Author's Notes:
I am sorry that you had to wait long. I saved this chapter for today - as compensation, it's a longer than usual. You see, today, unbelievingly as it might sound, it's been one year that I've started uploading Ivory Tales! I never thought that this would last so long even though my plan to follow the manga had in itself epic proportions! *lol*
Anyway, thank you! Thank you to those who have read from the beginning and also to those who have joined me later on! I really am grateful for your comments and I never thought that I would get the kind of resonance I did! (Who would have thought, a girl!Allen story, with not that original a plot, not much romance and a strange moody author? Hihi)
I also want to take this moment to apologize that my updates got rarer over the weeks and months. I am nearing the end of my BA studies and it gets worse each semester *lol* Until the end of February I will be busy with my seminar paper, I am sorry if I will not be able to update.
That said: again, a big thank you to you all, dear readers! And now, let's move on with the story. Let us reunite the lovers!! XD
D. Gray-Man belongs to Katsura Hoshino
Kapitel 32: Return to the Battlefield
Ellen's heart beat frantically in her chest. It felt as if it might burst soon; it was painful but to some extend also thrilling, even though Ellen knew not why such an emotion should seize her in circumstances like these. She saw what she knew to be an Akuma standing on a strange shape of patched black fields. It somehow had broken out of Foh, as she was a guardian deity it must have been that this Akuma with this strange object had managed to break through the walls guarding this underground fortress.
"An Akuma came out of Foh!" Ellen could hear someone shout next to her. "But how can that be?! This branch is protected by a seal! This seal cannot be broken that easily! And how do they even know that Walker is here?!" Ellen didn't take her eyes off the Akuma for one moment, but what the others said was true. How did the Akuma know that Ellen was still alive, recovered from the Asia Branch and now in hiding here? This was a complex underground system, with no way out or in if you didn't know it before hand. So how…?! Ellen studied the Akuma tensely, but then she spotted something on the Hand of the figure: it was some kind of butterfly, one she recognized on the spot.
"These butterflies! The Noah…!" Ellen thought, remembering the Noah that had killed Suman, smashed her Innocence, pierced her heart and left her to die. She bit her lips in frustration, fear and anger. "It must have been him! I do not know how he found out that I survived his attack but that the tease are here must mean that he sent this Akuma!"
"Wal… ker…" Ellen snapped out of her thoughts and looked to Foh. She was still immobilized by the attack and looked as if she were in great pain, but she managed to speak to her. "You must… flee…".
"What…?"
"That thing is after you! As things are now you don't stand a chance! You have to get out of here!!" Ellen got over her surprise and shook her head. If she ran now she might evade the Akuma for a short while, but there were no exorcists in the Asia Branch. There was no way that the scientists could stop the Akuma long enough for her to get to safety – and even if she did, the Akuma would most likely kill everybody in this underground hideout!
"I cannot possibly-" Ellen started to shout, but then she was interrupted first by a voice and then by something piercing her chest.
"I will not allow that to happen" the voice of the Akuma said and Ellen shook with the impact of the attack. A thread of light was piercing Ellen, connecting her to the Akuma. Ellen could not speak and fell backwards. Fortunately Rikei was there to catch her before she fell to the ground.
"Walker!! Miss Walker!!", he called but Ellen couldn't even reply to him, "Pull through, Walker! There's a strange thing piercing you! What is it? A thread?"
"My dark matter has the ability of destroying anything. With this thread I can dissolve your body into atoms and then suck them in, thus destroying everything! Should I demonstrate, little boy?!" the Akuma shrieked and then a sudden pain went through Ellen. It was as if she was in flames, every part of her body aching to her very core. She screamed in agony as the Akuma began dissolving her – it felt as if her skin was being burnt off at first, but then it was just a continuous pain on all of her body that made her even too weak to scream anymore. She barely heard the people around her shouting. There seemed to be quite a commotion going on and suddenly the pain stopped, leaving her very exhausted.
"Yes! The thread is gone!" Rikei shouted, still holding on to her. Ellen could barely feel his hands on her arms and then she heard Bak screaming:
"You have to get her to safety! For the moment I can do nothing but block some of its attacks!" Ellen heard some explosions and then she was lifted and carried away, then her senses went black. She only managed to open her eyes when she felt someone gently touching her face.
"Walker!" She saw Foh smiling at her. "Pull through. You have a lot more backbone than it seems! I know you've been through a lot and you're dealing with it all on your own. You're strong, Walker! You will be able to make it!" And with that said Foh transformed herself into Ellen, making both her and Rikei – who was still carrying her dutifully – gasp in surprise. "You will surely manage to get back your Innocence! Work hard!"
"Foh…?!" Ellen spoke in distress, a bad feeling of dread in her stomach, "what are you…" Foh was moving backwards, jumping into the air. Ellen saw that a huge wall was forming, probably to block the Akuma for a short while. And as it was closing Foh kept going there, face still towards them, smiling. "You cannot possibly… No!" Ellen shouted, "You must not!" Foh didn't listen to Ellen's protests and kept smiling, her face – despite being Ellen's – not showing the fear that Ellen felt.
"I will not be able to defeat the Akuma. After all, I am only a guardian deity and not an exorcist. But I will buy you some time! You must flee!" Ellen widened her eyes in shock and struggled against Rikei's hold. As he saw that this was very dangerous for her already delicate body, he put her down carefully, but still held on to her.
