Ok, I have no idea how this turned out. This is your Easter Special. Written by someone high on candy (and no, not the chocolates mentioned in this chapter), and who is beginning to understand sleep deprivation as a torture tactic. So, if there are any mistakes, please let me know and I will fix them. And feel free to tell me what you think of the little surprise at the end of the chapter. OH! I'm a beta reader now, use me! Ok, that sounded weird. Even to me.
There are many people to thank today. First off, Pocket-pon: For the hysterical conversation we had that spawned the 'Allen, what are you eating?', Tyki's mental handbasket, and 'The Angel of Greatness and Light! And sugar.'! Also, for rule 114, had a hand in rule 113, and, heck, just assume that she assisted with every rule that didn't come from anyone else! Now, Lonewolf685: First, for messaging me nonstop, reminding me to make a beta profile, and finally, for rules 117 and 118. Next, Yami-Chan-123: Helped to develop Sara Daniels, who, without Yami-chan, would have simply been 'the therapist'. And that would have been depressing. Finally, WouldBeExorcist: I took (with permission) the description of Kanda's clothes from her marvelous story titled Change of Pace. I suggest you check it out! And I also borrowed the idea of the giant-rabbit Komlin from her Easter one-shot. The rabbit idea is also somewhat owned by Pocket-pon, who reminded me that Lavi really needed to take a trip... Now, I feel like I am missing something, so if you recognize it, kindly shoot me a message informing me. I will fix it.
This chapter is dedicated to the amazing reviewer Booklover2526. I got a spark of genius, and created a whole chapter, because of the rule suggestion, which created rule 110, as well as the beginning story, which was a lot of fun to write!
Tyki looked down at the box doubtfully. "Road, these...well, what are these?"
Road grinned at him, the evil glint in her eyes reminding him of her 'father' for some reason. "Silly little Tyki! These are called peeps!"
Tyki glared at her. He did not like being reminded of his predicament, and only the fact that he was not suffering alone kept him from running back to the Earl and demanding he fix the mess. Kanda was just like him, and somehow that comforted the eight year old Noah. "Peeps." He still sounded skeptical, and Road rolled her eyes at his tone. "And what, exactly, do peeps do?"
Road gazed at the box with an adoring expression. "Peeps are sugary goodness. But these ones are special. Do you remember what happened when Allen ate the chocolate covered coffee beans?" Tyki winced, and Road continued. "Well, imagine that times ten! I had Komui mix up a little something for me, under the pretext of trying it on Akuma. But now, now this will bring about the best Easter the Order has ever seen!"
Tyki looked confused. "What's Easter?"
XxXxXxX
Tyki and Road phased through the wall of Allen's bedroom, thankful upon finding the boy still asleep. Road let go of little Tyki's hand and skipped over to Allen's bed. She looked down at him for a few seconds, then swooped in to kiss him.
"Gah! Road, no kissing! No!"
Road giggled and jumped back to avoid Allen's half-asleep swipe with his Innocence. Tyki scowled at her and jumped up onto Allen's bed. Allen gasped as the little Noah sat on his stomach and grabbed his mouth. Road took advantage of the moment to shove a small yellow object in between Allen's lips. Allen choked and tried to spit out the object, but Tyki closed his mouth and pinched his nose, forcing Allen to swallow it.
"Tyki," Road whined, "he's supposed to chew it first!"
Allen gagged and bucked, sending Tyki sprawling onto the floor. "What the hell, Road!" Allen yelled. "What was that?"
Road gave him an I'm-so innocent-look-at-my-cute-halo look, that Allen did not buy. "A peep."
"A peep. What the hell is a peep?!" Allen clutched his throat, swallowing hard.
Tyki pushed himself off the ground and glared balefully at Allen. "Wow, boy. Not much of a gentleman, are you? Such language." He made a tsking noise and shook his head. "A peep is an Easter treat. It's surprisingly tasty. Road gave me some before we came to you."
