Chapter 37: Evening Discussions with Marie

Posted: November 18, 2017

AN: As I promised, here is the chapter. This will be the final chapter before we reach the Edo Ark. I hope you're all ready for it. I also hope you've enjoyed the other chapters that have been leading up until now. I've tried my best to make them as engaging and thorough as possible. As always, let me know your thoughts and the next installment will be up shortly.

A little over two weeks had passed since Kagome joined the Tiedoll Unit and for the most part, Kagome had difficulty believing that time was moving so swiftly. To her, it only felt like yesterday that she said her goodbyes to her Noah family, trudged up the muddy hill to the small Switzerland town and met up with the General, Noise Marie and Kanda.

Everyday the small group travelled further and further on foot, slowly making their way eastern for Japan. Kanda was adamant about reaching the country as soon as possible. He detested the fact that the group would stop for short breaks or spend the occasional night in an inn. And he had no trouble in voicing his opinion aloud. However, the General merely ignored his remarks and would instead pull out his sketchbook, eager to continue working on another masterpiece. Noise, in contrast, would offer Kanda a small smile and either pat his shoulder in sympathy or chuckle softly. Kagome merely opted to keep her thoughts to herself. On one hand, she could understand Kanda's growing urge to reach the country swiftly. They were the additional comrades that Central selected to send in to assist the Cross Marian Unit; if they didn't reach their location on time, then they wouldn't be able to provide support. But on the hand, Kagome could sympathize with the General and Noise too; after all, it was beneficial that the group rest and stop. They couldn't travel for a solid twenty-four hours, regardless of what Kanda might say or think.

It was also during their pauses that Kagome acquired the chance to learn more about the General and Noise Marie. Apparently, before he was ordained into the Catholic Church, the General was a painter in France. He spent nearly half of an afternoon, explaining to Marie and Kagome - Kanda too though he claimed that he wasn't listening - how he would spend his days traveling through the rural French cities, painting and sketching to his heart's contents. Supposedly, he was a painter who chose not to possess a home; instead, he said that the world was his home and that nature was his backyard to explore. To make a living, he would set himself up in small towns or larger cities near their central squares and offer to paint or sketch people if they preferred. It provided the General with enough stability to purchase food, clothing, lodgings when he required them, and supplies to restore his inventory. Yet, the General never explained how he came to the join the Order or became an Accommodator, which left Kagome to be a tad confused.

Noise also provided little information on how he joined the Order. In a brief chat, he merely explained that he was determined to be an Accommodator in his early teens and was enlisted under the tutelage of General Tiedoll when he was eighteen.

Kanda, meanwhile, made no comments about his past life - not that Kagome expected him to. Kanda was a person who, above all else, valued his privacy. He wouldn't respond to any questions that Noise or Kagome asked him. In fact, it was the General who revealed to Kagome that Kanda was assigned to his unit when he was ten years old. The General also described how tall Kanda had grown in the span of eight years, stating that when he first met the Japanese boy, he barely came up to his waist… and now look at him, he was nearly the same height as the General himself.

"My, my, look at how fast my children have grown up!" The comment was not appreciated by Kanda, given the amount of yelling and shouting that ensured shortly after.

Needless to say, Kagome was enjoying her time with the group more than she cared to admit. It certainly wasn't dull and she was learning more about her comrades with each passing day. But like anything else in life, these times were fleeting, and Kagome knew that sooner than later, these easier times would end. Once they reached Edo, Kagome wasn't entirely sure about whether or not she would still be an Exorcist. Until now, Millennie hadn't provided her with any information. And it was his decision as to when Kagome would reveal herself to the Order.

Part of me can't wait for that time to come, and another part of me dreads it.

It certainly would be a painful experience, that was guaranteed. She knew that the minute her Exorcist comrades would see her ashen skin and amber irises that everything would be a lost cause. She would no longer be seen as their comrade, but instead the enemy, a person they had to eliminate… and it would be expected that Kagome share the same opinion…

She was a Noah after all, not an Exorcist.

