Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / D. Gray-man Fan Fiction ❯ Ice On Ice ❯ Key and Noah's Door ( Chapter 29 )

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

SailorStar9: Chapter 28 goes up. This is Chapter 29. Read and review.
 
Disclaimers: I do not own both the animes. However, I do own the pairing, I hope.
 
Chapter 29: Key and Noah's Door
 
***************************************************************** *************************
 
“Ami-sempai!” Allen called after his senior who was pulled into the portal.
 
“Ami-nee!” Lenalee cried. Reaching her hand into the glowing gateway, she allowed herself to be pulled into it.
 
“Lenalee!” Allen shouted, following her example.
 
“Allen!” Lavi gasped, running forward, getting himself pulled into the portal alongside with Chaoji.
 
“They're after Athena!” Marshall Tiedoll warned.
 
“Damn!” both Kanda and Krory hissed as they ran into the portal.
 
“Stop!” Marshall Tiedoll called out.
 
The remainder of the group covered their eyes to shield them from the sudden burst of light.
 
“They disappeared.” One of the two survivors of the shipwreck gasped as the pentacle mark vanished.
 
“Chaoji's gone!” the other exclaimed.
 
“Lavi, Krory and Kanda too.” Marie added.
 
“What's that?” one of the two non-fighters suddenly gasped. “There's something weird in the sky!”
 
Marshall Tiedoll's eyes widened as jigsaw puzzles started falling from the sky, “This is… what is that structure?”
 
Bookman is saying something. What language is that? Miranda wondered as Bookman started mumbling something under his breath.
 
“Noah's Ark is upon us.” Bookman suddenly replied. “The destination of the five Exorcists is more than likely…”
 
***************************************************************** *************************
 
In the Ark…
 
The gateway opened and everyone fell through it from the sky.
 
“That surprised me.” Krory remarked, landing on top of the human pile.
 
“You're crushing me!” Allen whined.
 
“What is this place?” Kanda asked, after everyone detangled themselves.
 
“This is the inside of the Ark.” Allen replied.
 
“Why the hell are we here?” Kanda demanded.
 
“No clue.” Allen replied, an intense flame burning between the two arguing parties.
 
“Not in a good mood, are we?” Krory noted, sweatdropping.
 
“Lenalee, are you all right?” Lavi asked.
 
“Hey, there's a weird pumpkin under Lenalee!” he remarked, picking Lenalee up and noticing the squashed Rero underneath.
 
“Outta my way, you shitty Exorcists!” Rero quipped, flying up.
 
“It talks!” Lavi gulped.
 
“So this your doing?” both Kanda and Allen chorused murderously, resting their Innocence on Rero's neck.
 
“If you want to keep that head of yours intact, you'll let us out right now!” Kanda demanded.
 
“Where's the exit?” Allen commanded.
 
“There is no exit.” Rero stammered.
 
Just then, the Earl of Millennium spoke through the Golem, “After many long years, this ship has fulfilled its purpose and has come to a stop. Excellent work, Rero. It's time to depart, my beloved Exorcists. You'll set sail with this ship along with Athena on its journey to hell.”
 
As the Ark exploded around them, the Earl of Millennium added, “Be careful. Thos parts that have finished downloading are beginning to break apart.”
 
“What the hell do you mean?” Kanda demanded.
 
“This boat will soon be absorbed interdimensionally and cease to exist.” The Earl of Millennium replied. “Speaking in terms that minds like you can understand; you have three hours of life left in this world.”
 
***************************************************************** *************************
 
Outside…
 
“Something's coming.” Marie reported.
 
“It's enough to drive you mad.” Marshall Tiedoll added. “Marie, can you hear anything?”
 
“This sound…” Marie replied. “It's about twenty or thirty of those gigantic Akuma we faced before.”
 
“The radio cannot get through to the kids. What should we do?” Bookman asked the Marshall.
 
“This isn't good.” The Marshall shook his head. Then, his attention was diverted when a piece of the Innocence fragments he carried with him started glowing.
 
“Marshall, that's…” Bookman noted as the Innocence fragment floated above the Marshall's open palm.
 
“Yes, please go.” The Marshall told the Innocence fragment.
 
At that, the Innocence flew up into the Ark.
 
“Marshall…” Bookman remarked.
 
