Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray Man in any way, all credit goes to Katsura Hoshino.

Summary: On the night Allen is forced to leave the Order, he comes across a secret hidden in the depths of the Ark. Now, hunted by the Noah and considered an enemy by the place he once called home, he has to search for the truth... The truth of Mana, Neah and himself, where did he come from and who he is. Uncovering a web of illusions and doubts, Allen still moves forward. It is what he promised to do, after all... But what do you do in a war, when you feel like you don't belong to any side?

"A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend, one human soul whom we can trust utterly, who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults." – Charles Kingsley.

Act Thirty-One – Of Secrets and Despair

The Order never stopped.

Security patrol could be seen at day and night alike, Exorcists or Finders could return even in late hours. Since the war never stopped, The Order didn't either.

It didn't escape Klaud how there had been an increase in the so-called "safety measures". The last invasion of the Noah Clan, added to how it had been the second time they managed to do in what should be an untouchable oasis, worked as an acceptable justification for this, of course, but Klaud didn't allow herself to be touched by it. The timeline of occurrences might add up, but didn't feel right.

There was something about those new procedures that invited a taste of iron to her mouth.

It was her luck, Klaud thought as she walked along a wall in the corridor, that Lau could smell and inspect inf there was anyone ahead and warn her in time. While she wouldn't have time or place to hide, Klaud would count her blessings. If anyone found her, she had a lie about insomnia ready. It wasn't an uncommon affliction among Exorcists… Yet, with the growing strictness around, it might not be just enough to save her from possible trouble or the attention she was trying hard to avoid.

"At least I'm in no risk of meeting Levelier…" She knew for a fact he should be "testing a new recipe". The Inspector had commented about it around the Order and he tended to do so during the night, lacking the free time during the day.

It hadn't been by chance that Klaud had chosen this night to act.

Lau had had no issue with running by windowsills and crossing the roof towards the man's personal quarters. Upon returning to Klaud, who had waited sitting by her window as a child counting stars, he was carrying a small silver chain with five keys in his mouth.

Now they had to be fast.

Lau ran close to the wall, the white tail making a small curve in the air. The monkey stopped at the end of the hallway, standing in the hind legs and stayed there without moving, waiting for his owner in a signal that there was no one close by. Klaud took a deep breath, moving like a cat and avoiding even the pools of moonlight that entered through the windows.

There, following the turn to the left.

The Archives Room.

The only place where information of thirty-five years ago could be found.

Conscious of the sound of her own breathing, disturbing the silence around, she approached. Her own blood seemed to echo in her ears as she couldn't help being relieved that there were no guards.

"At least for now. Or maybe the Central considers it unnecessary?" After all, the only one who had the keys was Levelier and perhaps the Cardinals. But no, the idea made no sense with the increase of security.

No time to waste with the thought.

At the third key, the door unlocked. She opened it just enough for Lau, but the whisper of it seemed to become a cacophony in the silence. Lau slithered inside and there was a moment during which Klaud could only stand still before he returned, waving his tail. It was safe.

She slithered inside in a similar manner, closing the door behind her. Klaud knew the sounds seemed louder due to her own tension, but the rationalization didn't help. Lau climbed up to her shoulder, head held high in attention as she turned a small flashlight on. It would be too risky to turn the lights on. It could even activate a sort of alarm for all she knew.

If the Order would increase "security", Klaud would take the exact same care.

"Perhaps it's the middle of change of shifts?" Her mind remained on the door without guards. No, it shouldn't be that either. Maybe they were still deciding about it? It made her think about the place Hevlaska stayed, in the depths of the building. It had never had a heavy security in the past.

This had changed now.

Klaud ventured in the forest of tall shelves, the smell of paper mixing with metal. The weak beam of light dropped, touching drawers and machines at the end of the room. She looked around, in search of any indicative that helped her to guide herself. There should be a plaque, a number on the shelves, anything.

Was that steps outside?

She stopped. The door should be too thick to allow the passage of sounds.

No, nothing.

In any case, she had to be fast.

She pulled a drawer open. The moan of metal was thunder. It seemed to last in the following silence like a ghost. Her senses automatically sharpened, in searching and waiting for the sound of voices or steps. Nothing. She had to keep control, be fast and leave. To steal the actual archives was insanity, but she was sure one of the machines she had stopped in the end of the room was a copier. There should be at least one there, right?

Her fingers ran across the files of brown paper, half-opening a few just enough so the light slithered inside enough to reveal words.

"The pure energy contained… Time of duration: Two minutes… Specimen displayed reactions…"

Reports of experiments with Innocence. Her organs shrunk for reasons that had nothing to do with tension and she caught a glimpse of black-and-white photos. Closing her eyes, she closed the drawer with a shiver of disgust, trying to bury the image before her brain could fully decipher what it was.

Leaning her hands on the drawer, Klaud lowered her head between her arms, needing to force the lungs to work as a dry taste of puke went up her mouth.

God.

Lau nuzzled the corner of her forehead, the small paw holding her hair as his tail waved in worry.

"Get a grip! Get a move on!" She reprimanded herself. "Stop wasting time!"

She left that corridor, taking deep breaths as she tried to not think about all the files and drawers there or the size of the area dedicated to that subject.

Examining once again, the light fell over letters that seemed to identify some shelves, but it was not enough to offer context. No choice but to continue to look here and there. Some date… Some report… It was not possible that there was not something! Register of events, of akumas or battles…

As she moved between shelves, along with the sound of her fingertips against files and drawers being open, at times Klaud was assaulted by the sensation of whispers, from the shadows and the archives, as if she was not alone.

