A/N: Little bit of a time break, but not much.
"Finally…" Alystar sighed as he sat back in his seat as the train departed the station.
"Almost there?" Claud asked as he watched out the window at the passing scenery.
"A few hours away… Then we'll have a little walk." Alystar chuckled, "Oh… and we're going to have a bumpy ride when we leave the train."
"Huh? Why?"
"There's no stop where we're getting off."
"Uh… What?!"
"You'll see when we get there," Alystar chuckled and sat back to get comfortable.
"Exorcist?" Alystar blinked down at the young child that looked up at him with questioning eyes.
"Yes. How do you know about Exorcists?"
"Great-Grandmother told me stories of them. She said they were people on the side of God that protected us from the monsters. Gran-Nana would have loved to see you…"
Alystar gave an understanding smile, "Well, you will have a great story to tell her when you meet again."
"Yeah," the little girl smiled, showing missing front teeth.
---
The change in scenery caught Alystar's attention, "Tac, Erin, Claud, this is our stop. Grab you stuff or go without." He already had his bag and was heading for the back of the train.
"This cannot end well…"
"Got everything?" Alystar smirked before opening the door. "Here we go. Claud, fly ahead, we'll be right behind you."
"Oh-kay," Claud jumped away from the train, the turbulence caused him to tumble when his wings opened.
"Our turn," Alystar looped his arms around Tac and Erin and followed after.
"You guys alright?" Claud asked once he caught up with the three.
"Yeah, but I think Jaws is stuck…" Erin said as he pulled a stray branch from his hair.
"They always kept this area somewhat tame! How do they expect Exorcists to get on and off the train?!"
"Hold still, I'm trying," Tac was glad for her gloves as she grabbed at the thorn filled bush Alystar had the misfortune to roll into. "You have no luck what-so-ever…" She muttered as she pulled a large branch of thorns away from the scraped up man. "Can you get out?"
"I think so..." There was still limbs clinging to his clothes and legs but he was able to free himself with minimal damage. "Thanks."
"No problem. So… how far are we?"
"Not far. It's getting dark, we should get moving before anything comes looking for the cause of the noise."
---
"Are those bats?" Erin blinked at the group of fluttering creatures that seemed to be following them.
"Golems," Alystar smiled, imagining those within the Order watching their approach. He reached into his pocket and held up his 'dormant' one, it flicked awake and soon bolted for the group following them.
"Okay, back off!" Erin flung his hands up when they started to crowd closer.
Alystar just chuckled and held up the shoulder of his coat, showing the Rose Cross to one of the scanning golems. They all flitted away to start leading them rather than watching. "None of you are claustrophobic I hope…"
"Uh… Why?" Erin blinked at the dark opening the golems had led them to. "Ugh…"
"Seems they have the canal clear. Good because I hate climbing…"
"More water…" Erin whined through the small boat trip to the entrance into the Order.
Alystar smiled softly when they finally made it up in to the main part of the building. "Finally home…"
"Relax, take a break! All this worrying is giving you gray hair!"
"That's my natural highlights! Stop messing up my hair Bookman!"
Alystar blinked, "Bookman?" Both figures jumped when he walked into the room the voices had originated from. "I was unaware there were women Bookmen…"
"Sexism strikes everywhere…" A strawberry blonde haired young woman gave a cockeyed sarcastic smile, Alystar blinked at the sudden similarities.
"Lavi…?"
"Lavi? Now there's a Bookman I haven't heard of for a long time. Wait, how do you know my great-great-great-grandfather?"
Alystar gave a sad smile. "Oh! I knew I knew you from somewhere!" The other, a young man he hadn't gotten a good look at, dove behind a nearby desk as books and papers flew everywhere. ""You wouldn't happen to be related to Krory?" Alystar blinked when he finally got a good look at the young man. He had shaggy black hair with pure white streaks throughout. The boyish man cocked his head at Alystar's staring.
"I'm sorry," Alystar blinked and shook his head before looking down at the old photograph the other held. It was a 'family' portrait that had them all lined up. His eyes started to water, he could remember that day…
"What are you on 9/10?" Bookman drug him out of his memories to laugh.
