Me: Huzzah! :D

Allen: GOOD LORD. :I

Me: Wha? :O

Allen: Why can't you work on your other things instead of starting new ones all the damn time?! :O

Me: Cos! ... I dun wanna. - w -

Allen: -flips a table- D8

Me: Anyway, I don't own ... er... Man, nor do I own the characters or am I making a profit. c:

Allen: -grumble- -_-''

Croquet

Chapter One

Allen Walker sighed. I wish it wasn't the first day of school today… Allen's guardian, Cross Marian, looked over from the driver's seat.

"What, you nervous, Walker?" Cross asked lazily. He took the cigarette he had in his mouth and threw it out the window.

"Yes, sir. You would be nervous too if it was your first day at a different school…" replied Allen, hastily adding "sir" at the end.

Cross snorted, "I thought Mana taught you better than that." Allen was sent to live with Cross while his adoptive father, Mana Walker, was on a long business trip. "Besides," Cross continued, "True Cross Academy is a fine school." He lit another cigarette.

"If you say so," Allen muttered. Eventually, their car rolled up to a large, white structure. There were two buildings joined by a walkway and a courtyard. The buildings were built in a gothic style, quite common in Europe. Cross stopped the car on the curb.

"Now, don't do anything stupid, Walker," the red head said.

"Yes, sir," Allen said back. Cross nodded, so Allen got out of the car and grabbed his bag. The car rolled away, and Allen sighed. "Well, here goes nothing." The white haired teen walked into the left hand building. He gasped. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of students in the foyer. This place looked a lot smaller on the outside, Allen thought. Most of the students started to go up the stairs or over to the walkway. Allen looked at his schedule. Advanced Preparation World History with Mr… Bookman? What an odd name. He glanced around for someone to ask directions from. There was one person that had just reached the foot of the stairs with large glasses, headphones, and fluffy hair. "Excuse me!" Allen called.

The glasses-guy turned and asked, "Yeah?" He saw Allen and said, "Oh, you must be a new student here, huh."

"Yes. My name is Allen Walker," the white haired teen said, extending his right hand.

"Johnny. Johnny Gill," replied Johnny, shaking Allen's hand. "What do you need?"

"Well, I don't know where any of the rooms are, and I'm looking for Mr. Bookman."

"Head up these stairs and go left. His room is right there and you'll know when you get there," Johnny said, hoisting his bag over his shoulder. "By the way, I'm digging the tattoo." He pointed to Allen's left eye.

Allen put a hand on his cheek and said, "Actually, it's not a tattoo." Johnny looked at him questioningly, so Allen continued, "It's a scar."

"Yikes. Were you in some big fight or something?" The bushy haired male shook his head and said, "Nah, I shouldn't be asking that kind of stuff. I'll catch you later, Allen." With that, Johnny headed up the stairs. Allen followed suit and went left like Johnny said. The room's door was open. Allen looked inside and was shocked. There were maybe fifteen or twenty desks, a chalkboard, a teacher's desk, and books. Stacks upon stacks of books. There were five or six people sitting in the front and four in the back.

"You're late, Mr. Walker," an old voice said. Allen looked at the teacher's desk again and saw an old man sitting on it. He had dark bags under his eyes and an almost gravity defying ponytail. It looked like his skin was parchment and his ears were pointed.

Wh-where did he come from?! "I'm very sorry, sir!" Allen said apologetically, bowing. He quickly found a desk and sat in it.

