Metal clashed against metal
Blurs of pink and red
Lenalee watched with horror
It may not be a dangerous situation
But
…
..
.
Each was dead serious
Finishing off the other
…
..
.
Oh dear
For the life of him, he couldn't exactly figure out what led him in this situation he was currently stuck in.
Lavi gritted his teeth as he blocked another attack with his hammer.
He and Lenalee just found out what happened to Allen last night through Timcanpy when they heard some rustling and was suddenly attacked by a pink haired girl half his size… with massive blade-like arms.
He quickly shifted his weight to the side to let the girl fall forward. He then put some distance between him and her…which proved to be a futile effort as she came inches near him in a flash with a smug look worn on her face. Damn it, she's fast. He ducked her blade swipe and reversed his hold with his Tessei. Extend! The hammer's handle hit her square in the stomach and sent her flying a few good meters away. He then took advantage of this moment and attacked with his hammer. The impact shook the ground a little. Dust and dead grasses rose from ground.
"Lenalee!" he called out, relaxed since he's beaten the enemy. He looked to the side and saw her fighting her way out of a barrier set up by a man. Another man, older than the first one, was busy swatting away Timcanpy, who apparently has its razor sharp teeth firmly attached to his ear. Both men were wearing very familiar yellow outfits. Finders? What are they- Lavi took notice of Lenalee's sudden wide eyes, mouth opening in an attempt of warning him.
Shit
He turned around and sure enough, the pinkette slashed him. Luckily, he evaded just in time although a few strands of his hair were cut by the sudden attack. He swung Tessei in an attempt to hit her side but she easily dodged it and gracefully landed a few feet away, catching a breather.
"Heh, you're pretty good." She said while wearing a smug look on her face again.
Lavi couldn't help but smirk. "Don't worry, I'm still playing nice. I don't like hurting little girls."
Idiot! A voice screamed in his mind. Don't goad her, stupid Lavi!
Shut up, Bookman Junior! This is my fight! He mentally screamed back. It's true. Now, at this very moment, he is the one living. He is the one talking. He is the one fighting. Everything will be played his way not Bookman Junior's. So back off!
The pinkette's face darkened after his little statement. "Cocky little brat!" and she ran towards him at full speed, arm blades ready to slice him into ribbons.
"Shouldn't I be the one saying that, Ochibichan?" He extended his hammer, aiming to hit her at the gut.
The girl jumped, avoiding his attack. "You can't use the same trick twice." She taunted as she landed at the hammer. She then used it as a bridge towards the red head and started sprinting towards him again.
Lavi immediately swung the hammer sideways then upward to shake her off. The girl lost her balance at the sudden movement and fell on the ground, a good distance away from him. Lavi had his hands held the Tessei firmly, fully prepared in using the Fire Seal. He lifted the hammer and… Wait no! The hammer stopped in a mid-arc.
The pinkette kicked him in the chest in his moment of hesitation; he fell to the ground at the impact. She then continued her attempt of slashing him in the face. Lavi rolled away to safety, sat up, and extended the Tessei to avoid another attack. The girl frowned in annoyance. Her opponent seemed to be distracted. Well, that's plain insulting.
But the red head was truly distracted as he was busy fighting another battle in his mind.
Why did you stop the Fire Seal? The battle would have been over then! Bookman Junior yelled at him.
Lenalee is near. I would not put her in danger! Lavi protested.
Don't be stupid. She will die sooner or later. Her dying now will not make a difference.
Lenalee won't die now and she won't die anytime soon. She will also certainly never die by my hands. That's a promise, kid.
A promise you say? Bookman Junior scoffed. You cannot make any promises, Lavi. You will be erased after this war is recorded. You are just nothing but a mask. You are just another part of me. We are one.
Lavi deflected the girl's blades. "Cocky little brat." The pinkette kicked him to his side. "Pay attention when you're fighting!" she then extended her arms and spun around.
Extend! Lavi used the Tessei to jump over the swift circle of blades and landed behind the pinkette. His green eye shone with determination. He gripped his hammer tighter.
