Chapter Title: Sanity
Chapter Description: As the battle with the Noah continues, the exorcists continue fighting as hard as they can in what seems like a losing battle. Those who cannot help, pray, those who are winning laugh and smile and while the losing side fight for their lives a surprising show down occurs.
A/N: Chapter seven, AKA, the chapter in which everyone cameos. I wanted this one to be a little less angst filled but… Well. Next chapter will have a little less angst. I promise. Maybe Link'll bake a pie or something. Or maybe the Noahs will bake Link into a pie… That'd be funny too…. Right? So, I want to thank everyone who's been reviewing. My undying love and gratitude goes out to you eternally. Oh, and I'm going to try replying to all my reviews. I used to do that, back in the day, but lately I've been like… I'll do it in ten minutes. And then I never do, which is wrong, because ya'll are taking time to do something nice for me so I should thank you… Haha. Subjunctives. (As I write this I'm rather tired and am supposed to be doing Latin homework). Oh, and the Tyki and Wisely part of this… Dunno where that came from...
Disclaimer: I do not own DGM, because if I did then there would be a lot less shirtless Kanda and a lot more shirtless Lavi…
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"How much can you fit under your skin? I wish you were dead babe I wish you were dead. I can fit too, I can fit two... I can fit two people under my skin and I will prove it if you will listen. You crawled up in there you joined me within."
-'Under My Skin' by Jukebox the Ghost
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"What'd that idiot do?" A cigarette was removed from his mouth and a cloud of smoke appeared around his head. Next to him the woman laughed quietly and darkly for a moment while swatting away the smoke cloud that was threatening to engulf her lungs and give her a premature death. It always amazed her how he had managed to live this long with all of his bad habits being those that tended to bring on an early death.
Slowly she brought a small tumbler filled with an amber colored liquid up to her lips. "I thought that you said that you were actually fond of the boy now." Carefully she took a small sip, a tiny smile on her face as she did so.
Next to her, he grunted. "Whether or not I give a crap barely matters on the fact that he's still a complete idiot." Eagerly, he downed the rest of his drink in one large gulp. "Now stop beating around the bush and tell me what happened, woman."
There was a sharp noise and a red mark on his face a moment later. Waving out her hand, the woman turned a bit to the side. "If you don't start treating me like a real human, then I'll stop with these reports. I'm not doing this for any gain of my own."
Not caring at all about the woman's unfriendly gesture, the man laughed heartily, though breaking off where his chuckles threatened to break into coughs. Wounds needed time to heal; he had not given his enough. "What, being in my company when no one else is allowed isn't gift enough to you?"
The drink that she had savored a moment ago quickly was poured down her throat. Harshly she set the glass back on the table as she gave the man a stare as cruel as a hawk. "The Noah have infiltrated the Order. Apparently Walker was at the head of the parade to enter. Since then I've gotten no response from any of the people stationed at the main branch; we can only assume the worst." A small knot of worry rested in her stomach; since she was not there, the chances of the Order's survival were significantly decreased. But without the ark there was no way for her to make it in time to save her comrades; at this point giving this man the information that he needed was the best that she could do.
Almost as if he could read her mind, a smile grew on his face. "If that's the case, then why aren't you there trying to protect your precious Order?" Without being asked, he filled up his own glass and hers. Though she didn't appreciate his words, that gesture was.
"You know as well as I that there is no way that I could make it out there in time." Pausing in her speech, she drained her glass once again. "The best course of action for me at the moment is to remain safe; when the time comes I will head over to the Oceania Branch and reconnect with Central to see what I can do. For the moment, however, I can only go about trying to find as many new exorcists as I can, and hopefully one of them will be the Heart, so that this war could possibly end soon."
Smiling into the distance, it was almost as if he had not heard her words. "You know, when that kid first got to the order, Hevlaska told him that he would be the destroyer of time. Do you think that it's still true?"
Taking a deep breath, she admitted what she truly felt. "From the moment that I first laid eyes on Allen Walker, I knew that there was something special about him. Maybe it was the fact that he was a wolf in sheep's clothing, but deep down, I don't believe that to be true." As she stood up a small monkey hopped onto her shoulder. Lovingly, she gave it a small pat on the head. "I could be crazy, or a heretic, but there's a part of me that still believes that Walker is one of us. After all, the Innocence is still with him, even as a Noah."
"From your lips to God's ears, Klaud." As she left, he took a swig right from the bottle, and with a smile, he settled off to sleep.
