Title: A lost child and a Pierrot

Summary: Set between ch207-210, a side-story that could have occurred during this three months' gap. Chased down by his foes and former allies Allen meets a child, who reminds him of his time with Mana. Contains Allen's thoughts on who he is and what he should do from now on.

Disclaimer: everything belongs to Hoshino Katsura

A/N: Well, this is a story I came up with re-reading DGM. The aim was to depict Allen's emotions and thoughts after he had been exiled from the Order. I hope, you enjoy it. Anyway, reviews are appreciated.

(!) Sorry, guys, I've decided to revise this story! I'm kind of in the middle of it right now, so there's only the first half of ch1 up, I shuld be done with the rest of it in a couple of days. Promise!

"Onii-san, are you an angel?" a girl's voice rang in the dark alley.

Him? An angel? What a joke. Allen opened his eyes. A small girl stood at the street corner, looking at him with genuine curiosity.

"Shh." He motioned for the girl to stay quiet. He did not need any unnecessary attention. Not when he risked being discovered by Apocryphos. Go along now, he implored mentally. He leaned back a bit, trying to hide his left arm in the shadows.

He was used to people staring at the crest imbedded in the calloused skin of his left hand. People would torment him for looking different, strange...disgusting? He remembered resenting having this cursed unmoving arm, but that was before he knew the truth. When he had learned the true purpose of it, when he was taught to use it – his Innocence – as a weapon, it became his greatest ally, his guiding light that provided him with a reason to keep going, to live on. It was still a curse, but the one he willingly chose to bear. For a while his life seemed to have meaning again, his path was clear, but apparently it was not meant to last, and everything just had to revert back to its messy state of uncertainty.

He looked down at his arm reproachfully. 'Crown Clown, please!' The Innocence that no longer even resembled his arm paid no heed to his pleas. Instead it sprouted another wing, twisting and bending it under unnatural angles. He gritted his teeth; the sensation was far from pleasant.

"Are you all right?" the girl whispered. She was still there, if anything she even got closer, studying him intently. He did not reply, hoping that she would just leave if he ignored her.

Her skirts rustled as she crouched down next to him. She gave him a searching look, he averted his eyes. She puffed up her cheeks a bit, looking even more determined to get a reply from him. He gave up.

"Yes, everything is fine," Allen said firmly. "Here." He fished a candy out of his pocket and gave it to the girl with his right hand. "You should go home now, okay? Your parents must be worried."

Well, at least if he was this girl's father he would be worried sick to find her in a narrow alley in the company of a, to say the least, suspicious person and a dozen of trash cans.

Besides, what if Apocryphos showed up? Fortunately, the pain seemed to subdue a bit, and his arm even started to slowly take back its normal shape. The danger has passed for now, he decided. Maybe he will be lucky enough not to be ambushed by the enemy for a day or two. Hopefully, he will have time to earn some money. Being able to buy some food would be nice too, Allen thought. His stomach grumbled approvingly.

"Hmm," the girl hummed thoughtfully, turning the candy over in her hands. At last she stood up and without another word quickly trotted away, leaving Allen alone. He sighed, feeling a bit relieved. 'What a weird girl.'

He propped his back against the wall, making himself as comfortable as he could given the circumstances. His eyelids felt heavy.

Being chased down for weeks by that monster was putting a noticeable strain on his injured body; his wounds ached, he felt famished, and tired, so tired. He let himself doze off.Just for a bit.

When was the last time he slept in a bed? He could not recall. These past weeks have merged into an endless game of cat and mouse. Be hunted, hide in some dirty valley, curling into a ball on the cold floor, and desperately try to seize any opportunity you have to catch a breath and rest.

Allen smiled bitterly. This reminded him of his past. Of a long forgotten time when he was a nameless foundling, thrown out by his parents. He used to think about them occasionally when he was little. Like who were they, how did they look and many other things, but always carefully putting aside and never wondering about that one truly relevant question: why did they abandon him? Maybe he was afraid of the answer; maybe he was so lonely, growing up in the circus without friends, he could not afford to have two more people to despise. Surely it was easier to just forget about their existence all together and never wonder. This way he could feel free. And find the strength to move forward instead of being bound by his past. He was glad he did so too, because after all the struggle, the torture of having to always be on his own, when he started to doubt that he should keep on moving forward, he met Mana – the first and only person he felt like calling his 'father'.

'Mana…What should I do? Am I still on the right path?'

TBC

So, how was it? Please, review!

*If someone is wondering, 'onii-san' means an 'older brother'.