Disclaimer: well…I don't own…

Warnings: language, possible typos, unbeta'd

A/N: -sigh- this is long overdue huh? Well its getting closer to the end, more like two chapters away from it. It is how I planned for it to end when I first started it so I hope you guys like it…thanks for sticking with me~! Happy birthday Allen Walker-sama! Merry Christmas and have a wonderful new year everyone~!

Enjoy!

Chapter 13 – Project 'Eve'

"Shishou?" to say Allen was surprise was a big understatement. He got up suddenly, feeling the long forgotten rage bubbling in his chest. "You're back? After all that you did?"

Cross shrugged. "Got a problem with that brat?" he pulled out a hammer and immediately Allen's bravado shrunk. "I don't think so."

Komui adjusted his glasses on his face. "General Cross Marian…long time no see."

"I've been a bit busy," Cross replied. He returned his hammer into his coat.

Just as he did a fairly sized golden golem flew out of his coat. It fluttered around as if looking for someone. When it spotted Allen its eyes seemed to water.

"Tim?" Allen's eyes watered too and the golem flew into an embrace in his arms. "Timcampy! I missed you! And you've gotten so big! Why is that?"

Kanda's eyes twitched as he watched the tearful reunion of Allen and the golden golem. It looked pathetic and it reminded him so much of Daisya's annoying greetings. Whenever he returned from a mission Daisya would seek him out and pulled him in a hug for coming back safely. It annoyed the hell out of him, but now knowing that he would never get that hug again really hurt.

"Shishou, what do you mean when you said that Eve will awaken?" Allen had released Timcampy and it was hovering above his head. He remembered the name Eve from the voice in his head. It had told him to protect her. Could she be Kuu?

A serious air surrounded Cross. "Eve is a disciple that the Order created centuries ago to battle the Earl and his Noahs."

"I've read that from the tomb we found Kuu in," Komui added as he adjusted his glasses. "Back then the exorcists had all died and the Order was losing the war so they created Kuu, using the original version of the Synthetic Disciple Project and an unknown DNA."

"That's correct," Cross replied. The somber look hadn't left his face. "She fought and almost won but the Earl retreated. The Order then sealed her away hoping that when the time is right she will awaken and finish the battle with the new generation of exorcists."

"But something went wrong," Komui guessed. "And because of that Central refused to let her out of their sights, fearing that if the Earl gets a hold of her in her weakened state, their powerful tool for ending the war will be lost." He always hated the fact that Central only saw Kuu as a weapon. She was a sweet little girl who didn't deserve the fate that was handed to her.

"Correct again," a sharp glint appeared in Cross's one visible eye. "But that wasn't the only reason why they kept a close eye on her. It was because of the origin of the other DNA that created her." He looked at Allen briefly before turning back to face Komui.

Allen could feel anxiety in his blood when Cross turned to look at him. He had a feeling that he himself should know who the other DNA belonged to.

"Who does it belong to Cross?" that was Lavi. His voice was clipped, nothing like the happy-go-lucky tone he always used.

"Eve was created with the help of a Noah's DNA and sustained by the Synthetic Disciple Project," Cross replied without a hitch. "She's the offspring of the Fourteenth Noah."

The name struck a chord in Allen and his heart clenched painfully. The Fourteenth Noah? Why does that title sound so familiar? He tried to act nonchalant but his need to know was obviously showing on his face.

But before he could question him Johnny came rushing in.

"Supervisor Komui!" he was out of breath. "Kuu is–!"

Kanda was on his feet immediately. "What's wrong with her?" his voice was thick with worry. It was obvious he didn't want to lose anymore loved ones.

"She's waking up but it's different from last time," Johnny said in a rush. "You need to come quickly!"

Komui hurried to the door. "We'll continue this meeting when I get back. General Cross I'd like you to follow me."

Cross shrugged and followed him. Timcampy reluctantly left Allen's side and trailed after his master.

"I'm coming too," Kanda declared, daring anyone to say otherwise.

Allen wanted to go but he felt it wasn't his place to be there.

"If you want to go, then go. Isn't she your daughter?"

Allen jerked at the voice. It was the same one from before. Who are you? Are you the Fourteenth? There was no reply and he internally cursed. But there was no time to dwell on that. He followed after the departing group, declaring that he was going with them to see Kuu.

