TWP: And finally, we're in China! Took a lot of time but we're finally here!

Disclaimer: I do not own -Man.

The Exorcists had finally arrived in Guangzhou, the center of trade for the whole province of Canton. General Cross was just a stone's throw away and they decided to go sightseeing before looking for him. Allen then pointed out that it must be nice for Lenalee to be back in her homeland but she seemed a bit sad by the fact.

"I don't think of this as my homeland." She said as she grabbed an umbrella from a stand and looked up at the sky. "It might seem strange but the Order's really the only home I have. Everyone back home is my family and being with you guys makes me happier than anything." Ava walked up to her and put her arm around the younger girl's shoulder and gave her a handkerchief.

"You don't have to hold back on us, you know." She said as Lenalee dried her tears. "It's not strange at all!" Allen exclaimed and Lavi agreed.

"We understand. Sticking together is the most important thing we do."

"I'm really surprised Lavi." The three turned towards Ava. "You sounded so nice and wise just now."

"H-hey! I'm always nice!" Lavi exclaimed shaking his fist at her as the others laughed. The mood had efficiently become light and cheery again. "Alright, but not wise."

"Are you making fun of me?" Lavi glared at her.

"What if I am? It worked, didn't it?" Ava winked innocently back before he made to reach for her but she ducked under his arm and hid behind Allen. "HUMAN SHIELD!" She yelled and Allen got a funny expression on his face.

"Eh?"

"Hiding behind Allen won't save ya!" Lavi called as he rolled up his sleeves but before he could do anything Lenalee broke out into laughter again. After a moment the rest did too. "Well, we should probably get back to gramps. I don't want to add being late being another reason to yell at me." Lavi said and the others nodded but before they could move a cat snatched Timcanpy and ran away.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" People turned to stare at the foul mouthed girl who ran after the cat with her friends behind her. Lenalee activated her Innocence and took off after the cat but then Allen's eye reacted to the presence of Akuma.

"Lavi, duck!"

"Eh?" Lavi turned towards Allen only to meet the mouth of the gun and as light gathered inside it he ducked, as he had been told. "Are you crazy?!" Allen got rid of five but the moment one appeared behind him Lavi used his fire stamp and so, in less than a minute six Akuma had been destroyed. Lavi sighed in relief before yelling out.

"Are you seriously trying to kill me?! You're even scarier than the Akuma!" Allen didn't understand what he meant. He had been too absorbed into destroying the Akuma to bother thinking about what he had done.

"Um, what did I do that was so scary?"

"Are you kidding me? You aimed that canon of yours right in my face, dammit!"

"I had to or else those Akuma would have taken us down!" Allen defended himself.

"You didn't seem to mind if I got hurt! Come on, you almost shot me!" The redhead waved his arms with a scowl on his face.

"Yeah, but I was really careful not to." Allen said before Ava got in between them and pushed them apart. "What's done is done! Lavi, he didn't even hit you, quit your damn whining. Allen, if you're gonna aim like that, give us more than a two-seconds warning. Right now, we better find Timcanpy."

"Look out!" They all looked up, certain that they had heard Lenalee when suddenly they all jumped back and narrowly avoided being hit by her. "Hey, I'm back." She grinned as she took the cat off her shoulder and held him out.

"You said Allen is scary?" Ava glanced at Lavi. "At least he doesn't look so innocent when he almost kills us!" Lenalee didn't know what they were talking about until they told her about the Akuma. Suddenly Bookman landed on Lavi's head and neck.

"Hm that was an even bigger waste of time than I thought."

"Hey… of all the places to sit, why my neck?" Lavi groaned under the weight. In the end, they came to the conclusion that the Akuma attack had been only one of the many that would come. The Akuma were tailing them, no doubt about it. The Akuma wanted the General which meant they had to hurry.

"It seems we have to hurry after all." Bookman said gravely.

"That's exactly what I said when you were drinking tea!" Lavi yelled before Ava bonked him on the back of his head.

"Shut up you drama-queen!"

They arrived at their destination, a huge city with a lot of people.

