Gahhh! I've been so bad about updating these past few months! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me for being a horrible author!
Sakura02: True story. Millennium Earl is just not a nice person.
SaiyukiSucker: Claire will get to see everyone :)
Thanks: BANEHiwatari, sammi117, HikariNoTenshi-San, bored411, Gold Phantom, Shaybo27, erica. phoneix16, Masked Bard of Chaos, Live-Laugh-Love-Till-The-End, BLACK SUMMERSUNS 88, 4Evr. –A.-fAIlUrE, and kitty kitty love for reviewing!
"Daddy, where are we going?" Claire asked cautiously. She was walking with Tyki in his white form to an unknown destination. She'd been rather shocked when he'd changed into the card shark from the train, and had yelled at him for a good fifteen minutes for lying to her again.
Tyki was silent, moving the cigarette in his mouth from one side to the other. "I told you I always keep my promises, Claire."
Claire blinked. "I don't understand…" She blinked as Tyki suddenly opened a door and a blinding light burned her eyes. When she was able to open them, she recognized the Ark. Only now, the city was crumbling. She could hear angry and familiar voices shouting up ahead. Her eyes widened and she looked up at Tyki. "Daddy…?"
Tyki knelt down in front of Claire. He stroked her cheek for a few moments before kissing her forehead and hugging her to him. "You'll come back to me someday; I know you will." He stood up and walked on ahead, leaving a confused Claire behind.
By the time Claire blinked out of her stupor and ran after him, he was already back in his Noah form and talking to someone. Claire came up behind him and peered around him. When she saw who it was, she immediately began crying. "Allen!"
Allen barely had time to catch Claire as she flung herself at him. He held her in his arms, trying to process the fact that he had Claire back, and that she was safe. He hugged her close and kissed her blonde hair. "Claire, you're okay!"
Tyki smiled sadly at his crying daughter. "Is this what you really want, Claire?"
Claire sniffled and wiped her tears away. She tried to ignore the shocked look on Allen's face. "I told you; Allen is my family. You and the other Noah are Allen's enemies, so you're my enemy too." Her voice began wavering towards the end when she saw the brief flash of hurt on Tyki's face.
"I see…" Tyki composed himself and held a small key up. "Well, if you all want to get out of this ark alive, you'll have to get to the highest point in the ark to find Road's door. If you can do that, we'll let you escape. You'd better hurry, though. You don't have much time left."
"Daddy!" Claire cried in alarm when a tower suddenly collapsed on him.
"Daddy?" Kanda and Allen both asked in unison.
Tyki chuckled, slipping through the fallen tower and beginning to walk away. "That's right; Claire is my daughter. The only reason I'm giving her back to you, is because I made a promise to her. I'm not worried, though. I'll get her back soon enough when you all fail." With that, he disappeared.
Claire immediately threw her arms around Allen's neck and hugged him tightly. "I missed you so much, Allen. I cried everyday because I thought you were dead. I'm sorry I couldn't stop him from hurting you."
Allen held the crying girl close to him. He was still processing the fact that Claire's father was a Noah. He worried about how the others at the Black Order would react to that little tidbit of information. He was brought back to reality by Claire's grip on him tightening. "Don't cry, Claire. You have nothing to be sorry for. I should've been the one to protect you. I missed you too."
"This is disgustingly sweet and everything, but I think we need to focus on more important things." Kanda clipped just as another mass of buildings collapsed around them.
The group managed to escape to a more stable part of the ark and took a moment to catch their breath. Claire looked nervously at all the other Exorcist. Allen had seemed to accept and forgive that her father was a Noah, but she wasn't sure about the others.
Lenalee was the first to step forward. She scooped Claire up and snuggled her for a moment. "Don't you ever scare me like that again! I'm never letting you out of my sight again."
Claire grinned and kissed Lenalee's cheek. "I missed you too, Lenalee."
Lavi grinned and ruffled Claire's hair. "Don't worry about him being your dad, Claire Bear. You're cute enough that we can forgive you for that."
Claire gave Lavi a smile before turning her attention to Kanda. She grinned wickedly over at him. "Hi, Yu." She sang.
Kanda glared hatefully over at Lavi. "I'm going to skin you alive." He hissed.
Lenalee handed Claire back to Allen while she tried to stop Kanda from killing Lavi. Claire smiled and snuggled back against Allen. She played with his hair for a moment before looking up at him. "Allen, remember when we were fighting Suman, and I told him that growing up without a daddy was the worst thing for a little girl, and then you said that you didn't want another little girl to be hurt like I was?"
Allen blinked and nodded slowly. "Yes…" He was surprised Claire remembered that at all.
