Noah of Purity

Chapter Eleven: Values of the Heart

Edited: April 7, 2018


Kagome stirred, finally awakening from her slumber. It took her eyes several seconds to adjust to the room's lighting, and the first thing she managed to discern was the concerned gaze of her guardian General Klaud Nine.

Klaud surveyed her student intently. "Are you feeling alright, Kagome?"

Kagome muttered something to herself before responding. "I'm fine General. But where is Allen-kun?" She rubbed the back of her head, trying to recall what happened before she woke up in her bedroom at the inn. Unfortunately she couldn't remember much besides Allen calling out her name.

"He's outside," Klaud explained, noticing the confused expression her student was sporting. "Cross carried you back to the inn. Apparently, you were crying quite a bit after speaking with Allen. Tell me, Kagome," her visage suddenly darkened, "did Allen Walker harm you in any way?" Her voice lowered making Kagome gulp. Klaud could be a very scary woman when she wanted to be.

"No, no, Allen-kun didn't do anything bad!" She protested, waving her hands wildly. She didn't want her guardian hating Allen. The boy was nothing but kind and courteous to her. He was a real gentleman, even though he was younger than Kagome by one year.

"Are you certain?" Klaud inquired, not seeming the least bit intent on dropping the subject too quickly.

Kagome heaved a sigh. "I'm one hundred percent sure. Allen-kun did nothing wrong. Please believe me."

Klaud sighed and then leaned over, ruffling her apprentice's hair. Kagome smiled, her cheeks tinting a dark shade of red. She knew Klaud believed her. The woman wasn't one for words but her actions spoke for themselves. She believed Kagome, and that was enough for the youngster.

There was a sudden knock at the door. Both females turned around to see General Cross Marian enter the room.

"How is the young lady fairing?" Cross questioned, intentionally ignoring his apprentice who was shyly standing outside in the hallway with Timcampy perched on his head.

Kagome smiled and waved to Allen. She was relieved to see that he was doing well.

"She appears to be fine." Klaud said and wrapped her arms protectively around Kagome.

Cross' eyes narrowed. "That's good to know." He moved closer towards Kagome, sitting down on the other side of the bed. Kagome watched the man silently, wondering what he intended to do. With Klaud around, she knew she was safe but that didn't mean that she trusted this man. She didn't like Cross Marian. There was something about him that instantly repelled Kagome, and it wasn't the fact that he was an Exorcist. There was something off about him, and it didn't sit too well with Kagome.

"Nothing bad ought to ever befall a wonderfully blossoming flower." He attempted to stroke her cheek with his hand, but Klaud slapped it away before he could. Cross sighed and muttered, "Such a lovely gesture, Klaud."

"You're quite welcome, Marian." She replied icily. She, too, wasn't the most fond of Cross Marian. The way he used people - women especially - never failed to vex Klaud.

Beads of sweat formed behind Kagome's head. She suppressed a groan and glanced towards the door. Allen still stood there, watching the entire scene play out. "Come in," she mouthed.

Allen blinked and pointed to himself.

Kagome giggled. "That's right," she mouthed again.

The young boy slowly marched forward, his strides shaky and unstable.

"Oii, brat, why did you come in here?" Cross asked and looked up. Both males locked eyes and the room grew eerily silent.

"Because I wanted him here!" exclaimed Kagome. She squirmed out of Klaud's hold and scrambled out of the bed. "I wanted Allen-kun here with me before we'll be gone." She whispered and stood next to him.

Klaud sat up from the bed, silently watching her apprentice. A part of her didn't like how close Kagome was becoming with Allen. Their friendship had blossomed far too quickly. If Klaud didn't know any better, she would've assumed that Kagome and Allen knew each beforehand, but that wasn't possible. Their first encounter transpired in Kenya. Prior to their unexpected meeting, Klaud wasn't even aware that Cross acquired an apprentice. It was well known throughout the Order, that General Cross Marian should be one of the last Generals to have any apprentices. He never took his position seriously, he would constantly run off and he wasn't the best with children. It was evident by his treatment of Allen that the white haired lad endured his fair share of hardships due to his travels with Cross. As a General, Cross ought to be training Allen to become a proper Exorcist. But here, instead he was using the boy to pay off his debts and earn him money to purchase alcohol.

