Ah, here we go. The turning point, the last of the introductory chapters (can't believe it took me 12 to get all the main characters in position!) So I've battled all week to get this drafted then typed, and managed (just about) although I have learned that not being able to use one's thumb to grips one's pen results in hand crampage of the worst magnitude. So here it is, chapter 12 of Changing Lives. (I just realised that ATW took 'til chappie 12 to get the boring junk over with too…) Warning- insanely long chapter (by my usual standards anyway- actually it could easily be two chapters) Enjoy!
Why do I bother to disclaim? I know it, you know it, the whole buggering world knows it! Introduces the blanket disclaimer of doom. I NO OWN! END OF!
Chapter Twelve- Missions, Mixing and Miracles
They were three weeks into their mission, having landed in India a week and a half ago, and so far they had found precisely…nothing. Needless to say, Kanda was not impressed. Beyond not impressed, he was well and truly pissed. "We have an entire country to search! This is completely idiotic!"
"It is a bit like searching for a needle in a stack of needles" agreed Lavi. "After all, we have no idea what this person looks like, hell, we don't even know if we're looking for a man or a woman."
They were currently residing in the town where their target was last rumoured to be, but if the locals knew anything they were keeping quiet about it. Evidentially they didn't want their miracle worker taken away.
"I don't know what we should do" Lavi said, throwing his arms into the air in defeat. "We've got all this time to find this person, but absolutely nothing to go on!" He sighed, turning to his partner. "What do you think?"
Kanda suspected that nothing good would come from telling Lavi what he was thinking, since his mind was currently entertaining him with a graphic replay of his 'goodbye' with Allen, so instead he shrugged. "We'll just have to keep searching."
Lavi lapsed into deep thought. "Maybe we should get a change of clothes to look more native."
Kanda stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "Native" he stated blandly. He turned and looked at their reflection looking up at him from the murky water of the lazily flowing river. The distinctly foreign image of the two men rippled in the wind. "Native," he said again.
Lavi looked at what held Kanda's attention. Green-eyed and red haired, his own reflection was distinctly European, and Kanda's features were so obviously Far-Eastern that Lavi could see his point. "Yeah, I guess that might be a little difficult. Still, it can't hurt to look less like exorcists, can it?"
"And carrying a hammer and a sword isn't a huge clue we aren't tourists?" Kanda sneered.
"Well…"
Kanda raised an eloquent eyebrow.
"Oh, fine! You're right!" Lavi huffed, crossing his arms across his chest like a petulant child. "Still, I don't see you coming up with anything useful!"
"See if you can find something who has been healed by this so called miracle worker, maybe we can get more information from them" the dark haired man suggested. Well, maybe suggestion is too mild a term…
"Why me?" whined Lavi, backing away from the sword levelled at his throat.
"Because you're less likely to decapitate a local," Kanda growled, his patience running thin. He waved the blade to emphasise his point before sheathing it. "And because idiot, you actually speak the language."
"Oh," Lavi looked embarrassed. "Yeah."
"And that's what it means" Lenalee finished, leaning back in satisfaction.
Not only Lanel, but Allen, Jim and Komui all stared back at her with a mixture of shock, horror and disbelief on their stunned faces. The Komui dissolved into sobs, crying something about his dearest sister's lost innocence while clinging to her legs and begging her to tell him who put these thoughts into her head.
"Uh…" Allen opened and closed his mouth a few times, looking between the angel and the younger exorcist.
Lanel was almost frothing at the mouth, threatening to topple backwards off his seat.
"Wow Lenalee, I didn't know you knew these things…" Jim said, looking traumatised. Though he was open minded when it came to relationships he had a very 'not in my backyard' mentality, which he applied to all relationships. His prudish approach had been the source of much ribbing from his friends.
"I did not want to know such aspects of human culture!" Lanel spluttered, embarrassed and outraged. "Please, share with me no more!" he cried desperately.
