DGM
More Than This
Chapter 21
Searching
Komui stared at Lavi and Kanda. Bookman came in and sat down beside Lavi and arms folded in front of him. Lavi poked Kanda and grinned while Kanda twitched and his hand inched towards mugen. Lenalee walked in and handed Komui his coffee and Reever took his from the tray. Lenalee sat down and smiled with the tray on her lap. "You called for us brother?" Lenalee said.
"Yes. I'll be sending you three on a mission." Komui said.
"Why so many people?" Lavi asked.
Komui sipped his coffee then looked at them witht a calm face. He sighed and pulled down a map then pointed at Italy. "I've recently sent Kumari on a mission with a team of finders. It was a simple mission. That's it seemed like a first, but it appears that we lost contact with her on her third day. We thought something went wrong with her communication signal, but we haven't heard from her or any of the finders in the area. The small team was suppose to meet with another team because they had been attacked and lost a handful of finders. Kumari was suppose to protect them, but neither finders or herself had been seen anywhere. They have vanished and I fear the worst. There was at least twenty people in that group and for them all to disappear that worries me. I know she can take care of herself but it has been some time and I might've waited too long." Komui said.
"How long has it been?" Bookman queried.
"Two weeks." Komui replied.
"Two weeks? I know Kumari is strong, but still that's a little long brother." Lenalee responded.
"Indeed. Her last know appearance was in a small town called Regillion. She walked into the forest, but seperated from the group of finders because of an akuma attack. The finders went back to town, but they then disappeared along with the half the town. Some people said they turned to dust and nothing was left except their clothes." Komui said.
"Then the finders were killed by akuma. What about Kumari?" Lavi asked.
"She never came out of the forest. Normally I would send a group of two or three depending on the exorcists, but with the Noahs going around and I feel I should send you four because we need to make sure the finders were killed by akuma and the forest is big. Almost a jungle." Komui said.
"You're worried more than you're letting on Komui." Bookman told him.
"Yes. They have found a single trace of her. A few days ago while a finder came in town in search of Kumari a sai was thrown from a tree and almost pierced the finder. On it a note was attached, but it seems it's in some kind of foriegn language that none of the finders know. Possibly a dead language." Komui told them.
"And the sai was Kumari's?" Kanda asked.
"The describtion of that sai to the ones she had been given a few weeks ago were exactly alike." Komui told them.
"Who threw the sai?" Lenalee asked.
"No one saw the person, but they heard the trees rustle. It could've been Kumari and she didn't come out for some reason. Whatever her purpose I think she can't get out if it is her. So you'll be dispatched immediately given the importance of her disappearance." Komui said.
"Is this it?" Lenalee asked, looking down at the town.
"Let's see. . . there's a town. . . . . there's a few finders. . . . . .uh, the forest is right there. . . . . . . .the town is almost dead and-"
"There's a sign that says Regillion right there." Kanda interrupted Lavi and pointed at a sign right beside Lavi.
"Oh, yeah. We're here." Lavi said.
They walked down the small hill and entered the town. They were greeted by two finders, Ken and Luke. Bookman was given the note and Lavi peered over his shoulder. It wasn't just one language. Each letter was from a different language and it could take awhile to decipher it. Bookman put it in the uniform jacket. They listened to Luke, the only survivor of the group. "Kumari destroyed the akumas while we got away andthere was a large amount. Unknowingly, the akuma planned that tactic and were waiting in town. About half the town was killed and all the finders being sent to Ken's team died as well. For some reason though, the akuma left town and went back into the forest. It was likely they were destroyed because a few explosions were heard, but it's unknown. After that a bright light came from the forest and Kumari never came out." Luke said.
"Komui didn't mention anything about a light." Lavi said.
"I'm positive I told him that." Luke said.
"Maybe Komui forgot to mention it?" Lenalee suggested.
"What color was the light?" Bookman asked.
"It's going to sound weird, but the light was black, but it was bright." Luke said.
"Is that possible?" Lenalee asked.
"I've never heard of such a thing. A bright black light? Panda?" Lavi responded.
"If it's innocence nothing is impossible, but I haven't heard of such a thing either." Bookman said.
"Could you see?" Kanda asked.
"What?"
"Could you see?" Kanda repeated.
