Requiem of Time: Chapter Four - Lenalee
Lenalee's smile finally fell as soon as Allen was out the door. To keep up her image, she left before anyone could notice. She wandered the halls afterwards, deep in thought.
As she expected, Allen had held the haunted look he usually had after nightmares - not for the first time she wondered what he was actually seeing - and she knew that he would probably not sleep again until his body literally dropped from exhaustion, unless of course he found someone willing to share his bed. That little cure for his chronic nightmares was an undeniable blessing.
But Allen had also looked distracted, though Lenalee supposed that it made sense. Allen had been sent to the past like the rest of them, leaving behind everyone he cared about except them, and even then thought he was alone. Not to mention between becoming a Marshal and receiving his newest mission, Allen was probably still wondering what he should do in regards to the Noah, Millennium Earl, and most likely Marshal Cross as well.
"The world on his shoulders," Lavi had once said, and Lenalee couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret at contributing to that by withholding her familiarity with him. Still, the Hevlaska prophecy about the "Destroyer of Time" took priority here.
Taking solace in her room for a time, Lenalee just wanted that day to be over. Eventually she dragged herself for a quick delivery of coffee to the ever-working Science Department and her brother.
Just the thought of the elder Lee brought the smile back on Lenalee's face. For all his silliness and laziness, he had been a caring leader and skilled tactician when it came to dealing with the Akuma during the rising tide. It was the former that led to his downfall. His unwillingness to needlessly sacrifice his Exorcists and Finders had prompted the Vatican, after several warnings, to pull him down and exile him from the Dark Order. Lenalee had fought it, Allen had fought it, Lavi, Crowley, Miranda, Chaoji, and even Kanda had as well, but their words fell on deaf ears. Imprisoned in her room to prevent her from joining her brother, Lenalee had listened in horror at the news of her brother's demise only two weeks after.
The Director had been placed in temporary command until a new Supervisor could be found. Slowly, that temporary became more and more permanent as they stopped actively searching for a new Supervisor. The experiments had begun again, with no one with high enough power to counteract his orders. How many Finder's had been converted to half-Akuma? Lenalee had lost count after the first hundred, though the number had to be many times that. How many times had Allen remained locked in his room, crying for the souls lost by improper disposal of them? The nightmares had begun around then, Lenalee knew. His curse had reached its third level around then as well.
The day finally reached its end, and Lenalee was more than ready to retire to her room for the night. More thoughts of the now versus then raged before sleep finally won her over.
****
The days passed at their slow, reluctant rate, and Lenalee was glad for the few missions she received during that time. Flying and destroying Akuma in God's intended method always helped her clear her mind - unless of course it was a Level four. Things got sticky around then. However, the world had yet to see its first Level Four, Lenalee thought, so each mission was a blessed escape from the Headquarters.
It was ironic, really, that the place she had been homesick for the most had become the one place she couldn't wait to get out of.
That was mainly because of how awkward things were at first, with her working off memory on how each person acted with her and such. After a week or so, Lenalee soon found herself drawn in conversations where she no longer had to focus on how to act and instead responded naturally. It finally felt like being home again.
Kanda had taken the mission to an abandoned town that Lenalee was sure Allen had gone to as well, but the Japanese Exorcist had returned none the worst two days later with the Innocence and a report that every finder there had died save the one he brought with him - Toma.
Another Komurin incident followed immediately, and finally the moment Lenalee had been waiting for came.
"There is no way that bean sprout became a Marshal on his first day here," Kanda growled. "Fifteen years old- There has to be a mistake."
Lenalee shook her head. "You're just angry because you know you wouldn't have stood a chance against him." Kanda twitched. "I was there when they tested him. His synchronization rate is over 160. You should watch yourself around him, Kanda. You don't know what kind of person is, and you definitely didn't leave a good first impression. You should apologize to him."
Kanda twitched again before letting out an expected, "Che." He then tried his hardest to ignore the woman sitting across from him as he ate. Lenalee smiled, knowing how much that was grating him. In fact, the first thing he would do when he next met Allen would probably challenge him to another fight.
Just then, Reever approached the table, looking a bit more exhausted than usual. "Lenalee, your brother has a mission for you."
Lenalee resisted the urge to let out a shout of joy. Instead, she led Reever to Jerry and got the man a coffee before following him back to Komui's office. She came across her brother buried in a large stack of books. By the look of utter defeat on his face, she wondered if he had actually done the work to match the act.
"We believe we've found a piece of Innocence," Reever began, his voice only a little stronger with his coffee.
"Probably," Komui groaned, not moving his head from his desk. "The Innocence is probably there. But its maybe there, just maybe, so don't count on it. It's just maybe. It's not absolute, it's just maybe. But you know, it's probably there, but just maybe."
Lenalee sweat-dropped. "I got it. It only might be there."
Komui stared at her, his eyes dead with exhaustion. "How can I say this? There seems to be a town that rewinds."
And Lenalee smiled.
****
In no time, Lenalee had her things packed and threw on a dress to cover her Exorcist uniform. After thinking about it for a second, Lenalee removed the dress. It was good and all that she should stay close to the original timeline, like Lavi said, but attracting an Akuma or two along the way couldn't hurt. She wore her coat proudly.
At the canals, Lenalee found the Finder Toma waiting for her. She remembered him from before and was only slightly surprised to see him so ready to be off once again after his previous mission. After a brief greeting, they were on their way out of the canals.
When they reached the ship that would take them across the English Channel, Lenalee finally realized what exactly was entitled with this new mission. She would see Miranda again, yes, but by extension Lenalee knew that she shouldn't reveal anything about being the same Lenalee Miranda knew. Also, she knew that Rhode would be there as well, and the Noah would not have any memory of her. Lenalee did not want to go insane again.
She sat down with a sigh and watched Toma play a game of cards without really seeing. Idly, one hand traced the outline of her Dark Boots. No longer crystal-type, yet they should be strong enough to suit her needs. She would drink her Innocence another day.
Blowing out another sigh, Lenalee contented herself with staring out the round window and letting her thoughts drift to the future and what it would bring. After bringing Miranda back into their folds, how many secrets would still be kept? How much of Time would be destroyed? Was that even what it meant? It has to be, Lenalee thought conclusively.
For some reason, there was a tightness in her stomach, a feeling that something was going to go wrong. Lenalee knew Allen could take care of himself - he was a Marshal after all, and he could handle Rhode better than anyone - yet that nagging feeling was still there. Lenalee frowned, one hand clenching with worry.
I hope Allen is alright.
AN: A short chapter, laughibly so if you know me, but I'll make up for it with next chapter. Besides, you all really want to hear about Allen right, not Lenalee? Because next chapter, Allen meets Rhode...