"As I was saying, welcome to Advanced Preparation World History. I am Mr. Bookman for those who don't already know me. There will be absolutely no tomfoolery in my class. You are here to learn, not to chit-chat and gossip," Bookman began sternly. "If you do decide to act like a fool in my class, you may find yourself organizing books for a semester." He leapt off the desk and strode to the chalkboard. "We will begin with a few questions on the Paleolithic Era…"

~~~~~~~~ ° w ° ~~~~~~~~

With half the day finally over, Allen stood in the lunch line with a tray and some money in his pocket. He scratched his head. Bwaaaah… itchy… I can't believe no one has tried to pick on my because of my white hair… Someone tapped his shoulder. Allen turned round and asked, "Yes?"

"You wouldn't happen to have a couple spare pounds, would you?" asked the student. He was taller than Allen with red hair pushed up by a headband and a green eye; the other was covered by an eye patch.

Allen replied, "Sure." He dug a few coins out of his pocket and gave them to the red-head.

"Ohh! Thank you so much!" The red-head's eye sparkled as if he had won a million pounds instead of only two. He practically ran to a vending machine in the cafeteria, shoved the money in the slot, and excitedly pushed a button for a bag of chips. The metal uncoiled to push a bag out, but it got stuck. The student's jaw looked like it had dropped to the floor. "Aww, man! You've gotta be kidding me…" Allen had gotten his food and noticed the crestfallen red-head.

"What's up?" Allen asked.

"Hmm? Oh, the stupid machine jammed. No biggie, though," he replied, shoving his hands into his pockets. He slammed his foot at the stubborn machine (causing Allen to jump) and the bag fell down.

"Th-that's an interesting way to get those," Allen remarked as the student pulled the chip bag out of the machine.

The red-head laughed and said, "Well, I need my food, don't I~?"

"Why don't you buy lunch?"

"Eh. Too much money."

Allen raised an eyebrow and said, "It's only six pounds. Eight, at the most."

"Like I said, too much money," the red-head sighed and opened the bag of chips. "Thanks again for the money~" He smiled. "My name's Lavi Bookman Jr. What's yours?"

"I'm Allen. Allen Walker," the shorter male said and something clicked in his mind. "Bookman? You mean like the teacher Bookman?"

"Ha ha~! Yep~ That old panda is pretty much like my father. But also… not really. It's kinda complicated," Lavi said, popping one of the chips in his mouth. After he swallowed, he continued, "I'm adopted, see. So, I don't really know who my real family is…" He strode to an empty table and beckoned Allen to follow. They sat and Lavi said, "The old panda's been taking care of me for… a really long time." The red-head laughed slightly. "But, I don't wanna spill my whole life story out to you~ I'm probably pretty boring~"

"No, it's okay, Lavi. In fact, I think it's nice to meet someone who's also adopted," Allen admitted. "My parents abandoned me because of… well… this." He rolled up his left sleeve and took off the glove on his hand. Lavi's eye widened when he saw that Allen's arm and hand were completely red and the skin was deformed. Something seemed to be embedded in the top of his hand.

Lavi whistled, "Wow~ I've seen some pretty cool things in my life, but this?" That caught Allen off guard.

"E-eh?! Cool? This?!" he stuttered. Allen quickly rolled his sleeve back down as some other students walked by. "What makes you think that this – my deformed left arm that lost me my family – is cool?!" Allen hissed angrily. Lavi was taken aback and put up his hands in defense.

"I-I didn't mean to insult you or anything!" Lavi said apologetically. "I just meant… uhm…" Allen glared at the red-head, picked up his tray, and stormed off. When Allen had left the cafeteria, Lavi banged his head against the table. "Dammit! You're so stupid, Lavi! What were you thinking?!" He sighed and glanced at the bag of chips lying on the table. He growled and threw them in the trash can. "I don't deserve to eat those…" Lavi muttered. He dug his hands into his pockets at sat sullenly.

~~~~~~~~ TT_TT ~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, Allen had finished his food in the hallway with the sophomore lockers lined on the walls. He'd found his locker and put his things away. Damn that red-headed idiot! Now he's gotten me all worked up! Allen thought furiously. He slammed the locker door shut. What an insult! Thinking this cursed arm was 'cool'! I should've punched him! He forced himself to take a deep breath. Okay… just calm down, Allen. Maybe I'm just overreacting… urgh… now I feel like a fool… Allen dropped his bag and leaned against the lockers. "I should go find Lavi and apologize to him. I shouldn't have gotten so angry." He figured since he was coming back this way, he would leave his bag. So, the white-haired teen took off down the hallway, lunch tray in hand.

He passed another hallway when he heard a panicked shout. "Leave me alone!" Allen stopped and looked down the hall. A young teenager (probably a freshman) was surrounded by four older people.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Allen called, running to the freshman's aid. The older students looked as if they were all seniors, except for one; she looked to be in junior high.

