Mizu: I totally love all you guys that review! I, myself, am horrible with reviews because I never know what to say. Anyways, here's a chapter filled with explainations that leads into a giant question that has been filling my mind every day while writing this. Beware. Allen cried because of what he learns in this chapter. Disclaimer: I don't own -Man. If I did, Leverrier would be dying the worse death imaginable, keeping him alive just enough to torture him through it all again!
Innocence's True Form-
Chapter Seven- Reasons why…
"Oi, where are you, idiot?" Bookman called out as he entered the cafeteria of the Order, "You better not be slacking-"
Bookman froze when he saw his apprentice being glomped by a brown haired, older, and taller Allen along with an older version of Lavi. Add that to the insane laughter coming for the idiots mouth and a smirking woman who looked strangely like Kanda holding Timcampy, and you have a very, very confused Bookman.
"-off," Bookman gaped, spotting Allen struggling to force food down his throat, "What is going on here?"
"Ah! Panda!" Lavi gasped, struggling to get free from his captors, "You'll never guess what happened!"
"You were an idiot again?" Bookman sighed, "What kind of drug did you spill this time?"
"Drug?" O.K. questioned.
"He doesn't know yet, idiot," C.C. said, gently whacking O.K. on the head, "You of all p-Keep eating baka!"
"Oh come on!" Allen cried, throwing a plate of pasta at his innocence, "Even when I had my appetite, I never ate this much!"
"Eh? Why does Walker only have one arm?" Bookman questioned, quickly making his way over to where Allen sat fuming, grabbing the sleeve that just hung off the side of his body.
"Well, you see-" Lavi started to say.
"I'm his innocence," C.C. said, pulling Allen away from Bookman and into his arms.
"Let me go damn it!" Allen snapped, trying to break away from his innocence, "Why are you holding me any-"
C.C. successfully managed to shut Allen's rant up by stuffing a loaf of bread into his mouth. The piece of innocence smiled as his wielder shot him another glare while trying to hurriedly eat the loaf that filled his mouth. He grabbed another random plate so that when Allen finished, he could stuff his mouth again. If the boy was going to complain the whole time eating, C.C. just had to find a better way of feeding him. And if that way made him pin the boy down and stuff the essential food down his throat then so be it.
"Innocence?" Bookman repeated, watching Allen struggle to swallow the bread.
"Yep. As you can tell, I'm baka's innocence, " C.C. nodded, pointing at Mugen, "That's Kanda's innocence, Mugen."
"I see," Bookman nodded, recording the new information.
"And I'm this here rabbit's innocence," O.K. laughed happily, flinging arm around Lavi's neck again.
"…what?" Bookman blinked.
"Yep," Mugen smirked, "Lavi's fully linked to his innocence. He's O.K.'s true accommodator."
"But no need to worry," C.C. smirked, "Though Lavi is his innocence's true wielder and can never truly leave innocence's side from now until he dies, you and your innocence is not."
…
Lavi felt like smacking himself. That was it. He was so totally dead now.
"Really? Is that all?" Bookman stated.
"Huh?" Lavi blinked, watching the old panda walk up to him as his Innocence walked over to Mugen.
"What's wrong? Are you afraid or something?" Bookman stated, staring up at his apprentice.
"I-I was…You're not mad?" Lavi questioned.
"No no, I'm not mad," Bookman said before leaping into the air, proceeding to beat the living crap out of the redhead.
Allen just sat watching with a strange amount of interest as he munched on another loaf of bread. It was really quite amusing. O.K. was standing away from the beating, cheering for Bookman and laughing while Mugen was braiding Kanda's hair, laughing at the beating. Such strange things Innocence was. Strange but…Allen smile softly, glancing over at his innocence. They were quite strange but they were also kind and wonderful to their wielders. It was sort of like a family member you never knew you had until you've grown up a bit.
C.C. finally stood up and dragged Allen away from the feuding pair in the cafeteria. Allen had a stick of dango in his mouth as he let his innocence drag him wherever he was dragging him. There was so much on his mind right then. Why did Innocence pick who they did? There had to be something to it other than just being picked at random like everyone at the Order thought. Even the Noah thought that it might just be pure dumb luck on how the innocence picked their wielders. But that couldn't truly be the case. Especially if the form that they most desired was their human form which could only be obtained by finding their true accommodators.
"Where are we going?" Allen finally asked after several silent minutes.
"The bathhouse," C.C. smiled, "It must be a little hard for you to wash yourself with just one arm."
"You could always just turn back into my arm, you know," Allen fake scoffed.
"Well, where's the fun it that?" C.C. laughed loudly.
Allen just softly smiled, 'Maybe this is how it's supposed to feel with a real one…'
"Hey!" Allen nearly growled as he felt C.C.'s hands start to roughly scrub his head.