"What?"
"Records say Krory's name was a family thing. What number are you?"
"3rd."
"Oh, when did the numbers restart?"
"I'm the same man as in the photo," Alystar took the old frame from the young man to look it over. "Kanda was so mad that day. Allen and Lavi interrupted his meditation for this. LenaLee had to protect them. Then they had to retake the picture twice because Allen had laughed at something Lavi said, and Tim tried to eat my golem… It took an hour before we could even get everyone to settle down enough to stay still to take this."
"Wait… You really are Krochan? That… But… There's no way you could still be alive! It's not possible!"
"You have Lavi's records of me, I know how you Bookman are… I didn't know the extent of my difference until long after I had left the Order but we did know it was going to be an extreme."
"Krochan?" Erin asked.
"Alystar groaned, "It's the nickname her grandfather gave me long ago."
"Krochan… I like Jaws better."
"You would." Alystar rubbed the bridge of his nose, "I would gladly explain everything I know but I am tired and hungry. Could we discuss this after a hot meal?"
"Sure."
"Look out!"
"Watch it!"
"Incoming!"
"What is going on?" People were rushing through, yelling warnings as furniture shifted.
"Komurin!"
"What? I thought we dismantled all of them?!"
"We missed one!"
The old robot rose up, allowing them to see the cobweb and dust covered machine. "Kids, hide," Alystar grabbed the three clueless young Exorcists and drug them out of the machine's scanning range.
"What is that thing?!"
"A mad scientist's tinkering on steroids…" Alystar risked a look back into the room. The young man was stuck within the machine's sight.
"Allen Walker," Alystar blinked as arms shot out to grab at the man.
"No," he blinked as Innocent coated nails dug into the floor. "Wrong Walker!"
Alystar rushed at the machine while it was distracted by the other. "Let him go!" He struck at the grabbing arms, the metal easily ripped to free the young man.
"Thanks…"
"No problem."
"Arystar Krory…" Alystar froze, he looked up with the same look a deer would have when staring down an oncoming car when more arms shot from the machine.
He tried to jump away, his legs were caught and he panicked. "Little help?!"
"We got ya," Alystar turned to see Erin's boomerang fly.
"I hope you don't have any sentimental ties to this thing." Once the restraints were cut Tac reached out and grabbed the machine with her activated gloves.
"Compact the bitch," Erin smirked once the rang returned.
There was a horrid crunching noise, when it was over Tac dropped what appeared to be a gigantic crushed can. "There, no more problems…"
"Thanks Tac. Sorry about the Komurin… uh."
"Ugh… Komui… Walker."
Alystar blinked then started laughing, "Komui Walker…"
"Yeah," Komui gave an unsure smile that was worthy of Allen's praise.
"You're a parasite type, aren't you?"
"Kind of, I mean how deadly could these be?" Komui laughed and made a pawing gesture with white nails.
Alystar chuckled, "You'd be surprised…"
"You mentioned food," Claud said. "I'm starved!"
"You would be," Erin laughed.
"Come on then, let's get food."
Alystar was happily following Komui and Bookman, he would sometimes catch a familiar face among the Finders or other scientists but no other Exorcists were seen. "Are we the first to answer the call?"
"Yes… I fear you may be the only ones coming too. Becca and I are the only Exorcists living at the Order, we aren't even sure I there are anymore out there."
"See those three?" Alystar smiled at his traveling companions putting in orders for food the poor cook had probably never heard of. "They found me. They were already bound together because of their difference; I'm sure there are more out there that have done the same."
Author's corner
Giggles, I'm sorry about the Komui Walker thing, I plotted the Komurin thing from the moment this fic started. A friend agreed it would be funny to see so I did it XD Just consider it revenge for all the experiments. LOL It might take awhile for me to update this story cuz Krochan is just being too emo for his own damn good (you'll understand when I finally update the story) and I even tried getting him on antidepressants, no use. He's in all out emo vamp mode… Oh well, I'll drag him outa it soon, if not Erin or Claud will. Till then I hope you enjoy!