The Exorcists left the pub and headed to Miranda's apartment. Allen was still wondering why the Akumas pulled out, but so does Iris. It was definitely odd.
A part of her felt regret. Maybe she should've just killed them so this whole Rewinding Town business is over.
"Miranda, Miranda~ Poor, poor Miranda! Ugly, unlucky, just plain useless! Out gain to look for a job? They'll just fire you, you lazy slob!" They came cross a bunch of kids singing about Miranda and Iris knew those kids. They were the ones who pinpointed the narrow street where Miranda would use to go home.
The redhead sweatdropped at their song. What a sad life Miranda had lived.
Upon arriving at her apartment room, Lenalee knocks on the door several times but no one was answering. They can hear Miranda, but she isn't responding.
Having no choice, Iris steps up and hold the doorknob. "We're coming in!" When she was about to bust open the door along with a twist of the knob, the door opens.
"Nooo! How did you get in here?!" Miranda shrieks, having tears in her eyes.
"Um... Just through the door." Allen answered her question.
"It was unlocked." Iris sweatdropped as Lenalee closes the door.
"Then don't just barge in here!" Her cries became much louder.
"We knocked, but you didn't answer." Lenalee smiles apologetically.
The woman was panicking and she kept on screaming, so Lenalee asked her to calm down politely and calmly. "How am I supposed to calm down?!" Miranda says as her necklace broke and she lost balance trying to catch it.
Lenalee tried to catch her but was too late. Miranda gets the item attached to the necklace, holding it preciously.
"Does that belong to that clock?" Lenalee looked at the loud ticking clock. The rest followed suit.
"I-Isn't it stupid of me to treasure such a useless trinket?" The woman looks up to see their faces.
The Exorcists looked at each other.
"Not at all. It holds a lot of memories for you, doesn't it?" Lenalee smiles.
"Why would you even ask other people's opinion concerning something sentimental to you? People can't see and understand how precious certain items are the same way the owner does. It's precious to you, that's it. Don't listen to what other people say." Iris says, half-lecturing someone who is older than her.
Miranda was quiet for a while, but she spoke.
"There are just some people who are just useless, no matter what they do. I'm one of them. I've never been thanked, ever. I've never been useful in anyway. I just wanted to be appreciated, to have someone acknowledge that I was a human being... Then I found it."
"When I saw that useless, thrown-out clock, it was as though I was looking in a mirror. The beautiful chines of that unwanted clock somehow resonated with my very soul. It felt as though it was accepting me, despite of my incompetence."
"So, it's my prized possession. After all, it's the only thing that needs me."
"Um... We need you as well." Allen says politely.
"Eh?"
"As we told you earlier, you are the only one in this town who remains unaffected by this phenomenon. I'm positive that it's because you came in contact with the Innocence that's causing it."
"The Innocence? What is Innocence?"
"Someone who's pure, someone who's not corrupt. Or it can be referred to someone's virgini- Ow!" Lenalee hits Iris in the head, causing the redhead to stop her joke.
Allen clears his throat and explained what an Innocence is and other things related to it. Lenalee on the otherhand explained that Exorcists work to defeat the Akuma and to retrieve the Innocence.
When Allen asks Miranda for help, she was hesitant and she didn't comply. But when the sun was already setting, she decided to aid them in their search. Walking the streets of the town, they tried to look for the Innocence.
Although Iris suspects that it's the clock eighty percent. She didn't talk about it and just follows the flow.
"Everyday, I wake up to read the newspaper, listen to my neighbor fighting, then take a walk around town. Then that kid throws the snake at me, and I go look for a job." She says her daily routine ever since the day kept repeating itself.
The Exorcists pales at her misfortune.
When they entered a building to retrace Miranda's steps, she was looking for a job. "Only the places I've been fired from want any help though." She sighs tiredly.
"Is there anywhere else you went?" Lenalee asks.
"There's a shop in my neighborhood." The woman replies.
Walking again at the streets of Germany (Miranda's hometown, meaning she's german), she halts by the shop where the clock she owns was thrown out. She goes over to a crate full of thrown out items and started to look for something.
"At night, I take the discarded things home and fix them." And she takesnout a cat stuff toy from the crate. "I simply can't over look abandoned things."
