No Safe Place
`Keep going. I have to keep going.' Teal kept on jumping from tree branch to tree branch. Her legs just kept on going forward and she didn't care where she was going. She jumped and landed on all fours but she fell down and started vomiting.
`What… Am I doing? Why am I running? There's nothing wrong. Except that I'm terrified. The thing is… What am I terrified of? The fact that I may not see my friends again? No. It's something else. Something I've never experienced before. I can't explain it. Just thinking about it makes me dizzy.'
She stopped and leaned against a tree to catch her breath. She heard rapid footsteps coming towards her. `Idiots. They've sent the stupid akuma after me. It's a little foggy but I'm not making another run for it now. Although, it'll be fun giving them heck. With any luck they'll destroy themselves.'
When Teal looked down, her wrist and her hand were covered in blood.
`What? The scars are gone. It shouldn't…' Teal saw the tree that was across from her and it was covered in blood too and she didn't even touch it. The nearby trees and the ground were covered in blood and the fog was red. Then shadows and mouths were all over the place too. They were like the ghastly shadow that hovered over Tyki when he transformed in the ark.
She started to scream but quickly covered her mouth. The shadows were moving toward her and she felt cornered. She could hear a ghostly voice of herself crying `The shadows are scary and they will get me.'
`This is a dream! It has to be!' Teal covered her eyes and screamed "Stop!" When she lowered her hands, everything was back to normal. `What was that?' She was still spooked and figured it was just a hallucination. Or it could've been Jasdevi trying to get her to stop running.
"Ha ha guys, you had you're laugh. I find out you did this as a joke, I'm seriously going to shred you!" Teal shouted. Something grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and picked her up.
"Hey, put me down!" She started kicking wildly trying to hit the akuma. "Lord Jasdevi is back at the mansion. Don't blame them for what ever you encountered."
"Where the heck were you two minutes ago?" She threw an icy glare at the akuma. The akuma ignored her. `Wait, I'm over reacting. I think I saw this illusion before. I have to get out of here fast!' Before Teal knew it, she was tossed back in her room and she made a crash landing again.
`And the reason why he couldn't put me down was? Well, back to the drawing board.'
The only thing Teal can do when she is locked up is plan her escape route and prepare for it. The akuma that were assigned to guard her door were not very smart what so ever and Teal figured they'll fall for anything. Earlier, when the akuma had brought in some food, they gave her some honey along with it and she was able to finish the sedative.
'Okay... Now I need a disguise or something. They know what kind of clothes I wear and a little of my personality. So I normally wear boy's clothes so I want to wear... a dress or something." She gave a depressed sigh. 'Hopefully they have shorter dresses. Those are alright. A lot of girls don't act like me. As for my personality... I'm usually outgoing so I have to... I don't know what I'm supposed to do but I have to act more like a girl. I guess I'd have to cut back on fighting, stunts and my mouth. I'd better check if the kitchen's empty.'
Teal took the beaker with the sedative and put it in her pocket. She just needed something for them to eat. She checked the map and they were somewhere else in the mansion with other akuma in the basement. She tapped her finger twice at the guards and the map zoomed in and it said `Akuma Guard-2: Talking and Drinking, Akuma Guard-2 Drinking and Cursing'.
She tapped her finger on the edge to zoom out so she could see the entire mansion. She tapped the kitchen and no one was there. The hallway was vacant as well. She had the map close to her and followed it to the kitchen.
When she arrived, it was huge. There were about 5 stoves, a very large counter and a rack with many pots and pans. There was a sink with a mountain amount of dishes. `Wow, there are only a few people here and yet they leave this amount of dishes. What does an akuma like? Other than blood.' She saw some muffins on the counter. She grabbed them automatically. Then she took a straw and carefully placed some powder in the muffins. She was careful not to leave a mess.
She saw that someone was heading into the kitchen. It was one of the akuma. She didn't know what to do. She didn't have time to run and not be seen. She couldn't hang on to the roof because the ceiling was completely flat. She hid under the counter and held her breath. She saw the akuma's legs right by her. She thought she was going to be caught for sure and she couldn't hold her breath much longer.
After what seemed like an eternity, the akuma finally left. Teal made sure the akuma's footsteps were gone then she came out. When she stood up, she knocked one of the plates on the floor.
`Crap, someone would've heard that.' She bolted out of the door and followed her map back to her room. She heard footsteps coming near her at every turn and she always had to turn around. She heard footsteps on both sides of one corridor and she knew she was cornered. `If they ask me what I'm doing, just play dumb. Then again, I never manage to do it.'
She backed against the wall trying to figure out who was closer. When she touched the wall, she fell back and landed in darkness. She heard the footsteps go by in front of her. Whatever light that she saw was now blocked by a shadow. She could hear the voices of an akuma and Tyki.
"I don't care what you're excuse is, clean it up!" Tyki shouted. "Your job is simple: just listen to what we say."
"Yes, Lord Noah." She and Tyki moved away. Teal struck a match against the wall and checked her map. She was out of the boundaries of the house then it added a passageway. She was tempted to follow the passage out of curiosity but she knew that Tyki would be coming back any minute and she had to be back before the guards. She blew out the match and headed back to her room.
She got back just in time. The guards were coming in from the other direction. They were both in human forms. One was average height and he had blonde hair. He was very handsome. The other one was extremely short. He was about three feet tall. He had dark skin and he was bald.
"Oi, what are you doing out? You're supposed to be in your room." The blonde one said.
"Yeah about that." Teal said nervously.
"Don't even think about getting an extended curfew. You can't leave the mansion."
