CHAPTER 5

Allen had a difficult night, with both her worry about Tyki and her physical pain making sleep a distant goal. Her Innocence was working hard on accelerating her healing but, considering how it was hurt, too, it all became a very uncomfortable ordeal. The possibility of asking for painkillers was dismissed as soon as it passed through her mind. She'd grown wary of Komui's healing methods. It wouldn't be surprising if the insane operations were proposed by Kanda as a way to incentive Exorcists not to get their Innocence damaged in battle.

The scar caused by Kanda's sword also pained her, and that was very surprising. She had endured greater wounds in the past, and they all healed perfectly eventually.

After a very interesting trial of flexibility and creativity where she tried to dress in her daily clothes with both arms in casts, she was resolute to accept Lenalee's help if she offered it again. Worriedly, she wondered how Tyki was faring, and then shook her head. The man probably had dozens of servants ready to attend his whims. If he was awake, that is, she thought sorrowfully.

She left her cabin and walked the stairs to the deck. Inclined on the railing, she looked at the city. It was so large, and seemed to have many attractions. There was a casino in the back of the pub she saw yesterday for these who knew how to play, but not even with her talents could she beat anyone in poker with both arms immobilized like that. In the sand below, Komui was laying in a beach chair reading a magazine of some sorts. Instead of tanning, though, he was turning into an unhealthy shade of red. Kanda, amidst death threats and insults, established a limit of ten meters for the man to stay away from the ship. She wondered if that would apply to her, too, if she wanted to go out.

Any thoughts about whether she could leave or not left her mind when she noticed that Kanda, Lavi and Krory were walking away from it, already halfway out of the beach. She was going to jump down, but then remembered her wounds and what a show it would be if she splattered on the sand, so she just ran towards them through the usual way.

"Kanda! Please wait," she called for him. The group stopped walking. Instead of looking annoyed, the captain merely seemed puzzled, and a little worried.

"What's it, Walker?"

"Where are you going?" she asked but, considering their formal clothing, the answer was quite obvious.

"Kamelot's mansion, of course," the Japanese answered.

"After what happened yesterday, we must talk to the Minister at our earliest convenience," Krory pointed out. "We decided to do it today."

Lavi laughed, but seemed a little pained by it. "There is no way we're escaping from repaying the favor. The guy is going to make it look like Tyki Mikk is dying, you'll see. If we're not careful in our negotiations, he will own our ship and our souls by the end of the day."

Allen found no humor in his speech. Tyki could be dying. "Then I have to go, too," she pointed out, "since I'm the one who was protected. It is only appropriate."

Kanda stared at her, incredulous. "Too many painkillers making you drowsy, beansprout? Maybe you should go back to sleep. There is no way you're coming."

"You can't be serious," she said in amazement. "My life was saved yesterday, maybe at the cost of other! It will be a terrible insult if you three go, while I stay comfy and cozy in my cabin!"

Lavi and Krory looked like they wanted to argue, but Kanda beat them to it. "Look at your miserable self for a moment, beansprout! Go to Lenalee's cabin, she's got a huge mirror and there you will be able to see that you have both your arms broken, are tired, drugged and looking like utter shit. Lay on the ground right now and try to get up by yourself, I dare you. Mikk saw your damage, and we will explain it to the Minister. It is more than enough reason for you to be excused."

"I am perfectly capable of walking until there!"

"Have you just forgotten this city is not safe? None is, but the fact we fought so many Akuma yesterday proves it definitely. And now you want to go with us, when you can't even activate your Innocence! If we are attacked, we will be killed trying to protect you!"

"But… but, Tyki…"

Kanda gave a long, suffering sigh. "Seems like you are not only physically incapable, but also mentally. You're staying in the goddamned ship, like everyone else. This is not like yesterday, where you could convince me with your whining. Go back, now."

"I will follow you, whether you accept it or not!" she growled, furious at his tactlessness. "I will even go by myself, if necessary!"