Allen took a deep breath and looked back at Road. "Sorry for yelling at you." Some part of his brain was yelling at him for apologizing to a Noah, but he ignored it with practiced ease. "Wait." He frowned, thinking. "Do peeps have sugar?"
Road smiled sweetly. "Of course they do, Allen. Would you like another?" She grinned at his hand, which was outstretched, reaching for the box of peeps she held.
Allen nodded guilty. Road grinned at him again, and offered the box. He took it, and began eating. Tyki watched from where he leaned against the door. He had a feeling that one day, humankind would look back and realize that it was on the day that Road gave Allen Walker peeps that everything went completely and totally to hell. In a handbasket. A lovely lilac one, with ice-blue ribbon, and crimson blood-spatters. And to complete the look, he tossed in a tiny white kitten dragging a severed hand to the mental image.
Allen was in heaven. If he had been asked at that moment, he would have eagerly proclaimed Road an Angel of Greatness and Light. It had a nice ring to it. The sugar and marshmallow fluff were overwhelming his senses; he could feel that peculiar pressure in his head, the beginnings of a sugar rush. Everything was sharpening before his eyes, and his hand started twitching. Allen grabbed another peep from the box and stuffed it in his mouth. This was heaven.
Tyki looked over at the First. She was watching her Allen carefully, perverse grin on her face, satisfying his desire for sugar with her specially made treats. Tyki's Noah memories had shown him what the fourteenth had been like on sugar, and it wasn't pretty. He was pretty sure Road was doing this for that reason alone. The door Tyki was leaning against was forcibly shoved open, sending him flying for the second time that day. As he fell to the ground, Tyki caught a glimpse of red hair.
XxXxXxX
Lavi was frantic. He had been searching for Allen since six that morning, and had staked out the dining hall for all of breakfast before Lenalee saw fit to inform him that Allen had not yet woken. So he had to run all the way to Allen's room to tell him something, something of utmost importance. And when he had opened the door, he felt something on the other side resisting the motion. So he did what anyone would do and shoved the door harder. The resistance was no match for him. Upon opening the door, Lavi found a rather ruffled Tyki lying on the floor, and Road feeding Allen something yellow. Lavi ignored the voice that told him to question this scene and instead spoke in a tense voice.
"Allen, we need to-"
"Give Rouvelier a present!" Allen said brightly.
Lavi blinked. Allen blinked back. Lavi blinked again. Allen cocked his head to the side and Lavi copied his movement. Then Allen smiled, revealing a mouthful of yellowness.
Lavi twitched. "What now? Rolly's gone missing! He's been gone for a week now! How would you even give him a present?"
"I'm going to the Vatican. I'll leave him a present if I have to. Wanna come?" Allen was gazing at Lavi with wide, innocent, and suspiciously shiny eyes.
"Allen, what, exactly, are you eating?" Lavi asked warily.
"Peeps!"
That one word terrified Lavi. "Peeps." he repeated. "Allen, who gave you those peeps?"
"The Angel of Greatness and Light! And sugar. That should be added." Allen gestured to Road.
Lavi looked from the grinning "angel" to the Tyki-shape on the floor. "And what's that?"
"The infernal pipsqueak."
"Hey!" Tyki shouted, "I can hear you, stupid Noah-chan!"
Allen's grin turned dangerously sharp for an instant, before he swallowed the yellow mass in his mouth. "So, do you want to come give Rouvelier a present?"
"What sort of present?" Lavi asked in a slightly higher than normal tone of voice.
Allen frowned and turned to Road. She looked back to Lavi with a bored expression. "A candle one, obviously."
Lavi gulped. "I, uh, I don't think so, but make sure you bring me back a souvenir. Have fun guys!" He edged towards the door, trying to ignore the predatory way Allen and Road watched his not-so-subtle movements. Reaching the blessed open space of the hallway behind him, Lavi turned and ran. He wasn't a coward, not really, it was just that the rabbit in him knew when it was time to turn his back on insanity and not get swept up in it.