--
Sword still in hand, Allen followed Link through the maze-like hallways of the Order. Despite all of Allen's… encouragement, the man refused to move any faster than a fast-paced walking speed. The suspense of finding Lenalee was almost too much for Allen to bear; he had already been forced to kill a friend, he may not last if his love was already dead.
In the halls was the dust of those members of the Order who had been killed by the akuma that the Noahs had sent in first. Their sacrifice would be remembered by the people here and, like Miranda, they too would be treated like heroes. Not that Allen cared at all, instead he just focused his mind on saving Lenalee from whatever was happening.
If the Order was threatening her, their blood would stain the floor.
If his family, the Clan of Noah, was threatening her, then they would not see the light of day again.
Allen was unafraid. This was his mission; the thing that he had to do. If anyone got in his way, friend or foe, they would have to die. Now that his hands were already red with the blood of a friend, nothing mattered. If he was already a murderer, then he would murder as much as he needed to in order to save her.
"We're almost there, Walker." Link said as calmly as if he was still the person ordered to watch Walker's movements in case he showed contact with the Noahs. Sadly, Allen realized that Link had not done his job very well; if he had killed Allen the moment that they realized that he was the Fourteenth, then this situation would have never happened. Still, there was nothing difference about his appearance or demeanor than there had been when he was Allen's comrade. It was reassuring to Allen, in a way. "Do you know where she is, perchance?"
Grimacing, Allen nodded, though Link could not see. "She's being tried for heresy, is she not?" A bitter edge crept into his voice. "Because of me."
"Exactly." Link said without any remorse. "And your being here makes that situation worse, you know. If you invaded the Order for the sole purpose of saving her then we can only assume that the two of you are keeping up contact and-"
"Then, as usual, the Order would be wrong." After pausing for a moment, Allen said the thing that he knew would be the biggest slap in the face to the Order. "Lavi and Bookman have joined my side of this fight; they're the ones who told me that Lenalee had a trial today." As Link walked Allen could see a new hesitation in his step. Apparently they had not been informed of Lavi's unwilling betrayal. Doubt would begin to fill the minds of the Order because of this second bout of treachery and if they survived this fight, they would kill each other from the inside out in no time. "I'm here to make sure that she doesn't get blamed for what I've done; none of this is her fault."
Allen followed Link around another corner that lead to the same corridors that Allen had once had a conversation with General Cross that had changed his life. Just being there made memories of the past swell in Allen's mind. Part of him would cheer the day that this corridor was destroyed. "Well, Walker. It's the third door down."
"Thank you, Link." For the moment he would spare Link's life; someone would get to him in time, and Allen needed to find Lenalee now, without any more distractions. "I appreciate this."
Eyes on the target, Allen's feet began to move, but was stopped by Link stepping in front of him. "If I may have just a moment, Walker, there's something that I need to say." Irritated, Allen stalled for the moment, hoping that this would be quick. Taking a deep breath, Link began to talk, taking down the filters that he had carefully placed in front of his speech the entire time he had been with his former comrade. "We're disappointed in you, Walker. You were one of the strongest members of the Order and you promised that you would not betray us, and yet you have. Because of this, you must have realized, you cannot come back to the Order-"
"I know all this already, Link. Do you have anything interesting to say, or are you going to waste my precious time for things that I already know.?" Raising his sword up as if threatening the man, Allen stared, waiting for the punch line to this conversation.
Even with Allen's sword being pointed at him, Link's expression did not change. "Fine, I'll hurry this up since you seem to be in such a rush." The sarcastic and superior tone of voice that Link had always had was not gone, even now. Without realizing it, Allen lowered his sword just a bit. Around them the Order was being destroyed. By that time the rest of the Noah should have gotten there and would be rampaging and killing everything that they could find. "It's your fault that this world will end, Walker, and I cannot find it within myself to forgive you." Link continued, his nose up in the air.
"That was a very girly thing to say, Link." A small laugh came out of Allen's mouth, and to Link, it seemed like the former exorcist almost looked like himself for a moment. Suddenly, however, Allen's air grew somber as he looked at the ground with a pained sort of expression. "Link, I know that it is." Eyes suddenly full of determination met with Link's. "But I can't do anything. This isn't a choice; this isn't choosing what's for dinner. Being a Noah is part of me, and if I were to go against it, there would be a pain inside of me so great that not even death would come. No, living and fighting against my Noah would be like being tortured for the rest of eternity." A single tear ran down Walker's face. "There's only one thing on Earth that matters to me anymore, and she's in a room in this hallway, possibly being tortured or being killed, and since she's the only thing that I have to live for anymore, I have to do whatever I can to help her. If a few lives get in the way of that, then so be it. The sin is already on my shoulders and when judgment comes I'll accept my punishment."