It was nonsense. If there was anything there, Lau would have sensed it and so would she. This was merely a projection of her own tension. Nothing more. Yet, the silence and the shadows fed of her presence and responded by teasing her sensations. For a moment, her body recalled the feeling of darkness against her eyes and the optic nerves shivered.

Klaud pushed the memory aside. She had not reached the position of General by being a scared little girl with no emotional control. She just needed to focus.

A few drawers were marked by numbers, others by initials. Some had those in the base of the shelf. But there might as well be nothing as there was no sense to be taken from those.

Until she found some shelves whose marks clearly indicated years.

"Finally!"

Excitation shone inside her as Klaud now guided herself, walking to past years, without allowing herself to be bothered by the quantity of files found. The division of subjects, however, would be easier to realize once she looked the files.

Five years…

Then ten…

Twenty…

There it was. Exact thirty-five years past. Klaud stopped for an instant, focusing for any sound beyond those of her own heart, finding nothing else in the air. Still, she had delayed for far too long already, maybe more than half an hour and only now she had found the correct point.

There were several drawers, thick files resting side by side, only small labels standing out with unknown initials.

Klaud started to check each other patiently.

Registration of new Exorcists. No.

Reports of what seemed to be a kind of experiment. She briefly wondered if those were sketches of what would become the Second Exorcists or something alike… How many things of this nature had been done in that time?

She placed the file back almost violently.

Details of progress of study of Innocence. Useless.

Registrations of technological progress. Well, that would have been interesting in another occasion, since the Order boasted machines and equipment that she wouldn't have judged possible to exist before becoming an Exorcist herself.

Past reports of other studies… Phenomena possible related to Innocence…

Battles.

That was what truly interested her and she picked the file, opening with one hand and illuminating the sheets with the flashlight. Reports of battles, description of akumas (likely for analyses of data)… After the search, the thirst for info would have made Klaud sit there and read everything until her eyes were tired.

If she could.

She kept searching among the files until she had all that could have any sort of information about past battles and studies about either Noahs or akumas. There should be something useful here that could give her at least a "feel" of the situation of thirty-five years prior. If Neah had exterminated the Clan back then, perhaps the Order had some critical detail that would make more sense today.

Perhaps she wouldn't find anything of great help, but it was better than to wait for new events.

About to walk away, Klaud hesitated… And made the same search in the shelf regarding thirty-six years ago just in case, careful to not mix the files. It was better than risking regretting to have limited herself to search just one limited year.

"This is going to take time to copy…" A new worry found birth in her at that, which didn't improve when she saw there was only one copying machine in a corner of the room. Probably, the Order didn't make many copies, except to keep them locked in case something happened to the originals.

"Damn it…" Klaud started to work, Lau climbing down her shoulder and running to stand close to the door, ready to warn her should someone approach.

A low, whirling-like sound was born from the machine. The thing seemed to work with purposely slowness, even as the sheets accumulated.

"C'mon, c'mon, you piece of trash." She cursed in her mind, looking back to the door's direction. Lau was becoming restless as well, his tail whipping the air and floor as he moved as if standing and sitting in quick movements.

When the copies of one year were done, Klaud rushed to place the originals back in place as the machine kept working. She was careful to leave them in the exact same spot of before, knowing how well trained the eyes that saw they could be. Careful, she needed to be careful.

A noise.

A known noise.

Lau let out a small screech.

He rushed to one of the shelves, climbing to the top. Klaud's heart stopped for a moment.

She looked back to the machine. There were still papers to be copied.

"Damn it."

Having locked the door upon entering, Klaud stood still, waiting for the sound of the lock at any moment… The machine's buzz kept going. She picked the finished copies, cold slithering in the back of her neck.

"Come on, come on."

The sound of a key was like a slap.

At the moment the last paper slid to the board, Klaud grabbed it, turning off the copier without caring for the proper procedure. The flashlight was turned off while a pale light ventured into the room when the door opened.

Doing her best to not make a sound, Klaud stepped away, hiding behind a shelf. The coldness pierced through clothing and skin alike. Who would be here at this time? Had Levelier noticed the missing keys?

The light was but a veil of the moonlight from the hallway. She could barely make out the figure coming closer. She slid to a dark corner, holding the papers and hoping they wouldn't brush against each other. In that tomb of secrets, even that sound would denounce her.

The door was ajar… Could she risk leaving now or should she wait the person leaving first?

She still had to place the reports of thirty-six years back on the shelf, too.

She lowered herself a little, spying from her hiding spot. In the silence, those steps were no more than a delicate brushing sound. The person was close to where she had been moments ago. Klaud didn't dare to breathe. All she could distinguish was the figure of a long coat, the shape of the hair. The head turned and the brief reflex denounced round glasses, almost crystal-like.

Heart insane with fear, the woman slid back to between the shelves, attentive to any move. That soft brushing again… Was the person walking between the shelves?

Did he or she know of her presence?

As delicately as she could, Klaud placed the files back… Slowly, she started to push the drawer close… Easy… Easy…

A clank of metal.

Her blood froze.

The steps had stopped.

She closed the drawer, still trying to prevent any other sound, ignoring the protests of instinct to run. Lau climbed down, a fast shadow, jumping to her shoulder as she picked the copies she had left on the floor.

The steps were closer now, as careful as she was.

Almost as a cat, Klaud placed distance between her and those sounds.

She went against the wall. Her eyes searched for that presence as she slid closer to the door, muscles iron under skin. Easy… Where was that person?

