Return
No one could understand her for a minute then Allen pushed Chaoji away. Something came from the ground and took Allen and Teal down with it.
Teal found herself in a lot of pain and lying on the ground. Those weren't ordinary vines that dragged her and Allen. The vines were powered by Tyki's Power. Her body stung all over. As Teal sat up, she saw Tyki Mikk. He wasn't exactly conscious; he had light blue eyes and was staring blankly at her. The vines were circling around him. Allen was right next to her.
"Allen! Are you alright?" She asked.
"Yes…" He weakly answered. "The door…" A piece of the door was right by his hand. Teal saw it and feared the worst. She entered her dimensional scream mode when she saw the piece. She saw a white room with a piano and a shadowy figure with a white uniform standing in front of her. "Remember what you forgot. Find the piece from your memory." There was a melody coming from the piano. She faintly knew the melody.
'And so the boy fell asleep…' She sang to herself…
Teal blinked hard and she was staring at another piece to the door.
"My…memory?" she asked herself. "Allen, we can't exit by going through Road's door!" Allen looked up. "There's another room in this ark! We have to find it! It's our only hope of escape!" Allen couldn't hear Teal. The rubble was muffling her voice. And Allen's attention was focused on Tyki.
"This Noah's Power was supposed to be destroyed. What's going on?"
Allen activated his sword. Tyki didn't move, the vines had engulfed him and created a black armor that made him look like a knight. Teal moved forward but Allen stopped her with his sword.
"Teal stay back! I think he's gotten stronger and he could easily kidnap you!"
"Not gonna happen, Allen. I don't get caught that easily." Allen jumped attacked Tyki, while Teal stood still, waiting for his movements. Tyki vanished and appeared behind Allen.
'Perfect! Spell of Earth: Rock Carven' The ground came alive and started to engulf Tyki. 'Oh crap, I don't know if Tyki can still pass through anything.'
Tyki wasn't even near the rocks. He attacked Teal from behind and made her crash into Allen which sent both of them to separate pillars.
'He's defiantly stronger. As if he weren't human.' Teal thought.
"Teal, do you know what's happened to Tyki Mikk? I don't think he's human anymore."
"This is the Noah of Pleasure's true form." She gasped. Tyki threw her so hard that she hit her stomach and threw up some blood. Allen was almost knocked unconscious.
Lavi suddenly came down and shielded both Allen and Teal.
"Tyki Mikk, what kind of a joke of a uniform is that?" He sneered.
"Lavi…" He started. Allen blacked out.
"Hang in there."
"Lavi, we can't go through the door." Teal finished what Allen was trying to say. More shattered pieces of the door were on the ground. "Lavi, there maybe another way out. There's a room…" Teal was unable to finish her sentence because Tyki attacked them.
'Extend!' Lavi grabbed Teal and Allen who was on his shoulder and went up to the level where Lenalee and Chaoji were.
Teal used her healing powers to heal her friends a bit. "That's the best I can do for now. It should keep us going for a bit of time." Teal panted.
Before Lavi could extend his hammer to escape, Tyki Mikk rose and attacked the exorcists. Teal and Lavi were the only ones who could take the attack. Tyki aimed for Teal but Lavi pushed her out of the way and was knocked out.
"Lavi!" Teal shouted. She continued to hold Tyki Mikk off. Tyki attacked her with the vines but she still hung on. 'Spell of Fire: Fire dance' Teal's boots and blades turned into flames as she attacked Tyki. She burned him a bit and drew blood from his hand.
'That armor is really tough. Wait, his blood's black?'
Before Tyki could counter attack, Allen jumped from behind and attacked with his sword but was pushed back.
'Please, Innocence, grant me strength so I can protect my friends!' Teal begged her Innocence. She started to use her normal spells to attack Tyki but his armor deflected any spells that were cast.
He blasted the three exorcists away. Teal blacked out for a few moments. She could feel herself landing on a broken pillar and her feet were in the water. 'Tyki Mikk's vibrations… are near Lenalee's?' Teal opened her eyes. She saw Allen and Lavi on different pillars, both knocked out. Tyki was strangling Lenalee with his vines. Chaoji was charging at Tyki, hoping to distract him long enough to get Lenalee free.
'Innocence, please, help me get to Lenalee and Chaoji. We can do this.' Teal felt her Innocence was getting more power by her feelings. 'Spell of Fire: Flame Body' Teal burned herself and her body felt a bit better although it didn't recover all of her injuries.