~ x ~ x ~ x ~ x ~ x ~

In the small hospital room Kuu laid back with her eyes wide and unseeing as she chanted in a faraway voice. Her complexion looked closer to a Noah's yet she was still pale. She was growing, from the looks of it, as the last time they saw her she looked as if she was only a year old. Now she looked to be at least seventeen.

"What's happening to her?" Kanda demanded. Kuu had never undergone such a drastic fluctuation in maintaining her age before.

"Her curse is affecting her," Cross replied. Timcampy had fluttered to his top hat, seeming to be asleep.

Komui's glasses were shrouded in light. "What curse is that, General?"

Cross sighed. "During the final fight before the Earl retreated he bound her ability to age."

"Why would he do something like that?" Allen asked. It made no sense. Why would he want Kuu to stay young forever?

"So that she wouldn't get any stronger," Cross replied. He looked at Kuu. "She will be more powerful with age. The Earl sensed that and stopped her growth at eighteen. That was also one of the reasons why the Order sealed her. They hoped that her curse would be able to be broken in the future. At least, that was what I read. I don't truly believe that was the reason why she was sealed."

Allen tried to digest the information. It all sounded factual but what he wanted to know was…"Shishou, how do you know all this?"

"I have my sources," Cross left it at that. But he knew Allen wouldn't let it go. "The curse has weakened over the centuries and with the removal of her seal, she's almost close to breaking it."

"…unlocking…primary data…" Kuu's voice sounded the same way it did in the forest. "Memories…one hundred percent…power level…one hundred percent…Agility…one hundred percent…complete reboot…ninety three percent…ninety six…ninety eight…ninety nine….one hundred percent. Adjusting to surroundings…" Suddenly she sat up. Her mismatched eyes were trained forward at Allen and Kanda. She looked at them as if she was looking through them to their souls. A small smile graced her face. "…mother…father…"

Allen and Kanda were at her side in an instant.

"Kuu are you alright?" Kanda reached out to take her hand.

She nodded; gripping onto Kanda's hand like it was her life. "I remember…" tears formed at the corners of her eyes. "I remember everything…" Her voice sounded different. Almost like two voices together in one. She looked at Kanda and then to Allen. "They betrayed us…it was their fault…"

"What are you talking about Kuu?" Allen held on to her other hand as Kuu had begun to tremble. "It's okay, you can tell us."

"The Order…they betrayed father and caused mother's death…" the tears had begun to trail down her cheeks. "…after I found out…they sealed me away…"

Cross listened intently. This was the part of the story he wanted to hear. The real truth behind Kuu's creation and why the really sealed her away. And about the two who had a part to play in everything: Kuu's, no Eve's parents.

"Your father, he was Neah Walker a Noah and your mother was Yulliana Kanda an exorcist who became the 'Womb' after her death, correct?"

Allen and Kanda turned to Cross with a shocked look on their faces. It couldn't be a mere coincidence that their family names were involved.

Kuu/Eve nodded. "You're a descendant of Kei Marian…" she realized after looking at him.

"Yes," Cross replied. He walked closer to her. "After you were sealed he tried his best to uncover the truth. He hadn't found much but his notes mentioned that you would have all the answers." He reached into his pocket, taking out an envelope that was decayed with age and handed to Kuu. "In his notes he mentioned that should be handed to you."

Both Kanda and Allen released Kuu's hands so that she could take the envelope. She opened it and tears instantly flooded from her eyes. In the envelope were a small golden locket and a note with one sentence on it.

No matter what I'll always love you.

She opened the locket seeing two pictures. On the right side was a picture of a gray toned young man with spiky raven hair and piercing golden eyes. He had the distinguishing mark of a Noah on his forehead. Standing beside him was a beautiful young lady – seeming to be Japanese – with long flowing pink hair, pinned up in an intricate up-do and fierce amethyst eyes. They were dressed casually. The picture on the right had an eighteen year old Kuu…Eve in an exorcist uniform sitting beside a young man – seeming to be of similar age – in a lab coat. He had fiery red hair that reached his shoulders and passionate emerald eyes. They both sported a coat of blush on their cheeks as they held hands.

