Chapter 5: Tracking Time

I do not own D. Gray-Man and its characters.

It has been a long time since he visited this place. Not much had changed in here. There were new scientists but the old ones were still there. Maybe they were still hung up with how the Central suddenly decided to separate the family. That decision caused negative reactions from the members of the Order from all over the world. He was one of them.

After years of observing and guarding the Central, he returned to the main branch of the Order and decided to report what he had recorded and observed.

"Y-You're—!" Maricar sputtered.

He rolled his eyes at their reaction. Komui then approached him and then pinched his cheeks. He growled. Komui laughed nervously and took a few steps back. So it was him. He hadn't changed at all. Komui smiled.

"So I take it you're here to report." Komui said

"Obviously," he replied with a snort. "I've got a lot to tell you too."

After hearing that, Komui immediately became serious and let his guest, Kanda Yu, report.

:::Komui's POV:::

I nodded in understanding. So that's what the central was doing now. I knew they were cold hearted bastards but I didn't think they'd go this far. They were making people like Sigyn and the others. They were experimenting again. I was disgusted. Sure, this batch may be safer but it still had a side effect. Link was surprised too. It seemed like they only told us one fourth of the things that were supposed to be said.

I looked at the files Kanda gave me. There were some documents about the latest experiments. I took it and looked at every single one of it. My eyes widened when I saw a file mentioning Allen and Lenalee. I quickly separated it from the other files and read it.

Volunteers Allen and Lenalee Walker are doing well in maintaining relations with the enemy. The enemy has recently demanded for supplies and resources. Out of 8 demands, five had been given. The remaining three is still being decided upon the high generals.

I gritted my teeth. How dare they use my little sister? Even though I hate the boy, they still had no right to do that. They were using them to maintain temporary peace and then throw them away? The Central was more disgusting than I thought.

I turned to Kanda. "I supposed you have read all of them." He nodded and I passed the papers to Maricar and Link. They scanned through the documents and I sipped my coffee.

"Do you have anymore information?" I asked him.

Kanda glared at me. "The squirt and I had a hard time getting this information. We were lucky we weren't found out. But all of those are big help in tracking them"

"Speaking of which, where is Timothy?" Maricar asked.

"Like hell I'd care." He snorted. "That squirt is probably in the cafeteria or something. He's hyped up."

Link piped in. "I couldn't blame him though."

"I suppose I could agree with you." Kanda said. "That place is a hellhole. There are too many guards wandering around. There are even undercover guards in the nearby town. We almost didn't escape so this better be worth it."

I smiled at him. "Of course it is. We are thankful for this information. I suppose you're hungry. Now why don't you go to the canteen?"

"There better be soba there." He muttered.

"Of course, and thank you again Kanda."

:::Lena's POV:::

I glared at the boy in front of me. His poker face was so damn fine that one could almost believe he was winning. I turned and glared at the one who tapped my shoulder. Sheesh! Don't they know I need to concentrate? They need to stop pestering me or I'll kick them. Hard. I cannot lose this battle. It would cost me my life and my dignity.

"Giving up already little girl?" He asked with a cocky grin.

I glared at him. "Over my dead body."

"I can take care of that easily."

I gritted my teeth and looked at him again. His eyes were sparkling with mirth, as if he was enjoying watching me suffer. I scoffed. He might think that his poker face is good but mine is a lot better.

"Don't lose Lena." A voice whispered.

"I will never." I said and took a deep breath.

"Don't even dream on winning." The boy told me. I glared at him sharply. He cringed slightly. I almost let out a smirk.

"Don't do this Lena." Roselyn, one of the finders, told me.

I looked at her and replied. "I have to."

I decided to lay all my cards in front of him. His eyes widened an inch. I smirked. He was going to lose.

"Do not be smug yet." He told me. "Don't get too excited."

I scoffed. "As if you can—"

"Royal Straight Flush, I win." He said and smirked.

This time, my eyes widened an inch. I looked at the cards and then to him. I gritted my teeth and glared. "You cheating jerk!"

