Hello everyone! A oneshot again!
I've had this idea bugging me for quite a while now, and I finally wrote it down, though I really don't know if it's any good so... I'm counting on you to tell me whether it's awesome or dreadful^^!
Also, I'm French and English therefore isn't my native language. Please tell me about any spelling or grammar mistakes, I will correct them immediately. Thanks!
Title: Betrayed Heroes
Author: Tango Dancer
Summary: [Oneshot] There has been an empty seat at the Head Table for ten years. Rumors run around about Professor Neah Walker, the only one Professor Mugen could actually talk civilly with. One day, he returns. And with him, the endless circle of war starts spinning again. The Golden Trio and three transfers from the Rose Cross Academy investigate... And discover the unbelievable truth. D. Gray Man/HP Crossover.
Warnings: Takes place in the 2000s, Harry and the gang are in their sixth year, so I altered both timelines a bit. 200 years after DGM canon. Slash.
Word Count: 7179
Pairings: Kanda/Allen
It was raining when the Sorting Ceremony started in the Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The students from second to seventh year watched silently as the first years made their way up to the front of the room, led by Professor McGonagall, and listened in varying levels of boredom as the hat sent the new first years to one of the four Houses.
Harry looked at the Head table as he distractedly listened to the sorting. Dumbledore looked positively gleeful, as always, while Snape, on the other hand, seemed to barely resist the urge to snap. And next to him, the Muggle Defense and Hidden History teacher, Mugen Yuu, wasn't even looking at the ceremony, his dark black hair pulled in a tight ponytail at the top of his head with a few strands framing his face and shadowing his eyes, and a single gold earring dangling from his left earlobe. The handle of his beloved katana could be seen from over his shoulder, and his dark eyes were glaring at nothing in particular.
Harry turned back to the sorting when the hat wasn't immediately removed by the stern Head of Gryffindor at the end of the ceremony and the Headmaster stood up.
"We will be hosting three transfer students this year, from the Rose Cross Academy in Japan. They will be joining the sixth years. I trust that you will welcome them and make them feel at ease during their stay at Hogwarts. Thank you."
Three teenagers entered through the massive ornate doors, all clad in the same black and silver uniform, with an intricate silver cross on their left breast, and high black boots. A girl, and two boys. The girl had short dark brown hair and hazel eyes and was wearing a short skirt which immediately got half the student population drooling over her long legs. The tall, blue-eyed teenager, had messy dark red hair, and was wearing black pants, while the last boy, a green-eyed pale-blonde teenager, had white pants and knee-high boots.
They walked up to the stage, and nodded at McGonagall, who rose her name list and read:
"Ling, Liu."
The girl stepped forward and sat down.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Snape sneered as the blonde-haired male responded to the call of "Nakovitz, Alekseï", who was also sent to Gryffindor. Then, the last one, "Corel, Camille" put the hat on his head. And was sorted in the same House as the other two. The lions cheered loudly as they introduced themselves and welcomed the newcomers into the house.
Everybody settled down as the Headmaster stood up once more, arms wide open.
"Now that our last students are finally sorted, I'm sure you are all dying to taste the succulent feast our house elves prepared for us, so I shan't delay any longer. The announcements can wait. Tuck in!"
Food appeared on the tables, much to the satisfaction of the students, who gleefully started helping themselves shamelessly, uncaring of the view they presented to others.
"Who's the long-haired teacher?" Liu asked Harry, as she was sitting next to him.
He turned to glance at the dark man, and saw that he was eating wordlessly, and that no one was stupid enough to try and engage him in a conversation.
"That's Professor Mugen, he's Japanese. He's been here for a long time, teaches Muggle Defense and Dark History."
"But why is there an empty chair beside him?" Camille wondered aloud.
Hermione leaned forward.
"That's because of Professor Walker. He's the real Dark History Professor, but nobody has seen him in over a decade. According to the oldest students when we started first year, he was a great teacher, very kind though strange, but he disappeared suddenly."
"Really? What happened? And why do they keep the seat for him?"
"That's the thing, mate." Ron piped in as he swallowed a mouthful of pumpkin juice. "Nobody knows. But he and Professor Mugen used to spend a lot of time together."
"That's strange." Liu concluded, looking interested.
Hermione smiled.
"Yeah. I hope he comes back before we graduate, I'd love to know what he is like."
The three exorcists looked around as they ate, listening in on the ongoing conversations, and deduced that they weren't the only ones to be intrigued by the empty chair, and the tale of the missing professor.