"Mister Chan! Please! You must stop her! Please!!" Ellen begged as she saw Foh disappearing and the wall closing more and more – locking her in with the Akuma. Bak didn't do anything, he stood motionless, but his face was very tense and he didn't even look as Foh left. "I will go! Oh please!" Ellen continued screaming despite having no effect. "Foh! Foh, I will go!" However, the last opening in the wall closed with Ellen screaming a loud, desperate "No". Ellen stared at the wall in front of her, with wide eyes and shaking. "No… Foh…". It took her a while to react but then she broke free of Rikei's grasp and ran towards Bak, grabbing him by the collar of his jacket. She was acting rash again, almost violent, but she was desperate. She could not allow someone to die just because of her safety! She should be out there fighting! She was the exorcist! It was her duty!!
"Aaah! Please stop that Miss Walker!!" Wong screamed in surprise.
"Mister Chan! Open that gate!!" Ellen demanded.
"Never!" Bak replied loudly.
"Please, Walker! Calm down!!" Rikei wanted to convince her, putting his hands on her shoulders, but she paid him no attention, neither did she listen to anybody else. "Do you want to kill Foh?!" For a short while the whole room was silent, but then Bak spoke up with a calm voice.
"You exorcists are our only hope!" he reminded her without looking Ellen in the eyes, "if even only one exorcist dies… Are you aware of just how much this influences our battle? There is nothing we can do for Foh. If she is important to you, Walker… Then bear with it! And look forwards!" Ellen remained silent, but as she saw Bak's face she sighed and let go of his collar, frowning.
"Why are you putting on such a calm front…? In reality you are equally disturbed by this, are you not?" She looked up at Bak's face "you have your rash again… And you are crying…"
"What?!" Bak shouted, but there were indeed red spots on his face and tears flowing out of his eyes. "Uh… I…" Ellen put her hand on Bak's shoulder, looking at him with a smile.
"It is okay… I guess I know how you feel…" she said with a soft voice, gently pushing Bak out of the way. Then she put her right hand flat against the smooth stone. "I will open this door myself!" She only earned herself incredulous stares with this statement, but why should she care? She had made up her mind, she had decided to fight, there was no stopping her right now. If she opened this door then there would be no turning back again. If she herself chose to remain an exorcist then she would also chose to stick to the things connected with it, the Akuma, the battles, the people. "If you will not open this for me, then I will do it myself and advance! You should not have to worry if it was me making that decision and me opening the door!"
"I should not have to worry…?!", Bak started, but then he got furious, "And how I do have to worry about you, you complete idiot!! Wong! Rikei!! Seize her!!"
"I really regret doing this, Miss Walker!" Wong apologized but then he grabbed her, Rikei doing the same.
"Why are you doing this! This is annoying!!" Ellen protested in frustration, "You want to save Foh as well, do you not, Mister Chan?! Then why are you holding me down?!"
"Your body has started degenerating because of the Akuma's Dark Matter! You would dissolve if I would hit you now! Imagine what a fight would do to you!! Only an idiot would let you go!! You should listen to me, exorcist!!" Upon hearing that Ellen narrowed her eyes in anger. But then she put on a sly expression. If there was no other way around it, then there was no helping it.
"No. You listen to me now." She started and Bak backed off slightly when hearing the tone of her voice and seeing her cunning expression. "I will tell Mister Li about the secret photographs of Linali", she whispered and Bak froze just like Rikei behind her, who seemed to have heard her despite the whispering.
"WHAT?!" Ellen snorted.
"Oh I am sure he would not be that happy to hear that, knowing what kind of person he is, especially when it comes to his sister."
"Wa… Wa… Wa… Walker!! You want to blackmail me?! I never knew you were one of those girls!!" Ellen turned back to him, looking at him with a determined face.
"It has to be! I will not back off!", she exclaimed still making Bak shake in disbelief. "When we first met you asked me if I wanted to return to the battlefield! My answer was yes!" Bak kneeled down next to her, putting his hands on Ellen's shoulders.
"That meant that you would return to the battlefield once you could fight as an exorcist again! Without an activated Innocence you are nothing more than a mere human, Walker! Be reasonable!!"
"No!!" Ellen interrupted him, "That's not true…" she whispered with a strained voice, her body starting to shake. "I…" She slowly lifted her right hand, still bandaged, but recovered, not like her left hand. "When I first set my eyes on the Akuma, I felt that my blood was stirred up. Almost as if it was frozen until then. I had the feeling that my pierced heart had stopped moving long ago, so violently did it beat suddenly! And how pleasant it was to feel my warm blood flowing in my veins."
"Walker… What are you ta-" Bak started, very confused and also concerned by the things Ellen was telling him.
