"So that's what happened?" Bak questioned Kenna. "The true meaning of your Innocence came through when Lulu Bell tricked you?"
The brunette nodded. "I didn't expect it to, but I believe that the anger boiling up inside me caused it. Besides, that Noah was annoying."
"I can see that." Fo sighed. "When Allen was here before, he had to deal with a level 3 akuma that somehow was able to enter the Asian Branch. But thankfully, he realized the true meaning of his Innocence when he had to save me from getting killed."
No words came from Kenna's mouth, she just nodded in agreement. "Besides that, does this mean that I still have to train to get better, or is that all done with?"
Caught by surprise due to Kenna's statement, the director and humanoid shared nervous glances. They then concurred, somehow knowing what was going to happen. Their eyes then locked back on Kenna and Kanda. "There is no more training that needs to be done." Fo spoke up.
Kenna's eyes widened, "So that means I won't be seeing you guys again?"
Fo smiled, "Yes, but don't worry. We might come and visit you if Bak is not busy."
Kenna smiled, "That's good to know."
"So is Kenna returning back to the Black Order and continuing her missions?" Kanda questioned.
Bak shook his head, "No. She's going to be joining the others in Edo,Japan. She'll find out what's going on when you two get there."
Somehow knowing what he was talking about, he saw Kenna's baffled expression, and smiled. He then locked eyes with the director once more, "Okay then. Well, thanks for letting us know. We'll see you guys later!"
The two exorcists waved goodbye to Bak and Fo as they entered the hallway. There, they saw the portal to Edo. Kenna tilted her head to the side, her hair flowing with the movement of her cranium. She locked her eyes on the blue haired man, "Kanda, what is this? It looks like floating black coffins."
"This is the entrance to the Noah's ark." Kanda's eyebrows furrowed at bringing up the Noah. "But it will also lead us to Edo." Kenna's eyes widened, "Are you serious?" Kanda nodded in return, then grabbed a hold of her hand.
"Come on, we have to hurry and get to the others." The blue haired man grinned at the brunette, then focused his attention back on the portal. Then, without another word, the two exorcists made their way into the Noah's ark.
The brunette had to shelter her eyes when they set foot into their nemesis' area. She then looked around, her eyes distending as she scanned the scenery. It looked like a normal city, with snow white, roofless houses, some with balconies; plants were the only decoration. The sky was a baby blue, no clouds were present. The sidewalk beneath their feet was made out of stones, with many dull, repeating colors going throughout the place. Kenna couldn't help but marvel at the place.
"Hey, shortcake." Kanda's voice broke the silence, and got Kenna's attention. "We can't just be standing here and looking at the scenery. We have to get through this place fast." Kenna furrowed her eyebrows in confusion due to getting distracted, but then comprehended. The two then proceeded through the place.
Meanwhile, in one of the houses, Road Kamelot, who was in that of gothic, Lolita attire, was looking outside the window, focusing her attention on Kenna and the blue haired man passing by. Her eyes were fixed mostly on the female exorcist. "Oh, Tyki!" Her ecstatic voice got the attention of her uncle. "Guess who's back?"
Tyki rubbed his eyes due to falling asleep while sitting in a velvety cushioned chair. "Who?"
A giggle came from his niece. "Guess!"
The Noah of Desire's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, trying to find out what type of game Road is playing...but still couldn't get it. "Guess who?"
A smirk harbored upon the Noah of Dreams lips. "I'll give you a hint. Remember the female exorcist you supposedly gotten rid of?"
Tyki felt like someone sent a blow to his stomach, "K-Kenna Vikasa?! You don't mean she's..."
"See for yourself." She waited until Tyki came over to the window, then motioned her hand over to the two exorcists. Seeing that they were almost out of sight, Tyki leaned forward, resting his hands upon the windowsill. His gold eyes widened at the sight of the apparently killed exorcist.
A long sigh escaped his throat as he rested his right hand into his messy, jet black hair, strands of it liberating between his fingers. "Well, that's just great. She's alive, and probably has a new form of Innocence that has awaken inside of her." A smirk then followed his defeated tone. "And I have just the plan to crush that pathetic Innocence once more when they reunite with us."
