I do not own D. Gray Man or any characters therein.

Porcelain Boy

Head Scientist Reever walked up the stairs from the new department to the main floor studying a large packet of files. He hated the new labs. They were damp, cold and poorly lit. How the hell were his men supposed to get anything done. Did those idiots at the Vatican not know anything about his delicate machinery?

No, that's not why I'm mad He thought. It's that bastard Rouvelier. Who the hell does he think he is ordering Walker to fight after test results like these, and ordering ME not to tell Komui or the others about the tests. Why did the Pope put such in ass in charge? He reached the top of the stairs and sighed. Note to self: have Jake install an elevator.

As soon as he walked through the doors he saw Allen himself. The boy seemed to be struggling to put on one of the sleeves of his coat while he dashed towards the cafeteria.

Sometimes I think food as all that really matters to those parasitic-types. Oh well...

"Hey Allen! Wait up." Reever yelled as he ran to catch up with the boy.

"Huh?" Allen turned to see the white coated man running up behind him and smiled. "Oh Reever-san. Hey I was just about to get something to eat, why don't you join me." Allen said with a smile.

He's acting as if nothing is wrong. This kid...

"Uh sure." The two walked side by side as the reached the cafeteria. Reever stood by patiently as the white haired exorcist ordered his typical inhuman amount of food.

I may not be able to do anything about Rouvelier's orders, but I can at least keep Walker from exerting himself too much. Maybe that will give me time to think of a way to save him. Reever nodded to himself as he walked up and placed his own table.

The older man quickly found a table and placed his food down before pulling out a chair for Allen. The boy smiled and nodded thanks, and began to eat. When they were finished, Reever looked up and sighed.

"Allen," he asked "you have been in the order for several months, but you have yet to have a day off. I'm a little bit ahead of my own work right now so why don't you just relax for the rest of the day. I'll file the reports from the Akuma attack for you. How does that sound?"

"Really? But Reever-san, why would you-" Reever slapped Allen on the back before he could finish his sentence.

"Don't worry about it. Go have fun. I'll clean up your plates." With that, Reever pushed the Grey haired door out of the cafeteria then turned to walk back to the table. When he got there Lenalee was waiting for him.

Something was very wrong. Lenalee had awakened early in the morning when she heard two voices going down the hall. She stuck her head out of her door just long enough to see that backs of Allen-kun and Inspector Rouvelier walking towards the science department.

The inspector was saying something about tests, but her brother didn't seem to know anything about it. On top of that, Allen never showed up for breakfast and she had just overheard Reever clearly lie to Allen while acting like he was a porcelain doll. She was going to get to the bottom of this.

She walked over to the Science Head's table while he was still shooing Allen out the door.

"Reever-san Would you walk with me for a bit?" She asked as he gathered up his things.

"I guess." Reever said with a perplexed expression as the two walked out of the cafeteria and towards the entrance of the base. "What's on your mind Lenalee?"

Suddenly she rounded on him and placed her hands on her hips.

"What's going on with Allen-kun?" She asked making her tone somewhat threatening She knew that a soft approach would likely cause the man to dodge the question.

"Nothing, I just thought he should have a day off and I-"

"You lied to him, and you waited on him hand and foot from the time you ran into him!

"I was jus-" Lenalee's eyes caught a subtle movement of Reever's hands as he tried to hide a stack of papers behind his back. She could plainly see the worry on the man's face as well as mouth working as if he was trying to decide how to answer her.

"Why would there be anything wrong with Walker-san?" Reever asked as he rubbed the back of his head with his hand.

"Don't lie!" She was angry and frightened now at the same time. something was going on, and the same man who had caused her nightmares was behind it. "I know Inspector Rouvelier did something with Allen-kun last night, what was it? Is he ok?"

As soon as he heard the words come out of her mouth Reever opened his mouth to speak, but he simply closed it and clenched his fists while he hung his head.

"That is none of your business Lenalee. Let it go and forget you saw anything." The man turned and began to walk away.