The announcements weren't anything special, and soon, the Golden Trio was leading the transfers to the Gryffindor dorms. They quickly settled down and turned in, not wanting to be too tired on the first day of classes.
o-O-o
They quickly got settled on a daily routine, and soon, Friday arrived, which was only taken with Professor's Mugen's classes.
Right after breakfast, the three exorcists and the Golden Trio had just stepped out and into the bleachers in the arena reserved to the Muggle Defense classes when the teacher entered, long dark hair trailing behind him as his black coat billowed around his legs, his katana carefully strapped to his hip.
"For those who have forgotten, I'm Professor Mugen. This is a Muggle Defense class, and whether you like it or not, you're going to sweat. I won't tolerate any disobedience, and if you think you can get away with not following the rules, you're sadly mistaken. Annoy me, and you won't walk out of here in one piece. Am I clear?"
Heavy silence met his question.
"I'll take that as a yes. Now... In a fight, the tiniest mistake can be your downfall, and stamina is the base of any efficient training. So, since I'm pretty sure that none of you did any exercise during the holidays, you're going to start by running three laps around the lake. That should do as a warm-up."
The students -bar the three exorcists looked at the black lake in horror, gaping at its size, then turned back to protest... only to be met with fierce dark blue eyes.
"Comments?"
Ron, who had opened his mouth already, snapped it shut, and chose to grumble under his breath instead, before following the rest of the class to the edge of the bank.
"I'm waiting." Kanda said drily as they lingered by the water, reluctant to start running, and they immediately got to work.
Ten minutes later, the dark-haired man noticed that three students were clearly ahead of the others, but though they were going at a good pace, it wasn't anything remarkable yet. He could complete the three laps in half an hour, but they were only done with half the first lap in the time it took him to complete one.
Kanda sighed. This was going to be a long year. Giving up the watching, he unsheathed Mugen, took off his long coat, and took a low combat stance, sword firmly gripped in both hands, pointing forwards, feet strategically place to allow him the greatest balance possible.
Very slowly, he started to move, starting with slow, tiny steps at first, then taking the exercise up a notch by swinging his katana in more and more complicated moves before he was finally completely warmed up and moving quickly in his favorite sword routine, a series of gracious movements an onlooker would call a dance, for it really seemed like it.
That's how the students found him when they finally dragged themselves back to the arena, only to find him performing the sword dance at unbelievable speed, not breaking a sweat, long strands of raven black hair whirling savagely around his head, and his blade a bright flash of light here and there.
o-O-o
Professor Mugen, they soon came to understand, was a loner.
He never talked to anyone unless forced to, had a killer glare, and could be very rude when he wanted to. His favorite way of answering when annoyed was "che", and he didn't let them slack off. The Dark History class strongly surprised the exorcists by dealing with the war between the Millenium Earl and the Black Order, and they quickly found out that despite being rude and harsh, the quiet professor was the best when it came to make people memorize important dates and teaching potentially boring topics. They wished they'd got him in History of Magic as well.
Another thing they learned about Professor Mugen: he positively hated the three new students. As soon as he had seen them, really seen them, and taken in their uniforms, he had activated his most vicious glare, and started using them for demonstrations, enjoying each and every occasions he got to humiliate them and throw them in the dust.
The trio didn't understand the reasons of this animosity, but since they couldn't say anything, they simply endured and observed, trying to catch a hint as to why he treated them this way.
But the man never let anything slip, and since the only times he spoke were either to answer a question, or yell against someone, there really wasn't anything to analyze.
It would last until Halloween.
o-O-o
"I hate Halloween."
Harry's declaration got the exorcists' attention, and Liu put her fork down on the table.
"Why?" She asked curiously.
Ron grimaced as Harry started:
"Well, something always happens on Halloween, and it's bad. First year, for example, Quirrell got a troll in, and we had to fight it. Hermione nearly got killed!"
"Oh, come on, I'm sure this year will be cool." Camille said cheerfully.
Harry sighed.
"Yeah, let's hope you're right. I'm tired of trouble finding me."
They laughed heartily at his plight and the dramatic tone he had used.
"Well, anyway, I know of at least one person who looks like he hates Halloween as much as you do..." Liu observed, before jerking her chin at Professor Mugen.
The man was sitting between Snape and the empty chair, as always, but he was frowning, and picking at his food. An unusual sight. Professor Mugen was always calm, composed, and never did something as common as picking at his food. They stared at him as he went on like that, before suddenly, just as Dumbledore was leaning to the side to tell him something, his head snapped up, dark blue eyes staring intensely at the doors.