It sickened Klaud to know that Cross was physically abusing and mistreating Allen. Often she would voice her thoughts about it, but Cross would always disregard them or purposely ignore her words. Those actions merely served to remind Klaud that she didn't want Kagome to experience that. She wanted to limit her student's time around the booze loving General and his unfortunate apprentice.

For now it seemed like Allen was the opposite of his Master, but things could change. If that did happen, Klaud didn't want Kagome to be anywhere near Allen. He could wind up dragging her down a bad path. The life of an Exorcist was already difficult enough. Adding in someone who didn't take the position seriously would only spell disaster.

Klaud hissed with distaste.

Cross, meanwhile, reached inside his pocket for a cigarette.

"Don't even think of lighting that in here, Marian." Klaud warned, her voice taking on a rather ominous tone.

Cross raised an eyebrow, offering her a small smirk. "My dear, I wouldn't even think of committing such a vile act." And then, he lit up the cigarette and brought it to his lips.

Kagome blanched and stuck out her tongue, looking anything but pleased. She hated the smell of smoke. It was utterly vile. She loathed it when Tyki would smoke in the Noah manor or anywhere around her. The smell would always cling to her hair and clothes.

"Allen-kun, come on. Let's go outside." Without awaiting a response, she reached for his hand and pulled him out of the room.


Kagome led Allen outside and into the hallway. She looked both ways and then led him down the corridor.

"Kagome-chan, where are we going?" He asked.

"Just a little far from the room." She said and came to a stop. They were at the end of the hallway which faced a large bay window.

Kagome moved forward and sat down, leaning against the wall. Allen mirrored her actions, sitting down right beside her with Timcampy still atop his head.

"About before Allen-kun, I didn't mean to cry and make a scene. I'm sorry." She started to fiddle with the hems of her sleeves. "I was just a bit sad, and, well, crying seemed like the best outlet at the time." She glanced towards Allen. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable in any way, Allen-kun. I hope we can still be friends."

"Of course we're still friends!" He roared, completely ignoring her apology. "I always want to be friends with you, Kagome-chan!"

A faint flicker of surprise passed through her eyes. "Do you promise then?" She murmured.

"Huh?" A sudden look of confusion washed over Allen's face.

The sight made Kagome crack a small smile. She licked her lips before explaining herself. "Do you promise that we'll always be friends? Allen-kun, do you promise that we'll always be friends… no matter what?" She held up her pinky finger. "Promise?"

Allen's eyes softened. He knew what Kagome was asking for. She wanted a pinky promise. It was a small gesture he learned from Mana. Pinky promises often occurred between good friends who wanted to keep a promise between each other.

His smile widened. The action meant that Kagome wanted to be friends for life with Allen. His first friend wanted to remain in his life! Mana would've been so happy to see this.

Allen couldn't contain his joy. "I promise, Kagome-chan. We'll be friends for life."

Kagome giggled and interlocked her pinky with Allen's pinky. The younger boy couldn't help but blush. The thought of a friend for life made him so happy. The fact that it was Kagome made things even better.

Kagome smiled and withdrew hers. "That makes me happy," she confessed and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I always want to be Allen-kun's friend." The outer corner of her eyes lined with fresh tears. "Allen-kun is nothing but kind. He's a wonderful friend."

Allen's face tinted bright red. It was then that Kagome looked up.

"Eh?" he quickly looked away, not wanting her to see his darkening face.

Kagome chuckled while a single tear streamed down her face.

Allen-kun, even though you sounded sincere with your promise, will you still feel the same way once you know the truth?


"We'll see each other soon. Don't worry."

"I know. But still, it's so sad!"

"Kagome-chan, please don't cry."

"But I can't help it!" She whined.