"That's when I understood!! I understand your concern. Of course! Of course I want to be a mere girl! Of course I would pick the life of an aristocrat over that of a soldier! How I wish my choice would be that simple! But it isn't! This simple girl that was content in her sheltered world, despite it not being as perfect as it could be, no longer exists! I am no longer her!" Ellen shouted, making Bak unable to reply. Ellen breathed in deeply, calming her shaking voice. "You have called my mere existence an Anti-Akuma weapon. And maybe this is true." She drew a shaky breath and then she raised her head, her cursed eye changing instantly. Bak was shocked to see such a desperate face, it shook him deeply. Tears were flowing from Ellen's eyes, a blood-red trail trickling down the left side of her face. "Because my soul had yearned for them! For the Akuma!! I am no longer human!" She said and Bak looked at her speechlessly. "I am an exorcist!" Ellen exclaimed, "Let me return to the battle-field. To the Akuma!" And in this moment Ellen didn't look human in Bak's eyes. There was something about her that was chilling him to the bones: the white hair, moved by a inexistent wind, her skin pale as ivory and only the left side of her face visible – only the blood red curse mark, only the black and red eye. And then, a huge white claw appeared behind Ellen, Wong and Rikei. The two men must have felt something terrifying behind them, because they turned their heads and gasped in shock. But then the claw came crushing down like a wave.
"Kyaaaa! Wong! Rikei!!" Rofa shouted in fright, but there was nothing wrong with them once the light was gone. Ellen Walker, however, was not there anymore. Bak widened his eyes, but then he could hear and feel her – it was an aura that she emitted that made him shiver.
"I will go now. Thank you, Mister Chan." She said and Bak turned around. It seemed as Ellen was emitting sparks, her whole body on electricity. He wanted to stop her, but he knew that it was pointless. So he clenched his eyes shut and then he opened a part of the wall. He heard Ellen advance, leaving them to fight a battle she couldn't possibly win.
"She is only 15… And even though there should be other things on her mind, she is nearly obsessed about Akuma… No longer human she said… I… didn't mean it like that, Walker… Please forgive me…"
-
Ellen felt heat, desperation and determination. She was not afraid as she ran through the corridor, looking for the things that she must destroy – or be destroyed herself. However, Ellen was rarely afraid when she rushed into battle, at least not like this, not when she knew that all the other options where even more dreadful, maybe not physically but mentally. She would not be running away, she would not leave people to die.
She felt the impact the Akuma had on her once she got close enough to see it again. She didn't hesitate and jumped landing on the Akuma's nearly metallic shoulder and back with a loud sound. She felt the metal under her hand tremble, little electric bolts forming around her right hand. The Akuma turned its head, staring at Ellen with its many eyes. It threw her off, but Ellen caught her balance quite quickly, landing on a fallen piece of stone, sticking out of the water. Ellen could see Foh, still transformed and in quite a bad shape: many parts of her had already been broken down. It reminded Ellen that she was not better off, her whole body seemed almost transparent, white, her head framed by a halo of sparks – but she doubted that those were the effects of her body breaking down. She did not think much, focussing all her attention on the Akuma instead.
"What are you?" the Akuma hissed, holding his shoulder where Ellen's hand had formerly been. Ellen looked at him with a challenging expression.
"I am an exorcist!" she replied firmly. The Akuma didn't reply for some moments, then it turned its gaze back down on Foh. The guardian deity squeezed her eyes shut and could no longer uphold the transformation, turning back into her original form. "Ah! Haha! Look at this!" The Akuma snorted in amusement.
"Wal… ker…", Foh started in a hoarse whisper, but Ellen stopped her.
"Foh!", she called and gently smiled at her, "Bak was crying…" she said and saw how tears formed in Foh's eyes too. They were important to each other, despite what had happened just before – Bak didn't want to sacrifice someone as important to him as Foh for the sake of somebody else, but he had had no choice. Affection… Ellen looked up, glaring at the Akuma.
"Well?" it asked, "do you want to fight me?". Ellen breathed in evenly, looking at the gruesome picture her cursed eye showed her. The soul of the Akuma was in a terrible state; it was a blotched black mass, vaguely resembling a disfigured skull. Ellen looked at it calmly, letting the souls anguished voice reach her eyes:
"Lo… ve me…", it cried and among the black mass she could make out one wide eye staring at her. "Love me! Stop him! Save only me! You can see me! You can hear me! Even in my current form! Love me! LOVE ME! Aren't you living only for me?!". Ellen remained silent for a while, but then she smiled.
"Yes, I do," she said, both answering the Akuma and the Soul. It was right, wasn't it? That was what she was living for right now. That was the only things she should be concerned in right now.
"Even though my Dark Matter is currently dissolving you, you're grinning?" the Akuma asked, attacking her.
"I am fighting for the Akuma", Ellen thought, while continuously evading the Akuma's attacks. Of course, she had nothing to counter his attacks as long as she had no Innocence, that's why she just kept on going, regardless of how bad the situation seemed. "I am living for the Akuma! They are giving me the power to live! There must have been a reason for me to survive in that night when I called back Mana and it is to save those Akuma, I was so certain even though I did not want to fight. Even though I would have had a purpose in my life without ever entering the Black Order, I convinced myself that I had piled up so much guilt and had done so many things wrong that redeeming myself by being an exorcist was the only way I could finally be at ease with myself".
"Foh!!" Ellen shortly looked to the side where she could see Bak running through the water towards Foh.
"I have been so certain. I had made it my resolution to save the Akuma and to live for them. But now…" she thought seeing how Bak embraced Foh as tightly as he could. "But now I…". Her trail of thoughts stopped immediately when she landed and her body suddenly started to crack and fall apart. She froze and stared down at her body.
