Hello my dear readers. i was re-watching the series and have grabbed another minor character to write about. Narein was only in one episode; he was Allen's first real friend in India. in one scene allen has fallen off the roof while cleaning up there and Narein checks his ankle for broken bones; i saw this scene and decided that i just couldn't leave it alone. this will be a relativly short story as i'm working on updates for all my others

i hope you all enjoy. all characters are the intellectual property of their origional creators.

"Allen wait, stop ok… we don't have to do this…" Narein pushed away. This was too much for the other boy. They really didn't have to do this.

"No…" the boy said too quickly. "You want this… so I can…"

"Allen…" Narein sighed and ran his hand through his wild brown hair. "I touch you and you start crying… we can't do this." He could barely believe he was saying it. He had loved him since the first moment he saw him. He couldn't remember ever wanting someone as badly as he wanted the boy on his bed. But, Allen wasn't ready for this.

"No…" the white haired boy insisted. He hesitantly put his hand on Narein's thigh. The simple gesture sent sparks through him. "I can do this…" his voice trembled, betraying just how terrified he was. "Just give me a minute… ok?"

Narein touched that beautiful white hair. He hated the way it made the other boy recoil. "You don't want to do this…" he soothed. "It's fine… I tried to rush you into something you're not ready for. I'm sorry."

"No, I can do it!"

Allen looked at him with such eyes. "I'm not mad!" he snapped. "It's ok… I was moving things too fast. I'm the one at fault here…" Why did Allen look so hurt? "You're not ready for this stuff… it's not your fault, it's mine for pressuring you."

Why do I keep making such bad mistakes? He coaxed Allen back onto the pillows. Hopefully he would be alright with just sleeping here together. Narein had hoped for more, but that wasn't going to happen tonight. Allen wasn't ready. He would be patient. For Allen he could wait.

"No! I want to!" Allen tried desperately.

Narein sighed and took his hands. "No you don't. Don't say you do just because it's what I want."

"I want you to be happy." Allen looked flushed in the dim light of the room. "You're my best friend… what good am I if I can't make my best friend happy?"

Best friend, that part hurt. Narein didn't want Allen to be his best friend; he wanted Allen to be more. He wanted a lover. Allen didn't love him. He knew that, but he still tried this kind of thing again and again. It always ended like this with Narein unsatisfied and guilty and Allen crying. Allen was the type to do anything for his friends. If his best friend wanted to kiss him; he would let him. If his best friend wanted to touch him; he would panic, but he would let him. If his best friend tried for more; he would panic so badly that he would retch, but then he would force himself to allow it. That was what he was doing now. Narein was disgusted with himself.

This would be so much easier if Allen had been a girl like he originally thought. It explained why he had looked so confused the first time Narein kissed him. He lay down beside him and tried to put his arms around him. Allen flinched and tried to make himself smaller. It had been a long few months since the boy had come into his life and made it so complicated.

Narein had snuck inside the palace that day to watch Miena dance. She was so pretty. He applauded wildly as his sister finished her dance. He wasn't the only one. The entire room roared with thunderous approval. Miena was still in the background, but she was talented. She was going to be the best.

They had plans. She was going to dance on the grand stages of London and Narein was going to go with her. He studied hard everyday. He was going to go to medical school someday. They saved everything for that dream. They would be free there.

"Sis, you were great." He whispered. He glowed proudly at her from his hiding place in the servant's entrance as she walked by with the rest of the dancers. She couldn't make eye contact with him; not here. It wouldn't be appropriate. But she smiled when she passed.

Another reason he was looking forward to leaving; England didn't recognize their caste. They would be equals there, have all the same rights and freedoms as everyone else. Narein was so happy that a place like that existed in the world. He couldn't even be seen with his sister now. They had managed to keep her caste hidden. Everyone already knew he was an Untouchable, lowest of the low. His mere presence in the doorway was contaminating the whole room. If anyone caught him… he didn't want to think about the consequences. He absently touched the bandages on his arms. They were a constant reminder of the time he had been presumptuous enough to go above his station.

Narein knew how lucky he was. He cared for the animals of the palace, mostly cleaning up after them. Waste management was the destiny of most Untouchables as was disposal of the dead. It was hard dirty work but the grounds were spacious. He spent his days out in the warm sun. His skin was toasted a healthy brown. His wild hair was probably black originally but the sun had lightened it to a chocolate brown.

He was happy enough; but he knew there was a better life out there, just waiting for him to reach out and take it. Twenty years of being the bottom rung of society had been quite enough. As soon as they had the money, they were out of there.

The Lady of the house was incredibly kind to him despite his caste; as long as no one was there to see it. Publicly she had to treat him like everyone else would. She was well within her right to kick or spit on him and she had even been forced to do so once or twice. She always missed. She let him listen to her children's tutors from behind the patio doors. He learned English that way. She dropped books by the latrine for him to find while he cleaned. No one would touch them there; so, he was free to take them without reprisal. He learned to read. She helped him as much as she could. Only once she was able to do nothing. He shuddered and touched his arms again. He had been wearing the bandages for three years now.

