Mizu: It's really bad when you know what you want to do but have such a bad brain block that you can't do anything! Words just don't come, at least for this story. I've got a million ideas for new stories but I refuse to start another until I finish at least one story. Disclaimer: I don't own -Man. If I did, Leverrier would be shot out of a cannon and into a active volcano.
Hidden Demons: Starts with Learning…
"So…" Lavi sighed, rubbing the back of his head, "What are we going to do?"
"Don't know," Lenalee and Kanda sighed.
The three were sitting at a table at the cafeteria just waiting for it to open. Sighing, Lavi placed his head on the table. Looking at the doorway, they saw Catriona sauntered in, a bit of a worried look on her face.
"Have you three figured out what you're going to do yet?" Catriona asked, worry clear as rain in her voice.
"Not yet," the three sighed.
"Thank goodness," Catriona sighed, "I nearly forgot to tell you three something very important."
"What's that?" Lenalee asked.
"You can not tell Allen that you knew him before he was changed into a demon," Catriona ordered, "If you do, the seal that holds his memories might cause him to pass out or, even worse, attack you. Afterwards, he won't remember what you tell him."
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Kanda growled, "You people are still being pretty skimpy with details."
"I can't really tell you what to do," Catriona sighed, "We've tried everything ourselves. We tried showing him pictures, videos, and things that he used to play with but nothing works. He just thinks that it's some kid and starts smiling and saying how happy he looks."
Lenalee was silent for a moment before standing up and hugging the woman, "You're extremely strong."
"Wh-What do you mean, Lenalee?" Catriona stuttered.
"I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through," Lenalee whimpered, "If my brother didn't remember anything about me and thought I was someone else, I don't know what I would do. I know that I wouldn't be as strong as you are though."
"L-Lenalee," Catriona gulped, trying to fight back her tears.
Suddenly there was an explosion from somewhere above them along with several loud screams.
"Wh-What was that!" Lenalee gasped, the two boys jumping up from their seats.
"Looks like he finally managed to break out of that room," Catriona sighed, running her hand through her hair, "He'll probably be here within a second, depending on how long it takes him to find your three's scent."
"Huh?" the three gaped.
Catriona just pointed at the doorway as a flash of white ran into the room. Side stepping the speeding blur, the woman pulled Lenalee out of the way. Kanda quickly jumped out of the way leaving Lavi to be tackled to the ground by the blur. When the dust settled, there was a hysterically crying Allen tightly clinging to Lavi.
"Don't worry about him crying like that," Catriona gently smiled, "That's just how it gets after coming out of that room. He runs for the closest person he recognizes and glomps them."
"Thanks for the bloody warning!" Lavi and Kanda snapped.
"Lavi!" Allen cried, rubbing his unwrapped left side of his face against the redhead's chest.
"Hm? Allen, where's your bandages?" Lenalee asked as Lavi finally pushed the demon off of him.
"Huh?" Allen blinked, both of his eyes teary pools of silver.
"Wait, wasn't you eye black?" Lavi gaped.
"So you didn't tell them at least that much?" Catriona giggled, "Allen's left eye is only like that when other demons are around or he needs to use a lot of his demonic power. Otherwise it looks just like a normal eye."
"Really?" Lenalee stared in awe.
"Yep~!" Allen beamed, cocking his head to a side.
"Then why did you keep it covered, Moyashi?" Kanda scoffed.
"Stop calling me that!" Allen whined, "I'm not a bean sprout! My name's Allen!" The three friends gaped at the white demon. Did he even know what he was saying? Allen flinched under the stares when he realized what he had just said.
"Ah! I'm sorry Kanda!" Allen apologized, bowing in front of Kanda.
'Maybe…' Kanda thought, 'If I can get him to fight with me like he used to, then just maybe he can go back to how he was.'
"Anyway, to answer your question, there are two simple reasons," Allen said, gently swaying for an unknown reason, "One.) I injured it while helping Lenalee that day."
Lenalee looked down at the ground as she remember that day. How could something that had only happened a little more than a week earlier feel like it happened a lifetime ago? Like she had known Allen that long.
"Two.) There are a lot of demons in that city," Allen stated, still swaying, "That's why there are so many demon hunter families there. It's like a little base cause there's a never ending supply of akuma!"