"I want to give you these as a peace offering. I won't escape anymore or at least give you a hard time." She smiled and held out the muffins.
"What the heck, we're starving." They both took them and ate it. Teal saw something shine in the short guy's pocket. It was a silver handle.
"You know the shipyard that you guys said you had a great time at? Is it like a party area or what?" Teal was hoping to use some psychology on the akuma to trick them to give her information. She read about psychology in some books and figured it was easy.
"What? We never went to a shipyard. Nor did we go to a party. What are you on, lady?" The short one grunted. `Okay, maybe it's not that easy. I think I skipped a few parts.'
"Are you sure? I could've sworn that you went to a shipyard."
"Look, the only thing that happens at that shipyard is that cargo comes in and out. The train station is where all the humans are."
"Idiot, don't tell her! Blondes don't have any brains." He kicked the other akuma in the shin.
"I wasn't listening." Teal said. The sedative would kick in any moment.
"Why is everything so blurry?" The blonde one asked. The short person was the first person to fall. Then the other one landed on top of him. Teal hauled both of them into closet nearby.
Before she shut the door, she checked what was in that guard's pocket out of curiosity. She pulled it out and it was her knife. It might be a little late but she grasped the knife and shut her eyes to see if she could get a vision. She was hoping to get a vision to see if her friends were alright after she disappeared or maybe if the guards went to the town; it could show her a vision of the town. Nothing came.
`Come to think of it, ever since I came here, I didn't have a single vision. Not even in my dreams. Except for those nightmares. Maybe something is preventing them from happening?' She gathered her things and she retraced her path the night before and escaped through the window.
"I think we're making some progress." Jasdero said. They were both in their room.
Jasdero was placing their chicken on the top bunk so it wouldn't escape.
"Unless you call a shouting match progress, we got nothing."
"If you weren't so mean to her, Devi, then she wouldn't have run away."
"Oh sure, blame everything on me. You've seen her. She is so freakin' annoying, behaves worse than us in my opinion. She thinks that she can say or do whatever she wants and not get away with it."
"Hee! She's changed a lot since last time we've seen her. I remember that she was always shy and rarely left our side. Now she's way more rebellious and... scary. But she is kinda cute."
"You think she's cute? How many screws are you missing? If you like her so much, do this mission by yourself!" Devitto put his feet on the wall.
"Heh, I doubt she'll listen to me by myself. However, she might listen to you by yourself. After all, you did spend more time with her when we were little. Maybe we should give her a little space for her to calm down then we can try to talk to her."
"Why do I have the feeling that's a horrible idea?" Jasdero threw his boot by accident and it started a throwing war.
They started attacking each other with almost anything they could get their hands on. Whether it was books, pillows, the random pink rabbit that occasionally appears, or boots, they threw it at each other. Then they heard a knock on their door.
"Go away, stupid Tyki!" They shouted. An akuma servant opened the door.
"Oh it's you, what do you want?"
"Forgive my intrusion, Lord Jasdevi. I was wondering if she was here. Then again, I may want to search in here too, this room seems like a good place she could hide in."
"Why are you looking for her?" Devitto asked. "And gross! Why would she be in here? She's not that desperate."
"I assumed she's starting to warm up to you so I thought she might come to see you."
"Hee! She's not here. Is she...?"
"Yes. She escaped. I don't know how she did it. And we found her guards in a closet knocked out." Devitto turned to his brother.
"This is what happens when we give her too much space to calm down. But ten bucks that she'll be caught within a few hours."
"Hee! You're on! I'll make sure they are male."
"I meant money, idiot!" He hit his brother on the backside of his head.
"And Master requests that you go after her." The maid bowed and stepped out of the doorway.
"Say WHAT?"
As Teal maneuvered through the woods, the ground was shaking every time she took a step. It's been like this a little while after she left. She could make a clean run to the station then work on disguising herself afterwards, but it was too risky. She had to find some place to hide and get some rest then she'd leave in the morning.
Teal tripped over some branches and landed in a bush full of thorns and fuzz balls. When she saw someone lighting the street lamps, she pulled her hood further so her face was completely covered by shadows.
There were some vendor stalls that were still open. When she was walking down the street, a woman shouted at her. She had white hair, a shawl, and a flower dress on.
"Oh, young man, would you like some new clothes?" `Ah, she speaks English.'
"Yeah, err. My dog shredded my clothes and I have to wear these. I would like some clothes please." 'Most pathetic lie ever.'
"Oh, so you don't want to buy clothes. So you want to make this old lady poor as ever."
"No. I mean, No! I didn't say that." Teal was waving her arms vigorously.
"Are you making fun of me? A deaf lady? Let me see your face so I can call your parents."
`Oh, she's deaf. ' Teal raised her hood so there was enough light for the woman to see her mouth.
"Yes. I need clothes. Please, you have to help me." She prayed that the woman would help her out. She thought it wasn't an akuma. Akuma weren't deaf.
"Oh, so you are a customer." The woman replied.
"Yes. I'm sorry I made you think I was a thug or whatever. I need some clothes. Do you have stockings, flat shoes, and a not-so-long dress?"
"Got `em all. Let's see how much you got." Teal pulled out her money. She had about $28.
"Will you accept this for now? I have a part time job as an odd-job worker and I can pay you the rest later. I'm afraid I can't give you anymore. I need to buy some other things and a train ticket."
"No, no, I don't charge very much. I see that you're a lost traveler. I will accept $15. And you said you work as an odd job worker? I need you to run an errand in the morning. You can stay here tonight and get to work in the morning."