"You idiot!" the Akuma hissed, "How did you plan to fight in your current condition?!" It lifted both of its hands, its Dark Matter ready to deal the final blow. It smashed Ellen down into the water, the Dark Matter piercing her chest. She had lifted her right arm, that was now sticking out of the water, palm towards the ceiling. She didn't see anything but the blurry shape of the Akuma, she was not able to breath, she was not able to scream. She just felt how her body was being ripped apart by the Dark Matter. After a while the Akuma stopped, probably focusing on something else. Ellen, even though barely conscious and on the brink of death, could hear Foh and Bak's screams.
"Even though I decided to devote myself to the Akuma and to live only for them, I nearly forgot my decision. My mother was important to me, but I left her behind for a life of redemption and maybe even more suffering. However… I met so many people that became dear to me. I have made new experiences. I learnt how to fight. I travelled to many different places. I have seen tragedy and death. I have made mistakes. I have fallen in love for the first time… It was easy to forget my and the Akuma's suffering when I was with my friends. I made so many good experiences. However, the loss of my Innocence had shown me that I also have a duty…" Ellen closed her eyes. "Innocence!" she thought firmly, "I have made up my mind and my heart! My left side is for the Akuma. And my right for the humans. Both are part of me. Both are important to me. Humans and Akuma, I will save them!" She felt the a familiar warmth in her; she knew that the Innocence had accepted her and was now forming and fighting. She still had her hand held out and it did return to her. Her body changed back to its original form before the Dark Matter had broken it down. She rose out of the water, like a phoenix rose out of the ashes. A white coat with white fur on the hood, was draped over Ellen's shoulders. She took in a deep breath, welcoming the new but also familiar sensation of her Innocence.
"Youuuu…" The Akuma hissed, breaking Ellen out of the comfortable silence that had embraced her. The Akuma, already partly destroyed by the Innocence, was rushing towards her, but Ellen just evaded it by jumping over it and then she extended her new Innocence arm, its sharp claw-like fingers piercing the Akuma effortlessly.
"Pitiful Akuma soul. Rest in peace!"
-
A deep silence had fallen in the room and also in Ellen herself. At the moment she felt very foreign to herself but also quite undisturbed by this. She watched what was left of the Akuma through the moving monocle in front of her cursed eye.
"Tell me one thing, Akuma," Ellen spoke up after a while. "Who has sent you here? Who has given you the order to come and get me?"
"Who…? Me…?" the Akuma croaked, opening its eyes to stare at Ellen, "Ha ha ha! If you spare me I will tell you!". Ellen looked at it calmly, then she narrowed her eyes slyly and pulled up the corners of her lips in a beautiful but also dangerously chilly smile.
"Agreed." She replied and the Akuma stared at her in wordless disbelief. Ellen tilted her head to the side playfully and smiled more warmly, invitingly at the Akuma. "Tell me?"
"Pah!" it exclaimed and then it started to laugh like a mad-man. "You don't even think of doing it! You are only playing! You won't let me get away!" It shrieked in sick amusement and bent down as far as it could, nearly touching its metallic head to Ellen's. The white haired girl just widened her grin in a sudden spark of strange malicious amusement that seized her heart. What foreign an emotion it was, was it even her own? Or did the Innocence send this chill, this lust for war and killing Akuma, to Ellen's heart? She did wonder about it shortly, however, she did see no sense in pondering about it too long.
"Ha ha ha!" The Akuma continued laughing despite the bad situation it was in, "It was Master Noah! Master Tyki Mikk!" Ellen was sort of surprised to hear that, despite not knowing why this name seemed slightly familiar. "I wonder what's going on in Edo at the moment?" the Akuma suddenly started to shout, "What about your friends? Master Mikk and four other Noah are with him! And the Earl!!" Ellen widened her eyes in surprise, suddenly all her own feelings were back, the spell of the foreign emotions was broken. Her friends arrived in Japan? And they had to face both Noahs and the Earl?! She had to hurry now. "Alleeeeeeeeeeen? This is quite heavy, right?" Ellen lifted her left hand and put one claw finger on the Akuma's forehead, a white light appearing.
"I thank you," she told the Akuma and pulled her finger down, forming a straight line of light in front of the Akuma.
"Noah's Ark is here. Enter it, Allen. It will take you through the sky, directly to Edo," the Akuma explained and Ellen lowered her head slightly.
"Why do you tell me?" she wondered.
"Why…? Because Master Noah ordered me to… No… Why…" it mumbled and the line of light extended into a cross, enclosing the Akuma in a circle of light. "Somehow… I feel really good!" It sad and smiled before it dissolved. Ellen looked up at the column of light.
"Sleep well…" she said and breathed in deeply, letting out an almost soundless sigh of relief, but also anxiety. Her decisions were made anew. She could not turn back now; she had to go to Edo.
"Walker!" Ellen could hear Bak call and turned herself to the side. When she saw him she smiled.
"Did you see, Mister Chan? I will continue walking forward no matter what wall I will encounter."
-
Ellen sat in a medical room with Wong, while he had a good look at her body.
"It seems that you are quite healthy, Miss Walker. That's good considering you had your body nearly destroyed by the Dark Matter. And your arm is also back," he said and Ellen studied her left arm.
"Well. I am glad. The Akuma is destroyed now, so I hope that Mr. Chan and Foh are well…"
"Aaah. Don't you worry about them, Miss Walker. They are fine and Bak is already working at analysing the Ark," Wong told her and Ellen nodded.
