Chapter 5
In Your Arms
"Silver Verdic!" Laia exclaims, and the pair of twin revolver guns came out of the moonstone gateway and landed in her hand. Loading it with pure silver bullets that came from within the revolvers, Laia fires the guns at akumas, instantly causing the akumas to explode into nothingness with multiple shots of silver bullets.
"Mugen!" Kanda exclaims, slicing akumas here and there with quick dexterousness.
Kanda and Laia fought restlessly against an advancing group of akuma. There is so many that no matter how much Kanda swings and how many gunshots Laia fired with their Innocence's, the akumas' number do not dwindle.
Suddenly, Laia's weapons seem to glow, and the light that hits the akumas becomes so poisonous to the akumas that they melted and exploded. It seemed to sense its master in danger and protected the exorcists from being slaughtered by the akumas.
When the light finally stopped shining, Laia found that in her hands were two silver chokutos, and suddenly, she knew their names.
"Moonlight Artemis," Laia said, the swords glowing an eerie shade of silver and white. "Activate!"
Her weapons evolved, and she became more powerful. Kanda watches as she finishes the rest of the akumas with ease by the swing of both of her chokutos. Silver trails of molten silver liquid trails behind the chokuto wherever it was swung, and when it came into contact with the akumas, they melted and soon, explodes.
Finishing the fight with a graceful landing to the ground, Laia came to Kanda and smiles.
"My weapons evolved! Look!" Laia said happily, showing to Kanda her new weapons, chokutos.
"They look like mine…" Kanda mentions, and stares at the beautiful piece of work.
"Of course they'll look like yours. I requested my innocence to make another one that looks like yours…" Laia said, withdrawing her weapons back into her moonstone bangles.
Then, another akuma suddenly surfaces from the ground. This time, it was a level 3. They were so surprised by its appearance here that they couldn't do anything. A level 3 is still too powerful for them to overthrow, and so they opted to run.
"Run!" Kanda said to Laia, who refuses to listen to him and continues to fight the Akumas. Heaving a sigh, Kanda ran towards Laia and scooped her up into his arms and begun to run.
"Yuu!" Laia screamed, looking back at the akuma. Having a great idea, Laia withdrew her Silver Verdic revolver guns and fired at the Akuma while Kanda carried her in his arms.
"For once, you had a great idea, Laia," Kanda said, smirking while he ran with Laia in his arms.
"I am in your arms for once, Yuu…" Laia said to him, continuing to fire silver bullets at the akuma, which had begun to slow down with the gradual poisoning from the innocence.
"I won't let go of you, so don't worry and continue to fire that bastard until its dead!" Kanda said, exclaiming while he leaps over a waterfall with Laia in his arms. For once, he felt alive, and he laughs heartily before they fell into the water together with the akuma exploding up above them.
They landed deep into the waters, and Laia's arms flailed around her. She couldn't swim, and she watches as precious air bubbles floated to the surface. Slowly, she sinks, deeper and deeper into the water.
As she tries to reach feebly up to the surface with her hand, another set of hand pulls her into a hard set of body and kisses her, giving her life oxygen that she needed desperately to survive.
It was Kanda.
He opens his mouth and gave her the oxygen she needed to survive, and gently pulls her head and she body to him, latching her onto him so as to not let her float away. He panicked for once when he reaches the surface and saw no one. Laia must be still underwater, he thought to himself, and takes a deep breath of air before diving back down and found her sinking into the water with her hand trying to reach to the surface.
It had been an instinct to pull her to him and kiss her then and there. They had their first underwater kiss, and after a few moments, Kanda releases her and stares at her, who stares back at him. He never knew that she is so beautiful underwater, with her long hair floating around her like a water nymph, and her beautiful set of eyes and peach colored lips. I've kissed her, Kanda thought to himself. I've kissed her!
With that, he pulls them up to the surface and broke the surface powerfully, creating a large splash with the icy water. Slowly, he pulls her to the surface and hauled her over to safety grounds, where she is coughing out excess water that has entered her lungs.
"Are you alright, Laia?" Kanda asks her, wringing water out from his long hair. He watches her cough as hard as she could and spit water out from her mouth.
"I'm good… " Laia said, panting. "Thanks for saving me… and the kiss…" Laia said to him, all the while not looking at him and waved her hand at him.
Place-New Black Order Headquarters Britain
Lower Grounds, Dungeons
Time: Late At Night
Leverier's hand slammed on the small table loudly, jerking everyone out of their seats but Komui and Laia.
"All you have to do is to succumb to our orders and give me the whereabouts of the rest of the Apostals-" said Leverier, spit flying out of his mouth when he said loudly.
"I will not," Laia panted, her face solemn, cold sweat dripping off her forehead in bullets. "For the life of them, succumb to your bloody orders and your evil doings and wants, Leverrier. I swear on my soul."
