Chapter 2: Noah
Found her! Kanda and Lenalee thought as they ran to chase after Allen, who was walking through the crowds. They both saw Allen, but they didn't see the other. They were just behind Allen when they skidded to a stop, but they ran into each other, unable to halt in time, and tumbled onto Allen, making her fall almost on her face as the other two fell on their arses.
"Itaaa… Ow, that hurt," Allen complained, dazed and unable to move yet. Lenalee and Kanda stood up quickly and dusted themselves off before noticing Allen still on the ground, stunned.
"Allen? Are you okay?" Lenalee asked. Allen just moaned and got up onto her knees, holding her head, trying to attempt to stop the world from spinning. Then she noticed.
"W-where's my case?" She looked around franticly. "Where'd it go, where'd it go, where'd it go?" She spotted it a few feet away and tried to stand up, but tripped back over due to dizziness. Before she hit the ground, however, Kanda caught her around the waist and pulled her back up. He soon learned that she was far lighter than he had originally thought, so she flew face-first into his chest from the moment. Allen lifted her face and blushed. "Th-thank you for c-catchig me…" she whispered as Lenalee grabbed her case and brought it over. Kanda was still holding her, and Allen noticed his sword. She felt the Innocence in it. "C-can you let me go?" Kanda slowly removed his arm from her waist. She was still staring at his sword. "Um… You're an exorcist. Your sword… it says its name is Mugen and you are its master… It is your Innocence?
"How do you know all that? Are you an Akuma?" Kanda asked, suspicious. Allen's eyes widened.
"N-no! Not at all! I-… I can just… um… how do I say this… I can-" She was interrupted by the pain in her left eye. She grabbed her eye and swooped gracefully unto the ground, her dress spread all around her.
"O-oi! Are you okay, Allen? Allen?... Allen!" Kanda shook her.
"A-Akuma. There," she pointed at a large group of men and women that soon turned into Akuma. Kanda and Lenalee were stunned, but activated their Innocence and went to destroy the Akuma, but there were so many, with some level twos as well as the level ones. Lenalee was about to get hit by one from behind, but a white blur flew past and destroyed it, along with a long line of Akuma before and after it.
The white blur landed and shot out long webs that constricted and crushed Akuma, one by one, until they were all finished (A/N: by the way, this is 'crown belt' if you were wondering).
"I thought we were the only exorcists here?" Lenalee stated. "And whoever that was, was very strong, possibly as strong as a general!" Kanda nodded agreement and looked for the exorcist, spotting a figure with a white cape and hood with an attached golden mask.
"Who are you?" Kanda asked before noticing Allen was gone.
"Huh? Where'd Allen go?" Lenalee looked around. Her case was still on the ground, the figure walking towards it. "H-hey! You! Are you the one who helped us?" The figure froze and turned around slowly, mask and hood still covering their face.
"You are an exorcist, Allen? Why didn't you tell us?" Kanda demanded. The figure began playing with their fingers.
"Kanda, that exorcist couldn't possibly have been Allen, right? I mean a cape, hood, and masks don't just appear out of thin air on someone!"
"Um, ah. Gomen," the figure bowed. The cape, hood, and mask revealed Allen after dispersing into 'thin air,' causing Lenalee to gasp her name. "I-I'm sorry. I… I should go…" Allen ran over to her case and was about to run away, but Kanda appeared in front of her and grabbed. Tears threatened to fall down her face, hiding in the corners, which made Kanda question on whether he hurt her or not.
"I expect an explanation, Moyashi," Kanda told her. She flinched and looked up at him. It was then that he noticed just how fragile and frail she was.
"Am-am I really that short?" she wondered aloud. "P-please. I sh-should really get g-going." Her face began to flush, from what, they were unsure.
"Not until you tell us what happened, "Kanda said sternly, causing her to cry. She began to lose strength in her legs and she started falling, but was caught in his arms once more. He held her against his body, feeling her tremble. "Just tell me the truth, OK?" Allen nodded slowly, trying to stop her trembling. "Are you an exorcist?" Allen nodded, hesitantly. "Do you work for the Order, then?" Allen made no move to answer. Kanda repeated, "Do you work for the Black Order? Answer me, Allen."