"At least we can ask around." Krory said and Bookman agreed. "We'll have to find some information, indeed." So they split up into groups of three. Bookman, Allen and Lenalee being the first group, the rest the second group. Despite the huge crowd there seemed to be no one who had seen Cross or anyone that looked like him at all and they were starting to lose hope when Allen suddenly contacted them and said that he had found the location. They all hurried to find each other before they left to locate the General's last location. Hopefully he was still there.

"Allen… you sure about this?" Ava asked and Allen looked away in embarrassment.

"According to the man in the bun stand General Cross is the new boyfriend of the woman who owns this place?" Lenalee asked and Allen twitched. "Yeah, and from what I know about master I don't doubt it for a second."

"Isn't this… a brothel?" Ava asked uncomfortably and when Allen didn't deny it she slumped her shoulders. "He hasn't changed at all, has he?"

"No..." Allen said depressed and she shuddered. Before they could go in though a huge, broad-shouldered woman appeared and covered her door.

"No first-timers allowed and definitively not kids!" A vein appeared on Avas forehead and she marched up to the woman and engaged her in a glaring contest.

"I'm a perfectly legal adult!" She said and the others sweatdropped. Wasn't it she that just a moment ago didn't want to go in?

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh yeah?!"

"YEAH!" The five behind them sweatdropped. She certainly cared about herself being an adult or not.

"He looks big." Allen whimpered.

"He's got boobs. I think 'he's' a 'she'." Lavi whispered back as the ever observant Bookman heir and the woman slammed her fist into her palm threateningly causing them to jump back.

"We're just passing through!" Allen tried to reason.

"Can girls even get that big?" Lavi wondered aloud.

"We gotta get out of here!" Krory looked around, seemingly in a hurry to get away. The woman leaned down closer to Ava before whispering something and then stuck out her tongue. Ava nodded.

"Thank you, my good lady." She then waved at the others; motioning for them to follow her while the woman went inside again. Once they were behind the fancy-looking building Ava went in through a door and once inside they were met by the lady again. Instead of attacking them, like the others thought she would, she nodded and motioned for them to follow her this time. She led them up a few flight of stairs and then inside a room where beautiful woman waited for them.

"Welcome, Exorcists. It's such an honor having you. You may call me Anita, the owner of this establishment." She smiled sweetly but the six just stared at her in awe, wide-eyed and slack-jawed.

"Allen… is your master good with the ladies?" Ava asked silently, feeling very self-conscious at that moment. "Unfortunately, yes." Allen whispered back.

"So beautiful." Lenalee admired.

"I hit the jackpot!" Lavi exclaimed before Ava and Bookman both punched him.

"I don't know how to tell you this so I'll just say it." Dread coursed through them when she said that, and they kind of knew what she was going to say. "If you're here for General Cross I'm afraid you're too late. He left some time ago, on a ship." The group hung their head in depression as the news sunk in.

"We have to travel more?!" Ava groaned, feeling tired already.

"The ship he was on… we know it was attacked… and it sank to the bottom of the sea." Their eyes widened in concern. "It sank eight days ago and there were no survivors."

"Do you have any evidence to prove that?" Bookman asked her politely and she told them that a ship had received their distress signal but once they had arrived at their location the only remains was cargo and bodies of Akuma. Allen asked where Cross had been heading as Anita stood up, his voice determined.

"The others may have died in the shipwreck, but not him." Anita stared at him for a while before she began to cry.

"Do… you think so?" She asked, her voice shaking and Allen nodded. Anita turned to the woman that had led them there. "Mahoja, prepare my ship, we're leaving shortly."

"Miss. Anita?" Lenalee questioned and Anita turned back to them. "For many years I have supported the Black Order in any way I could, from my mother's time up until now. If you're going to continue your search for Cross, allow us to be your guides." The Exorcists made no signs of objection so she continued.

"Our destination will be Japan, and the very city that Cross hoped to reach, the city of Edo."

"Edo, but…" Ava stopped herself and shook her head when the others but the Bookman turned to her questioningly. "It's nothing." They left the room but before Mahoja could leave to prepare the ship Ava stopped her.

"Miss. Mahoja." She turned towards her. "Do you know of any tattoo artists around here?" The woman nodded.