"Oddly, yes. It was like the light was casting over us and around us, but we weren't in it. We could see the other colors from trees, houses, and the sun, but it was a bit hazy. If you got closer to the forest it got darker. It's difficult to explain. You would have to expierence it yourself to understand it." Luke said.
"How strange." Lenalee mumbled.
"Can you enter the forest?" Lavi asked.
"I never tried to. Before the akuma attack Kumari wanted to turn back. She got all jumpy and figety. Nothing like herself. She sensed something was wrong and then we were attacked. She told us not to come back in the forest no matter what. That was a few days after we lost signal with headquarters. She said if something happened to contact headquarters, but our golems had been destroyed during the attack and we had no choice to but to wait for another group of finders." Luke explained.
"Kumari suspected something?" Lavi mumbled.
They stopped in front of the forest and it seemed like there was nothing wrong. Birds were chirping and it was sunny. There was nothing wrong. Ken got the sai from the camp and handed it to them. Kanda stared at it and knew it was Kumari's. He looked into the forest and narrowed his eyes. "Well, should we head in?" Lavi queried.
"All of us?" Lenalee questioned.
"Unless you want to hang around here." Lavi said and skipped forward.
Kanda walked after him and Lenalee looked at Bookman."Normally I would agree, but I have a feeling we should all go in. That's why Komui sent all of us." Bookman told her and followed the boys.
Lenalee looked around and found nothing suspicious. There were just animals and trees. Nothing out of the oridinary. "We forgot to ask how far in they were when Kumari got worried or whenthey were attacked." Lenalee stated.
"I don't think it really matters." Lavi told her.
"If it were just akuma or a Noah then they could move all over the forest and wouldn't stay in one area unless they're looking for innocence or Kumari." Bookman said.
"I guess." Lenalee said.
"Is something wrong Lenalee? You seem a little concerned." Lavi said.
"I just have a feeling something is wrong if Kumari disappeared. I don't know what it is, but I just can't see anything happening to Kumari." Lenalee said.
"I'm sure she's fine, but you're not the only one worried about her." Bookman said and the three stared at Kanda who was up ahead.
A few hours passed and they found nothing and they even went off the path, but never got back on. No one really talked. They all looked around, trying to find something, but there was absolutely nothing wrong. Then a stick all turned around, but saw no one. Kanda could sense someone though. "Who's there?" Lenalee asked.
The person turned around and started running away. "Hey wait! We're not going to hurt you!" Lavi shouted.
Kanda started running after the person and the others had no choice but to follow or they would lose him. Kanda watched the person's movements. They were fast and able to make quick turned with no difficulty. Barely made any sound and it was a girl, but he couldn't get a clear view of the girl because of the trees. Then she disappeared. He stopped running and looked around. Did she climb up a tree? "Where'd she go?" Lavi asked.
"Do you hear that?" Lenalee asked.
"Hear what?" Lavi asked.
"Running water?" Lenalee said.
"It's coming from that direction." Bookman pointed at a bunch of bushes.
They all walked over and when they moved the bushes out of the way they came to a huge lake, but you could see the whole thing from where they were. There was only one enterway at the bottom and then a plateu. Which they were on. On the other side was a beautiful waterfall. Lavi looked up and saw some eyes in the dark and got a little frantic for a moment. The eyes disappeared and a few leaves fell. "We're not going to hurt you." Lenalee said.
"We don't bite." Lavi said and laughed.
They stared at some eyes that appeared again, but then the person jumped out of the tree and hid behind a tree trunk. You could clearly see one hand and an eye. Red eye. "Kumari?" Kanda muttered.
"What was that Yuu?" Lavi asked.
"Kumari? But that can't be. . . . . . . Kumari!" Lenalee responded.
"How do you know my name?" Kumari asked.
"Kumari?" Lenalee whispered.
Kumari came out from behind the tree and looked them over, but didn't reconize any of them. Her gloves were still on her hand, but they didn't see a sai. She wasn't even wearing her uniform. She stood in front of the tree and she had a small bumb on her head. "You don't reconize us?" Lavi asked as he took a few steps, but she backed away.
She stared at the star on their jackets and then Kanda's sword and Lavi's little hammer. She looked over the edge and then back at them. "Go away." Kumari said.
"Kumari, we're your friends. From the Black Order. Remember?" Lenalee said softly.
