Reckoning
Chapter 11
raging golden moon

After fifteen long, agonizing minutes of searching, fifteen minutes of precious time that I couldn't afford to waste, I found what I'd been searching for. Lulu Bell's door stood in front of me, as tall and proud as I ever remembered.

Pushing open the door, I flew into the room and looked around desperately for the older woman. She was sitting, I assumed she was doing her makeup, and didn't seem to notice me. "Lulu!" I cried, staring gratefully at the golden-haired Noah. She looked up in shock, while I just smiled softly, relief flooding through my entire body. "I'm home," I muttered, walking forward slightly, my legs aching from running up and down all those stairs.

She stood up from where she was sitting at her vanity and placed down the nail polish. She was always like that, wasn't she? "Akicho?" She smiled softly, something she didn't usually do, moving forward to catch me by my shoulders. "Yes… you're home. But," she looked me up and down, "What's with the long coat? You do realize how hot out it is, right?"

Smiling, I playfully retorted, "You're one to talk, Lulu. You're wearing a suit in the middle of the summer!"

Lulu rolled her eyes and sat me down on her plush couch, rushing back towards her vanity. Silence took over the room as she finished repainting her nails.

"I know why you're here," she said finally, standing once more. "I'll show you to the next level, but from there, you'll have to find the idiot twins. Jasdero and Debitto, you remember them. After all, how could you forget morons like them? They've been dying to see you. But before I send you off, I'm fixing that horrid outfit of yours." She grabbed some sewing scissors and knelt down before the couch.

As she started to cut the uniform very neatly, almost like she was the designer of it, I watched with a grin on my face. She'd made all of my clothes when I was little, while I'd watched, like we were doing now. Lulu had always had an eye for a good design. "Thanks, Lulu." She didn't reply, but I did see her lips curl upwards a little bit in a small smile. "It looks and feels much better." It was now shorter, going down to my thighs, like a short dress, with the black leggings underneath.

When she was finished, Lulu stood and put her scissors away, each movement slow and almost reluctant. She sighed, almost sadly. Her voice was wistful as she placed her hand on my cheek and muttered, "I wish you were still on our side. We could be a family again."

"We still are," I replied quietly, a small smile forming on my face again. "I'll always love you guys, no matter which side I'm on." I smiled, remembering the memories that I always treasured, the memories of what Lulu and me used to do together.

An eleven-year-old Akicho was standing on a wooden box, looking down warily at the pink dress she had practically been forced into. "Lulu, you know pink isn't my color…" she protested weakly. "It looks awful… I mean, I look awful in it…"

The Noah stepped back and looked at her work. She was around fourteen at that time and aiming to be a designer, in her human life, at least. She had always been a fashionista. "Yes, I think you're right, at least about pink not being your color." She paused for a moment, then snapped her fingers in an epiphany. "Hang on, I've got a navy blue dress that would be absolutely stunning on you. Tyki wouldn't be able to look away." She winked. "I'm absolutely sure that he likes you, too."

Akicho suddenly turned a beautiful shade of crimson and cried, "St-stop teasing me about that, Lulu! Just because I think he's attractive- Oh, God, forget I said that!" She was wailing now.

Lulu raised one eyebrow, amused. "I think you've said that loud enough for the whole Ark to hear."

The younger girl simply put her head in both her hands and groaned loudly, shaking her head from side to side. "I won't be able to face him tonight…" she muttered sadly. Groaning again, she spun around until she collapsed onto the couch, burying her head into a fluffy pillow.

Looking sympathetic, Lulu sat next to her friend. "Have I told you what he told me?" Akicho looked up sadly and shook her head, her face still red, but fading away to a light pink. "He told me that you are the most beautiful girl he's ever had the pleasure of knowing." Lulu smiled and tucked a piece of hair behind Akicho's ear "You know he likes you, too, right? I think he might even love you."

Said girl sat up and swung her feet back and forth, staring at the ground. "I feel like a school girl whispering secrets," Akicho quipped, looking down with a clearly red face. Lulu had to chuckle at her innocence. "What? I do…"

Lulu laughed a bit at the memories. "You know he still loves you, right Akicho?" I nodded, feeling my face flush, just like it had so many years ago. "But not the way you used to love him." I nodded again, still slightly red. "Well, he's always on your side. If you find him, I'm sure he'll let you go. It's the Earl that you have to worry about. Now…" she trailed off, pulling a key from her shelf. She pushed it into the lock of the bathroom door and glanced to me. "Go. You may be able to get out in time. Just be careful."