Lau's heartbeat was as fast as her own, she could sense it echoing inside her.

She lowered herself once more. She was close to the door now, just a little…

Her leg crossed the threshold, trying to not open the door more than it already was. Her body followed.

At the second she was out of the room, a person walked from between the shelves.

Klaud walked away as fast as she could, only her heartbeats remaining in the air as a trait. Whoever that person was, she was almost sure it was someone she had crossed paths with.

But recollection escaped her.

The shining glasses remained in her mind.

As well as those steps.

They had sounded almost like feathers.

XxX

Shivers till dominated Allen's nerves, turning them into splinters. At any moment, he expected the door to open, for screams to start, for something to happen. The instinct of a cornered animal was on command, survival taking control as much as of a bird that, feeling the predator close by, cannot do anything else but to fly.

Only for them to be shot down.

The attempts at calming down were not having much results and when the train trembled, his body responded with an involuntary spasm, the echo of a laughter being called back from the depths of his mind.

But it was just the train starting its path on the rails.

Allen tried to swallow the air that had stopped on his throat, his mouth dry as he turned to his backpack, picking a small water bottle that was almost empty. As he did so, Allen noticed for the first time that a few shadows around seemed to shiver with the anxiety of baby birds.

Raz was across him, completely still. When their eyes crossed, she tilted her head.

"How do you feel?"

Allen hesitated, feeling he should be the one asking. He couldn't say he was alright, despite the lack of serious injuries. He realized that even back when he had first crossed paths with the Earl since leaving the Order, he had not been so close of being captured. The man's expression when finding them in the park… Allen had thought before that seeing the Noah Patriarch apparently insane had been worst than any other thing.

Now he reconsidered the idea.

"I… I don't know." He confessed at least. "That was… Too much of a close call…"

Raz limited herself to a nod of agreement that spoke more than it should. Despite the exhaustion that assaulted both of them, their bodies refused any attempt of rest. They might as well have tried to cease their own lungs from functioning.

The man of the dray had not been at all happy with the both of them, but at least he had apparently accepted Raz's lie. Allen had tried to apologize during the straight way to the train station, to which the man had just grumbled in response. It hadn't bother them as much as one could imagine, once they had spent half of their time looking through the back window, expecting an attack. The fact the man had ignored them worked well, as Allen had kept his eye activated during the path.

They had paid the man quickly, rushing to the station in search of any train. To stay in the town now would be suicide and walking through an open road where they could easily be found and cornered was no better.

Recalling what Ben Hanscom had said about the chance of the circus being near London, Allen had asked the man at the ticket booth if there was any train heading there. The reply had been more than disappointing.

"I'm sorry, but you just missed it…" The young brown-haired man had looked from one to another, taking in their appearances. "The next one will come by tomorrow, maybe you should just take it easy until there…"

Allen shook his head. On another occasion, they might have done just that. A groan had been caught in the base of Allen's throat, as it was usually easy to find trains to a place like London.

"The next train to leave. Where does it go?" Raz had asked, her usually calm tone tainted by anxiety. It was almost nothing, but to Allen, it felt close to see her screaming. "It is urgent."

"Well, there is one leaving for Suffolk now. It stops in several cities, but from there you could pick one to London… Or maybe even a ship, I guess…" The man had added, uncertain before the disheveled teens, who asked for tickets at once.

The destination didn't matter much, as long as they could leave immediately.

He placed the bottle back in the bag, not feeling any better. He looked at Raz, who was looking through the window, knowing better than to believe she was as calm as she appeared to. Words felt weak, as if he was unable to form them. In the end, Allen picked a map and laid it out on the small eating table between their seats. Raz leaned to take a look.

"Well…" He muttered, trying to focus his mind on the path to follow now. "This goes as far as Suffolk… We can go down anywhere and just take another…"

"And from then, to London…" The girl muttered, just as unable as he was to pay much attention to the subject, loosening her hair from the ponytail, the black-blue strands falling over her shoulders, then crossing her arms over the table.

Allen said nothing. The dryness of his stomach returned stronger, to the point he could feel the inner walls cracking. Before, Wisely had told him that the Clan planned to leave him and Raz be in order to lure Apocryphois… Not for the first time, the boy reflected that perhaps they had been hunted with as much intensity until now due to that, regardless of how the Akumas had been appearing after him with more frequency…

Now, it seemed that…

He didn't want to go on with the thought, as if scared of where it would lead him.

Silence remained between them. Allen watched the figures passing by outside the window while Raz laid her head on her arms, eyes closed. He knew she was still awake. He wanted to talk to her, but wasn't sure of what to say or how to convey what he wanted to her…

Neither of them had until now given much thought to what meant to carry a Noah's memory and the nature of the change from human to Noah. Allen because he was aware his case was not like the other's and Raz because she had been through such already anyway. There had been times she had tried to think about what her life had been before that, the "human" life she had had, but even the concept was too buried inside her to make any sense… As such, she had soon stopped thinking about it, accepting what she was now. When the idea returned, it was always as a ghost of a childhood's dream.

Once more, Allen remembered Wisely calling them "siblings" and how they belonged to the Clan… Tyki Mikk in the Forest of Lights, smiling cruelly about how it would be better when they understood there was no place for them in the world except with the Clan… Memories that needed just one second to be revived, accompanied by the ghost of others.

Despite aware the Earl had meant her no harm, Raz had still been afraid. And it was a bitter feeling, almost that of a child realizing they fear their own parents, no matter how much they still love them.

Love and fear were not supposed to walk together.