Lightning flashed in the Hall, tearing screams from some students.
The doors burst open.
"Here it comes." Harry sighed.
o-O-o
There stood someone, wrapped in a black cloak dripping with water, a small puddle forming on the ground. The teachers had their wands pointed at the newcomer in a second, already asking him for identity and his purpose in coming here to Hogwarts.
"Wait."
Mugen's voice rang like thunder in the complete silence of the Hall, and everybody stared as he stood up and started walking over to where the newcomer had stopped, half-way up to the head table, between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables. The man stopped a few feet from the stranger, and stared him down.
They faced each other in silence.
o-O-o
"Took you long enough, baka moyashi!"
The other's head jerked in annoyance, making his hood fall down on his shoulders, and they gasped at his appearance.
Pure silver hair were tied in a long ponytail gently resting on the man's shoulder, framing a porcelain-like face, with large silver-gray eyes, and pink lips. The man's features were delicate, almost feminine, with his pale skin, delicate cheekbones and long fingers. They couldn't really see more, but for the fact that he wasn't overly tall, and the most beautiful creature they had ever seen.
o-O-o
"The name's Neah, N-E-A-H, you retarded samurai!"
The voice was also melodious, despite the harsh words, though they had been said without any ill intent.
"You still look like an old man, moyashi!"
"And you're still incapable to remember my name, idiot stabbing maniac!"
"Bean sprout!"
"Long hair!"
"Old man!"
"Girlie!"
"Idiotic..."
Students and teachers alike watched with growing disbelief as the normally composed and aloof professor lost his cool and bickered childishly with a complete stranger... well, to the students, at least.
"Welcome back among us, Professor Walker!"
Dumbledore's announcement shut the two of them up, and made the bewildered students stare even more. So the man was the famous teacher? Seriously? The Golden Trio looked at each other. He didn't look a day over twenty-four, meaning that he would have been teaching at fourteen if he had left ten years prior! That was preposterous!
Allen turned to the old wizard and smiled thinly.
"Good evening, Headmaster. I must say I missed Hogwarts very much."
"I hope you're here to stay?"
"Indeed."
"As you can see, your seat is still there, waiting for you, and Professor Mugen has been running your class in your absence. Now that you're back, no doubt that you can start teaching again."
The man smiled and nodded.
"Of course. I'll gladly enjoy the feast first, though. I've traveled from far."
Mugen snorted and spun around, heading back to the head table, but the most observant people in the room, meaning Snape, Dumbledore, a few teachers, the exorcist trio and Hermione, caught the way his eyes softened as he had bickered with the smaller man, and the worry lines on his forehead had eased and disappeared.
Behind him, the newly reappeared Professor Walker smiled softly, a gentle look illuminating his angelic features, before following noiselessly and taking his place.
The chair that had been empty for the past ten years was filled at last.
o-O-o
"As you have seen yesterday evening, Professor Walker has come back to us. He will go back to teaching Dark History as of today. I trust you will welcome him home, despite not knowing him yet. I'm sure our old students would have loved being here, but alas, it was not to be..." He smiled. "Well, now that this is said, off you go!"
Slowly, the students trickled out of the Great Hall, and headed to class. The sixth years couldn't wait for the bell to ring: it was Friday, and this meant that they had Muggle Defense with Mugen, and then, Dark History with the strange teacher, whom nobody had really had a clear view of up until now.
They knew to do their laps before entering the arena -the professor had been quick to err... educate them.
When they were finished, they went back to the arena and stopped at the edge, gasping as they saw what was happening in there.
The teachers were fighting.
And I mean, really fighting.
Mugen had just sent Walker flying back into the wooden wall with a strong kick in the stomach, but the silver-haired teacher flipped over in the air, bounced on the wood and charged back at him, a long, black katana materializing in his hands as he advanced.
Mugen rose his own weapon quickly and blocked the slash. The blades collided with a shower of sparks, and they froze for a second, allowing the onlookers to see their faces as they tried to win the strength contest.
The small teacher didn't look like much, with his lithe body and feminine features, but he could hold his own in a fight, that was for sure, Alekseï thought as he watched on, noticing the look their faces sported as they fought.
Both pair of eyes were narrowed in effort and concentration, and at the same time, it was clear that they were enjoying themselves, fire burning in the dark blue eyes, and a small exhilarated smile tugging at Neah's mouth. Then, suddenly, they gave one more push, and were thrown backwards at the same time, only to charge once more.
But the slight pause had been enough for the wizards to see the thin trail of blood on Mugen's arm.