Millenie and the others have told me that so many times too… Tyki especially has warned me that I shouldn't grow too attached to these false comrades…

...

Her eyes drooped. Kagome sighed and drew her legs closer towards herself. Currently, the group was camping outside the city limits of Kharkiv, Ukraine, which was the second largest city in the country. The General anticipated that with another day's travel, they should hopefully reach Russia; the halfway point. As daunting as it sounded, the General wanted to cross the entire country in no more than ten days. He hoped to reach the Sea of Japan by the end of the month, where they would then sail to Edo and reunite with the Cross Marian Unit… hopefully.

"Hopefully indeed," the girl whispered to herself, watching the flames of the small fire dance before her.

"...Lady Kagome, is something troubling you?" Noise's calming voice caught the girl's attention.

She turned her head to the left, noticing the worrisome expression that graced Noise's face.

Kagome bit her bottom lip. "I'm only tired, Noise-san. It's nothing you need to worry about."

"On the contrary, Lady Kagome. I believe there's more to it then that."

"Hmm?" Questions marked hovered around the Japanese girl. What was Noise referring to, she wondered. There was no way the older man could discern the internal struggle she had going on within her. In fact, ever since that morning when Noise pointed out her sudden intake of breath, Kagome tried her hardest to suppress her Noah genes. She did everything she could think of not to let a single horrid thought pass through her mind, which brought about several difficult night's sleep. As a result, she sported larger than normal eye bags and her skin was paler than it usual.

"Lady Kagome, if you don't mind me asking, I can tell that something is troubling you. Would you like to discuss it?"

"Nothing is bothering me, Noise-san." Her gaze absentmindedly wandered over towards the sleeping General and Kanda. The General was using his large backpack as a pillow while Kanda was leaning against a tree with Mugen propped up beside him. Even when he slept, Kanda was prepared for a fight.

Noise seemed to realize what she was thinking. "Do not worry, Lady Kagome. Kanda and the General are asleep. They won't hear our conversation."

"I see." Kagome glanced back towards Noise. The older Exorcist was still wearing his headphones and uniform coat. "Well, in that case, what did you want to ask me Noise-san?"

"There are some details about your situation that confuse me, Lady Kagome. Would you mind answering some of them for me?"

"Hmm, like what, Noise-san?" The question intrigued her.

The man smiled. "I'm a tad curious about your life prior to the Order."

"..."

Kagome diverted her gaze downwards.

Marie continued to speak. "Unlike Kanda, you don't seem to have much aversion to keeping quiet of your past. But from what I have noticed, the only pieces that you mention of your past pertain to your travels with General Klaud Nine."

"...I don't… I don't like thinking about my past, Noise-san…" Kagome trailed off and shut her eyes. And it was the truth. Ever since she had awoken as a Noah, Kagome hadn't given her previous life a second thought. "Besides, there wasn't much to it anyway."

"I disagree, Lady Kagome," Noise rebutted. "Every person originates from somewhere. Every person has a story regardless of whether they think they do or not."

Kagome arched a brow. "If what you say is true Noise-san, then doesn't that mean that each person has the right to keep their stories to themselves?" A flash of Kanda came to mind.

Noise seemed to possess the same train of thought. "Yes, you're right, Lady Kagome." He started to smile. "But although some people choose to keep their past to themselves, you strike me as being a person who is a bit more open with theirs."

"Oh. And why is that?" Kagome had known the man for less than a month, and while she enjoyed his calm presence, she was still overly cautious around him. She didn't want to say anything that could possibly jeopardize her mission. She also didn't want to form any closer bonds with the Exorcists.

The less people that are too close with me is for the better… They would only be upset afterwards… once they learned the truth...

Kagome heaved in a deep breath. Perhaps, it would be fine to provide some details to Noise. It didn't seem like he was going to drop the subject any time soon.

