unforgivable sinner;

2009-06-24T09:34:00.002+08:00

Okay. I've been working on a oneshot, since I haven't had enough inspiration to fuel good stuff to TDS, so here it is: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4521571/9/
Do review. :D
And enjoyyyy!

2009-06-21T17:05:00.001+08:00

yeahhhh, I'm working on a songfic right now. :D
see you in a bit.

2009-06-13T22:58:00.003+08:00

Yeahhh, here's the little bit I added in to the end of chapter eight. :D

-

“Then, he asked me if I wanted to become an exorcist.”

Allen straightened up, pulling his hand away from his face.

He took a sip of his mocha latte, regaining his composure as he spoke once more, the tremble lost from his voice.

Lenalee’s brows furrowed.
Something was wrong here…
The story didn’t match.

“Master never told me what he was training me for after that. And for as long as I can remember, I’ve had the white violin.”

Allen rested his elbow on the table, hiding his eyes in his palm.
He smiled forcedly again.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been jabbering on and on about my insignificant past…”

“Hmn…”

Allen noticed Lenalee’s internal consideration.

“Is something wrong?”

Lenalee looked up, staring at Allen’s hair; his face was hidden from view.

“I have a rather different version of this story…”

Allen looked up, raised an eyebrow.
Inquisition was written all over his face, especially in his curious grey eyes.

But she could see it.
The past he hid from them.
The past she knew.

“Well-“

There was a loud grunt.

“What’s with all your skank-ass serious faces? It’s still only nine in the morning.”

Kanda scoffed, settling down in the chair next to Lenalee.

Said girl sighed.

Her questions would have to wait.

“Where’s that idiot brother of yours?”

She glanced over at Kanda.

“He’s at home, sleeping. I didn’t want him wrecking the house just to wake up…”

She whipped out her wallet.

“He did leave us some money to buy breakfast, though.”

She pushed the money across the table.

Allen instantly volunteered to buy the food.

“What would you guys like?” he asked, avoiding Lenalee’s gaze.

“Ham Sandwich Meal, please.”

“Bacon and Eggs Meal for me, thanks.”

“Just a double-dose latte.”

The boy nodded leaving the table.

Silence ensued.

Only to be broken by the redhead who’d deemed himself invisible earlier.

“Quite the gentleman, isn’t he?”

Kanda rolled his eyes.

“Che. He’s avoiding something.”

He cast suspicious glances at Lenalee and Lavi.

“What happened?”

Lenalee shrugged. Lavi grinned.

“Che.”

-

:D

2009-06-13T12:25:00.000+08:00

The Devil’s Symphony

Chapter 8: Black and White

Disclaimer: The D.Gray-Man manga is way too interesting to have come from me. (:

A/N: Enjoy!

-

“Dearest Lenalee,

Please make sure you get this message across to the others.
The inscription insides your instruments are as follows:

Kanda: ‘Obscur Aile Chevalier’ which means ‘Black Winged Knight’.
Lavi: ‘Minuit Soliel’ which means ‘Midnight Sun’.
Lenalee: ‘Crepuscule Colombe’ which means ‘Twilight Dove’.
Allen: ‘Lucinia Soir Ciel’ which means ‘Nightingale of the Evening Heaven’.
‘Chevalier’ which means ‘Knight’.

Have a good breakfast Lenalee. And make sure you come home safe after.
Countdown: Three Days to Entrance Exams!

Signed,
Your Loving Brother Komui”

“Huh.”

The ebony haired-girl had just uncovered the horrendous scribble of a message from her pocket.
Maybe this was what her brother had stayed up so late to research.

But all these names.
Her brows furrowed.
Having studied all the names of any existing Stradivarius instruments, she knew that this could not be possible.

Then again, her brother, certified to determine the genuineness of Antonio Stradivari’s world-renown instruments, had confirmed that their instruments were authentic.

So what on earth was going on?

The clatter of a plastic tray on the table snapped her back to reality and Lenalee started momentarily.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare ya. You looked kinda distant. Something wrong?”

Lenalee looked at the redhead.
Where had he come from?

‘Now I’ll never talk to Allen about that properly…”

She shook her head.

His emerald eye glistened, and he grinned.
The amethyst eyed girl figured he was smiling behind his eye-patch too.

“You were daydreaming about Allen-chan, weren’t you? Hm?”

The girl was taken aback.
Similarly, Allen, whom had arrived at the table and quietly put down the tray unnoticed, nearly dropped his mocha latte mid-air.

“Yo, Allen-chan! How are ya?”

“F-F-F-Fine.”

Lavi blinked numerous times.

“Don’t seem fine to me.”

He turned to Lenalee, his voice drenched with a masked sense of seriousness.

“So, are you going to ask him?”

Allen’s relief dissipated.
At first, when Lavi had showed up, he’d thought that now, Lenalee wouldn’t be able to ask him those questions.
But instead, the redhead knew what was going on.

“W-What? You knew about this, Lavi?”

Now puzzled, Allen pondered upon the possibility that Lenalee hadn’t told Lavi anything, and that the redhead had simply found out himself.

But maybe it was just an act?

Then again, there was nothing to be concerned about. And Lenalee wouldn’t lie.
He didn’t even know what she wanted to ask him.
So there was no need for alarm.

Was there?

The eighteen year-old folded his arms, feigning a stern demeanour.

“I’m a Bookman apprentice,” he announced, “I should know about anything that may be going on.”

He seated himself next to Allen.

“So go about your business, Princess.”

He smiled and winked.

“Pretend I’m not here.”

Lenalee looked at him lamely.

“You just made your presence very obvious. How are we supposed to pretend you’re not there?”

She narrowed her eyes.

“And don’t call me ‘princess’.”

“Aw, come on, Lena-chan! Be creative.”

Said teenager rolled her eyes.

“Fine then.”

She looked out the shop window, at the sunrise far beyond the small buildings that were the post office and bank.
The large ball of fire was just rising over the top of the buildings, and it was still quite dark.

She shut her eyes.

‘Tolerance, Lenalee, tolerance. Be composed…’

“I… um…”

‘Crap, what do I say?’

Opening her eyes, she asked slowly, “I wanted to ask you about your scar and your arm…”

Allen looked surprised, and his eyes goggled slightly.

“I-If you don’t mind.”

She sounded awkward to herself already.
Who knew what Allen would think?

Said person turned away from her, and Lenalee bit her lip.

“It’s alright if you don’t want to talk about it.”

“No, no.”

She looked up.

His grey eyes gazed at her truthfully, but he wasn’t facing her. Looking at her from his peripherals, he looked like an angel.
He smiled.
The sunlight danced in his storm grey eyes and they sparked gold for a split second before he lowered his gaze to the mahogany table.

“I don’t mind.”

Lenalee watched as he suppressed the urge to gulp.

“Well, this arm…”

He unbuckled the cuff on the left sleeve of his shirt, rolling the sleeve up to his elbow.
He ran the fingers of his right arm over the charred skin.

“I was born with it.”

He shrugged.

“As a small child, I was abandoned because of this deformity, and was left without a place to live. So, I wandered around for a while, coming across a circus sometime when I was five. They agreed to hire me; they needed an extra worker to help clean up quick after acts...”

Lenalee looked at him curiously, worriedly.

“They hired a five year-old without a second thought…?”

A crooked smile played on Allen’s lips.

“The world may seem cruel after you hear such a thing…”

His tone darkened.

“But there are even worse things than that.”

And suddenly he was smiling again.

“And better things.”

Lenalee was momentarily baffled by the swift expression change.

“Well, what happened after that…”

Flashback-

“Is he dead?”

He dug his hands into his pockets, attempting to keep them warm in the cool night air.

The clown looked at him.

“He’s dead.”

“…He’s covered in bruises.”

The clown lifted the small ball off the ground, placing it gingerly on the top of the small mound.

“Cosmo probably did it. ‘Cause the audience likes you more than him.”

The boy looked at the clown strangely as he sighed.
Sighs seemed just wrong coming from people with painted-on smiles.

“He hates it when people are better’n him,” he went on, “He’s got no talent except when it comes to stuff like this.”

The younger of the two remained silent.

Dusting off his hands, the clown added, “He was an old dog. He wouldn’t have lived much longer anyway. It’s alright.”

“…hmm.”

He thought for a moment.

“You’re not gonna get revenge?”

The clown smiled.

“If I do that, I’ll get thrown out of here and won’t get paid.”

He clapped his hands together, and chanted, “Namu Amida BooBoo.”

The boy looked at him lamely, disgusted.

‘Ugh.’

“I’m a newcomer after all.”

The boy’s silver eyes glanced at him briefly from the side before returning his gaze to the small mound before them.

“After Christmas tomorrow, I’ll move on to somewhere new…”

“I see.”

The boy leaned his head on his palm, looking away from the clown.

“Hm?”

He cocked his head to the side.

“Who are you anyway?”

Still facing away from the clown, the boy replied monotonously, “I do odd jobs around here. I’ve brought you your dinner before.”

The clown’s mouth formed a big ‘O’.

“I have a bad memory for faces.”

Suddenly, he let out a startled gasp.
The boy paid it no mind.

“Oh my!”

He stuck out his tongue and licked the tip of his finger.

“You’re covered in bruises too, aren’t you?”

He touched the wet finger to the boy’s swollen cheek.

The boy started.

“WAH, GROSS! GET YOUR SPIT OFF ME DUMMY!”

He glared ferociously at the clown.

“It’s disinfectant,” the clown insisted.

He withdrew his finger.

“Did Cosmo beat you up?”

The boy wiped his face with the sleeve of his shirt.

“Shut up.”

He refused to look at the irritating clown.

“Don’t you have friends?”

A vein threatened to pop on Allen’s forehead.

“SHUT UP!”

He folded his arms and drew his knees up to his chest, looking away.

“When I grow up…I’m getting out of here as soon as I’m strong enough, so I don’t need any friends…”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the clown make a stupid face.

Staring straight ahead, the distorted face having no effect on him, he asked, “What’re you doing?”

The clown withdrew himself back into his original sitting position.

“You didn’t think it was funny?”

He sounded disappointed.

‘Che.’

“Sorry, but I don’t like clowns and stuff.”

He thought for a moment.
Why was he even talking to the idiot?

“In fact, I hate ‘em,” he added brashly.

“My, my.”

The clown raised his nose, acting indignant.

“Well, I hate crowds and children who don’t laugh.”

“Hmph.”

A silence settled between them.

“Aren’t you gonna cry?”

The boy’s voice shook.

“He lived with you for a long time, didn’t he?”

He stared at the small mound of earth before him.

“Aren’t you sad?” he asked again.

“So sad I could die.”

The clown was ‘hanging’ from a noose that was tied to the tree.

“QUIT IT!!” the boy yelled.

‘Is this guy dangerous?’

“But I can’t cry.”

He looked at the clown incredulously.

He returned the disbelieving look.

“Maybe my tears are dried up.”

He unfastened the noose.

“They just won’t come.”

The boy’s breath escaped his lips, forming a cloud of steam around his mouth.

“What’s up with that…?” he muttered.

He continued to stare at the hillock of earth under which rested the dog’s dead body.

His voice shook again, rust-coloured locks hiding his eyes.

“What… was his name?”

The clown did not answer, but the boy didn’t notice.

“He licked my hand yesterday.”

He raised his deformed left hand up, observing its disgusting features, horrible texture, noting the frightening colour of blood.

“His tongue was warm…”

He had tried to stop them, reinforce the dam, but to no avail.

They spilled over his cheeks, and he sniffed, his nose beginning to run as well.

“So how come…”

And everything just poured out.

“I’m crying…over him?”

He bit his lip, trying to suppress the wails that threatened to escape him.
But the urge to cry was too strong for him.

He howled and wept into the cold winter air, and the clown stood by, watching him.

“I see…”

And he seemed to understand everything.

End Flashback-

“Well, this clown of a person became my foster father.”

He smiled, eyes distant.

“He taught me everything, gave me everything. He taught me manners, words, anything you needed to know in order to survive in the world. He gave me a name, a birthday, anything a child needed to feel loved. All the while, he carried a special case. I never knew what it was until…”

The white-haired boy tensed slightly.
His gaze fell to the table, observing the wood lines.

“He…” he began, still slightly shaken by the thought he had hoped to forget, denied.

Lenalee could easily anticipate what he would say next.

Gulping, he continued.

“He died. And my eye… it…”

Flashback-

“Mana Walker.”

There was no other inscription.
They hadn’t carved anything else onto the slab of black stone.
Hadn’t acknowledged his role as the most wonderful foster father anyone could have.

The boy took it back.

No, they hadn’t acknowledged his role as the most wonderful father anyone could have.

The bronze-haired boy slumped, dazed and disoriented.
His lips moved and the breath escaped into the cold winter air in wisps of clouded steam.

“ Mana…”

A single name.

The whisper rang around him like an echo, the stillness in the graveyard shaken just by those few words.

“It’s all my… fault… Bring him back…”

His voice grew in volume.

“Bring. Him. Back.”

And the silence was utterly shattered to pieces.

“BRING HIM BACK!”

The air grew cold as the last drops of silence evaporated.

“Good evening~”

A plump figure curled around the black stone cross.

“You want me to revive Mana Walker~?”

He was strange, this man.
A smirking moon sat atop his high hat.
He had two large ears, similar to that of a rabbit.
A pair of round rimless glasses sat on his nose, and his grin was insanely wide.

His clothes were peculiar too.
A white coat with long sleeves.
A pair of gloves adorned his hands.

He didn’t look human at all.

The boy looked up at the figure, confused.
Tears ran down his cheeks.

-

“I can’t say what happened next was very clear… But…”

-

They weren’t related by blood, but he had been thrown away at birth because of his defective arm.
And Mana had been the only one who would adopt him.

The fatso summoned a large skeleton. It seemed to be made of metal.

“Now, I’ll need your co-operation to call Mana Walker back. You need to call out to him as loudly as you can, so we can bring his soul back here~.”

He gestured towards the metal skeleton.

“This is a special machine I’ve created that will house your father’s soul~!”

The boy stared at the ‘machine’.

Warmth returned to his fingers.
His deformed arm pulsed.

Mana was coming back! They would be together again!
He would get to see Mana’s smile, and they could write letters in the snow.
Just like how they used to.

“Mana,” he yelled, although still quite much muted by his excitement.

The corpulent man’s eyes glinted evilly.

“Dear boy, you need to call out to him louder. Don’t you love him~?”

“Mana!”

“Better, boy. But louder still!”

The boy paused, catching his breath.

He would do it. For Mana’s happiness and his own.
He gathered the breath in his lungs and inhaled deeply.

“MANA!”

The corpulent man grinned wickedly.

“Yes… That’s the way…”

A bright purple light sprouted before them, engulfing the two in a bright glare.
It sprang forth, seeming to force itself into the metal skeleton.

The metal skeleton twitched, and then, spoke, albeit softly.

“A…llen…”

Instantly, the ten-year-old’s face brightened.

He had heard Mana’s voice!

“Mana!”

The metal skeleton began to tremble .

“A…llen… Why… What have you done… to me…”

Confusion streaked across the boy’s face in a split-second.

“Wh-What?”

The fat man had started sniggering quietly. He smirked.

“How dare you… HOW DARE YOU TURN ME INTO AN AKUMA!”

This time, horror was evident in the russet-haired boy’s expression.
His silver eyes were wide with surprise, and his mouth curled into a frown.

Had he upset Mana?

“B-But Mana, I brought you back so we could be happy! We can be together again!”

“How dare you! HOW DARE YOU!”

The metal skeleton shook violently, and its arms began to move, the joints creaking noisily in the night.

“A…llen…You…made me into… an Akuma…! You made me into an Akuma!!! Allen!!!”

The boy fell, his knees weak.
What was going on?

“No, Mana… W-What have I done?”

It broke free from the rack it had been on, approaching the boy on sharp tip edged legs.
He scrambled, rushing backwards on his bottom with what little strength he had left.

“I’LL CURSE YOU-”

The machine slashed the boy, one sharp-tip edged arm coming in contact with pale, porcelain skin.

The slash drew blood, which flooded out profusely.

“I’LL CURSE YOU, ALLEN!!!”

The boy felt pain, like nothing he had ever experienced.
But it did not come from the wound on his eye.

His insides had caught fire, and they burned.
And his heart was being ripped apart.

The corpulent man laughed vivaciously, sadistically.

“Now, akuma! I command you to kill this boy, and wear his skin!”

The boy’s face whitened further, a feat nearly impossible already.

“M-Mana!”

The metal creature that was definitely not his father lunged towards him, but he did not fight back.
A numbing pain caught him in the chest as he sat sprawled in an awkward position. Time began to slow down.

He did not understand how or what exactly happened next, how his deformed arm transformed into a large metallic creature.

All he knew, was that there was a burning sensation in his left arm.

Sound failed to register in his brain, and words tumbled out of his mouth noiselessly.

The metal skeleton was immediately pushed back by the clawed creature. It fell back, crashing onto the ground and rushing backwards.
The metallic creature pulled towards it, towing Allen along with it.

“N-No! Mana, run!”

But the metal skeleton did not retreat. It dodged the metal claw agilely, clawing out to reach the boy instead.
It missed by a long shot, before the metallic arm caught up with it.

“What the hell..?! My hand’s just automatically…?!”

He looked up.

A few feet away, the metal skeleton lay half-destroyed.
It seemed to notice his gaze, and turned to look his way.

The boy was astounded. Tears poured from his stormy grey eyes.

“Mana…?!”

He shrieked, begged the monstrosity of his arm.

“NO, DON’T DO THIS TO MANA…!!!”

The claw pushed forward ever faster.

“RUN! RUN,DAD…!!!”

Then a coarse voice spoke, barely audible. A broken voice, so strained with guilt, regret.
Tainted with failure as a father.

“Allen…I…”

The metal claw had its prey within reach…
Now, to make the final strike…

“…Love…You…”

The boy’s eyes widened at his father’s next words.

“Please destroy me…”

Something ripped, snapped in the boy’s head. And his eye reacted to something he couldn’t understand.
It flew open wider, and the pupil transitioned into something monstrous; a blood red pupil, where the whites of the eye had gone black.

And everything was a dull black and white.

“UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!”

The claw brought itself down upon the metal skeleton, and the boy ricocheted upwards.
He landed on the muddy gravel, his face landing squarely on the ground, scrapes forming on his cheeks.

Then the boy was engulfed in darkness.

End Flashback-

Allen’s eyes were closed, his mouth pulled into a forced smile.
His hand was over his face, blocking his expression, wisps of silver hair hanging over it.

“I don’t know what happened, but this is what master said to me when he found me:

“There is no freedom for the soul within an Akuma. You’re trapped within it for all eternity, and you become the Earl’s toy. There’s no way to help it other than by destroying it.

“Then, he asked me if I wanted to become an exorcist.”

Allen straightened up, pulling his hand away from his face.

He took a sip of his mocha latte, regaining his composure as he spoke once more, the tremble lost from his voice.

Lenalee’s brows furrowed.
Something was wrong here…
The story didn’t match.

“Master never told me what he was training me for after that. And for as long as I can remember, I’ve had the white violin.”

“Hmn…”

Allen noticed Lenalee’s internal consideration.

“Is something wrong?”

Lenalee looked up, staring into stormy grey eyes.

“I have a rather different version of this story…”

Allen raised an eyebrow.

-

Do tell me if you wish for chapter eight to be longer.
:D

voiceover~

2009-05-18T21:38:00.001+08:00

HI EVERYONE! (:
If you don't already know,
THE ENGLISH DUBS FOR D.GRAY-MAN ARE OUT!
(:
But, they suck.
Just watch it anyway.
It's funny.

I had hoped the guy who voiced Ed, from FMA, would voice Allen.
They sound similar.
Though the guy who now voices Allen sounds TERRIBLE.
And Kanda's been ruined. D:
Oh well.

Anyway, my exams are over. I'll try to update.
See if the inspiration comes. (:

BYE~

♪.moonrise.♪

obsession with torturing Allen, and angsty Lavi.

2009-05-10T20:02:00.002+08:00

okay. This probably ain't upsetting anyone but me, but I probably won't be able to update, or write, for that matter, for a long long time.
:/
Sorry.
Lack in inspiration.
And I have another fic on my mind.
I'm not abandoning the fic, just taking a break from it.
I'm sick of writing those flashbacks on chapter eight. -.-
Anyway, I'll try to get back to doing that.

Sorry.
See you around.

2009-04-18T11:36:00.000+08:00

The Devil’s Symphony

Chapter 8:

Disclaimer: The D.Gray-Man manga is way to interesting to have come from me. (:

A/N: Enjoy!

-

“Dearest Lenalee,

Please make sure you get this message across to the others.
The inscription insides your instruments are as follows:

Kanda: ‘Obscur Aile Chevalier’ which means ‘Black Winged Knight’.
Lavi: ‘Minuit Soliel’ which means ‘Midnight Sun’.
Lenalee: ‘Crepuscule Colombe’ which means ‘Twilight Dove’.
Allen: ‘Lucinia Soir Ciel’ which means ‘Nightingale of the Evening Heaven’.
‘Chevalier’ which means ‘Knight’.

Have a good breakfast Lenalee. And make sure you come home safe after.
Countdown: Three Days to Entrance Exams!

Signed,
You’re Loving Brother Komui”

“Huh.”

The ebony haired-girl had just uncovered the horrendous scribble of a message from her pocket.
Maybe this was what her brother had stayed up so late to research.

But all these names.
Her brows furrowed.
Having studied all the names of any existing Stradivarius instruments, she knew that this could not be possible.

Then again, her brother, certified to determine the genuineness of Antonio Stradivari’s world-renown instruments, had confirmed that their instruments were authentic.

So what on earth was going on?

The clatter of a plastic tray on the table snapped her back to reality and Lenalee started momentarily.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare ya. You looked kinda distant. Something wrong?”

Lenalee looked at the redhead.

‘Now I’ll never talk to Allen about that properly…”

She shook her head.

His emerald eye glistened, and he grinned.
The amethyst eyed girl figured he was smiling behind his eye-patch too.

“You were daydreaming about Allen-chan, weren’t you? Hm?”

The girl was taken aback.
Similarly, Allen, whom had arrived at the table and quietly put down the tray unnoticed, nearly dropped his mocha latte mid-air.

“Yo, Allen-chan! How are ya?”

“F-F-F-Fine.”

Lavi blinked numerous times.

“Don’t seem fine.”

He turned to Lenalee, his voice drenched with a masked sense of seriousness.

“So, are you going to ask him?”

Allen’s relief dissipated.
At first, when Lavi had showed up, he’d thought that now, Lenalee wouldn’t be able to ask him those questions.
But instead, the redhead knew what was going on.

“W-What? You knew about this, Lavi?”

Now puzzled, Allen pondered upon the possibility that Lenalee hadn’t been the one to tell Lavi anything, and that he’d simply found out himself.

But maybe it was just an act?

Then again, there was nothing to be concerned about. And Lenalee wouldn’t lie.
He didn’t even know what she wanted to ask him.
So there was no need for alarm.

Was there?

The eighteen year-old folded his arms, feigning a stern demeanour.

“I’m a Bookman apprentice,” he announced, “I should know about anything that may be going on.”

He seated himself next to Allen.

“So go about your business.”

He smiled and winked.

“Pretend I’m not here.”

Lenalee looked at him lamely.

“You just made your presence very obvious. How are we supposed to pretend you’re not there?”

“Aw, come on, Lena-chan! Be creative.”

Said teenager rolled her eyes.

“Fine then.”

She looked out the shop window, at the sunrise far beyond the small buildings that were the post office and bank.
The large ball of fire was just rising over the top of the buildings, and it was still quite dark.

She shut her eyes.

‘Compromise, Lenalee, compromise.’

“I… um…”

‘Crap, what do I say?’

Opening her eyes, she asked slowly, “I wanted to ask you about your scar and your arm…”

Allen looked surprised, and his eyes goggled slightly.

“I-If you don’t mind.”

She sounded awkward to herself already.
Who knew what Allen would think?

Said person turned away from her, and Lenalee bit her lip.

“It’s alright if you don’t want to talk about it.”

“No, no.”

She looked up.

His grey eyes gazed at her truthfully, but he wasn’t facing her. Looking at her from his peripherals, he looked like an angel.
He smiled.
The sunlight was reflected in his storm grey eyes and they sparked gold for a split second before he turned away.

“I don’t mind.”

Lenalee watched as he suppressed the urge to gulp.

“Well, this arm…”

He unbuckled the cuff on the left sleeve of his shirt.

“I was born with it.”

He shrugged.

“As a small child, I was abandoned because of this deformity, and was left without a place to live. So, I wandered around for a while, coming across a circus sometime when I was five. They agreed to hire me; they needed an extra worker to help clean up quick after acts...”

Lenalee looked at him curiously, worriedly.

“They hired a five year-old without a second thought…?”

A crooked smile played on Allen’s lips.

“The world may seem cruel after you hear such a thing…”

His tone darkened.

“But there are even worse things than that.”

And suddenly he was smiling again.

“And better things.”

“Well, what happened after that…”

Flashback-

“Is he dead?”

He dug his hands into his pockets, attempting to keep them warm in the cool night air.

The clown looked at him.

“He’s dead.”

“…He’s covered in bruises.”

The clown lifted the small ball off the ground, placing it gingerly on the top of the small mound.

“Cosmo probably did it. ‘Cause the audience likes you more than him.”

The boy looked at the clown strangely as he sighed.
Sighs looked just wrong on painted-on smiles.

“He hates it when people are better’n than him,” he went on, “He’s got no talent except when it comes to stuff like this.”

The younger of the two remained silent.

Dusting off his hands, he added, “He was an old dog. He wouldn’t have lived much longer anyway. It’s alright.”

“…hmm.”

He thought for a moment.

“You’re not gonna get revenge?”

The clown smiled.

“If I do that, I’ll get thrown out of here and won’t get paid.”

He clapped his hands together, and chanted, “Namu Amida BooBoo.”

The boy looked at him lamely, disgusted.

‘Ugh.’

“I’m a newcomer after all.”

The boy’s silver eyes glanced at him briefly from the side, then returned his gaze to the small mound before them.

“After Christmas tomorrow, I’ll move on to somewhere new…”

“I see.”

The boy leaned his head on his palm, looking away from the clown.

“Hm?”

He cocked his head to the side.

“Who are you anyway?”

Still facing away from the clown, the boy replied monotonously, “I do odd jobs around here. I’ve brought you your dinner before.”

“I have a bad memory for faces.”

The clown let out a startled gasp.
The boy paid it no mind.

“Oh my!”

He stuck out his tongue and licked the tip of his finger.

“You’re covered in bruises too, aren’t you?”

He touched the wet finger to the boy’s swollen cheek, and he started.

“WAH, GROSS! GET YOUR SPIT OFF ME DUMMY!”

He glared ferociously at the clown.

“It’s disinfectant,” the clown insisted.

He withdrew his finger.

“Did Cosmo beat you up?”

The boy wiped his face with the sleeve of his shirt.

“SHUT UP.”

He refused to look at the irritating clown.

“Don’t you have friends?”

A vein threatened to pop on Allen’s forehead.

“SHUT UP!”

He folded his arms and drew his knees up to his chest, looking away.

“When I grow up…I’m getting out of here as soon as I’m strong enough, so I don’t need any friends…”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the clown make a stupid face.

Staring straight ahead, the distorted face having no effect on him, he asked, “What’re you doing?”

The clown withdrew himself back into his original sitting position.

“You didn’t think it was funny?”

“Sorry, but I don’t like clowns and stuff.”

He thought for a moment.
Why was he even talking to the idiot?

“In fact, I hate ‘em.”

“My, my.”

He raised his nose, acting indignant.

“Well, I hate crowds and children who don’t laugh.”

“Hmph.”

A silence settled between them.

“Aren’t you gonna cry?”

The boy’s voice shook.

“He lived with you for a long time, didn’t he?”

He stared at the small mound of earth before him.

“Aren’t you sad?”

“So sad I could die.”

The clown was ‘hanging’ from a noose that was tied to the tree.

“QUIT IT!!”

‘Is this guy dangerous?’

“But I can’t cry.”

He looked at the clown incredulously.

He returned the disbelieving look.

“Maybe my tears are dried up.”

He unfastened the noose.

“They just won’t come.”

The boy’s breath escaped his lips, forming a cloud of steam around his mouth.

“What’s up with that…?” he murmured.

He continued to stare at the hillock of earth under which rested the dogs dead body.

His voice shook again, rust-coloured locks hiding his eyes.

“What… was his name?”

The clown did not answer, but the boy didn’t notice.

“He licked my hand yesterday.”

He raised his deformed left hand up, observing its disgusting features, horrible texture, the colour of blood.

“His tongue was warm…”

He had tried to stop them, reinforce the dam, but to no avail.

They spilled over his cheeks, and he sniffed, his nose beginning to run as well.

“So how come…”

And everything just poured out.

“I’m crying…over him?”

He bit his lip, trying to suppress the wails that threatened to escape him.
But the urge to cry was too strong for him.

He howled and wept into the cold winter air, and the clown stood by, watching him.

“I see…”

And he seemed to understand everything.

“Well, this clown of a person became my foster father.”

He smiled, eyes distant.

“He taught me everything, gave me everything. He taught me manners, words, anything you needed to know in order to survive in the world. He gave me a name, a birthday, anything a child needed to feel love. All the while, he carried a special case. I never knew what it was until…”

The white-haired boy tensed slightly.
His gaze fell to the table, observing the wood lines.

“He…” he began, still slightly shaken by the thought he had hoped to forget, denied.

Lenalee could easily anticipate what he would say next.

Gulping, he continued.

“He died. And my eye… it…”

Flashback-

“Mana Walker, 17th September 1981 to 24th December 2004.”

There was no other inscription.
They hadn’t carved anything else onto the slab of stone.
Hadn’t acknowledged his role as the most wonderful foster father anyone could have.

The boy took it back.
No, they hadn’t acknowledged his role as the most wonderful father anyone could have.

The bronze-haired boy leaned back against the gravestone dazed and disoriented.
His lips moved and the breath escaped into the cold winter air in wisps of clouded steam.

“Death. Mana. Gone. All my fault…”

The whisper rang around him like an echo, the stillness in the graveyard shaken just by those few words.

“Bring him back…”

His voice grew in volume.

“Bring. Him. Back.”

And the silence was utterly shattered to pieces.

“BRING HIM BACK!”

The air grew cold as the last drops of silence evaporated.

“Good evening~”

The discreet looking boy stared up at the rather large man.

“What…?”

“You want someone back?”

-

Well, that's about it for this chapter.
...

No, I was just kidding.
(:
I've been at this page for over three weeks. This stupid thing hasn't moved since the last time I typed it. D:

Anyway, I'll see you soon.

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪
§//.Melodramatic obstinate love haunts the ensanguined hearts of the broken.The torn melodist sings his final aria of dreams.\\§

new chapter.

2009-04-10T18:23:00.000+08:00

The Devil’s Symphony

Disclaimer: I’m so happy D.Gray-Man is back! Unfortunately, it doesn’t belong to me. And thank goodness for that. Otherwise, it would suck.

Chapter 7: The Instruments

A/N: Enjoy. *raises a cup of wine to you, then sips it.*

He had never planned on it, but his body moved on his own.

After their meeting the previous afternoon, Allen had been contemplating whether or not he should bring up his dream.

Lenalee had noticed his sudden anxiety as these thoughts ran through his mind. All the while they had sat around the fireplace and watched television. But he hadn’t taken a sip of his hot chocolate once and had been silent throughout the whole two hours they had been seated in place, watching Mission Impossible III.
And just as she thought this, Allen spoke up.

“Komui-san,” he began, “There is something important I need to tell you.”

The older man’s eyes flickered away from the TV to catch the look on Allen’s face briefly.

“Yes, Allen?”

Lenalee watched silently, her eyes following the two men’s movements carefully.
Allen suddenly looked sheepish to have wanted to tell Komui what he had been thinking.

“I-”

He stopped short, recomposing himself.
He gulped, and then started again.

“I had this dream…”

Lenalee withheld her shock from her expression ad sipped her hot chocolate.
She hadn’t anticipated this.
She hadn’t thought that Allen, who disclosed his dreams not even to her, would easily reveal them to her brother.

“Go on.”

Amethyst eyes followed Allen’s Adam’s apple as he gulped.

“There was a city.”

He took a breath, perspiration already forming in little droplets on his forehead.

“It was completely whitewashed, entirely bare and empty of inhabitants.”

This time, he looked Komui in the eyes, seemingly more confident of reconciling the whole matter.

“And in the middle of this city, there was a large building. And probably the biggest building there.”

Komui raised an eyebrow questioningly.

Allen closed his eyes, his brow furrowing as he recalled the events in his dream.

“Piano. The sound of a piano being played came from the building. I went in search of the piano and its player.
“And I found him after a while. A peculiar man, dressed profoundly in a tuxedo of a style I’ve never seen before.”

He leaned back against the couch, staring at the ceiling.

“He told me that I must see ‘the old man’.”

Lenalee considered this.
What old man?

“He said that the ‘old man’ would explain. That he would teach me.”

Komui sipped his coffee.

Looking up at Allen, he asked, “And have you any idea who this ‘old man’ is?”

The boy turned, shook his head.

“Hmm.”

Then, there was silence.

-

“What the hell did we get called back here again for? You’re wasting my precious practice time!”

Kanda had the usual scowl on his face, a look of sheer irritation, as he set his violin case down.

“Oh, come on Yuu! Lighten up!”

Lavi steadied his own instrument on his lap carefully with trained hands.

“How many times have I told you not to call me that, you imbecilic asshole of a rabbit?!”

Lenalee sighed, and Allen sweat-dropped.
Komui sipped his coffee.