And so it was because of this that Lavi missed the planning of two of the most terrifying Noahs in existence, one of whom moonlighted as the Destroyer of Time.
Back in the room, Road and Allen stared at the still open door, watching and waiting. When Lavi didn't reappear, Road turned to look at Allen, and was startled to see a familiar grayness creeping across his skin.
"Neah?" she asked hesitantly.
'Allen' looked at her, right eye gold, left eye its normal blue-silver. "Name's Red. Neah's here too." His voice was harsh, it sounded choppy and strained. "And you better not forget me." This voice was smoother, but still rough, Allen's usual voice spoken lower. "They call me Black Allen. Do you want to know why?"
Road shook her head quickly. She was impressed that her little Allen-kun had managed to maintain his innocent facade if this was what he dealt with on a daily basis. "No thanks. Um, why are you two out? Where's Neah?"
"Here." The right eye closed, then opened again, independent from the left. "It's rather crowded in my poor nephew's mind right now. We should get going before he tries to take control again." Allen's body, controlled by several entities working together in a somewhat united fashion, lurched from the bed like a zombie and shuffled toward the door. Road could hear indistinct muttering, along with some audible words. "Ok, we need to work together.", "I agree. Someone needs to be in charge, before we walk into a wall.", "Allow me.", "Hell no! He's my nephew, you lot are just tag-alongs.", "That's rich, coming from you!", "Why you, I outta..." and then more mumblings. Road just sighed and rolled her eyes. This was going to be a long trip.
XxXxXxX
Komui was sitting in his office, bored. He stared glumly at the piles of paperwork surrounding him, silently urging them to do themselves. When that didn't happen, he did the next best thing, and pulled the closest stack to him, spread them out in a mound on the desk, then laid his head down on the white papers to get some well deserved rest. He just hoped that he wouldn't wake up with black smudges all over his face.
The phone rang. Komui hated the phone. It only ever rang when something went wrong on a mission, or one of those penicorns at the Vatican calling to whine about the war. He considered ignoring it, but the pile of paperwork awaiting him on his desk prompted him to pick up the phone. Might as well pretend to be working he reasoned.
"Hello, Komui speaking."
"KOMUI! WHAT ARE THE NOAH DOING HERE?!" the voice from the phone nearly deafened Komui. He grimaced and held the phone away from his ear.
"I'm sorry. They promised that they wouldn't do that until next week." Komui tried to sound surprised, but grinned widely as the sounds of crashes and screams traveled through the phone. He hadn't heard anything nearly as wonderful since Lenalee's first word; brother. "What are they doing?"
"THEY SET UP TRAPS ALL OVER THE PLACE! WE CAN'T MAKE IT OUTSIDE, BECAUSE THE DOORS ARE GUARDED BY A GIANT RABBIT!"
Komui giggled and tried to disguise it as a cough. "I'm very sorry to hear that! Well, I hope they calm down soon." The person on the other end began shouting again, but Komui tuned it out, focusing instead on the Ark door that had appeared in the middle of his office. Road stepped out, and Komui crooked a finger, motioning her over. He covered the phone with his hand. "Road, would you be a dear and, ahem, fix the phone lines? I'd be very grateful." Road grinned and skipped out the door. Komui pretended to listen to the screaming idiot on the phone, grunting and making sympathetic noises whenever the other paused for breath. A few minutes later, the phone went dead, and Komui tossed it back onto its stand on the desk.
Road walked back into his office and headed for the Ark door.
"Road." Komui called out. She looked back at him. "I assume the rabbit was you?"
Road grinned. "Yup! And Allen's picking up some of my tricks pretty fast!"
Komui returned her grin. "Give 'em hell, girl."
Road snapped off a salute and then hopped through the door. Komui sighed deeply, then leaned back in his chair. He hoped the Vatican would enjoy their Easter present. It had taken a lot of time and effort on his part to plan it. He closed his eyes and sank into a gentle sleep, happily imagining what horrors the penicorns were going through at that very moment.
