I told you guys it might take a while for the next chapter to come out. Because my computer time has been cut down to almost nothing, this story will probably be updated weekly. Of course, I'll try to write a chapter if I can get to the computer, but my mom usually hogs it during the weekdays…
The Rewinding Town arc officially begins with this chapter! I don't think it'll be four chapters long like the last few, since it took me one chapter to do one manga chapter. Oh well, I guess it can't be helped…
Road's weapon…anyone got any ideas for a melee and ranged weapon? All I can think of is a candle sword thing, but that's stupid…and I want to have a gun-like thing like Allen's, but that would be copying…gah, I can't think. Ideas plz, otherwise I'll be slower when I have to write Road's weapon.
I am asking you people who read the author's notes a favor. You see, I don't think Ephemeral Sorrows really fits this story as a title, and I'm thinking of changing it. I also want you people's opinion on the new summary, since I didn't think the old one really fit the tone. You'll get a cookie if you help!
Sorry about the long author's notes. Wait…this sentence just makes it longer…eheh heh heh…
Disclaimer: Hoshino Katsura owns D. Gray-Man.
The 14th Memory: Rewind
A different thing happened "today". Miranda Lotto was pinned to an alley wall, a large claw keeping her in place. It seems that I'll be killed. If I remember correctly, after this, I should have been drenched with muddy water by a coach before going back home to sleep. So…what is this monster?
The "monster" kept its hold on Miranda. "Where is the Innocence?" It asked.
If I'm about to be killed…does that mean today wasn't "today"? I…
"Oy, why don't you release that lady?" A red haired boy dressed in a black robe stepped out of the shadows. He grinned. "What's up, Akuma-chan?" He pulled out a hammer. "Big hammer, small hammer…"
It looks like another new thing has appeared. The black clothed one is also different from "today".
"Grow, grow, grow!" The hammer grew ten times its size. The boy jumped at the Akuma.
"Today's" events are steadily changing. Miranda backed away from the fight. I did it…Lavi smashed into the Akuma with his hammer, destroying it. Miranda quickly dashed away from the scene. I must've escaped "today"!
Lavi turned around. "Now lady, about that Innocence the Akuma was talking about…eh?" He blinked. "Where'd she go?"
--
Miranda grasped tightly at her newspaper, her brain refusing to absorb what it said at the top. Again…October 9th's newspaper. The same articles, the same horoscope corner.
The same snow laden sky.
Miranda stared shakily at the grandfather clock behind her. Five minutes before eight…3…2…1…
"Dear!" A loud voice said from across Miranda's walls. "I can't believe you went out with that whore again!!"
"I knew it." Miranda muttered to herself. She went over to the window and looked across to the window next door. A middle-aged woman was strangling her husband, her husband's head dangling out the window.
"Someone like you should just fall out the window and die!" The housewife shouted.
"I-I'm sorry, dear…" The husband tried to say.
Miranda crept back into her apartment. The same fight between the couple next door… She slumped to the floor. October 9th has come again! She started sobbing, tears streaming out of her eyes. "It's…it's the 30th time now…" She whined miserably. The grandfather clock behind her started ringing. Dong…dong… Miranda wiped away the tears in her eyes and pulled out a handkerchief. She walked over to the clock and started polishing it. "Thank you, are you comforting me?" Miranda asked the clock, "Now let's polish you up…"
Tick.
--
"Aah, the unlucky lady came!" Miranda stepped out of the building only to come across a bunch of loud kids. The boy who spoke raised his had. "Take that!" He threw a handful of dung at Miranda, who dodged swiftly. "Eeek! She dodged it!"
"Hn," Miranda scoffed, "When I've had poop thrown at me with the same thing thirty times, of course I'd remember it."
"Huh?" The boy said, "What're you talking about, this is the first time I've thrown crap at you!"
"Peter," One of the other kids said, "If you talk to Miranda, you'll get infected with bad luck!" The group of kids gathered around Miranda, making rude faces at her. "Miranda, Miranda, bad luck Miranda," they sang, "You're not popular, you're too dark, you're too slow. Looking for a job again today? You'll just be fired anyway!" Miranda glared at the kids. "Kyaaa! It's the unlucky beam!" They ran away. "She's gonna shoot out her bad luck at us!"
"Those damn brats…" Right now, I am on the 30th October 9th. The town acts as if it's October 9th today too. Everybody is repeating the same thing, and with the exception of me, no one has realized this abnormality. Nothing will change…not one thing…
Suddenly, something caught Miranda's eye. A figure in a black robe walking in the streets. Miranda stared in shock as the black-robed figure walked away. "That's…that's the person who appeared in yesterday's 'today'." Miranda said to herself. "That's right… My October 9th was 'I should have been drenched by muddy water by a passing coach before going back home to sleep'… But only yesterday's night of October 9th wasn't like that…all of a sudden, that person and the monster appeared, and the events changed…"
"Who is that person!?" she ran after the figure. "Wait a second!!"
"Achoo!" Lavi wiped his nose. "Geez…why did I just sneeze?"
Road, who was sitting across from him, shrugged. "How should I know, maybe you're just stupid?"
"What does that have to do with anything!?" Lavi retaliated. Road and Lavi were sitting in a café, eating a small meal of pancakes and tea. A couple booths behind them was a woman who seemed to be hiding her face.
"Well…you were stupid enough to let that woman go." Road pointed enough. "And I've heard that stupidity can lead to random sicknesses."
"You just made that up, didn't you?" Lavi sighed. "Well, you didn't see her. She ran away really fast this person. By the time I noticed she was gone…well, she was gone!"
Miranda moved a booth closer to the two of them. I-It's a boy…I wonder…what's up with that eye-patch?