"I am one."

"Do you think you could give me one before we leave?" Mahoja contemplated it before she nodded. "Give me a few minutes to call the crew and I'll meet you downstairs."

"Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me." Ava smiled and then left to get something to eat but it only resulted in her falling face first on the floor, snoring softly. The Exorcists in front of her stared before sighing. Ava would always be Ava.

"What do you want?" Mahoja asked as Ava lay down on the table. She took out her locket and opened it. She showed the contents to Mahoja.

"I want this, but only one, on the right side. And I want it to be a faint red." Mahoja nodded and immediately began the procedure. This wouldn't take long.

Allen had just defeated the captain of the crew in arm wrestling when Mahoja came walking down with Anita. She challenged him herself and he accepted. Not even a minute after they had started Allen's eye activated and he lost his concentration, causing him to lose but the moment she had let go of his hand he turned around with his Innocence activated. Unfortunately the Akuma was fast and Allen kept missing. To protect Anita, Lenalee grabbed her and took off into the sky. Even if the Akuma was fast, she was faster. The beast jumped back closer to the ocean and lifted his hand, causing over ten level 1 Akuma to emerge from the blue depths. The level 2 leading them chuckled darkly.

"You won't be able to set sail today or any other day!" It yelled but suddenly a shadow landed on him so silently that the onlookers could swear they would never have noticed it if they didn't see it. She was illuminated from the explosion half of the level 1 Akuma in the sky caused when they died.

"What-?" The Akuma began but the figure cut him off.

"The sky is my domain, keep the fuck out of it." Ava said and leaped off the Akuma, landing in front of the others just as it fell apart and exploded.

"What's with you and dramatic entrances?" Lavi asked and she shrugged as the others finished off the rest. The captain shook hands with Allen, reassured by their display of strength and with strong hearts they boarded the ship to get it ready.

"Hey Ava! What's with the patch over your eye? You copying me or somethin'?" Lavi called when he noticed the patch and she grinned. "Only my second tattoo."

"When did you do that?"

"Right after we talked with Miss. Anita." She glanced to her left, where 'Daisya' stood. He didn't become more transparent and neither did he turn more solid. She guessed that was a good sign but once she went aboard the ship the ghost grinned and turned more transparent. Once they were on board the male Exorcists were made to help carrying the supplies on board, much to their annoyance. Once set, they set sail and Ava climbed to the very top to get a better view and to get away from doing any work. She saw that the others inspected Allen's arm so she leaped down and landed behind them as he tried to explain.

"Well, maybe it's because it's a Parasite type?"

"That's bullshit." Lavi glared.

"Certainly, that eye of your forces you to fight twice as much as any of us." Bookman deduced.

"Allen… your arm, it's very fragile isn't it?" Lenalee asked as her shoulders shook slightly.

"Allen made her cry!" Lavi exclaimed. "Yeah, he did." Bookman said. "Yes, it's his fault." Krory agreed. Ava sighed and put her arm around Lenalees shoulders, deciding that this time she would be on Allen's side, no matter how much she would like to torment him a bit.

"Lenalee, you've got to understand, we Parasite types are linked not only mentally but physically with our Innocence. It is part of our body, like an extra limb or organ. When the Innocence gets damaged, usually we do too, but it's also the other way around. With a lot of rest, it will be back to normal." Allen sighed in relief and mentally thanked the older Exorcist who nodded.

"For now, let's just try to enjoy the fresh sea air and the ride, alright? If we're lucky, we'll find General Cross right away and then be on our merry way back home. I bet Komui is crying his eyes out in worry right now." She joked and Lenalee giggled, knowing that it may very well be the truth. Allen climbed up to the crow's nest to keep an eye out just in case they were attacked. The five Exorcists on deck used the time to relax and enjoy the fresh air and nice scenery.

"There're Akuma in the horizon!" Allen's yell suddenly echoed over the ship, only a few minutes after they had set sail. Everyone ran to get ready and the sky turned dark.

"The fuck…?" Ava whispered as the clear blue sky was covered by a dark cloud, which she realized a second later, was actually Akuma.