Kanda stared her with a fearsome scowl, and she almost flinched. Almost. "Don't you dare. Don't you fucking dare, you stupid bitch! Take another step and I'll break both your legs so you won't be following anyone anywhere for a long while," he snarled, stepping towards her. "Don't you think I won't do it. I've had enough of your bullshit!"

The others flinched at the other man, who was irradiating violence. Allen's heart started beating fast with the threat of the captain who advanced menacingly at her. She almost jumped out of her skin when two red hands held her shoulders from behind. Komui, who had been watching the interaction from his chair, decided to interfere.

"Calm down, Kanda," he said, and she remembered, amidst her nervousness, how this wasn't the first time the scientist protected her from the Japanese's ire. "I think you have a meeting to attend to. It is better not to be late."

"But-"

"Allen." He said in an serious tone, and she silenced.

Kanda turned to depart, but not before looking back at her once more. "You should live by yourself," he finally stated in a deadly voice. "You already act like an independent Exorcist who disregards everyone else. I don't know how they could stand you in Rose Cross." And then, his scowl turned into a cruel smirk, "now we know why they forbade you from coming back."

As Kanda finally left, Krory and Lavi looked awkward. The latter sent her a weak smile, as if saying sorry for the captain's harsh words, before they too left after their leader.

Komui lead Allen back to the ship, whereas bystanders watched the scene with curiosity and some fright. Allen swallowed hard, his words reverberating in her head and making her forget about Tyki for a moment.

"How are your arms feeling?" Komui asked her as they walked up the ladder, leading Allen with a hand on her back.

"Perfectly fine," she assured, because mentioning that her Innocence hurt a little could result in a world of pain in the wrong side of Komui's drilling machine. Komui nodded, satisfied, until they reached the relative privacy of the deck. Laboun was in the watching post, but he most likely couldn't hear them from the distance.

"Now, Allen, about what happened…"

"Please take your sunglasses off, Komui," she said, "I can't take you seriously while you are wearing them."

"Ah." He took the bulky dark glasses off, "Alright. Anyway, I hope you aren't… well, scared."

"He wouldn't really hurt me, would he?"

The silence answered her, revealing a truth that was a little shocking. The tall scientist must have seen her worried face, because he quickly said, "um, Kanda doesn't go around attacking Exorcists, but he has quite a temper, and you were trying him down there. He does attack Lavi and Daisya with his sword sometimes, but that is a bit of a comic relief in the ship, because they never truly get hurt, and… well, if Kanda wanted them dead, they would be, you know?" Allen's eyes were wide as she stared at him incredulously, not liking the way this conversation was turning to at all. "Ah… I must learn to express myself properly. Kanda wouldn't break your legs, I think, but don't defy him so openly, alright?"

"I… wanted to see Tyki," she finally said, miserably. She was going to hug herself, but ended hitting her broken arms one against the other, instead. Komui stifled a laugh at that, which was pretty ironic considering the large white patch on his sunburned face where his glasses had been.

"I understand. If I owed someone a life debt, I would want to see them too. To have them hurt because of such debt, then, I would be insane with worry!" Allen's eyes lighted up as he, apparently, understood her. "But," he said, raising a finger before she could thank him, "Kanda wasn't unreasonable when telling you to stay here. This place is risky, Allen, and you were the one to experience its danger the most!"

"It was just so I could thank him…"

"Tyki Mikk is most likely out cold still, if the description Kanda and Lenalee gave me of his wounds is to be believed," Komui reasoned, "I doubt very much he will be discharged from the hospital's intensive care section, where only relatives may visit, typically. Your visit would be wasted."

"I see," Allen said, face reddening with embarrassment. It did make sense. "I acted like a fool, didn't I?"

"Yes. But we all have our moments. Please go back and rest. Allen, you've shown to be a pretty restless person. That can be good and can also be bad, it all depends on the moment."

Allen shrugged, not really knowing what to say. "I'll try to control it. Thank you, Komui…"

::::::::::::::::::::

"This is it, then," the Minister said, running his pen over the contracts Kanda had also signed seconds before. "I hope this is the start of a good partnership."

