Maya just barely heard the red head speak as she continued on her way out of the ark. Pfft... What? She wasn't going to tell anybody... that. Would be a stupid idea. She lifted a hand to rest on her still throbbing shoulder, neh. She was going to need the infirmary, not that it was a problem. She was still new at headquarters, and none of the medical staff had seen her, pas.sing the injury off as something from a previous mission would be simple. She sighed as she stepped through the ark, heading immediately to the infirmary. With any luck, she mgiht be able to sleep after this.

Lenalee watched Allen and Lavi as everyone started to move, feeling her head being drawn back to the battle scene. She turned her head and looked. What the hell just happened? Why? Why now?... She shook her head, before turning on her heel and walking to catch up with the bookman and Allen. She was still slightly concerned for Allen, but he seemed to be fine... atleast she hoped. She kept her eyes on the floor in front of her, her mind still on the noah's.

---

Cyril raised an eyebrow at Rhode. "I doubt the earl will still be there... he was probably expecting something like this to happen" He pulled a face. "Lets just head back... We'll relax for awhile then start thinking up a new plan" He watched tyki's retreating back ,then nodded at Rhode. "Lets go home~" he said with a cheery smile, waiting on Rhode to open the door back to the estate.

~(and yes Rhode, me too... well... university but still XD )~

He rolled his eyes, like he could be bothered with talking to anyone when he got back. Stopping by the infirmary was a waist of time as well, any wounds that might have occurred today, would be healed by tomorrow morning.

Exiting the Ark, he looked around to make sure no one was there. He pas.sed Maya who went straight to the infirmary and strolled down back to his accommodation. It was getting late, he noticed when looking out one of the windows, that the sun was almost setting. How long have they been in there?

Too long in his book, he didn't even want to go in the first place. He opened the door to his darkened room and stepped in, closing and locking the door shut. Mugen was set against the wall near his bed and he pulled out the red-rope that held his hair up, letting down his long black-locks.

He sat at the end of the bed, and fell back on to the mattress, staring up at the ceiling. Today had been an exhausting day, he sighed and closed his eyes, hoping he would get some sleep before another disturbance would arise.

---

A single black butterfly, with a spade  shape pattern on it's wings emerged out of the Noah,  and fluttered around it's master, trying to catch his attention. Tyki stopped beating himself up and stared at the Teeze "How did you escape?...." he held out his hand, letting the Teeze sit on his finger tips.

It flapped it's wings at a very slow pace. Tyki sighed, staring at the butterfly, as it took off and flew around his head. A smile appeared on his face, maybe he was being to hard on himself. He exhaled a puff of smoke, keeping an eye on the golem, as it danced around him.

The Noah continued to walk back to town, with the Teeze still buzzing around him. "You really need to go back..." looking straight at the Teeze, placing his hands behind his head "You'll blow my cover..." with a slight chuckle, he closed his eyes and entered town.

(( BWAH D| one more day, Allen...o~o dun wanna go back )) 

((I know...do not want school. Oh well...it's our last semester. OUR LAST SEMESTER TOGETHER, TYKI!! *wails*

Ohey, Lenalee-chan...here is the banner for you~))

BIC|| Allen and Lavi exited the Ark and stepped back into headquarters in almost complete silcence. The redhead leaned his weakened comrade against a nearby wall and raised a ringer to his lips. "Stay here, Moyashi," he spoke quietly, then turned to the doorway and stepped through it, checking the hallway for any people.

Allen nodded gratefully up at the Bookman-to-be; it would be easy to keep mum with his lack of breath.

Lavi returned after a few tense moments and hoisted Allen up onto his back. "All clear. Back to your room?"

Allen nodded weakly, then rested his forehead against Lavi's shoulder. Lavi smiled faintly and carried Allen down the hallway, keeping his footsteps light and quiet to avoid attracting unwanted attention. This whole thing was an ugly mess. Allen was almost unconscious, the other exorcists were probably heading for the infirmary (where the redhead knew he should be heading with Allen, but the white-haired exorcist would kill him if they went there), and it was now nearly nightfall. Hadn't they left around late morning? Lavi groaned; Bookman was probably looking for him. He'd be getting an earful during dinner.

