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Innocent Rain	By : saxonjesus Category: +. to F > D. Gray Man Views: 3947 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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Chapter List
- 31
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- 33
Chapter
32�Innocent Rain

February 15, 2014, 6:45 AM�London, England

�� She needed the eye. Something
fell into her, and it doubled, filling the two round spaces in her skull. Skin. She needed that next. It, too, fell into place. It
stretched all across her skeleton, clothing her. Her veins were dry, but
something flowed into them in the next moment, and she wanted to sigh in the
great relief it brought her. But there was no breath. There couldn�t be, not
when she had no heart to move the blood from its stasis. Her skin parted to
allow it entrance into her still-barren ribcage. Budding lungs and diaphragm
and liver and kidneys and stomach made her system begin to move. Her skin
closed itself. She couldn�t move anything yet, though. She was too weak. She
needed more energy. She needed more sadness. What she needed, she concluded,
was sorrow.

---

6:49 AM

�� A great shudder hit the Eye.
Allen paused in his fight to meet Lenalee�s brown eyes. She blinked, and the
decision was made. The Earl was nearly done with the Level Six. The
white-haired Exorcist rammed his sword forward, cutting straight through the
Level Three. They�d defeated most of the higher levels now.

�� Running across the courtyard,
past shops and abandoned vending carts, past bodies and blood, they reached the
base of the Eye again. A scream pierced the Innocence-lit battlefield. It
resounded throughout the entire dome, echoing off the sides and hitting their
ears repeatedly with shattering force.

�� Immediately, Lenalee grabbed him
around his waist and jumped, obviously recognizing the voice as well. They
soared through the air and stopped as Lenalee landed them lightly on the solid
air beneath her feet. Allen�s blood stopped cold in his veins. There was a very
fat figure inside the carriage, and it was wearing a very tall top hat. The
Earl was in there with Faith.

�� All reason left him, and he
squirmed from Lenalee�s grip, throwing a Clown Belt to open the door and
reeling himself in.

�� Get off of her!�

�� It wasn�t Allen who had shouted.
It was Sarah. She and Road were in a corner of the carriage, huddling against
each other as the Earl slid his hands around Faith�s throat. The image was so
wrong, so hideous, that Allen reacted without thinking. He planted his right
hand firmly on his left, drawing out the sword that was the inverse of the
Millennium Earl�s. Yelling, he lunged forward to the fat man�s profiled form.

�� The Millennium Earl�s perpetual
smile widened, if such a thing was physically possible.

�� Allen Walker &hearts;!� He called, tightening his grip. Faith spluttered a bit,
sending Allen a pleading look. Kill him,
please, she asked of her Heart in their conjoined heads. He felt Lenalee
behind him, her Innocence radiating as bright and gold as his own. She glared
death at the Earl, placing her hand on Allen�s left shoulder in silent support.

�� If you kill her,� Lenalee
whispered, �you kill yourself. Release her and fight us.� Her voice was almost
dark with cold, like a long-forgotten December night.

�� The Earl threw his umbrella
golem through the window, tossing Faith afterward. Road opened a small door,
and Sarah dove out. A moment later, they saw Sarah�winged with pure, white
feathers�holding Faith close to her chest.

�� Allen released a breath he had
not known he was holding. Behind him, he felt Lenalee do the same. The Earl�s
sword appeared in his hand, and he rocked forward. Allen tried to block, but
the power was so immense that he fell backward, taking Lenalee with him out of
the carriage. The parody of a clown jumped after them, diving down with sword
bared. Allen threw out a Clown Belt to secure himself and tried to parry the
Earl�s attack when it came.

�� He barely blocked. The Earl came
at him again and again, and even as he jerked to a halt, hanging from his Clown
Belt, he couldn�t do more than swing away to dodge. He was held up by his good
arm, the one holding the sword, and he couldn�t swing it back or move it in any
way toward his enemy.

�� Lenalee shot up from above,
attempting to kick the fat clown, but his sword swung around to graze her
Innocence. A deep fissure ran horizontally across one of her boots. She glared
up at the Earl and advanced again, looking for an angle of attack that could
possibly succeed. As she shot forward to attempt another kick, though, she
landed on the Earl�s broadsword. She jumped backward, looking frustrated.

�� The Earl turned back to Allen.
He gulped and let his Clown Belt unravel from the main structure of the Eye.
His enemy plummeted after him. Allen felt his wrist wrench as the Earl smacked
away at his weapon.

�� There was a scream, and despite
being locked in battle, Allen looked over. An exploding grenade of Innocence
hit the Earl in the back, doing almost no damage. Allen saw Elliot Manson, the
little thirteen-year-old Exorcist with an oversized bazooka. The Earl seemed to
contemplate going after the little bugger�Allen disliked him for singing his
hair with his lighter. Fucking pyro.

�� Aw, shit, I�m starting to sound like Kanda. A large shiver went up
his spine, and in his distraction, the Earl rent him through with his sword,
the inverse of Allen�s own.

