A/N: And... *drumroll* HERE is the chapter you guys have been waiting for. I apologise, it is my own fault, because I kind of consider any chapter or scene that doesn't include Allen is boring. (I got so irritated when I was reading the Arc when Lenalee was fighting the Level 3 on the ship because I wanted to see Allen get his Innocence back). I'm worried that my writing style is changing, though.

PS: the previous chapter have been edited (plot-wise)

PPS: I felt so guilty I'm uploading this at 00:37 am. Future chapters may be delayed due to being in Grade 11 and a need to work hard (which I absolutely hate TT_TT)

Chapter Five: What Noah?

"Eh, you went to a pub - waait, a Noah?" Komui exclaimed, picking up his blue coffee mug with the pink rabbit and taking a sip, then spitting it out, complaining softly that it was as cold as cornflakes.

Link sighed, "I went there because I could feel the aura of an Akuma. Being a Crow has its benefits. Yes, a Noah. Timcanpy, you can explain. He was with me the whole time."

"So that's where Timcanpy was," Allen exclaimed in surprise.

Komui glanced at the golden golem that was fluttering above Allen's head, "Go on, Timcanpy."

Timcanpy nodded - his whole body moved, really - and opened his sharp tooth-filled mouth, a hazy cloud forming over him, and the people in the room peered into the image that appeared.

It was almost midday, with the sun high in the cloudy overcast sky, and Inspector Howard Link was frowning. Lavi walked alongside him, casually.

"Can you sense the Akuma now?" he asked, whirling his hammer around in circles.

Link's forehead momentarily creased in confusion, "I'm getting two energy signals. Maybe we should split up."

Lavi shrugged, "Let's head to the stronger signal together, and then you can point me towards the other one."

"It's near here," Link, said, halting outside a small sign that hung on the wall over a door, indicating an antique trinket shop. "No, a little further on," he pressed as Lavi stopped at the next doorway, a psychic's place, "we don't want to hear our future." Link suddenly halted outside a pub, and Lavi almost walked into him.

"The Drunk Pig? Are you sure this is the right place?" Lavi queried.

"Yes. I'll go in by myself now, the other Akuma is vaguely in that direction," he pointed north-easterly.

"Could you perhaps give me something more to work with," Lavi pressed as Link out his hand against the wooden door to push it open.

"Just fly over Tirane with your hammer and you'll see it near the edge of town somewhere. It's not mixed in with civilization, there's not much of a death signal, unlike this one."

Lavi quickly extended his hammer and climbed on it like a broomstick. "See you later then," he said, pushing off with his legs into the air. Link watched the dark shape fly over the houses and buildings until it was out of sight, and sighed.

"Time to check out what's causing such a huge energy disturbance," Link grumbled, and pushed the door open. It swung on rotting hinges, revealing a dark, dank room with shadowed figures sitting at tables and at the bar. In one corner, the light was working, as if it were a spotlight, where the men were playing poker around a wooden table. Link snorted inwardly. Either the Drunk Pig was very rundown, or it was just his imagination failed to make it seem lively. Empty bottles rolled into dark corners.

He walked over to an empty table in the corner diagonally opposite to the poker game, wanting to be able to inspect the whole room from one angle. He sat down and the table wobbled dangerously.

A young girl of twenty-three walked to his table and asked he would like anything. Her blonde hair would have been pretty if it was not dull and unwashed, and her barmaid dress strained to hold in her chest, the latter at which the other men leered In her muddy brown eyes was a faked cheerfulness that hid hopelessness.

"Yes. I would like to know why you work here," Link said bluntly.

"Whaa-?" she raised her hand to her mouth in confusion, "Why?"

Link quickly waved his hand in front of the picture Timcanpy was showing, "Err, this bit isn't important for the mission. Could we fast forward?"

Timcanpy shook his head once, and Link groaned.

