Disclaimer - I do not own D Gray Man
Chapter Twenty-Three - Reunited
The journey through the Senkaimon worked out just as Hitsugaya hoped that it would and in no time he and Allen arrived in Japan. The young Shinigami Exorcist knew that they could have had Captain Urahara track down their comrades and then taken a portal to their exact location however he'd made the decision to put speed over accuracy.
And as a result he and Allen would have to track the others.
This was a mild annoyance but was something that they were going to have to deal with. But of course this didn't mean that Hitsugaya had to be happy about it. He was actually more than a little annoyed with the way that things had played out but there wasn't really any point in being angry about it. After all there wasn't anything that could be done to change things so the only thing that they could do was simply move forward.
This thought caused a vague memory to flash through HItsugaya's mind but he shrugged it off.
As for Allen he was still mulling over everything that had happened to them during their battle with the two members of the Clan of Noah. The transformation of his Innocence was shocking but it paled in comparison to the powers that Hitsugaya had shown.
And the look in his eyes as that eerie music had played…
Just thinking back on that moment caused shivers to travel down Allen's spine and the young boy shook involuntarily.
"What's your problem?" Hitsugaya asked his companion, noticing the shudder as well as the strange look on Allen's face. During the time that he had spent with the white haired teen Hitsugaya had became fairly accustomed to the strange reactions that Allen seemed prone to but this was different. And caused him to feel a measure of concern that he wouldn't have imagined possible. Was he actually beginning to like Allen?
"Oh it's nothing really," Allen lied, holding up his hands and hoping that he sounded convincing. After all, Hitsugaya didn't seem to remember what he had done and Allen wasn't so sure that telling him would be a good idea.
At least not at the present moment.
For his part Hitsugaya wasn't even the slightest bit convinced by Allen's assertion that nothing was wrong but he wasn't going to press the issue. There were things that he was hiding from his companion so if Allen wanted to hide a secret of his own then that was his right.
Hitsugaya wouldn't press for details.
Besides they didn't really have time for small talk. Hitsugaya was aware that the other Exorcists had continued with the mission to track down General Cross and the white haired youth wanted to meet back up with them. Because he was still convinced that finding Cross would help him answer some of the questions that now plagued him.
A list of questions that seemed to grow longer the more time that passed.
With this thought in mind Hitsugaya's hand reflexively went back, touching the hilt of Hyourinmaru. The sword had always been in his possession and yet the youth couldn't explain what had happened during that battle with the Noah. Nor did he have an explanation for the strange markings that now decorated the blade.
"This just gets stranger and stranger…" the white haired boy thought to himself as he and Allen traveled along.
Allen had been following along behind Hitsugaya, lost in his own thoughts, however that changed immediately as his cursed eye activated. Glancing around he quickly caught site of a large group of Akuma looming overhead. "Um Toushirou… we have company."
The Shinigami Exorcist glanced up and saw the hovering Akuma. And this sight only caused his irritation to grow in intensity. Reaching back he grasped the hilt of his zanpaktou. "Be gone with you," he snarled.
Hitsugaya only uttered these words out of frustration but, much to his surprise, they actually complied with the command. Without so much as a moment's hesitation the group of Akuma fled the scene, as though they were actually obeying the white haired youth's orders.
"What just happened?" Allen asked, his cursed eye deactivating as he turned his gaze to Hitsugaya.
All the other boy could do was shrug his shoulders. "Hell if I know… I didn't honestly expect for that to work."
"Strange…" This newest in a long line of strange events was making Allen even more concerned for his comrade. Exactly what was going on with the young Shinigami?
"Forget it," Hitsugaya said, shaking his head and releasing his grip on the hilt of his sword. "We have to meet up with the others. We don't have time to dwell on this."
"Right." Allen nodded his head but was finding it extremely difficult to banish the thoughts from his mind. Hitsugaya was displaying characteristics that were decidedly like those of the Noah but that didn't make any sense. Because Hitsugaya hadn't known anything about the Noah before being drafted into the Black Order.
So what exactly was going on?