She licked her lips and focused her gaze on the burning flames. "...I was born in Essex county on September 24th. Until my thirteenth birthday, I lived with my mother…" Her voice grew lower with each word that escaped from her lips.

"You're Japanese aren't you, Lady Kagome?"

"Yes, Noise-san," she nodded. "My mother was born in Kyoto, but fled when she was pregnant with me to Essex. I believe she was not much older than I am right now." Kagome's expression had hardened considerably. It had been many years since she had thought of her mother, and simply recalling the woman caused flashes of that tiny, dimly lit attic bedroom to come to mind.

Where she kept me tied and strapped down like some savage beast!

Kagome gulped down a hefty bit of saliva she felt accumulating in the back of her mouth. "My mother couldn't stay in Japan for much longer. It wasn't safe because of the Earl. Her father lived in Essex and owned a small house… I think he worked in a print shop."

"And what about your father?" Noise asked cautiously. "Surely, he would have wanted to leave Japan too."

"Papa died from an Akuma attack." Kagome shrugged nonchalantly. "It happened before I was born, so I never had the chance to meet him."

"Did your mother mention anything about him?"

"No." Her tone darkened. "Mama did not like to speak of Papa… From what I could tell, his death was the catalyst that sparked Mama's desire to leave Japan."

Noise held his held low. "I'm sorry to hear about his death, Lady Kagome."

Kagome stifled a laugh. "It's fine, Noise-san. Honestly, like I said before, Papa died before I was born. It was a long time ago, so it never really bothered me. Mama, however, suffered greatly from his death."

"...But it sounds like your mother was strong enough to live on," Marie said calmly. "After all, if the passing of your father troubled her that much, she would have summoned him back as an Akuma."

"I suppose," Kagome exhaled, "that Mama was stronger than a usual woman in some ways…"

Noise could tell from the lull in Kagome's voice and the drop in her breathing, that she was growing despondent with the conversation. If he wanted to keep the chat afloat, he would need to deviate from this specific topic.

"...What caused you to leave your home in Essex, Lady Kagome?" Unlike the other members of the Order who were forced from their homes, Kagome had left on her own volition. What was even more surprising what that Kagome wasn't even discovered to be an Accommodator yet.

Kagome smirked upon hearing the words. "...It might sound stupid Noise-san, but at the time I thought it was the best decision to make…" She forced herself to look up towards the cloudless sky. There was a few stars that twinkled about, which Kagome forced herself to look at since she was unable to gaze at Marie. "...Mama intended for me to marry a Japanese boy named Hojo. His family lived in the area and they owned a somewhat successful apothecary." She was already beginning to recall those encounters with Hojo that her Mama organized and made her attention. The forced luncheons and socials, the sudden afternoon tea parties and so much more. Mama would also make her wear her best dresses and sport her hair in the most uncomfortable fashions.

"What this boy unsavory towards you, Lady Kagome?" If Kagome squinted, she could have sworn that she detected a trace of worry in Marie's voice. The realization made her heart rate slightly pick up.

"N-No, not at all Noise-san. Hojo-san was a very nice boy… rather plain but a very nice boy."

"...But this Hojo possesses none of the traits that Allen Walker has, does he?"

"NOISE-SAN!" Kagome's cheeks darkened immediately as did her ears.

Marie only chuckled. "I mean no harm, Lady Kagome. I'm only teasing you." Marie never had the opportunity to meet this Allen Walker yet, but even he could tell that the man bore a special place in Kagome's heart. Her voice would soften whenever she spoke of the white haired lad and her heartbeat would quicken too. Noise would never reveal the fact to Kagome either, but sometimes when she slept, he could faintly hear her utter the name "Allen-kun" in her sleep, before she would be lulled back into dreamland.

"Mah," Kagome huffed. "...I-I left because I couldn't handle the pressure anymore… I was thirteen at the time, and had no intentions of marrying Hojo-san, let alone settling down and having children." She was beginning to ramble in hopes that she could forget the teasing topic that Noise brought up.