--
One after another the akuma fell to Kanda's mighty Mugen with a battle defining slash of the blade. Storm after storm of Hell's Insects flew from his blade and attacked the nearby akuma, who seemed to come in a never-ending wave. Despite the adverse circumstances that the Order was in right now, Kanda was able to calmly kill each akuma that came his way with relative ease. Now that Walker was gone, it was easy to say that he was the most powerful non-general exorcist in the Order.
Next to Kanda, Krory was biting as many akuma as he could sink his teeth into, and savoring the savory taste of their blood. No matter what sort of food would pass through his lips, akuma was the most delicious thing that his taste buds knew. Most people thought that his taste for the poison was disgusting, but it was that very taste that was going to be part of the reason that the world was saved. So he sucked as much as he could without being poisoned and killed the rest with the super strength and speed that the blood gave to him. Around him was a pile of dead akuma almost as large as the one surrounding Kanda. For someone so shy and kind, he killed the akuma with relative ease.
On the other side of the room was Chaoji, who was trying his very best to not get killed along with Timothy. Each fought as much as they could, but against the Level Three akuma they felt that they were pretty worthless. Being the newest members of the Order, they had barely any experience with the higher-level demons, and were just hoping that they would make it out of this battle alive and maybe with one or two akuma bodies lying at their feet. Tiedoll, however, protected the two of them while fighting off his share of the demons with his weapon, Maker of Eden. Helping his teacher was Noise Marie, taking out akuma after akuma with his Noel Organ.
Most of the science department had been killed or evacuated, so the exorcists used their fullest powers without having to worry about protecting anyone. Even Chaoji did his best to weaken the akuma for the other exorcists who would be able to kill them.
But there was something wrong; there were people missing, and the fact that they weren't there was blatantly obvious. Everyone had expected Lenalee to be released from her trial when they first found out about the attack. Maybe she helped Allen, maybe she didn't. At this point it didn't matter as long as she remained loyal to the Order now; to try to save the remainder of the Order they needed the Dark Boots and the power that they brought with them. Without her power it would be a strain for these exhausted and blood crusted people to defeat the never-ending parade of akuma.
And as each person grew more tired and bloody, they couldn't help but to wonder where Miranda was. With their accumulating wounds growing more and more blatant and painful, it would have been nice for some time to be turned back so that they could fight their best once again. Even Tiedoll, a general, was feeling the results of his injuries, and felt that he would like nothing more than to settle down and take a nap.
In the midst of fighting Marie, with his super powered hearing, heard the unmistakable cracking noise of an Innocence fragment being shattered down the hallway. The blood stopped in his veins. He knew that it couldn't have been Lenalee's; she had been through far to many battles to let something like this take her down. Offensive was her best skill, and she would have put up more of a fight before letting her Innocence be destroyed. One tear rolled down his face as he used his Innocence to kill yet another corrupted soul as he thought of Miranda, the last time that he had seen her smiling. He knew that he would never again see her frantic movements or sweet laughter.
It was obvious to him that Miranda was the one whose Innocence was lost forever. No one else had an Innocence that would be taken down so easily. Not to say that she was weak or that she wasn't helpful; she just wasn't made for battle or war like the rest of them were. In his heart he wished that she would be happier in heaven with God than she was down here fighting what now seemed like a losing battle.
Hoping that it would keep up morale during the battle, Marie said nothing.
Without warning another flood of akuma came in through the door, this time with Level Twos and Ones mixed in with the Level Threes. Immediately Chaoji and Timothy began to work and take out the weaker ones, leaving the strongest to the more experienced exorcists. Enthusiasm filled them all; with the lower level demons, they knew that the stocks that the Noah had must have been running out. The battle would soon be over, and a victor decided.
"Do your best!" Krory yelled as he sunk his teeth into the flesh under the armor of another Level Three. Nodding, the rest of the exorcists tried.
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"It's been so long since we've gotten a chance to really talk." Tyki said, pouting, as he ripped out the beating heart of a low-ranked science department member. "Since Walker came it seems like we've all been too busy for each other; especially you, Wisely."
