The three Noah spent the rest of the night talking about nothing to each other. Allen smiled but he knew they had to part ways soon.
"Road….Tyki….it's time." He says after Tyki just got done telling him about his human friends.
"….I don't want to go~! I want to stay with you…." Road hugged him tightly.
"I know, Road. Just a little bit longer, I promise. Tyki." He looks at the older man.
"Yeah, Boy?"
"You can't let the Earl notice anything different ok? Especially when wisely returns. Your earring will block any thoughts you don't wish for him to see, just like Lulu's bracelet."
"What about me~?" Road asked petulantly.
"Haha, Wisely can't see into your mind Road. Remember when he tried and got a headache for an entire week?" He pats her head and laughs at the memory.
"Oh yeah~! Hehe!" The girl laughs with him and Tyki just sighs.
"What do you mean not notice?"
"I mean you need to act like you did before. Even if you don't want too….can you please do that?"
"…*sigh* if you ask me like that I can't say no." The man nods.
"Thank you. It shouldn't be too hard, just act like a psychopath." Allen's shrug made him wince.
"You're still pissed about the tease, aren't you?"
"…a little…" he nodded and Road didn't know what they were talking about.
"Anyway, it's time for you to go back."
"…." Road nodded and created a checkered door in the shape of a heart with a crown on top. "I'll miss you, Allen…." She hugged him one more time.
"Me too." Allen hugged back and the girl surprised him with a kiss on his lips.
"R-Road!?"
"Kyo-ho~~!" The sound made him feel deja vu.
"Road….you do realize that's your brother, right?"
"Doesn't matter~! I love him!" She hops away and stops at the door. "Bye Allen. I'll see you later." She waves and walks through the door.
Tyki gave him a head pat and grabbed him into a one armed hug. "See you later, Boy…." He lights a cigarette and leaves without looking back.
"….." Allen watched the door close and disappear with a sad expression.
[Don't worry Allen. We will be together again, soon.]
'Yeah, you're right….' Allen portals back to the infirmary.
At the same time in North America, the Black Order Branch here was holding a meeting with its higher ranked members. Director Malcom C Levellier, Branch Head Renee Epstein and 5 figures behind her.
"Why did you call me here, Branch Head Epstein?" The Director frowned as he had better things to do.
'Allen Walker has been acting suspiciously of late….Too bad Link has been unable to enter the infirmary to keep a closer eye on him…' he thinks of the rules of the infirmary and was disgusted that they left the Noah alone.
"Don't be such a grouch, Director. This meeting has been a long time coming." The woman confidently stated.
"Hmm?" He looks at the five figures that were covering their faces and a light bulb appeared in his mind. "Are you talking about the Third Exorcist Project? You've completed it so quickly?"
"Well, it's not as quickly as we hoped. We only had a small sample from the Akuma Egg to work with due to the Euro-Branch's meddling. However, we have succeeded in making it a reality, yes."
"I see…." Levellier placed his hands over his mouth and stared at the five figures for a while longer than necessary. "Then, are they ready for a test?"
Renee Epstein smiled even larger now. "Of course! They are free for you to use, Director Levellier." She paused. "I believe you'll understand how useful they can be once you do."
"Very well…." The man nodded.
A few hours later, in the Black Ark. The millennium Earl was sleeping in his bed without his normal clown suit on. His face scrunched up with nightmares and gasping for breath before he sits up with a slight yell.
"Who…!? Ugh! What is…." He sits up and grabs his face but doesn't recognize the room for an instant. "The Ark, but…Gah!" Another pain shoots through his head.
Memories of a man long forgotten. The man pleading to him to not do what he was about to, but he did it anyway despite the emotional despair in his heart. His brain in a mess as if he was asleep for centuries.
[Ah~ Ah~ Ah~] A voice in his brain taunted childishly. [You're hurting, My dear Mana….let me help~~] a darkness clouds his mind and he felt the pain begin to grow.
"What…!? AGH!" His body convulsed like electricity going through him.
[Dont worry, let the Millennium Earl help you~~!] The voice cackles and the shaking stopped.
The Earl opened up his eyes once more and his originally pain filled face morphed into one of insanity. His eyes looking in different directions as a clown suit appears around him.
"Now then~! How shall I play today~?" His voice would place fear into the hearts of millions as he seemed to hop erratically out of the room.
At the same time, Allen was being checked on by the Head Nurse and she nodded satisfactorily at his wounds.
"You should be ok to walk around now, Mr. Walker." Her voice brought delight tot he boy.
'Finally~~!' His inner voice made Neah chuckle.
[Relying on our healing factor aren't we, Allen?]
'It took so long! I can't believe it used to take even longer to heal…'
"But!" The nurse's face got dangerously close and a shadow covered her eyes. "Do. Not! Let! Yourself! Get! Hurt! Again!!" He backed up at every word until his body hit a wall.
"Understand?" He nodded nervously and she went back to her normal self.
"Good." She nods. "Now, run along. I need to look at my other patients." Before the nurse left, Allen spoke up.
"Thank you."
"It's no problem, Mr. Walker. I'm glad you're better." Her gentle smile made him do the same back.
[Getting attached?] Neah's voice disrupted him.
'It doesn't hurt to be nice, even if I might have to kill her later. Mana taught us that, remember?'
[How could I forget?] the memory chuckles. [Always so nice until….] Allen nodded at the unsaid statement.
'Yeah…..'
In Komui's office, the man was on the phone talking with somebody from Central. "I'm sorry, you said Renee Epstein is coming where?" His voice made the science division stop what they were doing.
"Here!?" He yells and the doors are pushed open.
All eyes turn to find a woman wearing a Branch Head Pin with two red clothed figures behind her.
"It seems she's already here…" Komui hung up as he was annoyed at the lateness of the phone call.
"Good Morning, Branch Head Komui." The woman sat down at the only open seat without asking. "I assume you've been told of my arrival?"
"Only just now. What can I do for you?"
"Always to the point. It hurts me deeply, you know." She sighs sadly despite everybody knowing she didn't mean it. "Fine. Director Levellier has orders for us to test out our new weapons." She gestures to the two figures behind her.
"Excuse me?" He asks as they take off their hats. "Weapons? Are they exorcists?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes." The American Branch Head nodded.
"What do you-?" The doors opened once more and in ran Bak, the Branch Head of the Asian branch.
"Renee Epstein! How dare you use the Second exorcist Project to-!?"
"It was out of my hands, Bak." She shrugs and shows the order she had hidden in her jacket.
"Don't joke with me!! There's a reason why we scrapped the project to begin with! The human factor-!"
"Has changed." Renee continued and silenced the man. "We need all the help we can get for this war, Sir Bak."
"You…." His glare confused the rest except for Komui.
"So….they decide to go though with it?" His tone conveyed anger and disgust but the woman let it roll off of her.
"Yes. Let me introduce our first Third Exorcists. This is Madarao and this is Tewaku." First the man bowed then the woman did so after.
"I see….were they CROWs beforehand?" Komui asked noting the clothing.
"Exactly!" She claps. "I'm glad someone here is smart enough on the uptake. The CROWs are steadfastly loyal and they offered themselves for the project. I couldn't refuse their pleas." She almost seemed happy that she made them into Half-Akuma.
"…Are there others, or just these two?"
"There are three others that are walking around the headquarters. I figured that they should get the lay of the land as they will be here for a little while."
"Very well….I shall make some rooms available for them."
"Komui!?" Bak yelled in outrage.
"Is there anything I should be mindful of?" He ignored the blonde.
"Well, since they're Half-Akuma, they react to innocent negatively on contact. They won't destroy it, but self-preservation instincts will kick in. Other than that, they're just a group of prickly personalities. I'm sure they'll get along just fine though."
"Ok. I formally accept their position. Is there anything else?" He glared and she chuckled while shaking her head.
"No. I'll Be going back to my Branch." Renee stands up. "I loved traveling through the Ark. it was quite beautiful I must say."
"..." the two were silent making her click her teeth a little.
"Boring~." She leaves and the two CROW turned Half-Akuma bow before leaving themselves.
"Komui! How could you just accept this!? They're-"
"I know, Bak. I do, but I'm already on thin ice with Central and Levellier on my back." Komui clenched his hands together with interlocked fingers. "If I step out of line just once, they'll replace me and I can't even imagine what they'll do once they have done so..." He looks out the large window behind him with sad eyes.
"Komui….I'm sorry." Bak bowed. "I just…I was there when my parents were doing the second exorcist project and it wasn't pretty. They didn't want to do it, but they were forced to." He clenched his hands so hard they bled. "And they paid the price somebody else should have."
"….They we're good people Bak. I know that." Komui patted his shoulder gently. "You don't need to worry about how we think of them."
"Thank you, how's Allen doing? I heard he got injured on his last mission."
"He's doing ok. The head nurse told me he was discharged this morning. Do you want to see him?"
"I do, but I can't." Bak smiled sadly.
"I have to go back." The half-Chinese man turned away. "Won is going to be worried that I left without telling him."
Said man was crying in Bak's office that he was gone and yelled for others to find him.
"Ok, Bak. It was nice seeing you again even under these circumstances."
"You too Komui."