Lenalee stood there stunned. How could this be happening? Why wouldn't Reever just answer her, he had always been so friendly and caring towards her. It was all HIS fault that man from her nightmares was back. Now he was treating Allen-kun like a monster, and he obviously had something to do with the way Reever was acting. It was all too much something snapped inside and she activated her dark boots.

Reever was halfway back to the lab when he heard a booming sound coming from behind him. Before he had time to react, something had a hold of him and was pulling him to the door at an impossibly fast speed. He turned his head to see Lenalee who had grabbed him by his coat and was now carrying him up the main tower of the cathedral.

The two burst through the old wooden ceiling and continued to climb until London's buildings were mere specks below them. His hands and feet began tingling and his head grew dizzy as they finally came to a stop.

"Lenalee, what are you doing?!" Reever demanded as she held him there in midair.

The young exorcists grabbed him by his collar pulled him up to look her directly in the eye.

"Reever-san please, tell me what is wrong with Allen-kun! What has Rouvelier done to him? Is this about the 14th again? Tell me, what...?" Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at her long time friend.

Reever had had all he could take, that rat-bastard could take his "Vatican Orders" and shove them. The girl deserved to know what was happening to her comrade. He was just afraid of how the girl who defined her world as her friends would take it.

"It's not about the 14th," Reever finally said, "well...not exactly that's part of it. The real problem is Walker-san is dying Lenalee. His innocence is killing him."

"What!" Lenalee exclaimed with a confused look on her face. She was so startled by the news she nearly dropped the man. "I doesn't make any sense. How? Why? Why would Allen-kun's innocence be killing him?"

"I'll explain everything, but first could you put me down." Reever said in a patient tone as he watched his own sweat drip off his chin and drop fall to the ground far below them. "I have trouble thinking well up here."

Lenalee nodded and slowly lowered them both back to the ground. After Reever had time to compose himself he pulled out the medical reports and began to thumb through them.

"All parasitic-type innocence drain away their users' life forces, the result is that they don't live as long as the rest of us. Even still, Walker-san would have lived for decades assuming nothing else happened, but for him the process has been accelerated many times over. The problem isn't actually with his innocence-no more than with any other parasitic type at least. It is everything else that has happened to him. His cursed left eye, the essence of the 14th, being implanted in him, nearly being killed by the Noah, his innocence having to be re-formed, even pushing his sync ratio passed the critical limit-all brought about changes in his body. Every time he fights and gets injured or his Clown Crown gets damaged, it draws on more of his life force to grow more powerful and keep fighting. It won't let Walker-san stop until he's all used up."

Reever sighed as he clenched the report "The worst thing is Allen won't let himself stop as long as he is still alive. With the way Walker-san has pushed himself, he only has two or three couple of months left at most, and Rouvelier has ordered him to keep fighting. Your brother doesn't know about any of this, and neither do any of the others. I really don't know what to do."

Lenalee just stood there forcing her eyes closed and clinching her fists as though to pretend she wasn't hearing what Reever was saying. For a moment the science head wondered if he had done the right thing in telling her.

Oh man, it was hell getting her over the trauma of what Rouvelier did to her, but she cares more about her comrades then anything. BAKA! Anyone, you could have told Komui or Bookman or Johnny they could have helped you figure out what to do but nooo you had to tell Lenalee and create a whole new problem for yourself. Reever was just about to speak when Lenalee looked up at him.

"There has to be a way! Reever-san you can do anything! Tell me there's a way. Tell me there's a way we can save Allen-kun. There has to be!" Both her words and the expression on her face were urgent as she pleaded for him to do the impossible. His heart sank for her all over again.

"That's not fair Lenalee. I will not give up on him, but I no one can stop death. None of Walker-san's reports look good. I will try my best to come up with a way to help him, but for now you can't tell anyone about this. It will only cause more harm do you understand?"

She nodded and Reever let out a breath he did not realize he was holding. "I have a lot of work to do. Try not to worry, the bastard only ordered me not to tell Komui or you exorcists. Between Bak-san and I we will think of something." He smiled as turned and walked back to headquarters. By now Johnny and Jake would be wondering where he is.

He felt better now that he had reassured the girl that he would do his best. Now if only he believed his own words.