Hi~! Sorry about not updating last week... Things got a little crazy the week prior to update, and because if that, I wasn't able to get to where I wanted to be before updating. I'm still not quite where I want to be before updating, but I'm far enough that I can stamp out my conscience...
Anyway! I'm happy to see how many of you like Allegro's Crescendo so far, and I want to thank all of you who have Reviewed/Favorited/Alerted the story. I have more than I imagined I would have when I started this out, so thank you! ^_^
Now, enough with the chatter- let's begin the fourth movement!
Disclaimer: I do not own D,Gray-Man. I do, however, own a 5-year old cell phone with a cracked screen with tape over it...
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 Fourth Movement: Staccato and Legato
Cross followed Timcampy all the way across the city, to the other side, to the side where the cemetery was that Walker had been buried at. He was currently cursing himself, wondering how the hell he had missed the brat if he had been so close to the cemetery he had originally been at, when four blocks from the hill the cemetery was located at Tim suddenly veered off down an alley.
It was a narrow side street, hardly fit to be called an alley even. There was barely enough room for Cross to squeeze down it, despite the fact that he was a grown man. For a child, especially one as small as the brat, it was probably a breeze to slip through here, but that did nothing to hold back the ever bubbling pot that was Cross' anger at the brat right then.
For a brief moment the thought was entertained that perhaps the brat was hiding down this path, but he quickly dismissed the thought. The brat had been missing for more than a week now, and even if he had spent a few days, it wasn't sheltered enough to spare him from the wandering eye from any passer-by, who might take an interest in him. Besides, Tim hadn't stopped yet, which meant that even if the brat had spent some time in the alley, he was long gone to a different place.
Tim waited for him briefly at the end of the alley, and when Cross finally squeezed himself out, he found that they were on a one-sided street, with nothing but a dirt road between what was left of the city and an open field that was taken up by a few houses down the way closer to the edge of the city towards the cemetery. He followed Tim at a sedated pace, as they set off towards the houses that were the closest to the edge of the city. There was one house as they got close that still had its lights on.
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.
Akuma.
He didn't realize that he was practically running until he realized the night was unnaturally still once more. Did the Akuma get whoever it was after? Was it the Earl the one there and stopped the Akuma's assault on the person? [Cross sort of hoped it was the fatso- he needed someone to take his anger out on.]
And then, when he was almost at the house, a fourth gunshot sounded, and Cross watched as the side of the house shook, before part of the wall crumbled away.
Grinning, Judgment was pulled out. Finally, there was something to take his anger out on.
~~Short and crisp, crisp, crisper still, otherwise it isn't Staccato~~
Erika held a hand over her heart, breathing heavily, staring at the smoking hole that used to be the door to the cupboard under her stairs. Her heart was beating so fast that it felt like it was going to thump its way right out of her chest. That… That could've been her. If she had been even a second slower, she could've been…
Erika tried not to think of it as she scrambled to her feet. That… thing, whatever it was, was obviously unstable. She had to get out, before it killed her.
She had only taken one step towards the front door before she realized something- Allegro was still upstairs. She had to go upstairs and get him before she could leave. Whatever it was that had been impersonating Janice hadn't come out from the kitchen yet, so it was safe for Erika to assume that it presumed her to be dead.
Which meant she had to be as quiet as possible as she made her way to and up the staircase to fetch Allegro. With any luck, [and this was a real stretch] the thing would go away on its own.
She took one step, then another, holding her breath all the while as she went. Third… Fourth… Then, as she took the fifth step the wood creaked. She sucked in a harsh breath, and almost like a flash, the thing that had taken on the appearance of Janice had appeared in the short hall.
"Hmm…?" It hummed like a child would. "You aren't dead?" It let out a demented sounding laugh that was a scary twist between a child's high-pitched laugh and the laugh of something out of a horror story.
"I guess we'll have to fix that."
~~Swiftly, flowing together like a stream yet still separated, that is Legato~~
Erika reacted first, sparing no time to think. She didn't wait for the whatever-it-was to finish its freakish transformation or what the hell it was doing; she just grabbed her hands on the rails of the banister of the staircase and hauled herself up it, scaling the wall and heaving herself over the railing, like a delinquent would haul themselves over a tall fence [when she definitely was not a delinquent.]
She didn't look behind her, she just sprinted up the stairs and down the hall towards the guest room; the room where she had left Allegro. She stumbled once as she reached the landing; the whatever-it-was had fired off its gun once more, but Erika had been too fast for it and it had missed by a mile.
Though her torso had already stopped, as she made it to the guest room [which she should really be calling Allegro's room by now] her lower body was still moving even as she threw open the door. Erika held onto the frame of the door as she forced her body to go a different direction as she rushed into the bedroom.
Ignoring Allegro for the moment, she sped her way over to the pile of children's clothes she had on the one box that she had gotten for Allegro. She rummaged through until she found the coat she got for him. He hadn't had had a use for one before, but now, as they were leaving the house into the cold to escape the monster, he needed it. He remained motionless, still staring at the other side of the room as Erika moved as quickly as humanely possible, putting the coat on him before not bother with shoes- they'd take too long to put on.
In one swift movement she had picked Allegro up into her arms, cradling him sufficiently enough in her arms that even at a fast pace she wouldn't have to worry about dropping the small child until they were a good distance away. Erika took one step out into the hall, turned to face the direction of the steps, then froze.
She turned back into the room, pressing her back up against the wall, keeping a tight hold on Allegro. It was at the end of the hall, and, although it didn't notice her, that didn't mean they were out of the clear. If they kept quiet enough, maybe it would go away, but that meant that they- Allegro and herself -had to be as quiet as-
Allegro shifted in her arms, squirming, before his hands came up to his face and he started wailing.
A noise came from the end of the hall, and all Erika could think to say was,
"Oh shit."
~~Legato and Staccato~~
The Akuma was nowhere in sight when he made it to the house. The downstairs was empty, but the destruction was enough evidence to show that the Akuma had definitely been there. That didn't mean the Akuma wasn't still there, though.
As if answering his unsaid question asking where the Akuma was, Cross had barely moved from the door frame he had stopped at, wondering where the damned Akuma was, screaming echoed down the stairwell from the second floor.
~~Allegro's Crescendo~~
And end fourth movement! ^_^ Like always, if you have any questions, you may ask, and thanks for reading!
Please review, because, not only do they make me happy, but they also motivate me to write more [when I have time] and get more chapters done for more regular updates! ^_^
Next time in Allegro's Crescendo: Mezzo-forte
Erika stared at the cut across the small face, the cut, which a little more than a week ago, had been a bloody gash that refused to stop bleeding. Refused to heal, and caused the little boy in her care- her cemetery stray -an infinite amount of pain. A gash that, without a doubt, was meant to scar.
Not in this way though.
Read and Review please!
~~Paw-Chan Signing Out~~