Kumari stared at her and she was confused. That was evident. She took another step back then the edge of the cliff crumbled beneath her feet and she started to fall. "Kumari!" Lavi shouted and ran over to the edge.
Kumari fell into the lake and Lavi waited for her to come back up, but she didn't. He took off his shoes and coat and handed his hammer to Lenalee. He dived in and looked around. He started swimming down and then his vision was fogged when red got in his way. He blinked and reconized it as blood. He waved his hand and when the blood went away and saw Kumari covered in wounds and bleeding rapidly. She was unconscious, but the wounds suddenly disappeared then reappeared and disappeared could think about it later and he swam towards her, but when he went to grab her she was stuck. He looked at her feet and a big boulder was on it. He tried to push it off, but couldn't. Lavi swam back to the top and when he could breathe normally he looked up at the others. "She's stuck!" Lavi shouted.
Kanda did the same as Lavi then dived in. He tried to get the boulder off with Lavi, but it wouldn't budge. He went back up to the top and told Lenalee to give him mugen. She threw it down and he swam back to the bottom. Lavi turned his head around then, panicking, swam out of the way. Thhe boulder split in two and Kanda grabbed Kumari and went back to the top. Lavi got on land and took Kumari from him. He climbed out. Lenalee and Bookman came over with their thnigs and Lavi put his jacket under Kumari's head and sat on the ground. He stared at her and the blood came to mind. He didn't see any cuts. He checked her leg and stared at a small wound on it from the boulder. There was no way the blood came from that though. Too small of a cut. "Whoa. . . freaky." Lavi said.
"What do you mean?" Lenalee asked.
"When I jumped in my vision was blurred because of blood. It was coming from Kumari and there were several wounds, but they vanished. And there was too much blood to come from this small injury." Lavi said.
Kumari opened her eyes and stared at the sky. She heard people talking and sat up, but ended up coughing. They all looked at her and she stared at them with fright. She stood up and backed away from them until her back hit the wall. "Kumari, what is wrong with you?" Lenalee asked.
She held her head and you could see pain in her eyes. She shut her eyes then fell forward. Kanda caught her and she looked at him. Her eyes widened and she gripped his wrists and her nails dug into his skin. Her head sunk down and she stared at the dirt. Kanda flinched as her nails went in deeper. When she looked up at him her eyes glowed and then a black light surrounded them. It was just like Luke said. The light was broight and you knew you were in it, but it looked like the light wasn't touching you. LIke you were outlined. It gave you a fuzzy and tingly feeling. It was coming from Kumari though. As it disappeared it looked like it entered her body. SHe closed her eyes and when she opened them they were black. She let Kanda go and stood up. Her innocence antivated, but the light wasn't green. It was black. It was tainted. She grabbed her sai and then she sttacked Kanda who dodged it, but then she threw it. Lavi's eye widened as he looked down and the sai pierced his chest. The pain for some reason. . . . . it was worse than it should've been. The pain seared throughout his whole body.
Lavi fell to his knees and put his hands on the ground to support himself, but it just made the pain worse. It was like he just got out of a battle with a Noah. He felt like he couldn't breathe and a hand went to his chest and he tried to breathe, but it only got worse. He felt faint and was about to pass out when Bookman pulled the sai out. The pain started to fade and he could breathe again. He stood up, but leaned on a tree and held his wound with one hand then stared at Kumari, freaked out. "Lavi, are you okay?" Lenalee asked.
"What the hell was that?" Lavi said.
Kumari's eyes went back to normal and she blinked. She got on the ground and held her sore leg and everyone stared at her. She looked up and frowned. She got light headed and she put her head on her knee. SHe felt warm and all fuzzy inside. It felt good, but it was weird. She tried to think, tried to remember what was going on, but couldn't. She felt at bliss. Then Kanda grabbed her arm. Everything changed and she felt sore. In agony. She hissed and he stared at her. Then it came to her. "Innocence. . . . . . innocence. . . . . . innocence. . . . . . . innocence." Kumari repeated.
"Kumari?" Kanda mumbled.
"Innocence. There's innocence. Innocence is here. Innocence." Kumari said, trying to think, but it looked like it hurt.
"What about innocence?" Kanda asked.
"Water. Bottom of lake. Innocence is in the lake." Kumari said and stared at it.
