A/N: Alright folks, this is my first fanfiction ever, so please be gentle. I've noticed some serious lack of Allen x Lenalee stories here on fanfiction and decided it was about time to whip myself into shape and actually write a story. xD This was actually inspired by a real-life experience of mine in which I was bike riding through the woods and stumbled upon a white kitten (although in this story, he is definately a teenage cat. xD). Eventually, I gave him to one of my good friends and she named him 'Smudge'. Actually, I might use that name in the story for a bit..xD

Disclaimer: I don't own anything D. Gray-Man, but if I did, Allen would be able to turn into a cat. xD

It was a peaceful afternoon. The sun was shining magnificently as the birds chirped, perching on oak trees and fluffing their tiny bodies to the size of softballs. Many people passed by, sporting summer shorts and a dog by their side. The pond was a dark shade of blue, reflecting the beautiful trees in its mysterious abyss with an occasional duck or two disturbing its peaceful creation.

She sighed then, thinking it was about a good time to go. Grabbing her backpack, she closed her sketchbook, never fully completing the marvelous capture, and stood up from the bench. Stretching her arms behind her neck, she let out another sigh, relief flowing throughout her entire body.

Sometimes, it just simply feels great to escape reality.

Kicking the kickstand of her violet colored bicycle back, the teenage girl hoped up and over onto the cushioned bike seat. Her dark flats pushed against the petals, giving her always reliable friend another taste of what it feels like to live. She flew down the hilly sidewalk that surrounded the beautiful pond, long dark pigtails flowing freely behind her like ribbons, letting the refreshing wind splash against her face.

As she approached a small parking lot, she swung the handle bars and slowed her bike down slightly, clutching the break gently enough so it didn't make an obnoxious squeaking noise. She avoided a car that was pulling out, most likely never seeing her once.

After crossing the parking lot and the road that followed, she finally located a small little path in the forest, covered by moss and vines. Putting pressure on the petals once again, she flew up the tiny path's hill, making sure to avoid the tree roots that infested the dry ground.

Glancing behind her back once again to look at the ever breathtaking scenery - the only paradise she had in this troubling place - she continued on the dusty path towards the metal jungle, or as most people call it, Millennium City.

It's not that Lenalee hated the city. No, not at all, it's fascinating in its own way. She likes some of the people, she's made a few friends (or rather people she talks to) at the University, and she's even joined a club. Well, had joined a club. Although, it was never really made official anyways. More like she appeared twice, sat awkwardly in the back, got bored the second day and left without telling anyone, like they'd really notice anyway. That's what she gets for trying to fit in with the drama crowd - for trying to be someone she's not, that is.

Bump. The front wheel hit a rock.

It's not like she's antisocial either. Maybe slightly on the socially awkward side, but definitely not antisocial. She loves being surrounded by people and the attention she receives along with it. It feels good to be close to people that care for her, even though she may have some difficulty outwardly expressing her joy into the correct facial features. It definitely makes her feel warm and fuzzy inside.

A hawk dove down from a pine tree, landing on the mud and began scratching its talons away frantically underneath a log. It managed to pierce a mouse just before Lenalee scared it off with her bicycle, avoiding the magnificent animal entirely.

But here, in this jungle of buildings, she can't really say she's had a single moment like that. Sure, she's had multiple jerks whistle at her on the streets and honk their horns annoyingly in her ear, but really, who would want attention like that? It's only been two weeks since she moved into her apartment, but already she feels almost..empty. Well, not quite, but definitely emptier.

Especially without having her older brother with her.

It couldn't hurt to call Komui one more time today, he would probably squeal out of sheer excitement.

Ducking to avoid a tree branch overhead, she prepared herself for the large hill that was gradually becoming ever larger. Picking up her pace, she pushed herself off the bike seat and began pumping her weight into each rotation.

It's decided. When she gets to the apartment, she'll definitely make sure to give her brother a call. She wants to hear his voice one more time, although admitting it out loud will most likely never happen, especially to him. She didn't want to be squeezed to death the next time they see each other.

The front tire hit the bottom of the hill as Lenalee raced onto the earth-made ramp. The tree roots were avoided as best as she could, occasionally feeling a large bump or two that her bike was forced to climb over.

It all happened in a single instant.

Suddenly, her bike caught oddly on a loose tree root, turning awkwardly to the side. Lenalee gasped and clutched the handlebars as hard as her hands would let her, attempting to catch her balance. Sadly, nothing she could have done would have prevented the bike from falling to its side.

Lenalee felt a weird airborne sensation until her back made contact with hard ground, backpack doing little to cushion her fall. She grunted in pain as she was tossed down the side of the hill, limbs thrashing and trying to make a grab for anything at all, but to no avail. A tree hit her head hard as she tumbled, instinctively clutching at her skull as she fell down into the ravine below. The last thing she felt was a soft impact, and then everything went black.