�� Allen�s eyes
widened in pain, taking in many details at once. The
manic gleam in the Earl�s Noah-gold eyes. The exact
sky blue shade of the flowers ringing the Earl�s hat. The glint of early
morning light against the Noah of Revenge�s glasses. The pain as the sword
severed everything inside his body. The Innocence-green light
of the crux of the dome.

�� He fell, sliding off the
downward-angled blade. He fell and fell and fell. Arms caught him. Slim arms. They were Lenalee�s. He loved Lenalee.

�� Somewhere in the distance, Faith
screamed.

---

7:03 AM

�� Something heavy landed on him,
rousing him from his pain-induced unconsciousness. Everything hurt, especially
his stomach, so much that he was nearly numb. He felt something seeping with
concerning speed from his body, but he didn�t know what it was.

�� There were feet on his bleeding
stomach. They were very familiar feet. He loved those feet. That didn�t mean he
had a foot fetish, though. Wait. Why were those feet there? They shouldn�t have
been there. They should have been pounding away at the stone of the courtyard
as their owner fought the Akuma. He yanked on the foot, finding strength from
deep within him.

�� Yuu?�
He croaked out. Lavi heard sounds above him and flashed his eye upward. Tyki
Mikk was standing there, looking almost� concerned. He took the form that was
crushing Lavi and placed it so that the head was on Lavi�s leg.

�� I need to keep fighting,� Tyki
said softly, barely loud enough to be heard over the sounds of fighting that
encompassed them. Lavi couldn�t sit up and stared pleadingly up at the Noah. He
sighed and helped Lavi into a sitting position. It hurt. But Lavi needed to see
Yuu�s face.

�� He couldn�t lean down to kiss
Yuu�s forehead as he wanted to, but he could place a shaking hand in the man�s
hair and smooth it back from his eyes. He glanced down the man�s body. The
Exorcist jacket was torn and nearly gone. He could see the Lotus Spell as it
stretched farther down his lover�s body, blackening skin and scars and
everything Lavi loved.

�� Yuu�� he repeated. He was
bleeding on Yuu�s head, but there was more blood somewhere else. He felt it on
his leg. Prodding at Yuu�s skull, Lavi felt a wave of hollowness wash through him. The man�s eyes fluttered and opened. The
Japanese man gazed blearily up at him, his deep brown eyes showing confusion.

�� La�vi�� Yuu mumbled, barely
moving his lips. On his chest, the Lotus Spell ate away at soft, light golden
skin.

�� Don�t die,� Lavi pleaded, his
voice straining against the tears that wanted to fall from his eyes. Even the
injured one was tearing up.

�� Knew� it would happen,� the
dark-haired man said, his voice broken, shaking, and almost sighing the words
out.

�� No, Yuu� what
about Japan? We were gonna go to Japan, right?� Lavi asked, his voice becoming almost incoherent as the first of the
tears fell onto Yuu�s face. He wished they would stop the Spell from killing
his lover, his sun, his Yuu.

�� Wanted to� tell her�� Yuu
muttered. A huge, hacking cough ran through him, and blood flung itself from
his mouth. His body writhed as more blood forced its
way onto the ground. The Lotus Mark was nearly encircling the Japanese man�s
body.

�� Tell her what, Yuu?� Lavi
asked, his voice every bit as desperate as he felt. Yuu couldn�t die. It
couldn�t happen. Lavi couldn�t live if Yuu didn�t. It was an
impossibility. Just like physics. It said things were impossible. Lavi
plus Yuu equaled the world. Lavi minus Yuu equaled nothing. It equaled zero.

�� That I� found� you,� Yuu
replied. He coughed, bringing up more blood, but he continued. �That I� found�
the person��

�� The Lotus Spell stopped
spreading its death. It melted back, the marks flowing up Yuu�s bare arm, up
his neck, up his face. Lavi felt a jolt of something painful and clenched his hand in Yuu�s hair. It was like being poked and invaded. A tiny black line ran up his arm. It inched across the
redhead�s chest, and his left breast burned
as something weaved its way through his skin, eating at him like it had at Yuu.

�� Yuu gasped and sighed in relief,
his eyes closing. He was still breathing. Actually, he seemed to be breathing
easier. Lavi wasn�t. He felt weak again. He didn�t know how much blood he�d
lost. With his left hand, he reached around for his Innocence. He tried to let
go of Yuu, but the black thread between them wouldn�t allow a break in contact.
Lavi was feeling dizzy now. He knew his Innocence had deactivated while he had
been unconscious. That meant his water seal was gone. Yuu was obviously being
healed, but there was blood spurting from his stomach now, hitting the
long-haired man�s slack face.

�� Everything was swirling. His
left hand found his Innocence.

�� But then the Innocence was gone.
It dissolved in his hand, floating up into the sky, almost as if it had been
destroyed. But the Noahs didn�t destroy Innocence anymore. They were pure.
Yuu�s Innocence shot from his hip, green and particle-like, just like Lavi�s
own. He followed it with his eyes. All around the dome, the Innocence was
coming together.