We are not one. Lavi thought vehemently. We are not the same.
He ran towards the girl and lifted Tessei. He used the momentum of his sprint to gain speed and further powered his attack.
You and I are different, Bookman Junior.
With that he brought down the hammer against the girl, who had her arm blade in a slashing motion.
"Stop!" Lenalee screamed.
…
..
.
Lavi's hammer hit the empty ground instead while the girl had her blade inches away from Lavi's torso. Both surprised by Lenalee.
"Stop fighting." Lenalee insisted. "Lavi, she's not an enemy. I know her." She then looked towards the pink haired girl. "And Fou, Lavi's not an enemy either. He's an Exorcist, just like me."
The girl scoffed while Lavi blinked at her. "What? Ochibichan is-"
Fou kicked him in the shin. "Call me that one more time cocky little brat and you're dead."
"Oww…" Lavi sat on the ground from exhaustion, pain, and confusion. Wait, they were attacked by someone Lenalee knew? "You knew each other?" he asked incredulously.
"Yes." Lenalee nodded. "Her name is Fou, a Guardian Diety." She then gestured at the two finders. "They are part of the Black Order, Asian Branch."
After their wonderful encounter, Fou invited the Exorcists, more like the female Exorcist only, to visit the Asian Branch in the meantime and receive treatment since they looked worse for wear.
Not much was said during their travel. Both of the Exorcists were quiet and seemed deeply troubled, Yao was busy glaring at the hovering golden golem; Fou seemed to be planning something disturbing since she looked very happy, and Zhou didn't have anything to say at the moment.
They arrived uneventfully at the branch. Fou immediately left them and looked for the director excitedly. Zhou somehow found that unsettling. He and Yao then escorted the Exorcists to the infirmary. While there…..
….
…
..
.
Zhou's lips twitched as Yao, whose right ear was heavily bandaged, sneered at the golden golem. He can't believe how childish the other finder could ever be. The man is older than him by five years or so but the way he acts makes Zhou feels that he is the older and the more mature one… He cannot decide whether that is a good thing or a bad thing.
The golden golem sneered back at Yao, displaying its razor sharp teeth to its full glory. Yao showed his full set of teeth in exchange, his eyes challenging the little object…creature or whatever it is. Then the golem hissed. Yao growled as a retort. That was when Zhou started laughing.
"This is not funny." Yao frowned at him.
Zhou didn't stop laughing.
"I'm serious."
"You…are…having a…staring contest against…a little…tiny…harmless eyeless golem…" Zhou managed to answer in between bouts of laughter. "What's not funny about that?"
"It's not funny and that-"he pointed an accusing finger at the golem hovering in the air. "- is not harmless! It's deadly! And it is not a golem. Golems do not act like this…this… thing!" It was uncreative but Yao cannot think of any better term.
Zhou was still having difficulty in composing himself. "Don't call it a thing." He snickered as he noticed the golem flew precariously near Yao, hissing in annoyance. "It doesn't like it very much." He pointed out.
"I don't care. It's a dangerous. It's lethal. And it almost bit my ear off and- ahhh!" Yao yelped as the golem chomped on his free hand. "Ahhh! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!" he exclaimed as he flailed his left arm.
Zhou howled in laughter.
"Timcanpy!" the female Exorcist they met in forest called out. What was her name? Rinali or Lenalee?
The golden golem, Timcanpy, immediately let Yao's hand go and flew to the violet eyed girl.
"Do not bite him. It's not very nice. They're friends." She mildly admonished.
Timcanpy stared at Zhou. Zhou waved warily. Then the golem stared at Yao and… sneered. Yao glared at it. "Perverted monster." He muttered.
Zhou looked at Timcanpy who was oh so comfortably nestled in the girl's… rather healthy bosom. He blushed. "I couldn't help but agree." He muttered back.
"I'm very sorry about Timcanpy." The girl gave them a strained smile as she let the golem flew towards her red headed companion. "I think he's very upset since his master has…gone missing." Her voice sounded so sad. Her face was a picture of wistfulness, pain, and regret.
