"Hurry up moyashi!" Kanda yells.
The white-haired boy pauses to take a breath and quickly hurries after the samurai. A steady glow of lights in the distance tells him that they're nearly there. According to Komui each city is already stationed with finder units. Allen prays that they're able to fend off the hordes of akuma long enough for him and Kanda to arrive. He thinks of the other exorcists and hopes they're okay. Especially Robin and Lenalee. The majority of akuma seem to be focused in the northern most city, so those two will have to do the most fighting. Other exorcists should be rendezvousing with them, but Allen can't help but worry.
Please let them be safe.
"Do you see them?" Kanda asks. Allen concentrates and spots the souls of the akuma. His eyes widen.
"There's so many!" He says. "There have to be hundreds! What could so many akuma be gathering for?"
"No clue." Kanda says. "But we should hurry."
"Right." He says, and they pick up the pace.
"I see them!" Robin yells from her position in the clouds.
"Me too." Lenalee's voice echos over the bat-like golem flying next to her. Robin lowers her altitude and makes out the swarm of dark shapes closing in on the city. She spots a handful of level twos and even some level threes. She grits her teeth and prepares for a fight.
"Ready?" Lenalee asks.
"Ready." Robin says.
She drops from the sky and plummets to the ground. Her heart hammers in her chest from a rush of adrenaline and she stretches her wings out just in time to slice through a row of akuma. She lands on the ground and blocks with her wings as the akuma begin to shoot. Lenalee leaps over her and begins destroying them with her devastating kicks.
The two of them develop a pattern of attack. Lenalee will leap at akuma while Robin covers her and vice versa. It isn't until they head deeper into the city that they start seeing finders. A group of them in their brown-white cloaks huddle around a line of barrier devices. They attempt to capture them but fail as the ranks of akuma shoot at them.
"No!" Lenalee yells as half a dozen of them collapse to the ground in pain.
"Cover me!" Robin yells. Robin rushes to the finders' side and places a glowing white hand to each man's chest. The black pentacle marks slowly recede and their wounds are healed like nothing happened.
"I'm going to focus on healing the finders and any townspeople!" Robin yells to Lenalee. "Can you handle the akuma by yourself?"
"Yeah!" She yells back and lands another kick that destroys a level two. Robin hurries further in to find more wounded, ripping apart any akuma in her way. She finds another crowd of finders surrounded by akuma. There are nearly thirty finders collapsed on the ground and Robin rushes over to them. She begins healing them as fast as she can but she can hardly keep up. There's too many. There's a scream from her right and more finders fall back from the akuma's onslaught.
"No!" She yells. She hurries to save them but she's too late as their bodies deteriorate into sand. "No!" She yells. More finders fall and she buries her face in her hands in frustration. What's the point of having a healing ability if she can't help them? She has to save them. She has to save them all.
Suddenly her wings begin to glow pure white. Power swells in her chest and the light continues to become brighter and brighter until it swallows the city. She shuts her eyes from the light's intensity and feels energy pour out of her wings. It suddenly bursts and the light fades. Akuma rupture into explosions all around the city and the light gathers around the finders. It heals their wounds and purges the akuma virus from their systems. Lenalee looks over at her, amazed.
"How did you do that?!" She yells. "You took out all the akuma! And all the finders are okay!"
Robin smiles, but pain suddenly shoots across her body. She groans and goes into a violent coughing fit. Blood pools on the ground near her and she collapses, her body unable to support her anymore.
"Robin!" Lenalee yells in alarm. She rushes to Robin's side. Robin's eyes shut and her body goes slack. Lenalee places a gentle hand on the other exorcist, but Robin doesn't stir. The pigtailed girl places an ear to Robin's motionless chest. Robin's breathing is shallow but still audible. Lenalee's eyebrows furrow when she feels the outline of something else. She lifts up the other exorcist's shirt and stares at the wrap tightened across Robin's chest. Lenalee stares at her in shock. Robin has breasts?!
