A Game of Poker, Chapter 31: Nightmare Game
Title: A Game of Poker
Author: Bookkbaby
Rating: Teen
Warnings: YAOI
Summary: LUCKY Pair. It started as a simple game of poker, but a little white lie from Lavi changes everything. ['If you lose... you spend the night here, with me, and let me do whatever I want with you.']
Warnings: YAOI, which means BOYS LOVING BOYS. If you dislike that, then the back button is easy enough to find. Please click that and leave. Limes are in the future, and lemons. Maybe some OOC, spoilers for the end of the anime later on.
Disclaimer: I don’t own these lovely characters, that honor belongs to Katsura Hoshino. (Though if Hoshino-sama ever has a sale, I call dibs on Tyki… what?) I don’t own anything but a copy of the anime series and all volumes of the manga in English. Anything you don’t recognize (like the plotline of ‘A Game of Poker’) does belong to me. Everything else… not so much. Please don’t sue.
Kudos to the awesome SisterWicked of AssHat Productions (a group I am now a proud member of), who got me started on Lucky and lets me use 'lovely'! Beta’d by N.H. Arawn and Misster Cackles! All remaining mistakes are mine.
CHAPTER WARNING: Possible nightmare fuel. Disturbing images.
Special Dedication to SisterWicked. Her fic, Nightmare Game, is where this chapter gets its title. ^_^ Now two of my favorite fics (The Fine Line and Nightmare Game) are chapter titles in my fic!
Last Time On ‘A Game Of Poker’:
Though he had killed Lulubell, she was hardly the only opponent and was definitely not the most deadly. He was fairly certain that a certain redheaded, hammer-wielding Exorcist was currently fighting the man who had the dubious honor of that particular title.
It was time again to meet the Maker.
And Now, The Continuation
Chapter 31
Nightmare Game
Krory panted lightly as he dodged yet another attack from his opponent. His cloak hung in tatters around his frame, shredded from near misses with the Noah's golden hair. Krory had extended his blood armor to his elbows and knees. He wasn't sure how much more of his body he could cover with the armor before it simply gave up and his blood collected outside the flesh shell to fight Jasdevi. He could feel a tug in his veins, as if the precious red liquid was trying to flow out and create that virtually indestructible form. He resisted the pull; he couldn't afford the price.
Small scratches littered his skin, mostly on his upper arms and the outside of his thighs since the armor didn't reach that high. There was one deep cut on his right side that had been steadily leaking blood for the past few minutes, soaking his shirt and the dress jacket he wore under his Exorcist cloak. The wound wasn't fatal, however, and so he ignored it. A small cut above his left temple had bled heavily for the first minute or two after he had received it, but the blood had clotted and now dried blood covered the side of his face. Krory had managed to dodge most of the rest of Jasdevi's strikes, but one flailing lock of hair had slammed into his side and had bruised his ribs, perhaps even broken them. He hadn't had time to examine the injury in any amount of detail.
The Noah was in a similar state. Krory had only managed to score superficial cuts on Jasdevi's arms and face, though there were lines on the blond's chest from where Krory had raked the skin with his nails. The cuts extended from Jasdevi's left shoulder almost to his navel, though were unfortunately too shallow to do any real damage.
"Stop struggling, vampire," Jasdevi snarled. The blond forced his face into a smile as Krory bristled at the term. "Oh, I forgot. You hate that word, don't you, vampire? You're not even good enough to be a vampire. You're just a freak!"
Krory briefly thought of a certain phrase about a pot and a kettle, but had no time to pass the age-old wisdom on to the Noah before the brat was attacking again. Krory gritted his teeth in pain as a tendril of hair sped past his neck and cut a thin slice into the skin. The Exorcist jerked himself away from the danger zone, tucking his head down and rolling before leaping to his feet three feet away from his previous position and perhaps a foot closest to his enemy. He glared at the Noah, pausing only a moment to catch his balance before leaping towards Jasdevi.
The blond cursed loudly and willed his hair into a quick shield between himself and the Exorcist. Krory drew back his arm and, shaping his hand like a spear, thrust it through the mess of golden strands towards the blond's stomach. He could feel some of the hair fall away as it was separated from the Noah's head and paid extra mind to where he stepped, not wanting to be tripped by the loose strands. Jasdevi cursed again and jerked his body to the side. Krory's blood-armor covered hand merely scraped past the Noah's ribs, rending the cloth and scratching the skin beneath.
Krory moved to attack again, but he could feel the hair he had cut free moments ago beginning to curl around his legs and more hair was moving to capture his arms and hold him immobile.
He pulled himself out of the attack and coiled the muscles in his legs, jumping up and over the Noah's head before Jasdevi's hair could grab a firm hold on him. He rolled as he hit the ground and sprang to his feet, turning to face Jasdevi in the same motion. Another spear of hair was heading for him and he lifted his hands to block, practically striking the deadly blond locks with the outer edge of his hand. The newly cut hair fell to the ground, then began slithering towards his feet as Jasdevi regained control over the loose strands.
Krory stepped away from them, keeping his attention carefully divided between Jasdevi and the hair that littered the ground.
The brat had apparently learned from their last fight. The Noah was keeping his distance and relying more on attacks with his hair than strikes with his hands or feet. Krory hadn't been able to get close enough to deal fatal damage, but at least he had been fast enough to avoid taking a mortal wound so far. However, his strength was waning and he didn't have any handy flasks of Akuma blood like he had hidden to help him out like he had in the Ark. Krory wouldn't even have enough time to go drain the blood of another Akuma in order to power up; Jasdevi knew what the blood-oil of the mechanical demons did for Krory and would certainly stop him.
He had to end this before his strength ran out.
Krory gritted his teeth, narrowing his eyes in frustration. No matter what he did, Jasdevi's hair always knocked him back before he had the chance to do damage. The Exorcist knew that his blood was his most powerful weapon. If he could just bite Jasdevi long enough to infect the brat with his Innocence-possessed blood, then the fight would be won. Last time, infecting the blond with his blood had ended the fight. This time should be the same, but the problem was how to get close enough to do so.
He studied his opponent for openings or weaknesses. The brat was watching him suspiciously, hair poised to strike or block since Krory was not quite in range. There were no obvious holes in the Noah's defense, large or small, just like there had been no openings the last several times Krory had checked. The Exorcist had to admit, however grudgingly, that whoever had trained the Noah in the art of hand to hand had done his or her job well. He would have to create an opening to attack.
He took a deep breath, relaxing his tense muscles so that they would react faster when he called upon them.
Krory leapt forward, feinting with a blood-armor covered hand towards Jasdevi's head. The Noah reacted instantly, hair coming up to block. Krory quickly dropped to one knee, bringing his other leg out in a quick scythe aimed at the brat's heels and intended to take the blond down. Jasdevi saw the attack coming, but the Noah was just a fraction too slow to avoid it. Krory felt his lower leg make contact with the blond's heels and then go through on sheer momentum, knocking the brat down. Jasdevi fell with a surprised yelp and struck the ground with a pained shout, his head hitting the ground with a loud 'thunk'.
Krory tensed his muscles to spring at his downed foe, but Jasdevi had recovered enough to attack. The furious Noah sent a large spike of hair at the Exorcist. Krory crossed his arms in front of his chest, blocking the attack but getting thrown back several feet. With a grunt of effort, Krory pushed out with his arms and forced the spike of hair back just long enough for him to roll to the side and get out of the strike's path. He staggered to his feet facing Jasdevi and panting heavily from exertion.
Jasdevi's breathing was heavier too, he noted, but the Noah's breaths were already slowing and becoming easier. The blond was clearly not as tired as Krory, meaning the Exorcist had to hurry and find a way to defeat the Noah before his energy ran out. If this didn't end soon, Krory would make a mistake or dodge too slowly and that would be the end of him.
He calmed his breathing down by taking deep breaths, raising his arms and preparing to strike. Jasdevi visibly relaxed himself, making sure his muscles were loose enough to react instantly to whatever the Exorcist was planning.
Krory checked for openings, more out of habit than any expectation to actually find one. He braced himself at the confirmation that he would need to create another hole in the Noah's defenses. The same trick - feinting high and attacking low - would not work. Besides that, last time he had tried, creating an opening had failed.
A sudden thought entered his mind as a quiet whisper, sending a cool shiver down his spine and settling a heavy weight in his chest. Last time, he had failed because he had protected himself rather than attack. He might have been able to really hurt the blond if he had ignored the blow coming at him and simply attacked as he had planned.
This time, he would put everything he had into attacking. Jasdevi would undoubtedly retaliate, but as long as the injury wasn't immediately fatal, Krory should have enough time to get in at least one good hit. He would have to make it count.
He swallowed heavily and refused to consider the likely outcome of what he was about to do. Even if he did succeed in striking the Noah fatally, it wasn't likely that he would come out of the encounter unscathed. However, he couldn't let this fight go on any longer and he couldn't just retreat to lick his wounds like a whipped dog and leave one more Noah for the others to worry about. He had no choice. There was no time.
He steeled himself, coiled his legs, and leapt forward.