"What?" C.C. chuckled, continuing to work on his wielders white hair.
"I can wash myself, thank you very much!" Allen almost snapped, trying to get away from the hands.
"Oh just be quiet and sit still," C.C. scolded, holding his wielder in place while he scrubbed a little harder to shut him up.
"Oww! Stop that!" Allen whined, finally getting his innocence to let up a little, "Jerk."
"Baka," C.C. gently smiled.
The two were silent for a bit while Allen sat completely rigid as C.C. worked on his hair. It was something totally new for him. He had never had anyone wash any part of him other than himself. Even Mana never did that, saying that he was old enough to do so himself. Though he did say it in a lot nicer way than Cross did when Allen got sick with a high fever for a week while in France. He literally through a drenched rag at him before pushing him into one of his whore's arms, telling her to make sure that his idiot apprentice didn't die from his own stupidity.
Allen hated the fact that the woman, who he himself had labeled as dirty, was about to wash him. He managed to force her out of the bath and do it himself. When she finally managed to get the door open again, he was already dressed again. Then he let her tend to his needs other than his bathing. That was just how he was. If he could do it, why let anyone else do it? It never sat well with him. It just felt wrong to make someone do something so…so disgusting. After all, he was the boy that had been abandoned and left to die because of his freaky arm. While make anyone see that?
But the feeling of guilt and disgust never came to him with C.C. Allen had to admit that it felt rather comforting. It was somewhat soothing to let his innocence do this for him. Maybe it was because his innocence was his disgusting arm or perhaps it was something else entirely. Either way, Allen finally relaxed and leaned into C.C.'s hands, closing his eyes to think on other things and enjoy this fleeting moment.
C.C. smiled as he finally felt Allen freed himself of his troubling thoughts. He couldn't say that he blamed the boy about not wanting anyone to come so close to him. The young teen had had a traumatizing childhood. It wasn't truly fair of him to expect that Allen would open his arms wide, smile, and say the one thing he longed to hear more than anything else. He knew that Allen, even though he was innocent and didn't know much of the world, was overly cautious of those he let close to him.
It was a bit unfair. If you didn't know him, he never doubted you because of his left eye. But if you were close to him, it made him uncomfortable and made him overly cautious about you, while at the same time making him want to protect you.
'Such conflicting emotions he carries on his shoulders,' C.C. thought with a sigh.
"Hey, C.C.?" Allen questioned, as C.C. started to rinse his hair.
"Yes?" C.C. responded, tilting Allen's head back so no water got in his eyes.
"What were your previous accommodators like?" Allen asked, mind completely blocked off from C.C.'s.
"Huh? You wanna know about my past wielders?" C.C. gawked, "Why?"
Allen shrugged, "Just want to know."
"Curious little bugger, aren't you baka?" C.C. chuckled a little, finishing Allen's hair, "Alright, I'll tell you."
"Yay," Allen chuckled turning to face his innocence with his eyes shining.
"Well, my first true accommodator was a shy man of about thirty years old. He didn't do much and didn't like to fight until his daughter was killed by the akuma of his sister. After that he swore vengeance for his daughter's life, breaking away from his old self. That's when he found me. For him, I was an equip type Innocence. It was easier for him to use and it might have been to hard on his body if joined up with his body. Though, even though I was an equip type for him, he managed to fully link with me. He was the first to use me as the body armor and exorcising blade," C.C. said, starting to wash himself.
"But he died because he through me at an idiot who told him that he was fighting for a stupid reason. Then he charged at him and got himself stabbed through his heart. I tried to quickly change into my human form and stop him but it was too late. The second I reached him, it was too late. The sword was already going through his heart. He looked at me and smiled sadly before saying that he was going to see his little girl. Then he died, causing me to instantly revert to my crystal like form, flying away from there to await my next wielder," C.C. said with no emotion, "He was just an idiot for letting his emotions cloud his mind."
"It's still sad," Allen whimpered, "Want me to wash your hair?"
"Nah. With just one arm, you'd just end up taking too much time," C.C. teased, starting on his hair.
"Not my fault I don't have an arm," Allen pouted.
"True," C.C. chuckled, "Now, my second true accommodator found me in a field in Spain while he was trying to harvest the last of his crops. He was about twenty-eight or so. He saw me and tried to pick me up, allowing me to instantly join up with his body. Though I didn't change his arm. I just embedded myself in a tattoo on his shoulder. He lasted a little better than my last one but he still died due to his stupidity. Actually, he was a little like you. Though, he only tried a few times to throw himself in the way of danger unlike you who does it on a daily basis. Anyway, he saw the Earl preparing to attack a few people who he had just met. Forgetting about me, he jumped in the way of the Earl's attack before I could fully activate and protect them. So he died before he could yell at him about the people who he saved actually being a few akuma. Then I had to flee yet again or else the Earl would destroy me.