“Well…”

Komui lowered his mug, cupping his chin thoughtfully.

“Allen-kun here had a dream.”

This the two eighteen-year-olds had not expected.
At all.

Even Lavi couldn’t hide his disbelief.
His jaw dropped open in surprise.

“What did you say?”

The samurai’s voice was low, dangerous, his eyes overshadowed.
Allen had to stop himself from cringing away from the murderous glare.

“I said Allen-kun here had a dream,” Komui reiterated, using the suffix Lenalee had given the white-haired boy.

Kanda was fuming now, silently, but definitely fuming.
His hand trembled, hovering lightly over the hilt of his katana.

“So let me get this straight.”

He looked Komui straight in the eyes.

“You called us over because this stupid bean sprout had a dream?”

Komui nodded happily, not sensing the tense atmosphere in the room.

And then Kanda snapped.

“YOU’RE WASTING MY PRECIOUS PRACTICE TIME, DAMMIT!” he bellowed, and Lavi could almost imagine the steam rising from his ears.

“Well, see…”

Komui’s eyes flashed.
He was being rather patient.
(With not starting to act like the most immature adult on the face of the earth.)

“This dream he had, in my opinion, has something to do with the akuma situation.”

Allen looked up at the twenty-nine year-old in surprise.

“But there was no mention of the akuma in the dream,” he pointed out.

“No,” Komui began, “there wasn’t.”

Lenalee instantly knew what would happen next.

“But I have a hunch.”

Lenalee smacked her forehead with her palm.
Allen could do nothing but blink in speechless astonishment.
But Lavi, he was busy trying to contain his amusement. Because Kanda Yu’s face…

“You have a hunch?”

…was just too funny.

The samurai was trembling with rage.
But he didn’t snap.
Thankfully.

Or not.

Mugen was unsheathed in a flash, the tip pointing distinctly at Komui’s neck.

“Yes, I do.”

Komui smiled again and sipped his coffee once more in spite of the circumstances.

He utterly ignored the sharp edge of the sword that was pointed at his windpipe, and began to speak.

“See, Allen says in his dream…”

He proceeded to elucidate the boy’s dream, ignoring the glares he received from Kanda, whom had given up and sheathed Mugen.

“So now I’d like to ask you what kind of inferences you can make.”

Kanda leaned back against the couch.

“It’s just a stupid dream. What kind of dumb inferences can you make?”

Lavi’s emerald eye flashed with amusement.

“Well, Yuu, you see, maybe Komui was trying to make a reference to music.”

Lenalee perked up at this idea.
‘If Lavi is referring to music, then maybe…’
Her eyes widened at the thought.
She could see where both Lavi and her brother were going.

“The piano here suggests something don’t you think?”

The redhead cast his gaze on the ceiling, cupping his chin thoughtfully.

“Think about it. It’s probably with reference to music.”

But Kanda was still in his raging denial, irritated.

“Baka usagi. That doesn’t prove anything. Like I said, it’s a dream.”

“Aha, that is where you are wrong Yuu. Let me explain.”

Kanda twitched, annoyed, as Lavi carelessly used his first name.

“Allen-chan, how many old men do you know?”

The white-haired boy blinked.
How many old men did he know?

“Uh… Age range?”

Lavi’s emerald eye twinkled in amusement.

“Any person you might consider elderly.”

Allen raised an eyebrow questioningly, but said nothing.

“Hm.”

He thought for a moment.

“One, I think.”

Suddenly his eyes widened in realisation.

“OH!”

The Bookman apprentice smiled.

“Understand now?”

“You mean…”

“Yep. I think the mysterious person from your dream was trying to tell you to meet whoever this old man you know is.”

Komui nodded in approval.

“Good analysis, Lavi, as expected of you, a Bookman apprentice.”

The boy smiled faintly at the compliment as Komui’s eyes cast a fleeting look at him from the corner of his eyes.

“But there is something you missed out.”

The eighteen-year-old smirked.
“I always leave the best parts for you, Komui-san. You know that.”

The redhead began to unzip his viola case.

The bespectacled man proceeded then to question Allen as Lavi had.

“Allen-kun, who is this old man you know?”

He did not hesitate to answer, and by this time, even Kanda had become engrossed in the whole transgression of the conversation.

“That would be Mr Tikano down at the music shop ‘The Devil’s Symphony’.”

Again, Komui nodded, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

“Lenalee, Allen. Would you kindly fetch your instruments?”

Allen rubbed the nape of his neck.

“Both?”

Komui nodded, smiling.

“Kanda-kun, I’d like to see your violin as well.”

Said eighteen-year-old “Che”-ed at the suffix Komui had given him, slightly irritated.

Allen and Lenalee returned with their respective instruments.

They sat around the coffee table.

“Alright. Let’s first look at Kanda-kun’s violin. Kanda-kun, if you would please read the label inside your violin?”

The samurai raised an eyebrow but went with Komui’s request nonetheless.

He swiftly unbuckled the violin from the case, and slid his fingers in between the openings, gently lifting out the delicate instrument. He set it down on his lap gingerly.

It was the darkest ebony Allen had ever seen.
Had he not seen it up close, he would have mistaken it to be a black coloured violin.

What’s more, the strings were undoubtedly pure gold.

It was probably one of the most mystical things Lenalee had ever seen in her lifetime; a violin that looked as though it had been crafted by the angels and God’s hands themselves.
And the sound was so heartbreakingly striking, beautiful. Like nothing else she had ever heard before.
It sang so painfully, as though poisoned by the devil.

But the beauty did not show only in the violin and its voice.

Lenalee had seen Kanda play many times before, sometimes having performed along with him on her cello.
The magnificent, magical way his hands wove the music was almost too perfect; everything was in perfect position, right elbow stilled, his wrist easily manoeuvring the bow over the strings.

It was the only time the samurai’s face relaxed into the tranquil melodies.

The sixteen-year-old had seen this instrument one too many times, but her mind had not been able to process its brilliance and perfect structure. She didn’t think she would in the coming future either.

But she hadn’t seen Allen’s violin.

The white-haired boy gaped in awe as Kanda peered through the sound holes, not even straining his eyes to read the label inside.

(A/N: Okay, bad time for an Author’s note, but I need to tell you guys: The labels inside their instruments are actually in Latin(or Italian, I don’t know). They can read them though. I don’t know how. They just can. xD)

“Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1706. And some other weird writing in Latin/Italian I can’t read.”

The twenty-nine year-old nodded and then asked yet another question.

“Where did you get your violin?”

Kanda stared at him incredulously.

“It was handed down from the earlier generations of my family, supposedly first bought from a famous violin maker of the North-east areas. Somewhere in Europe. That was a hundred years ago or so,” he answered, albeit monotonously.

“It’s a genuine Stradivarius violin, isn’t it? Not a copy?”

Kanda stared at him as though he were stupid.

“Considering the label, obviously it’s a genuine Strad,” he stated, emphasising on the word ‘obviously’, “And I’ve since you were the one who certified it, you should know I’ve had it checked and certified as genuine.”

Komui remained ignorant towards the samurai’s sarcasm.

“Alright. Let’s look at my precious Lenalee’s cello next.”

He turned to face his sister.

“So, what does the label say in your instrument?”

Lenalee peered into the body of her cello through the sound holes.

Lenalee’s cello was a beautiful dark colour, just like Kanda’s violin; a lovely ebony woodwork with golden strings.

It had a beautiful sound that stood in great contrast to Kanda’s violin; a low mellow sound that sent waves of peaceful tranquillity through the air, sounding like a lower-key version of a choir of angels.

“Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1718. And, like Kanda’s, there’s some weird Latin/Italian I can’t read.”

Komui smiled proudly.

“Never mind those weird writings; it’s obviously a genuine Stradivarius instrument. Origin?”

Lenalee sighed at her brother’s childish demeanour.

“Our mother and father left this behind for me. They said that their ancestors bought it from an Italian string instrument maker in Cremona.”

Allen caught Lenalee cringing from the corner of his eyes.
Komui, however, did not falter at the mention of their parents.

“And Lavi, what does your viola label say?”

The upper part of Lavi’s viola was a sweet honey maple colour that made one think of summer warmth in the sunshine. It gave off a warm fiery feeling.

The corpus of the viola was wider than that of a violin, an orange colour aflame on the wood, spread out wider from the middle.
Practically glowing, it was a sight to behold.

Lenalee was convinced that she had never heard a happier sound.

“Same as theirs. Just a different date. Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1717. Complete with weird writin’.”

“Again, a genuine Stradivarius instrument. Origin?”

Just then Kanda decided to speak up, twitching.

“Che, Komui. You biased bastard,” he muttered, irritation showing clearly on his face.

The man smiled earnestly.

“Why, thank you Kanda-kun.”

The samurai twitched irritably at the suffix given to his name.

Lavi sweat-dropped uneasily.

“Panda bought it from ‘The Devil’s Symphony’ when we first arrived in this town.”

Allen was slightly awed.
They all owned a genuine Antonio Stradivari historically famous instrument each.

Finally, the twenty-nine year-old turned to Allen, a more serious look in his eyes.
“And yours Allen?”

Said fifteen year-old bit his lip.
His master had told him not to show the violin to people.

“W-Which one?”

“Both, please. Starting with the one you borrowed from Mr Tikano’s shop.”

Allen looked over the russet coloured violin cautiously before peeking into the sound holes, spotting the same Latin writings all over the label.
It said the same thing as all the others.

“Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1720,” he recited, perfect intonation in his words.

Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes.

“It also says Chevalier. What does that mean, Komui-san?”

Komui waved it off.

“I’ll explain later.”

Silence ensued.
Then Lavi chose to break the silence.

“Whoa. 289 years-old. That’s the youngest of all the instruments here,” the redhead commented enthusiastically, appalled.
Supposedly.

Komui’s eyes shifted between the occupants of the room.

“Yes, it is, isn’t it?”

He looked at the white-haired boy over the rim of his glasses.

“You don’t happen to know its origins do you?”

“Well…” the boy began, “According to Mr Tikano, it was something his ancestors or great grandfathers made.”

He tapped a finger against his chin.

“But that would mean that Mr Tikano is a relative of the Stradivaris.”

The redhead nodded.

“A helluva distant relative.”

“Alright. What about the other violin?”

Allen scratched the back of his head.

“Master Cross told me not to show anyone…”

He looked up at Komui, looking him in the eye intensely.

“Then again, you’ve already seen it haven’t you?”

Lenalee’s eyes widened at the fifteen year-old’s words, slightly surprised he would bring it up.

Lavi sensed the sudden tense atmosphere, and sat up from his slouch.
Something was going on, but he couldn’t tell just what it was.
Whatever it was though, he figured he would know eventually.

“We’ll talk about it later,” Komui replied simply, waving it off easily a second time.

Allen nodded, and plastered a smile on his face.
But Lenalee could tell he was nervous.

Unbuckling his black violin case this time, he revealed a carefully sustained violin, covered by soft satin cloth.

-

Red eyes flickered open in the darkness, staring at nothing in particular.

The old man sat up, his grey hair turning the darkest shade of black.
And suddenly, he wasn’t old anymore.
His hands grew slender, and the lines on his weathered face dissolved, leaving a perfectly young face.

He smirked.

“They’ve finally begun. Now all I have to do is wait for them to come here…”

-

They marvelled at it, and for a long time, no one uttered a word.

Solid white, perfectly polished and sustained.
It was similar to Kanda’s, with only a slight difference in the corpus shape, barely noticeable.

Perfect craftsmanship, spotless, and perfectly tuned. The only thing left out was the gold strings. Allen’s were catgut, a special kind of catgut.

But they were pretty sure the sound it would produce would be more than godly.

And Lenalee had not even heard what it sounded like before.
She would be impressed, surprised and most certainly awed.

Allen’s talent was amplified through this pure marble white violin.

“Alright…”

Komui regained his self-possession, pushing the rimless glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

“W-What does it say on the label?”

It took Allen a minute to answer.
He was a little… overwhelmed by the response his friends had come up with when he had revealed the violin to them.

“It says: Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1714.”

“Anything else?”

Allen squinted, spotting a small scrawl of Latin words at the bottom of the label.

“I… can’t read it, but there’s a small bunch of words at the bottom in old Latin.”

Komui nodded in acknowledgement.

“Origin?”

Allen hung his head: I don’t want to talk about it.

Komui received the gesture rather awkwardly.
He scratched his cheek nervously.

“O-Okay,then.”

Komui cleared his throat.

“So… seeing as all of you can’t read the Latin inscriptions at the bottom of the labels, the only inference we can make about your instruments is that they are all Stradivarius instruments, made during Antonio Stradivari’s ‘Golden Age’.”

Again, he pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

“Tomorrow, I want all of you to meet at the café in adjacent to the Devil’s Symphony at 9am. We will have breakfast- my treat – and then head over to Mr Tikano’s shop. Clear?”

All four teenagers nodded.

“Dismissed.”

Kanda and Lavi made their way to the door.

Allen was heading off in the direction of his room when Lenalee tapped his shoulder.

“Allen-kun, could you hold on a sec?”

She turned to her brother.

“Nii-san, when dinner’s ready, I’ll ring Reever-san to inform you that it’s ready, and that he can join us for dinner.”

The older man said nothing, nodding his head with a toothy smile; he was yawning at the same time.

Lenalee smiled, then turned to Allen.

“Allen-kun, could you help me with dinner?”

The white-haired boy smiled.

“Sure.”

-

“Mmn… Smells good.”

The Australian man put a spoonful of the yellowish substance into his mouth.

“Whoa, this is good.”

Allen kept silent.
“Yes, Allen-kun made it.”

He flushed slightly at the compliment.
It had been exactly what he had hoped Lenalee wouldn’t say.

“It’s really good,” Komui agreed, eyes widening as the flavour exploded in his mouth.

“Th-Thanks.”

“Where did you learn to cook like this, Allen?”

Said boy scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.

“I don’t know… I guess I picked it up somewhere during my training. But really,” he put his hands up in front of his face, waving them crazily, “I wasn’t the one who did the real cooking! Lenalee did the better part of it!”

The ebony-haired girl smacked him sharply in the back of the head.

“Don’t deny it Allen-kun. You deserve the credit,” she retorted in a matter-of-fact voice.
The ‘unchangeable Lenalee’ tone.

Allen sighed, rubbing his now bruised head.

“You didn’t have to hit me…”

Komui shovelled another spoonful of homemade mashed potatoes into his mouth ferociously, looking rather unhappy at the affectionate gesture his sister had just carried out.

-

The next morning, Komui had been ‘too sick’ to get out of bed.

He had been half asleep, and Lenalee had insisted they leave him behind; she didn’t want him wrecking the whole apartment in a rage thinking she was going to get married.

Allen sipped at his soup silently, polite.
He had had a lot of things on his mind since last night.

The dream of the strange figure in a tuxedo he’d never seen had come back again that night, as though insisting he saw old man Tikano.

He rubbed his temples wearily.
He still had to explain the violin’s origins to Lenalee.

Flashback-

“Allen-kun,” Lenalee murmured.

Said boy looked up from the pot he was mixing the mashed potato in.

“Hm?”

“Do you mind me asking a question?”

“Not at all. Shoot.”

He flashed a brilliant smile.

“Uhm…”

The girl seemed embarrassed that he trusted her so easily.

“Tomorrow, at breakfast, I need to talk to you about a couple of things. Before anyone comes… I need to clear the air before I suffocate…”

She threw him a sideways glance.
Her amethyst eyes watched him, and he squirmed uncomfortably under the pressure of her stare.

“Do you mind?”

Allen blinked, trying to hide his discomfort.

“And you can’t tell me now because…?”

He was slightly startled as she leaned closer to him, her breath tickling his ear.

“Nii-san might hear us. And it’s quite important, so…”

Again, the boy blinked.

“O-Okay…”

Something important Lenalee wanted to talk to him about.
In private.
Something she didn’t want her brother to hear.

Allen shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the troubling thoughts.
The moment had come, so no point in dwelling on it so much.

The out of the corner of his eye, he noted the two same young ladies from the other day smiling at him. He turned to them and returned the gesture, making them flush scarlet, turning away.

Lenalee returned from the washroom and the boy’s grey eyes wandered away from her face.

“So...” she began, “Can we talk now?”

The white-haired boy shifted in his seat.

“Uhm, maybe we should order something first. Like a latte or something? This is going to be a long talk right?”

He glanced at his watch.
“That’s why we even came here two hours early, isn’t it?”

Lenalee flushed.

“O-Of course…”

Allen hid his nervousness.

“I’ll go order. Needa return this soup too anyway.”

He tucked his wallet into the back pocket of his jeans, picking up the now empty soup bowl gingerly.

“What would you like?”

“Uhm,” she pulled out her wallet, fishing out a five dollar bill, “a mocha latte, if you don’t mind.”

She pushed the bill towards him, but he pushed it back.

“I’ll pay for it.”

And he left before she could protest.

-

Allen sighed as he made his way to the counter.
Things had gotten edgy and he hadn’t been able to help changing the subject.

Sighing once more, he moved to the counter.
Mr Bentley welcomed him graciously.

“Well, if it isn’t Allen!”

“Hey Mr Bentley.”

He smiled.

“So, what can I do for the one who brought all them hordes of customers to my shop?”

The fifteen-year-old grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.

“I didn’t bring all of them here! Your good coffee did!”

The stout man laughed heartily.

“Right… Anywho, what can I get for ya?”

“Two mocha lattes if you please,” he answered, passing the older man a ten dollar bill.

Allen’s mind wandered, and his eyes grew distant.
He feared what Lenalee would ask him.

Mr Bentley sensed his unease.

“Oh yeah, speakin’ of which,” he cut in, slicing the silence in half.

“Hm?” the boy acknowledged, sounding distant.

“Your, uh, job?”

The white-haired boy’s head snapped up.

“OH YEAH. I still have one more day to pay off!”

Mr Bentley let out a hearty laugh, puzzling Allen.

“No, no, kid. I was gonna tell you, it’s been completely paid back!”

The boy blinked.

“What did you say?”

“I said, it’s all been PAID BACK. You’re free kid.”

But the white-haired boy didn’t seem to buy it.
His storm grey eyes flashed, unconvinced.

“It’s been… paid back?”

His voice shook.

“YES, it has.”

Allen rested his chin on the high counter, the glass over the mahogany surface cool and calming.

“Ahh… I’m so happy…”

His face was glowing with euphoria.

Chuckling, Mr Bentley set the two mugs of steaming mocha latte on a tray.

“There ya go.”

He noticed the light in Allen’s eyes dim at the sight of the two lattes, and disappearing into the distant reverie once more.

“Somethin’ wrong kid?”

The boy’s eyes shifted back to look at the plump man.

“Not at all.”

He turned and left.

But the humble shopkeeper sensed the lie in his voice; the tray shook slightly in his trembling hands.

-

UGH THAT WAS SO BORING. Sorry for its retarded lack in action. (:

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪
§//.Melodramatic obstinate love haunts the ensanguined hearts of the broken.The torn melodist sings his final aria of dreams.\\§

2009-04-05T15:00:00.000+08:00

The Devil’s Symphony

Disclaimer: I’m so happy D.Gray-Man is back! Unfortunately, it doesn’t belong to me. And thank goodness for that. Otherwise it would suck.

Chapter 7:

A/N: Enjoy. *raises a cup of wine to you, then sips it.*

He had never planned on it, but his body moved on his own.

After their meeting the previous afternoon, Allen had been contemplating whether or not he should bring up his dream.

Lenalee had noticed his sudden anxiety as these thoughts ran through his mind while they sat around the fireplace and watched television; he hadn’t taken a sip of his hot chocolate and had been silent throughout the whole two hours they had been seated in place, watching Mission Impossible III.
And just as she thought this, Allen spoke up.

“Komui-san,” he began, “There is something important I need to tell you.”

The older man’s eyes flickered away from the TV to catch the look on Allen’s face briefly.

“Yes, Allen?”

Lenalee watched silently, her eyes following the two men’s movements carefully.
Allen suddenly looked sheepish to have wanted to tell Komui what he had been thinking.

“I-”

He stopped short, recomposing himself.

“I had this dream…”

Lenalee withheld her shock from her expression ad sipped her hot chocolate.
She hadn’t anticipated this.
She hadn’t thought that Allen, who disclosed his dreams not even to her, would easily reveal them to her brother.

“Go on.”

Amethyst eyes followed Allen’s Adam’s apple as he gulped.

“There was a city.”

He took a breath, perspiration already forming in little droplets on his forehead.

“It was completely whitewashed. Entirely white, and empty of inhabitants.”

This time, he looked Komui in the eyes, seemingly more confident of reconciling the whole matter.

“And In the middle of this city, there was a large building. And probably the biggest building there.”

Komui raised an eyebrow questioningly.

Allen closed his eyes, his brow furrowing as he recalled the events in his dream.

“Piano. The sound of a piano being played came from the building. I went in search of the piano and its player.
“And I found him after a while. A peculiar man, dressed profoundly in a tuxedo of a style I’ve never seen before.”

He leaned back against the couch, staring at the ceiling.

“He told me that I must see ‘the old man’.”

Lenalee considered this.
What old man?

“He said that the ‘old man’ would explain. That he would teach me.”

Komui sipped his coffee.

Looking up at Allen, he asked, “And have you any idea who this ‘old man’ is?”

The boy turned, shook his head.

“Hmm.”

Then, there was silence.

-

“What the hell did we get called back here again for? You’re wasting my precious practice time!”

Kanda had the usual scowl on his face, a look of sheer irritation, as he set his violin case down.

“Oh, come on Yuu! Lighten up!”

Lavi steadied his own instrument on his lap carefully with trained hands.

“How many times have I told you not to call me that you imbecilic asshole of a rabbit?!”

Lenalee sighed, and Allen sweat-dropped.
Komui sipped his coffee.

“Well…”

Komui lowered his mug, cupping his chin thoughtfully.

“Allen-kun here had a dream.”

This the two eighteen-year-olds had not expected.
At all.

Even Lavi couldn’t hide his disbelief.

“What did you say?”

The samurai’s voice was low, dangerous, his eyes overshadowed.
Allen had to stop himself from cringing away from the murderous glare.

“I said Allen-kun here had a dream,” Komui reiterated, using the suffix Lenalee had given the white-haired boy.

Kanda was fuming now, silently, but definitely fuming.
His hand trembled, hovering lightly over the hilt of his katana.

“So let me get this straight.”

He stepped up to Komui, being about his height, and looked him straight in the eyes.

“You called us over because this stupid bean sprout had a dream?”

Komui nodded happily, not sensing the tense atmosphere in the room.

And then Kanda snapped.

“YOU’RE WASTING MY PRECIOUS PRACTICE TIME, DAMMIT!” he bellowed, and Lavi could almost imagine the steam rising from his ears.

“Well, see…”

Komui’s eyes flashed.
He was being rather patient.

“This dream he had, in my opinion, has something to do with the akuma situation.”

Allen looked up at the twenty-nine year-old in surprise.

“But there was no mention of the akuma in the dream,” he pointed out.

“No,” Komui began, “there wasn’t.”

Lenalee instantly knew what would happen next.

“But I have a hunch.”

Lenalee smacked her forehead with her palm.
Allen could do nothing but blink in speechless astonishment.
But Lavi, he was busy trying to contain his amusement. Because Kanda Yu’s face…

“You have a hunch?”

…was just too funny.

The samurai was trembling with rage.
But he didn’t snap.
Thankfully.

Or not.

Mugen was unsheathed in a flash, the tip pointing distinctly at Komui’s Adam’s apple.

“Yes, I do.”

Komui smiled again and sipped his coffee once more in spite of the circumstances.

He utterly ignored the sharp edge of the sword that was pointed at his neck, and began to speak.

“See, Allen says in his dream…”

He proceeded to elucidate the boy’s dream, ignoring the glares he received from Kanda, whom had given up and sheathed Mugen.

“So now I’d like to ask you what kind of inferences you can make.”

Kanda leaned back against the couch.

“It’s just a stupid dream. What kind of dumb inferences can you make?”

Lavi’s emerald eye flashed with amusement.

“Well, Yuu, you see, maybe Komui was trying to make a reference to music.”

Lenalee perked up at this idea.
‘If Lavi is referring to music, then maybe…’
Her eyes widened at the thought.
She could see where both Lavi and her brother were going.

“The piano here suggests something don’t you think?”

The redhead cast his gaze on the ceiling, cupping his chin thoughtfully.

“Think about it. It’s probably with reference to music.”

But Kanda was still in his raging denial, irritated.

“Baka usagi. That doesn’t prove anything. Like I said, it’s a dream.”

“Aha, that is where you are wrong Yuu. Let me explain.”

Kanda twitched, annoyed, as Lavi carelessly used his first name.

“Allen-chan, how many old men do you know?”

The white-haired boy blinked.
How many old men did he know?

“Uh… Age range?”

Lavi’s emerald eye twinkled in amusement.

“Any person you might consider elderly.”

Allen raised an eyebrow questioningly, but said nothing.

“Hm.”

He thought for a moment.

“One, I think.”

Suddenly his eyes widened in realisation.

“OH!”

The Bookman apprentice smiled.

“Understand now?”

“You mean…”

“Yep. I think the mysterious person from your dream was trying to tell you to meet whoever this old man you know is.”

Komui nodded in approval.

“Good analysis, Lavi, as expected of you, a Bookman apprentice.”

The boy smiled faintly at the compliment as Komui’s eyes cast a fleeting look at him from the corner of his eyes.

“But there is something you missed out.”

The eighteen-year-old smirked.
“I always leave the best parts for you. You know that.”

The redhead began to unzip his viola case.

The bespectacled man proceeded then to question Allen as Lavi had.

“Allen-kun, who is this old man you know?”

He did not hesitate to answer, and by this time, even Kanda had become engrossed in the whole transgression of the conversation.

“That would be Mr Tikano down at the music shop ‘The Devil’s Symphony’.”

Again, Komui nodded, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

“Lenalee, Allen. Would you kindly fetch your instruments?”

“Kanda-kun, I’d like to see your violin as well.”

Said eighteen-year-old “Che”-ed at the suffix Komui had given him, slightly irritated.

Allen and Lenalee returned with their respective instruments.

They sat around the coffee table.

“Alright. Let’s first look at Kanda-kun’s violin. Kanda-kun, if you would please read the label inside your violin?”

The samurai raised an eyebrow but went with Komui’s request nonetheless.

He swiftly unbuckled the violin from the case, and slid his fingers in between the openings, gently lifting out the delicate instrument. He set it down on his lap gingerly.

It was the darkest ebony Allen had ever seen.
Had he not seen it up close, he would have mistaken it to be a black coloured violin.

What’s more, the strings were undoubtedly pure gold.

It was probably one of the most mystical things Lenalee had ever seen in her lifetime.
A violin that looked as though it had been crafted by the angels and God’s hands themselves.
And the sound was so heartbreakingly striking, beautiful. Like nothing else she had ever heard before.
It sang so painfully, as though poisoned by the devil.

But the beauty did not show only in the violin and its voice.

Lenalee had seen Kanda play many times before, sometimes having performed along with him on her cello.
The magnificent, magical way his hands wove the music was almost too perfect; everything was in perfect position, right elbow stilled, wrist easily manoeuvring the bow over the strings.

The sixteen-year-old had seen this instrument one too many times, but her mind had not been able to process its brilliance and perfect structure. She didn’t think she would in the coming future either.

But she hadn’t seen Allen’s violin.

The white-haired boy gaped in awe as Kanda peered through the sound holes, straining his eyes to read the label inside.

(A/N: Okay, bad time for an Author’s note, but I need to tell you guys: The labels inside their instruments are actually in Latin(or Italian, I don’t know). They can read them though. I don’t know how. They just can. xD)

“Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1706.”

The twenty-nine year-old nodded and then asked yet another question.

“Where did you get your violin?”

“It was handed down from the earlier generations of my family, supposedly first bought from a famous violin maker of the North-east areas. Somewhere in Europe. That was a hundred years ago or so.”

“It’s a genuine Stradivarius violin, isn’t it? Not a copy?”

Kanda stared at him as though he were stupid.

“Considering the label, obviously it’s a genuine Strad,” he stated, emphasising on the word ‘obviously’.

Komui remained ignorant towards the samurai’s sarcasm.

“Alright. Let’s look at my precious Lenalee’s cello next.”

He turned to face his sister.

“So, what does the label say in your instrument?”

Lenalee peered into the body of her cello through the sound holes.

Lenalee’s cello was a beautiful dark colour, just like Kanda’s violin.
A lovely ebony woodwork with golden strings.

It had a beautiful sound that stood in great contrast to Kanda’s violin.
It produced a low mellow sound that sent waves of peaceful tranquillity through the air, sounding like a lower-key version of a choir of angels.

“Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1718.”

Komui smiled proudly.

“Obviously a genuine Stradivarius instrument. Origin?”

Lenalee sighed at her brother’s childish demeanour.

“Our mother and father left this behind for me. They said that their ancestors bought it from an Italian string instrument maker in Cremona.”

Allen caught Lenalee cringing from the corner of his eyes.
Komui did not falter at the mention of their parents.

“And Lavi, what does your viola label say?”

Lavi’s viola was a sweet honey maple colour that made one think of summer warmth in the sunshine. It gave off a warm fiery feeling.

The corpus of the viola was wider than that of a violin, an orange colour aflame on the wood, spread out wider.
Practically glowing, it was a sight to behold.

Lenalee was convinced that she had never heard a happier sound.

“Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1717.”

“Again, a genuine Stradivarius instrument. Origin?”

Just then Kanda decided to speak up.

“Che, Komui. You biased bastard,” he muttered, irritation showing clearly on his face.

The man smiled earnestly.

“Why, thank you Kanda-kun.”

The samurai twitched irritably at the suffix given to his name.

Lavi sweat-dropped uneasily.

“Panda bought it from ‘The Devil’s Symphony’ when we first arrived in this town.”

Allen was slightly awed.
They all owned one of Antonio Stradivari’s historically famous instruments each.

Finally, twenty-nine year-old turned to Allen, a more serious look in his eyes.
“And yours Allen?”

Said fifteen year-old bit his lip.
His master had told him not to show the violin to people.

“W-Which one?”

“Both, please. Starting with the one you borrowed from Mr Tikano’s shop.”

Allen looked over the russet coloured violin cautiously before peeking into the sound holes, spotting the same Latin writings all over the label.
It said the same thing as all the others.

“Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1720,” he recited, perfect intonation in his words.

“Whoa. 289 years-old. That’s the youngest of all the instruments here,” the redhead commented enthusiastically, appalled.

Komui’s eyes shifted between the occupants of the room.

“Yes, it is, isn’t it?”

He looked at the white-haired boy over the rim of his glasses.

“You don’t happen to know its origins do you?”

“Well…” the boy began, “According to Mr Tikano, it was something his ancestors or great grandfathers made.”

He tapped a finger against his chin.

“But that would mean that Mr Tikano is a relative of the Stradivaris.”

The redhead nodded.

“A helluva distant relative.”

“Alright. What about the other violin?”

Allen scratched the back of his head.

“Master Cross told me not to show anyone…”

He looked up at Komui, looking him in the eye intensely.

“Then again, you’ve already seen it haven’t you?”

Lenalee’s eyes widened at the fifteen year-old’s words, slightly surprised he would bring it up.

Lavi sensed the sudden tense atmosphere, and sat up from his slouch.
Something was going on, but he couldn’t tell just what it was.

“We’ll talk about it later,” Komui replied simply, waving it off easily.

Allen nodded, and plastered a smile on his face.
But Lenalee could tell he was nervous.

Unbuckling his black violin case this time, he revealed a carefully sustained violin, covered by soft satin cloth.

Kanda- obscur ailé chevalier(black winged knight)
Lenalee- crépuscule colombe(twilight dove)
Lavi- minuit soleil(midnight sun)
Allen- Lucinia Soir Ciel (nightingale of the evening heaven)

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪
§//.Melodramatic obstinate love haunts the ensanguined hearts of the broken.The torn melodist sings his final aria of dreams.\\§

2009-03-15T19:11:00.001+08:00

The Devil’s Symphony

Disclaimer: I don’t own D. Gray-Man. But I’m happy Hoshino Katsura-san is coming back in April! And that the English D.Gray-Man will be out then as well. (:

Chapter 6: Rhythm

A/N: Enjoy. (:

The ebony haired girl sighed in the darkness.
This was getting downright irritating.

She tossed and turned under the covers, struggling to find a comfortable position.

It had been a week since the incident in the tunnel.
And Lenalee had been exhausted entirely.

She gazed at the instrument case in the corner.
Each time she played her cello, those akuma things popped up out of no-where.
It was as if they were stalking her.

She wandered briefly if Allen were experiencing the same thing; everyday, after he got back from his part-time job at the café adjacent to the apartment, he seemed tired and worn out, and was so tired he was asleep the moment he landed himself of the sofa. He always missed dinner.

And what’s worse, the boy was screaming more every night. And the blood loss always came with it.
Lenalee had had to wake him up several times during the week to get him to calm down, and she had stopped using earplugs every night just in case. She always had a towel ready too.

“I’m so sorry, Lenalee… This is stupid…” he’d said last night, holding the towel him to his bleeding eye sockets.
And she’d heard him mutter something like “worthless, pathetic and weak” under his breath.

She’d advised him to see a doctor about the screaming, bleeding and nightmares, but he’d blatantly refused, saying he had no money for it nor would he borrow any from her.

He had obviously hinted at his lack in finance, and had stressed again his need for the money he earned at the café and she knew he didn’t mean to offend her. He just didn’t want any debts.

But there was of course his pride to consider, and besides, he couldn’t afford to borrow money from anyone at current.

Huh.

Friends were supposed to help each other right?
Why didn’t he let her help him with this?

Lenalee could tell Allen was falling sick.
Before anything bad happened, he should go to the doctor.