"Lenalee!" Allen calls. He runs over to her and Lenalee quickly re-covers Robin's chest. Allen glances at the pigtailed girl in confusion. "What's wrong?" He asks. Lenalee shifts so he can see the unconscious Robin and his eyes widen.
"Robin!" He yells. Kanda's eyes flash with concern and he shoves the other exorcist aside to see her.
"Robin!" Kanda yells. Robin doesn't move and he looks toward Lenalee. Her face is flushed and she looks like she's seen a ghost. "What happened?" He asks her. Lenalee shakes her head.
"Ah," She says. "T-there was this really bright light. Then all of the akuma exploded and the finders were healed. I think it was her innocence."
"Her?" Allen asks and Kanda flinches. Kanda glares at her and she blushes.
"Sorry," She says. "I meant his innocence. I think there was a rebound effect."
"Is he okay?" Allen asks.
"He's unconscious, but still breathing." Kanda answers. He wraps an arm around her limp form and brings her to his chest. Her face is flushed with beads of sweat running down her forehead. At his touch she suddenly shifts in his arms and releases a yelp of pain. Her fingers wrap around his shirt and he plants a gentle kiss on the top of her forehead. Her body relaxes and Kanda carries her bridal style, starting to head back to the Order.
"Yuu!" Lavi yells running down the city's streets with Krory on his tail. Seeing Kanda and Robin he stops in his tracks. "Whoa! Is Robin okay?" He yells. "We got here as fast as we could."
"We need to get him to Komui." Kanda says. "I think something is up with his innocence."
"Then let's hurry." Lavi says.
Robin blinks and forces her eyes open. The space around her is empty with nothing more than an ominous white haze in all directions. She's lying on her back on what feels like solid ground, but when she turns her head to get a glimpse of the surface, there's nothing there. Robin tries to move, but pain pulsates across her body and she winces.
"Don't move." A voice says from behind her. Robin's eyes widen. She'd recognize that voice anywhere.
"Raven?" She asks. The dark-haired girl leans over her so her violet eyes meet Robin's. Raven's eyes soften and her mouth tugs into a serene smile.
"Robin." She says. Robin struggles to sit up. Pain washes over her, but she ignores it and wraps her arms around the dark-haired girl.
"I said not to move idiot!" Raven yells, glaring at her. Robin laughs and squeezes her friend tighter.
"Do you have any idea how much I've missed you?" Robin says. "How much I longed to just see you one last time?" Tears spill from her eyes and Raven smiles.
"I never left." Raven says. "All this time I've been right here, cheering you on."
"Is this heaven?" Robin asks.
"Nope." Raven says with a grin. "Just your subconscious."
"What?!" Robin yells and Raven's grin becomes wider.
"Do you remember that time when we were at the orphanage?" Raven asks.
"Of course." Robin says. "I'd never forget."
"I used to slip out of our room sometimes during the night." Raven says. "You were always asleep but I loved that feeling of being free even if it was only for a couple hours. Nights were so peaceful and I could just wander around in the moonlight for hours. One night though, I ran into something terrifying. It was a dark, hulking shape with huge guns covering its body."
"An akuma." Robin answers and Raven nods.
"I thought I was a goner." Raven continues. "Then suddenly wings ripped out of my back and took control of my body. It destroyed the akuma. A man dressed in a gold coat appeared out of nowhere and called me an Accommodator. He explained everything. About akuma, innocence, exorcists. He wanted me to become an exorcist and leave for the Black Order. When I first came to the orphanage I swore I would leave that place. I have no family, no home. The old me would have followed that man the moment he saw me and left that place. But," Raven's eyes fall on her. "I wasn't alone anymore. I had someone I cared about and couldn't abandon. I tried, but I found I couldn't. I couldn't abandon you Robin. I gave up the idea of being an exorcist. I pretended nothing happened and tried to continue living normally. However, the innocence inside me couldn't accept that. It began to act on its own and on that night when I last saw you, it took over. It completely drained me of my energy and started going crazy. I thought it was going to rip me open when you woke up."
