Lenalee breathed in the fresh spring air. After a long cold winter, the sight of fresh green buds was a welcome sight. Dressed in her favourite black boots, nicknamed the "dark boots", and her riding clothes, she made her way across the manor lawn to the stables.

"Lenalee, wait up!"

Lenalee turned with a smile to greet one of her best friends, Road Camelot. Road's clothes were slightly more girlish, but they were also suitable for riding.

"Let's go have some fun!" Road chattered happily, smiling back at her friend.

As they entered the stables, Lenalee glanced back at her manor house. Without her brother around, the place was quieter and more peaceful. Lenalee lived there with her servants and ladies-in-waiting, of which Road was one.

Though not of royalty, Lenalee and her brother Komui were of high birth and part of Innocence's upper society. Komui had been the steward of Innocence for several years since the death of Allen's parents. Lenalee always wondered what had possessed General Cross to invite someone as unreliable as her brother to run a country, but she had to admit that despite his faults, Komui had done a good job of keeping Innocence moving.

And despite Komui's various faults and the disturbances he often caused with some crazy new invention – that never worked – Lenalee loved her brother and missed him when he wasn't around. It was hard, with him living in the capital and her living in another city a few days travel away.

As she and Road led their horses out of the stable, Lenalee thought happily about the upcoming trip to Innocence City, where she would get to see Allen and Lavi, her two other best friends. Of course, Road would be coming too. Lenalee anticipated the happy days ahead, spending time with her three best friends and laughing. She felt like she hadn't laughed for a long time, as she hadn't seen her friends since the autumn as the roads were too dangerous to travel in winter.

"Thinking about Allen-chan?" Road asked slyly.

Lenalee blushed faintly. "Just thinking about the time we'll all get to spend together this spring."

Road laughed, with a slightly even tone. "Oh yes, it's going to be a lot of fun this spring."

"You shouldn't terrorise Allen too much." Lenalee laughed happily as they mounted their horses. "After all, he has to put up with Komui, General Cross, and Lavi all year round. Having you there for a few months a year just makes it worse!"

"What?" Road looked wounded. "Allen's fun to play with!"

That sounds creepy. "I miss them."

"Then let's go for our ride and then get packed and show up a few days early!"

"But that would be rude…"

"So? They're our friends! It's Allen-chan, he won't mind."

Reassured, Lenalee urged her horse into a canter. "I suppose you're right. Hyah!"

"Che." Of course he would go. There wasn't a question about it. He didn't have to like it, but as a knight of Innocence it was his duty to protect the prince. And he didn't appreciate having his abilities doubted by the man who acted like he was Kanda's father.

"Now, Kanda, I hope you appreciate the seriousness of this situation. It is highly likely the Earl will make a move this year. I'm sending you, as my best pupil, to protect Allen Walker, the prince."

I know who Allen is, Kanda thought angrily. Why did this man sound so patronising whenever he talked to him? Did he doubt Kanda's intelligence?

"General Cross is in charge of Innocence City. You should report to him as soon as you arrive. Is that all understood? You can leave as soon as you're packed. It should take you three days to get there."

"I'm already packed." Kanda's voice was flat. He couldn't wait to get away from General Tiedoll. He might be a General of the army, and Kanda respected him, but he didn't like the way the General treated him like a son.

It was true that Kanda didn't know who his parents were. They had abandoned him as a young child whilst crossing the border into Innocence. There, General Tiedoll had found him, and along with several other kids, had taken Kanda in as his apprentice and "son".

Kanda hated that feeling of "family", as he hated many things.

Truthfully, though Innocence was a place of people from countries all over the continent, Kanda had always felt like an outsider. He didn't fit in.

Unlike the other knights under Tiedoll's command, he didn't have the rather typical masculine face. Several times, passing merchants had called him "lass". Some of the other knights even teased him by calling him "girly-face". It didn't help that he wore his hair long in the tradition of the Japanese samurai, a school he had trained in for several years.

Yes, Kanda was an outsider. It was something he was proud of. He liked his solitude. In many ways, he lacked all the qualities knights were renowned for. He wasn't a "people-person" and had to be hard pressured before he would go out of his way to help another. He didn't have any close friends – or indeed, any friends.

Not that he wanted any. Kanda was perfectly happy on his own.

Kanda picked up the small suitcase that he had packed his things in. He didn't have many clothes or personal items, just a spare change of clothes. The suitcase contained bandages for the wounds Kanda knew he would sustain.

General Tiedoll was in charge of the border patrol of Innocence, tasked with keeping out enemies – though there were none, bandits and smugglers often traversed the border – and stopping illegal immigrants. As Kanda was one of Tiedoll's knights, Kanda often spent weeks on end traversing the country's borders, fighting with bandits and agents of the Earl.

Kanda was fiercely proud and always finished a battle. He never backed down once a fight had begun, and that pride had often caused him to be injured. Luckily for Kanda, he healed fast. Some of the other knights, such as Daisya, found his "fight to the death" tactics irritating.

"See ya, Yuu!" Daisya called out from the battlements as Kanda passed out the gates of the fortress that was General Tiedoll's home ground.

"Don't call me that," Kanda muttered, because it would have been undignified to shout it back to the knight that considered him a "friend".

The forests surrounding Tiedoll's fortress were large, thick, and full of bandits during the autumn trading season. Kanda didn't doubt that he would be able to deal with anything he found in there.

But still, he touched the hilt of his katana Mugen for reassurance. It never hurt to be prepared.

Kanda gave himself a little self-satisfied smile. Finally, his talents had been recognised. Finally, he was given a task that might just test his abilities – protecting the prince of Innocence.

A/N: yes, I know that Road and Lenalee aren't really friends. But I like them both. And it's AU. So deal with it. I also feel I should let you know that this Yullen will be more shonen-ai than yaoi. All the same, enjoy!