"Kei…" Kuu/Eve sniffled, trying to control her emotions. She felt conflicted because the Order had taken so much from her. First her mother, then her father and finally the only boy she had ever loved. "I'm sorry…" she wiped her eyes, turning to face Cross. It wasn't time to dwell on the past. She had to help in any way she could. Her information might be valuable. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything," Komui who had been quiet all this time spoke up. "I'd like you to tell of everything you know, about your parents, the Order of the past, the war, everything."

Kuu/Eve nodded. "Alright, I'll tell you everything I know," she replied without missing a beat. "It began with my mother…she was the first and only exorcist that the Order discovered back then. Her Innocence was…Mugen."

Kanda looked at his sword as if it had grown a second head. He remembered something from the time he had first awakened all those years ago. It was the face of the very lady that was in the locket Kuu had. She had apologized to him for carrying her burden and had asked him to do one thing: to protect her only daughter. It was now making sense to him now…. At first he thought all the visions he had were some kind of illusion but it was her memories that were integrated into him. She must have been the person he was created from…

Suddenly a thought hit him. If he was created from her then did that mean that Allen was a Noah? He had heard that Noah's use normal humans as their hosts. Their memories are implanted and when it or their sense of self was strong enough they would eventually take over their host's body, leading them to be reborn. He wasn't completely ruling out the idea as Kuu had addressed Allen as her 'father' and also the pointed look – though discrete – that Cross had given him before when he mentioned an 'unknown DNA' suggested it. Kuu's eerie gold eye watched him and he was sure what he suspected was correct.

"She met my father like how all Noahs and exorcists did; in battle and they instantly fell in love…" Kuu continued in a voice of nostalgia. "She wanted to leave the Order and settle down with father but…the Order wouldn't allow it. Her fate was decided by them the minute she was compatible with Mugen…" She closed her eyes and when she opened them once more they shone with anger and pain. "But…mother didn't have much time to live. She was diagnosed with a rare disease that slowly ate away at her organs. She wanted to live out her remaining days with father but the Order didn't relent, since she was their only exorcist. They kept sending her on missions until she finally died…" tears started to gather in her eyes once more. "Mother was their only exorcist and with her gone they were at a lost. This led to the Synthetic Disciple Project. They tried to revive mother but it didn't work, instead they tried to create a new being that wouldn't die and was strong enough to face the Earl."

"…Eve…" Allen looked at her sadly.

Kuu/Eve nodded. "They only succeeded because they tricked father into giving them his DNA. After they got what they wanted they tried to kill him…" she wiped her eyes but her tears just continued to fall. "He barely escaped but because he aided them the Earl labeled him as a traitor and he was unable to go back to them…. Shortly after I was…born. I grew up in the Order only knowing that my mission was to rid the world of the Earl and his Noahs along with the Akumas they created. The training they put me through brought me excruciating pain daily…"

Kanda felt his heart clench at this as he knew how much pain Kuu must have went through to synchronize with an Innocence piece. He had been through the same thing with Mugen.

"I hated my life at the Order. I think it was around then when I met my mother for the first time. She was like a beautiful illusion. Her smile was always bright when she looked at me and she used to talk to me about a lot of things to take my mind off the pain. She told me about my father and how my golden left eye resembled his. But she was an illusion only I could see. It was her will that kept her there. She wanted to watch over me even in death, because I was growing inside her before she died." She looked at Kanda with pain filled eyes. "She regretted leaving me alone. But I didn't care that only I could see her. I was just happy that I wasn't alone anymore. Things started to look up and then I met Kei…" her voice trailed off and she closed her eyes once more. "Everything changed when I met my father for the first time. I was eighteen then. He told me what the Order did and then handed me an Innocence piece, Crown Clown…he told me to use it to destroy both the Order and the Earl along with the other Noahs. He said that if the two sides didn't exist then there wouldn't have to be a war and that mother wouldn't have died…I believed him but before I could get to the Earl…he killed father. Everything that happened next became a blur…I lost to my temper and almost succeeded in destroying the Earl but…he managed to escape, after he sealed my growth. There was still so much rage inside me and it led me to attack the Order's central headquarters. But I wasn't strong enough after my fight with the Earl and they easily subdued me and after that I was sealed."

At Kuu's story Komui was shell shocked. He had heard something completely different from Central, regarding the story behind how Kuu was come to be. Why did Central try to cover up that sad tragedy? That's what he wanted to know.