They went back to Miranda's apartment as night had befallen upon them. The woman started to patch the hole of the stuff toy while the Exorcists looked at each other.
"Nothing really caught my attention." Allen pointed out.
"Me too." Lenalee agrees.
"Well then, it seems my answer is different from yours." Iris says.
"So did you find anything?" Allen asks.
"The clock." The redhead looks over to the ticking clock.
"The clock?" Lenalee tilts her head sideways.
Miranda yawns, which is normal because it's almost midnight. Anyone would be sleepy at such a time. But for Iris, this is the hour wherein she'll start to sleep. She's a nocturnal person and she can sleep until noon if she wants to.
"The day will be over soon." The twintail-haired girl points out while looking at the clock.
When the clock's long hand hand strikes twelve, it rang. Simultaneously, Miranda stands up from her sit and walks to her bed as if in a trance and goes to sleep.
They were surprised when the grandfather clock was suddenly in the middle of the room and clocks started appearing everywhere. Everything becomes blue except for the Exorcists and the clocks, showing that the things that are affected would be the ones in blue.
The clock's hands started moving backward and clocks everywhere are being sucked in, creating gusts of wind. The trio didn't fail to notice that it was sucking today's time. When it was done, the room became bright and they looked at the windows.
"It's morning?!" Allen yells.
"Some awesome time-bending powers i you ask me." Iris pointed out as the clock simultaneously chimes. She weirded out a little, but it's to expected. The other two were in complete befuddlement.
"Huh? Since when did I get to bed?" Miranda says sleepily as she sits up. Allen and Lenalee just gave looks of disbelief, making Iris laugh.
♱⁜♰ D. Gray-Man ♱⁜♰
"Iris, Lenalee, look at this." Allen called out.
All the females turned around to look to only see Allen somehow become one with the clock. "I'm a clock-work man!" The silverette says, enjoying it.
Lenalee and Miranda yells while Iris spits out her tea in shock.
"What are you doing, Allen?!" Lenalee yells in worry.
"My clock!" Miranda was pulling the strands of her hair.
"Hahaha! Allen has become one with a clock! Hahaha! What if Marshall Cross hears this-" Allen covers Iris' mouth to stop her from saying anything else with a dark glint in his eyes.
Since the male Exorcist was wearing his gloves, Iris bit the tip of the left glove and removed it from Allen's hands and held it tightly. The boy panicked slightly.
"Give it back!"
Almost immediately, the redhead gives it back and made Allen speechless with wide eyes. "Eh?"
"Just wear it back." Iris crossed her arms.
After that, Allen clears his throat. "Anyways, want I wanted to say is that I can't touch the clock."
Miranda, who looked paled and as if life was drained out of her face, falls on her knees and hugs her treasured clock. Wanting to try it out, Iris dips her hand into the clock and it passes through. She was impressed, as if she was a child that had just received a new toy.
"It looks only Miranda can touch it." Allen pointed out.
"Then the clock is involved, isn't it?" Lenalee says.
"No doubt it's the clock. The rewinding effect, time repeating itself, it all relates to time and the clock portrays time. It's the Innocence." Iris says her statement without any doubt.
"Are you serious?! I can't believe that this clock is messing is with the town." Miranda says with teary eyes.
"Yes, we're-" Allen was cutted off when Miranda brings out a knife out of nowhere.
"You're not going to break my precious, are you?!"
"C-Calm down, miss Miranda." Lenalee says nervously.
With that, Iris swipes the knife away from Miranda and made sure no ones gets hurt. "Don't worry miss Miranda, we are Exorcists. We protect Innocence, not destroy them." She half-lied. They won't hurt the Innocence, that's true, but the clock itself is a different matter.
When Lenalee asks what really happened in the original October 28th, Miranda told her story. She just got fired from her hundredth job and became depressed. Saying that she doesn't care if this is the last day ever, the clock granted her wish.
"Miss Miranda, you might be the Innocence's host." Lenalee pointed out.
"I second the notion." Iris agrees.
"Huh? Really?" Allen was still unsure if Miranda really is an Accommodator for the Innocence.
They told Miranda to ask the clock to stop its power, and the woman did as told. Receiving today's newspaper, they found out it's still October 28th. With that, they thought of a plan.