110. Allen is not allowed to have peeps
a) Yes, we do mean those sugary little yellow things
b) Key word there is sugary
c) Hyper Allen seems to awaken 'Red', an entity we do NOT want plaguing us for any length of time
d) Because then Black Allen hops on the bandwagon and Neah joins in on the fun
e) Taking the Ark on a joyride is also not allowed by decree of the Vatican
It was discovered that Allen and peeps just didn't mix. Which was rather surprising, considering how many sweets Allen ate after being saddled with Link. Lenalee suspected that Road probably had something to do with it, seeing as she was the one who gave Allen the peeps. And went on his 'mission' with him. Lavi agreed that it was suspicious, especially as Road hadn't been seen since she and Allen had gotten back. Komui eventually disconnected the phone to deal with the calls made by traumatized Vaticans. He had given Road a small box as a favor for cutting the phone lines.
111. Declaring an Order-wide Easter Egg Hunt is prohibited
a) To the individuals requesting that Jadevi be invited to the Black Order: HELL NO!
b) Easter is not a day off: Scientist's, get back to work!
c) Someone, confiscate Allen's peeps!
d) Please deliver all Eggs found to Jerry for culinary purposes
Some genius had been putting up fliers about a Black Order Easter Egg Hunt for the past week. Komui had to make a big announcement informing everyone that there was no Easter Egg Hunt. Then he had to deal with the letters asking if Jasdevi and Wisely could come and participate in the Easter Festivities. Komui ran off to the labs and declared Easter a day off, leaving Reever to deal with the rest of the insanity. Reever made Tyki drag Komui out and then got everyone working again. That was about the time when someone noticed the Easter eggs hidden throughout the building. Komui blamed Allen, Allen said it was Kanda, Kanda declared it to be Lavi's fault. Lavi claimed it was Link, and Link insisted it was Tyki. Tyki stuck him halfway through a wall and ran off with the still hyper Allen. It was soon discovered that some of the eggs were plastic and held peeps inside. Or rather, they used to. Allen had a knack for finding the peeps. It was decided that Jerry would get all the real eggs and make an Easter Dinner. And Road was mysteriously absent for these events. Komui was worried.
112. Scan the eggs before touching
a) Some are packed with high quantities of explosives
b) Others contain onion gas
c) Portable scanners are in Komui's office, use those
d) Someone, find John!
John had come to the Black Order to visit his father. He had brought some gifts for the members and, with Tyki's help, distributed the fake eggs among the real ones. Some were masquerading as peeps. Allen, who was still hunting for peeps, almost got his hand blown off, and Lavi got gassed. Lavi had to go to the infirmary for damage to the blood vessels in his eye. John, employing Tyki's powers, escaped the angry mob chasing him and took the wall-stuck Link hostage. No one really cared. Lenalee was only concerned for John's well-being once the mob caught up to him. But for now, he, Tyki, Allen, and Link were hidden somewhere in the walls of the Black Order and no one could find them. John's father was sobbing about how his little boy had grown up so much.
113. Lavi is not allowed to dress up in a bunny suit and parade around with a basketful of live rabbits
a) Or wear/steal (Komui's potions to make) rabbit ears
b) Easter is not the time for a family gathering
c) Timothy will not come out of Lenalee's room; it appears that he is terrified of rabbits
d) Komui is useless; he seems to have a soft spot for rabbits
e) Please, will someone find Road? It scares us when she is gone for this long and something hasn't gone wrong
Lavi came down to lunch wearing a bright pink Bunny suit. Allen, Tyki, John, and the captured Link(all of whom had shown up for one of Allen's favorite meals of the day (besides Breakfast and Dinner), Link now sporting a lovely purple collar with an attached leash that was once one of Reever's ties) were incapacitated by laughter, making it easy for the Finders who had been tailing them all morning to retrieve the four and take them into solitary for detox from their sugar highs. Timothy, upon seeing the Bunny-Lavi, threw his tray of food into the air and ran screaming from the room. He went straight to Lenalee and hid under her bed. Nothing anyone did made any difference. Lenalee complained to her brother, who claimed that there was nothing he could do. Lenalee confided in Miranda, telling her that Komui really just had a soft spot for rabbits. Something about a hunting trip gone awry and 7 litters of baby bunnies. Everyone was checking behind them every few seconds. Road had still not been found.