Allen was all for that, squeaking when Lenalee turned her amused eyes on him. "I'm sure Allen could give you a first hand account if you did want more details," she suggested evilly, watching Allen's face turn scarlet at the same time as Jim's and Lanel's blanched. Komui was still on the floor at her feet, oblivious to the conversation as he wallowed in despair.
"So, what's sex like among your race Lanel?" Lenalee questioned in an almost innocent voice.
"We do not share bodily fluids to reproduce" Lanel said flatly, his face calm and perfectly serious.
"You don't have sex?" Jim exclaimed in an incensed tone that suggested the teen couldn't understand how the angel coped with such a disability. Allen knew that Jim was involved with a pretty young female finder named Xanthe who was currently stationed in Germany, and the few weeks without seeing her was killing him.
"We do not have the means" Lanel explained without embarrassment.
"You don't…have…" Lenalee looked like she might cry at the revelation.
"So, how do you, uh, make little angels?" Jim asked curiously.
"We grow." The angel said it as though it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Grow? Like a plant?" Lenalee said in a confused tone.
"Indeed" Lanel confirmed
Jim leaned back in his chair and snorted. "That doesn't sound like much fun. So how does that happen?" He seemed unaware that the angel might feel as awkward talking about his version of reproduction as he was himself.
"You don't have to tell us if you don't wan to" Allen tacked on, feeling a little sorry for the green-haired Aviran.
Lanel shook his head. "I also wish to learn more about your race, so I do not mind questions about mine. And this reproduction thing, it both intrigues and puzzles me. On Avira, it is extremely hard to create a new life- it requires a firm partnership between the parents to coax a seedling to hatch. You must understand that a completely balanced pairing is rare, thus germinations occur infrequently. Siblings are almost unheard of. Currently there are only two pairs of siblings on Avira, myself and my sister Quine are one of these."
"Your parents must have really been in love" sighed Lenalee happily.
"Love? This is only a concept I have encountered on Earth. It is not love, merely…a business partnership. The offspring is the business, and if the parents have a good working relationship, the business thrives."
Jim was shaking his head, muttering something about seedlings and germination and no sex!
"It is therefore an altogether straightforward experience to reproduce, unlike your own intrusive method, which I understand can be rather painful."
Lenalee blinked, confused. "Painful? Not that I…" She glanced around warily. Luckily her brother was tinkering with something in the corner and hadn't heard her near confession. If he had there was no doubt that heads would roll. She turned red nonetheless. Allen laughed at her embarrassed face, pay back for the comment she had made earlier.
"It must be different for the female of your species," said Lanel sagely, "because Allen Walker screams like he is in much pain when coupling with Kanda Yuu."
THAT shut Allen up, flushing far darker than the Chinese girl. While Jim cried with laughter, Lenalee explained the finer points of yaoi to the angel.
During the weeks that followed, Lanel learned not only about human sex (the thought of which still made him shudder), but what food was good (banana sandwiches? Odd but brilliant) what NOT to eat (chilli peppers? WHY?), that sugar made him happy, cake especially, and that mushy peas played havoc with his digestion. He also learned how to play poker- his emotionless face made him very good at the game, but for some reason, no matter what he did, Jim and Allen always had the better hand, something that the angel never understood.
He also learned the finer points of life at headquarters- things such as the only good robot was a broken one when it came to Komui's inventions, to NEVER try and beat a parasitic exorcist at an eating contest (mushy peas had NOTHING on the effect that particular venture caused), that coffee was the universal fuel for the science department and to come to ask for a favour without a caffeine offering was to ask for death.
And for once in his many years, Lanel learned what it was to have friends.
"He said this would happen! You want to take him away from us!" the local man gibbered, backing away from the strange redheaded man, only to collide with the hard chest of an angry looking Japanese an holding a sword.
"We're not taking him anywhere" Lavi explained. "We just want to ask him some questions."
The redhead looked at the Japanese man and said something n a language the Indian man didn't understand. The one holding the sword snapped something back, and although he didn't understand the words, the little man recognised the tone of someone extremely pissed off.