Her child was hurt. Narein was seventeen at the time. She had taken notice of how well he treated the injuries and various ills of the animals. The hour was late and time was critical. The child was bleeding quickly and calling for a doctor would take longer than the girl had. The Lady called Narein.

"Please…" she had said. "Please save my daughter." She didn't beg or panic just ordered him. Narein had never been that deep within the palace. He was awed by its splendor. The little princess was just as lovely as a girl of her station should be. She had cut her thigh deeply in a fall. He cleaned it and stitched it closed. Narein stayed the night and the next day until he was certain she was fine.

Two days later he was publicly beaten for entering the palace. Not only had he been inside, but he had seen the princess nearly undressed and stayed in her bed chambers. The Lady had sat and watched the entire ordeal with a bored expression. His eyes pleaded with her for mercy. She didn't look. Later he learned it was her mercy that kept his punishers from plucking out his eyes. Her mercy that had the flesh torn from his legs and forearms rather than his hands and feet cut off. She knew this would happen if he went inside, yet she called him to treat her daughter. He suspected he would be in trouble, but he went willingly.

He couldn't move for days afterwards. Everything healed after the Lady secretly had him brought into the palace again and treated by an English doctor. The Lady herself brought him broth and fed him until his sister could be snuck in. She didn't apologize and Narein didn't expect her too. They both knew their place; it was just the way the world was.

The doctor who treated him was impressed by his intelligence and became his mentor. It was him who first suggested that he go to England to study. The Lady agreed. She increased the small stipend he was paid to care for her animals.

That was three years ago. Narein was never seen without the bandages on his arms and legs to cover his scars. He studied tirelessly. It was a monotonous life… until the return of the red haired man.

Narein had seen him before, years ago when he was young. He had never forgotten that strange appearance, still he was surprised. The man was the Lady's lover, though he never seemed to be around for long. It was none of his business, but he wondered if the princess was actually the man's child. She was born long after the Lady's husband had died.

This time though, the red haired man had brought a companion. Narein was instantly in love with her. She meekly followed behind the red haired man, pale eyes downcast like a proper woman. He had never seen eyes like that before. She was so beautiful; he was surprised the man didn't have her veiled to keep eyes like Narein's off of her. She can't be his wife… he realized with a faint spark of hope. The man was here to see the Lady. He kissed her at the door. The girl must just be a concubine. He didn't know they took them in the west.

So, that's what a western woman looks like… Narein was terribly curious about her. The clothes she wore were strange; they were probably traveling clothes. He imagined it would be hard to travel long distances in a proper dress. She wasn't very well developed either. He could see why men like the red haired one liked the women of his country. They had much nicer shapes. Maybe this one just hadn't finished growing yet. If Narein could get close enough, he would ask her age. If she would talk to him. There was no reason to expect she would even glance at an Untouchable like him.

He watched as the red haired swept the Lady off her pretty slippered feet and carried her inside. The girl started to follow, but her master kicked her hard and sent her sprawling to the floor. He shut the door on her.

Narein gripped the broom he was leaning on fiercely. Concubine or not, that wasn't proper behavior. She girl righted herself gracefully, as if that happened all the time. She glanced around briefly, examining her new surroundings and then sat on the steps. She rested her cheek on her hand. Narein sighed. He wanted to say something to her, but it wasn't his place to do so.

He turned and went back to work. Vaguely he could feel those pale eyes on his back. It made his heart flutter with excitement. He squared his shoulders at the thought of her watching. He hoped it made him look stronger; he hoped she was impressed. He let him mind drift off into a pleasant day dream in which that pretty concubine didn't belong to the red haired man. She'd fall madly in love with him and they could run off to England and live there freely. It was a nice thought but it would never happen. She shouldn't even be looking at… don't stop looking at me, please. He would have to put the thoughts of her out of his head. It's not going to happen…

"Hi." He jumped with surprise when she suddenly appeared next to him. She blinked those pale perfect eyes. He had never seen eyes that color; blue grey like those of the blind. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you… I was getting bored over there."

Narein just stared, unable to believe she had come over to speak with him. He was going to get in trouble, worse he was going to get her in trouble. He finally caught himself and averted his eyes; an Untouchable shouldn't even look at a lady of her station.

She had a scar on the side of her face. It didn't look like a normal wound. Narein worried that it had deliberately done. He hoped the red haired man hadn't given it to her. On anyone else that scar would have been ugly, disfiguring. On her it was beautiful. She was beautiful.

She made a little sound and covered the side of her face in embarrassment. He instantly felt guilty; she must have thought that was why he wasn't looking at her.

"My name's Allen." She smiled at him. He didn't know anything about western names, but it sounded nice. He worked to commit it to memory; he would be whispering it to himself at night for a long time. There was a long pause as she waited for him to respond. He didn't; he knew better than to talk to her. He watched her face fall from the corner of his eye and felt like dirt. "Sorry, no English huh?" she tried again in another language he didn't understand and then another. He forced himself to keep silent. "Sorry." She tried English again. "Didn't mean to bother you… I'll let you get back to what you're doing."

