Disclaimer: Oops. I forgot to put a disclaimer in the first chapter. I hope none of you got the idea that I owned D Gray Man because of that, because I don't own D Gray Man.

A quick note, I am not one hundred percent on the spellings that people prefer to go with for all the characters' names. I think, for the most part, I went with what was listed on since I assumed that's what the majority of the fandom used. If anyone notices a poor choice in spelling, please let me know.

"Yes sir, of course you have a choice." The director of the traffic program informed the panicked driving instructor with a smile. "The two remaining cars-"

"I am very aware that the other instructors have been assigned to other cars, but surely there must be some way that I can perhaps trade with them. Just this one time." The man clasped his hands together in prayer.

"I'm very sorry, Mr. Arystar. Seniority rules." The man closed his book and walked toward his office. Mr. Arystar hung his head, muttering to himself in a particularly miserable tone.

"Come on, Krory!" Lavi cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted. "You know my record's a ton better than those losers'."

"Please call me Mr. Arystar, Lavi."

"Who are you calling a loser?" Debitto spat, arms crossed over his chest.

"Look's like you're not any more intelligent than your brother after all." Lavi shrugged and cocked his head to the side. "Anyway, we've even got a new student here, Krory. You can't just let the poor guy sit and rot with the director's stupid simulators for the rest o his life." Lavi put his hands on my shoulders. "Right, Allen?"

"Uh, well..." To be honest, I would be glad to never get in a car with Lavi. Or to be outside my house when he was in or near a car for that matter. I wasn't sure if I'd heard more stories about Lavi or the twins when it came to driving. The three in question had busied themselves with threats that almost rivaled Marian Cross's in the morning. Thinking of that man always brought a frown to my face.

"Enough!" Mr. Arystar shouted. "Lavi, Allen, let's go." He tossed opened the passenger's side door, defeated.

"What?" Jasdero and Debitto whined in unison.

"Good call, Krory my friend."

"I am not your friend, Lavi."

"Whatever you say, buddy." Lavi jumped into the driver's seat and started the car. Jasdero and Debitto had turned their attention to tormenting the director. There was no hope of a divine intervention, so I climbed into the back seat, buckled my seat belt, and wondered what prayers I should say.

"Today we will-"

"Express way driving?"

"No, Lavi. God help us if you ever get on a highway."

"Fine fine. We're supposed to cover all the basics of every day driving, though."

"Yes, I am aware."

"So then it would be best to go through a drive through." Lavi affirmed his own question with a nod then put the car in reverse. "Anyone hungry? I've got a craving for some McDonalds breakfast." I looked between Krory and Lavi, wondering if Krory was going to stop him.

"I'm going to lose my job." Those were his only words as he sat back in his seat. Lavi adjusted the mirrors, flashed me a grin, and stepped on the gas. The tires squealed as it blasted into motion. "Do you have to do that every time?" Krory asked, holding his head in his hands. "Speed limit, Lavi! You're going thirty over the speed limit!"

"No one's watching. Besides, I haven't seen a police man around here since the music room accident." Lavi took a corner so quickly that Krory and I both hit our heads against the window.

"Slow down!" Krory shouted, clinging on to the dashboard.

"It'll be fine. Besides, you've always got the emergency brake." Lavi adjusted the seat, steering the car with one hand and minimal attention.

"There is no longer an emergency brake." Krory cautiously sat back up.

"Oh yeah? Decided you trusted me after all?"

"Not quite. Debitto insisted on highway driving." I saw Krory's already pale face pale even more as he recalled the story. Lavi just laughed. Aside from the bump on my head, Lavi's driving did not seem too bad. At least, not compared to Cross, that was.

"You got your wallet with you, Allen?" Lavi asked, reluctantly slowing as he merged into traffic.

"Yes." I phished through my backpack and pulled it out.

"Mind lending me a couple bucks? I'll cover you next traffic." He turned into a McDonald's drive through, stopped in place for a while by the line of cars.

"Oh." I took twenty dollars from the wallet and handed it to him. "Here."

"It's the dollar menu, man. I'm not going to eat that much. Five should be enough for both of us." Lavi tried to hand the money back. After I told him my order, he rubbed the back of his head, nodded, and looked to Krory.

"I don't want anything but to be able to teach the lesson I was assigned to teach just once."

