Chapter 15

"Where are we going now?"

Allen turned to Kanda as he replied, "We're going to find James Lee."

"Do you know where he is staying?" Kanda asked, frowning at Allen's state. The younger teen was sweating and pale. His eyes held a feverish light that made Kanda suspect that he was ill. However, he had checked Allen's temperature before and it was normal. So what was causing Allen to be so distressed?

"He should be in a manor in New York. I can take us to the manor, but you'll have to arrange the transport." Allen swayed slightly. "I don't feel really good right now."

"Fine." Kanda replied and to Allen's surprise, he took the younger teen by the elbow and guided him to a bench. "Stay here and take care of our luggage. And don't run off. I'll go get the tickets."

Allen nodded and leaned his head against the back of the bench. He was dozing within a few seconds but didn't dare to fall asleep until they were on the train.

"Beansprout."

"It's Allen, BaKanda."

"Are you alright?"

Allen looked at Kanda in surprise. He had not been expecting the sudden question.

"I'm fine." He replied after a moment.

"Are you sure? I don't see you eating as much as you did before." Kanda scoffed, still eyeing the younger teen with concern.

Allen cracked a smile. "I don't feel like eating. It's as if the black hole in my stomach has disappeared."

"Really?" Kanda eyed him suspiciously. "Then you'd better not faint of hunger."

"Yes, sir," Allen answered, rolling his eyes. Then a sly gleam entered his eyes and he leaned forward, careful to lock eyes with Kanda as he licked his lips deliberately. "Although, I won't mind having dessert." He said.

Kanda gulped.

"Who are you?" the man scrambled back, colliding with the bookcase. "How did you manage to get past all the guards?"

The white haired teen stared at him stonily. "Well, it's been a long time, James. As I thought, you've forgotten who I am. Let me give you a little hint—you tried to kill me a long time ago. But you didn't succeed."

James stared at him blankly, recalling those that he had tried to kill but managed to escape from him. There were only a few names he could think of and he knew that the teen wasn't one of them. Although there was one possibility… No. That child was already dead—James told himself. That freak was dead.

Allen scoffed at James. "I'm surprised that you've forgotten about me, father. Then again, it's been nearly thirteen years since I last saw you."

James gaped at Allen in surprise, his mouth working to form words.

"Allen?" he finally asked, incredulous.

"Your one and only son." Allen smirked. "Although I hear that I have a half brother who died in a train accident."

James paled. "You were dead!" He stammered. "I made sure of it…"

"You killed my mother and set the house on fire, trying to burn me to death. Unfortunately, you forgot Nina, the maid who was working for us—she had a strong attachment to me and she bought me away from the house. Only that she was severely injured by that accident and died a few days after bringing me to Mana." Allen said.

Noticing James blanch once again when he mentioned Mana, Allen smirked. "You knew Mana, didn't you, James? Seeing as he was the brother of the 14th?"

"You… Mana took you in?" James asked, his voice trembling.

"Of course he did. Mana was the perfect father," Allen paused and sneered. "Unlike two someones who refused to take care of their son when he was born because he had Innocence and left it to the maid to take care of him."

"You have no right to… to…" James spluttered.

"Oh, I have every right." Allen scoffed at his father. "Now, you'd better tell me where the 14th's room is."

"It… It's on the second floor, beside the study." James stuttered, wetting himself with fright when he saw the murderous gleam in Allen's eyes.

"Knock him out, Kanda." Allen told his lover as he headed towards the stairway. He heard a thump behind him and footsteps trailing after him.

"Why do you want to visit your old room?" Kanda asked Allen as they made it up to the second level of the house. "Did you leave anything here?"

"Yes," Allen replied. "My notes from my previous life about the Final Exorcism."

"You'd actually need them?" Kanda asked, "I thought you can control your angelic powers."

"Can and could are completely different things, Kanda." Allen replied as he pushed open the door to his room. "I've been so out of touch with my powers for so long that I do not remember whether I can use my powers anymore. Of course, the Innocence in my heart should make the process easier, but I still need to know how to use my Sword of Exorcism correctly or else I will injure my siblings."

"It still feels weird hearing you address them as your siblings." Kanda murmured to himself as he watched Allen rifle through the stuff in the dusty room. "I'm surprised that they kept your room untouched, though."

"Hm," Allen hummed in agreement. "Well, I was adored the most by all of my siblings since I was the youngest, so it is natural they would want to leave something of mine behind so that they can remember me."

"Touching." Kanda answered. "Are you done yet?"

"Yes." Allen moved back to Kanda with a rucksack slung over his shoulder. "We'd better get moving before the Noah come back—"

"TYKI~"

"Too late." Kanda whispered as he quickly closed the door, making sure that the Noahs would not see them. "We have to leave before they find James."

"I can use the Noah's Ark." Allen replied softly, moving nearer to Kanda.

