FANFIC: "Canta Libre" part one

[blueshimmer]

Title: "Canta Libre"
Series: D.Gray-man
Type: Sequel to "Life Becoming"
Genre: Drama/Romance/Action
Pairings: Lavi/Allen
Rating: Teen (some coarse language, shounen-ai romance, crude jokes, and some action).
Setting: Fifteen years after the start of the canon story
Summary: Against Allen's better judgment, he and Lavi begin to train their kids to become Exorcists. Meanwhile, the Earl sets into motion an attempt to destroy the children, in an attempt to bring Allen to his knees.
Warnings: Some language, potential spoilers, some crude and bad jokes, and some failing at attempting to write action.
Status: in production


Author's note: Well, this wasn't originally going to be a multi-chaptered story, but it ran longer than I'd like, and I've got some other ideas, so, here you go. This story probably won't be as long as "Angelus" and I don't know if there will be any lemons or limes (at this point, I'm saying no, but last time I tried to say that, I ended up doing it anyway)

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of "D.Gray-man" or its characters. It all belongs to the brilliant Katsura Hoshino-sensei. I'm just playing in the sandbox of this beautiful and complex world.

Warnings: Some coarse language, mild shounen-ai, and some action. (And probably phailtastic attempts at fight scenes.) Also, mentions of tentacles.

"Cleanse the soul and wash away the pain, baptized by the song that you're singing."
-- Neil Diamond, "Canta Libre"


Part One: Resonance

Mandy and Peter Walker were used to this dynamic. When their parents fought, it was safest to just get out of the way. They just hid themselves in their room and waited for the storm to blow over.
"Why do they have to fight so much?" Peter muttered, tugging on his gloves. "It's not like Dad has any say in the matter at this point. Why can't he be more like Papa?"
"Daddy is just worried, you know," Mandy said, pulling her boots on. "You know that he does not like the idea of us being conformers."
"Well, you're still not, not yet anyway." Peter grinned at her.
"I am too a conformer! Hevlaska said as much!"
"Hevlaska only said you have Innocence in you, Sis, not that you're a conformer!" Peter stuck his tongue out at his sister.
"She said that I have parasitic-conformer blood; it is merely not mature enough to activate yet!" Mandy took a swipe at her brother, which he dodged.
"And yet I'm the one who gets the uniform first!"

"So? Just you wait, Peter -- my Innocence will be awesome! It will be even more spectacular than Papa's!"

"Can't wait to see it! Hurry up and activate it, Sis!" he teased.

Even though they sounded like they were arguing, the two kids, both recently turned eleven years old, were the best of friends and knew exactly how far they could push each other. And even though they called each other sibling, they weren't related by blood; rather, they were related by adoption. Mandy was of mixed descent, most likely with a blend of Asian and Spanish blood, given her sable hair, black-brown eyes and olive complexion. Peter was Scottish, with perhaps a touch of Irish; his hair was a smoldering auburn. It looked brown in dim lights, but when the sun hit it just right, it gave even the reddest hair a run.

The two adults they called their parents were different than them altogether, and neither was a genetic relation. For one thing, both parents were men. The older one, the one they called Papa, was a former bookman who went by the name of Lavi; his genetic origins were unknown, but others guessed he was probably Irish or Scottish in descent, because he had a fiery mane of red hair and a scintillating personality. Lavi had been the one to find and retrieve Peter from a tiny village in Scotland nine years ago when the boy had been discovered by villagers, presumably abandoned by his parents, who had disappeared without a trace.

The kids' other father was a Briton named Allen Walker, who had become the youngest General in the history of the Black Order when, by the age of sixteen, he had been promoted to the gold-trimmed uniform of the General. Allen had been the one to retrieve -- and name -- Mandy when she'd been found in an annihilated English village, laying amongst the ashes of victims of Akuma (presumably her parents). Allen had brought the tiny baby back to the Order and had adopted her. The Order's oldest Exorcist, Hevlaska, had confirmed that Mandy had the purifying blood of a parasitic-type conformer, and that she had Innocence within her tiny body, but her Innocence was completely dormant.

Peter had been suspected of being a parasitic-type conformer, because of some unusual markings on his body, but it had turned out to not be true. Those markings were just birthmarks, as it had turned out. Nevertheless, Peter was a conformer, which would explain to some degree why he had ended up at the Black Order; conformers inevitably found their way to the Black Order or to a General one way or another.