"Innocence, activate!" All the Exorcists called out simultaneously. Ava shed her coat and took off into the air, attacking any Akuma that came near her along with Allen who covered for her on the ship with his canon but then she realized something. None of the Akuma attacked her or the ship. They actually passed by like they didn't notice them.

"As I thought!" Allen gasped and turned around, narrowly missing the Akuma that had snuck up on them. The rest of the crew and Exorcists noticed them too. "They're Exorcists. I knew I recognized those black cloaks somewhere. "

"You've got some sharp eyes there." Another Akuma praised the first. They then called out to the rest of the horde and several stopped noticing that there were both Exorcists and humans aboard the ship. This caused the rest of the horde that hadn't passed them by to stop too and circle around the ship. Ava, who was in the air, was ignored because she wasn't wearing her cloak and had wings so the Akuma mistook her for one of them for the moment. Not a good thing… for them that is.

"What do you think you're doing, IGNORING ME YOU SHITHEADS!" Ava yelled furiously and flew in a wide circle around the ship and also destroying a good portion of the Akuma before one took her by surprise and slammed into her, causing her to fall down into the ocean, sinking fast.

"AVA!" Lenalee cried out and was about to jump in after her but there was still a lot of Akuma and they were not letting her go after her comrade. They also threatened the crew they swore to protect so she had to get through them first. There were so many Akuma, they could close their eyes and flail around and still hit something. It was annoying and dangerous. After some time Lavi noticed that Ava still hadn't come up from the water. He ran to the side and checked but saw no one, not even bubbles.

"That idiot! Why hasn't she come up yet?" He yelled but had to jump back to avoid Akuma bullets. "Dammit!" He crushed it with his hammer.

'Don't tell me you're drowning on purpose!' He thought as worry crept over him. She tried to cover it up but her mind was still frail and her heart shattered after Daisya's death.

"Allen!" He glanced up and saw Allen being abducted by Akuma and Lenalee took off after them.

"Damn, this is not a good day." He growled but suddenly a water pillar shot up some ways from the ship and out from it an enraged Ava flew, whose beautiful wings had transformed into grotesque hands.

"She can actually fly with those things?" He called and Bookman replied.

"What does it look like, idiot apprentice!" She passed over them and landed on one Akuma, ripping it into pieces before jumping to the next repeating the motion.

"Wow, she's really savage when she's angry." Lavi shuddered; glad that it wasn't him she was venting her anger out on. The ship was starting to give out on itself, having so many holes and the sails were all torn up but no one had died yet. The Exorcists stood their ground and fought them off in valiant battle although they were starting to tire. They got rid of the last bit of Akuma before they turned towards the mountains were Lenalee and Allen most probably were.

"What's this feeling?" Lavi asked. "What's going on over there?"

"It gives me the creeps." Ava shuddered and rubbed her arms, although with giant hands sticking out of her back she really wasn't one to talk. Still, the aura that the mountains were giving off worried them. It was like nothing they had felt before and weren't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, the only thing they knew was that it was intimidating and their friends were there.

"Should I go see if I can find them?" Ava asked Bookman, seeking his wisdom since he was the oldest but he shook his head. "They can take care of themselves. What we have to focus on now is securing the ship and check on the wounded." She nodded though the unsettling feeling in her stomach didn't leave her. She really wanted to go check on them but at the very same time she was afraid of going there.

"Ava." She turned and saw Bookman stare at her. "Are you coming?"

"Ah, yeah, sorry." She apologized and followed him, helping him get the wounded down under deck so he could heal them. When everyone was down and had been tended to, Ava left to get some fresh air. She sat half-way out on the bowsprit and watched the stars. She smiled; she used to gaze at the stars with Daisya.

"There ya go again." Speak of the devil. She glanced over her shoulder and groaned before lighting a cigarette.

"You're not gone yet?"

"Aw, I thought you loved me." 'Daisya' put a hand over his heart and pouted but she only shook her head with a smile. "I did. I still do. But I'm gonna move on. You said so yourself when you died." 'Daisya' remained silent for a while.

"You're actually gonna do it?"

"I promised didn't I?"

