Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / D. Gray-man Fan Fiction ❯ Ice On Ice ❯ Clown and Auguste ( Chapter 28 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

SailorStar9: Chapter 27 goes up. This is Chapter 28. Read and review.
 
Disclaimers: I do not own both the animes. However, I do own the pairing, I hope.
 
Chapter 28: Clown and Auguste
 
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“You're quite the troublesome person.” The Earl of Millennium noted. “Every time I see you, you get in my way.”
 
“I won't let you lay a hand on Lenalee!” Allen hissed.
 
The Earl chuckled, “Do as you wish. In any case, I'll let you two get reacquainted…”
 
“Seeing as you're about to die,” he grinned, leaping up and powering up an energy ball.
 
Allen jumped up and blocked the attack with his evolved Innocence.
 
“You won't be getting anywhere near Lenalee!” he promised, attacking the Earl.
 
The Earl of Millennium said nothing and fired another energy ball into Allen's stomach.
 
He was surprised when Allen took no damage. Turning around, he tossed another energy ball at the boy, only to have Allen meet his attack with his clawed hand.
 
Landing on the ground, the two charged at each other.
 
“Oh no…” Lenalee gasped as the battle raged on. “Because of the crystal, my legs won't…”
 
“Allen…” she managed to get out before fainting.
 
Upon landing, the Earl of Millennium then flew towards the unconscious Lenalee.
 
“Here I go.” He grinned, as he neared his target.
 
“What?” he exclaimed as Allen intercepted.
 
“Persistent, aren't you?” he inquired, jumping to avoid Allen's attack.
 
“Earl!” Allen demanded as Rero appeared in the Earl of Millennium's hand.
 
“Take this!” the Earl of Millennium declared, turning Rero into a sword, and coming at Allen with energy at the blade's tip. Allen defended with his evolved Innocence.
 
“That form…” the Earl of Millennium noticed. “It almost look like the clown that chased after Auguste. You're such a funny child.”
 
“Well then, just like the white clown, I shall prevent this unamusing tomfoolery from continuing!” Allen replied.
 
“You're causing everyone pain!” he added, breaking off the standstill and attacking the Earl of Millennium. “In order to stop you, I've returned to the battlefield.”
 
The Earl of Millennium jumped back and the two charged at each other. Meeting mid-way, the Earl of Millennium blocked Allen's enraged punch, before defending the Exorcist's every move effectively.
 
Jumping apart, the two clashed head on again.
 
“In order to save both humans and Akuma,” Allen remarked after knocking the Earl of Millennium's sword off. “I cannot allow myself to forgive you!”
 
“Cross Grave!” he sent his clawed hand into the Earl of Millennium's body.
 
“Regardless, we will face each other again.” the Earl of Millennium chuckled, landing on his floating sword, unharmed. “Along with Little Miss Sleepy-head over there.”
 
“Lenalee!” Allen gasped at the unconscious girl.
 
“Though, that does depend on whether you get the chance.” The Earl of Millennium added.
 
“Take this!” he declared, firing a charged-up energy ball at Lenalee. Allen jumped in to intercept the attack.
 
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Outside…
 
“What's going on?” Marie asked as the crystal exploded.
 
“I have no idea.” Lavi replied.
 
“Lenalee? Lenalee!” Allen called out.
 
“Allen!” Lavi gasped. “No, that's impossible.”
 
Marie watched as the Bookman-in-training walked into the smoke.
 
What in the world happened? Lavi wondered. He stopped short when Allen's evolved Innocence blocked his path.
 
“An Akuma?” he inquired, using his hammer to hit the white cloak.
 
“No.” Athena smiled as she appeared from the smoke, when Allen leapt into the clearing, bearing Lenalee in his arms.
 
“Lavi?” Allen blinked.
 
“No way! Allen?” Lavi was surprised.
 
“Lenalee won't wake up.” Allen told him.
 
“What?” Lavi gasped.
 
“I knew the Squirt was too stubborn to die.” Athena grinned as she approached Allen. “Welcome back, kiddo.”
 
“Ami-sempai…” Allen blinked at the former ice wielder as Athena passed her healing Cosmo into Lenalee.
 
“She's been like this before.” Lavi revealed, picking Lenalee up.
 
“Don't worry about it.” Athena assured. “Her life isn't in danger anymore. I just healed her.”
 
