched. "W-why didn't that human finish me off?" His body started morphing. "Heh heh heh…he'll regret not killing me…"
--
Lala was supporting Guzoru while they were walking through the corridors. Lala pushed a block on the wall and a stairway opened up on the ground. "Just a little further, Guzoru." Lala whispered. "Don't worry, we can hide somewhere before they find us." She started climbing down the stairway.
"Kuh!" Guzoru coughed up some blood.
"Ah, Guzoru, are you okay?" Lala asked.
Guzoru shook his head. "I'm sorry, Lala. I'm afraid my time in this world is running out…"
"Don't say that Guzoru!" Lala cried. "You have to live! I…I don't want to be left alone again! If you die…I don't know what I'd do without you!"
The old man coughed out some more blood. "Don't cry, Lala. You won't be left alone."
"Oh Guzoru…" She caressed his face. "You know I can't cry." They walked into a large, moonlit room filled with sand. "Let's rest here, Guzoru." She put him down.
Guzoru coughed out more blood. "I'm sorry I've caused you so much trouble, Lala. If I never came to this city, you wouldn't be attacked by these monsters."
Lala shook her head. "Guzoru, if you never came to this city, I would've gone on living without any purpose." She buried her face into Guzoru's chest. "You are my purpose, Guzoru. I live only for you." She put her hand to her chest. "Besides, those monsters probably would've come anyway if you weren't here."
Guzoru stroked Lala's hair. "Please, Lala, sing me a song."
--
"I-I'm lost." Allen was stuck inside a small shaft full of cobwebs. "I can't believe I'm lost!" Allen cried, "I've done this once already yet I got lost again!"
"What's wrong with you, Lero!" Lero yelled, "And what do you mean you've done this before, Lero!"
"I blame you Lero!" Allen shouted, "It's your fault I'm lost!"
"M-m-m-my fault! I was the one following you, Lero!"
"Wait a moment!" Allen put his hand over Lero's mouth. "Do you hear that?"
"Hear what, Lero?"
"Shh!" Allen shushed. "Listen, don't you hear that?" A voice echoed quietly throughout the halls. "A terribly beautiful melody," Allen whispered. "A lullaby full of artificial flowers…"
"What are you talking about, Lero?"
Allen ran away from the umbrella. "Stay there, Lero!" Allen shouted, "I'm going to the source of that song!"
"Y-you're leaving me behind, Lero!?"
--
"Are you…sad Lala?" Guzoru asked.
Lala stopped singing. "Why would you ask that, Guzoru?"
"It's just that…I thought I heard sadness in your singing." Guzoru said softly.
"Guzoru…earlier when those Finder guys asked which one of us was the doll…why'd you lie and say you were?"
Guzoru held Lala in his arms. "I…I'm a very ugly human, Lala. I didn't want Lala to be destroyed by strangers. Please Lala, always stay by my side, and when the time comes, please let me destroy you with my own hands."
Lala wrapped her arms around him. "I will, Guzoru. I'm yours and yours alone. I will always be your doll." She looked up at Guzoru. "What song would you like next?"
Tears streamed out of Guzoru's eyes. "I…am an ugly human being…"
A snapping sound echoed behind them. "Eh…I'm sorry." Allen scratched his head. "I didn't want to ruin the moment here so…" Lala picked up a giant pillar and threw it at Allen. "Ack, not again!" He dodged the pillar. "Can't we talk about this?" Lala picked another one up and threw it. "I guess not." Allen grabbed the thrown pillar and threw it back at Lala.
"Ah!" Lala grasped her head with her hands. The pillar flew behind them and knocked down the rest of the pillars around them.
"There, now there's nothing else to throw." Allen knelt in front of Lala. "You know, you don't have to solve all your problems with violence. Besides…" Allen smiled. "I won't fight against such a cute girl, even if she is a doll."
Lala stared at the ground. "Guzoru's days are numbered." She looked up at Allen. "Until then, don't separate us! When Guzoru dies, I'll willingly give you my heart myself! So please…"
"Do you mind telling me why Guzoru's so important to you?" Allen asked.
Lala's gaze shifted away. "Long ago, there was a human child crying in Martel..."
--
That child had been persecuted by the villagers, and they discarded him in this town that was rumored to have ghosts dwelling around.
"A human, a human." A dark, tangled up shadow went in front of the crying child. "Little boy…" The moonlight shone on the shadow's face, revealing a broken-up and decrepit face. "How about a song?"
It had been 500 years since the people of Martel left. It wasn't the first time since then a human strayed to this place. If I remember correctly, this child was the sixth one to wander into Martel. The other five whom I've asked, "How about a song," abruptly attacked me when they heard that. "Monster," they would say as they beat me, even though I only asked if they wanted to hear a song. That's why, to this child before me, if he didn't accept me, I would've just killed him like I did with the other five. I am a doll created by humans. I exist to serve and entertain the humans. I want to sing!
"A song?" A little boy said. The moonlight shone to reveal tears falling from the deformed face of the child. "You'll sing for me? No one has ever offered me that before. I'm Guzoru, please sing for me, Miss Ghost."
--
"It's been eighty years since that day," Lala said, "And Guzoru has always been with me. You know, Guzoru won't be able to move very soon. The sound of his heart is steadily getting slower. Let us stay together until the end…" She looked at Allen sadly. "When Guzoru dies, I don't care what happens to me. In these 500 years, Guzoru was the only one to accept me as a doll. Please, let me move as a doll until the end!"
Allen smiled. "I was going to wait anyway, but I wanted to strengthen my resolve first." He pushed the bangs out of Lala's eyes. "Of course I'll wait, Miss Lala."
A large explosion suddenly resounded through the room. A long haired figure came crashing into the room. "Che…damned level two…" He spotted Lala. "Are you the Innocence?"
"It's been a while, Kanda." Allen said.
"You…" Kanda leapt up to his feet and lifted his Mugen. "You're that Akuma!" He slashed at Allen with his sword, but Allen blocked it with his cloak. "Che…damned moyashi…"
"Heh…you never change, Kanda…"