A/N: Yay for plot bunnies!(: So, I'm thinking this will be a three-shot, but that could always change. And I apologize in advance for any mistakes. I did give it a quick read through, but I'm literally about to fall asleep, so I'll do a full edit later, okay? Anyway, thanks for checking this out, and I hope you enjoy!(:

Oh! And sorry for the language, but it is Red…

Disclaimer: I'm sure you can predict where this is headed… Yes! I admit it! I don't own it! Please quit it with the accusations!

Chapter 1

—3rd Person POV—

~Red~

Having grown used to the fucked up world he was forced to survive in, escaping the circus in order to join a roaming madman, who had a particular taste for both alcohol and women, was just another bullet point on the list of bloody pricks who Red was required to deal with (Cosimo being the previous one). But at least this one didn't beat the snot out of him. Actually, he was technically worse. With the addition of piling his debts on him, General Cross also enjoyed a particular pastime which involved tossing Red into hordes of Akuma. The redhead secretly suspected that it had been Cross' attempt at offing him, but after many failures, he just waved Red in their general direction and ordered him to "take care of it."

But someone as cynical and vicious as Red wouldn't take it lying down. Of course, he made his revenge discreet, because he'd learned the hard way that watching the General suffer from afar was much more satisfying (and less painful) than doing so blatantly to his face (it only caused the General to go off into a rage, after all). Though it didn't mean Red didn't have it in him to mouth off. He just did so from a distance. (It was nothing to be ashamed of!)

There was no love lost between the apprentice and the general.

Red can only recall one instance, in which he believed General Cross to be genuinely sincere. Of course, that was only because his Master had been drunk stupid. Red had been forced to drag the intoxicated man back to their room at the inn, and once he'd finally managed to dump him onto his bed, the bloody man had had the indecency to demand in a slurred voice, "Give me my wine, idiot apprentice!"

"Get it your damn self, ya old cock!" Red had growled, giving him a hard kick in the rear for good measure. Mostly because he knew the General was too pissed to retaliate.

"Allen," Cross had hissed threateningly.

In return, Red snorted. "Who the fuck is Allen?!"

"It's you, dumbass," the General groused, and then quieted, shifting on his bed as if sobering. "That's your name."

Something inside of Red was hollowed out that night, painfully carving out what little was left, and hardening him into nothing but a shell.

(Was this what they called heartbreak?)

Mouth drying, Red forced the words through the lump constricting his throat, "H-how do you know that?"

"Same arm," his Master had mumbled before passing out.

Even so, Red had gritted his teeth and hissed, "Fuck you, old man. I'm Red."

Of course, to this day, it still secretly hurt him to know that he really had been abandoned and left to rot away on the streets. But just like he'd been discarded like a piece of trash, he in turn discarded that cursed name. No. Red was the name he'd given himself, and anyone who said otherwise could fuck off.

(Not that anyone ever did.)

When Red was fifteen, he was finally freed from the clutches of General Cross. Of course, not all that eager to become a pawn of the Black Order, he'd instead decided to screw around, no destination in mind as he wandered about, only taking the time to exorcise the occasional Akuma. But Cross had been such a shitty master, he'd never had the brains to at least introduce him to what they called Level 2s. So when Red decided to dick around some abandoned city called Mater, he'd had the misfortune of running across such a creature. (Not the he was planning on being defeated by something so pathetic. He's just been… caught by surprise.)

With a bloodthirsty smile, Red immersed himself into the adrenaline that came with battle and slaughtered the Level 2. There was no mercy and no useless chitchat. He simply dove in and tore the Akuma to shreds.

Red was startled to find himself disappointed once he defeated the Level 2. He'd gotten so used to the monotony of Level 1s, a small part of him had been thrilled with the battle against the Level 2. But it had been over so quickly.

Red scoffed, scattering the remaining ashes with a vicious kick. Dusting himself off, he hopped over the wreck of crumbling concrete, before leaning down to shoulder the backpack he'd tossed aside. Jumping down onto a clear road, Red shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat, whistling a random tune as he casually strolled through the dark, deserted city.

But when he rounded a nearby corner, he was met with a blade to the face.

"Um, bloody rude, don't ya think?" Red groused, fearlessly shoving aside the blade of the katana.

But the taller, Asian man only growled and demanded, "Who the fuck are you?!"

"Uh, Yuu, it's cool. He's obviously one of us!" reassured the tall redhead beside him, waving his hands frantically.

But the Samurai-look-alike only elbowed his companion in the gut and snarled, "Don't call me that, idiot rabbit!"

Taking a closer look, Red finally spotted their uniforms, similar in design to his Master's, except these coats were lined in silver. He wrinkled his nose in distaste. It was just his luck to run into Exorcists. And a pair of idiots at that.

"Right…" Red mumbled, before pointedly stepping around them and sauntering off.