"That's very kind of you, but I can't stay. Well, here." 'It's too close to the woods. They'll start looking around these houses first.' "I'm not exactly lost. I'm a... What's the word I'm looking for?"
"Toast? Criminal? POW? Hopeless romantic?"
"Let's go with the POW. And toast if I don't get going soon."
"Oh, alright then. I can hide you tonight. I won't tell a soul. Please, come with me. But I want to ask you if you can still do a job for me tomorrow? The clothes are absolutely no charge if you do it."
"Alright." Teal couldn't really argue with that. She doesn't seem to be an akuma. If she was she would've turned Teal in and behaved differently. She led Teal into her house. It was small but it was very clean. There were hand knitted rugs everywhere and pictures of cats on the walls. "If there's anything you need, anything at all, just ask, okay? I'll make us some tea."
Teal walked around the house a bit. The furniture was old and worn out. She lowered her hood a bit so part of her face could be seen. She saw a picture of a handsome young man in a soldier uniform. He wore some coat-of-arms on his hat and shoulders. 'He's so young. He reminds me of… him.'
The woman came back with the tea.
"Thank you for your hospitality. Is there a phone I can use?"
"Yes, I have one here. Are you calling your parents?"
"Kind of. I've been away a while and haven't been able to call or write and they'll be glad to hear from me." The woman gave the phone to Teal and she left the room. She waited for the woman to be far away then she attached her golem to the phone.
"Hello?" Komui's tired voice answered.
"Komui? Is that you?"
"Teal? Are you alright? Where are you?" His voice was alert and Teal could hear a bunch of clatter and she guess he fell out of his chair. She could also faintly hear Lenalee's voice.
"Komui, did I hear you correctly?" She was very happy to hear her friend's voice again. But she had to break it to them that they can not look for her.
"Yes, I'm alright. I think." Teal said. "But I don't know which country I'm in."
"Okay then, that'll be easy. I'll just ask the control room where your golem transmission is coming from."
"Don't bother. It's disabled."
"What?" Komui shouted so loud that Teal had to move the phone away from her ear.
"Komui, I know what you're thinking and the Noah didn't disable it, I did. When I first came here, the Earl said that he set a trap for anyone who tries to find me. Well, he didn't say that word for word but that's what he meant. Bottom line is I don't want anyone to be killed because they were looking for me."
"Teal, as your commander, I order you to turn back your tracking device on. We need you back here in one piece."
"I know. Believe me, I really want to come ho- back." 'I can't call it home yet.' "Just don't go looking for me. If you send anyone to come and get me, it will be for nothing. There's too many akuma and Noah and I don't think anyone would be able to survive. I'll turn my tracking device back on when I'm closer to France or a nearby country, okay? Also, could you tell Lenalee and the others I'm sorry?"
"Alright. But let us know when you're in a safer country and we'll come and find you. It will be a long and very dangerous journey and you are going need help getting home as your Innocence may be wearing you out and you might not have enough strength."
"Okay. When you said that you'll find me, do you mean that you can open an ark gate?"
"What else? Just let us know when you are in a closer country and we'll open a gate for you. Also, is there something you want to tell me?"
"Like what?" 'Oh crap. He knows that I can't handle my Innocence.'
"Like how come it's taking you so long to escape? Is this your first attempt?" 'Thank goodness but still…'
"No, it's my second. It takes a lot of planning, Komui." She said quickly. `And my Innocence is losing its power even when I haven't used it much since the battle'
"Alright. Be careful and good luck."
"Thanks. You take care, too Komui." Teal hung the phone. `I'm going to need all the luck I can get'
The next morning Teal quickly changed into the clothes the woman gave her.
`Thank goodness no one else saw me last night. I'm not out of the woods yet.'
"Good morning. My, you are cute child. I don't see why you hid your face last night. So, today I need you to make a delivery to a store a few blocks down. I would do it myself but I need to go to the grave yard and pay respects to my husband. Here's the package."
Teal put the package in her bag and looked up at the woman. "What army did your husband serve for? Is it the Russian army? Forgive me, but I saw his picture last night."
"It's alright. He served for the army. He was hanged because he was wrongly convicted."
"I'm so sorry."
The woman sighed. "I'd wish that he could come back and live the life that was taken away from him. I'd give anything."
"I wouldn't say that. There is a way to revive your husband."
"Then what is it? Please tell me."
"I will tell you. But you mustn't do this. There is a man who can revive those who have passed away, at a price. The soul is trapped in this world forever and the one who called their loved ones back is slaughtered. Then they will continue to kill others."
The woman stared at Teal for a moment. "How can you be sure? Please don't say such horrible things."
"I don't mean to scare you but it's true. I know someone who did that. Very few get out alive."
"I'd give my life for my husband's resurrection any day." The woman had a serious look on her face.
"Please, swear to me that you won't do this."
"I can't promise that. I must tell it to everyone. If it works, everyone will be happy." Teal blocked the old woman's path.
"No, I can't allow you to do that. Don't you see? Every time a soul is called back, they are forced to kill others."
"But they will be able to relive what was taken from them." Teal quickly placed her hand on the woman's eyes.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to do this but I am only doing this so I can protect you."
"What? Why is it so dark?"
`You will forget everything I told you just now.' Teal's power took effect and the woman collapsed. Shortly, she regained consciousness and Teal reached out her hand.
"You took a nasty fall. Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
"Thanks again for your hospitality. Bye Bye!" `So much for not using my Noah powers again. Next time, I should keep my mouth shut. But then again, she had to know. She would've created an akuma out of her husband.'