After a long afternoon of negotiations, it was done. Sheril Kamelot also signed the copies, which Kanda gave to Krory to safeguard.

"This is the whole compilation of information I've gathered," said Sheril, extending a book and many brochures to Kanda, which he accepted and opened in order to quickly check the contents. "First, we have the brokers. The ones vulnerable to me, I will take care of personally. The ones who seem closely associated to Akuma, you will have the information about, so you can do to them whatever you wish. There are also some maps, each useful in a different way."

Kanda nodded, checking the documents. He stopped in a map that covered not only Europe, but the whole world. It was filled with dots, most blue but some of other colors and, observing the pattern in England, Japan and China, Kanda had an idea of what they were about.

"Exorcist organization headquarters, right?"

"Yes," answered the Minister, "I hope you understand I couldn't investigate about any in particular, as for a normal person to gather and store information about the inside works of Exorcist groups could be considered a treason," he remarked, satisfied when Kanda nodded in agreement. "But the locations could be useful to you. They are recent, and if you ever need help and one of them is nearby, who knows? You might find allies."

"That's an impressive map," Kanda said, surprised. He could recognize many of the organizations pointed in Europe, and some in Asia. The man had also managed to find some in America and Oceania.

"Thank you. Be assured this information is top secret; you're the first one I share all of this with."

"Good," said Kanda. "I hope you understand things should remain this way."

"Of course. As per stated in our contract, this data is exclusive to you."

Kanda narrowed his eyes at a particular dot, painted red. Staring at the legend, he saw the red dots meant eliminated Exorcist groups.

"Do you have any idea which organization this was?" he asked to Kamelot, who nodded somberly.

"Yes. It was destroyed recently, too, by a terrible force. God only knows who did that, because that can't be normal Akuma. Then again, I'm no specialist. But, if you open the yellow folder I gave you before, you will find a few pictures. Letter R, specifically."

Kanda did so, shuffling through many images he would examine properly afterwards. Under letter R were three pictures, only. The first was of a tall building that was impossible for him to identify. He stared pointedly at Lavi, but the young man shrugged, as if to say he had no idea what it was. Around it was a thick forest, dense trees everywhere as far as the picture would show.

The next picture was clearly zoomed and a little blurry, but he could see the tall and fit looking man. He had blond hair tied on his back, and two dots on his forehead. Wearing dark robes, the crest on his chest was unmistakable.

"This is…" Kanda started.

"Rose Cross," Sheril confirmed his thoughts. "So rare to see a member wearing the official uniform. He must have been on a mission where he had to prove his identity. I heard a true Rose Cross emblem is impossible to imitate."

The captain was, not for the first time, disturbed at the amount of information this politician had. Indeed, Rose Cross was one of the most reliable organizations he knew. Few enemies were foolish enough to try to imitate the official crest that was somehow infused with Innocence aura itself, most likely related to the talents of one of their Exorcists.

"Would you look at the last picture?"

Kanda did so, and had to blink some times before believing the photography that was in front of his eyes. "This can't be!"

The Minister shook his head. "Unfortunately, it is."

The picture in his hand showed a great wreckage, to the point where he would have no idea what it was about, had he seen it out of this context. It was clearly taken from far away, if one considered the small size of the trees, that were burnt and broken. An enormous, smoking crater was the focus, giant and dotted with many pieces of the great building that once took place there.

Kanda was almost speechless. "Rose Cross…"

"Was destroyed recently," finished Sheril. "Look at the date below the picture. Not even a month ago! The picture of the young worker – whether he is an Exorcist or an ordinary person, I have no idea – was the first thing I had sent to me. My precious informant managed to trace this man back to this building, that was Rose Cross' base. Some time ago, however, a great explosion was noted from the nearby city – that was kilometers away, you should note – and that was what remained of the place."

Rose Cross was gone. One of the greater, if not the greatest Exorcist group in the world. Who knew how many Innocence such an organization had in their power, how many Innocence had just been destroyed-

"This date," Lavi said in surprise.