There was another earthquake. 'Spell of Wind: Sonic Steps' Teal used the vibrations of the ground to get her up and to run to Lenalee and Chaoji. Chaoji was knocked down by the tremors but Lenalee was able to slightly break from Tyki's grip. Tyki grabbed her by the neck and threw her down with the falling ground.
"Lenalee!" Chaoji and Teal shouted. 'Please, let me make it in time.' Both Chaoji and Teal made it to Lenalee but a rock was falling right over them and Teal couldn't gather enough vibrations to take both Chaoji and Lenalee out of there in time. Tyki noticed that Teal was helping Lenalee and Chaoji and repelled any vibrations that she could use.
Before she or Lenalee knew it, Chaoji was holding up the large amount of stone. A strange presence was near them. The girls both recognized it as Innocence.
"If Innocence is reacting to Chaoji…" Lenalee started.
"Where is it coming from?" Teal looked around and there was no sign of any Innocence.
"Lenalee, maybe it's coming from outside." Chaoji was shouting the names of the crewman as he was trying to keep the rock up. Tyki was floating outside the only exit. Lenalee's vines were tightening every time she pulled against it.
"Hold still, Lenalee!" Teal commanded. She pulled out a switch blade from her pocket. She sliced through the vine around Lenalee's legs, then her left arm. Her right arm was tied with the vine around her neck.
"This one is going to be harder. Don't move." They both heard Chaoji struggling with the rock.
"Lenalee, Teal, what's happening to me?"
"You're reacting with Innocence somewhere around here. If you go on much longer, your body will strain too much and you will be destroyed. " Lenalee answered.
"What should I do? There's nowhere left to run." He grunted. Teal noticed that Tyki was gathering some power.
"Chaoji, hang on a bit longer until I get Lenalee loose." Teal continued cutting the vine around Lenalee's neck. It was in layers and was very tough to cut even with her knife.
Tyki began charging towards them. "Lenalee, use your arm to cut yourself free." Teal came out of the rock and charged at Tyki. Teal noticed that a hammer and a sword were right next to her. Allen and Lavi regained consciousness.
'Combination Attack: Heaven's Knight' Teal used both Allen and Lavi's weapon to create a ghostly knight made of Lavi and Teal's power and it was wielding Allen's sword. It attacked Tyki but it didn't do much damage because of Tyki's protective armor.
The rock that Chaoji was holding shattered and all that was left of the ark was the lake and rubble. Teal, Allen and Lavi's weapon's returned to them as they braced themselves to what Tyki would do next.
"You guys okay?" Allen and Lavi both nodded. "Lenalee and Chaoji are okay too."
Tyki used one spell that Teal used on him and counterattacked them. Once again, it sent them flying. However, it was a fire spell and only affected Allen and Lavi. Teal redirected it and prepared for a meteor attack.
'Spell of Heaven: Combination Attack: Fire and Darkness: Hell's Meteor!' Teal struck with her meteor attack and this time, was able to shatter a piece of Tyki's armor.
'That should keep him from reusing my usual spells.' Before Teal could do anything else, Tyki struck her down, used his vines to hold her and used his magic so she couldn't fight back. Tyki grabbed on to her neck and was injuring her even more. Just then, he was held back by Allen's Clown Belt. Tyki left Teal and moved toward Allen.
"I thought I was your opponent, didn't you want to kill me?"
"Allen…don't…" Teal said. The vines were still wrapped around her and she couldn't move. 'Let go!' Her body began to glow a mysterious silver color and the vines vanished as they were starting to get tighter. After they were gone, she fell onto her hands and knees. 'I've got to stay awake. My body hurts all over but that's not going to stop me.'
"Allen!" Lenalee shouted.
"I'm going to fight until the very end!" He shouted.
Something white was glowing under Allen. Before he could strike. It looked like a headless woman's body with a cross and angel wings. Then the symbol turned into a huge white cross that sent Tyki back. The ground collapsed and Allen fell in the hole.
Teal used all of her strength to get up and run to the hole to get Allen. She was about to activate her Innocence but she was stopped by someone.
"Save your strength." The figure said as he held her back. It was a skeleton with a big heavy coat. She knew that voice. It was him. The figure jumped into the hole on a chained coffin and grabbed Allen by the leg. They weren't very far in the hole.
"What's this, you filthy little brat?" He demanded. "I thought you looked alright for a moment but you were just as dirty as I found you. Stupid apprentice."
"It's been a long time." Allen smiled.
"What's that smile for?" The skeleton's head vanished and a man with long red hair, glasses and half a mask replaced its form. "You want me to drop you?"
'It's General Cross!' Teal leaned closer to look down the hole. 'And Timcanpy is there too!'
