Chapter 3: The Flower on the Train
RECAP: Allen gets blinded on a mission with Lavi, his memories from what exactly happened is gone, or at least hidden for now. But not all is kept hidden or forgotten, no matter how much Lavi wants to hide his lack of heartlessness he can't. He's noticing it subtly more. Lavi and Allen both hope for the possibility that Komui can cure the sudden onset of blindness. Allen finds it increasingly easy to get lost in his thoughts.
(Mixed POV)
Daylight broke and it surprised me Allen was still asleep, typically when the first rays of morning light came Allen would be finishing up his daily exercises or taking a shower. The fact he was asleep was odd, however I knew that Allen needed it. Rest does good for the body and helps healing, maybe just maybe the whitette would have his eyes working, he heavily doubted that fact though. The red-head starts packing up their stuff and after he is done the young bookman-exorcist showers. When he's finished Lavi takes his time with trying to fix his hair and comb it into something that isn't a bird's nest and after a good amount of time passes he gives up with only getting the annoying curly-q down and puts his headband in. When the flame haired makes it dressed into the room he notices how Allen's bed is messed up indicating his tossing and turning.
Allen typically was a light sleeper towards early morning, if anyone woke up the white haired would. Especially when someone was actively trying to wake him, though this time was unlike before. Lavi never had seen Allen toss and turn without being up in the next 15 minutes. So the Bookman took it upon himself to wake up the sleeping exorcist. Lavi pestered Allen poking his cheeks, prodding his side quite harshly and blowing in his ear but all Lavi got was Allen's eyebrows knitting together and trying to bury his face in the pillow beneath him. 'At least he was semi waking up.' He thought and stripped Allen's bed of the already falling off covers, Allen doing nothing but lying even more dead to the world than before. Lavi takes Allen's pillows and throws it to his bed. Allen still doesn't wake up. 'God he's worse than Komui.' "AAAaaAalllleeeennnnnn wake up!" water splashes. "nhhh," a groan. " MOYASHI WAKE UP" I yell while violently shaking Allen.
At that Allen wakes up and punching the offender in the nose panting and tries to look around and touches his eyes and groans.
"Finally you are awake." Lavi rubs his nose.
Allen groans, again. "What time is it?"
"Around 10?" Lavi says after mumbling 'See if I try to wake you up again.'
"10?" Allen is shocked, silence and Lavi doesn't reply. "What happened.. Why won't you wake me up again?" Allen asked wholly confused on Lavi's muttered remark. 'What could I have done?' Allen tried to remember what he was dreaming about or what his instinct would be on being woken up. Allen was a bit slow on the uptake as he'd just awoken. But it wasn't half a minute till he asked a bit embarrassed if he had. "Did I punch you?"
"Yes you did." Lavi replied in a tone it was clear Lavi was pouting. Allen remembered what Lavi would look like when pouting and it was very cute, or at least in his memory it was. It was one of the childish behaviors of Lavi that made Allen doubt if he really was around 19 years old.
"Allen." Lavi called Allen off in a serious tone, giving a warning to the 'younger' teen. The mentioned 'teen' realized he'd let out a little giggle at his imagination and his cheeks flushed up. "Ah, I'm sorry I really am. I didn't mean to hit you!" he apologized politely and sincerely. Almost as if the giggle hadn't happened Lavi continued with what he was going to say. "I'll go get food and an icepack. Get ready, I've already packed but here is your suitcase. After we eat, you should try to see if your cursed eye still works then we will be catching the train back to the order."
After breakfast we found that yes I could still see the hellish version of the world made with my curse. I wasn't freed from the hell caused by my foolishness and desire to not be left again. But at least, I could see something. 'Something was a start' as Lavi encouraged. And it did encourage me, him saying that my sight wasn't all lost, and if I could see the blindness should be reversible or resolve itself on its own. It was soon after this that Lavi asked the manager of the place we were staying at when the train would come, we were both very eager to get back with the new hope of the return of my eyesight. Lavi soon was informing me when the train was arriving, it wasn't as soon as we wanted but with the extra time I suggested more practicing of walking.
It wasn't easy but it wasn't too hard. After getting rid of the fear of falling each step I took or running into something I became comfortable with moving about. When Lavi wasn't there I used my hands to make sure I didn't run into anything, and soon learned a new way to walk where I didn't lift my feet as high as I used to, and the sort of shuffling sort of dragging my feet allowed me to walk more confidently.