"That is good to hear. I am glad that all went well… And my arm, strange as it might look now, feels much better than it did before…"
"How am I to understand that?" Wong wondered and Ellen smiled at him.
"I cannot really explain but my old arm could feel uncomfortable, as if it was not really a part of my body… Rather a foreign object, but maybe this is better now that I have accepted the Innocence back – and it accepted me as well…". Wong studied the young girl for a while, but then he sighed and put his medical equipment away.
"You should get some rest now, Miss Walker. I will take your seize to the scientists so they can make you a new uniform, your old was in quite a poor shape," Wong said and Ellen laughed cheerfully.
"Yes, that is true! But please, no short skirt!"
"No... I will see to that, you have my word!" Wong replied with laughter.
"Ah Mister Wong, might I ask you something?" Ellen stopped the man when he was at the door. He turned back and looked at her.
"Of course you may. What do you want to know?". Ellen seemed a bit embarrassed and played with her fingers.
"I will need to be honest with a certain person in the near future… I would like to know if…" Wong smiled, which made Ellen turn even redder.
"I understand. Yes, you can tell him that you two will have a child. As far as I can tell it made it through the Akuma's assault," he said and Ellen nodded at him, smiling slightly – unsure whether she should be happy or disappointed. Wong excused himself and after a while Ellen left the room as well. She was quite surprised to find Rofa waiting in the corridor.
"Ah! Miss… Miss… Wa… Walker!" the young woman said, blushing at once. Ellen smiled at her.
"What a pleasant surprise to see you! And please, just call me Ellen," the white haired girl said and Rofa eagerly nodded. "Did you want something?"
"Y… Yes! Bak said that you might want to have some fresh clothes. I wanted to give you some," she offered and almost didn't dare to look at Ellen. She was still closing the last button of her Asian shirt.
"Really? That would be very nice!" Ellen said and Rofa giggled in glee, still blushing. Ellen wondered why Rofa seemed so fascinated by her, but she still felt flattered. Rofa led her into her own room where clothes were already laid out on her bed. "I got you new black trousers and a white shirt similar to those you wore before. I think it must be more comfortable than skirts when you fight…"
"That is very true, thank you for being so considerate," Ellen complimented and Rofa smiled at her. Rofa also handed Ellen a bra and the white haired exorcist slipped into her new clothes, feeling comfortable at once. Despite having a spluttering tomato red Rofa next to her.
"You look great! An English beauty!", the girl managed to say when Ellen was entirely dressed.
"Ah, now you are exaggerating Rofa!" Ellen said in amusement.
"I am not!" the girl pouted, but then she laughed and walked out of the room, "I have to leave now, I need to help in the Science Division! Do you want to come as well?"
"It is where Mr. Chan is, right? Yes, I will come," Ellen replied and followed Rofa out of the room.
-
Ellen was quite surprised when she got in a big hall with a lot of strange objects projecting pictures hanging in the air. Among other things she could see herself smiling at whoever was watching the picture, the new Innocence wrapped around her shoulders.
"Crown Clown," she read out aloud, "this really makes me look like a clown…". Bak turned around and was surprised to see Ellen standing in the door.
"Ah, Walker! Are your examinations over?"
"Yes! Mister Wong says that everything is fine!" Ellen replied with a smile, still looking at the room.
"And your left arm?" Bak wondered and Ellen turned towards him.
"It is still tingles a bit in my fingers, but I think it will be fine," Ellen said. Bak nodded and then the telephone ringed.
"Branch Leader Bak? We have established a connection to Headquarters," a man next to Bak said.
"Aaah! Right! Good. Walker, I will see you later."
"Yes!" Ellen said with a smile, planning to visit Foh anyway. She didn't really have anything to do now but to wait for her uniform to be finished. She might as well spend her time talking with some people, if she was on her own she would probably be anxious about Edo anyway. Not that she was afraid of the battles that were to come (quite on the contrary, she felt really strong right now) but of the things she would have to say. "Mister Chan?" Bak turned his head towards Ellen and saw her smile at him. "I will mount that Ark, no matter what Mister Li might say", she told him, then she turned around and walked out of the room, looking for Foh.
-
What she found wasn't Foh but the colourful wall painting. It seemed that Foh had returned to that form since she had been quite damaged in the previous fight.
"Hey Walker. It seems as if you have nothing to do," the voice of Foh said as a greeting when Ellen walked up to wall.
"How are you, Foh?" Ellen asked and looked up at the huge colourful gate.
"If I rest for a while then I will be okay again in no time. It will only be a bit boring because I need to wait…"
"Then I will have no other choice but to keep you company for a while!" Ellen exclaimed and walked up the steps sitting down on the uppermost step.
"You really have nothing to do…" Foh snorted, "aren't you leaving soon?"
"Yes, however, I still have some time, I am waiting for the uniform to be finished…" Ellen said, looking up at the ceiling.
"… I see… Well. You must be really anxious to go."
"Why?" Ellen wondered and Foh snorted again.
"Never mind. You are such a strange little girl…!" she exclaimed and Ellen raised her eyebrow, still smiling.
"How mean! Am I really that strange?" Ellen wondered and Foh had to laugh.