When they reached Allen's room, Lavi pushed the door open and gently rested his charge onto the bed; Allen had fallen asleep or unconscious during their walk. Lavi pushed his headband up on his head and sighedweakly. Blast. Better stay until Allen wakes up...can't have an unconscious Moyashi to worry about later. The redhead leaned down and rested two fingers against Allen's neck, trying hard to register his pulse. He then leaned his head down and rested it against Allen's chest, listening for this breathing.

'Great. Everything checks out~ He's asleep.' Lavi chuckled and raised his head, staring down at the sleeping Destroyer of Time. 'Man,' he thought, 'what the hell was all of that about? How did the Noah know we were going to the Ark today? And more importantly...when will they come for us again?' Lavi bit his lip nervously.

"LAVIIII!!"

"Eep!" Lavi cowered in a corner as Allen's bedroom door was kicked in by a very angry-looking Bookman. The old man took in the scene before him with an unamused ex
pression before walking to his apprentice and smacking him atop the head with a heavy book.

"What are you doing, Lavi?!" he snapped. "Where have you been, brat?!"

~(it gives me something to work with :>)~

Maya had entered the infirmary and made it out with no problems whatsoever. Her shoulder wasnt hurting so much... that was a plus. She sighed and continued towards her room, stopping short of opening the door. Her mind was still full of the events that had taken place on the ark, the Noahs, Allen's personal noah, her memory and Kanda's. Ugh. Great. Like hell she was going to be able to sleep with all this on her shoulders. She turned away from the door, and made her way outside, leaning against a tree with her arms crossed and her face turned skyward, whatever, she'd learnt to deal with her own memories... now she needed to deal with all the extra's.

Lenalee had done as Kanda advised and had headed straight for Komui's office... putting up with a hell of alot of sniffling from her older sibling, and attempting to convince him she hadnt been kidnapped or the like. Once done, she headed straight back to her room... she tried not to think about anything, knowing that if she did, she'd never get to sleep. She'd handle it tomorrow...

---

Cyril raised an eyebrow at Rhode as he took a step through the door after her. "Well... i wasnt expecting to walk home..." Once through the door he opened the gate and strolled through. "As for dinner... i can get it prepared as soon as we get in..." He laughed as they continued towards the house itself. Hmm... there was nothing remotely important he needed to do as of yet, perhaps he should continue thinking about a course of action before Tyki shows up. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Rhode... after we've eaten, it might be a good idea to just wait for Tyki in my office..." he shrugged. Hmm... dealing with exorcists was turning out to be slightly more troublesome than he'd as.sumed.

((asdfghjkl;' This is long. Sorry to have sullied your eyes with this long, crappy post. The best line is the last one. TT^TT))

BIC|| "Argh, I didn't do anything, Panda! I was in the library reading!" Lavi was a bad liar, Allen noticed. Bookman also seemed to have noticed, as he had just given Lavi another stern smack to the back of his head with the heavy book in his hands.

"Don't lie to me, pup," he growled, resting the book on the bed beside Allen's exhausted body. "Look at you! So disheveled and dirty!" he turned his nose up at his apprentice, "and look at Allen Walker! He looks like someone's tried to drown him!"

"He's always that pale!" Lavi griped, looking at Allen with a desperate look that cried 'save me from this old man before he strips all of my dignity and throws it out with the garbage!' Allen looked back pitifully, still too tired from the battle in the Ark to be much help. Bookman made a frustrated sound in his throat, snatched up his book, and gave Lavi another whack to the head with it before turning his back on them both and making his way back out of Allen's room.

"If you go to the Ark again, Allen Walker," he spoke, "be sure you go alone. Dragging people along with you only heightens the Order's suspicion of you, attracts attention from the clan of Noah, and puts you all in danger. Be secret, be safe." he narrowed his eyes at Lavi before pulling the door closed.