"You dare to rebuke my orders!?" Leverier said, standing up and backhanded Laia's face, making her accidentally bit on her lips and bleed.
Coldly, Leverier stares at her with his dead eyes and gave out the orders, "Continue."
The man standing beside Laia turns on the switch, and electric current ran through her for the hundredth time that night.
Laia had been escorted to the Lower Ground's Dungeon by Madarao, orders of Leverier. Madarao had looked so guilty back then, and Laia had followed him nonetheless, knowing what lies ahead of her she should choose to follow Madarao. For her comrades, she is willing. The moment she arrives, he had the men waiting in the dungeon hit her until she is bloodied. He then had men put her in a metal chair, wherein her hands and feet are bounded by steel. Immediately, the men turn on the switch and electrocuted her with electric. She bits her lips until it bleeds and holds in her scream, not willing to give in to whatever it is that Leverier is forcing her to do.
"Stop," Leverier said to the man, and the man switches the electricity off. "Change."
Taking her away from the chair, Leverier had the men chain her up and start to whip her back. This time, she screams in pain.
Whips after whips of ironed whip came slashing at her back, drawing blood from her once smooth skin. Biting her lips in an effort not to scream out loud, Laia closed her eyes tightly, trying hard not to think about the agonizing pain breaking her skin behind her back.
"Stop!" a voice came through the door and vibrated throughout the cold steely room. It was Komui. The pain stopped, and upon seeing the Commander of the Black Order, the men whipping Laia stopped whipping her. Laia heaved a sigh of relief. Her rescuers had come to rescue her out of this miserable dungeon.
"What is the meaning of this, Leverier!?" said Allen, his Crowned Clown activated and protected Laia from the beatings of the ironed whip, now lay useless on the floor upon coming into contact of the near-indestructible Innocence.
"Allen Walker, Komui Lee, and the rest of the Exorcists!" said Leverrier, glaring at the silver-haired exorcist and the rest of the people that had come through the dungeon door. "This is an off-limit ground for all. Third Exorcist, get him out of here immediately!"
"Laia-san!" Lenalee screamed upon seeing Laia knelt all bloodied after Allen removed his Crowned Clown cloak around her, helping her to stand up and avoiding her heavily bleeding back, running towards Allen and offered to help her to get out of her prison.
The Third Exorcist Tevak stepped in.
"She is not to leave here without the Inspector's command," said Tevak in monotone, unconsciously stirring up the entire Exorcist's anger.
"She's a human and an Exorcist!" said General Froi, his temper rising, angry at the fact that his only female disciple had been abused without his knowledge. "She is not a prisoner! She is my student! How could she be treated with such treatment!? Hadn't she given her all to vanquish the akumas?!"
All the time, Leverrier had lied to the entire Exorcist that Laia had gone to missions. He had also forced Komui to lie on his behalf in order to get Laia underground, where she is tortured every single day in order to make her spill out the secrets of Noahs.
"She is the sister of the 14th-" Leverrier started.
"My Nii-sama..." said Laia, interrupting Leverrier, panting in pain and sweating bullets."My Nii-sama adopted me. I am not his blood sister. There never was a 15th, and there never was supposed to have a 14th. The Noahs...The Noahs only have 13, the number associated with blood. Nii-sama...he's just a player...a musician in the House of Noahs..."
"All the same, you once lived with the 14th and his family of Noahs. In other words, you are a traitor of the Black Order."
"You know full well it's a sin to hurt an Exorcist, Leverrier," Komui said, rebuking his words fearlessly. "Unless you want to lose your position right now, I suggest you to stop all this foolishness."
"I will not let her go, and here she will stay until I get what I want!"
"Release her at once!" Komui exclaims at Leverier's face, and Leverier cocked a gun out of his pocket.
Immediately, due to the threat that Leverier is posing to Komui, the Commander of the Black Order, everyone cocked a weapon out of nowhere and soon, the room is tense with the intentions of murder.
"You dare, Leverier?" Komui said, fearless of the man that is standing in front of him. He may be someone of power here in Black Order, but Komui himself is no less a Commander of the Black Order himself. He knew Leverier needs him alive more so than the rest of them, and that his life is as important as the rest of the Accommodators of the Innocence.
"I haven't done anything!" Laia exclaimed in a weak voice, her eyes getting blurred. "My Innocence could confirm the truth! I am not a traitor of the Black Order!"
"Then if you are not, why are you so close with the host of the 14th, Allen Walker?"
"We Exorcist have bonds," started Lavi, ignoring Bookman's remarks. "We are not the same as you frail humans, Leverrier. We hold onto the bonds we Exorcist forged our self and fight to our death on the front line while you humans hide behind our backs. And yet, here we are, being ordered by mere humans. If we wanted, we could just leave you humans to die."