"No need to sulk, Krory."

"Mr. Arystar?"

"Yes, Allen?" It took him a moment to respond. I wondered if he was used to being called 'Mr. Arystar' by anyone. Somehow, he seemed like the kind of teacher to get bullied by his students.

"Would you mind if I ate in the car? If I spill anything, I'll be certain to clean it before it can stain." Krory stared at me, slack-jawed. "I could always-"

"He's not mad. He's just in shock. This is probably the first time anyone's asked him permission for anything, right, buddy?" The worker handed Lavi the bags of food, interrupting Krory's answer.

"Would you mind if-"

"Not at all!" Krory exclaimed and sat up a bit straighter in his seat.

"Thank you." I repeated the thanks when Lavi handed me my bag. My stomach growled as I opened the box of pancakes, the two sandwiches, and the hash-brown.

"You shouldn't eat and drive, Lavi." I spoke, barely understandable through the mouthful of food.

"We have to learn to drive like we're going to drive in real life." He answered, equally hard to understand. "You gonna drive without eating?"

"Probably not."

"Then you gotta practice." Lavi chugged half his soda, wiped his mouth on his sleeve, and returned his attention to the road.

"You missed out, Krory. That was delicious. Oops. Hold onto your luggage, folks!" Lavi called, gripping the wheel with both hands and turning sharply. By then, I only had half my second sandwich and my orange juice left, but I braced myself anyway. Lavi navigated the car between two semis. I sipped from my orange juice, unable to hear the sound over the roar of the engines. "Please keep all hands and feet inside the vehicle until we come to a complete stop!" Lavi had to shout to be heard. I laughed. Krory continued to cross himself and chant an inaudible prayer.

"You should pull into that parking lot." I pointed to an opening for a lot a few meters ahead.

"It's a one way."

"Closed until ten. You're fine."

"Good eye." Lavi pulled into the empty lot, circling until he got the speed back under control.

"Get out." Krory spoke, knuckles white as his face. "Give me the keys."

"Oh come on! It's only been-" Krory's expression silenced Lavi in mid-sentence. "Fine." He turned off the car and tossed the keys.

"You are lucky I am not allowed to leave you here. Get in the back with- Oh that's right!" Krory turned quickly, face full of concern. "Are you all right, Allen?" I swallowed the last bit of my sandwich. Krory's expression changed to a mixture of confusion and terror. "You... are unfazed?"

"We didn't collide with anything or come to a sudden stop." I explained, suddenly uncomfortable. "I can't really see any reason to be bothered." I spoke tentatively.

"See? He knows what he's talking about." Lavi wrapped an arm around my shoulder, taking a seat beside me.

"What kind of driving instructor did you have?" Krory asked rhetorically. "I am taking us back to the school."

"But Allen hasn't gotten a chance to drive yet! That's not fair, Krory-kins!"

"What did you just call me?" It wasn't a threat. It was a legitimate question.

"It's your nickname."

"No. No it is not."

"Whatever. Anyway, I want to see Allen drive."

"I want to see tomorrow. Conversation over." Krory held onto the keys more tightly as if concerned that Lavi would take them from his hand.

"Sorry, man. I didn't mean to cheat you out of your shot at driving." Lavi removed his arm from my shoulders and relaxed into his seat.

"Oh, that's fine, really. I have my license." Krory slammed on the brakes when I spoke.

"You..." He shook his head and started forward again, muttering to himself about never coming near a road again. Lavi started laughing again. I found myself unable to help but laugh too.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Lenalee." The girl offered her hand, a big smile on her face.

"Nice to meet you." I shook her hand.

"Don't encourage his formality crap, okay, Lenalee? He even calls Krory 'Mr. Arystar.'" Lavi feigned exasperation as he dropped onto the seat beside mine, contents of his lunch tray teetering dangerously.

"You know, I think he'd be a bit less stressed out if you'd stop picking on him so much." Lenalee chided.

"What's the beansprout doing here?" I recognized Kanda's voice in an instant.

"My name is Allen." He sat across from me, only glaring in response.

"Not this again. What can you possibly have against him? He just transferred." Lenalee asked.

"I don't like him." Kanda answered, crossing one leg over the other.

"The feeling is mutual."