"You're getting old, long hair!" Walker taunted as he slashed downwards, but was forced to roll on the side quickly to avoid getting cut in two. Blood splattered on the ground.
"So are you, Moyashi." Mugen commented smugly.
Allen landed gracefully on his feet, head slightly bowed as his bangs shadowed his eyes, before slowly standing up to face the older professor. They stood face to face like this for a second, before suddenly, he rose he head, displaying a wide smile, as he fell into a low stance, ignoring the bloody gash on his chest.
"Let's see who dies first, Ba..."
"I have a class to teach, Moyashi." Mugen interrupted.
Allen straightened up begrudgingly, and the both of them wiped their katana clean of blood in the same sudden arm movement, before sheathing it, and turning to the class.
"Stretch." Mugen ordered, and they started on the routine he had taught them at the first lesson, while trying to get a good look at the silver-haired teacher, who still had his back to them. Finally, he turned around to talk to the dark-haired professor, and they couldn't help but gape at his appearance.
A dark red, jagged scar ran from right above his jaw to his brow, were it ended in an upside-down pentacle. His eyes looked old, older than a twenty-four year old man's should ever be: he had the same indefinable look in his eyes that the wizards could only compare to Dumbledore or Snape's eyes, but the exorcists had seen in the eyes of their most seasoned generals and fighters.
Only veterans from a war, people who had seen and faced death countless times, lost everything yet survived for a reason they couldn't understand, had this terrible, slightly glazed over look, this sorrow-filled, pained, grieving shadow in the orbs that should be full of life.
But there was something else in there, something they couldn't truly define, a feeling that they couldn't even describe, for it was far too alien to them, yet, could be seen in both Professor Mugen's and Walker's eyes.
"Betrayal."
Liu glanced at Alekseï, surprised, but he simply nodded.
"This look is betrayal." He said in a low voice, so as not to be heard.
But the man still seemed to catch what they'd said, for that silvery gaze landed on them... And widened in shock.
The three exorcists watched in puzzlement and interest as the teacher just stood there for a second, staring at them and taking in their uniforms, before his head snapped towards Mugen, who had just put a hand on his shoulder.
They looked at each other silently for a few seconds, wordlessly communicating, before Walker looked down, then back up at them, looking determinedly at them. He made to move over to them, but the fingers on his shoulder tightened.
"Moyashi..."
He stopped, standing very stiff.
"Yeah... I know."
And then he was gone.
Professor Mugen watched him go in silence, dark eyes clouded with regret and grief as he stared at the retreating back silently.
o-O-o
Time passed, and the three exorcists were quickly included in the Golden Trio's nightly wanderings. This is how they started to see that the relationship between the two teachers, Professors Mugen and Walker, was nothing like the light friendship the majority of the school had been led to believe by their usual bickering.
They had been walking around when Harry decided they should just go to the Astronomy tower, one of his favorite places to get some time to himself. They climbed up the stairs quietly just in case there was somebody up there, and were proven right when the tall silhouette of their Muggle Defense Professor was revealed, standing very tall on the edge of the wall, as if he were going to commit suicide. His straight posture and the way his eyes were gazing up at the moon belied that supposition, though, and they quietly slipped in the shadows, hoping to discover his secrets if they stayed here.
Nothing happened for a while.
It was more like the distant man was keeping watch than anything else.
Then, he reached up and took off his hairband, allowing his long raven black strands to flutter freely around his head, shining softly under the moonlight.
Silver gleamed in the night, and Professor Walker emerged from the stairs noiselessly, not a single footstep having warned them of his approach. He was clad in a simple black sleeveless, form-fitting black top, the same as Kanda, with black pants and knee-high black boots. The black katana was strapped to his back.
The man strode forward quietly, and went to stand by Mugen's side, not saying anything as his silver hair shone quietly in the dark.
"Something's stirring." Mugen's voice broke the silence, and Walker nodded.
"So you can feel it too. I wasn't sure."
"It has something to do with the exorcists."
"Not them personally, but close enough. Akumas have been created. And they have evolved."
Mugen glanced at the smaller man in silent questioning. Under the cloak, Liu, Camille and Alekseï glanced at each other in alarm.
"They will come here soon."
"Soon is very vague."
The silver-haired man looked up, a soft, sad smile playing on his lips.
"And time is such a ridiculous notion..."
"Soon could be tomorrow or in twenty years, Neah."
They fell silent for a while.
o-O-o
"I missed you."
Allen looked up, smiling.
