Chapter 3- Time Is A Funny Thing
Authors Notes: Mako here with the low down of the next chapter, as usual we don't own DGM, But Crystal and Dusk are myself and Sen's character.
Sen: I can't believe I'm such a slave...and to a little girl, at least it's Road~
Mako: You shouldn't complain since, you're much stronger than me at this point, anyway let's continue
Last chapter-
Why? Why is 'today' different from 'yesterday'? Why is this monster here? Is it my fate to die? This isn't supposed to happen, I'm supposed to be home, waiting for 'tomorrow' How-
"Good evening akuma….I'm afraid I'm going to have to stop you here."
Present-the next morning…? P.O.V
I pick up the newspaper hoping for a change, just like every other day. It doesn't have to be colossal, heck I don't care anymore it it just has to be something different! Ughhhhh, it's the same day, it's October 9th. It's the same article, with the same news, and same date...Sigh, I glance at my old grandfather clock, watching the tick tock hands, it's coming, 3...2...1
"YOU JERK YOU CHEATED ON ME AGAIN DIDN'T YOU!?" I find my neighbors fighting, I knew it would happen. The wife practically has her husband in a choke hold on the window frame. "I...I'm sorry de-dear." It's the same old thing, every morning at precisely this time or that the same events repeat itself. And I seem to be the only person to realize it. Every time I mention it to someone else, they either call me crazy, or they forget about it. I grab my shawl and walk outside. As usual those stupid brats and their dumb dog are there...I hate them.
"Haha Take this!" Once more he throws poop at me...the only benefit of this strange phenomenon. "Dodge!" He missed. "What the Hell? How could you dodge it?" "Hmph after you throwing it at me for so long of course I'd be able to dodge." "What?! But this is the first time I threw poo at you!" He always says that, and once more another pest, I never cared for them, so I didn't bother remembering their names stands next to him. "Oh no stay away from Miranda, otherwise her bad luck will spread to you!" Then all those obnoxious kids start singing.
"Miranda Miranda, Bad Luck Miranda, Doesn't have a life, Are you working again? You'll get fired anyway, Miranda, Miranda-"I glare at them, those stupid faces they make while singing. Oh How they piss me off. "Ahhhh Runnn she'll curse and spread her bad luck!" They flee, the damn brats. No matter how many times I hear and deal with it, it just does not make my mood any better.
I keep walking, suddenly in my view is the person who I saw last night. He is different. What was supposed to happen was I was to cut through the alley, get splashed with some mud by a fast moving carriage, before finally going to bed. But it was different, I got attacked and nearly killed by this monster, and than this man comes up with a strange weapon, killing the creature, which allowed me to escape. Who is he? All I know is he's my only hope wait for meeeeeeeee!
3rd P.O.V
"Achoo" The white hair boy sneezed, during his comrades conversation. The three members of the Black Order were all seated in a bar, ironically where the ar owner calls to order 10 barrels of rose wine. "Sorry Lenalee you were saying?" The green haired girl sighs, sitting next to her, is the 3rd exorcist, who only shakes her head at the cursed boy. The girl known as Lenalee begins to scold the parasite type wielding exorcist. "How could you lose her Allen? You said there was an akuma attacking her?" "Yeah it was only by luck that I spotted her, I got lost and happened to see them in the alley. But after I destroyed it she got away…" Both woman sigh, at this time Crystal gives him a pitiful look,
"Something tells me you're bad case of directions is what made you lose her. We're not splitting up again... Well at this point there's not much we can do about it now. I didn't get much information from the townspeople. when I went to talk to them, to see if anyone knew anything they just called me a freak. It's clear that these citizens are under the influence of something because they still think it's October 9th. Lenalee, what happened on your end? " The pigtailed exorcist drinks her warm tea.