"The hell…? Is this guy for real? Hey! Beansprout! Get the fuck back here! You need to come with us!" the Asian called after him.

Beansprout…? Red's eye twitched. "Fuck you, dickhead!" he called back. "And if you're tryin'na drag me to the Order, I'm already on my way," he continued, not bothering to turn around, offering them a lazy wave.

"Uh, are you sure?" called the one-eyed pillock with the annoying smile. "If so, you're going the wrong way, shortstack!"

What the hell is up with all the short nicknames?!

"Oh yeah? How fascinating," Red drawled, not once pausing in his stride. "Don't let me keep you waiting. I'll get there eventually."

When the duo assaulted him from either side, Red didn't fight them. He'd expected their reaction, and truthfully, it was probably the only way he'd ever locate HQ. Whatever worked really. Not that he was going let the dumbass pair off so easily. By the time the trio arrived at the Order, Red was pretty sure they both loathe him. Even the ever-smiling pirate had been unable to conceal the annoyed ticks and the occasional scowl. Red counted it as wins for himself.

But when Kanda and Lavi—as they'd introduced themselves—left him stranded beside a towering cliff, claiming that it was mandatory for newcomers to enter through the main gate, Red had to give it to them. So with a vicious smirk, he waved them off. That was all they needed to see in order to know that there would be hell to pay. (Not that Red was actually too pissed off. Screwing with people was one of his favorite pastimes, after all.)

And scaling the cliff side wasn't anything that Red couldn't handle. Using his monstrous arm to launch himself up constantly had been quite exhausting, but doable. And eventually, he managed to collapse atop the cliff. From his vantage point, he was able to observe the swarm of bat-like golems fluttering in hordes around the gloomy tower. "Looks like sumtin' straight from a night terror," Red mumbled, hopping up and shouldering his backpack.

In his opinion, the whole ordeal was a complete waste of his time. The Gate Keeper, despite his frightening appearance, was an absolute wuss who'd burst into a tears at the sight of Red's chilling glower. Additionally, the Supervisor sounded like he was entirely incompetent, and his sister, pretty she may be, but she was so… nice it left a bitter taste in the back of his mouth.

Later, after the tour (which he'd completely zoned out on, considering he wouldn't be able to find his way around either way), and after a visit to the freaky Exorcist Hevlaska, Red decided that there were at least a few upsides to his situation. Number one being that there was free food. He could finally keep up with his demanding stomach! The second upside was the fact that nobody cared what he did as long as he completed his missions and didn't try to go on the run like his Master. (And weirdly enough, Exorcists were something akin to gods among the Finders.)

Red took full advantage of course, and freely roamed the tower, knowing that there was always a Finder nearby to guide him back to the dining hall if he grew too hungry. Shamelessly he pick-pocketed, spied, and messed with his fellow Order members. Some took it in good humor and others made empty threats. But Red couldn't care less and was willing to do anything to abate his boredom.

So it was no surprise that one of Komui's lackeys eventually hunted him down and dragged him to the Supervisor's office in order to receive his first mission.

(Red was quite startled to find that Lenalee was his partner for the mission. He was pretty sure the Supervisor wasn't too keen on him, so it must've been her doing.)

"So, Red, what do you think of the mission?" Lenalee politely inquired during the train ride.

He offered her a bored shrug, head lazily resting on the palm of his hand, mercury eyes focused on the passing scenery. "Sounds barmy, I guess."

"A rewinding town is a bit unusual, isn't it?" Lenalee chuckled nervously.

Red shot her an odd glance. Was she… scared of him?

"Yeah, sure. Whatever," he muttered, flitting his eyes back to the window.

"So… your teacher was General Cross, was he not? I can't believe the General is really alive!" she exclaimed.

Bloody hell, why is this girl trying so hard? Red wondered, but instead snorted and remarked in a bored tone, "Believe it. No matter how many times I tried offing him, he kept comin' back. The man's like a bloody cockroach."

"Ah, really?" Lenalee chuckled awkwardly.

"Mhmm," he hummed, still wondering what her deal was. She was sweet and she was pretty. And she was an Exorcist too, so she probably wouldn't be too revolted by his arm. But Red was long past caring. Lenalee could do whatever the hell she wanted. If being kind to him made her feel better about herself, then so be it. He wasn't planning on encouraging it. She'd soon find out that she was wasting her time.

Red had to give it to her though. She was quite stubborn, and he was rather relieved when they finally reached their destination.

Despite his initial curiosity, Red soon realized that other than being stuck on the same day, the town was as dull as they came. He came to this conclusion about five minutes after he and Lenalee split up, and after spotting a nearby circus tent, he strolled over and ducked towards the back. Situating himself between two crates, Red made himself comfortable and relaxed into a light snooze.