The second tallest student with slicked back black hair said coolly, "Step aside, boy. We don't want to have to get violent." The tallest one, who had pointy black hair, grunted in agreement and cracked his knuckles.

"Please do get this over with, Tyki. I simply hate unnecessary violence," the eldest girl said gracefully, pulling out a nail file.

"Uwaaaah~! Tyki, big brother, this one looks cuuuuuuute~! Can I keep him~?" the youngest girl squealed. She had pointy blue hair and wore knee high striped socks.

"I'll find you someone else to play with, Road," the one called Tyki said. He ran a hand over his hair as if he expected it to become un-slicked. "Do I have to repeat myself, boy? Stand aside."

Allen glared defiantly and said firmly, "No."

Tyki sighed and said, "Skinn, get rid of him." Skinn, the tallest one, grinned and cracked his knuckles again. He loomed a good head or two above Allen, but Allen remained where he was. The taller male swung a fist at Allen's head, but he ducked. Skinn punched with the other fist, and Allen rolled out of the way, this time bringing his lunch tray down on Skinn's knuckles. The senior drew his hand back in pain. Allen smirked and tackled Skinn to the ground, punching him in the nose. Skinn cried out and tried to grab Allen, but the white-haired teen leapt off him just in time. That's when Tyki raised his hand and said, "Stop, Skinn."

"But, Tyki! He—" Skinn started in his deep voice, but stopped when Tyki pulled a butterscotch out of his pocket. The looming male instantly became silent and took the candy from Tyki.

"That's better," Tyki said amusedly. He walked closer to Allen and continued, "You're not bad for a pipsqueak."

"I suppose I should take that as a compliment," Allen retorted, raising the lunch tray threateningly.

"Hmph. A pipsqueak who can fight and who has a sharp tongue. I think I like this kid~" Tyki chuckled. He jabbed a finger at the quivering freshmen hiding behind Allen. "You. You've been saved this time." The suave senior snapped his fingers and he and his gang walked away.

The freshman sighed heavily in relief. "Oh, God, I tought I was dead thare… thank ye for savin' me!" he said gratefully in a Scottish accent. "Me name is Derrik Hale."

"Allen Walker," said Allen. He looked where Tyki's gang had gone and asked, "Who were they?"

Derrik's hazel eyes darted back and forth fearfully. He whispered, "Thay're part o' the Noah Family."

"Noah… Family?"

"Aye. The nomber one mob syndicate i' England richt now. Tyki an' 'is crew are mobsters!"

"Then, how did you wind up in their business?"

The freshman sighed and scratched the back of his head shamefully. "Ouhh… well… I din't want t' be… but they offered me pr'tection from bullies if I paid them monthly…"

"When did that start?" Allen felt like he was questioning too much, but he was curious.

"Last year. In anoother buildin' at that time, I was. I was finishin' up me junior high daes. Tyki came round th' buildin' on occasion. So, I made th' deal. When I came here, though, I was shoor I woudn't need thair 'elp anymore, but they told me that they needed double wot I was payin' them ev'ry month," Derrik explained sadly. "I refused, so they ganged up on me. But then, you showed up an' saved me!"

"Well, I just did what I thought was right," Allen said. He put a hand on Derrik's shoulder and continued, "If anything like this happens again, come tell me. Got it?"

"A'richt!" The freshman ran down the hall and waved to Allen. When he had left, Allen smiled to himself. He headed back to the cafeteria after he was sure Derrik was gone.

Lavi had fallen asleep on the table where he and Allen had their little spat. He snored softly. Then, someone rapped their knuckles on the table, abruptly waking Lavi with a snort. "Huh-wha?" he yawned. It took his eye a moment to adjust. When it did, he was looking into a pair gray eyes.

"You fell asleep here?" Allen chuckled lightly. "Stupid rabbit~"

Lavi stretched and said, "I fall asleep easily~" He laid his head back on the table and murmured cutely, "Are you still mad at me?"

"No. I was stupid and angry and I'm sorry, Lavi," Allen said, shaking his head and blushing a little. He poked the red-head's fluffy and joked, "Come on, sleepy. You have to go to your next class."