Kanda wished the sadness would disappeared from this soft smile, and the happiness from all these years ago would come back.
He knew it would never happen.
Allen had suffered too much. They had suffered too much.
"I missed you too. I thought of you every day."
"Che."
Allen laughed quietly, to the utter astonishment of the hidden students. But then, Kanda spun around, wrapped his arms around the smaller exorcist's waist, and hugged him to his chest, raven black strands of hair mingling with silver as he buried his face in the crook of his neck. Allen was surprised at first, but then, he embraced him back, clutching at the fabric of his shirt and inhaling deeply.
"Don't leave again."
Don't leave me ever again.
Neah nodded silently.
"I'll always be there with you." He whispered, caressing Kanda's chest gently, right over his heart, and the former curse tattoo.
A quiet confession in the night.
"I love you."
o-O-o
So the two strange teachers knew about exorcists, and Akumas, and what the three transfers were. That was not really surprising, considering the subjects they taught. What worried the two trios, though, was that they said something was coming. What's more, they were certain that the both of them had many more secrets than their relationship -a very well hidden relationship, that was for sure, and their extensive knowledge of the Hidden War.
That's why the six students found themselves spying on Walker and Mugen once again a few weeks later.
The two teachers were standing by the lake, silently watching the water as a tentacle periodically broke through the surface.
"How's your arm?"
Walker looked surprised at the question, but answered nonetheless.
"It's been throbbing for some time now."
"They're coming."
"Yes."
"Akumas, or Noahs?"
"I don't know. Maybe both."
"You don't think...?"
There was a pause, before Walker spoke again.
"No. He was killed at the Final Battle. We all saw his body disappear. And the Noah felt it too. Road was..."
"I remember."
Of course he did. The shock of the Millenium Earl had been so hard for her that she had snapped, and managed to send Allen to the hospital wing for weeks thanks to a surprise attack on the boy, whose fight against the Earl had considerably weakened.
Never had Kanda been so worried about someone, but for an entire week, they had feared the silver-haired exorcist might die.
And he had. Twice.
"We'll have to wipe them out this time. No mercy." Mugen declared, and the six students were surprised by the harshness of his tone.
"Let the exorcists fight before. We shouldn't reveal ourselves unless absolutely necessary." Walker advised, but the other snorted.
"Che. They're weak as hell. Had I not recognized their uniform, I would never have guessed they were exorcists. Their synchronization rate must be pretty low for me not to feel their power, or lack, thereof."
Walker smiled.
"That's because you're too powerful yourself, Bakanda."
"Shut up, moyashi."
"The name's Allen, Bakanda, A-L-L-E-N."
The older man didn't answer, merely returning to watching the quiet waters of the lake.
"It's a good thing we didn't slack off all this time." He remarked.
Walker -was that even his real name?- nodded.
"Yes. Even if they might be able to handle up to level 3, even Jasdero could crush them in a minute."
Silence again.
"Why do you think they recreated the Black Order? After..." He trailed off.
"You felt it like me," the shorter teacher answered quietly, "Akumas are being created. It means that the survivors have regained enough strength to gather an army and... We should have been more cautious back then."
Dark hair fluttered angrily as their owner spun around, facing his companion furiously.
"Stop that, baka moyashi. You know that we couldn't have. You weren't in any state to go confront the last ones, and with the Order and the Noahs after us, we could never have gone anywhere without being hunted down. Ultimately, we would have been caught, tortured, experimented on, and executed. And after all we'd been through, neither of us was ready to die."
A pause. Then, a weak chuckle.
"Lenalee said something like that, remember? And Lavi, too."
"Che. The baka usagi had nothing of a Bookman." Kanda scowled.
The exorcists felt their eyes widen at the word. They knew about Bookmen?
"That guy, Camille. He looks like him, doesn't he?"
"The Ling girl is Chinese."
"You can mock me all you want but... when I saw them for the first time, I saw ourselves all those years ago. Camille and Lavi, Liu and Lenalee, they even have almost the same name, Alekseï and myself..."
"Except you weren't a weakling."
Allen turned to Kanda, arching a teasing eyebrow.
"Did the great Kanda Yuu just compliment me?"
"Che."
o-O-o
"Hey! What's got into you, Aleks'?"
"I know their names! I know their names! Allen Walker and Kanda Yuu! Walker, Kanda, doesn't that remind you of something? Come on!"
The two other exorcists thought intensely about it, digging through their memories, trying to find the reason why the two names seemed so awfully familiar yet distant. The blonde Bookman apprentice was currently skipping through the contents of a large book, in a researching frenzy, before he suddenly froze.