Allen sighed. He and Kagome stood a few feet away from his Master and General Klaud. It was finally time for them to say their goodbyes.

Allen felt his stomach churn. The more he glanced towards Kagome's sad figure, the more he, too, felt sad. His usual cheerful façade had quickly begun to crumble after seeing that first tear stream down from her cheeks. It took all of his willpower to maintain even a little bit of composure.

"Allen-kun!" she cried again.

Allen sighed. "Kagome-chan, we'll see each other soon. I promise." He held up his pinky finger. "Remember our promise, friends forever?"

"Friends?" she whispered, her eyes watering. "Allen-kun!" And with that, she launched herself towards him.

Allen yelled and stumbled back on his rear. He let out a small grunt as his butt made harsh contact with the dried ground.

"Kagome, it's time to go," Klaud spoke, kneeling down to reach their height.

Kagome looked up at Klaud with a sad expression. To the sight of her tear stained face, the General suppressed a small sigh. "It might be hard to say goodbye, but you both will see each other again." Her thumb wiped away the girl's stray tears. "You're both Exorcists. Someday you both will meet up again."

"That's right." Cross nodded, joining into the party. "Since you're both Exorcists, you are both bound to each other. You can almost say that you're both connected as one." He eyed Kagome and then Allen. "Never forget your ties. They are very important."

"Ties?" repeated both youngsters.

"Come." Klaud helped Kagome to her feet. "Say your final goodbye."

Kagome nodded and offered Allen a hand. He smiled and got up to his feet.

"S-see you later." She said, her grip firm and her voice stiff.

Allen pulled on her arm, making her stumble forward. He clutched her tightly and leaned his head against hers. "See you later, Kagome-chan." A single tear streamed down his face.

"…"

Kagome merely wrapped her arms around him. The two stood in silence for a minute, enjoying their last minutes together. Though both of their elders stood right in front of them, none of that mattered to them. Just the fact that they were able to spend their final few minutes together meant more to them than anything else.


A Few Months Later


Kagome huffed and puffed. The remaining Akuma blew up around her, encasing her in a large puff of smoke. She coughed and shut her eyes. Already her vision had become blurry and her mouth felt dry.

"Damn things." She hissed and moved forward. Currently, she stood in the middle of an untouched pasture. Further towards the left, the remains of a farm stood. Before she had arrived, the Akumas had already killed all of the farmhands.

"They should have left these people alone." She withdrew her hair tie. Her long ebony strands fell loose, cascading down her back. She moved forward, exiting from the pasture. Jumping over the fence, she landed securely on her two feet.

Everywhere she looked, she saw nothing but the remains of Akuma blood and crops.

"Would Klaud be too upset if I were to be gone for another day?"

Once hearing about the current disappearance of farmhands from a local messenger, Klaud had sent Kagome to investigate. Klaud was always sending Kagome on these small runabout "missions." Her claims were that it was to prepare Kagome for when she became a full-fledged Exorcist. That way, she would have a basic understanding as to what a real live mission felt like.

"They're more a waste of time than anything else." She rolled her eyes.

She stopped in front of a small clearing. Further up ahead stood a brown shed. She smiled and continued to move forward. While walking, she shut her eyes and placed both hands against her upper chest. The ligaments pulsed, slowly turning a dark shade of grey. Her once porcelain white skin was now an ashy grey colour.

"It's nice to be back." She stretched her arms forward. Instead of sporting her black pants and matching navy blouse, she now wore a daring blood red dress. The dress was long and came right to her ankles. It had tints of dark brown mixed in towards the edges and went up halfway to her neck. Kagome smiled and examined her hands. Her fingernails were sheer black and the fingers were that same dark grey.

"I can't wait to see the others." She clasped her hands together. Well over two months had passed since she last saw her family. She was eager to return to them, even if it was only for a few hours.

A light rumbling then filled the air. Turning around Kagome watched as a familiar golden heart-shaped door erupted from the ground. The doors opened to reveal a smiling Road Kamelot.

"Kagome!" she cried joyfully before bounding forward to embrace her younger sister.