"Lenalee." The red head called her then shook his head. "Lenalee, you've seen the recording. Allen is most likely-"
"No!" her eyes lost its softness and became furious. "Don't you dare say it." Her voice was firm. "He's alive. I know he is. We just need to look harder. I'm sure Allen found a way to escape and I'm sure he's hiding somewhere around here." Her violet eyes shone with hope. "He's alive. I know it. He's alive, Lavi. He is alive. So don't say it. Please."
The male Exorcist, Lavi was it? He looked away from the girl, his jaw clenched tightly. Zhou couldn't clearly see his expression very well as his red hair covered half of his face but maybe it was better that way. His face might show nothing but sad reality about the situation instead, the exact opposite of what Miss Lenalee believes.
The golden golem fluttered near him. Zhou guessed that perhaps it does not like being near the Exorcists if their moods are like that. He let the golem sat above his head; hopefully it would find his thin black hair comfortable enough.
"What do you think happened to them?" he asked Yao who was eyeing both their visitors with an unreadable expression. He didn't seem to hear his question.
Zhou never liked this kind of situations. It was uncomfortable. It was suffocating. It was making him feel helpless. He didn't want to feel that. He never wanted to feel like that ever again. He wanted to be out of the room but his body refused to do so. He wanted to move. To do something. Anything. Anything that would make him feel like he's doing something worthwhile.
Timcanpy nuzzled on his head breaking off his train of thoughts. The gesture offered comfort and perhaps assurance. Zhou couldn't help but smile. "Thank you." He whispered. He then petted the golem. "You don't know how much that means to me."
Timcanpy flew off his head and hovered in front of him as if it was trying to say something.
It was weird but Zhou decided that it was worth to try to ask the golem. All the golems they use are nothing like Timcanpy. The golden golem seems to have an emotion and mind of its own. Talking to it seems sensible enough. "Do you know what happened to the Exorcists?"
Timcanpy didn't nod or shook itself. It just opened its mouth and suddenly a moving image shot out of it. Scream filled the room.
Zhou was taken aback while the other occupants of the infirmary looked at the image alarmingly. The Exorcists looked extremely distressed. But Zhou didn't pay much attention to them as he watch with horror in what the golem was showing to them.
It was a boy. The white hair couldn't fool him. He looked no older than fourteen or fifteen. There was an angry red mark that ran down from his left eye to his cheek. He is an Exorcist as his clothing suggests. He was battered. His massive left arm looked limp, broken. He was screaming his heart out as he pulled someone out of a white mass. His face contorted in pain and determination.
The image was so powerful that even if Zhou didn't know the boy, the scene just tugged at his heartstrings.
Then the scene changed into a place that was very familiar: in the bamboo forest where they and the other Exorcists met.
"You're safe now, Suman."
Zhou's eyes widened at that. Suman…The Fallen….he saved a Fallen?
He then watched as "Suman's" head split. He watched as it exploded when a myriad of purple butterflies violently flew out, destroying the wretched body in the process. Zhou felt like he was going to throw up.
Then he saw another man, wearing foreign clothes, shot a hand through the boy's chest. Zhou unconsciously held his hand over his own chest. He felt his own heartbeat quickening at the scene. He felt scared but the boy…his face…He doesn't fear death. His face was clear and serene. Zhou felt ashamed of himself for being scared.
Then there was a scream. The boy's left arm was destroyed. The man took something. It was a green glowing item, an Innocence.
"Don't…Stop…"
And there was that horrifying scream again.
Zhou looked at Yao who was equally shocked as him. Both of them thought of the same thing. This is what they have heard in the forest. Yao backed at the wall and slid down on the floor in disbelief.
"Run, Tim… Take Suman's Innocence and run…Go. If you don't…Everyone will be unable to go look for Master. You must go…"
Even in his last moments, the boy was still trying to save the Innocence. It was hard to watch without feeling any respect, pity, or sadness for the boy. Zhou felt his chest tighten even more.