Allen looked away. "I do not."
Kanda was confused as to why she was ashamed. "Why do you hide your arms and part of your face?" Allen was shocked and pushed away. She fell to the ground. "Allen!"
"S-stay away!" she yelled when Lenalee and Kanda tried to come to her. They stopped. "A cursed child should not be acquainted with anyone. They are rejected from everyone." Kanda was stunned. How does she know about my curse? Does she hate me that much? "No one except Mana and my new family have ever accepted me…"
"What do you mean, cursed, Allen?" Lenalee asked. Allen closed her eyes and slowly moved away her hair. "Oh my God…" Along the length of Allen's face, from a star at her temple, down though her eye and ending near her chin was a long red scar (A/N: basically the one in the Anime/Manga.) "How'd you get that scar?"
"Th-this is my curse, not just a simple scar," Allen replied. A thought occurred to Kanda.
"Remove your gloves," Kanda demanded. Allen gasped.
"W-why?" Allen pulled her left hand close to her chest. Kanda walked towards her, fear growing in her eyes. Kanda kneeled down and grabbed her arm. She closed her eyes again and tried to pull back, but he was too strong for her in this state. Her tears began to fall faster and harder. "Please… Don't…" Kanda began to pull her glove off. When it was off, he stared at her arm. She yanked her arm away and hid it in the folds of her dress. Kanda stared at her. "There. Happy? I'm a cursed child with a deformed arm containing Innocence that makes me an exorcist!" She yelled. Her face was becoming more and more flushed by the second; she looked faint. "This arm is why I was originally abandoned by my parents when I was too young to remember anything about them. Mana found and raised me until he died three years ago. I might as well have died then, too were it not for uncle finding me taking me in. they were the only one who would ever accept this abomination!" she pointed to herself.
"Allen…" Lenalee whispered. Allen broke down completely and Lenalee went over and hugged her. "It's okay. We accept you. You're our friend. We're here for you. We won't ask you anything else you do not wish to answer, okay?" Lenalee stroked Allen's hair, trying to cal her down, which eventually, she did and wiped away her tears. "Better?" Allen nodded.
"Where's your sister, Allen?" Kanda asked.
"She-she said she had something to do. We will meet up later. She said tomorrow at the train station. She always goes off to do stuff and I never really know what it is…" Allen told them. "I'm sorry. I'm such a burden to everyone. I can't do anything right. I broke down in front of you… At least everyone else is gone, scared off. I-I should probably go now. I am only preventing you from your business here."
Allen stood and went to grab her case, but she noticed too late that she used too much energy with everything, making the balance tip, and making her unwell. "Not… good," she whispered as the world went black and she fell to the ground, unmoving.
"Allen!" Lenalee exclaimed.
"Allen!" Kanda exclaimed. "We should get her to a doctor, or at least a bed to rest." Lenalee nodded and got Allen's case and glove as Kanda picked her up. Lenalee felt Allen's forehead to check her temperature.
"She's burning up! She has a high fever," Lenalee said shocked. "We need to hurry." Kanda nodded and they ran to the nearest Inn and rented a room. Once in the room, they laid Allen on the bed and put a cool rag on her forehead. They took two hour shifts of watching Allen and looking for the Innocence. Kanda found the woman he had earlier saved, who was apparently in possession of the Innocence, and brought Lenalee to meet her at a café. While they were talking about the woman's, Miranda's, grandfather clock, which they believed to be the Innocence, three men at the bar turned into level 2 Akuma and attacked. Kanda fought them as Lenalee took Miranda home. The Akuma were weird since they, at some point, played rock, paper, scissors over who got to kill Kanda.
They finally decided, after some arguing, that they would just kill him together, but a voice in the air called them back, which greatly confused Kanda. He met back up with Lenalee and Miranda at Miranda's house where she kept her clock. Miranda told her story. (A/N: You should all know the rest, and since I'm too lazy to write it all, I'll just skip to the part after Rhode knocks them out and captures them. Please note that this won't be the only time I will skip like this. Sorry!)