"Now, now, don't be temperamental Lena." Alex patted my shoulder. "You should've gotten used to losing to me."

"That's because you're cheating." Not that I was cheating too.

"Hypocrite," he said and ruffled my hair. "Come on, you owe me."

"I hate you." I retorted.

Roselyn grinned. "Come on now you two, I bet you're hungry."

As if on cue, our stomachs grumbled at the same time. We looked at each other and then at Roselyn.

"I'm hungry."

I said, "But I'm hungrier."

"You can't be hungrier than me, I'm a parasite type."

"Really, you two are too much." Roselyn sighed and shook her head. "You know what; let's just go to the cafeteria."

Alex opened his mouth but Roselyn cut him off. "With no interruptions, arguments or whatsoever."

"Yes Rosie," We replied in unison. While going to the cafeteria, we passed some scientists and finders. They were talking. I know, nothing weird with that but scientists like Johnny don't usually skip work just to have a chit-chat with other scientists. Something must have happened today.

Alex nudged me. "What's wrong with you?"

"Weird…" I muttered. "They don't usually do that."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

I laughed nervously and shook my head. "Nothing, I was just thinking!"

He eyed me suspiciously before nodding. "If you say so…" He then pinched me. Ouch! That hurt! What was he thinking? I glared at him. "What were you…?" He grinned sheepishly.

"Just making sure you are still sane." I rolled my eyes at him and playfully punched him. He rubbed his arm and pouted.

"Meanie."

"You're meaner," I retorted.

Ethan, another finder, nudged us. "You two, stop arguing or I'll tell Rosie."

We smiled nervously and kept our mouths shut. When we reached the cafeteria, we noticed that finders and scientists were crowding someone. We went over to take a look. We saw a man eating twice, no, thrice as much as I could. There was also some kind of ball on his forehead. I cringed. I do not want to know how it went there.

"Judging by his appetite, he's an exorcist," my brother said and then rubbed his chin.

I rolled my eyes. "You can't judge someone by his looks."

"You almost had the upper hand Lena." He shook his head and then smirked. "But you're wrong. No finder or scientist can eat that much."

We then heard him gulp down his food and burp. I was disgusted. Alex was also disgusted. We were the only ones who were disgusted. The scientists and finders around him seemed to enjoy the sight of him eating. It was like the man was gone for years. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't; I'll have to find out.

I approached the man and at the same time, he turned around. If I was jumpy, I would've leaped off the building. Thank you exorcist training! Back to the man now, he was pretty surprised when he saw me and my brother. He looked like a fish when he gaped. I would've laughed out loud if it weren't for the curiosity filling me.

He acted like he knew us.

"You two!" He pointed at us. "I'm so glad I've found you!"

Alex was taken aback. "Excuse me? Do we know you?"

"Oh, sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet." He cleared his throat. "I am Timothy Hearst, I'm a good friend of your…" His eyes darted sideward and then whispered. "Let's not talk here."

We nodded and followed him out of the cafeteria. Just then, another scientist approached him.

"Tim! Where are you going? We haven't talked for a long time!"

Mr. Hearst smiled apologetically. "Sorry, business matters."

The scientist nodded and went back inside. It was weird how adults talked to each other. Alex held my hand tightly, as if reminding me that we shouldn't trust this stranger fully. I squeezed his hand and nodded. We reached a silent and quiet corridor.

"About your parents…" He said. "Actually, your father was the one who brought me to the Order. He saved me from a level 4 Akuma—"

"Wait!" Alex interrupted. "There's no such thing as a level 4!"

"There is, trust me." He deadpanned. "That isn't even the highest. Ask your uncle or the scientists. That's another thing you two don't know. Apparently, the Central is keeping secrets and information from the whole Order, especially to you two. Now back to your parents, I don't know much but all I know is that they're still alive but they were exiled. It will be hard to look for them. It might take months, years or even decades. We also found out that they change locations time to time."