"Ava, what are you doing?" She was so startled by Lavi's voice she almost fell off the bowsprit but she managed to grab it just in time.

"L-Lavi?!"

"Who were you talking to?" He asked as he looked around, seeing no one.

"No one, I was talking to myself." She said as she swung herself up and climbed off the bowsprit. "You can't just sneak up on people like that, especially not if they're sitting on something as narrow as a bowsprit!" He raised an eyebrow at her and she sighed before shaking her head.

"Aah, just forget it." She muttered roughly. "Are you alright?" He asked and she felt herself grow tired of that question.

"You've asked me that so many times already." She took a drag of her cigarette, finishing it and swore under her breath. She only had three left. She then ripped off the patch over her eye and felt the skin. It seemed to have healed nicely, ignoring the fact that she should have kept it on longer. She couldn't wait to see how it looked.

"Yeah, but I gotta ask when you're talking to yourself. That's not a good sign." Lavi pointed out and she groaned. "You didn't answer the question."

"I'm alright, okay?!" She whirled around. "I'm fine, I'm okay, I'm alright! I don't need you to snoop around and bring it up while I'm trying to get over it!" She lashed out all her pent up anger and he took a step back and she followed, poking him hard in the chest.

"I'm doing what I'm good at! Destroying Akuma and protecting humans! I do that for Daisya and Yeegar! Isn't that good enough? Do I have to be all sunny and smiley for you to be satisfied, huh? Well, here you fucking go!" She gave a big smile, although it was clear it was fake as her eyes burned with anger.

"Happy now? I'm smiling! I'm fine, I'm okay so let's just forget about all the shit that's happened and get on with our lives! That's what you want me to say right? Well, there you have it, I'm fine and I don't need you to worry about me! You've got your own worries, like Lenalee and Allen! They haven't returned yet so why don't we do something fucking useful and look-" She stopped and no more words came out of her mouth as Lavi's hands slid over her cheeks. She wanted him to be angry at her, she wanted him to yell at her to get herself together but he didn't. He didn't look worried either; he just seemed sad and tired.

"You say all that but tell me then; why are you crying?" He asked silently and her eyes widened when she felt her cheeks and realized that he was speaking the truth.

"I-I don't know what's- I don't-" He began wiping them away gently but more fell. She reached up herself and rubbed them but nothing could halt the river that flowed down her face. "I-I… I…" she stammered but couldn't form a coherent sentence as she pushed herself away from the redhead and took a few steps back but stumbled and fell down. He followed and kneeled in front of her and reached out but she slapped his hands away, her expression a mix of anger and confusion.

"Why are you being so damn nice?!" She yelled. "I treated you so horrible and you still insist on being nice? Can't you just yell at me? Get it over with!" She shut her eyes tightly and waited for him to lash out like she did but he didn't. Instead she was drawn into a warm and comfortable embrace.

"Because what you need right now is someone to care for you." Her eyes widened again and more tears escaped her. "Telling you to get over it won't help. What you need is for someone to be there for you. How you vented your anger out on me just now proves that no matter what you have told us earlier you're still keeping your emotions bottled up. In the end you lose it and vent it out on someone and I know that you ain't that kind of a person."

"Idiot… what do you gain from this?" She muttered.

"A good conscience." He joked and she smiled weakly.

"You're such a busy body… but I guess that's one of your… good qualities." Her voice grew fainter and she fell limp. Worried, he pushed her away to take a look at her but it seemed like she only fell asleep. He burst out laughing. That girl could fall asleep at the weirdest places at the most unusual times.

"Exor…cist." His eyes widened and he turned around and leaped just in time to avoid a wounded level 2 Akuma's attack. "Shit, there are still more of these things?" It came for him again but was felled by Krory who had heard the racket above. He was soon joined by Bookman and Lavi let them take care of the Akuma while he got the sleeping Ava to safety

TWP: That's the fourteenth chapter. I hope you liked it. And if you wonder how she could sleep through the Akuma attack at the end there, it's because she a Parasite type. Like Allen and Krory eat a lot to regain their strength she sleeps a lot. Just so we're clear on that. I like to think of it as one of her flaws. That and her temper tantrums xD