"Akuma?" the three repeated, looking to Catriona for help.
"Akuma are the ones that serve the Earl. While some are born demons, most are demons that were made by the Earl," Catriona said sadly.
"Like-" Lavi started to asked.
"No. When he creates an akuma, the Earl uses someone who has died recently. He steals some blood from their closest family and pours it over a demonic skeleton. Then he somehow manipulates a family member to yell out their name, sealing the deceased's soul within that false body. The Earl then feeds a family member to his new demon, forever changing them into a demon. Then the skeleton is stored away somewhere for a few days as it grows its new body, most of the time taking the face of the first it killed," Catriona explained.
"Then why-"
"The other way the Earl can create a demon is if someone has the abilities locked inside of them. Then he just needs a trigger for those abilities and be there when the new demon takes his first bite of human flesh," Allen sighed, placing his hand on his head, "Then he's free to control them until they die even though they keep their free will and consciousness."
"That's terrible," Lenalee whimpered.
"What happens if he isn't there when they do?" Lavi asked, curiosity eating away at him.
"Then whoever is there gets to control the demon," Allen whimpered, "That is…if they know what to do. If they don't, the new demon goes on a killing rampage until a demon hunter comes to free it from its pitiful existence."
"Allen," Lenalee and Lavi whispered, watching Allen's face morph from pained to sorrowful.
"The Earl doesn't work alone either. He has…agents that scout out possible akuma and then call him out to do the deed. They also hunt us down in hopes of pushing the Earl further towards his goal," Catriona sighed.
"Goal? The demon has a goal?" Kanda questioned.
"Yep. He wants to kill all humans," Catriona stated.
"That's original," Kanda scoffed, sarcasm obvious.
"Actually, most demons don't mind humans. It's just that the ones that appear to us are the ones that hate us," Catriona smiled sadly, "It's a shame really. Most just want to live quietly and peacefully but there are always a few bad apples."
"I take it that the agents must be pretty close to the Earl, right?" Lavi questioned.
"Yes, as close as one can get," Catriona nodded.
"If they hunt demon hunters, why haven't we been attacked?" Lenalee questioned.
"You were, remember?" Catriona pointed out, "Tyki Mikk is one of those…agents, and a high ranking one at that."
"So he knows that we're-" Lavi started to say.
"Yes. They've probably always known. It's just that they've never been given an order to go after you three," Catriona explained, "That is until of late."
"What do you mean?" Lenalee asked.
"Now the Noah are starting to attack hunters more and more. I don't know what we're going to do about those horrid creatures," Allen nearly growled.
"Noah?" Lavi questioned.
"It's what we call an extremely powerful family of demons. The agents of the Earl. The Noah all follow the Earl, who is believed to be the first Noah himself. They are the closest demons to him and are normally kept right by his side. That is," Catriona elaborated, "except for the fourteenth Noah. For whatever reason, the fourteenth has always chosen to stay away from the Earl."
"Why?" Lavi asked, freeing a thirst for knowledge he normally kept under lock and key.
"Probably because the fourteenth wasn't really a demon himself," Allen stated, "The first fourteenth Noah was a human that's powers awoken within him after he accidentally ran into the Earl. Apparently, all Noah were originally related by blood so now whenever their genes are awaken within-"
"What, they can awaken in a totally different person?" Lavi gasped.
"Yes," Allen nodded, "After the fourteenth was awakened, all the Noah decided to pick humans as mates. But there is something different in there genes from all other demons. After they died, their descendants' genes kicked in and they were, at least partially, reborn into this world. Their new demon form held all of their powers and all the memories of the previous Noah. But still, they are totally different from each other."
"So when you say awake, you're basically just saying that their powers were passed on to someone else," Lavi stated, dumbing it down."
"Correct," Allen nodded again, "As I said, the first fourteenth was awoken after he accidentally met the Earl. He didn't know he was a demon so when he shook his hands, their blood reacted with one another. That simple touch was all that was needed as a trigger for his buried genes. Once the trigger goes off, there is nothing anyone can do to stop the transformation."
"So is there anything else that the Noah have in common?" Lenalee asked.
Allen looked at Catriona as if asking permission, "May I?"
"Is Link here?" Catriona asked, looking around.
"…no," Allen whimpered.
"Then why not?" Catriona chuckled.