The last image was that of the golden golem swallowing the Innocence and flying away. Timcanpy closed its mouth and hovered in the air, seemingly waiting for any reactions.
Zhou was badly shaken and couldn't find his voice.
"What the in the world was that?" Yao's voice was barely audible. "What was that?"
"That was Allen Walker. He was an Exorcist." Lavi answered. "What you saw…it was a recording of him. Timcanpy recorded it last night."
Zhou eyed the golden golem. "Last night?" he repeated.
Lavi grimly nodded in affirmation.
"Last night?" Yao let out a bitter laugh. It was painful to hear. "Last night…so you mean we were already too late…a while ago…what we heard…it was just that?" he pointed at Timcanpy. "So it was something we couldn't help anymore. It was just-" he banged the back of his head in the wall in extreme frustration.
"You mean… you attacked us because of this?" Lavi inquired.
Zhou nodded. "We heard the screams. We thought someone needed help. Lady Fou attacked you because she thought you were the threat and ordered us to protect Miss Lenalee. We thought she's the one that needed help but…" his hands clenched into fists. "But I guess it was just pointless." He remembered the boy's face. It was so serene and brave even in time of death. That expression. It was wrong to see it in a face of someone as young as him. "We were too late."
"Please, stop talking as if he's already dead." Lenalee strongly demanded. She was holding her ground firmly even if her eyes almost brimmed with tears. "Stop talking as if he already died last night. I'm sure he's alive. He will come back. Allen will come back. So please stop it."
All the men knew that what she was hoping for was a miracle but none of them were heartless enough to told her so.
Fou snickered a bit. This day was an interesting day and will continue to be an interesting day. She peeked into Bak Chan's office. Bak had just finished talking with someone on the telephone and was now conversing with his assistant, Wong. Fou can't wait to see the look on his face the moment he'll see Lenalee.
"Stupid Bak!" she delivered a well-aimed kick on his face and sent him flying across the room. His reaction, as usual was an over dramatic yelp followed by a continuous stream of complaints about her abuse. "Oh, shut up. I have something important to show you." She snapped.
"No, I still have more important things to do, Fou." The director protested.
She hit him in the head. "Stupid Bak, I played nanny for those finders since you asked rather nicely! So now return the favour and come with me!" with that she dragged him by the scruff of his neck towards the infirmary while he kicked and screamed.
"Lady Fou, Master Bak really had something important to do." Wong said as he followed. "The Main Headquarters asked us to look for the Exorcists that eliminated the Fallen. They need to continue their search for General Cross with Miss Miranda Lotto joining their unit today."
They're going to send the wailing banshee on a mission already? Fou frowned at the notion. She thinks it's still too early for the woman to go. Sad, she nor Bak can call the shots about this one. She put the thought away and focused on her current task instead. "Well, what luck! I've met the Exorcists during the trip in the forest." Fou smiled cheekily. "They're in the infirmary. I was trying to take you to them but since you have other things to do..." she promptly dropped Bak on the floor. "Guess, I'll just don't bother you anymore."
The effects were instantaneous. Bak picked himself up from the floor, arranged his clothes, fixed his hair to perfection, and smiled as if he hadn't been dragged like a sack of rice for a several meters or so.
"No. Sorry about that Fou. Just lead the way." He said smoothly.
Fou have found that supressing your laugh is the most difficult thing to do in the world.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Stupid Bak." She led the two to the infirmary, putting her arms behind her head. This is going to be priceless. She thought as they continued with the long walk.
Fou grinned wildly as they approached the silent room but then stopped. She was bothered by the heavy atmosphere when she stepped inside the place. Her eyes narrowed. Something's not right here. "Oi!" What a kill joy. "Here's the Stupid Bak." She announced.
Bak entered the room with an air of authority and dignity. He had to make a very good impression to the Exorcists and…
He saw a familiar and heavenly face.
Black hair that shone dark green when illuminated by sunshine.
His heart skipped a bit.