Two weeks ago, an exorcist named Gustav Svenhardt had returned from a mission carrying a piece of Innocence he had retrieved from Spain. Allen had been down in Hevlaska's chamber, picking up some pieces of Innocence to carry with him on his routine missions to find new conformers, when the Innocence had refused to go into Hevlaska's body to lay dormant. Instead, the Innocence had swirled agitatedly around the chamber; Hevlaska had stated that, based on its behavior, it seemed to sense its conformer nearby, so Allen had taken it into hand and had opted to add it to his allotment.

He hadn't gotten even out of the Order building before the piece of Innocence found its conformer: Peter Walker.

Mandy Walker was the older of the two kids, by about a month or so, though she had also been at the Order much longer than Peter. She had been insanely jealous when Peter received his Innocence weapon. That envy still resided in her, even though she knew that both their parents were unhappy at Peter being taken into the Order like this at such an age. And now that Allen was being sent out again to look for more conformers, this time he had to take Peter with him, as the General in charge of Peter's training.

Lavi and Mandy were going with them, because Lavi had recently broken through the crucial Critical Point -- though he refused most of the General duties, and thus the promotion -- and so the Supervisor was assigning him as a form of escort to Allen and Peter. Mandy was going with them because it was safest for her to remain with her family, though the Supervisor wasn't too keen on sending her out on a mission like this.

Allen wasn't too keen on it either. Hence the fight going on in the main room of the apartment. And when Allen and Lavi got into a fight, it was best to clear the area and let them fight it out. They rarely raised their voices, and they never came to blows (despite both having somewhat tempestuous tempers), but when they got into a fight -- not just an argument, an actual fight -- it was best to get out of the way. The insults would often give way to hurtful words and both of them saying things they didn't really mean. Sometimes it seemed impossible for them to overcome their differences, but then abruptly, one of them would decide he'd had enough and would cave in and accept. And then everything would go back to normal. Mandy had no idea how it was that they did that; whenever she and Peter fought, and hurtful words were said, it was a long time healing.

Actually... Mandy perked up. The apartment had fallen silent. Motioning for Peter to be perfectly silent, she moved to the door and pressed her ear against it.

"I just hate this, Lavi. I don't want my kids to go through what I went through with Master." Allen's voice was soft, but firm.

"So don't put them through it," Lavi retorted. "No one said you have to treat your students the way you were treated. Goddamn, Allen, how long have you been a General? You've had students before. Why is it any different with Peter?"

"Because he's my son, Lavi! Our son!"

"Yes, I'm quite well aware of that. I don't think I need to remind you who found him."

"Kanda despises Tiedoll, Socalo's students all hated him, and Catherine didn't much like being in Klaud's tutelage. And God knows Master is the biggest prick this side of the Earl's own household!"

"Allen," Lavi said forcefully, "that's enough. General Cross is a despicable person, no one is denying that, but it's not fair for you to compare him to the Earl or the Noah. He does have one good trait, you know: he's a hell of an Exorcist."

"I never said he wasn't. But --"

"'But' nothing, Allen! I won't listen to you go off on another tirade about Cross! I'm dead sick of it! You say the same things over and over!"

Mandy groaned. This fight was far from over. In fact, it sounded like it was about to go into that dangerous territory of "fighting dirty" that both of them used when neither would back down. That was why it was best to clear out of the way; when Lavi and Allen both stooped to that level, it was extremely uncomfortable for any onlookers. For as loving and affectionate as the two could be on a normal day, when they were fighting, it was generally ugly, and got uglier the longer it drew on.

"Besides," Lavi went on, "Yuu doesn't hate General Tiedoll at all. He acts like he does because that's just how Yuu is. Daisya revered his Master, and I know that Marie has nothing but the best things to say about him as well. Socalo's a freak of nature, and an ex-con. You can't expect him to be any better than Cross, but he isn't an extortionist. And Klaud is just a tough person. Catherine didn't like being with Klaud because she forced Catherine to work her ass off. You know how lazy Catherine can be."

"You're not helping." Allen said bitingly.

