Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray Man in any way, all credit goes to Katsura Hoshino.

Summary: On the night Allen is forced to leave the Order, he comes across a secret hidden in the depths of the Ark. Now, hunted by the Noah and considered an enemy by the place he once called home, he has to search for the truth... The truth of Mana, Neah and himself, where did he come from and who he is. Uncovering a web of illusions and doubts, Allen still moves forward. It is what he promised to do, after all... But what do you do in a war, when you feel like you don't belong to any side?


"There is no greater sorrow than to recall happiness in times of misery" – Dante Alighieri

Act Three – Of Memories and Demons

The first days dragged by in the manner of a long dream from which there was no waking up.

In the first morning after their arrival in that town, as his mind reached consciousnesses, Allen had had a second of peace... In retrospect, it had felt longer than that due to the relief it carried since, in that moment, he had truly believed himself to be in the dungeons of the Order, to be home… Until reality had bloomed in his mind once more, a flower that had closed its petals as Allen slept (only when his body had finally been defeated by exhaustion and the boy was well aware that the same applied to Raz).

The events of last night had come back to his mind and he didn't know if he would rather be in the inn or back in the dungeons, before all that had happened… Link lying in the floor… Apocryphos… The pain caused by those white feathers… Tyki putting Road on his arms… The face of Lenalee, scarred by tears…

"I'm sorry..."

Only the sensation of an objective pushed him to carry on as he remembered of his promise to Mana. To keep going on… Always forward. This had accompanied him for years and so it would until his death.

He had to hold on to it.

It was the only thing that still made sense.

The only thing he could do.

But he couldn't remember it being so hard. The desire of just remain in bed, to hide himself from the world and just stay there, still and in silence, was far too great...

It was despair such as he had never tasted before, even when he had lost his Innocence.

Still, Allen had tried to focus himself on what to do and after a bath, he had gone out with Raz, both walking around the city, searching for bars and cheap stores. They spent the day like this until, by the sunset, they headed back to the Inn… And the day after was the same, in the manner of a pattern being weaved into shape. And it was enough, for the days felt longer with that numbness that wouldn't leave him.

The card games helped, for they demanded attention and acted as weights, a mental help that forces the mist away. The objective of getting money enough to get ready for a trip (though he still didn't know where to) distracted him as well… And there was Raz, as well.

While they had talked and made a small list, seeing ways to calculate their gains of the day and dividing it between the Inn and a saving for their needs, there was also the issue of her memories.

Now it was the seventh day of their stay and the Noah hadn't made any questions regarding him.

Allen had soon got the sensation that Raz really didn't believe his story, but had merely accepted it due to the current condition… Maybe she was waiting him to tell her everything eventually or maybe she was more concerned with learning (or re-learning) about the world to which she had woken up to, as empty as a doll.

As the boy had imagined, there was knowledge that she had somehow retained, but there were also many things of which nature she had virtually no idea of. When they entered a bar, she always took a seat near him and watched the game, very quiet, but during their walks the girl would sometimes ask for explanations about things she saw or heard. One of those times had been when they had visited the local train station as Allen wanted to note the tickets' prices, only to Raz to reveal she had no idea of what a train even was.

It also wasn't unusual for her to stop by or spy stores with the corner of her eyes.

So Allen also had several things to explain to her about and it was another welcomed distraction. And when they were not dealing with such explanations, they would talk about plans, their shopping or even the most frivolous of subjects... Although he couldn't be certain, Allen was under the impression that such topics were just as welcomed by Raz...

Until now, the Noah girl had displayed no signs of violence.

"That's for now, but what if her memories come back suddenly?" He wondered by the nightfall of the second day, lying in bed, aware that she, either due to her own thoughts that chased away dreams or reasons unknown, was seated on the windowsill. The return of her memories didn't seem to be about to happen, at least not anytime soon, however… And when they did? What would happen? Would she attack him or just leave to find the other Noah?

Allen had decided that there was nothing he could do regarding this. He couldn't very well just abandon Raz all alone, it wouldn't be right in her current state… And if she did end up remembering and attacking him… Well, then he would fight and run away. With this idea, Allen tried to hide the thought deep in his brain… The situation was enough to deal with without having to focus in such hypothesis.

However, he was right about one thing: Raz wasn't sure if she believed him or not.