"Don't leave…" Narein finally broke. "My name is Narein. I'm glad you came to meet me and no you weren't bothering me at all. You're… very nice." He was rewarded with a smile like the sun. It made his knees weak and he had to sit down. Allen was instantly on the ground next to him. His heart skipped a beat. "Sorry I didn't answer earlier… I didn't want to get you in trouble with your master."

"How'd you know he's my master?" Allen seemed slightly surprised. "Never mind, I guess it's pretty obvious… gah, I don't wanna even think about it." she gave a little theatrical shudder. "I won't get in trouble. He doesn't care about me, not one bit." She didn't sound too upset.

Narein was almost relieved that the man wouldn't care if she was talking to him. Part of him still felt that this wasn't right. The red haired man needed to take better care of his things, but Narein didn't mind being there instead.

They chatted on every subject Narein could think of. He wanted to know everything about the girl. Allen had been an acrobat; no wonder she was so slender. She told him about her father and the other performers she'd lived with. They sounded wonderful. She didn't say how she ended up in the possession of the red haired man. He didn't ask. Narein was a little embarrassed that he didn't have anything exciting to try and impress her with. She seemed content to listen to everything he did have to say though.

"A doctor? Really?" she blessed him with another of those bright smiles. "That's great!" Allen leaned back into the sweet smelling grass, looking so perfect Narein could barely stand it. "I'm always getting hurt… master is a really evil guy. You can take care of me when I'm hurt. At least for however long we're here. It will be really good practice."

"How long are you going to be here?"

"It's hard to say. My master never tells me anything or when we're going somewhere. It usually just 'hey useless, go get me some money, because I'm terrible at handling it and I'll just blow it on booze and women'" Allen chuckled at her own impersonation of the red haired man.

"He makes you go out and earn money for him?!" that wasn't right. If Allen was his girl, he would be kind. She would never have to lift a pretty finger again. He stopped before he could think any further; it wasn't going to happen.

"Yeah. I hate him." She sighed. "I hope that now we're here he'll be too distracted and I'll get a break…" her face fell dramatically. "Who am I kidding… I bet by this time tomorrow I'll be out here working with you. Well, that won't be too bad… since we're already friends, right?" she looked up at him with a sweetly hopeful expression.

"Right… friends." Narein had to stop talking to her. It was only going to make things more painful in the end. "Hey Allen, this has been really nice. I like talking to you… a lot." I love you. "But…" Please don't hate me. "I'm no good… I'm an Untouchable."

Allen blinked up at him. "Untouchable?"

"Yeah, I was born one, can't be helped. You can't be seen around me. It will be bad for you… it will reflect badly on your master. I'm hardly a human…"

"So?"

"I don't think you understand…" Why was she making this so much more difficult than it needed to be? Narein couldn't bear to look at her.

"You look touchable." Allen was smiling; he could hear it in her voice. A finger poked him hard in the shoulder. "Yep, you're touchable alright." She poked him again.

"Ow…" he almost laughed. "But that's not what it means to be…" Allen pinched him hard.

"I know what you meant and I don't agree. I think that kinda thing is stupid. And if you actually believe that a word can tell you your limitations…" Allen fell back into the soft green grass, hands folded behind her head. "Then you're stupid too."

Narein was stunned. He hardly knew this girl and yet she had just turned his world upside down. I love you… it's just a word. How can a word hold any power over you unless you let it… I want you… "You really don't care?" he asked, laying down next to her and completely forgetting his work.

"You are stupid." Allen rolled her eyes. "Look at me…" she pulled off one of the white gloves she wore to reveal dark red skin. Narein's breath hitched. She was deformed. "With this and my cursed face… I won't let something like a stupid word keep me from having friends where I can find them."

Narein was horribly impressed by her. He suddenly wanted to show her his own scars; she wouldn't think they were hideous like all the other girls did. Instead, he blurted out, "How old are you?" She was so smart, he couldn't help but ask.

"Not sure… I'm probably about fourteen. Might be more, might be less… but I feel about fourteen."

That would make me six years older… At twenty, six years was a lifetime of difference. It did explain an awful lot though, like why Allen's body was still so boyish. Fourteen was an acceptable age for a girl to be in a relationship. Most girls here were married by then. Narein didn't feel too guilty about being so attracted to her. Less guilty when he thought about her master and how the red haired devil sent her out to make money for him. Maybe that was why she was so relaxed; she didn't have to worry about losing her innocence.

She didn't act much like a girl and Narein found it wonderfully refreshing. Allen didn't giggle or flutter about. She already called him stupid and pinched him. She had a natural grace that was unique to her alone; she just didn't move like a girl. Allen didn't try so hard like all the other girls he had met.

It would be months until he found out just how else Allen differed from the other girls.