Allen briefly smiled before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. When they opened they were a golden amber while he skin was slowly turning a charcoal like color.
"Y-You look just like Mr. Mikk," Lenalee gasped.
Allen let out a low growl to the comment before walking closer to the lunch counter, "Please don't say that. I am very aware of how close my appearance is to that beast."
"And again with the derogatory speaking of demons," Lavi snickered.
"These are traits all Noah share," Allen stated, opening his arms wide, "Amber eyes, charcoal skin, crossed shaped sigma on their foreheads, maniacal smiles when we succumb to what we desire, and an extraordinary amount of power."
"Alright, you've shone them. Now change back before Link gets here," Catriona stated, looking over her shoulder cautiously, "You know we can't let those from Central see you in your Noah form."
"Why's that?" Kanda asked, curiosity at it's own breaking point.
"Central are those at the very top of the food chain," Allen sighed, slowly changing back to his normal form, "They truly never have trusted the fourteenth even though the past three demons agreed to serve with the hunters to fight against the Earl. They're just a bunch of paranoid fools."
"Allen!" Catriona snapped.
Allen flinched and looked away from everyone, "I'm sorry, mi lady. Please forgive my saying of things that should remain unsaid."
"Mi lady?" Kanda repeated.
"Yes," Allen sadly nodded, "Other than you three and my master, she is the one that I follow."
The three teens jumped at that, "Why's that!"
"Because I'm the demon that murdered her parents and little brother," Allen whimpered, staring down at the ground.
Catriona turned away as well, trying to hide her tears from the brother that had forgotten her.
"Wh-What?" Lenalee gasped, "But…"
"It was when I was changed," Allen whimpered, legs giving out underneath him as he brought his hands up to wipe the tears from his face, "The Earl commanded me to kill the three people he placed in front of me and I did. I ripped them to shreds to where there was practically nothing left of her brother. That's when Master appeared and stopped me from killing Lady Catriona and eating any of the flesh.
"When he told me what I had done, I begged for her to kill me. I wanted to repent for my awful sin against her, knowing that it was probably pointless to ask for forgiveness. But, even without asking for it, she wrapped her arms around me and told me that she had already forgiven me. I did such a horrendous act against her and she still forgave me. That's why I follow her. I want to repay my debt to her. To stay by her side and protect her." Allen finished, voice trembling as it slowly grew louder and louder, until he was basically yelling.
"Oh my…" Lenalee cried, burying her head in Lavi's neck as the three friends finally realized just how bad their lost friend had it. He really didn't know anything.
Kanda slowly walked up to his once forgotten friend and gently placed his hand on his head, ruffling his hair. When Allen looked up at him with teary eyes, Kanda forced a smile.
"We'll help you," Kanda promised, "We're going to change you back. Lavi, Lenalee, and I are gonna make sure to get you back to whatever kind of an idiot human you were."
Allen took a second to process this, slowly smiling warmly at the normally stoic male, "Thank you. Thank you so much, Kanda."
"Why'd you have to go and promise him that, Yuu?" Lavi whined as some poor finder (they were told the ones in the pale tan jackets where finders) prepared their room.
"What did you expect me to say, baka usagi!" Kanda snapped, "Just let him sit there and wallow in his depression? Besides, I thought that it used to be yours or Lenalee's job to cheer him up. Neither of you were stepping up to the plate so I took action."
"Still," Lavi complained, "We needed to know what we were going to do before we promised him anything."
"Master Kanda? Master Lavi?" the finder asked as he reappeared from their door.
"Eh!" both gasped, "Master?" "Yes. All demon hunters that go out in the field to fight are referred to as Master by finders," the finder replied, "Even if they are our equals, we find that they deserve the title so much more."
"Now that can't be true. We were told that you guys still fight demons and kill them," Lavi blushed.
"While that is true, you are the ones that are better suited for fighting. So it is only natural that we finders are honored to follow you and show that pleasure by calling you Master," the finder stated.
Kanda nearly growled at the man. Even though the man's face was covered in bandages up to his nose, Kanda was extremely certain that the man must have been blushing or something. It made him sick. If this was how all finders were, he was sure that he was going to hate them.
"So what's your name, finder?" Lavi asked, sensing Kanda's tension.