"Allow me to remind you of something that you seem to be forgetting, Allen: someone has to train Peter. He has an anti-Akuma weapon of Innocence now -- you can't change that. Someone has to train him into the position of Exorcist. I have no intentions of taking on the gold uniform, so it ain't gonna be me training him. If it's not you, it'll be one of the others. Same goes for Mandy -- you heard Hevlaska. Mandy's definitely got Innocence in her blood, and it could mature and activate at any time. Who's going to train her if you don't? You're the only parasitic-type General we have. You're the best one to help her adjust once she finally invokes."

"But -- "

"Dammit, Allen! You can't change the fact that they're both conformers! Stop trying to shelter them, you idiot -- you can't keep shielding them from the reality. As a General and as a father, you owe it to them to try and help them become the best Exorcists they can be."

There was a weighted silence. Mandy held her breath.

"Dammit, Lavi, I hate it when you're right. But why can't you stay here with Mandy?"

"Because I'm going with you -- Komui assigned me. And Mandy's safest with us. It's not fair to her to be left behind. Besides, her sense of hearing is almost as good as Noise Marie's hearing is without his earphones on. I bet you anything she can hear an Akuma coming before you can sight it."

"Oh please," Allen's voice was the verbal equivalent of an eye-roll. "I can sense them coming in plenty of time."

There was a long silence. Mandy carefully unlatched the door and pushed it open just a little bit, peeking out.

Allen and Lavi were close to each other, apparently having a stare-down.

"I hate fighting with you, Lavi," Allen said finally with a heavy sigh.

"Then stop doing it. Just get it through your head that I'm right, and we won't have this issue anymore."

"Lavi!"

"Oh come on, Allen, lighten up. Come on, get your coat on, we need to get going. I hope the kids are ready to go."

The next thing Mandy knew, she was sprawled on her stomach on the floor, with Peter standing over her grinning, and both of her fathers staring at her in surprise.

"I'm ready," Peter announced. "Can't speak for Sis, but I'm ready to go."

"Before we go, we're going to stop by Hevlaska's chamber to have her inspect your weapon, Peter, to see what your current synchro-rate is." Allen pulled his gold-trimmed greatcoat off the coat-rack and pulled it on.

As he was buttoning it up, Lavi hooked both arms around him and nuzzled against his neck. "Fight over, my sweet beansprout?"

"You idiotic rabbit-brat," Allen said without rancor, utilitizing a derogatory nickname Kanda Yuu had given Lavi years ago, "you know I can't stay mad at you for long. That's what pisses me off the most, sometimes!"

Lavi just nibbled at Allen's ear; "And I care about that... why?"

"Lavi," Allen said warningly. "Now isn't the time or place for that."

"Au contraire, mon cheri, I think the kids need to see us make up after a fight."

"I'm sure you do think that."

"I'm serious! They need to see that we still love each other, and that a fight isn't the end of the road for a relationship."

Allen sighed and turned, allowing Lavi to kiss him on the mouth. After fifteen years of being lovers with this crazy redhead, he still got a mild charge out of Lavi's kisses, but he could control himself to not show it. Still, he could enjoy affections from his lover. And Lavi was a very affectionate person.

Finally, he hoisted his suitcase up, looked over at his family -- feeling a surge of pride at the children and their growth. They really were great kids, and he knew he and Lavi were very lucky to have them -- and then opened the door. As they stepped out the door, Allen noticed that General Kanda was just returning from a mission, trailed by his former student (now a full-fledged and experienced Exorcist) Gustav Svenhardt.

Just before going to his room, Kanda paused and handed something to Svenhardt.

"What the hell, General?" Sven retorted. "Why are you making me do this?"

"Because I can." Kanda retorted. "And I'm tired. Besides, you should have Hevlaska give Yggdrasil a once-over."

"Feh," Sven grumbled. "General, someday, I will kick your ass."

"I'd pay to see that," Allen said genially as they passed. "Though I think Kanda would more likely kick yours, Sven."

"Shut it, beansprout," Kanda said peevishly as he unlocked the door to his suite. "Get lost."

"Be nice, Yuu," Lavi smirked.

"I don't have to be nice, you goddamned idiot rabbit. Get lost and leave me alone." The General slammed his door loudly as a dismissal.

"Whatever," Allen waved his hand dismissively, "we need to keep moving." He reached for the door to the stairwell, and pulled it open. He waved both kids through, though he forced Lavi to halt. "I'm still not thrilled about this, I'll have you know. We don't know when the Noah will show up, and the last thing I want is to subject Mandy to them if she can't invoke."