114. Share the alcoholic Easter candy!
a) It's not fair if only some people get drunk off the chocolate!
b) Let everyone join in the merriness!
c) It's safer to be drunk with friends than it is alone!
d) And with friends you have a better chance of getting some awesome blackmail material!
A search of Tyki's and Allen's rooms revealed a stash of Easter chocolates that had been bought in town in preparations for the holiday. Lavi and Lenalee took possession of the stash, saying that they would keep it safe until the two were released from isolation. Thirty minutes and several handfuls of the candies later, it was discovered that they contained liqueur. Lavi was dressed once more in his bunny suit and Lenalee had donned a pair of ears. The two of them ran around the Black Order, handing out chocolates to everyone they came across. It was about this time that someone released the four from isolation. Allen was still hyper. Eight year old Tyki was still an eight year old. John was...John. And Link had been turned into a real rabbit with the use of one of Komui's potions. Tyki found Road's camera. People also began wondering about the mental health of the rule makers. Some of them seemed pretty whacked. Lavi then terrified everyone by wondering about the whereabouts of Kanda.
115. Let it be known that Kanda does not appreciate pastel colors
a) It would be best to stay away from him and Road for the time being
b) Don't comment on his hair
c) Or his choice of clothing
d) The skirt was not his idea
e) Neither was the tail
Well, everyone found out where Road had been. She had trapped the poor, defenseless eight year old Kanda in his room, confiscated Mugen, hid all of his clothing so he couldn't find them, and forced him to play dress-up. And then did his hair. With permanent pastel blue hair dye. And he was wearing eyeshadow. Road had dressed him in a cream high-collared blouse with puffed sleeves, and a light blue Empire skirt. And for a finishing touch, she glued a puffy white rabbit tail to the back. Kanda was then forcibly shoved out of the room and paraded through the Black Order. Lavi commented on Yuu's new look and was promptly kicked in the groin by the enraged chibi. Then the great game of tag began.
116. Tag, Easter style
a) Kanda is 'it'
b) Road is the one being chased
c) Start your own tag game, don't join theirs
d) Unless you want to die
After kicking the drunken Lavi, Kanda began chasing Road around the Black Order. Lavi joined them, and was pushed down three flights of stairs and out the bottom floor window. Then Allen and Tyki began racing around, tagging people. Komui saw the tag game as a way to skive off work and all the scientists joined in. Soon, there were two tag games going on; one in which Kanda was going to kill Road, and one in which everyone avoided Kanda, assisted Road, and avoided Allen and Tyki. At some point, Link and John joined in, making a pact and setting up a pillow fort on the fourth floor. John had gotten ahold of some of the Easter Chocolates and fed them to an unresisting Link. Kanda was finding it hard to run in a skirt, but couldn't find any clothes that would fit him, seeing as Road had hidden all of his and Tyki's room had no door. Bookman was still in Antarctica and had taken all of his clothes with him. Kanda hated the penguins more than ever.