Allen could see this and could not say he knew how it felt. Perhaps it wasn't as exclusive as the "Noah's Memory" as he might have thought months ago, as much as this likely had its place in the equation, but it could as well as be more related to Raz's own heart, emotions from the past seeking to revive what the mind had lost.

Maybe the Clan's intentions (at least regarding her) were indeed guided by affection or longing, but it didn't change the sensations this behavior caused…

"But you do remember how the Earl was when you met him before? He was almost insane… At the same time… He was crying…"

That was true… Maybe the man hadn't even realized what he was doing at the time (doubtlessly he had seemed to recover some sense when saying everything was Mana's fault).

Even before knowing he carried a Noah, Road and Tyki had claimed to have some liking for him. Not enough to not kill him (expected as they were in a war), but even so… Considering it might be true (something Allen had never thought much about before), there was no reason whatsoever for this, much less for them to say so if you took how they despised humans…

Hand running through his hair as if to send those thoughts away, Allen took a deep breath. Truth was, when those thoughts came to him, the only conclusion was that he couldn't comprehend certain aspects of the Noahs.

But perhaps, what was beyond denial, was that they loved their family just as much Allen loved his.

"We shall make so you will never return to the Order." The Earl had said it a little before waking Alma Karma. Not that he had been referring to "Allen" and he knew this. It was Neah he sought.

"It isn't as if you can stay here, right?"

In this, the Earl had been right…

"Raz…" He tried softly. Blue-grey eyes opened, looking at him. That look from the night he had found her had returned, glass eyes of a doll suddenly coming to life and unable to understand where she was. Or even who.

"How… How are you holding up?" He tried to ignore how dry his throat felt. Without changing position, she merely tilted her head. "I mean… It is the second time you…" The next words had no need to be said and, for some reason Allen couldn't explain, were better left unsaid anyway. Allen wanted to have something to offer, words or gestures, but his mind was empty.

Meeting the other Noahs, even if just crossing paths, was something. Even Wisely, despite him clearly recalling past events somehow.

With the Earl, it was a different matter altogether.

And also taking in the first real memory she had recovered.

Raz kept her silence as well as the eye contact.

"I remember what I felt…" The hesitation might have had roots in any motive, but Allen felt the undertones. Raz seemed to almost flinch before raising her head just a little, back still leaned. She might have been speaking to herself and the apparent calmness didn't match the words.

"When I was with Mana and Neah…" There was something when those names were said that echoed in Allen. "It was as if there was nothing wrong… As if we would always be together. It felt… Natural."

Allen knew enough to be aware that sentimentalism for the past had little to no role in this. Dismissing how friendship, real friendship feels, there was also the way the Noahs treated each other. It was indeed something natural.

"Perhaps…" A thought occurred to Allen. "Because we see humans who hurt their own children, we can't fully understand how this feels…" Before, Allen would have protested the idea. Now, a part of him accepted it without questioning, something he didn't want to dwell on.

"But it wasn't like this, was it?" She carried on and it seemed to Allen that she had huddled herself a little. "I don't know what happened. But I feel it. I feel it inside me…" For a second, the girl seemed confused, as if wondering how something emotional could hurt in a physical sense. Allen, having lost someone, understood it.

For a few seconds, she said nothing else.

"I… I wanted to go with him…" The whisper had all the qualities of a confession. "Despite everything, I still… I wanted…"

And hadn't she, back in the alley when they had first met, regretted attacking him?

Was that how it felt to fight someone you cared for?

"The Noah's Memory…?" Allen tried gently. After considering it, Raz shook her head, looking down.

"No… Talking like this, it gives the idea of… Of something that is in me, but it is not completely me…" She looked back at him, unsure if what she was saying made any sense. "Like… Like a feeling I have to bear, but that belongs to someone else, I guess." Raz would have liked to have better means to describe it, but it would be like translating the touch of the moonlight.

Allen leaned forwards, resting his hand on her arm.

"What I felt for him, for the others… I just never left. Things changed, but I… I still…" Her voice died slowly and she took a deep breath.

"Raz…" Allen muttered, heaviness finding birth in him. As if sensing some thread in the cadence of his tone, that was far too similar to how he had spoke back when she had first seen akumas, back in that room while her shredded hands were wrapped in gauzes, the girl looked back at him.

"I won't change my decision… But…"

Her shoulders fell. Perhaps all the words, all the explanations, could be reduced to a simple sentence.

"They are my family…" She whispered. And still a part of her seemed unable to fully comprehend the meaning behind the term. Once more, the image of a black chess piece tossed among white ones came to her mind.

Allen stood up and went to sit at her side, his arms going around her shoulders in a gently embrace. The Noah didn't shiver or hesitate, merely allowing the boy to hold her. Slowly, Allen's hand started to brush her hair.

"Raz…" He muttered in the same tone. "Do you remember what you told me before? When we were at Mother's?"

She didn't move.

"You told me that you would listen to me, even if I didn't say anything. You know I'll do the same, right?"

This time, a shivering crossed flesh and touched skin. A weak sound escaped her throat. The pain inside followed. Slowly, tentatively, her hands grasped the front of Allen's shirt while he caressed her back.

"Earl…" With her face hidden on his chest, the whimper was muffled. "Earl."

Allen felt the word more than heard it.

"I'm sorry…"

By instinct, his hold tightened, as if the flesh under the skin was about to shatter. A soft humidity on his shirt denounced a few tears that had escaped her control. He rested his face against her head.