"The third and fourth only lasted 6 months each. Both of them were parasitic type but I only took up residence in their hands. And both of them died by being stupid and attacking some stray level three akuma without thinking. I can protect you people from their poisonous virus but not your own damn stupidity. So twice more, I was forced to flee and hide away," C.C. said, rinsing his hair, "The fifth one was an equip type who died protecting his lover who was also an exorcist. Mugen's wielder actually. This time, I didn't have to flee and hide away. Mugen's wielder managed to grab me and run for safety. That's when people started to collect innocence, trying to find their wielders at the same time. With Mugen's wielder's help, I found my sixth true accommodator.
She was a woman who was devoted to trying to save orphaned children. She too had been an orphan, but because of an akuma's attack. When we found her, she was trying to save an orphan from another akuma. Within a split second, I joined with her, allowing her to live out her deepest desires to save the children. In return, she allowed me to return to the battlefield. Around this time, Mugen and I started our relationship as well," C.C. said with a smirk as Allen shot him a disgusted look, "Yes, we started doing "this" and "that"- "I don't need to know!" Allen cried, wishing he could cover both ears.
"Haha," C.C. laughed, "Anyways, she died one day while on patrol with Mugen's wielder and the two of us. The Earl snuck up on us and killed both of our accommodators before either of us could figure out where he was. So together, the two of us fled. It was after he that I never truly found another true accommodator until you, Allen."
"Really?" Allen questioned, trying to wash his back.
"Yeah," C.C. chuckled, watching the boy struggle, "You're my seventh true accommodator."
"So what happened when the Earl was defeated the first time?" Allen asked, curiosity obvious.
"…we never truly defeated him, Allen," C.C. sighed, catching the way Allen looked at him with fear, dropping the rag he was using, "All we managed to do was to seal away most of his powers and send him into hiding. He still could created akuma though. So, even though most of the pieces of innocence went dormant incase the Earl can out of hiding, there were a select few that remained in the world active. Mugen, the Heart, Dark Boots, Time Record, O.K. and myself were some of those pieces."
"S-So," Allen stuttered.
"Yes, we've been fighting all this time against the Earl while the humans who fought along side us never knew," C.C. nodded, "We found new accommodators, never letting them create and organization and making them believe that they were special. Making them travel the world in search of the akuma to "purify" the world of the demons. That was all we could do. Everyone else found true accommodators but me…that's not true actually…"
"H-Huh? But you just said," Allen started to protest.
"There was one person that I could have linked with," C.C. said grimly, "That is if he let me."
"He refused? I thought that you couldn't do that," Allen said.
"You're not supposed to be able to," C.C. sighed, "but for whatever reason, he hated me. I had done nothing to him. For him I was an equip type that he had acquired when he stole from a traveling merchant. I did not leave him an orphan. I did not kill anyone precious to him. I never made him kill when he didn't want to. But still, he hated me.
"One day, Mugen and her wielder ran into us, Mugen in her human form, filling me with great joy. I had previously gave him signs of what was going on. Heck, I had even asked permission before changing into my human form. When he said yes and activated me, I was so overjoyed. To be able to stretch my legs was something I had dreamt of for many nights," C.C. said, rubbing his neck.
"But just as I started to change into my human form, he threw me off of him and into a nearby tree. My form wasn't complete as he deactivated his innocence. I was in a translucent human form with my left arm still in the form of his innocence. There was blood dripping down from my mouth as I stared at him in disbelieve," C.C. stated, staring straight into Allen's trembling eyes, "Then he yelled at me for lying to him and took his dagger and started to plunge it into his own heart. Mugen raced towards me as I started to cough up blood. The ties to my accommodator where being cut by my accommodator himself. It felt terrible. I fought to keep the two of us from changing into a fallen. Mugen's wielder was trying bravely to save his life. I glared at his corpse, swearing to myself never to stand for a man like him ever again as I reverted into my crystal form once more…"
"C.C.," Allen whimpered, putting his hand on C.C.'s shoulder.
"And I never did. It was then that the Heart told me not to seek out anymore true accommodators. That I had done enough and needed to rest," C.C. smiled gently, "And I agreed. I had fought since the beginning of the war, constantly trying to finish all of it's madness. And even then, when the akuma that did appear were not really a big threat, I was still pushing myself beyond what was needed. So I decided to lay low. Occasionally, an accommodator would find me and be able to wield me in my most basic form like you first did. But that was it."
Allen stayed quiet until he heard the next few words from C.C.'s mouth, "That is. Until your mother found me."
"M-My mother?" Allen gasped.