"Road-chan!" exclaimed a delighted Kagome.

Both females hugged each other tightly.

"I've missed you so much~" Road whined and withdrew from the embrace. "And look at what you're wearing. It's the same as the last time I saw you." She reached for a loose strand of Kagome's hair and eyed it with disdain. "Your hair has too many split ends! It needs a trim!"

"Road-chan, can we please not discuss this now?" Kagome groaned. Talking about hair and clothing was the last thing on her to-do list right now. She wanted to spend as much time with her family as she could right now.

Road pouted. "Fine, but only because everyone is expecting us."

"Eh?"

Road reached for Kagome's hand and pulled her inside the door before she could do anything else.


Kagome and Road walked through the darkly lit hallways. Road had, of course, forced them to take a quick detour before heading to the main parlour. She insisted that Kagome change her clothes and receive a quick haircut.

"You look much better." Road boasted and leaned her head against Kagome's shoulder.

"Whatever you say," she replied, and suppressed a groan. The dress was far too puffy for her liking. It was a short dark dress which came just below her thighs. Decorated at the front and side with matching white bows and ribbons, it was far from what the Noah of Purity would wear on a regular basis. As well, with the matching dark stocking and white shoes, well, Kagome couldn't say anything more. She valued her life too much to question her sister's fashion choices.

"My favourite part is the hair. It suits you perfectly." Road hadn't only trimmed her sister's hair but she decided to style it into an elegant French braid. "You look too cute, Kagome!"

"Gee, thanks." Kagome's sarcasm wasn't lost on Road's end yet she decided to ignore it.

Both females then emerged into the main parlour. It seemed like no one else was present but then suddenly a loud popping sound was heard.

Pop! Bang! Pop!

Kagome blinked, stunned as she watched a large banner slowly unravel from it ceiling. It was the words however on the banner that truly captured her attention. It bore three simple words in an elegant red font that made her eyes swell with tears. It read: "Welcome Home, Kagome."

"Ta Da!" A group of people emerged from the other set of parlour doors.

Road's jaw dropped. "What happened?"

Tyki rubbed the back of his neck. His entire outfit and face was covered in cake. "Should you two explain or should I?" He questioned the twins.

"Feh, it's not our fault." Devit rolled his eyes; his entire face covered in white frosting.

Road doubled over with laughter. Question marks hovered above Kagome's head.

"Hee, hee, welcome home!" Jasdero exclaimed, his entire ensemble smeared with dark chocolate.

Kagome groaned and slapped her forehead with the back of her right palm. "I don't even want to know."

"Oh, don't be like that." Tyki insisted and walked forward. "Especially with all of the hard work we had put into this." He tried to pull her into a hug but she backed away.

"I will not be hugged by you." She insisted sternly.

Tyki smirked. "We'll see."

Kagome gulped and backed away. Suddenly, she felt someone touch her shoulder. She jumped and turned around only to have someone wrap their arms around her.

"TYKI!" she shouted, her nose scrunched up with irritation.

Tyki only laughed and pulled her closer to his chest. "Welcome home, my niece." Bits of frosting and cake batter were sticking to her face and hair. She grimaced, trying to squirm out of his embrace, however Tyki's grip was too strong.

"I want a hug too!" Jasdero suddenly shouted and advanced forward, enclosing the gap between himself, Tyki and Kagome.

Kagome eye's widened. Before either she or Tyki could protest, Jasdero tackled them both to the ground, getting both Noah's covered in dark chocolate. Tyki groaned with irritation while Kagome blinked, holding back her small grunts of pain. All the while, Jasdero laughed, finding the entire situation to be far too amusing.

"Are we having fun here?" someone questioned.

"EARL!" Road shouted and dove towards him.

"Road, how lovely to see you~" he smiled, laughing. Lero floated beside him, watching Road wearily.

"Lero!" she cried and spotted the umbrella.

"Lero!" it shouted and tried to scamper away. Road, however, was too fast. In no time flat, Lero was in her tight grasp and quickly being spun around. The poor golem let out cries of help but was sadly ignored.