“Is that so?” Allen asked.
 
“Yeah.” Athena smiled at him.
 
“Thank goodness.” Allen sighed in relief. “Wait, before?”
 
“The same thing happened.” Lavi explained. “After coming out of the crystal, she had no energy…”
 
“Hold it right there, you son of a bitch!” Kanda's holler interrupted Lavi's sentence.
 
“Die!” he shouted, attacking Allen.
 
“Kanda…” Allen stammered.
 
“Beansprout?” Kanda was surprised.
 
“My name is Allen.” Allen corrected.
 
“What are you doing here?” Kanda demanded.
 
“Same to you.” Allen retorted
 
“I was after the Noah with the curly hair.” Kanda snorted.
 
“I had a feeling this would happen.” Athena sighed as Lavi went pale-faced.
 
“Hey Lavi, have you any idea where he went?” Kanda asked.
 
“Come to think of it, what happened to the ripped guy I was fighting?” Lavi wondered outloud. “What's going on here? The Noah have completely vanished”
 
“The Earl probably called them back.” Athena replied.
 
“What's with that face?” Allen demanded when Kanda turned his accusing expression at him. “Don't act as if I got in your way and caused you to lose to them! Besides, I bet the Noah got away because you're such a slowpoke.”
 
“What was that?” Kanda demanded. “It was your punk ass that barged in here like a sloth, later then everyone else. What are you thinking, you slow beanspourt?”
 
“My name is Allen, how many times do I have to say it?” Allen retorted. “Oh yeah, I forgot your brain's as slow as the rest of you.”
 
“That's some attitude you got there.” Kanda shot back. “I'll show you who's really the dumb shit here. En Garde! I'll chop off that white hair of yours and sell it to some old geezers.”
 
“Wouldn't wearing black hair get you a better deal?” Allen shrugged.
 
“For your insolence, I'll leave only one strand behind!” Kanda retorted.
 
“Are you trying to turn me into a kappa?” Allen asked.
 
Athena sighed as the two continued to argue, “The moment they meet, they start throwing insults at each other. Those two never change.”
 
“Calm down, you two.” Marie intervened.
 
“That's right. This is supposed to be a happy reunion.” Lavi pointed out.
 
“Shut the hell up! I'll cut all your hair off!” the two arguing parties chorused together.
 
Athena sighed again.
 
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“That person next to Mr. Kanda…” Miranda gasped. “It can't be…”
 
“Allen Walker.” Bookman finished her sentence. “So he really is alive.”
 
“His Innocence seems to have taken a strange form.” Marshall Tiedoll noted. “Far too many things have happened one after another. It looks like some cleaning up is needed.”
 
“The Squirt has complete synchronization with his evolved Innocence now.” Athena added as she approached the group. “And Lenalee's Innocence is about to evolve as well.”
 
Turning a smile at the four Exorcists, she first passed her healing Cosmo into Bookman and repeating the process with Krory.
 
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Back in the Ark…
 
“That was so much fun…” Tyki remarked, puffing on his cigarette. “How come we have to head back now, Earl of Millennium? The Exorcist girl could've been the Heart, you know.”
 
“So heavy…” the Earl commented as he dragged Tyki and Skin back. “You two have grown quite a bit.”
 
“Hey, hold up. Are you listening?” Tyki inquired.
 
“There's only four more hours left until the download is complete, Tyki.” Road informed him.
 
“Ah, Road? Good job on the programming.” The Earl of Millennium turned to her.
 
“I want a year's worth of candy for all I've done.” Road told him.
 
“Sure, sure.” The Earl of Millennium replied. “Oh, that's right. Speaking of work, Tyki-pet's target has come back.”
 
“You serious? He's alive? Left arm and all?” Tyki exclaimed.
 
“Alive and kicking. He got in my way quite splendidly.” The Earl of Millennium replied.
 
Ah hell… Tyki thought.
 
“Hey, whatcha talking about?” Road asked, flying down to hug the Earl of Millennium.
 
“Tyki-pet's incompetence.” The Earl of Millennium replied.
 
“Did you change your cigarette brands, Tyki?” Road asked, ending down to sniff.
 
“What's with this, all of a sudden?” Tyki demanded. “No, they're the same.”
 
“That so?” Road questioned. “Huh? Earl of Millennium, where Rero?”
 
