Years Later...
"What was that, BaKanda?!" Allen shouted, his voice echoing through the bustling headquarters. The tension in the air crackled as he glared at Kanda.
"You heard me, bean sprout. Or are you going deaf now?" Kanda retorted smugly, crossing his arms with a condescending smirk. Their daily fights had become a spectacle, drawing the attention of their comrades. Lavi chuckled, leaning back as he watched the familiar scene unfold.
"You two are like a married couple," Lavi teased, his laughter ringing out. He loved to poke fun at their constant bickering, often joking about the non-existent love between them. He knew Allen harbored feelings for Lenalee, having skillfully extracted the confession during a recent mission. And as for Kanda, well, Lavi suspected his only relationship was with his sword.
With a mischievous grin, Lavi got up from his seat and sauntered past the feuding duo. He had his own duties to attend to, but he couldn't resist one last jab. "Maa~, if you two are going to argue so much, just get married already. You act like it."
Both Allen and Kanda froze, their attention snapping to the retreating redhead.
"Oi! What was that, baka usagi?" Kanda roared, drawing Mugen and charging after the laughing Lavi. Allen, huffing in annoyance, decided to divert his attention to something more productive and headed to the science department to lend a hand.
As he walked through the corridors, Allen greeted everyone he passed with a smile. Despite the years that had passed, he still thought about Mana every day. The memory of his foster father was a constant companion, though he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that he was forgetting someone. Shrugging off the unease, he sighed softly before entering the bustling science department.
"Allen! Watch out!" someone shouted.
"Huh?" Allen turned just in time to be buried under a cascade of papers. Lenalee quickly came to his rescue, apologizing profusely.
"It's okay, Lenalee. It was my fault. I should have been paying more attention," Allen said with a sheepish laugh, a blush creeping up his cheeks. "How about we split this in half so it's not so overwhelming?"
Lenalee smiled gratefully. "Sure! Thanks, Allen-kun!" They began sorting the papers into two neat stacks.
"I heard Kanda chasing Lavi again. What did he do this time?" Lenalee asked.
"Lavi made another stupid joke about us being in love," Allen said, his expression souring. "I swear, I'm never going to be gay. Not even if BaKanda is the last person on Earth."
Lenalee laughed at his earnestness. "If you two just ignore him, maybe he'll stop with the jokes."
"I doubt it. He loves it too much."
"It's worth a try."
"True," Allen conceded as they stood up with their respective stacks of papers. "So, where are these going, Lenalee?"
"These are for my brother." They made their way to Komui's office, where, unsurprisingly, their chief was asleep at his desk. Lenalee placed her stack of papers down with a sigh.
"Brother, I'm getting married," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"LENALEE!" Komui screeched, instantly awake and hugging her tightly. Lenalee smacked him on the head, annoyed.
"Komui, I'm not getting married. I'm too young," she said sternly, her brother pouting as he rubbed his head. Allen placed his stack of papers on the desk, trying not to laugh.
"These are for you, Komui," Allen said, ignoring the chief's puppy dog eyes.
"No. You need to do your own work," Lenalee insisted. Komui slouched, looking at the piles of papers with a defeated sigh.
"I'll be back in an hour with some coffee for you," Lenalee said, smiling lovingly at her brother. Komui perked up slightly at that. As Lenalee and Allen turned to leave, Komui stopped them.
"Allen, can you stay, please? And Lenalee, could you find Lavi and send him here? I have a mission for him and Allen."
"Sure thing, brother," Lenalee replied. Allen watched her leave, then sat on the couch, curiosity piqued. Missions usually meant action, and he couldn't help but wonder what this one entailed. Lavi, true to form, burst into the office shortly after.
"You wanted to see me, Chief?" Lavi asked, his enthusiasm palpable. Allen shook his head at the redhead's energy.
"Yes, I need both you and Allen. Especially you, Allen," Komui said, his tone serious. Lavi flopped down on the couch beside Allen, both of them giving their undivided attention.
"Huh? Why me?" Allen asked, confused.
"I've been receiving reports of strange activity in a small town in France. The incidents are unusual, to say the least," Komui explained.
"How unusual?" Lavi asked, curiosity piqued.
"Items go missing with witnesses claiming to see a flash of white as it happens. Some finders reported seeing someone who looks identical to you, Allen, even though you were here at headquarters."
"Another version of me? Why would there be another version of me?" Allen asked, bewildered.
"That's what we need to find out. Lavi, you're good at picking up clues, so you'll be going with Allen. If it's caused by Innocence, you know what to do. Now, get going," Komui instructed. Allen and Lavi nodded, heading to their rooms to pack their bags. Allen, always prepared, sighed as he grabbed his ready-packed bag and made his way to meet Lavi at the gate.