“Well then it seems we've no choice.” The Marshall added.
 
***************************************************************** *************************
 
Inside the crumbling Ark…
 
“There should be a house somewhere around here to lead us to the outside world.” Allen commented as Lavi broke through another building with his hammer. “I came through it.”
 
“And just how many do you think we've already broken?” Lavi asked.
 
“It's pointless.” Rero taunted. “The Ark's already stopped moving. It's no longer connected to any other dimensions. Like I said, there isn't an…”
 
The Golem's sentence was cut short when everyone punched it.
 
“Look out!” Lenalee warned.
 
“It really doesn't exist.” Rero added as the floor crumbled under them. “There's no way to get out of this ship. You'll all die here.”
 
“There is one.” Tyki corrected.
 
“An exit, that is.” He added, behind Allen, producing a key.
 
***************************************************************** *************************
 
Outside…
 
“Miranda?” Bookman inquired, looking at the Timekeeper who had sank to her knees. “Are you all right?”
 
“I'm sorry.” Miranda replied.
 
“Has something happened to Allen and the others in the Ark?” Bookman asked.
 
Miranda nodded.
 
“So many Akuma…” one of the non-fighters gasped as the horde of Akuma surrounded their hiding place.
 
“Stand back!” Marshall Tiedoll warned.
 
“Noel Organon: Verse of the Saint!” Marie unleashed his attack.
 
“Maker of Eden, activate!” Marshall Tiedoll activated his Innocence. “Witness the beauty of this world.”
 
“Art!” he unleashed his attack.
 
“Art!” he called out once more as his humanoid Innocence was buried under the pile of Akuma. At his call, the humanoid giant knocked off the Akuma on top of it just as another humanoid appeared with it. The two humanoids then proceeded to tear one of the Akuma apart.
 
“Man… this is gonna be a long one.” The Marshall noted.
 
“Are you all right, Miranda?” Bookman asked the panting Timekeeper. “Stay here with them and try not to wear yourself out. You aren't able to control your own flow of time, right? It must be quite exhausting, then, to keep maintaining the health of those in the Ark.”
 
“I'm sorry.” Miranda replied.
 
“It's fine.” Bookman replied. “In any case, were you to give in, the kids in the Ark would have their injuries return.”
 
“I can feel them.” Miranda answered. “The injuries Allen and the others sustained are still within my Innocence. They're still alive, but I'm worried. The ability I'm using on them now only keeps their past injuries from returning. It's not like Time Recovery, which would continuously protect them. I can't do anything for them if they're injured further. I should have used Time Recovery on them, no matter what was occurring.
 
***************************************************************** *************************
 
In the Ark…
 
“If it's an exit you want, we've got one.” Tyki replied. “Boy.”
 
“Thick Glasses!” Allen, Lavi and Krory exclaimed.
 
“Huh?” Tyki sweatdropped. “Is that my name?”
 
“Why? Why are you here?” Lavi asked.
 
“Hey.” Kanda interrupted. “He's ready to kill you guys.”
 
“Boy.” Tyki's smile widened. “Why are you still alive?”
 
After a headbutt, he added, “Thanks to you, I had to take all that junk from the Earl of Millennium and the brats.”
 
“What are you…” Allen gasped.
 
His sentence was cut short when Tyki turned back into his Noah form.
 
“You want a way out right?” the Noah asked. “I can give you one. This Ark has no exits now, but with Road's power, we can make one.”
 
“A door came out of the ground?” Lavi gasped as a gate appeared behind Tyki.
 
“That's Miss Road's door!” Rero quipped.
 
“Road is the only Noah who can travel through dimensions without using the Ark.” Tyki explained. “So how about we continue that little match from the train, only this time, we'll bet the exit against your lives. Oh, and no cheating now, Boy.”
 
“What's the meaning of this Tyki? Master Earl won't allow…” Rero protested.
 
“The key here will get you through Road's door and the three leading up to it.” Tyki added. “I'll let you guys have it. Think it over. Though it doesn't look like much time's left. And oh, aren't you guys missing one more?”
 
“Huh?” Lavi blinked.
 
“Wait!” Lenalee gasped suddenly. “Where's Ami-nee?”
 
“Ami-sempai…” Allen's eyes widened, realizing that the Heartkeeper was not with them.
 