"Mmm?" Sheril asked in interest.

Lavi shut his mouth, knowing it wasn't his place to speak. Kanda, however, remembered that the trading of information was the main point of the contract he just signed. Swallowing hard and trying to control his grief at the distressing news, he explained, "This is the same date an Exorcist from Rose Cross joined us,"

"Oh, is that so? Which Exorcist?"

"Allen Walker. You've met her."

"Ah, that one. I see. But she joined you the exact same day of the destruction? Were you really close to the location?"

"She was… in a mission," said Kanda, and no one dared to contradict him. "They sent her to us. We couldn't understand why until now. Walker apparently didn't know about it, herself."

"I see. It is so fortunate that she didn't die with the others," Sheril said. "At any rate, as the captain must have checked, the documents contain all of the information I have promised you. Note the pages with green borders; they display the many places where you can find houses owned by me or my associates. Mention my name and you will allowed in, having food, shelter, clothes and whatever else you may need ready for use. Are there any questions?"

"That is enough. We will contact you if we need anything else."

"And you may count on us if you ever need it, of course," Lavi pointed out politely.

"That is wonderful. Thank you for your time," he said, shaking Kanda's, Krory's and Lavi's hands, before they shared parting words, and the Exorcists left the Minister's mansion.

::::::::::::::::::::

"The capital of Brazil… is… Brasília!" Road said happily, filling another blank in her homework. She then proceeded to number two. "Um, Tyki. What is the capital of Egypt?"

"Er… Egyptia?"

"No, stupid!" Road said, kicking his leg below the table both sat at. It went through, as Tyki chose not to let her hit him. "It's Cairo!"

"Listen, I have better places to go, and better people to meet. Are we quite done?"

Road pouted. "There are only 187 countries left."

There was a polite knock in the door. Tyki quickly and silently got up from his chair, slipping on his bed swiftly. He covered himself up to the chest, leaving his arms out. He coughed and answered with a weak voice, "Enter". Road rolled her eyes.

"Master," said the maid, "I have observed as ordered. The visitors are, indeed, Exorcists."

"Is that so? Tell them to come here. The white haired girl, specifically. Road was just leaving."

"I was not," the girl said, returning to her scribbling stubbornly.

"Sir, there is no-"

"Yes, you are, Road!" Tyki exclaimed to his niece, and then he turned to the maid. "Hey, Diana, please hurry up, will you?"

"Yes, sir," the maid said, not wanting to bother her poor, infatuated, sick master by saying there was no white haired girl here. She left quietly, hoping he would forget about it and go back to sleep.

Tyki messed his hair up, held his bottle of painkillers close to his chest for a dramatic effect, and let his eyelids droop a little. "Road… how do I look?"

"Like a pervert," was her answer. "Who are you trying to seduce?"

"None of your business. Get the hell out."

"I want to make friends, too!" she complained.

"Listen, I really need you to disappear only for a little while-"

Another knock on the door. "Enter," said Tyki, his voice small and pitiful, but his visitor was not the one he expected. "Sheril?"

"Why, my dear brother, should I have let you stay in the hospital, after all?" Sheril asked happily, very amused by his younger brother's theatrics.

"Hey, Papa! Help me with my homework!"

"Of course, my dear!" the man gushed, sitting in the chair Tyki was in before.

Tyki rolled his eyes. "Road! Sheril! Get out!"

Road walked to her uncle and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Don't be so stressed, Tyki. It does no good for your health."

"Sim, sim. Fora daqui, cough, cough, cough."

Road stuck her tongue at him and then danced out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Really, the mood wasn't very nice to start with, Tyki thought. Allen was to enter in a darkened room, heavy with the scents of changed curatives, blood, medicine and pain. She was then to lay her eyes upon his fragile but attractive body, the rescuer who was on the brink of death because he saved her. Sheril said such gloomy decoration would be an overkill, though, leaving his room as it was. Vases of flowers here and there offered the ambient a delicate sweet scent, and there was no medical equipment to be found. Even his bed clothes were depressingly cheerful, making it look like he was just taking a nap. Basically, it was quite hard to pity him.