"Could he actually be one of them and not know it?" This train of thought gave Allen pause and he didn't really want to believe that it could be true. And yet he couldn't keep the image of the boy's golden eyes out of his mind.
"Stop spacing out!"
Allen snapped back to reality as he heard this shouted command and he absently shook his head in an effort to rid himself of these thoughts that he didn't want. "Um I'm sorry about that."
Hitsugaya shrugged his shoulders. "Forget about it."
Having continued their journey after being separated from Allen and Hitsugaya the group of Exorcists now found themselves in Edo… which was infested with Akuma. And not just any Akuma, as they would come to find out. No these particular minions of the Earl were of a much higher level than those that the Exorcists were accustomed to dealing with.
"Big hammer, little hammer…"
"No one said that it would be like this," Lenalee said, her own Innocence activated. She, Lavi, Miranda and Bookman were currently surrounded by a large group of high level Akuma and things weren't exactly looking good for them.
"I swear when I find Cross…" Lavi snarled, holding his weapon at the ready.
"I told you that bastard is mine!"
All eyes focused on the owner of this new voice and the Exorcists watched as both Hitsugaya and Allen soared through the air, landing amongst the gathered Akuma. They couldn't fail to notice the fact that Allen's appearance had changed since last they saw him and Lenalee actually gaped at him.
"Hey buddy," Lavi said, heaving an audible sigh of relief. Although he would never openly admit to it he was thankful to see the two white haired boys. It would make the impending battle much easier. "What's up with the cloak?"
"New and improved Innocence," Allen replied, somewhat distracted. His eyes were focused on Hitsugaya, who had drawn his sword and was now gazing intently at the Akuma.
Hitsugaya stood before the Akuma, his blade raised, but his gaze wasn't really focused on any of them. It was almost as though the youth allowed his mind to wander as he swung the sword.
Once again as though in slow motion.
"What is up with him?" Lavi asked, his single visible green eye focused on Hitsugaya. He'd never seen the boy behave so strangely before and he found himself vaguely wondering if the stress of the war had been too much for the kid.
For his part Allen knew what was going to happen next and he spoke in a quiet voice, "Just watch and you'll see."
Lavi seemed somewhat disbelieving but focused his gaze back on Hitsugaya none the less. Hoping that he wasn't about to see the boy get mauled by the Akuma.
Hitsugaya continued to swing his blade around as though going through the motions of a kata and once again the eerie music filled the air. However the song was different this time and it had a very different affect. Instead of transporting them away from the battle site the song seemed to cause the Akuma to self destruct.
Allen's gaze widened in horror as he realized that Hitsugaya wasn't destroying them with Innocence. Rushing forward the teen seized Hitsugaya by the arm, effectively putting a stop to his movements. The song faded away and Hitsugaya turned to face Allen, an irritated expression in his eyes.
Eyes that were golden.
"What are you doing?" the Shinigami Exorcist demanded. There was a scowl on the shorter boy's face as he glared at Allen, not really understanding why his comrade seemed so angry. All he'd done was defeat the Akuma so what had set Allen off? This was probably the angriest that Hitsugaya had ever seen his charge and he was somewhat shocked. But that didn't diminish his anger over being accosted in such a manner.
"You destroyed their souls!" Allen exclaimed, feeling guilty that he'd allowed something like that to happen. It hadn't been his intention but this wasn't the outcome that he'd anticipated.
Hitsugaya's eyes widened upon hearing these words and, as they did so, returned to their normal teal color. He had briefly lost himself and in doing so had committed an unforgivable sin. Pulling free from Allen's grasp the white haired youth walked away from the group, overwhelmed by what he had inadvertently done.
"What the hell is wrong with me?!" he thought to himself, gazing down at his blade.
"Hey Toushirou…" Lavi called out to the boy, sensing that he was feeling bad about what had happened. "Are you…"
"It's Hitsugaya!" The young Shinigami Exorcist abruptly sheathed his sword and turned back to the group. "We should go… we have a mission to accomplish."
"Right," the others chorused.
A/N - I apologize profusely for the fact that it took me so long to update this! Please forgive! Hope that you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review and tell me what you thought.