Ignoring the sobbing science team member that Wisely had a hold of by the collar, Wisely stared at Tyki for a moment. "Tyki, I didn't know that you felt that way."
Shrugging as he took the one of the eyeballs out of the socket of another scientist and threw it over his shoulder, he spoke quietly. "It seems like we've all been just a little preoccupied lately." Talking a little louder to make himself heard over the screams of the science member, he avoided eye contact with Wisely, trying to stare at a blood-splattered wall instead. "I know that I'm just as guilty as everyone else, but it'd be nice if I didn't have to, you know, be the person to say something all the time."
Quickly, Wisely made the head of the person who he was holding explode. A shy expression on his face, he hesitantly walked over to his brother and wrapped an arm around him. "I'm sorry Tyki, I'll try harder. Sometimes I just get caught up in all of my problems and…" The screams of the now one-eyed scientist that Tyki still grasped annoyed Wisely, so he killed him.
Smiling, Tyki threw the body of the now deceased scientist into the pile that had began to collect in one corner of the room. He used his now free arm to wrap it around Wisely. "It's okay, bro."
"I'm really sorry that you've felt so alone, Tyki. I'll make it up to you, I promise." Around them the remaining scientists tried to limp or drag their near dead bodies away from the Noahs as fast as they could possibly move. "Our relationship is very important to me, and I'll do whatever I can to make it up to you."
Tightening his grasp around his comrade, Tyki smiled. "You already have, Wisely. You already have." Feeling invigorated with power, the two of them ran off smiling to finish of the last of the bastards of the Order.
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Mana, am I going down the right path? It's so hard to see in front of me anymore. This was a path that I chose. Right, Mana? It wasn't much of a choice, but still, I did have a decision in the process. But Mana, there's so much bloodshed and tears on this path that I've created that I'm finding it hard to continue moving.
The only thing that keeps me going is so near, Mana. Soon things will be better… I know that they will be. Never leave me Mana. Soon things will be better and the road will be brighter. Just don't leave my side until then.
I love you.
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Tiny visions crossed his eyes as he slept. The past, the present, what was sure to be the future. So far all of his plans had gone precisely as planned. From the moment that he realized that Allen would carry out the will of the former Fourteenth, he knew what he had to do. Since then things had been a relative breeze.
Sure, he had a few more bruises than when he had started this whole crazy thing, and maybe he had a few gray hairs mixed in with his red ones, but his vanity would have to take a back seat. There would be no more women to woo if the world were to be destroyed by the Earl and his minions.
Slowly he opened his eyes. Thoughts flickered across his mind. There had been a lot of people who had died for this cause. The Fourteenth, himself. Mana, his brother and the person who Allen had cared so much for. Anita, the young, foolish woman who had been the only woman to have ever put any sort of a mark on his heart. Mahoja, the only person who he felt could match him in both manliness and strength.
Even though they were gone, they could still put a smile on his face. If that girl was still alive and had seen him now, she would have given him a reproachful look for his idiotic thoughts, but behind those eyes would be a sense of caring that she could not help but to display.
Her death was one that he had not planned.
Despite this, things were going well. If they progressed as predicted, then soon, very soon, the war would be over and the Earl defeated at long last.
--
Leaving Link behind him, Allen moved forward towards the door, putting his sword back into his arm while he walked. That was the goal that had been his creed since childhood; no matter what, he was to keep moving forward. Now, during the most pivotal point, he found that it was harder than ever to keep moving forward. Just the potential of what was behind that door was all of his dreams and nightmares combined. It was frightening to imagine what could possibly be behind it.
It took all of his strength, but nevertheless, he found it within himself to open the door.
What he was expecting was nothing compared to what met him. Instead of a girl tied down and broken by the people who had falsely imprisoned her, there was a room completely devoid of life except for the person that he found so important, and the one that she feared the most.
"Allen Walker, I wondered when you would join the two of us." Levrier said with a cruel smile on his face as he stirred a bit of sugar into a cup of tea. While the organization that was the last hope for the world was being destroyed he sat around drinking tea. There were even some parts of the Order that Allen found disgusting without the thoughts of the Noah influencing. "You see, this girl has been waiting for you for quite some time."
Allen's eyes moved from the horrible man over to the girl. Immediately something within him stirred. There was something so much different in her demeanor than there had been in the dream that he had of her. "Lenalee." Her name came out no more than a whisper, but even just hearing the syllables from his lips, Lenalee's resolve seemed to falter just a bit.