"Relax, Allen. You and I will both be with both of them -- there's no reason on earth why the Noah would show up to give them trouble. Things'll be fine, you'll see. Nothing will happen."

Peter was almost skipping with excitement as they stepped out of the carriage at the train station.

"Calm down, Peter." Allen gave his son a firm look. "You're a representative of the Black Order now. You need to be on your best behavior."

"Sorry, Dad. I'm just so excited! I can't wait to test out my Innocence on Akuma!"

Allen's face became sour. "This isn't a game, Peter."

"I know that."

"Come on, guys, let's keep moving. We're blocking the road." Lavi herded his family toward the train platform.

"Mandy, dear, what's the matter?" Allen noticed that Mandy was fingering her neck.

"Nothing, Daddy. My throat just feels funny."

"Come along, sweetie," Allen put an arm around her shoulders, "and let me know if your throat starts hurting."

"I will," she said, though her voice was a bit ragged.

As they reached their box suite and took their places on the benches, Mandy forced herself to stop touching her neck. Her throat didn't just feel funny -- it hurt. Really hurt. But she didn't want to seem weak. They'd only just reached the mainland from England, and had reached the train that would take them further into France to begin their hunt for Akuma and Innocence. She wanted desperately to stay with her family, not get sent back to the Order because she was sick. She was determined to beat this... this... whatever it was.

Nevertheless, she was feeling pretty crappy, and when Lavi put an arm around her and pulled her close, she rested her head in his lap and tried to relax. The next thing she knew, she was prodding at her throat again, as if trying to figure out exactly where it hurt.

"Honey, why are you constantly fiddling with your throat? Are you coming down with something?" Lavi brushed her hand away from her throat, and then laid his hand on her forehead. "You don't seem to be running a fever yet."

"My throat just feels funny, Papa," she said. "I am not sick."

"And I'm not convinced," Lavi retorted, gently swatting her hand away again. "A sore throat is usually a first sign of something more insidious. Let me know if it gets worse, all right?"

She nodded and curled up, using his thigh as a pillow. She wrapped her misery around herself, trying not to moan with the pain. It almost hurt to breathe. It definitely hurt to talk.

Slowly, as the train began to move, Mandy coaxed herself down into a troubled sleep. It helped that her Papa kept methodically stroking her hair, as if nothing in the world were wrong. Now if only she could convince herself that nothing was in fact wrong...

I will not be left behind! I will go with my family, wherever fate leads us. This sore throat will not deter me. I will not be left behind!

Sleep was like a sticky morass this time, she found. Surfacing from it was difficult.

"Sis!" Her shoulder was abruptly shaken by an external force. "Mandy! Are you okay?"

Forcing her eyes open, Mandy awoke to find herself and her brother alone in the box. "W-wha... w-where are Papa and Daddy?"

"They stepped out for a bit. Are you okay, Sis? You were moaning and crying. And you kept saying 'It hurts.' Bad dreams?"

"Um, yes. Very bad dreams."

"Sis, your voice sounds weird. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I am fine, Peter. Besides, I promised Daddy and Papa that I would tell them if anything got worse."

"Sis." Peter put his hands on his hips.

"What?"

"'Worse' implies that things are already bad. Therefore, not 'okay.' Don't lie to me, Sis. I can see that you're in pain. Please, tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing is wrong."

"Stop lying to me, Sis! I can tell something is wrong. You're clutching at your throat a lot, and you're moaning in your sleep. And your voice is weird."

"My throat just feels weird."

"More like your throat hurts, but you won't admit it. You heard Dad, Sis. This isn't a game. If you're not at the top of your game, you're a liability and should turn back."

Why does he keep throwing "Sis" into almost every sentence? She thought irritably. He normally does not do that.

She stood up abruptly, pushing aside the coat that was covering her. "Stop worrying about me, Peter. You should worry about yourself; you now have an anti-Akuma weapon, which means you will be expected to defend yourself."

"At least I have a weapon, Sis. You don't have one yet. I'm not experienced enough to protect you too, you know."

"There is no need for you to protect me, Peter. When my weapon awakens, it will be amazing. You can be sure of that!"

"I'm sure it will, and I'm sure it'll be more amazing than mine, but you can't predict when it'll mature and activate! Until then, you're at the mercy of our protection." Peter grabbed onto her cloak. "Please, Sis, I'm begging you, don't pretend that nothing's wrong if you're getting sick."

