---Chapter 07: Caged Bird---

Open your eyes… Wake up.

Wake up and keep moving forward, even though you can no longer fly…

---

"Looks like you've made it."

Allen scowled at the creatures in front of him. Skulls, five of them. Their faces show no feelings, for the only facial expression that could be exposed on a skull was that wide, frozen, toothy smile. An expression that reminded him of the Millennium Earl. The more he looked at them, the more Allen felt sick to his stomach. The knowledge that the Skulls were once humans gripped his heart, causing it to thump loudly and erratically in his chest. Even Timcanpy seemed to feel it; the golden golem kept fluttering anxiously by Allen's side.

"This is the second time you've broken our barrier," said a Skull while his gaze was fixed on Tevak and Madarao. "We have to say, we're pretty impressed."

"So are we." Madarao raised his fist to the level of his eyes. Slowly opening his hand, he dropped four small beetles to the floor, "The barrier was powerful, and these little, living, moving seals sure are hard to detect."

"Sure are," the Skull repeated absently, nodding, watching Tevak stomping on the beetles. "Your friend bought you some precious time-"

"Where is he?" Allen couldn't wait any longer.

"My, keep your voice down, won't you? He's still with us, that's for sure – Such a lively little fella-"

"Where is he?"

"-a shame that he didn't want to talk, we asked him plenty of questions and never got a decent answer-"

"WHERE IS HE?"

"Oh my, such manners," the Skull said softly, staring at the exorcising sword that was pointed at his face, and then slightly raised his head to look at the white-haired Exorcist in front of him. Allen never used his Innocence on Skulls, but he was sure it would work, for they were no less evil than Akuma. The Skull remained quiet for awhile, looking amused. Then, raising his hands in a sign of defeat, he told the others, "You heard the boy. Bring him out."

The four other Skulls quietly agreed and walked into a room on the left. It took a while before they reappeared. Allen had to use all his might to stop his arm from shaking. He didn't know what to expect; for a moment he found himself wondering which he would prefer: a headless corpse or a newly-made Skull.

---

"Hey, look, it's Allen!"

"Wow, so you're really back. Welcome home, Allen!"

"Thank you." Allen managed a smile. Even though brief, it was a real smile, unlike the façade he's been keeping ever since he got back. He didn't stop to talk, just dismissed the others' questioning with a shake of his head. At the moment, he wasn't in the mood to chit-chat, even with his friends from the Science Department – Johnny, Reever and Kath Dopp. In fact, Kath Dopp's presence affected his not-so-well-being, for she reminded Allen of her twin brother Tapp Dopp, the Skulls, and the terrible things these creatures have done to his friends not so long ago.

Not so long ago.

Allen took a turn and headed for the Medical Wing. He didn't run into anyone he knew again, but he met some nurses and some injured Finders on the way, and he smiled encouragingly at them when they bowed to him and bid him good day. It felt strange. There had been times when he had been devastated, his heart torn opened by sadness, and he had secretly felt so noble, so brave to be able to force a smile. He had faked those smiles because they had helped people to rest assured, and also helped soothing the raw wounds inside of him. Even though these had been smiles without happiness, but at least they had meant something… And now… they seemed completely meaningless.

Hollow.

Here he was, dispensing smiles to the people who looked at him in unwavering hope, as if he was some kind of great savior, while he knew so damn well that he wasn't-

I…

He was nothing more than a pathetic, despicable liar- He didn't deserve to be called a man; he was incapable of keeping his words- Kanda had the right to hate him for that, he supposed…

I could…

"-and return after three days, do you remember?"

Allen looked up and found the Matron, who was escorting a limping Finder out of the infirmary. She watched her patient for a while to make sure he could use his crutches well, and then turned to Allen.

"Good morning, Matron-"

"Allen." She nodded, scanning him from head to toes with professional eyes. "It looks like your injuries healed well. Is it time to change your bandages yet?"

"I just got my bandages changed, thank you," Allen said with a bow of his head. "Actually, I'm here to-"

He shut up, because Matron had given him a thoughtful look. Was he really that piteously obvious?

"You know it's not your fault," the Head Nurse said at last. "It's not like you can change anything."

I couldn't…

Allen dropped his façade. Matron spent half of her lifetime watching over the Order's infirmary; she must have witnessed so much pain and suffering that she could actually sense them. It wasn't like he could fool her with this stupid smile.

"I know," he whispered, "but I can't help it. Could you please-? If it's not too much to ask…"

Silence was all he got. Matron didn't answer, but she opened the infirmary door for him. Allen walked past her, mumbling his thanks, before heading for a cot in the very corner of the room – a cot covered by white curtains, safe from all curious eyes, guarded by Two Third Exorcists, Goushi and Tokusa. They didn't show any sign of tiredness, even though apparently they had been standing guard all night. Goushi only acknowledged Allen with a look when he approached, but Tokusa smiled at him and said, rubbing his chin, "Good morning again, Master Disciple. Aw, but aren't you caring…?"

Allen ignored him. He lifted the curtain and entered the guarded area. Placing the paper bag that he had been carrying all along on the nightstand, he forced himself to speak in his usual cheerful tone.

"Hey there, Link. I brought you some donuts."

His heart ached as he said so, and it ached even more when he turned to look at the person who was sitting on the cot. It was Howard Link, although it wasn't exactly Howard Link. The Howard Link that Allen used to know didn't have his blonde hair chopped up to shoulder-length, nor did he ever let his hair hang so messily to the sides of his face – but then again his hair was too short to be put in a braid, or even a ponytail, like he usually did. The Howard Link that Allen used to know had eyes that shone with confidence and determination, not glassy, unfocused pale green gems that looked but could see no more. The Howard Link that Allen used to know may be covered in bandages and pale from of massive blood loss, but his skin would never degrade to this shade of ashen, deathly white. Nor would it just turn black for no reason.