"Kagome, don't I get a hug?" The Earl inquired, watching the youngest Noah. "After all, we haven't seen each other in such a long time."

"Earl," Tyki coughed.

"Yes, Tyki-pon?"

"Don't call me that!" He shouted. "And, um, regarding your earlier statement, I don't think Kagome will be able to answer it for quite some time."

The Earl blinked. "And why not, Tyki-pon?"

Jasdero laughed. "She's knocked out cold."

The Earl and Road exchanged similar glances and moved forward. Still lying on the ground, Kagome had her head in Tyki's lap. Her eyes were swirling and dark stars danced around her skull.

"Kagome!" exclaimed Road, distraught. This wasn't how she envisioned Kagome's return home to pan out.

The Earl's eyes narrowed. He glanced towards Tyki and then Jasdero. Both gulped, millions of beads of sweat rolling behind their backs.

"Sorry," they chorused and inched away. When Tyki moved, Kagome's head banged against the ground loudly.

She groaned.

Everything became silent.

"You two idiots!" Road pointed two fingers in their direction. "You can't do anything right."

"It's not our fault!" They chimed and backed away.

Road scoffed and moved towards Kagome.

Lero sighed. "Lero, what will you do with them, Lero?"

"I have no clue." The Earl confessed. Tyki and Jasdero exchanged relieved glances. "I suppose it's like the old saying. You can't teach an old dog news tricks, no matter how hard you try."

"Hey!"

"Heh! I am no dog!"

Devit laughed and Road smiled. The Earl merely shrugged his plump shoulders. "I only speak the truth."


Once Kagome had woken up and was dragged into the dinning room, the real party commenced. An entire three-course meal had been prepared for the youngest member, all ready and waiting. She sat in between Road and Tyki, watching the twins across from her out of the corner of her eye.

"Hungry?" Road whispered.

"A bit," she replied.

Road reached for her hand. "You'll like it. We all know it."

Confused, Kagome merely blinked. "Um, thank you."

The Earl tapped his wine glass with his spoon. "I have an announcement," he began. All looked towards their leader expectantly. The Earl smiled. "I would like to welcome Kagome back home, even if it's just for the evening. We know that you must leave us soon, but we are happy to have been able to spend the evening with you nonetheless."

"Earl," Kagome smiled. She was so happy to be home. She truly adored her family, even if they drove her nuts half the time.

"Here, here!" Tyki raised his wineglass. "To Kagome."

"To a loving young sister!" exclaimed Road while she grabbed her glass of juice.

"To an annoying sibling!" piped Devit.

Road, Tyki and the Earl glared at him.

Jasdero laughed. "Hee, hee, to a wonderful friend!"

"To Kagome!" they chorused.

The youngest Noah's eyes watered. She covered her mouth with her hands and gazed to each of her family members one by one. Unable to maintain her composure, she broke out into tears.

Road placed her glass down and wrapped her arms around her sister. Head leaning against hers, both remained in a loving embrace. Off to the side, the Earl awed and the twins stuck out their tongues. Tyki smirked and took a sip of his wine. The moment was perfect, content, calming, and relaxing, until…

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

Tyki jumped in his seat. "Crap!"

Sheril Kamelot emerged from the west doors, smiling comically. "Are you all celebrating without me?" He demanded and walked inside the room.

"Of course not, Father." Road chimed sweetly.

Kagome groaned and Tyki looked away.

Sheril stopped walking. "Kagome?" he whispered, his gaze falling onto the youngest Noah.

Millions of beads of sweat were dripping down from her forehead. Kagome withdrew herself from Road's arms and slid towards the edge of her seat.

"Kagome!" Sheril shouted delightfully. "Come here and give your father a hug!"

Kagome screamed and jumped to her feet. Everyone watched in silence as Kagome started to run around the table with Sheril following close behind, yelling for her to stop.

"Kagome! Give your darling father the proper greeting he deserves!"

"Never!"