"I wanted to see the world and travel before I even thought of settling down. Mama prevented me from growing and seeing the outside world. I wasn't even allowed to walk one block past the home without a male figure accompanying me… She was stifling me and I wanted out, so I left."

"Just like that?" A sweat drop formed at the base of Marie's neck.

Kagome snapped her fingers. "Just like that. It was a few days after my thirteenth birthday. I left in the middle of the night and never looked back."

The sweat drop rolled further down Marie's neck. Part of him couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was hard for him to imagine that Kagome would simply abandon her mother. She struck him as an individual that cared deeply for others. There had to be more to the story then what she was telling him.

But I don't want to push her.

Kagome had revealed far more than Marie expected; in fact, it was greater than what the General and Kanda expected too. Noise knew that since the duo had begun to converse, the other two members of their party were feigning sleep as they silently listened to the conversation. The General wanted to obtain some more information about Kagome's past. It didn't stem from ill intent nor was it an order from Central. Instead General Tiedoll merely wanted to learn more about Kagome in hopes that he might come to form a greater bond with the woman. She was too similar to Kanda in some senses, given that she chose to keep herself closed off. Tiedoll wanted to break down some of the harsh walls that Kagome willingly kept around herself, and hoped that she might feel more comfortable discussing the issue with Marie.

"I spent half a year travelling around Europe before I got bored and decided to journey down south to the Middle East."

"And how did you survive?" It was a valid question; after all, it was hard to envision a thirteen year-old Kagome wandering around Europe on her own.

Kagome started to chuckle. "Mostly stealing and gambling… Poker too..." It wasn't an outright lie. Whenever she wasn't around her Noah family and had the opportunity to interact with other humans, Kagome opted to spend her time testing out the gambling skills that Tyki taught her.

"Gambling?" A hint of amusement coated his words. "You?"

"Don't sound too surprised, Noise-san." Kagome playfully rolled her eyes. "It was an easy way for me to make a living and acquire some money to buy food."

"When you phrase it like that, Lady Kagome, it sounds adequate. But it's still not a suitable lifestyle for a young woman to live."

Kagome merely laughed off his words. "It wasn't that bad. Honestly. I was on my own for less than a year before I met General Nine. Afterwards, I became an Exorcist in training under her tender care."

"I see." There was an obvious lack of details in the story. Kagome was purposely excluding a lot of information. But nonetheless, she provided them with some insight into her life before the Order, and for that, Noise, the General and a reluctant Kanda would be content.

Meanwhile, in a small bedroom tucked away inside the central portion of the Asian Branch, Allen Walker laid in bed and tried to lull himself it sleep. It was a few minutes past midnight, and thus far, the young man was unsuccessful in his attempts. He endured a rigorous day of trying to repair his Innocence and was covered with news bruises and bandages due to his intense training sessions with For, the Guardian Deity of the Branch.

Allen was anxious for sleep. He could feel his weary body seeking rest, wanting to repair itself for another strenuous day. But his mind was far too active to let him sleep, for he was too busy thinking of his comrades that he left behind.

Lavi, Lenalee, Krory, Bookman…

All of them were fighting and trying their best to reach Edo, Japan, to reunite with his Master.

And here I am lying in a bed, trying to restore my Innocence…

Allen desperately wanted to join his friends. He wanted to be there to assist them as they found his Master, fought the Akuma, Noah Clan and the Millennium Earl. He was an Exorcist after all, it was his duty and position in life to fight for the right of humanity.

But instead, I'm forced to remain here until my Innocence restores itself…

Allen couldn't bear the thought of becoming a potential support unit for the Exorcists. He was born to fight on the battlefield, and not meant to spend his days working behind a desk like Bak Chang, the Branch Head, first suggested to him.

I need to get back there. I need to restore my Innocence as soon as possible… I need to be there for everyone and help them…

…

I need to be there to see her again…