Line Break
When Lenalee awoke, it was as if her consciousness had been suddenly switched on again. She sucked in a deep breath, lungs feeling small and unused as though she hadn't been breathing, and opened her eyes to see where Road had taken her. She closed her eyes again almost immediately as they protested the sudden change in lighting. Whatever the setting for this illusion was, it was bright. She took another deep breath and slowly opened her eyes, squinting against the harsh light.
She was in a large open-air room of sorts. Large white pillars supported the roof and there was a long table in the center, a blood red tablecloth over the top and places set for five, though the table was big enough for at least three times that many people. High-backed wooden chairs surrounded the table, though there was no one sitting in them.
The scene was unsettlingly familiar, though Lenalee couldn't quite place where she had seen it. For a few moments she just stared at the table, then her breath caught and her eyes widened as she realized where she was. She still saw this place in her nightmares, the horrible dreams that woke her up in a cold sweat and made it impossible to sleep.
She was in the Ark, Allen's Ark, but this place was one she hadn't set foot in since the first time that she had been here. This room was the top of the tower at the highest point in the Ark, the place where Lavi and Allen had fought Road and Tyki. For a moment she could feel the crushing helplessness she had felt that day as she watched from inside a hollow die-shaped cage as her friends fight for their lives.
She shook her head violently, rejecting the feeling. This wasn't that day, it was just an illusion. She clung to that thought as she shivered, more afraid than cold, and she hugged herself to try and keep the feelings welling up inside her at bay.
When her palms met bare skin, her fright ratcheted up a notch. she glanced down at herself, breath hitching when she realized that she was dressed in the same clothes she had worn that day. Her Exorcist's jacket had been replaced by the sleeveless, skintight shirt Johnny had made for her as a second layer of armor. Her skirt was now a pair of light colored shorts and her legs were bandaged from mid-thighs to toes. A simple pair of dark slippers were on her feet. They were pretty, but useless.
She stared in horror at her clothes, desperately trying to keep her breathing under control as her lungs began to draw in quicker and shallower breaths. Her lungs felt like they were rapidly shrinking but she forced herself to draw in full breaths. She couldn't panic, not here and certainly not now.
It was just an illusion. She wasn't really back here and she wasn't helpless this time around. From what little she knew of Road's powers, the Dreams had some sort of body in here she would need to find and defeat. That should be fairly simple - no one else was here, so whatever she found would have to be Road's body. She glanced around the room, looking for any likely object or hiding places. No matter where she turned, all she could see were the white pillars and the mockingly beautiful 'sky' beyond them and the red table in the middle of the room.
"It seems deserted," she murmured to herself, mostly just to hear a friendly voice. The eerie silence surrounding her wasn't exactly comforting. She took in a deep breath, fighting the flashbacks threatening to overwhelm her.
This places was frightening and was apparently deserted, which only made her fear increase. Her heart began to pound faster. What if Road wasn't actually here?
She turned faster, eyes darting around and taking in her surroundings.
This wasn't so bad. Not really. After the initial shock of where she was had worn off, anyway. She still had plenty of time to search for Road's body. After all, she was the only one here and she was already getting used to the sudden flashes of memory brought on by the room. Was this the worst Road could do to her?
Lenalee almost relaxed at the thought, but something had her nerves on edge. Somehow this seemed too laid back for the Noah. There had to be something worse coming up, but worrying over it wouldn't help-
Her thoughts were interrupted by the rapid, if muffled, approach of footsteps. She whirled around to face the door, noting that the sound was coming from behind her. The Exorcist brought her hands up in a defensive posture, muscles on a hair-trigger and awaiting her orders.
The footsteps grew louder and louder and then the door suddenly burst open. Lenalee blinked and almost dropped her guard, staring open-mouthed at the panting, bent-over figure now standing in the doorway.
Komui was dressed as usual in his white coat, though for once the beret was missing. It had probably flown off his head as he ran, and it was apparent that he had been running. Lenalee would have known that even if she hadn't heard his footsteps - he was bent double, one arm supporting his weight as he leaned against the doorframe and the other wrapped around his middle as he panted for air. She just stared, unable to move from shock.
This was a trick, she reminded herself. An illusion.
Komui looked up and smiled at her, relief washing over his expression.
"Lenalee," he said. The Exorcist swallowed heavily. His voice was kind and warm, as comforting as a familiar blanket on a cold night. The illusion sounded exactly like her brother and she violently shook her head, reminding herself that it was just an illusion. This wasn't her brother, just one of Road's tricks.
She heard footsteps and jerked her gaze back up, raising her guard again. Komui took no notice of her wariness, relief still clear on his face.
"I've been looking for you. They told me you were missing from the medical wing," he said, moving as if to hug her. Lenalee stepped back, bringing up the fiercest glare she could muster at the illusion of her brother. The white-clad man stopped, dismay casting a shadow over his relief.
"Lenalee...?" he said, taking a tentative step forward. Lenalee backed up another step.
"Don't come any closer," she warned. She tensed when Komui took another half-step forward, bringing her arms up threateningly. "I mean it!"
"Do you remember me?" Komui asked carefully, touching a hand to his chest. There was a sort of desperate hope in his eyes and Lenalee's conviction wavered for an instant. "I'm your brother, Komui-"
"I know who you are," she cut him off quickly. Her heart ached at the relief she saw in his eyes at her statement and it was only the repeated mantra of 'he's not real, he's not real' that allowed her to continue speaking. "You're an illusion. I'm fighting Road and you're just an illusion. You're not really my brother."
Comprehension seemed to dawn in Komui's eyes. He smiled gently at her.
"I'm not an illusion. You won the fight with Road but you took a nasty hit to the head," Komui told her, voice soft and seemingly earnest. "I was told you might have lost some of your memory. Do you remember waking up in the medical wing?"
Lenalee shook her head slowly, puzzlement beginning to overtake suspicion. Her hands lowered just slightly, guard dropping without her notice. When Komui took another half step forward, she didn't step back.
"That's all right that you don't remember. It will come back to you soon," Komui soothed. He extended his hand, offering it to Lenalee. "Let's go back to the Order, all right?"
Lenalee found herself half-reaching for Komui before her senses returned to her. She shook her head and stepped back quickly, drawing both her hands to her chest.
"This is an illusion," she repeated, mostly to convince herself. She could hear the waver in her voice and mentally cursed herself for it. She heard footsteps and shook her head in vehement protest, backing up several more steps. "Stop it! You're not my brother! You're a fake!"
"Lenalee..."
The Exorcist looked back at Komui, heart tightening in her chest. Komui's expression... she didn't think she had ever seen her brother that depressed before. He looked as though his world was literally ending.
What if this wasn't a dream? What if Komui was telling the truth and she was simply missing parts of her memory?
"Brother?" she said hesitantly, but she did not drop her guard or step forward. Komui nodded stiffly, permission for her to continue. "Can you tell me anything that would prove this isn't a dream?"
She hated how weak her voice sounded, but she couldn't regret the sudden smile that drew itself across Komui's face.
"What do you want to know?"
The question seemed to echo in the air between them. Lenalee opened her mouth to speak when a loud, insane laugh cut her off. Her heart froze in her chest at the sound, the chill spreading from that central point to her fingers and toes until her entire body felt as though it had been bathed in ice water. The low laugh continued, more of a giggle than a real laugh, but completely unhinged and impossible to forget once heard.
Lenalee turned towards the sound, jaw slack and eyes wide in horror. The world seemed to have slowed down, as though each passing second had been turned into a picture and time moved by her in a slideshow.
Lenalee saw Tyki Mikk, possessed by his Noah, flying towards them from in between two of the pillars supporting the roof. His skin was a darker gray and his hair was longer, eyes and head protected by the strangely-shaped metal headpiece she remembered from that day when Allen and Lavi had fought him inside this very room. The vine-like limbs on the Noah's back formed his wings and he was approaching them almost too fast for Lenalee.
As the insane Noah rapidly closed the distance between him and the Lee siblings, Lenalee realized that the Pleasure wasn't aiming to attack both of them. Tyki Mikk was only aiming for her brother.
She turned her focus away from the Noah, heart and eyes overcoming her mind. It didn't matter if this was just an illusion - it still looked like Komui.
"Brother-!" she tried to warn, but her warning was too little, too late. The Pleasure had closed the last remaining distance and stood just behind Komui. The white-clad man's eyes were wide with disbelief as red suddenly bloomed in the middle of his chest. Lenalee felt rooted to the spot, unable to move as she watched the Noah run her brother through with one clawed hand, bright crimson staining Komui's once-pristine clothing. Komui coughed blood, the liquid running from the corners of his mouth. It dripped on to the collar of his coat, several inches above ths still-spreading stain in the center of the white-clad man's chest.
Lenalee watched, tears welling in her eyes but not falling, as Tyki Mikk lifted his hand and her brother's dying body. With a quick flick of his wrist, the Noah threw the dying man across the room. Komui's body hit one of the pillars headfirst. The sound of something cracking was audible throughout the room and Komui's body left a red trail as it slipped down the white column, crumpling into a motionless pile at the base.