"Toma. Myself and another finder, Gozu, will be your personal finders while you stay here," Toma stated, starting down the hallway, "So if there is anything at all that you need, please do not hesitate to ask."
"This place is so fucking messed up," Kanda growled, stomping into their shared room.
"Agreed," Lavi sighed, following suit, "I really wish I was Lenalee right now. She gets her own room."
"Shut up, usagi," Kanda sighed as well as he let himself fall face first on his bed, "What the…"
"What is it, Yuu?" Lavi asked.
"This bed…it feels just-" Kanda started to say.
"Like your own?" a familiar voice sounded from behind them.
"Eh! Marie!" Kanda gasped at the sight of his older foster brother.
"In the flesh," Marie smirked before sighing, "You had father worried sick, Kanda. I can't tell you how relieved he was when Master Cross called us and told him that you were here."
"H-How did Cross know we were coming here?" Lavi gaped.
"He said something about his idiot apprentice not knowing anywhere else to go," Marie sighed, "Father's racing through the halls with Mr. Lee right now trying to find you guys."
"Great," Kanda scoffed, burying his head under his pillow, "First a depressed Moyashi and now a sister obsessed scientist."
"Moyashi?" Marie questioned.
"Allen," Lavi provided.
"Allen," Marie repeated, his blind eyes slowly widening, "Y-You mean Al-Allen Walker? The son of Travis Walker! He's alive?"
"If by alive, you mean a demon that refuses to eat human flesh and apparently the fourteenth Noah-thingy, the yes. He's alive," Kanda growled from under his pillow.
"A d-demon?" Marie stuttered, "C-Cross never told us anything about that. He just informed everyone outside of the main base that Allen had died in Japan because of a Noah attack led by the Earl."
"Why would he tell you guys?" Kanda darkly laughed, "It wasn't really like it applied to you guys. Though he probably could have told you that he was housing the new fourteenth about ten blocks from our house."
"Allen was staying in our town? Then how did-"
"He was never allowed out unless it was to try and find some of his memories," Lavi finished.
"Wait…The new fourteenth?" Marie gasped, "Y-You're joking, right!"
"Why would I joke!" Kanda snapped.
"B-But the fourteenth-"
"The fourteenth was his uncle," Lavi stated, sitting down on his bed, "While they were on a family trip in Japan, the Earl found them and did some kind of ritual that took the fourteenth's powers and sealed them inside of Allen, awakening his hidden demon genes."
"Th-Then Travis must have died because of that…" Marie sighed, "That poor child…Does he know?"
"Nope," the two boys sighed.
"So that's why you left," Marie whispered, "You three must be the key or something-"
"How can you piece it together so easily!" Kanda snapped, throwing his pillow at his brother, "We don't know anything about any of this crap that's going on around us and yet we're the ones expected to do something about it!"
"He does have a point," Lavi nodded, "We haven't even awoken our abilities as demon hunters yet."
"That doesn't matter. You three were all so close that there must be something that you four share that will bring him back," Marie smiled gently, "I'm positive that you guys can do it."
"Gah, all of this shit to save one kid," Kanda growled before turning away to face the wall on his bed.
Meanwhile…
"I told you to meet me in the sealed room," a blonde man with two dots on his forehead scolded a pouting Allen.
"Well sorry! I don't remember asking you to come here, Link," Allen pouted, "I still say that Central can shove all of this crap about me betraying them up their fat asses."
"Be that as it may," Link coughed, trying to hide both his laughter and slight disgust, "You still should follow their rules else they will try to terminate you."
"Yes yes, I know that," Allen sighed, "geez, are you sure that you and Reever aren't related?"
"…You're talking more freely now," Link stated, staring into Allen's wandering eyes, "And you're speech pattern has changed."
"Huh? Oh that's cause my new mast…er…friends have asked me not to speak like I normally do. I must practice whenever I can so that it becomes second nature," Allen beamed, squinting his eyes to try and see something running his way, "Who's that?"
"Who?" Link asked, "It looks like Master Tiedoll and Master Lee."
"Tiedoll? Lee? You mean the two idiots that master said he had to watch over while we were still in that town?" Allen asked, watching as he realized that the two were on some sort of robot, "Lee…Komui Lee?"
Link nodded as the robot with it's two passengers came to a stop in front of them, "It's nice to see both of you two again."