As she was walking down the street the familiar scene of an average market made Teal feel like a little more at home since she was brought here. She enjoyed seeing many people mingling with their friends and family, seeing their happiness being with others brought her a little more comfort. She could see herself being with her friends and her beloved master. Her thoughts for them were strong, ignoring the fact that they were still very far away.
Often people take things for granted and things don't seem to be very exciting while doing everyday lives, but she loved every moment. Every new place she goes to is waiting to be explored. The excitement of broadening her horizon was an unexplainable happy feeling.
However, she can't let this feeling run wild. She was on the run and she now has to live by a rule she abandoned many years ago and never hoped to use again: Trust no one, only look out for yourself. Akuma were supposedly everywhere. Without Allen around, there was no telling who was a friend and who was a foe. She was with Allen most of her missions and she didn't have to worry about not trusting anyone. Now, she is alone and she doesn't have the same sense of security before she joined the Order.
Before, she could've been walking past any dangerous area or person but she didn't fight with anyone right off the bat unless they bothered her. It wasn't a big deal if she fought someone without much thought because the scenario was almost always 'It's done, now move on'.
Now one slip and everything will crash and burn. She often used rooftops and other high places as shortcuts if markets or streets were too crowded. Even doing that was not the norm and it could give her away. It would be an extreme risk doing anything that would make her stand out. That meant that she couldn't use her Innocence at all unless if absolutely necessary. She tied one ribbon in her hair and she used the other as an anklet that barely could be seen.
'Here's my stop.' A small silver doorbell rang above her as she walked in the door. The shop was a salon. It had makeup, skin care products, parasols, and other items that made the mixed sweet scent in the air.
`I bet rich people come here.'
"Can I help you with anything?" The shopkeeper asked.
"Uh. No. I'm good. I just dropped off the package and I was just browsing. Hang on..." She went by the hat section and she chose a smaller and simple looking fisherman's hat.
'That's cute and I think it's my size. It could be useful.' She was about to pay for the hat but the shop keeper said she could have it for free and he gave her some money as payment for her delivering the package.
'So far so good. No one has really noticed me. Oh?' She felt something brush against her side and she thought it was a pick pocket. She heard a soft murmur and turned her head.
There was a girl who didn't look much older than twelve beside her. She was fairly tall; her head was up to Teal's shoulder. She had long black hair, blue eyes and was wearing a black school uniform with red edges on her jacket. She wore a silver hair band to keep her long straight bangs out of her eyes.
'She's cute.' "Uh... Can I help you?" Teal bent to the girl's eye level.
"No. I just thought that you were..." Her voice was quiet and her eyes started to water.
"Ah! Whatever it was, I'm sorry! Please don't cry!" Teal shot up. 'Crud. Now I've gotten some attention.' The girl stopped trembling a bit and looked at Teal.
"Take off your hat." She demanded. 'Talk about mood swings. Can't really expect a lot from rich people.'
"Why?" Teal barely fingered the front brim of her hat, hoping to shade her face a little more.
"It's just that you…" She murmured the last part and Teal could've sworn she heard something like 'Mama'. "Just do it!"
"Hey, just a min…" Teal was about to give her 'opinion' which would have led to a shouting match so she lowered her tone and tried to act modest. "I'm sorry, I can't. I'm allergic to the sun."
"Humph! I'm wasting my time. Stupid commoner with stupid allergies." She stormed away. Teal didn't notice after she was going to an alley, she was slouching and depressed.
'This is why I'm not fond of rich people. They teach their kids to be stuck up and snobby.' Teal saw a sign that had many arrows and she was looking with the one for the train station. So far nothing was out of the ordinary. She blended in with the crowd. A few short hours if all went well, she would be on her journey back to the Order.
Then a banshee like scream filled the market and all heads were turning looking for the source. Teal was one of the first to react and headed to the alley. The little girl was on the ground, cowering in fear by two men. One was holding a sword which the tip was only inches from the girl's face. The other grabbed her arm and forced her up.
"Using ink to change your hair won't fool us. You're coming with us or the rest of this town will suffer if you resist."
"Let… me GO!" She cried as she hit the man on the arm but it had no effect at all. Teal went under an emergency staircase where the shadows were the darkest. She had no choice but to wait to tell if this was an akuma or not. Either way, this is a lose-lose situation.
If it was an akuma, she'd be exposed for sure because she would have to use her Innocence. On top of that, she needed her Innocence to get away from the akuma. If it wasn't, she can't risk making a big scene and she'd have to abandon the girl if she wanted to get out without being noticed.
"Listen, here, exorcist. If you don't want anyone in this town to suffer, then I suggest you come quietly. You better do it quick, because I'm getting a little excited and can't hold back anymore."
'Definitely akuma. There's gotta be something I can do without using my Innocence off the bat.'
"Try it and I'll blow you to pieces you stupid piece of junk." She heard a low irritated growl and recognized it as Devitto's voice. Teal held her breath and curled into a ball.
"Just tell us that you found her." Jasdero whined.
"We did, master Jasdevi." The akuma held the girl up by her arm a foot off the ground. She was terrified and kept on squirming.
"Hang on let us get a closer look, its dark here." Devitto said as they walked by Teal. Teal took off her shoes and moved to the other wall and chucked one at Jasdero.
"Ouch!" She got Jasdero's attention but he didn't see her against the wall until she threw the other one that hit Devitto's head.
"Hey! Hold it!" She jumped to the broken ladder and she barely missed getting pulled back down. When she ran up the first staircase, she noticed the akuma left the girl and started pursuing Teal as well. She was ¾ to the top and one railing was broken and she slipped and she was clinging on to the edge of the platform. She looked down and the landing area didn't look that bad. For some reason, she was getting butterflies in her stomach and her head kept on telling her that she should get up and continue running.