Kanda glanced at the lake, but Kumari stood up and shakily walked to the lake. She dipped her hand in the lake and then jumped away. She held her hand and looked in severe pain. Bookman gave her her sai and she took a deep breath. She had to go in. She started to put her leg in, but screamed and Kanda pulled her away. Lavi walked over with Lenalee and they stared down at Kumari as blood, wounds, and her ripped pants started to heal as if Miranda was using her innocence on her. Kumari was breathing heavily and rested her head in Kanda's shoulder. "Kumari, what's going on?" Lenalee asked, worried, creeped out.
"The. . . . innocence. I don't have much time left until I forget again. I need to get the innocence." Kumari told them.
Her leg completely healed and she looked back at the water. "Kumari, do you know where the innocence is?" Bookman asked.
"Yes." Kumari answered as she stood up. "I have to get it or I'll stay like this, but everytime I enter it my injuries come back."
"Injuries?" Lavi queried.
"I don't have time to explain." Tira said and walked towards the water.
"You can't go in there. You'll star-"
Lenalee was interrupted by a huge splash as Kumari jumped in the water. Kanda followed her, but just like Lavi earlier, blood fogged his vision. Kumari swam as fast as she could disreagrding her pain. Kanda followed her as best as he could through the blood and she turned her head around to stare at him. She started coughing and blood came out. A bright green light came out of nowhere and they looked down. Kumari swam to the bottom and it got harder to swim. Her pain got worse and she struggled to move her body. Kanda grabbed her ankle and she tried to scream. He instantly let go and stared at her. Her wounds disappeared and when they reappeared they got worse. She started swimming away and they got to the very bottom and they were both ready to pass out from the lack of oxygen. Kumari reached her hand out as a random current came along and she grabbed the innocence.
Kanda and Kumari were suddenly thrown out of the water and on land. Kumari coughed up a storm and some blood came out. She looked at the innocence in her hand then dropped it. She turned her head around and stared into the woods. "Akuma." Kumari whispered, but then passed out.
"Oh great. We find Kumari, trouble stirs, we have no idea what's going on and now we have to deal with them. We didn't even get an explanation" Lavi said as his hammer got bigger.
"We have to hurry. Kumari is losing a lot of blood and if we don't get her somewhere soon she'll die." Bookman said as he felt her pulse.
"I don't think that's gonna happen gramps. We got a whole bunch of them." Lavi said while he created his fire stamp.
Kanda activated mugen and furrowed his brows. "I'll take her back to town. I'll be right back." Lenalee said as she grabbed the innocence and picked Kumari up.
Lenalee came out of the forest and stopped when she got to the hospital. The finders saw her and came runnning over and entered to see Lenalee covered in Kumari's blood as she gave them to the doctors. Lenalee told them to stay and watch over Kumari as she headed back to the forest after giving them the innocence. When she got back though, almost all the akuma were gone and they finished up the swarm and headed back. When they did they sat down in a waiting area and tried themselves off from being soaked by the water from the lake. "What happened to Kumari?" Luke asked.
"We don't know yet. When we found her she didn't remember us and she ran. It's complicated to explain, but when she got near a lake she started to get wounds and bleed. She went in and got the innocence after a big fiasco and then came out bloodied and almost dead. Kanda went in with her, but nothing happened. We just have to wait for her to explain." Lenalee said.
"Then you're going to have a long wait." a doctor said.
"How is she?" Lavi asked.
"She's substained some heavy injuries. She has lost a lot of blood, but she'll be alright considering she is an exorcist. She won't wake up for awhile though. Until some of her serious wounds heal she'll be out cold. I'd say about a month. Maybe more. She would be fine, but it seems they got infected." the doctor said.
"She just got the wounds." Bookman said.
"I understand that, but what's done is done. I'm just telling you what I know." he said.
"Thank you." Lenalee said.
"Guess we'll just have to wait." Lavi said.
Kumari opened her eyes to have Komui greet her. He was sipping hos coffee as usual and she saw Matron on the other side of the bed. "Ko. . Komui?" Kumari whispered.
"Hello Kumari. How do you feel?" Komui replied.
"Like shit." Kumari said.
"Now you're starting to sound like Kanda. Maybe you've been spending too much time with him." Komui said.
Kumari sat up and stared at Komui, holding her stomach. "How long?" Kumari asked.