"I'm here for you…" He couldn't say it would be alright, the words would be too empty. Any form of comfort that came to him invited the taste of clichés, so Allen opted to remain holding her, hoping to ease her heart somehow. "We… We will deal with this, okay? Somehow, we will overcome all of this."

The tears had stopped, but he knew it meant nothing. Not for the first time, Allen wondered how things had reached this point… Not only for himself, but for Raz as well… When had all of this started? When had this war started? When the first wire of hate had been formed, becoming that warped mess?

"I won't change my decision either…" He whispered to her. Her response was a sound that was too similar to a bone breaking for his tastes.

He kept holding her for a while, trying to convey what he wanted her to understand through gestures rather than words. Even so, when they parted, Allen knew the hurting had merely backed a little, leaving a thorn as a reminder for the next time it would wake.

"We will keep going on, then…" Her muttering was merely to fill a little the silence. Her eyes were hollow, in a way different from usual.

"Exactly…" There was a whisper from his own mind about what might happen when they found the truth they searched for, but Allen ignored it. Things had been bad enough today without those ideas infecting the compartment.

"Hey… Maybe we should call Elana and the others?"

When Raz looked at him, Allen was relieved to see a bit of life returning to her eyes. It wasn't a matter of "should" either, but also of "had to".

"You know how Elana gets when she doesn't hear from us." It had been just one day, but so what?

Besides, they had to tell them about Chaozii. The thought called back bitter sensations.

Allen had seen different models of golem's back at the Order and it was clear the prime material had come from there, but Johnny had found a way to match the general design with new details that resulted in something new and entirely their own, which Allen knew that had been well-received not only for the need of communication. He wasn't free of the sensation either, though he had only realized it once the thing was ready.

There was a low sound, almost a buzzing, before a connection was made.

"Hello?" Samuel's panther-like voice sounded and they could hear someone speaking in the background. "Raz? Allen?"

"Yeah, it's us." Allen replied. "How are you guys?" There was a low chuckle from the man and they could hear Alison's greeting. The compartment seemed to grow warmer.

"Hi, Allen!" After the sound of a door moving, the voice of Johnny followed.

"As fine as we can be, in this sorry excuse of a house." Lauren's response made Allen wonder if something else had broken in the meantime. His personal bet was some step of the stairs or one of the remaining chairs. Heavens knew they were worth nothing by now.

"Where were you two, anyway?" Elana was heard asking, not to Allen and Raz, but to them.

"Looking around, making sure there is nothing left in here that we could sell..." Allen supposed the persistence was to be admired. When they had found the house, while preparing themselves and waiting for the Exorcists, they had all been attentive for anything valuable that might have been left behind by mistake or escaped others who had ventured there either by dare or by a similar idea. Needless to say, it had been useless. The place had already been stripped bare.

"We found a chest, but there was nothing inside. Except termites." Johnny's reply certainly explained Lauren's comment. The girl had no issues with certain insects or bugs, but termites were included on the list of creatures she couldn't stand.

Knowing her, she probably had suggested setting the thing on fire.

"What about you guys? Have you reached a town already or what?" A lighter voice asked before anyone could continue. Allen's heart jumped.

"Lavi!" It was good to hear him. "How are you feeling?"

"Getting better." The other was clearly trying to sound as cheerful as always, but the attempt didn't work with his voice heavier than it used to be, subtle scars that spoke of the last months. Still, Allen recognize the "strike" tone in Lavi's following words. "How could I not, with the care of such gorgeous women? The sight alone is a dream to behold. Now I only wish I could convince them to go out with me."

Someone laughed.

"Don't look at me, I'm taken." Elana was saying. Allen couldn't stop a chuckle as he imagined the scenario, relieved to see typical traits of Lavi's behavior. In the few days following his rescue, Lavi had stayed in silence for long moments and, though he often tried to act as before, it was always hollow, almost a ghost trying to act like it had before. Only now a little life had returned to his manners, to Allen's relief.

"Told you he is always like this." He couldn't help but to say and tried. "Lavi, at least try to behave, will you?"

"Yeah, yeah." Usually, when Allen called his attention like this, the redheaded would point out how he was older than the white-haired boy.

"But what about you guys?" Lauren echoed Lavi's question.

"Oh, we are fine. We arrived soon enough." Raz said. "But the circus was not the right one, so now we're heading to Suffolk. From there, we'll go to London."

"Whatever for?"

"Well, the ringleader of the circus we met said they might be there." Allen completed. It was nothing certain, but what else could they do?

"Oh, okay. Maybe we can meet you there…" It would depend on how much more Lavi and Bookman would take to fully recover. Maybe Allen and Raz would be able to wait for them there. "As long as we take care, I think it will be okay."

"You should lay low…" Raz interjected. "As soon as you can, take a train."

"We saw Chaozii on the road."

A second of hesitation.

"Who is that, again?" Alison's question, though genuine in the matter of the person, was not one of confusion. It was clear that, whichever side that person was, it meant nothing good for them.

"Chaozii Han, he is an Exorcist…" Lavi's voice was cut by Elana's, in a tone just like when finding them after they had been ambushed by the Earl. Allen allowed himself a moment to be a little amused by the similar occasions.

"Don't you two tell me that…"

"We crossed paths at the road!" Allen said quickly. "Not my fault this time, I swear!" He added, betting she was thinking back of when he had insisted on helping Klaud Nine. The woman responded with a sigh while Lavi made a sound somewhat resembling a laugh. Perhaps it was the closest he could do for now.

"Wow, Allen, you're really cursed!"