Lenalee was moving before she made a conscious decision, legs carrying her to what looked like her brother's dead body. The scent of blood was heavy in the air and she fell to her knees beside the still man. She could feel blood soak the bandages covering her knees but ignored it for the most part, her stomach churning uncomfortably as the fluid soaked the white cloth on her legs.
Lenalee put her hands to the wound on Komui's chest, pressing down on the flow of blood as best as she could. Her fear spiked when she realized that the gush had slowed to a trickle, if even that much. She frantically felt for a heartbeat, ignoring the blood that was getting all over her palms and forearms.
She paled when she could find no trace of a heartbeat.
A few tears rolled down her cheeks, completely beyond her control, and she wiped at them with her wrist. Her only accomplishment was smearing drying blood on her cheek and she gave a choked gasp, moving away from the body.
She stood up on shaking legs, eyes fixed on Komui's slack face.
"It's not real," she told herself in between hiccupping breaths. "It's not real. It's just an illusion."
She nodded firmly, turning decisively away from the illusion of her brother's body and trying to stop herself from shaking. It was only when she turned to face the possessed Noah that she realized something strange.
She hadn't been attacked. She wasn't the first target and she hadn't been attacked even after she had fallen to her knees beside the illusion of her brother's body. That distraction had been the perfect chance, so why...
Tyki Mikk wasn't even looking at her. He was walking slowly towards the door, his back towards the female Exorcist as if she posed no threat. Lenalee stared in confusion for a moment, but then her eyes widened as the faint sounds of familiar voices met her ears. She gasped and took three steps that were more run than walk towards the open door where the sounds were growing steadily louder. She opened her mouth to shout a warning, then shut her mouth and bit her tongue.
This was an illusion. Her brother wasn't dead and it wasn't her friends walking up the stairs, even if she could recognize Lavi's chuckle, and Allen's, and Kanda's angry tones as the voices got louder. She could hear Miranda and Krory too, and Tapp Dopp's full-bodied laugh and Johnny's distinctive voice. She could hear Reever and what sounded like the rest of the Science Department, and Chaoji and Bookman and the Generals she had met...
She shook her head, body shaking and breath uneven.
This was a dream. It was just an illusion.
Wasn't it?
Lenalee could tell the moment her friends reached the top of the stairs - the illusions of her friends, she reminded herself desperately, holding on to that thought with all her might - because the sounds of laughter and merriment abruptly stopped and Tyki Mikk's chilling, insane laugh grew louder. Lenalee swallowed heavily, moving her hands to hug herself.
"It's just an illusion," she whispered, trying to both reassure and convince herself. A sharp crack split the air, followed quickly by a scream of pain Lenalee recognized as Allen's. The female Exorcist spun around with her white haired friend's name on her lips.
"Allen!" she shouted, taking a step forward and half-reaching for the boy before remembering herself and drawing her hand back. She stared at the scene in front of her, transfixed. Allen was being held by his neck, his Innocence arm twisted so sharply it had to be broken. Allen's face was red and his struggles seemed oddly weak, as though he were suffocating. Kanda and Lavi seemed to be without their Innocence, since neither had drawn it and both were being held back from Allen by the vine-like limbs growing out of Tyki's back. Both the redhead and the Japanese teen were struggling, though without success, against their restraints. Lenalee's eyes darted to the door and she saw Krory and Miranda appear through it. Both of them were snatched up by more vines, only muffled shouts of surprise escaping their mouths before they were gagged with yet more vines. Lenalee watched the process happen again and again as more and more people she knew walked through the doorway; within seconds, it seemed, everyone she had heard coming up the stairs was encased in vines and futilely struggling to escape, muffled shouts coming from each wrapped body.
She looked back towards Allen and his eyes caught hers. Lenalee suddenly felt guilty and trapped, feet rooted to the spot as she watched Allen's eyes slowly close and his mouth go slack.
"No!" she screamed, insides churning as Tyki Mikk's grip suddenly tightened. There was the sound of something breaking and then suddenly Allen's head was bent at an oddly sharp angle and Tyki tossed his body aside.
Right at Lenalee.
She could only watch in horror, lacking even the presence of mind to step aside as the body hit her full force. She let out a loud, shocked exhale as she fell to the stone floor, skull hitting the rock with enough force to send her head ringing. Dizzy from the impact, she pushed herself up to a sitting position and her eyes landed on the body now resting in her lap. Allen's silver eyes were now dull and they stared at her blankly, jaw slack and lips parted.
Lenalee couldn't take it. She felt her stomach constrict warningly and she turned her head away from the sight just in time to be violently sick on the floor. She could feel tears running down her face and she shut her eyes, furiously wiping at the tear tracks with the back of one hand.
She could hear the screams of her friends and could smell blood in the air again. She didn't want to know. She didn't want to look.
"It's an illusion," she told herself, hearing and hating the hysterical edge in her voice. She clapped her hands over her ears as Miranda's scream pierced the ear, trying to pretend she couldn't hear it when the older woman's voice suddenly cut off mid-scream. Lenalee squeezed her eyes shut tighter and pressed her palms more firmly to her ears, ignoring the blood on them that hadn't quite dried from when she had tried to find life within her brother's body minutes ago.
Lenalee scooted away from Allen's body, moving directly backward and using only her feet as she didn't dare remove her hands from her ears. She could still hear the screaming, but at least this way she could pretend she didn't.
It was just an illusion, after all. Just an illusion. This wasn't really happening.
She sat huddled into a ball with her knees drawn up to her chest. How had Lavi survived this and stayed sane? The redhead had told her bits and pieces of what he had experienced while fighting Road, but she had never anticipated anything like this.
The screams abruptly stopped, but she didn't look up. She had to calm herself, prepare herself for what she might see... it was obvious that she had thought too little of Road's powers, not considered enough what the Noah might show her. She couldn't afford to make that mistake again.
She took a deep breath, holding it in her lungs for a count of five before releasing it slowly. She could feel her body shudder and breath hiccup as she tried to stop herself from crying again. She couldn't afford tears either.
She breathed in again, inhaling sharply when a hand landed on her shoulder. Lenalee jerked her head up and turned her gaze towards the touch, instinctively moving her body away from the contact. She stared in horrified shock at the hand still extended towards her, following the line of the man's arm to his face.
Her gaze darted towards the pillar Komui's body had been laying at, eyes widening when she saw that the only thing remaining was a large splash of red. Lenalee looked back at Komui, apparently reanimated, and scrambled backwards. She got to her feet as quickly as she could once she was out of immediate reach of her once-dead older brother, legs shaking so badly she almost couldn't stand straight.
Lenalee watched Komui as he stood with her. Drying blood still covered his chest and neck and his eyes were dull, emotionless and flat in a way that belonged only to the dead. Lenalee felt her stomach lurch again and clapped a hand to her mouth, fighting the urge to vomit.
Komui opened his mouth and his voice was so heartbreakingly sad Lenalee felt it almost as a physical weight.
"Lenalee..." Komui said. "Why didn't you save me?"
"You're not-," she began to whisper in response, but was cut off by the sound of cloth rustling. She looked towards the source, words sticking in her throat as she watched Allen slowly rise to his feet. His head still lolled unnaturally to the side and his arm dangled uselessly at his side, but he turned towards her and began to speak.
"Lenalee... why didn't you help us?" he asked her.
The female Exorcist backed away from Allen's corpse, unable to speak to explain herself or apologize. She tried, but no words would come out.
"Lenalee..."
That wasn't Allen or Komui.
She turned sharply towards the new but familiar voice, just in time to see Lavi slowly push himself to his feet. His body appeared to be covered in lacerations, clothing in shreds and blood still slowly dripping from the injuries. What few patches of skin she could see were the color of chalk. The redhead turned towards her, looking faintly accusing.
"You could have saved us," he said.
Lenalee shook her head vehemently, insides tied in knots and tongue limp and unresponsive.
"It's your fault we're dead," Kanda said, his corpse rising as he spoke. His throat had been slashed as well and had probably cough blood at some point - the red liquid trailed from the sides of his mouth and covered his neck and chest. Bits of flesh and muscle hung limply from his shoulders, all that remained of his arms. The arms themselves remained on the ground in their own red puddles.
Lenalee's stomach churned warningly again, but she refused to be sick and shook her head and closed her eyes.
"You're not real." Her voice was no more than a whisper and it fell flat.
"Lenalee..." Krory's voice.
"Lenalee..." Miranda.
One by one, Lenalee heard her friends say her name. She backed away from the noise, hands going once more to cover her ears and she kept her eyes squeezed shut. In her head, she kept up a steady mantra of 'they're not real, they're not real', but the words were quickly losing their power and her belief in them was slowly beginning to fail. She just wanted to fall to her knees and cry out her apologies for not being strong enough, for not being quick enough, for being helpless and useless in every fight she had ever been in...
Her mind ground to a slow halt at the thought. That wasn't true. She knew it wasn't true. That time on the boat with Mahoja and Anita, she had taken on the Level Three all by herself and she had won. She had nearly died doing it, but she had done it. And later on, when the Earl had sent the Level Four to attack Headquarters, she had helped Allen defeat the Akuma that time. There had been other, smaller battles, but fighting the Level Three and Level Four were the most recent ones she could recall without regret. She had done her best in those fights, she knew she had, and she had helped her friends.