Violet eyes that sparkles like the most precious jewels.
His breath hitched.
Face hat could only be compared to a goddess.
His cheeks became red with blush.
Lenalee Lee!
His hives broke out.
Oh no!
And he fainted.
"Master Baaak!" Wong cried out as he caught his superior before he reached the floor, bridal style. He promptly laid him in a bed to rest. He immediately set up a ot cup of tea, as medicine, and peeled pears, again as medicine. "Please hold on, Master Bak!"
Fou laughed in the background. Well, it was still worth it.
Yao and Zhou seemed to have lost their respect for the Director as Lavi whispered to them "Is he alright?"
Lenalee was worried. "Wong, it's good to see you again. What happened to Bak? Is he alright?" she asked as she went nearer to the bed.
Bak turned redder and started to have a coughing fit.
"Master Baaak!" Wong held the director's hand as if he was already dying.
"Nah, he's just fine." Fou answered instead. "That's just how Stupid Bak normally is." She added with a smirk.
"I see. That's good to hear." Lenalee smiled.
The pinkette frowned as she noticed the girl's obvious strain at the gesture. "Is there something wrong?"
Lenalee's smile faltered and her expression turned into a determined one. "Fou, I need your help. There is this person we need to find. He's also an Exorcist. He went missing last night. We need to find him and we could really use your help."
She still hadn't changed one bit. Fou always liked that about the girl. She was strong. She never loses hope so easily. But before she could answer she caught the grim expressions of the males behind Lenalee. That can't be good.
"I'm sorry Miss Lenalee but that cannot be done." Wong suddenly spoke up, perhaps on the behalf of the incapacitated Bak. "The Main Headquarters gave the orders of your immediate departure here in China and to continue with your mission."
Lenalee was stunned but her resolve was still unwavering. "We cannot do that. We still have to find Allen. He's part of our unit. We can't leave without him."
Wong sighed. "Miss Lenalee, you said that your fellow Exorcist have been missing since last night, correct?"
"Yes."
"The Asian Branch has dispatched all of its finders last night to look for the Innocence after the Fallen was eliminated. They have scoured the entire area where the incident happened and they have found no one."
"But-"
"We never found anyone or anything, Miss Lenalee. It's going to be a waste of time and effort if you will still look for your friend." Wong said gently although the message was still harsh no matter how one says it.
Fou has never seen Lenalee looked so crushed. She almost wanted to beat Wong for that. It is necessary. But still…
"Maybe, the finders were not able to look well enough. It was really dark last night. They might not have noticed Allen and…" Lenalee was not yet giving up. She can't lose Allen. She doesn't want to lose Allen.
"Lenalee," Lavi spoke "You saw Tim's memory, right? He lost his left arm. Dead or alive, Allen already ceased to be an Exorcist at that moment." He let the information sink into her mind. "We need to move on."
All hope was lost in Lenalee's face. They were no tears in her eyes but her devastated look was still heart wrenching to see. Fou hated the red head's guts even more because of that. It didn't matter even if he looked like he hated himself for doing it. Fou still hates him.
Timcanpy flew away from Zhou's head and went to Lenalee, nudging her head as an assurance. It received no reaction. Its tail drooped, signifying its sadness at the failure of cheering the girl up.
Wong nodded at Fou. "I'll leave Master Bak to your care." He said before he ushered out the Exorcists from the infirmary. "I'll be escorting them and Miss Miranda to the port." He added before he left with them.
There were now only four people left in the room. None of them could say anything.
Bak was the one that broke the silence. "She was crying wasn't she?" he asked while he still had a towel over his eyes.
Nobody answered.
"Lenalee was crying." He sadly concluded.
