beyond of point of broke up

nostalgia

Lenalee blinked rapidly as she stepped through the door and was surrounded by a bright light, feeling a sensation similar to walking on air. Just as suddenly, she found herself standing in a dark and unfamiliar place. The ground felt soft, and a cold rush of wind brought the woody scent of bamboo with it. Colors danced before her eyes as she tentatively reached out her hand, searching for Allen, and brushed against smooth bark. A forest then; probably a dense one, given the darkness, but "a forest in China" gave her little idea of where they actually were.

Allen watched the gate disappear behind them as soon as they stepped off, unable to make it stay. He frowned slightly at how accustomed he had become to controlling the 14th's powers; it almost felt like losing one of his senses.

"Allen?" Lenalee called, louder than necessary, apparently not realizing that he was only a foot away from her. Having better night vision, Allen took her arm (eliciting a short gasp from her) and began guiding her towards what looked to be a clearing. "Where are we?" she asked.

"China," he answered shortly. The following impatient sigh almost made him smile.

"I know that," Lenalee muttered. Rather than clarifying her question, she asked "why China?"

"I was considering China or India, since they're both far away from headquarters and have large populations, but I don't remember much of the language." Allen paused to pull aside a branch, making sure Lenalee had a hold on it before moving on so that it wouldn't whip back and hit her. "Besides, we'll fit in better here."

Lenalee looked around the woods uncertainly.

"Where in China are we?" Allen's expression tightened.

"Near a small village, I don't think that the Order will bother sending anyone here." They walked silently for a while, climbing over fallen trees and tripping over roots. Lenalee's anxiety grew more and more the further they went.

"Had you ever been to China before our mission here?" she asked, feeling a need to break the silence.

"No," he answered. The light was getting closer, and apprehension bubbled up through Lenalee's chest. She knew this forest. Lenalee stopped walking. Allen turned to look at her, but her face was hidden by the darkness; he could not gauge her expression. He opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it and instead held out a hand to her.

"We're almost there," he assured her. That was what she was afraid of, but Lenalee took his hand anyway. They continued on, and Lenalee had to shut her eyes against the light of a bright morning sun as she stepped out from the canopy of trees. She vaguely wondered what time it was here, and what time it was back at Headquarters, before slowly opening her eyes.

Lenalee sucked in a quick breath at the sight before her. They were on a mountain, and from here she could see around the entire scarred valley beneath them; deep trenches marred the earth, with patches of fallen trees spanning impossible distances and other clearings where there was simply no wildlife at all. She had heard that plants sometimes ceased to grow in places where great battles with akuma took place; the soil was laced with their poison, running deep into the ground. She continued to take in the fallen trees and decimated earth before tearing her eyes away from the sight and looking at Allen. He was staring out at the scene with a grave expression on his face.

"This is where Suman died," Lenalee stated without pretense. Slowly, Allen nodded, leaving his eyes downcast.

"It was the first place I thought of, that was far enough away from the Asian Branch. I was trying to get us closer to the village, but the place Fou found me is several miles from here. We should have some time before word spreads, anyway."