I shook my head. They travelled time to time. Who knows where they are already? What if we arrive there and they already left? But I suppose it was for their sake. If they stayed at the same place for a long time, the Akumas might find them.

"So it's pretty much impossible to be with them…" I muttered.

The man shook his head. "It's still possible. All we need is time."

After we talked to Mr. Hearst, who insisted us to call him Uncle Timothy instead, our trust in the Order decreased. If they weren't telling us all the things we needed to then how were we be able to fully trust them, for all we know is that maybe the next day, the Order might be planning to exile or separate us. My face turned grim at the thought. The possibility of that happening was high.

Noticing my distress, Alex gripped my hand. "Whatever you're thinking about, drop it." He offered a small smile. "Your face is being funny again."

"I don't make funny faces." I scowled and unconsciously touched my cheeks. Damn, maybe I was making funny faces.

"You know what, let's just eat," he said. "Let's forget our problems by eating!

I nodded. "Agree!" I'm hanging out way too much with Alex; I'm turning into a glutton.

We hurriedly went to the cafeteria and this time, we found the people clearing a way for someone. Maybe today was the day when people and exorcists from Central come home. We weren't complaining, in fact, we saw this as an opportunity to know more about mom and dad.

"I think the person is a girl." Alex muttered as he narrowed his eyes.

I looked at him. "Well let's approach her."

He nodded and we walked towards the woman. She wore a ponytail and we also learned that she had a sharp glare when we saw her glare at us. This woman looked pretty masculine. She had broad shoulders and muscular body. She had more muscles than Alex…W-Wait a minute…

"Hello ma'am!" Alex greeted.

This woman was a man! I slapped my forehead and flicked Alex's. "Stupid!"

The 'woman' cringed. "Did you just say MA'AM?"

"That person's a woman!" Alex went pale. I shook my head and the scientists and finders just watched us with an amused grin. Some were even snickering.

"We're sorry sir!" We apologized in unison.

"Che." He said and took his food from Jerry.

We sighed in relief and went to Jerry who was also amused. He had this goofy grin on his face.

"Alex! Lena! Oh my two favorite customers are here~!" He squealed. "So what are your order dears?"

"Hmm…" I tapped my chin. "I want pasta~!"

"I want soybeans, tofu, chicken, eggs, steak, and fish—"

"We get it." I told him and he eagerly nodded, like a dog.

Jerry laughed. "It's alright Len-Len~ I love big eaters!" He then waved his hand at us, as if shooing us away. "Now go you two, I'll call you when it's done."

I smiled back and we went to a nearby table. I looked around. Sigyn and the others weren't here; maybe they went on a mission. The Central came back to my mind. The Central must be so powerful that it can hide information from the whole Order. They knew something that we didn't. Heck, they might be doing something that could put our lives in danger right now. I shook my head, trying to erase all the bad thoughts.

I blinked when I saw a tray appear in front of me. Then Alex waved a hand in front of my face. I slapped his hand away playfully. "I'm still breathing you know."

"I know," he replied and smiled. "You're thinking way too much."

"I couldn't help it. If Mr. Hearst, who was a friend of our parents and an asset of an Order, doesn't trust the Order itself…How are we to trust them? W-What if they're planning something behind our back? What if—"

Alex then covered my mouth with his hand. His rough, calloused and icky hand to be exact. I twitched and slapped his hand away. "You should learn the word 'hygiene'."

"You're overreacting." He snorted. "Besides, you were rambling again. You better eat or else I'll be the one to eat that."

I glared at him. "You already have pasta."

"You do know that these are only a meal to me, and I'll have to eat these again later, so don't tempt me to eat your food."

I hate smart brothers, I hate to admit it but they made me feel stupid. But my brother was worse. He was smart and overprotective. To add up, his habit is deflating my ego. I sighed in defeat and ate my pasta.

He smiled and patted my head. "Good girl."