On a side, there was physical evidence that neither she nor the boy were what could be considered "normal". His left arm (hidden under old bandage-like cloths that he had asked the inn's owner for), his star-like shaped scar that went down in a fine line across his face, were enough to attract gazes from strangers and some men would comment on it, especially when inebriated by either the game or whatever it was they used to drink at such times… And she, who hadn't forgotten how the true color of her skin, under the white of now, was actually of gray ashes forgotten in a fireplace.

Not that the girl had ever took on that appearance again.

Yes, they were not… Normal. But Allen hadn't said a word about himself or more details about the "Noah", whatever they were... And it wasn't as if she didn't have any questions; often the temptation of asking for more information in order to create some more solid sensation inside her had danced in front of her eyes in a sadistic way, so much that the echoes of its laughing seemed too real even if it was merely inside the void she still felt.

But Raz had held back. It wasn't just because she wasn't sure she believed a thing that Allen Walker say or not… It was all so confusing that she had found it better to keep her attention in asking about simpler things, trying to get out of the maze she was in first before going to such topics.

For now.

"What about those shirts?" She suggested when seeing a table with some garments of different colors and types under a sign of "special sale" in one of the clothes stores that they had found.

"They seem good" The boy answered, picking a white one to examine it. They were simple, not very different from the one he was wearing, though he would rather have something with long sleeves. The cloths on his arm weren't bad, but he needed a more practical thing.

"Didn't we see some gloves yesterday in that other store down street?" She remembered when he voiced the thought. Her voice was still low and he wondered if that quiet quality was due to lack of use or if it was normal in her. "There was a pair that went up to the elbows" Until now, they had gotten shoes (for her), two backpacks that were actually pretty resistant, besides two changes of undergarments. Even so, Raz had chosen to keep the white suit that she had been wearing when Allen found her.

The white-haired boy hadn't inquired about the reasons behind it and Raz discovered she was grateful for this. Even she didn't know why, it wasn't as if the strange suit held any meaning to her, even in the most basic instinctual levels of nerves and emotions.

"We could take two" Allen commented, observing the tag price and thinking about the amount they had saved to the day's spending and turned to her with incentive. "Pick one for you too"

Raz observed the options for an instant. Allen had already noticed that, most of the times she had to make a similar choice, the first reaction was of... Hesitation. At least it was the better term available, in his opinion.

"How must it be like?" He wondered, studying her. "To not remember anything besides your name? No favorite colors or places?" The idea, one he had been giving more attention after meeting Raz, disturbed him, a harsh touch under his skin and between his flesh. How would it be if he forgot Mana? Or Lavi and Lenalee? Or everything about himself?

A cold shiver was born in his nerves and echoed in his blood.

And even now, the memories of them were sources of warmth and coldness at the same time. There was the love he felt for them, the happy moments they had shared and the comfort of their friendship... But all of this was tainted by whispers of fear that they would hate him, seeds of doubt that threatened to grow and worse, an empty space inside him that caused such a pain that it was almost physical: He missed them.

"Just... Just take the one you like the most" He tried suggesting in a gentle tone, as he had no idea of how to deal with a situation such as this and thought he would never get used to it. As for Raz, she detested that sensation of not knowing herself. Even if she did try, it was still too early for her to be able to remember (or even develop) any sort of preferences. In a sense, all the colors looked the same, nothing about them had any effect or looked better than the others, so she just randomly picked a bluish one. Allen nodded.

"It matches your eyes a bit"

Upon leaving the store, the sunset's light touched their faces as it spread through the streets. The afternoon's breeze carried the promise of night's coolness. A woman passed by them holding hands with a small blonde boy that laughed, holding a sack with breads to his chest.

Typical end of day, a calm noon approaching twilight…

But both of them felt apart, their bodies covered by an invisible layer that distanced them from all that.

"Allen…" Raz started, arranging the bag on her hand. "When we were in that bar yesterday…" The boy nodded. "Why didn't you keep betting with that man?" Raz had realized right in the first games the obscure aura that Allen emitted in those occasions and until now, he had lost not even a single time, so his refusal to keep going had been a bit of a surprise that she couldn't understand.

