Yumiko sighed as she draped a blanket over her unconscious friend, Lenalee. As usual, she had missed all action and all the key events. Nobody would tell her what had happened, for they were too busy. Guess she'd have to get the scoop afterward.
"What happened to you, Lenalee?" Yumiko frowned, placing her hand on her friend's forehead, "I've known you for too long to not know what happened to you."
"That really doesn't make sense, Yumiko," A soft voice said behind her, his hand on her shoulder.
"What happened, Allen?" She didn't have to turn to check if it was him speaking.
He ignored her and kneeled next to the sleeping exorcist. A bit irked, but nonetheless understood why he didn't reply, Yumiko nodded for not much of a reason.
"Lenalee, I'm so sorry," Allen's gentle voice began to break into a rocky sob, "I'm so sorry…"
Yumiko smiled sadly at him, "She's a tough woman, Allen. You don't have to worry about her. I mean, once, when we were younger, she almost sliced her finger all the way off and—"
"A-Allen?" Lenalee stirred awake.
Allen brushed Yumiko's hand away and leaned in toward Lenalee. He hugged her tightly and cried.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."
Lenalee looked up at Yumiko with those compassionate eyes. Once again, she smiled sorrowfully at her friend. Yumiko's eyes seemed to say, 'I wish I were you,' like they always had. Lenalee was a great person, someone to look to, sure, but she was also the one who Yumiko had always compared herself to too many times to count.
Lenalee saw the message, and pushed Allen away, collapsing into Yumiko's arms and into her lap like a dependent infant.
"Yumiko," She sniffed.
Yumiko looked at Allen, who was sprawled against the ground looking quite shocked. She stuck her tongue out and mouthed, 'That's right lover boy, she is and always will forever adore me more than you!'
Allen's jaw dropped slightly, but then retracted it and smiled. Ah well, all was well at last.
Just then, as the two girls embraced each other, Lenalee slipped out of Yumiko's arms and through the soil. Her eyes widened. Petrified, she stared at her shaking hands and then back to the Earth that took Lenalee.
"W-What…" Allen trembled, and gazed at Yumiko. Their frightened eyes interlocked for about two seconds, and then came to a decision.
Allen would go first.
"LENALEE!" He yelled, diving head-first into the light growing from the patch of dirt, knocking Yumiko to the side once again.
"I WANNA GO FIRST NEXT TIME!" She shouted as she plummeted into the land.
Lavi's ears perked up as he heard this. He dropped his bowl of rice and raced toward the portal, armed with confidence and adoration for Yumiko.
"YUMIKO!" Lavi howled. His incessant bawling caused Bookman to smack his forehead with his hand in annoyance.
"That idiot," Bookman grumbled.
Like a chain reaction, after Kanda heard Lavi scream her name, he grabbed his katana and rushed over to the diving scene to plunge into the unseen hole without a word to anyone.
But Marie knew better.
"I told you," He smirked, at his general.
"Okay, okay, but it's pretty hard to tell," General Tiedoll shrugged, "Kanda and Yumiko aren't the types to show their real feelings."
Elsewhere…
"Yumiko, you dumbass!" Kanda yelled, smacking her shoulder again and again.
"Aw, Kanda," Yumiko smiled mindlessly as he hit her, "You came after me?"
"I only came after you to lecture you for your ridiculous decisions!" He paused to glare at her, and then resumed the physical assaults, "Don't you ever stop to think?"
"Well," She frowned to think, "Does it count when I think I do?"
"It's still thinking," Lavi nodded, taking her side.
"Where are we?" Allen said, looking around quizzically. The bickering ceased as the two surveyed their surroundings. It was like an Italian town, the first mission they went on with Allen. Tall buildings filled up the narrow pebbled streets. Lamp posts were stationed at each side of the road. It was empty.
"H… Hey!" Lavi exclaimed, "There's a little jack-o-lantern stuck to Yuu's butt!"
Kanda turned around, enraged and red in the face, "Pervert! Why do you even bother looking down there?"
The pumpkin peeled off of Kanda's coat and landed on the floor like a floating piece of parchment. It was flattened by the incredible force of Kanda's… err… Kanda's rear end.
It crinkled as it chuckled, "Stupid exorcists…"
It said something else too, but less audible to hear. Everyone leaned in closer to hear what it had to say.
"It's time…" It stopped itself to start its sadistic chuckle again, "It's time… to leave on the boat to hell!"
The pumpkin suddenly exploded into smoke. The Millennium Earl emerged from it and laughed.
"It's your time," He repeated, laughing harder.
The gaunt buildings exploded and crumbled around them, the ground shaking uncontrollably with the unbearable sadistic laughter of the Earl. That brutal snicker. That heartless guffaw of the catastrophic-loving Millennium Earl.
Yumiko's pulse rose.
'Hiroshi,'
"Three more hours!" The Earl shouted, his hands thrown up in the air as if to yell, 'Hallelujah!'
"Three more hours until the glorious finish!"