A dark feminine figure could be seen scaling the cliff to the Black Order at sunset. Up the large cliff towards the tower surrounded by large dark trees.
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"Hmm, so this is where he is," she said as a small smile crept onto her lips.
"Looks like an interesting place..."
With those words she loped towards the gate to The Black Order, her long black hair drifting behind her.
As the slim figure approached the door, she called out in a clear voice.
"Excuse me, is this the Black Order?"
The gate keeper's eyes bulged out at the girl as she took a step back in shock. What the order saw was a tall black haired teenage girl wearing a white collared shirt with black pants. Her eyes were a dark brown color and she had a long sword attached to her belt like Kanda's.
"AKUMA!" it yelled out, startling everybody in the order.
In the next moment, a white blur shot towards the girl with a large claw protruding from where his arm should be. Faster than the order could see, the girl was gone from that spot and had drawn her sword. Before Allen could react she rushed past him toward multiple akumas trying to get through the gate, a blinding light emanating from her body. That's when the order realized that they were the reason why the gatekeeper had shouted akuma.
"Innocence first form, black sakura!" she murmured as a cascade of black flowers fell from her blade tip. As the black flowers made contact with the akuma, an explosion burst the akuma into little bits which were already beginning to disintegrate.
She stood in her blood red kimono watching the akuma disappear, her long hair settling around her face again. She strutted her way toward Allen, looking more than a bit angry.
"How did you not see those akuma coming?" she snapped at him, "You really have changed, moyashi," she finished while glaring at him.
Allen looked stunned. He was sure that he had seen this girl before. And he vaguely recalled that there was someone that called him moyashi other than Kanda. He just couldn't put his finger on it.
"Um, hi there..." Allen started, looking confused, "Do I...know you?" And that was when it hit Allen. Literally.
Allen sat crossed legged in the centre of a bar with cards in his hands. Cross stood behind him. They were both smiling their heads off. Timcampy was silently floating above their heads, recording all that was happening.
"Royal Flush," the boy laughed and laid down his cards in front of him. A surly man who was stripped to his underwear sat in front of him, looking bewildered.
"God Damnit!" he yelled and threw down his cards. He looked at the boy and picked him up by the shirt. He brought him close to his nose and spoke in his deep voice.
"You're a stinkin' little cheat, aren't you! Give me back my money!" he exclaimed, shaking the boy. The boy simply shook his head.
"I didn't cheat. I'm just reaaaaaally lucky," the boy replied. The taller man that watched the boy play all this time came in and asked politely to put the kid down. The thug shook his head.
"Not until I get my money back!"
Cross shrugged. "All right, but you asked for it." He took a small bronze coin from the pile of money the boy had won and flicked it up into the air. By the time the other man had time to look at the coin, he was out cold on the floor. Cross held the coin up to the man's face.
"You played the game," he whispered, and walked out of the bar with Allen trailing behind him carrying all the money. They left the clothes behind for when the man woke up. They weren't that mean.
Outside, with the sun beating down on her face, was a girl with long, black hair and sharp eyes. Her hair looked metallic in the sun. She looked tattered in her clothes, with dirt smeared on her skin. Allen and Cross were celebrating from their win.
"I'm gonna buy another drink!" the older man shouted in glee.
"Master! You've already spent too much money on your alcohol. We need to use the money to pay back your debts. I have a list of people that you need to get back to. I mean, look at this!" Allen took a long, rolled up list from his pocket. He rolled it all out and the end landed on the floor with a thump. "We can't have your debt kill us!"
Cross just rolled his eyes. "Come on! Just one more drink! One more!"
Allen shook his head wildly, wondering how his master could be so much like a child.
The girl couldn't help overhearing their conversation and smiled. She stood in their path and tried her best to look as innocent as possible.
"Hello. My name is Akira Tsubaki. I couldn't help looking at that shiny gold ring in that pile of stuff you're holding there. Do you mind if I take a look at it?" she asked.
