Chapter 6: What's Left of Us?
Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to take Allen and Lavi home with me, I don't own them.
"Who are you?" Reever didn't know where he found his voice and will to speak up against this man. This man gives off a strong and powerful aura. He was alike Komui yet at the same time different. Komui at times can be pretty scary—and not in the comedic, funny way— and serious when he is called to. After all, there is a reason why he became the supervisor of the main HQ at such young age.
"I believe I had said that already. I'm your new supervisor and head chief of the Order." The man was arrogant and standoffish. While he does give off the leader aura, they'd rather have their goofy, robot making, caffeine loving supervisor—even if he is usually the one accounted for most bills and damages and doesn't pay them— over this aloof one. They have grown fond of Komui and were able to stand his antics, most of the time.
Komui glared at the man. "Who gave you the right to claim my title? I've been supervisor of this place for a long time. I've lived through the first and second attack of the headquarters and was able to lead the members to safety. I've proven much to be the supervisor so what gives you the right to do so?" Anger and annoyance was coursing through his veins and spread like wildfire. Though his sister was not here anymore, thanks to the Central bastards, he felt a sense of responsibility not only to the HQ but the whole Order. This man's actions were unspeakable and made him annoyed as hell. Oh if he only had his darts right now and his Komurin.
The man looked back haughtily and just turned his back to them. "While your actions do make you seem deemed to your title and position, the Central does not agree. The current situation does not help too. You just helped the spies escape. Your exorcists have committed treason against Central. That's your mistake. You let this happen. Again." He glared at them and smirked. "As I said a while ago, I am your new supervisor so do as what I say." He then turned to the men in front of him. "Throw this man in prison. Oh, and search for the traitors."
Just then, Marie, Miranda and Chaoji arrived and were shocked at the scene in front of them. Just who was this man to do such things? Marie fisted his hands and walked to them. "I'm afraid we are going to decline your orders."
"Yeah! You central bastards don't even know anything about what's happening in here!" Chaoji all but yelled.
"That's where you're wrong e-xor-cist." He sighed and turned to them. "The Central knows everything. It knows your every move and action. Unless you want to be apprehended too, then I suggest you move out of the way."
Marie stepped right in before Chaoji lost his temper. "How do we know you speak of the truth? We might as well ask for proof of your words. Until you provide us, Komui will remain."
The man shot an icy glare at them. "You dare question my authority?"
"I'm afraid we exorcists, all of us, are going to have to agree to Marie." Miranda said, voice slightly nervous but not shaking, unlike in other situations. She had to stand by their words by showing confidence. She—no, they—had to at least help the others. She did not want this man around here. She sensed that something was wrong with him. Komui would make a much better leader.
"They're right you know." Reever chimed in. "At this point of time, you also can't throw them in jail. You have lost too much exorcists. And there are only how many exorcists in the whole world? There are only seventeen, five of which are running away from the order or in your point of view, traitors, two who are hidden away to who knows where, three are generals out and about, searching for innocence and two who are bookmen and are impossibly hard to trace."
Komui couldn't help but smirk. Reever was right. There was too much risk to take if this man somehow put them all to prison. Not only would that happen but this would cause uproar not only in the main branch but also in other branches. Bak would certainly voice out his complains. He still had one thing that this mystery man did not. He gained the trust of the other branch heads and members throughout the years. He doubted that he could do that in a short time.
The man grunted and was forced to agree. They were right. "Fine. But do not think this is the end of this topic. We will be back." He snapped at them and turned to leave.
They were right and it annoyed him. They still needed those damned exorcists. For now.
-.-
"Master Bak! Master Bak!" A loud voice bellowed through the room and a sudden gush of wind passed by the working scientists. Some scientists looked while most just ignored it. They were pretty much used to this kind of happening.
"Wong?" Bak asked. "What's going on?"
"H-Have you heard of the recent news Master Bak?"
Bak was now curious. "No…I have been busy here. You know I have no time for gossips and rumors."
"Komui Lee of the main branch…"
Now that piqued his curiosity and attention. What could that man have done now? Maybe made another Komurin? Another zombie infestation?
"He has been told by a man who claimed to be straight from Central that he will step down from his position." Wong cried out. "Also the man also ordered him to be jailed!"