Desperate to get away from the pair, especially the homicidal effeminate one (perhaps his foul attitude was over compensation for his feminine appearance), the little man spoke up hurriedly. "You don't want to tae him from us? You promise?"
"We are from the Black Order, Exorcists, clergymen, understand?" Lavi said. "We are man of our word."
The man nodded, satisfied with the answer. "I know not where he is now, but I can tell you what he looks like, that should help you, yes?"
The red haired man grinned at his companion and gave him a thumbs up before turning back to the little man expectantly.
"He is a foreigner, like yourself. Tall, though not as tall as you or your friend. His hair is so long" he gestured to a point midway on his neck "It's brown, and hands over his eyes, which are brown also." The man wrung his hands pathetically. "This is all I know…except…they say he can only be found by death." And with that the little man scurried away, disappearing into the crowds.
"Well?" Kanda asked, since Lavi was standing still, staring at the spot the man had just vacated.
"Huh? Oh, sorry, I was just thinking." Lavi repeated the description the little ma had given him. "At least this narrows down the search some; it would have been helpful to know that we were looking for a tourist before now."
Kanda grunted in agreement.
"He can only be found by death…" Lavi muttered. "What does that mean?"
"I don't know and I don't care. Let's get this stupid mission over with."
Lanel stood before his sister, twisting his hands nervously behind his back. The fact that Quine was studying him silently was bad enough, but for some reason, a small slightly sinister smile kept rolling across the Grand Councillor's face.
"You seem to have adapted well to life on Earth" she commented lightly, no doubt in reference to the exorcist uniform he was wearing and the fact that his always loose green hair was pulled back in a low ponytail.
"I am nothing if not adaptable, my Lady."
"Good, it will make adjusting to your new life all the easier." She seemed slightly sad now, though only a hint of it showed in her deep violet eyes. Lanel could only see it because he knew her so well. "The council have decided that your banishment was the appropriate punishment, and so have extended the sentence." She drew herself up, slipping into the role of the Yegofelamef, gazing upon her brother sternly. "Lanel Ymosod, you are hereby banished form Avira for the duration the war on Earth. Since you seem to care so much about what happens to these exorcists, you will join their army. We will however, allow you the use of your powers in the absence of innocence."
Lanel lowered his head. Banishment, for an undetermined period of time. The war could end tomorrow, or in one hundred years, but until it did, he could not return home.
Quine sighed. I'm sorry Lanel. Perhaps if you were not my sibling I would have been able to go easier on you, but I cannot show any weakness."
"I understand."
"Go now, my brother. I pray it will not be too long until you are able to rejoin us."
"Goodbye" Lanel bowed as his sister swept past him. Who knew when he'd be able to come back? And when the time came, would he want to?
"Call the idiot supervisor and tell him what you know" Kanda ordered Lavi as they rested I their room that evening. It had been a long, tiring day of walking around the town and they were both fed up.
Lavi nodded wearily. "Perhaps we should move on. I don't think he's here anymore."
"Tch."
With a roll of his eye at his partner's loquaciousness Lavi connected his golem to the telephone line. When he heard the supervisor's voice, he was a little confused.
"Don't think I don't now what you're doing! That's just an excuse to grope my darling Lenalee isn't it?"
"Err…Komui?" Lavi ventured
"When I get free, you'll be sorry!" There was the sound of hair legs hitting the floor, as though the occupant was rocking back and forth in it. In the background came a shout and a mad giggle.
"Komui?" Lavi said again.
"Lavi!" the supervisor sobbed. "They're having a wild orgy! My poor innocent little sister!"
Lavi held back a laugh. Lenalee hadn't been innocent for years, and he should know- not that it would be healthy to let the supervisor know that of course. "That's nice. Listen, we have a description of our target, he's-"
He was cut off by more sobbing and another shout. Forgetting all about the mission Lavi asked "who exactly is involved in this orgy?" He noticed that Kana was paying close attention now, though the was trying to appear unconcerned by the conversation.