Allen remembered. The man in question had been a black-haired one whom Allen had gamed against until he had called the quits, despite the man insisting that they kept playing and showed more notes that he was willing to bet, waving them in his hand. Despite the amount being reasonable, Allen had been unmovable and ignored the screams being thrown to him as he left; a mix of pleads and provocations.

Allen knew that type.

"That man… You saw him, he lost several rounds and still wanted to go on? By his state, he would end up betting more than he could or should." It wasn't a supposition. Part of what made a great player was to know the opponent and, in this point, Allen had good observation skills and could read others with easiness. There were several types of players, some categories intercrossing, and he had recognized which one the man belonged almost in the hour he had taken a seat.

A shrugging from Raz that, more than her face, expressed she wasn't following exactly. Allen shook his head, not entirely sure that she really didn't comprehend or just didn't care… But his bets were in the first option. Though her face was a mask of unchanging serenity, as the muscles no longer knew how to move according to emotions, he could catch glimpses in her eyes.

"In this business, you end up hearing all kinds of stories or even being witness of some… I've seen people betting all the money they had and losing it all. You know what they did then?"

"They went back home…" It was the most logical action, but Allen seemed to find it amusing.

"That's what you would expect, but no. They still tried to bet more" He turned his gaze forwards, remembering. Some meters in front, sitting in a bank, two girls chattered happily. "Once, some years ago, I was watching a group… Evaluating my changes and waiting for the moment" He added. "And one of the guys insisted in betting the engagement ring of his own daughter… Do you get what I mean?"

Raz blinked.

"If I'd accepted that, he would end up betting more than he should… More than he had even" It was clear that someone else could easily take up the challenge (especially with the easy win), but Allen refused to take part in which could very well lead to someone's fall. After winning the last game, he had even told the man that he should go home and call it a day, but he had been ignored.

"Where did you learn to play like this after all?" The girl asked shaking her head, the movement making the dark hair shiver on her back. "You never lose."

"Because I cheat." The boy explained without blinking and would have laughed, but the idea still made his body dry inside. Raz blinked twice, lifting her eyebrows a little, though she was a little surprised, for she had never thought that Allen would be really able to do something considered "wrong", even if she had seen how different he was when playing cards.

"I've learned when I was younger" The boy told as they entered the inn and waved to the keeper before going upstairs. Without turning back, Allen carried on. "My master was always leaving his bills in my name or would vanish before collectors appeared. So it ended up with me having to deal with a way of paying for it"

Raz wanted to ask who this "master" Allen mentioned was (and master of what?) but allowed it to be nothing more than a wish. He took his copy of the room's key. The sheets on the beds had been changed, but besides that, the only difference was the backpacks resting near the window. At first, he had thought about keeping the new clothes in the closet (no matter how little they had), but had changed his mind… No matter how much he wanted to push the matter away, truth was they were in a constant risk of being found by the Order or the Noah at any moment.

Once more, Allen felt the hold of cold claws in his soul becoming stronger. Would that sensation ever go away someday? Would there be an hour, a second even, when he wouldn't hurt that way?

"At first…" He started again fast, unaware that the cadence of his voice was slightly out of the rhythm, but Raz noticed. "I was just learning to control better my left arm…" In the circus, always with gloves to hide it and with the deformed fingers, he didn't use it as much as his right arm. Not to mention how Cosimov used to… No, that was a snake in his mind that he didn't want to disturb.

"So, with time I learnt some tricks and, well, here I am!" He turned after leaving the bag at the side of the backpack. "When I play, it's to win! Cards are always ion my favor, so if you're going to play against me, be ready to lose!"

"I'll keep that in mind" Raz nodded, that serene, almost flowing-like tone of always. "Well… Then remind me to never try to play against you, will you?" That if she even came to learn someday. Allen had explained some rules and some games and offered himself to teach her a bit, but Raz had ended up realizing she would rather watch the games than to take part.

For an instant, the remembrance of the battles in the Ark tore his mind apart. When he had fought against Tyki, he had told him he would rather have that all that was nothing more than a poker game, where no one had to die… He felt as if that memory was older than it actually was, almost as if coming from another life. The snow of worries and other events had buried it, speeding the process of aging it.

He tried to bury it once more.

"Allen?" Raz called, head a bit tilted to the side. The muscles of his face moved, controlled by mechanical cords and he smiled.