"Stupid Jijii..." Lavi muttered, getting to his feet and rubbing his sore head. "I knew he'd as.sume I was with you guys...I bet he's got a million things for me to do." a large book flew through the crack in the door and nailed Lavi in the forehead, sending him sprawling into the corner again.

"You bet I do, pup. Don't be a brat," the words and the quiet sound of Bookman's laugh from outside were a sign of his parting.

Lavi slowly sat up, giving his battered head a shake as he pulled himself to his feet. "Ouch...he's mad, all right." he laughed weakly, but Allen said nothing. He just sat on his bed staring at his mismatched hands with a sad look upon his pale face. Lavi coc.ked his head to one side curiously, "Moyashi? You 'kay?" Allen glanced up at him for a moment, the sadness inside of him swirling around the confines of his silvery eyes like water in a deep pool.

"Lavi...he is right," the smaller exorcist spoke quietly. "The Ark is a great place for the Noah to attack us...therefor, when I go back there--" he hesitated, averting his gaze from Lavi's and looking back at his hands. "I do not want any of you accompanying me. It puts you in grave danger."

"I don't care," Lavi pouted, crossing his arms impatiently. He was getting angry; what the hell was Allen thinking?! If he went back to the Ark alone, the Noah would certainly kill him! "I'll be going with you every time. Don't even think about telling me no. Now that we know that they can still get in, it isn't safe for you to go alone. The Order needs every exorcist it can get right now! What if you died in there?!"

"We all could have died today, Lavi!" Allen cried, looked pleadingly up at his best friend. "You all could have been taken away! What good does it do me to go there and have no family to return to?!"

Taken aback, Lavi blinked his single green eye a few times and backed up a pace or so towards the cracked-open door to Allen's room. What? Family? Did the exorcists of the Order really mean that much to Allen? Was it possible to have a family here? "Your...family?" he grimaced at the taste of the word on his tongue, so alien and awkward. Allen nodded weakly and pulled his knees to his chest, resting his chin on them as he stared blankly at the slightly-open door. Dazed and slightly concerned for Allen's mental welfare, Lavi stepped out of the room and shut the door. He needed to talk to Lenalee about this; she knew Allen better than he did, he was certain. He made his way down the hallway, scratching his head and mumbling dark things to the shadows before reaching Lenalee's room and sharply knocking on her door. "Lenalee-chan~?" he tried his best to sound cheerful. "May I come in? We need to talk about Allen-kun."

Allen gave a melancholy sigh; Kanda, who roomed just above him, had probably heard every word they had just said. After all, they'd yelled at each other loudly enough. He gave his head a weak shake before hiding his forehead in his knees. Bookman's words stung him worse than he would show Lavi. Why? Because he could not deny what he had done: he had endangered his family today. Tired, achy, and full of sadness, he fell over on his side and finally allowed himself to become the child without a family: a crying mess of pain, loss, scars, curse, and death.

Maybe Kanda would kill him for his cries, if he didn't kill him for anything else...or if Tyki Mikk didn't get him first.

Maya was dozing off. To be expected she supposed, it probably wasnt a good idea to sleep out here though. She shifted, then pulled herself upwards, taking one last look at the horizon before turning and heading in. Before reaching the doors, Maya stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes flashing to the floors above her as anguish permeated the air around her like a brick wall. She clenched her fists, eyes still raised. Her entire body seemed to shudder at that feeling... she had not, for a long time now, come across an emotion so strong. Allen... Her mind filled with pity... As painful as the trip to the ark was, he was clearly suffering more in the aftermath.. she shook her head... ugh, she was never going to get used to this. With a hand through her hair, she continued into the building, she needed to sleep.

Lenalee's eyes widened at Lavi's form as she opened the door to him. What was it... She moved aside and allowed the bookman to be to pas.s her before she closed the door silently and turned to face him, a question in her eyes. "Allen-kun?" Today had taken its toll, she knew... Surely, it wasn't so bad Lavi had to speak to her? She sighed slightly and looked at him again... "What is it, Lavi?"