"Oh Lavi! It's terrible! Allen, Lanel and Jim have coaxed my little sister and Miranda into their dirty perverted games!"
"Allen has? Really?" Lavi could have laughed at Kanda's murderous expression. "Can I speak to him a moment?"
"They tied me up! I can't move!" Komui wailed. There followed another bout of chair rocking, a loud 'Oomph!' as Komui hit the ground, and the noise of him inching across the floor without the use of his arms. "Allen, Lavi wants to speak to you!" Komui said, offering Allen his headset. Well, shoving his face in Allen's so he was in the range of the microphone.
"Hey Lavi! Jim, Miranda said left! Sorry about that, how's the mission going?"
Lavi told him what they'd found out, since it was obvious that Komui wasn't paying attention.
"That's good then- Oh come on Lanel, are you colour blind? That's blue!"
"I was going to ask what you were doing to make Komui so upset, but I've decided I don't want to know anymore!" laughed Lavi. "Here, talk to Yuu."
"What the hell are you doing Moyashi?" Kanda growled into the phone.
"We're just playing, showing Lanel how to have some fun- wow Lenalee, that's an interesting position- there's nothing going on for you to worry about except for you to complete your mission" Allen reassured him, the effect being rather spoilt by his sudden laugh. "I do hope that's not a hand I can feel."
Kanda blinked, decided the long day had forced his brain to melt, and hung up.
The next two weeks passed slowly for everyone. At first they were kept entertained by pestering Lanel to use his powers, especially The Voice but soon even that lost its appeal. Eventually Allen took the angel out with him on a short mission to exterminate a couple of Akuma terrorising a local town, just to stop them both from going stir-crazy, though of course Lanel couldn't actually destroy them himself since he had no innocence.
After a few more days of extreme boredom, Komui called Allen and Jim to his office.
"There's two weeks left until the India team are due back" he began, as though he didn't know that Allen was counting down the days 'til Kanda was back. "And apart from that rather vague description, they've come up with nothing." He steepled his fingers and surveyed them over the top of his glasses. "The Grand Generals are getting frustrated. This isn't to leave this room" he warned "but they're worried that we'll not win this war. We've been fighting for years and don't seem to be getting anywhere. We've lost too many people- that's why they want to recruit this person."
"To do…what, exactly?" Jim asked, confused.
Allen fumed. "So they can experiment on him, find out how he does it and use it."
"But…that's a good thing right? If it saves our lives?"
Allen glowered at the younger exorcist "So you think the end justifies the means do you?"
Jim was a little taken aback by the ferocity of Allen's rebuke and he shifted uneasily. "No, of course not, that's not what I meant."
"Unfortunately that IS what the Grand Generals think, and until we at least make contact with him, they aren't going to give up" Komui said.
"So teams are going to be sent out after him again and again until someone manages to bring him back, is that it?" Allen all but snarled, his hands clenched tightly into fists at his sides.
"Apparently the need to 'recruit' this person outweighs even the search for innocence." Komui said the word recruit with a wry smile, and they all knew it was a polite euphemism for 'kidnap'. "Therefore we need to have a continuous search for him underway, we can't afford to lose any lead we might have in the time it takes for a replacement team to get out there."
"And it's our turn?" Allen asked, calmer now.
Komui nodded "you leave tomorrow morning. Your orders are to meet up with Kanda and Lavi, get any additional information from them and then continue their mission."
The two exorcists nodded in understanding and stood to leave. Jim went through the door first, but Allen hung back slightly, pausing just before he closed the door. "I don't care what the orders are; I won't force him to come back with us against his will Komui. You of all people should know the consequences that doing that would have."
Komui thought about his sister and lowered his head with a sigh. The reflected light turned the lenses of his lasses opaque as he stared at his desk. "I know."
Allen rubbed his temples wearily. "This is useless!" He leaned back against a nearby wall, looking utterly fed up.