"Geez, thank you." Allen replied with false sarcasm, only happy to see Lavi at least trying to jest. Some of them still chuckled, but it was not enough to dissipate the worry that had taken over the atmosphere. By Allen's tone when he spoke of the man, it was easy to guess he wouldn't keep it to himself like Klaud had done.

"I guess this time…" Samuel said slowly, not needing to verbalize what they were all thinking.

"Probably…" Raz confirmed, recalling how the man had looked at both of them. As much as she didn't want to, a part of her insisted even now that killing him would have been not only more sensate, but more pleasurable as well.

"The Order may send someone, so… You know. Take care." It was not a matter of "may", but of "certainly" this time. Allen could only thank that they had all stayed in an abandoned house rather than walking around the town enough to make it possible for someone to recognize a photo of himself. While one might argue there was also the hope that the Order would prefer to search for possible towns where he could have gone instead of where he and Raz could have come from, he knew how they operated too much to allow himself that.

"Sorry to say, Allen, but I guess I agree with Lavi…"

"Hey, what side are you on?"

XxX

Reever hesitated as his hands rested in the pockets of the white coat, his hair fresh washed. He had just been leaving his room, his thoughts more on the breakfast than the duties of the day (including a pile of reports Komui had once again ignored until the deadline) and the relief that everyone had returned safely and that Lavi and Bookman had been rescued. He wondered if Kanda would be too furious if he insisted on getting in contact with that group to talk to them.

Now he was in one of the hallways, facing the pale eyes of Noise Marie.

Both had always had a friendly relationship, but though the man's eyes couldn't see, they weighted over him all the same along with something marking his features. Reever couldn't claim to know what the Exorcist had in mind, Marie had just called him in the hallway, most likely recognizing the sound of his steps or even his own heartbeat. Other people would call it impossible, but not only Marie had senses naturally heightened as it often happened with blind people, he had his sound-related Innocence as well.

"Huh…" Reever started, unsure. "Marie?"

"Chief Reever," The other started, words marked by a deliberation that invited a new sort of tension to his senses. "What is going on between you and Miranda exactly?"

At the moment he heard those words, Reever could only thank his luck star that there was no one around to see the red wave taking over his face. Perhaps the question was not quite surprising or unexpected as it was no secret that Marie and Miranda had become close friends during their missions.

He wondered if the Exorcist was able to hear even how his heartbeat increased suddenly. He was convinced the answer would be positive. If Marie found it amusing, he didn't show it.

"What can I say?" His vocal chords felt a little heavy. It was ridiculous, of course. He was far from being a silly teenage boy with a crush, for crying out loud. "I love her."

And so it was. Pure and simply. When he had left the room of the portals with the woman, they had taken time to talk about her (official) mission as he sought to soothe whatever tension had followed her back to the Order. Later, once they were alone and sure there were no unwanted ears close by, their conversation had ventured to the true mission.

Reever had seen the wounds in her arms. Some point along the conversation, he had realized they were still holding hands and Miranda had discarded her gloves. Between some gauzes, it was possible to see the scars caused so long ago by Road's candles, the once-smooth skin now twisted, nearly sunken at the center somehow, with veins-like lines growing out of it.

Without thinking in what he was doing, Reever had taken one of her hands and placed a light kiss. Miranda's face had at once reacted by growing red, but she had smiled, not displeased with it. In the following silence, he had caressed her face with his free hand, touching the brown hair. Miranda was then the one holding his hand, not willing to partake just yet and with this, they had approached without need for words.

There was a saying about nothing like a first kiss. Reever found himself in agreement with it.

The following conversation had had nothing to do with missions or Noahs or anything of the sort, fading to the depths of his mind to give space to something far bigger.

Reever hadn't bothered to think whether or not others had noticed it already.

Marie lifted his eyebrows. It could appear at first as controlled curiosity, but it certainly didn't feel as such.

"Then, you are together?"

"Yes."

Despite his pale eyes, Reever felt as if the other was somehow able to dissect him with his look alone. Finally, the man nodded.

"Well… Miranda does like you." It had been easy for him to notice it a long time ago and not only due to his senses. Before Reever had the chance to say anything else, Marie leaned closer to him, his voice lowered to almost a whisper. "I just wanted to remind you that I care about her. Miranda is my colleague and my friend. I still remember when we went on our first mission together."

She had been almost like a lamb, at times insecure and shy. Frequently tense, but always doing her best. Eventually, Marie had understood the roots of this in small comments regarding her home town and old life. No matter if it was about her parents giving up on her, friends getting tired of her, the shakes of head and comments about her failure, they were made in a light tone, as if they were just bones left in their tombs.

It could have fooled anyone else, but not a man who could hear the details of her heartbeat, the pulsation of scars that were still there.

It hadn't taken much time for them to become friends and, if anyone asked Marie, Miranda was his little sister, blood connections be damned.

Therefore…

"What I mean is just that I don't like to see my friends sad." His face opened in a smile of a knife, his tone like honey. "So, this probably sounds cliché, but the truth is that if I ever suspect you so much as made her eyes water… I'll blow you brain up with the most acute sound I can produce. That's all."

Reever had always regarded Marie as a friend, but at that moment, he thought he would prefer to be facing a shark.

"I won't make her cry, Marie! For Heaven's sake, I just said I love her."

"Great! Then we're in agreement!" The other stood straight, that smile never leaving his face as he continued his way as if nothing had happened. Reever still stood there for a few moments, his body lacking the will to move due to the chill in his spine.

He frankly wondered if the Noahs wouldn't think twice before challenging Marie if he smiled like that to them.