"I am not getting sick, damn it! You are the one who gets sick more than me, you know!" Despite the pain in her throat, she was determined to maintain the appearance that she was just fine. She spun around and pulled open the door to the box suite, stepping out in frustration. She rubbed at her throat in irritation, wondering what on earth was causing her throat to hurt so much.

"Sweetie, are you okay?"

She looked up to see her parents coming in the car from outside it; they must have been standing on the deck over the connectors. Probably getting some fresh air and some time alone. At times like this, Allen's hair was down from its usual ponytail or plait, and when combined with the ankle-length greatcoat, it often gave him the appearance of being a woman -- a flat-chested woman, yes, but if he had his hair down and was standing with Lavi, many people just automatically assumed he was a blonde woman. This made it a little easier for them to travel in public, since they still had to be discreet about their relationship in public. The few times they had traveled with the kids, they had presented themselves as mere friends each traveling with their own children (Lavi usually claimed Peter, since they had similar personalities and features; Allen and Mandy had similar mannerisms, so it was easy for them to play the part of natural-father-and-daughter).

"I was wondering where you went." She barely managed to eke out a coherent reply -- the gust of cold wind blowing in from the door made her throat seize in angry response. Her chest began to feel really heavy, and she put a hand against the wall, trying to keep herself upright with the swaying of the car. A cold sweat broke out on her brow.

A pair of strong arms enfolded her, scooping her up into a firm, cradling embrace. "Come on, sweetie; you are sick. I can tell." Lavi cradled her gently against his chest. "I don't know why you're sick, but I intend to find out."

The next thing Mandy knew, she was on her back on the bench in the box-suite, with her head resting in Lavi's lap, while Lavi peered into her mouth. Allen held a flashlight over them, shining it down into Mandy's mouth.

"It's red, there's definitely some irritation, but I don't see any infection in there." Lavi pried Mandy's jaws further apart. "It's not strep throat. It could develop into that, but it's not there yet. Hold still, sweetie, and try not to gag." He pulled something out of a pouch, measured it, and then dropped it into her mouth. The liquid hit the back of her throat and made her retch, triggering the gag reflex.

"You never cease to amaze me, Lavi," Allen said admiringly. "You're almost as handy as Catherine."

"Ah, my techniques came from the old man, so they're really old and don't always work. They're mostly just remedies anyway, to help symptoms. Catherine can actually cure stuff, after all. I didn't ever get as proficient as Gramps with the needles, so I can't do as much good as he could, but again, we've got Catherine for that. I'm just hoping this will ease some of the discomfort for Mandy until we can get to an inn and put in a call to Catherine. We may need you to throw open the Ark, Allen, so she can come get Mandy, if Mandy's condition worsens."

"No," Mandy whimpered. "I want to stay with you."

"If you get sick, sweetie, you're in more danger with us than with Catherine," Allen said as he stroked her hair.

"You know how much we love you, honey, so don't fight it," Lavi reasoned. "If you're sick, the safest place in the world for you is with Catherine, and we need you to be safe."

"Well, I think it'd be a bad idea to try opening the Ark on the train," Allen said, "since the train's in motion -- the coordinates will keep changing each second. It's best to wait until we're stationary. So we'll wait until we get to Versailles."

"We're starting in Paris?" Peter exclaimed. Allen frowned at him and motioned for him to quiet down.

"We were going to change trains in Versailles and head for Orleans," Lavi explained, "but I think Allen's right, I think we need to shack up in Versailles and figure out what's wrong with Mandy before we go any further. Peter, you need to read the case-files given to you -- you'd know that that's where we were headed."

Mandy sat up and twined her arms around Lavi's neck, leaning against him. "Please, Papa. I want to stay with you all. Please do not make me go back to the Order alone." Her voice was barely audible with the pain in her throat.

Lavi hugged her gently. "I know, baby, but we can't endanger you any more than absolutely necessary. Your Daddy and I love you dearly, and we don't want you hurt in any way. I'm sorry, but this is how it has to be."

Despite her best attempts to stop them, the tears began to spill down her ruddy cheeks, and she sniffled painfully. "I hate this."

By the time the train pulled into the station in Versailles, the pain had become so overwhelming that it was all Mandy could do to remain conscious. She could tell that her family was extremely worried about her, and she silently cursed herself for being so weak that a mere sore throat -- no matter how painful -- could paralyze her like this, and worry them so. It hurt to breathe, talking was impossible now, and she could have sworn she was starting to get delirious with the pain.