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Back with Jasdero and David…
 
Marshall Cross was gone by the time they arrived.
 
“Where's Cross?” Jasdero asked, staring at the chickens in the empty courtyard.
 
“Find him!” David shouted as Jasdero pounded his twin's head in.
 
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Meanwhile, the Exorcist group was resting under a bridge.
 
“So, the Heart has appeared.” Marshall Tiedoll noted as he looked at the newly-revealed Athena who was healing Lenalee with her Cosmo. “Well then, let's try piecing the story together. Cross's group planned to meet up with him and destroy the Akuma factory. Isn't that right?”
 
“Yes.” Bookman replied.
 
“But our reason for coming here is to find more Innocence hosts.” Marshall Tiedoll remarked. “It may sound a bit harsh given that we've just me, but I have no intention on helping Cross. That man, Marian, thinks of other humans as nothing but pawns. Even you, his supposed guards, were just bait with his modified Akumas in the plan he laid out. I wonder if it's possible to cooperate with a man like that.”
 
“What happened to the modified Akuma with us?” Athena asked the Marshall.
 
“It self-destructed.” Marshall Tiedoll replied.
 
“Figures.” Athena sighed.
 
Master is really hated, huh? Allen sweatdropped.
 
“Oh yes, I have a proposition for you all.” Marshall Tiedoll commented.
 
“A proposition?” Bookman echoed.
 
“I think it would be best for the Cross unit to immediately pull back from the front lines.” The Marshall suggested.
 
“What do you mean?” Lavi asked.
 
“You want us to pull out without fighting?” Allen pressed.
 
“I don't believe the time is right yet for fighting the Earl of Millennium.” The Marshall explained. “I believe survival is a job we must also carry out. As of right now, the only living Exorcists in this world are, Hevlaska back at the Order, Sokaro, Klaud, Marian and the nine of us present here. I don't want to expose you all to danger. In times of hardship, isn't a tactical retreat the best choice?”
 
“Nine?” Allen echoed.
 
“I'm excluded.” Athena replied. “The moment I knew I was the Heartkeeper, I ceased to be an Exorcist anymore.”
 
“Do we move forward to withdraw?” Lavi questioned.
 
“But Marshall Tiedoll.” He added. “We've actually heard those same words before.”
 
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Flashback
 
“If after hearing that, you somehow become hindrances, Marian wants you to just go home. Chomesuke told the group. “Japan is already under control of the Earl of Millennium. The chances of making it out alive are extremely low.
 
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“But at the same time, this sleeping princess here said…” he remarked.
 
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Flashback
 
“Let's keep going.” Lenalee said. “We' can't turn back here. If we go back now, all the effort of those who gave their lives will be wasted.
 
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“We decided then that no matter how badly we were beaten up, we would forge on.” He added.
 
“That's right.” Krory agreed.
 
“We wish to keep going!” Miranda added.
 
“Us too!” Chaoji nodded.
 
“And you want this too, I presume?” Marshall Tiedoll turned to Allen.
 
“Yes. I wish to keep moving forward.” Allen replied.
 
“Is that so?” Marshall Tiedoll sighed. “Then there's nothing more to hesitate about. The trip thus far must have been painful, but the path you must walk from here on is truly strewn with thorns.”
 
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“It's about time, huh, Crow?” Lavi asked after cleaning himself up. “Once Lenalee's condition has improved, we'll be heading out.”
 
“What's wrong?” he blinked when Krory remained silent.
 
“I had completely forgotten the speech Lenalee gave back then.” Krory admitted. “If we had chosen to stop here, we would've trampled on the efforts of those who lost their lives getting us this far.”
 
“Crow…” Lavi muttered.
 
“For Chomesuke's sake as well, I'll…” Krory added.
 
“That's right.” Lavi agreed. “If we don't leave now, we'll never be able to show our faces to everyone again.”
 
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I'm sorry. Allen apologized to the unconscious Lenalee. I suddenly disappeared on you. And Suman… I couldn't save him either.
 
Then, he turned when Lenalee opened her eyes.
 
“Lenalee!” he smiled in relief.
 
“Allen…” Lenalee blinked.
 
“Yeah.” Allen replied. “I'm sorry. Forgive me, Lenalee.”
 
“Why are you saying sorry?” Lenalee asked.
 
