A/N: And boom! Here's chapter two! Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and also to anyone who added the story to favorites or followed it! I hope you like this chapter, as well! I did some minor edits on the first chapter earlier today, but I don't think any of them were big enough that anyone would need to go back and reread anything.

Minor edits done on 01/18/15.

Disclaimer: I don't own DGM, obviously.

There was no time to speak further about Allen's odd behavior or that he didn't understand it himself. The ground beneath them shook, startling all of them.

"An earthquake?!"

"Okay, that proves it! We're still in the Ark!" Lavi yelled as Allen's eyes scanned the area; it remained untouched. Had the area they'd just left collapsed?

The talking pumpkin jumped in to answer Lavi. "Exactly, lero! This is just a room that hasn't been uploaded to the new Ark yet; it'll be gone when it's done, Lero!"

Hearing that, Allen couldn't just simply go, even if whatever was controlling him had already volunteered to do just that. "I'll stay, too, Kanda!"

That voice from before spoke to him even now. Its echoing laughter drowned out whatever Lavi had said. Who cares? All he is is ink on a page. Whether he dies today or tomorrow, no one will remember him. It taunted him, mocked him, but Allen did what he could to ignore it. He had to ignore it. It hurt too much to listen.

Allen didn't want to hear it.

"You guys should go ahead and find the door!" he said, looking to his friends. "We'll catch up!"

"The two of us together? You've got to be kidding." Kanda bit the words out, like the very idea of them fighting alongside one another repulsed him.

"Kan—"

Mugen came at him, stopping only a few inches from his face. "I said I'd kill him," Kanda muttered under his breath. Allen flinched as the blade slid past his face and cut several strands of his hair off. "Now get lost, or should I start on you first?"

The rest of their group backed off, Allen lifting his hands and showing his palms to Kanda. It was like he was trying to calm him down. Not that it worked. Kanda outright attacked them and they retreated to a safe location as he called out the name of one of his attacks and swiped his sword at him. While the others berated Kanda for attacking them, Allen was oddly quiet.

"Kanda," Allen started, looking back to the other Exorcist who met his gaze. That one word was effective enough to silence their friends. He was quiet a moment, giving himself time to digest the information collecting in his skull. Where it came from, he didn't know, but it could very well save his friend's life. "The Noah of Wrath... is capable of conducting electricity. If you cut him with your swords, you'll be burned."

Why did he know that? It left Allen feeling gross, like something had planted it there. Whoever that little voice in his head belonged to, they weren't simply controlling him. There were too many questions going unanswered. How did he know some of the things that he did? Why was that voice so familiar?

Don't you know the answer? It asked, laughing at him. You do, don't you?

Deep down, Allen did.

Its laughs became hysterical, bordering maddening. The way it echoed in his head made him want to scream, but he bit it back. He choked it all down so he could pretend nothing was wrong, like he always did. He ignored the splitting pain in his skull like his head was going to crack open. He'd been acting weird enough already. Even now, his friends were staring at him, wondering how he knew what he did. Would they hate him if they knew what he was?

He was neither enemy nor ally. Allen Walker was a memory and his curse ran far deeper than the mark on his face.

It was sheer luck that the Noah hadn't overheard them.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but you guys..." the Noah started, flexing his muscles and causing golden armor that reminded him of both lightning and thunder to wrap around him. "...Are noisy."

Whether Kanda had listened to him or not, he wouldn't know. He'd charged off without saying more. Allen barely bothered to yell at him over his shoulder. "Kanda, if you aren't right behind us, I'll make you regret it!"

"Sir Exorcists, there's another building this way!"

They entered it and they didn't look back. Crowley opened the door using the key, letting them through. They found themselves walking down a dark corridor, with little to talk about or do.

His friends kept casting glances at him. There was confusion and worry contained in those glances, but far more existed in Lavi's. It was so plain to see the suspicion that was carefully masked beneath concern that Allen wondered if he'd always been this good at reading people. ... No. The one who was good at reading people was him.

A deep frown slid down his face, his hardened gaze focusing too much on the floor instead of the way forward. He wore the look of a man who'd seen too much—done too much—and his friends didn't fail to take notice.

Allen Walker always smiled. His smile was cruel like the sun, rising no matter how bleak the situation was, but it bathed the world in its constant glow; it gave hope to his friends when they needed it. Now, it was like it was blinking out. It had set, just as the sun did each day.

Lenalee stopped to ask him if he was alright and he did what he could to alleviate her worries, but he could see it in the subtle dip of her eyebrows that she knew better. Just for her, he smiled. His lips curved upwards, but his eyes didn't even make an effort.

Lenalee knew.