"What? Komui would never allow that!" As much as he hated the man because he had caused him too many injuries in the past and is a bit maniacal, he was a good man and leader. Besides, the man claimed to have come from Central and that meant bad news. "We branch leaders need to have a meeting…NOW!"
-.-
"Crap!" A sharp pain erupted in her head. It felt like she was stabbed too many times with a knife, then beaten and thrown into the ocean. It did not feel good. Hands came up to reach her head and came in contact with thick, flowing blood. "Where am I?"
She looked around to intake her surroundings. She was in a forest in someplace she did not know. This cannot be good, she thought to herself. How was she going to find her way out of something she wasn't even familiar with? Wait…why was she here in the first place.
"Not good." She took in a deep breath and tried to recount her memories. "I better not have amnesia or I'm so screwed. Okay let's see…My name is Maricar Williams, 36 years old, height and weight are not often checked and not anyone's business, okay, still snappy and irritable, an exorcist…huh, what else do I know about myself? Hmmm…friend of Lenalee and—oh yeah!"
"Alex! Lena!" She yelled as loudly as she could even if her throat was practically screaming at her to stop yelling. She didn't even know how she was able to damage her throat at the first place! She grumbled and dusted her clothes. "Where the hell are they?"
"And where is Link? Goodness my head!" She rubbed her temples at an attempt to soothe it and ease the pain. She could still somehow remember the last time they went through the ark and it was not like this. Something else must've happened right before they were thrown in her. But before that...she contemplated about her options and what she could do right now. Right, I need to find Link and Alex first.
"I guess I have no choice then…" she mumbled and looked ahead. "I'll have to find them. I just hope that Link is with Alex. Being separated at this time isn't good." And Lena too…I hope Kanda and Timothy are with her. She's easily lost in a place she's not familiar with.
She looked up in the sky as she walked. "Treason huh…"
-.-
A pain shot through her head that made her eyes flutter open. The lights hurt her eyes for a bit but when she got used to it she was pretty surprised to see another pair of eyes staring back at her in concern. "Huh?"
"Are you alright now Lena?" Timothy asked.
"Thanks, I'm fine. Where…are we?" She looked around her and saw that they were in an inn. "How'd we get here?"
Timothy leaned back and crossed his arms. "You were unconscious when we finally left the ark so we had to carry you here. It's a good thing the innkeeper let us in for the night."
"Oh…" She blushed at the thought of being carried. It was embarrassing for her. "I'm sorry for being a burden."
He laughed and smiled at her warmly. "It's fine! Actually, we were pretty worried about you when you got unconscious. You weren't supposed to faint actually."
Her blush grew tenfold. "Ugh…it's embarrassing."
"What is?"
"Being saved by others…and being dependent on men." Lena sighed. "Auntie always told me to never rely on men."
"I bet she did." A grin made its way on his face. "Maricar is too stubborn and proud for that." He then ruffled her hair affectionately and smiled. "But sometimes it's alright to depend on others too. That's why friends were made; so that we can help with your burdens and problems. I remember your father being like that once. He tried to carry all of his burdens at once not even bothering to tell us what's bothering his mind. Eventually and thankfully, your mother talked some sense into him." Ah he could remember that quite clearly. It was the time when Allen was being monitored by Central and unknowingly to them; he was being burdened by his Noah.
Comfortable silence took over them. A laugh broke the said silence. Timothy stood up and offered a hand. "So let us do our job as your friends."
-.-
A laugh escaped her lips as she reached for the said hand. Maybe this wouldn't be too depressing after all. She thought with a soft smile on her lips.
Alex sat quietly on a barrel, swinging his feet as a way to somehow alleviate his boredom. Just what are they doing in there?! He thought irritably. Boredom usually makes him a lot more irritable and more prone to stupidity.
"I'M BORED!"
"You know kid it was said that every time you complain about boredom your life is diminished by a minute."
"…I still say I'm bored." He looked at the newcomer. "Who are you anyway?"
"I'm Michael pleased to meet you. I'm the grandson of the owner of this place." Michael smiled. "And you must be an exorcist."
A sarcastic reply left the other's mouth. "Oh? What gave that away? Was it the uniform or the emblem?"