"Found it! Look!"
It was a thick book entitled The Black Oder and its History: Chronicles of the Hidden War.
"Chapter twenty, the eighteenth century and the search of the Heart of Innocence." Alekseï elaborated, and they looked at the group picture the blonde was pointing at. The legend said it represented the Headquarters Supervisor Komui Lee, the Asian Branch Director Bak Chan, a few scientists, and the remaining exorcists of the time, bar the generals.
"Look."
There they were. Standing side by side, silver hair still only shoulder length and long black hair tied in a high ponytail, one smiling softly, the other frowning, while a red-head with a single emerald eye and a green headband had his arms slung over their shoulders, bringing them together. A dark-haired girl with long pigtails was laughing gently, while the other exorcists, a tall, vampiric man, a sturdy man with a spiky ponytail, an old man with panda-like markings around his eyes and a shy woman smiled gently at the camera. The legend said: The exorcists before the Ark battle: Miranda Lotto, Lenalee Lee, Arystar Krory, Chaoji, Bookman, Bookman Jr. aka Lavi, Allen Walker and Kanda Yuu.
They turned the page to see if there was more information, and indeed, there was. And it was solely dedicated to the last two.
There was a large picture of Kanda, his Katana unsheathed as he held two shining blue blades in his hands and faced off a curly-haired Noah, gold-trimmed uniform fluttering from the power used. He looked incredibly powerful there, and murderous. They shivered at the thought that it was most likely that man who was teaching them Muggle Defense.
Kanda Yuu, only surviving subject of the Artificial Apostles project, elaborated by the American Branch. His innocence, Mugen, is an equipment type shaped like a Katana. Kanda Yuu was known for his violent temper and harsh rivalry with Allen Walker, the apprentice of General Marian Cross, and also for becoming a General very young. Kanda Yuu disappeared after the Final Battle in the slaughter which saw the death of all the remaining exorcists of the Black Order, and which hasn't been solved as of today.
Turning the page, they were now faced with Allen's serious face. The man looked younger, with shoulder-length hair, a frown on his usually smiling face. He was wearing the uniform of the Generals.
Allen Walker, aka the Musician, Neah, fourteenth Noah. After turning his father into an Akuma at the age of five, Allen Walker was taken in by General Marian Cross until he was fifteen, when he joined the Black Order and became a full-fledged exorcist. He reached critical point during the Ark Battle against the Noah of Pleasure, and was promoted to General rank a few weeks later. Allen Walker destroyed the Millenium Earl during the Final Battle, thus fulfilling the prophecy of the Destroyer of Time made by Hevlaska. He disappeared at the same time as Kanda Yuu, after the Black Order slaughter, and is remembered as the most powerful exorcist up to this day, despite being the reincarnation of the fourteenth Noah, Neah.
Shocked silence fell upon the six as they finished reading and looked at each other, practically gaping.
"But that would make them at least two hundred years old!" Ron finally protested.
Two hundred years old indeed, how had that happened, they could only wonder.
o-O-o
They decided not to say anything, and to watch the two teachers instead. The old look in their eyes, the wisdom with which they looked at the world, and their silent attitudes, the companionship they shared, their intense relationship, everything became clear in that short time they had to observe them while actually knowing who they really were.
And that only made them more fascinating.
For they were the only ones to know of the secrets of the old Black Order, and its tragic downfall.
How had the exorcists been wiped out? Who had destroyed them so utterly? What had happened at Final Battle and after? How had General Walker managed to fell the Millenium Earl? How powerful were they really?
So many questions they didn't have an answer to, and the mysterious professors could have given a solution to...
Everything was revealed at the end of the year, though. They were at dinner, one evening, when it happened.
They would never forget the scene that unfolded before them that night.
o-O-o
"They're here."
Kanda looked at his neighbor, only to see him clutching at his left eye, hiding the whirring cursed eyed as it denounced the presence of Akumas in the vincinity. The doors opened brutally as a childish laugh echoed in the Great Hall.
"All students behind the Head Table now!" Kanda yelled, already unsheathing Mugen, as Allen turned to Dumbledore.
"Once they're all here, put up a barrier, and leave this to us. Your magic can't do anything to them." The old man nodded worriedly, but whipped out his wand and told the students to hurry without losing their calm.
Laughter...
Childish, childish laughter... And this outrageously child-like, deformed body...
Allen's eyes widened.
"It's a freaking level 4." Kanda growled.
"Exorcists stay back."Allen ordered as he stepped forward, ignoring the alarmed cries of his students for him to come back.