Where was Allen, anyway?

He voiced his question, and his brother sent him an evil smile. "She didn't even come. Only Yuu Kanda, Lavi Johansson and a funny man named Arystar Krory. She told them to say 'hi' to you, though," Sheril finished, decided to make the female Exorcist look like a very cold person. This romance in Tyki's head would go nowhere, he knew. It was for the best for him to stop it before it even started.

Tyki growled, jumping from his bed and throwing the medicine bottle far away. "Come on!"

"Don't drop the act so fast, Tyki. Actually, I think it is about time your well wishers come. My friends from the Court are so worried about you."

Tyki sighed and went back to bed, his disposition to perform a moribund sod now quite low. Perhaps he would pretend to be in a coma or truly dead. The stuck up humans who wanted to win Sheril's favor just wouldn't end.

::::::::::::::::::::

Kanda and his two companions were back in the ship a few minutes before midnight. The Exorcists had decided beforehand between themselves what kind of agreement they were willing to offer to the Minister and the extent to which it could be expanded, so it didn't take more than a day for everything to be settled.

"I'm surprised he accepted to let us get away with offering so little," said Krory, as they approached the ship.

Lavi looked at the darkening sky over them thoughtfully. "Just the promise of sending news of our progress periodically and helping Italy if there is an emergency, huh? I don't know what he expects from that first one. I mean, come on. We won't really be sharing everything we do with him. Plus, what about the other Exorcists he talked about, the ones he wanted to ally with using our information as an incentive?"

"He knows an Exorcist's life is worth more than that of the average human," Kanda pointed out, after being silent during their whole walk back to the beach.

"Hey, Yuu…"

"Silence, rabbit. You know that is true. Yes, his brother – who is alive, by the way – risked his life in order to save an Exorcist's. But what I know, and Kamelot knows too, is that such an attitude is what is expected from any person dealing with our kind. While the man could've stayed hidden through the whole thing and Walker would've died, the fact is that in this world we are more valuable than the others. Anyone trying to demand favors from an Exorcist over helping them would be poorly seen by the public in general."

Krory stayed silent through the whole speech, not looking like he disagreed. Good, thought Kanda. He would bash sense into every one in his ship yet, even that retarded girl. Lavi, as expected, looked troubled by the whole ordeal.

"I know you're right in some points, and that we are very valuable soldiers in this world," Lavi started, looking uncomfortable with his words, "but not everyone follows through this unspoken agreement. People are expected to help us, but they won't always do it. They'd rather hid in order to avoid getting hurt. Mikk could have done so, and that he truly cared for Allen is remarkable-"

"A crush, and a very stupid one, that is what I think happened," Kanda pointed out impatiently. "A rich noble who was protected and spoiled through his whole life… older than me in years, yes, but not mentally. Probably took a fancy to Walker the first time he saw her. You know among the nobles it is an honor to marry an Exorcist, and he probably saw her as a potential trophy wife and recklessly threw himself between Walker and the danger, not really thinking about the consequences. Bet when he wakes up in a world of pain and is told of the many scars and probable permanent damage he'll have to deal with, he will regret ever trying to play the hero."

The others looked speechless for a while. Then, Krory said, with a light of understanding in his eyes. "I see… we cannot determine anything for sure, but he could be trying to court Allen."

"Uh… I don't know if I can believe that," Lavi said, scratching his head.

"Aren't you the one who knows history the best? It wouldn't be the first time something like that occurred. Actually, it happened to Lenalee, when a young Chinese lord decided he was in love with her," the Japanese sneered in contempt. "It was before either of you joined our group. I was going to interfere, but Komui acted first. The little lord isn't dead, but I hear his skin breaks into foul hives every time Lenalee's name is mentioned."