""Because in my experience, I find it peculiar that a young girl such as yourself is wasting away in this awful place instead of working elsewhere, perhaps as a seamstress or maid in a normal café or such."

"Wait, so Link is a job advisor nowadays?" Lavi smirked. "You should tell those Akuma to retire."

"Err..."

"In reality, you should have been able to get a job somewhere pleasant, at least, not dark and dank like this place."

She hung her head, "It was the only job I could get on short notice when my older brother was ... err, he was, he somehow became my younger brother..." she trailed off hesitantly, as if she thought he wouldn't believe her.

"What? How old was he and how is he now?" Link questioned immediately.

"Err, twenty-nine, and now he's five. He was turned three months ago. I don't know how it happened. Hey, I can bring him out, he's in the back room. He lost all his memories that came after the age of five. Hey, David!"

"This is fucking boring, can't we fast forward to the important bit?" Kanda asked grumpily.

"No, this could be important. It seems that there could be an Akuma that - Noo, Timcaanpyyy," Komui protested as Timcanpy closed his mouth in fear of being sliced into salami and the image dissipated. Timcanpy swallowed, then burped out another image of Link sitting in the corner alone again.

"Hey, lone wolf over there, come join us for a poker game," called a man from the corner opposite. He had black wavy hair that almost reached his shoulders and he wore really thick-lensed glasses that obscured his eyes.

Lenalee's shoulders twitched at the sight of him, and Lavi's hands tightened into fists. Allen grinned darkly from beneath his fringe, "What he wouldn't give to beat me at it."

Lavi smirked, "He probably would, if you didn't cheat."

"Pah. As if he didn't cheat either."

"No, thank you," Howard Link replied politely. "I have no interest in card games that drain away your money and dignity. Not to mention clothing."

"Aw, come on, what's life without a little risk?" Tyki's human form smiled like a wolf that was beckoning to easy prey.

"No. I don't mind watching fools play, though. It's rather amusing, the way they seem shocked when they lose, as if they thought they had the most chance of winning in the first place."

"Well, if you're not playing but you're going to watch, then you have to bet on who you think will win, just like the others who aren't in the game anymore." Link grimaced internally. This man knew how to do shady business, him.

"Ok. I bet 10 quid on you," Link nodded at Thick Glasses.

"Any chance I could have your name? Mine is Tyki, this is Victor, Hadyn and Rosaru," he gestured anti-clockwise around the table with his empty hand.

Link zoned in on the man on Tyki's left. "But surely they can say so themselves?" he replied only half-jokingly, pulling a gnawed wooden chair from the nearest empty table.

The men around the table laughed at that, even the Akuma, which meant it wasn't a Level 1*. The aura had been too strong for a Level 1 or 2, anyway.

(*in the Anime version Level 1s can't speak, but they can in the manga. Going by anime)

"Are you guys desperate enough for the money to gamble?" Link asked tentatively.

"Yeah, we're miners," Hadyn said, gesturing at himself, Tyki and Rosaru. "We have a little kid, Eezu to look after."

"I've been meaning to ask, though, that uniform of yours with the strange emblem, you wouldn't be a policeman or detective, would you?" Tyki smiled curiously.

"Oh, I believe that if I were a detective I would be disguised as a commoner, at the very least."

"Well, you know what they say. It's easier to hide in plain sight than sneak around suspiciously in the shadows," he said as he dealt out cards.

Link didn't reply to that and simply observed the men picking up their cards. When the men placed their cards down upside down so the face could not be seen, Link realised they weren't actually playing poker, they were playing Bullshit.

"Hey, Tyki-sam- , err, Tyki-san," the Akuma said suddenly, with a serious face.

"Hmm?"

"Bullshit. That's not a 3 of Hearts."

Tyki smirked and flipped it over. It was a Three of Hearts. "Looks like someone else lied," Tyki grinned.

The Akuma looked temporarily stunned. "Looks like the deck's all yours, Victor," Hadyn grinned.