Jim made a noise of agreement and slid down the wall, coming to a rest on the ground in a small cloud of reddish dust. "At least we've got more to go on than Lavi and Kanda. They must have been really… frustrated." Completely and utterly furious was probably more like it. He remembered how the pair had looked when they met up to be filled in on the extra details of the mission, which hadn't been much.
"The only other thing is something about only been found by death, which doesn't make much sense" said Lavi apologetically. "We've thought about it and we think it means that hell only come if someone's dying. Not that knowing what it means is much help, you can't exactly just hang around waiting for someone to kick the bucket."
"Unless…" Jim said hesitantly
"Unless what?"
"Never mind, it's a stupid idea."
"Spill it Birdy-chan" Lavi said, throwing an arm over Jim's shoulder
"Well, there are two people on the team, and you could always…"
Allen immediately cut him off "No, you're right, that's a stupid idea. No one is going to try to kill anyone else. What if this guy didn't show up? We'll just have to hope we get lucky."
Jim supposed that Allen had been right, but it didn't help knowing there was possibly something they could do to draw their target out of hiding, even if it was a bit dangerous.
With a soft expulsion of air Allen sat down next to the younger exorcist, resting his head on the rough bricks behind him. He watched the crowds moving past them, but saw no one who matched the rather vague description that Kanda and Lavi had managed to wrangle from the locals.
"If this carries on, we'll have to try-" he attempted to broach the subject again.
"No," Allen cut his former student off "that's not even a last resort!"
"But Allen-"
"No!"
"Alright" Jim conceded, deciding not to press the issue. "Should we keep looking?" he asked after a pause.
Allen nodded slowly, eyes still flicking backwards and forwards across the busy street. "Maybe we should split up to cover more ground."
Jim looked a little worried, biting his lip and following Allen's gaze, settling his wide brown eye on the people hurrying to and fro. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"It makes more sense; we'll never get this done at the rate we're going." He cocked an eyebrow at the other exorcist. "But absolutely no risk taking."
Jim was concerned by the fact that Allen seemed to know what he was thinking. "Of course not."
"Hmm," was all Allen said. "It shouldn't be too hard- by all accounts he was here yesterday, hopefully he hasn't left yet. It's just a shame that the locals won't give us any more information."
With a brisk nod Jim stood up and dusted off his backside. "Back here in…four hours?"
"Sounds like a plan" Allen stood too and straightened his coat with a couple of jerks on his lapels. "See you later then" he said and one minute Jim was looking at the white haired general and the next Allen had launched himself onto the roof of the adjacent building and was gone.
Four hours seemed more like four days to Allen as he sat on a rooftop looking out over the city. He felt like giving up, and they'd only arrived in India two weeks ago. The next six were going to be torture if they were anything like those that had already passed. He vaguely wondered which lucky pair would be sent out to relieve them, for he seriously doubted that he and Jim would find anything or that the Grand Generals would give up on their elusive target.
He blew a strand of hair from his eyes, cursing the sweltering heat. There wasn't much time left until he had to meet up with Jim again, so he resigned himself to having one last sweep of the area before regrouping with his former student. Allen had just started to move towards the centre of the town when he heard the sound of a scuffle from the alleyway a couple of streets behind him. With a sigh and a soft curse he turned and headed in the direction of the ruckus. As he drew closer he realised he knew one of the voices.
"Get the hell away from me!" Jim's voice exclaimed indignantly. It was followed by the thud of flesh hitting flesh. "Ow, fuck!" Jim growled, sounding breathless.
"I won't ay it again boy. Hand over any valuables you've got and we'll be nice to you. If not…" the accented voice trailed off menacingly.
"I've already told you, I don't have anything!"
Allen sped up, hopping lightly over rooftops, hoping to get to Jim before he got himself even deeper in trouble.