"Hmph. You say that like I should care."

"I can make you."

"Is that a threat?" Kanda asked, rising to his feet. Instantly, I moved to stand. Lenalee held Kanda down and, before I could make a move for it, Lavi held me in place too.

"Enough, you two! Is this going to be what every lunch period is like now?"

"I can see to it that it's not."

"Isn't that a kind of you, Yuu?" Lavi patted me on the shoulder. "But I think we all would prefer to keep Allen alive."

"Speak for yourself, Bookman. And never call me 'Yuu' again if you want to keep that tongue of yours." Lavi put his hands up in fake surrender. Thinking the ordeal was over, Lenalee released Kanda. The moment she did, we were at each other's necks.

"Stop it!" Lenalee shouted and made a move to grab one of us. Lavi put a hand up to keep her back.

"I don't think you want to get in the middle of that." Lavi warned. I had Kanda's jacket pulled half way over his head, mostly blinding him.

"You're less pathetic than you look." Kanda spat. "I thought you'd be dead by now." I coughed out a laugh. I would have done more, but the impact of Kanda's knee in my gut had knocked the breath out of me. Actions speak louder than words anyway, so I decided I'd act instead. If I can get him off his feet, I won't have a problem.

With Kanda unable to see, I decided to let him think he was gaining the upper hand by taking a step back every so often, keeping a firm grip on his jacket. I cannot wait to see him fall flat on his face! I stopped in front of a bench. At the same time, Kanda pulled the jacket the rest of the way over his head, throwing me off balance. I toppled over the bench, landing full force on my back, completely winded.

"Too bad you're more of an idiot than you look." Kanda scoffed, towering over me.

"Okay okay! We're done here." A man with glasses shouted as he pulled Kanda back. I got to my feet, coughing.

"Don't touch me." Kanda snapped and swatted the man's hands away. Kanda crossed his arms over his chest, scowling.

"Thanks, brother." Lenalee stepped up to the man I then assumed to be her brother.

"Nice save, Komui!" Lavi clapped him on the shoulder.

"Save? I-"

"Enough!" Komui held up a hand to keep me from saying anything more. "Both of you. My office. Now."

Principal Komui Lee suspended Kanda and I for the rest of the day. Following school regulations, we were not allowed to leave until our parent or guardian came to pick us up.

"Yes. Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am. No, I won't be calling again." Komui hung up the phone and looked to me, his face screwed up in irritation. "Any other phone numbers you'd like to try, Mr. Walker?" I averted my eyes and rubbed the back of my head.

"Want to try his work number?"

"I just did. His 'boss' told me to..." Komui stopped and cleared his throat. "Look, you're not leaving this school until Marian Cross comes in here and speaks with me."

"I mean no disrespect but-"

"Yes. You've told me he is hard to get a hold of." Komui put his head in his hands and sighed. He had spent the past hour picking up where his secretary left off, trying every number imaginable to contact Cross. After another four failed calls, he slammed the phone particularly hard. "Are you certain that this man exists?"

"Much to my dismay." I muttered under my breath.

"What was that?"

"Oh, um. I said yes. He is real." I could give him the number of a bar or two that could affirm his existence, though their stories may not be the most pleasant. Last time I'd mentioned his name in a bar, men in sharp suits jumped to their feet and started demanding to know where he was.

"Excuse me, Mr. Lee, but if you continue putting off your paperwork by trying to contact this young man's parents, you are only going to have more to do tomorrow." The secretary's voice interrupted Komui in mid-thought. I bit back the urge to deny any relationship with the demon of a man. Komui's demeanor changed. He looked more like a sulking child trying to avoid his homework than a principal. I covered up a laugh by clearing my throat and covering my mouth.

"You can work on your homework until I hear back from Mr. Cross." He left the office, despondent. I sighed and looked through my backpack. I had the books for the classes I would be missing, or well, at that point, they were the classes I had missed. The only class remaining was gym. I wonder if he's there. I mused, pulling out the syllabus for my English class. If I had any hope of making it through midterms, I would need to read through the selections for the Shakespeare unit on my own. Lucky for me, Lavi was more than willing to lend out one of his copies of the book. I hadn't taken him for the studious type, but that guy knew everything there was to know about history and literature.