“If it's about Suman…” she added, reaching out to stroke his hair. “If it's about Suman… you saved him, Allen. That's why he didn't die in vain. I'm positive that you saved his heart. Welcome back, Allen.”
 
“I'm back…” Allen choked, his left hand resting on Lenalee's hand. “I'm back, Lenalee.”
 
“Look who's awake.” Bookman interrupted the tender scene.
 
“Oh? Was Allen cryin' just now?” Lavi teased.
 
“I wasn't.” Allen protested.
 
“You cried too, back on the ship.” Lenalee pointed out.
 
“I didn't cry.” Lavi objected.
 
“Oh? Did you really?” Lenalee asked.
 
“Don't be stupid! I didn't cry!” Lavi protested as everyone else laughed.
 
“You were all `wah, wah, wah' huh?” Allen asked.
 
“I didn't cry like that!” Lavi objected.
 
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“Was this what you were referring to?” Kanda asked the revealed Heartkeeper as laughter echoed from their resting place.
 
“About the Squirt and Lees?” Athena joked.
 
“Yup.” She grinned.
 
“If Koumi ever finds out…” Kanda smirked.
 
“They'll come to that when they cross that bridge, Peacock.” Athena told him.
 
“Where do we go from here?” he questioned after a moment's silence.
 
“Do you have to ask?” Athena raised an eyebrow as she turned around to face him.
 
Kissing him softly, she added, “I'm already yours, Yuu; the moment you slipped the Bond Ring on me, Heartkeeper or not.”
 
Her eyes widened when Kanda pressed her against the wall, deepening the kiss she initiated.
 
Athena shut her eyes and moaned, the swordsman pressing his tongue against her lips, seeking entrance into her mouth. The Goddess complied, and it was not long before their tongues started battling for dominance.
 
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Back under the bridge…
 
“Right.” Chaoji nodded as he tied his haversack. “Preparations for departure are complete!”
 
“Huh? What's going on?” one of his companions asked as Chaoji's belongings started dropping on the ground.
 
“Chaoji! The other side! Tie the other side!” the other survivor of the shipwreck told him.
 
“What? Huh?” Chaoji blinked. “I wonder if I should tie it tighter.”
 
“Uh no. I don't think that's the problem.” the first survivor replied.”
 
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Meanwhile, Lavi and Bookman were taking a walk together.
 
“Lavi.” Bookman told his disciple.
 
“What's up?” Lavi asked.
 
“In response to Marshall Tiedoll, you yourself said that you wish to keep moving forwards the Akuma.” Bookman remarked.
 
Yeah. And?” Lavi inquired.
 
“Did you say that as a successor to the Bookman line, or as an Exorcist for the Dark Order?” Bookman asked. “You haven't forgotten your true reason fro being here, have you?”
 
“Don't worry about it. I haven't forgotten.” Lavi replied. “Gramps, you worry too much. We've gotta hurry back to the others.”
 
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“Do you really plan on going?” Kanda asked as he approached Krory.
 
“Lenalee said it herself… we need to get moving quickly.” Krory replied.
 
“What fools.” Kanda remarked. “Well, if you end up dying, it will be your fault.”
 
“What?” he blinked when Krory turned a look at him.
 
“We don't know until we try.” Krory told him.
 
That's right. We won't know until we try. Allen agreed as the two continued their staring match. No matter what lies on the path ahead, I wish to keep walking on it. Together with my friends.
 
“Every one of us is born under a star.” Athena added, as she stood beside her junior. “Some are born lucky, others are not. Regardless however, each one of us has been guided by Destiny's hand; a path that has been laid out for us even before we were born.”
 
Their attention was caught when Lenalee tried to get up.
 
“I have to be strong.” The female Exorcist remarked, falling back to her feet.
 
“I'm okay I need to stand on my own.” She frowned at Allen's offered hand.
 
“Lenalee,” Allen spoke as she fell back to her feet. “Let's go together to meet my Master.”
 
Lenalee nodded.
 
“Yeah, let's…” she replied, taking his hand.
 
A crackle of energy alerted them as a pentacle mark appeared under Athena's feet.
 
“Found ya!” Rero quipped, appearing from the portal.
 
Athena let out a scream as she fell through the portal.
 
“Ami-sempai!” Allen called out at the glowing pink portal.
 
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SailorStar9: Well Athena gets herself captured. Find out what happens in the next chapter. Until then, read and review.