An hour later, he was startled awake by someone poking at his left hand. Lazily blinking open his mercury eyes, Red observed the spiky-haired girl viciously poking his red hand. (He had long ago quit concealing it. After becoming numb to the jeers, he now purposely allowed it to be seen with the sick intent of making people squirm at the sight.)

If she noticed that he was awake and observing her, she didn't make it known and instead continued to mess with his arm, careful not get her fingers too near the green crystal.

"Um, if you're quite done fondling my arm, can I go back to my nap?" Red deadpanned.

Wide, violet eyes met his blank gaze. The petite girl burst into a grin. "Hey, shouldn't you be more careful about concealing this? It seems quite special!"

Red stomped down on his astonishment. "It doesn't concern you."

The girl giggled. "That's what you think~." Red narrowed his eyes, but the girl simply beamed and offered him her hand. "I'm Road!" she chirped.

After a second of gazing at her hand in distaste, Red finally shook, though brief as it was. "Red," he replied simply.

"Red?!" she exclaimed. "Wow! So pretty! That's my favorite color!"

"Gee, how nice," Red muttered, pointedly leaning back and closing his eyes.

"Hey, Red, wanna play a game with me?!" Road jumped up excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Hm? Pass," he muttered.

"Aw! Come on! I'll even invite your pretty Exorcist friend!" she suggested.

Snapping his eyes open, Red kept a careful eye on the girl with the vicious smirk, slowly getting to his feet. "Fine, I'll bite," he ground out through gritted teeth, "Who the hell are you?"

"Aw, that's no way to talk to your new friend! Come along, Mr. Exorcist~!" she laughed.

Suddenly, he was falling and he knew no more.

But when Red did come to his senses, it was to find that not only was his Innocence weapon activated, it was bolted to the wall. Jaw clenching tightly, Red disregarded the cutting pain and instead turned his eyes to the rest of his surroundings.

He appeared to be in some sort of… pocket dimension? It couldn't possibly be the real world. There was no end or beginning to the darkness, and his immediate surroundings consisted of walls covered in childish wallpaper, along with piles of porcelain dolls and other toys and candles floating listlessly. As for those who'd appeared to have joined him… Lenalee was completely out of it; dressed in a mauve gown and hair curled to perfection, she sat upon a thrown. The girl, Road, was encased in his own Exorcist coat while tending to Lenalee and… ordering Level 2 Akuma around?

Red couldn't believe his eyes.

"What fucked up nightmare have I entered?"

"Red!" Road squealed, abandoning Lenalee in favor of him and jumping into his lap.

At this point, Red had completely lost his cool. "The hell?! Get off me! What are you?! An Akuma?!"

"No, silly~," Road giggled, "I'm just as human as you!"

Red grimaced. "I'd sure as hell be daft to believe you."

"Aw, you don't believe me?" Road pouted and then sighed. "I knew I should've waited for you two to find the Innocence, but I was just so bored! But… if you two aren't around, it's not like I'll have any competition, right?"

Red scowled. "You're a seriously fucked up little girl."

"Well, that's not very nice~!"

"Yeah, whatever," Red muttered. "Now, are ya gonna tell me what the hell you are? Because I'm pretty fucking sure Akuma wouldn't obey any normal human," he spat, and with a pained shout, wrenched his metal arm out of the wall.

Road blinked, not appearing at all threatened by the claws raised in her direction. In the dim lighting, he almost didn't notice her skin becoming ashen and her eyes melting into a piercing gold. Her lips curled into a vicious smirk as she clamped a tiny hand onto his metal arm. "You're right," she murmured, "I'm not like you at all." With a sharp tug, she wrenched his claws down and ripped herself apart.

Red grimaced as she shoved her shredded face close to his, rasping out, "I am one of the true Apostles chosen by God, part of the Noah Clan. We are the descendants of Noah, the oldest Apostle in human history, and we inherited his genes. We are above you, sub-humans."

Red could only watch, fascinated as her face regenerated into its original appearance. So distracted was he, that he simply gasped in pain, coughing out blood as Road dug his own claws into his gut.

With a livid roar, Red shoved her aside, bending over breathlessly and clutching his bleeding torso. But Road merely burst into shrill laughter. "Shut the hell up," Red hissed, glower becoming fierce. Catching sight of it, Road actually paused, speechless. Scooting closer, she took his face in her hands before Red could protest.

"But maybe you're different," she whispered.

"Fuck you," he spat.

"I'm serious," Road whispered, "For a second, your eyes were just like mine."

A/N: No, this is not the part where he decides to join the Noah, lol. This is just the part where he catches the attention of the Noah.(; And yes, I purposely didn't include Lero, even though he's there in canon. I just seriously didn't need the stupid umbrella wailing in the background and ruining the mood. For real. Anyway, I'll be sure to update soon! For the time being, please let me know what you think! I'd love to hear your thoughts!^-^