Kanda shook his head. "Too risky. They could jump in after us if your Ark's entrance extended to downstairs."

"What nonsense." Allen scoffed as he prepared to open the Ark despite Kanda's warnings.

"HE WAS HERE! THAT FREAK I SIRED—HE WAS HERE!"

Allen sighed. Now that James had spilled the beans, he would not be able to open the Ark. Road would be able to open a doorway into the Ark so that option was out.

"I can hear them from here."

Wisely. Neah's voice came immediately and Allen stiffened. He knew that Wisely would be able to take read his mind. If Wisely could hear him… his plans would be ruined. There was no choice but to take the Noah's Ark.

Allen summoned the entrance and pushed Kanda into it before he could protest and jumped in after him. He needed to leave the Ark as well so that Road would not be able to find him in the Ark. Allen quickly opened a door to Asia and pushed Kanda through it too.

And they landed with a thump in the middle of a village.

It was a good thing that it was nighttime when they appeared, or else they would have been caught and declared god or something.

"Xiao Li, was there a girl who could do predictions in your village?" Allen asked as the small girl helped him to gather water from a well.

"Hm? Oh, you mean Mei Lin?" Xiao Li looked at him. "Well, she used to. But now she doesn't. She keeps herself locked in her house all day. We don't even get to see her now."

"Really?" Allen seemed surprised. "I wanted to visit her and return her something that belonged to her."

"Oh. Then her grandpa might let you in. But Mei Lin doesn't want to see people nowadays. So I'm not sure whether you will be able to talk to her." Xiao Li replied.

"That's fine with me. Do you know the way to her house?" Allen asked.

Xiao Li nodded and led the way, skipping a few steps ahead of the older brother. Usually there were two of them, but Allen said that the other one wanted to stay at home today because he was tired. Xiao Li didn't mind. She liked this older brother more than the other one, anyway. The other one—Kan…da, if she was not wrong—was grumpy and fierce. Xiao Li didn't like him. She also saw him as a rival to get Brother Allen's attention, so she usually tried to do things to keep Allen to herself.

For Allen, her efforts were pretty amusing and he enjoyed watching Kanda and Xiao Li snap at each other—it was amusing how they would go for each other's throat the moment they saw each other, even though he didn't know the real reason why they did.

"We're here." Xiao Li told Allen and they stopped in front of a small house. Allen thanked her and entered the house. He was greeted by an elderly man, who was Mei Lin's grandfather. The moment he saw Allen, he frowned and asked Allen to leave.

"I have something to return to Mei Lin." Allen tried, but the elderly man shook his head and pointed towards the door.

"You have shattered Mei Lin's heart when you returned her here. She was looking forward to being an Exorcist—"

"But I have her artifact with me." Allen told him. "I found an Innocence that is compatible to her. I have come to take Mei Lin to the Black Order."

The elderly man stared at Allen for a moment before he sat down. "She can go to the Black Order?"

"Yes."

Her grandfather drew in a shaky breath. "After her artifact was gone, Mei Lin was very depressed. She had made up her mind to join the Black Order and help people around the world. When her artifact was gone, Mei Lin felt guilty that she could have helped those in suffering, yet she did not because she had not lept a good hold on her artifact and thus leading to its destruction."

"It wasn't her fault—" Allen started to say, but her grandfather stopped him.

"Go tell her that. Tell her that she can return and help people. I will support her." He said quietly and retired into the depths of the house.

After getting lost for twenty times, Allen finally found Mei Lin. Or rather, Mei Lin found Allen after her grandpa notified her that Allen was there to see her.

"I can enter the Black Order again?" she whispered, looking at Allen in awe. "I thought my Innocence couldn't come back?"

"It can't." Allen admitted. "But I found an Innocence that is similar to the one you had."

He retrieved a small crystal ball from the cloak he had. "And I think you will be able to synchronize with this one perfectly."

Mei Lin took the crystal ball from him and gazed into it with a reverent look on her face. "I thought I wouldn't be able to see this again…" she murmured. Then she gasped as a soft blue glow emanated from the crystal ball.

"Are you sure you want to join the Black Order, though? You wouldn't be able to return and see your grandfather if you do." Allen asked, feeling slightly concerned for the small child.

"Yes, I want to join." Mei Lin said, her eyes determined. Allen sighed.

"Start packing your bag then. Don't pack too much, take only what's valuable to you. I'll buy some new clothes for you when we reach the Black Order."

Mei Lin nodded and scrambled to pull a small bag out from under her bed. She started to pack some stuff and it wasn't long before she was done.

"Can we go now?" she asked.

Allen nodded and he took her bag, slinging it over his shoulder just as the door to her room burst open. Allen jumped in a defensive position before Mei Lin but relaxed when he saw that it was Kanda. Kanda was panting, having just run from their inn to Mei Lin's house.

"The Noahs are here! We need to leave before they find us!" he told Allen, panting.