"If that happen someday, I'll remind you, leave it to me" There was almost a double sense in that, in the case of Raz someday decided to fight him. Allen ignored that thought as well. There were more important things to deal with and he went to one of the backpacks, picking some notes tied together and took others from the pocket.

"Well, we had a good gain… There is a bit left from shopping, too." He made calculus in mind. They had enough to pay for two train tickets and a bit more for eventualities. "Do you think we need more clothes? What else there is in the list?"

"I'm not sure… We haven't bought any food yet" Raz commented as she read a small piece of paper with some words risked in the firm writing of Allen. They exchanged looks… The reason they hadn't done a thing about that particular item was because they hadn't even decided where to go… And the idea birthed tension in them, for the most varied reasons.

"Do we really have to go? Why can't we stay here?" She thought of sudden, thought the idea sounded strange and pale, not receiving the nutrients of true will. She wanted to discover who and what she was and how would that ever happen if she stayed in that city? "Will I ever remember?"

A question without answer, but to which she had gave a lot of thought (especially in the silence hours of the night where she found no rest and thoughts dragged around her mind as worms devouring her sanity) and had decided it wouldn't be any good to remain still, waiting. In a way or another, she would seek answers.

Allen could be lying… Or telling the truth.

But even if that's was the case, he hadn't told her all the truth yet.

"Why do you want to leave?"

Silence.

Raz felt her shoulders hardening when she realized she had said that and not just thought.

Allen looked at her, not knowing how to answer… He had expected several questions, including that one, but… It was harder to explain than it was to feel. He still didn't know how he would do it… Any answer of any question would give birth to more questions… Everything became tangled in a spider's web containing storms and he couldn't separate the threads to explain each one individually.

He could tell her everything at once, but the difficulty remained.

Before he could think about what to say, Raz lifted her hand.

"I'm sorry… You do not need to tell me if you don't want to" At least not yet. Simplifying, both wanted to leave town. He hadn't hurt her at any moment, explained things that she didn't know… Those were already good points to stay with him, were Allen lying or not.

The boy closed his mouth and nodded.

Looking at her, a thought that had already been formed in his blood came to touch his mind... That even though she had kept her human appearance ever since waking up, there was still something in her that denounced her nature to be that of a different creature, as if she was something else hiding underneath a mere veneer of humanity... This was a sensation he had felt when meeting with Noah before, but he had always considered that it was reasonable considering he knew what they were...

Yesterday, though, he had heard a couple of guys muttering about him and Raz. Whispers about him were not uncommon, but even if he hadn't heard the complete phrases, he had caught the meaning easily enough that they had been wondering if Raz was victim of some sort of madness. It was not an unfounded question, despite how it sounded. Perhaps it was her that, due to her condition, nature escaped in her eyes or it could be the natural animal instinct that recognizes a being as belonging to another species no matter how alike it might seem... The way her face remained unmoved, the depth of her gaze...

He looked at her. Her face, pale as snow, her eyes that could be made of gray-blue stones... Underneath that glamour, there was gray and gold to be found.

Perhaps it was more obvious to him because he knew what she was, even if she herself did not.

"You do know you should tell her" A voice in his mind whispered. "She has the right to know, it is cruel to let her stay like this..."

"It's complicated, Raz…" He started. "But… There are some people after me. It isn't safe to stay for long in one place." He hesitated, but since he had started, decided to carry on a little more. "And there are things that I need to find out." Why such a simple truth still left such a trail of bitter taste in his mouth?

It was what he had been thinking a bit before of… Well, have a kind of seizure and being attacked by Apocryphos… That he had been just hating the Fourteenth without knowing anything about him or his side of the story. And he had wondered if anything would change should he learn it.

"I see…" The girl agreed with her head, signalizing she understood and that it was enough of an answer. She didn't want to pressure him, just as he didn't pressure her. "I think… Then we're sort of alike regarding this."

Allen repeated the gesture slowly. Yes… In this point, they were alike. Both lost and searching for truths in a maze of mirrors. The image was a bit appropriated.

"We are" He said, before deciding to change the subject. "Hey, let's get some dinner, I'm starving!"

"And we still can search some bars later" She suggested and would have tried to smile a little, but she wasn't sure she would know how to do it. "There must be some people still who don't know that they shouldn't challenge you in cards."