They walked down the corridor in silence after that, no one wanting to further mention the ongoing issue of Allen's behavior. They wanted it to disappear, just as Allen did. They hoped it would, but he knew better. It was far too late. He was far too gone and he knew it.

They continued down the hall until Allen stopped, hearing something in the distance behind him. When he turned to look, he saw nothing, but he was sure he'd heard it. The sound of something cracking.

"Is something wrong, Allen?" Crowley asked. Everyone's eyes had been on him for the better part of their walk, so it was only natural that someone would notice he'd come to a dead halt in the middle of the corridor. Allen opened his mouth to respond, but as he did, he noticed something. Gray eyes widened a fraction and something he hadn't intended to say came out of his mouth.

"Scheisse!" he blurted the word out before he realized that he didn't even know what it meant. It was followed by a hand gesture that felt almost ingrained in him, like he'd done it a thousand times before. He swept his hand out, leapt backwards simultaneously and almost knocked down half his friends that were standing behind him. "Lehafsik!"

When he leapt back, Lenalee fell, dragging Crowley down with her when he tried to keep her from hitting the floor. The cracks spreading across the floor towards them came to an abrupt halt.

Surely he wasn't lucky enough for that to put an end to the download.

A moment later, the ground continued to crumble, reduced to a crawl compared to the speed it had been at beforehand. The edge of his lip twitched. "Persistance," he said with a small laugh. "I've always admired that trait in a woman."

Lenalee's head shot up to stare at him. "Allen, wha—"

"I suggest that you start running," Allen said, barely sparing her a glance before he flipped over the fallen Crowley with ease and continued in the direction they'd been heading, breaking into a sprint. He was a good distance away when the floor's collapse resumed its earlier speed, the cracking sounds picking up again. A man's shrill scream echoed down the halls and Allen couldn't help but snicker. Had they sat there until the ground opened up beneath them?

"Chaoji!"

The voice belonged to Lavi and Allen couldn't help but roll his eyes as he thrust his hand out behind him. This time, tendrils from his cape were sent flying past the group to grab the young man who was little more than dead weight. It was against his better judgment, but he still curiously found himself pulling the boy back to him.

He'd only just grabbed Chaoji's wrist and started pulling him along when an arm grabbed him around the shoulder. He almost jumped, head swiveling around to look at the offender. Suddenly, he was yanked forward, the arm still wound tightly around his shoulder. He hadn't even registered that his personal space had been invaded at all—or, more importantly, who was invading it—before they left the long corridor.

Entering another room that resembled an archive, they were flung to floor. Only Lenalee escaped the fate of hitting the cold, hard tile with far less grace than he would have preferred. Allen cursed as he wrenched himself off the floor, fixing his short, disheveled white locks.

Wait... Tugging at his hair, a small whine of despair escaped him, earning him looks from his companions. Staring down into the reflective tiles that made up the floor, he continued to touch and tousle his white hair. "What did you do, Goody Two-Shoes? Who said you could cut it?" He crouched down to get a better look, inspecting a single lock of his hair. "Ahh, what's with this color? It's like dirty snow..."

His lips puckered into a small pout.

"No wonder no one recognizes me..."

He stood up, ignoring the questioning looks of his companions—or trying to, rather. Ignoring people became very difficult when one of them decided to cling to his arm and bat her long eyelashes at him. There were precious few people allowed in his personal bubble without his express permission beforehand and she was not one such person. Beneath long, white lashes, he cast her a look of disdain, as if trying to will her to unhand him. It didn't work.

"Allen..." she said, looking him straight in the eye. "You're acting strange again."

"Strange?" he repeated before he cracked a smile. "I'm not acting strange. I've always been this way. I understand that Goody Two-Shoes was different, but that has little to do with me."

Even though all their gazes were on him, it took a full minute for anyone to open their mouths after he'd spoken those words, as if they were having a hard time processing what he'd said. It was Lavi who finally found the guts to voice the question they'd all been thinking. "Who are you talking about when you say 'Goody Two-Shoes'?"

Allen opened his mouth to answer, but his chance to explain was stolen away by a newcomer appearing in the room—or two newcomers, rather.

"Yo, Exorcists!" A voice from the column in the center of the room demanded there attention. Allen scowled, irritated by their interruption, but didn't even bother to look up at the two intruders. "I'm Devit."

He gestured with his pistol to his blond counterpart. "And I'm Jasdero!"

"And together, we are—"

"Jasdevi," Allen said without even a hint of humor. Like insects, their eyes bugged out. "Really? That's it? I was guessing."