Claire leaned up and kissed his cheek. "I just wanted you to know that, even though I didn't get to have a daddy growing up, having you and Master Cross as my family was enough for me. I was always really happy growing up, and I never really felt sad about not having a daddy. I'm glad you found me and that you're my family. I don't need a daddy as long as I've got you."
Allen was silent for a moment before hugging Claire even more tightly than before. He kissed both of Claire's cheeks. "I'm glad I found you too, Claire."
Claire grinned up at Allen. She looked over at Krory and waved at him. "Hi Krory. Who's your new friend?" She asked, motioning to the boy that had been relatively quiet.
"This is Chaoji." Krory said. "He was a sailor on Anita's ship."
Claire's eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh yeah! I didn't see Anita with all of you! Where is she?" Her smile faltered when no one answered. "What happened to Anita?"
"She died when we were attacked by the Akuma." Lavi said quietly.
"We don't have time for crying." Kanda snapped when Claire began sniffling. "Let's just use that damn key on a door and get out of here."
Lenalee smacked him upside the head. "Don't be so cold, Kanda."
Claire quickly wiped her tears away. "No, Stupid Kanda is right. We need to get out of here."
Allen walked over to a door with Claire still in his arms. "What about this one?" When he received an affirmative nod from the group, he stuck the key into the door. He jumped back when the plain door suddenly became very colorful with a giant painting of a butterfly and a sun decorating it. "Wow." He smiled down at Claire and hugged her again. "You ready to get out of here?" He asked, holding out his hand for the others.
Claire grinned and put her tiny hand on top of his. "Yes. I want to go home."
Lavi put his hand on top of Claire's, then Lenalee, Krory, and Chaoji followed suit. They all looked expectantly over to Kanda and received a hiss for their efforts. "That's not happening."
Claire rolled her eyes as Kanda opened the door. "Stupid Kanda wasn't hugged enough as a child. That's why he's all cranky and evil."
Kanda glared wickedly over at her. "You must really want to die, Damn Chibi Chibi."
Lenalee sighed. "Kanda, leave Claire alone. Honestly, you two fight every time you're together."
Claire stuck her tongue out at Kanda's back and snuggled back into Allen's side. She blinked in surprise as soon as they stepped through the door. "We're outside…" She perked up when she suddenly felt a presence. Her eyes widened when she saw the Noah standing a few yards away from them. "Skin!"
Kanda twitched in annoyance. "All of you, go on ahead. I'm going to kill this thing. I've encountered it before when it came after my general."
"We can't leave you alone, Kanda!" Lenalee protested.
Kanda rolled his eyes. "I'm not doing this for any of you. It's after my general, so it's my duty to cut it down." He glanced over his shoulder at Claire's nervous face. "Besides, the Damn Chibi Chibi will get upset seeing this. I really can't stand her crying."
Allen and the others looked at him in shock. "Wow, Kanda, I didn't know you cared about Claire so much!" Allen exclaimed.
Kanda bristled. "That's not what I meant! It's loud and annoying when she cries and I don't feel like dealing with it!" He huffed and turned away to hide his red face. "Damn Moyashi…"
Claire looked at Kanda curiously. She jumped out of Allen's arms and walked over to Kanda. She tugged on his jacket until he looked down at her. When he did, she gave him a small smile. "Be careful, Stupid Kanda."
Kanda scoffed and yanked his jacket from her grasp. "Get out of here now, Damn Chibi Chibi before you see something you don't like."
Allen scooped Claire back up just as an earthquake rocked the entire area. "We're still on the ark?"
"This room hasn't transferred to the new ark yet. Once it has, this room will disappear as well."
Claire looked up, noticing the pumpkin umbrella for the first time. "I didn't know you were here, Lero. I guess The Earl doesn't care if you die or not." She blinked as Allen suddenly put her down.
"I'll stay and fight with Kanda!" Allen declared.
Claire puffed her cheeks up. "If Allen's staying, then so am I!"
"You think I'll let either of you fight at my side?" Kanda hissed, pointing Mugen threateningly in Allen's face. Now, all of you get out of my sight. If you don't, I'll kill you before I kill him." I sent an attack after the group just to prove his point.
While the boys began walking off in a huff, Lenalee lingered back. "Kanda, you'll follow right after us, right?"
Claire glared over at Kanda when he didn't answer Lenalee. "Stupid Kanda, you better answer her!" She screamed.
Kanda rolled his eyes. "Fine…"
"You're leaving, Claire?" Skin finally spoke up, looking at the little girl curiously.
Claire looked down guiltily. "Yes. I told all of you; Allen is my family. We're getting out of here and I'm going home."
"Oh…" Skin said. "Bye then, Claire."
Claire latched onto Lenalee's hand as the older girl began walking away. "Bye, Skin…" She allowed Lenalee to drag her over to where the boys had already found another door to use the key on. Claire glanced over her shoulder one more time and Kanda and Skin. "Don't die…"