But this was one of the things I liked about my brother. He was kind, mature and adorable in a dorky way. I depended on him and he depended on me. We were each other's feet. If one of us were to die, we were going to be crippled and limp forever. That was how much we needed each other.

::: Timothy's POV:::

It was pretty hard to find the twins inside the Order since this place was large. But it was easy to distinguish them from other people. I mean, they looked exactly like them. I know I was immature back then but their departure taught me, no, us a valuable lesson. Most became mature and more responsible.

I entered the cafeteria again and went to the twins. I smiled and tapped their shoulders. "Sorry to interrupt but I have something to tell you two."

Alex gulped down the food in his mouth and Lena placed her drink on the table. They looked at each other and then replied in unison. "Sure."

I leaned over and whispered to their ears, "Come to Komui's office after you're done eating. We have to discuss something with the others." I leaned back and looked at them seriously. "This is important to all of us so please take this discussion seriously." I grinned at them and saw their confused faces. Oh dear, I must've made them think that I was bipolar. I was about to leave when a hand grabbed my wrist. I turned around and saw Alex and Lena gripping my wrist tightly.

"We're done."

I smiled. "Good, follow me."

::: 3rd Person POV:::

A man in black cloak watched the happenings in front of him. He only saw scientists and finders talking to each other. He saw nothing suspicious in this area. He took the golem in his pocket and contacted someone.

"What's the status there?"

He replied, "This area is normal. They aren't here too."

"Continue observing, they might pass through your area. They aren't in my area either." The man from the other line told him. He placed the golem back on his pocket and eyed the building.

"You two may be exorcists but you are merely pawns." He muttered to himself and smirked. "Stupid, ignorant exorcists, you will see how powerful the Central is. You shall pay for robbing information from us."

Agents from Central were currently surrounding the Black Order building. They were watching their every move. They were scattered everywhere yet Komui and the others still haven't noticed them.

::: Komui's Office:::

"So what you're trying to say is that we are going to leave now?" asked an outraged Lena.

Link nodded. "We have no choice, if we leave later, the Central might notice us and take action."

"This is our best option." Maricar told them with a gloomy face. "I know it's hard to leave without goodbye but we have to. We cannot risk getting ourselves noticed by the Central. If they detected us sneaking out, they will eventually find out what our purpose is."

"Why can't we leave without permission Auntie?" Alex asked.

"Exorcists only leave when a mission is appointed to them." Komui answered. "And all missions come from the Central. They know all the missions that are appointed to each exorcist. In fact, they are the ones who choose which exorcist will do this mission. They control almost everything, even me. I am also required to follow them."

The twins perked up and asked. "Did you say almost everything?"

"Then that means they don't fully control everything." Lena stated. "What is the only thing that they don't control?"

Timothy smiled. "Correct. They don't fully control everything. They used to be only a liaison between the Pope and the Order. They used to tell the orders coming from the Pope." He smiled bitterly. "But that was back then. Ever since the Akumas infiltrated this place years ago, the Pope gave the Central the authority to make the missions themselves and appoint whoever they liked to do the mission. In short, the Central became more powerful." He shook his head and buried his face in his hands and tried to push away the anger bubbling in his chest. "Now, the Central can boss us around and it's all because of that Pope. Now, the only ones they can't control are the Great Generals."

"Great Generals…" This attracted the twins' attention.

Kanda decided to cut in and end the conversation. He grew impatient with all the explanation. "Explain later. Right now, we have to leave. I sense a foreboding."

The man smirked and touched the emblem on his chest. "Targets found."

Just then, a finder came stumbling in Komui's office. "S-Supervisor!"

Komui stood up. "What's wrong?"

"S-Spies!" the finder said and pointed to the door. "Quickly! Kanda and the others must leave! We found spies from central lurking outside the building!"

This alarmed Kanda. He gritted his teeth and muttered a curse. "You slowpokes, hurry up! We need to find a way out!"

"L-Leave quick—"

It happened too quickly. The finder was now lying on the ground and the windows were shattered. The exorcists scrambled out the door while Komui pushed a red button. Then suddenly, alarms and sirens rang throughout the Order.

