Hana: To be fair, online classes are a pain in the ass...well, at least one of them.
Allen: Uh-huh. From my perspective, you should have all the time in the world to write, and remember-
Hana: -paps Allen's head- Hush, Moyashi. It's a busy month.
Richie: I'll say.
Hana: COVID-19 is a fun experience to be quarantined from, hm? Stay safe, and don't forget to wash your hands! :D
... ... ... ...
- Chapter 60 – The Promise, The Past, The Unknown - +
"Our first order of business…" I muttered, making a mental checklist, "Is to stay off the Order's radar for as long as we're able…"
"You might want to turn off Escuro then." Allen said, looking to my Golem apologetically. "He's an Order issued Golem, so he might actually alert the Order where—"
"It's not necessary." I said, letting Escuro land on my finger. "Escuro's tracking beacon was destroyed in the fight with Apocryphos…or at the very least, got destroyed when Tyki grabbed me to make our getaway."
"Oh…that's…"
"Convenient? Not really. I didn't even realize it was broken until you destroyed the gate back there…so, where are we going?"
"Like you said, we need to stay off the Order's radar for a bit." Allen said, absentmindly scratching at Tim's cheek area. "To do that, we need to make a visit to someone I know can help us out."
"So…did training with Cross also train you to disappear like he does?"
"I picked up on a thing or two." Allen admitted. I looked to him with an unamused expression, "What? Sometimes those vultures of debt collectors were far more merciless than the Earl of Millennium! I had no choice but to disappear!"
"Sure, whatever you say." I said, waving him off. "So, that person you were talking about. Can we trust them?"
"Yeah."
We were walking for a few minutes more before I really looked at his face. "You look pale, Allen. Paler than your norm, I should say."
"I haven't eaten a full meal in days…" I didn't miss the slight trip in his next step. I was quick to grab him before he could tumble over. "…it's starting to affect me pretty bad now …with the adrenaline out of my system…"
"Hang in there, Al! Just tell me where to go, and I'll get you there best I can…is there a specific door or something we're going through?"
"Yeah…for now, I have the other gates closed…" That explained why we haven't seen anyone, I realized. "Head to the door there…"
I nodded, adjusting my hold on him, putting one arm over my shoulders. "And this is taking us where we have to go?"
"Close to it, at least…" Crap, he was really looking bad now…
"Let's hurry the hell up then. It would be a problem if you passed out now." I told him, trying my best to get us moving faster. I didn't realize how much Allen had grown since he came to the Order…while he wasn't too much taller than I was, I just felt lucky he wasn't nearly as tall as either Lavi or Kanda…those two would've been even harder to crutch for. "This one?"
A nod.
"Great." I carefully reached for the door but was stopped when Tim grabbed the knob for me. "Thank you, Timcanpy."
The golem preened, opening the door with all his body. When I walked out of the Ark, I was met with a church. "Just like…I remember it."
"It's a church." I said, repeating my mental realization aloud.
"Not owned by the Order." Allen managed. "We need to go there…to rest…to get things…"
I nodded, though still feeling uneasy. Honestly, it looked like the building could've been better taken care of in recent years, but I guess the graveyard that surrounded it was in decent enough condition? I wondered how old some of the markers were.
The wind decided to blow in that instant, and I shivered, finally registering the snow, and the fact it was the middle of winter. "SHIT THAT'S COLD!"
"Warmer…inside…" Allen muttered. "I'm th-the one in the p-prison garb…"
"Oh, right…" Between him and me, I at least had my baggy sweater and sweats. Shifting Allen's weight on my shoulder once more, I trudged through the snow, getting closer to the door of the church building. I wanted to ask what kind of person we were meeting, but I doubted my companion was in any state to say anything about them with how things were. Timcanpy and Escuro found a rope, both somehow being prompted to pull it.
A ring rang out, and we were greeted by a man…wearing a clown suit?
"Um…hi?" Were we interrupting something?
"Baba…been a while…" Allen said with a weak smile.
"MOTHER! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHO'S HERE RIGHT NOW!" He called out. "WHEN YOU SPEAK OF THE DEVIL, SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN!"
"Please don't yell, sir…" I begged, already feeling my ears ringing. "Allen said this was a safe place for us right now…and he needs attention…please, please help my little brother!"
. . - * - . .
I was given a piping hot cup of cocoa, and a warmer set of clothes. They were simple with a tacky colored skirt, and an off-white blouse with just the faintest hint of poof on the sleeves. In all the excitement, I hadn't realized how wet my attire was. I sighed, the smell of my beverage was heavenly. "So, you got mixed up in little Allen's shenanigans, have you?" The elderly woman asked me, taking a seat on her armchair.
I chuckled in response, and then took a sip of the hot drink. "You could say that."
The woman, Mother, as Baba had introduced her as, was kind enough to let us rest and regain our strength…though when I say we, I meant mostly Allen. He was currently in what I was told had been his room back when he had met Cross for the first time. While I could just 'look', it was an invasion of privacy.
"That poor boy, put through so much in all his years." Mother spoke up, taking a drag of her cigarette. "Lost his father, mistreated as a child…tell me, Miss Linhagem, how much do you know about our little Allen?"
"More than I should, I think." I admitted, placing my mug down on the coffee table. "I have an eye that sees things that have been, and things that have yet to be. When shortcake first came to the Order, my eye showed me his past. It showed me how he lost his father, and how Cross took him in shortly thereafter."
"A dangerous tool you have there." Mother sighed.
"I've been targeted because of my eye, but they can't keep me down." I said with a grin. It fell moments later, as recent events came to the forefront of my mind, "The Noah are merciless, aren't they?"
"Indeed."