And he would tomorrow.
He had a day off.

She would drag him to the clinic if the need arose, she decided.

A loud coughing noise erupted from outside. A scream echoed throughout the house.
Lenalee pulled the covers over her face.
She wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight either…
But suddenly, as if to counter her thoughts, the screaming stopped abruptly, just as she had pulled the covers off her legs.

Lenalee, shocked, scrambled off her bed and rushed to the living room. She thought she had heard another softer sound, something she couldn’t quite place. Allen couldn’t have simply stopped for no apparent reason either after all.

-

He tried, but failed to comprehend miserably.

He couldn’t see.
Couldn’t hear.
Couldn’t make a sound.
Couldn’t feel.

It was too bright.
What was going on?

There wasn’t even pain in the sudden quiet calm.

He remembered his dream.

He had been walking in pitch black darkness before a hideous creature had stood in his path, appearing out of no-where.
It had screamed at him.
Or at least its soul had.
“Help me! Help me!” it shrieked.

The silence had screamed in his ears, and he could feel them bleeding.

His head had felt like it was on the verge of splitting open when the nightmare stopped.
Just like that.

The boy had no idea what had happened.

Suddenly, the sight of red behind his eyelids faded, replaced with a shadow.

He opened his eyes to a world of polished white buildings.

And in the distance, at the capital of what looked like a city, he heard the sound of a piano.

-

“Allen-kun, Allen-kun, are you alright?” Lenalee whispered.

She shook his shoulders lightly, tapping him on the arm.

His face was peaceful and tranquil and he looked like he was among the dead, resting in the depths of heaven somewhere.
This was what worried the ebony-haired girl.

She had heard of people dying in their sleep.
She sincerely prayed, begged, pleaded, that this was not one of those times.

-

“Allen-kun, Allen-kun, are you alright?”

He could hear Lenalee’s voice from behind him, feeling a light tap on his arm, and spun around.
But there wasn’t anyone there.

He smiled at her worrisome tone nonetheless.

“Yes, I am, just wait for me,” he whispered.

He faced round to the direction of the sound, his heart set to find the source of the beautiful music.

-

She could have sworn she’d heard him whisper.
She could have sworn she’d heard him say he was alright. And to wait for him.

She would always trust her friends.

Lenalee grasped Allen’s gloved left hand.

She didn’t understand why he even wore gloves to sleep.

She pulled off the worn white gloves and held his hand in her own, facing the palm to her cheek.

She could hear his shallow breathing, see his chest rise and fall in a regular rhythm, feel the pulse in his wrist.
The sixteen year-old grasped the boy’s hand tighter, praying silently.

“Please be okay…”

And she kissed the glowing green cross embedded into the back of his hand tenderly.

-

Allen opened door after door in the strange building.
The music had no source, and it felt as though the piano sounds echoed through the walls themselves. It had no origin.

Then a door appeared before him, obstructing his train of thought.

Allen was surprised and astounded. How could a door appear out of thin air?

He shrugged and entered, regardless.

The song had finished as his eyes wandered around the room, staring at the gigantic white piano with its black and white keys.
The colours were inverted.

At the chair sat a man in a long coat, the tails of his spotless white tuxedo touching the floor.

Allen approached the suspicious looking stranger cautiously.

“The old man.”

The white-haired boy blinked.
Had this peculiarly dressed stranger just addressed him?

“You must see the old man.”

The stranger turned to him.
Allen saw that he had no face.
It was inhuman, a huge, unrealistic grin spread across his face, and eyes that were hollow.
Someone could get lost in there if they stared for too long.

“The old man will explain,” he said, turning to the piano once more as his gloved fingers fluttered over the strange keys, lightly touching them.

“He will teach you.”

That said, the stranger vanished with a last glance.

It was two whole seconds before Allen reacted, confusion having stifled his reaction.

“W-Wait! What do you mean? What old man?”

But his questions were not to be answered.

-

Allen’s grey eyes opened slowly.

He could see the traces of light orange outside beyond the glass window at the far end of the room.

His hand was warm, and there was a blanket draped over his lower half, past the leg that hung off the arm of the sofa.

He turned slowly to face Lenalee, his neck stiff, the wounds on his shoulders, arms and back stinging.

She was holding his hand tightly in her own, leaning against the couch asleep.
He could smell the shampoo she used on her hair…

He shifted tiredly, his hand still in Lenalee’s embrace and came instead to sit down next to her in a more comfortable position.

He stared at the ceiling, leaning his head back against the sofa.

-

“Have a nice day!”

Allen waved as two young ladies sauntered out the door, smiling shyly at him.

Too bad the poor boy was too dense to realise this.

He exhaled, tired.
He’d been playing for two hours straight at least.

He glanced towards the corner where Lenalee and Komui sat, sipping coffee quietly.
They seemed to be deep in conversation.

“Boy, it’s time for your break.”

Mr Bentley handed Allen a cup of coffee, and Allen sipped it gratefully.

“Thanks.”

He set the borrowed violin down on the table carefully and continued to gaze at the siblings talking in the corner.

-

“But Lenalee, you were sleeping with him, my dear, dear Lenalee!” wailed Komui.

Some of the other customers turned in their seats to stare with goggled eyes.
Lenalee squirmed uncomfortably in her seat, embarrassed.

“Nii-san! Keep it down!” she whispered.

She looked down at her steaming cup of coffee.

“And I’ve told you already. That was because he was screaming again!” she whispered furiously.

She drew her fingers together, staring at them intently.

“Besides, it was on the floor by the couch not on the couch,” she mumbled.

And her brother’s paranoia was not the only thing fuelling her irritation.
Allen had decided against his day off and insisted he go to work at the café. What’s more, he had made Mr Bentley promise to let him work his butt off without days off.
How was she going to drag him to the doctor now?
It was so frustrating, especially since he had looked so terribly against going to the doctor.
Was he hiding something from her?

She grasped the handle of the mug irritably and raised it to her lips, letting the steam warm her cheeks, calming her.

She had more important things to think about right now.

“Anyway, Nii-san, there are more important things I need to discuss with you.”

Her brother raised his own mug, sipping from it slowly.

“I know,” he said, his voice sober, “Allen Walker. He bears an uncanny resemblance to that boy from six years ago.”

Lenalee nodded anxiously.

“Do you think it’s him?”

Komui sipped his coffee leisurely once more.

“It is.”

Lenalee was shocked at this statement. Astonishment was clear in her expression.
Her brother sounded so sure.

“How do you know? How can you tell for sure?”

Her brother did not hesitate in his answer and spoke the moment the words were all out of her mouth.

“The violin, the scar, the pentacle. Doesn’t it make sense?”

The girl didn’t know to be happy, sad, disappointed or angry.
Happy that it was the boy and that he had lived in spite of Cross Marian’s perilous treatment.
Sad that the boy had suffered all those years ago.
Disappointed that he didn’t recognise her.
Angry that he hadn’t acknowledged knowing her.

“But still, Nii-san. You can’t be sure.”

Komui blinked and started rummaging through his coat pockets.

“Where did I put it…?”

“Put what, Nii-san?” Lenalee queried, the worry in her voice evident.

“Ah, here it is.”

Komui pulled a rather fat brown envelope from his right front pocket.

Lenalee barely managed the catch the words scrawled on the front.

Komui Lee.
Her brother fished out the weathered piece of parchment from within the large envelope.

“Komui,

I’m sending you my idiot apprentice. He should prove useful.
Tim will be the proof.

Here’s a picture.

Cross.”

The ebony-haired girl blinked several times.

“Oh.”

Komui continued to pull documents out of the envelope, first the same hand drawn picture used for the debt transference, then other documents such as certificates as evidence of his experience in concerts and competitions.

Lenalee stared at the wide variety of certificates, varying in both country and type.
There was a baroque music competition in Italy, a classical music concert in London… The list went on.

And none of the certificates was one for neither bronze nor constellation.
All were Gold and Silver.

The certificates were signed by the guests of honour, and some of the names were those of famous musicians Lenalee recognized.

“Whoa…”

Komui nodded.

“Yup. Whoa.”

“How could someone win this many competitions with either first or second place?”

The ebony-haired girl’s gaze wandered over the various certificates.
Her eyes scanned each signature, making sure they were all genuine.

And on each and every certificate, there remained a constant factor.

His name.

Allen Walker.
…
Allen Walker.
…
Allen Walker…

The name continued to appear on each and every certificate.

After a while, Komui began packing away the certificates and documents.

“So you knew he was coming?”

“Not exactly…”

Lenalee raised an eyebrow.

“I just found this letter on my table yesterday. Reever said he found it amongst the several unsigned documents in my office.”

Lenalee’s eyebrow twitched.

“Oh.”

“We still need to audition him.”

“Mmhmn.”

“Bring him round to the faculty tomorrow. The entrance exams this year come in five days.”

Suddenly Komui seemed to remember something important.

“That reminds me! How has your cello practice been coming along?”

Lenalee groaned.
She had hoped her brother wouldn’t remember.

Now there would be even more practising to do.

-

“Thanks a lot Mr Bentley! I’ll be sure to come the day after tomorrow!”

Allen heaved a sigh of relief.
Mr Bentley had agreed to give him a day off.
Besides, he only had one day left to repay Mr Bentley.

The customers had come in fast and business booming.
The profits collected had rocketed to the skies.

Now only one day of this job till he was done with the debt.

He stepped into an alley, a short cut to the riverside.
Maybe they wouldn’t seek him out here…

“Allen-kun!”

Lenalee’s voice called him out of his thoughts.
He slowed to a slow stroll, waiting for the sixteen year-old girl to catch up.
She ran up to him, out of breath.

“You needn’t have run you know, Lenalee.”
He smiled at her.

“Yeah, well… I need to tell you something important. And besides, we’re heading in the same direction. I don’t usually see you or go back to the apartment with you, and you always fall asleep the moment you touch the couch!”

Allen couldn’t understand how, between pants, Lenalee had been able to say that mouthful of words in one breath.

Just as he was about to ask what it was she had so urgently needed to tell him, she spoke again, suddenly changing the topic.

“Why are you so tired everyday anyway?”

Allen was about to answer when he remembered the real reason why he was so tired everyday.
He decided he should inform Lenalee. Those things might have been stalking her just the same.
She had been involved in the fight the other time as well, hadn’t she?

“Well, you see…”

Speak of the devil.

The fifteen year-old boy felt a pulse in his left shoulder and his eye throbbed.
Then it activated, his silver irises changing to the colour of blood and darkness as one.

“Lenalee!

The white haired boy jumped out of the way, pulling Lenalee away by the shoulders.
She gasped at the sudden movement.

“The akuma!” she gasped.

Allen stared at her, as they waited for the dust to clear.

“Have these things been chasing you down everyday too?”

Still staring into the dust cloud, Lenalee nodded determinedly.

“And every single time, my shoes evolve into these strange boots and I can fly, just like the other time. And if I want to escape, I have to destroy all those creatures.”

“Yeah, it’s the same here.”

Now she turned to look at Allen.

“Allen-kun, what’s up with your eye? It’s bleeding again.”

Allen looked at her, astonished.

“O-Oh, it’s nothing.”
He looked straight ahead.

“It’s always like that when this happens. When the akuma appear.”

“But-”

Their conversation was cut off.

Another explosion resounded in the darkness of the alley as finally, the dust clouds settled.

Everything was silent.

Lenalee heard Allen whisper her name, and she strained her ears to listen.

“When you hear my signal, jump straight up.”

She nodded slowly, careful not to make any small sudden movements.

The silence screamed in his ears, and he looked as if he would just about go insane.
But Lenalee did not hear it. She couldn’t.

His eye pulsed, the scar distorted, burning into his skin.
He felt the killing intent tear through his shoulder.

Then he saw it.

“NOW!”

Lenalee leapt up in one swift movement as the large metallic arm tore through his flesh, blood splashing over his face.

In a split second, Lenalee was back down slamming down hard on the large metal monster and it let out another blood curdling scream, nearly capable of splitting Allen’s head in two.

But there was no time for pain.
The white-haired boy sensed another movement from behind, just ducking as a torpedo-sized bullet flew through the air right where his head had been.

Lenalee let out a frightened gasp from high up above as Allen felt a second bullet puncturing his shoulder, the third landing in his left shin; he hadn’t been fast enough.

He glanced up at Lenalee. This had happened before, many times in the past two weeks.

But she didn’t know what would happen next and abandoned her fight, reaching for Allen, just as his skin went ash grey and star pentacles printed themselves on his skin. He stilled.

The akuma seized the opportunity easily, recovering from the girl’s first attack, raining bullets in her direction in turn.

“Lenalee! Behind you!”

She let out a frightened gasp as the missile flew in her direction.
She could not react.

Allen was behind her in an instant and there was the sound of metal against metal as the akuma bullets ricocheted off the monstrous silver-plated left arm.

“Thanks,” she gasped, out of breath, “Are you alright?”

“No problem, and,” he turned to face her, smile carved into his pained expression, “I’m fine.”

Then the shadow disappeared.

And Lenalee couldn’t help but feel disgusted, upset, with that out-of-place smile.
Such gestures of happiness did not belong on pain-stricken faces.

-

“Ow!” the white haired boy flinched as the cold wet cotton was touched to his skin, “That hurts you know!”

“Just hold still.”

She pressed it to his raw flesh again.

“Ow!”

Allen continued his rally of little starts from the immense stinging the antiseptic liquid inflicted on his skin as Lenalee dabbed his several wounds with the little cotton balls.

There were several puncture wounds on his skin, though seemingly, none of his vital organs had been affected.
The whole of his back was covered in burn marks which were not so serious, much to the girl’s relief, and there were several spots that had begun scabbing over.

There were even some large scrapes along his shins, but she’d have to go out for more bandages for those either.

Then her gaze wandered over the recent puncture wound from the Akuma attack earlier.
She observed it, the world stilling around her, as Allen continued to start slightly each time she dabbed at it with the antiseptic-soaked cotton ball.
Comparing it to the other wounds, she could tell that they had been badly dressed. If Allen had even bothered to dress his wounds at all.

Lenalee was astonished, and her eyebrows slanted downwards, confused.

“How did you manage to hide all these wounds from me, let alone bear them? Did you even bandage them at all?”

Allen snorted.

“Yes, I did. I shall have you know that I learned some First Aid while I was the ward of my incompetent master.”

The ebony-haired girl could not help but laugh at this statement.

There was an unexpected knock on the door and before Lenalee could answer Lavi sauntered into the room, Kanda following suit, a scowl on his face. As usual.

“Lavi? Kanda? What are you doing here?” Lenalee asked, puzzled.

Allen’s face, too, was a picture of surprise.

Lavi cocked his head to the side, arms folded behind his head.
“Komui told us to gather here. And what are you doing here?”

He nodded towards Allen, who was still seated unmoving on the green couch in the corner.

But before the white-haired boy could answer, Lenalee spoke on his behalf.

“He happens to live here at the moment.”

“Then what is he doing without his shirt on? What’s more,” he raised an eyebrow, “what are you doing with him without his shirt on? What will Komui think?”
Lenalee flushed a dark scarlet.
Allen continued to stare in bewilderment at the situation unfolding before him.

Kanda’s scowl grew fierce.
He hated people who stated the obvious.

“Rabbit idiot, can’t you see she’s dressing his wounds? Che. You really are an idiot,” he spat.

“Aww, Yuu’s so mean. I was just trying to point out that Komui might get the wrong idea!” the redhead whined, feigning hurt, “And what do you care anyway Yuu? Defending him, eh? Ohoho.”

“Don’t call me by my first name dammit! Or I’ll slice you to ribbons!”

He held up his katana, Mugen, to the redhead’s throat menacingly.
Lavi put his hands up in front of him nervously.

“And I wasn’t defending him! I just hate people who state the obvious. Idiots like you.”

Lenalee sighed.

“Those two still bicker like an old couple…”

She turned to the white-haired boy.

“Allen-kun, just wait a sec. I’ll go make us some tea and come back to finish bandaging your wounds. Air them a bit. I’m already done with applying the antiseptic. So just wait a bit okay?”

He smiled and the 16-year-old’s heart skipped a beat.

“Okay.”

-

Allen stared at the 29-year-old man in front of them, sipping coffee from the previously repaired pink bunny mug.

And then there was the tired-looking man in a lab coat who sat beside him, furiously scribbling notes as Komui began to speak.

“Well, from what I have gathered from my sweet Lenalee’s daily report, she has encountered the creatures unconsciously proclaimed by Allen,” he nodded to said fifteen-year-old, “to be ‘akuma’, daily since the train incident.”
The man pushed his half-moon glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

“I have gathered you all here today because you were all involved in the train incident with my Lenalee.”

The four teenagers nodded.

“So, my first question to you all: Have you encountered any of these ‘akuma’ anytime during the time between after the train incident and today?”

Komui stared them down, looking just over the top of his rimless glasses.

“Allen?”

“I have.”

“How often?”

Allen bit his lip.

“Everyday. After work.”

“How many at once?”

“At least four or five.”

He saw Lenalee’s eyes widen and turn to look at him in disbelief from his peripherals.

Komui nodded, acknowledging his newly acquired information.

“Lavi?”

“Similar to the bean sprout; everyday at around sunset when I go out to buy dinner for me and gramps. Around three at once, mostly.”

“Kanda?”

The samurai’s deep blue eyes flashed.
“The same as the stupid rabbit.”

“Lenalee?”

“Three to four a day, everyday.”

The raven haired man nodded.

“So the average is about three or four a day.”

He turned to face the brown haired man sitting next to him.

“Did you jot all of that down, Section Chief Reever?”

The Australian nodded.

“Thank you.”

Komui sipped his coffee once more.

“Alright. You may leave. If you see anything similar to these akuma, do inform my Lenalee. It’s very important.”

Lavi and Kanda nodded, stood up.

“Bye Lena-chan, Moyashi.”

“My name is Allen,” the boy muttered.

The redhead only smiled and made for the door.

“Oh wait, one last thing.”

They turned around to face the schizophrenic supervisor.

“The music faculty entrance exams are next week. Make sure you work hard. The judges will be tough this year.”

Lavi’s eyes goggled. However, the samurai simply scowled.

“And, there will be good competition this year.”

He eyed Allen from the corner of his eyes.

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪
§//.Melodramatic obstinate love haunts the ensanguined hearts of the broken.The torn melodist sings his final aria of dreams.\\§

as these endless thoughts drip from my soul;

2009-03-15T17:51:00.002+08:00

okayyy.
So it's been a while.
I'm working on the chapter.
And it's moving so slowwwwwww I don't feel it's moving at all.
D:
I'll try my best to get it done soon.
It's currently the holidays on my side of the world, so maybe I can finish.
But for now, don't be too eager with my chapters. They'll be late.

That is all. (:

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪ hands sealed with a kiss; ♪

it just takes some time;

2009-03-01T22:07:00.002+08:00

I'm here for another chapter post!
The chapter doesn't even touch 3000 words this time, and I'm unsatisfied with it just as much as you are.
So, I apologize, and I promise.
The next chapter will be better.

-

The silence screamed in his ears, and he looked as if he would just about go insane.
But Lenalee did not hear it. She couldn’t.

His eye pulsed, the scar distorted, burning into his skin.
He felt the killing intent tear through his shoulder.

Then he saw it.

“NOW!”

Lenalee leapt up in one swift movement as the large metallic arm tore through his flesh, blood splashing over his face.

In a split second, Lenalee was back down slamming down hard on the large metal monster and it let out another blood curdling scream, nearly capable of splitting Allen’s head in two.

But there was no time for pain.
The white-haired boy sensed another movement from behind, just ducking as a torpedo-sized bullet flew through the air right where his head had been.

Lenalee let out a frightened gasp from high up above as Allen felt a second bullet puncturing his shoulder, the third landing in his left shin.

He glanced up at Lenalee. This had happened before, many times in the past two weeks.

But she didn’t know what would happen next and abandoned her fight, reaching for Allen.

The akuma seized the opportunity easily, recovering from the girl’s first attack, raining bullets in her direction in turn.

“Lenalee! Behind you!”

She turned just in time to see Allen shield her, taking multiple shots of the poisonous bullet for her, blood spewing from his mouth.

-

I know this is a lame excuse for a chapter, but I’ve been VERY busy lately, and I really don’t have time to write much. Plus I have a collab fic to write, so I’ll be on hiatus for a while.
Maybe come back next week. Or the March Holidays or something.

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪
§//.Melodramatic obstinate love haunts the ensanguined hearts of the broken.The torn melodist sings his final aria of dreams.\\§

silent angel.

2009-02-27T19:55:00.000+08:00

Ideas, ideas. (:

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪
§//.Melodramatic obstinate love haunts the ensanguined hearts of the broken.The torn melodist sings his final aria of dreams.\\§

2009-02-27T15:09:00.000+08:00

Yay~ Exams are OVER.
And I don't have tuition tomorrow, so I might get down to some writing. (:
But for now, I have to do homework.
Ah, I've been so busy these days I couldn't even write letters to my friend.
SO I think I shall do that first.
(:

And down at school, my life is slowly repairing itself.
But this slow is terribly, terribly slowwww.
Hahaha.
Well, whichever.
I'll get through it. I think. xD

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪
§//.Melodramatic obstinate love haunts the ensanguined hearts of the broken.The torn melodist sings his final aria of dreams.\\§

collaboration~

2009-02-25T16:13:00.001+08:00

heyy there guys~ (:
I'm doing a collab fic with Adorina-chan!
(:
Maybe I'll post it here.
As in, the drafts. (:

So stay tuned~

P.S. Most of the ideas are Adorina's, and I contributed a little. I'm doing the writing~ With help from her of course~

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪
§//.Melodramatic obstinate love haunts the ensanguined hearts of the broken.The torn melodist sings his final aria of dreams.\\§

editing~ busy; busy bee~

2009-02-22T14:42:00.001+08:00

Heyy guys~!
Sorry, sorry, but I might not update for some time. Eheheh..
Quite busy. :\
Violin, Chinese, editing.
Yeahh, I need a LOT of editing.
I messed up the timeline terribly.
And that means I messed up the descriptions too. xD
So, don't expect anything too soon.
(:
Have a good week!

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪
§//.Melodramatic obstinate love haunts the ensanguined hearts of the broken.The torn melodist sings his final aria of dreams.\\§

valentine's day treat.

2009-02-16T21:16:00.000+08:00

2009-02-10T20:36:00.002+08:00

The Devil’s Symphony

Disclaimer: I don’t own D. Gray-Man. But I’m happy Hoshino Katsura-san is coming back in April!

Chapter 6: Rhythm

A/N: Enjoy. (:

The ebony haired girl sighed in the darkness.
This was getting downright irritating.

She tossed and turned under the covers, struggling to find a comfortable position.

It had been a week since the incident in the tunnel.
And Lenalee had been exhausted entirely.

She gazed at the instrument case in the corner.
Each time she played her cello, those akuma things popped up out of no-where.
It was as if they were stalking her.

She briefly wandered if Allen were experiencing the same thing; everyday, after he got back from his part-time job at the café adjacent to the apartment, he seemed tired and worn out, and was so tired he was asleep the moment he landed himself of the sofa. He always missed dinner.

And what’s worse, the boy was screaming more every night. And the blood loss always came with it.
Lenalee had had to wake him up several times during the week to get him to calm down, and she had stopped using earplugs every night just in case. She always had a towel ready too.

“I’m so sorry, Lenalee… This is stupid…” he’d said last night, holding the towel him to his bleeding eye sockets.
And she’d heard him mutter something like “worthless, pathetic and weak” under his breath.

She’d advised him to see a doctor about the screaming, bleeding and nightmares, but he’d blatantly refused, saying he had no money for it nor would he borrow any from her.

He had obviously hinted at his lack in finance, and had stressed again his need for the money he earned at the café; but she knew he didn’t want any debts.

But there was of course his pride to consider, and besides, he couldn’t afford to borrow money from anyone at current.

Huh.

Friends were supposed to help each other right?
Why didn’t he let her help him with this?

Lenalee could tell Allen was falling sick.
Before anything bad happened, he should go to the doctor.

And he would tomorrow.

She would drag him there if the need arose, she decided.

And that would be tomorrow, she would soon discover.

A loud coughing noise erupted from outside. A scream echoed throughout the house.
Lenalee pulled the covers over her face.
She wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight either…
But suddenly, as if to counter her thoughts, the screaming stopped abruptly, just as she had pulled the covers off her legs.

Lenalee, shocked, scrambled off her bed and rushed to the living room. She thought she had heard another softer sound, something she couldn’t quite place. Allen couldn’t have simply stopped for no apparent reason either after all.

-

He tried, but failed to comprehend miserably.

He couldn’t see.
Couldn’t hear.
Couldn’t make a sound.
Couldn’t feel.

It was too bright.
What was going on?

There wasn’t even pain in the sudden quiet calm.

He remembered his dream.

He had been walking in pitch black darkness before a hideous creature had stood in his path, appearing out of no-where.
It had screamed at him.
Or at least its soul had.
“Help me! Help me!” it shrieked.

The silence had screamed in his ears, and he could feel them bleeding.

His head had almost been split open when the nightmare just stopped.
Just like that.

The boy had no idea what had happened.

Suddenly, the sight of red behind his eyelids faded, replaced with a shadow.

He opened his eyes to a world of polished white buildings.

And in the distance, at the capital of what looked like a city, he heard the faint sound of a piano.

-

“Allen-kun, Allen-kun, are you alright?” Lenalee whispered.

She shook his shoulders lightly, tapping him on the arm.

His face was peaceful and tranquil and he looked like he was among the dead, resting in the depths of heaven somewhere.
This is what worried the ebony-haired girl.

She had heard of people dying in their sleep.
She sincerely prayed, begged, pleaded, that this was not one of those times.

-

He could hear Lenalee’s voice from behind him and spun around.

“Allen-kun, Allen-kun, are you alright?”

He smiled at her worrisome tone.

“Yes, I am, just wait for me,” he whispered.

He faced round to the direction of the sound, his heart set to find the source of the beautiful music.

-

She could have sworn she’d heard him whisper.
She could have sworn she’d heard him say he was alright. And to wait for him.

She would always trust her friends.

Lenalee grasped Allen’s gloved left hand.

She pulled off the worn white gloves and held his hand in her own, facing the palm to her cheek.

She could hear his shallow breathing and feel the pulse in his wrist.
The sixteen year-old grasped the boy’s hand tighter, praying silently.

“Please be okay…”

And she kissed the glowing green cross embedded into the back of his hand tenderly.

-

Allen opened door after door in the strange building.
The music had no source, and it felt as though the piano sounds echoed through the walls themselves. It had no origin.

Then a door appeared before him, obstructing his train of thought.

Allen was surprised and astounded. How could a door appear out of thin air?

He shrugged and entered, regardless.

The song had finished as his eyes wandered around the room, staring at the gigantic white piano with its black and white keys.
The colours were inverted.

At the chair sat a man in a long coat, the tails touching the floor.

Allen approached the suspicious looking stranger cautiously.

“The old man.”

The white-haired boy blinked.

“You must see the old man.”

The stranger turned to him.
Allen saw that he had no face.
It was inhuman, a huge, unrealistic grin spread across his face, and eyes that were hollow.
Someone could get lost in there if they stared for too long.

“The old man will explain,” he said, turning to the piano once more as he ran his gloved fingers over the strange keys.

“He will teach you.”

That said, the stranger vanished with a last glance.

It was two whole seconds before Allen reacted.

“W-Wait! What do you mean? What old man?”

But his questions were not to be answered.

-

Allen’s grey eyes opened slowly.

He could see the traces of light orange outside beyond the glass window at the far end of the room.

His hand was warm, and there was a blanket draped over his lower half, past the leg that hung off the arm of the sofa.

He turned slowly to face Lenalee, his neck stiff.

She was holding his hand tightly in her own, leaning against the couch asleep.
He could smell the shampoo she used on her hair…

He shifted tiredly, his hand still in Lenalee’s embrace and came instead to sit down next to her in a more comfortable position.

He stared at the ceiling, leaning his head back against the sofa.

-

Have a nice day. (:
And Andrew,
get your ass back here after the exams and fricking comment.

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪
§//.Melodramatic obstinate love haunts the ensanguined hearts of the broken.The torn melodist sings his final aria of dreams.\\§

2009-02-07T21:39:00.000+08:00

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪
§//.Melodramatic obstinate love haunts the ensanguined hearts of the broken.The torn melodist sings his final aria of dreams.\\§

this is as edited as it gets.

2009-02-05T19:38:00.000+08:00

The Devil’s Symphony

Disclaimer: I don’t own D.Gray-Man. And I hope it continues soon. Ah, yeah. The song I mentioned later is one of a good friend’s favourites. I don’t know who wrote it, but Allen sure didn’t. So here’s disclaiming David Garett’s Nothing Else Matters.

Chapter 5: Enigma

A/N: Enjoy.

-

“What the hell is going on?!”

Voices…

“I… I really don’t know...”

Her voice…

“Calm down, Yuu! We can’t expect her to know what just happened!”

Another voice…
Then, an irritated growl.

“Well, maybe this stupid bean sprout knows what’s going on. Let’s wake him up.”

“Ah, Yuu-!”

“Kanda, don’t! He needs to rest!”

Allen chose that moment to speak.

“What are you arguing about?” he croaked, his voice hoarse from not having spoken for a long while.

“Allen-kun! Are you alright!?”

“Fine.”

He opened his grey eyes to receive the bright glare of the ceiling light.

“Wha-”

He caught sight of a familiar face-besides Lenalee.
The face from the figure in the shadows that he had fought.

His eyes widened.
There was a potential enemy amongst them.

It didn’t look like neither Lenalee nor the red-head seemed to realize this.

Allen jumped out of the bed, startling Lenalee.
Blood began to seep through his bandages; the wound on his shoulder had re-opened.

“You!”

The man raised an eyebrow and looked at him as if he were crazy.

“What?”

“You’re the brute I was fighting in the shadows!”

He waved an accusing finger at his former opponent.
The raven-haired man raised an eyebrow.

“Lenalee this guy is dangerous! He attacked me when we were back at the tunnel-”

The world suddenly began to swirl around him suddenly.
Everything was spinning.

“Wh-”

And he blacked out again.

-

Allen sat up for the second time that day.
Blinking to adjust his eyes to the sudden brightness of the room, the snow-haired boy attempted to sit up.

“Ah, Allen-kun, don’t! You shouldn’t be moving!”

Lenalee had been seated in a chair beside the bed.

He cast her a stubborn look.

“Heck. I’m fine. Now where’s that bastard-”

He pulled the covers off and attempted to get off the bed in one quick motion.

A screaming pain ran up his left side and he fell froze with a gasp.
He gritted his teeth in an attempt to not scream.

He crumpled on the floor, almost writhing in pain.

Lenalee rushed to his sight, helping him up.
Ignoring the I-told-you-so stares the girl sent him, he asked, “Where is he?”

“You mean Kanda?”

Allen rose slowly, and crawled shakily back into the bed.

“Is that his name? He attacked me. Do you know him?” he asked.

“Yes, I do. And he didn’t attack you. We were looking for you and he got to you first. I think it was you who took it the wrong way.”

Lenalee watched as Allen scratched his bandaged head irritably, with an annoyed expression on his face.

“A-Ah! No offence though, Allen-kun.”

“I’m not worried about that…” the boy muttered.

He looked around him wearily, casting his gaze around the room as he took in his surroundings.

“More like, where am I?”

“You’re at a private hospital.”

Allen’s gaze fell on the red-head whom had just spoken.

“I’m Lavi. Nice to meet ya.”

He offered the white-haired boy a hand.

He gladly shook hands with his newfound friend and smiled.

“It’s nice to meet you too.”

Then the door opened.

The one who’d assaulted Allen in the tunnel- from his point of view- stepped into the room and took one look at him before letting out a disgusted sigh.

“The bean sprout is awake, eh?”

Allen looked away sheepishly.

“Uh… Yeah… I’m sorry about earlier. I think maybe I over-reacted. So, I apologize.”

He wasn’t proud enough to go on without apologizing for his mistake.

“Che. Whatever.”

Allen chanced a glance at the raven-haired teen in the corner with a raised eyebrow.

“Ah, Yuu doesn’t like people much,” Lavi explained.

There was a visible vein threatening to pop on Kanda’s head.

“How many times do you need me to say it for you to get it in that thick skull of yours?!”

There was suddenly a very sharp tip of something pointed threateningly at the Adam’s apple of the red-head.

“Stop it you two.”

Lenalee spoke this time.
She smacked both of the bickering teenagers with a clip board.
It seemed to have come from the side panel of Allen’s bed.

Kanda went to some secluded corner by himself as Lavi came to stand next to the bed once again.
Allen was unaffected by the development of the conversation between the three.

“How long was I out?”

Lenalee locked her fingers together.
Obviously she knew what time meant to Allen.

“A-A couple of days…”

“How many exactly?”

“Four…”

The boy groaned.

‘Now how am I going to repay master’s debts? I missed so many days of my job at the coffee house!”

Noticing her friend’s frustration, Lenalee decided to change the subject.

“A-Are you hungry, Allen-kun?”

The boy ran a hand through his hair.

“Not really.”

Truth be told, he was.
And his stomach decided to contradict his words entirely.

It led out a loud low growl.

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

“Ah, crap…”

“You are hungry! Allen-kun, if you tell us you’re not hungry when you are, you won’t get better quickly!”

“Yeah, moyashi. You’re still growing aren’t you? You need to eat so you can get taller! If not, no-one will be your girlfriend!”

He nodded at Lenalee with a grin.

The girl flushed and using her almighty clipboard smacked Lavi on the head hard.

“Lavi!”

“Ow, what?” he asked innocently.

Lenalee shook her head.
She decided to let it go.

“Nevermind.”