"Idiot. Walker… That you love humans and Akuma… That's really crazy!" Ellen had to laugh as well. "I am not trying to preach, but you should stop to think every once in a while…" Foh continued and Ellen looked at the gate, "You have quite a burden on your shoulders because you are an exorcist, and a really powerful one that's for sure. However, you are also just a young girl. Don't rush into things like a beheaded chicken like you did in the previous fight. I know you might not want to hear it – but you are also responsible for the child in you. If you managed to get yourself pregnant, you imprudent idiot, then have at least the decency to try your best!" Ellen was a bit surprised, but after a while she put on a smile.
"Yes… I know… I will set it straight"
"Idiot… Set it straight! I have the feeling that you have no clue what's in store for you! And what to do is not something you need to decide on your own!" Foh argued but sighed after a while. "Ah well. I guess we have to say good-bye now. I am really sleepy."
"Yes, sorry to have kept you awake," Ellen said, rising from the steps.
"A girl like you should be quick to return to the battlefield… A girl like you…" Foh said with something sounding like regret in her voice. Ellen nodded.
"Thank you Foh for all you have done for me," the white haired girl said.
"Just do me a favour", Foh said and Ellen looked up, "greet that boyfriend of yours. He must have it though with such a silly cow to look after." Ellen laughed and shook her head.
"I will! Good-bye Foh! I will miss you!" Ellen said and when she heard Foh's embarrassed snort she left the hall, in good spirits.
-
A few hours later Ellen stood in front of the strange object that was supposed to be Noah's Ark. The butterfly of the Noah she had encountered, still fluttered around the Ark's entrance. Ellen now wore her new uniform, which was quite different in design and material than her first. It showed more of her body because it was tighter, but she still felt rather flat-chested and androgynous - not that she was all too unhappy about it. She didn't need to be a lady on the battle-field – at least she didn't have to look like a lady!
"Walker! Can you come over for a while?" Bak called her and she walked to him. He handed her a golden earring and she blinked in surprise. "Put this on."
"Thank you. But what is this?" Ellen wondered while she tried to attach it to her ear.
"It is a wireless communicator. I am still developing it but it should be enough. Our conventional golems weren't strong enough to work inside of the Ark…" Bak explained.
"Ellen? Can you hear me?" Ellen gave quite a start when she heard Komui's voice emerging from the earring.
"Mister Li!" Ellen exclaimed, "How good to hear of you! What is it?"
"What is it she says! Well, I try to slow you down a little bit."
"How?" Ellen wondered in surprise.
"Weeeeell. We don't really know if that's the real Noah's Ark. It could be a trap! That's why we will board this Ark together and if it gets to dangerous I want you to leave it," Komui explained to which Ellen stubbornly shook her head.
"This is out of question. I refuse." Ellen stated quite clearly and Komui had to laugh.
"Still the stubborn young lady I see. Good that you haven't changed too much," Komui said cheerfully, "but listen, Ellen. You are one of my most dear friends. It's clear that I want to protect you. Or are we not important to you?" Ellen blushed in embarrassment, but she was also happy to hear such a thing.
"I have understood…" Ellen said, then she turned to Bak, who took her hand to shake it. "Thank you very much for everything," she said and Bak nodded at her. Ellen walked up the stairs to the Ark's entrance, but stopped when she heard someone shouting her name. She turned around and saw the three young scientists running towards her.
"Oh, you three! What is the matter?" Ellen wondered and Rofa held out a deck of cards to her.
"Your cards. One of them was missing so we re-printed it…" Ellen took it gladly, barely able to hide her happiness.
"T… Take care, Ellen!" Rofa said and the two others did the same. Ellen smiled at them and nodded, walking into the strange portal. The last thing she heard was Bak telling her to come back safely. She then heard Komui talking to her:
"Can you hear me, Ellen? Are you now inside the Ark?"Ellen dared to open her eyes and was quite surprise.
"My!" she exclaimed what urged Komui to enquire what she saw. "Well, actually I imagined it to look different. All I see are white-washed buildings. Similar like in a Mediterranean town! I am advancing now…" As Ellen was walking on, only Komui's voice and the Noah's tease accompanied her. The Ark was silent, peaceful and empty. "Mister Li…?" Ellen asked into the silence.
"Hm?"
"I worry about Linali and the others… If only they are alright…" she said and could hear Komui laugh lightly.
"Well… If you worry, then how about thinking about good things?" Komui suggested but puzzled Ellen with it.
"Good things?" she asked.
"Yes! For example what you will do once you all get back home safely. I for example will welcome you back and give you and Linali a big hug. And you will get something nice to eat! We will have a big welcome back party!" Ellen had to smile. "And? Can you think of something?" Ellen made a thoughtful face but then she nodded at herself and smiled.
"When I get back, I will take a bath with Linali. There will be lots of things to discuss with Rabi! And of course, I will have a nice dinner with everyone! And… When the commotion has died down a little bit… Then I want to take a walk with Kanda…"
"You miss him, don't you?"