General Cross brought Allen up and dropped him on the ground.
"Allen, are you okay?" Teal went to Allen. Allen looked up at General Cross.
"Shishou…"
"It looks like you've got your Innocence in a decent form."
'Is this the same General Cross Allen was telling us about? He doesn't seem so bad.'
"But still, you're all beaten up. Here." Cross extended his hand to Allen.
"Ah, yes I'm so…" Cross grabbed Allen's collar and tossed him to the others.
'Or maybe not!' Teal glided to the others.
"You filthy idiot apprentice!" Lavi stood up but Cross shouted at him "You're filthy too; get the hell away from me. I'll let beautiful people near me but filthy people (except women) can stay the hell back!" Cross turned to Tyki who was waiting on a nearby pillar.
"The Clan of Noah…I was wondering what you were still doing in the ark when it was about to collapse. You've look like you've lost your mind, haven't you." Teal turned to Tyki.
'That is what happened to me… I have to talk to Cross when we get back. He may know some things about the Clan of Noah.'
"Consumed by the Noah, huh? You're staining the Clan's name, you know?" He was saying to Tyki as he was undoing the chains off of the coffin.
'Grave of Maria, release!' A beautiful woman emerged from the coffin. She had a huge dress and a butterfly mask that shielded her face entirely. The woman began to sing and a barrier surrounded the exorcists.
"What's this?" Lavi asked.
'Teal, I can't use my left arm very well, can you help me?' Teal resumed getting Lenalee loose from the vines.
'Hold very still.' She whispered.
"It's Magdala Curtain." Allen answered.
"You don't mind if the kids are gone do you?" Cross asked.
"Can't Tyki see us?" Teal asked silently.
"Magdala Curtain is a defensive technique that uses the power of Shishou's to affect the enemy's mind and obscure his vision with illusions."
"Is that doll an anti-akuma weapon?" Lenalee asked.
"That isn't a doll, it's a human corpse."
"Isn't that forbidden?" Lavi asked in alarm.
"Shishou uses magic to make that corpse, a woman with a parasitic Innocence his own weapon. Maria takes orders from Shishou alone."
One by one, Teal did her best to heal her friends. Most of their injuries were still there but they had enough strength to fight.
"And then…" Allen continued on, "There's an equipment type weapon that belongs to Shishou himself. 'Judgment'."
Judgment was a revolver whose bullets never miss and don't stop until they reach their target. As the exorcists watched Cross fire his gun at Tyki, Tyki was losing the rest of his armor and was almost near death.
Allen stared to summon his sword to help out Cross.
"Wait, don't get involved." Lavi said. "If you think about the difference in power, whether it's Noah or Cross, we are still weak. We've got a long way to go."
There was a final earthquake. Everyone knew time was up. "Shishou!" Allen shouted.
"Is it time? We won't make it unless if we hurry." He aimed his gun at Tyki for the final blow.
"Guys, hang on to me!" Teal activated her blades and boots and she chose to converge her blades into her boots so they would be easier to handle.
Just then, out of some falling rubble, the Earl showed up. And protected Tyki. He was carrying a sword exactly like Allen's but the color was reversed. The floor crumbled and Lavi and Chaoji fell this time. Lenalee was falling as well. Teal grabbed Lenalee and Allen was trying to reach Lavi's hammer but it shattered when he grasped it.
"Lavi! Chaoji!" Teal shouted. Allen screamed as he couldn't save them. The ground fell apart and Lenalee fell again. Allen saved her this time by his clown belt and Teal was hanging on to Allen so he wouldn't fall.
Allen and the girls stood up on the landing and the saw the Earl and Cross fighting. The Earl was saying something about 'The Fourteenth' and 'The Musician'.
'That name… really sounds familiar. The shadow I saw in my vision. He must be the Fourteenth! I've seen him before and I've been here as well. We've got to find that room!'
"In the end, this ark will be a grave, sucking up the blood of the exorcists."
This time, Allen was unable to control his temper. He launched himself from the pillar they were on and headed for the Earl.
"Allen! Don't!" Lenalee shouted. Blood was coming from Allen as he activate his Innocence.
"You're injured! Stop!" After Allen left, Teal used her boots and took Lenalee off the ground. They could do nothing to stop Allen.
"He's falling! Teal, we've got to do something!"
"Right! Hang on tight!" 'Spell of Wind: Sonic Steps' "There's plenty of vibrations around, so it's gonna be easy." In a blink of an eye, Teal dashed off. She dodged falling rocks and suddenly, she saw Cross and Grave of Maria. Cross saw Lenalee and Teal and signaled her to get to him. Teal heard Maria sing again. She saw Allen was using his sword to stop himself from falling.