"I tried leaving the city, and as we thought I couldn't leave. I made several holes throughout the city walls, but every time I tried to leave I would just end up where I started. I think this is definitely the work of innocence." Across the bar a woman with her black hair up in a bun, with dark fatigued eyes looks at the three strange people. Clearly you can see the white haired boy looks younger than she originally thought, and she has never seen his two female companions either, once more there is change from the previous October 9th's.
At that moment Lenalee and Crystal are looking at Allen's "Drawing" if you could call it that. Let's just say he doesn't have the best artist skills. Just as Allen is ready to demolish his meal, he ends up locking eyes with "Miranda." Lenalee hears a clang sound, and looks at the cursed boy worryingly, "Allen are you ok? You dropped your spoon," The fan wielding exorcist frowns, why does he look so...freaked out?
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed more or so out of surprise if anything. Out of reflex Miranda made a jump through the window, fortunately Allen at this point had recovered and managed to grab her before she once again fled the scene. Both a gasping for air, as Allen tells her that he and his two friends are exorcists.
"Aha-please excuse me for my behavior. I um, well I'm Miranda Lotto and I'm so happy to see that someone has finally noticed all the weird things going on in this town. I felt like I was going to go insane, no one listens to me when they were told today isn't the first October 9th. Oh but I am able to dodge poo now ehehe…" The poor woman looks like she's barely slept...and frankly who can blame her.
Allen:Poop? Do I want to know what she means?
Lenalee: Is she ok?
Crystal: Hopefully we can get this case solved...poor lady looks like she's losing it
At this point Miranda went into hysterics begging for their help. Allen was actually crying out of fear because she moved and acted so suddenly. Lenalee and Crystal did their best to calm both people. That is until Allen's eye activated. "Lenalee, Crystal get Miranda out of here." All three women looked at him with confusion, wondering why the sudden change of topic. "Miranda is the only person in this town that knows something's not right, and the akuma are well aware. Get Miranda out of here."
Both exorcists eyes widen but nods in understanding, rising to their feet. At this time the people in the bar contort and change into their akuma forms. There's an explosion and Miranda is picked up and taken to her house. Suddenly the song that the children always sang to her appears through her mind as they leave Allen to fight.
"Miranda Miranda, Bad Luck Miranda, Doesn't have a life, Are you working again? You'll get fired anyway, Miranda, Miranda…" Oh how she wished those kids were wrong...but it seems that no matter what she does, the song and herself is all true. They make it back to Miss Lotto's apartment. Where as carefully and as simply as possible, she is explained the situation with the akuma and town…
Outside the City's walls…
"Ohh how interesting...Aha come on Dusk," A girl floats in the air an umbrella preventing her from being soaked in the pouring rain. Her emotionless servant right by her side. She reaches her hand in. "Hm so this is the rewinding city...a place no longer bound by time~" Her human layer of skin peels off as she enters, Dusk following his master into the unknown. Road licks her lips and refolds her umbrella, now that it no longer is raining, "Road Kamelot has arrived~" They make their way...the innocence is in danger.
Meanwhile with a certain white hair boy fights the akuma as one by one each attack him. The first one managing to give him freezing burns. Each level 2 akuma has their own special properties, and at this point of their evolutions are allowed to have a personality. Unlike their previous identical level 1 forms. "Yahahahahaha let's burn him!" Another slices at the exorcist, who had to turn away from his wounds in order to dodge the spinning metallic hands. "Let's slice and dice him!" A third and final akuma attacks, giving off a high frequency sound. Putting Allen in a temporary paralyzed state. "Nooo let's use my voice, we can turn his brain into mush!"
All three akuma look at one another, each wanting to kill their target with their own powers. "Burn him!" "No Let's slice him into itty bitty pieces!" " No we're turning his brain into mush." They each grunt, and do rock paper scissors. Hoping that would decide who gets to do what. But Allen seizing the opportunity, shoots at them with his innocence. Causing a lot of pain and suffering to the 3 akuma, they're still alive...but they still feel pain. "Youch that hurt, why would you do that?"