117. Don't ask to go with Road to her family dinner.
a) Oh my God, people! Road and Tyki may be...friendly...but we are still at war
b) It may be true that Akuma are good chefs, but the food really isn't worth the lives of your finders
c) Even if you survive, Jerry will kill you to maintain his chef's honor
d) He did make an Easter dinner, after all
Once Kanda was finally caught and calmed down with a bowl of Soba, Lavi, Allen, Tyki, Link, Lenalee, and Johnny began making plans for an Easter Dinner at the Earl's. Road had just opened her door when Komui showed up. The next thirty minutes were filled with Komui's panicked screams of "My dear sweet Lenalee! How could you abandon me for that...that...butterfly!", Link's hysterical giggles as he ran repeatedly into a wall, and Lavi and Allen's shout's of terror as Jerry chased them, sobbing about how "Allen doesn't like my cooking! I'm a horrible chef. He is going to abandon me for the Earl and his Akuma cooks! How could you, Allen! And Lavi, you would abandon me as well?". Lavi was in the same state as Link, meaning drunk from the chocolates, but he had enough mental capacity left to determine that when someone runs at you with a knife, the best thing to do is run away. He managed that step, but his mental abilities failed him completely when he went to get Kanda to defend him and Allen from the depressed chef.
118. Don't tell Road's father she hangs out at the Order.
a) He's the Noah of Desire and the Prime Minister of Portugal. He could buy us out if he wanted to!
b) His abilities allow him to break every bone in your body simply by wiggling his fingers
c) He doesn't like that Road and the 14th might have had a relationship
d) His daughter-complex can rival Komui's sister-complex
Sheryl received a mysterious tip from an unknown source, informing him that Road was at the Black Order, and in a relationship with Allen. Sheryl immediately invaded the Black Order HQ and began hunting for Allen and his darling Road. He had the unfortunate fate to meet Link, who offered to show him to the rabbit. Sheryl was disturbed to discover that the junior Bookman was wearing a rabbit costume (again) and appeared to be as drunk as the Link guy. Sheryl decided that the Black Order was definitely not an appropriate place for his daughter and took Lavi as a hostage to trade for Road. He was attacked by Allen and Kanda, both of whom Sheryl simply immobilized and brought along as back-up hostages. Then Lenalee came to save them, resulting in a complex stand-off. Meaning that Sheryl stood at one end of the room, while Komui stood at the other, and they spent several minutes yelling, "My precious, mine!", "My darling Road!", "My dear, sweet Lenalee!". Road and Lenalee were both held in tight hugs by their respective complexes. In silent agreement, they kicked the two men in the, ahem, pride of their family lineage, and fled the room with the hostages. After wheezing and gasping for a few minutes, Sheryl and Komui came to an agreement and peace reigned. Until Komui told Tyki that he was in charge of watching his brother.
119. Beware the giant-rabbit Komlin
a) The eggs it lays are not edible
b) Do not let eat you; i.e. Do not end up like Lavi
c) Someone needs to hunt down and kill Komui
d) And someone else needs to watch the body for signs of respawning
A normal day. That was all the finders asked for. But no, instead they were charged with destroying a giant-rabbit Komlin Komui had made to spread the Easter cheer. In the form of a ginormous metal rabbit that hopped around HQ and ate people. Lavi was the first victim. He went to embrace his "brother" and was instantly consumed within the giant metal maw. Allen and a few Unidentified Finders sprang into action to rescue the Baka Usagi, but with no luck. Then, just when it seemed to late to save him, the rabbit...deposited...a large metal egg, which cracked open, revealing a traumatized Lavi. "Oh God, please tell me it spat me out! Don't have let me come out the other end!" He screamed. At some point during Lavi's hysterics, the Komlin hopped away to terrorize a new victim. The new victim happened to be Kanda. His egg, however, didn't crack. And Miranda and Marie had no clue what was going on. Road was with them, however, and made the mistake of opening the egg. What followed was chaos. Complete and utter chaos, in the form of Kanda jumping out of the shell, and Road fleeing through the corridors shouting at the top of her lungs, "Don't open the eggs! There are Kandas! No candy! Run, run for your lives!". And once more, the rabbit escaped.