The older male looked up at Allen and laughed. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm comin'." He pushed himself up and grabbed his bag from a nearby table. He also picked up a black croquet mallet that was lying next to his bag.

"You play croquet?" Allen asked curiously.

"Yep! I'm actually the head of our croquet club~" replied Lavi enthusiastically. "We've got five members, including myself. You should check it out~"

"Maybe I will~" Allen said thoughtfully. "Anyway, I've got an Art class with someone named Tiedoll…"

~~~~~~~~ °Δ° ~~~~~~~~

Eventually, it was the end of the day and Cross hadn't shown up to pick Allen up. Allen sighed. Well, on the bright side, I can visit the croquet club while I wait… and… see Lavi again~ He wandered through the halls until he found a sign on a door labeled 'Croquet Club' in fancy cursive. He knocked on the door and called, "Hello?" The door swung open to reveal four students sitting on some desks, one of which was Lavi.

"Yo, Allen~!" Lavi grinned widely. "I'm glad you came~" He leapt off his desk and said, "Entire croquet team, this is Allen! Allen, this is the entire croquet team~"

A girl with long dark hair tied up into pigtails said cheerfully, "Hi, Allen! My name is Lenalee Lee." She had a green mallet in her hands.

"Good day. I am Arystar Krory III," a tall, pale student said. He had slightly slicked back black hair with a white tuft of hair hanging in front of his right eye. Sitting next to him was a red mallet.

The last student in the room was a thin young woman with messy brown hair. She said softly, "I'm Miranda. Miranda Lotto." She held a yellow mallet.

"It's nice to meet all of you." Allen smiled and bowed slightly. He turned to Lavi and asked, "Hold up… I thought you said there were five members? Where's the fifth?"

"Ahahhhh… that would be Yuu," Lavi replied sheepishly. "He's also the leader of the fencing club. So, he's not here very often…"

"I see." Allen looked about the room and said simply, "You've got a nice room."

"That's really thanks to Lenalee~" Lavi said, looking at the younger girl. She giggled.

"My brother's the principal of True Cross Acadamy," she explained to a surprised Allen. "When I joined, we had a dinky room next to the broom closet.

"Principal Komui was kind enough to let us use this room instead~" Lavi said proudly. "Miranda and Krory picked the room, and hey presto!"

Miranda blushed slightly and said, "I'm just happy we could all be in a club together, considering its my last year here."

"Really?" Allen asked.

"Indeed. Miranda, Lavi, and I are graduating this year and Lavi wanted to do something really great before we left," Krory answered, leaning backwards on his desk.

"Yeah! And you see, there's this croquet tournament at the end of the school year, a professional one, mind you, that I've dreamed of participating in for years~ It only happens every five years, and I finally have the opportunity to compete! It would mean the world to me if you joined, Allen~" Lavi exclaimed excitedly.

Allen took a minute to think it over. Well, Mana said he'd be done with his business trip by the end of the semester, but I could probably convince him that I'd like to stay till this tournament. It'd make Lavi happy~ "Sure~ I'll join," Allen said cheerfully. Lavi whooped in joy and practically tackled Allen to the ground. "Augh! Easy there, rabbit!" Allen cried, shoving the overly excited red-head off him.

"Sorry, sorry… I'm just so excited!" Lavi grabbed a large box and opened it. Inside were three mallets: a white one, a pink one, and a brown one. "Take your pick~!" Allen chose the white mallet, so Lavi shut the box and put it on a shelf. He clapped Allen on the shoulder and laughed, "Welcome to the Croquet Club of True Cross Academy, Allen!"

So! There you have it! Allen joins Lavi's Croquet Club, thinking all is well! However, the shadow of the Noah Family mob hangs over Allen as he becomes a new target! Can Allen fulfill Lavi's dreams and defend himself against the threat of the Noah's? Find out in the next chapter of 'Croquet'!

... the Scottish accent is not easy to right, okay? c: So, yeah. No judging.

Also, the rules of croquet. sdjranakjrhlksgn I'm trying my best to understand them. TT u TT