The door swung open to reveal a black and purple portal of swirling darkness and light. I stepped forward, then stopped as I stood next to Lulu. She was looking into the portal, her gaze far away at that moment. Reaching up, I enveloped the older woman in a hug. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

She didn't hug back, but instead whispered, "I expect no forgiveness for the things that I have done, or those that I am about to do. They will never be against you, but against what you stand for and those you stand with now… but I ask for you to always think of me as your family, no matter what happens in this war."

I nodded as I pulled away. "I feel as if I have to ask the same thing of you. I might… just have to fight you again… and next time, if you don't run, I may end up having to kill you… or you might have to kill me… And I won't ever be able to do that."

"I know." She pulled my arms away from her, looking down with almost teary eyes. "Go. Please."

Nodding once more, I ran into the darkness, away from my sister, remembering the words she had said only moments before. It was inevitable now that even Lulu knew. My family and I would be pitted against each other in the battles to come, and I was unsure of if I could forgive myself for the actions I would be forced to take against them.

They were… human, too. Sure, they had superpowers and strength that far surpassed those of regular humans, but didn't we Exorcists, too? We all had human emotion, the ability to feel anger and sadness, and happiness and hope.

Hope… that was something we all needed at this point.

-YU KANDA-

What the hell kind of pills is this guy taking?!

Every damn time that Kanda got a hit in to the golden Noah, his blades sparkled with some stupid purple light, and every time he made a scratch, the Noah only regenerated whatever skin he cut. Kanda was close to giving up…

Like hell he was.

Skin was good, but he certainly wasn't the best warrior ever. He was far too stupid to be the best. He was strong, but not fast. Kanda had dodged all of the hits due to speed.

"Eight Flowers Praying Mantis!" That hit looked like it ended that fight. But this Noah was tough, and he got up once again.

How is he still able to stand? No matter. It'll all be over soon.

Another earthquake shook the entire room, and Kanda knew that the room didn't have much time before it collapsed. He quickly tapped into the power inside his tattoo and the ability Sublimate, and from there, the ability Three Illusions. The power radiating from Kanda did some damage to Skin, but no matter what, this dumb Noah just wouldn't give up.

Then Kanda remembered that Skin was the Noah of Wrath. He wouldn't forgive Kanda for anything, and because of the hits Kanda had gotten in, the lightning from the Noah's golden skin was burning Kanda's hands viciously, trailing up Kanda's trusted blade and into his skin.

Skin rushed forward, but Kanda slashed at him again, and again, and again, managing to get many hits in at one time. His speed and his strength had increased thanks to Three Illusions.

There was a dangerous side effect, however. His life force would drain after using Three Illusions, and he wouldn't have much time left after this. Sure, there was a shitload of petals on that damn lotus, but honestly, with all the fights Kanda would be getting in after this, those petals wouldn't last forever. All of them had to fall at one point or another, and all of them would fall, and take him with them.

Kanda let a smirk take over his face. "With all the openings you're leaving, I could take your head off." He knew Skin wouldn't see it. To everyone else, it would only look like a flick of his blade. But Kanda knew that he was slashing in five places at once, and he saw the damage it did to Skin as blood erupted from the Noah's skin, splattering everywhere with no remorse. Skin fell to his knees in pain, but still wouldn't give up.

Finally, the burns inflicted by touching Skin showed on Kanda's hands. They were hurting him because of Three Illusions. Skin finally got a hit in on Kanda with a large bolt and a ton of chains that erupted from his chest. The chains pulled Kanda in towards Skin, who slammed him into a rock formation, and none to gently.

"Just because you're Akicho's new friend doesn't mean I'll go easy on you, Exorcist. You're naïve, and I won't allow you to survive." Kanda was being pulled around like a rag doll, and there was nothing he could do about it.

His tattoo pulsed in his chest and he growled. "I can't die. Pain in the ass chains… now get ready, 'cause I'm about to kick your ass." Kanda was thrown, once again, into another stone tower. He struggled to get up while listening to Skin rant about how Kanda was just about dead. Picking up his Twin Illusion Blades again, Kanda glared at Skin.

He remembered what Komui had said not too long ago. "Your clock has started ticking, Kanda. You can't misjudge the strength of your life force."

He looked up at Skin and quietly declared, "I won't die." And despite everything, he believed those words. Then, the room started to shake again. Time was almost up for that room. It would collapse shortly.