�� There was something white and
something black. The Innocence was headed there.

---

7: 03 AM

�� The swarm of Akuma was receding.
Amanda had long since dried from her quick tour of the Thames, and although she
couldn�t see out of her right eye, she continued to fight, making her way
slowly toward the Eye. She had felt the shudder that had reverberated through
the battlefield, and it could only mean one thing, the Level Six was ready. The
fury still seethed through her. The Level Six had Artemis�s face. Since she
couldn�t kill Strength, she would kill this monster for daring to take on her
best friend�s visage.

�� Finally reaching the base, she
saw a Noah with blonde hair fighting off Akuma. Many got past her�it simply
wasn�t possible to keep them all at bay. Amanda didn�t care, though. The Level
Six was going down. She launched her Innocence outward, trying to hit it
straight on. It glanced off, and Amanda had to recall it to her. She tossed it
again, but the result was the same. For being made of flesh, it was exceedingly
difficult to penetrate.

�� Or perhaps that was the reason.
It was human. It was part Akuma, yes,
but unlike the dwindling members of Crow�long since banned from fighting on the
field due to stability issues�it began
as an Akuma. Amanda didn�t much like the idea of climbing the Eye, but since
Allen and Lenalee were otherwise occupied with getting to the Earl, she
couldn�t ask for their help.

�� The blonde Noah landed beside
her. �Are you going to stand there, or are you going to help?� She asked
breathlessly, her voice somewhat disdainful.

�� If you can get me up there, I
think I know how to get rid of the Six,� the American girl said. Immediately,
the blonde Noah picked her up. They flew up�how Amanda didn�t know, as her eyes
were closed due to a well-justified fear of heights�and the blonde Noah held
her as she leaned over to the Six.

�� She couldn�t tear it apart with
her discus. It didn�t go through human flesh. She couldn�t bear to strangle it,
and she wasn�t sure that would work. She couldn�t break its metal skeleton. But
whatever she was going to do, it needed to be done fast.

�� Disgusted at her conclusion,
Amanda plunged her hand through the thin layer of flesh. Tiny organs were
growing to full size. Blood oozed out and covered her hand. It was human blood.
It was Artemis�s blood. Anger coursed through her, and she ripped the Akuma�s
heart out. There was no reason for it, and it didn�t do anything visible
besides stop the flow of blood, but it felt good. It felt satisfying. Grasping
her Innocence in her bloodied right hand, Amanda sliced through the metal of
the Akuma�s skeleton.

�� It split apart, Artemis�s
preserved eye falling from the socket, the flesh melting and dripping down in
little strips and clumps. The blood rained onto the ground, soaking the stones.
Then the skeletal framework exploded. Amanda recoiled back into the blonde
Noah�s grip.

�� The Noah brought her back to the
ground, where they continued to fight the Akuma. For the first time since
Artemis�s death, Amanda felt sated. She felt like she could be okay again.

---

7:03 AM

�� Earl, NO!� That�s what Faith
was shouting. But everything was split apart and hurt as if it had been
separated, severed. He looked up at Lenalee�s swimming face. He didn�t like the
worried, sorrowful expression. It reminded him of what he didn�t want. Lenalee
wasn�t supposed to be devastated if he died. He wasn�t supposed to let that
happen.

�� He thought back to the time he�d
spent in her mind. He�d had a whole wall. He�d been happy at the time. That had
been a mistake. Of course she would be devastated. He should have given love a
chance after all. He should have listened to that crazy old bartender. He
should have listened to everyone who had told him to get his act together.

�� He remembered the kisses they
had shared. Yes, Lenalee was going to be shattered no matter how hard he tried
to push against that reality.

�� Earl, you CAN�T kill them!
You�re killing me! You�re killing us! It�s not right. You have to stop. Just�
forgive them already! It wasn�t their fault, they didn�t know any better,
they�� Faith cut off, laughing. �We need to forgive them! I forgive them! I forgive them! Sarah�s here, it�s
okay! FORGIVE THEM, EARL! You don�t need to do this!�

�� But Allen didn�t have the
capacity to care about what was going on in the battle around him. He just
wanted to look up at Lenalee, to see her face before he disappeared from the
Earth and ceased to move forward.

�� He wanted to make her smile
before he died.

�� Lenalee,� he began, but they
were jostled as they stopped moving, and Allen let out a hiss of pain. His
torso hurt�throbbed, really. Of course it
is, he thought bitterly. I�m dying,
after all.

�� What is it, Allen?� Lenalee
asked, her voice infused with something thick and
emotional, something Allen couldn�t understand with all the blood loss.

�� I wanted to tell you so long
ago, but I couldn�t. I�m so sorry�I should have.� His voice was weak. He didn�t
have long.

�� Allen, what are you saying?�
Her voice quavered.

�� I love you,� he said simply,
looking deeply into her eyes while he still had breath in his lungs. A tear
leaked out from one of her beautiful purple eyes. She nodded, but the smile
didn�t come to her face.