"Oh, well. I miss everybody!" Ellen said and laughed, "ah, I am glad that I will be able to see everybody again… It has been too long…" She looked at her feet and then, after a while, she lifted her head to the clear blue sky, "way too long…"
-
Ellen was standing at a door, opening it very carefully. The Tease had guided her there and she looked into the darkness beyond the doorstep. She could feel warm air blowing her hair out of her face. However, it smelt strange, burnt metal and wood, the stink of Akuma blood mixed with it. Ellen knew that this was the door to Japan's capital and she dreaded what it might show her. She took in a deep breath and invocated, the fur coat resting on her shoulders, the strange clown mask attached to it. She took one step into the darkness and when she could see again she was in a very strange world. It didn't look like this Edo was a city; she could see one building floating in the air, but the ground was mirror like black material, with dust creeping over it like clouds passing over the ocean. She could see various things going on in this solitude; it must have been fights between the exorcists and the Noahs, but one thing especially caught her attention. A crystal seemed to be growing out of the ground and she could see the Earl next to it trying to attack it. The Earl. This strange creature made Ellen's body shake with terror, but also with rage. Now was not the time to fight him, but she still had to stop him. She rushed forwards and touched the crystal upon which she was granted access to it. She could see Linali tormented by the Earl, but she stopped it by pushing her hand against his face. She leant close to Linali, protecting her.
"Good Evening. Earl". Then the moment was gone and Ellen was again facing the real Earl, her hand grabbing his arm, preventing him from attacking. The strange creature stared at her, his mouth a wide grin.
"A good evening to you too! What a joy it is to meet you again! Ellen Walker!!". The next few moments went as in a blur. The Earl attacked Ellen, but she was fast enough to evade, then the Earl summoned a blade with which he attacked the girl, but she managed to block it with her Innocence arm. "How you look! How you've changed, little princess! And how you remind me of someone!" Without giving further explanation the Earl issued another attack that sent Ellen flying through the air. When she caught herself in mid-air she almost ran into another attack. However, she caught a glimpse of her attacker and widened her eyes, landing immediately.
"Rabi?!" Ellen shouted and Rabi stared at her in shock. "Oh, Rabi it is really you!!" She got up and wanted to run over to him, but out of the dust sprung another attacker she just managed to block with her left arm.
"Iaaah!!" she shouted in surprise as the figure yelled a menacing "DIE!". Just looking past her arm and the familiar blade that was trying to slice her she could see Kanda above her, his hair openly flowing around him. "Kanda?!". Kanda stopped immediately when he realized what or rather who he was actually attacking. As if he had been burnt, he jumped backwards, staring at Ellen as if he was seeing a ghost.
"Bean… sprout…?" Kanda asked and Ellen looked at him quite baffled. She had not expected to see Kanda so soon, however, now that he was here – She wanted to say something to him, but she was interrupted by the sound of Kanda dropping Mugen. She looked down at the ground in surprise, then up at Kanda, when he heard him take a step forward. Before she could react, he already held her in a tight embrace. Ellen was too surprised to react at first, but then she felt him tremble slightly against her frame and heard his irregular breathing.
"Ellen… I thought you were dead…" he whispered against her hair. "I thought I had lost you…!" As surprised as she was, she couldn't help but being deeply shaken as well.
"I am so sorry, I did not want you to worry…" she replied to his silent sobs. She never thought that she would see Kanda cry, but it moved her to a point she could also not help but cry. "I am glad that you are safe…" she said, hugging him as tightly as she could. Kanda let go long after he had stopped crying. He was not even embarrassed about this sudden display of emotions. Ellen laughed gently and wiped away the wet stains on Kanda's face.
"Do I also get a hug?" Rabi asked, also a wet trail still visible on his grinning face and Ellen smiled at him. Rabi rushed at her, hugging her tightly, almost lifting her off her feet. "Aaaah! Ellen! You worry us so much!" He let go of her after a while and looked at Kanda. "Right, Yu?"
"Don't call me that, you idiot!" Kanda hissed, and pulled at Ellen's arm so that she stood near to him. He studied her and frowned, his old grumpy self returned. "Hm. You grew quite a bit since I last saw you…" Kanda remarked and Ellen looked at him. But he was right, she didn't have to look up at him as much as she had to before. "And…" Kanda continued, drawing his hand through Ellen's hair. "Your-" Rabi paled instantly and wanted to start uttering random excuses but Ellen beat him to it.
"I lost my hair in the last fight… It was quite beyond repair… I am sorry…" Rabi mouthed a relieved thank you and Ellen smiled. Kanda was still frowning, but he nodded.
"It doesn't matter. As long as you're alive and healthy. You're still very beautiful…" he said silently, stroking her cheek affectionately.
"Aww. Yu, don't you get embarrassed saying such things?"
"What? I am just stating the truth you idiot!" Ellen laughed, but then she remembered the strange crystal and all the rest.
"The enemies seem to be gone, but what about Linali?" Ellen asked and Rabi widened his eyes.
"Linali!!" They ran over to the crystal, "how do we get her out of here?" Ellen studied the crystal for a while but nothing Rabi did released Linali. "Do we have to wait?". Ellen sighed, but then she extended her hand. Surprisingly the crystal dissolved in a bright light, releasing Linali. Ellen caught her and looked at her.
"Ah, what a relief. She seems to be unhurt," Ellen noticed and handed her to Rabi.
"Young ones! Let us get some shelter!" Tiedoll called and the three walked over to the others who were standing next to a bridge – or what was left of it. It seemed that the Earl's destruction of Edo only reached this far. Ellen greeted everyone and was introduced to the people she didn't know yet.
"It's such a pleasure to finally meet you, dear child!" Tiedoll said emotionally. Ellen smiled at him.