XxX

Klaud barely heard what was being said around, her focus directed to the movements, the strength going through her muscles and the aimed blows. The nature of the Innocence didn't matter when it came down to training, every Exorcist always worked in any possible way, physical and mentally alike.

Not that today's session was being easy. She had spent almost the whole night up with the copies of reports and even when she had been too tired for her mind to interpret what she was reading, her body had been unable to fully give in to rest. Decent sleep had eluded her, her subconscious still trying to process the new info in search of something.

Even now, she knew there was something there. And the sensation that it was slipping her attention was detestable.

The muttering around was of no help, either. As much as she was not paying attention to it, the meaning was in the air as a poison. Even without it, she would have known what was probably the subject. As a bug bite that goes from a prickling to an unbearable itch, those mutterings stuck to the flesh, accumulating, closing pores and invading the organism.

Once more, she punched the target ahead, body hot with anger.

She had known, as soon as she had seen Chaozii Hand, that there was something wrong. In her lap, Lau had waved his tail, his small paws holding to her sleeves in a way that indicated his uneasiness. She had rested her hand on his back with a caress that usually calmed him down, despite sharing the sensation.

There had been a sensation of urgency in the reunion to be added to the shine in the man's black eyes. She couldn't interpret what slithered under the lines of his face, but whatever it was, it didn't give her a pleasant feeling.

"Mr. Han, welcome back." Levelier greeted him, hands over the table with only the fingertips touching each other after his secretary had offered a brief summary of the goal of the mission the Exorcist had left for. "Your report, please?"

It was a matter of protocol at work here. Chaozii had apparently made it clear he had vital information to tell as soon as he had returned.

"The phenomena I was investigating in Lincolnshire was not related to Innocence, but a rare occurrence. I didn't find any akumas there, so maybe they already knew it, but there were rumors of disappearances in a nearby town, so I went there just in case. It was because of three akumas of Level Three."

The others nodded with apparent calmness. It was not necessary to go into much detail when investigation of possible Innocence had results like those. Klaud studied Levelier in search of any hint of what he might be thinking. There was a sensation of iron in the air. If Chaozii had pertinent information, then he should have told the Central already.

Was Levelier already aware of whatever Chaozii had to say as well?

"Did they say anything?"

Why was he dragging this along? Plays of suspense had no room in those reunions. At the same time, it was a valid question… Though usually akumas merely mocked and threatened, there had been occasions they made comments that could be interesting. At least when they were of two or three level, smart enough to talk, but at times not enough to keep certain things to themselves. Not only that, but the Earl had made use of them to send messages in the past.

Last occurrence had been when he had announced the "beginning of the end" which, while not information, had still interested the Central.

"No sir. I just exterminated them and headed back to the city to use the Portal. On my way back, I met Allen Walker."

Klaud's muscles hardened briefly and she felt, more than saw, the others' reactions.

"Damn it."

"Allen Walker?"

"Are you sure?"

"Did he attack you? He…"

"Gentlemen!" Levelier called out, interrupting the flux of words and turning back to Chaozii without saying anything, his sharp expression alone to order the Exorcist to explain. As everyone's attention was on the Exorcist, Klaud watched Kanda with the corner of her eyes. Being a General now, it was his duty to be present at those reunions, though he made no attempt to hide his displeasure.

His face was a mask. If it wasn't for the natural shine of the eyes, he might have passed by a statue.

Chaozii's voice weaved words like a spiderweb, threads dripping with despise.

"I found him by chance. I don't know where he was going."

"Was he with a human appearance?" Komui asked at once, the controlled manners making it seem he cared nothing for the subject. Klaud evaluated his tone and expression. Professional. Calm. One wouldn't be able to tell he could have personal feelings about it without knowing he had known Walker before all of that.

Either he had truly ceased to believe in Walker, or he was a very good actor.

Her thoughts turned back to Krory.

"He was." His mouth twisted into a brief smile. "It doesn't mean anything, does it? Noahs have always been able to assume a human appearance to walk among us."

At Klaud's side, Sokaro swore to himself. It was not out of any sense of insult or displeasure regarding this ability of the Clan. If anything, Klaud could bet he was just annoyed to have missed the chance of fighting a Noah.

"I also saw his arm is still of an Innocence."

"So he hasn't been taken by the Fourteenth yet?" Someone interrupted, not in the tone of someone standing in defense of an innocent, merely pointing out a fact that should be considered despite not interfering with the result of the main equation. Levelier, on his turn, remained listening with hungry eyes.

"I don't think it is so simple… I think we're dealing with a Noah who can manipulate Innocence."

At Chaozii's suggestion, there was some exchange of looks and mutters. A Noah who could use Innocence? It was unheard of and against everything they knew about both sides. By all means, it shouldn't be possible. They had to talk with Hevlaska about it, as she was the best link they had to understanding Innocences and their bonds. If that was true, it also meant Walker had an advantage with Innocences perhaps having less effect over him (and, in worst case, none).

"There was a girl with him as well." No one cared for the detail until he added. "Another Noah."

"What?"

A few of them took a moment to revise in their minds what they had just heard, but most seemed to not be surprised, merely drinking a confirmation of what they already believed, almost with the jubilation of a mathematician that found irrevocable proof to fundament his theory.

Cold hands pressed Klaud's stomach until a dry, bitter taste spread through her body.

Her eyes sought Komui for a second, finding no reaction that helped her have an idea of what he thought of it. The second she looked at Kanda, however, she realized in a second that he had been watching her.

It didn't last longer than a heartbeat.