((Urgh. Short. :x))

BIC|| Labi rubbed the back of his head, trying hard to put his conversation with Allen into words. "Well...eh, you know..." he was struggling more than he'd imagined. How hard was it to explain to Lenalee? She was one of his closest...friends. No, wait. She understood him better than anyone else. Why couldn't he just spit it all out to her?

"...do you think that Allen thinks of us--" he quickly corrected himself, "--the Order--as his family? And if he does...why would he?" he hesitated, then softly added, "...what is so special to him about that feeling of having a family...?"

What a stupid question. But Lavi felt like he needed to ask it...after all, his only 'family' was the Bookman, who was more of a distant grandfather figure than anything else. He did not understand the pain that Allen must have been feeling...

Lenalee smiled slightly at Lavi. She was surprised he didnt seem to understand this... although... perhaps it was harder for some people. Lenalee felt similar to Allen. The order was her home after all. She shrugged "I suppose it depends Lavi. Some people need to fight for something. The people in the order are quite often all they've got to fight for..." She trailed off... she was talking more about herself than Allen, but she was pretty sure it rang the same bell. "... I suppose... you do, in a strange way, grow to love the people you work with like family. We wouldn't fight like we do without reason... that reason being quite often our friends, our family... those of us thrown into the very same situation... I once promised myself that i'd fight for my family... because it was all that meant anything to me" She looked at Lavi, surely he could understand. They were together as a unit, everyone in the order, working as one... it was obvious, really, how Allen felt. Losing those you worked to protect, those you grew to love like family, or even just imagining that ... it would be painful, unbearably so. "Can you imagine losing everything? if the Order was all you had?"

----

Cyril waited. He sat, once again, in his office. Paperwork strewn all over the desk. My, he'd been wrong when he'd as.sumed there was nothing for him to do. Ah well, the next time he left he'd do it beforehand... he didnt particularly enjoy the idea of showing up at home with all that waiting for him. Sighing, he turned his towards the window, his eyes unseeing as a more pressing thought entered his mind. Those exorcists. Just what were they going to do about them... suppose he'd have to wait for tyki to figure that out. He smiled to himself ever so slightly, this battle might last a while... not that he was fussed. His Noah needed action, and as long as they could atleast "prevent" the exorcists... All should be well, afterall, eventually they'd fall, surely.

Lavi's answer was hesitant. He rested his hands behind his head in his usual relaxed manner, but inside he was tense and feeling guilty. How could he understand that feeling? He had no family to speak of, nor would he ever be permitted to...it was not the way a Bookman should live. He chose his words carefully, but was finally able to come up with some sort of reply.

"...well, Lenalee...I've never had a family. Bookman is my only family, and that isn't much...but I can see how it would matter to you. Humans fight for all sorts of reasons, ranging from silly to serious. Look at the Americans. They fought England because of oppression, religious and political. But then you look at something as silly as Allen and Kanda fighting each other over their nicknames, and you realize how foolish humanity can be. Hearing you talk about fighting for the Order like you were fighting for your family...I can see why Allen would fight so hard. It is still hard to wrap my mind around it all...but maybe that is because...I don't really feel that close to any of you."

It felt more like he was spilling out his guts than anything else. His last sentence had been said sheepishly; he was afraid to admit this to her. It was shameful, now that he thought on it, to not be close to one's fighting comrades, regardless of how omnipotent one was supposed to be. Bookman's words were becoming harder and harder to stick to, just like the lines were blurring between his true self, dubbed "Lavi", and the Bookman he was training to be.

He was starting to care.

~(in that case... i'll just reply now... haha)~7

Lenalee simply looked at Lavi. That last comment stung, even though Lenalee understood it. The lifestyle of bookman huh?... She smiled sadly at him, of course he couldnt understand, it wasnt permitted. She had partly convinced herself to ask him a question that he'd need to go over his duty as bookman to answer... she was sure, no human could drop their feelings. She held herself back however, becuase she knew. She knew what was expected of Lavi, and she wasn't going to push it... She glanced back at the door, then at lavi again. "Is Allen-kun okay?" She was still alittle worried about him... after everything that had happened today it was no wonder.