"…And a sour one at that." He said flatly. "Don't worry we're not enemies. We're supporters of the Orders. We've been loyal to the order since the Holy War so don't you worry about being betrayed."
"But the Holy War lasted for almost centuries didn't it?"
"Yeah, I suppose you could say being a supporter of the Order runs in the family. But rumors said that the Order was a scary and horrible place filled with ghosts and such. But we don't believe that. If the Order is enough to keep people like the exorcists happy then it must be nice."
A small smile graced upon Alex's face. "Yeah, it's nice. The Order isn't perfect but it's enough for us. We have our family there and I guess you could say it's all we have. We stick together. My uncle, aunt, the scientists, finders…" My sister.
"So you have a sister eh?"
Alex almost fell out of his seat. He sputtered incredulously and pointed a finger to Michael and also gave him one of the most impressive glares he could say he made. "How did you know that I have a sister?!" He asked him rather angrily.
"Eh? You just said so didn't you?"
"No! I said that in my mind!"
"You idiot! You said that aloud. You can't blame me for that. I only heard." He huffed and crossed his arms. "So what is she like? Does she have white hair like you too? Is she as sour as you or is she the complete opposite?"
"What makes you think I'll tell you?"
"Then she must be pretty ugly and mean and snarky and—"
"That's where you're wrong!" He gritted his teeth. How dare this man insult his sister so casually? "Lena is very, very pretty and kind and helpful. She has beautiful dark hair and eyes like mine and for you information my hair is white only because of my innocence in my DNA!"
Michael then snickered. "Hmm, so this Lena—"
"HOW DID YOU KNOW HER NAME?!"
"I knew because you're a bumbling idiot!"
"And you're too nosy!"
"And you have sister complex!"
"Don't blame me! I'm practically raised by the scientists and my uncle so whatever character I have it's all thanks to them."
"This is stupid and you're stupid." He glared at the exorcist. "How about this, I beat you in poker and you tell me more."
A perfectly innocent grin made its way to the exorcist's face. Oh yes. The grin is innocent. Depending on your definition of innocent that is. Unfortunately, Michael seems to have problems with detecting which is innocent and which is not. Poor boy.
"Now you're speaking my language."
-.-
"Are we there yet?"
"Shut up.
Glare.
"Are we there yet?"
"Shut up."
Still glaring.
"Are we there yet?"
"Shut up."
Continues to glare.
"Are we there yet?"
"Shut up."
One more question from this brat…the thought of maiming someone right now didn't seem so bad.
"Kanda…"
"Hn."
"You sourbutt."
"Mr. Timothy, Mr. Kanda, I think it would be better if we do not argue right now and Mr. Timothy…we still haven't left the town yet. There are still matters to be considered and are being arranged if I'm right Mr. Kanda?" She looked at him and he nodded once. She took it as a yes and sat down on the bed contemplating on what should happen next. "Has anyone before us went AWOL?"
"There were some people who went AWOL too Lena." Timothy answered and leaned back. "Kanda was one of the people who went AWOL along with your father and Johnny. You've got to admit your father made quite the name."
Allen Walker was known for a lot of reasons and had many titles. He was known as "The Destroyer of Time" by Bookman and the Order at first, "14th or Neah" by the Noahs and the Earl, "Idiot pupil" by his master, General Cross, "Beansprout" by Kanda, Lavi and others and a traitor by the Central. The last was probably the most hated title he had. The last title was not accepted by the exorcists and most members of the Order. Nonetheless, he proved his loyalty by finally putting an end to the war. But their story was not a happy ending.
A bitter smile crept on Lena's face.
Oh yes, this life of theirs is very far from a happy ending. Her parents were still missing, they were now targeted by Central, she was separated from her friends and family in the order and her brother was far away from her—And her not knowing whether he was okay, injured and not dead…A shaky breath escaped her.
"We're just going to have to endure this a little more aren't we?" Silence met her question.
Timothy offered her a smile. "It's going to be alright."
He doesn't know who he's convincing—Lena or himself—because right now positive thoughts were out of their reach.
-.-
"….That's the fifth one."
"Yeah, I know. I'm awesome like that."
"You're just cheating." Michael huffed and growled at the other boy. Alex stretched a bit and looked at the door.