"It wasn't any of those we've seen before…"

"Forgive me, Mr. Han, but this begs the question…" Levelier interrupted for the first time in a low tone as he raised his hand in a gesture of asking for silence, making a display of being vaguely interested in the subject. It didn't match what could be seen in his eyes, however. "How did you manage to return without grave injures?"

Chaozii's expression was of someone who had bitten something sour.

"I was not perfectly unharmed, sir. That thing apparently has some sort of control over shadows. She almost broke my arms, not to say she tried to effectively choke me. However, when Walker told her to stop, she obeyed." His tone made it clear there was no gratitude from his part, as he didn't believe this had been done for any good reasons.

"Why would he do that?" Tiedoll asked. Sokaro, on his turn, chuckled.

"Oh, would you look at that. Did the cretin got himself a pet Noah?" He smiled, showing sharp teeth in a smile. "Roll over, play dead?"

This warranted a few snickers around while others shook their heads, with a disgust that had nothing to do with Sokaro's comment. Klaud thought about the girl and Walker fighting with her against the Level Four… A fierce anger found birth in her as Chaozii smiled, amused by Sokaro's words.

"Maybe. She did obey him as a dog would. In a way or another, I know what I saw."

A few whispered words, going from surprise to repulsiveness. It was far too similar to reunions of months ago when Walker had been the subject, but in here, it was even easier to feel how twisted the feelings had become over time. Intelligence was not necessary for one to know that Chaozii's report would only work to revive the discussions.

"General Tiedoll's question makes sense. Do you have any idea why Walker would tell her to spare you?" The secretary pointed out what others might be thinking now. It was uncommon for a Noah to spare a human, let alone an Exorcist. Klaud knew this line of thought was directed not only to the girl, but Walker just as well.

Chaozii half-shrugged, his expression not changing.

"I think he thought that if my body was found, it would not only be clear it had been Noah's work, as it would call unwanted attention." At the end, it made no difference and he told them about the details of the brief fight. Walker might have protested against being a traitor, but it didn't hold water when he was with a Noah and if he could convince someone of it, he might gain a spy inside the Order.

Many of those around the table nodded to it.

Klaud stopped for an instant, taking a deep breath as pieces of the reunion came to the front of her mind. The effect had been exactly the expected one: The news that Walker had been seen had spread across the Order in just a few hours, helped by the nature of his new traveler companion.

She also noticed how many didn't display any surprise to this. It made sense that Noahs would travel together. In some cases, she had caught terms that went from "pet dog" to more sordid suggestions of sexual relationships.

Regardless if there was any true to the latter, it was enough to make her want to puke anyway.

Careful, she had watched Krory as well as others in the following time, especially during lunch when they had chance to sit down and talk. Lenalee had her hair in a ponytail, had talked with her friends as if not listening to anything. After her attempt of defending Walker during the last reunion, Klaud had half-expected her to have something to say about those rumors, but she had apparently made a point of not responding to it. Kanda kept his usual behavior (frankly, nothing different from expected).

However, things had reached the point Klaud knew they couldn't continue like this, as much as she would have liked more time to evaluate her next steps.

Now, she had no time.

"Chaozii couldn't have a worst timing. Again." Her anger raised in response to the thought as she attacked the training dummy once again. Not that there was a decent timing to reveal something of this nature…

She punched her target.

Words and terms in the reports she had read returned to her mind as poison from an old wound. At the same time, she dissected everything she remembered.

Let Chaozii speak. She wouldn't have been surprised if Walker and that girl had been merely defending themselves. He hadn't been shy in his determination to get back at the "traitor".

Considering all the battles that had ever happened between Exorcists and Noahs, if there had been any real intention of murder at play, then Chaozii would have returned either dead or seriously injured. That whole "unwanted attention" made little sense, she couldn't imagine any plan of them that would warrant that behavior. After all, the Clan had never cared for hiding when they killed people. During that war, all those years, they…

A lightning ran through her mind, breaking thoughts.

An instant.

Klaud hesitated.

She looks at the watch. Alright, she had been here for a long time, she could consider her session over without issues. Keeping her expression as neutral as possible, she excused herself from the training room, greeting those she passed by.

Her legs prickled, wanting to run back to her room, mind holding to that idea as if it could escape her.

Was that it?

Once finally back in her room, Klaud kneeled down at the side of her bed and slithered under it. The night she had made copies of the reports, she had loosened a piece of the baseboard under it and used to hide the papers.

With them in hand, Klaud sat in the floor and turned to the small nightstand, opening a drawer for a pen, reading the reports once more. Pages were turned as this time, she searched for something specific, scribbling here and there, going back to compare details.

For a few seconds, she remained still.

She turned the pages again, comparing details she had underlined.

"You have to be kidding…" She muttered to herself. But it was there. So obvious. How she hadn't realized it the moment she had first read those things?

"You have to be kidding me…"

Wolf: Whew. Finally a new chapter. Like I said, revising the last ones took longer than I had planned, but I'm happy to finally get things back on gear and all. Hope I can update more soon as well. Sorry about the delay everyone.

bibliophile030: Since the Earl found out Mana Walker and Mana D. Campbell are the same man AND the plan of using Allen as bait didn't work, the whole Clan now can actively hunt them down, so... Yeah, they're pretty much screwed from now on. At least the Clan doesn't want them dead, I guess.

Allen: Yeah, because the whole baiting thing is really better. Thanks a lot ¬¬

Alison: Raz has such a loving family.

Wolf: Things at the Order have never been exactly a great way of living, but it was far bearable before the Central got more involved. And I'm sorry to say (okay, I'm not), but it will only get worse from now on.