Kanda woke up pinned to the wall by Rhode's (he doesn't know it's hers yet) candles. Lenalee, he saw, was in a big dress (I don't know how to describe that thing.), sitting in a chair, unmoving with eyes devoid of any emotion or life. Then he saw Miranda, chained to her grandfather clock, screaming Kanda and Lenalee's names, crying out of fear in a very pathetic way. Then there was Rhode, the girl from the train. Why is she here?
"Why are you here, Rhode? And why are you wearing Lenalee's coat?" Kanda demanded, wondering why the sister of Allen was her. Could she be an Akuma? Another exorcist? She feels sinister, though…Rhode giggled and stepped into the light. Her skin was an ashen gray, her eyes golden, and seven stigmata across her forehead. What happened to her? She can't be human!
"Well, I'm the one who brought you here! And this coat is soooo comfy," she giggled. "I think I'll keep pretty little Lenalee as well. She'll make a great doll. Exorcists are rare, you know!" She mockingly glared at him evilly.
"What are you? An Akuma?" Kanda asked.
"No, but I am friends with them," she said. The three Akuma that attacked earlier appeared.
"That's impossible. You can't be human!" Kanda denied.
"Oh?" Rhode walked over to him and leaned in close.
"What are you doing?" Rhode wrapped her arms around him and put her chest next to his. He felt her heartbeat.
"Feel that? I have a heart, just like any other human," Rhode proved. Kanda tried to get her off and break free. He succeeded. Rhode jumped back as the nails (candles) came out.
"Get away from me!" Kanda growled. "I ask again, who and what are you?"
"Ahahahahaha! I am Rhode Camelot, of the Noah Family. I am a Noah, a friend of Akuma and Lord 'Millenie."
INN
"Ah! W-what happened? Where am I?" Allen gasped as she bolted up from the bed. "I-I fainted. I misused my powers and Innocence; I upset the balance again. Baka, baka, baka," she hit herself on the head. "I need to get going." She got up and found her way into the main room of the Inn.
"Oh! Are you feeling better, miss? Your friends went out for a while. Do you wish to wait for them?" a man, the owner, asked her.
"Um, no, thank you. I am very much in a hurry, sir. Could you deliver a message to them, please?"
"Of course! What would you like me to relay to them?"
"Thank you. Can you tell them I appreciate what they've done for me, but I have to leave now? They should understand," Allen recited her message. "Thank you, sir. Here." She handed the man a generous tip and smiled her sweet and innocent smile. "Good-bye mister. You are very kind." She bowed and left.
"Come back anytime, miss!" the man called out. Allen walked out. This feeling… it seems Rhode has captured them and she seems to be having fun. I hope she doesn't kill them. I want to thank them for their kindness first. They accepted me; they needn't die for a cruelty they have not. "Rhode-sama, please do not kill them. They are kind people; they helped me," she whispered and prayed. She then went to go find Lero's gift. What should I get him?
RHODE'S DREAM WORLD
"Attack him," Rhode pointed Lero at Kanda. "He's mean to me."
"Yes, mistress Noah!" The three Akuma obeyed and attacked him. He was having trouble fending off all three Akuma at once. They injured Kanda, and Miranda screamed and her Innocence activated (A/N: Once again, I am too lazy and don't really care to write all this, so until Rhode is about ready to leave, this is all I have to say… okay!)
"Heheh! It's been fun, Mr. Grumpy Samurai and pretty exorcist, but I have to go!" Rhode commented as a large heart-shaped door appeared and opened behind her. She walked through and disappeared with the door.
"Release you Innocence, Miranda," Lenalee told her.
"What? B-but, then you injuries-!" Miranda protested.
"We'll live," Kanda assured.
"We'll be fine. Just call the Black Order; they'll take care of you," Lenalee assured.
"… Alright," Miranda released her Innocence. Kanda's and Lenalee's injuries all came back at once and they fell down, unconscious, in a forming pool of their own blood. "KANDA! LENALEE!"