...
Kenna and Kanda stopped their trek as they entered the akuma infested country. Kenna's eyes gleamed at the sight of the place, with all the stone walls and the entrances, which looked like red roofs, with only two huge bars to hold them up. The sakura trees glistened in the distance, their leaves flowing in the now calm wind of Edo.
She looked at Kanda, "So where are the others?"
Kanda sighed, "Well, based on what Komui had informed us, they're under the huge bridge over there, reviving their breath from battling all those akuma." Kenna gave him a bewildered look, "And where did all those akuma came from?"
"Who knows?" Kanda shrugged. "Since Edo is known for being infested with akuma, they could have been in their hiding places, waiting for the right time to pounce and come at us."
"Ah, okay." Kenna replied. She then focused her attention on the huge bridge a few feet ahead of them. It was decorated with autumn-colored stones, the edges of it outlined with a crimson red.
The two exorcists, who were still holding hands, locked eyes on each other. A smile then crept across their faces. "Remember not to tell them about us liking each other yet, okay?" Kanda questioned, then put a finger to his lips, with the brunette following suit. Allowing a wink to be shared between them, they released their hold and walked over to the bridge to join the others.
Kenna caught a glimpse of the other exorcists having a conversation when they walked in. She want to put up her hand and politely excuse herself, but then Allen caught a glimpse of the two exorcists and waved towards them. "Kenna, Kanda! Welcome back!"
The brunette smiled, "Thanks." Kanda didn't reply to the white haired man's greeting, he only gritted his teeth in annoyance.
"It's nice to see you two back." Lavi, who was aiding to Lenalee's wounds, spoke up. "We missed you."
A warm smile emerged on Kenna's lips, "We missed you too, Lavi."
"Have you guys gotten along since you were at the Asian Branch?" Krory questioned. Hearing him ask them that, Kenna and Kanda looked at each other, sharing twin glares, that spark from when Kenna was a rookie ignited between them. A few beads of sweat ran down the vampire exorcist's face, "Um, forget I mentioned that."
"So what happened while we were gone?" Kenna asked curiously, since she saw how Lenalee was wounded, and Allen and the others were out of breath.
"Well, we had to return back to Edo because of the akuma invasion." Miranda explained. "We've been here before, but it wasn't as bad when we last came here as it is now."
Krory nodded, "We had to sail Anita's ship again, thanks to her helpers. They took over for her when she and Mahoja died from the akuma virus."
Allowing the information to sink into her brain, Kenna nodded, followed by a grin. "Okay then. Well, that's good to know that you guys are okay."
Just then, the whole group heard a crash coming from one of the buildings, shaking the ground beneath the group's feet. Their eyes widened in surprise, and Kenna almost lost her balance. All of them rushed out from under their shelter to see what was going on. And surely enough, it was more akuma, a mixture of level 1, 2, and 3s. In front of them were two Noah: Tyki Mikk and Road Kamelot, standing on top of a roof of a church. There was another one beside the two, one with slicked back, jet black hair, with a spiky ponytail. A purple headband held it together. He had the same row of crosses along his forehead as the others did. Kenna assumed him to be Skinn Bolic, since she's heard of him from Lavi and Bookman. Kenna felt anger boiling up inside of her at the sight of the Noah, especially the Noah of Desire. He was the one that nearly killed her, and she's been wanting to get revenge on him ever since then.
Tyki noticed the female exorcist's presence, and smirked. "Well well well, we meet again...Kenna Vikasa."
No words came out of her mouth, she only allowed a menacing growl to escape them. Feeling the aura inside her waiting impatiently to punch the handsome villain in the face, she stuck out one of her hands. The power of the Two-Elemental Magician pulsed through her as she took on its form. "What are you three doing here, and why did you bring the akuma with you?"
Road allowed her eyelashes to flutter as she saw the brunette's true meaning of her Innocence. "And why would you want to know that?" A chuckle escaped the female Noah's throat.