"About a month. Just like the doctor in Regillion said." Komui told her.
"What happened to the finders?" Kumari asked.
"They were all killed except for one." Komui answered.
"I was afraid you would say that." Kumari said.
"Huh?"
"I bet you're wondering what happened, right?" Kumari said.
"So are your friends. You are strong. One of our strongest. So how this much damage could be caused is a big question." Komui told her.
Kumari looked at her feet and her hands gripped the blanket. Komui watched as Kumari seemed to get angry. 'How could I be so foolish? Being tricked like that?' Kumari thought. "There were so many akuma. I've never face so many of them. What bothers me though. . . . . . . . . there was barely any level twos. Most of them were level threes and a handful of level fours. More than I could take on alone. I should've been dead. As I destroyed the last akuma I fell into the lake. The innocence healed me." Kumari said.
"It healed you? That's impossible. For it to work for you you would have to be the accomadator." Komui told her.
"I'm not though." Kumari said.
"Then why would it-"
"I don't know. It healed me and when I got out of the water I couldn't remember anything. I couldn't think or focus. I was in such bliss. It was weird. So strange, but I think the innocence took my memories. It did me a favor by saving my life and took my memories to repay itself. When I got it back something strange happened before that. A weird light came then I collapsed in pain and when I tried to go in the water all my injuries came back, but each time I went back in the water they got worse somehow. Then i lost my memory again. It got longer each time and each time the pain got worse. That's all I can say. I don't know anything else." Kumari said.
"Take your memory? But why would innocence want to save a person who's not their accomadator?" Komui responded.
"Komui?" Kumari mumbled.
"Yes?" Komui asked.
"What is the heart?" Kumari asked.
Komui's eyes widened. "That's right. We haven't told you that yet, have we?" Komui said.
"So you do know?" Kumari queried.
"The heart is the heart of all the innocence. That is why we have been keeping the Generals at headquarters. They are likely to have it and if it's destroyed then so are all of the other pieces. That is why the Noahs are appearing and killing all our exorcists and only a few pieces of innocence have been saved. That is why we tell you not to fight Noahs unless you have no choice. You've only had a. . . . single problem when. . . .they all attacked. . . . .the old headquarters." Komui said as he stared at her.
"Komui?" Kumari asked.
"No. It can't be. It's not. . . possible." Komui mumbled.
"Komui?" Kumari questioned.
"Nevermind Kumari. Feel better soon. I have work to do." Komui said as he left.
Work? He never does work. "What's going through that head of his now?" Matron muttered.
"Really." Kumari agreed.
Kumari pulled the covers over her and laid down. She stared at the ceiling endlessly. Komui was right. The innocence saved her like it had a mind of it's own. As if it had a reason to save her. But why? She isn't it's accomadator. "Life here keeps getting weirder and weirder." Kumari whispered.
Komui sat at his desk staring at Kumari's record from the time she came to the Order, when she disappeared, and when she came back. She had become so strong and so smart. So hurt and so brave. She has changed just as much as the others. Lenalee has accepted the Order as her home and as her family. Allen learned to trust and not to bear the burden all alone. Lavi and Bookman learned to live in life a little unless they were just faking it like they usually do. They are bookman afterall. Krowley has gained some confidence. Miranda got some nerves. Kanda learned how to let some people in. Mostly Kumari, but Kumari has gone through everything. She's learned things on life. She learned how to trust and bear the burden with everyone. She has gone through so much and suffered, but in the end she had her friends. She has always been watched after though. Central always had an eye on her. She was getting stronger and stronger at an amazing pace for her age and her rank of an exorcist and now she has almost reached General level.
Kumari said there were so many akuma. So many and they were all so strong. She should have died. The innocence saved her. She lived through several death crisis. So could she. . . . . be the heart? It was highly likely it was Allen or Lenalee. Komui couldn't help but think of Kumari as a possibility. Looking back at her history, she is the only one with so much power. She was so strong. She has mastered her innocence and many technics. She's learned to work with her weaknesses. It's just. . . . . . . could she? Kumari was nothing but a child. Still, Komui would have to keep an eye on her. He couldn't tell anyone this though. He would just have to have faith and trust in Kumari. He would have to have patience and wait. "Kumari. . . . . . . . . be careful." Komui mumbled.