"A likely story, fancy coat like that" one of the men accused and Allen shuddered, even from his perch above the alley he could feel the tension creep up a notch. He jumped from the roof into the alley silently, though the unexpected motion drew the attention of the men surrounding the other exorcist. There were five of them altogether. The two at Jim's back were armed with knives, the one of the left was holding a long solid piece of wood and another was idly twirling a thick chain over his wrist, but the last man, who apparently the ringleader, didn't look armed at all. He stood directly in front of the teen, his face scant inches from Jim's nose. When Allen landed, the man barely spared him glance, his dark eyes flicking to look at him before returning to Jim. "Looks like he's got a friend. Take care of the albino." He gestured to one of the knifemen and the one holding the plank, and they both advanced on Allen, who looked supremely unimpressed by the so-called danger posed by the two men. He completely ignored them and grinned at Jim over their shoulders. The boy beamed back in reply, knowing that now the odds had evened slightly he'd have no trouble taking care of the three men surrounding him.
Allen was still ignoring the two men standing in front of him, both of whom looked decidedly confused by the blatant lack of fear they were presented with. "Don't hurt them too much" the white-haired man told his companion with a slightly wicked grin.
"Yeah, yeah" Jim waved a dismissive hand. The would-be thieves looked at each other bemusedly.
"Get them!" the leader yelled, his face darkened with anger. Obediently the four men advanced, after all, it was still two on one, no matter how cocky their soon-to-be victims were.
The man wielding the plank swung first, throwing his entire weight behind the blow, only to have it blocked by a casually raised left arm. Allen caught hold of the wood, which creaked ominously under the pressure before splitting like a toothpick. He used the half he was holding to clock his attacker across the head, spilling him unconscious onto the ground of the alley. Jim grinned at him as he casually tripped the man with the chain, who fell clumsily and was incapacitated by a swift rabbit punch as he went down. Jim and Allen ended up back to back, facing the knifemen who looked both enraged and nervous as they circled the two exorcists. Allen studied their movements closely, watching their eyes flicker in a silent conversation. He pushed Jim out of the way as the two men threw their weapons. The one that would have hit Jim's back sailed past them and sunk into the throat of the other assailant, but the second knife embedded itself to the hilt in Allen's hand as he knocked Jim aside.
"Jesus H. Christ!" Allen hissed in surprise, examining the injury. The six inch blade was firmly buried through the back of his right hand. He prodded it cautiously. "Buggering hell! That knackers!"
Jim laughed, hauling himself to his feet. "Stop poking at it then you masochist!"
The man whose knife had killed his partner shook off his shock and with a roar, charged at the exorcists. Jim just turned and let the man run into his fist, which effectively crumpled the mugger to the floor. "Well now that's over-" Jim was cut off by the sharp retort of a gunshot, echoing unnaturally in the confined space.
"Bastards! Forgotten about me had you? More fool you!" the leader sneered, the pistol in his hand still smoking from the shot.
Allen watched in horror as Jim made an odd choking gurgle, blood blooming at his neck as he buckled to the ground.
Allen tore the knife from his hand and threw it at the man. It sliced across his wrist, severing tendons and causing him to drop the gun in favour of clutching his slashed joint. Allen couldn't have cared less.
"Jim!" he dropped to his knees beside the fallen exorcist, trying to ignore the steadily growing puddle of deep red blood pooling around Jim's head as he dragged off his coat and ripped his shirt off, using the white material to staunch the blood flowing from the gunshot wound in the other's neck. "Stay with me Jim, we'll get some help, ok?"
Jim's eyelids fluttered as he fought to stay awake. "Huh, sure you will." The words were raspy and hoarse, barely above a whisper.
"Oh no you don't! That's an order from your Goddamn general James Harvey! Stay awake!" Allen snapped, giving Jim a small shake.
"Yessir" was the muttered response. It was obvious he was fading fast- the white shirt was already dyed completely crimson, the blood mixing with the lazily oozing blood from Allen's right hand as it soaked through the glove.
'Come on Walker, think!' Allen berated himself, feeling utterly useless. 'Do you have any ideas?' he asked the Noah who he sensed hovering at the edges of his consciousness watching the scene through his eyes.