"The 14th is an ally of the Black Order 7000 years ago..." started Laia, surprising everyone with her confession.
"What did you say?" said Komui.
"My Nii-sama is the very person who started the Black Order upon knowing that the 1st Disciple had made a contract with Lucifer. The 1st Disciple had gone astray, and can no longer be saved. He brain-washed all the other Noahs, leaving Jyodo-Nii-sama and my Nii-sama alone for they stayed with him, not knowing that both of them are plotting to take him down."
"Nii-sama started the Black Order and forged the Innocence 7000 years ago, allowing me, the Heart, and the one last originals of the humans, to be sealed for 7000 years, allowing the accommodators time to search for me, and allowing for me to stand in the front lines. Once they've found me, all Innocence will soon evolve, meaning the Last War is drawing closer."
"He would be so disappointed if he were to know that the Black Order had refused to allow me to stand in the front line to protect the other Exorcists, for the Heart is practically invincible."
"Invincible? What do you mean by invincible?"
"If I am to be sealed away, the Exorcist will have no other ways to win the wars. If I am in the front lines with the other Exorcists, I can harness my power as the Heart and increase the entire Exorcist's synchro rate by will, and all of you would be able to fight the Noahs IF, I am in the front lines."
"And why must it be you?"
"Because...I am Die Dame Von El"
"What did you say, Laia?" Komui started, surprise on his face.
"The Die Dame Von El…" Lavi started monotonously, all serious on his face. "The Die Dame Von El, the girl that the God El loves. She is protected by the Gods, and whoever who hurts her shall receive retribution from the God of El himself."
"Who is this God of El…?" Leverrier ask, and Lavi smirked at him.
"He is the God of all Gods, Leverrier…" Lavi started, knowing that Leverrier will receive his retribution soon enough for daring to harm the girl that the God loves. "He has the ability to create and un-create something from a matter, and is so powerful that he could wipe out the entire Earth with a single glance with his all powerful all seeing eyes. You have never heard of him before, because he is an Ancient God amongst the Ancient ones. All Bookman knew him, because he is once the God of all Gods…"
"Please, Laia, if you would just... just give us clues as to the whereabouts of the accommodators, then we will have a chance to win against the Earl," Komui started gently, not wanting her to think otherwise. He wanted to save her, and at the same time, he wanted so desperately to save the Earth.
"And how do you suggest I do that?" Laia asks, appearing tired and on the verge of collapse.
"You are the Heart. The Heart is the only Innocence capable to think and speak to its host, surely you could just-"
"I am the Heart's host, not the Heart itself. The Heart resides within me, and in return, it saves me and the ones I love from harm. I am only human, Komui, not Hevlaska..."
Taking a deep breath, Komui knelt down heavily in front of Laia and bows his head. "Please, Laia, I beg you. The rest of the Exorcists are dying. We couldn't fight the Earl with this amount of Exorcists. We need more people like you to fight for us. For humanity..."
"Funny that Humanity you just mentioned does nothing much to save me from harm…" Laia said, staring and glaring at Leverier.
It was then Laia suddenly glows red. Her whole being vibrated with power and a beautiful musical sound like water with glass vibrates in the air. She closes her eyes and listens to the inner voice talking to her. The light dispersed, and she awakens. "Very well. I will tell you the whereabouts of a few accommodators. My Innocences agreed to help the humankind. But I'm afraid I can only speak in riddles. I cannot directly tell you, because the Innocence forbade me to do so."
Komui came up and patted Laia's head softly, smiling in a grateful way that breaks Laia's heart. "It's alright. We'll figure it out somehow."
A tear fell from Laia's eyes, and she sings the song with the riddles. She closes her eyes, and a musical water-like sound came from her mouth.
Innocences, the Jewel of God,
The only weapon against the Noahs,
Granted to humans knowledge presents,
Search it on your own, along with a host.
Here we lie on large stone water,
Hidden within a sacred winged being,
Protecting the pride of a chessman champion,
I became a thief to save my Mother.
With that, Laia's body wobbles, and she fainted. Before she could hit the ground, Kanda came from behind and scooped her fail body up in his arms, resting her head against his shoulder safely in his embrace.
He picked her up gently, swiping her legs off the ground and places her gently in his embrace. He held her close to him, and with that, he strode out with the rest of the Exorcist following behind him, and following the Heart. They reach out to Laia, because she is their comrade, their sister, their loved ones, and their one and only Heart of the Innocences.
She is the Queen.
"I will never forget this, Leverier," Kanda said to Leverier coldly in a murderous tone. "One more time, and you shall receive the retribution the God of El shall give you. I swear by my sword."
With a swish of his long Exorcist outfit and his hair, Kanda strode out of the dungeon carefully with Laia in his arms.