The three looked at them determinedly, not moving an inch.
"We know who you are." Liu declared.
"We're fighting with you." Alekseï added.
"Please lead us to victory, Kanda-genseï, Walker-genseï. It'll be a honor to fight under your orders."
The two elder exorcists glanced at each other. Kanda shrugged.
"Very well, then." Allen said. "You will fight the Akumas up to level 3. Kanda and I will take any higher levels and the Noahs."
He turned around, facing the two level 4, who stopped laughing as the fourteenth let the illusion crumble, revealing the gold-lined black uniforms.
"Time to drop the mask." The silver-haired man said gently.
o-O-o
"Exorcists, exorcists, exorcists generals! I can feel their Innocence, I can feel their blood, I can feel their flesh, they smell good!" The Akumas sang.
They attacked.
"Die!"
"Innocence... Hatsudo!"
There was a bright flash of light as Allen jumped in the air, propelled by the extensions of Crown Clown, and his left arm changed into the black and silver claw Kanda had come to be so used to. Said man unsheathed his katana, fell into a low combat stance, and growled the release:
"Mugen... Hatsudo! Kaichu Ichigen!"
Terrifying insects dashed from the blade to the childish abomination, eating at its body and making it give an unearthly shriek. It quickly recovered, though, and this time, the dark-haired man physically attacked it, slashing at one arm and slicing it off easily.
"Die, Exorcist!"
Kanda smirked.
"You're the one who's going to die, Akuma!"
Three minutes later, he had hold onto his promise, and the machine exploded brutally, at the same time Allen finished his own opponent off.
The two landed neatly on the ground, and glanced at each other. They had not broken a sweat against their respective level 4, a feat they would not even have dared imagine two hundred years earlier, but two centuries of training had paid off, and they weren't the most powerful Exorcists in the world for nothing.
Kanda rose an eyebrow, turning to Allen.
"Is that all?"
The silver-haired general made to open his mouth, but just then, a new voice echoed as a new silhouette appeared, balanced on a floating umbrella.
"Sennenko wa sagashiteru, daichi no hearto sagashiteru..."
At the familiar song, their minds remembered events from two centuries ago, and Allen paled even more.
She had come.
o-O-o
"Allen Walker! Kanda Yuu! Long time no see! Long time no see, Kanda Yuu, Allen Walker! Long time no see!" A sing-song voice echoed in the Great Hall, seemingly from nowhere, a little childish, but malice oozing with every word.
And then they saw her.
The woman was in her mid-twenties, just like Allen and Kanda, and had the same short, spiky blue-black hair she had two centuries ago. She was dressed as a gothic lolita, and her golden eyes glinted with malevolence as she stared down at them, singing the dreadful song they had heard for the first time all this time ago.
"Allen Walker... I have waited so long for this... so long... I knew you were still alive... Allen. Or should I say... brother. The Musician, Neah... The fourteenth Noah."
Lero lowered itself gently to the ground until she stepped down and took a step towards them.
"So, how are you? Still consorting with exorcists?" She tilted her head to the side curiously, staring at them with wide golden eyes. "Such weaklings... After all the Black Order did to you, you still support them? Why not come back to us, your real family, Neah?"
Allen straightened up, and looked her in the eyes.
"I will never join you, Road. I thought I had already made that clear."
"But it was so long ago," she whined, "two hundred years! You could have changed your mind!"
"Well, he didn't." Kanda growled. "Now don't move, so that I can kill you and be done with it."
She cocked her head to the side once more.
"Kill me? Neither of you managed to do it before, why would you now?"
She stared directly at Allen.
"I remember, Allen. You had me right under your Innocence... You could have crushed me and yet... you didn't. Why, I wonder... You killed my father, after all... So why not me?"
The silver-haired man tensed up.
"Don't misunderstand me, Road. I will kill you without a second thought."
"You think so?"
The smile on his face turned sinister as he opened hard eyes.
"I know so. I may have spared you before, but I'm not the same now. I grew up, and so did you. I fought a war. There's no mercy in love and war, remember. The sun will not rise for you tomorrow, Road Camelot."
He glanced at Kanda, who had sheathed Mugen, and spun around, walking towards the exorcists just in case the fight threatened them.
The Noah of Dream's eyes narrowed in anger, and she lunged at him, but suddenly, Allen was there, and she was sent tumbling backwards. She somersaulted into the air and landed on her feet, only to see the not so young man facing her resolutely.
"Your opponent..." he started as his arm glowed green and he gripped at his wrist "is me!"