XxX

Sitting in the edge of a roof she observed without moving a muscle.

There were no doubts about the scene unrolled in front of her and she had always been more leaning to accept facts and analyze then rather than elude herself, repeating useless mantras such as "it can't be" or "impossible". Those were attitudes she regarded with cold despise.

And even with the report she had received recently had made her think that there should be a mistake, incomplete and untrustworthy information, now, seeing with her own eyes, she accepted the true in its pure form.

Even so…

Lulubell arranged her tail around her paws.

A band of akumas had been attacking a nearby city and one of them had told her that, while passing over here, had felt an unknown aura of Noah. After the attack, instead of going back, it had investigated and found something else which had made the Noah of Lust doubt the akuma (even if in such search, mistakes were basically impossible).

Allen Walker was with the Noah.

Lulubell had no idea of how this was even possible.

Using one of the Black Ark's portals, she had arrived in town recently and took a way to the inn from where the akuma had affirmed to have felt the presence of the Noah. It had been good measure to warn them to not get too close, for its presence would have certainly have warned Allen Walker… Instead, the akuma had kept itself in the skies, at a better distance and used its superior vision.

Now, at a shorter distance, Lulubell could feel the girl's presence. It was something as natural as scenting a perfume, except it wasn't a sense that could be explained for it wasn't concentrated in the eyes or skin, but dissolved in blood and nerves.

No doubt, it was her.

Through the inn's window, Lulubell could see them eating and, for a brief second, she recognized that the scene seemed quite weird, a Noah and an Exorcist having dinner together and talking!

But she didn't allow herself to wonder about it for long.

This was beyond unexpected. And there was no sense to be taken from it.

Why would a Noah be near an exorcist without trying to kill him? Truth that the Earl had made very clear that they shouldn't harm Allen Walker, but she had no means of knowing this. And how had they even met? Could it be that she was lying and deceiving Walker for some reason? Her mind ran over the hypothesis, evaluating and generating others at the same time she analyzed the possible results of each.

Golden eyes sparkled in the night, frozen flames that accompanied the white-haired boy and the bluish-black haired girl as they left the inn and followed a street. Conjectures were worthless. Hypotheses were no more than ideas.

Her tail waved.

"I have an order for you…" She sent a thought to the akumas that wandered in the skies, some hidden by clouds and others so far away that the moonlight in their metal bodies made they spark with the coldness of cemeteries' stars.

"Attack Walker. Do not let him realize you won't kill him"

Before taking any decision, it would be better to find out more about the true nature of the situation.

The black cat jumped with grace to another roof, accompanying the young teens as if they were two mice. The akumas were getting closer fast, focused in nothing more than obey her command. Lulubell felt the enjoyment preceding the hunt.

"Let's see what you both will do"

XxX

"I think we could try up street" Raz muttered. "There was a bar passing by the square, that one with the fountain."

Allen knew of what she was talking about. That one, as many where he had played in other nights, was a kind of pub, clean and organized, contrary to some bars they had visited in their first days, places whose smell of beer was bitter and old, clients muttering to themselves or screaming and laughing in loud, lost voices.

"I haven't played there" He commented, nodding. "Okay, let's try it first" As he had explained her, if they gamed every night in the same establishment, people would end talking. Some players kept tales of games to themselves or friends, but others would speak to whoever gave them a second of time and, from a mouth to another, stories grew easily. And as soon as someone came asking for a pale boy of white hair and a scarred face, the answer would be immediate.

So, there were places he had gone twice already and others he had been just one time. He had given some thought to the idea of making a routine, but the point remained: If there was a bar he frequented by Mondays, two weeks would be enough so people would recognize him.

"Not that we will stay for much longer, I guess" He reflected that it was a bit of a pity… It was such a pleasant city. "Makes me remember of when Master disappeared" There was a kind of irony in this, wasn't it? Maybe he should have asked Cross to teach him to disappear from the face of Earth as he had done.

"Not that there is what to ask, not when he had Maria with him."

"Allen?" The girl called, hand landing on his shoulder lightly and bringing him back to the present. When he turned to Raz, she removed her hand, tilting her head to the side. "Are you… Alright?"

"Hm? Yeah, sure… Why the question?"