Cross and Allen both looked at each other. They nodded their heads in sync.
"Do you want it? You could...play for it?" they said together with a smile. The girl only had one thing to bet, and that was her silver earrings. The only valuable thing she owned. It would've usually been a short game. Something small is better than nothing at all, Allen thought. He looked down at his cards, this was going to be an easy game. As they walked toward the table, the girl smirked at her next victims.
12 minutes later, Allen had lost the gold ring, watch and at least a couple hundred dollars. Cross had gone off somewhere to get a little drunk, with Timcampy by his side. His eyes scanned his cards again. There was no way she could beat him this time. No way.
"Royal Straight Flush," he announced like he did just a few hours before.
She looked disappointed.
"Awww," she whined, "It looks like she'll have to give back all my stuff...is probably what you are thinking." She laid down her cards in confidence.
"Royal Straight Flush, in spades!"
Allen's jaw dropped to the floor. "Did you cheat?" he asked.
"Nope. I'm just reaaaally lucky," Akira smirked, just as Allen had, "Thanks for all the stuff. I'll be taking my winnings now, moyashi." She started to walk away with an armful of money. All of this would last both of us for the rest of the year, she cheered in her head, I can finally treat myself to some udon. She licked her lips just thinking about it.
Allen watched as Akira walked away. His master would not be pleased. Where was he anyways?
Across in the distance, the drunk man wobbled with trustworthy Timcampy by his side.
"Allen wouldn't like how we already went through all of the money he gave us, would he?" he said to Timcampy. He caught sight of that same dirty girl that started to gamble with Allen from a far. Even from here, he could see that she was carrying a lot of stuff. His stuff. He instantly straightened up and tried to catch up to the girl in front of him. Allen wasn't far behind, trying to keep up with his master. For a drunk guy, he seemed very coordinated.
"Hey you!" Cross shouted, "What are you doing with my stuff?"
Akira looked back and saw them slowly catching up. She sprinted ahead, so they couldn't possibly get close. "How is she so fast?" Allen questioned. Allen reached his master and prepared himself for a loud lecture.
"Allen!" Cross threw his hands up in anger, "How could you lose? That was my drinking money!" Allen looked at Cross in disapproving manner. "...And our debt repaying money," Cross added on.
"I know. I don't know how she did it!" Allen defended himself.
"That's not an excuse. You could've done better than that! Now what are we going to do?" his master argued.
Suddenly, the black-haired girl popped in between their conversation startling them both.
"I couldn't help but hear your arguing. I'll give all the money back, if you really need it," the girl said quietly.
Both Allen and Cross looked like they had found an angel.
"Would you really do that?" Cross smiled. What a cute little girl.
"Of course I would. You know, on just one condition," Akira continued smiling at their reaction.
Cross' smile instantly vanished. Now what would the girl want? Couldn't she just let them have their money back out of the kindness of her heart. They had won that money fair and square. Sort of.
"I want to travel with you guys," Akira announced.
Akira smirked at Allen, now both in their normal forms again. Allen stood, rubbing his face in pain from where Akira had smacked him.
"So, do you remember me now, moyashi? It has been a while, hasn't it?"
Inside the order, it was chaos...
"It's another exorcist!"
"Lenalee, go get them, I need to prepare for the new exorcist!" Komui cried out
Outside there also seemed to be a lot of commotion.
"BAKA MOYASHI! You don't see me for a year and you can't recognize me at all!" Akira snapped.
"Sorry, sorry, I couldn't see you from so far away," Allen squeaked in a microscopic voice, obviously scared of the girl.
Both of them turned as the door opened revealing Lenalee holding a clipboard walking towards them.
"Hi, welcome to the Black Order. My name is Lenalee," she said in a cheery voice.
"Hello, my name is Akira. I am an old acquaintance of Allen's," the girl responded in a calm, cool voice.
"What?" everyone in the order gasped. The order was about to get a lot more hectic.