“Tyki!” Rero called out as the top of a building crashed onto the Noah.
 
“The building collapsed on him!” Krory gasped.
 
Kanda caught the key was tossed out from the smoke.
 
“You know, hunting Exorcists is a hell of a way to pass the time.” Tyki remarked from the debris.
 
Rero sweatdropped.
 
“The door's at the highest point in the Ark and it's also where the Radiance Princess is.” Tyki added. “If you guys can make it there before it starts crumbling down, victory is yours and you can save the Radiance Princess.”
 
“I've heard that the Noah Clan's immortal.” Allen pointed out. “Exactly how is this a fair game?”
 
Tyki chuckled as he walked out of the debris, unscathed, “Ah, sorry about that. I don't know where you heard that, but we're humans, too, Boy. If it seems like we're immortal, it's only because you're all so weak.”
 
“Here.” He tossed a crystal orb to Allen. “This'll keep track of how the Radiance Princess is faring.”
 
“You guys better hurry, or else the Radiance Princess's going to drown.” He laughed as he walked off.
 
“This isn't good! Let's go!” Kanda suggested as the ground crumbled beneath them. “We need to find a safer place!”
 
Lenalee screamed, falling as the edge of the broken floor collapsed under her.
 
“Miss Lenalee!” Chaoji gasped.
 
“Hold on tight!” Allen told her as he caught her in his arms. Using the falling pieces as leverage, he leapt to safety.
 
“What should we do?” Lavi asked. “We can't run around forever. It's like the Earl said, this place is gonna be history soon.”
 
“You have two hours left.” Rero reminded.
 
“No matter what we do, we're doomed.” Krory added.
 
“We're familiar with Road's ability to move through space.” Allen remarked. “She's definitely capable of travel between dimensions.”
 
“So, Road's door before might be some kind of trap, but…” Lavi reasoned. “But there's a chance…”
 
“There could be an exit.” Lenalee pointed out.
 
“Not much of a choice huh?” Lavi sighed.
 
“We have to fight on.” Allen told the group. “Ami-sempai's in the highest point of the Ark. She's counting on us to save her!”
 
Everyone else nodded in agreement.
 
“Rock, Paper, Scissors!” the group played the simple game to decided who should decide on which door to open.
 
“Is this door alright?” Allen asked.
 
“Does it really matter which we choose?” Lavi asked.
 
“Hurry up, damnit.” Kanda spat.
 
“Man, Allen, you're pretty bad at Rock, Paper, Scissors.” Lavi added.
 
Ignoring their taunts, Allen unlocked the door.
 
“We're definitely getting out of here.” He remarked, turning to face the group, raising his hand for a hand pile.
 
“Yep.” Lavi agreed.
 
“Of course.” Krory added.
 
“Yeah.” Lenalee nodded.
 
“Oh yeah!” Chaoji remarked.
 
“Kanda?” Allen looked at the aloof swordsman.
 
“No way in hell.” Kanda retorted.
 
“I figured.” Allen noted.
 
“Let's go.” Kanda told them.
 
“Ami-nee!” Lenalee gasped as she looked into the crystal ball.
 
“We don't have much time.” Allen noted as the group saw Athena standing on a platform in a stone room, as water poured in from four stone lion heads on either side of the walls, the water already reaching three inches above her feet.
 
Nobody disagreed.
 
***************************************************************** *************************
 
After opening the door, the group found themselves in a cartoon-like room with rock pile-like structures.
 
“Where are we?” Allen blinked.
 
“Guess we're not out of the Ark, huh?” Lavi asked.
 
“Kanda?” Allen asked as the swordsman turned abruptly.
 
A rock pile was crashed as Skinn stepped out.
 
“You guys, get moving.” Kanda instructed.
 
“Yuu!” Lavi gasped.
 
“This guy's after our Marshall. I've seen him a few time before.” Kanda replied.
 
“We can't leave you on your own, Kanda.” Lenalee protested.
 
“Don't get me wrong.” Kanda retorted. “I'm not doing this for you. Like I said, he's after our Marshall. It's my job to kill him.”
 
***************************************************************** *************************
 
SailorStar9: Well, the guys race against time to save themselves and Athena from the crumbling Ark and Kanda's fight is up first. Will he win against the seemingly immortal Noah? Stay tuned to find out. In the meantime, read and review.