He swept a few stay strands of white hair out of his eyes, crossing his arms as he kept his eyes away from them. The assortment of books on the shelves interested him far more than these half-wits. "W-Well, aren't you a good guesser, then?!" Jasdero shouted down to him, jumping up from where he was previously lounging with the person Allen could only assume was his brother.

"No, it was just extremely obvious."

Their cheeks puffed up like little balloons. Wouldn't it be amusing if he popped them, too, like he'd done the Earl lookalike earlier? Though there wasn't even a snowball's chance in hell that he'd be that lucky.

"Lord Jasdevi, what about your job?!"

"Shut up," they said, gesturing their guns at the umbrella as if they were considering shooting him. He'd applaud them if they did, honestly. That pumpkin was grating on his last nerve and it showed no sign or interest in being anything other than a pain in his backside. "Right now, we can't help being pissed off!"

"Allen Walker!" Allen looked at them, but his disinterest only seemed to fuel their already bad mood. "You're annoying and Cross pissed Jasdevi off! So we'll make you pay!"

Allen smirked then. "Oh?" They called out the name of some attack and Allen practically spun out of the way, moving more as if he were dancing than dodging.

"Allen!" He raised a hand and Lenalee went quiet. Dark eyebrows dipped lower, making deep creases on her forehead; it made her far less attractive than she actually was.

"Do tell, Jasdevi. Cross has pissed you off, has he? What has he done this time, hm?" They jumped from their place on the column in the center of the room to flank him. His smirk turned into a sinister, teeth-baring grin. They aimed and fired, Crown Cloak wrapping around him like a shield to protect him from the brunt of the attack.

"The student should pay the master's bills!"

As if he couldn't take care of himself, someone from the sidelines called out to him again. He ignored them, more worried about the battle unfolding in front of him than their unnecessary concerns.

Allen raised an eyebrow. "Stude— Oh," he said dismally, his face falling as if he'd remembered something unpleasant. That's right. He was supposed to be his student, wasn't he? "The two of you must be the ones looking for him, then. I trust that child is fine if you're coming to me instead."

Crown Clown lashed out, sending the two of them crashing into opposite walls. Books fell from the shelves where the twins collided with them. Allen stepped back, nearer to his companions as his trained eyes watched for even the slightest of movements behind the clearing dust.

"Allen!"

Heaving a deep sigh, he glared at the speaker through the corner of his eye. "Please stop shouting that before I get tired of hearing it, would you?"

Lavi eyed him. "What's wrong with you, Allen? It's like you're another person entirely." Allen smiled softly, but did what he could to hide the twinge of remorse that he felt. He could feel the bonds that Goody Two-Shoes had formed; he could feel the attachments that he had felt. They melded with his own, mixing together like two different soups poured into the same pot. Put together, they made no sense, yet the damage was already done; there was no reversing it.

"I suppose there's some truth in that."

"Whatever the problem is," Lenalee said, her hands closing over his own. "I'm sure we can get through it together!" He met her gaze and his lips twisted into half a smile. Even if they wereall irrevocable idiots, the part of him that had forgotten everything had made good friends.

He licked his lips tentatively, trying to think of a simple way to explain what was happening to him—to the person that they'd known just a couple of hours ago.

They wouldn't understand, no matter what he said. It was hard enough for him to understand, but to them, he would be the one who'd taken the Allen Walker that they'd known away from them and nothing else.

"This isn't a problem that can simply be fixed, I'm afraid," he said, looking her in the eye. "This isn't 'change'; it's remembrance. My memory was stolen from me. The Allen Walker you knew used my name and filled in the blanks. I'm simply taking back what has always been mine."

"What...?" she asked as he brushed her hands off him. Allen tried to go back to the fight at hand; he tried to ignore her, but she jumped up and grabbed his long, white cloak with both of her hands. "Allen!"

He looked away from her and her tear-filled eyes. Annoying little girl didn't know when to sit down and shut her mouth like a good child. The more he explained, the harder it would be for her and the rest of her friends. Did she not understand that?

"None of this is any of your conce—" He was cut off when she slapped him across the face. The loud smack echoed off the walls and the whole room fell into a stunned silence.

Who was the last woman who'd had the audacity to slap him like that?

"We're friends!" she screamed at him, tears dripping down her cheeks and her face scrunched up, eyes reddening more and more with each passing minute. What was supposed to be a pretty face had been made hideous through her tears. Even the twins had gone quiet at the display and stopped moving, waiting to see what would happen next. Maybe they were wondering if the Exorcists would turn on and kill each other. Now wouldn't that be entertaining?

Like something had finally snapped, Allen broke into peels of laughter, stumbling back from the other Exorcists as they stared at him with a mixture of concern, confusion and contempt. They worried because he was their "friend", but they couldn't help resenting him each time he cut one of them down with his words.