"You're looking around in a weird way…"

"Weird how?"

"I don't know, just… Weird." She shrugged a bit, showing that she couldn't define it exactly, but still tried. "A bit as if… The way you get from time to time. As if you were searching for something that you lost…" It was more than that. The idea he transmitted was that what he searched for could never be found and he still tried… Eyes dull and quiet.

Raz longed to ask what had happened, but she didn't want him to tell her anything if Allen didn't want to, reason why she hadn't insisted earlier on. But not even so could she keep herself alienated from that kind of look.

"I was just thinking about some stuff…" He smiled, waving his hand. "Ah, but it is nothing. Don't worry, okay? Listen, I think we should start thinking where we could go."

Raz shook her head, lifting her hands.

"Hey, that's more with you" She answered with firm voice. "Anywhere is good to me" The fact did disturb her a little. They had taken a look into a map in the train's station that showed other cities and trains they could catch, but nothing there wakened any sensation or curiosity. Her world, since she had woken up, was limited to that city.

"I don't know too" Allen confessed. He knew he needed answers, but where could he get them? "Maybe we should just… Keep going forward" The words came with the naturally of an answer that was already instinctive in some occasions.

Maybe noticing something in his voice or just curious for the choice of words, Raz repeated as a child trying to confirm if she understood what an adult just said.

"Going forward?"

"Well… It's what Mana used to say" Allen told her with a shy smile, words bringing with them the memory of the man, sound and image chained to one another. A small shadow formed on Raz's forehead when she frowned slightly, corned of mouth rising a bit, signals light as waves in a lake, but that Allen already knew and explained better. "Mana… He... Was my father."

It was the first time he ever mentioned any sort of family. Raz kept her silence and hesitated before touching his shoulder again. Allen still smiled, his eyes reflecting the memories.

They were deep inside him. The time after Mana's death had days of darkness and pain and he didn't remember those very well, but they didn't matter. What he did remember was after his wound had became a scar and he could leave Mother's house with Cross, he often spent the time before sleeping just lying down and remembering Mana, pulling all moments from his memory as best as he could, afraid, oh so afraid, that they would fade with time…

It was his greatest fear and even now, the possibility frightened him to the point his mind would bring forward all he remembered about his father just to prove that it wasn't happening…

At the same time, it opened the wounds.

The voice, so suave and kind… The faces Mana would make when trying to make him laugh, even when he was rude and how he would hold his hands when teaching him new tricks and how to juggle… And he taught him to feel a sort of warmth he had never known. Back then, he was angry and was ashamed of himself when he woke up screaming (or trying to not to, since waking up anyone in the circus used to mean a beating), but Mana never said a thing or got mad, he just held him close and sometimes told stories Allen had never heard.

He would never hear that voice or that laugh again. He would never feel that hug or those big hands holding his ones…

"Mana…"

"He took me in when I was little…" The boy told without thinking why. "We traveled together, so he always…"

His blood froze.

His left eye sent a ray of warning to the mind.

The nerves reacted, becoming shards of glass.

"Allen?"

"Raz, RUN!" He grabbed the girl, running to the fountain. A bright ray hit the ground in answer to the movement, breaking the asphalt. They both looked up, Allen's eye shining in red, a lent almost liquid-like appearing over it circled by a silver gear.

Akumas.

More than he could count at first glance, moving in air and surrounding them as hyenas. The few people nearby screamed and ran for it. At his side, Raz was still and he felt her stiff arms.

"Allen…" She muttered, but didn't say anything else. Allen didn't wait.

"Raz, just stay here and take cover!" From some corner of his mind, a little voice screamed that it was a foolish thing to say, she was a Noah, she wouldn't be harmed. But in that moment, that didn't make a difference.

Raz's mind seemed unable to process the events. In a second she had been talking to Allen and then his eye had turned strange and he had pulled her with him, having to stop near the fountain. And now, things floated in the air, of an aspect as metallic as organic, a mixture of both creating obscene parodies.

What were those…

"Akumas" The term tore the barrier of confusion, digging its claws in her brain. She had no idea of how she knew that, but the certainty was powerful. Those things were akumas.

A white ray appeared again. Allen jumped, landing on his feet, without losing balance. The things made sounds, mockery and laughs.