She wasn't sure which of her fathers picked her up and carried her through the terminal, out of the station, down however many streets, and finally to a suitable inn. She was so focused on forcing her body to respire, forcing her throat to allow air to pass, that she couldn't bring herself to notice anything else. By now, the pain had been with her long enough and had messed with her thoughts enough that she couldn't remember now what it felt like to not hurt. She couldn't remember what her own voice sounded like.

The pain had spread from the center of her throat up and down her vocal chords (at least, that's what she guessed) and now even her tongue and lower jaw hurt. She couldn't tell if her tongue was swollen or not, but it felt too big for her mouth now.

After a while, the pain abated enough for her to become somewhat aware of her surroundings. She was laying on a sofa of some sort, her head pillowed in Allen's lap. Allen was gently massaging her neck with his left hand. Lavi was on the phone, with a golem hooked up to the wires. Peter was standing nearby, and he looked frightened. There were tears in his eyes, but to his credit, he held them at bay for the moment. Exhaustion dragged Mandy's eyelids down.

After a long moment of silence, Mandy's heightened hearing picked up the voice on the other end of the phone line, echoing through the receiver.

"What's the matter, Lavi?" That was the nurse-Exorcist, Catherine Beauchamp.

"Catherine, we might need your help."

"I figured as much. What's the matter?"

"Mandy's sick -- it hit very suddenly a few hours ago, and it's just gotten worse; she's almost unconscious now. And all we can tell is that it's her throat."

"Her throat? As in, strep throat?"

"Well, not exactly. I had a look at it, and it's red and irritated, but there doesn't seem to be any infection. And there's no fever. Also, Peter's not sick, which is really, really unusual when Mandy's sick. Peter's always the first one to get sick. But he's fine."

There was a silence on the line. Mandy forced her eyes open and her vision swam with the pain, but she focused on her Papa's bright red hair until her sight cleared. He looked really agitated, restlessly tapping at his thigh.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions, Lavi, and I may need you to ask Mandy these. Is she at all lucid?"

Lavi paused and looked over at them. "Mandy, honey, are you awake? Just raise your hand if you are, you don't need to say anything."

Weakly, she lifted her hand to signal him that she'd heard and understood.

"Yes, Catherine, she is, but only barely. She can't even talk."

"That makes this easier. First of all, I need you to ask her exactly where it hurts the most, where the pain started. Ask her to point to it."

Responding automatically to what she'd heard, not even waiting for Lavi to relay the question, Mandy brought her hand up to her throat, gingerly touching her Adam's-apple. Tears sprang to her eyes instantly as a needle of pain lanced through her.

"Looks like it's her larynx," Lavi said, not even bothering to be amazed that she'd responded before he asked. "However, I've never known acute laryngitis to be that painful. I know it's uncomfortable, but this... I can tell she's in agony."

"I doubt it's simple laryngitis; like you said, it's not that painful in most circumstances. There's a chance there's an ulcer there, but I think that it has developed too quickly. Okay, next question: are her tonsils swollen?"

Lavi cradled the phone and leaned over Mandy, gently prying her mouth open and looking inside. "No, they don't look swollen to me. The back of her throat is red, but it's not really that badly inflamed. It's just irritated, mostly."

"Hmm," Catherine sounded as though she were mentally checking off a list of symptoms for a diagnosis. "Ask her if her throat was hurting, or ticklish, or at all out of the ordinary, when she left the Order building. Did this happen suddenly on the train, or was it as sudden as it seems?"

Lavi pursed his lips a moment; "Mandy, did your throat feel weird when we left home? Raise your hand if the answer is yes."

She firmly kept her hand down.

"Did you feel any discomfort before we crossed the channel?"

She kept her hand down again; she was grateful that he wasn't requiring her to try and talk, or to try and gesture with her head.

"So the discomfort happened once we reached France?"

Tentatively, she raised her hand a little.

"So that's it. She says it only started hurting once we got to France." Lavi turned back to the phone.

"Very strange. I know of no natural throat ailments -- short of direct injury -- that develop in a matter of hours to such a degree."

"I think I'll have Allen open the Ark. Can you come and get her?"

"Unfortunately, I can't leave. I imagine we can send Lenalee or Sven, but I can't leave."