….nature.

It smelled like nature.

...

Wait…nature? Nature has a nice smell.

...

Wait no - that's not the point. Why do I smell nature?

...

..Does nature even have a smell?

...

..Am I dreaming? What-OUCH! Ow.. ow, OW!

...

"-errrmm…" It was as though a thousand tiny hammers were banging against her skull. Moving her arm carefully from underneath her weight, she clutched at her head, messaging it gently with her palm. The rough surface on her normally soft hair told her one of two things; she either had twigs or giant clumps of dirt decorating the usually well-kept strands.

Crickets chirped noisily as the cool air brushed against her bare arms and legs, bringing forth lumpy goosebumps. Dewy grass soaked through her clothes, causing her to shiver lighty on the cold ground.

Oh that's right, she fell down a huge hill. Now how could she forget a catastrophic fall like that?

Wincing, she squinted one eye open, lashes unfolding and causing grass to move in their wake. Darkness.

She groaned and turned onto her side, unsquishing the backpack that was still wrapped somewhat securely against her back, a single strap ripped out of its socket. She could hear the faint sound of a babbling brook somewhere from behind her. Gradually, she moved an arm, placing a hand underneath her skull for a more comfortable position. Her head hurt worse as she lifted it, but it's not like she could just lay there forever. Well, on the other hand… no, she had to get home to her apartment.

Scanning the area with eyes cracked to no more than slivers, she could just make out the large, bold outline of a tree in front of her, but that was about as far as she could make out in the pitch darkness.

…Just how long was she out?

Trying to avoid thinking about the head injury, she mustered up all the strength she had into her arms. Slowly, she managed an awkward sitting position, but at least she was up..

..and looked around again just to get an idea of where the heck she was.

Which she really couldn't tell anyway, considering the fact that she couldn't see whatsoever. That little detail kind of complicated things.

Sighing quietly to herself, she brought her arm up to rest it on the back of her wounded head.

All of a sudden, there was a faint rustling noise - make that a rustling noise which was a little too close to her left for comfort. Her body jumped instantly out of fear, causing her to scrambled back as far away from the noise as possible, managing only a couple feet. Pain shot to her cranium, head reminding her that moving around was not such a fantastic idea. The noisy pattering did not cease. Abruptly, her mind jumped to one of her worst fears. She's watched plenty of uncut animal attacks on TV to know exactly just how this may go down. Absolutely no one would be able to hear her scream this deep in the woods, and getting eaten was definitely not on her list of 'things to do' today!

As she crouched into a ball, arms protectively wrapped around her front, the noise instantly grew ever louder. Expecting the worse, she closed her eyes. At least this way she won't even see the attack comin-

"-meew."

Her eyes bolted open, locking instantly with the glowing orbs in front of her. They stared back at her, dilated pupils reflecting light in the darkness. She could see the shape of the animal too, nothing more than the size of a...

..I-it's a-a-

"-a-a-c-cat?" she all but whispered. In response, it cocked its head slightly to the side. A dark shadow, which she presumed was a tail, slithered against the fallen leaves.

Relief swept throughout her entire body as she collapsed onto the ground in an exhausted heap. She couldn't believe the trauma she went through in just a matter of minutes, it was almost unbelievable. In addition to her being lonely, now she had a head injury, and possibly a demolished bike hanging around somewhere. Not to mention, she just went through the most horrifying scare of her entire life!

A twig snapped and Lenalee was jolted out of her depressing thoughts, drawing her attention towards the cat for the second time. As her eyes adjusted, she could identify the outline of it better now, along with the rest of the forest. It took a slight step forward, watching her with those eerie glowing eyes that seemed to pierce through her soul, never wavering.

It must be cautious of her - she didn't blame it, she must look like a twiggy mess. Slowly, Lenalee managed another awkward sitting position. Balancing as best she could with one arm to support her, she slowly held out the other towards the cat.

It completely stopped all movement, glistening eyes drawn to the outstretched limb.

Lenalee managed a small smile, "It's okay kitty-kitty, I won't hurt you." She stretched her arm out further towards it.

Moments passed, and the animal did not back down. Carefully, it took out another paw from the safety of the tall grass and placed it on the ground. Another step forward, at least she was making progress. Standing still for a moment, the cat flicked its ears in all directions. It quietly took another step, eyes darting between her own and the limb.

Lenalee held her breath as it was all but inches away from her fingertips. She gently held her arm as still as she possibly could, attempting to hold back her unavoidable shaking. Curse her nerves.

The cat's eyes focused on her hand. Stretching its head to the farthest range it could accomplish with its small neck, it sniffed her index finger quietly, looking up into her eyes as though observing her.