She turned back to Allen.

“I’ll go tell the doctors that you’re awake, and maybe get some food for you. Lavi, Kanda, watch him and make sure he doesn’t move too much.”

Smiling, Lavi waved the ebony-haired girl off.

He turned to face Allen.
And suddenly, his playful demeanour became serious.

“What were those things we were fighting in the tunnel?”

Allen gulped nervously at the intensity of the red-head’s stare.

“I-I don’t know.”

“Lena-chan said you told her it was something called an akuma, correct?”

The white-haired boy was confused.
He’d said that?

His eyebrows furrowed in uncertainty.

“I can’t remember anything.”

At this point, Kanda had had enough.

He strode across the room from his secluded corner of the room and grabbed Allen’s shirt.

“Look you short bastard, I know what I saw. I saw you and your freakish arm in that fucking tunnel and I know you know something.”

By this time Allen was pissed off.
What was with this guy?
Why was he so persistent?

The raven-haired man stared him down with a dark cold glare.

Allen glower straight back with burning silver orbs.
There had been no reason for him to use such vulgarities and rude, aggressive actions.
How uncivilised.

His head began to throb.

“Look, I don’t know. I only remember up to the point where…”

Suddenly dizzy, memories of the time in the tunnel flashed in his head.

Him shoving the door open…

The train conductor transforming into this strange ugly monster…

Lenalee coming from behind…
Her voice…

Then, another monster…

One red eye, one grey eye…

A world of black and white…

The sudden taste of iron on his tongue…

A sticky red liquid on his face…

Lenalee’s gasp…

Blood on her face…

The fear reflected in her eyes…

He was the monster…

Allen gripped his head as the memories continued to haunt him from the inside, throwing him into a fierce series of convulsions.

“Oi, Allen, Allen! Get a hold of yourself!”

There was shock evident in his friend’s voice, worry etched in along with it.
But he could not hear anything.

“Hey! Yuu, go get the doctor!”

The samurai left without a word.

Allen’s spasms continued as he thrashed about in the bed, the memories irking him.

Lavi caught sight of the red liquid streaming down the younger teen’s left cheek and was suddenly alarmed.

“Allen, Allen!”

He caught the fifteen-year-old by the shoulders, shaking him forcefully.

But Allen continued to tremble in paroxysm.

“Hey, Allen, Allen!”

The red-head continued to shake the boy’s shoulders.

There was a clang of porcelain and shattering glass on the tiled floor from behind them.

-

He was talking to it.

“Save me! Save me, please!”

They were pleading.

What is this…?

They were screaming. Their bloodied faces, charred with hatred.

They were so pitiful…

“Thank you… for freeing us…”

-

“Allen-kun, shush, Allen-kun.”

A soft voice…
A warm embrace rocking back and forth…

He opened his eyes.
He could feel the salty liquid of his tears slide down his cheeks, and his eyes were wet with tears.

But the terrifying visions were gone.

And in place of the cold chill that had taunted him, there was a warm tenderness.

Someone was hugging him.

“L-Lenalee…?”

Immediately the warmth drew back and Allen regretted calling her name.
It was cold again.

“Allen-kun! Are you alright?!”

Lenalee was seated on his bed.

“Yeah, Moyashi. Gave us quite the scare ya know.”

“Lavi!”

“What?”

Lenalee sighed.

“I-I’m fine. Just…”

He was dizzy again.
The memories were calling him back into the darker corners of his mind.

He shook his head, trying to clear any vexing thoughts.
This resulted in a sharp pain. His brain felt as if it were suspended in water and was being thrown about.

He rubbed his temples painfully.

“What happened?”

“You had a form of seizure. Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Just a bit dizzy.”

‘And cold…’

“And Lenalee had to hug you just for you to stop shaking! Wow! The charm of women.”

Lenalee’s cheeks reddened.
She nearly slapped him, ending up with a simple whack in the shoulder.

“LAVI!”

“Ow, what? Lena-chan is extra violent today…”

“What’s that supposed to mean!?”

Allen was too out-of-it to grasp the situation.

Cheeks still flushed lightly, the ebony-haired girl poured Allen a glass of water.

“Here, have some water.”

The white-haired boy had no idea how his friend had just read his mind; his throat felt like sandpaper.

With shaking hands, he gratefully reached out for the glass of water that was being handed to him.

Upon contact, the cold forced him to draw his hands back. The glass slipped through his fingers and fell, shattering.

“Ah… I’m so sorry…”

His right hand came up to cover his eyes and he gritted his teeth.

‘This is so embarrassing. I’m so weak.’

“It’s alright Allen-kun.”

Lenalee moved off the bed to pick up the pieces of broken glass.

“H-Hello…?”

The small voice had come from the doorway.
Everyone looked up.

‘So familiar…’

“Shouko-chan?”

“T-This is Allen-nii-chan’s room right?”

The white-haired boy still had his hand over half of his face.

‘Crap.’

He bit down harder.

“Ah, yes it is.”

“I-I brought back his violin…”

He couldn’t see what was happening, but he sure as hell knew he didn’t want to be seen bedridden and weak in front of the little girl.

“Ah, Onii-chan. Are you alright?” she asked, crawling onto the bed.

He finally took his hand off his face.

With a smile, he replied, “Yeah. I’m fine.”

“I’m so happy Onii-chan is okay!” the little girl exclaimed. She beamed.

The smile he had plastered on was effectively masking his pain.

“How are you, Shouko-chan? Did you and your Mama get out safely?”

“Y-Yes! Mama got out safely with Shouko! Both of us are okay!”

Allen reached out and patted the girl’s head.

“I’m glad to hear it.”

The little girl was still beaming.

“It’s all thanks to Onii-chan and Lenalee-nee-chan!”

Her violet eyes were sparkling.

“Aw, Yuu, we were forgotten.”

The redhead feigned hurt.
Kanda simply put on an irritated expression.

“Stupid rabbit.”

Kanda’s gruff reply surprised Shouko and she ducked behind Allen’s shoulder.

Lenalee decided to address the little girl.

“Shouko-chan, these two Onii-chans helped us.”

“O-Oh…”

Face half hidden behind Allen’s left shoulder, she stuttered, “T-Thank you, onii-chans.”

Lavi laughed.

“Now, that’s more like it.”

“Lavi!”

“What?”

Shouko completely ignored the other conversation within the room and instead questioned Allen, a worried frown plaguing her expression.
She looked him up and down.

“What’s wrong Shouko-chan?”

“Allen-nii-chan, are you okay? You have a lot of bandages on you…”

He smiled in the most reassuring way possible, giving the girl a thumbs-up.

“I’m fine, don’t worry. They’re just little scratches.”

Shouko’s innocent violet eyes blinked.

“Ohh…That’s good. But it’d be better if Onii-chan was totally un-scratched or anything!”

With a pout, she leaned on his shoulder.
It was hidden in the collared shirt, and was obviously invisible to the young girl.

Allen was struck with a painful jolt and he could almost feel the vicious inner nature of his left arm pulse in malicious want for blood.

He gritted his teeth.
His breathing halted entirely and he stilled, unmoving.

Lenalee noticed this action and immediately relayed it to Lavi.

She turned to the brown-haired girl.

“Shouko-chan, I think it’s time to go now. Visiting hours are almost over and your mother will be worried,” she said.

An excuse.

Something bad was going to happen if she didn’t do something about Shouko on Allen’s shoulder fast.

“Oh.”

The little girl hopped off the bed.

She skipped to the doorway before turning around to face Allen again.

He smiled and unfroze himself a little, so as not to alarm the little girl.

She didn’t notice his rigidity and smiled sheepishly.

“Get well soon, Onii-chan. Then we can play together! I’ll come visit you every day until you’re better!”

She waved before disappearing around the doorway.

The smile left Allen’s face the instant Shouko disappeared from sight and the sound of his haggard breathing plagued the silence.

Lenalee gazed at him worriedly.

“Are you really okay, Allen-kun?”

“Yeah… Just… a bit… breathless…” he replied in between gasps.

-

Lenalee sighed.
Allen had fallen into a calm, peaceful asleep after his dinner, and everyone had left for the night.
Komui had reluctantly agreed to her decision; she would spend the night with Allen until he was discharged the next day.

Lavi had discussed the topic of the akuma Allen had mentioned and his memory loss with her and Kanda outside as the white-haired boy continued to wolf down his dinner.

The red-head had said that Allen hadn’t known anything about what he’d said or seen earlier, and even when Yuu’d threatened him, he had insisted he knew nothing and tried to explain when the spasm erupted.

A soft whisper in the silence jerked Lenalee out of her thoughts.

“Mana…”

Lenalee was confused.

Allen continued to whisper.

“He’s gone... All my fault…”

Allen was mumbling in his sleep about a… dead person?

This thought branched out infinitely in Lenalee’s mind as she wandered curiously on the topic of the boy’s past.

He was just fifteen. How could he have wound up here all by himself?

Lenalee had never thought of that.

She knew well that Allen had a master who had taught him music.
What about before that, though? What life had the white-haired boy led as a child?

She didn’t know.
And the fact that his hair was white intrigued her further.
Shock wasn’t able to cause that drastic a change in physical appearance could it?

Lenalee shook the thoughts from her head. They were terribly troubling.

And they concerned Allen’s past.
It was none of her business, worried though she was.
He wasn’t obliged to tell her, even if she did ask.

The girl looked at the wall clock, and her mouth pulled into a frown.
It was already so late, and she should be getting to sleep.
There was a sofa in the corner.

-

Silver-grey eyes opened to darkness.

4.00AM in the morning.

Allen sat up painfully.
His back was aching and his left arm was limp at his side.

Mana…
He’d dreamt about him again.
Dreamt about the mass of blood he’d seen when Mana had died.

“Keep walking forward, and don’t stop.”

The words echoed in his head, as other tiny voices spoke up.

“There is nothing more important than your instrument.”

“No matter what happens, you must never lose sight of your goals.”

“You have to love your music more than food.”

The words bounced off the walls of his skull, and he felt his head splitting open.
He decided to try and think of something else.

The walls turned red with blood, and the sheets lay stained at his feet.
He pulled his legs up and folded them in front of him, resting his chin on his knees.

The image of Lenalee’s mangled body taunted him from the sofa, but in the silence of night, he could hear her quiet breathing.
Lavi and Kanda lay in a similar state in separate areas of the room, crushed and broken.

Thoughts of the ‘akuma’ Lavi and Kanda were so uptight about clotted his mind in the stillness of the blood-stained nightmare.

He had definitely seen them.

He remembered it all now.
He had regained his memory of the event during the back-splitting spasm he had had earlier.

The monster had spoken to him.

Pleaded.

And then he had become a mindless monster, slaughtering the poor creatures whose souls had cried.

Dazed and disoriented by the red liquid that had materialised from his dreams, he looked up subconsciously.
Unknowingly, his gaze wandered around the room and settled on the sleeping form of the blood-showered ebony-haired girl in the corner.

He continued to throw his gaze around the room, searching the darkness for the violin case Shouko had brought in earlier.

His eyes settled, staring ahead in the obscurity of the most gruesome early morning he had ever dreamed of.

He stumbled out of bed, his arm limp at his side still.
Every step caused him a stab of pain in each of his feet as he splashed and sloshed in a pool of ankle deep blood.
But finally, just when he had thought that he would never reach the precious instrument that had been loaned to him before he’d go mad, his searching right hand grasped the fabric of the violin case.

He felt like a blind man in the night shadows as he clutched the violin case with one hand and stuttered back to the bloodied bed.

There was close to no light at all, and for that, he was grateful for.

With only his right hand, he carefully unzipped the violin case in the dim moonlight and flipped the cover over.
A red velvet cloth covered the violin and finally, after lifting it as gently as he could with one hand, he brought his half-numbed left hand up and lifted the violin, the only object in sight that was not covered in the unsightly iron-smelling liquid, carefully out of the place.

The violin was as beautiful as when he had seen it for the first time at the old man’s shop.

A tear slipped down his cheek.
It fell with a plop on the polished russet brown body of the violin and Allen couldn’t help but stare at it, gazing at it with gentle eyes.

He winched it up to his shoulder and rested his chin on the dark wood that was the chin-rest and drew the bow as the first light of day filtered in from behind the translucent hospital curtains.

-

Lenalee awoke to the sound of a gentle vibrato in the morning silence.

The gentle melody was angelic, weaving in and out, and her she could feel light sunlight on her face.

Her amethyst eyes finally opened, and the sun caught in them.
Immediately, they closed again, and the ebony-haired girl allowed them to adjust.

The peaceful melody began to fade, and Lenalee’s head shot up in alarm.
She didn’t want it to end yet.

-

The music enveloped as he allowed his fingers to play across the strings, shifting up and down the fingerboard with each separate phrase of notes.

The bow whizzed up and down in perfect sequence as the music continued to engulf him gently, it’s soft melody wrapping him up in momentary bliss.

The other instruments in the orchestra had taken their places in his head and had begun to play themselves, the sounds merging with those of his own instrument, forming a melodious tune.

-

Her eyes wide and searching, she sat up, scanning the room.

At the far corner, Allen stood, the sunlight glinting off his silver hair.Lenalee could make out a violin rested between his chin and shoulder.

His hand had drawn the bow halfway down the strings as he stood unmoving, cemented into place, like a perfect statue carved by angels.
She figured he had been playing.

Lenalee realised what she had just thought and immediately blinked in puzzled amusement.

Then something caught the sunlight and the ebony-haired girl was pulled away from her thoughts.

Violin in his left hand, Allen turned around and faced her, shock evident on his face when he realized her presence.

“L-Lenalee!”

Immediately, the arm with the hand gripping the bow went to his eyes, and he brushed away the tears she had just barely glimpsed.
When he had removed his hand, a light blush had crept up his neck and to his cheeks.

“Y-You didn’t see that.”
Lenalee looked at him with a soft expression, her eyes gentle.

“Did you compose it?”

“Y-Yeah…”

“What’s it called?”

Allen scratched the back of his head with his right hand.

“N-Nothing Else Matters.”

Lenalee smiled.

“It’s a beautiful piece.”

Allen could only continue to blush furiously.

“Thanks.”

-

A/N: Okay. That’s all. (: Yes, there’s lots of blood because I love blood. (;

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪
§//.Melodramatic obstinate love haunts the ensanguined hearts of the broken.The torn melodist sings his final aria of dreams.\\§

2009-02-03T21:57:00.001+08:00

Here's the unedited version of chapter five.
Editing in progress.

The Devil’s Symphony

Disclaimer: I don’t own D.Gray-Man. And I hope it continues soon. Ah, yeah. The song I mentioned later is one of a good friend’s favourites. I don’t know who wrote it, but Allen sure didn’t. So here’s disclaiming David Garett’s Nothing Else Matters.

Chapter 5: Enigma

A/N: Enjoy.

-

“What the hell is going on?!”

Voices…

“I… I really don’t know...”

Her voice…

“Calm down, Yuu! We can’t expect her to know what just happened!”

Another voice…
Then, an irritated growl.

“Well, maybe this stupid bean sprout knows what’s going on. Let’s wake him up.”

“Ah, Yuu-!”

“Kanda, don’t! He needs to rest!”

Allen chose that moment to speak.

“What are you arguing about?” he croaked, his voice hoarse from not having spoken for a long while.

“Allen-kun! Are you alright!?”

“Fine.”

He opened his grey eyes to receive the bright glare of the ceiling light.

“Wha-”

He caught sight of a familiar face-besides Lenalee.
The face from the figure in the shadows that he had fought.

His eyes widened.
There was a potential enemy amongst them.

It didn’t look like neither Lenalee nor the red-head seemed to realize this.

Allen jumped out of the bed, startling Lenalee.
Blood began to seep through his bandages; the wound on his shoulder had re-opened.

“You!”

The man raised an eyebrow and looked at him as if he were crazy.

“What?”

“You’re the brute I was fighting in the shadows!”

He waved an accusing finger at his former opponent.
The raven-haired man raised an eyebrow.

“Lenalee this guy is dangerous! He attacked me when we were back at the tunnel-”

The world suddenly began to swirl around him suddenly.
Everything was spinning.

“Wh-”

And he blacked out again.

-

Allen sat up for the second time that day.
Blinking to adjust his eyes to the sudden brightness of the room, the snow-haired boy attempted to sit up.

“Ah, Allen-kun, don’t! You shouldn’t be moving!”

Lenalee had been seated in a chair beside the bed.

He cast her a stubborn look.

“Heck. I’m fine. Now where’s that bastard-”

He pulled the covers off and attempted to get off the bed in one quick motion.

A screaming pain ran up his left side and he fell froze with a gasp.
He gritted his teeth in an attempt to not scream.

He crumpled on the floor, almost writhing in pain.

Lenalee rushed to his sight, helping him up.
Ignoring the I-told-you-so stares the girl sent him, he asked, “Where is he?”

“You mean Kanda?”

Allen rose slowly, and crawled shakily back into the bed.

“Is that his name? He attacked me. Do you know him?” he asked.

“Yes, I do. And he didn’t attack you. We were looking for you and he got to you first. I think it was you who took it the wrong way.”

Lenalee watched as Allen scratched his bandaged head irritably, with an annoyed expression on his face.

“A-Ah! No offence though, Allen-kun.”

“I’m not worried about that…” the boy muttered.

He looked around him wearily, casting his gaze around the room as he took in his surroundings.

“More like, where am I?”

“You’re at a private hospital.”

Allen’s gaze fell on the red-head whom had just spoken.

“I’m Lavi. Nice to meet ya.”

He offered the white-haired boy a hand.

He gladly shook hands with his newfound friend and smiled.

“It’s nice to meet you too.”

Then the door opened.

The one who’d assaulted Allen in the tunnel- from his point of view- stepped into the room and took one look at him before letting out a disgusted sigh.

“The bean sprout is awake, eh?”

Allen looked away sheepishly.

“Uh… Yeah… I’m sorry about earlier. I think maybe I over-reacted. So, I apologize.”

He wasn’t proud enough to go on without apologizing for his mistake.

“Che. Whatever.”

Allen chanced a glance at the raven-haired teen in the corner with a raised eyebrow.

“Ah, Yuu doesn’t like people much,” Lavi explained.

There was a visible vein threatening to pop on Kanda’s head.

“How many times do you need me to say it for you to get it in that thick skull of yours?!”

There was suddenly a very sharp tip of something pointed threateningly at the Adam’s apple of the red-head.

“Stop it you two.”

Lenalee spoke this time.
She smacked both of the bickering teenagers with a clip board.
It seemed to have come from the side panel of Allen’s bed.

Kanda went to some secluded corner by himself as Lavi came to stand next to the bed once again.
Allen was unaffected by the development of the conversation between the three.

“How long was I out?”

Lenalee locked her fingers together.
Obviously she knew what time meant to Allen.

“A-A couple of days…”

“How many exactly?”

“Four…”

The boy groaned.

‘Now how am I going to repay master’s debts? I missed so many days of my job at the coffee house!”

Noticing her friend’s frustration, Lenalee decided to change the subject.

“A-Are you hungry, Allen-kun?”

The boy ran a hand through his hair.

“Not really.”

Truth be told, he was.
And his stomach decided to contradict his words entirely.

It led out a loud low growl.

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

“Ah, crap…”

“You are hungry! Allen-kun, if you tell us you’re not hungry when you are, you won’t get better quickly!”

“Yeah, moyashi. You’re still growing aren’t you? You need to eat so you can get taller! If not, no-one will be your girlfriend!”

He nodded at Lenalee with a grin.

The girl flushed and using her almighty clipboard smacked Lavi on the head hard.

“Lavi!”

“Ow, what?” he asked innocently.

Lenalee shook her head.
She decided to let it go.

“Nevermind.”

She turned back to Allen.

“I’ll go tell the doctors that you’re awake, and maybe get some food for you. Lavi, Kanda, watch him and make sure he doesn’t move too much.”

Smiling, Lavi waved the ebony-haired girl off.

He turned to face Allen.
And suddenly, his playful demeanour became serious.

“What were those things we were fighting in the tunnel?”

Allen gulped nervously at the intensity of the red-head’s stare.

“I-I don’t know.”

“Lena-chan said you told her it was something called an akuma, correct?”

The white-haired boy was confused.
He’d said that?

His eyebrows furrowed in uncertainty.

“I can’t remember anything.”

At this point, Kanda had had enough.

He strode across the room from his secluded corner of the room and grabbed Allen’s shirt.

“Look you short bastard, I know what I saw. I saw you and your freakish arm in that fucking tunnel and I know you know something.”

By this time Allen was pissed off.
What was with this guy?
Why was he so persistent?

The raven-haired man stared him down with a dark cold glare.

Allen glower straight back with burning silver orbs.
There had been no reason for him to use such vulgarities and rude, aggressive actions.
How uncivilised.

His head began to throb.

“Look, I don’t know. I only remember up to the point where…”

Suddenly dizzy, memories of the time in the tunnel flashed in his head.

Him shoving the door open…

The train conductor transforming into this strange ugly monster…

Lenalee coming from behind…
Her voice…

Then, another monster…

One red eye, one grey eye…

A world of black and white…

The sudden taste of iron on his tongue…

A sticky red liquid on his face…

Lenalee’s gasp…

Blood on her face…

The fear reflected in her eyes…

He was the monster…

Allen gripped his head as the memories continued to haunt him from the inside, throwing him into a fierce series of convulsions.

“Oi, Allen, Allen! Get a hold of yourself!”

There was shock evident in his friend’s voice, worry etched in along with it.
But he could not hear anything.

“Hey! Yuu, go get the doctor!”

The samurai left without a word.

Allen’s spasms continued as he thrashed about in the bed, the memories irking him.

Lavi caught sight of the red liquid streaming down the younger teen’s left cheek and was suddenly alarmed.

“Allen, Allen!”

He caught the fifteen-year-old by the shoulders, shaking him forcefully.

But Allen continued to tremble in paroxysm.

“Hey, Allen, Allen!”

The red-head continued to shake the boy’s shoulders.

There was a clang of porcelain and shattering glass on the tiled floor from behind them.

-

He was talking to it.

“Save me! Save me, please!”

They were pleading.

What is this…?

They were screaming. Their bloodied faces, charred with hatred.

They were so pitiful…

“Thank you… for freeing us…”

-

“Allen-kun, shush, Allen-kun.”

A soft voice…
A warm embrace rocking back and forth…

He opened his eyes.
He could feel the salty liquid of his tears slide down his cheeks, and his eyes were wet with tears.

But the terrifying visions were gone.

And in place of the cold chill that had taunted him, there was a warm tenderness.

Someone was hugging him.

“L-Lenalee…?”

Immediately the warmth drew back and Allen regretted calling her name.
It was cold again.

“Allen-kun! Are you alright?!”

Lenalee was seated on his bed.

“Yeah, Moyashi. Gave us quite the scare ya know.”

“Lavi!”

“What?”

Lenalee sighed.

“I-I’m fine. Just…”

He was dizzy again.
The memories were calling him back into the darker corners of his mind.

He shook his head, trying to clear any vexing thoughts.
This resulted in a sharp pain. His brain felt as if it were suspended in water and was being thrown about.

He rubbed his temples painfully.

“What happened?”

“You had a form of seizure. Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Just a bit dizzy.”

‘And cold…’

“And Lenalee had to hug you just for you to stop shaking! Wow! The charm of women.”

Lenalee’s cheeks reddened.
She nearly slapped him, ending up with a simple whack in the shoulder.

“LAVI!”

“Ow, what? Lena-chan is extra violent today…”

“What’s that supposed to mean!?”

Allen was too out-of-it to grasp the situation.

Cheeks still flushed lightly, the ebony-haired girl poured Allen a glass of water.

“Here, have some water.”

The white-haired boy had no idea how his friend had just read his mind; his throat felt like sandpaper.

With shaking hands, he gratefully reached out for the glass of water that was being handed to him.

Upon contact, the cold forced him to draw his hands back. The glass slipped through his fingers and fell, shattering.

“Ah… I’m so sorry…”

His right hand came up to cover his eyes and he gritted his teeth.

‘This is so embarrassing. I’m so weak.’

“It’s alright Allen-kun.”

Lenalee moved off the bed to pick up the pieces of broken glass.

“H-Hello…?”

The small voice had come from the doorway.
Everyone looked up.

‘So familiar…’

“Shouko-chan?”

“T-This is Allen-nii-chan’s room right?”

The white-haired boy still had his hand over half of his face.

‘Crap.’

He bit down harder.

“Ah, yes it is.”

“I-I brought back his violin…”

He couldn’t see what was happening, but he sure as hell knew he didn’t want to be seen bedridden and weak in front of the little girl.

“Ah, Onii-chan. Are you alright?” she asked, crawling onto the bed.

He finally took his hand off his face.

With a smile, he replied, “Yeah. I’m fine.”

“I’m so happy Onii-chan is okay!” the little girl exclaimed. She beamed.

The smile he had plastered on was effectively masking his pain.

“How are you, Shouko-chan? Did you and your Mama get out safely?”

“Y-Yes! Mama got out safely with Shouko! Both of us are okay!”

Allen reached out and patted the girl’s head.

“I’m glad to hear it.”

The little girl was still beaming.

“It’s all thanks to Onii-chan and Lenalee-nee-chan!”

Her violet eyes were sparkling.

“Aw, Yuu, we were forgotten.”

The redhead feigned hurt.
Kanda simply put on an irritated expression.

“Stupid rabbit.”

Kanda’s gruff reply surprised Shouko and she ducked behind Allen’s shoulder.

Lenalee decided to address the little girl.

“Shouko-chan, these two Onii-chans helped us.”

“O-Oh…”

Face half hidden behind Allen’s left shoulder, she stuttered, “T-Thank you, onii-chans.”

Lavi laughed.

“Now, that’s more like it.”

“Lavi!”

“What?”

Shouko completely ignored the other conversation within the room and instead questioned Allen, a worried frown plaguing her expression.
She looked him up and down.

“What’s wrong Shouko-chan?”

“Allen-nii-chan, are you okay? You have a lot of bandages on you…”

He smiled in the most reassuring way possible, giving the girl a thumbs-up.

“I’m fine, don’t worry. They’re just little scratches.”

Shouko’s innocent violet eyes blinked.

“Ohh…That’s good. But it’d be better if Onii-chan was totally un-scratched or anything!”

With a pout, she leaned on his shoulder.
It was hidden in the collared shirt, and was obviously invisible to the young girl.

Allen was struck with a painful jolt and he could almost feel the vicious inner nature of his left arm pulse in malicious want for blood.

He gritted his teeth.
His breathing halted entirely and he stilled, unmoving.

Lenalee noticed this action and immediately relayed it to Lavi.

She turned to the brown-haired girl.

“Shouko-chan, I think it’s time to go now. Visiting hours are almost over and your mother will be worried,” she said.

An excuse.

Something bad was going to happen if she didn’t do something about Shouko on Allen’s shoulder fast.

“Oh.”

The little girl hopped off the bed.

She skipped to the doorway before turning around to face Allen again.

He smiled and unfroze himself a little, so as not to alarm the little girl.

She didn’t notice his rigidity and smiled sheepishly.

“Get well soon, Onii-chan. Then we can play together! I’ll come visit you every day until you’re better!”

She waved before disappearing around the doorway.

The smile left Allen’s face the instant Shouko disappeared from sight and the sound of his haggard breathing plagued the silence.

Lenalee gazed at him worriedly.

“Are you really okay, Allen-kun?”

“Yeah… Just… a bit… breathless…” he replied in between gasps.

-

Lenalee sighed.
Allen had fallen into a calm, peaceful asleep after his dinner, and everyone had left for the night.
Komui had reluctantly agreed to her decision; she would spend the night with Allen until he was discharged the next day.

Lavi had discussed the topic of the akuma Allen had mentioned and his memory loss with her and Kanda outside as the white-haired boy continued to wolf down his dinner.

The red-head had said that Allen hadn’t known anything about what he’d said or seen earlier, and even when Yuu’d threatened him, he had insisted he knew nothing and tried to explain when the spasm erupted.

A soft whisper in the silence jerked Lenalee out of her thoughts.

“Mana…”

Lenalee was confused.

Allen continued to whisper.

“He’s gone... All my fault…”

Allen was mumbling in his sleep about a… dead person?

This thought branched out infinitely in Lenalee’s mind as she wandered curiously on the topic of the boy’s past.

He was just fifteen. How could he have wound up here all by himself?

Lenalee had never thought of that.

She knew well that Allen had a master who had taught him music.
What about before that, though? What life had the white-haired boy led as a child?

She didn’t know.
And the fact that his hair was white intrigued her further.
Shock wasn’t able to cause that drastic a change in physical appearance could it?

Lenalee shook the thoughts from her head. They were terribly troubling.

And they concerned Allen’s past.
It was none of her business, worried though she was.
He wasn’t obliged to tell her, even if she did ask.

The girl looked at the wall clock, and her mouth pulled into a frown.
It was already so late, and she should be getting to sleep.
There was a sofa in the corner.

-

Silver-grey eyes opened to darkness.

4.00AM in the morning.

Allen sat up painfully.
His back was aching and his left arm was limp at his side.

Mana…
He’d dreamt about him again.
Dreamt about the mass of blood he’d seen when Mana had died.

“Keep walking forward, and don’t stop.”

The words echoed in his head, as other tiny voices spoke up.

“There is nothing more important than your instrument.”

“No matter what happens, you must never lose sight of your goals.”

“You have to love your music more than food.”

The words bounced off the walls of his skull, and he felt his head splitting open.
He decided to try and think of something else.

Unknowingly, his gaze wandered around the room and settled on the sleeping form of the ebony-haired girl in the corner.
So she had been the one to stay behind with him.

He continued to throw his gaze around the room, searching the darkness for the violin case Shouko had brought in earlier.

His eyes settled, staring ahead in the obscurity of the early morning hour.

He stumbled out of bed, his arm limp at his side still.
Every step caused him a stab of pain in each of his feet and but finally, just when he had thought that he would never reach the precious instrument that had been loaned to him, his searching right hand grasped the fabric of the violin case.

He felt like a blind man in the night shadows as he clutched the violin case with one hand and stuttered back to the bed.

There was close to no light at all, and for that, he was grateful for the moon.

With only his right hand, he carefully unzipped the violin case and flipped the cover over.
A red velvet cloth covered the violin and finally, after lifting it as gently as he could with one hand, he brought his half-numbed left hand up and lifted the violin carefully out of the place.

The violin was as beautiful as when he had seen it for the first time at the old man’s shop.

A tear slipped down his cheek.
It fell with a plop on the polished russet brown body of the violin and Allen couldn’t help but stare at it, gazing at it with gentle eyes.

He winched it up to his shoulder and rested his chin on the dark wood that was the chin-rest and drew the bow as the first light of day filtered in from behind the translucent hospital curtains.

-

Lenalee awoke to the sound of a gentle vibrato in the morning silence.

The gentle melody was angelic, weaving in and out, and her she could feel light sunlight on her face.

Her amethyst eyes finally opened, and the sun caught in them.
Immediately, they closed again, and the ebony-haired girl allowed them to adjust.

The peaceful melody began to fade, and Lenalee’s head shot up in alarm.
She didn’t want it to end yet.

Her eyes wide and searching, she sat up, scanning the room.

At the far corner, Allen stood, the sunlight glinting off his silver hair.Lenalee could make out a violin rested between his chin and shoulder.

She figured he had been playing.

Something caught the sunlight and the ebony-haired girl was pulled away from her thoughts.

Violin in his left hand, Allen turned around and faced her, shock evident on his face when he realized her presence.

“L-Lenalee!”

Immediately, his hand went to his eyes, and he brushed away the tears she had just barely glimpsed.
When he had removed his hand, a light blush had crept up his neck and to his cheeks.

“Y-You didn’t see that.”
Lenalee looked at him with a soft expression, her eyes gentle.

“Did you compose it?”

“Y-Yeah…”

“What’s it called?”

Allen scratched the back of his head with his right hand.

“N-Nothing Else Matters.”

Lenalee smiled.

“It’s a beautiful piece.”

Allen could only continue to blush furiously.

“Thanks.”

-

there we go.

-

A/N: Okay. That’s all. (:

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪
§//.Melodramatic obstinate love haunts the ensanguined hearts of the broken.The torn melodist sings his final aria of dreams.\\§

2009-02-01T00:16:00.002+08:00

heyy heyy!
right, I'll be sort-of on hiatus.
examinations coming up. xD

so wish me luck.
and maybe, with my daily dose of inspiration, I'll get some stuff done. xD
(:

see you soon!

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪
§//.Melodramatic obstinate love haunts the ensanguined hearts of the broken.The torn melodist sings his final aria of dreams.\\§

2009-01-28T18:57:00.003+08:00

Okay Andrew, Addenza. (:
This is for you guys for the support!

The Devil’s Symphony

Disclaimer: I don’t own D.Gray-Man. And I hope it continues soon.

Chapter 5: Enigma

“What the hell is going on?!”

Voices…

“I… I really don’t know...”

Her voice…

“Calm down, Yuu! We can’t expect her to know what just happened!”

Another voice…
Then, an irritated growl.

“Well, maybe this stupid bean sprout knows what’s going on. Let’s wake him up.”

“Ah, Yuu-!”

“Kanda, don’t! He needs to rest!”

Allen chose that moment to speak.

“What are you arguing about?” he croaked, his voice hoarse from not having spoken for a long while.

“Allen-kun! Are you alright!?”

“Fine.”

He opened his grey eyes to receive the bright glare of the ceiling light.

“Wha-”

He caught sight of a familiar face-besides Lenalee.
The face from the figure in the shadows that he had fought.

His eyes widened.
There was a potential enemy amongst them.

It didn’t look like neither Lenalee nor the red-head seemed to realize this.

Allen jumped out of the bed, startling Lenalee.
Blood began to seep through his bandages; the wound on his shoulder had re-opened.