Maya stopped in the hallway, placing her back against the wall. As much as she wanted, or needed, to sleep, she had the stranest feeling she wouldnt be able to... or rather, she knew she wouldnt be able to... she sighed, this was stupid... She slid down the wall and placed her head on her knees, her mind still digesting much of what had happened earlier... She had no idea it'd be this hectic, switching headquarters...

---

Cyril jumped slightly at Rhode's entrance, moving swiftly to catch a few of the papers floating off of the desk. Ah... Rhode looked so cute in her everyday clothes. It made his day to see her like that... Ah, i love my life~ he thought with a fatherly smile at Rhode just before she turned and headed back out of the door. He stood up, gathered the loose papers and followed his adorable daughter down the stairs, stopping only to greet his wife before dinner.
   After they had eaten, Cyril spoke to Rhode silently. "I think, you'd better come back to my office in a little while... i'm hoping tyki won't be too long, although, he may..." He raised a hand to the back of his head and smiled cheerfully. "We can start without him if he doesnt show up~" he laughed lightly as he turned on his heel, heading back towards the stairs, and back to the office.

 (( Bwah D: sorry...laaate reply...>> you can say I've been having a writers block..and it's still a crappy post buuuut whatever it's something~ ))

Sleeping...only in his dreams, that is if he were to have any good dreams. The vivid images from nine years ago created a horrifying nightmare for Kanda. It was all too real, to believe that it was just a dream. He shot up in bed with uneven breathing '...just a dream.'

He held his face in his hand 'pull yourself together...you're falling apart.' Kanda gritted his teeth and hammered the bed with his fist He sat there for a few moments, trying to regain composure and slow down his breathing. After several minutes of just taking in deep breaths he got out of bed and exited his room.

He needed something, tea, food, sleeping pills; just something that would take his mind off of things. Kanda sighed and placed his hands in his pockets as he walked down the hall. The exorcist came to a pause when he noticed the blonde girl sitting on the floor. 'Why must we always cross paths...'  he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, continuing to walk straight pas.s her, pretending not to notice that she was there.

In the cafeteria he ordered a cup of green tea, thinking it would sooth his mind and body. He drank it slowly and strolled to a lounging area. Sitting down in a comfortable chair he set the tea down on the coffee table. He leaned his elbow on the chair's arm rest, and placed his head in his hand. Closing his eyes once again and drifted off into another light slumber.

"I'm not sure..." Lavi mumbled. "I left him after he made that comment about the Order being his family. He seemed to be real upset...we should probably go check on him, eh?" he nodded to her to follow him, then exited her room and made his way back to Allen's room. "Allen-kun?" he pushed the door open slowly and peeked into the darkened bedroom. "You awake, Moyashi~?"

But there was no reply. Why? There was no one there.

Panicked, Lavi threw the door open and stared nervously into the empty room. Where the hell was Allen?! He turned on his heel and dashed out of the room and down the hall, p*censored*ing Kanda as he went. "Kanda!" he called, not in the teasing mood to use the other exorcist's first name, "Have you seen Allen?! Did he come by this way?!"

~*"*~

Allen sighed heavily, watching his breath fog up in front of him as he walked the empty street. He still felt sick from his argument with Lavi, but shortly after the Bookman-to-be had left him, his eye had started to act up. Akuma. One level three, in the town. Hoping it would ease the sick feeling in his gut, he had left HQ and now found himself wandering aimlessly down the streets looking for the thing.

A screech of metal alerted him to the akuma's presence, and he activated his Innocence in a flurry of white fabric and black claws, prepared to meet it in battle. As the akuma advanced on him, he tried to attack and failed miserably; damn, he was still exhausted from his fight in the Ark...his breath had never really come back. He gritted his teeth and darted through the doorway of a nearby building, hoping the akuma hadn't seen him retreat.

Oh hell. Who happened to be playing Poker at a nearby table but Tyki and his friends. Allen pressed himself against the door frame and stilled his breathing, hoping that the Noah wouldn't see him...not likely, of course, as he hadn't deactivated his Innocence.

((Crappy. D:))