Baka-sama (Waya-sama): Oi! Why the fuck am I written as baka-sama?
hanekaruchan: Because you are. Now, denial is a very bad emotion. You must learn to accept your true feelings.
Baka-sama (Waya-sama): ... denial isn't an emotion, retard.
hanekaruchan: Oh, shut up! Who listens to idiots anyway. One of these days I'll be the dictator of this world and you'll be at my feet, begging for mercy kekekekekekekeke!
Baka-sama (Waya-sama): Anyway. -ignores hanekaruchan- Uhh... we wrote this story together, with me writing the general ideas done and karu over there editing and ideas. (Although I like my ideas better...) -glances at karu-
hanekaruchan: -folding paper cranes- Bahahaha my pawns! You shall grant me my wish of becoming ultimate dictator of this world muakekekekekeke!
Baka-sama (Waya-sama): What the FUCK is muakekekekeke, you insane anime otaku? -twitch- We want the readers to read this freaking story about D. Gray Man and not your freakin' cranes! =="
hanekaruchan: -gloom...- -hides in emo corner and cultivates mushrooms-
Baka-sama (Waya-sama): -eyes twitch- -vein pops- -presses a large red button-
KABOOM!
hanekaruchan: AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! -flies off stage with folded paper cranes and cultivated emo mushrooms-
Baka-sama (Waya-sama): Now that idiot is out of the way, we can finally start with the story. -sigh- Disclaimer: We do not own D. Gray Man because if we did Lavi and Allen would be together!
hanekaruchan: NO! KANDA AND ALLEN! -bites-
Baka-sama: YAROUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
Well, you kind of get the point. Enjoy, readers. :D
However, Baka-sama (HEY!) and I (karu) still have school commitments so the next chapter might not be up so soon. Please wait patiently!
Memory
Chapter 1 - The Beginning of the End
By Waya-sama; co writer hanekaruchan
A large whirring sound caught the attention of the entire population of the cafeteria. Heads squirmed to look for the source of the noise, but due to the overpopulation of the cafeteria, many had to stand to see. It was one of those rare 'holidays' for the Black Order, so all staff were present.
"Timcampi! Timcampi!" Allen started to call out. He reached for Timcampi, who had started to convulse violently, twitching left and right as it tried to keep itself in the air.
"Tim…campi?" He held out his hand, attempting to coax the golden golem into landing on his hand. Butting away his hand with his tail, Timcampi flittered away unstably, landing on the cafeteria microphone, used for making announcements. It squirmed uncomfortably before opening its closed mouth, revealing two rows of pointed teeth. A projection began playing.
Allen, who had only witnessed a few seconds of the recording, paled noticeably before realizing what it was.
"N-no…" A thud was heard as he collapsed heavily on the ground. All he remembered was the first scene of his painful past – walking alone in the dark, snowy street, his former deformed hand hanging limply at his side.
Everyone present, shocked in silence, took no notice of Allen as the recording played on.
Flashback
A young boy staggered down the cobblestone path, the blizzard pelting his small body harshly. Feeling his raw, frostbitten body weaken and lose its remaining strength, he dropped on his knees and collapsed in the snow. The snow howled as it piled up on the boy who was abandoned by the world.
"Bouyaha... bouyaha... daijoubu?" An small orb of silvery gray cracked open as his eyelid lifted. A suit? His vision blurred before the fuzziness faded away. Barely finding the support in his neck, he lifted his head slightly before groaning and flipping to lie on his back. He brushed his arm, thinking that he was still covered in snow. He found none. Instead, a soft wool blanket encompassed his entire being. A fire crackled as it flickered and faltered, the warm hues of autumn; red, yellow, orange, dancing around, as if filling his entire body with warmth.
"Bouyaha?" The foreign accented voice did not register in his mind until a gloved hand brushed against his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"E-eh?" Allen looked up and his light eyes met the man's. "Who... are you?"
"You can call me Mana." He smiled, the playfulness of it reaching his eyes.
Allen examined his savior once more before thinking about a response. The man adorned a tall, polished top hat, obviously well taken of, as well as a formal suit complete with dress pants and shoes.
"I'm... I'm Allen." He stammered, surprised that the world that had abandoned him had sent someone to save him.
"Do you have anywhere to go, Allen?" Mana asked, still keeping that same soft smile.
"I-I'm a monster." He thought about all the people they had met.
All he had know his whole life was rejection.
'You monster! Leave this place!'
'Monster...'
'Monster...'
He was a monster.