"Lavi," Allen interrupted, "if we send Mandy home, you're going with her. I don't give a damn what the Supervisor says; your place is with your daughter, if she's this sick."

"Just a moment, Lavi." Catherine's voice shifted tones, sounding slightly distant for a moment. "I do have one more question, based on what Supervisor Komui just told me."

"Okay."

"Pay attention, because this question has nothing to do with medicine, and you'll need to ask General Walker for me."

Mandy felt her nerves tense, as if in anticipation. She couldn't explain why she felt like she knew what was about to be asked, or why she suddenly was aware of just what might be the problem, but between heartbeats, her entire body was on edge.

"My question to General Walker is this: Are there any Akuma or Noah in the vicinity."

"What? What kind of question -- "

"Just ask him! I'm serious!"

Lavi turned; "Allen, she wants to know if there are any Noah or Akuma around."

"I can't sense Noah, since they're human," Allen said, "and I don't sen -- OH SHIT!" That last epithet came out with force as his left eye changed colors and developed the distinctive monocle.

"Fuck!" Lavi blurted out. "Catherine, thanks, but I think we're going to be busy now!" He slammed the phone down. "Allen, open the Ark!"

"How did they sneak up on me like that?!" Allen raged. "There's no way I could have missed that many Akuma! We gotta get out of here, before people are caught in the crossfire."

"Jesus Christ, Allen, just open the goddamned Ark!" Lavi roared just as the wall next to them caved under the weight of a round of volleys from a herd of Level One Akuma. Lavi grabbed Peter and jumped aside, while Allen scooped up Mandy and leaped back, away from the debris.

"I'm trying! It won't open on command!" Allen retorted angrily. "I can't get it to open. I've got the coordinates, but it won't open!" The other patrons -- and employees -- of the inn scattered as the Akuma swarmed in. Allen noticed that there were a number of Level Twos, and a pair of Level Threes. This was more than just a random accosting -- this was an ambush. The only way they could have gotten this close to us without me sensing them would be to use the Earl's Ark, or Road Kamelot's door.

Dammit, Ark! OPEN UP! He was getting frustrated and desperate, trying to cover Mandy with his Innocence cloak while slashing at the Akuma with his claws.

Peter appeared in front of him, his Innocence gauntlet activated and thrumming with energy. With a vicious strike, the boy punched a Level One in the mask, causing it to explode.

In that moment, just when Allen was sure they had the upper hand, all hell broke loose. The Level Threes swooped in and ambushed Lavi simultaneously, forcing him to back up several times. The redhead tripped over some furniture as more Akuma swarmed in, demolishing the walls around them. At that same time, Allen was struck sharply in the nape of his neck by a fist, sending shockwaves up and down his spine. His limbs went limp, and Mandy tumbled from his grip to the floor.

"Shit!" He tried to activate his Clown Belt, but the blow to his nervous system had stunned him a lot more than he realized; he couldn't make his arm move fast enough.

In the blink of an eye, he couldn't move at all, as a gray squid-like tentacle wrapped itself around him, restraining his arms completely. At the same moment, a gruesome greenish-black tentacle (or something similar) wrapped itself around Mandy and lifted her off the floor. Allen felt his stomach flip in horror as he belatedly recognized that disgusting appendage.

"Tyki Mikk?!" He tried to twist in the grip of whatever held him, and spied out of the corner of his eye not one, not two, not three, but four Noah. Road Kamelot, the First Noah herself, was sitting on the umbrella golem that belonged to the Millennium Earl, grinning like a child who had just won a game; Tyki Mikk stood nearby her, his left arm having converted into the tentacle that now held Mandy. Right behind Allen himself was none other than Lulubell, the Noah with the Power of Form, who could transform her body into virtually any substance. Her right arm had converted into a whip-like appendage and now restrained Allen.

The fourth Noah there was the one whose name Allen had never learned, the one who had been "captured" numerous times by the Order, only to somehow escape their grasp. She was the same one who had, five years or so ago, attacked Lavi and Catherine, and had been stopped by Catherine, apprehended by Lenalee, and somehow had still managed to escape. She had boasted once, some time later when she crossed Allen's path again, that she could not be held against her will.

"Careful, boy," Tyki Mikk drawled. "You don't want the little girl hurt, do you?" The tentacle curled suggestively around Mandy's neck.

"You fucking bastard!" Lavi snarled. "Using a child like that!"