Her nerves have finally calmed down. After activating her Time Record, Miranda have already finished half of her job. The only thing left for her to do now is to keep it activated until they reach Edo. She sighed in relief, glad that she didn't mess up. She was grateful with the people in the Asian Branch, who were patient enough in training her. She was most especially thankful to Bak. He was the one that encouraged her the most and helped her reduce her panic attacks. His yells were more high-pitched than hers. It was something that definitely stops her from panicking every time. That and he was a really funny person. Fou was helpful too, always telling her to get a grip, stop crying, get up, and try again which were always delivered with the harshest tone ever and scary scowls and occasional hit in the head. Mister Wong was very encouraging as well. Miranda smiled. She will miss the Asian Branch. It was a very nice place. The training was hard but the place is still nice. Everybody there is nice.
But her good mood was immediately gone when heard what happened to Allen. I'm not going to cry. Fou said crying makes me weaker. I have to be strong.But the tears came nonetheless. She wiped it away and composed herself. She had to be strong. For Lenalee and the others. Surely, Allen will do the same.Her thoughts went to the boy. The first person who ever thanked her. An acknowledgement to her existence. He was the one that showed her the path of becoming an Exorcist. A profound purpose for her life. Allen was the one that proved to her that she was worth something. That was the greatest gift Miranda ever received. She wanted to return his kindness. That was her inspiration in becoming who she was now.
Miranda gripped the briefcase that came from the Main Headquarters. It contained the newest uniforms reserved for the Cross Unit. It was already distributed to her comrades. All of it except for one. Her hands shook as her grip to the handle became tighter. I can't thank him anymore. Allen is already dead. He was already finished before she could even start in the path of an Exorcist. She briefly wondered if her Innocence could bring him back to them but immediately dropped the idea. It was stupid. Her Time Record could never bring back the dead. Her powers are not enough.
Her eyes shifted to Lenalee, who was silently sitting in the stairs. She has never said a single word after what happened at the Asian branch. Then she heard glass shattering. She looked at the direction of the sound and saw the red head beside the window. Lavi was his name, wasn't it?
"Enough! It couldn't be helped. We were fighting for our lives last night. There was no way we could've saved him. It's a war! It can't be helped! Give it up and stand!" he yelled at Lenalee. His green eye was cold and emotionless. His voice sounded detached and condescending. For a moment, Miranda thought he was almost inhuman.
A tear fell from Lenalee's eye and all the other Exorcists inside the room glared at him. You made her cry.
The oldest Exorcist, whose face Miranda associates immediately with Pandas, strangled the red head. "I'm sorry, Miss Lenalee. I'll punish him very harshly." He said and proceeded to whisper something to the younger Exorcist while he had him in a headlock.
Miranda couldn't hear what the two were talking about but she just let them be. She looked at Lenalee who was still quiet. Miranda wished she could do something more to cheer her up but she was afraid she might make things worse instead.
Punch. Punch. Slap. Slap. Crash!
Miranda's attention went back to the two fellow Exorcists. The red head was now lying on the floor, beaten to a bloody pulp. Punished harshly indeed. Then she noticed something different with him. He looked shaken up of course but he looked a lot more…Miranda can't find the right term. He looked a lot more…warm? More human? He looked like an entirely different person actually. Did that man… she looked warily at the old man…Did he did this?
"I can't believe that the child who was prophesized as the Destroyer of Time died." The old man said. "I asked to be part of the Cross unit because of him. I thought the word "Time" in the Destroyer of Time referred to someone specific. Time meaning Millennium. I thought that Allen Walker maybe the one who will destroy the Millenium Earl."
Everyone listened intently to the old Panda man. No one dared to interrupt him.
"That is why there is no way in hell he will die in here." He added confidently.
Miranda drank in those words. It might be an empty hope but it is still hope. She looked at her new friends and at Lenalee. She would do her best to help them. It will be her way of saying thank you to Allen. And who knows…perhaps what the old man said was true after all.
There was a knock on the door.
Then it opened.
Then there were three shocked faces at the door.
Then a furious she-man walked in.
Miranda looked at the broken window.
Then she looked at the red haired boy trembling with fear in a corner.
Uh…
..
.
There's a bit of explaining to do.
While the Cross unit continued their journey towards Edo, in house not so far away from the bamboo forest, a pair of gray eyes blinked open.