She wasn't weak, but she had to be stronger.
Strong like Kanda or like Allen.
Strong like Lavi.
She took a deep breath and slowly lowered her hands. Lavi had survived this. She could do it too. She could beat this.
She just had to believe in her own strength.
Lenalee opened her eyes, determination shining in them. She breathed in deeply, lifting her shaking hands up to defend herself as the illusory corpses of her friends shuffled closer.
"You're not real," she said, voice wavering but stronger than it had been before. Komui's corpse stepped closer, the look of disappointment on his face making her determination waver dangerously.
"Lenalee, how could you let us down?" Komui asked, putting one hand to his bloody chest.
Lenalee's hands tightened into fists and she swallowed heavily.
"You're just an illusion." This time, her voice was firm. Her eyes scanned the line, sizing up her opponents. She briefly noted that Tyki Mikk wasn't there, but knew she couldn't waste time worrying about where the Noah might have gone. While she had been distracted with her thoughts, Road's illusions had basically surrounded her and the only clear path she had was behind her.
Lenalee risked a quick glance back. Less than twenty feet separated her from a very nasty fall.
She turned back to her opponents, keeping her guard up. Her hands still shook, but the tremors were less intense than they had been before.
She could do this.
Komui was at the head of the group and he stumbled towards her, hands outstretched as though reaching to embrace her. Lenalee took a deep breath, steeling herself.
Road had probably disguised herself as one of Lenalee's friends. The female Exorcist could remember Lavi telling her once, quietly, about Road disguising herself as Allen's headless body. Though Lenalee doubted the Noah of Dreams was disguised as Allen again, it wouldn't surprise her if the girl was using the same trick. She would have to attack each illusion and hope she eventually hit Road's body. At least she would have time to attack each one, assuming her determination held out.
"Lenalee..." Komui said, stepping into kicking range. With only a bare moment's hesitation, Lenalee brought her knee up and lashed out with her leg, twisting her hip for more power. Her strike connected with Komui's ribs and Lenalee could hear the sound of something snapping as the white-clad man was shoved several feet sideways, crashing into the backs of two of the chairs placed around the table and knocking the furniture over. He fell to a heap on the floor, but after a heartbeat, Komui slowly began to get up.
Lenalee turned towards her next opponent. Allen was reaching for her with his one good arm. Lenalee spun counterclockwise, planting her foot in the center of Allen's chest and shoving him backwards with a quick burst of power. The white haired boy was thrown backwards into Kanda, knocking both boys to the floor. She could feel someone's presence behind her and instinctively dropped, avoiding Lavi who had been trying to grab her from behind. She caught herself on her forearms and breathed out, quickly transferring weight to her palms and looking over her shoulder so she could aim her foot and bury it in the redhead's solar plexus. The kick caught him off-guard and her strike met its target. The redhead's body bent double and his knees buckled. His hands were reaching for her leg so she twisted, bringing her other leg up to follow her first kick with another to the same spot. Lavi stumbled backwards and Lenalee rolled out of the illusion's reach, trying to get to her feet as soon as she was clear.
She had risen halfway when the ground suddenly shook violently beneath her, sending her back to the floor. She hit hard, not expecting the sudden motion, and the stone forced the air from her lungs. She gasped for air, scrambling to push herself to her feet as the illusions kept closing in. The floor lurched again as she stood up, but this time she kept her balance and managed to get to her feet.
Her eyes widened as she registered the sound of rock crumbling somewhere beneath her feet. Her heart went cold as she realized what the sound meant, her mind barely able to spur her body into action as Krory stumbled dangerously close to her. She snapped her leg into a quick kick to his side. The man stumbled to the side and Lenalee followed, stepping down and bringing her other leg up as she turned and planted her foot just to the left of the gaping hole where his heart had once been.
A hand grabbed her elbow and she turned, already striking without conscious input. The outside edge of her hand struck Miranda where the older woman's neck and shoulder met. Miranda's chest was crossed by two large cuts, both still wet, and though she stumbled forward from the force of the blow, she not fall and did not lose her grip. Lenalee yanked her elbow free and kicked out with her front leg, hitting the illusion's stomach and shoving the older woman backwards.
Lenalee shuffled backwards, keeping her hands up as she tried to put distance between herself and her opponents. The floor shuddered beneath her feet again and again she heard rock crumbling, though this time the sound was louder.
Her expression grew tight and she breathed in deeply, trying to keep calm. She had hoped the sound of falling rocks was just her imagination, but it was clear that the sound was as real as anything else in this dream world.
The Ark was collapsing. She had to find Road's body before the Ark was completely destroyed and time was up.
If she didn't, Road would win.
Line Break
Kanda didn't think as he saw the black energy collect around the Earl's hand. He reacted on pure instinct, driving both blades - the physical sword and the one made only of energy - into the ground less than an inch apart to hold himself in place. If he could weather the first wave of the blast, he would be fine. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Allen hesitate for a half-second and he mentally cursed the white haired boy. The urge to curse grew louder when Allen suddenly darted from his position, heading towards the redhead on the other side of the semicircle. Kanda opened his mouth to shout something suitably scathing, but then there was a sudden drop of tension in the air. The sudden drop was followed less than a second later by the expansion of the dark energy in the Earl's hand. The strike exploded outwards, taking less than a heartbeat to cover the distance between the Earl and the three Exorcists.
Kanda ducked his head and braced himself, holding tightly to the two swords as the dark energy hit him. He was expecting that impact, but what he didn't expect was the much harder impact of another body crashing into him from the front seconds later. He instinctively raised his head, regretting the action when the wind howling around him tried to rip it off his shoulders, and immediately grabbed at the unconscious white-robed figure that was already starting to slip passed him and out of reach. He succeeded in capturing Allen's wrist, only to shout in pain as the sudden extra weight nearly wrenched his arms out of their sockets. He gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on Mugen and on Allen's forearm.
The white haired boy was dead weight - his proximity to the Earl when the attack had gone off was probably the reason and his damned martyr complex was the reason the idiot had been so close to the Earl in the first place.
Kanda growled a curse, ducking his head to present a smaller target to the wind tearing at him and at the beansprout. He shuffled his feet slowly forward, not daring to lift them and get blown off the ground by the attack. He could feel his muscles ripping under the strain of staying in place and keeping Allen from being blown off the other end of the cliff, but he just kept his teeth gritted and bore it.
The wind's shrieking grew louder in his ears and the force pulling at him grew stronger. He collapsed to his knees, nearly losing his grip on Allen as he did so and tightening his grip until his knuckles were pure white. His muscles were burning now, painful and growing weaker as they ripped and tore. He could feel himself sliding back along the ground but held on, feeling his shoulder joint stress almost to the point of dislocation. His ribs creaked warningly and darkness loomed at the edges of his vision. He could feel his grip on both things he held loosen, hands unable to hold that tightly for so long. His hand spasmed in protest and he felt Allen begin to slip from his grasp.
Kanda suddenly felt something wrap around his wrist and most of his forearm, securing his grip to Allen. He didn't look, but he already knew exactly what it was - the Crown Belt, saving its master yet again.
The wind howled around them furiously. Kanda could feel his shoulder - the one attached to the arm holding Mugen - abruptly pull free from its socket and roared in pain, losing his grip on his precious weapon.
His anchor lost, the Earl's attack immediately picked him and Allen up and blew them backwards. Kanda yanked with his good arm and pulled Allen's unconscious body in front of himself, just in time for the Japanese Exorcist's back to strike one of the pillars decorating the front courtyard of the Order's Headquarters. His ribs fractured on impact and his head snapped back, cracking loudly and painfully against the stone. Allen's body slammed into Kanda's, fully breaking his ribs.
Kanda barely registered the wind dying down as the Earl's attack dispersed. His breathing came in labored pants and the blackness hovering at the edge of his vision now swam in it. His arms were heavy and useless, chest a mass of pain, and Allen was still unconscious from the initial blast.
Kanda could feel himself slowly following Allen into temporarily oblivion. He fought to keep away, trying to lift his arms to shove Allen's body away and push himself to his feet, but his dislocated arm didn't respond at all and his other arm was heavy and shook when he tried to move it. His head did turn, but it was more an ungraceful wobble than smooth turn.
He tried to look for the Earl through the darkness slowly enveloping him and spotted the man headed away from them. Kanda frowned, head muggy and confused, and then he realized that the Earl wasn't just walking away from Allen and Kanda, he was walking towards a limp figure lying motionless a hundred feet away.
The figure the Earl was walking slowly, almost jovially towards had red hair.
"Lavi... damnit..." Kanda croaked out, eyes slipping shut. He slid sideways, completely unconscious before his head hit the ground.
TBC…
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this! Sorry about the wait for this, but I couldn’t help being sick. Unfortunately, I do not yet have chapter 32 written, so there will probably be a wait for that chapter as well. Hopefully the wait will not be a month, but I can’t make any promises.