"Master! Release me from Maria's power! The Earl!"
"You are climbing up here whether you want to or not! Don't fight the Earl with hatred."
Teal landed and she saw the Earl pass through one of Road's door and it quickly vanished after it shut.
"Allen, get up. I need you to go on a mission." Cross said.
"Mission, General?" Teal asked.
"Yes, you probably know why I came here."
"You came to destroy the akuma plant, right? Is it still here?" Lenalee asked.
"That room is still here. Take us there, Tim."
Timcanpy started to glow and they were taken to another room. There were bodies all over the place.
"What are these bodies doing here?" Allen asked in alarm.
"These were the guards of the plant."
"Allen! Behind you!" Teal shouted. There was a huge egg on two support arches. It was vanishing quickly.
"Look up. This is the last room in the ark. If this egg disappears, this ark will too, and us with it."
"What do we do Shishou?"
"We are going to stop the ark's download so the egg can't be transferred to the new ark. I'm not going to stop it, you are, Allen." Cross summoned a spell and Allen was teleported to another room. Teal and Lenalee stayed with Cross.
They waited for a few minutes and the room was starting to crumble. Cross held on to Lenalee and Teal used her weapon to stay in the air.
"Stupid Apprentice! There should be a piano in there! Play it! It is the ark's heart!" Cross shouted into his earring. There was a melody coming from a piano.
'Now I remember' Teal started to sing to herself.
"So as the boy fell to sleep.
The fire in the ash engulfs the air. One by one...
what rise and grow large are my beloved profiles.
What trickle down to earth are the thousands of dreams...dreams...
On the night when the silver eyes were trembling what came to born was you, as you shined.
No matter how many times the ever-passing time return the prayers back down to earth...
I will never cease to pray.
Oh please, show this child what love is.
Please give a kiss to his hands you hold."
"Make a wish, Allen! Make a wish as you play and it will come true! Stop the download of the ark!" Cross shouted as he was using a spell to prevent the egg from disappearing completely.
"Bring back our friends! Don't disappear, ark!" Allen shouted. Teal was focusing on the faces of all her friends that have fallen in the ark. 'Please, bring them back.' She shut her eyes and brought her hands close to her face.
"Allen, we're all coming in there. Open the door. If you wish for it, it will open." Cross said. In an instant, there was a door that appeared in the wall. Once it opened, Cross, Teal and Lenalee came through.
"The ark stopped breaking down. Allen, were you the one who played the piano?" Lenalee asked.
"Yeah." He glared at Cross.
"I know what you're going to say. Stop making that face, disciple." Cross sat down and lit a cigarette.
"The musical score, how did you…" Allen started.
"DINNERTIIIIME!" A loud voice boomed.
"La-Lavi, he's not a dog." Chaoji's voiced emerged as well.
"Just wait and see, if Allen's hungry, he'll come running! DIIINNNNERRTIIIMME!"
"Somebody's calling from somewhere in the ark." Cross said.
"It's Lavi and Chaoji!" Teal's face lit up. "Thank goodness they're alright. Hey, if they're alright…" She ran out the door. When she got out, there were even more white Mediterranean style buildings. 'Innocence, Activate' Teal flew up and followed Lavi's shouts in the ark. "Steak, Pasta, Mitarashi Dango!"
"Lavi! Chaoji!" Teal shouted as she landed. Both of them jumped as she landed on a roof behind them.
"Teal," Lavi wheezed, "what are you trying to do, give us heart attacks?" As he put his hand over his chest.
"Nah, I thought I might surprise you a bit just for fun." She giggled. "Actually, I came to see if…"
"I thought rabbits could jump higher than that." There was a cold voice behind them. It was Kanda, with Krory on his back. Kanda's shirt was burned off and there was a mysterious tattoo on his chest. "Next time, yell louder so he can break a record or a leg in the very least."
"Ah, I was right. I'm glad you two are okay." Teal smiled. "Welcome back."
"Yu! And Kuro-chan!"
"I found him on the way. What's going on?" Kanda looked around.
"You see…" Teal started.
"Oi, get your ass down here, Beansprout!" Lavi called out to the sky.
"It's Allen, stupid!" Allen's voice was coming from the sky. Lavi and Kanda looked up.
"They're in another room." Teal finished. "You know, you don't have to over react, Beansprout!" She shouted at the sky.
"Don't you start too! You have to stop hanging around them!"
"What can I say?" She shrugged. "C'mon guys, follow me!" Teal jumped off the roof and landed on the path. She couldn't get back up due to her ankle. 'Okay, not the smartest idea.'