120. Allen is NOT a girl
a) Quit changing him into one
b) It disturbs us
c) And him
d) You will pay. One day you will pay
How any, let alone all, of this random stuff managed to happen all on one day in the entire year was a question nobody bothered asking. But Allen, upon looking in the mirror after a snack, asked an even better one. "Why me?!". Allen was a girl. A very pretty girl, with very nice long hair. And a very feminine physique. It was determined to be Komui's fault. Or rather, Kanda had been bribed by the scientists to add one of Komui's potions to the Chief's food. Only, Kanda had "accidentally" mixed the foods up, resulting in Allen getting the potion instead. And turning into a girl. Tyki was pissed. Allen, who had finally gotten over his sugar high, teamed up with the 14th. Again. Lavi just spent the whole time laughing and holding his head. He was finally sobering up. Lenalee, not so much.
121. Road gets revenge
a) Every time
b) You do not want to be the one she gets revenge against
c) Turning Allen into a girl equals one hellish teaparty
d) Remember the rule about teaparties?
Road had liked her Allen the way he was. Everyone, with exception of Kanda, who was involved with the gender-changing event was forcibly rounded up and taken through one of Road's door by Sheryl, who was more than willing to help out his adorable daughter. Road let Kanda be. There were rumors going around that she had adopted him as a big brother. Needless to say, Kanda was horrified. But also thankful that he didn't have to endure another teaparty. The 14th simply enjoyed the situation and his nephew's, er, niece's obvious discomfort with her new body. Allen was not a fan of the female body. Not when it was his body. Lenalee couldn't hide her laughter as she helped the little lady choose a new outfit, and find some undergarments. And Lavi kept getting nosebleeds.
122. Easter is outlawed at the Black Order
a) It costs way too much
b) Is emotionally and mentally scarring
c) We are now down to Komui and Reever regarding the scientists, thanks to Road
d) Allen is a girl!
e) Alcohol is no longer permitted in the Black Order due to the drunken chocolate issue
Komui knew that once this day was over and done with, he would be regretting the bill. Several floors were in disarray, the pillow fort on the fourth floor had taken all the pillows and was being guarded by the now human Link and John, as well as a few other. His precious Rabbit Komlin was hopping through the building, Kanda was chasing Lavi and the two of them were destroying room after room. Female Allen was sobbing in Lenalee's room, the majority of the scientists had been dragged off to attend Road's teaparty, and Sheryl was enjoying dinner in the dining room. But Komui also knew that he would never regret this day. After all, money was simply money, but the happiness of his people was worth so much more than some little scraps of paper with numbers stamped on them.
Sara Daniels waited patiently for the elevator doors to open. She hummed a little tune and pondered her new job. She had been thrilled when Link had contacted her, informing her that the Black Order HQ was in need of a good Therapist to help deal with psychological trauma of all kinds. She had jumped at the chance to get out of the Vatican where nothing ever happened, and useless slobs pointlessly debated matters which did not affect them, and couldn't mean a thing. And now here she was, at a turning point in her life. She fiddled with her long braid, searching her blonde hair for split ends, all the while trying to maintain a mask of confidence.
The elevator lurched to a halt and swung slightly, unsettling her. The doors opened slowly, and the ding informed her that she had arrived. Slowly, inch by inch, the Black Order was revealed to her. As soon as the doors had opened wide enough, Sara slid through and stepped onto solid ground.
Her first glance around her new home exposed complete and utter chaos. Two small boys were chasing after a white-haired girl who was sobbing. A giant metal rabbit hopped past, followed by a mob of people with an assortment of weapons. A group of white coated people were carefully placing a bright pink egg in a thick glass container while attempting to capture another small boy who was trying to retrieve the egg, and another group were chasing a red-haired boy with pillows, led by Link. Sara swore she could feel her brain break. She had never seen insanity on this level before. A person stepped in front of her, amiable features breaking into a gentle smile.
"Why hello there! You must be Miss Daniels."
Sara struggled to connect the face with the files she had read in preparation for this job. Finally, "Komui Lee, Chief. Uh, it's nice to meet you. And you can call me Sara." She looked around blankly, hoping that Komui would understand her wordless confusion.
Luckily, he did. "We've had a bit of a crazy Easter here. I'm sure your schedule will be quite busy for the next few weeks."