"I assume that you've heard about her trial, right, Walker? The Vatican wasn't pleased with the fact that she was so eager to help you-"
"She wasn't eager, I-" While he spoke he didn't look at Levrier, instead his eyes were locked on Lenalee's.
"Please be quiet while I'm speaking, Walker." There was such a calm tone to his voice that even Allen began to falter a bit. Despite being no longer under this man's control and even knowing that since he had no Innocence or no physical abilities either, he still felt that Levrier had a presence more dangerous than anyone else in the building at that time. "That's a boy. Now, as I was saying, Miss Lee here was about to begin a trail that would decide her fate as an exorcist, but because of your little break-in, we had to postpone it." Smiling, Levrier slowly took a sip of his tea. "Delicious." He said happily as he set the cup back down on its saucer. "But I thought to myself, what better a way to prove her loyalty to the Order than to have her fight against the Noah Clan that she so desperately hates?"
The word 'hate' struck Allen hard. They were enemies. That was a word that Allen had prepared himself for. Hate, however, was not something that he had expected to come from Lenalee.
"So you decided to set her up against me." Levrier nodded slyly.
"You're smarter than you appear, Walker. Though if you knew what was truly smart, then you would have stayed far away from here. Putting your friends in danger because of your presence is just-" Cutting Levrier off, Allen laughed. Scowling, Levrier demanded an explanation. "What is it that you find so funny, Walker?"
Smiling, Allen marched over to Levrier, his fear dissipating with each step. "Friends, you say? I have no friends here. I've already killed the people who I once considered to be my friends. My friends are with me here, doing the same thing as we speak." Hoping that Lenalee was tuning his words out, Allen continued. "While the people who you hope to save the world are fighting, you are sitting here trying to intimidate me and drinking tea." Smiling, Allen took Levrier's teacup off of its saucer and took a sip. It was too sweet. "Well, that time ends now." Activating his Innocence one again, his hand turned into a claw, which he enclosed around Levrier's neck. "Goodbye, Inspector Levrier."
Though his eyes grew wider, Levrier made no attempts to change his demeanor. "Miss Lee, if you would."
From behind Allen a light flashed as Lenalee whispered, "Innocence, activate!" A moment later he felt a great pain in his side from where Lenalee's Innocence-infused boots hit him. Immediately his grasp on Levrier went lose as he stumbled back a few steps, landing partially on the table that Levrier sat behind. Grunting, Allen stared at Lenalee, whose eyes were filled with determination and sadness.
She was really going to fight. This was an outcome that Allen had not expected. Out of all of the things that he thought that Lenalee may have done, fighting back was not the thing that he had not seen coming. "Why?" Was all that he could ask as he felt his blood run thicker through his veins. When there was a hole in Allen's heart, it felt almost as painful as this.
Smiling sadly, Lenalee looked down at the floor. "I told you, Allen, that next time we would meet we would be enemies. I love you, but I can't give up on humanity for you." Inside his body, Allen's stomach was churning. "The Order is my home, and my friends are the people here. You've destroyed my home, Allen, so now I have to destroy you."
Anger swelling through him at incredible speed, he tried to take a deep breath. This was all done for her sake; he wouldn't have wanted to destroy the Order so quickly otherwise. Because of her, Miranda was lying in a pool of her own blood somewhere, and that was Allen's fault. Trying to calm himself, he held up a finger on his normal hand. "Just one minute." He said as he took a step closer to Lenalee. Instinctively, she took one backwards. Smiling, Allen deactivated his Innocence, and held out a hand to her. "Just for a moment." Not without hesitation, she grabbed his hand, and he gently pulled her closer to her until their lips met for a brief moment.
From the back of the room, Levrier tried to stand up as quietly as he could. Getting killed would be quite inconvenient today, so he thought that it was best that he tried to escape this situation as soon as possible.
Almost instantaneously a large sword flung itself through its chest. Looking up, he saw Allen Walker smiling with a sort of grin that he would have never worn while at the Order. Apparently with becoming a Noah, Walker had lost his sanity.
There was a sharp scream from Lenalee as Allen walked over to where Levrier was now lying and pulled his sword out of the man's chest and a fountain of blood poured from the wound. The sword that could once only help the souls of creatures now seemed to destroy everything that came into its path.
The last thing that Levrier saw before closing his eyes for what he thought would be the final time, was Lenalee Lee attacking Allen Walker with as much force as she could muster through her frightened tears.
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End of Chapter Seven