The scientists and finders stopped what they were doing and went to a safer place. The other exorcists in the Order hurriedly went to the Supervisor's office. It was less than five minutes before they arrived. Krory, Marie, Miranda and Chaoji stood in front of Komui.

"Komui, what's going on?" Marie turned and saw Kanda and the others. "K-Kanda? What are you doing—?

"No time to explain." Komui cut him off. "Right now, there are spies from Central who are trying to kill them and maybe even us. Help them find a way out."

"Impossible!" Miranda cried out. "I was with a finder just now. He told me that all exits were blocked!"

Krory shook his head. "The other exit is…it is impossible."

"What? What is it?" Alex asked.

"The Ark!" Timothy said. "Why haven't I thought of that?"

Maricar frowned. "We can't operate that. Only he can make that work."

"Auntie…" Lena called out. "Let us try that option. Otherwise, we'd be captured."

Timothy looked at them and sighed. "She's got a point. It's a long shot but…it's worth trying."

"You're not going anywhere." A sharp voice suddenly said. The voice belonged to a man. The man smirked and took out a knife. "You're going to pay for your sins. Men, stop them!"

"Go! Go!" Chaoji ushered them. "We'll distract them!"

Krory activated his innocence and bared his fangs. He smirked and looked at the man in front of him. "These people won't even be a challenge for me."

"Supervisor, go somewhere else safe." Marie told him. "We're going to take care of these."

Komui nodded. "Good luck."

::: With Kanda and the others:::

"How are we supposed to make the ark work? None of us play the piano!" Maricar shouted. "Scratch that! None of us is a Noah!"

"Just stop complaining and get in!" Kanda roared and pushed them inside.

Alex and Lena were amazed. The place was beautiful. The buildings were white, no, almost everything was white. It was stunning. They then followed the others.

"Stupid bean sprout forgot to make new gates. We can't go to any other branch. Surely there are other spies there already." Kanda grumbled.

They continued wandering and looking for gates. Maricar, Link, Alex, Timothy, Kanda and Lena split into groups, respectively. They decided to look for doors and contact the other ones once they found a door not leading to the other branches of the Order.

"It's freaking hard to find doors that lead to somewhere." Lena complained.

"Tell that to your father." Kanda snorted.

Lena then stopped at a particular door. She felt something peculiar about this door. She turned to knob and opened it. Fortunately, it was a door leading to somewhere else. Timothy was going to contact the others when he heard the spies come in.

"Search for them!"

Link gritted his teeth and pushed the other two inside. "Let's go now. Let's contact them later when we are in a safer place."

"Worry about yourself for now. So get it!" Kanda shoved them inside and closed the door on time for them not to be noticed.

::: Back to the Order:::

"My, my, such a disobedient place the Order had became."

Komui could only glare at the man in front of him as he was being held up by two guys. He was disgusted and angry at this person. The very person who sold the Order to the devil, to the Akuma! The man went in front and him and smirked. He spat on him out of pure hatred.

"Send him to prison." He then took a microphone. "Black Order, Komui Lee is hereby held for treason. The exorcists who have a bounty on their head for the same reasons are Kanda Yu, Timothy Hearst, Maricar Williams, and lastly, Alex and Lena Walker." His smirk turned into an insane grin. "Anyone who associates with them will also be put to prison. Also, starting from now on, I will be the new supervisor of the Order."

He continued. "My first law: Never speak of the Walker family."

Tada!

I finished Chapter 5! Finally! And was it too fast for you guys? Sorry for the late update. Also, the reason why there were spies from Central that quickly was because Central found out that Kanda and Timothy stole valuable information against them. So basically, the main targets were Kanda and Timothy but since Maricar and the others got involved, they became targets too. D: The twins are now separated! With the high generals part, that only meant that some of the high generals are good and some are bad. But guess who will appear soon? Also, can anyone here guess who will die in the late chapters?

Review please!