"It's because you, the akuma, and the Millennium Earl have already invaded this place once already." Allen spoke up, activating his Innocence. "It took three years for it to be restored and for people to return back to their lives. So why are you here, and what are you planning?"
No statements were made by the three Noah, they stepped aside as a large, round figure entered the fray. He had sickly gray skin, and a huge smile that seemed to be fixed from smiling too much. To Kenna, it seemed that he's supposed to resemble an abnormal feature of a Victorian gentleman, with a large coat and a top hat. In his hands was an umbrella, with a small pumpkin at its tip. After he safely alighted onto the roof to join his allies, he swung it around as he looked down upon the group of exorcists.
"You insolent fools!" The Millennium Earl's voice echoed through the place. "You don't know why? You said you've been here before, haven't you?!" He chuckled. "So it's for us to know, and you puny exorcists to find out what we're planning!"
"What..." The whole group spoke in unison as the Earl lifted up his umbrella and aimed it towards the group. And in the blink of an eye, they were sent flying, some hitting into trees; Lenalee, Allen, Kenna, and Kanda collided with the walls of the bridge with a sickening thud. As they struggled to get back up, their eyes widened to see that the Millennium Earl and the Noah were no longer present, let alone the akuma.
"What in the world?" was all Lenalee could said as her hair whipped against the wind.
"Where did they go?!" Kanda roared, his anger pulsing throughout his body. "Are they too scared to come out and fight? Is that what it is?!" "I don't know, Yu." The orange haired future Bookman sighed. "They might be planning something and riling us up just for fun." The mentioning of Lavi saying the blue haired exorcist's first name only added to the hatred of the Noah, but this time, he let it slide.
"So how are we going to get them out of their shelter?" Krory questioned Bookman.
A long sigh escaped his throat, the lavender ponytail on his head flowed against the wind. "To be honest, Arystar, I don't know. They're behaving differently than they were last time." He rested one of his long sleeves under the bottom of his chin. "I believe that the Noah and the Millenium Earl...are plotting something more dangerous than before, one that would possibly end the history of the Earth as we know it."
Kenna's brown eyes widened at Bookman's response, "W-What do you mean, Bookman?"
The old man's eyes locked onto the brunette's, "I mean that they're cooking something bad, and don't want us to find out about until we are near our deaths."
The hairs on Kenna's back rose at the response, trickles of sweat ran down from her temples. "Oh...that does not sound good."
Right as she said that, a large yellow star emerged from beneath the young exorcists' feet. And before they even had a chance to get away from it, the star started to glow, and they were pulled in, like a row of hands reaching out to a single star, all grabbing it at once.
Miranda gasped, "Krory! Kenna! Kanda!" She called out the rest of the young exorcists' names as she went to reach out to them, but it was too late. A second later, they emerged into the star, and it disappeared into thin air, leaving a speechless Miranda, Bookman, and General Froi Tiedoll.
"Oh my god..." the brown, shaggy-haired general said, feeling tears start to emerge in his eyes, "How could this have happened? And how could it be...?"
"Come out and look at this!" A voice entered the place. Shocked, the three elder exorcists turned their head towards the owner of the voice. And oddly enough, it was Chaoji, one of Anita's surviving workers. Seeing their eyes locked on his, he used a swift motion of his hand, "You need to see this!"
The three rushed out to join the shocked Chaoji, and their eyes widened at the sight of a huge, golden cube above them, the sky being split apart like puzzle pieces...literally puzzle pieces slowly falling to the ground.
"Oh no..." Miranda's voice was shaky due to seeing Noah's ark again. "It can't be! It just can't!"
"We thought...that it was...gone." Bookman was at a loss of words. "That it was destroyed."
"Well, apparently, it's not." Chaoji said. "Even though they've already built a new one, they're keeping the old one to kill any exorcists to come forth to this place...or better yet...make sure that they don't get in their way for this horrid plan that they're thinking of. I...wonder if the young exorcists are going to be alright."
Froi Tiedoll's eyes widened, then relaxed as he looked up at the old Noah's ark, "Same here, Chaoji, same here. I wish them luck."