She suddenly knew why she was getting this feeling. Shadows were moving in a vicious manner, they had feasted on something that left a blood bath and they were hungry for more. They were climbing on each other and were coming towards Teal. As the blood covered creatures were drawing closer, they started to take form of that woman. She was still alive, just waiting for Teal to die so she could come back.
She shut her eyes and put her head on the platform. Her arms failed her; her body was too heavy to move. She felt footsteps coming toward her. The loud beats on the tin meant that they were close and she had to move now. She couldn't open her eyes.
An eerie presence was close and was about to do the final blow. She let her fingers slip because she would fall anyway. Then there was a sharp pain on her hands and just like magic, the shadows were gone. She looked up and Devitto was standing on her hands.
"You've got some serious guts pulling a stunt like that. We're not in a good mood now, so how about you listen to us for now, or we'll drop you." Teal thought that the shadows were still hiding her face and they didn't recognize her. She kept her head down and was trying to free her hands.
"How about for a start, you take off your hat." Jasdero said.
"That's… stupid." She tried to make herself sound as scared as possible and tried to free her hands.
"Why would it be? We just want to see your pretty face." Jasdero leaned forward and was about to grab her hat. She was able to free one hand and held on to it. If she tried slapping his hand away, he'd grab her and she would be captured for sure.
"Right. And if I refuse?" She looked up at them challengingly.
"Do you have to make it difficult, Teal?" Devitto said. "Like I said, we're not in a very good mood right now, so be a good girl and give up."
"The cat's out of the bag." Teal said coldly. "And there's no way in hell I'll give up like that." She freed her hand from Devitto's grasp and started to fall. She looked to the spot were the little girl was and she was still watching in horror.
'I've gotta get her out of here.' She noticed an akuma was underneath her and it transformed into a giant spider. It made a net and it looked like it was going to either catch her or throw it at her.
'Innocence, Activate!' Her ribbons unwrapped themselves and the butterfly bows on her ankles stopped her from falling. Once she was upright, she started to move back and forth between the walls until she reached the girl. The echoes that were created allowed her Innocence to gain power to move faster but it would wear off quickly.
As she kicked off the ground with the girl, the other akuma transformed into another level two and it was a giant jack in the box that was hopping along the street. Teal looked at the girl and she had her eyes shut tight and was hanging on to Teal's arm for dear life. The jack in the box hopped onto the rooftop that was behind Teal and she caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of her eye.
'Oh great. Can't wait to see what that one does.' She glared at the akuma. Speed was on her side for a while.
The jack in the box retreated into its box and started to play a melody then it screeched like a dying moose. The little girl covered her ears but as soon as the akuma screamed it stopped suddenly. Before Teal could look back to see if it did any damage, she was flung back before she could move to the next building and was headed straight to the spider akuma but she used her Innocence to move away from it.
"Sorry, exorcist, you're trapped now. You need a lot of speed if you want to break my net." The spider akuma grinned at her.
"But you need sound waves to gain speed but I blocked them. We're in a sound proof barrier." The jack in the box bended forward and flicked his tongue at her.
"I don't know if you remember this when you were humans but there's an old saying: if there's a wall, find another way around it if you can't go through." Teal suddenly jumped up, and let her Innocence take her as high as she could go then came down on the building and made a small crater. She created more waves to gain more speed and height.
"Look out! There's some thing there!" The little girl cried. Teal looked up and something was thin and shiny. It came straight at her and before she could see where it was going, it felt like a hornet stung her arm because it was moving so fast then she couldn't move it.
"Should've listened to the human, exorcist." The spider was crawling beside her as she was dangling by her right arm. 'Okay, change of plans: Get rid of the akuma'
"I might let you off easy if you hand the human over for a snack for me."
"Like hell I will." 'Spell of Fire, standby' Her blade's edges started to glow red as she swung back and forth until she was almost near the spider.
"Hang on to my neck as tight as you can." She whispered to the girl. She didn't hesitate to obey.
"Bad move exorcist, I have a web ready to catch you."
"That's fine. I have a question for you: How much do insects like fire?" The spider's grin quickly vanished.
"What?"
'Spell of Fire: Fire Wall' The moment she used her foot to contact the spider, the spider let go of the web and Teal used her other arm to sever the thread that was clinging to her arm and ended up diving. The loud whistle of the wind that was rushing past her ears was a sign that she created enough waves to escape the barrier. Instead, she directed all the energy she had gathered and used it to create her most powerful attack to direct it at the akuma who were on top of each other.
'Spells of Water, Wind, Earth and Fire combine: Spell of Heaven: Heaven Meteor!' A blinding light developed at her feet and started to engulf her. Once she was engulfed, an area opened up by her feet so she could see her targets. She dove at them and crushed the two akuma under her weight and speed.
A faint light flashed above them and was lowering meaning the barrier had been broken.
'I have to get her to safety. I'll deal with the other two later.' When she took her first step, everything was moving around like it was an earthquake and nearly lost her balance.
"Are you alright? You feel warm."
"Yeah." Teal gave a reassuring smile. 'Shoot. My fever's back. I'm not going to be able to leave this town today.'
She jumped off the building and landed in an alley that led to a more populated area of the town and back to the area they were just in. The populated area was a long run but nobody could see them in the shadows.
"Can you get back from here?" Teal got the girl to lean flat against the wall behind a garbage can while Teal's silhouette could be seen clearly. She nodded.