"If you want to understand history completely, you've got to know the art and literature and music too. You get what people decide to document officially in the textbooks and all that, but you get the emotions and mindsets of the people from the arts. But hey, if you're comfortable just knowing what the textbook makers decided to let you know, go ahead and keep your head in those books. As for me? I'll pity you in my primary source room."

"Primary source room?"

"Well I guess it's got newspapers too, and those are more secondary kinds of sources. More biased. But whatever."

I laughed to myself and shook my head. Lavi got cooler every time I spoke to him. Much to my delight, that was often.

I wonder if he knows Tyki Mikk. I paused for a moment, finger on my book to keep my place. Lavi did seem to know everyone. And how do you propose asking him? Hey Lavi! There's this guy who set off the smoke alarm in order to talk to me in private. He kind of scares the hell out of me. Oh, and I also thought he was going to kiss me. His name's Tyki Mikk. You know him? I rolled my eyes. I was thinking too much into it. He was an upperclassmen messing with an underclassmen. It wasn't really that unique or thought provoking. Yet there it was, my second day at a new school, and I had played the lackluster scene through my head so many times that any mind reader would call me obsessed.

Hours passed before Principal Komui returned. The sun had set. Every club activity was over.

"Allen?" Komui had to call my name more than once to get my attention. I'd been too engulfed in the readings to take notice of much else.

"I'm sorry." I shut the book and lifted my head. "Did he ever-"

"You see, that's the problem..."

"Ah." I bit my lip. I shouldn't have expected Cross to stay in one place, even if we had only been living there for four days. And hadn't unpacked a single box. Other than the ones I had unpacked.

"Are you all right?"

"Huh?"

"Your expression looked... frightening." Komui adjusted his glasses.

"Ah, it's nothing. Just a bit tired." I rubbed my eyes and rose to my feet. When standing, I realized I had no idea where I was going to go after standing seeing as Komui was not allowed to let me leave the premises without Marian Cross, the bane of my existence. I shifted my weight uncomfortably. "To be honest, sir, I have no idea when he'll be back." I didn't know he was leaving to start with. "His occupation takes him out of town for weeks at a time." Whatever occupation that might be. The only thing he comes back with more of is debt.

"I see." Komui poked his head out of his office for a moment. "I have two choices then." He tapped his foot on the floor, looking thoughtful. "The first is to have you stay until Mr. Cross contacts me. Judging by the look on your face, that does not seem like the best option. Second..." He checked outside of his office again. "Grab your stuff and leave. Try to not let anyone see you. I don't need the superintendent breathing down my neck complaining about indiscrepancies."

"I will not tell a soul." I packed my books into my backpack.

"If this happens again, you will be sleeping in here until your... step father is it?"

"No, not quite."

"Uncle on your mother's side?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Cousin?"

"We're not related."

"So then you are adopted?"

"In a way."

"Then do you call him 'father?'"

"God no! I um... I mean that um, we do not particularly consider ourselves to be in a um, paternal type of relationship. He agreed to be my guardian until I turn eighteen." A day that truly can not come sooner. Komui cocked his head to the side, trying to come up with some sort of precedent he could compare this to. Comparing anything to Marian Cross was impossible. Unless, of course, one were to be comparing him to a demon or some hell-spawned creature.

"I see. At any rate, if I catch you fighting with Yuu or any other student for that matter, you will be in deep trouble. Understood?"

"Understood. Thank you very much. I apologize for fighting with Kanda. It will not happen again." On campus.

"I am glad."

I threw my backpack over my shoulder and hurried out of the office before he could change his mind.

My legs were stiff from sitting for so long. They were somehow both numb and sore at the same time. I stretched my arms over my head and yawned. The halls were dark. I didn't know the way to my locker well enough to want to try to find it.

I pushed open the back door of the school. If there were any security guards left in the front, I didn't want word of my leaving getting around the school. Komui had done me a favor. Besides, I was pretty sure that there was a shortcut to my house if I left from the back.

As I walked, I was surprised to hear people talking. I checked my watch. It was nearly eight. I shrugged it off and kept walking. There was always that one group of students that would hang around the school past reasonable hours doing only God knows what.