"Yes. She found me when she was two months pregnant with you," C.C. said with a gentle smile on his face, "Thinking I was a beautiful gem, she took me with her. It was strange. I felt the sensation of a true accommodator near me, but never could figure it out. That was because until you, there had never been a case of innocence finding an accommodator before it was born. So while I was in your mother's possession, I would constantly feel the presence of my true accommodator, sending thrills and a joyous feeling through me.
"It wasn't until your mother was six months along and started to have complications with you, did I finally realize it. I just knew it. Whenever she placed her hand over you, that was the only time you would kick or move within her. It was like you were calling out to me, saying that you were waiting for me to find you. So when the doctor started to say that you were probably going to die, I started to get scared. It had been so long since I had had a true wielder. Even though you weren't born yet, I could already feel the ties between us. They were strong even then." C.C. explained, staring into Allen's shocked and amazed eyes.
"However, you were dying. I knew that I could saved you but didn't know how too. I didn't know how to get to you and I couldn't save you unless I did get to you. And I didn't want to lose you right as I found you," C.C. said, staring at the wall now, "So I contacted the Heart to see if there was anything she could do. She too was stunned to hear that you weren't born but would see what she could do. She convinced her accommodator to find us, pretending to be a doctor. They then told your mother that I was a very rare mineral that could be used to help unborn children. Of course she jumped at it. The Heart then allowed me to change into a liquid and be drunken by your mother-"
"But wouldn't that have killed her!" Allen screamed, standing up in terror.
"Yes, if the Heart wasn't there to suppress my power. She waited until she knew I had safely passed from your mother to you. When I did, she and her wielder left, knowing I could handle myself from then on in," C.C. chuckled, "I did figure out what was wrong with you though. Your heart wasn't developing fast enough to keep up with the rest of you. Also, you had a very strange birth defect."
"A strange birth defect?" Allen repeated.
"Yes," C.C. said, pointing at his wielder left shoulder, "While the rest of your limbs grew out perfectly, your left arm never developed at all."
"What!" Allen gasped.
"Yep. So I decided to use this to my advantage and joined your body as a parasitic type and give you a left arm. Unfortunately, your mother's body did not like me so I didn't turn out like I am now. Her immune system made me turn into that hideous red limb so not to cause anymore harm to you," C.C. stated, stretching his black left arm, "Then of course, you were a very silent baby. You didn't like to move around a lot so to keep your mother from worrying, I would gently move to greet her. Let's just say the next three months were torturous for me. Your mother had a very annoying voice."
Allen just laughed at that before a troubled face was brought to C.C.'s attention, "So…why did she truly give me up?"
"Well, in all honestly, it wasn't your mother's decision," C.C. sighed, "Your father was the one that gave you up."
"What?" Allen blinked.
"Your mother truly loved you, Allen," C.C. smiled warmly at the boy, wiping a stray tear that was slowly making it's way out of his eye, "but after she had you, she started to get sick more often. When you turned one, your mother came down with pneumonia. Your father thought that it was you, with your deformed arm, that was determined to get rid of you. So one night, while your mother slept, you father sold you off to a circus as a slave. After that, I don't know what really happened. I do know that a piece of innocence has lately taken up residence at their home. He tells me that your mother has had twins little girls but she still cries for the "kidnapper" who stole her little boy to bring him back."
"I-I have sisters?" Allen whimpered as more tears fell from his eyes.
"Yes," C.C. smiled, before looking sternly at Allen, "You do know that you can never see them though, right?"
Allen just nodded as more tears rushed out of his eyes, "B-But it hurts…"
"I know," C.C. said as he pulled the crying boy into his arms, "but at least you know that they're safe and you really weren't completely abandoned."
Allen just nodded as he fought to quell his tears. C.C. smiled and gently patted the boy's head. It was hard. All the boy had ever known was rejection and lies. To find out that your weren't really let go of by the one that you thought you were and are longed for is a lot to take in. But it was something that he needed to know. No…Allen didn't need to know but he deserved to know.
"But…you know something, C.C.?" Allen whimpered, drying his tears with the back of his hand, "I'm still confused about something."
"And what is that?" C.C. chuckled gently, standing up to get out.
"Why does Innocence pick those that suffer as accommodators?" Allen whispered, barely loud enough for C.C. to hear, "Why do you pick the ones that have already suffered and bring them into this war that is filled with nothing but suffering?"
Mizu: I'm going to try and hurry and get the next chapter out because the question stated above has been driving me crazy for the past few weeks!
Allen: And you make me a whimpering baby again…
Mizu: Hush up. At least you don't have to deal with the Noah messing with you!
Allen: *sighs* this is true, I guess.
C.C.: Why do I seem like such a strange guy?
Mizu: Well, isn't innocence itself strange? Don't you have strange abilities that should never exist?C.C.: Touché.
Mizu: Anyways, reviews are still extremely welcomed and loved! Same goes for suggestions and anything else you guys can think of! Ciao for now!