�� I� Allen�� There was a frown
there instead, and more tears followed the first. Why was she crying? She
wasn�t supposed to cry. �Don�t die, Allen,� she
pleaded. �I love you, too.�

�� Will you�� Smile, Allen wanted to say, but Lenalee grabbed his right hand and
leaned down, pressing her lips to his. Tears mingled and fell between them.
Allen felt something tingle and fall away. The weight of his left arm
disappeared. He felt something travel across his chest and down his right arm.
Lenalee gasped and pulled back. All around them, green
particles�tiny little diamonds of Innocence�flowed toward them. The hole in
Allen�s stomach prickled, and the pain melted away. It was as if the Innocence
didn�t want him to be hurt. It was as if the Innocence didn�t want him to die.

�� For a fraction of a second, he
understood why he was part of the Heart. The phrase Innocent love came to him. But it was only for that miniscule fraction.
It was weird. There was a bazooka and a machete, a machine gun and a whip,
hands and gauntlets and wings and all sorts of body parts that made his head
fuzzy and confused. All sorts of Innocence, destroyed
or not, came to him. He felt teeth, though Krory had been dead for so long.
There was a bracelet and acupuncture needles and little, razor-sharp wires.
Graves and guns and crosses. Monkeys. A koala, too. A discus flew into him, followed by a bow and
arrow and a very sharp cutlass. A hammer hit him, followed by the biting,
sarcastic blade of a chokuto. A chainsaw, a spear, nunchucks,
prayer beads, a flaming sword, and a guitar. A dangpa
and a Tai Chi sword. The last to come was a clock. But it was only half
there, as if it was still needed elsewhere.

�� Allen looked up at Lenalee�s
half-hooded eyes. One small glance into them showed that she was feeling the
same thing. All the Innocence was in them, uniting as it had once been.
Innocence became a whole inside of them. It hardened in their connected hands,
clasping them together in an eternal gesture of explicit togetherness.

�� Allen was Lenalee. Lenalee was Allen. They were each other. And they
were Noah. They were Innocence.

�� As one, they stood up and turned
to the Earl, who was floating down with the aid of his umbrella golem. He
looked different, meager almost. He looked washed out, as if he�d lost weight,
as if he�d lost some sort of vitality. Faith had told her Vengeance to forgive.
And when Faith forgave, it made sense that Vengeance wouldn�t have a purpose
anymore.

�� It wouldn�t have mattered. The
energy and strength ran through them both like a current, almost too strong for
them to handle. They were stronger than the Earl. They always had been.

�� The Earl raised his blade, which
shook as he tried to hold the weight. A golden-green sword extended from their
connected hands, from the sleek, green diamond of Innocence that linked them
together. Simultaneously, they raised their joined hands. The blade was light,
almost buoyant. They danced forward, flying into the air to meet the Earl as if
their legs were Lenalee�s boots.

�� Their swords clanged together in
greeting. The Earl held on, barely blocking. It was a complete reversal of
positions from their battle just a few minutes prior. They were strong, united.
The Earl was weak, undone. He tried to hit them, and they parried his sword,
tossing it into the air. It made a sharp, resonating sound as it hit the
ground. Allen and Lenalee glanced at each other and smiled.

�� Allen loved Lenalee�s smile. The
Innocence inside of them reverberated.

�� With a final blow, they cleaved
him evenly in two. There was no explosion, not like after an Akuma was killed.
The Earl simply ceased. He folded in
on himself, becoming a tiny, golden crystal that shone brightly as it floated
back up to meet Faith. Allen saw it sink into the heavenly girl�s chest, and
she let out a little gasping sigh. Then she smiled.

�� I�m not angry anymore,� she
said softly. Allen nodded in understanding. Beside him, Lenalee did the same.
�I�m not sad, either,� Faith added, her blue eyes shining with happiness.

�� The Innocence that connected
their hands melted away and left their bodies. Faith smiled at the united
diamond as it ascended to the very peak of the Innocence dome. The Time Bubble
fell away, imploding into itself. A whooshing noise sounded as the Innocence
shot out, streaking into the clouds and spreading across the sky. A mist
refracted the oranges, golds, and reds of the morning sun as it made its daily climb
to the zenith of the heavens.

�� A light rain began to fall. The
first drizzling drop hit Allen, and his world spun as something overtook him.

�� It was Mana. But it was his
Innocence. The Crowned Clown soared out as a cloak from Mana�s fatherly figure.
He looked down at Allen, smiling peacefully.

�� I am so proud of you. Never stop moving forward, Allen, remember that,�
he said, patting Allen�s white head. �I know you�ve been confused for a long
time now. I loved you for the memories you carried, Allen, but I loved you even
more for you. You were, in all ways but by blood, my son.�

�� A great feeling of warmth
engulfed Allen, and he hugged the man who had become his father.

�� The Crowned Clown wishes to do
something for you. You don�t need that curse anymore. The Akuma will dissolve
as the Innocence touches them. You won�t have an eye, though. I�m sorry for
cutting you. Please forgive me.�

�� Allen nodded against his chest.
He would forgive Mana for everything, even implanting him with the Fourteenth�s
memories. He�d forgiven the man for that long ago.