Th plan was to join street performers, and they joined something that would fit Miranda... which was a horror house. Allen, having to grow up in a circus, knows how to balance himself and do some circus tricks. And so, he wears a pumpkin-head mascot as he tries to juggle three balls while balancing on one huge inflatable ball. Miranda on the otherhand was beside him, handing out flyers and tickets for the house of horrors, dressed as a witch. Meanwhile, Iris requested to dress a she-devil with red horns and a long red tail while she uses her "psychic powers" on people. But of course, her so called powers is just her inhuman skill of analyzation and observation.
Taking a break, the headmaster of the show says that if they do a good job, Miranda will be hired full-time. Resting at the back, Lenalee arrives... who was wearing her uniform. She didn't sign up to work in the house of horrors.
"By the way, you're an amazing juggler, Allen." Lenalee smiles at the thought.
"You were watching?" Allen says with light pink cheeks, embarrassed that she was watching. But he recovered quickly and smiled. "I was something of a clown when I was a child."
His eyes softened as he looks the ground in front of him. Iris just watches him and listens to his story once again, hearing it again after a long time.
"My adopted father was a traveling performer and we used to do all sorts of tricks for money. I never thought it'd be useful in my new job as an exorcist." Allen told fragments of his past.
Of course, Iris knew some of his past when he was still with Mana, but she doesn't even know half of it. Allen doesn't tell anything much, it's a sensitive subject to him and the redhead respects his privacy.
"Then you've traveled the world, have you? That's nice." Lenalee looks at the sky, wanting to travel the world as well.
"We always had to scrape a living together though." Allen laughs.
Iris sighs hopelessly. Even if it was a tinge of sadness, the redhead frowns at Allen's fake laugh.
Don't laugh when you feel sad, it just makes it even sadder.
"When did you start at the Order, Lenalee?" Allen asks.
"I've been there for a long as I can remember. My brother and I were orphaned by the Akuma, and then they found out I was the Dark Boot's host. I was brought to the Order, alone. I was torn away from my brother, my only relative, and I wasn't allowed to leave." Lenalee says.
"To be honest, it was like a prison. I tried to escape time and time again. But my brother came to Headquarters as a supervisor for my sake. So, I decided to fight for him."
Everyone was teary-eyed, yes, everyone except for Lenalee. Allen had to wear his pumpkin head to hide his tears though. Meanwhile, even if Iris already knew the story a long time ago from Marshall Cross, she still feels sympathy.
"How nice to have a brother..." Allen pointed out.
"Since everyone started to tell their pasts, I'll do the same thing." Iris half-joked as she wipes her tears.
"Allen already knows this, and you too Lenalee but I skipped some parts when it came to you. So, I'll tell it again."
The redhead looks at the far distance and she recalls her memories when she was a child.
"My mother was originally rich, which is probably why Marshall Cross flirted with her in the first place. And well, when he left... my mom found out she was pregnant with me. Some time later, my mom's family went bankrupt. Grandfather suicided, uncle died from gambling, and all that was left is my mom and me."
"In order to live, she desperately married a drunkard in the middle-class. He was the typical abusive step-father, and it was painful to see my mom in hardship. It just got worse when she had Leukemia. I want to say that she died peacefully, but I really don't know how she felt." She shrugs.
"After her death, Marshall Cross, my father, came to get me. The very moment I took his hand, I entered such a dangerous world. It was worth it, because I'm with my family. After that, we left America. Looking at myself now, I still don't regret going with him." Iris smiles from the heart.
Allen's tears doubles while Lenalee started to have teary eyes as well.
"Miranda?" Allen looks at her.
"You all had such terrible pasts. I always felt a though I was the only unfortunate one in the world. I'm going to go back to work!" Miranda had high spirits, wanting to show that she can become stronger.
"Okay!" Allen says as the two girls wave at Miranda's disappearing figure.
"Oh. Hey, Pumpkin-head!" A girl called out.
Looking at the source, it came from a little girl who was eating a lollipop. She had bluish-purple spiky hair and she looks like somewhat 10 to 13.
"Where can I but a ticket for the pumpkin and witch show?" She asks.