So much blood, the Noah murmured, and then seemed to give himself a mental shake. I know nothing of first aid.
'This is a little beyond first aid' growled Allen. The sound of approaching footsteps drew him from his internal conversation, and he swung round, expecting the leader to have recovered and try attacking them again. However it was not the sneering face of Jim's shooter that greeted him. The footsteps belonged to a tall teenage boy of about sixteen years; with longish brown hair that hung over deep chocolaty brown eyes that looked startlingly familiar. There was no doubt that this youth was the one they had bee searching for.
"I thought I felt death in this alley" commented the newcomer, his voice mellow and even, with a light American accent and another underlying twang that Allen couldn't place at the moment. "Exorcists" he said looking at Allen's abandoned coat. "I was hoping to avoid the Black Order."
Deciding now was not the time to press the boy about how he knew so much about the Order, gestured at Jim. He feared it might already be too late; the teen was hardly breathing, his face a deathly shade of white and lips tinged with blue. "Save him, please, if you can."
The boy dropped to his knees at Allen's side, moving the shirt away and examining the wound with sift professional movements. "Yes, I can save him, but I mist be quick."
He rummaged through his pockets and withdrew a small wooden cup. "Do you have any water?" he asked Allen without looking up, running his hands over the smooth grain of the cup and murmuring something that sounded suspiciously like 'innocence, activate.'
"Here" Allen pulled his canteen from his coat and handed it to the youth, who continued to talk while he filled the slightly glowing cup with the water. "A little young to be a general aren't you?"
"I'm twenty-two" Allen said, feeling slighted. "I've been a general since I was seventeen, so you tell me of I'm too young."
"Hmm, Allen Walker, I thought so" the boy said, still watching the cup.
Allen blinked at him but didn't say anything; he was more worried about how long it was taking the boy to do anything to save Jim.
"My cup is my innocence. It turns any water you put into it into some kind of miracle-water that can heal any injury and cure any illness" the brown haired boy explained as he eased the water down Jim's throat. He repeated the process twice more before refilling the cup once more and handing it to Allen. "For your hand. I normally don't use my innocence for small injuries, but hey, I'm already invocated."
Allen drank gratefully, cringing as pins and needles enveloped his hand. The boy pulled off the glove and examined the hand closely. "Perfect."
Allen had to agree. Not only was his hand completely back to normal but the headache that had been threatening had faded into extinction. He thanked him and returned to watching Jim, who already looked one hundred times better, the colour had returned to his face and his breathing was deeper and less erratic.
After a few more minutes his eyes fluttered open and he glanced around confusedly, one hand reaching to touch his neck where the final bits of tissue and skin were still visibly knitting together. "Ah, pins and needles" he shuddered. His eyes landed on Allen. "What happened? I thought I was a goner for a minute there."
"Well, I am ashamed to say I had nothing to do with it" Allen said, patting the shoulder of the boy who was still sitting next to him. The boy was staring at Jim in shock, mouth moving silently over one word. What Allen found most odd was that the boy's expression mirrored Jim's exactly.
Eventually the younger teen spoke that one word he had been trying to articulate. "Jimmy?"
Jim shook his head violently. "No, you can't be- he's dead."
"Jimmy!" Sounding more certain now the boy leaned forward "it is you! Where have you been? I thought you were dead!"
Jim swallowed, tears forming on his eyes as he forced himself to sit up, flinging his arms around the shoulders of the smaller boy and embracing him tightly. Danny!"
And now, the terrible, terrible news! I have reached the point in this story where the real fun begins, but, alas, the fun has not been written, so I now must take a couple of weeks off to get a few chapters under my belt before I can get posting again. Plus I have lots of notes to catch up on and an essay or two to write as well as a statistics assignment (boo!) plus a thumb to heal. Therefore, do not be surprised if nothing goes up for a while, but I promise I am working on it!
Thank you everyone for your reviews and get wells and stuff, I love it! XX
Some more art will be going up soon, so check out my deviant art account for some Lanel and Danny doodles of doom!