"I feel the same!" Kanda pulled her away a bit and they stood against the other side of the bridge. Kanda studied Ellen again, holding on to her hands, which still seemed small in his. So many weeks lay between today and their last day together. While he had not changed much in these few months, Ellen seemed to be quite different. She looked stronger, she was taller and even though her hair was even shorter her body seemed… rounder, fuller, more feminine. Kanda couldn't deny that he did approved of her appearance. However, it also made him sad that she even had to go through all the hardships, however beneficial they were.
"I… am sorry that I couldn't protect you when you needed me the most…", he started and Ellen shook her head.
"No… No, do not think like that, Kanda…It is not your fault… I just was not strong enough…," Ellen told him. Kanda remained silent for a while, but then he looked at her left hand.
"You regained your Innocence…" Ellen nodded, and Kanda sighed, "I am surprised that you returned to fight… I would have thought that you would go back to your mother if you had the chance…", he whispered.
"Yes… Yes that is what I could have done… But I was not able to leave you all on your own… I have… responsibilities…" Ellen replied, now feeling a bit uncomfortable. Kanda noticed it and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Are you okay?" he wondered and Ellen nodded hesitantly.
"Kanda… Could I talk to you?" the younger exorcist asked and Kanda nodded, "not here…" Ellen continued and looked around. There seemed to be a road up the slope and a forest behind it. "Let us go up there…" Kanda was intrigued, but he nodded and followed her up the small slope and then they followed a path.
"Don't stray too far you two!" Tiedoll called when he saw them going away. Ellen waved at him and he returned to the others. After a few minutes Ellen stopped and sat down into the grass, looking over the destroyed city. Kanda sat down as well, only looking at Ellen.
"What is it-" Kanda started, but Ellen interrupted him:
"Do you remember the nights we spent together?" she asked and Kanda frowned.
"Of course. How could I forget!" He said. Ellen smiled at him.
"I also cannot forget…" Kanda studied her, but then he put his hand on her cheek and bent down to kiss her gently. She did not resist, but turned her head away after he pulled back. "Kanda… I do not know how I should tell you… I feel bad about it…" Kanda was a bit concerned when he heard that. Ellen's troubled face also worried him a great deal.
„Well. Just say the plain truth… Straightforward works best with me…" he told her. Ellen studied him for a while but then she looked down, sighing deeply.
"Straightforward then…," she mumbled, but then she raised her head, looking Kanda in the eyes. "Kanda. I am with child." Kanda just looked at her as if he hadn't heard right. But then it seemed to dawn on him.
"Oh," was the first thing he said. "I see." Ellen was a bit disturbed by this plain answer, but she had not expected much anyway.
"Just… to clear this up… I have not been intimate with anyone other than you…" she said, quite embarrassed. Maybe she should have chosen a better moment and better words to break the news, but she had not been able to look at Kanda without telling him her terrible secret. And from his reactions she had absolutely no idea what he thought about the revelation.
"Yes. I understand…" Kanda said and took a deep breath which he released in an equally deep sigh. "Then I will need to ask this: do you still remember what I promised you back then, on our first night in Southern Italy?"
"Mm. I do…" Ellen replied quietly.
"I do not go back on my words…" he said and looked at Ellen. "I will do my best."
"Yes… I know. Thank you, Kanda…" Ellen said, bitter tears welling up in her eyes that she blinked away. And it seemed as if both were not happy how this conversation had turned out.
"Yu! Ellen!" they heard Rabi shouting, "Linali is slowly coming to! Hurry up!"
"Oh! Linali!" Ellen exclaimed and Kanda got up on his feet, holding his hand out to Ellen. She took it with a shy smile. He was still holding her hand when they got back down to the bridge but let go of Ellen when she rushed off to Linali's side.
"And? What did you two talk about?" Rabi wondered with a bright grin, but Kanda's grim and thoughtful face wiped the grin right off his face. "You broke up or what?"
"No. Not at all. She told me something important… But I can't help feeling that we both didn't say what we wanted to say…", Kanda said, looking how Ellen embraced the half-awake Linali. Rabi frowned. He had his ideas what this important thing could be, he wasn't stupid after all.
"Then maybe you have to take up the conversation again at a later point. Best when you are alone together, back at home…". Kanda sighed and nodded.
"At least she is alive and I have her back at last. And right now that's all that counts."
-
To be continued
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Notes:
Here we are, the lover and the lady are reunited! I am not sure if the scene was to your tastes because it was not overly dramatic, but still, we had Kanda crying a bit. But I guess under these circumstances he's allowed to (even with Rabi watching, hihi).
I also don't know what kind of reaction to Ellen's condition you expected, or how you thought she would reveal it. I thought that Ellen wouldn't be able to look into Kanda's eyes without telling him that she carried his child. They will of course take up the topic once they get back home!
I would be really interested to know what you thought / think! :3 :3
And I hope you will continue reading also the next year ;3
P.S. I just remembered: I wonder if I should write about Kanda's fight against Skin. Usually I skip everything that Ellen doesn't witness because I only follow her point of view (usually). However, it might be interesting to see what the news about him being a soon to be father change how he fights / tries not to get killed while fighting. We have no clue yet what he thinks, so it might prove to be insightful, however... I hate writing fight scenes... XD XD XD