"What idiot would wait?!" Allen continues to fire his arm, and just as he's about to throw down with the screaming frustrated akuma, they suddenly stop. A voice echoes through all three machines, 'What are you guys doing? You're supposed to be going after the innocence...get back here now.' Obeying the command the akuma disappeared...leaving a very confused Allen to travel back to his fellow exorcists.
Back at the apartment…"AHHHHHHHH WHAT WERE THOSE MONSTERS!? WHY DID THEY COME AFTER ME?" You find Miranda...kneeling on a table, ignoring the pleas of Crystal and Lenalee to calm down. She suddenly falls, revealing a chain around her neck, on that chain is a clock spring. The female Lee notice and asks Miss. Lotto what the story of that spring. Crystal encourages the nervous woman with a kind smile.
"Back when I was a child I was always teased, because I could never do anything right. I was never ahead or even average. I just kept screwing up everything I did. As I grew older I was still the same. I had to keep getting jobs because I was always fired for my clumsiness. I...wanted someone to acknowledge me...prove my existence, but due to my constant failures I never once received a thank you.
"One day I saw an old grandfather clock in one of the antique stores about to be thrown away because it didn't work. I remember the store clerk telling me he got it from it's previous owner and how despite being in perfect condition it just wouldn't work. He gave me the clock spring to emphasize his point that it won't work for anyone. I felt like I was looking at myself...a clock that no one wanted, because it was deemed useless.
"I put the spring in the clock and...it suddenly worked. The store owner encouraged me to buy it because it wouldn't work, not matter who tried. It's chiming...it brought tears to my eyes, it's chime rang deep in my heart. I felt that it chose me...the me who was treated like nothing. I've had it ever since…"
"So wait Allen the akuma left?" Currently it has been a few hours since Miranda told her tale, And Allen just arrived to be treated by Lenalee due to his minor injuries from the fight. "Yeah…it was so strange they wanted to kill me but they backed off. Owch Timcanpy stop poking!" It was certainly a predicament.
TImcanpy...noticed Crystal listening in to the conversation...thinking about the situation. For some odd reason...timcanpy had this strange attraction to Crystal...Suddenly...CHOMP! It bites Crystal…"OWWWWW GET HIM OFF!" Crystal desperately tries to get the golden golem off, but to no avail. Eventually Allen now properly bandaged gets the annoying flying ball off her...bite wounds cover her…
She sighs in relief…"Ahhh thank you Allen…" He smiles sheepishly. "SOrry about that, Tim has been acting weird lately, and What's up with Miranda…" You find her scrubbing her clock...it's the only thing that calms her when she's sad or stressed.
She has this distant depressed aura around her. "Ugh...what did I do wrong? Why are monsters coming after me? I didn't do anything...the town went crazy on its own… I hate everything." Crystal sighs as Allen shudders…Lenalee sweat drops at the scene, "This is how she's been since we told her about the akuma and the innocence."
Allen tries to talk to her, but is interrupted. " I CAN'T DO ANYTHING! YOU GUYS ARE THE ONES WITH THE POWERS! FIX THIS TOWN! I'M USELESS!" Allen kneels down to her current level and smiles, with his hands clapped together, "we will fix this city Miranda. But we can't do anything without your help. You're the only person who know about the cities strange occurrences. So let's work together."
Miranda with tears on her face looks at Allen with hope. His smile widens, "Let's make tomorrow come!" She pops out of her position and goes to bed...Allen falls to the ground before shouting, "You're going to sleep!?" Lenalee sees that Miranda is acting bizarre, before looking behind her. She shouts for Allen and he turns. All around the room are a variety of shapes, each has clock hands in the center...and all of it is being swept up and absorbed by the clock.
the three soldiers nearly get taken into the clocks suction. When all the 'time' is absorbed the sun shines and Miranda awakens...She's puzzled. "I don't remember going to bed…" All three stared wide eyed at what they just saw...this mystery just gets weirder and weirder…
To be continued