A Battle of Loyalty

Chapter 4

" Goodbye Kayo"

Kayo was frozen with shock. The blood completely drained from her face and she started to get dizzy. Allen would soon be nothing but a pile of ashes and it would be her fault. Then something amazing happened. The cross on Allen's anti-akuma weapon began to gleam a bright green. Then the stars that had turned Allen's skin gray began to slowly fade out, and Allen's skin had returned to its regular pale complexion. Then he aimed his weapon right for the akuma and destroyed it in one blow. Kayo couldn't believe her eyes. Allen cured himself of the deadliest poison. He turned around to see her face an ailing color of yellow and shaking with fear. He ran over to her and helped off the ground.

"Kayo. Are you okay?" The tears in Kayo's eyes glistened in the sun.

"Are you okay?" She asked ignoring his question.

"I'm fine." he said with an endearing smile. "You don't look so good."

"Well yeah. I don't feel good either. I thought you died." A sympathetic smile appeared on Allen's face. Kayo sat on the ground with her face in her knees. "How did you cure yourself?"

"All parasitic types can."

"No way." She looked up at Allen then stood up. "I have another question. What are you doing here?" Allen began to inch back slowly with his hands in front of himself in justification.

"I-I was sent by chief. He told me to keep an eye on you." Kayo dropped her fist.

"Chief sent you?" Allen nodded his head quickly. "So he doesn't trust me." Kayo glued her eyes to the ground in disappointment. "I thought he said I was ready." Kayo felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She looked up into Allen's sensitive eyes.

"Chief does trust you. Listen, he just wants to look out for you. He worries that's all." Then he gave her a heartening smile. "Plus we didn't want to lose our newest exorcist." Kayo smiled back.

"Thanks Allen." With all the commotion Kayo had completely forgotten about Mary. "Mary!"

"Mary?" Kayo started to look for Mary but she couldn't see her anywhere.

"Maybe she ran away."

"Who's Mary?" Asked Allen again. Kayo explained everything that had happened so far to Allen. "Okay great, so now we just have to find her."

"Then we have to find the innocence."

"Right." Allen and Kayo started walking in the city looking for Mary. They hadn't found any sign of her. Just when they were about to give up Kayo thought they should go check in the forest for her. When they reached the forest Allen sat on the floor with a sigh. "Ugh, I'm tired." Kayo sat next to him.

"Me too." Then they heard a rustle in a bush. Kayo stood up first. Allen grabbed her wrist.

"Wait. It could be dangerous." Kayo turned to him.

"Don't worry." Then it rustled again. This time Allen stood up and stepped in front of Kayo. Then from behind the bush out came a girl with sad eyes and a frown. It was Mary.

"Mary!" Mary slowly dragged her feet over to Kayo with her hands behind her back. Mary's face was full of terror and her voice was shaking. "What is it? What's behind your back?" Mary began to cry, and then she showed her hands. It was the innocence. "You found it!" Kayo was confused. Why was Mary crying? "What's wrong?" she asked concerned.

"There's a woman. She said she would kill my family if I didn't do it."

"Who told you to do what?"Asked Allen seriously.

"I don't know who she is." Mary's tears continued to stream down her face. "I'm sorry Kayo."Then Mary's hands turned a dark color of black. A shadowy purple aura surrounded them. Mary crushed the innocence between her hands then it burst into a million luminous particles. The innocence was swept away in subtle breeze and that was the last of it. "Goodbye Kayo." Then Mary faded away, forever.

"Mary." Kayo could barely speak as she tried to swallow the giant lump in her throat. "She's gone. Who would do this?"

"The Noah." Said Allen with his head down. His colorless hair covered his eyes.

"The Noah?"

"I'll explain later." Kayo could tell Allen was holding back tears by the way he spoke. "We should probably go back to the inn." Kayo and Allen walked out of the forest with tears in their eyes. She had officially failed her first mission.

THX 4 READING!