“You!”

The man raised an eyebrow and looked at him as if he were crazy.

“What?”

“You’re the guy I was fighting in the shadows!”

He waved an accusing finger at his former opponent.

“Lenalee this guy is dangerous! He attacked me when we were back at the tunnel-”

The world suddenly began to swirl around him suddenly.
Everything was spinning.

“Wh-”

And he blacked out again.

-

Allen sat up for the second time that day.
Blinking to adjust his eyes to the sudden brightness of the room, the snow-haired boy attempted to sit up.

“Ah, Allen-kun, don’t! You shouldn’t be moving!”

Lenalee had been seated in a chair beside the bed.

He cast her a stubborn look.

“Heck. I’m fine. Now where’s that bastard-”

He pulled the covers off and attempted to get off the bed in one quick motion.

A screaming pain ran up his left side and he fell froze with a gasp.
He gritted his teeth in an attempt to not scream.

Ignoring the I-told-you-so stares Lenalee sent him, he asked, “Where is he?”

“You mean Kanda?”

“Is that his name? He attacked me. Do you know him?”

“Yes, I do. And he didn’t attack you. We were looking for you and he got to you first. I think it was you who took it the wrong way.”

Lenalee watched as Allen scratched his bandaged head irritably.

“A-Ah! No offence though, Allen-kun.”

“I’m not worried about that…” the boy muttered.

“More like, where am I?”

He cast his gaze around the room, taking in his surroundings.

“You’re at a private hospital.”

Allen looked up at the red-head whom had just spoken.

“I’m Lavi. Nice to meet ya.”

He offered the white-haired boy a hand.

He gladly shook hands with his newfound friend and smiled.

“It’s nice to meet you too.”

Then the door opened.

The one who’d assaulted Allen in the tunnel- from his point of view- stepped into the room and took one look at him before letting out a disgusted sigh.

“The bean sprout is awake, eh?”

“Uh… Yeah… I’m sorry about earlier. I think maybe I over-reacted. So, I apologize.”

“Che. Whatever.”

Allen chanced a glance at the raven-haired teen in the corner with a raised eyebrow.

“Ah, that’s Kanda Yuu. He doesn’t like people much,” Lavi explained.

There was a visible vein threatening to pop on Kanda’s head.

“How many times do you need me to say it for you to get it in that thick skull of yours?!”

There was suddenly a very sharp tip of something pointed threateningly at the Adam’s apple of the red-head.

“Stop it you two.”

Lenalee spoke this time.
She smacked both of the bickering teenagers with a clip board.
It seemed to have come from the side panel of Allen’s bed.

Kanda went to some secluded corner by himself as Lavi came to stand next to the bed once again.
Allen was unaffected by the development of the conversation between the three.

“How long was I out?”

Lenalee locked her fingers together.

“A-A couple of days…”

The boy groaned.

‘Now how am I going to repay master’s debts? I missed so many days of my job at the coffee house!”

Noticing her friend’s frustration, Lenalee decided to change the subject.

“A-Are you hungry, Allen-kun?”

The boy ran a hand through his hair.

“Not really.”

Truth be told, he was.
And his stomach decided to contradict his words entirely.

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

“Ah, crap…”

“You are hungry! Allen-kun, if you tell us you’re not hungry when you are, you won’t get better quickly!”

“Yeah, moyashi. You’re still growing aren’t you? You need to eat so you can get taller!”

“Lavi!”

“What?” he asked innocently.

Lenalee shook her head.

“Nevermind.”

She turned back to Allen.

“I’ll go tell the doctors that you’re awake, and maybe get some food for you. Lavi, Kanda, watch him and make sure he doesn’t move too much.”

Smiling, Lavi waved the ebony-haired girl off.

He turned to face Allen.
And suddenly, his playful demeanour became serious.

“What were those things we were fighting in the tunnel?”

Allen gulped nervously at the intensity of the red-head’s stare.

“I-I don’t know.”

“Lena-chan said you told her it was something called an akuma, correct?”

The white-haired boy was confused.
He’d said that?

His eyebrows furrowed in uncertainty.

“I don’t know. I only remember up to the point where…”

Suddenly dizzy, memories of the time in the tunnel flashed in his head.

Him shoving the door open…

The train conductor transforming into this strange ugly monster…

Lenalee coming from behind…
Her voice…

Then, another monster…

One red eye, one grey eye…

A world of black and white…

The sudden taste of iron on his tongue…

A sticky red liquid on his face…

Lenalee’s gasp…

Blood on her face…

He was the monster…

Allen gripped his head as the memories continued to haunt him from the inside, throwing him into a fierce series of convulsions.

“Oi, Allen, Allen! Get a hold of yourself!”

There was shock evident in his friend’s voice, etched in along with it worry.
But he could not hear anything.

“Hey! Yuu, go get the doctor!”

The samurai left without a word.

Allen’s spasms continued as he thrashed about in the bed, the memories irking him.

Lavi caught sight of the red liquid streaming down the younger teen’s left cheek and was suddenly alarmed.

“Allen, Allen!”

He shook the fifteen-year-old’s shoulders forcefully.

But Allen continued to tremble in paroxysm.

“Hey, Allen, Allen!”

The red-head continued to shake the boy’s shoulders.

There was a clang of porcelain on the tiled floor from behind them.

-

He was talking to it.

“Save me! Save me, please!”

They were pleading.

What is this…?

They were screaming. Their bloodied faces, charred with hatred.

They were so pitiful…

“Thank you… for freeing us…”

-

“Allen-kun, shush, Allen-kun.”

A soft voice…

He opened his eyes.

The terrifying visions were gone.

And in place of the cold chill that had taunted him, there was warmth.

“L-Lenalee…?”

Immediately the warmth drew back and Allen regretted calling her name.
It was cold again.

“Allen-kun! Are you alright?!”

Lenalee was seated in front of him on his bed.

“Yeah, Moyashi. Gave us quite the scare ya know.”

“Lavi!”

“What?”

Lenalee sighed.

“I-I’m fine. Just…”

He was dizzy again.
The memories were calling him back into the darker corners of his mind.

He rubbed his head painfully.

“What happened?”

“You had a form of seizure. Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Just a bit dizzy.”

‘And cold…’

“And Lenalee had to hug you just for you to stop shaking! Wow! The charm of women.”
Lenalee’s cheeks reddened.

“LAVI!”

“What?”

Allen was too out-of-it to grasp the situation.

Cheeks still flushed lightly, the ebony-haired girl poured Allen a glass of water.

“Here, have some water.”

The white-haired boy had no idea how his friend had just read his mind; his throat felt like sandpaper.

With shaking hands, he reached out for the glass of water that was being handed to him.

Upon contact, the cold forced him to draw his hands back. The glass slipped through his fingers and fell, shattering.

“Ah… I’m so sorry…”

His right hand came up to cover his eyes and he gritted his teeth.

‘This is so embarrassing. I’m so weak.’

“It’s alright Allen-kun.”

Lenalee moved off the bed to pick up the pieces of broken glass.

“H-Hello…?”

The small voice had come from the doorway.
Everyone looked up.

‘So familiar…’

“Shouko-chan?”

“T-This is Allen-nii-chan’s room right?”

The white-haired boy still had his hand over half of his face.

‘Crap.’

He bit down harder.

“Ah, yes it is.”

“I-I brought back his violin…”

He couldn’t see what was happening, but he sure as hell knew he didn’t want to be seen bedridden and weak in front of the little girl.

“Ah, Onii-chan. Are you alright?” she asked, crawling onto the bed.

He finally took his hand off his face.

With a smile, he replied, “Yeah. I’m fine.”

“I’m so happy Onii-chan is okay!” the little girl exclaimed. She beamed.

The smile he had plastered on was effectively masking his pain.

“How are you, Shouko-chan? Did you and your Mama get out safely?”

“Y-Yes! Mama got out safely with Shouko! Both of us are okay!”

Allen reached out and patted the girl’s head.

“I’m glad to hear it.”

The little girl was still beaming.

“It’s all thanks to Onii-chan and Lenalee-nee-chan!”

Her violet eyes were sparkling.

“Aw, Yuu, we were forgotten.”

The redhead feigned hurt.
Kanda simply put on an irritated expression.

“Stupid rabbit.”

This surprised Shouko and she ducked behind Allen’s shoulder.

Lenalee decided to address the little girl.

“Shouko-chan, these two Onii-chans helped us.”

“O-Oh…”

Face half hidden behind Allen’s left shoulder, she stuttered, “T-Thank you, onii-chans.”

Lavi laughed.

“Now, that’s more like it.”

“Lavi!”

“What?”

Shouko completely ignored the other conversation within the room and instead questioned Allen, a worried frown plaguing her expression.

“Allen-nii-chan, are you okay? You have a lot of bandages on you…”

He smiled in the most reassuring way possible, giving the girl a thumbs-up.

“Ah, I’m fine, don’t worry. They’re just little scratches.”

Shouko blinked.

“Ohh…That’s good. But it’d be better if Onii-chan was totally un-scratched or anything!”

With a pout, she leaned on his shoulder.

Allen was struck with a painful jolt and he could almost feel the vicious inner nature of his left arm pulse in malicious want for blood.

He gritted his teeth.
His breathing halted entirely and he stilled, unmoving.

Lenalee noticed this action and immediately relayed it to Lavi.

She turned to the brown-haired girl.

“Shouko-chan, I think it’s time to go now. Visiting hours are almost over and your mother will be worried,” she said.

An excuse.

Something bad was going to happen if she didn’t do something about Shouko on Allen’s shoulder fast.

“Oh.”

The little girl hopped off the bed.

She skipped to the doorway before turning around to face Allen again.

He smiled and unfroze himself a little, so as not to alarm the little girl.

She didn’t notice his rigidity and smiled sheepishly.

“Get well soon, Onii-chan. Then we can play together! I’ll come visit you every day until you’re better!”

She waved before disappearing around the doorway.

The smile left Allen’s face the instant Shouko disappeared from sight and the sound of his haggard breathing plagued the silence.

Lenalee gazed at him worriedly.

“Are you really okay, Allen-kun?”

“Yeah… Just… a bit… breathless…” he replied in between gasps.

-

Lenalee sighed.
Allen had fallen into a calm, peaceful asleep after his dinner, and everyone had left for the night.
Komui had reluctantly agreed to her decision; she would spend the night with Allen until he was discharged the next day.

A soft whisper in the silence jerked Lenalee out of her thoughts.

“Mana…”

Lenalee was confused.

Allen continued to whisper.

“He’s gone... All my fault…”

Allen was mumbling in his sleep about a… dead person?

This thought branched out infinitely in Lenalee’s mind as she wandered curiously on the topic of the boy’s past.

He was just fifteen. How could he have wound up here all by himself?

Lenalee knew well that Allen had a master who had taught him music.

-

I know it's not much more than the one I previously posted, but I'll try to get it done.
My exams are coming up next week, so you guys are lucky yeah? I'll see what I can do. xD

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪
§//.Melodramatic obstinate love haunts the ensanguined hearts of the broken.The torn melodist sings his final aria of dreams.\\§

2009-01-25T18:43:00.001+08:00

CHAPTER FIVE PEOPLE! 8D THANKS FOR THE WONDERFUL COMMENTS GUYS! 8)

The Devil’s Symphony

Disclaimer: I don’t own D.Gray-Man. And I hope it continues soon.

Chapter 5: Enigma

“What the hell is going on?!”

Voices…

“I don’t know, really.”

Her voice…

“Calm down, Yuu! We can’t expect her to know what just happened!”

Another voice…
Then, an irritated growl.

“Well, maybe this stupid bean sprout knows what’s going on. Let’s wake him up.”

“Ah! Don’t! He needs to rest!”

Allen chose that moment to speak.

“What are you arguing about?” he croaked, his voice hoarse from not having spoken for a long while.

“Allen-kun! Are you alright!?”

“Fine.”

He opened his grey eyes to receive the bright glare of the ceiling light.

Blinking to adjust his eyes to the sudden brightness of the room, the snow-haired boy attempted to sit up.

“Ah, Allen-kun, don’t! You shouldn’t be moving!”

“Heck. I’m fine.”

A screaming pain ran up his left side and he fell back on the bed.

He gritted his teeth in an attempt to not scream.

Ignoring the I-told-you-so stares Lenalee sent him, he asked “Where am I?”

“You’re at a private hospital.”

Allen looked up at the red-head whom had just spoken.

“I’m Lavi. Nice to meet ya.”

He offered the white-haired boy a hand.

He gladly shook hands with his newfound friend and smiled.

“It’s nice to meet you too.”

“Che.”

Allen chanced a glance at the raven-haired teen in the corner.

“Ah, that’s Kanda Yuu. He doesn’t like people much,” Lavi explained.

“How many times do you need me to say it for you to get it in that thick skull of yours?!”

There was a very sharp tip of something pointed threateningly at the Adam’s apple of the red-head.

“Stop it you two.”

Lenalee spoke this time.
She smacked both of the bickering teenagers with a clip board.
It seemed to have come from the side panel of Allen’s bed.

Kanda went to some secluded corner by himself as Lavi came to stand next to the bed once again.

“Are you hungry, Allen-kun?”

Lenalee had diverted her attention to him.

“Not really.”

Truth be told, he was.
And his stomach decided to contradict his words entirely.

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

“Ah, crap…”

“You are hungry! Allen-kun, if you tell us you’re not hungry when you are, you won’t get better quickly!”

“Yeah, moyashi. You’re still growing aren’t you? You need to eat so you can get taller!”

“Lavi!”

“What?” he asked innocently.

Lenalee shook her head.

“Nevermind.”

She turned back to Allen.

“I’ll go tell the doctors that you’re awake, and maybe get some food for you. Lavi, Kanda, watch him and make sure he doesn’t move too much.”

Smiling, Lavi waved the ebony-haired girl off.

He turned to face Allen.
And suddenly, his playful demeanour became serious.

“What were those things we were fighting in the tunnel?”

Allen gulped nervously at the intensity of the red-head’s stare.

“I-I don’t know.”

“Lena-chan said you told her it was something called an akuma, correct?”

The white-haired boy was confused.
He’d said that?

His eyebrows furrowed in uncertainty.

“I don’t know. I only remember up to the point where…”

Suddenly dizzy, memories of the time in the tunnel flashed in his head.

Him shoving the door open…

The train conductor transforming into this strange ugly monster…

Lenalee coming from behind…
Her voice…

Then, another monster…

One red eye, one grey eye…

A world of black and white…

The sudden taste of iron on his tongue…

A sticky red liquid on his face…

Lenalee’s gasp…

Blood on her face…

He was the monster…

Allen gripped his head as the memories continued to haunt him from the inside, throwing him into a fierce series of convulsions.

“Oi, Allen, Allen! Get a hold of yourself!”

But he could not hear anything.

“Hey! Yuu, go get the doctor!”

The samurai left without a word.

Allen’s spasms continued as he thrashed about in the bed, the memories irking him.

Lavi caught sight of the red liquid streaming down the younger teen’s left cheek and was suddenly alarmed.

“Allen, Allen!”

He shook the fifteen-year-old’s shoulders forcefully.

But Allen continued to tremble in paroxysm.

“Hey, Allen, Allen!”

The red-head continued to shake the boy’s shoulders.

There was a clang of porcelain on the tiled floor from behind them.

-

He was talking to it.

“Save me! Save me, please!”

They were pleading.

What is this…?

They were screaming. Their bloodied faces, charred with hatred.

They were so pitiful…

“Thank you… for freeing us…”

-

“Allen-kun, shush, Allen-kun.”

A soft voice…

He opened his eyes.

The terrifying visions were gone.

And in place of the cold chill that had taunted him, there was warmth.

“L-Lenalee…?”

Immediately the warmth drew back and Allen regretted calling her name.
It was cold again.

“Allen-kun! Are you alright?!”

Lenalee was seated in front of him on his bed.

“Yeah, Moyashi. Gave us quite the scare ya know.”

“Lavi!”

“What?”

Lenalee sighed.

“I-I’m fine. Just…”

He was dizzy again.
The memories were calling him back into the darker corners of his mind.

He rubbed his head painfully.

“What happened?”

“You had a form of seizure. Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Just a bit dizzy.”

‘And cold…’

“Here, have some water.”

His shaking hands reached out for the glass of water that was being handed to him.

Upon contact, the cold forced him to draw his hand back. The glass slipped through his fingers and fell, shattering.

“Ah… I’m so sorry…”

His right hand came up to cover his eyes and he gritted his teeth.

“It’s alright Allen-kun.”

Lenalee moved off the bed to pick up the pieces of broken glass.

“H-Hello…?”

The small voice had come from the doorway.
Everyone looked up.

‘So familiar…’

“Shouko-chan?”

“T-This is Allen-nii-chan’s room right?”

The white-haired boy still had his hand over half of his face.

He bit down harder.

“Ah, yes it is.”

“I-I brought back his violin…”

He couldn’t see what was happening, but he sure as hell knew he didn’t want to be seen bedridden and weak in front of the little girl.

“Ah, Onii-chan. Are you alright?” she asked, crawling onto the bed.

He finally took his hand off his face.

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

He smiled at her, masking his pain.

“How are you, Shouko-chan? Did you and your Mama get out safely?”

“Y-Yes! Mama got out safely with Shouko! Both of us are okay!”

Allen reached out and patted the girl’s head.

“I’m glad to hear it.”

The little girl was beaming.

“It’s all thanks to Onii-chan and Lenalee-nee-chan!”

Her violet eyes were sparkling.

“Aw, Yuu, we were forgotten.”

“Stupid rabbit.”

The little girl was shocked, ducking behind Allen.

Lenalee addressed the girl.

“Shouko-chan, these two Onii-chans helped us.”

“O-Oh…”

Still hiding behind Allen’s left shoulder, she stuttered, “T-Thank you, onii-chans.”

“Now, that’s more like it.”

“Lavi!”

“What?”

Shouko completely ignored the other conversation within the room and instead questioned Allen.

“Allen-nii-chan, are you okay? You have a lot of bandages on you…”

“Ah, I’m fine, don’t worry. They’re just scratches.”

“Ohh…”

She leaned on his shoulder.

Allen was struck with a painful jolt and he could almost feel the vicious inner nature of his left arm pulse in malicious want for blood.

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪
§//.Melodramatic obstinate love haunts the ensanguined hearts of the broken.The torn melodist sings his final aria of dreams.\\§

2009-01-24T12:07:00.000+08:00

Chapter Four, Guys.

The Devil’s Symphony

Disclaimer: If I owned D.Gray-Man, Allen would have black hair, Lavi would wear his hair down all the time, and Yuu would play the violin. Characters are Hoshino’s.

Chapter 4: Haunting Darkness (Part 2)

Allen picked up his violin case.

“Lenalee, we’ll talk about this later. For now, I need you to help me.”

He pointed outside with his free hand.

“We’re in a tunnel. And if we stay in this tunnel, another train will come and we’ll all die.”

There was a whimper from the corner.
Allen spun around to see who had made the terrified noise.

A girl shrunk back into the shadows, afraid.
Allen was surprised that anyone other than themselves had actually avoided a fall when the train had skidded to a halt.
He lowered his voice at the girl’s terrified expression.

“We need to get to the driver of this train, and see why he even stopped the train in the first place,” he whispered.

Lenalee nodded.

“You gather some help and evacuate the train. Get everyone to walk by the sides of the tunnel and keep away from the track. Then, with any able-bodied people you can find, head to the driver’s cabin. I have a feeling something bad’s going to happen.”

Lenalee kept quiet again, replying with another head gesture.

He released her, and turned to face the little girl.

“Hey, what’s your name? I’m Allen,” he said, his tone gentle.

“A-Amamiya Sh-Shouko…”

He smiled warmly at her and her large emerald eyes widened, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks.

“Everything’s going to be alright, Shouko-chan. Onii-chan will make it all better, alright? So until Onii-chan comes back, will you take care of this for me?”
He handed her the violin case.
Its weight pulled her petite arms down, and she seemed slightly overwhelmed.

But the moment passed and she hugged it close to her chest in a tight embrace.

“O-Okay, Onii-chan.”

He smiled at her again.

“Stay with that Onee-chan over there. Her name is Lenalee. She’ll help you and your Mama get out safe alright?”

He put a hand on her head and stroked her hair gently.

Shouko nodded shyly, and she rushed over to Lenalee, who smiled warmly at her, the same comfort emanating from her as it had from Allen.

The fifteen year-old waved lightly when Lenalee glanced at him over her shoulder before heading off in the opposite direction as she moved to help the people who had collapsed around them.

-

Komui sipped at his pre-brewed coffee, staring at the television screen intently. They were screening a violin duet of one of the hardest pieces that ever existed. He continued to watch intently, just as the song was about to end. He had heard that the ending would be recognizable from the string of powerful notes towards the end.

Just then, much to the twenty-nine year-old’s dismay, the television program was interrupted by a news flash.
Komui scowled. He’d definitely missed the extravagant ending of the song.

But something the newscaster said caught his attention.

“…a train has stopped in a tunnel, seeming to have broken down. Investigations are being carried out as to how this could have happened, but a security camera inside said tunnel has caught some footage of people moving around in the immobilized train…”

A short video flashed on the screen, muted, and froze at a particular scene where a few faces were visible.
The camera zoomed in and the supervisor could make out two familiar faces amongst the visible ones.

His mug landed with a loud crash on the wood-paneled floor as he stood, mortified, staring at the face of his Lenalee on the television screen, running in the opposite direction of the also visible Allen Walker, a little girl hugging a violin case in her arms.

The words of the newscaster were silenced, a faint murmur in the distance, as Komui’s heart pounded painfully in his chest, anxiety building up inside him.

His sister was in the train that had broken down in the tunnel.

-

Allen forced the door to the driver’s cabin open, a loud creak shattering the eerie silence that had settled around him. There were no more passengers here; he’d asked them all to evacuate first and let him rescue the train driver.

The only thing wedged between him and the driver’s cabin now was the half-opened door, and Allen strained against its stubborn position, using all his strength to pull the door away.

Pain throbbed in his left arm increasingly, but he did not falter. Instead he doubled his efforts.

Finally the door came free.

Allen’s gaze wandered around the driver’s cabin frantically, searching for the driver, but he found no one, and astonished, he stood motionless, confused.

A screaming pain hit him, but he did not budge as a voice cried out for help and a gruesome sight came into view.

The world on his left was black and white again, and he could see the mourning soul, crying out in torment and suffering before him.

-

Lenalee had gotten most of the people out. It wasn’t a very big train, so it had not taken her very long to get everyone out. Shouko had evacuated the area with Allen’s borrowed violin in her arms, making the ebony-haired girl pinky promise to come out safely with the Onii-chan.
There had been people wanting to help them out as well, but she couldn’t bring herself to bring them along to where Allen was.

Allen…

She hoped he was alright.

She raced through the cabins in the dim light, carefully avoiding bumps and dents in the metal plated floors until she had Allen’s seemingly motionless form in her sights.
Why was he standing so stock still?

Lenalee did not understand what was happening to her friend, but she could tell by the way he trembled that it wasn’t pleasant.

“Allen-kun, Allen-kun!” she called, but he didn’t hear her.

Fearing the worst, she rushed towards him, anxious to find out what had petrified him so.

But what she saw, she had definitely not expected.

A gasp escaped her lips when she saw the blood trailing out of Allen’s eye for the second time. However, what he was staring at intrigued her further.

“What is that?”

“Akuma,” Allen stated bluntly, dispassionately.

His tone frightened Lenalee, alerting her that Allen wasn’t exactly in the right state of mind.
He sounded dazed.
And besides, how on earth did he know what that thing was?

“Allen-“

She was harshly cut off as a loud tearing noise filled the silence and blood splattered on her face.
She tasted the iron in her mouth and started.

Looking at Allen, she was terrified to find that his arm was abnormally proportioned and was plated with metallic silver pieces, with claw-like fingers. His shoulder emitted a green glow that flowed in waves, like a flame. The thing that had replaced Allen’s left arm was disorienting.
It had practically torn through the flesh of his left arm, spattering blood on her face.

But Allen did not budge.
He simply stared ahead at the monster before them. It looked as shocked to see them as she was to see it.

The monstrosity before them was gruesome.
Lenalee cringed, flinching at the sight of it.

It had a dozen or so large cannon barrels attached to its hefty metallic silver body and wiring stuck out of the end of the little cylinder attached to the bottom of it.
But it was the face of the disgusting creature that unnerved Lenalee so much her insides squirmed.

It had a simple oval-shaped face, but it had an agonized expression carved on.
Its mouth was held in an eternal scream, and it looked to be bleeding from the eyes with black blood.

Allen chose to move then.

It snapped out of its stupor in sync with Allen’s movement, and soon, the barrels of over fifteen large cannons were pointedly targeting Lenalee.
The girl had no idea how it was possible for the cannons to face her entirely, contorting this way and that.
Fear engulfed her.

“A-Allen-kun…”

The boy looked down with cold, cruel eyes. His face was expressionless and like hers, splattered with blood; the same blood that was trickling down the metallic arm, his arm.

Lenalee felt a tingling sensation coming from her feet, like a new heavy weight on her ankles.
Confused, the ebony-haired looked down at her feet to discover something remarkable.

Her feet were glowing with a greenish light.
Or rather, her shoes were.

“What is this?”

-

A certain red-headed boy stared dazedly at the sparkling ocean before him.It was noon time, and the old panda had gotten him to run an errand.
But he couldn’t remember what that was.

He’d gone looking for Yuu instead, but the samurai was nowhere to be seen.

Lavi sighed.

It was about time he got back to the old man. Otherwise, there’d be a lot of squabbling, including some punches, kicks and bitch-slaps.
Just then, the hammer strapped to his right thigh began to glow.

It was weird for him to carry around a hammer, yes, but when did one know when to have a weapon handy?

It wasn’t exactly a hammer. It was more of a mallet.

His keen senses immediately sensed it, and he subconsciously pulled the little weapon out of its holster.

“What the hell?”

-

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Three down, two to go.

In three quick slashes, the remaining heads were sliced right off their shoulders.

“Che. How boring.”

He settled his midnight blue katana on his shoulder and sighed irritably.

The practice had been so stupidly simple that the ebony-haired eighteen-year-old hadn’t even broken a sweat.
Compared to cutting the head of a moving object, like that stupid rabbit for example, this was no better than child’s play.

He had left his violin practicing momentarily to gain further peace of mind in his training, however, taking out such easy targets disgusted him and he had grown even more restless.

Sighing again, Kanda crossed his legs and sat down as he put his sheathed blade down on the ground next to him. He folded his arms, his eyebrows knotted in irritation. How hard was it to get a suitable fighting partner?!
The samurai grunted in irritation.

Suddenly, a soft blue light emanated from the katana by his side, sparkling from the edge of the sheath.
Alarmed, the Japanese teen quickly uncovered his blade, and was struck with awe in an instant.

It was glowing with a strange blue light.

-

She watched as Allen darted about in the darkness, the only illumination being the dim tunnel lights and the green glow from his shoulder.
Her feet grew restless as the green light brightened with each passing moment.

Lenalee looked down at her feet, her eyebrows slanting downwards in the middle.
What the hell was going on?

Nothing made any sense.
Her feet were glowing, a monstrous creature had appeared before them, and in place of Allen’s left arm was a dreadful beast with a terribly conspicuous killing intent.

Finally, she felt it.
There was a pulsing coming from her feet, a strange sensation that willed for her to lunge at the beast Allen had referred to as ‘Akuma’ or demon.

But why?
The ebony-haired girl tried to understand, but failed to comprehend.

What were these ‘Akuma’?
Why were Allen’s left arm and left eye in such forms?

And the question that pained her heart the most; why was Allen acting so cold?

Again, the pulsing from her feet caught her attention.

They wanted her to jump.
And what was worse, they wanted her to jump at the akuma.

-

Lavi had no idea what had gotten into his hammer.
Non-living beings were not supposed to be pulsing in this odd manner.

The hammer pulsed continuously, and he could feel it pulling at the very heart of his existence in the direction of the train station five minutes’ walk away from where he now stood.

But why did it want him to go there?

This was all so confusing.

First it had begun glowing for no apparent reason, just as he’d started to think about heading back.
And now, it was pulling him, with some unknown force, to the train station.

-

Kanda had immediately stood up the moment the blade began to emit a vengeful killing intent.
And now, with Mugen in his hands, he was walking briskly in a random direction to a random place.

Of all the randomness, something else was strange.
He could sense them, the two or three other similar forces.
And these forces emitted similar killing intents.

The only one among them that drew his attention had a power that could raise the goose-bumps on his skin.
And that wasn’t easy.
We are talking about Kanda Yuu, after all.

Distracted, he charged right into another person and cussed loudly.

He continued his blank stare in the direction the unknown force pulled him to, and started fast-paced walking again.

“Yuu?”

At the call of his given name, the samurai had his sword pointed at the redhead’s throat.

“Whoa, jeez.”

Kanda suddenly realized something. The sword was still glowing.

Quickly, he sheathed it.

Continuing to march with large strides, the raven-haired sword-wielder said, “Do not call me that, Baka Usagi.”

-

The dim light sources in the tunnel exploded with the sheer force of her kicks as she danced on the air, spinning in circles as more and more of the monstrous creatures poured into the darkness. Where they came from, Lenalee could care less.

She angled herself easily, slamming down on akuma one after the other easily. There was a beautiful grace of her movements as she glided and jumped, whirling around.

Allen continued to pursue the masses of the beasts on foot, darting swiftly this way and that, nimble and agile on his feet.
His over-sized silver plated arm did nothing to hinder him.

Helpfully, it lunged out at an akuma at each of the instances Allen glanced at them.
His eyes, already the complex grey of storm clouds, were cold and icy.

He had not earned any bruises at all during his and Lenalee’s onslaught against the akuma, save for the constant line of blood running down from his eye.
His left arm contributed greatly to the massive blood loss he faced as well.

Lenalee whirled and spun between the beasts the air a podium where she danced.
Like a butterfly she slipped between them, smashing into them with the brute force of her legs.

But this couldn’t go on forever.
And the akuma were continuously pouring in.

From the corner of her eye, she could see a faint shade of white darting in between the creatures and a shimmer of metallic silver amidst the smoke that was the death of them.
But Lenalee was tiring quickly, and she was sure Allen wouldn’t be able to keep up like this for too long either.

The ebony-haired girl darted out of the way and gyrated into the darkness as a large black hammer flew out from the endless darkness of the tunnel and hit an akuma that had been right behind her. Her fatigue had almost spelled her death, allowing her miss the foe sneaking up behind her.

There was some shouting from the shadows that followed, something Lenalee could not make out. Much to her surprise, ghost-like insects, all rather large, darted from an ephemeral glint of silver-blue metal, colliding with the akuma, destroying several at once.

This invisible force continued to penetrate the group of akuma and Lenalee stood to the side, staring in shock.

Flames erupted from wherever the hammer head stamped, and the blurred figure of the one wielding it wove through the crowd of akuma as quickly as Allen did, the sixteen-year-old observed.

The other figure darted about swiftly, blue katana in hand and didn’t seem to mind diving head first into the blood that sprayed out from the mangled bodies of the defeated akuma. He made it look easy.

Now rested, Lenalee sprang back into action with full force, and the number of akuma dwindled down to nothing.

She stood to one side, knees shaking with exhaustion before they buckled under her and she collapsed in a tired heap on the ground next to the train tracks.

“Whew…”

There was a tired sigh beside her as someone slumped down to the ground, settling in a lazy sitting position.
There was a tiny glint of green before the eye of the one who had saved her with the hammer closed, and immediately, Lenalee recognized his voice.

“L-Lavi?!”

“Yo, Lena-chan.”

She could make out a light cream colour in the darkness in the shape of a peace sign.

“Yuu-chan…”

The name was a long drawl in the darkness and echoed about them, bouncing off the walls.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that before I slice you to ribbons?”

A katana was pointedly positioned to the Bookman apprentice’s neck, dangerously close to his Adam’s apple.

“Ah, Yuu-chan… There you are!”

At the daring comment, the sword poked the bump lightly, and the hand around its hilt tightened, knuckles white as if restraining some form of brute force.

Lenalee looked on, sighing to herself.

“Kanda, Lavi, stop bickering. There’s still one of us in this tunnel, and we need to find him.”

She looked away from the two and squinted in the darkness, trying in vain to see the contorted train passenger cars sprawled all over the tracks, and possibly pin point the location of her white-haired comrade.

But he was no-where to be found.
“Allen-kun, Allen-kun!” she called, her hands raised, cupping her mouth.
But the only reply from within the dark gloom of the tunnel was the echo of her own voice.

Lenalee’s shoulders dropped, and she looked out forlornly into the darkness.
But there was still no reply.

“Maybe he went back inside the train…” she trailed off.

Turning to look at the two bickering by the sidelines, she announced, “I’m going to go look for him. You guys get out first.”

Lavi immediately turned to face her, his mouth hanging open.

“What? We can’t let a girl go by herself! Right, Yuu-chan?”

“BAKA USAGI! I’M GOING TO CUT YOUR HEAD OFF AND DICE YOU TO BITS!”

And the comical running around began.

Lenalee smacked her forehead with her palm, shaking her head.
She then proceeded to look for Allen among the damaged passenger cars.

-

He staggered lightly against the walls, cradling his left shoulder with his right hand.
His breath came out in puffs of white in the darkness of the tunnel as the blood continued to pour out from his side.

“What… the… hell… just happened…?” he whispered.

The fact that he didn’t have any idea where he was was one thing. Another thing was that he’d lost sight of Lenalee in the darkness. However another matter entirely…
What were those things?

“Allen-kun, Allen-kun!”

He looked up tiredly, his neck muscles as exhausted as all the other muscles were.
Lenalee was calling him.