"I want to finish what father wanted," Kuu/Eve continued in an even tone. "I want to end this war. It has gone on long enough…"

Kanda was silent and so was Allen. After hearing her story they were unsure about almost everything. Was the war that important that the lives of the exorcists were disregarded just to make sure they won? Yulliana was just a poor victim of it and so was Neah. They died trying to protect each other. Yulliana and Neah fought for each other and the life of their daughter. But what were the Earl and the Order fighting for? Was their reason for fighting greater than the other's? What was the war all about? Allen wasn't sure anymore. He felt like a puppet being moved by an invisible force.

"Should we really just follow the Order's commands blindly?" Allen was beginning to question what being an exorcist was all about. He didn't want to believe in an Order who would put Kuu through all that.

Cross rested his hand on to of Allen's head and fished out a cigarette out of his coat, lighting it. "If you start to question it that when things will go bad. Try to understand it from both perspectives." He took a long drag and exhaled. "The reason for this war is beyond anyone's comprehension. We just have to find a way to stop it."

Allen still felt a bit conflicted but he accepted his Shishou's reasoning, for now. He pushed his heavy hand off his head and looked up at him with determined gray eyes. There was something he wanted to know. And by the evasive look in Cross's eye he knew it too.

"We'll leave that for another day," Cross declared as he turned and left the room.

"Wait! Shishou!" Allen called out but it went ignored. He really wanted to know about the fourteenth as his Shishou obviously knew something but wasn't telling him. "Damn it, he's always like that…"

"That's General Cross for you," Komui replied with a sigh. "But for now I think we should let Kuu…I mean Eve rest."

Kuu shook her head. "I'm just plain Kuu," when she said this her voice was back to its normal tone. "Who I was in the past is still me, but I want to stay as the person my mommy and daddy know me as. I'm Kuu Kanda…not Eve." A pout crossed her lips. "And I feel just fine oji-san! I don't need to rest!"

Allen smiled a bit knowing that Kuu was still her normal self. And that nothing had changed much. But that relief was short lived when the door to Kuu's hospital room was pushed open roughly and a large group of men dress in a weird looking red and black uniform stormed in.

Instantly Komui's expression became serious. "What is Crow doing here?"

The group of ten men made way for someone who seemed to be their superior officer. He was tall and fairly muscular, wearing a military like outfit adorned with medals and a pair of heavy black combat boot. His dark brown hair styled in a military cut, and he had a toothbrush mustache. His deep onyx eyes practically bore holes into Kanda's head. Beside him was a young man with his blonde braded in one. He had steely russet eyes and wore a similar outfit to the previous guy. There were two dots on his forehead.

"I've come to take into custody the weapon that belongs to the Order," the toothbrush mustache guy began. His tone was harsh and condescending.

Allen and Kanda could feel their rage rising from this guy's presence. One thing was for sure, they didn't like him. Not one bit.

"On what grounds?" Komui asked coming to stand between Kuu and the new arrivals. "Kuu is a member of my school. What authority do you have to remove her, Rouvelier?"

The frown on Rouvelier's face seemed to deepen. "You have allowed the Order's secret weapon to venture into the enemy's hands. We can not allow this to happen another time."

"I'm no one's weapon," Kuu growled out. Her golden eye seemed to glow in rage. "Go tell your precious pope that." She kicked off the covers and jumped down. When she landed on her feet she looked to be about fourteen years old. "I'll only use my powers to protect. Not to do the Order's bidding." She hooked her hands with Kanda's and Allen's, leading them out the room. The look on her face dared anyone to stop her, luckily no one tried to.

When they left Komui gave a curt nod and followed after them. But before he could leave Rouvelier called out to him.

"Don't think that you have any authority Supervisor Lee," he said in a tone that held a promise of returning. "This is not over."

Komui had exited the room then, but he couldn't help but to think back on what Rouvelier said. It made him wonder for the first time in ages, what the Order was truly up to.

~ x ~ x ~ x ~ x ~ x ~

A/N: wow…instead of winding down the story got more plot…damn. Looks like I have my work cut out for me. I hope I can still end it in the two chapters plus epilogue that it was intended to have. Only time will tell right? Stay tuned! R&R if ya wanna k~

Next Chapter: Answers Only Leads to More Questions

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