"Good." Rapid footsteps were echoing in the alley. Teal quickly pulled out her map and Jasdero and Devitto were alone and no akuma in the area ahead or by the Noah.
"Hide here until I am gone." She placed her hand on the girl's forehead and was prepared to erase the memory of the akuma and Jasdevi. 'We are only running from a thief. I'll fend him off. You're safe now.' Teal thought as if it would change how the girl the situation.'
"Please don't let the thief hurt you or anyone else." The girl whimpered.
"Uh… Right." 'I changed the memory! I had no idea this was included!' She was about to run when the little girl stopped her.
"Wait! Please. Take this, it'll will bring you luck." The girl tossed a small charm at Teal and she caught it.
"But-"
"Oh, you destroyed the akuma. We'd expect you to go farther." Jasdero said.
"Ah great, we've gotta do the work ourselves." Devitto moaned. Teal had her back to them and dashed down the street. The earthquake was getting more violent. She could only rely on the sound of her footsteps and the echoes that filled the deserted ruins. The louder they were, that meant she was close to a wall.
She ran into a wall and scrapped her bad arm and part of the wound she received on her last escape attempt came back. Mist was starting to swallow the abandoned alley and the footsteps were closing in on her. She used her other arm to force herself to stand up and keep running. It was hardly worth the effort; she collapse due to lack of energy and she dropped the charm the girl gave her.
'That's what I get for hardly eating. I have to bring back that charm.' She extended her hand and two of her fingers curled around the chain.
Suddenly a shearing pain took over her head. The unknown voices of her dreams and the shadows of her nightmares came to life. The voices were the bait, luring her to all the answers she seeks. The moment she thinks about them, the shadows and blood dominate the scene. She buried her face in her hands and screamed hysterically.
'Become my…' A skull with that woman's voice was coming toward her and the reeking smell of death was with it. She converted to fetal position for any hope that it would make things better. She closed her eyes and prepared herself for the worst.
"Huh, that was shorter than expected. The least you could've done was made this a little more exciting." Teal's arm suddenly shot up and she grabbed on to one of the twin's legs. She was trembling but she kept a firm grip. The last thing that she remembered clearly was a voice saying: "I hate you!" and "I need you."
'Mnn…' Teal sat up and she was back in the room where she was kept. It was just as gloomy as it was when she left. The giant spider web was still at the foot of the bed, and its owner was in sight for the first time. It was a tarantula. She leaned forward to get a closer look. It was white and she could faintly see the pink eyes on its face.
"Nice to see something more… cheerful." She said quietly. "Looks like we're room mates." She barely fingered the smooth back of the spider and it slightly twitched.
"Oh… Didn't know you were asleep." The door swung open and Teal turned her head. The tarantula quickly crawled off its web and down her bed post.
"You're awake, Miss. Welcome back." It was an akuma maid with a food tray. This one was different from the others. She was short and looked fairly young.
"You know the least you can do is say something. This is why I hate dealing with exorcists, they just have no manners." She pouted.
"I have manners. I'm just too pissed off to show any." Teal mumbled.
"Why would you be angry? Would you care to talk about it?" The akuma set the tray on the dresser and stood beside Teal.
"An akuma acting like it cares. What are they gonna come up with next?"
"Well… Believe it or not, I've evolved just recently, and I have a very caring personality. So if you need or want something or want to talk, don't hesitate to ask."
"Can I leave now?"
"No! I've been given orders that you are to stay in here until you are fully recovered. You're fever could come back into something worse."
'Great. Just great.' Teal sighed.
2 Nights Later
'Nobody's in the library so I think I'll go there for a while. Whats-her-face probably still thinks I'm asleep.' Teal took out her clothes from her backpack and stuffed them under the sheet. The only things she brought were her sketch book and a pencil, her map and a lantern.
'Wow, this library would give the Order's a run for their money. Hopefully this one has something that'll give me a lead.' She blew out the lantern because there was plenty of light in the room and set it on a table by a large window before she climbed on to the window ledge to get a better look.
She could see the tip of the balcony that's not too far from her room and the lake that touches the starting point of the mountain range. The clouds that barely hide the crescent moon and the stars reflected so beautifully on the calm waters, they seemed like little dancing fairies from the distance.
'I wish I had wings in reality. I could only imagine what's beyond the horizon.' She gazed in the distance and was making a light sketch of what she was imagining.
"Out a little late, aren't we?" Devitto came out of nowhere and made Teal jump. She accidentally activated her Innocence and was near the ceiling.
"Do I scare you that much?" Devitto grinned. "In that case, I have something to blackmail you."
"Popping out of nowhere would scare anybody. At least give me a little warning, you sounded like an akuma went berserk and you wanted to kill me." She said quickly as she lowered herself and deactivated her Innocence. She couldn't say that 'I didn't expect it to do this' he would probably catch on that something was wrong with her Innocence.
"Pfft. Right. I sound nothing like an akuma. If I did, it'd be more metallic. Just admit it, you were scared, Princess."
"Don't call me that." She growled. 'Where did I put my sketch book? Great. Being around him gives me short term memory loss.'
"Looking for something?" He was waving her sketch book teasingly.
"Hey! Give that back!" She ran towards him but he jumped on to a near by moving ladder.
"Ha! You have to be quicker than that! Now… Let's have a look and see what we've got here."
"Ever heard of a thing called boundaries?" Teal jumped onto the railing above him and tried to grab the sketch book out of his hands while she was using her legs to grab on to the railing.
"Ladies shouldn't be hanging upside down like that." He smirked. "Man, you really need more detail in these sketches." He jumped off the ladder and leaned against it. Teal let go and swiftly landed beside Devitto.