"Link!" Komui cried from the top of the robot, "Where's Lenalee!"
"And Yuu-kun!" Tiedoll joined in.
"I believe that they went up to-"
"Demon Alert! Demon Alert!" the robot suddenly sounded, causing Allen to flinch.
"Huh! Inside the barrier?" Tiedoll gasped.
"Where is he, Sir Komurin?" Komui asked.
"Location is approximately six feet straight ahead. Power levels…off the charts. Left arm is presumed to be dangerous. Is under several self induced glamour as of now," the robot sounded off, freaking Allen out so much to drop most of his glamour except the one that kept him in his human form.
"H-Huh?" Allen gaped, "H-how can that thing tell what I am-"
"Die demon!" Komui howled as the robot shot off several missiles towards him.
"Shit!" Allen screamed, turning on his heel and sprinting back the way they came, "Help me! Lunatics on the loose!"
"Oh, how to dissect you, little pretty boy," Komui cackled from atop the robot, "Oh, it's been so long~!"
"You must let me paint his near lifeless body, first, Komui," Tiedoll added, pulling out his paint, "I'm sure that he'll be a masterpiece." "But of course!" Komui smirked towards the other man.
'Paint? Komui Lee? Shit! These are Kanda and Lenalee's family!' Allen thought to himself as he sprinted down the hall.
"B-B-BaKanda!" Allen screamed, using his overly powerful lungs and a bit of his demonic power to amplify the halls, "Lena! Lavi! Help me!"
Kanda and Lavi jumped out of their beds when they heard a few explosions down their hallway.
"It's probably just Komui and father blowing up some poor guy who hit on Lenalee," Marie smiled, "Don't worry about-"
"B-B-BaKanda!" Allen's voice rushed through the hall like a sonic boom, "Lena! Lavi! Help me!"
"Allen!" Lavi and Kanda shouted, sprinting out into the hall.
Kanda barely jumped out of the way as Allen tackled Lavi to the ground, trembling in fear. Lavi struggled for a moment until he felt Allen's tight grip on his shirt.
"What's going on Allen?" Lavi asked, managing to stand up.
"H-He's going kill me!" Allen cried, looking up at the three people there with pitifully, watery, silver eyes.
"Who is?" Lavi asked.
"K-Komui!" Allen cried, more tears flying from his eyes, "I didn't even do anything!"
"Déjà vu," Kanda and Lavi murmured.
"Why's he gonna kill you?" Lavi asked.
"I don't know!" Allen cried, trying pitifully to wipe the tears away, "Then your dad wants to paint me! Why!"
"Dad?" Kanda repeated as a giant robot finally appeared with his father and Komui on top, "What do you two think you're doing?"
"Getting rid of a demon," Tiedoll smiled, "This is going to be your first lesson, Yuu."
"Like hell it is," Kanda sighed while Lavi tried to drag the crying demon into their room, "That Moyashi is our friend and I'll be damned if I let you hurt him."
"Friend?" Komui questioned.
"Moyashi?" Tiedoll repeated, "the only kid you've ever called that was Allen…Walker…Don't tell me-"
"Hey, you're not as dumb as you look, old man," Kanda scoffed, entering his room and slamming the door.
Mizu: So…tired... And I've got too many ideas. *imagines England's mint bunny*
Fly'n Mint Bunny: Who're you?
Mizu: I'm Canada…Gah! I just did something I swore I wouldn't! *swats away the imaginary mint bunny and sighs* You see, I got sick right after my friend watched Canada in Hetalia. And unfortunately for me, I sound exactly like Canada (dubbed) when I'm sick. So she was picking on me for two months while I fought to regain my voice. Why? Cause I made fun of her inability to do accents like me. Though that kind of back fired on me cause now I'm England, France (a poor one at that) Russia, North Italy (learning his accent) Australia, Canada, and I think possibly Austria...maybe. I'm not that great at accents but it's enough to make my friends laugh at least...
Allen: …She's lost it…
Lavi: Nah, that's just how she gets when she's under too much stress cause of school.
Allen: But she's only been there for a week.
Lavi: So? School's hard and it tends to suck.
Mizu: Couldn't have said it better. Reviews are still extremely welcomed and I totally love all suggestions too! Ciao for now!