Author: Bookkbaby
Rating: Teen
Warnings: YAOI
Summary: LUCKY Pair. It started as a simple game of poker, but a little white lie from Lavi changes everything. ['If you lose... you spend the night here, with me, and let me do whatever I want with you.']
Warnings: YAOI, which means BOYS LOVING BOYS. If you dislike that, then the back button is easy enough to find. Please click that and leave. Limes are in the future, and lemons. Maybe some OOC, spoilers for the end of the anime later on.
Disclaimer: I don’t own these lovely characters, that honor belongs to Katsura Hoshino. (Though if Hoshino-sama ever has a sale, I call dibs on Tyki… what?) I don’t own anything but a copy of the anime series and all volumes of the manga in English. Anything you don’t recognize (like the plotline of ‘A Game of Poker’) does belong to me. Everything else… not so much. Please don’t sue.
Kudos to the awesome SisterWicked of AssHat Productions (a group I am now a proud member of), who got me started on Lucky and lets me use 'lovely'! Beta’d by N.H. Arawn and Misster Cackles! All remaining mistakes are mine.
CHAPTER WARNING: Possible nightmare fuel. Disturbing images.
Special Dedication to SisterWicked. Her fic, Nightmare Game, is where this chapter gets its title. ^_^ Now two of my favorite fics (The Fine Line and Nightmare Game) are chapter titles in my fic!
Last Time On ‘A Game Of Poker’:
Though he had killed Lulubell, she was hardly the only opponent and was definitely not the most deadly. He was fairly certain that a certain redheaded, hammer-wielding Exorcist was currently fighting the man who had the dubious honor of that particular title.
It was time again to meet the Maker.
And Now, The Continuation
Chapter 31
Nightmare Game
Krory panted lightly as he dodged yet another attack from his opponent. His cloak hung in tatters around his frame, shredded from near misses with the Noah's golden hair. Krory had extended his blood armor to his elbows and knees. He wasn't sure how much more of his body he could cover with the armor before it simply gave up and his blood collected outside the flesh shell to fight Jasdevi. He could feel a tug in his veins, as if the precious red liquid was trying to flow out and create that virtually indestructible form. He resisted the pull; he couldn't afford the price.
Small scratches littered his skin, mostly on his upper arms and the outside of his thighs since the armor didn't reach that high. There was one deep cut on his right side that had been steadily leaking blood for the past few minutes, soaking his shirt and the dress jacket he wore under his Exorcist cloak. The wound wasn't fatal, however, and so he ignored it. A small cut above his left temple had bled heavily for the first minute or two after he had received it, but the blood had clotted and now dried blood covered the side of his face. Krory had managed to dodge most of the rest of Jasdevi's strikes, but one flailing lock of hair had slammed into his side and had bruised his ribs, perhaps even broken them. He hadn't had time to examine the injury in any amount of detail.
The Noah was in a similar state. Krory had only managed to score superficial cuts on Jasdevi's arms and face, though there were lines on the blond's chest from where Krory had raked the skin with his nails. The cuts extended from Jasdevi's left shoulder almost to his navel, though were unfortunately too shallow to do any real damage.
"Stop struggling, vampire," Jasdevi snarled. The blond forced his face into a smile as Krory bristled at the term. "Oh, I forgot. You hate that word, don't you, vampire? You're not even good enough to be a vampire. You're just a freak!"
Krory briefly thought of a certain phrase about a pot and a kettle, but had no time to pass the age-old wisdom on to the Noah before the brat was attacking again. Krory gritted his teeth in pain as a tendril of hair sped past his neck and cut a thin slice into the skin. The Exorcist jerked himself away from the danger zone, tucking his head down and rolling before leaping to his feet three feet away from his previous position and perhaps a foot closest to his enemy. He glared at the Noah, pausing only a moment to catch his balance before leaping towards Jasdevi.
The blond cursed loudly and willed his hair into a quick shield between himself and the Exorcist. Krory drew back his arm and, shaping his hand like a spear, thrust it through the mess of golden strands towards the blond's stomach. He could feel some of the hair fall away as it was separated from the Noah's head and paid extra mind to where he stepped, not wanting to be tripped by the loose strands. Jasdevi cursed again and jerked his body to the side. Krory's blood-armor covered hand merely scraped past the Noah's ribs, rending the cloth and scratching the skin beneath.
Krory moved to attack again, but he could feel the hair he had cut free moments ago beginning to curl around his legs and more hair was moving to capture his arms and hold him immobile.
He pulled himself out of the attack and coiled the muscles in his legs, jumping up and over the Noah's head before Jasdevi's hair could grab a firm hold on him. He rolled as he hit the ground and sprang to his feet, turning to face Jasdevi in the same motion. Another spear of hair was heading for him and he lifted his hands to block, practically striking the deadly blond locks with the outer edge of his hand. The newly cut hair fell to the ground, then began slithering towards his feet as Jasdevi regained control over the loose strands.
Krory stepped away from them, keeping his attention carefully divided between Jasdevi and the hair that littered the ground.
The brat had apparently learned from their last fight. The Noah was keeping his distance and relying more on attacks with his hair than strikes with his hands or feet. Krory hadn't been able to get close enough to deal fatal damage, but at least he had been fast enough to avoid taking a mortal wound so far. However, his strength was waning and he didn't have any handy flasks of Akuma blood like he had hidden to help him out like he had in the Ark. Krory wouldn't even have enough time to go drain the blood of another Akuma in order to power up; Jasdevi knew what the blood-oil of the mechanical demons did for Krory and would certainly stop him.
He had to end this before his strength ran out.
Krory gritted his teeth, narrowing his eyes in frustration. No matter what he did, Jasdevi's hair always knocked him back before he had the chance to do damage. The Exorcist knew that his blood was his most powerful weapon. If he could just bite Jasdevi long enough to infect the brat with his Innocence-possessed blood, then the fight would be won. Last time, infecting the blond with his blood had ended the fight. This time should be the same, but the problem was how to get close enough to do so.
He studied his opponent for openings or weaknesses. The brat was watching him suspiciously, hair poised to strike or block since Krory was not quite in range. There were no obvious holes in the Noah's defense, large or small, just like there had been no openings the last several times Krory had checked. The Exorcist had to admit, however grudgingly, that whoever had trained the Noah in the art of hand to hand had done his or her job well. He would have to create an opening to attack.
He took a deep breath, relaxing his tense muscles so that they would react faster when he called upon them.
Krory leapt forward, feinting with a blood-armor covered hand towards Jasdevi's head. The Noah reacted instantly, hair coming up to block. Krory quickly dropped to one knee, bringing his other leg out in a quick scythe aimed at the brat's heels and intended to take the blond down. Jasdevi saw the attack coming, but the Noah was just a fraction too slow to avoid it. Krory felt his lower leg make contact with the blond's heels and then go through on sheer momentum, knocking the brat down. Jasdevi fell with a surprised yelp and struck the ground with a pained shout, his head hitting the ground with a loud 'thunk'.
Krory tensed his muscles to spring at his downed foe, but Jasdevi had recovered enough to attack. The furious Noah sent a large spike of hair at the Exorcist. Krory crossed his arms in front of his chest, blocking the attack but getting thrown back several feet. With a grunt of effort, Krory pushed out with his arms and forced the spike of hair back just long enough for him to roll to the side and get out of the strike's path. He staggered to his feet facing Jasdevi and panting heavily from exertion.
Jasdevi's breathing was heavier too, he noted, but the Noah's breaths were already slowing and becoming easier. The blond was clearly not as tired as Krory, meaning the Exorcist had to hurry and find a way to defeat the Noah before his energy ran out. If this didn't end soon, Krory would make a mistake or dodge too slowly and that would be the end of him.
He calmed his breathing down by taking deep breaths, raising his arms and preparing to strike. Jasdevi visibly relaxed himself, making sure his muscles were loose enough to react instantly to whatever the Exorcist was planning.
Krory checked for openings, more out of habit than any expectation to actually find one. He braced himself at the confirmation that he would need to create another hole in the Noah's defenses. The same trick - feinting high and attacking low - would not work. Besides that, last time he had tried, creating an opening had failed.
A sudden thought entered his mind as a quiet whisper, sending a cool shiver down his spine and settling a heavy weight in his chest. Last time, he had failed because he had protected himself rather than attack. He might have been able to really hurt the blond if he had ignored the blow coming at him and simply attacked as he had planned.
This time, he would put everything he had into attacking. Jasdevi would undoubtedly retaliate, but as long as the injury wasn't immediately fatal, Krory should have enough time to get in at least one good hit. He would have to make it count.
He swallowed heavily and refused to consider the likely outcome of what he was about to do. Even if he did succeed in striking the Noah fatally, it wasn't likely that he would come out of the encounter unscathed. However, he couldn't let this fight go on any longer and he couldn't just retreat to lick his wounds like a whipped dog and leave one more Noah for the others to worry about. He had no choice. There was no time.
He steeled himself, coiled his legs, and leapt forward.