"The ticket counter's this way." Allen stands up and Lenalee follows suit. Taking a few steps forward, Allen noticed that Iris hasn't stood yet.
"Iris? Is something wrong?" Lenalee asks.
The redhead just stares the ground, breathing abnormally. For some reason, she feels something heavy in her chest while her stomach was churning.
That voice, it's almost like the one Allen and I heard yesterday. Is it really this girl? But she's just a kid. Why do I feel like something bad is about to happen? Is my observation skills on the next level that my body is unconsciously responding to what I observed? Did I miss anything?
Iris' attention snapped when someone yelled. "Idiot! You let a thief take the money?!"
"I-I'm sorry!" Miranda was on the ground, her buttocks on the floor.
"Wait here, young lady." Allen says to the little girl as he goes over to Miranda, with Lenalee following him.
Iris, quick on uptake, looked at the surroundings. She sees a suspicious man climbing up a house and Iris intuition doesn't fail her. Chasing after the man, she climbs onto the roof as well. Seeing Iris, the man runs faster.
"Stop!" The redhead yells.
Thanks to Lenalee's boots, she gets to the roof as well while Allen runs on the ground. His pumpkin head is now gone. Coming to a close chase, the man jumps from the roof and he lands to the ground safely. Seeing this, Iris immediately thought he was an Akuma.
Tch, Akuma.
When they finally cornered the guy, Allen's left eye activated. Seeing Allen's eye, Iris confirms she's right. He was indeed an Akuma.
The man turns into an Akuma, and it was Akuma who can breathe out fire that'll turn to ice. "We've taken the woman. Lady Road has captured her!"
"Road?" Allen takes a few steps back.
Lady Road? Road? For an Akuma to call someone 'lady', a Noah?
"Ice Fire!" With his breathe, the whole place was covered in slippery ice. After his attack, two Akumas appeared. They were the same Akumas from last time at the pub.
"We've got to concentrate and destroy the Akuma!" Allen yells.
"I know that better than anyone else!" Iris yells back.
With all the Akumas attacking and the slippery ice, it was hard to move. And for some reason, the Akuma were focusing on Allen, it caused him to be out of balance, and the Akuma used this as a chance to freeze him in the legs. With his lower part of the body frozen, he wasn't able to move.
"Allen!" Iris yells out but her reflexes were too late to respond. He was burned by the Akuma.
Angered, she was about to activate her Innocence to end things already but she noticed that all the Akuma were attacking Lenalee. What is there plan? Attacking Exorcists one by one? Too bad, I'll end this quickly.
"Not too fast, redhead onee-san." The little girl from a while ago appeared in front of Iris in a flash. In that very moment, one thought only entered the Exorcists's mind.
Are we going to be okay?
"I can see that you're strong, but save it up for later okay? If you have enough strength and power by that time that is~" The little girl grinned and Iris felt something pierce her right arm as something hits her hard in the head. With that, she falls unconscious.
♱⁜♰ D. Gray-Man ♱⁜♰
Allen wakes up first than the other Exorcists. He sees that his metal arm is pierced with bolts. After that, he started to see things one thing after the other.
Miranda tied to her clock, the little girl was standing beside Lenalee wearing Allen's coat, Lenalee looking like a doll sitted on a chair, and Iris who was hanged in the air. She was oddly placed away from the rest of them and her wrists were handcuffed and the chains are seemingly connected to a never-ending ceiling. Her feet was inches above from the ground. The redhead had her right arm pierced with three small candles.
If Allen noticed something, they were all stripped from their uniforms. Alln was wearing his torn inner top, Lenalee was in a purple dress, while Iris had her upper top removed, leaving her with her inner top, which is long-sleeved.
"Lenalee! Iris!" Allen called out.
Calling out their names, Road hugs Lenalee. "Don't call her! She's Lady Road's doll!" The Akuma who can breathe ice and fire was pertaining to Lenalee.
With Allen's eye activated, he can see that Road had no soul to show. She's not an Akuma.
"You're not an Akuma. What are you?"
"I'm human. Old Millennie's on our side. We are the chosen ones, the only true humans, chosen by God himself! We of the Noah Clan." The little's girl went dark, her eyes became gold colored, and on her forehead was a row of seven cross-like markings.