Time went by rapidly and soon Lavi was carrying our bags as we walked out of the inn together. Lavi's helpful guidance and warnings of ramming into things or people was needed less and less and as we walked through the not empty enough street I was brought back to our first meeting, and how then too Lavi helped me quell the unease and overconfidence I had when losing my cursed eye. My thoughts drifted from then to now and how in a way I was grateful that my cursed eye was still functioning and I wasn't left completely in the dark. Lavi tugged my coat sleeve softly when I started to wondered the wrong way and gentlemanly helped me up the steps up into the train. Once situated in the cabin Lavi asked why I punched him in the morning. Reluctantly I gave in and told him it was because of a bad dream. Lavi replied with "I thought so" and "you should get some rest now, I'll wake you when we are there, or when lunch is served." After I settled down resting my head against a folded up blanket that came with our first class cabin Lavi told me I would really need the sleep because I looked like hell. His form of awkward small talk? Maybe it was him trying to help me sleep because he didn't shut up talking about unimportant things till most likely after I had fallen asleep.
Time seem to take an eternity sitting there silently staring out the window as Allen slept, his head resting on my shoulder. Or rather I tried to look outside the window and let myself study the ever changing scenery flying by but my eye kept flicking to the reflection translucent on the cold glass. I sighed at myself, giving into the temptation for a few moments before I hear that voice in the back of my head telling me how wrong I am to do that. That sinking feeling in my gut when part of me remembers how I'll have to leave at some point in time, seems to consume bits and pieces. Once it's spread with the poisonous words that are ever repeating and ever reminding I am left empty, hollow.. Like I am supposed to. But that is just a part of me. Just a part. I don't know what I should have locked away.
I sigh when I look at that reflection again, should I push him off? I know the answer. Or what I should answer, I know what I should do with the part that says no. Somehow I don't lock that away, but instead all I do is push it aside and pretend it doesn't exist.
The sound of the train moving across the tracks, when I focus on it, doesn't relax me like it should. It makes me more anxious. As we move closer to the order, I know we move closer to what can save Allen from the torment he is going through but also we move closer to Bookman. To the rules and watchful eye. I know Bookman is suspicious about how much isn't an act. And the fact one of my supposed to be fake friends is now injured. He'll make me do more book work, work I don't want to do. Somehow I want to escape this, fast forward to when this persona is in the past when I don't feel and experience this with it mattering. We have been here for so long, I've been Lavi for so long. How can I not become attached when we haven't moved on yet, when we haven't even gotten to the reason why we are here. Why? I ask but I know why. It's a test and I am failing.
The frustration that echoes through my empty shell dissipates as I stare at that damned reflection. I'm not surprised when I am disturbed from the reoccurring thoughts, even though I should be. But I am taken slightly off guard. I shift slightly but not too much to wake Allen from his needed sleep and put the mask on again. By shifting I can see that it's a train attendant, female, whom has knocked on the door.
"Excuse me, Sirs. May I come in?" she asks, politely but the kind of polite that is forced with public service jobs. My singular green eye looks at the sleeping teen and wonder what she is here for. She looks suspicious, but then again so does everyone. Everyone is hiding something. But I can't get what it is about her.
"Uh Sure?" my voice a tell that I'll follow with a question soon enough. I watch as she moves her hangs causing the cabin door to slide open softly. "What is this about?" I question her as girl walks in and slides the door close behind her. I'm suspicious of her but Allen would've woken up and notified me already if she was an Akuma.
She looked around the age of 16 or 17, with her dark semi curled hair. The curls weren't rolled curls but more of a swish or wave. I knew she was a train attendant by the vest and rest of the ensemble she wore. The unusual trait was that part of her bangs as style to the side instead of having it tied back like it should be with the rest of it and was customary with workers on trains. But that wasn't the only thing. Her eyes that were green like non regularly watered grass seemed to flash when she stared at the teen sleeping on my shoulder. When I glanced at said teen I noticed that he actually wasn't sleeping and my brain registered that he had been sitting up since the second the girl walked in the compartment.
The way she looked at Allen had me on edge. 'Why did her eyes flash?' 'What was she?' Were only some of the many questions that flowed into my head in a second. I couldn't help but wonder and worry. Not only because of the injured teen next to me but also because it was my job as a bookman to question things I came in contact with. I know that not all of the questions would be answered but most of them definitely would be. I studied her and every tiny detail about her. There was more to her than what meets the eye. I was sure of that. After a couple of seconds of study I glanced at the whitette next to me, noticing the curse was activated. Meaning the possibility she was an Akuma or something sent by the earl even more likely.
"You are Allen?" The teen train-attendant questioned at the same moment as Allen stated "Akuma," standing. She waited no time saying "So you are Allen then." The words rolling off her tongue coldly and a smirk played across her face. My hand shot to my hammer but I hesitated at the next words she said "I was told by Marian to find you."
Aquavenn: And with that my dear readers is a cliff hanger but fear not there's more. This wasn't completely rewritten from the rewrite draft I had made back in September.. Though I had via printed copy and a currently missing notebook written a lot more and developed this way more. But alas I lost this and several new chapters so I settled with the half done edit and adding about a paragraph to this to try and make this flow a bit better. And trying to limit me on editing these chapters as much as I can will help in the long run of writing more chapters and not just edits. (LAST EDIT: 01/06/17)