It's Sunday October 30th, which can only mean one thing! ...Yes, it's the day before Halloween, but not just that! As it's a Sunday, that means it's time for an update~!
This time around we actually get some action in. ^_^
Now, let the Third Movement commence!
Disclaimer: Still don't own D,Gray-Man.
Allegro's Crescendo
Allen was never found by Cross after attempting to bring Mana back. Neither did the Millennium Earl or the Noah's take him in. No, a third party found young Allen instead, and from that day on, he wasn't 'Allen' anymore. Instead, the Destroyer of Time gained a new name. That name was…
The Third Movement: The Sforzando Piano
"Did your mama or papa ever read aloud to you like this Allegro?" Erika looked up from the book she had been reading out of to look at Allegro. He was still curled up in a ball, staring at the other side of the room, like he had been the entire day. Looking at the top of his head, though, she could see that his hair was starting to bleach white, and strips of it were lightening down the sides of his head.
What a shock he had to have gone through to turn his hair white…
It'd been a little over a week since she had adopted her, as the neighbors like to call Allegro, 'cemetery stray'. And while it was reasonable, with what sort of shock he had gone through, she had at least kind of hoped that he would be able to at least do some things by himself, without her doing everything. It wasn't that she regretted bringing Allegro home or anything, but still. She was brand new to this whole 'mothering' business and whatnot.
"Did your parents have anything inspirational they'd always say to you to get your spirits up Allegro?" Erika asked, setting the book aside, drawing her legs up into herself, placing herself into a similar ball as Allegro; toes curling over the edge of the chair, tipping her head back to look at the ceiling.
"You know," She explained, "like, 'A chance not taken is a chance regretted' or 'If wishes were fishes we'd all cast nets'? My parents would always say things like that…" Erika sighed, wondering what sort of advice her parents would give her in this situation.
"Never stop walking." The sudden sound in the previously quiet room nearly made Erika fall off her chair. That voice… It couldn't belong to… She snapped her head towards Allegro, just in time to watch as his mouth moved, saying,
"Keep moving forward."
She couldn't believe it- couldn't believe that Allegro had finally spoken. Erika caught herself, and shook her head to get herself out of her shock.
"That's nice," She managed a smile towards Allegro, "Is that something your papa would always tell you?"
Erika wanted to hear him speak again. It was such a surprise to hear Allegro speak, and she wanted to make sure that she hadn't imagined him speaking the first time.
"Mana." Allegro said after a time, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. "Mana always said that."
Erika saw the beginning of the tears, and backed off. This was dangerous territory she was starting to tread into, and she did not want to lose the progress she had finally made with Allegro. She set her feet down on the ground and reached an uncertain hand out towards Allegro.
"You don't have to talk about this if you don't want to Allegro," Erika informed him, before pausing, and saying, "If you're alright with me still calling you Allegro."
Before Erika could get an answer though, a loud thump! and crash! caught her attention. The sounds of the front door being slammed open [the thump] and something breaking [the crash] put her on red-alert. Was someone breaking in?
Her gun issued by the police station was in the drawer by the front door, but if she remembered correctly… Her hands opened the drawers of the nearby dresser on autopilot, finding the revolver that her best [guy] friend had given her as a going away present before she had left for England. A quick check confirmed that it was loaded.
"Allegro." Her voice was sharp, like it had been when she had been instructing underclassmen back in high school. "Stay put- do not leave the room." Not like she had been expecting him to go anywhere, but then again, he surprised her with talking today, so who knew what other surprises he had for her.
She quietly shut the door before making her way down the hall towards the staircase that led to the front hall and, coincidentally, the front door as well.
~~A blast of sound in your ear, before it vanishes~~
The hallway seemed to drag on forever, as Erika walked down it towards the staircase. The noise had stopped for now, but there was not any guarantee that it whoever had caused it initially wasn't still in the house. She had to make sure that either the intruder was gone, or to get rid of them herself. It wasn't just herself that Erika was worrying about anymore; she also had Allegro to think about as well.
She made her way down the stairs slowly, minding to skip the third step from the top [it had an awful creak] as she made her way to the first floor landing. There was no one in direct sight of the front door and staircase, but there were entranceways on either side of the staircase as well as along the side of it that led to the various rooms of her home. There was no telling which way the intruder went, or what they were even after.
Erika stepped off the last step, and held her revolver out in front of her, debating which way to go, until she heard a sound coming from her left, in the direction of the kitchen.
Her bare feet made no sound as she tramped lightly across the hardwood floor that stood between the stairs and the entrance to the kitchen. She paused at the door, and there was a moment as she held her breath, listening to the noises that continued from the kitchen.
Finally, she made the decision, and Erika stepped through the doorway into the kitchen.
What she saw, although it did not cause her to drop her gun, did cause her to lose her fear.
~~The Sforzando Piano~~
"Janice!" Erika recognized the girl. She was a little girl who used to live across the street from Erika until she lost her family in a house fire this past spring. Janice wasn't any older than about what Erika assumed Allegro to be- she was ten. Erika hadn't seen the child since the funeral; everybody in the development just assumed she went off to live with relatives.
"What are you doing here?" Erika continued, lowering her weapon, walking towards the child. "You understand that I could've shot you by accident, ri…ght?" Erika stopped as Janice turned from her spot and looked at her.
Her eyes… they weren't the same as the eyes of the little girl she knew before. Before, they were inviting and daring, welcoming anyone to challenge her to do anything, and she'd do it- or at least attempt it -, whether it be clean her room in five minutes or steal a mailbox bolted to a house frame in the middle of the day. Now though, now they were cold and hard, and nothing like what they used to be.
"Inno… cence…" Janice's mouth moved, the word falling out like she was uncertain about it. Erika repeated it, confused.
"Innocence?" She took a step closer towards the child, hand still on the gun. "What are you talking about?
"Innocence." Janice looked at Erika with such a cold look that she almost took a step back. "Where is the Innocence, human?"
"Janice, what's going on?" Erika lifted the gun up and aimed it towards the child. "What are you talking about?"
The little girl opened her mouth, but, instead of the words Erika was expecting to come out, a large mechanical gun was formed. Erika couldn't help but scream, firing off two rounds at the child as she backed out of the room, both bullets glancing off of the girl's face- which had now gained a metallic sheen to it.
She didn't know what to do. The phone line for her house was currently down, had been for the past two weeks. She hadn't had had a reason or time to get it fixed before, but now, she was desperately wishing the she had taken the time to get it done.
Before Erika could think of anything else to do, the sound of something powering up gained her attention. She didn't have anything in the kitchen that would be turning on right then, but her eyes caught sight of the thing that was posing as Janice.
Erika didn't think, just reacted, and dove as the gun fired.
~~In Allegro's Crescendo~~
So, fess up- who caught on right away that it was gonna be an Akuma that Erika was going to find, and who thought it was going to be Cross? No need to be shy.
And, actually, mentioning Cross, he didn't appear this chapter, did he? Well, don't worry. He'll be back, that persnickety jerk that he is.
So please, read and review the more reviews, the happier I am, and the more motivated I am to write! ^_^ And remember, if you have questions you want to ask, or don't know if you want to ask, drop me a review or a pm and I'll answer it to the best of my ability! ^_^
Next time on Allegro's Crescendo: Staccato and Legato
He heard gunshot echo through the still of the night, followed quickly by a second, and his pace quickened a little. A third one came, and though the first two sounded like bullets from a man-made gun [almost like his faithful Judgment] would, the third there was no doubt about what it was from.
Read, Review, and tell me what you think! ^_^
~~Paw-Chan Signing Out~~