He wanted to answer her, but his attempt at calling to her ended in a strangled cough. He couldn’t find his voice even if he wanted to shout back.

He staggered against the wall, clinging to it for support, his fingers grabbing desperately at the bricked structure, scraping his fingers against the concrete.

Finally, he slumped to the ground in a tired heap.

Footsteps echoed around him in the darkness.

Allen couldn’t make out who or what was making the noise but he hoped it was Lenalee.
He readied himself for a possible attack from those things again.

“Che.”

-

The swordsman was a bit surprised at the blood at his feet.
It soaked slowly into the gravel under him.

Then he sensed a movement in the darkness.

There was a loud tearing noise and a flash of silver with a soft green glow as he drew his katana.

Metal clashed against metal and a small spark lit in the darkness as he caught sight of a bloodied face.
He pushed harder against the invisible force but it retaliated and a large metallic hand tried to quick-slash him in the side.

He caught it with Mugen’s hilt and spun around, taking his opponent by surprise.

But the opponent was fast to react and adapted to his defences.

He kicked his leg under the samurai and forced him to the ground, pointing a sharp silver finger at his throat.

The assailant stepped into the dim light and Kanda caught sight of his dazed silver-grey eyes.

“Who are you?” a cold voice questioned.

Just then, the eyes rolled back, the arm shrunk back and the blue-haired eighteen-year-old looked on as his attacker fell backwards.

Blood began to crawl slowly across the gravel once more as Kanda got up and dusted himself off.

He could see the silver-haired boy now.

He tried to recall the descriptions of the one he and the stupid rabbit had been told to find.

“Silver hair, Silver eyes, quite short… Fits the descriptions.”

“Oi, Lenalee, Rabbit. I’ve found the bean sprout.”

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪
§//.Melodramatic obstinate love haunts the ensanguined hearts of the broken.The torn melodist sings his final aria of dreams.\\§

2009-01-17T17:10:00.002+08:00

HELLO MINNA!
I know one or two of you know why I'm hyper! 8D
Anyway, here's the update for chapter four so far! (:

The Devil’s Symphony

Disclaimer: If I owned D.Gray-Man, Allen would have black hair, Lavi would wear his hair down all the time, and Yuu would play the violin. Characters are Hoshino’s.

Chapter 4: Haunting Darkness (Part 2)

Allen picked up his violin case.

“Lenalee, we’ll talk about this later. For now, I need you to help me.”

He pointed outside with his free hand.

“We’re in a tunnel. And if we stay in this tunnel, another train will come and we’ll all die.”

There was a whimper from the corner.
Allen spun around to see who had made the terrified noise.

A girl shrunk back into the shadows, afraid.
Allen was surprised that anyone other than themselves had actually avoided a fall when the train had skidded to a halt.
He lowered his voice at the girl’s terrified expression.

“We need to get to the driver of this train, and see why he even stopped the train in the first place,” he whispered.

Lenalee nodded.

“You gather some help and evacuate the train. Get everyone to walk by the sides of the tunnel and keep away from the track. Then, with any able-bodied people you can find, head to the driver’s cabin. I have a feeling something bad’s going to happen.”

Lenalee kept quiet again, replying with another head gesture.

He released her, and turned to face the little girl.

“Hey, what’s your name? I’m Allen,” he said, his tone gentle.

“A-Amamiya Sh-Shouko…”

He smiled warmly at her and her large emerald eyes widened, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks.

“Everything’s going to be alright, Shouko-chan. Onii-chan will make it all better, alright? So until Onii-chan comes back, will you take care of this for me?”
He handed her the violin case.
Its weight pulled her petite arms down, and she seemed slightly overwhelmed.

But the moment passed and she hugged it close to her chest in a tight embrace.

“O-Okay, Onii-chan.”

He smiled at her again.

“Stay with that Onee-chan over there. Her name is Lenalee. She’ll help you and your Mama get out safe alright?”

He put a hand on her head and stroked her hair gently.

Shouko nodded shyly, and she rushed over to Lenalee, who smiled warmly at her, the same comfort emanating from her as it had from Allen.

The fifteen year-old waved lightly when Lenalee glanced at him over her shoulder before heading off in the opposite direction as she moved to help the people who had collapsed around them.

-

Komui sipped at his pre-brewed coffee, staring at the television screen intently. They were screening a violin duet of one of the hardest pieces that ever existed. He continued to watch intently, just as the song was about to end. He had heard that the ending would be recognizable from the string of powerful notes towards the end.

Just then, much to the twenty-nine year-old’s dismay, the television program was interrupted by a news flash.
Komui scowled. He’d definitely missed the extravagant ending of the song.

But something the newscaster said caught his attention.

“…a train has stopped in a tunnel, seeming to have broken down. Investigations are being carried out as to how this could have happened, but a security camera inside said tunnel has caught some footage of people moving around in the immobilized train…”

A short video flashed on the screen, muted, and froze at a particular scene where a few faces were visible.
The camera zoomed in and the supervisor could make out two familiar faces amongst the visible ones.

His mug landed with a loud crash on the wood-paneled floor as he stood, mortified, staring at the face of his Lenalee on the television screen, running in the opposite direction of the also visible Allen Walker, a little girl hugging a violin case in her arms.

The words of the newscaster were silenced, a faint murmur in the distance, as Komui’s heart pounded painfully in his chest, anxiety building up inside him.

His sister was in the train that had broken down in the tunnel.

-

Allen forced the door to the driver’s cabin open, a loud creak shattering the eerie silence that had settled around him. There were no more passengers here; he’d asked them all to evacuate first and let him rescue the train driver.

The only thing wedged between him and the driver’s cabin now was the half-opened door, and Allen strained against its stubborn position, using all his strength to pull the door away.

Pain throbbed in his left arm increasingly, but he did not falter. Instead he doubled his efforts.

Finally the door came free.

Allen’s gaze wandered around the room frantically, searching for the driver, but he found no one, and astonished, he stood motionless, confused.

A screaming pain hit him, but he did not budge as a voice cried out for help and a gruesome sight came into view.

The world on his left was black and white again, and he could see the mourning soul, crying out in torment and suffering before him.

-

Lenalee had gotten most of the people out. It wasn’t a very big train, so it had not taken her very long to get everyone out. Shouko had evacuated the area with Allen’s borrowed violin in her arms, making the ebony-haired girl pinky promise to come out safely with the Onii-chan.

She hoped Allen was alright.

She raced through the cabins, carefully avoiding bumps and dents in the metal plated floors until she had Allen’s seemingly motionless form in her sights.
Why was he standing so stock still?

Lenalee did not understand what was happening to her friend, but she could tell by the way he trembled that it wasn’t pleasant.

“Allen-kun, Allen-kun!” she called, but he didn’t hear her.

Fearing the worst, she rushed towards him, anxious to find out what had petrified him so.

But what she saw, she had definitely not expected.

A gasp escaped her lips when she saw the blood trailing out of Allen’s eye for the second time. However, what he was staring at intrigued her further.

“What is that?”

“Akuma,” Allen stated bluntly, dispassionately.

His tone frightened Lenalee, alerting her that Allen wasn’t exactly in the right state of mind.
He sounded dazed.
And besides, how on earth did he know what that thing was?

“Allen-“

She was harshly cut off as a loud tearing noise filled the silence and blood splattered on her face.
She tasted the iron in her mouth and started.

Looking at Allen, she was terrified to find that his arm was abnormally proportioned and was plated with metallic silver pieces, with claw-like fingers. His shoulder emitted a green glow that flowed in waves, like a flame. The thing that had replaced Allen’s left arm was disorienting.
It had practically torn through the flesh of his left arm, spattering blood on her face.

But Allen did not budge.
He simply stared ahead at the monster before them. It looked as shocked to see them as she was to see it.

The monstrosity before them was gruesome.
Lenalee cringed, flinching at the sight of it.

It had a dozen or so large cannon barrels attached to its hefty metallic silver body and wiring stuck out of the end of the little cylinder attached to the bottom of it.
But it was the face of the disgusting creature that unnerved Lenalee so much her insides squirmed.

It had a simple oval-shaped face, but it had an agonized expression carved on.
Its mouth was held in an eternal scream, and it looked to be bleeding from the eyes with black blood.

Allen chose to move then.

It snapped out of its stupor in sync with Allen’s movement, and soon, the barrels of over fifteen large cannons were pointedly targeting Lenalee.
The girl had no idea how it was possible for the cannons to face her entirely, contorting this way and that.
Fear engulfed her.

“A-Allen-kun…”

The boy looked down with cold, cruel eyes. His face was expressionless and like hers, splattered with blood; the same blood that was trickling down the metallic arm, his arm.

Lenalee felt a tingling sensation coming from her feet, like a new heavy weight on her ankles.
Confused, the ebony-haired looked down at her feet to discover something remarkable.

Her feet were glowing with a greenish light.
Or rather, her shoes were.

“What is this?”

-

A certain red-headed boy stared dazedly at the sparkling ocean before him.It was noon time, and the old panda had gotten him to run an errand.
But he couldn’t remember what that was.

He’d gone looking for Yuu instead, but the samurai was nowhere to be seen.

Lavi sighed.

It was about time he got back to the old man. Otherwise, there’d be a lot of squabbling, including some punches, kicks and bitch-slaps.
Just then, the hammer strapped to his right thigh began to glow.

It was weird for him to carry around a hammer, yes, but when did one know when to have a weapon handy?

It wasn’t exactly a hammer. It was more of a mallet.

His keen senses immediately sensed it, and he subconsciously pulled the little weapon out of its holster.

“What the hell?”

-

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Three down, two to go.

In three quick slashes, the remaining heads were sliced right off their shoulders.

“Che. How boring.”

He settled his midnight blue katana on his shoulder and sighed irritably.

The practice had been so stupidly simple that the ebony-haired eighteen-year-old hadn’t even broken a sweat.
Compared to cutting the head of a moving object, like that stupid rabbit for example, this was no better than child’s play.

Sighing again, Kanda crossed his legs and sat down as he put his sheathed blade down on the ground next to him. He folded his arms, his eyebrows knotted in irritation. How hard was it to get a suitable fighting partner?!
The samurai grunted in irritation.

Suddenly, a soft blue light emanated from the katana by his side, sparkling from the edge of the sheath.
Alarmed, the Japanese teen quickly uncovered his blade, and was struck with awe in an instant.

It was glowing with a strange blue light.

-

She watched as Allen darted about in the darkness, the only illumination being the dim tunnel lights and the green glow from his shoulder.
Her feet grew restless as the green light brightened with each passing moment.

Lenalee looked down at her feet, her eyebrows slanting downwards in the middle.
What the hell was going on?

Nothing made any sense.
Her feet were glowing, a monstrous creature had appeared before them, and in place of Allen’s left arm was a dreadful beast with a terribly conspicuous killing intent.

Finally, she felt it.
There was a pulsing coming from her feet, a strange sensation that willed for her to lunge at the beast Allen had referred to as ‘Akuma’ or demon.

But why?
The ebony-haired girl tried to understand, but failed to comprehend.

What were these ‘Akuma’?
Why were Allen’s left arm and left eye in such forms?

And the question that pained her heart the most; why was Allen acting so cold?

Again, the pulsing from her feet caught her attention.

They wanted her to jump.
And what was worse, they wanted her to jump at the akuma.

-

Lavi had no idea what had gotten into his hammer.
Non-living beings were not supposed to be pulsing in this odd manner.

The hammer pulsed continuously, and he could feel it pulling at the very heart of his existence in the direction of the train station five minutes’ walk away from where he now stood.

But why did it want him to go there?

This was all so confusing.

First it had begun glowing for no apparent reason, just as he’d started to think about heading back.
And now, it was pulling him, with some unknown force, to the train station.

-
Kanda had immediately stood up the moment the blade began to emit a vengeful killing intent.
And now, with Mugen in his hands, he was walking briskly in a random direction to a random place.

Of all the randomness, something else was strange.
He could sense them, the two or three other similar forces.
And these forces emitted similar killing intents.

The only one among them that drew his attention had a power that could raise the goose-bumps on his skin.
And that wasn’t easy.
We are talking about Kanda Yuu, after all.

Distracted, he charged right into another person and cussed loudly.

He continued his blank stare in the direction the unknown force pulled him to, and started fast-paced walking again.

“Yuu?”

At the call of his given name, the samurai had his sword pointed at the redhead’s throat.

“Whoa, jeez.”

Kanda suddenly realized something. The sword was still glowing.

Quickly, he sheathed it.

“Do not call me that, Baka Usagi.”

Until here!

♪.Flakes of the Winter Sorrows.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪
§//.Melodramatic obstinate love haunts the ensanguined hearts of the broken.The torn melodist sings his final aria of dreams.\\§

2009-01-06T17:17:00.001+08:00

Chapter four so far! I got about 1000++ words down. (;

The Devil’s Symphony

Disclaimer: If I owned D.Gray-Man, Allen would have black hair, Lavi would wear his hair down all the time, and Yuu would play the violin. Characters are Hoshino’s.

Chapter 4: Haunting Darkness (Part 2)

Allen picked up his violin case.

“Lenalee, we’ll talk about this later. For now, I need you to help me.”

He pointed outside with his free hand.

“We’re in a tunnel. And if we stay in this tunnel, another train will come and we’ll all die.”

There was a whimper from the corner.
Allen spun around to see who had made the terrified noise.

A girl shrunk back into the shadows, afraid.
Allen lowered his voice at the girl’s terrified expression.

“We need to get to the driver of this train, and see why he even stopped the train in the first place.”

Lenalee nodded.

“You gather some help and evacuate the train. Get everyone to walk by the sides of the tunnel and keep away from the track. Then, with any able-bodied people you can find, head to the driver’s cabin. I have a feeling something bad’s going to happen.”

Lenalee kept quiet again, replying with another head gesture.

He released her, and turned to face the little girl.

“Hey, what’s your name? I’m Allen,” he said, his tone gentle.

“Sh-Shouko…”

He smiled warmly at her and her eyes widened, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks.

“Everything’s going to be alright, Shouko-chan. Onii-chan will make it all better, alright? So until Onii-chan comes back, will you take care of this for me?”
He handed her the violin case.
Its weight pulled her petite arms down, and she seemed slightly overwhelmed.

But the moment passed and she hugged it close to her chest in a tight embrace.

“O-Okay, Onii-chan.”

He smiled at her again.

“Stay with that Onee-chan over there. Her name is Lenalee. She’ll help you and your Mama get out safe alright?”

He put a hand on her head and stroked her hair gently.

Shouko nodded shyly, and she rushed over to Lenalee, who smiled warmly at her, the same comfort emanating from her as it had from Allen.

The fifteen year-old waved lightly when Lenalee glanced at him over her shoulder and headed off in the opposite direction as she moved to help the people who had collapsed around them.

-

Komui sipped at his pre-brewed coffee, staring at the television screen intently. They were screening a violin duet of one of the harder pieces that ever existed. He continued to watch intently, just as the song was about to end. He had heard that the ending would be recognizable from the string of powerful notes towards the end.

Just then, much to the twenty-nine year-old’s dismay, the television program was interrupted by a news flash.
Komui scowled. He’d definitely missed the extravagant ending of the song.

But something the newscaster said caught his attention.

“…a train has stopped in a tunnel, seeming to have broken down. Investigations are being carried out as to how this could have happened, but a security camera inside said tunnel has caught some footage of people moving around in the train.”

A short video flashed on the screen, muted, and froze at a particular scene where a few faces were visible.
The camera zoomed in and the supervisor could make out two familiar faces amongst the visible ones.

His mug landed with a loud crash on the wood-paneled floor as he stood, mortified, staring at the face of his Lenalee on the television screen, running in the opposite direction of the also visible Allen Walker, a little girl hugging a violin case in her arms.

The words of the newscaster were silenced, a faint murmur in the distance, as Komui’s heart pounded painfully in his chest, anxiety building up inside him.

His sister was in the train that had broken down in the tunnel.

-

Allen forced the door to the driver’s cabin open, a loud creak shattering the eerie silence that had settled around him. There were no more passengers here; he’d asked them all to evacuate first and let him rescue the train driver.

The only thing wedged between him and the driver’s cabin now was the half-opened door, and Allen strained against its stubborn position, using all his strength to pull the door away.

Pain throbbed in his left arm increasingly, but he did not falter. Instead he doubled his efforts.

Finally the door came free.

Allen’s gaze wandered around the room frantically, searching for the driver, but he found no one, and astonished, he stood motionless, confused.

A screaming pain hit him, but he did not budge as a voice cried out for help and a gruesome sight came into view.

The world on his left was black and white again, and he could see the mourning soul, crying out in torment and suffering before him.

-

Lenalee had gotten most of the people out. It wasn’t a very big train, so it had not taken her very long to get everyone out. Shouko had evacuated the area with Allen’s borrowed violin in her arms, making the ebony-haired girl pinky promise to come out safely with the other Onii-chan.

She hoped Allen was alright.

She raced through the cabins, carefully avoiding bumps and dents in the metal plated floors until she had Allen’s motionless form in her sights.
Why was he standing so stock still?

Lenalee did not understand what was happening to her friend, but she could tell by the way he trembled that it wasn’t pleasant.

“Allen-kun, Allen-kun!” she called, but he didn’t hear her.

Fearing the worst, she rushed towards him, anxious to find out what had petrified him so.

But what she saw, she had definitely not expected.

A gasp escaped her lips when she saw the blood trailing out of Allen’s eye for the second time. However, what he was staring at intrigued her further.

“What is that?”

“Akuma,” Allen stated bluntly, dispassionately.

His tone frightened Lenalee, alerting her that Allen wasn’t exactly in the right state of mind.
He sounded dazed.

“Allen-“

She was harshly cut off as a loud tearing noise filled the silence and blood splattered on her face.

She looked at Allen, terrified to find that his arm had become large and metal-plated, with claw-like fingers. Disoriented by this thing which had replaced Allen’s left arm, Lenalee backed away.

That's all for now. YES SUSPENSE TO ALL!
aahaha. (;

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪

2009-01-06T17:14:00.002+08:00

Okay, I'm here to post for moyashi once again.

Here's your edited compo dude. (;
AND I'M UPSET THAT YOU'RE STILL SO TALL!!!

Relax, take a breath and imagine the smell of salt air and the cries of gulls. Feel the soft sand under your feet and dive into your memories of the sea. How has the sea touched your life? For me it is the greatest memory the sea has ever bestowed upon me.
“Stupid sea! Because of you, Daddy has to go away every now and then, leaving us alone in the house.”
My grandson, John, sulked as he tossed a few pebbles into the waves. They slowly disappeared as the currents quickly devoured them, pulling them back into the water.
His father was about to leave. As a sailor, his job required him to leave home several times a year, leaving only brief periods of his life being set aside for his family. John disliked my son’s job because of these conditions, but he disliked the sea even more. He hated that it took his father away from them, making their relationship grow distant.
As he continued on sulking like a spoilt brat, a smirk spread across my wrinkled face. My grandson, I thought to myself, was just like I had been when I was about his age.
“You shouldn’t blame the sea you know. It’s not the sea’s fault; moreover the sea brought great joy to two siblings.”
“The sea brought joy? What do you mean grandpa? How can that be possible when it always takes Daddy away from us?”
“Oh well, I just have to try and recall what took place in the year 1920….
“Well, at that time the boy was only 13 years old and his father, like yours, was leaving to set out to sea. He was also sulking and blaming him for not spending time with them especially when his mother was just finishing the gestation period and was nearly nine months pregnant. But they had no choice if they were to survive. His father was the sole breadwinner of the family, earning money for the family. One fateful day, his father decided to take them out to the sea so that they could have fun as a family and rode their little boat gently out to sea. It was summer but the water was the wrong temperature. It had this chilling feeling that made the boy shiver and it was a murky green colour. The boy, Will, wanted to reach out and touch it. But his short arms and the height of the side of the boat would not grant his wishes. He sulked, irritated by this development.
“Huh. So now even the sea is getting in my way. How nice,” Will thought to himself.
“Will! Don’t you try to touch the water! You know very well that those short arms of yours won’t reach the water! It will only get you wet when you fall in!” his father warned.
“As a typical teenager, his father’s words only had the opposite effect on the boy. Will decided to do it just to spite him. Will tried his luck once again and plunged his body forward, his fingers somehow just managing to brush against the surface of the water.
“Eeek!!! It’s really cold!”
Will withdrew his hand and just as he was about to pull himself up over the side of the boat, a huge wave crashed against the other side of the boat, tilting to a rather dangerous angle.At the sudden impact, Will fell into the deep dark shadows of the sea, lacking the time he needed to react.
“My body is so cold. I can’t seem to move. I can’t breathe. Help me!” the boy thought to himself.
However, his silent cries did not seem to penetrate the surface of the cruel ocean around him. Darkness cluttered his mind. Death was just waiting to swallow him when he finally realized how beautiful his life had been. He could feel his heart beating; its potent beat echoing in his ear.
“Is this the end?” Will thought.
He heard voices calling his name and he struggled in a final attempt at reaching the surface, intent on not letting the Devil tear his soul from his body and take his life.
A firm grip tightened around his hand and pulled him up to the surface and air filled his lungs again. Will was petrified with fear when he was pulled to safety.
Glad to be alive, his facial muscles relaxed and a smile lingered on his face. But his smile did not last and his expression became one of absolute horror- his father was fighting the Devil in his place. Streaks of lightning stretched across the evening sky as the onslaught of the storm continued. His father was trying to get back up over the side of the boat but the waves tossed him, up and down, up and down, and up and down again like a helpless paper doll. Will was frozen with fear, rooted to the spot as he stared, wide-eyed, at the helpless figure.
His father, still battling with the strong currents knew he would not make it.
“Will take care of them for m-“But before he could finish, a huge gulp of seawater forced its way into his mouth and then Will’s father vanished from his sights.
That was the last time Will ever saw his father.
Will stood rooted to the same spot for a few minutes, gaping with obvious disbelief, his eyes blank and wandering. His jaw hung open, numb with shock at the bizarre sight. All he had been able to do was feebly watch it happen. Slowly darkness engulfed him.
“Help me! Help me!”
“I’m coming father! I will save you!”
“Will, no matter what happens, please live on, no matter what….”
“NO! Father please come back! Don’t leave me!”
Will shot his eyes open and he bolted upright. Beads of perspiration trickled down the sides of his face, dripping onto his hands. No, it was not the water that had haunted him in his nightmare but rather the raindrops that had emerged from his eyes. A wave of emotions swept over him, and unable to control it, he felt his eyes clouding over.
“Gone….Father is gone now… Forever…” he sobbed to himself.
“Will remember…Always take care of your mother and sister for me….”
Will’s head snapped up at the words that echoed in his head. Where was his mother now? What about his precious unborn sibling she carried in her womb? These thoughts grew restless, urging him to satisfy the desperate yearning for his mother.And in spite of the fatigue that weakened his body, he searched for his mother, running aimlessly in the looming building of endless white halls.
“Mother, Mother where are you?” Will cried.
He finally reached a ward. But the only thing he could see was a nurse carrying a little baby girl. His mother had disappeared.
He could hear the nurses speaking in hushed voices.
“The poor boy.”
“Will isn’t it?”
“Yeah...Lost both his parents at such a young age.”
There was a pause.
“Now he is left with his baby sister. I wonder how they survived that treacherous storm.”
Will covered his mouth to in an effort to stop himself from screaming. It was all the sea’s fault.The boy squeezed his eyes shut tightly.
‘I hate it! I hate it! It took away everything from me!’
Ever since then, Will has always treated the cold ocean as his enemy.
As the years passed, the two siblings grew up together. Will was already twenty-three years old while his sister, Wendy, was fifteen.Although the hatred for the sea stood firm in Will’s heart, he had to support the two of them. He had to take up a job as a fisherman, sacrificing his education.But he felt it important that his sister went to school in his place.They were fortunate as their landlord agreed to let them rent a house for 5 pounds every month, but Will still had to take up many jobs. However, due to his young age, jobs were scarce, and his salary was not satisfying at all.
However, what made matters worse was that is sister loved the sea, but Will’s over-protective sister-complex demeanor did not allow her even a toe in the water.
Wendy knew why her brother hated the sea but she did not agree that the sea was at fault at all.
The sun was shining brightly in the clear, cloudless sky.
Will cringed at the sudden brightness, his eyes feeling uncomfortable.It had just become evening now, and it was a perfect time to fetch Wendy from school, despite her insistence on going home herself.The young man was sure his sister would wander off to the ocean.
He narrowed his eyes.
He wasn’t about to risk that possibility.
Will made his way up the hill routinely, only to find that Wendy had already left to look for him at the jetty.
‘That girl!’ He thought. Wendy had always loved to sneak out of school early to collect seashells near the coast. Knowing that her stubborn brother of hers would never let her near the sea, she longed to put out the flames of hatred within him. Alas! He found her. As usual, his guess was correct; Wendy was there by the seashore again.
The sun-kissed sand was soft and fine. Grinning, the girl dug both of her feet in it and wriggled her toes. What a wonderful feeling it was, the sand slipping between her toes, tickling. The waves rolled in and then receded with a whisper as a breeze lifted her bronze tresses lightly. Several dolphins swept past her, swift as torpedoes. They clicked and chirped, whistling and squawking as they swarmed around her, swimming gracefully in a slow, sinuous circle. One even came up to the surface, close enough to tease Wendy, kissing her on the cheek. She chuckled with obvious delight. If only her brother loved the sea as much as she did. He would not be so miserable then.
She let out an audible sigh, she had tried so many times to persuade her brother but he had remained adamant. Watching her brother suffer in silence with that look of pain that remained permanent on his face, she decided. She would give it her all and try once more. She was serenity personified. She stood up, oozing with confidence, only to realize her brother had already been watching her for quite a while.
Wendy flinched and tried to avert her brother’s angry gaze. She walked towards him, preparing herself for a day’s worth of lectures, feeling slightly guilty. She put on a calm expression and set her mind to discussing the last topic her brother would want to hear. Knowing what was on her brother’s mind, she waited for him patiently for the harsh reprimand coming her way. However, Will did the complete opposite of what she had expected.He hugged Wendy tightly. So tightly up to the point that she had difficulty breathing. Wendy was taken aback by his actions.
“Brother? Are you…you ok?”
Said person did not answer his sister’s question. Instead he could mutter.
“Sorry….”
He finally let loosened his grip on her, his arms slacking around her shoulders. Wendy continued to wait patiently for her brother to speak. Will knew exactly what she was thinking. He had known throughout the years that Wendy had been suffering with him. His hatred for the sea had only made matters worse when he stubbornly forced his sister to hate the thing she loved.
“How could I have done that? How could I have been so cruel? I was only hurting her when I thought I was protecting her…” After watching her near the ocean, Will had seen something he had never seen before; the twinkle in his sister’s eyes and her pearly laugh as she skipped and danced on the beach. It was a genuine happiness that radiated from her, and she glowed. Will had always been living in self-pity, draining his sister’s happiness away.
“Brother, don’t say sorry. Why should you be sorry? You are the most wonderful brother anyone could ever have, and I am so happy that the sea has brought us together. If not we would not be so happy right now. It has returned you your happiness, and returned my big brother to me.”
Those words struck a chord in Will’s heart.
‘The sea saved us?’
It finally dawned on him that all this while he had been so foolish to have ever hated the sea. The sea had given Wendy to him after all. It had been an accident, that incident all those years ago. Will furrowed his eyebrows, drawing a long tired breath and leaned back. He had decided.
“Let’s go see mom and dad shall we?”
Wendy smiled at him. She could guess what he had in mind. The two siblings held hands as they climbed up the hill to where their parents’ ashes were. After burning their bodies, Will had brought Wendy to collect their ashes and stored them in two similar vases, the ones that their mother were so fond of.
“Do you miss them?”
“Of course I do! How could I ever forget them? Even though the only memories I have of them are in photographs.”
“Shall we let them watch over us forever in bliss?”
“Yes.”
She looked at her brother curiously.
“What do you plan to do brother?” Wendy asked in wonder.
Will laughed heartily for the first time in many years, joy emanating from the light sound. He grabbed Wendy’s hand and they ran down the hill each carrying a vase. They raced down the hillside until they reached the sea. Will took off his shoes and stepped into the water, feeling it between his toes.How long had it been since he had last played and swam in the sea, he wondered. He took a deep breath. Fresh air filled his lungs as he felt extremely exuberated, refreshed. The feeling was great. It filled him up inside. The two of them opened the vase they each carried and scattered the ashes all over the waters as the gentle waves came and swept them away. The siblings broke into an impish grin and exchanged cordial smiles. This was the happiest moment for them. As you know, the story ends with a happily ever after.”
John’s eyes were bright with curiosity.
“Wow! That was an amazing story grandpa! But how do you know they were happy forever?”
His grandfather laughed.
“Oh well, that I’m sure of. After all, I am the Will from the story, my dear boy.”

(2455 words)

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪

2009-01-05T19:37:00.001+08:00

My story of the Mountain.

At the request of baka moyashi, who is intent on making me VCC. Please, NO.

-

Alex huffed, his breath coming out in a whisper of mist. Despite the biting cold of his surroundings, sweat beaded on his forehead. This was one of the more particularly difficult missions he had been assigned to, and it was draining away at his energy.

The thirty-five-year-old was a flight doctor, an expert at saving the lives of people trapped, wounded, anytime, anywhere. And though not all missions were successful, he was determined that this one would be.

A young girl had gone hiking up a mountain with her brother earlier during the day, and something had triggered an avalanche. The name of the mountain escaped him, but as he attempted to as gently as possible secure the sharp branch that had lodged itself in the girl’s thigh, time sped up, and anxiety built up inside him, adrenaline running madly through his veins. Blood leaked through his fingers.

The helicopter hovered quite a distance away, careful to be far enough not to trigger another mini avalanche in the area. After all, Alex didn’t need any more trouble than he was already dealing with.
He had long since bandaged up the girl’s body, mangled though it had been. She was breathing quite evenly now, and Alex was elated that he did not have to deal with any form of internal injuries. His partner, Melanie, had gone off in search of the girl’s brother with Heath, her assistant, in the surrounding area, leaving him with his assistant Jackie, who was currently maintaining the stable situation of the girl.

Alex wrapped the donut-shaped bandage carefully around the branch that jutted out of the girl’s thigh, securing it. He stole a glance at Jackie, who caught on easily. Switching on their walkie-talkie, there was a beeping sound.

Jackie began to speak to Melanie, and time ticked by, eating away at Alex’s patience.

He sent the dark-haired girl a fleeting look, hinting impatience. He raised the back of his hand to his forehead again, still holding the branch securely in place, just in case.

But at some point in the conversation, something Melanie said caught his attention.

“We’re good. We haven’t found the boy yet. But I think we’re close… There’re some footprints and…”

Jackie knew what that meant. She glimpsed at Alex again, but he was facing away from her, packing up their tools.

“Alright. Mel, we’re heading off first. If this girl isn’t treated soon, she’ll die. Over.”

“Don’t jinx it,” Alex muttered, a cloud of warm air escaping his lips.

Jackie peeked at him again, but turned away.

“Roger that. I’ll see you guys later. Good luck. Over.”

“Yeah, you too. Good luck. Over.”

There was another quiet beep and Jackie switched the frequency channel she was on.

Alex couldn’t help but listen in on the conversation. His mind needed to relax, and it automatically tuned into something that was potentially more distracting than the mess of blood and bandages in front of him.

“Hey, can you hear me, Allen? Over.”

“Yep. Is it time to come down? Over.”

“Yeah, it is. Remember though, not too low. We want to get this girl out without any more problems.
She’s on the verge of death here. Over.”

“You think I don’t know that? What do you think I was trained for?”

Jackie smiled. Allen always brightened the situation with jokes.

The beep sounded again, and Alex finally spoke.

“Jackie, what have I said about talking too much? We’ve been here for hours. And this girl is in critical condition, chatter box,” he said quietly, dangerously, in spite of the fact that the conversation Allen had had with the girl in question had distracted him quite a bit.

The 30-year-old simply kept quiet after that.
The whirl of the helicopter above them broke the silence and the two flight doctors looked up. Help had arrived.

-

Allen passed a cup of coffee in front of his comrade’s face.
There was no reaction.
Alex had his hands out in front of him, his elbows on his knees. His hands were still dirty, tainted with the blood of the innocent who had died in his care on the way to the nearest medical facility.

A quiet murmur escaped the man’s lips.

“I hate this job.”

Allen sighed, a hand going up to rub his temples.
He slumped back against the wall; they were sitting on stools.

“You always say that when they die,” he said to the ceiling.

“We’re not gods you know. We can’t save everyone.”

“I know. But it’s our job to save people.”

The younger of the two sighed once more.
His free hand patted his childhood friend’s shoulder.

“Get over it. Death is a part of life. You can’t stand around crying for everyone who dies.”

He stood up.

“Besides, a mountain isn’t the safest place on Earth. Get over it.”

That said, Allen left the cup of coffee on the bench beside Alex, walking off, muttering something incomprehensible to himself.

Alex continued to stare at his hands.

“Stupid mountain.”

Hours flashed by, people rushing around him.

Soon, it was night.
Alex had sat stiffly on the bench all day, staring at his hands in what looked like an uncomfortable position.

He continued to stare through the night.

The blood had dried on his hands, and had turned a murky brown on his skin.

Footsteps echoed off the walls of the hallway, but Alex did not start, did not hear anything, deaf to the world.

Someone came to stand beside him, but the bronze-haired man ignored them.

“Alex, Alex, it’s about time you went home for the night.”

Alex looked up at the person addressing him.

It was Allen.

“What do you want?”

His voice was monotonous, cold as ice.

“You can’t sit here all day and mope.”

“Yeah? And what are you going to do about it?”

A hint of anger plagued his voice now.