�� I�m sorry I cursed you, Allen.�

�� Allen nodded again, and the
vision dissolved. His eye was bleeding, but he could get that treated. He
didn�t need two eyes anyway.

---

�� His brain felt heavy, but the
vision came to him anyway. Vikram was there, holding Tuan�s machine gun.

�� Hey,
Chu-chan!� Vikram called, waving at him.

�� Vikram?�
He asked, not understanding.

�� Yup.
I�m dead, see, and the Innocence was like, �hey, wanna go visit Chu-chan and
have him come with you?� and I was like, �sure!�� Vikram explained.

�� As always, his pants were too
fucking low. Tuan reached out and slapped him. He wasn�t sure how much was for
the man�s idiocy and how much was ritual, but he slapped Vikram nonetheless.

�� What about Emiko?� He demanded
angrily.

�� Sasaki�ll be fine. I�m visiting
him next. But first, I came here to get you.�

�� Tuan shot him a questioning
glance. �Am I dead?� He asked, confused.

�� You�re going to be brain dead
in a few minutes, Chu-chan,� Vikram said, frowning and looking almost pityingly
at him. �Your Innocence didn�t want you stuck in your own head for the rest of
your vegetable life. I can take your soul with me. It�s really nice up in the
clouds. Food all the time. And your clothes never get
dirty.�

�� Tuan snorted. He took hold of
Vikram�s proffered hand and let himself be pulled up. �Wouldn�t want my clothes
to ever be dirty,� he chuckled. His Innocence made a little clicking noise. It
sounded almost like it was agreeing with him, laughing along with him. He
smiled at it fondly. He�d miss having it at his side.

---

�� Sasaki was empty but for the
nunchucks that were in front of him. He was alone, but it was as if he was
waiting for something. He was there for a while, just standing and looking
around into the blackness.

�� And then Vikram was there and
everything was right with the world. He walked over and embraced the man he
loved, hot tears leaking even though he didn�t want them to. Vikram pushed him
back a little and kissed him. It was a sad kiss, a good-bye kiss.

�� I wish we coulda had more time,
Sasa-chan,� Vikram said, shaking his head sadly. �Do me a favor, �kay?�

�� Sasaki nodded. He�d do anything.
Vikram was dead, so this was obviously a last request.

�� Tell my mom I�m sorry. Tell her
I love her. Oh, and dress like a guy again. You�re really hot when you do.�

�� Sasaki�s mouth fell open. �Come
again?� He asked, too shocked to think through what Vikram had just said. It
didn�t compute. Four-oh-four error.

�� You heard me. Now don�t go
doing anything stupid like killing yourself. I�ll see you in, like, eighty
years. I�m patient�I can wait that long. But you don�t have to wait. Find
yourself a nice guy and settle down. Be happy. I love you.� Vikram smiled at
him, kissed him once more, and trotted off, Sasaki�s nunchucks slung over his
shoulder.

�� Bye,� Sasaki whispered. Vikram
raised a hand, waving it in farewell as he disappeared into the blackness.

---

�� Justin was pretty sure he was
dreaming. After all, Siegfried had died in his arms the second the Innocence
had left him. Also, the pain where his hand had been had disappeared.

�� He didn�t like not having a
hand. Of course, he liked having his life, so it was really a moot point. He
just wished that Siegfried hadn�t had to bite it off. Fucking
Akuma bullets.

�� Also, Siegfried was talking.
Last time Justin checked, koalas didn�t talk.

�� To cauterize your hand
properly. I mean, it�s my fault you lost it in the first place, and I don�t
trust those stupid doctors to do it right. They don�t know shit. Anyway,
Justin, have a good life, �cause I ain�t gonna be
there.�

�� Siegfried walked out haughtily
and lazily, his steps deliberate and nearly cocky.

---

�� Hok�ee couldn�t feel anything.
He had hit his neck on something, had felt it break. Even in the vision before
him, he couldn�t feel farther down than his head.

�� Well, all the Innocence is
giving something to its accommodator, but I�ve got nothing for you. So what do
you want me to do?� His spear said, rocking back and forth.

�� It�d be great if I wasn�t a
quadriplegic,� Hok�ee muttered, not sure if he was being sarcastic or not.

�� I love your sense of humor.�
His spear wagged as if hedging around a topic. �But� um� yeah. You got some
serious damage. I think I can get rid of some of it. You�ll probably be
paralyzed from the waist down, though.�

�� Hok�ee considered it. Better
than nothing. �As long as I can move something,�
he said. His spear poked him, and feeling returned to his arms, chest, and
stomach. It didn�t return to his legs, but he figured he could live with it.
Wheelchairs weren�t that horrible. There were a lot of people worse off than
him.

�� Besides, he�d get one of those
ridiculous cars with the hand controls. He�d always wanted to drive one. Ash
would enjoy it. The crazy man would probably steal it.