The train ride to the small town was uneventful, but Allen couldn't shake the feeling of unease as they arrived. The town had a peculiar atmosphere that set his nerves on edge. Lavi seemed to sense it too, his usual jovial demeanor subdued.
Upon reaching their inn, they discovered their accommodations consisted of a single bed and a small couch. Allen muttered under his breath, "I swear Komui does this to save money..."
Lavi chuckled, "I bet he does. He keeps doing this to me and Yuu-chan, but there's no couch those times."
Allen looked at him, "Let me guess, BaKanda makes you sleep on the floor, huh?"
"Yup. Yuu's so heartless to me," Lavi whined.
"That's because he doesn't know what a heart is," Allen quipped, earning a burst of laughter from Lavi.
The humor was short-lived as Allen decided to find one of the finders for more information. Outside, he found Toma and approached him with a smile.
"Toma! Do you have any information for me and Lavi?" Allen asked.
"Yes. I've seen it myself. It moves with incredible speed, almost like you do with your Innocence activated. It looks almost exactly like you," Toma explained, a frown marring Allen's features.
"And it mostly comes out at night," Toma added. Allen nodded, thanked him, and continued his inquiries, only to receive similar responses from other finders. Frustrated, he returned to the hotel room, finding Lavi sprawled on the bed.
"Something wrong, Allen?" Lavi asked, noting his friend's expression.
"Every finder said the same thing, and none of them have seen what this thing actually is!" Allen groaned, plopping down on the couch.
"I'm sure we'll catch it soon. Hopefully, it won't take too long," Lavi said, trying to remain optimistic.
"I hope so..." Allen muttered as his stomach growled. Lavi laughed and suggested they eat first. After their meal, they felt reinvigorated.
"Feel better now that we've eaten?" Lavi asked.
"Yup. Now, let's go catch this thing!" Allen declared, his determination renewed. Lavi followed, stopping when he noticed Allen's eye activating.
"Akuma?" Lavi asked, readying his weapon.
"I don't see anything. It just activated on its own," Allen began, but he was cut off as they were suddenly surrounded by Akuma. The two quickly activated their Innocence and stood back to back.
"Where did they come from?" Lavi asked, bewildered.
"I don't know. I didn't even see them coming this time," Allen replied, the surprise evident in his voice. They fought off the Akuma, but something felt off. The Akuma weren't fighting back. Lavi, panting heavily, glanced at Allen, who had just finished off the last of them.
"Cross Grave!" Allen called out, destroying the remaining Akuma. Exhausted, he dropped to the ground, Lavi standing beside him.
"You okay, Moyashi?" Lavi asked.
"It's Allen! Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired," Allen replied, still catching his breath.
Lavi shifted back into serious mode. "That was too easy. Something wasn't right. They just let us destroy them."
"Yeah. But it still doesn't make it any less tiring," Allen agreed. Both teens turned at the sound of clapping, spotting a figure standing in the shadows.
"Well done. I honestly didn't believe the others when they said you were strong, Allen," the figure said.
"How do you know my name?!" Allen yelled. The figure chuckled, sending a chill through both Allen and Lavi.
"My, my. Did you really forget me, dear brother?"
"Brother? I don't remember having a brother. I only remember Mana," Allen said, confused. The figure emerged from the shadows, revealing a face identical to Allen's. Both Allen and Lavi gasped.
"Now, dear brother, I'm going to have to teach you a lesson for forgetting me," the figure taunted. Lavi readied his hammer, but it was Allen who stood, prepared for battle.
"Stay out of this, Lavi. I need to know who he is," Allen said, his voice steady.
"But..." Lavi began, his concern evident.
"Please, Lavi. Let me do this," Allen insisted. Lavi, reluctantly, stood down.
"Ready, Allen?" the figure asked.
"I'm ready, whoever you are," Allen replied. The fight was intense, but Allen was determined to uncover the truth.
"Come on, Allen. Show me what you can do!" the figure taunted, dodging Allen's attacks. Allen grit his teeth, refusing to let his frustration show. He landed a solid blow, but the figure only laughed.
"Is that all you've got? No wonder Father left you," the figure sneered. Allen's eyes widened in shock.
"Father? Mana is our father!" he shouted.
"Mana was a fool. Our real father abandoned us. I'm here to reclaim what should have been mine," the figure declared.
"I don't know who you are, but I'll stop you!" Allen vowed, his resolve unwavering. The battle raged on, both sides evenly matched. Finally, with one last effort, Allen managed to defeat the figure.
"Who...are you?" Allen asked, breathless.
"You'll find out soon enough. This isn't over," the figure said before disappearing. Allen collapsed, exhausted.
Lavi rushed to his side, helping him up. "Are you okay?"
"I will be. But we need answers," Allen said, his voice filled with determination. Together, they vowed to uncover the truth about the mysterious figure and the secrets of Allen's past.