Line Break
When Lenalee awoke, it was as if her consciousness had been suddenly switched on again. She sucked in a deep breath, lungs feeling small and unused as though she hadn't been breathing, and opened her eyes to see where Road had taken her. She closed her eyes again almost immediately as they protested the sudden change in lighting. Whatever the setting for this illusion was, it was bright. She took another deep breath and slowly opened her eyes, squinting against the harsh light.
She was in a large open-air room of sorts. Large white pillars supported the roof and there was a long table in the center, a blood red tablecloth over the top and places set for five, though the table was big enough for at least three times that many people. High-backed wooden chairs surrounded the table, though there was no one sitting in them.
The scene was unsettlingly familiar, though Lenalee couldn't quite place where she had seen it. For a few moments she just stared at the table, then her breath caught and her eyes widened as she realized where she was. She still saw this place in her nightmares, the horrible dreams that woke her up in a cold sweat and made it impossible to sleep.
She was in the Ark, Allen's Ark, but this place was one she hadn't set foot in since the first time that she had been here. This room was the top of the tower at the highest point in the Ark, the place where Lavi and Allen had fought Road and Tyki. For a moment she could feel the crushing helplessness she had felt that day as she watched from inside a hollow die-shaped cage as her friends fight for their lives.
She shook her head violently, rejecting the feeling. This wasn't that day, it was just an illusion. She clung to that thought as she shivered, more afraid than cold, and she hugged herself to try and keep the feelings welling up inside her at bay.
When her palms met bare skin, her fright ratcheted up a notch. she glanced down at herself, breath hitching when she realized that she was dressed in the same clothes she had worn that day. Her Exorcist's jacket had been replaced by the sleeveless, skintight shirt Johnny had made for her as a second layer of armor. Her skirt was now a pair of light colored shorts and her legs were bandaged from mid-thighs to toes. A simple pair of dark slippers were on her feet. They were pretty, but useless.
She stared in horror at her clothes, desperately trying to keep her breathing under control as her lungs began to draw in quicker and shallower breaths. Her lungs felt like they were rapidly shrinking but she forced herself to draw in full breaths. She couldn't panic, not here and certainly not now.
It was just an illusion. She wasn't really back here and she wasn't helpless this time around. From what little she knew of Road's powers, the Dreams had some sort of body in here she would need to find and defeat. That should be fairly simple - no one else was here, so whatever she found would have to be Road's body. She glanced around the room, looking for any likely object or hiding places. No matter where she turned, all she could see were the white pillars and the mockingly beautiful 'sky' beyond them and the red table in the middle of the room.
"It seems deserted," she murmured to herself, mostly just to hear a friendly voice. The eerie silence surrounding her wasn't exactly comforting. She took in a deep breath, fighting the flashbacks threatening to overwhelm her.
This places was frightening and was apparently deserted, which only made her fear increase. Her heart began to pound faster. What if Road wasn't actually here?
She turned faster, eyes darting around and taking in her surroundings.
This wasn't so bad. Not really. After the initial shock of where she was had worn off, anyway. She still had plenty of time to search for Road's body. After all, she was the only one here and she was already getting used to the sudden flashes of memory brought on by the room. Was this the worst Road could do to her?
Lenalee almost relaxed at the thought, but something had her nerves on edge. Somehow this seemed too laid back for the Noah. There had to be something worse coming up, but worrying over it wouldn't help-
Her thoughts were interrupted by the rapid, if muffled, approach of footsteps. She whirled around to face the door, noting that the sound was coming from behind her. The Exorcist brought her hands up in a defensive posture, muscles on a hair-trigger and awaiting her orders.
The footsteps grew louder and louder and then the door suddenly burst open. Lenalee blinked and almost dropped her guard, staring open-mouthed at the panting, bent-over figure now standing in the doorway.
Komui was dressed as usual in his white coat, though for once the beret was missing. It had probably flown off his head as he ran, and it was apparent that he had been running. Lenalee would have known that even if she hadn't heard his footsteps - he was bent double, one arm supporting his weight as he leaned against the doorframe and the other wrapped around his middle as he panted for air. She just stared, unable to move from shock.
This was a trick, she reminded herself. An illusion.
Komui looked up and smiled at her, relief washing over his expression.
"Lenalee," he said. The Exorcist swallowed heavily. His voice was kind and warm, as comforting as a familiar blanket on a cold night. The illusion sounded exactly like her brother and she violently shook her head, reminding herself that it was just an illusion. This wasn't her brother, just one of Road's tricks.
She heard footsteps and jerked her gaze back up, raising her guard again. Komui took no notice of her wariness, relief still clear on his face.
"I've been looking for you. They told me you were missing from the medical wing," he said, moving as if to hug her. Lenalee stepped back, bringing up the fiercest glare she could muster at the illusion of her brother. The white-clad man stopped, dismay casting a shadow over his relief.
"Lenalee...?" he said, taking a tentative step forward. Lenalee backed up another step.
"Don't come any closer," she warned. She tensed when Komui took another half-step forward, bringing her arms up threateningly. "I mean it!"
"Do you remember me?" Komui asked carefully, touching a hand to his chest. There was a sort of desperate hope in his eyes and Lenalee's conviction wavered for an instant. "I'm your brother, Komui-"
"I know who you are," she cut him off quickly. Her heart ached at the relief she saw in his eyes at her statement and it was only the repeated mantra of 'he's not real, he's not real' that allowed her to continue speaking. "You're an illusion. I'm fighting Road and you're just an illusion. You're not really my brother."
Comprehension seemed to dawn in Komui's eyes. He smiled gently at her.
"I'm not an illusion. You won the fight with Road but you took a nasty hit to the head," Komui told her, voice soft and seemingly earnest. "I was told you might have lost some of your memory. Do you remember waking up in the medical wing?"
Lenalee shook her head slowly, puzzlement beginning to overtake suspicion. Her hands lowered just slightly, guard dropping without her notice. When Komui took another half step forward, she didn't step back.
"That's all right that you don't remember. It will come back to you soon," Komui soothed. He extended his hand, offering it to Lenalee. "Let's go back to the Order, all right?"
Lenalee found herself half-reaching for Komui before her senses returned to her. She shook her head and stepped back quickly, drawing both her hands to her chest.
"This is an illusion," she repeated, mostly to convince herself. She could hear the waver in her voice and mentally cursed herself for it. She heard footsteps and shook her head in vehement protest, backing up several more steps. "Stop it! You're not my brother! You're a fake!"
"Lenalee..."
The Exorcist looked back at Komui, heart tightening in her chest. Komui's expression... she didn't think she had ever seen her brother that depressed before. He looked as though his world was literally ending.
What if this wasn't a dream? What if Komui was telling the truth and she was simply missing parts of her memory?
"Brother?" she said hesitantly, but she did not drop her guard or step forward. Komui nodded stiffly, permission for her to continue. "Can you tell me anything that would prove this isn't a dream?"
She hated how weak her voice sounded, but she couldn't regret the sudden smile that drew itself across Komui's face.
"What do you want to know?"
The question seemed to echo in the air between them. Lenalee opened her mouth to speak when a loud, insane laugh cut her off. Her heart froze in her chest at the sound, the chill spreading from that central point to her fingers and toes until her entire body felt as though it had been bathed in ice water. The low laugh continued, more of a giggle than a real laugh, but completely unhinged and impossible to forget once heard.
Lenalee turned towards the sound, jaw slack and eyes wide in horror. The world seemed to have slowed down, as though each passing second had been turned into a picture and time moved by her in a slideshow.
Lenalee saw Tyki Mikk, possessed by his Noah, flying towards them from in between two of the pillars supporting the roof. His skin was a darker gray and his hair was longer, eyes and head protected by the strangely-shaped metal headpiece she remembered from that day when Allen and Lavi had fought him inside this very room. The vine-like limbs on the Noah's back formed his wings and he was approaching them almost too fast for Lenalee.
As the insane Noah rapidly closed the distance between him and the Lee siblings, Lenalee realized that the Pleasure wasn't aiming to attack both of them. Tyki Mikk was only aiming for her brother.
She turned her focus away from the Noah, heart and eyes overcoming her mind. It didn't matter if this was just an illusion - it still looked like Komui.
"Brother-!" she tried to warn, but her warning was too little, too late. The Pleasure had closed the last remaining distance and stood just behind Komui. The white-clad man's eyes were wide with disbelief as red suddenly bloomed in the middle of his chest. Lenalee felt rooted to the spot, unable to move as she watched the Noah run her brother through with one clawed hand, bright crimson staining Komui's once-pristine clothing. Komui coughed blood, the liquid running from the corners of his mouth. It dripped on to the collar of his coat, several inches above ths still-spreading stain in the center of the white-clad man's chest.
Lenalee watched, tears welling in her eyes but not falling, as Tyki Mikk lifted his hand and her brother's dying body. With a quick flick of his wrist, the Noah threw the dying man across the room. Komui's body hit one of the pillars headfirst. The sound of something cracking was audible throughout the room and Komui's body left a red trail as it slipped down the white column, crumpling into a motionless pile at the base.