---

�� Michel waved good-bye to his
chainsaw.

�� I�m glad you weren�t a fork,�
he said. His words were heartfelt. The chainsaw made a roaring noise that
sounded almost like laughter.

�� I�m giving you a better sense
of humor,� it said, its voice raspy but familiar.

�� No! I like my sense of humor!�
Michel felt his heart beat in fear.

�� Then I�m giving you badass
tattoo, man!�

�� Then it disappeared. Looking
down at his bicep, he saw a tiny, green chainsaw. It was surrounded by black
flames.

�� Michel smiled. It was kinda
badass. �Groovy,� he said.

---

�� Life was kinda unfair. It made
Akuma shoot his calf. It made him have to shoot the entire limb off just to
keep himself alive. And now his Innocence was going away. And all it was giving
Elliot was a reversal of trauma, whatever the hell that meant. He wanted
something cool. Or useful. Like meatloaf. Or a new leg.

---

�� Lolle was there. Her crystalline
blue eyes shone brightly with an unnamed emotion, and her blonde hair hung down
her back, shining just as her eyes did. She was wearing a simple pair of khakis
and a green shirt. She reached out a gauntleted arm to him. Lolek took her
hand, and though his Innocence left his arm, it was good to see her again,
touch her again.

�� I�ve missed you,� he said, a
pained tone to his voice.

�� Me too,� she admitted. �But
you�ve got a cute little woman now, so get over yourself.�

�� The Polish man nodded, unable to
deny his sister�s request. He supposed he had a bit of a sister complex, but he
couldn�t quite bring himself to care.

�� I�m giving you the ability to
move on. No offense, Lolek, but you kind of need it.� She grimaced, but Lolek
laughed.

�� I know I do,� he agreed. Lolle
laughed too, her voice like bells and chimes in the wind. But maybe Lolek was a
little biased. He hadn�t heard it in so long, after all.

�� Hey, go visit Mutti and Vati
sometimes. And take Miranda with you. You guys are really cute together.
And�oh, never mind, you�ll figure it out soon enough, I�m sure.�

�� She smiled at him and removed her
hand from his, patting her twin lightly on the forearm before moving off.
�We�ll see each other in a long while. We�ll talk then, okay?�

�� Lolek nodded. For the first time,
he could look back on his memories of his sister with fondness.

---

�� Miranda had always liked that
grandfather clock. It was so much like her�neglected, loved by few, but still
ticking on. It had been the first thing she�d felt a real affinity to. It had
helped her to gain confidence in herself and in others. She had been able to
fight strongly and be useful for the first time in her life.��

�� The clock ticked forward. It
felt like it was ticking on without her now. Perhaps, though, that was for the
best. Innocence could only last so long.

�� It wasn�t tired of her, though,
nor was she tired of it. They stood there in silent understanding.

�� You want to give me
confidence,� she said. The clock ticked on. �You already have. I�m sorry we
couldn�t have longer together.�

�� The clock continued to tick, and
Miranda hugged it. She felt a warm, ghostlike touch on her upper back, over her
shoulders. It felt like her clock was hugging her back.

�� Thank you,� she said, smiling
peacefully.

---

�� Tamas waved good-bye to his
machete. He�d miss it. He�d have to buy another one. He figured that lessening
his burns was a good enough parting gift. He was pretty sure his face had
dissolved away completely from the acid, so perhaps it was good that his
Innocence had sought to fix that. He liked his face, after all. Tamas smiled to
himself, even though it was painful and he could only use one side of his
mouth. What wasn�t to like?

---

�� Cyrah held her whip, fingering
each tail from handle to claw. She wanted to memorize it, each contour, each line. She didn�t know how she knew it, but her gut told
her that once she let it go, she�d never see it again. It wasn�t like losing
her baby. It wasn�t like losing Chu-chan. It was different, a different kind of
sorrow, a different kind of parting. She couldn�t put her finger on it, but it
was a different kind of hurt. It was dull and throbbing, she supposed, rather
than sharp and aching.

�� Her adoptive son walked into the
darkness that she took to be Innocence-induced. He walked up to her, taking the
whip from her limp hands. Cyrah looked up at him from her seated position. Tuan
pulled her up, embracing her tightly.

�� Your Innocence talked to Faith
for a bit. It didn�t have the power to give you what you most wanted, but Faith
has it. Your Innocence let me come here to tell you,� Tuan said quietly.

�� What is it, Tuan?� Cyrah asked,
burying her head in his shoulder. It was amazing how tall he�d gotten, how
strong his muscles seemed to be.

�� Well, you know the whole
concept of immaculate conception?� He hedged. Cyrah froze.

�� What?� She asked, pulling back
and looking into her son�s eyes.

�� When Faith releases an emotion,
she normally finds a couple who has� copulated
recently. She then implants her baby there, and it leeches off the mother�s
genes. All the Noahs are related through Faith, who takes the �father� genes,
so to speak. So, you�re going to be a mother. Faith released her Hope. She said
it was fitting, though I don�t know what she meant by that.� Tuan shrugged.