"They're still not done yet?" He asked impatiently. They had five rounds of poker—which he all won—and they were still not done talking yet. What were they doing in there? Were they discussing the problems of the world and how they can fix them? They still need to find the others, still need to hide from Central and still need to find his family.
"Why are you so impatient anyway?"
He ran his fingers in his hair and sighed. "…I don't know either. Maybe it's because I want to get to my sister faster. I want to have my family again. Time is always running. I don't want to be too late."
"You know, you should learn how to move with time. If what you want is not happening yet then there must be a reason for it. I'm not trying to be nosy or anything, just an advice." He held up his hands as if he was a criminal caught on act. "You still have lots of time."
Alex laughed. But there was no happiness in it, just pain. Michael doesn't know how their lives work. Once you're an exorcist or a finder, your time is always getting reduced. You're always in a battle against Akumas and their bullets. You always have to be careful. A single careless mistake will reduce your time no nothing.
Michael is wrong. Time for people like them is extremely short.
-.-
Sweat dripped from her temple, arms and forehead making her feel more annoyed and irritated than before. After hours of navigating through the forest, tripping over a few roots, being hit by branches and bitten by mosquitoes she was now extremely sure that it would be 75 percent possible for her to get malaria.
That being said, she was now sure that she was in a tropical rainforest in Africa, the Americas, Asia or Oceania. Great. She grumbled. So that leaves me to four more continents to guess. And it just so happened that those continents are the largest. Maybe if I travel a bit more I will certainly find a town somewhere soon.
She slapped her hand to her forearm and cringed when she found a dead mosquito there. Those pests sure find her blood extremely delicious. She wished that she could use her golem but alas, using it would mean that they would be able to track her. She had nothing on her right now. No money, no clothes, no innocence, no food —no innocence.
"Goddamnit." She spat out a curse and step on a bug under her feet which made a loud crunch. "Why am I so stupid?"
Why did she had to leave her innocence behind? Because we weren't expecting the Central to send spies to attack the Order and the exorcists, even though we knew they were bastards, we still didn't prepare for the worse. She grumbled. And now we were attacked right under our noses and I'm in God-knows-where.
Wiping sweat from her sticky forehead, she began to think of a plan once she got out of this place.
"Who's there?"
She needed to think of one faster than she thought she needed to.
-.-
"Ah!" The man yawned and stretched his arms. "That was quite the rest I had!"
A young boy smiled at the man and nodded. "You sure did. You slept for at least six hours." He then frowned and pointed an accusing finger at the other man. "You said it would only be a nap."
"Hey! I was tired!"
"So was I!"
"Then why didn't you sleep?" He scoffed at the boy and ran his hands through his red hair. A knock came from the other side of the door. "Who is it?"
"I bear a message from the Black Order!" A nervous voice said.
That perked the man's curiosity. He stood up and walked to the door, the boy in tow. With a yank, the door opened and he smiled at the nervous finder. The boy eyed him. This was certainly a foreboding. The Black Order wouldn't send their finders to them unless they wanted something. And yes, finders.
"Come out now, I can sense you." The boy barked out harshly.
"I, ah, apologize. I did not mean to make you suspicious of us." Another finder came out. The finder had bandages that covered most of his face. "And we mean well."
"Well, what do you want from us?" The redheaded man asked them.
"My name is Toma…" he turned to the redhead. "And I'm sure you have heard of me."
Um…hello?
I know I was gone for at least year…or at least that's how it felt to me. I'm extremely sorry for my looong absence. My computer finally broke down after years of enduring lots of viruses, and I'm being literal. The computer broke down and it took the previous and future chapters of my stories and the plot bunnies along with it.
I deeply apologize again and for now, this will be the only update since I will still have to write the new chapters for the other stories since the plot bunnies also died along with the computer. Another reason I got distracted is that I jumped fandom to fandom specifically, Soul Eater, Shugo Chara, and then Soul Eater again, then Kingdom Hearts, Maid-sama, ALoK/ Korra, Pokemon, Hetalia, Pandora Hearts, Rurouni Kenshin, Inuyasha, Inu x Boku, Fruits Basket and many other more fandoms I couldn't remember or be bothered to remember. But blame tumblr too. And the Free! Swimming anime.
So you can find my tumblr here: conundrum -is -me. tumblr
PASTAAAAA~!