He hunched over, tears of mirth threatening to spill over as he collapsed onto his knees. "U-Us? Friends?" he managed to say between his laughs as he covered his mouth with his long, clawed fingers. When his laughter subsided, he met her gaze and was finally able to acknowledge her and their other companions' shock. "I don't even know you."

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Lavi finally shouted at him, glowering at him with his single green eye.

"Me?" he asked incredulously. "I just told you! That boy never existed in the first place! He was a bad patch job on broken memories!"

There was a small silence as they took in what he said, recoiling when he raised his voice at them. He knew what Goody Two-Shoes had been like. Every one of his memories was becoming his own. Had that boy ever raised his voice at them?

From memory, it was mostly that samurai princess that he'd yelled at. No wonder they looked at him as though they'd been slapped, even though he was the one with an angry, red mark across his cheek.

"I-I don't understand, are you saying..." The vampire finally spoke up for what seemed to be the first time that afternoon.

"So it can speak!"

"So you're not Allen, then?" Lenalee asked, staring at him with those violet-colored eyes of hers. She was confused, scared and probably at lease a little angry; he couldn't blame her. The others bore similar reactions and he couldn't blame them, either. Some of them were sad, others were angry All of them were shocked, but most of all, they didn't know what to think. None of it was easy to explain and it was even harder to understand.

"I am Allen, as I have always been. I just remember now is all."

"You remember what, exactly?"

The redhead's question was answered with something akin to a smile. Allen said, "Everything. ... Well, maybe not everything. It's piecing itself together, like a puzzle. Some of the fragments are missing, but for the most part, everything is coming together. ... It's a little disorienting."

He paused for the shortest of moments and when he continued, he was speaking another language. "I'll explain later."

"What language is that?" Chaoji asked, but Allen didn't answer, nor did he look at him. Even if the others stared at him in confusion, the person he was speaking to had the opposite reaction. A single green eye widened and his mouth fell open, but Lavi was quick to hide the signs that he'd known exactly what Allen had said. The redheaded nodded and Allen found his lips tilting upwards in a subtle smile. At the very least, this understudy was smart enough to know when to shut the hell up and stop asking so many damn questions.

"Well!" He turned back to the twins who hadn't attacked them for some reason. Curiosity, most likely. "Thank you for waiting so patiently, you two! As a reward... Well, I'd like to stay and play with you for a little while, but I'm quite anxious to see Joyd again—and teach him a little respect after what he did earlier." He huffed, remembering the man slamming their foreheads together.

It had been a rejection, as far as Allen was concerned and he didn't take rejection well at all. Anyone who knew him could confirm that. Of course, most of the people heknew were dead or otherwise unreachable, but that was irrelevant in the larger scheme of things. Nobody was asking for confirmation, anyways.

Once the words were out of his mouth, he found two guns shoved in his face. Anyone else would've been surprised, but him? No, this was exactly the type of behavior that he'd expect from brats like these two. It was such a shame. After waiting so long for the Exorcists to finish gabbing, he was starting to think they might actually have manners.

His smile widened and a soft hum escaped his throat.

They pulled their triggers in unison and Allen could hear the faint click of an unloaded gun being fired. "Purple bomb!"

The explosion went off in his face, but there was no pain. He coughed once, then twice, then a third time before the purple smoke finally cleared. The twins were nowhere to be found.

"A-are you okay, A— Um..." Lenalee started to ask, but stopped when she started to say his name, her hand freezing halfway to grabbing his arm. It was sweet, seeing how much these people cared for Goody Two-Shoes, but he couldn't dwell on it; he had a duty to adhere to and his own attachments were woven far deeper into his heart than the lingering feelings that Goody Two-Shoes had left him with. Even if he hadn't wanted to take it all away from the boy, it wasn't as if he had a choice. His memories were piecing back together on their own and there was nothing he could do about it short of shattering them again. Not that that would do either of them any good.

Clicking his tongue with annoyance, he glanced back at the small entourage of Exorcists, examining the purple markings now present on their faces. "You've got something on your face there, Ravioli."

"... Ravioli?"

"That's your name, isn't it?"

"It's Lavi."

Congratulations on receiving a nickname as equally stupid as 'Beansprout'. "Lavioli, you've got something on you're face there." The redhead sighed in response and Allen couldn't help but be a little disappointed by the boring reaction.

"Yeah, well, so do you."

Allen looked down into the reflective surface that was the floor and his own face greeted him. He was right. As if the one scar wasn't enough, he had something like a mask imprinted over his face. Whatever it was supposed to do, it was ugly as hell and he was already eager to be rid of it.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed!