D . gray – man is truly not mine.

Chapter Seven

Searched and found

After one short month with the Noah family, Allen was feeling more like home than he ever did. Though, the time and feeling he spent with Mana was still precious and is far more… the boy can't quite find a word to describe it but he was sure that the heart-warming feeling that Mana gave to him is irreplaceable. His new family can make him feel that warm sensation but the sensation was just not a full as Mana's was.

Letting out a short sigh, the white-haired boy decided to think about something else. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling above him. The early morning rays were absence even though it was... Allen turned to his side to take a glimpse of the time, even though it was already eight in the morning. Well, this is the Noah mansion; natural sunlight is just not so common in that place.

"Morning, huh…" the young Noah murmured as he sat up from his large double-sized bed. "Today was supposed to be the day I am going to infiltrate the Dark Order…" he paused for a while before continuing, "…alone."

Never had he done something as dangerous as this by himself. The entire one month he had been here, the others taught him how things were 'done'. At first, he was not comfortable in the max about the whole ideal. However, as time goes on, he learnt that whatever The Earl asked him to do, it was necessary for him to survive. Just like back at the time when he was abandoned in the streets, he had to do wrong things that were against the law… just to keep on living. What he was doing now was no different than before. Just that the things were more… extreme. Yeah, extreme. That would be a good word to use.

Besides, if he decided to stop, he won't be able to find Mana… His thoughts were drifted back to his wonderful foster father.

"Mana…" the grip on the edge of his blanket tightened in determination. Yes, that was the reason he decided to infiltrate the Black Order today… to find what they did to Mana. Also, hopefully help Mana escape from the organization too.

"That is nice and all Allen~ but don't forget the other reason you have to be there…" the sudden childish voice in his mind made the white-haired Noah jerked his head up only to find the Noah of Dreams grinning playfully at him at the end corner of his bed. How she got there was not a mystery to Allen as he already suspected that the girl used her doors.

"Rhode… please, don't invade my personal space." Allen said as the navy haired female climbed up his bed and proceeded to lie near the boy's leg.

"Sorry Allen… but I just can't help it!" she giggled, "Oh, like I said, don't forget the other reason why you are there you know! Or else Earl will be cross at you~"

"Of course, I will do whatever I can to keep moving forward and disobeying the Earl's order might just make me stop moving." The other Noah replied casually as like he had used that answer many times already – which he actually has.

Rhode chuckled as she playfully punches her brother's shoulder. "Stop saying that sentence! You always say that when it is related to the Earl's order!" Allen laughed at this earning a pout for the First Child.

"Anyways, is the preparation finished? I want to start after my breakfast."

"Knowing your appetite Allen, the preparations will be long done after you've finished eating~"

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The Skulls, some sort of scientist working for the Earl but instead of using advanced technologies, they use ancient magic to operate and make things. As three Noahs entered the huge room, several of the cloaked figures quickly advanced themselves towards them carrying something in their hands.

"Lord Noah," they greeted monotonously as they revealed a simple choker with a small pendant attached to it to the tallest Noah, a man clad in a tux.

"Hmm?" the curly-haired man picked up the object and inspected it. The pendant had the shape of a pentagon, the front side was black in color and the opposite side was silver in color.

"This is an accessory that will enable him to return him back to his first form." One of the skulls explained as The Noah of Pleasure smirked and slowly put it around the fourteenth's Noah neck.

As soon as it was placed, the chains automatically tightened itself around the white haired Noah's neck, effectively making it fit comfortably around the neck. After it did so, the white strands of hair darkened until it settled to a nice shade of brown while the red scar on the Noah's face blended into the skin till the teen's face was pale without any evidence that a scar had been there before.

Both the Noah of Dreams and Noah of Pleasure blinked in slight amazement as they watched the transformation. Though, within a split second, the spiky haired Noah chuckled happily as she hugged onto her dear brother.

"Aww! Allen!! You look so adorable!!" she squealed out as she loosened her hug, "Now, they will surely recognize you as the boy they saw at the circus!!"

Tyki nodded in agreement as he dismissed the skulls, not even thanking them for their work on such a device. Though, the skulls don't need thanks anyway.

"Also this way, they won't associate you to both of us since if you did appear with that scar and white hair of yours, they'll instantly suspect something weird as three of those exorcists had seen you in that form before."

Allen nodded as he recalled back that day.

|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-A month ago-|-|-|-|-|-|-|

Allen tensed when the owner of the green orb had realized something.

'Please, don't let him recognize me! Not just yet!!' he prayed in his heart but then another thought pop up, 'Hey… if he knows that I am Allen Walker then won't he know where Mana is? He did take him after all!!' Tempted at that idea, the white haired boy was about to let himself known to the exorcists when Rhode suddenly cling on to him.

"Ne, brother! Let's go to the candy shop next!!!" Allen noted the change of her voice; she made it more innocently cheerful and childish than before. "I'm hungry!! We can buy some for uncle Skin too!!"

The navy haired girl giggled playfully and quickly pulled the boy away towards some random direction before the white haired boy can protest. The two children ran off leaving the Noah of Pleasure behind with the three exorcists.

Adapting to the sudden change of situation, Tyki let out a strained sigh and then gave the three exorcists a tires chuckle.

"Children these days… so active, huh?" he spoke casually a she looked at the direction where the two had run off.

"So, are they your kids??" the red headed exorcist asked earning a questioning look from his fellow comrades while the tall man just raised his eyebrows.

'Kids?? Do I look that old to you?' that was what Tyki wanted to say but he prevented himself from doing so. I can just kill them some time in the future… he decided.

"No. No. They are my brother's children." He gently shook his head. "Oh, I must leave. Can't have them getting lost, now." With a nod and a mannerly tip of his hat, the Noah walked away.

"Lavi, is there something wrong?" even from a distance, the Noah of Pleasure was still able to hear their voices, after all, a Noah's senses are more developed than a normal human's.

"I don't know… the boy seemed familiar… Somehow, my mind click back to the user we are searching," Tyki recognized this voice as the red head's earlier.

"Che. Baka Usagi, is that sole eye of yours getting defective, too? He can't be that weak kid. His hair is different and look at that scar on his face. He didn't have that before."

Tyki smirked as he had heard enough. The exorcists weren't certain on the fact that the boy was indeed the innocence user from before. That was good. As he continued walking, he encountered Rhode pouting in front of a cross looking Allen.

"-might have known where Mana is!!!" the new Noah cried out as he jerked his head to the side when he sensed Tyki approaching.

"That is true, boy. However, you need to rest up fully first and practice some things before hand. Then we'll come up with a plan. No rush." The Noah of pleasure said as he took out a cigarette and lighted it.

"Then, what if it is too late?!" the boy retorted.

"Allen! Don't you trust us?" The Noah of Dreams spoke up, "Just be patient and things will turn out fine!" At this point, she gave a bright smile, "The Earl will have something in store, I am sure! So, don't worry, ne?"

The white haired boy hesitated before nodding in agreement. "…Fine."

"Then, what are we waiting for?" Rhode chuckled as she quickly got back to her usual self, "Earl is expecting us for dinner!!"

|-|-|-|-|-|-|-The present-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|

The Black Order Headquarters, the atmosphere was quite heavy and it was the heaviest in the library where a certain red head had just groaned in displeasure.

"We've been searching for a month… Still no sign…" a pig tailed Chinese girl stated tiredly as she rested herself on the couch. "This mission is not going well…"

"Lenalee… Don't say that. Someone is already being in a bad mood because of this mission," the red head earlier replied as his only working eye glanced at the long haired samurai who was standing at a corner of the room, hands crossed and his face was a pissed off as ever.

The younger of the Lee siblings sighed as she looked over at the papers about the young new innocence user.

"You know… He might have come willingly if only Leverrier's man didn't kill his father." Lenalee thought out loud.

"…" Lavi remained quiet. Only three people excluding Cross Marian, in the Black Order knows the fact that Leverrier was lying and Mana Walker was still alive out there, probably with that General.

"Tch, this is a waste of time," the samurai exorcist scoffed as he left the room, the other two aware that he must be heading to the meditation room.

"So, Lavi…" the female Lee sibling started as she put the papers aside and sat across the junior bookman. "How does he look like when you were at the circus?"

"Hmm?" her companion drawled out indicating that he wasn't certain who she was referring to. "If you're talking about Yuu, he was really pissed. You should have seen his expression back then! Wait- I think there's a golem here that recorded-"

"I'm not talking about Kanda!" the pigtailed girl cut off in annoyance, "I mean the boy. Allen!"

"Allen? You've just gone through his file and there's a picture of him too." Lavi pointed out as a matter-of-factly, not catching why Lenalee was suddenly intend on knowing how Allen looked like after just looking at his picture in the report.

"I know. I'm asking you how he looks like from your point of view,"

The red head paused for a while. So Lenalee was interested in a bookman perspective? That was… odd.

"Uh, I can't say for sure but how I see him is just like how the report described it."

"and how's that?"

"You just read the report Lenalee." Lavi put on a confused face, "What do you expect me to say anyway? And why these questions? It's kind of weird."

"Just answer me," came the stern answer.

Letting out a sigh, the red head lamented. "I saw him first when he was performing. He wore some kind of joker hat and a half clown half joker like outfit. Mostly consisted of matched colors of silver, black, white and gray." He paused for a moment to take a look at the girl in front of him. Her eyes were determined and it was like she was expecting something from him. Whatever it was, Lavi sure as hell have no clue about it. "He even had gloves on. I think he wore them to hide his parasitic arm."

"How was his performance?" Lavi gave Lenalee a straight look.

"Why are you asking me that?" It was irrelevant to this mission isn't it? Though, Lavi just had to answer that question when Lenalee gave him that look of hers again. "Fine. He was skillfully juggling small daggers while steadying himself on top of a ball." Lavi recalled that moment and an instant picture of the boy's pale face came into view with that bright energetic smile of his, without knowing it, the red head smiled a little. "He seemed to enjoy doing it."

"How can you tell?" Lenalee's voice seemed so far off even though she was near the junior bookman.

"It wasn't hard, his smile told everything and that enjoyment also reflected in his eyes," the response was merely a reflex as the red head stared into the grayish orbs of the imaginary boy's face in his mind. Even in memory, those eyes still managed to intrigued him and pull him in.

In the daze, Lavi didn't realize that the Chinese exorcist beside him was grinning in content.

|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|

Kanda was having his peaceful time meditating when the golem above him beeped signaling an incoming caller or something like that.

"Kanda." Komui's voice ranged through, "Hurry and meet me in the office. There's a recent update on your current mission,"

Immediately, the Japanese's exorcist eyes snapped open. He quickly put on his coat and grabbed Mugen before walking out of the room in a quick pace. Why was he so eager? That was simple. Kanda just had enough of this mission. He wanted to find this kid as fast as he could so that he could just get over with it and have a new mission involving beating the crap out of an akuma which he had not enough of doing this whole month.

Before you know it, the samurai exorcist had already stood in front of the office and opened the doors. The idiotic rabbit and the supervisor's sister, already present. This better lead to the end of the mission, Kanda thought begrudgingly.

|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|

The brunette sighed in content as he wiped his mouth in a respectful manner. After he did so, he quickly left the restaurant after not having paid since the owner was an akuma which was one of the best parts in being with the Noah family. He gets to eat as much as he wants for free! That was a big deal considering just a month ago, Mana and himself had to work hard a full day and night just to have a small food serving which was satisfying to Mana but not enough for Allen's large appetite that at times, Mana would sacrifice some of his hunger needs .

The parasitic innocence user frowned at that. Mana did a lot of things for him and Allen can't repay any of those. Now, that his father was kidnapped and after a month, who know what had happened to him. What if he- immediately, the fifteen years old shook his head in dismissal of that idea.

"I promised myself not to think such things." He muttered. "Mana will be fine." Though, the boy didn't want to admit it, somewhere in the back of his mind, he added another word: hopefully.

Something reflected beside the boy making him closed his eyes due to the powerfully light rays. Sometimes, having acute Noah's senses are troublesome since all the senses is multiplied to be sensitive even when you are not in the black form. After a few seconds, the brunette blinked and when his vision refocused, he was staring at his own reflection from a large glass window – the object where the light had apparently been reflected.

He smiled nostalgically. He missed this form, he stared at the brown-haired boy in front of him with a dark shadow looming behind – though, that shadow he didn't miss since it was always present when he was either in his black or white form. His true appearance that Mana had remembered him with. Deep inside, Allen feared that his father would be shock and in denial if he were to see him in his Noah form or even with his bleached hair and cursed face. Speaking of the weird marking across his left eye, Allen never had known where he got it. It certainly wasn't part of the transformation as a Noah as Tyki had said, so where did it come from?

A movement from a corner of the reflection caught Allen's attention. Inwardly, he smirked. It definitely was a man clad in a brown robe, a finder of the Black Order as the Earl had explained to him. It had been just a few hours since he made himself known to this small town. First in the plan, was to attract attention from the organization since they had apparently been searching for him. That was simple since the finders were practically crawling in almost every popular part of town in their gather of information.

Now he just had to wait for some exorcists to be dispatched and take him away to that cursed place where his father –hopefully, is. The brunette was about to move on to find a place to stay since he figured it might take a while for them to take action but the emergent of three figures each with a different design of black uniform but the rose-cross logo was unmistakable, indicating that they were the exorcists dispatched.

The fourteenth Noah pretended to take interest on the object displayed behind the glass as he kept his guard up. When the exorcist was near enough for him to know their faces, his stomach immediately churned. By some twisted fate, they were the same guys that kidnapped his father and also the same group that saw him a month ago.

"Steady yourself. You mustn't let emotions get control, boy." A familiar voice warned in his head. It was the Noah of Pleasure.

"Tyki! We shouldn't register telepathic contact when I'm at the Black Order!" the brunette quickly thought back while the group was nearing him. They were walking very casually towards him, maybe they didn't want to be suspicious or something. However, Allen knew that he needed his mind alone to make this work! Not with Tyki making some comments when he was socializing with them later.

"But you're not in the Black Order yet, Allen~" The new addition of a childish voice made Allen groaned. Not Rhode too… This was way too much.

"Please, let me be. I can't focus with the thought of you guys in my head." The brunette begged. He had to.

"Aww, Allen! We are here to help you, don't worry!" Somehow, the teen doubted that statement.

"Excuse me!" a loud voice from his left interrupted the mental conversation as the brunette quickly swiped towards the direction of the voice, to meet the gaze of a purple eyed exorcist.

The Chinese girl gave him a friendly smile. "Sorry for the high voice. You didn't seem to hear me when I called you a few times." Allen was still a bit stunned by the sudden appearance. Shoot! He was supposed to be ready but his family just made that preparation all go to waste. He wanted to reply but no words came into mind. He had some carefully structured sentences a few seconds ago!!

"You must be really interested in that hat." She continued when Allen didn't answer. The boy took another look at exactly what the object he had been pretending to stare for a while, it was a jester's hat with mismatched red and black colour. It was almost the same as the last hat he had wore for his performance. The irony.

"Um, yeah." Allen had to admit that was a stupid reply but really, where did all his verbs and adjectives go?!

"Are you alone?" the exorcist continued asking.

The strayed innocence user knew he was being tested or something here. He was not supposed to know this girl (even if he does) so that was why only the female came to greet him while the other two must have waited somewhere else.

"Allen! She is expecting your answer," Rhode piped up when he didn't respond for a good ten seconds.

"Uh, no. I mean yes!" Allen stuttered nervously.

"Why are you so nervous boy??" Tyki was a bit alarmed that he wasn't doing quite well.

"I… I forgot!"

"Forgot?" the boy wasn't if Tyki or Rhode said that.. Was it Rhode? But it can't be since the voice sounded more mature and Tyki was out of question since the one who said this sounded feminine.

"I never had talked to a lady before in my life!! Mana said to act gently towards them but I never had practiced doing so!" he desperately replied.

"Allen! you just said that out loud!!" the Noah of Dreams stressed out.

Widening his eyes, the fourteenth Noah clasped his mouth with both hands as he stared in horror at the pigtailed girl in front of him.

"What did you forgot?" she asked in confusion.

Allen by now was panicking, why? He wasn't entirely sure. "Sorry! But I need to go now!" with that he turned on his heels and ran off just like that.

He ignored the exorcist's cries to stop and continued running.

"Allen! Where are you going??" Rhode asked in his head amidst the unexpected change in direction of plans.

"I, I don't know."

"Calm down boy!"

"Ah! Which part did she heard?"

"Just when you said you've forgotten!!"

"What?!" Oh, how the boy hated things right now. Couldn't his sister just say that earlier?! Then he wouldn't have to be so panicky like now. What should he do?? Mana! He mentally screamed. He had just blown his chance to find out where his foster father had gone! He was too nervous about the plan and talking to a lady that he screwed up. He never had done anything like this alone before! In this whole month, either Tyki or Rhode had helped in him and in his whole life Mana was the one he relied on. Only if he had realized how dependent he is sooner!

Too caught up in all the thoughts that had bombarded his mind, Allen didn't realize where he was going. By the time his senses kicked in, he had somehow slipped and his body felt heavy all of a sudden. His siblings shouts to use an ark door quickly was unheard.

|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|

"What happened Lenalee??" Lavi asked as they ran towards the direction where Allen ran off. The boy was still in sight, but man, he was fast!

"He said he forgot and when I asked what he forgot, he took off just like that!" the Chinese exorcist answered.

"The kid, he's heading for the harbor." The dark-haired exorcist stated as the three expertly dodged the passer-bys while the brunette just knocked the people down without looking back "Is he even looking where he is going?"

That question was answered when the assumed to be unaware boy, slipped the wet floor near the sea, knocked his head near the side tile and downright fell into the ocean.

"That was stupid." Kanda muttered under his breath.

Lenalee immediately activated her dark boots and in the next second, she was already plummeting into the sea.

|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|

He felt someone applying force on his stomach that made him cough and to his utter confusion, instead of plain air, he was coughing out liquid, water it seemed. As he kept on coughing out water he heard relieved sighs, both in his head and around him.

"You're okay Allen!" he can hear Rhode worried voice, "You should have concentrated more on where you are going!"

"what happened?" he didn't say this out loud, since he was still coughing.

"Apparently, the exorcists rescued you from drowning." Tyki bluntly told him.

"What?!" At this, he half open his eyes, his head was still feeling a bit sluggish. He was met with the sight of the three earlier exorcists.

"Thank god, you're okay!" the female one that talked to him earlier said when she saw him awake. "Are you able to-"

The rest was blanked out when he felt his consciousness slipped away. He really needed a rest. A panic attack followed with water filling your lungs, isn't good. Especially if you are a Noah with low control of your abilities and an innocence user with no knowledge on how to invocate your innocence.

|-|-|-|-|-|-|-End of chapter-|-|-|-|-|-|-|

Azure: That ending was kind of lame…

Zuenira: Sure is. And how come you have time to update?! I still have several chapters to read!! Another exam paper is tomorrow!

Azure: Let's just say, my hands suddenly moved of its own accord.

Zuenira: This story seemed to have that effect on you, a lot.

Azure: It isn't the 13th November even. –sighs- Exams are such a drag. I can't wait for it to be over n two weeks time.

Zuenira: Why aren't you reading anyway?!?

Azure: Too lazy…

Zuenira: Are you serious?! This is an important exam!!

Azure: Yeah, I get that lecture a lot. Besides, this story needs an update. I think. Oh well. Whatever. I feel that after the exam, I'm going on a lazy vacation, so… I don't think I will update this anytime sooner. Except if I'm too bored or I have a motivation (which is quite rare). So yeah. Hope you readers enjoyed this.

Zuenira: I thought you've started on writing the next chapter.

Azure: Ah, I did. But it's still around 700 words, I have to study too.

Zuenira: I thought you said you're too lazy to study.

Azure: that was in the past, now I'm in the mood to study.