He pulled out his sword, and attacked.
o-O-o
"He's so powerful..."
Kanda ignored the young trio's awe in favor of carefully watching the fight. He knew of his fellow general's strength and abilities, but it didn't stop him from wor- being interested by the results of the fight.
Kanda Yuu, after all, never worried about anyone other than himself. Ever.
"Che. Baka Moyashi."
The dry comment attracted the three transfers' attention, and they looked questioningly at him, but as he didn't elaborate, Camille decided to ask.
"What is it, Kanda-genseï?"
"He's going all out. Wants to give her some sort of farewell show, I guess. Idiot."
"Do you mean he doesn't need to?"
The black-haired man shot them an annoyed look.
"Obviously. He destroyed the Millenium Earl, I can't fathom how the First Child could fell him."
And indeed, he won. Road fell to the ground, the huge sword stabbing through her chest, and she screamed in pain as he twisted the weapon in the wound, the Innocence erasing her Noah from existence, killing her at the same time, since it had been the only thing giving her life.
White crosses appeared all over her body as Allen's hair turned black and his skin darkened to a warm chocolate color. His eyes turned golden and his hair curled up as he killed her, a sadistic grin distorting his lips, eyes glintint malevolently.
"Ne-Neah..." The dying Noah choked out.
"Goodbye... Road Camelot. You were a worthy opponent. Send my regards to the Earl."
She tried to reply, but then, he twisted the sword in her chest again, brutally so, and she screamed out in pain before her body exploded into ashes.
Allen turned around, revealing the black crosses on his forehead, which gave him an aura of mysterious beauty, then smiled at Kanda, shouldering his sword, tears running down his cheeks. The dark-haired general approached him slowly.
"She's dead." Neah whispered. "They're all dead. I'm all alone now. The last of the Noah clan."
There was a long silence as everyone watched the usually happy professor cry for his fallen enemy, though they didn't know it was really Neah crying.
"But you're not the last exorcist." Kanda said unusually softly, gently brushing away the tears with his thumb.
A soft smile lit up the crying teacher's face, and Kanda's eyes softened.
And that was it.
o-O-o
Weeks later, the new Headquarters of the Black Order were full of agitation. Scientists, officers, exorcists and finders were running everywhere in panic, at the thought of the two very important guests they would be welcoming very soon.
They had been told, a month and a half before, by three exorcists on a mission, that survivors from the Black Order slaughter had been found. Their identity had left the Headquarters slack-jawed and thunderstruck. And then, they had given the order to try, and get them to come.
It hadn't been easy, but they had managed. And now, they were finally about to meet the two most powerful exorcists in all history, legends.
Kanda Yuu and Allen Walker. Mugen and Crown Clown. The Artificial and The Fourteenth.
Terrifying creatures, who had, despite their nature, been the pillars of the Black Order ever since their appearance.
They waited, running back and forth to complete last minute preparations, and then...
They were there.
o-O-o
Raven black and silver hair, pale white and tan skin, tall and dark, smaller and feminine, they were as different as the light and darkness, as the sun and the moon, as night and day.
Yet, it was obvious that there was more between them than mere friendship or companionship. The way their bodies seemed magnetically attracted to each other, their skin brushing gently when they moved, their eyes softening ever so slightly when they looked at the other, and even their gentle bickering...
Those two were in love.
Allen Walker and Kanda Yû's first visit was never forgotten at Headquarters. They agreed to help from time to time, and to keep an eye on England for the Black Order, but declined the offer to actually be reintegrated. They had already fought their war, and seen too much pain, blood and betrayal to agree.
o-O-o
They never spoke about the Black Order slaughter, though when the subject was broached, they clearly said that it hadn't been pretty, and that the enemy hadn't been a Noah or an Akuma. So the only logical explanation was that the higher-ups had ordered the execution of the exorcists, and anyone linked to them.
How they had escaped, they never said. But the pain in their eyes was enough.
They had been betrayed.
They hadn't taken revenge.
Because they felt like it would be tarnishing the memory of their fallen friends to actually sink so low as to betray the betrayers.
They would never soil themselves like that.
So they lived on, as their companions would have wanted them to.
They loved each other.
And they helped the Black Order.
o-O-o
Years and years later, Professors Mugen and Walker were still teaching at Hogwarts. They were legends here as well, because of their strange powers, because of their immortality, because of their beauty...
Because of their love.
It was no secret anymore.
They loved each other.
And they would always.
The End
Owari! What did you think about it?
Read and review!