Home Again

Chapter 16: Truly Home

Allen's POV

Each day, someone would come in to interrogate Allen, asking for information on the Noah, the Earl, and the Heart. At some point, they'd resorted to violence, having a random crow do the dirty work while Lvellie stood back with that smug, triumphant look on his face. After each session, he'd passed out from all of the pain and blood loss, allowing himself to find even the slightest amount of rest.

During those times, the crows and Lvellie, surprisingly, left him alone, allowing him time to heal enough not to die during the next session. He wasn't quite sure as to how many days had passed, since the room he'd been in had no access to sunlight, but it felt as though weeks or, even, months had passed.

The now-familiar sound of the door creaking opened sent a tremor of fear throughout his body, causing him to clench his teeth in a way that might possibly cause permanent damage, should it last. To his surprise, Lavi, Lenalee, Kanda, Chaoji, and Link filed in. Unsure of whether to be relieved or hurt that they seemed to be confused and Chaoji was alive, he stared at them in silence, waiting to hear an explanation.

While Lenalee and Link continued to look at him with confusion and worry, Kanda and Chaoji glared at him as though they were certain he'd already become the fourteenth. Meanwhile, Lavi smiled innocently, though Allen immediately recognized that his hammer wasn't on his belt and his hands were behind his back, more than likely holding the missing hammer with caution. So they all think I'm a noah, then? Even you, Lavi...? And I killed Chaoji, didn't I? How is he alive and well, right now?

"Yo, Allen", Lavi sang, casually. "How's it going?"

His blood began to boil as he attempted to restrain himself from cussing out his closest "friend". "Is that really what you came to ask me, Lavi?"

A nervous drop of sweat rolled down the red-head's temple. "Ah... not exactly." He lifted one hand, being careful to keep the hand holding the hammer behind his back, as though he truly thought Allen didn't know. "Actually, we came to ask you-"

"Have you really sided with the noah", Lenalee nearly cried, tears now running down her face.

"Side with them?" The ex-exorcist smiled a fake yet broad smile in the hopes that he might soothe his ex-comrades nerves. "Where did you get that impression?"

Chaoji clenched his hands into fists and glared daggers at the prisoner. "Don't even try to lie, noah! We know that you're one of them!"

He opened his mouth to protest but was immediately cut off by Kanda, who stepped forward and unsheathed Mugen, pointing it's tip at the boy's neck in an obvious attempt at threatening him. "Don't get me wrong - I hate that babbling wimp - but I can't help but agree with him, right now. If you're as faithful to the order as you claim to be, why haven't you come back? And why did you defend that noah, when we tried taking him out?"

He lowered his head as he barely mumbled loud enough for his provocative words to echo throughout the nearly-empty room. "Come to think of it, Tyki has been more of a friend to me than any of you all. Why should I deny it? He's the only one that isn't out for my life, right now."

The samurai's eyes narrowed into thin, furious slits as he raised his sword above their heads and drew downward, ready to slice the fourteenth's vessel directly in half. The sitting prey only closed his eyes tightly, readying himself for the blow he knew he would receive. When his caution was met with nothing but the chains on his arms and legs falling and hitting the ground, he opened his eyes and looked about, catching immediate sight of the noah before him.

He stood fearlessly, holding Kanda's sword-wielding arm up by one hand, preventing the sword from making contact with anything as they glared into eachother's eyes, seeming to be having a silent war of mere eye-contact.

"Ty...ki...?" Just as he stood, he was thrown to the ground by Link's binding spell just before Lenalee stood directly ontop of him, preventing him from standing, should he break through the crow's powers.

The noah huffed a frustrated breath out and threw Kanda by his wrist and into the wall, using his dark matter to help him do so quickly and effectively. He turned on his heal and headed straight for Lenalee, dark matter out and ready, and Lavi trailing closely behind. "Stop", the ex-exorcist screeched, through the pain of all of the wounds in his back re-opening under the weight of the female exorcist.

Though his plea was weak, the entire room seemed to stop the instant that word was given and they all looked down at him, as though wondering who he was talking to and why he felt as though his words would make a difference. And Allen acknowledged that his words were nothing but a prisoner's cry, but he hoped he could at least stall for time, in the hopes that an opening might appear for him and Tyki to escape.

The noah looked uncharacteristically frustrated as he clicked his tongue and withdrew his dark matter, moving closer and scowling at the one on the floor. "Huh? You still haven't decided, yet? Even through all of this, you're still faithful to the ones who want so desperately to kill you? You've been-"

"This is my family!" He clenched his hands into fists, unsure of whether or not he even truly felt that way, anymore, but unwilling to allow the noah to kill them.

A shadow covered his features as a dark ark door opened and he began walking toward it, pulling out his cigarettes and a match. "Fine, then die here - see if I care."

As Lenalee stepped off and the other exorcists began to assemble, Link stopped the spell and Allen sprung forward, wrapping his arms around the unsuspecting noah and pushing them into the ark door just before it closed on the exorcists, as they attempted to follow.

They fell into Road's room and Allen yelled out, before the girl could comment on the fact that their runaway was back, "I change my mind! I'll stay with you guys!"

The noah of pleasure lay crushed under the younger's weight as he grumbled with a hint of annoyance on the tip of his tongue, "You're so indecisive, boy. It's really getting to be annoying."

The tattered one laughed, faintly, unsure of how to respond but glad that things seemed to be over, for the moment. Glad to be home. Truely home.

Cross' POV

He sat at the Earl's bedside as the old man seemed to sleep, though the human knew otherwise. "Wake up. It's done", he began. "I told them about the fourteenth's whereabouts and monitored his condition. Tyki Mikk brought him back to the ark - and, don't worry, it was Allen's decision."

The eldest noah sat up comfortably, wearing an innocent-looking smile on his face as he groggily said, with that oddly endearing tone he gave whenever Neah would be involved, "Ah, good~! Now, we can begin phase 2: aiding Neah in taking over that brat's body." As he stood up, stretched out his arms, and wobbled over to his wardrobe, he spoke as though Neah was his God, rather than his deceased and reincarnated evil twin brother. An insane man's state of mind, no doubt. "Ah~, Neah! I'm coming, I'm coming ~!"

(Aaand, that's how I'm going to end this. It's already 35 chapters into the entire series, so far! Gosh, I write a lot! Anywhose, I hope this was fairly decent, despite starting off rocky and ending lengthy and boring (at least in my opinion. I prefer more action but I always get stuck up on the suspense! xD)

I forgot to mention that Chaoji is actually alive, so I just kind of popped it in here and there. Good thing I'm coming out with another little "sequel" LOL. But I'm gonna be really honest here - I forgot he was dead because I hadn't brought the exorcists up in so many chapters. xD BUT FORGET WHAT YOU JUST READ! READ THIS AS THOUGH YOU BELIEVED IT TO BE A SURPRISE. "WHAAATTT?! CHAOJI'S ACTUALLY ALIVE?! :O WHAT AN ODD TURN OF EVENTS!"