From here, she could examine the cat more clearly. The thing that instantly stuck out to her most was just how matted the cat's fur was. Although the whole pelt was relatively short, the mud caked into it could have been its own winter coat entirely. It's eyes, which she thought were just glowing yellow rings in the darkness, were actually much more beautiful than she had expected. They were grayish-purple, an odd but unique color that she just couldn't help but get lost into.

In a bold, quick move, Lenalee took her hand away from its nose and placed her fingers underneath its chin. The cat spooked slightly for an instant, until she began lightly scratching away at the matted fur underneath its neck. The cat's eyes slightly drooped as it allowed her access.

Scratch, scratch.

Five seconds passed.

Scratch, scratch.

Ten seconds passed.

Scratch, scratch.

An ever so faint purr made itself audible, finally arriving to the surface.

Lenalee beamed. She's had enough experience around cats to know that most of them adore being scratched in that particular spot.

Scratching further, her fingernails dug into its bedraggled coat. It only put more pressure into her palm, wanting more. Gently, Lenalee began plucking away at a few of the dirt clumps located underneath its chin. That's when she noticed something a little surprising...

"…You're actually a white cat, aren't you?" Sure enough, white fur appeared pluck after gentle pluck. The cat made a faint 'mewing' noise in response, gently coaxing her hand with the side of its head as though wanting her to get back to scratching. She complied, and the cat closed its eyes in bliss, purring considerably louder this time around.

Lenalee laughed quietly, "You're quite the sweetheart too." It simply continued purring, rubbing against her hand with its head, muddied ears brushing against her knuckles. She had just realized that the whiskers sprouting out from its mud-caked face were also bright white – how could she have missed that? Well, she supposed the dark-colored appearance threw her off slightly.

That was when an idea struck her. Noiselessly, she withdrew her hand away from the cat, receiving an unhappy 'mewl' in response, and proceeded to stand up extremely slow as not to startle it. Her head still had a slight ache to it, but the pain dwindled considerably and was replaced with excitment upon meeting the animal - it must have been nothing more than a bump, but she'd better check it out later just in case of concussion. The cat gazed at her, head cocking to the side as though questioning her movements.

She bent down on her knees, holding out her arm for the second time.

"How would you like to come home with me?" She whispered, smiling brightly at the animal. Somewhere deep down in her mind, Lenalee liked to think animals could understand certain messages. Hopefully, this one at least got through to it even the smallest bit, she didn't want to pick it up without any warning after all.

The muddy animal watched her. Moments passed, and the silence rang loudly in her ears. Lenalee thought it was about a good time to make a careful move-

However, the cat did that for her. In one swift instant, it was shyly against her palm, caressing its face softly and purring faintly.

Lenalee could only smile at the adorable sight. The rough, dryed hairs on top of its head were bristly as it rubbed against her hand, but it was not unpleasent. Placing one finger against the side of its cheek, she scratched its face with the tip of her fingernail. The cat made a gentle 'mewing' noise, apparently liking the attention that spot was receiving - it was just too cute!

Though Lenalee did not want it to end, she knew it was probably way past her bed time and it would most likely be a good idea to return to her apartment soon. Also, she was worried about the poor animal. Just how long has it been out in this forest without proper care? It obviously needed a bath.

Carefully, Lenalee removed her hand from the front of the cat and softly touched its back. The cat made no sudden movement, only a gentle flick of its tail. Cautiously still, she began wrapping her hands around the cat's muddy belly, lifting it up slightly from the ground. The cat made no sign of protesting, only watching her from behind its back when it got the chance.

She positioned the feline as comfortably as she could against her chest. Instantly, it fell limp in her arms. To say Lenalee was surprised would be an understatement - she couldn't believe how calm this cat was behaving!

Glancing down at the animal once again, she was about to begin her trek back home towards her apartment, but first she had to find a serious alternative route. There was no way she could climb back up that unforgiving hill, especially now with a cat huddled up in her grasp.

Then there was the bike...perhaps it'd be better off left here overnight. She honestly didn't want to imagine the condition it must be in.

Looking down, she caught the cat's curious gaze as she wove between trees. It was looking up at her with those beautiful big, grayish-purple eyes, something she imagined she'd never get used to.

The question irked her then, so she thought it'd be better to voice it, getting it off her chest.

"I wonder if you're a boy or a-"

The cat made a glum noise deep within its throat, giving her an odd stare in the process.

Lenalee giggled soundlessly, "Alright. A boy it is."

Not supposed to..

But I couldn't say 'no' to her. Not after she smiled at me like that.

..She's so cute.

A/N: Sooo, what did you think? I really hope the first chapter didn't seem rushed, because I feel like I rushed it. Also, let me know if there's something I should improve on! I'm honestly not much of a writer, but I love making stories! Really, I do! xD The next chapter will be longer, I promise! Also, I apologize if Lenalee acts a bit OOC, I tend to relate female characters to myself more than I should. xD Btw, I took the last line from the manga. It's chapter 18, page 14 if you're curious. ;)