And when Allen said "black", he meant so literally. The skin on Link's right arm had turned black, the velvet, graphite, perfect shade of black that couldn't be mistaken for any other colors. At first sight, that arm looked like it was burned down, carbonized, but actually, the flesh and blood were intact – it just turned black.

I couldn't protect…

Allen couldn't tear his eyes off Link. Every time he saw Link's right arm – and it was damn hard not to see it, it contrasted vividly against everything else in this place – he couldn't help feeling pangs of guilt and remorse stabbing his heart. And he just let them gnaw through him, pierce him, destroy him, like the Teases had done to him once, and he regretted, regretted, because-

I couldn't protect him.

Allen reached his hand to tuck some of Link's hair behind his ear. Normally, the Inspector would have protested this kind of intimate contact, but now, he just sat there, staring blankly at the wall in front of him. The Skulls had tried to change him, and they had done so. They had taken all his feelings and memories away, leaving his mind an empty, endless black void. Not content with erasing his personality, they had been tempted to change his appearance, to turn him into one of them… If it hadn't been for Kanda and General Tiedoll, Link wouldn't have been able to avoid that fate. Allen had been no help, for the Skulls had aimed at Link's head and the boy doubted if he could move faster than their evil sorcery… But then Kanda had proved that his intelligence level wasn't as low as the others usually said. As Lavi and the others distracted the Skulls, Kanda had replaced himself with a puppet made out of General Tiedoll's "Art", and had snuck behind the enemies, taking them all down with one swing of his sword.

Thanks to everyone, the Skulls were eliminated before they could fully transform Link and implant him with the Earl's orders. Thanks to everyone, one arm was as far as the Skulls could go.

Allen hadn't been any help at all.

"Hey, now that I think about it, our arms kinda match, don't you think?" he said with a grin, settling himself on the chair next to the cot. He put his left hand on Link's right hand and unconsciously, began to stroke it as he continued his monologue.

"General Tiedoll said he hoped you'd get better soon. He seemed to like you a lot; he even mistook you for Kanda that time back there at the old Headquarters… you remember?"

"Lavi locked himself in his room all day; I don't know what more he can find in his records- If he's using that as an excuse for not staying in the infirmary, I swear he's not succeeding. Matron's gonna explode any moment. She is already mad because Lenalee and the whole Tiedoll team left too soon."

"Jerry made some delicious donuts, you should try, his new recipe for chocolate sprinkles is a revolution-"

And so Allen continued on with these kinds of empty, meaningless things despite the fact that he wasn't getting any answer, for now Link had been caged, trapped within himself, estranged from the outside world. He just kept talking, because he couldn't stand the truth that the last things he had said to Link were such cruel words. Allen probably knew for himself that he was making no sense, but then again, as he had told the Matron earlier, he couldn't help it.

"Oh my, is it this late already? I didn't realize – I'm too used to have you running after me and telling me what to do already, Link. Well, I shouldn't be late – Leverrier himself will question us about the last mission. I don't know what else we can tell him, he kept Timcanpy the whole day yesterday-"

"Get well soon, okay?" said Allen finally, picking up his coat. Link still didn't answer. The white-haired boy quieted down, then leaned forward to wrap his arms around the other's neck. "I'm sorry…"

---

"How was he captured?"

"Under the effect of the spell, he was unable to move. An Akuma took him and brought him to the Skulls. We witnessed it with our own eyes."

"Did they question him?"

"They admitted to us that they did."

"Did he answer?"

"The Skulls said they didn't get a 'decent answer'."

"Could he speak?"

"The spell doesn't affect one's capability to speak."

"So the Skulls tried to turn him into one of them. Did they success?"

"Only to remove his memories and to transform one arm."

"Is that all?"

"That's what we see. Only God would know if they managed to do something else."

"Couldn't you tell?"

"No. I'm unfamiliar with this kind of sorcery."

"Is there a way to reverse this transformation?"

"We tried everything we could. Nothing worked. Even Allen Walker's Innocence couldn't dispel those evil effects. Of course Miranda Lotto's Time Record would be able to reverse it, but its effect is only temporary."

"Can this spell continue to spread?"

"I don't know, but there is a chance."

That was all he needed to know.

---

The door creaked open.

"Sir," Tokusa greeted him with a soft smile.

Malcolm C. Leverrier opened the infirmary's door and walked towards the Third Exorcists. "Did the boy come today?" he asked.

"Yes, sir. He stayed and talked for about an hour before going to your office. He brought donuts from the cafeteria and left them on the nightstand."

"Dispose of them. How is he?"

"Just the same as yesterday, sir."

"I see." A sigh. "It can't be helped."

"What did Madarao say, if I may ask, sir?"

Leverrier didn't answer. "… The execution will take place in two days. Don't let the boy know."

"But of course, sir."

As soon as the infirmary door closed, Tokusa exchanged a look with Goushi, then left his spot to enter the guarded area. He picked up the paper bag on the nightstand, made a disgusted expression at its contents, then sent a glance towards the immobile figure on the cot.

"That's too bad. But don't worry. Just a fire, then everything will end."

A flame burst from the crimson-cloaked man's palm, licking up the paper bag, consuming it, leaving behind nothing, not even scattering ashes—nothing.

"Just a fire," repeated Tokusa, "Seriously, Howard… When Inspector Leverrier said that you were going to fly higher than we could reach… I never thought it'd turn out like this."

A/N: Just so you know, my beta-reader is such a miracle ;w;

YOU ALL ARE MIRACLES, TOO! I'm so happy that you're still reading!

Review, please? :B