"I don't remember waking up." Robin says confused.
"Well, you did." Raven says. "All you had to do was touch the innocence and it resonated with you. It grafted itself into your body and synchronized with you. Somehow I got caught up in the middle and I guess my soul became trapped within your subconsciousness. For some reason whenever you're in trouble or too exhausted to fight, the innocence will swap you out with me so I can protect you."
"You've taken over my body?!" Robin asks. Raven chuckles sheepishly.
"Only once or twice." She says. "By the way, you have to explain the whole deal with Ponytail."
"You mean Kanda?" Robin asks. "Wait, are you the one who dressed me up in that skirt and heels?!"
"Yup." Raven says with a smile. "You're welcome."
"Raven!" Robin whines. "You nearly blew my cover!"
"Technically, I nearly got you raped by Ponytail." Raven says. Robin gawks at her and she smiles. "Don't worry. You're still a virgin. Though I am impressed that you snagged yourself a lover."
Robin's face turns red. "Please don't say lover."
"Well," Raven says. "He said, and I quote, 'Look like that and I might just ravish you on the spot.' Usually when a guy says that to you it means you're lovers."
"I think I feel light-headed." She says, lying back down on the ground. Raven chuckles.
"He's way too serious for my taste, but it's clear he cares about you."
Against her better judgment, Robin smiles. "Yeah," She says. "I'm so lucky."
"Plus he's freaking hot." Raven says and Robin sweat drops.
"You haven't changed at all." Robin says. Raven smiles.
"You have though." She says. Robin raises an eyebrow.
"Really?" Robin asks and her friend nods.
"You're happy." Raven says with a smile. "It seems you've finally found a place for yourself."
Robin thinks of all the other exorcists. Allen, Lenalee, Lavi, Kanda. She smiles. The Black Order is her home now. There's nowhere else she can ever think of belonging. Raven's eyes fall.
"I'm sorry." She says.
"Huh?"
"I keep interfering with your life." Raven says. "Even now I fear I may be causing you problems. If I could, I'd leave you alone. I'd never want to be a burden to you."
"Shut up." Robin says. "You'd never be a burden. In fact, it's you that drives me to become stronger. I'd never want you to disappear. I'm happy being able to see and talk to you, because you're my best friend." A tear falls from Raven's eyes and Robin wraps her arms around the girl.
"Gah!" Raven say wiping her eyes. "I can't believe I'm blubbering like an idiot!"
"Embrace the blubbering." Robin says with a smile. "Tears are what make us human."
"Who was the idiot who said that?" Raven asks.
"My best friend." Robin says.
"Your best friend is an idiot."
"Yeah, I know." Robin says with a smirk.
"Hey!" Raven says. "I resent that!"
"No you don't."
Raven pouts and Robin laughs. "I don't know how sharing a body is gonna work." Raven says. "It's going to be confusing and annoying to say the least."
"Well, as long as you promise not to wear heels that are too high and attempt to jump and/or kill Kanda, I think I can be okay with it."
Raven frowns. "No killing or heels? I don't know if I can bear it!"
"Those are my rules." Robin says and Raven sighs.
"Fine." She says. "But I am going to annoy him as much as I physically can."
"Go for it." Robin says. "But you'll find that Kanda can be pretty evil when he wants to be."
"I wouldn't want things to be too easy."
Raven laughs manically and Robin sweat drops. Raven really hasn't changed at all.
"You know, if you really want to annoy him you should call him Yuu." Robin says with an evil grin of her own. "He hates being called by his first name."
"Ponytail is Yuu?" Raven asks, wide-eyed. The dark-haired girl bursts into laughter.
"What is it?" Robin asks, confused. Raven shakes her head.
"No." She says. "I won't spoil it. You'll know when you see it. Just make sure to give my thanks to Lavi."
"Suspicious." Robin mutters and Raven laughs.
"You know," Raven says. "I have to admit, if I had to have my soul stuck inside someone's subconscious for the rest of their life, I'm glad it's you." Robin smiles.
"Me too."