"Grr," Victor growled. "Tyki, I think I'll step outside for a little bit. This game is getting to my head."

"Eh? But you're risking fifty quid, are you sure you want to quit already?" Rosaru inquired.

Victor huffed and exited the pub, "Tyki, beware of Eezu," he said cryptically before leaving.

"I'm aware of it, you dumbass," Tyki sighed, smirking.

Link stayed watching the game for fifteen more minutes before standing up.

"Where are you going, you haven't even told us your name," Tyki said.

"It's, err, Tyki, was it? I'll probably see you again sometime. You probably already know my name. If you win, keep my money," Link quickly walked out, following the aura that the Akuma Victor had left behind.

There was a sudden influx of energy as Link walked, and he found himself running. The Akuma had just killed someone. He turned sharply into an alley and found himself face-to-face with a Level 4.

The strange, almost skeletal figure tilted it's head, "Exorcisst, you've finally come," it hissed joyfully. Link found himself frozen. How was he supposed to fight a Level 4 all by himself?

"Don't forget about me!" a voice said cheerfully behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw Tyki standing there in his Noah form, his eyes hidden in the shadows of his top hat. "Hey, exorcist, tell me your name." He held up a poker card between his index and middle fingers. "You might just be on my list."

Link was silent for a moment and then, "The Earl sent you?"

"Of course, the stage has already been set, and the play has begun. Please do me the honour of being one of the many exorcists that will die," he grinned as he seemed to disappear.

Link jerked around to see Tyki behind him with a Tease in his hand. "Consider yourself lucky," he smiled, plunging his hand into Link's chest. "At least you'll live until we meet again. Tease, devour when you next feel my presence within ten metres of you again after I have left. Oh, and by the way, consider that lucky too. I could have set the perimetre at fifty or a hundred metres." Tyki pulled his hand out, his palm empty. "Have a short life," he straightened out his top hat, looking at Timcanpy, smirking. "Don't forget, ten metres."

And then he was gone, and Link was alone in a dark alleyway, clutching his chest in fear.

Komui sat there silently for a long time, pondering. (In reality it was just thirty seconds, and he was drinking his beloved Lenalee's coffee). Then, "Timcanpy, did you witness anything else of importance?

Timcanpy nodded, and another image appeared.

"Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?" Lavi smirked playfully. They were sitting in the inn's dining room, and Allen's already empty dishes were piled up on the table while everyone else was still eating.

Kanda's hard expression faded gently for a moment as he gazed into his past, "Lotus flowers." And then, even softer so only Timcanpy had been able to pick it up, "It's all their fault for bringing Alma and I back." His expression hardened again to what it usually was.

Lenalee and Lavi looked at each other and shrugged it off.

Allen's cheeks suddenly flushed a brilliant reddish pink after a moment, and he flinched in his seat, before his face scrunched up as if he were recalling some painful memory. And, almost imperceptibly, the words seemed to float discordantly through closed lips, as soft as an untuned harp. "That fucking bitch."

"Allen," Lenalee said. "Are you alrigh-?"

The image suddenly distorted and started to break up, static filling the silence of the audio that had been corrupted. The images weren't flowing as smoothly as before, now, and little blocks of static were showing up on the holographic image, which was stuttered out one image before bombing out completely, falling out of the air.

Allen and Kanda, both standing on other sides of the table, the benches pushed back, Mugen at Allen's neck, Crown Clown preventing it. Kanda's face was merciless, glaring at Allen. They were given the impression, that if they were able to see Allen's face, he would be smirking.

"What the fuck was that?" Kanda said.

"Oh, have you finally realized how scary your face is? Good for you," Lavi patted his back.

"I didn't mean that. And stop saying my name!"

Lavi's face creased up in confusion, "Huh? What are you talking abou- Ohh... I get it! Wait a second, if you grew up in the Asian Branch, when did you learn English?"

"In the past, you baka-usagi. Who cares?"