Lenalee was moving before she made a conscious decision, legs carrying her to what looked like her brother's dead body. The scent of blood was heavy in the air and she fell to her knees beside the still man. She could feel blood soak the bandages covering her knees but ignored it for the most part, her stomach churning uncomfortably as the fluid soaked the white cloth on her legs.
Lenalee put her hands to the wound on Komui's chest, pressing down on the flow of blood as best as she could. Her fear spiked when she realized that the gush had slowed to a trickle, if even that much. She frantically felt for a heartbeat, ignoring the blood that was getting all over her palms and forearms.
She paled when she could find no trace of a heartbeat.
A few tears rolled down her cheeks, completely beyond her control, and she wiped at them with her wrist. Her only accomplishment was smearing drying blood on her cheek and she gave a choked gasp, moving away from the body.
She stood up on shaking legs, eyes fixed on Komui's slack face.
"It's not real," she told herself in between hiccupping breaths. "It's not real. It's just an illusion."
She nodded firmly, turning decisively away from the illusion of her brother's body and trying to stop herself from shaking. It was only when she turned to face the possessed Noah that she realized something strange.
She hadn't been attacked. She wasn't the first target and she hadn't been attacked even after she had fallen to her knees beside the illusion of her brother's body. That distraction had been the perfect chance, so why...
Tyki Mikk wasn't even looking at her. He was walking slowly towards the door, his back towards the female Exorcist as if she posed no threat. Lenalee stared in confusion for a moment, but then her eyes widened as the faint sounds of familiar voices met her ears. She gasped and took three steps that were more run than walk towards the open door where the sounds were growing steadily louder. She opened her mouth to shout a warning, then shut her mouth and bit her tongue.
This was an illusion. Her brother wasn't dead and it wasn't her friends walking up the stairs, even if she could recognize Lavi's chuckle, and Allen's, and Kanda's angry tones as the voices got louder. She could hear Miranda and Krory too, and Tapp Dopp's full-bodied laugh and Johnny's distinctive voice. She could hear Reever and what sounded like the rest of the Science Department, and Chaoji and Bookman and the Generals she had met...
She shook her head, body shaking and breath uneven.
This was a dream. It was just an illusion.
Wasn't it?
Lenalee could tell the moment her friends reached the top of the stairs - the illusions of her friends, she reminded herself desperately, holding on to that thought with all her might - because the sounds of laughter and merriment abruptly stopped and Tyki Mikk's chilling, insane laugh grew louder. Lenalee swallowed heavily, moving her hands to hug herself.
"It's just an illusion," she whispered, trying to both reassure and convince herself. A sharp crack split the air, followed quickly by a scream of pain Lenalee recognized as Allen's. The female Exorcist spun around with her white haired friend's name on her lips.
"Allen!" she shouted, taking a step forward and half-reaching for the boy before remembering herself and drawing her hand back. She stared at the scene in front of her, transfixed. Allen was being held by his neck, his Innocence arm twisted so sharply it had to be broken. Allen's face was red and his struggles seemed oddly weak, as though he were suffocating. Kanda and Lavi seemed to be without their Innocence, since neither had drawn it and both were being held back from Allen by the vine-like limbs growing out of Tyki's back. Both the redhead and the Japanese teen were struggling, though without success, against their restraints. Lenalee's eyes darted to the door and she saw Krory and Miranda appear through it. Both of them were snatched up by more vines, only muffled shouts of surprise escaping their mouths before they were gagged with yet more vines. Lenalee watched the process happen again and again as more and more people she knew walked through the doorway; within seconds, it seemed, everyone she had heard coming up the stairs was encased in vines and futilely struggling to escape, muffled shouts coming from each wrapped body.
She looked back towards Allen and his eyes caught hers. Lenalee suddenly felt guilty and trapped, feet rooted to the spot as she watched Allen's eyes slowly close and his mouth go slack.
"No!" she screamed, insides churning as Tyki Mikk's grip suddenly tightened. There was the sound of something breaking and then suddenly Allen's head was bent at an oddly sharp angle and Tyki tossed his body aside.
Right at Lenalee.
She could only watch in horror, lacking even the presence of mind to step aside as the body hit her full force. She let out a loud, shocked exhale as she fell to the stone floor, skull hitting the rock with enough force to send her head ringing. Dizzy from the impact, she pushed herself up to a sitting position and her eyes landed on the body now resting in her lap. Allen's silver eyes were now dull and they stared at her blankly, jaw slack and lips parted.
Lenalee couldn't take it. She felt her stomach constrict warningly and she turned her head away from the sight just in time to be violently sick on the floor. She could feel tears running down her face and she shut her eyes, furiously wiping at the tear tracks with the back of one hand.
She could hear the screams of her friends and could smell blood in the air again. She didn't want to know. She didn't want to look.
"It's an illusion," she told herself, hearing and hating the hysterical edge in her voice. She clapped her hands over her ears as Miranda's scream pierced the ear, trying to pretend she couldn't hear it when the older woman's voice suddenly cut off mid-scream. Lenalee squeezed her eyes shut tighter and pressed her palms more firmly to her ears, ignoring the blood on them that hadn't quite dried from when she had tried to find life within her brother's body minutes ago.
Lenalee scooted away from Allen's body, moving directly backward and using only her feet as she didn't dare remove her hands from her ears. She could still hear the screaming, but at least this way she could pretend she didn't.
It was just an illusion, after all. Just an illusion. This wasn't really happening.
She sat huddled into a ball with her knees drawn up to her chest. How had Lavi survived this and stayed sane? The redhead had told her bits and pieces of what he had experienced while fighting Road, but she had never anticipated anything like this.
The screams abruptly stopped, but she didn't look up. She had to calm herself, prepare herself for what she might see... it was obvious that she had thought too little of Road's powers, not considered enough what the Noah might show her. She couldn't afford to make that mistake again.
She took a deep breath, holding it in her lungs for a count of five before releasing it slowly. She could feel her body shudder and breath hiccup as she tried to stop herself from crying again. She couldn't afford tears either.
She breathed in again, inhaling sharply when a hand landed on her shoulder. Lenalee jerked her head up and turned her gaze towards the touch, instinctively moving her body away from the contact. She stared in horrified shock at the hand still extended towards her, following the line of the man's arm to his face.
Her gaze darted towards the pillar Komui's body had been laying at, eyes widening when she saw that the only thing remaining was a large splash of red. Lenalee looked back at Komui, apparently reanimated, and scrambled backwards. She got to her feet as quickly as she could once she was out of immediate reach of her once-dead older brother, legs shaking so badly she almost couldn't stand straight.
Lenalee watched Komui as he stood with her. Drying blood still covered his chest and neck and his eyes were dull, emotionless and flat in a way that belonged only to the dead. Lenalee felt her stomach lurch again and clapped a hand to her mouth, fighting the urge to vomit.
Komui opened his mouth and his voice was so heartbreakingly sad Lenalee felt it almost as a physical weight.
"Lenalee..." Komui said. "Why didn't you save me?"
"You're not-," she began to whisper in response, but was cut off by the sound of cloth rustling. She looked towards the source, words sticking in her throat as she watched Allen slowly rise to his feet. His head still lolled unnaturally to the side and his arm dangled uselessly at his side, but he turned towards her and began to speak.
"Lenalee... why didn't you help us?" he asked her.
The female Exorcist backed away from Allen's corpse, unable to speak to explain herself or apologize. She tried, but no words would come out.
"Lenalee..."
That wasn't Allen or Komui.
She turned sharply towards the new but familiar voice, just in time to see Lavi slowly push himself to his feet. His body appeared to be covered in lacerations, clothing in shreds and blood still slowly dripping from the injuries. What few patches of skin she could see were the color of chalk. The redhead turned towards her, looking faintly accusing.
"You could have saved us," he said.
Lenalee shook her head vehemently, insides tied in knots and tongue limp and unresponsive.
"It's your fault we're dead," Kanda said, his corpse rising as he spoke. His throat had been slashed as well and had probably cough blood at some point - the red liquid trailed from the sides of his mouth and covered his neck and chest. Bits of flesh and muscle hung limply from his shoulders, all that remained of his arms. The arms themselves remained on the ground in their own red puddles.
Lenalee's stomach churned warningly again, but she refused to be sick and shook her head and closed her eyes.
"You're not real." Her voice was no more than a whisper and it fell flat.
"Lenalee..." Krory's voice.
"Lenalee..." Miranda.
One by one, Lenalee heard her friends say her name. She backed away from the noise, hands going once more to cover her ears and she kept her eyes squeezed shut. In her head, she kept up a steady mantra of 'they're not real, they're not real', but the words were quickly losing their power and her belief in them was slowly beginning to fail. She just wanted to fall to her knees and cry out her apologies for not being strong enough, for not being quick enough, for being helpless and useless in every fight she had ever been in...
Her mind ground to a slow halt at the thought. That wasn't true. She knew it wasn't true. That time on the boat with Mahoja and Anita, she had taken on the Level Three all by herself and she had won. She had nearly died doing it, but she had done it. And later on, when the Earl had sent the Level Four to attack Headquarters, she had helped Allen defeat the Akuma that time. There had been other, smaller battles, but fighting the Level Three and Level Four were the most recent ones she could recall without regret. She had done her best in those fights, she knew she had, and she had helped her friends.