�� Hope for a new start, maybe,�
Cyrah found herself whispering. The answer came from deep inside her. She hoped
her baby wasn�t taking over her mind.

�� Hey�Cyrah?�
Tuan asked, looking her straight in the eyes.

�� What?� She asked, curious as to
what Tuan wanted.

�� My body�s still alive, but I�m
dead. Vikram took me with him. Don�t let them keep me too long. It�s
depressing. Just� I�m happy where I am, okay?�

�� Cyrah nodded mutely, a tear
falling. �You�re really� gone?�

�� Yes, but we�ll see each other
again someday. Listen, my time�s almost up�the Innocence can only keep this up
for so long�but I just want to say that you�re the best mom ever.�

�� He walked off before Cyrah could
respond.

---

�� Amanda was stunned by the sight
before her. She had been standing all alone in the darkness, when suddenly
Artemis was standing in front of her, smiling like she always would when she was
listening to Amanda complain or cry or rage about whatever was on her mind. It
was the same peaceful smile that she had worn when she had died.

�� Hey, Mandy!�
Artemis called, twirling Amanda�s discus on her right pointer finger.

�� Artemis!� Amanda called back,
running forward to embrace her best friend. The discus fell to the ground. They
ignored it. They were too busy hugging.

�� Mandy, I�m going to give you
sight in your eye. You deserve to keep seeing,� she said. Amanda hugged her
tighter, screwing up her face to keep the tears from coming. It hurt, though
not as much as the burn that swept through her eye. It was like a migraine. Only in her eye. �Keep on living, Mandy. Things are going to
get tough, but they�ll turn out for the best, you�ll see. Oh, and thanks for
killing that abomination. It didn�t deserve my face. It didn�t do enough
drugs.�

�� Amanda laughed. �I�m really
pissed you left. They don�t have whatever painkiller you gave me for cramps.�

�� It�s called Tylenol, babe.
Extra strength,� Artemis said, smiling.

�� Really?�
Amanda didn�t believe her.

�� I�m not lying�which is a first,
but still� I never lied to you anyway, so don�t take it with a grain of salt!�
Artemis hit her lightly on her uninjured shoulder, laughing along with Amanda.

�� That�s what you always say,�
Amanda responded, rolling her eyes. The other one was working now, though it
was very blurry still, and it hurt like a motherfucker.

�� If you ever need some
painkillers, Tylenol�s the best. You want Cocaine or any of that shit, though,
and I�ll kill you. And for God�s sake, don�t complain to Mr. Darcy about your
cramps.�

�� Oh, but it�s
fun to see him cringe!�

�� Artemis shot her a playful but
withering look. Amanda pretended to recoil, but she couldn�t really say how
much she had missed that expression.

�� I�ll miss you, Mandy. But I�ll
see you eventually, so don�t overdose or anything.� Artemis�s peaceful
expression was still in place, and they hugged once more before she walked off,
disappearing into the darkness.

�� I�ll miss you, too,� Amanda
whispered to herself as the darkness faded and was replaced with the screams of
the battlefield.

---

�� Darcy stared out into the
darkness. He was quite alone. He�d have to get used to that, though. He would
always be alone after this. He and� well, it just wouldn�t work. Too young was all he could think. Too desperate ultimately followed that
first thought. After that came too fast.

�� They were happy, but they
couldn�t be together. It wasn�t right.

�� Don�t be stupid, Mr. Darcy,�
his Innocence said, its voice muffled because it was still sheathed. Darcy
pushed it away.

�� Shut up. She was only with me
because��

�� I�m just saying that I can only
offer you advice.�

�� Yeah, you�ve said it already:
�don�t do it.� Well, you can fuck off.� Darcy scowled down at his cutlass.

�� That attitude�s gonna get you
in trouble. Anyway, since you�re set on doing it, I�ll just say that you�re
making the wrong choice, you�re gonna regret it, et cetera, et cetera, et
cetera. I�ll miss you!�

�� It detached itself from the belt
around Darcy�s waist and bounced, sheath and all, away from him forever.

�� Darcy would miss it, too. But he
wasn�t making the wrong decision.

---

�� There were four corners in the
darkness, and Lavi recognized it immediately as a darkened form of his mind.
From the Exorcist corner, his hammer sailed out, looking majestic.

�� Tettsui!�
Lavi shouted excitedly, using its real name for the first time. It scoffed at
him in a way that reminded Lavi of Yuu. But then, lots of things reminded him
of Yuu.

�� Yo, Liam-Lavi-Hybrid,� it
replied. It began to whistle a jaunty tune. When it was finished, it hopped
over on its handle and bonked Lavi on the head. �You�re an idiot. So I�m gonna
give you some balance. �Cause you�re insane. Yeah, you need balance.�

�� It hit him again. �You�re a
strange one, Oodzuchi Kodzuchi,� Lavi said, smiling even though Yuu was hurt.

�� Nothing compared to you,
Liam-Lavi-Hybrid. And the name�s Tettsui,� it shot back. Lavi�s smile remained.