“The mountain saved my life.”

Alex spun around to face him, shocked.

“When I was a kid, I used to go to my grandad’s lodge at the bottom of this mountain.

“He used to bring me hiking, teaching me survival skills and whatnot. Trained up my muscles, and endurance, everything.”

Allen looked a bit out of it.

“You may not believe me, but I was in an airplane crash in the more isolated regions in the polar climate areas. I was stuck in this blizzard with nothing but the clothes on my back, almost frozen to death.

“But my grandad had taught me many things on the mountain, and survival skills was the most frequent of exercises we did then.

“So, I survived there for a while before someone actually came to get me. I’d learned to dig myself into the snow and stay in the ground long enough to keep myself warm. The blizzard stopped after a few days, and that’s when they found me. If I’d not been taught here at this mountain, I would have died.”

Alex was stunned into silence.

He had never expected this, especially not from Allen.
After all, how could something that seemed so wonderful take lives away everyday, right in front of his eyes?

Alex was torn. He didn’t know what to think.

He could go along with Allen’s story, something he’d never heard of before and something he didn’t have the evidence to believe, or continue on his sad life, knowing, witnessing, the wrath of the mountain and its dangers.

Allen seemed to sense Alex’s contemplation by the look on his face, and immediately stood up.

“Well, whether you choose to believe me or not, it’s your choice. Just know that that’s a true story, and I leave it to you to decide what to believe.”

And for the second time that day, Allen walked off.

Alex stared after him, weary now.

He looked around the darkened corridors, visualising the events in Allen’s story.

“Well,” he thought to himself, “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

He got up, and jogged in Allen’s direction, reaching the younger man in seconds.

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪

2008-12-31T00:14:00.000+08:00

Okay, So this is for emergency's sake, so don't go commenting. this is Allen's work I've beta-read and edited, so, here's to Allen. (;

-

(Edited version)

My story of the Sea

Relax, take a breath and imagine the smell of salt air and the cries of gulls. Feel the soft sand under your feet and dive into your memories of the sea. How has the sea touched your life? For me it is the greatest memory the sea has ever bestowed upon me.

“Stupid sea! Because of you, Daddy has to go away every now and then, leaving us alone in the house.”

My grandson, John, sulked as he tossed a few pebbles into the waves. They slowly disappeared as the currents quickly devoured them, pulling them back into the water.

His father was about to leave. As a sailor, his job required him to leave home several times a year, leaving only brief periods of his life being set aside for his family. John disliked my son’s job because of these conditions, but he disliked the sea even more. He hated that it took his father away from them, making their relationship grow distant.

As he continued on sulking like a spoilt brat, a smirk spread across my wrinkled face.
(I edited the shadows part because the boy seems to know of the presence of his grandfather. Think about it. But you have the original, so if you want it back, you know what to do.)
My grandson, I thought to myself, was just like I had been when I was about his age.

“You shouldn’t blame the sea you know. It’s not the sea’s fault; moreover the sea brought great joy to two siblings.”

“The sea brought joy? What do you mean grandpa? How can that be possible when it always takes Daddy away from us?”

“Oh well, I just have to try and recall what took place in the year 1920….

“Well, at that time the boy was only 13 years old and his father, like yours, was leaving to set out to sea. He was also sulking and blaming him for not spending time with them especially when his mother was just finishing the gestation period and was nearly nine months pregnant. But they had no choice if they were to survive. His father was the sole breadwinner of the family, earning money for the family. One fateful day, his father decided to take them out to the sea so that they could have fun as a family and rode their little boat gently out to sea. It was summer but the water was the wrong temperature. It had this chilling feeling that made the boy shiver and it was a murky green colour. The boy, Will, wanted to reach out and touch it. But his short arms and the height of the side of the boat would not grant his wishes.
He sulked, irritated by this development.

“Huh. (Don’t use ‘heh’ in essays. It might be poisonous to your grade.) So now even the sea is getting in my way. How nice,” Will had thought to himself.

“Will! Don’t you try to touch the water! You know very well that those short arms of yours won’t reach the water! It will only get you wet when you fall in!” his father warned.

“As a typical teenager, his father’s words only had the opposite effect on the boy. Will decided to do it just to spite him. Will tried his luck once again and plunged his body forward, his fingers somehow just managing to brush against the surface of the water.

“Eeek!!! It’s really cold!”

Will withdrew his hand and just as he was about to pull himself up over the side of the boat, a huge wave crashed against the other side of the boat, tilting to a rather dangerous angle.
At the sudden impact, Will fell into the deep dark shadows of the sea, lacking the time he needed to react.

“My body is so cold. I can’t seem to move. I can’t breathe. Help me!” the boy thought to himself.

However, his silent cries did not seem to penetrate the surface of the cruel ocean around him. Darkness cluttered his mind. Death was just waiting to swallow him when he finally realized how beautiful his life had been. He could feel his heart beating; its potent beat echoing in his ear.

“Is this the end?” Will thought.

He heard voices calling his name and he struggled in a final attempt at reaching the surface, intent on not letting the Devil tear his soul from his body and take his life.

A firm grip tightened around his hand and pulled him up to the surface and air filled his lungs again. Will was petrified with fear when he was pulled to safety.

Glad to be alive, his facial muscles relaxed and a smile lingered on his face. But his smile did not last and his expression became one of absolute horror- his father was fighting the Devil in his place. Streaks of lightning stretched across the evening sky as the onslaught of the storm continued. His father was trying to get back up over the side of the boat but the waves tossed him, up and down, up and down, and up and down again like a helpless paper doll. Will was frozen with fear, rooted to the spot as he stared, wide-eyed, at the helpless figure.

His father, still battling with the strong currents knew he would not make it.

“Will take care of them for m-“
But before he could finish, a huge gulp of seawater forced its way into his mouth and then Will’s father vanished from his sights.

That was the last time Will ever saw his father.

Will stood rooted to the same spot for a few minutes, gaping with obvious disbelief, his eyes blank and wandering. His jaw hung open, numb with shock at the bizarre sight. All he had been able to do was feebly watch it happen. Slowly darkness engulfed him.

“Help me! Help me!”

“I’m coming father! I will save you!”

“Will, no matter what happens, please live on, no matter what….”

“NO! Father please come back! Don’t leave me!”

Will’s his eyes shot open and he bolted upright. Beads of perspiration trickled down the sides of his face, dripping onto his hands. No, it was not the water that had haunted him in his nightmare but rather the raindrops that had emerged from his eyes. A wave of emotions swept over him, and unable to control it, he felt his eyes clouding over.

“Gone….Father is gone now… Forever…” he sobbed to himself.

“Will remember…Always take care of your mother and sister for me….”

Will’s head snapped up at the words that echoed in his head. Where was his mother now? What about his precious unborn sibling she carried in her womb? These thoughts grew restless, urging him to satisfy the desperate yearning for his mother.
And in spite of the fatigue that weakened his body, he searched for his mother, running aimlessly in the looming building of endless white halls.

“Mother, Mother where are you?” Will cried.

He finally reached a ward. But the only thing he could see was a nurse carrying a little baby girl. His mother had disappeared.

He could hear the nurses speaking in hushed voices.

“The poor boy.”

“Will isn’t it?”

“Yeah...Lost both his parents at such a young age.”

There was a pause.

“Now he is left with his baby sister. I wonder how they survived that treacherous storm.”

Will covered his mouth to in an effort to stop himself from screaming. It was all the sea’s fault.
The boy squeezed his eyes shut tightly.

‘I hate it! I hate it! It took away everything from me!’

Ever since then, Will has always treated the cold ocean as his enemy.

As the years passed, the two siblings grew up together. Will was already twenty-three years old while his sister, Wendy, was fifteen.
Although the hatred for the sea stood firm in Will’s heart, he had to support the two of them. He had to take up a job as a fisherman, sacrificing his education.
But he felt it important that his sister went to school in his place.
They were fortunate as their landlord agreed to let them rent a house for 5 pounds every month, but Will still had to take up many jobs. However, due to his young age, jobs were scarce, and his salary was not satisfying at all.

However, what made matters worse was that is sister loved the sea, but Will’s over-protective sister-complex demeanor did not allow her even a toe in the water.

Wendy knew why her brother hated the sea but she did not agree that it was the sea was at fault at all.

The sun was shining brightly in the clear, cloudless sky.

Will cringed at the sudden brightness, his eyes uncomfortable.
It had just become evening now, and it was a perfect time to fetch Wendy from school, despite her insistence on going home herself.
The young man was sure his sister would wander off to the ocean.

He narrowed his eyes.

He wasn’t about to risk that possibility.

Will made his way up the hill routinely, only to find that Wendy had already left to look for him at the jetty.

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪

2008-12-27T18:41:00.001+08:00

I just realised my chapters are too lengthy and are getting boring.
As in, WHEN WILL THE ACTION START?! kind of boring.
-.-

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪

2008-12-27T17:51:00.002+08:00

Chapter three is done~
I haven't really edited it; dealing with lack of time.

But here it is. (; Enjoy.

-

The Devil’s Symphony

Disclaimer: Don’t rub it in. I know perfectly well I don’t own D.Gray-Man. Hoshino Katsura does.

–grin- Let’s hope she gets well soon.

Chapter 3: Haunting Darkness (Part 1)

-

“Lenalee…”

A sky tainted red with the blood of the dead…

The bloodstained carnage, the remainders of a fierce battle…

No-one survived…

“No… Don’t…”

A figure.

Two figures.

He sees her. He sees her crying, screaming.

But he can’t hear her, can’t hear her lamenting.

He can only see her.

Watch as she grieves for the dead.

“Lenalee…! Lenalee…!”

He can’t breathe, overwhelmed by water.

He’s drowning.

But she isn’t the only one whose cries are muted.

She can’t see him, and it’s like there’s an invisible wall of glass between them and he reaches out towards her, calling out to her.

“Lenalee! Lenalee!”

There is a painful jab in his eye and he hears it scream in pain.

But as his throat burns mercilessly, no sounds emerge from his mouth.

Nothing seems to be able to shatter the silence.

He feels strangled now, and his left arm is screaming, but he doesn’t understand.

What is causing him all this pain?

“Allen-kun..! Allen-kun…!”

He looks to the portrait of agony and torment again.

He hears his name.

Someone is calling him.

Calling him from far away.

And it’s her voice.

He is brought back to the nightmare by another excruciating blow of pain to his left shoulder, another sent to his chest, knocking whatever air that is left in it.

He lets out a painful gasp but is unable to inhale, sucking in only a liquid tainted by death.

Another scream escapes him, choked as liquid fills his lungs.

His eyes widen.

Something’s inside him, just dying to be free.

He can feel it tearing through his flesh, the monster within him.

It claws at his left shoulder, trying to satisfy its intense craving for bloodshed.

“Allen-kun, Allen-kun, wake up!”

The voice is still far away.

And as he writhes in pain on the ground, he can’t pay the fretful velvety sound much attention as the piercing pains continue to terrorize him.

His silent screams remain unheard.

“Allen-kun! Allen-kun, wake up!”

He feels his left eye being wrenched open from the inside and he shrieks in protest at the burning ache that ensues.

But again, silence as the blood rolls off his cheeks and onto the floor.

His right arm immediately shoots to his eye and he feels the warm, sticky liquid slimy against his fingers.

He breathes hard and bile rises in his throat.

But what emerges when he gags is something much more different; the liquid is dark red and sticky.

“Allen-kun…”

He’s losing the voice now.

It’s fading, muted in this dark, dark world and he chances a last glance at the Lenalee, whose screaming and crying he still cannot hear.

He feels the monster ripping through the flesh of his left shoulder.

He lets out a gasp as there is a terrifying tearing noise.

But he can’t hear it.

Only feel it.

“Allen-kun! Allen-kun! Are you alright?!”

Her voice is back and she’s practically screaming in his ear now, calling his name, asking if he’s alright.

But her cries, full of the agony of death are still hushed.

He wants to tell her that he’ll be fine, that everything is going to be alright, but asphyxiation still has his airways blocked.

A large metallic monster is in place of his original left arm and it starts to drag him away from Lenalee.

He looks at the image again for a moment, totally ignoring the burning sensation he feels all over his body…

And he feels himself going numb.

The pain evaporates and his eyelids are heavy, the black and white world of red skies fading…

He sees the blood-soaked ground beneath him disappearing out of sight but doesn’t pay it any mind.

He reaches out to the Lenalee in all that remains of the distant portrait with his right hand and his fingers brush against something wet as darkness engulfs him.

“Allen-kun, Allen-kun! Wake up! You’re starting to scare me! Are you-”

The ebony-haired girl stopped short, discontinuing shaking him as he awakened unexpectedly and stared at her, his mind blank as his eyes spilt tears of blood. He was breathing hard as if he hadn’t been able to inhale nor exhale for a couple of minutes. And strangely, his right hand was at Lenalee’s cheek, brushing away a small trickle of salty water.

“L-Lenalee…”

His vision was black and white on his left and in colour on his right.

Allen didn’t know what to make out of it.

He saw the same shock and fear in the ebony haired girl’s eyes as he had seen in the past and his heart tightened in pain.

But the boy wasn’t given the time to think about it.

He gasped and his left arm throbbed, numbing. His right arm followed suit, losing all feeling. It went limp abruptly, slamming lightly against the side of the couch.

“Allen-kun…”

Lenalee’s fearful voice shrivelled his heart further.

The fifteen-year-old turned away from the girl kneeling beside his makeshift bed.

“D-Don’t look… L-Lenalee…” Allen choked, coughing into his palm.

The sixteen year-old continued to gaze anxiously at the white-haired boy.

Allen guessed at the question that lingered, unspoken, in the violet orbs which were her eyes.

The answer was pretty obvious.

“I’ll be fine… D-Don’t worry about me… Go back to sleep… Sorry for waking you…” he gasped as a searing pain hit him in the chest.

He clutched it painfully, stifling a cry.

He couldn’t worry Lenalee like this.

And that look in her eyes.

It would haunt him for nights to come.

“Baka!”

There was a light slap on his right shoulder and Allen quivered at the light impact.

He felt so fragile.

“I’m your friend! It’s my job to worry about you!”

Allen coughed again and Lenalee’s tone softened. She attempted to turn the scarred boy around to face her.

“What’s wrong…?”

As he turned around and sat up, his hands went up and covered his bleeding left eye hurriedly.

“N-Nothing’s wrong! Just a case of a weird dream… Eheheh…” he lied.

Lenalee’s expression darkened perceptibly.

Her bangs hid her eyes and Allen felt a bit worried.

“W-What’s wrong Lenalee?”

“You were screaming, Allen-kun…”

There was that dangerous lack of sentiment in her voice again.

Said teenager looked away.

“I came to get a glass of water and when I unplugged my ears, I heard screaming.”

She looked at him with fierce amethyst eyes.

“Why were you screaming?” she demanded, the stern look in her eyes ever present.

“I…I…”

Allen tried to change the subject.

“Uh, Lenalee, why did you have to unplug your ears?” he stuttered nervously.

“Don’t change the subject, Allen-kun.”

She was still staring at him ardently.

“There are people in this apartment building who are very noisy at night. They hold loud parties and such, and as a precaution to prevent complaining, the landlady ordered us to use earplugs when we sleep. I forgot to warn you about it.”

‘She told me not to change the subject but answered my question anyway?’

“W-Well, it’s alright. Everything’s fine now, so you can go back to sleep Lenalee.”

“You haven’t answered my question.”

“E-Er…”

“Why were you screaming?”

Allen looked away guiltily, his hand still over his left eye.

“Like I said… I had a strange dream…”

He rubbed the back of his neck guiltily with his right hand.

“And…? What happened in your dream to make you scream so terribly?”

“I-It was just a bad dream…”

Allen drifted off.

Lenalee was reaching up to pull his hand away from his left eye.

“Is it your left eye, Allen-kun…?”

The throbbing in Allen’s eye ceased as Lenalee asked this question, and Allen felt it deactivate.

She pulled his hand away from his face and Allen quickly wiped the blood in one swift motion as he brought his hand down.

He looked at Lenalee with his clear blue-gray orbs, locking gazes with her.

“Good morning the two of you!”

Allen jumped, startled by Komui’s sudden entrance.

Lenalee gasped, letting out a startled cry.

The snow-haired boy tumbled off the couch and hit the floor hard, sending a shockwave buzzing through his left arm.

The teen groaned, rubbing his head so that Lenalee wouldn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.

Besides, he’d landed on his head too.

It didn’t hurt as much though.

You get used to your head getting knocked into things with a barbaric master like Cross Marian.

-

“Three hundred and eighty eight, three hundred and eighty nine…”

As the counting mounted to four hundred, there was a yawn from the corner.

Allen almost lost his balance.

He flipped off the chair he had been balancing on.

“L-Lenalee!”

“G’mornin’…”

There was another yawn as the girl rubbed her eyes sleepily.

“Why’re you up so early?” the snow-haired boy asked, wiping himself with a towel.

“I always get up this early… I need to make nii-san his coffee…”

She shuffled over to the kitchen doorway as Allen pulled on a clean shirt, leaving the towel draped over his white hair.

He grabbed the bottle of water he’d gotten from the refrigerator earlier and unscrewed the cap.

There was the sound of Lenalee boiling water, fire burning under the base of the kettle, as the white-haired boy gulped down mouthful after mouthful of water.

“So, what’re you up this early for?”

She was leaning on the doorway, holding a glass of cold milk.

There was a thin sweater wrapped around her shoulders and she rubbed her upper right arm as she waited for Allen’s answer.

“Morning routine, I guess. And… I couldn’t sleep after…”

He shrugged, his expression imperceptible under the white fabric.

The ebony haired girl looked away from him and down at the floor.

“Well, Mr Bentley’s coffee house opens at seven, so I’m going to make breakfast. It’ll take a fifteen minute train ride, considering the temperature outside. We can’t walk, so train would be the fastest way across these snow-cluttered roads. It would be best to reach early so we don’t waste too much time in attracting customers,” she stated, still not lifting her head.

Then she looked up.

“So what would you like to eat?”

“Oh. Uh, no, I couldn’t possibly trouble you to make me a breakfast of my liking. I’ll just have…”

Allen didn’t finish his sentence.

Lenalee was glaring at him intensely with a fierce look that portrayed more than the same irritation she’d shown when he’d first refused to accept her offer for a lodging; there was a hurt look in her eyes.

The white-haired boy sighed.

He was sure that Lenalee would be able to get him to do whatever she wanted him to do against his will with that look for as long as he was there.

“Pancakes? Do you have pancake batter?” he said from under the towel.

“Mm-hm.”

“Pancakes would be nice.”

Silence engulfed the room before Allen spoke again, posing a question to Lenalee.

“Hey, you know, you never told me you studied music…”

He watched as the girl turned away from him.

Lenalee was flustered. She could feel the blush creeping up her neck.

“W-Well, I… I didn’t think it was important…”

“Oh.”

She sensed the hostility in his voice.

But the moment she turned around to look at him, his expression proved the feeling she got from his words to be false.

His eyebrows were knotted in confusion and his mouth was set in a tight line.

He seemed to be thinking and was probably trying to determine the connection rather than be angry at her for not telling him her involvement in music.

Then his eyebrows shot up and he looked up at Lenalee abruptly, startling her.

“You’re in the Latitude Music Faculty, aren’t you?” he asked in a little less than surprised tone.

She looked down at her bare feet, wiggling her toes.

“Yeah…”

“No wonder you know so much.”

“Mmn.”

-

“So Allen, you’re a traveller?”

Said fifteen-year old set his glass of orange juice down.

“No, not exactly.”

He tapped a finger on his chin.

“I travel with my master to different places. It’s been that way for three years now.”

Komui smiled.

“Are you an apprentice?” he asked.

Allen didn’t answer at first; his mouth was full of honey-slobbered pancakes.

Lenalee giggled.

“Well,” he said after he had gulped the mouthful of food down, “yes.”

“Oh? What do you study under your master?”

Allen gulped down the orange juice in his glass.

“Music!” he exclaimed happily.

He turned to Lenalee.

“These pancakes are wonderful!”

She beamed.

“Thank you. I’m flattered.”

“Oho…”

The sound that had just emerged from Komui’s lips made Allen and Lenalee turn in his direction.

“Ne, Allen…”

The boy almost backed up and out of his chair at the evil glint in the man’s eyes.

“Y-Yes, Komui-san?”

He stole a glance at Lenalee.

To find she was sipping up her milk.

Allen controlled himself, containing the urge to smack his forehead, and turned back to the crazed looking man.

“Do you think my Lenalee is pretty?”

His eyes goggled.

And from the corners of those big, wondrous blue-grey orbs, Allen could see Lenalee almost choking on what she had just sucked into her mouth.

She coughed and excused herself, needing to use the bathroom.

There was a long pause and the fifteen-year-old thought that Komui had dropped the topic.

His gaze wandered around the room absentmindedly.

“Well, Allen…?”

This brought Allen to look at the older man straight in the face.

There was still an evil glistening spark in the man’s eyes

And the reason he had pressed harder for an answer, was unknown to the boy.

He was flustered, utterly red in the face.

And lucky for him, Lenalee was still away.

“Sh-She…”

He looked around, and in his anxiety, he outright missed the footsteps that were coming around the corner.

But when he answered, his voice was certain.

He smiled as Lenalee appeared in the doorway.

“She’s not just ‘pretty’. She’s beautiful.”

-

Lenalee stopped short.

She grabbed the doorway so tight her knuckles turned white.

The girl backed up as quietly as she could and clamped a hand over her mouth in an attempt to silence her haggard breathing.

‘W-What? He thinks I’m beautiful?’

Lenalee almost started hyperventilating.

The words echoed in her head and her all her thoughts were pushed to the back of her mind.

‘She’s not just ‘pretty’. She’s beautiful.’

The sentence just kept on ringing, and everything was nothing.

-

Komui looked shocked at first.

Allen grew anxious.

“K-Komui-san?”

He waved a hand in front of the older man’s face.

“Hello?”

Still, nothing happened.

Allen sighed.

“Okay, uh…”

He thought for a moment.

Then, he reached across the table and snapped his fingers a few inches away from the man’s eyes.

Instantly Komui was out of his stupor.

“Sorry, what?”

Allen just stared blankly at him, wishing hard for the same sense of knowing he had encountered the previous night again.

“Oh, right!”

Allen slumped back against the chair.

‘Thank god I don’t have to tell him again.’

“You said Lenalee was beautiful?”

The scarred boy flushed a deep red.

He watched as Komui took a swig of coffee.

“That’s good…”

He laughed, and the white-haired boy watched quietly.

“Almost all of the guys who’ve come by here in the last few years have all said she’s ‘hot’ or, that she was just ‘pretty’. Not one of them has ever said she was beautiful.”

Komui continued eating his breakfast as Allen got up to clean his plate and put it in the cupboard.

“Right, moving on, what were we talking about before Lenalee left?”

Allen shrugged at the question the dark-eyed man had just posed and replied, “Pancakes and my master, I think.”

“Right.”

“Mm.”

There was a momentary period of silence as Allen moved back to his seat.

“So, who’s your master? Is he famous?”

“His name’s Cross Marian. He studied at the Latitude Music Faculty and has been a mentor and teacher there for quite some time. But, according to him, the mentors are supposed to go around the world looking for apprentices. But, I don’t know if he’s famous.”

The boy watched as Komui’s mouth fell open.

“Cross Marian is your master?!”

Allen raised an eyebrow and nodded.

“Holy cows are flying.”

-

Lenalee turned as the last few words escaped her brother’s mouth, knocked out of her stupor.

She’d never heard her brother utter such nonsensical words in her entire life.

“Cross Marian is your master?”

She heard her brother speaking again.

“Uh,” Allen stuttered from behind the wall, “well, yeah, I guess. If by master you mean that you have to travel around with him, and train by paying off his obnoxious debts for him.”

There was a brief pause in the conversation.

Then, Komui laughed loudly.

“What? So that’s what he got an apprentice for?”

There were loud gawking noises, as Allen looked on in shocked silence.

Lenalee chose that moment to enter the conversation, seeing it as a good avenue to enter the room.

“Nii-san, stop being so noisy. You’ll wake the neighbours. It’s a Sunday. People in this apartment sleep in on days like this, you know that,” she said, feigning a sense of unknowing, “And Allen, please get ready. We’re leaving in five minutes’ time.”

-

This was getting pretty intriguing.

How come no one here seemed to care neither about his white hair, his scar nor about his deformed left arm?

They made a very negative impression elsewhere, and no one here seemed to notice?

Allen shook his head, attempting to clear the distressing thoughts that plagued his mind.

He decided to focus on something else.

“Ne, Lenalee.”

“Hm?”

“Who exactly is Cross Marian in the Latitude Faculty of Music?”

Lenalee stared at him.

“What?”

“Cross Marian? How do you know about him?”

She wasn’t exactly lying, just keeping the truth about her awareness of the person from her newfound friend.

Allen too, pondered at the question.

Should he tell her?

He decided that, just in case, he’d tell her the truth.

“He’s my master, so...”

Lenalee stared at him momentarily again.

She pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“Well, in that case...”

Her tone changed, and her face was distorted in irritation.

“He’s the loudest, meanest, most flirty person I’ve ever met!”

She narrowed her eyes.

“And I really don’t like him that much. He always smells like alcohol and beer the few times we’ve crossed paths.”

Her expression darkened.

Allen couldn’t see her eyes in the shadow of her bangs.

“What’s wrong?”

“He took someone away from me.”

The white-haired boy knew exactly what she was talking about.

Well, almost.

Lenalee suddenly let out a startled cry.

“Oh dear! I’m rambling.”

She flushed deeply.

“Sorry, Allen-kun.”

Allen shook his head, smiling.

“I want to hear it. So go on.”

He definitely did want to know about this. It would confirm his doubts on whether or not she was the Lenalee from the memory that plagued his dreams every night.

She shook her head furiously. Allen figured she was trying to clear her head of the scary encounter they’d had with Cross all those years ago.

“No, I couldn’t possibly…”

Storm grey eyes gazed deeply, ardently into deep violet ones.

“Please.”

Lenalee looked away for a brief moment, unsettled by the intensity of his gaze.

“I-“

The sixteen-year-old was cut off as the train shook violently for a second. Allen almost lost his footing.

But he didn’t. Instead, along with a lot of other people, Lenalee did.

“Whoa!”

Arms flailing, she let out a startled cry as she slammed into Allen, resulting in him jerking backwards and crashing into the glass of the window behind them. And, unluckily, the transparent surface shattered upon impact, sending shards of it flying all over.

The white haired boy shielded the girl with his arms, where some of the crystalline shards bounced off, others, digging into the fabric and carving their way into Allen’s skin.

They were falling now, but being unfazed by his painful contact with the small object, he grabbed a random pole within reach just in time.

The ebony-haired girl was squashed against him.

When she looked up, she could see Allen rubbing his head with his free hand.

“Ow...”

He drew it away from his head, looking dazedly at the red liquid smeared over his palm.

Apparently some glass had found its way to his head.

Lenalee gasped.

“Allen-kun! Are you alright?!”

Allen mouthed a silent ‘fine’, and continued to stare at his bloodied hand, astonished.

“No wonder it stings...” he mumbled.

Hearing this shocked Lenalee despite its mild volume, and she made a fretful sound, definitely disbelieving what the boy in question had just told her.

“I’m so sorry!”

Her shrill apology snapped him out of his stupor.

He looked at her, eyes a little confused.

“Relax Lenalee, it’s just a little cut.”

He looked behind him, noting the fact that the train hadn’t been modified for a case of emergency crash; so of course the glass hadn’t been shatter-proof.

When he turned back to Lenalee, he was greeted by a terribly worried face and teary eyes that just about broke his heart.

“W-What?”

“Allen-kun... Your hair... The back of your head... It’s going red...”

He blinked, the fact that would normally incredibly unnerve someone lacking in effect on him.

“Oh.”

He scratched his cheek, looking around them. There were people sprawled all over, the majority being the people who had been standing in the moving train. Most were attempting to get up and Allen could see no injured people. He turned to the girl who was still squashed against his chest whose eyes were shut tight as if deep in thought.

A tear slipped past Lenalee’s eyelids just then, and the white-haired fifteen-year-old became nervous.

“Are you alright, Lenalee? Did any of the glass get to you? Do you hurt anywhere?”

She perked up at his string of worried questions, the contained sobbing noises from her throat stopping.

She pressed in closer to him and he flushed.

“No, I am not! Your head is bleeding, and your hair is going red, but you don’t seem to care!” she whispered angrily.

The light pink on his cheeks faded, and he decided to change the subject, more than a little determined to get rid of the tense atmosphere that had accrued between them.

Besides, he didn’t really care about a little cut.

It was, after all, just a little cut.

“What was that anyway?”

Lenalee gave him no answer, and remained silent.

The boy was slightly unnerved by her reticence, but attempted ignorance.

He turned to look out the window, only to find an endless darkness outside.

‘Crap. We’re in a tunnel.’

Allen bit his lip.

‘If we’re in a tunnel, and another train comes in, this’ll get ugly.”