"Allen, what do you think you're doing? Let's get out here!" Raz called and, for the first time ever since she had woken up, her voice had risen to turn into a cry. Allen didn't even turn to her, eyes fixated on the sky. What was he doing? Those things would kill him!

"Exorcist! Exorcist!" One of them laughed, rubbing his teeth with the sound of nails against a blackboard. The voice was shivered, as passing by shards of ice and the eyes were saliencies in its metal head. "It's the exorcist the Earl spoke about!"

Another akuma, with the looks of a bluish helmetand a vaguely human-like body shook its head. A hunting dog that had lost its sanity.

"And the lost Noah!"

Allen lifted his Innocence arm.

The flesh, almost black, produced a white gleam.

A white mantle as if made by the moon wrapped itself around him, turning Allen into a ghost of the night. The arm was now all black, fingers of fine claws with silver rings like the bracelet in shapes of crowns. A white cross shined in the back of the hand.

Raz felt the strength abandoning her legs and part of her mind wanted to recoil to the depths, take refuge in the point where the beating of her heart was the only law needed… And yet, something in the depths of her blood shivered…

Allen jumped, higher than it should be possible for humans, against one of the akumas with the head like some firearm. The thing attacked with the others, but the boy screamed something… A trail appeared when he hit the air, caused by the rings… Akumas hit roared in pain and backed off, but just that wasn't enough…

The boy was back in the ground, sliding on his feet and normal hand. By the look of Allen, Raz guessed that movement did no harm to him…

Why? Why did all of this felt as if it should mean something? How could such insane scene have meaning?

Allen grabbed his wrist, concentrating to activate the Exorcist Sword…

A knife of pure agony cut his thoughts.

The boy fell on his knees, biting his lower lip, not feeling the taste of his own blood.

The nerves convulsed in despair, sharing pain with the rest of the body, but the arm was still the focus of it all. Shards pierced his nerve endings and his blood, tearing it all apart in the way.

"ALLEN!" Raz screamed, running to him and Allen didn't even notice. The pain was in his blood, his eyes, his mind, filling his very existence and he cried, mouth colored with the red of his blood.

From the skin of his left arm appeared white feathers, serpents that shuddered and rubbed against each other, some caressing his arms, other wrapping it, dissolving in contact and holding the raw flesh as they touched each of his nerves…

Apocryphos' feathers.


Ana: Hello, cliffhanger! I'll hold the next chapter as hostage until I get reviews! -evil laugh-

Allen: You're mean. And a bit strange. And you know that, don't you?

Ana: You're saying this because of the cliffhanger, the feathers or...

Allen: Honestly? All of it. This is getting ridiculous.

Ana: Weell, considering how much you love the Order, I doubt you would overcome all that happened in just some days. And with the Noah after you and all, it couldn't be a walk in the park.

Raz: And where I enter in all this? The only thing I felt familiar now were those akumas!

Ana: You're a Noah, that would be natural! And now, the Noah know you're with Allen, you're both screwed.

Allen: ... You love us, don't you?

Lulubell: Excuse me, I know this may be quite hard considering your mental level, but can I just drag them back to the Earl now?

Ana: ... Do you even wonder why you're not my favorite Noah? (Really, she isn't).

Neah (possessing Allen): Do you have favorites? Who? I'm at least in top 5, right? I'm everyone's favorite!

Ana: YOU! You're not supposed to even appear yet! -holds a cross- Go back to the darkness!

Everyone: ...

Neah: Seriously?

Jy24: As you can see, yes! Allen has been taking care of her. It's not like he would leave her all alone, he is an "all-loving hero". Even if he sometimes worries about it.

Allen: What would I do? Leave her all alone?

Raz: I'm thankful for this. What would happen if he wasn't with me?

Ana: Considering the other Noah can't localize you straight away and you don't remember a thing about the world... The possibilities are endless. But now Lulubell saw them together and I don't think she was happy about it.

Allen: Little sister? I... I never thought about it, but maybe. I do care for her.

Raz: But we're not related...

Ana: You don't have to be related to be considered a sister, Raz. Oh, regarding the Order, yes, they will appear. Like I said, the Noah now will know they are traveling together and there WILL be a point where the Order will know about this too. When and how, I can't say yet. Thanks so much for the reviews, they keep me going!