"It's no use, Kagome. You should give up." Tyki remarked and reached inside his pocket, withdrawing a cigarette. "Sheril wants a hug, regardless of what you might say or do."

Kagome's face paled at her uncle's words. She immediately quickened her pace.

Sheril laughed, his banter resonating throughout the room. "Come here, Kagome! Let your father hug you."

Kagome screamed and jumped again. The twins laughed, leaning further back into their seats. Road sighed happily and watched the scene play out. Tyki chuckled while faintly biting on his cigarette. Even the Earl appeared to be content, watching two members of his family run around the table like crazy people.

"Someone, help me!" Kagome shouted.

"…"

No one replied.

"So much for being happy to have me back!" she shouted, flailing her arms.

"Kagome!"

"Huh?" She turned around. For that split second she had stopped, Sheril managed to sneak up on her. Her face paled as Sheril tackled her to the ground, preventing her from moving.

"Damn!" She hissed, wiggling under his body.

Sheril cried out in joy.

Kagome glanced to her family for one last time. Begging for help, no one bothered to get up from their seats to help her. Instead, they merely raised their glasses and took a sip.

"To Kagome!" they proclaimed and then burst out into a fit of laughter.


It was late into the evening when she departed from her family. Many of them protested, urging her to stay longer. She wished she could, but she knew that she had to leave. Promising to return home sooner than before, she departed from them with lots of hugs - with a few too many from Sheril, if she had to be honest.

Kagome exited from Road's door, returning to the same pasture she was in earlier. She glanced around, noticing how everything was dark.

"Night has fallen." She realized. When she took a step forward, the door disappeared. Owls hooted and crickets chirped, searching for their mates. The stars glistened proudly in the sky and the moon shone brightly, illuminating the ground. It was breathtaking.

Kagome stopped walking and shut her eyes. "I need to change back." There was no telling who would be around. If anyone saw her in her Noah form, she would need to kill them. "I can't risk anything." Her entire body pulsed. A surge of strong pressure coursed through her veins. Inch by inch, the dark grey skin disappeared, revealing a patch of creamy white skin in its place.

"Much better." She sighed and stretched her arms forward. Examining her clothing, she noticed that her other clothing had left, too. "I'm wearing my dirty clothes." She stuck out her tongue. Her human form clothing was covered in dirt and Akuma blood. "Oh well. No use crying over split milk."

She continued to walk for another few minutes. Nothing but the sounds of nocturnal animals calling and the wind blowing breezed through her ears.

"Kagome? Are you there?" Someone shouted.

Kagome's ears perked up. "That's Klaud," she realized and quickened her pace. Running quickly, she neared one of the various barns and saw a faint female outline. She drew closer. Standing next to the barn was Klaud with Lau Jimin perched on her right shoulder.

"There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you." Klaud advanced. "I was beginning to worry. This errand should not have taken so long. Why were you gone for so long?"

"I got lost." The girl confessed, shamelessly looking down at the ground. "I kept looking around, thinking there might be more Akuma. By the time I realized they were all gone, it was so dark, and I had lost my way."

Klaud sighed. "What am I going to do with you?" She mumbled, sounding far too amused by the situation. It wasn't uncommon for Kagome to get lost, and Klaud highly doubted that this would be the last time it happened.

"Treat me to dessert?" Kagome chirped. Although she was full from dinner, she hadn't yet eaten any dessert. Apparently, Tyki and the twins were in charge of preparing a cake but it didn't end well.

Klaud pursed her lips together. "I suppose that would be a fair treat."

"Are you serious?" Kagome repeated, stunned. She didn't think that Klaud would agree to her suggestion.

"Naturally," the General smiled. "What would you prefer to have?"

"Ice cream?" she asked, hopeful.

Klaud chuckled. "Fair enough, let's go get some." She reached for her hand. Kagome smiled and gripped Klaud's hand. For a minute, both walked in silence. Klaud stared ahead and Kagome hummed a soft tune.

"Klaud, would I be able to get something else too?" She inquired.

"Don't push it." The General said.

Kagome sighed. It was worth a try.