Seeing as the others were still speechless by the revelation, Kanda continued, "I bet Mikk dreamed of being visited by a very guilty Allen Walker, who would feel she owed him a huge favor, and would do just about anything he asked of her. Soon, she would be informing us she was leaving the ship, because Mikk needed her or whatever. Don't look at me like that," he snapped, irritably, "just think about her insane behavior earlier today. She's not right in the head, and can't be allowed near that noble for a long time."

The others seemed to agree, whether because of Kanda's marriage theory or simply because the idea of a small woman with both arms in casts happily trudging through the Akuma infested city seemed as ridiculous to them as it seemed to him. Since it was very late, he dismissed both men, deciding to talk to his crew tomorrow, when they would finally sail away from this city. They had not stayed for a remarkably long time, but he still felt as if they had been trapped here.

Nodding to Suman Dark, who was in the watching post this night, he descended the stairs, intent on grabbing a snack on the kitchens and then go directly to his cabin. Suddenly remembering about the state of their supply, he went to check whether they would have to restock here before departing. He was surprised to find the storage rooms replete with food. Must have something to do with the "friendly harbor workers" that became Walker's slaves. Good, she should repay them somehow, he thought crossly. Attached to the storage's door was a note written by Komui saying they should wait until he checked everything for poison.

Used to such a procedure, he took a bite out of the rice cake he found in the kitchen and walked in the direction of his cabin.

::::::::::::::::::::

Allen walked the dark corridors of the ship after just having the most difficult shower of her life. Lenalee had offered to help, but she felt too embarrassed. While this wouldn't be the first time someone bathed her, when such a thing happened she was usually unconscious, and it was a nurse.

So after somehow barely managing to clean herself with mostly unusable arms, she gave up trying to properly dry her body and put her nightgown in a sloppy fashion. The now wet cloth clung to her body uncomfortably, and her drenched hair dripped water over her shoulders and back constantly. She started regretting her shyness deeply.

Steps could be heard coming from the kitchen's direction. Someone was out for a midnight snack, then. She hoped it was Lenalee. She would swallow her pride and ask the girl to help her out.

The one she suddenly found herself face to face with was a different long haired Asian, though. Kanda, still dressed in the same attire he wore this morning, was munching on a now half eaten rice cake. He looked at her, sending an utterly unimpressed – and quite annoyed – stare at her appearance.

"Beansprout," he greeted after swallowing his last bite, "What the hell are you doing out here?"

"Is there a curfew I wasn't aware of?" was her automatic response, but then she remembered she actually wanted to make peace with the surly captain, somehow. "Um, I mean, I couldn't sleep, and showering took a while…"

"Showering? You look like you fell on the sea and just got rescued," Kanda said, looking over her shoulder at the water trail she was leaving behind her. "And you're making my ship a mess. Did no one – I mean, Lenalee," he corrected, remembering she was the only other female in the ship, "offer to help you?"

Allen reddened, and was going to answer, when he interrupted. "Wait. Shut up, you know what? I don't care. Since you are up and about, and not going to sleep any time soon – don't look at me like that, it's cold and if you go to bed in this state you're going to wake up in a coffin – then follow me. We need to talk."

That was an unexpected turn of events. She had been hoping for a chance to talk to Kanda, but surely not at this hour, and she thought she would have to request for a conversation herself. It was not surprising, she supposed. He probably wanted to chastise her for her behavior earlier. It was only appropriate.

She followed him to the cabin's corridor. He opened one of the last doors and, to her surprise, she found herself in what had to be his cabin. He closed the door behind her, since she would have trouble doing so, and gestured for her to sit, scowling in annoyance when they both heard the wet sound of her body hitting the previously dry chair.

"About this morning-"

"I'm sorry for the way I acted," she interrupted. "I… really let my heart take control over me. Komui reasoned with me. I understand I was wrong. I will try not to be so difficult from now onwards," she quickly spat out the memorized speech, because it would be hard for her to say it all otherwise. She was sorry for acting childishly, but also more than a little sour at the words he spoke to her back then.