"Lavi, you idiot." Road shook her head. "Honestly, if I knew that you were going to screw up so early in the game, I would've tagged along with you to make sure you actually did your job."
"You were the one who suggested splitting up in the first place!" Lavi pointed out.
"And your point is…?"
"Ugh, never mind…"
"So Lavi," Road put a couple packets of sugar in her tea. "Are you sure that Akuma you exterminated last night said Innocence to that lady?"
"Yup!" Lavi said cheerfully. "I got lost, strayed into an alleyway, and found them by chance! I must've been pretty lucky yesterday."
Road took a sip of her tea. "What're you talking about? You're the future successor to Bookman, and Bookmen don't get lost."
"Weeelll…" Lavi grinned. "I actually saw this really cute girl, and I tried to follow her, but I ended up losing her and wandered into that alleyway."
Road looked at Lavi blankly. "You really are a little pervert, aren't you?"
"Hey, she was really cute!" Lavi took a bite out of his pancakes. "So anyways…how'd things go for you?"
Road sighed. "It looked like that Komui guy was right. After we split up, I tried to leave the town through the front gates, but before I even realized it, I somehow ended up back inside the town. I tried breaking down a part of the town's wall to leave too, but that wouldn't work either. I thought I'd end up outside through the hole, but I returned to the same spot inside the town." She downed the rest of her tea. "So, I guess we're stuck inside this town until we can find the Innocence."
"Ah, right. But wait," Lavi scratched his head. "Exactly how did you bust a hole in the wall if you can't activate your Innocence?"
"Oh, well, about that…" She giggled nervously. "I sorta…hijacked a car and crashed it in the wall."
Lavi spat out the tea he was drinking. "You what!?"
"It was no big deal!" Road said, "All that happened was that the car burst into flames and I fled the area before the cops could arrive!"
"That is a big deal you idiot!" Lavi shouted.
Road stuck her tongue out. "Better an idiot than a perv!"
Lavi slammed his hand on the table. "I told you before! I AM NOT A P-eh?" A gaunt face was staring at Lavi from behind Road. "Ah ahh!" He leapt up from the table. "It's that person, Road! The one from the alleyway!"
Road turned around. "Ack, it's that creepy clock lady!"
Miranda jumped back in shock. "I-I'm sorry!!" She tried to escape, but Lavi took a hold of her dress.
"Don't run away…" Lavi muttered, "We're exorcists…"
"E-exorcists?" Miranda said in-between breaths.
"Yes…so why are you running away? And though the window too…"
Miranda scratched her head. "I'm sorry…it's sort of a reflex to me…"
Ring, ring. The barman answered the phone. "Hello? This is Berulini's Liquor Store. I'd like to order ten barrels of rose wind for tomorrow, the 10th."
Miranda sat down across from Lavi and Road. "I-I'm Miranda Lotto. I'm happy to meet other people that have noticed that this town's gone strange…fufufu…" she laughed darkly. "No matter who I talked to about it, I was only made fun of. Really, it was so tough that I almost wanted to commit suicide. Ah, but now I'm able to dodge poop pretty well."
This person looks really worn out. Road and Lavi thought.
"Eh, Miranda," Lavi said, "You have had your memories ever since this town became abnormal, right?"
Miranda nodded. "Yes, it seems like every one of the villagers forget yesterday's October 9th. I'm the only one…" She grabbed Road's hands with an insane look in her eyes. "Hey, help me, help me! If I stay like this I'll get neurosis! Yesterday, your friend saved me from that weird thing, right!? So since you helped me, help me more!!"
"Ack, get off of me!" Road whined. "Fine, fine! We'll help you, so how about you so how about we all look for the cause!?"
"If I knew the cause I wouldn't be stuck on October 9th!" Miranda shouted.
"Something must've happened on the real October 9th." Lavi said, "Do you know of anything unusual that happened on that day?"
"Would you let go of me already!?" Road glanced to the side. "Ulp." Road fell to the ground, clasping her left eye. "Heh heh…damn…"
"Road?" Lavi asked, "Are you okay?"
"Oy, perv." Road said quietly. "Take Miranda with you and leave this store right now. With your extending hammer, you can slip away from these Akuma and take her to her house, right?"
"Akuma…?" Lavi slapped his head. "Oh right, you can see them, can't you?"
Road nodded. "Apparently, the guys in here are also different from the other villagers. They've been so ever since they've laid eyes on Miranda here." Road took her hand off of her eye, revealing the blood that was steadily pouring out of the scars. "The reason Miranda here is different from the other villagers, is probably because she was in contact with the Innocence."
The other patrons in the store stood up. "Hey, Road, are you sure you'll be able to fight?" Lavi asked.
Road nodded. "Of course I'll be able to fight. After all…" The other patrons' skin fell to the ground, revealing three level two Akuma. "The sight of these guys makes me wanna puke."
"Aaaaaaaagh!" Miranda screamed. Lavi grabbed her and took out his hammer.
"Big hammer, small hammer, extend, extend, extend!" Lavi grabbed Miranda and escaped through the roof.
"What, do you think you can fight us all by yourself, exorcist?" One of the level twos said.
Road grinned. "Of course I can loser." The level two shot at Road, who gracefully jumped over the attack and landed on top of its head. She held out her left arm. "Innocence…activate!!"
Nothing happened.
--
A figure in a lavish suit stood outside of the city walls. "So this is the Rewinding Town, huh? Doesn't look like much…" He tipped his top hat as he put his hand on the invisible force field surrounding the city. Sparks flew as he bypassed the wall. He took off his hat and brushed the dust off his suit. A couple of black butterflies fluttered around him as he looked around the city.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Tyki Mikk, at your service."