"Hmm, that was strange, we only viewed about 30 seconds of footage before Timcanpy played up. He didn't drink any coffee recently, has he?" Komui pondered, looking down at the little smoking ball on the ground.

"Of course not," Allen smiled, bending down to pick up Timcanpy gently, but placed his foot in such a way that when he lifted Timcanpy up, it was more like a yank, because although Timcanpy's body came up in Allen's palm, his tail was more or less jammed underneath Allen's foot, though it had seemed accidental. "He's not a Komulin, after all."

"Allen!" Lenalee cried, but Allen had already realized.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, Timcanpy, are you alright?" he said, lifting his foot and cupping him in his hand. Timcanpy nodded, and Allen smiled back darkly, "That's good."

"Allen," Link said as Allen walked towards the door to leave. "You do understand how suspicious this is, right? I'm going to have to keep an extra close eye on you later on."

Allen stopped, and turned around, "You aren't starting immediately?" He sounded surprised.

"I feel like letting you enjoy the remainder of your freedom until the higher ups get around to limiting it even further," Link smiled.

"Um. Thanks," Allen muttered, leaving the room and heading down to the dining hall.

Behind him, Komui closed the door, and asked the others to fill him in on what Timcanpy had missed.

"Oh, Allen, my favourite customer, what will you be having today~?" Jerry practically sang.

Allen looked at him with a small smile. "The usual, please," he requested.

Jerry frowned, "Coming right up. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Allen dismissed the question. "And you?"

"Yes, I'm good, but are you sure?"

"Yes!" Allen whined playfully and turned to sit at a free table. There were lots of Finders and a couple of exorcists here and there.

"Allen~!" Jerry called him back after a while. "Here you go," he said, pushing a trolley with a mountain of food towards him.

"Thanks." Allen went back to his table and dug in, noting that the exorcists, Link and Komui had come in the room.

They came up to his empty table. Link placed his hands on the table. "Allen, unfortunately, the higher ups have already ordered for you to be tailed day and night. There were more than two eyewitnesses, and that is enough proof for us."

Allen ripped the bread of his sandwich off with his teeth in anger, and swallowed it without chewing. "Proof?" he spat, eyes narrowing. "Of Allen not existing?"

"Um, he was talking about when your eyes went that golden-ish colour of Noah...?" Lavi added hesitantly.

Allen stood up abruptly. "What? When? What happened?" his veins stood out on his hands as he gripped them tightly.

"Allen,"

"Tell me what happened!"

A/N: Flashbacks galore!

By the way, Kanda doesn't know that Alma is his soulmate. He was just referring to the only Second Exorcists that actually lived - sort of.

And I have no idea why that barmaid is there, she wasn't even supposed to exist but, bleh, supporting characters are needed... I think?

About Eezu... I prefer to stick with the English names most of the time but Eeez just seems weird when you spell it out, so I stuck with Eezu. And about Tyki's friends, they had no official names (annoying as hell TnT) so I made them up.

I started writing a Danny Phantom fanfic, and continued a little with my RoTG one XD. And fixed up my DGM oneshot. Sometimes I wonder if they'll ever see the light of day... And I started a Legend of Zelda fanfic too and I'm already on Chapter 3.

Umm... I didn't forget about this, by the way (I was being lazy). But I can't quit, I can't give up so easily without even trying to write. It goes against my OCD need for completion (saw the Big Bang Theory episode) and that's why I told you I can't ever give up this story until it's finished. But that goes against my ingrained code of procrastination... Ugh, why me? XD

If you are wondering why this took so long, I was reading lots of different manga, and watched a couple of anime shows (And discovered a couple more fandoms XD). And yes, you can expect other chapters to take as long as this one because of said reason. Unless I have no internet access. MoNST gets written quicker if I'm deprived of internet and Zelda and Pokémon games. I wonder why XD

I use XD too much, don't I? I'm an idiot. A lazy idiot.