"…so, what was Allen like as a kid? I didn't exactly see that far into his past."
In the kitchen, I could hear Baba scuffling around, starting on supper. I hope he knew to make enough to feed an army… "I can really only go by what Cross said he observed of those two."
This surprised me. "Cross knew Allen from before?"
"I wonder how much I should I say?" Mother mused. "Allen appeared very tired when you two had come to my doorstep not even a full hour ago. Have you heard of the Fourteenth Noah?"
"Everyone in the Order has by now." I admitted. "Is there something about him we should know?"
"Tell me what you know of him first."
"I recently learned his name was Neah…" I began, "He was the brother of Allen's foster father, Mana…he fought for his brother…" I recalled Road's words from earlier. "I know he desires to become the next Millennium Earl…and he will kill him to do so."
"Interesting."
"Interesting?"
"Did you know, Miss Linhagem, that the war you fight is only two thirds of the full picture?"
"Two-thirds…there's a third party?"
"The Black Order versus the Clan of Noah. While both are prominent, a third side does exist."
"What is that third side?"
"That I can't tell you. However, it does have to do with Cross and Neah."
"With the General and the Fourteenth, huh…" I said, biting the edge of my lip, "What does Cross have to do with Neah?"
"Call it what you will, a promise, a deal." Mother inhaled another breath full of her tobacco, releasing it right after. "Cross and Neah's partnership was…rocky at best."
"…Cross knew from the beginning Allen would host Neah's memories, right?"
"He did."
"But…why?"
"Now that isn't something I can answer."
"I'm getting nowhere fast." I groaned. "Mother, please, Allen's my little brother—"
"Someone he is close to will have to die by his hand in order for the Fourteenth to fully awaken." Mother sternly interrupted me. My eyes widened, words I was going to say forgotten. "If you are as close to him as you say, then you would be in the most danger."
"That's only if he lets him win." I argue. "This brotherly fight between Neah and the Earl? It's incredibly annoying! We have nothing to do with either of them, and they've pulled so many into their ungodly fight!"
"What could you possibly do about it?"
"Fight back!" I said without hesitation. "If a third side really exists like you claim, we'll find it. If we must trek through a river a mud, we'll slosh through the murkiness until we find a clearer path to follow! The fact is, we won't stop. We'll keep walking until the day we die!"
Mother's somber face cracked a smile, chuckling as she placed her tobacco stick on the table. "Well, if you're that committed, then I'll tell you what I do know. What you do with this information, I'll leave up to you."
. . - * - . .
I was leaning against Allen's bed, listening to his soft breathing while he slept. Unable to find solace in sleep myself, I decided on going over every detail I could from what Mother had told me from what was now considered yesterday.
Cross had known both Neah and Mana. When Neah died, after failing to kill the Earl and Road, Mana began to lose his sanity. He had begun to travel after that, and the only reason Cross followed at a distance was because of a promise he made with Neah. One that prompted Cross watch over Mana until he returned. That was thirty years ago. It was during those travels where Mana had met a child. Rude, obnoxious, and hateful of everything that led to that point in his life.
That child would eventually become the Allen I knew and loved today…but in that moment, that child was named 'Red'. The purest form that Allen had ever been in his life. How he used to be, and how Mana changed him to be a little more respectable to those around him.
Not long after the events I was familiar with 'seeing', Allen had become a shell of who he once was. Mother had told me Cross's ire of having to take care of the nonresponsive child. It wasn't until Cross snapped where Allen began to talk again…but not as Allen…
Mother had said that according to the General, Allen was speaking like Mana. Which was, as I thought of it now, was exactly how I remember first hearing Allen speak. Polite, kind…exactly how he was described when he managed to speak again.
It was a mask he wore in hopes he wouldn't get close enough to people to lose them again. But…that backfired on him, as he met more people. Found friends and reasons to protect those he loved…
As time went on, I didn't miss how his speech went from formal to a little more casual, but still with the well-mannered air he had when we first met. It was nice, knowing that he was close enough to all of us to speak as he should.
I glanced over my shoulder when Allen's breath hitched in his sleep. He turned to his side, hair falling in his face as he did. I smiled fondly, but it turned into a frown, as I really thought about everything.
I was only told everything Mother knew. There was still so much I didn't know, so many holes that needed to be filled. I had tried to 'look' into what the future held, but it wasn't clear. Not like with the Noah disrupting my vision, but like events weren't set enough to get a clear picture. A future I couldn't see, because the path was as murky as a bog.
Did I dare travel the unknown path before me?
If it meant I could keep my little brother safe, then I would dive headfirst into the uncertainty before me.
For the first time in my life, I was excited to see for myself where this unmarked path would go.
... ... ... ...
Okay, but for some real talk. Please do take care of yourselves in these times. Wash your hands, don't hog the cleaning supplies, paper towels, hand sanitizer, soap...TOILET PAPER. Don't discard masks and gloves on the ground, throw them out properly.
Also, I'm changing the update scheduled to 'whenever'. Because frankly, I think my monthly update isn't doing me any good with everything going on. Especially because this is, what, the second time I forgot to update on time? Online classes take more out of me than physically going to the class, surprisingly enough.
Also, if you're reading this A/N, what do you think should be going on during the current flashback of the manga? I haven't written past the Searching for AW arc just yet because I'm super stumped with how to proceed from the reunion bit.
Lemme know in a comment if you will :)
So, with that said and done, R&R doesn't stand for Rest and Relaxation, no matter how much I might need it. Leave a review to lemme know how I'm doing~! Show this story some love by favoriting it, and give it a follow so you never miss anew chapter when it goes live! Until next time, I'll see you again on...
Clean Slate!