-

To Ghost: Thanks for comforting me yesterday. Please, get well soon, as am I. You were my inspiration for the last points in this chapter. ^^

♪.moonrise.♪
-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪

2008-12-24T17:01:00.001+08:00

ALLEN!
THIS IS FOR YOU TO BETA READ!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

The Devil’s Symphony
Disclaimer: Look, if I owned D.Gray-Man, we’d be seeing all this crap down here in the anime itself. Especially the violin bits.
Prologue.
His heart beats faster, races, accelerates, adrenaline rushing through his system.
Light filtered out from a large window, lighting his face as he stood in the shower of rain.
He’d been walking around in the cold darkness for so long, that this ray of light blinded him.
Being out at night was something dangerous to do at the end of fall, just when winter was approaching, especially since there was the evident risk of frostbite.
The boy pretty much figured he’d already contracted it.
The ice-cold needle-like feel that the rain pounding on his back disappeared, replaced by the numb feeling of nothingness.
A figure stared out of the window, cup of hot, steaming coffee held loosely in his hands.
His breathing is laboured, and glimmering gemstones of sweat bead on his forehead, where creases line pale skin.
Ugh. It's this dream again. When will it ever be different?
He staggered up the sidewalk, arms tightly curled around the ivory-white instrument in a protective embrace. Blood continued to run its way down his cheek and neck soaking into the wooden instrument, giving it a bronze-red tint.
His left arm was burnt, left eye blinded, as he reached out to press the doorbell adjacent to the gold-rimmed teak door. His arm was already blood red with savage burns that were raw without treatment, and it trembled as more red liquid trickled down the short length of it, the forearm moving upwards to push the button. The stench of iron was lost in the rain.
He remembers the distinct smell of blood. He remembers the texture of the violin he held that had been soaked in water, tainted in blood. His blood.
His right eye was dull, blank, and the door opened moments after the sound of the bell rang, sketchy against the sound of rain beating against the windows. A small figure is revealed from behind the white-painted door, a silhouette against the light that shines from within the hall behind her.
“Nii-san, Nii-san!”
Her high, soprano voice barely reached him. But he noticed the worry in her tone.
It’s the sound of wind chimes, he was sure, the sound of wind chimes and bells.
The voice of an angel.
Even in this hallucination, in this memory that is brought to the foregrounds of his mind every night, he can hear it loud and clear, echoing in his ears.
A man came to stand behind her, and his determination dissolved into nothingness, as he staggered further forward, loss of blood and fatigue taking its toll. He collapsed, slumping forward, earning a startled cry from the girl.
A drastic change.
The nightmare turns into a dream here, he’s certain; he’s memorized its every scene, its every insignificant detail.
The girl ran forward quickly to catch him in an embrace as the older man dived to make a grab for the delicate, fragile instrument that fell from his arms.
As much as he loves his rare white violin now that he can finally play it, how grateful he is that the man had caught his violin before it had managed to get damaged with the impact from the fall, he is more attentive towards the feeling of the girl’s touch in the dream, more sensitive to the fact that she had actually been nicer than the other people he’s seen before that encounter, to have caught him when he fell.
He remembers her warm, gentle hands as they caressed his face, stroking his cheek that night.
He was dripping, water trickling down his face, streaming from his hair onto the floor in tiny beads as it blended with the blood and mud that had been slowly washing away when he’d been outside in the rain, searching for shelter. The tainted liquid continued to dribble down the length of his arms and upper torso as they advanced.
He was fast losing consciousness, and he found it strange that the man carrying him didn’t seem to care about the dirt and grime on his clothes, much less the water that seeped and was absorbed by his own clean, dry clothes.
The boy was tired, but he looked around him, head dizzy from fatigue, eyelids heavy, as he attempted to recognize the surroundings, possibly identify the place.
But his weary silver eyes searched in a blur mosaic of bright lights and the brownish highlights of wooden furniture that whizzed by, the only figure he could really identify as a person being the girl that ran ahead of them, her lithe form standing out of the blurred vision that irritated his eyes. From her height, he could roughly guess that she was only slightly older than he.
He was being carried, and his vision was a blur, the only thing he saw being bright lights and the silhouette of the little girl that clutched his violin. He was brought into a room, and there were lots of children he could see, ranging from toddlers to young teenagers of about 13. They were staring at him, sending worried glances his way, he could see, as his vision cleared up, little by little.
The man sets him down in a tub as their little convoy arrives at the bathroom and disappears, taking the violin the girl had been carrying with him. The girl receives a fast request from the older man that is barely audible to him, and he hears it as “Clean him up and put him to bed. I’ll clean up the violin.”
One of the rather embarrassing moments in his life, yes, but also one of the sweetest.
Her hands were gentle on his skin, comforting, warm and soothing at touch. The left arm still seared, burned, and he knew how deep they went; the skin would never heal completely, and the scars would hurt for as long as he lived. The tub of warm water shattered his nerves, and he couldn’t help but cry out as she tried as gently as she could to wash the blood and infectious bacteria away with a sponge.
He flinches in his sleep, knowing for sure that the next scene will renew the jabs of pain he feels tearing at the seams of his loosely sewn heart since the first time he’s had this dream.
She dabbed at his eye, and it flicked open like a switch, and a blood red pupil stared her down. He felt he eye’s undisputed individual will, felt the girl cringe away from the piercing stare it gave her. He tried his best, willed it closed, and his trembling hands were torn away from their frozen positions at his sides to take away the pain the stare gave the girl.
He first saw her face then, her angelic face, the violet orbs that were her eyes, those glittering amethyst gemstones that betrayed every feeling in her mind. He saw the beautiful features of her youthful face, the ebony bangs that fell on her forehead and long tresses that trickled down from her head, over her shoulders, spilling onto her back.
“I-I’m sorry…” he squeaked out in a weak voice, a voice gentle and careful, traumatized at the same time.
She was quickly out of her stupor, shaking her head, her eyes nervous, guard still up as she replied shakily in her high-octave voice, “It’s o-okay...”
He remembers her fearful voice, and it pains him, a gasp escapes his pale pink lips, eyes still shut tight.
He’d been put to bed, but was too anxious to sleep. Her pained expression haunted him. But then, he heard voices in the hallway; voices of the girl and, as he’d recently learned, her brother.
He tip-toed to the door, eavesdropping on the people speaking in hushed voices.
“It’s a wonderful instrument. It’s got over 500 years of time put into it. I can’t imagine who could have possibly given this child such an instrument!”
“Nii-san, do we have to give it to the police station?”
There was a short period of silence again before the conversation continued; the boy guessed a head gesture from the older brother. He was right. But there was more to be said.
“It came with that child, so we can’t do anything with it, since it should belong to him. We’ll ask him in the morning.”
“Oh.”
He could hear the smile in her voice.
Did this girl like violins?
“I’d like to try this violin out, though you’re the better musician, Lenalee.”
Some quiet, muted laughter was heard. They were probably trying not to wake the other children here.
Her name… For the first time he can hear her name. Or is it just a delusion? Some cruel trick his mind is playing on him? But that can’t be. Where in his past would this name have come from to have been formulated in the dream?
“We’ll give it some time to dry up completely. I’d say that’d be tomorrow morning, at the rate this thing is drying up. It’s extraordinary!”
Giggles.
“Okay, Nii-san. Let’s play Canon in C Major tomorrow morning. It’s my favourite!”
An important aspect in the dream of the memory he relives every night, he notes. With that information, he’d b e all that much closer to finding the girl Lenalee.
No replies were heard and the shutting of doors as their locks clicked into place filled the silence that had quickly taken its place in the boy’s sensitive ears.
He grits his teeth. He really can’t escape this nightmare. There’s the turn for the worst here, the part where he realizes that his foster father’s death hadn’t been just a dream.
He blinked. He couldn’t remember where he was.
There was sunlight filtering in through a window.
And he’d had the weirdest of dreams.
Mana dying… And that angel…
It was brighter then, and now he could look around the room that he was in.
Dark-wood tables and a writing desk, a small armchair, a large wooden wardrobe decorated the room. A dark red carpet that was strewn under it all, to match with the satin curtains that hung beside the large glass window.
This wasn’t his room!
Memories flashed in his head.
It hadn’t been a dream!
Mana was dead!
Mana was dead…
He was numb now.
Tears spilt over the dams in his eyes (wetting the bandage that was wrapped around his left eye socket), and his hands fell from where they had been attempting to wrench his hair out of his head.
“M-Mana…”
He snuffled, sobbed, the tears running down the length of his face steadily now, some even sneaking out from under the red-tinted white bandages.
He was the orphan he had been before the circus now…
His breathing slows, and he’s calmer now, as the dream continues on. He knows the best part-besides the girl catching him- is coming. He smiles in his sleep.
Music echoed in the silence of morning, and the chirping of birds outside stilled.
Violin.
A violin.
Another softer sound made its way to his ears, a more subtle, fluid sound.
There was a soft gasp of awe, and he guessed it to be the older man.
It was a beautiful sound, and the music swelled in his chest, a warm feeling engulfing him.
The sound is still perfectly comprehensive despite the years it has been since the first time he’d had this dream, and he is pleased. He doesn’t want this dream to end.
But this is where things took a weird turn and landed him where he is now. He frowns.
The peace that had accrued from the long tranquil notes played on the two violins shattered with loud banging on the doors.
The boy’s right eye flew open and he gasped.
The music stopped as footsteps thudded loudly on the wooden panelled floor sounding further and further away as time passed.
He heard softer set of footsteps approaching his own room.
The door opened a fraction, and the girl who had cleaned him up appears, padding over to his bed.
She hops into the bed with him, and he is startled.
She is surprised to see him awake, but is witty, and conveys her message swiftly.
“Shh!”
The boy looks at her curiously, confused and bewildered speechless. His eyes ask the question for him.
‘What’s going on?’
The girl answers, understanding the question posed in his stormy grey eyes.
“It might be social services. Yesterday, when we brought you in, someone might have seen you. So we need to hide you before you tell us what your decision is from here on out.”
The boy nodded.
He turned to the door, and he and the girl waited patiently under the blanket.
Voices were heard around the corner, but the boy couldn’t make out the conversation between the new guest and the girl’s older brother.
As the footsteps paused briefly, he heard a very distressed voice: “Please, what are you looking for?”
Then the footsteps continued loudly as the new visitor stormed down the hallway, approaching his room, little by little.
He could roughly hear the booming voice of the man as he approached.
He began to tremble, afraid of what was to come.
“This is his room, right?” the voice demanded, and the younger of the two men replied shakily, “Yes, but…”
The girl gasped, realising what would happen next and pulled the boy under the covers.
He never got to finish his sentence.
He lets a groan escape him, and is whacked harshly, the same noisy voice from back then telling him to shut up because ‘some people want to sleep’.
But this did not pull him out of the dream as it usually did, surprisingly.
The boy sat petrified with horror as a red haired man slammed the door against the wall noisily, hearing the younger man behind him jumping at the sound.
It was from his first impression did he decide to label this man ‘brute’.
The man was intimidating and held the mannerisms of an alcoholic, which the boy was smart enough to tell, considering the obvious stench of the foul-smelling chemical that exuded from the man.
And as he stalked towards the bed, the small boy had to contain the urge to clamber down from his bed and hide under it.
The man made an annoyed noise, and seemed to read his mind.He lifted the bed up effortlessly despite its size and weight with two people on it, much to the small boy’s bewilderment.
He watched as the girl struggled to stay on the bed, and grabbed her arm, pulling her further to the middle of the bed, and was thrown out of the bed himself.
The red-haired ‘brute’ made a disgusted noise at the sight of him on the floor clutching his side, and the boy thought he heard something about him being muttered under his breath. Something like, “His hair is silver too.”
This shocked the boy pretty much, and his painfully throbbing side had lost his attention at that point.
How could he have not noticed the light silver bangs that ran along the length of his forehead? They were utterly conspicuous!
The boy pondered this fact, and before he actually realized it, he was being picked up by his collar, choking.
He was too busy trying to breathe to hear it when the younger of the two adults in the room protested against the brute’s actions.
The girl clambered out from under the bed, unable to watch from the sidelines any longer, and began to scream something he could not make out.
He’s surprised. The dreams didn’t usually escalate to this scene.
The protests continued, but this time, the boy actually heard what the man said.
“What are you doing, Cross?! You may be one of the elite trusted by the Council of Elders, but you do not have the right to take this boy away! He only arrived here last night, and he is not a student of this institution!”
The red-haired man grunted at this statement and moved to the doorway.
But the girl’s next words stopped him in his tracks.
“How could you?! How could you tear a boy from his bed like that when he’s injured and scared?! HOW COULD YOU, CROSS-SAN?!”
This time, the boy was released, and landed on the floor with a light thud; he hadn’t been hanging too high from the ground for it to be dangerous.
“Don’t argue with me little girl. This boy is the holder of the fabled white violin, which I have been tasked to find, and its owner to train.”
He turned to the girl’s older brother.
“Komui, teach your sister. Let her learn her place.”
He turned away.
“This world isn’t as kind a place as you think it is.”
The one named Komui seemed to back down, shrinking away as the boy was picked up once more and hauled away.
“Now, where’s the bloody instrument, Komui?”
He is amused again, even in his slumber, at the irony of this question.
A mutter that was barely audible escaped the bespectacled man’s lips.
The boy could hear the girl crying behind him in the room.But fear shut his eyes tight and he couldn’t bear to look at her.
The brute then marched into a room, liberating the boy from his hold for a moment at the door as he entered the room quietly, much to his surprise. He emerged from the room just as quietly, shutting the door behind him just as reticently, two violin cases in his hands.
The boy stared at him, silver eye wide; the other eye was covered in bandages. The man grunted.
He tossed the smaller of the two violin cases to the boy.
“What are you looking at?” he barked, and the silver haired boy shuddered, his eye closing instantly.
The brute lit a cigarette, and Komui’s voice came again, protesting and intolerant, telling the red-haired brute not to smoke inside the dorms of the children.
And before he knew it, the boy had been dragged out of the building, again by the collar, and then, they were gone.
The train jerks to a stop and two large silver eyes fly open as the doors unbolt automatically and wind rushes into the train from outside. He’s thankful for the coat he has. That idiotic master of his hadn’t bothered to get him one. What kind of idiot wastes money and accumulates debts from non-essentials like beer instead of the fundamental stuff like clothes?!
He runs a hand through his unkempt white hair, aggravated. He’s usually paying off those debts afterwards after all. He sighs, hoping that the train ride will go by quickly and they can get off at their next destination.
As if he’d read his mind, Cross Marian pulls him to his feet, muttering “wish granted.”
A violin case is thrust into his arms and he is kicked outside harshly, the wind knocked out of his lungs.
He lands on his back, just as his ‘assailant’ had intended, shielding the violin from the hard impact that awaited him.
He groans as he gets up slowly, and, with his free hand, rubs the back of his head, which has also, unfortunately, come painfully in contact with the cement floor of the train platform.
A map and a small suitcase are then thrown into his face, and a sickening thud follows.
“Jeez…”
Allen rubs his nose as he picks up the map, the suitcase and the violin case, getting to his feet.
But just as he stops rubbing his nose, yet another object is hurled at him. A compass is flung at him, smacking with full force into his face.
And just as the train doors close, he sees his master smiling wickedly at him, eye-the one that isn’t hidden by the mask covering the right side of his face- minimized to a single line that curved upwards in the middle.People stare at his master, and those who are awake usher children out of the passenger car and into the ones on either side of it.
The train leaves the station as the snow-haired boy gets up, dusting himself off, his violin case and suitcase on either side of him. The map is in his coat pocket.
And finally, once it is out of sight, he sighs, the blank expression on his face dissolving into a half-scowl-half-sigh expression.
He’ll have to find this place himself.
He glances at the station clock.
It’s getting late. And now he has to find a place to stay the night.Frustrated, he sighs.
But then a voice calls him.
"Are you alright?"
He looks up to see the heart-shaped face of a girl. She’s smiling.
'She doesn't look like a local...'
"Er, yeah, I'm fine. Thanks."
Violet eyes, light porcelain skin, and ebony bangs.
‘Like…’
He picks up his violin case, the sling going over his shoulder. He takes a moment to shut his eyes, the memory of the girl known as ‘Lenalee’ in his dream flitting back to the foregrounds of his mind.
There’s a slight dark blush creeping across the girl’s cheeks as well, he notes.
‘That sure confirms it. Usually the locals have adapted to the cold weather in their countries or regions. If her face is still showing some form of a dark shade of pink, that must mean she’s not accustomed to the temperature. Besides..’
He looks her up and down, scanning her features as she turns to face away from him walking away.
'…she looks Asian.'
Then he gets an idea, starting to move towards the girl.He calls after her.
“Hey, wait! Do you know how I can get to the Latitude Music Faculty?”
A/N: Alright guys, I’m sorry about the weird grammar/tenses. The rest of the story will be in past tense and in a more basic narrative style. Also, I’ve edited it as well as I can, so yeah, wish me luck, because this is my best, and don’t expect much; I’m not usually this hardworking. So I apologize beforehand for future chapters which are late, as well as any grammatical errors.

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪

2008-12-17T20:27:00.002+08:00

Hello!
(:
As you can see, I've upgraded! 8D
I changed the blogskin and it's nice, eh? (:
hhee.
I'm a bit distracted still nowadays, so don't expect any chapters soon. (;
Hee.

See ya.

♪.moonrise.♪

-

♪.Sing to the Heaven of the Dawn.♪

Chapter 3 so far.

2008-12-13T13:15:00.000+08:00

The Devil’s Symphony

Disclaimer: Don’t rub it in. I know perfectly well I don’t own D.Gray-Man. Hoshino Katsura does.
–grin- Let’s hope she gets well soon.

Chapter 3:

-

“Lenalee…”

A sky tainted red with the blood of the dead…
The bloodstained carnage, the remainders of a fierce battle…
No-one survived…

“No… Don’t…”

A figure.
Two figures.

He sees her. He sees her crying, screaming.
But he can’t hear her, can’t hear her lamenting.
He can only see her.
Watch as she grieves for the dead.

“Lenalee…! Lenalee…!”

He can’t breathe, overwhelmed by water.
He’s drowning.

But she isn’t the only one whose cries are muted.
She can’t see him, and it’s like there’s an invisible wall of glass between them and he reaches out towards her, calling out to her.

“Lenalee! Lenalee!”

There is a painful jab in his eye and he hears it scream in pain.
But as his throat burns mercilessly, no sounds emerge from his mouth.
Nothing seems to be able to shatter the silence.

He feels strangled now, and his left arm is screaming, but he doesn’t understand.
What is causing him all this pain?

“Allen-kun..! Allen-kun…!”

He looks to the portrait of agony and torment again.
He hears his name.
Someone is calling him.
Calling him from far away.

And it’s her voice.

He is brought back to the nightmare by another excruciating blow of pain to his left shoulder, another sent to his chest, knocking whatever air that is left in it.
He lets out a painful gasp but is unable to inhale, sucking in only a liquid tainted by death.

Another scream escapes him, choked as liquid fills his lungs.

His eyes widen.
Something’s inside him, just dying to be free.
He can feel it tearing through his flesh, the monster within him.
It claws at his left shoulder, trying to satisfy the intense craving for bloodshed.

“Allen-kun, Allen-kun, wake up!”

The voice is still far away.
And as he writhes in pain on the ground, he can’t pay the fretful velvety sound much attention as the piercing pains continue to terrorize him.
His silent screams remain unheard.

“Allen-kun! Allen-kun, wake up!”

He feels his left eye being wrenched open from the inside and he shrieks in protest at the burning ache that ensues.
But again, silence as the blood rolls off his cheeks and onto the floor.

His right arm immediately shoots to his eye and he feels the warm, sticky liquid slimy against his fingers.

He breathes hard and bile rises in his throat.
But what emerges when he gags is something much more different; the liquid is dark red and sticky.

“Allen-kun…”

He’s losing the voice now.
It’s fading, muted in this dark, dark world and he chances a last glance at the Lenalee, whose screaming and crying he still cannot hear.

He feels the monster ripping through the flesh of his left shoulder.
He lets out a gasp as there is a terrifying tearing noise.
But he can’t hear it.
Only feel it.

“Allen-kun! Allen-kun! Are you alright?!”

She’s practically screaming in his ear now, calling his name, asking if he’s alright.
But her cries, full of the agony of death are still hushed.
He wants to tell her that he’ll be fine, that everything is going to be alright, but asphyxiation still has his airways blocked.

A large metallic monster is in place of his original left arm and it starts to drag him away from Lenalee.

He looks at the image again for a moment, totally ignoring the burning he feels all over his body…
And he feels himself going numb.

The pain evaporates and his eyelids are heavy, the black and white world of red skies is fading…
He sees the blood-soaked ground beneath him disappearing out of sight but doesn’t pay it any mind.
He reaches out to the Lenalee in all that remains of the distant portrait with his right hand and his fingers brush against something wet as darkness engulfs him.

“Allen-kun, Allen-kun! Wake up! You’re starting to scare me! Are you-”

She stopped short, discontinuing shaking him as he awakened unexpectedly and he stared at her, his mind blank as his eyes spilt tears of blood. He was breathing hard as if he hadn’t been able to breathe for a couple of minutes. And strangely, his right hand was at her cheek, brushing away a small trickle of salty water.

“L-Lenalee…”

His vision was black and white on his left and in colour on his right.
Allen couldn’t think of what to make out of it.

He saw the same shock and fear in the ebony haired girl’s eyes as he had seen in the past and his heart tightened in pain.
But the boy wasn’t given the time to think about it.
He gasped and his left arm throbbed, numbing. His right arm followed suit, losing all feeling. It went limp abruptly, slamming lightly against the side of the couch.

“Allen-kun…”

Lenalee’s fearful voice shrivelled his heart further.

The fifteen-year-old turned away, rolling over from the girl kneeling beside his makeshift bed.

“D-Don’t look… L-Lenalee…” Allen choked, coughing into his palm.

The sixteen year-old continued to gaze anxiously at the white-haired boy.
Allen guessed at the question that lingered, unspoken, in the violet orbs which were her eyes.

The answer was pretty obvious.

“I’ll be fine… D-Don’t worry about me… Go back to sleep… Sorry for waking you…” he gasped as a searing pain hit him in the chest.

He clutched it painfully, stifling a cry.
He couldn’t worry Lenalee like this.

And that look in her eyes.
It would haunt him for nights to come.

“Baka!”

There was a light slap on his right shoulder and Allen quivered at the light impact.
He felt so fragile.

“I’m your friend! It’s my job to worry about you!”

Allen coughed again and Lenalee’s tone softened. She attempted to turn the scarred boy around to face her.

“What’s wrong…?”

As he turned around and sat up, his hands went up and covered his bleeding left eye hurriedly.

“N-Nothing’s wrong! Just a case of a weird dream… Eheheh…” he lied.

Lenalee’s expression darkened perceptibly. Her bangs hid her eyes and Allen felt a bit worried.

“W-What’s wrong Lenalee?”

“You were screaming, Allen-kun…”

There was that dangerous lack of sentiment in her voice again.
Said teenager looked away.

“I came to get a glass of water and when I unplugged my ears, I heard screaming.”

She looked at him with fierce amethyst eyes.

“Why were you screaming?” she demanded, the stern look in her eyes ever present.

“I…I…”

Allen tried to change the subject.

“Uh, Lenalee, why did you have to unplug your ears?” he stuttered nervously.

“Don’t change the subject, Allen-kun.”

She was still staring at him ardently.

“There are people in this apartment building who are very noisy at night. They hold loud parties and such, and as a precaution to prevent complaining, the landlady ordered us to use earplugs when we sleep. I forgot to warn you about it.”

‘She told me not to change the subject but answered my question anyway?’

“W-Well, it’s alright. Everything’s fine now, so you can go back to sleep Lenalee.”

“You haven’t answered my question.”

“E-Er…”

“Why were you screaming?”

Allen looked away guiltily, his hand still over his left eye.

“Like I said… I had a strange dream…”

He rubbed the back of his neck guiltily with his right hand.

“And…? What happened in your dream to make you scream so terribly?”

“I-It was just a bad dream…”

Allen drifted off.
Lenalee was reaching up to pull his hand away from his left eye.

“Is it your left eye, Allen-kun…?”

The throbbing in Allen’s eye ceased as Lenalee asked this question, and Allen felt it deactivate.

She pulled his hand away from his face and Allen quickly wiped the blood in one swift motion as he brought his hand down.

He looked at Lenalee with his clear blue-gray orbs, locking gazes with her.

“Good morning the two of you!”

Allen jumped, startled by Komui’s sudden entrance.
Lenalee gasped, letting out a startled cry.

The snow-haired boy tumbled off the couch and hit the floor hard, sending a shockwave buzzing through his left arm.
The teen groaned, rubbing his head so that Lenalee wouldn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.

Besides, he’d landed on his head too.
It didn’t hurt as much though.
You get used to your head getting knocked into things with a barbaric master like Cross Marian.

-

“Three hundred and eighty eight, three hundred and eighty nine…”

As the counting mounted to four hundred, there was a yawn from the corner.
Allen almost lost his balance.
He flipped off the chair he had been balancing on.

“L-Lenalee!”

“G’mornin’…”

There was another yawn as the girl rubbed her eyes sleepily.

“Why’re you up so early?” the snow-haired boy asked, wiping himself with a towel.

“I always get up this early… I need to make nii-san his coffee…”

She shuffled over to the kitchen doorway as Allen pulled on a clean shirt, leaving the towel draped over his white hair.

He grabbed the bottle of water he’d gotten from the refrigerator earlier and unscrewed the cap.
There was the sound of Lenalee boiling water, fire burning under the base of the kettle, as the white-haired boy gulped down mouthful after mouthful of water.

“So, what’re you up this early for?”

She was leaning on the doorway, holding a glass of cold milk.
There was a thin sweater wrapped around her shoulders and she rubbed her upper right arm as she waited for Allen’s answer.

“Morning routine, I guess. And… I couldn’t sleep after…”

He shrugged, his expression imperceptible under the white fabric.

The ebony haired girl looked away from him and down at her shoes.

“Well, Mr Bentley’s coffee house opens at seven, so I’m going to make breakfast. What would you like to eat?” she asked, still not lifting her head.

“Oh. Uh, no, I couldn’t possibly trouble you to make me a breakfast of my liking. I’ll just have…”

Allen didn’t finish his sentence.

Lenalee was glaring at him intensely with a fierce look that portrayed more than the same irritation she’d shown when he’d first refused to accept her offer for a lodging; there was a hurt look in her eyes.

The white-haired boy sighed.
He was sure that Lenalee would be able to get him to do whatever she wanted him to do against his will with that look for as long as he was there.

“Pancakes? Do you have pancake batter?” he said from under the towel.

“Mm-hm.”

“Pancakes would be nice.”

-

“So Allen, you’re a traveller?”

Said fifteen-year old set his glass of orange juice down.

“No, not exactly.”

He tapped a finger on his chin.

“I travel with my master to different places. It’s been that way for three years now.”

Komui smiled.

“Are you an apprentice?” he asked.

Allen didn’t answer at first; his mouth was full of honey-slobbered pancakes.

Lenalee giggled.

“Well,” he said after he had gulped the mouthful of food down, “yes.”

“Oh? What do you study under your master?”

Allen gulped down the orange juice in his glass.

“Music!” he exclaimed happily.

He turned to Lenalee.

“These pancakes are wonderful!”

She beamed.

“Thank you. I’m flattered.”

“Oho…”

The sound that had just emerged from Komui’s lips made Allen and Lenalee turn in his direction.

“Ne, Allen…”

The boy almost backed up and out of his chair at the evil glint in the man’s eyes.

“Y-Yes, Komui-san?”

He stole a glance at Lenalee.
To find she was sipping up her milk.

Allen controlled himself, containing the urge to smack his forehead, and turned back to the crazed looking man.

“Do you think my Lenalee is pretty?”

His eyes goggled.
And from the corners of those big, wondrous blue-grey orbs, Allen could see Lenalee almost choked on what she had just sucked into her mouth.

She coughed and excused herself, needing to use the bathroom.

“Well, Allen…?”

There was still an evil glistening spark in the man’s eyes
And the reason he had pressed harder for an answer, was unknown to the boy.

He was flustered, utterly red in the face.
And lucky for him, Lenalee was still away.

“Sh-She…”

He looked around, and in his anxiety, he outright missed the footsteps that were coming around the corner.
But when he answered, his voice was certain.

He smiled as Lenalee appeared in the doorway.

“She’s not just ‘pretty’. She’s beautiful.”

-

Lenalee stopped short.

She grabbed the doorway so tight her knuckles turned white.

The girl backed up as quietly as she could and clamped a hand over her mouth in an attempt to silence her haggard breathing.

‘W-What? He thinks I’m beautiful?’

Lenalee almost started hyperventilating.

The words echoed in her head and her all her thoughts were pushed to the back of her mind.

‘She’s not just ‘pretty’. She’s beautiful.’

The sentence just kept on ringing, and everything was nothing.

-

Komui looked shocked at first.
Allen grew anxious.

“K-Komui-san?”

He waved a hand in front of the older man’s face.

“Hello?”

Still, nothing happened.

Allen sighed.

“Okay, uh…”

He thought for a moment.

Then, he reached across the table and snapped his fingers a few inches away from the man’s eyes.

Instantly Komui was out of his stupor.

“Sorry, what?”

Allen just stared blankly at him, wishing hard for the same knowing he had encountered the previous night again.

“Oh, right!”

Allen slumped back against the chair.

‘Thank god I don’t have to tell him again.’

“You said Lenalee was beautiful?”

The scarred boy flushed a deep red.

He watched as Komui took a swig of coffee.

“That’s good…”

He laughed, and the white-haired boy watched quietly.

“Almost all of the guys who’ve come by here in the last few years have all said she’s ‘hot’ or, that she was just ‘pretty’. Not one of them has ever said she was beautiful.”

Komui continued eating his breakfast as Allen got up to clean his plate and put it in the cupboard.

“Right, moving on, what were we talking about before Lenalee left?”

Allen shrugged at the question the dark-eyed man had just posed and replied, “Pancakes and my master, I think.”

“Right.”

“Mm.”

There was a momentary period of silence as Allen moved back to his seat.

“So, who’s your master? Is he famous?”

“His name’s Cross Marian. He studied at the Latitude Music Faculty and has been a mentor and teacher there for quite some time. But, according to him, the mentors are supposed to go around the world looking for apprentices. But, I don’t know if he’s famous.”

The boy watched as Komui’s mouth fell open.

“Cross Marian is your master?!”

Allen raised an eyebrow and nodded.

-

That's all for now. (:

Preview for Chapter 3.

2008-11-27T06:17:00.000+08:00

Alright people.
I've finished Chapter two, but nothing interesting really happens.
And I have to edit it and put in some funny Komui sister-complex stuff so no preview for that right now.
Okay.
Since I feel like it, and have worked quite long hours, I'll publish the preview for chapter 3 raw, unedited. ((:
Enjoy.

-

The Devil’s Symphony

Disclaimer: I do not own D.Gray-Man. Hoshino Katsura does.

Chapter 3:

-

“Lenalee…”

A sky tainted red with the blood of the dead…

“No… Don’t…”

He sees her. He sees her crying, screaming.
But he can’t hear her, can’t hear her lamenting.

“Lenalee…! Lenalee…!”

He can’t breathe and it’s like there’s an invisible wall of glass between them and he reaches out towards her, calling out to her.
But she isn’t the only one whose cries are muted.

There is a painful jab in his eye and he hears it scream in pain.
But as his throat burns in agonizing pain, no sounds emerge from his mouth.
Nothing seems to be able to shatter the silence.

He feels strangled and his left arm is screaming now, and he doesn’t understand.
What is causing him all this pain?

“Allen-kun..! Allen-kun…!”

He looks to the portrait of agony and torment again.
He hears his name.
Someone is calling him.
Calling him from far away.

And it’s her voice.

He is brought back to the nightmare by another excruciating blow of pain to his left shoulder, another sent to his chest, knocking whatever air that is left in it.
He lets out a painful gasp but is unable to inhale.

Another scream escapes him, but it falls on deaf ears.
He can feel it tearing through his flesh, the monster within him.
It claws at his shoulder, trying to satisfy the intense craving for bloodshed.

“Allen-kun, Allen-kun, wake up!”

The voice is still far away.
And as he writhes in pain on the ground, he can’t pay the fretful velvety sound much attention as the piercing pains continue to terrorize him.
His silent screams remain unheard.

“Allen-kun! Allen-kun, wake up!”

He feels his left eye being wrenched open from the inside and he shrieks in protest at the burning ache that ensues.
But again, silence as the blood rolls off his cheeks and onto the floor.

His right arm immediately shoots to his eye and he feels the warm, sticky liquid slimy against his fingers.

He breathes hard and bile rises in his throat.
But what emerges when he gags is something much more different; the liquid is dark red and sticky.

“Allen-kun…”

He’s losing the voice now.
It’s fading, muted in this dark, dark world and he chances a last glance at the Lenalee, whose screaming and crying he still cannot hear.

He feels the monster ripping through the flesh of his left shoulder.
He lets out a gasp as there is a terrifying tearing noise.
But he can’t hear it.
Only feel it.

“Allen-kun! Allen-kun! Are you alright?!”

She’s practically screaming in his ear now, calling his name, asking if he’s alright.
But her cries, full of the agony of death are still hushed.
He wants to tell her that he’ll be fine, that everything is going to be alright, but the asphyxiation still has his airways blocked.

A large metallic arm is in place of his original left arm and it starts to drag him away from Lenalee.

He looks at the image again for a moment, totally ignoring the burning he feels all over his body…
And he feels himself going numb.

The pain evaporates and his eyelids are heavy, the black and white world of red skies is fading…
He sees the blood-soaked ground beneath him disappearing out of sight but doesn’t pay it any mind.
He reaches out to the Lenalee in all that remains of the distant portrait with his right hand and his fingers brush against something wet as darkness engulfs him.

“Allen-kun, Allen-kun! Wake up! You’re starting to scare me! Are you-”

She stopped short, discontinuing shaking him as he awakened unexpectedly and he stared at her, his mind blank as his eyes spilt tears of blood. He was breathing hard as if he hadn’t been able to breathe for a couple of minutes. And strangely, his right hand was at her cheek, brushing away a small trickle of salty water.

“L-Lenalee…”

His vision was black and white on his left and in colour on his right.
Allen couldn’t think of what to make out of it.

He saw the same shock and fear in the ebony haired girl’s eyes as he had seen in the past and his heart tightened in pain.
But the boy wasn’t given the time to think about it.
He gasped and his left arm throbbed, numbing. It went limp abruptly, slamming lightly against the side of the couch.

“Allen-kun…”

Lenalee’s fearful voice shrivelled his heart further.

The fifteen-year-old turned away, rolling over from the girl kneeling beside his makeshift bed.

“D-Don’t look… L-Lenalee…” Allen choked, coughing into his palm.

The sixteen year-old continued to gaze anxiously at the white-haired boy.
Allen guessed the question that lingered, unspoken, in the violet orbs which were her eyes.

“I’ll be fine… D-Don’t worry about me… Go back to sleep… Sorry for waking you…” he gasped as a searing pain hit him in the chest.

He clutched it painfully, stifling a cry.
He couldn’t worry Lenalee like this.

And that look in her eyes.
It would haunt him for nights to come.

“Baka!”

There was a light slap on his right shoulder and Allen quivered at the light impact.
He felt so fragile.

“I’m your friend! It’s my job to worry about you!”

Allen coughed again and Lenalee’s tone softened. She attempted to turn the scarred boy around to face her.

“What’s wrong…?”

As he sat up, his hands went up and covered his bleeding left eye hurriedly.

“N-Nothing’s wrong! Just a case of a weird dream… Eheheh…” he lied.

Lenalee’s expression darkened perceptibly. Her bangs hid her eyes and Allen felt a bit worried.

“W-What’s wrong Lenalee?”

“You were screaming, Allen-kun…”

There was that dangerous lack of sentiment in her voice again.
Said teenager looked away.

“I came to get a glass of water and when I unplugged my ears, I heard screaming.”

She looked at him with fierce amethyst eyes.

“Why were you screaming?” she demanded, the stern look in her eyes ever present.

“I…I…”

Allen tried to change the subject.

“Uh, Lenalee, why did you have to unplug your ears?” he stuttered nervously.

“Don’t change the subject, Allen-kun.”

She was still staring at him ardently.

“There are people in this apartment building who are very noisy at night. They hold loud parties and such, and as a precaution to prevent complaining, the landlady ordered us to use earplugs when we sleep. I forgot to warn you about it.”

‘She told me not to change the subject but answered my question anyway?’

“W-Well, it’s alright. Everything’s fine now, so you can go back to sleep Lenalee.”

“You haven’t answered my question.”

“E-Er…”

“Why were you screaming?”

Allen looked away guiltily, his hand still over his left eye.

“Like I said… I had a strange dream…”

He rubbed the back of his neck guiltily with his right hand.

“And…? What happened in your dream to make you scream so terribly?”

“I-It was just a bad dream…”

Allen drifted off.

Lenalee was reaching up to pull his hand away from his left eye.

“Is it your left eye, Allen-kun…?”

The throbbing in Allen’s eye ceased as Lenalee asked this question, and Allen felt it deactivate.

She pulled his hand away from his face and Allen quickly wiped the blood in one swift motion as he brought his hand down.

He looked at Lenalee with his clear blue-gray orbs, locking gazes with her.

“Good morning the two of you!”

Allen jumped, startled by Komui’s sudden entrance.

He tumbled off the couch and hit the floor hard, sending a shockwave buzzing through his left arm.

The teen groaned, rubbing his head so that Lenalee wouldn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.

Besides, he’d landed on his head too.

It didn’t hurt as much though.

You get used to your head getting knocked into things with a barbaric master like Cross Marian.

That's all for now. (;

moonrise.♥

2008-11-27T05:59:00.000+08:00

Hello everyone!
Or at least, the two of my favouritest people in the world:
addenza and G h o s t. (:
Thank you, guys, for reviewing! hahaha. Not exactly.
But who gives a damn eh?
Right.
I'm happy to announce that I have finished Chapter 2 and SOME of chapter 3. (:
So expect some of that soon.
HEE!
I'll be AWOL from the first onwards, so be warned.
HAHAHA.
Maybe I'll come back with chapter four. (;

AND SOME COOKIES!
((:
heee.
'kay.
I've nothin' tah say.
*grin*
bye!

moonrise.♥