�� Bye, then, Tettsui.�

�� Farewell, Liam-Lavi-Hybrid.�

�� Lavi rolled his eye, and the
world came back into focus as his darkened mind faded. Everything seemed just a
little clearer, in an imperceptible way.

---

�� Yuu didn�t want Mugen to go. He
clung onto the hilt with near-desperation. It had been the one thing that had
locked him in life for the longest time.

�� You don�t need me�unhand me,
bastard,� Mugen growled. If swords could scowl, that was what it would be
doing.

�� Yes, I do. Don�t� fuck� don�t
leave me.� Yuu hated that he was begging, but he�d make an exception just to
keep Mugen with him for a little longer.

�� You have Lavi now, you don�t
need me. And I feel fucking useless. You�re already healing, so I don�t need to
do that. But� you know what, that Lotus Spell is annoying. It�s infuriating. I
think I�ll break it.�

�� Something deep inside Yuu snapped, and it felt like he was
breathing fire and acid and ice all at the same time. He unintentionally let
Mugen go.

�� Sorry. I didn�t realize it
would hurt. You�re going to need time to heal. So I�ll stick around until
you�re back to your best. Then I�m gone�deal?�

�� Yuu glared at Mugen but nodded.
The pain was already gone, though a deep, encompassing fatigue was taking its
place. Mugen looked a bit smug and patted him�if such a thing was possible�with
something that was mostly sympathy and a little bit of something else that Yuu was
too tired to decipher.

�� Lavi�� he sighed out as he fell
down, down, down�

�� He didn�t see the world
reappear.

---

�� LENALEEEEEEE!�

�� She would recognize that voice
anywhere.

�� Gege!� She yelled, turning and
seeing her brother running at her with arms outstretched. �Komui, I missed
you!� She ran into his arms, and he picked her up, twirling her around as they
embraced. Eventually, Komui lost his balance, and they fell to the ground. But
they just lay there, hugging each other quietly.

�� It�s so sad without you.
Everyone�s mean to me�Reever especially. He says I whine all the time, but I
don�t!�

�� Lenalee rolled her eyes. �You
whine, Gege,� she said, sighing at
the familiarity of it all. It felt so good
to talk to him. Komui looked up at one of the darkened walls and frowned.

�� So� Allen,
huh?� He asked, his eyes narrowing. Lenalee blushed but forced herself
to answer.

�� Yes. And if you even think of making a Komurin or coming back
from the dead to haunt him, I�ll be really mad, Gege, because I really love him. I� love Allen. A
lot.� It was embarrassing, confessing this to her older brother, but she
was surprised when he hugged her tighter, nodding in acceptance.

�� If he hurts you, I can�t
promise I won�t haunt him, but I�ll give him the benefit of the doubt until
then,� he agreed, sounding reluctant. Still, at least he was accepting.

�� That won�t ever happen,�
Lenalee said with complete surety.

�� I know,� Komui replied,
sounding somewhat depressed.

�� It�s okay, though, Gege. I have a full half a wall for you.
And you won�t be replaced by Lolek.�

�� Komui harrumphed and pulled
back, crossing his arms in front of his chest, pouting. �I�d better not.�

�� Lenalee laughed. �So, there must
be a reason you�re here,� she began. Komui looked away.

�� You�re still very hurt from
what� Leverrier�� he spat the name
like it was a curse, ��did to you. I�m here in place of your Dark Boots. They
wanted me to come and help give you a little tilt in the right direction. I�m
here to even everything out, to stabilize all the slightly off-balance
portraits. I�m here to make your world right.� He smiled at her and sat up,
dusting off the light, Chinese-style pants he was wearing. He offered her his
hands, and she took them, allowing herself to be pulled up.

�� Komui hugged her again.

�� Gege,� Lenalee said. Komui made a little �I�m hearing you� noise. �You�re
a good brother. Get over your complex, though.�

�� Never,� he said, hugging her
briefly before practically skipping off. Lenalee rolled her eyes but let
reality return.

�� Allen was next to her as the
blackness faded back into the world. They were both standing, facing the
sunrise. It had moved farther into the sky than it had been when the world had
lurched, when her Innocence had given her something priceless and needed, when
she had seen Komui again. Allen�s right hand was still in Lenalee�s left as
they stared out into the surreal light created by the pure drops of Innocent
rain.

THE
END

---

A/N:
So now the title makes sense, ne? Oh,
and there�s a quick little epilogue, too. That�ll be up soon. And then there�ll
be the epilogue story. Which is a completely different thing. Anyway�
WHOO! The Final Battle was quite possibly the hardest thing we had to write. It
took us an entire week. ^_^;;; Sorry if the Innocence
bits were a bit boring. Ah well. Anyway, it is currently a quarter �til five in
the morning, and we�d really like some sleep� so� *zonk*

A/N 2: Heh heh. Whaddaya know, it�s over. ;_; I think our fave part of the chapter is the bit about
the meatloaf.
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Innocent Rain