-AKICHO LAMURIA-

I could feel the shaking from the Ark. I knew that one of the rooms was about to collapse. All I could do was hope that it wasn't one that my any of my friends… that Kanda or Allen or Lavi or Lenalee was in. If one of them were in the room that was collapsing, I didn't know what I'd do.

I ran up the stairs, watching for any signs of one of the rooms about to collapse. It wasn't Road's room and it wasn't the twin's room. It wasn't Tyki's room and it wasn't Lulu's room. It wasn't Sheryl's room and it wasn't the Earl's room. Skin was the only one left. I looked down at the window to his room.

What I saw shocked me to the core. Skin was still in his room, fighting against someone in a black coat. An Exorcist. Someone was still in that room with him. I looked at the window intently as I kept running up the set of stairs to the twin's room, hoping that they'd be there. I saw the entrance collapse.

"My name is Kanda, you lightning bastard."

A gasp escaped my lips. Kanda was in there with Skin? No… No, no, no! Neither one of them would ever give up. If those two stubborn pricks were still in that damn room when it collapsed… I couldn't even bear to think about it. I couldn't lose two of my dear friends in one wrong move.

Even though I knew they couldn't hear me, I yelled, "Kanda! Skin! You morons, get the hell out of there! Suck up your manly pride and leave that room! Please! I can't watch you die… I just can't!"

-YU KANDA-

He heard it. He had heard Akicho's pleading for him to get out. Oh, he'd leave. He would leave that room in his rearview mirror as soon as he kicked the Noah's ass. He heard her voice choke up.

"I can't watch you die… I just can't!"

He closed his eyes and thought, I won't die. There're still some things that I have to do before I give up. I promise that I'll come back.

A smirk took over Kanda's solemn face, tugging at the furthest corner of his lips, as he heard what her reply would be in his mind. He'd been hanging around her too damn much. He already knew what she'd say to him. "You'd better, you asshole."

Turning to Skin, Kanda silently wondered if his opponent had heard anything at all from Akicho. If it was just him, he smirked. Maybe the bond between the Noah and Akicho wasn't so tough after all. Or maybe the Noah was just a prick to worry her. Kanda would never make that mistake.

But the Noah's damned chains were hard to get rid of. He felt himself being pulled all over the place and let a cry of pain out from his wounds. It was all finally catching up with him. Damn. His regenerative powers were slower now, due to the fact that he used Three Illusions.

As he was thrown into the rocks, he felt his coat ripped off his body. His tattoo was bound to show. He felt his world go black. This was the third time he'd died in a few days. His illusion blade disappeared from his hand. His tattoo glowed a little as it gave him back life once more, and in his mind's eye, he saw one of the petals fall from the lotus.

I won't die.

I promised her that I won't die. I promised her that I'll come back.

Skin growled and walked forward. Kanda looked dead on his feet, and the Noah grabbed him by the throat. The tattoo began to glow again and Kanda struggled back to his full consciousness. He could feel his heart beating in his chest. He moved his sword arm and stabbed Mugen right through Skin's chest. The Noah cried out as Kanda sliced him with the blade, even with the lightning he was suffering. Skin dropped Kanda and landed in a vicious pool of his own blood. Mugen was lying by Kanda's side, smoking from the damage. Kanda could hear Skin growling and ranting.

Standing once again, Kanda saw that the chains were still in his chest. "Not even you Noah are immortal. No one believes that shit. All humans die…" looking down at the body of the Noah of Wrath, Kanda's hair was blown a little as he continued, "… as long as they're still human."

Snow seemed to be falling over the room as Kanda struggled to the exit, not looking back at the body.

Not even when it moved.

So this is a really, really late update. Haha, I fail. I'm sorry, forgive me. /crawls back under my rock. I'm trying to finish this story and Lost in the Dark before summer break, so I can start another story, one that I'm more proud of than this lump of horse shit. It's getting better, since I think my writing has evolved since I wrote this chapter.

Yeah. By the way, the latest DGM chapter has made me sob like a little girl. Just... I can't even. What is life.

Anyways, please review and support me so I have enough inspiration to complete this story without losing faith that people actually want to read it. Haha, that sounds so selfish and conceited, but reviews really do make me happy, ahaha. ^^;;;

Oh, one more thing. Would you guys be interested in reading a Kanda x Akicho fanfiction about the two of them in high school? It'd be based off 10 Things I Hate About You, with cameo appearances by the rest of the cast? Including our favorite white-haired beansprout and annoying rabbit and adorable kitten! Would that be okay? Or is that just stupid?