"Now, if you don't mind, give me back my sketch book please."
"Since you asked so nicely… No."
'Why does he enjoy yanking my chain? I'm at the point where that maid doesn't seem so bad.' She thought as she was gazing out the window.
"Hey, who're these people?"
"They're just sketches. Most of them aren't real people."
"The ones in the photos, idiot." Devitto pulled out two photos that were in the sketch book.
'Ack!' "None of your business." She swiped the photo and her sketch book from him.
"What's with you, Princess? No need to be bitter."
"Say it with me: BOUNDARIES."
"You should listen to your own advice. Don't escape."
"What does that have to do with anything?" She glared at Devitto and he was hesitating. "You got nothing."
"So who's the one guy in that picture? Is he your boyfriend?" Devitto smirked.
"That is none of you're freaking business!" Teal hissed as she turned red.
"Oh so he is your boyfriend. If I had to guess, I'd say he has some brain damage"
"Devitto, you!" Teal raised her hand as if she were about to hit him. She couldn't hide the fact that Devitto hit something. She stopped herself and walked to the window with her back turned to him.
'Idiot.'
"What? Geez, learn to take a joke." Devitto gave an irritated sigh. He walked over beside Teal as she moved a few steps away from him. Devitto put his elbows on the window ledge and was gazing at the sky like Teal was.
"See something interesting? Nothing out except the moon and some clouds. Look, I'm- How was I supposed to know that you are separated from him because you're an exorcist? It's something you're gonna have to live with." Teal remained silent.
'Oy, lighten up and make my job a lot easier, will ya?'
"If you want to see him so much, join us or at least pretend to, then you won't have to be guarded 24/7."
"Work on your sales pitch. No matter what you do or say, I'm not going to join the clan."
"I said PRETEND you…!" Devitto's anger shot up but quickly went back down. "I'm not here to convince you to join the clan." He said in a somewhat calm tone but his hands were still twitching.
"That so? Then what are you here for?" She shifted her eyes towards him.
"I've been asked to check up on you. Make sure that you were still in one piece after your escape attempt."
"That was a little too quick. Want to try again?"
"What's it going to take…!" His anger shot up but went down quickly.
"Impressive. A lot of guys that I meet don't control their temperature as fast as you do."
"Temperature?" Devitto raised an eyebrow and started to smirk.
"Temper! I meant temper!"
"Pfft. Looks like someone could use a lesson in language." Devitto snorted.
'Dammit, why can't I hold something over him for once? Like some extremely embarrassing moment or something? Duh! I could use my ability and I might be able to get a good memory out of him. Just pretend to fall and when I bump into him, a vision should come!'
Teal moved one foot behind the other and started to walk towards him looking furious.
"You're the one to talk! You're no-" Teal tripped herself on cue but Devitto backed away and let her fall on her face.
'Well, that backfired.'
"Heh, you were saying?"
Teal felt something sharp that brushed against her right shoulder, which was her bad shoulder and her back and when she tried to get up, it was caught in her hair, ripped part of her shirt, snagged on her bandage and she was in a painful position.
'Owowowow! Geez. I really need to be more aware of my surroundings. Not to mention, the floor is freezing.'
"Oh yeah. That board is loose and if you hit it in one spot, that end will pop out."
"Thank you for you input, Captain Obvious. It would've been nice if you told me that earlier!" She hissed.
"Didn't think you'd be THAT much of a klutz. Besides, I thought you were too pissed to listen to anything I say."
"Why you- ACK!" She tried to move towards him but the piece of wood hit a very bad spot and she gritted her teeth.
"Ow. That looks like it really hurts." Devitto said in a fake sympathetic voice.
"I've been through much worse. This is nothing." She said through her teeth.
"Sure you have. I'll help you out on the condition that you listen to me without getting angry or giving me your attitude."
"Wha- Okay fine, you win." She gasped as she slightly shifted.
"Okay. Try to stay still." Teal put her free arm under her chin and waited anxiously for Devitto to get her uncaught. The sooner she was free, the better.
"So you said you wanted to talk? I'm listening so what is it that you want to say?"
"Uh… Nothing really important." 'Okay, what do I say?' Devitto lost his train of thought and just said something off the top of his head. "Just thought you might be bored being all day in that room."
"Oh." Teal said in a neutral tone. She didn't really believe anything Devitto said but she agreed to keep her end of the deal by not making too much of a fuss. She found it extremely odd that Devitto and Jasdero were the only ones who try to connect with her in some way and she didn't trust them at all. However, they were slightly better company than akuma.
'They are still human, in a way.' She thought.
"You know, you could come out of your room as long as you stay here."
"I know. But…"
"But what?"
"It's nothing. Ah! Try not to move my arm!"
"Just shut up and bear it. It's stuck in your bandage and your shirt has a big rip."
'Oh great.'
"Better your shirt than your pants, right?"
"YOU DUMBA- Gah!"
"I told you not to move." Teal moved her free arm slightly and the floor was ice cold all of a sudden. It wasn't unbearably cold, it was noticeable and pleasantly cool like snow. She started to close her hand and it actually was snow, snow that was covered in blood. Her eyes started to water when she thought of HIM.
'Why? Why did this have to mix with that memory?' She buried her head in her arm as the demons were materializing from the snow and creeping towards her. She needed somebody-anybody with her so that she wouldn't be alone.
"There. It's fixed. You can run for the hills now." Teal faintly heard Devitto's voice and his arm was still near hers. She automatically held on to his sleeve feebly.