"I see…" Kanda finally said, "Komui is able to operate miracles, then. I thought it would take a long time to shove some sense into your skull. Now, on other topic," he said, shuffling through his bag, that was full of documents, and she stared at him incredulously. That was it? But she chose to remain silent, not wanting to bother him and also curious about what else he would want to talk about.

"I have some questions about your previous organization, Rose Cross."

Allen tensed, not expecting such words, but scolded herself silently. Of course he would eventually ask. She did join in a most unexpected way, and, considering they hostile relationship, he had no reason to try to be understanding about it.

Seeing as she had nothing to say about that, Kanda continued, "Rose Cross is one of the greater Exorcist organizations in England, if not the whole world. Your Master was an Exorcist and part of it, right?"

"Right," she said, because that much was obvious.

From then on he proceeded to share some information he had about it. Most of it were things that were known to the Exorcists in general; some pieces she was surprised he knew about, but when he told her the exact location of the headquarters, she was speechless.

"Am I right?" Kanda asked, after pointing many facts about her home. Knowing it would be futile to deny it, Allen just nodded, wondering who else knew about it all.

"Good," said Kanda, staring at a dark book of some sorts. "How many Exorcists lived there?"

She shifted uncomfortably. She couldn't just say that. It seemed simple, yet it wouldn't do for people to know how many Exorcists they had to destroy until Rose Cross couldn't be considered an Exorcist group anymore. It wasn't that she didn't believe him, but it wasn't her place to divulge such things. She stared him in the eyes, silently informing him she wouldn't answer that question.

The captain kept asking more questions, like what were the other Exorcist's Innocence like, how many Innocence they managed to retrieve and store and where they did so, and many other crucial data she wouldn't speak about, no matter how angry he would get. With a sneeze here and there, she shook her head when he asked anything she considered an important secret, or simply stared at him until he gave up.

Kanda seemed tired and deflated from his interrogation. She felt exhausted herself, and wondered for how long she had been inside this oppressing cabin. The Japanese finally closed the remaining documents, and sat back on his chair. "At least you aren't the kind to give information about your allies. I hope you keep this attitude if you ever find yourself questioned by our enemies… or any outsider, to be honest, no matter who they are."

Allen gaped, unable to believe him. "Were you testing me?"

"Get used to it," he said unapologetically, "I was going to be more fierce about it, but honestly, you do look like you were told to fight a horde of level three Akuma with a baseball bat. You may go."

She got up, still terribly confused but happy this post midnight questioning session was over. Before she reached the doorknob, though, Kanda said, "wait."

Of course it wouldn't be this easy, she thought despairingly, before turning back to him.

Kanda picked a yellow folder from his bag. Opening it in a way she couldn't see the inside, he picked a single sheet of paper – actually, it was smaller than a traditional one. He closed the folder and called her back, and she did so, standing before him.

Still sitting, he gave the paper to her – a picture, she now knew, and asked, "tell me if you recognize this place. Do concentrate."

Allen stared at the black and white picture, doing as he asked. There was an enormous black hole – a crater, full of many things she couldn't recognize. Looking at its borders, she tried to recognize the things around it – to her surprise, they were trees, and by the tiny size of them, she could understand the crater was an enormous one. The light dots had to be pieces of debris, and nature around it was broken and burnt, the reason for which she found it so hard to recognize the plants around the place.

"Was this… caused by Akuma?" she asked, worried at the size of the destruction.

"Answer my question," Kanda said, not giving her the opportunity to ask anything else.

"No, I do not recognize this place. Even if I had been here before, it is just too devastated. Unrecognizable. Yes, it is a jungle somewhere, but there is no way I can say if I have ever been there before."

Kanda stared up at her with piercing eyes. She was, however, tired and cold, and had been under that same stare for some time, so it had lessened the intimidating effect, somehow. She gave him the picture back, asking if that was all. He dismissed her once again, turning on the chair towards his desk once again, effectively ignoring her.