Sara just nodded. She had stepped into something that even the idiots at the Vatican couldn't understand. Beneath the craziness was something Sara Daniels had never experienced. There was a unity, a purpose to each of these people. They had a mutual connection, a constant goal, and there was something else. Something deeper.
Sara's train of thought was derailed by someone running into her and sending both of them flying backwards. Sara automatically held the person to her as her back hit the elevator doors behind. She grunted as the air left her lungs, and for a moment, panicked, unable to draw breath. But after a moment or two of graceless gasping, she succeeded in drawing breath. The person clutched against her pulled away slightly, and Sara found herself face to face with the white-haired girl. Komui's hand reached down and pulled the girl off, then offered it to Sara, who took it. Once back on her feet, Sara was surprised as the girl jerked into a bow.
"I'm so sorry, ma'am!" the girl cried out.
Sara reached out and pulled the girl into a standing position. She smiled warmly at the girl, taking note of the scar above her left eye and the silver-blue of the eyes themselves. "It's nothing. I'm just glad you're not hurt. I noticed you crying earlier, maybe sometime we could talk."
The girl glanced at Komui.
"This is Sara Daniels. She is the Therapist the Vatican assigned us." Komui spoke to the girl, resting his hand on her shoulder. "And this," he said to Sara, gesturing toward the girl, "is Allen Walker. He's going to be your first patient while we wait for the potion to wear off."
Sara stared in disbelief at the girl. This was Allen Walker, the host for the fourteenth Noah, the most feared person at Central aside from the Earl, and Hevlaska's prophesied Destroyer of Time? "But, you're so polite!" Sara said in surprise, then clapped her hands over her mouth. "Sorry." she apologized to Allen.
Allen smiled at her tentatively. "It's all right. This can't be the easiest day to have arrived. I understand." As if to verify this, there was a loud explosion from somewhere close by, and Komui shrieked.
"No! Thumper! They killed Thumper!" he ran off, towards the source of the explosion.
Sara stared after him, debating whether to follow or not. Allen laughed. "It's ok. Thumper's been eating people, we needed to get rid of it somehow. Komui doesn't agree with us about his Komlins. He's very protective." At Sara's confused glance, Allen clarified, "Thumper was the giant metal rabbit. Komlins are robots Komui insists on making instead of doing his actual work."
Sara nodded, a little dazed by the events happening around here. Allen noticed this. "Don't worry. Things are starting to wind down. Be grateful Link isn't still a rabbit. And Lavi isn't drunk anymore. Lenalee is though, she keeps stealing my chocolates. John made explosive Easter Eggs, so you probably shouldn't touch the pink ones. Kanda and Tyki are the eight year olds. You can just ignore them. I'll show you to the dining hall. Jerry, the chef, made a delicious Easter Dinner I've been dying to eat! And you can probably talk to Sheryl. Road didn't let him come to the teaparty, and he doesn't want to deal with the politics in Portugal right now, so he's hiding out here." he tugged Sara's hand, pulling her down the hallway.
As she walked alongside the Destroyer of Time, Sara continued to ponder the something that had been eluding her. The something deeper, the thing that tied everyone here together. There were bonds between the members of the Black Order, bonds deeper than any she had witnessed before. It was a sense of family. Somehow, incredibly, there was a family between them. Tyki, the eight year old Allen had spoke of, he was a Noah. And Kanda, the other one, he was the only surviving Second Exorcist. Allen himself was a Noah, an exorcist, and somehow, a girl. Sara didn't understand how any of this was possible. But it was undeniable. It had happened. She frowned, remembering something Allen had said. "Allen?" she asked hesitantly, "Isn't Sheryl a Noah?"
Allen just grinned.
If you want to know exactly what the word penicorns means, look it up on urban dictionary. It's a pretty fun word. Anyway, Happy Easter, peeps! You all get marshmallows!
I am planning for the next chapter to include all the rule ideas you wonderful people have sent me that I haven't yet done. So, it will hopefully be another long one!