"Hey, I said you can get up." He was going to get her to let go but she held on tighter as soon as she felt movement. Everything was fading. The gentle snow had become blistering cold that it burned.
"You know, that's why I find you annoying. You're extremely unpredictable and stubborn." Teal loosened her grip slightly and was unresponsive.
"Geez make up your mind, will ya?" When he was going to remove Teal's hand, he noticed that it was really warm and she was breathing heavily.
"Hey!"
Teal shot up and was back in her room. She had her hand on her chest and was breathing heavily. 'These dreams are getting worse. I want to get out now! It has to be done tonight. This time, I'll make sure I get out one way or the other.' Teal quickly gathered her items and threw on her trench coat and headed for the passage she found a few days ago. The maid had gone to get some medicine and it was in the other direction which would buy Teal some time.
When she was close to the kitchen, she started to drag her hand across the left wall. After she was halfway through the hall, a wall disappeared behind a tapestry and she went through. She lit a match to give her some light until she would find a torch or something.
An eerie ember glow was at the end of the stair case. There were plenty of torches but there was enough light that went on for a long time. The room at the bottom of the staircase was like a Noah memorial. In the center, there were fifteen statues that have been eroded away and they hardly had any notable traits other than the stigmata. When Teal approached them, the engravings were also worn away and she could make out a few words out of each one. They all started with their disciple number, part of the name and the rest was eroded. The one that was facing the exit had been shattered and only his feet remained. She bent down and the engraving said 'The 14th'. The engraving had a scratching on it that was illegible and there was a cross at the bottom.
She continued down the cold damp hallway and it started to get darker and she was starting to regret not taking a torch. After the darkness had entered, it was about to leave just as quickly. There was a faint light that could be seen and the echoes of the wind and water filled the tunnel. When Teal emerged, she was under the cliff and a fair bit of distance away from the mansion. Sharp rocks were at the bottom and she had to go further to get in the water. She checked the map and there was a passage that led to another cave which led to somewhere. It went off the map but it led somewhere safe. Most likely. She put her map in her bag and scaled the cliff.
'I hate it when I have to do this by myself without Innocence. Don't look down, don't look down, and don't look down.'
When she reached the top, she didn't have time to rest. The akuma had already detected her presence and started running. She used her Innocence to cut down a tree that landed on them. They couldn't move but it wouldn't last for long. She skidded on the top of the cliff and landed on her hands and knees. She carefully looked over the edge and it looked like a somewhat safe landing. The wind was picking up and there were large waves and possibly a current. There are sharp rocks here as well but there wasn't as many as the other spot. But she couldn't tell exactly where they were.
'Oh God. I really really REALLY wish there was another way.' She stood up and went down the cliff so she could run, jump and get this thing over with.
'I should be okay with my Water Spell. I hope it allows me to breathe. Okay. On three. One… Two…'
"Leaving without saying goodbye, are you girl?" Teal shivered as Tyki's voice came out of nowhere. She turned around and started to slowly walk backwards to the cliff.
"I must admit, I underestimated you. Didn't think you'd actually go this far. But now, it's the end of the line." He smirked. Teal said nothing and took another step backwards. Tyki snapped his fingers and one akuma that was a highly evolved level 2 materialized out of nowhere. It was extremely hideous as its body was twisted, bulging and looked like it was going to explode. It had machetes for hands and razor sharp lances for feet. The face was the ugliest thing to look at. As if a clown had its face burned off.
"I can't promise that you'll still be in one piece if you choose to run. Come back voluntarily, and I can promise that the Earl won't be angry with you." Teal inched towards the cliff. She was so close and could jump now if the rocks weren't so close to the cliff.
"If you're going to run, then I would like a souvenir from you." The clown like akuma hissed as he bared his fangs.
"A what?" When Teal blinked, the clown took a swipe at her head. It felt like he cut something and when she put her hand to her head, there was nothing.
'An illusion?'
"You must think it was an illusion but it's not. Look here~" The akuma cackled. He was holding a transparent black box with some pictures that were scrambling around inside.
"Which is more important? Freedom or a friend? Choose wisely because to lose is to gain and to gain is to lose. My ability is to get rid of anyone, living or dead. Or I can reunite you with someone you miss."
"Someone… I miss?" She started thinking about HIM and was tempted by the akuma's offer. 'No! Idiot snap out of it! It's obviously a trap!'
"That's right, exorcist. Which one will it be? To be or not to be. That is the question in the asking."
"And you wonder why I have issues." She threw her glance at Tyki. Memories were starting to flood in of him and Teal couldn't take another step back.
"This is your last chance, exorcist. Give up or I'll eliminate someone." That person was standing in front of her with his hand extended out, telling her to be where its safe. Teal shook her head and started walking backwards again. That person started to become engulfed by the demons.
"Jacob!" Teal cried as she was about to go back for him. He disappeared and a light engulfed the demented clown. "No!" The clown transformed into an egg and a few seconds later, a level 3 emerged.
"What? What am I doing here?" The akuma looked at its hands and looked up at Teal. "Teal… You… Why did you turn me into an akuma?"
"Jacob…" She whispered as a tear fell on her cheek.
"You had your chance, girl. You can try to run but I'll blow up this akuma." Teal cringed. Allen's words were echoing in her head. "If an akuma is not destroyed by Innocence, their souls will be lost. Forever."
She turned a little bit so her side was facing the akuma. She could jump and swim. She will make it to the cave if she jumps now. Her arm was still in fairly bad shape but it should be good enough for her to make it to the cave. If she jumped, Jacob would be lost forever.
'Innocence… Activate!'