I would have kept walking had a familiar voice not caught my attention. Two, actually. Even if I could not make out the words, there was something to the way that Jasdero and Debbito spoke that gave them away. The other voices were unfamiliar. It's none of your business. Just go home. You're going to get lost on the way back as it is. It would be nice to be home before midnight. Despite my inner monologue, I found myself walking in the direction of the voices instead of the direction of my house.

"Are you lost, Allen Walker?" Before I was close enough to hear the conversation Jasdero and Debitto were having, one that seemed to be gaining intensity, I was spotted. "Or are you not done getting in to trouble today?" Seemingly from no where, Tyki Mikk appeared. I could hear the conversation going uninterrupted a ways behind him.

"Ah, no. I was just, about that." I forced a smile on to my face but avoided making any other movements. If I had a nervous habit, I did not want it to show itself now. "I think I hear two of my classmates. I had a question about class."

"Oh?" Tyki Mikk raised an eyebrow, eyes fixed on me. He watched my expression as if suddenly the words 'I am blatantly lying' would etch themselves into my forehead. I wanted to squirm under the weight of his gaze. My chest felt crushed by it. Instead, I called in to mind everything I had learned from my glorious childhood with Marian Cross. Lie. Lie well.

"Yeah. Midterm details." I shrugged and shifted my backpack to my other shoulder. "That is Debbito talking right now if I recognize his voice correctly." I pointed in the direction I assumed his voice was coming from. "Why would that be looking for trouble?" I asked both to play up my innocence and ease my curiosity.

"Interrupting a student council meeting is quite problematic." He answered, his voice at ease as always.

"Student council meeting? They're in the student council? Why are they having a student council meeting outside and after school hours?" I asked.

"Yes, they are. This meeting is special so it can't be held during school hours. That means, unfortunately, no school facilities are open." He explained, his voice relaxed but entertained. His explanation struck a chord and, for some reason, I found myself growing increasingly concerned, especially for the owner of the voice I did not recognize.

"If that's the case, I'll make sure to be quick. Thank you for letting me know." I stepped past him, but before I could get farther, he put a hand on my shoulder to stop me.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that. I could relay your question to them at the end of the meeting. If you give me your phone number, I can see to it that they contact you immediately." His smile broadened as he spoke. This affirmed my suspicion that something unnatural was going on just a few paces from where I stood. Irritation flooded through me, but I knew there was nothing I could do.

"Thanks." Despite my effort, my tone fell flat. His eyes lit with amusement at the notice. He pulled a pad of paper and pen from his jacket pocket and placed them in my hands.

"Not a problem." His fingers lingered on my left hand for a moment longer than the other. He rose an eyebrow but did not raise any questions. I wrote my cell phone number down and returned the items to him.

"Here." Jasdero's laughter was followed by conversation that was so close to audible that I swore I could almost understand it. I gritted my teeth. The voice speaking was the unrecognizable voice, and it was clearly distressed.

"Thank you." He read over my number before replacing the pad and pencil in his pocket. "What would you like for me to ask them?"

"Um, I guess just if any information has been released about it yet." I did not want Jasdero and Debbito to have my phone number. "It's not really one question. I can just ask tomorrow in class."

"Is that so?" He cocked his head to the side. "It would not be a problem." It was clear from the expression on his face that he knew that I didn't care about the information."

"Thank you for offering, but I will wait until tomorrow." I forced a smile to my face again.

"As you wish." Thunder clapped over head and a strong wind blew.

"I'd better get going. Thanks." I turned and retreated quickly. I'd be glad to be at my house.

"Would you like a ride home?" His voice came from directly beside me.

"Huh?" I was startled, caught off guard. I blinked then held my hands up. "Oh no, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? It would be a shame to get caught in this storm." He held his hand palm up. It hadn't begun to rain yet. I did not know if it would.

"I live close by, but really, thanks." I did my best to not quicken my pace. Eventually, there was some distance between us. It was then that he spoke.

"Allen?"

"Yes?"

"You're going the wrong way." He pointed toward a house with a blue rooftop. I flushed red.

"Oh, thanks." I turned around, certain that embarrassment was clear on my composure. As I walked past him, he smiled and held up a hand.

"Have a good night, Allen Walker."

A/N: And this brings us to the end of chapter 2. I hope to have another chapter up soon. More details about what the student council is, who is in it, and the like. And, of course, more development of Allen and Tyki's relationship.

See you next time!