::::::::::::::::::::

Dismissing Allen after she convinced him she couldn't recognize the place in the picture, Kanda didn't know whether to be disappointed or glad. His initial plan had been to, first of all, berate Walker for her attitude earlier; then, he would ask her questions about Rose Cross and finally inform the girl the place didn't exist anymore. Any hope she had of coming back would be crushed, so she could focus on doing her best on his organization, instead. He heard from Lenalee about how much Allen missed the place she called her "home", and wondered whether this attachment was stopping her from being a rational person.

Instead of doing as planned, though, he had the whole plan turned on its head. First, he didn't have the chance to properly chastise her, for she offered an apology and an honest understanding of her mistakes before he could open his mouth. Second, she didn't divulge any important information about Rose Cross, no matter how much he pried. That was surprising. He knew loyal Exorcists would never part with crucial information about their organizations, but he didn't expect the girl to have this kind of resolution. And third, he hesitated to tell her the truth about the elimination of the group she belonged to. He gambled when he gave her the photography and, when she didn't recognize it, he just let her leave, somehow unwilling to say the words that would force her into a definite decision – to ally with him or to disregard her Master's order and leave.

"Rose Cross… I always obeyed the organization back then. Always."

Kanda turned to her and raised an eyebrow. He didn't realize she had yet to leave, having dismissed her and lost himself in thought instead. Where did that little declaration come from? Allen shuffled uncomfortably before continuing, "They haven't abandoned me because of that."

Ah, so that's what it is. Kanda stared at her pathetic form, only worsened now that she stood up. Her wet nightgown clung to her thin figure. Her hair was somehow still dripping water over the girl and the floor around her, the messy tresses making her comparable to a drenched white rat. She had goose bumps in her exposed skin and avoided his gaze. The broken arms only enhanced the image of some kidnapped orphan who had no place on his ship.

It was hard to understand she was the same person who fought by his side and Lenalee's just yesterday… or the day before that, now that he saw it was past midnight. Had he not seen her in action, he would seriously consider hunting her guardian and asking him to please take her back. Her mental state seemed to be as fragile as her physical. Her affirmation of how Rose Cross hadn't left her because of her disobedience seemed like an attempt to convince herself more than him. And what's up with using the term "abandonment" instead of "dismissal", the proper one? She was fired by her organization, not left in the streets by her parents or anything like that.

"If what you're saying is true, then you're right," he said finally, and noted a shift on her instance, but she still stared at the floorboards. Not knowing what else to say, he opened a drawer in his wardrobe and pulled out one of his simple white towels, throwing it over her head and roughly drying her hair up.

She jumped, startled, and finally looking him in the eyes. "Kan-"

"Silence. I can only imagine the huge cold you will catch tomorrow if you go to sleep in this state. We will have to stay in the town for treatment, then. That is, if you aren't sick already," he grumbled, irritated as she let out another sneeze. "Be more responsible, woman!"

After some more fussing from both parts, Allen finally left the cabin, and Kanda sighed and started undressing, feeling uncomfortable about the past events. It felt like a day where everything was done in a half; their contract with Kamelot; their soon to happen departure from the city; and, finally, Allen Walker.

His first impulse was to tell the woman about how her dear organization had been obliterated by some terribly powerful force that could only be the Earl himself, rudely extract as much information as possible from her fragile mind through pressure and threats, and then finally shove the girl out of his room, possibly after ordering her to clean the mess in his cabin somehow. But he was the captain of this ship, the leader of this organization, and it was his duty to look for the mental and physical health of his subordinates.

Tomorrow he would ask Komui to examine her and determine whether she was in good health or not. It wouldn't do to sail with a sick Exorcist aboard. Then, they would start their hunt for new Exorcists, as they had stored many Innocence already and were reaching the point where it wasn't safe to travel carrying it all around anymore.

Perhaps he could lift his order to the crew to keep their Innocence storage room a secret from their newest member. She didn't have a loose tongue, at the very least. Kanda looked at the yellow folder once more, before securing it inside his drawer. With Rose Cross out of the map in an instant, they couldn't be too sure of their own future anymore.