She wasn't weak, but she had to be stronger.
Strong like Kanda or like Allen.
Strong like Lavi.
She took a deep breath and slowly lowered her hands. Lavi had survived this. She could do it too. She could beat this.
She just had to believe in her own strength.
Lenalee opened her eyes, determination shining in them. She breathed in deeply, lifting her shaking hands up to defend herself as the illusory corpses of her friends shuffled closer.
"You're not real," she said, voice wavering but stronger than it had been before. Komui's corpse stepped closer, the look of disappointment on his face making her determination waver dangerously.
"Lenalee, how could you let us down?" Komui asked, putting one hand to his bloody chest.
Lenalee's hands tightened into fists and she swallowed heavily.
"You're just an illusion." This time, her voice was firm. Her eyes scanned the line, sizing up her opponents. She briefly noted that Tyki Mikk wasn't there, but knew she couldn't waste time worrying about where the Noah might have gone. While she had been distracted with her thoughts, Road's illusions had basically surrounded her and the only clear path she had was behind her.
Lenalee risked a quick glance back. Less than twenty feet separated her from a very nasty fall.
She turned back to her opponents, keeping her guard up. Her hands still shook, but the tremors were less intense than they had been before.
She could do this.
Komui was at the head of the group and he stumbled towards her, hands outstretched as though reaching to embrace her. Lenalee took a deep breath, steeling herself.
Road had probably disguised herself as one of Lenalee's friends. The female Exorcist could remember Lavi telling her once, quietly, about Road disguising herself as Allen's headless body. Though Lenalee doubted the Noah of Dreams was disguised as Allen again, it wouldn't surprise her if the girl was using the same trick. She would have to attack each illusion and hope she eventually hit Road's body. At least she would have time to attack each one, assuming her determination held out.
"Lenalee..." Komui said, stepping into kicking range. With only a bare moment's hesitation, Lenalee brought her knee up and lashed out with her leg, twisting her hip for more power. Her strike connected with Komui's ribs and Lenalee could hear the sound of something snapping as the white-clad man was shoved several feet sideways, crashing into the backs of two of the chairs placed around the table and knocking the furniture over. He fell to a heap on the floor, but after a heartbeat, Komui slowly began to get up.
Lenalee turned towards her next opponent. Allen was reaching for her with his one good arm. Lenalee spun counterclockwise, planting her foot in the center of Allen's chest and shoving him backwards with a quick burst of power. The white haired boy was thrown backwards into Kanda, knocking both boys to the floor. She could feel someone's presence behind her and instinctively dropped, avoiding Lavi who had been trying to grab her from behind. She caught herself on her forearms and breathed out, quickly transferring weight to her palms and looking over her shoulder so she could aim her foot and bury it in the redhead's solar plexus. The kick caught him off-guard and her strike met its target. The redhead's body bent double and his knees buckled. His hands were reaching for her leg so she twisted, bringing her other leg up to follow her first kick with another to the same spot. Lavi stumbled backwards and Lenalee rolled out of the illusion's reach, trying to get to her feet as soon as she was clear.
She had risen halfway when the ground suddenly shook violently beneath her, sending her back to the floor. She hit hard, not expecting the sudden motion, and the stone forced the air from her lungs. She gasped for air, scrambling to push herself to her feet as the illusions kept closing in. The floor lurched again as she stood up, but this time she kept her balance and managed to get to her feet.
Her eyes widened as she registered the sound of rock crumbling somewhere beneath her feet. Her heart went cold as she realized what the sound meant, her mind barely able to spur her body into action as Krory stumbled dangerously close to her. She snapped her leg into a quick kick to his side. The man stumbled to the side and Lenalee followed, stepping down and bringing her other leg up as she turned and planted her foot just to the left of the gaping hole where his heart had once been.
A hand grabbed her elbow and she turned, already striking without conscious input. The outside edge of her hand struck Miranda where the older woman's neck and shoulder met. Miranda's chest was crossed by two large cuts, both still wet, and though she stumbled forward from the force of the blow, she not fall and did not lose her grip. Lenalee yanked her elbow free and kicked out with her front leg, hitting the illusion's stomach and shoving the older woman backwards.
Lenalee shuffled backwards, keeping her hands up as she tried to put distance between herself and her opponents. The floor shuddered beneath her feet again and again she heard rock crumbling, though this time the sound was louder.
Her expression grew tight and she breathed in deeply, trying to keep calm. She had hoped the sound of falling rocks was just her imagination, but it was clear that the sound was as real as anything else in this dream world.
The Ark was collapsing. She had to find Road's body before the Ark was completely destroyed and time was up.
If she didn't, Road would win.
Line Break
Kanda didn't think as he saw the black energy collect around the Earl's hand. He reacted on pure instinct, driving both blades - the physical sword and the one made only of energy - into the ground less than an inch apart to hold himself in place. If he could weather the first wave of the blast, he would be fine. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Allen hesitate for a half-second and he mentally cursed the white haired boy. The urge to curse grew louder when Allen suddenly darted from his position, heading towards the redhead on the other side of the semicircle. Kanda opened his mouth to shout something suitably scathing, but then there was a sudden drop of tension in the air. The sudden drop was followed less than a second later by the expansion of the dark energy in the Earl's hand. The strike exploded outwards, taking less than a heartbeat to cover the distance between the Earl and the three Exorcists.
Kanda ducked his head and braced himself, holding tightly to the two swords as the dark energy hit him. He was expecting that impact, but what he didn't expect was the much harder impact of another body crashing into him from the front seconds later. He instinctively raised his head, regretting the action when the wind howling around him tried to rip it off his shoulders, and immediately grabbed at the unconscious white-robed figure that was already starting to slip passed him and out of reach. He succeeded in capturing Allen's wrist, only to shout in pain as the sudden extra weight nearly wrenched his arms out of their sockets. He gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on Mugen and on Allen's forearm.
The white haired boy was dead weight - his proximity to the Earl when the attack had gone off was probably the reason and his damned martyr complex was the reason the idiot had been so close to the Earl in the first place.
Kanda growled a curse, ducking his head to present a smaller target to the wind tearing at him and at the beansprout. He shuffled his feet slowly forward, not daring to lift them and get blown off the ground by the attack. He could feel his muscles ripping under the strain of staying in place and keeping Allen from being blown off the other end of the cliff, but he just kept his teeth gritted and bore it.
The wind's shrieking grew louder in his ears and the force pulling at him grew stronger. He collapsed to his knees, nearly losing his grip on Allen as he did so and tightening his grip until his knuckles were pure white. His muscles were burning now, painful and growing weaker as they ripped and tore. He could feel himself sliding back along the ground but held on, feeling his shoulder joint stress almost to the point of dislocation. His ribs creaked warningly and darkness loomed at the edges of his vision. He could feel his grip on both things he held loosen, hands unable to hold that tightly for so long. His hand spasmed in protest and he felt Allen begin to slip from his grasp.
Kanda suddenly felt something wrap around his wrist and most of his forearm, securing his grip to Allen. He didn't look, but he already knew exactly what it was - the Crown Belt, saving its master yet again.
The wind howled around them furiously. Kanda could feel his shoulder - the one attached to the arm holding Mugen - abruptly pull free from its socket and roared in pain, losing his grip on his precious weapon.
His anchor lost, the Earl's attack immediately picked him and Allen up and blew them backwards. Kanda yanked with his good arm and pulled Allen's unconscious body in front of himself, just in time for the Japanese Exorcist's back to strike one of the pillars decorating the front courtyard of the Order's Headquarters. His ribs fractured on impact and his head snapped back, cracking loudly and painfully against the stone. Allen's body slammed into Kanda's, fully breaking his ribs.
Kanda barely registered the wind dying down as the Earl's attack dispersed. His breathing came in labored pants and the blackness hovering at the edge of his vision now swam in it. His arms were heavy and useless, chest a mass of pain, and Allen was still unconscious from the initial blast.
Kanda could feel himself slowly following Allen into temporarily oblivion. He fought to keep away, trying to lift his arms to shove Allen's body away and push himself to his feet, but his dislocated arm didn't respond at all and his other arm was heavy and shook when he tried to move it. His head did turn, but it was more an ungraceful wobble than smooth turn.
He tried to look for the Earl through the darkness slowly enveloping him and spotted the man headed away from them. Kanda frowned, head muggy and confused, and then he realized that the Earl wasn't just walking away from Allen and Kanda, he was walking towards a limp figure lying motionless a hundred feet away.
The figure the Earl was walking slowly, almost jovially towards had red hair.
"Lavi... damnit..." Kanda croaked out, eyes slipping shut. He slid sideways, completely unconscious before his head hit the ground.
TBC…
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this! Sorry about the wait for this, but I couldn’t help being sick. Unfortunately, I do not yet have chapter 32 written, so there will probably be a wait for that chapter as well. Hopefully the wait will not be a month, but I can’t make any promises.