"No one would, or ever will take me in. Not with this cursed arm." Truthfully, Allen had always wanted a family. His had left him to die in the streets the moment they had laid eyes on his deformed arm. This man shouldn't be any different. "I... I don't need your sympathy. I hate people. I hate the world. And they hate me." He unconsciously squeezed his deformed arm with his normal hand.
"Let me see." Mana offered, his expression not changing in the slightest.
"No." Allen said stubbornly, puffing his cheeks and crossing his arms.
"Please?"
"No."
"Aw, come on?" Mana whined as he showed a more immature side of himself. Well, he wasn't a clown without reason.
"You're going to run away calling me a monster." Just like everyone else did.
"I won't." Mana said firmly, before holding out a hand. "Come on. I'll be gentle."
Allen's eyes brimmed with tears as the memories of people past pounded in his head. The screaming... the fear...
The pain.
Allen thrust his arm towards Mana, turning his head in the opposite direction, his teeth gritted. He prepared for the same reaction as tears threatened to flow out of his eyes.
Mana carefully pulled off his glove and stared as his red hand, the veins throbbing and an embedded green cross glowing lightly. He looked at it for a few more moments before he laughed.
He laughed.
He freaking laughed.
Allen's jaw dropped in surprise as he whirled his head to look at the chuckling man's face.
"Haha... haha... the people who met you obviously don't know a thing!" He wiped away a tear that had escaped from his laughing fit. "Its not the outside that counts – its what's inside!" He thumped his chest with a closed fist, laughing joyfully.
All Allen could do was gape.
"Say, Allen, want to live with me?" Calming down, Mana rested his hands on his lap. "You aren't going to get anywhere in life if you keep wandering the roads like that. I'll teach you many things!" He wagged his finger then chuckled.
"R-really, Mister? You don't think I'm scary?" Allen was tempted to slap his face hard. But if this was a dream, he didn't want to wake up.
"Hey now, I told you its Mana!" He said playfully before tugging on Allen's arm. "Come on, you have to meet the other circus members! Are you strong enough to stand?" Mana began to rant and fuss about how Allen should 'get some meat on those scrawny bones' and 'how he was going to fit right in.'
Not having heard most of Mana's dramatic monologue, a genuine smile slowly began to spread of his face. Maybe people weren't as bad as he had thought after all.
"Okay, M-mana." He said shyly, testing his name on his tongue.
"That's the spirit. Let's gooooo!" Mana pulled him away.
That was the best day of my life. Someone had accepted me, and I could live with him forever.
But I was too naïve.
"MANAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" A bloodcurdling scream rang through the night.
Flashback Ends
Everyone at the order silently watched Timcampi recover itself and flutter away, having regained its sense of balance. Allen, now barely awake, shivered as no one moved an inch. Lenalee's hands were over her mouth as she shook her head slowly, her eyes widened in terror and pity. Kanda's face remained impassive as always, but no one could miss the uncharacteristic twitch of his eyes. Lavi's legs, unable to support him dropped him on the floor as he gawked into space. The silence at the cafeteria was interrupted when a finder decided to suddenly point a finger at Allen and shouted.
"You akuma! You killed your own father! You monster!"
"Monster..." Allen mouthed the first word he had learned in his life before his silvery gray eyes lost their shimmer.
Every single being in the cafeteria murmured, quietly agreeing, except for Allen. He just sat there staring blankly at everyone, not noticing the new found attentions.
"Don't you DARE talk to Allen that way!" Lenalee hissed protectively, glaring at the finder. Lavi took a deep breath and walked over to Allen, who was shivering. He bent over to pat Allen.
"Hey… you ok?" he was trying his best not to offend Allen in anyway. Slowly one by one, everyone's eyes moved to gape at Allen... with fear... anger... even the cold hearted Kanda seemed to want an explanation. Everyone failed to notice Allen shivering harder, and continued to corner him with their piercing gazes.
"No…" Allen finally croaked, "Stayed back…" he clutched his head, shaking it violently, his body now convulsing violently.
"Allen…" Lavi embraced him. Holding onto him tightly, "Calm down…" he whispered.
"No!" Allen shrieked, activating his anti-akuma weapon. His cloak wrapped around the boy protectively, shining brightly. His right arm already held the handle of his Crowned Clown.
"Tch!" On reflex, Kanda already had his sword invocated and ready to go. He charged through the crowd and attempted to knock the weaker swordsman's sword from his grip.
Allen parried by simply activating his cloak, the glowing tendrils extending and knocking Kanda down to the floor, pinning him. The sword now had a dark aura glowing about it.
"What's wrong with his sword?" Lavi's green eye zeroed in as he tried to recall the differences between the past and current sword.
Think Lavi, what's the difference?
You are a Bookman! Those years of training must have been of some use!
It clicked into place. Suddenly, an image of the Millenium Earl overlapped Allen's.
"Hey... the sword is exactly the same as the Millennium Earl's!"
"WHAT?" Lenalee dodged another swing as she activated her Dark Boots, almost reaching the highly set cafeteria ceiling. "I'm sorry, Allen." She bit her lip as she brought down the back of her leg as forcefully, yet as gently as she could on Allen's head. "I can't let you destroy home." She murmured quietly.
"Why?" A soft crack was heard as Lenalee lifted her leg off his head. Allen fell on the floor once again. "Why did I have to be born a monster? I never asked to have this arm!" With everyone staring at him in silence, he started weeping, his hand over his face attempting to hide this shameful sight. He was the Destroyer of Time! He nearly died twice and he came back alive both times! As his sobs continued to wrack his frame, the Black Order finally realized the horror of what they had done. They had sent a child onto the battlefield and pushed all their burdens, their hopes, onto him. That child carried the immense weight of their future; suffering, and no one had cared. They were too busy thinking about saving themselves.
"Mana…" he moaned in pain and loneliness. "Man…a…" he called out with all his might before collapsing on the cold marble floor of the cafeteria.
"Allen!" Lavi dashed toward the white haired boy. Lenalee hovered over him, looking guilty. Kanda shook out his arm, released from Crown Clown, and casually walked over.
"Oi! Bean Sprout."
The second Lavi reached him, he threw himself onto Allen. Everyone's mouth dropped open as another secret leaked out. Who would have guessed?
"Che." Kanda mumbled. "As if half the Order's congregation ISN'T gay already." Kanda's loudly said thought caused most of the men to break down in blushes and stuttered denials.
"Allen…" Lavi murmured burying his face into Allen's chest. "I'll take him to his room." Lavi announced as he stood up effortlessly flinging Allen on his back. Lenalee's face went red from jealousy as she watched Lavi hug him closely.
Everyone made way for Lavi as they secretly looked at Allen now with pity rather than disgust.
"Still, how could he turn his own dad into an akuma?"
"Allen killed his dad twice?" Everyone's thoughts synchronized with the exception of Lavi, Kanda, Lenalee, Komui, a few select finders and the entirety of the science section. They all silently stood and watched Allen get carried out, feeling pity, feeling scared, feeling disgusted.
Allen's Room
"There…" Lavi gently laid Allen down on his bed. Lenalee and Kanda trailed in after him, Kanda shutting the door behind him before leaning against it.
"Che... what are you planning to do now, usagi?" Kanda asked staring at Lavi who had pulled up a chair, taking a seat beside the sleeping Allen.
"I don't know..." Lavi murmured quietly, tucking one of Allen's stray hairs behind his ear.
"..." Kanda tried not to look in their direction as he pretended to be extremely interested in a crack in the ceiling.
Lenalee's shaded face deepened in a reddish color as she too, followed what Lavi had done on the opposite side. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. Lenalee's hand trailed down the side of his face as she caressed the pale skin. She brushed aside the soft white bangs plastered to his forehead from the sweat before she gasped loudly, covering her mouth.
"What?" Lavi said sharply.
"Allen... his forehead..." Her eyes widened as Allen's hand dropped from her now loose grip.
Red stained his forehead. As they wiped it away, the saw what they had never hoped to see.
A line of seven crosses lined his forehead.
Stigma.
The mark of a Noah.
hanekaruchan: Dude, if most of this story is yours, you are crap at writing.
Baka-sama: Shut up. And why am I just BAKA-SAMA now!
hanekaruchan: -examines fingernails- Just cause.
Baka-sama: ... in any case, if you attempt to light us on fire, a flamethrower will do. But do it to her, because she's the co writer even though she edited the entire story. Its her fault its crap!
hanekaruchan: Then I shall summon my army of awesome Pokemon to destroy you!
Baka-sama: Dude, you are sad.
hanekaruchan: WHAT? WHAT!
We hope you've enjoyed the first chapter. Sorry if it was a little abrupt.
Reviews let stories live! I'm looking forward to 10 reviews at least before the next chapter!
Flames are DELICIOUS for baking cookies, so go ahead. XD
Baka-sama and hanekaruchan