"All's fair in war, Eyepatch," the Noah said lazily, flicking away a cigarette. Then he looked up at Road; "Good work, Road."

"Of course, Tyki! I'm the best there is, you know!" The girlish Noah giggled happily, belying her sadistic nature with her carefree laughter. "Allen doesn't know how to control that Ark perfectly. It's quite easy to interfere with his command over it." She grinned bloodthirstily at Allen, before turning to the other Noah, the one whose name Allen didn't know. "Sarita, you want to do the honors?"

"I can," the woman said after a moment, raising her arm. "The redhead first, I think."

"Wise decision," Tyki said languidly. "Eyepatch has been quite a troublemaker for a long time, hasn't he? Hey, boy," he added, glaring at Allen, who was trying to wrestle free of Lulubell's grasp, "just hold still if you don't want the little girl to be strangled." Mandy coughed weakly as the Noah tightened his grip on her.

Road was giggling from where she sat atop the umbrella golem; "Allen, just wait your turn. Sarita has to annihilate the ex-Bookman Junior first. And Lavi, if I were you, I wouldn't fight it either." She had her eyes trained on Peter, in such a manner that unnerved both Allen and Lavi immensely. "You remember what my dream-world is like, don't you?"

Anger and despair warred in Allen's heart. Were they really planning to kill Lavi right in front of him?! Lulubell had him restrained physically, and Tyki and Road had him restrained psychologically. If he tried to move to protect Lavi, Tyki would strangle Mandy; if Lavi moved to protect himself, Road would invade Peter's mind and break him.

What was he to do? There was no way in hell he was going to just give up, but no matter how he looked at it, someone he loved was likely to die. He racked his brain, frantically searching for a solution. There was no way that some other Exorcist was going to swing in and save the day; the Ark was closed to their travel, and there were no Exorcists in the area as far as Allen knew.

A ring of Level Ones descended from the air, circling around Lavi, with their guns leveled at him. Lavi had his eye locked on Road Kamelot, watching her even as she watched Peter. The intent of the Noah was pretty obvious -- they intended to kill Lavi by having the Akuma shoot him with their virus-laden bullets. As the guns fired, Allen felt a cry rip itself from his throat.

"Wind Circle: Simultaneous Raging Gales, Wind Seal!" A great whirlwind exploded from beneath Lavi's feet, spiraling furiously around him. A few seconds later, and a second attack, "Ash Inferno, Fire Seal!" rose over the wind barrier; the giant fiery snake engulfed the Level Ones and obliterated them.

"Bad move," Road said, her eyes narrowing. Two heartbeats later, and Peter slumped to his knees, his eyes losing focus, as the First Noah caught him in her dream-world web of deceit.

"Peter!" Allen slammed against Lulubell in an attempt to knock her off balance and force her to loosen her grip; she had him held so tight he couldn't get his claws up to do any damage to her.

"I'll remind only once more, boy," Tyki Mikk snarled, "one wrong move from you, and the little girl is history."

"You coward, Tyki!" Allen roared in desperation. "Fight me fair and square -- leave the girl out of this!"

"Sorry, Allen, no can do," Road sang. "Lord Millennium's orders."

This is not fair, Mandy thought as her consciousness returned to her. These people are... they need to be punished. This is sadistic and wrong!

As another ring of Level One circled in, this time encompassing Peter, with just a few circling Lavi, Mandy felt her blood boil with anger. That is not fair at all! What kind of a fight is this? Hostages, using Akuma? These Noah... they are horrible people!

Time suddenly ground to a halt, even as the Akuma cannons began to glow as they charged their shots.

Will you fight them? A presence within her asserted itself. Even though you are but a tiny girl, and they are four Noah whom even the General cannot take down, will you still fight them?

My family! They want to destroy my family! Whoever you are, if you can help me protect them, I will follow you!

Will you fight them? To the ends of your life and breath, will you fight them?

Yes.

Then accept this power.

With a lurch, time resumed, and the Akuma cannons all lit up simultaneously with their gunshots. There was no time --

Mandy threw her head back, opened her mouth, and screamed.

Stay tuned for "Canta Libre: Part Two: Invoke"

UPDATE as of July, 2009:
Because of the recent release of the dub, I've become more accustomed to the English translations of attacks and stuff, and the loss of the honorifics, so I'm removing them from my fics and rewriting slowly to reflect that.