"You need some help?" Lavi offered his hand. Teal accepted it and she was supporting herself on him.
"I'll tell you where to go."
"Eli…ade…"
"Ah! Kuro-Chan said something!" Lavi exclaimed.
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"We'll take care of Krory," Lenalee said as she carried Krory to the sofa.
"Looks like he really pushed his body in that last battle. His Innocence transformed his body to grant him power. That's what saved him. If you want him to wake up anytime soon, he needs proper medical treatment." Cross said.
"I may not be a doctor, but I can heal him a bit." Teal pulled out a cauldron from her bag and some strange herbs.
"How can you fit something that big into your small bag?" Lenalee asked.
"I hexed my bag and a few of my other items."
"Oh, that's neat, did your Shishou teach you magic too? And can you transform objects?"
"My Shishou took me in and taught me martial arts after I quit being a yanki." Teal continued chopping up herbs and stirred the mixture in her cauldron. "I can't really transform anything. It always turns out wrong. Last time I tried to change myself into an animal, I was stuck with cat ears for 2 weeks!"
"I can imagine you in cat ears." Cross said behind them. There was a small 'plink' as Teal and Lenalee just stared at him.
"Don't even think about it you pervert!" Teal pointed her wooden spoon at Cross. "Even without my Noah side, I have another black side and you don't want me to go there!"
"You are cute when you're angry." Cross complimented. Teal froze and turned red. 'Ignore, ignore, ignore. He's a freakin' womanizer.'
"Uh… Thanks… I guess…" She tilted Krory's head as she had the potion ready. "I don't know if you can hear me, but this might taste a bit funny."
'Krory, I'm glad you're alright. Really. But, I'm sorry. I…I couldn't' She hear a 'slam' and the guys screaming. (Except for Kanda who just turned away) She looked at Cross and Lenalee and they were sitting by each other. Cross had his hand on her cheek. 'I turned my back for one second!' She was looking a little disturbed.
"That's a crime Shishou!" Allen shouted.
"No, Allen, you've got it all wrong." Lenalee tried to explain.
"What, apprentice? She's 16 years old, a fine woman now."
"General!" Lavi shouted.
"He was touching her cheek; the world is not going to end." Teal said flatly.
"Define 'end of the world'. In case you haven't noticed, when Shishou's with a woman, IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD!"
"Oh yeah, your debt's increase. I guess in your case that would be the end of the world."
"Do you even know ANYTHING about girls and guys?!" Allen said.
"Yes, and I'm not at that stage yet. It's not the end of the world, Beansprout so get over it." Teal grinned.
"If you weren't a girl, I'd make you eat your words!"
"Maybe it's because I'm a girl, I called you that." She teased and put her hands behind her head. "You know I'm just kidding, right?"
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Allen disconnected the ark's links to Edo and he was able to open a gate to the outside where everyone else was. After the reunion, the others boarded the ark and Allen opened up another gate at the Asia Branch to make contact with Head quarters. Before long everyone was back home. The whole Science Team was there to greet the exorcists. Lenalee ran up to greet her brother. There were medics right beside the Science Team. Then Lenalee nodded to Miranda to deactivate her Innocence. As she did, everyone collapsed.
'Finally, it's over. For them, at least. For me, it's just the beginning.'
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*bzzzt*"The egg was 80% lost, my lord."
"You think the 14th helped them? Lero!"
"Yes… It is possible. And what about the girl? Why hasn't she been successfully been brought back? Surely her friends rejected her after the Deceiver was revived for a last time."
"Uh…uh…I can't really explain. Lero!"
"My lord, what do you mean the Deceiver was 'revived for a final time'?"
"The original Deceiver's spirit was still in that girl. The girl only served as a host. I don't really understand why I didn't see it back then."
"Back then, Lero?"
"When Jasdevi came to join us. While I was searching through her mind for any trace of the Deceiver, I noticed that she and Jasdevi were friends. When I found Jasdevi, they were with her. When I told them about the Clan, they asked if she could come but she didn't have a Noah. If one member of a Clan is born, their Noah is born with them and their genes awaken when they're older. The Deceiver was not in her. Now, I suspect someone protected her so she wouldn't be found."
"I saw that she and the other exorcists defeated the Deceiver. Is she of any value to us? Do we just kill her like the other exorcists? Lero"
"She still is valuable to us. She is now the Noah of Memories."
"Yes, Earl."
*bzzzt*
*Shishou means 'master or teacher' mostly teachers in martial arts.
Yanki means 'gang member'