---Chapter 10: Phoenix---

The chains to my life are strong,

But soon they'll be gone.

New wings are growing tonight.

I'll spread my wings one more time.

Here I am soaring, I'm one with the wind.

(From Swan Song – Within Temptation)

---

"Link!"

It only took Allen one leap to cover the distance between himself and Link, so he managed to catch Link when he fell. The first thing that Allen noticed was that the skin of Link's right arm was white and smooth; there was no sign left of the curse that the Skulls had laid on him. He knelt down, still supporting the young Inspector. Link's body was cold; his head lolled limply against Allen's shoulder. Blood slowly trickled down to his jaw from the corners of his lips. Two neat cuts opened on his palms where the runes had flowed out, and blood was oozing out from them in a slow stream, as if it had bled all it could up to now. Link didn't answer Allen's calls; he was lying still, so still…

"Link…?"

… As softly as a drop of morning drew falling on the water's surface, a distant sound came tapping on Allen's blank mind. The boy opened his eyes to find himself standing alone in darkness. Bewildered, he looked up and found above him a circle from which white light came down in a flux. He would have thought that he was trapped in a well; but under his feet there was no water, and when he extended his hand, he didn't feel any wet, mossy wall.

Then he heard that weak sobbing sound again, and he turned his head from side to side, looking for the source. It was a boy, a little boy with blonde hair that was mercilessly cropped into short, straight bangs. He was walking away from the light source, sobbing into the sleeves of the crimson red cloak that was so large it dragged behind him.

Allen acted without even thinking. He ran after the child, calling out, "Hold on!"

The little boy spun around, green eyes wide in confusion. Not answering, he simply stood still and watched as Allen got closer. He hastily wiped away his tears with his sleeves when Allen knelt in front of him and asked, "Hey… Why are you crying…?"

The boy swallowed his hiccups and fought to calm himself. He lifted his hand, gesturing towards the black void that he was walking towards, and only spoke when there was no hint of tears left in his voice. "They are summoning me…" he said, "But I don't want to go there…"

"Well… you don't have to."

"But I do." He shook his head. "I can't go back… There's no way for me to go back…"

"It's not true, you can go back. I-I can show you the way."

The little boy stared at Allen's offered hand then looked up at him. "… It's not too late to go back?"

Allen smiled warmly, "No, it's never too late."

The little boy stared at him for awhile with unblinking, questioning eyes before making his decision. Hesitantly, he placed a slender hand in Allen's. They stood like that for a moment, and then, a little smile bloomed on the boy's face. He tugged on Allen's sleeve for attention, and then gesturing towards the ring of light above them, he whispered, "Look."

Allen turned around and saw a black bird hovering in the feeble flux of light. At first, it spiraled hesitantly, but as the light intensified, the flapping of its wings became more and more confident. Finally, it soared upwards, disappearing into the brightness that envelopped it.

---

It was not a quiet morning by any means.

"Walker, if you do not eat the asparagus as well as the pork, you will not get the proper nutrients."

"All right, all right-"

"Please do not tell me you're having dango for breakfast, too."

"Oh, Link, please! I'm eating pretty much everything here, so I'm sure will get all the nutrients I need. Mind you, if Matron sees you out here eating nothing but cakes, she sure will have a fit."

"Don't try to threaten me. Matron always overdoes things anyway."

"You're just stingy. And everyone is staring at you. Seriously, I can't understand why you insisted on getting that haircut-"

"Don't start, Walker."

They fell silent for a while. Just a while. Yes, it sure wasn't a quiet morning, but it was normal. Normal as it used to, and should be.

Placing the filled tray on the table, Allen postponed his attack on the food to take yet another clear look at Link. It was amazing how Link had fully regained his composure in such a short time. The facial expression as well as the look in his eyes showed no sign of the experiences that had seemed to destroy him. Now he once again walked with his head held high, his eyes looking straight forward and his brows slightly knitted together to give him that serious, no-nonsense expression. His hair had neatly been cut short and there was no visible hint of whether he was planning to grow it out again or not. He wasn't wearing his uniform; the dark fabric of his turtleneck sweater contrasted sharply with his still pale skin.

Allen was also surprised that he enjoyed Link's "return," and deliberately forgot the fact that Link wasn't his watcher anymore for the moment. Link had been temporarily suspended from his duty as an Inspector. He had to attend to countless trials and questionings, as well as experiments to make sure the Skulls' spell had been completely removed. Those activities wore him out both physically and emotionally, but he never showed it. But then again Allen thought these were just a matter of form, since not even Leverrier could bend the truth about what happened. Also, it wasn't like the Inspector was that eager to push his loyal pupil into a dead-end.

Even so, Allen knew he still couldn't relax yet. There was no telling what Central was really up to. He felt thankful to Komui; the Supervisor was definitely on his side and fought in his own way to protect everyone, including Link (even though he still labeled him "Central's hound"). The Supervisor had promised to do his best to make sure things went back to the way they had been. Thinking about Komui reminded Allen of the warmth and assurance the man knew to create, and he suddenly felt the urge to try pulling some of the Supervisor's tricks.

"Link?"

"Hm?"

"Welcome home."

"Ah." The corner of Link's lips rose into the slightest of smiles. "Yes, I'm home."

"It's not over yet, you know."

"I know."

"We're, like, in a lot of trouble."

"I'm quite aware of that."

"We attacked the Third Exorcists and destroyed the building-"

"I did."

"I did. You only helped."

"Well, you also cried like a baby and wiped your snot on me."

"Link!"

"It's true. And it was disgusting."

"I don't see your point! Should I remind how much you acted like a baby yourself?"

"… It doesn't matter."

Allen rested his chin on his hand and looked thoughtful, "… Hey, Link?"

"Yes?"

"It's such a mess."

"I know it is."

"Do you think that we can pick up the pieces and make things right again?"

The Inspector looked out the window, squinting slightly. His green eyes glittered as they caught the sunlight. "… Why not? I believe we can. All will be well. Someday."

---

Now the story's played out like this,

Let's rewrite an ending that fits.

Nothing's wrong, just as long as you know that someday I will.

Someday, somehow,

I'm gonna make it all right

But not right now.

I know you're wondering when.

(From Someday – Nickelback)

END.

A/N: So that's it, folks, the ending! Thank you all for your support, and thanks for reading til the end! Now that you've finished reading, please tell me what you think. Everyone who have read but haven't submitted a review, please, let me see your faces? Love? Hate? Too common? Just tell me what you think, I'll appreciate every single word of you.

I'll be considering uploading a full version of this fiction on my deviantArt site, for printing and/or storage purposes. You can also check my gallery for Link fan art *shameless advertising* The address is smilingmask (dot) deviantart (dot) com.

I will see you very soon at my next Link-centric fiction, Dark Wings. Due to my beta being busy, I can't upload it as soon as I want. So, if you enjoy Someday, then, keep your eyes opened!

With deepest gratitude.