A/N: Alright, so here we have number three, which is based on a Mana headcanon I have.
Thank you to Resident of Wonderland, RMXStudio, NaruShika-Forever, and Demigo for reviewing!
Title: Sweet Dreams
Author: liketolaugh
Rating: T
Pairings: None
Genre: Angst/Tragedy
Warnings: Character death, insanity
Summary: Allen was the least stable to begin with, so it was no surprise that he went first. And really, it was a very high-stress job, and a lot of the exorcists were just too young. It was no surprise that they went mad.
Disclaimer: I only wish I owned D. Gray-man.
He woke up and he didn't know where he was. He was inside, he was never inside, how was he inside, why?
The bed was soft, but he needed to leave, or he might be seen by whoever lived here. He rolled off and stumbled toward the door and opened it, but it didn't lead outside.
He whimpered in fear and hoped no one would see him as he found his way out, and he hurried down the hall, clutching his left arm to his body.
He looked over his shoulder, eyes wide and frightened, and a moment later he crashed into someone, who reached out and grabbed him as he tumbled back. His head jerked back around and he flinched, heart stopping.
A man with blond hair in a braid was frowning at him, holding him by his shoulders. He tried to pull away, but the man wasn't letting go, and a terrified sound eked out of his throat.
"Allen? What's wrong?"
He shook his head, closing his eyes so he couldn't see what was happening and continuing to struggle. "No, no, let me go, let me go!"
The man let go abruptly, and he turned and fled. The man ran after him. What did he do? What did he do to him?
He ran the wrong way, he ran entirely the wrong way, because now there were several people all in the hall, a girl with green hair and a boy with red and another with dark blue. He skidded to a halt and froze. Maybe if he didn't move, they wouldn't get mad.
Stupid. That never worked.
"Allen? What happened?"
"Something up, beansprout?"
He squeaked, and the girl and the redhead started to come near him. No, no… But the blond man was behind him. He had to get out. He had to get out!
He darted, as fast as he could, and squeezed between them, then kept running.
He heard shouting. He had to run, they'd get him, they'd get him! He was sorry, he was sorry!
There! He could fit there, and they couldn't get him, and maybe they'd go away, and then he could get out.
He squeezed into the corner, protected by some boxes that would keep them from seeing him if he moved them like - yes. And he half-turned to peek out, eyes wide and filled with frightened tears, arms around himself as if they could protect him.
No! The redhead and the girl were there, looking around the room. The blond man followed a few minutes later, his hand on the blue-haired man's shoulder. The blue-haired man wasn't really looking, just staring at the wall, but the rest were.
The blond man shut the door.
"So we'll know if he leaves while we're not looking."
"Okay… Lavi, how sure are you that he's in here?"
"Definitely sure. And look at all this - lots of places to hide."
He flinched and pressed himself further into the corner. Tears started to spill down his cheeks. They wanted him so bad, what did he do? Was it because he was inside? He was sorry! He didn't know how he'd gotten here!
He wanted to leave.
"I mean, we could find him, even if it would take a while. But, you know, I'm not sure how much good it'd do. I'm not even sure he recognized us."
"I… I didn't think he'd gotten that bad."
"...Me either. Allen! Allen? We don't want to hurt you, I promise. Can you just come talk to us?"
"Do you really think that will work, Bookman Junior?"
"Do we have much of a choice? C'mon, beansprout. I'd never hurt you. Swear on my life, okay?"
The blue-haired boy had wandered over close to him, and he peered in, finding him easily and staring at him, with almost nothing in that gaze.
But he didn't make any move to get in.
"Oh, c'mon, beansprout! We've got food! Dango! Steak! Potatoes!"
"Lavi!"
"Do you have any better ideas?"
"Bookman Junior. I believe Kanda has found him."
"What? Oh! Great!"
The redhead came over and he flinched back, shaking. Oh, please, no… He just wanted to leave, please...
"Hey, Allen. Can you come out for us? I promise you'll be okay."
He flinched again, and a growl came through the air. The blue-haired man was glaring at the redhead, who cringed away from him a little, green eye flickering with something he couldn't read.
The blue-haired man knew where he was before. But he didn't seem like he was going to hurt him. And the redhead wasn't making any move to do so, either. The girl and the blond were just hanging back, but they didn't look mean.
He allowed himself a little bit of hope, and crawled forward, pushing the boxes aside again, slow and tentative. The redhead smiled, holding a hand out coaxingly, green eye dark with something that wasn't anger and wasn't malice.
"Yeah, that's it, Allen. Let's get you some food, okay? You're gonna be fine."
The redhead's voice cracked with the last few words. He wondered why they were calling him Allen.
The next morning, Allen woke up. He rolled over on his bed and sat up, feeling dazed and confused. His gaze drifted across the floor, found a set of chair legs, and lifted up to meet Link's gaze.
Link looked worried. Allen smiled at him. Link worried too much.
"Allen? Are you okay?"
Yes, that was it. Allen nodded. Link was getting it now. Allen was fine.
"What happened yesterday?"
Allen thought about that for a bit, and then he frowned. He couldn't remember anything about yesterday. Link was frowning. He still looked worried, despite Allen's assurances.
"You were not acting yourself. You did not seem to recognize us."
...Didn't recognize them? Oh. Had he really?
Allen let his gaze drift away from Link, and it landed on the door. The doorknob looked shiny, he noted. But a little dirty. He wondered why.
"Mana did that sometimes," he said vaguely, remembering that Link was still looking for an answer. But he didn't want to think about that.
There was something about Mana, now he thought about it. Something important. He'd forgotten, though. He wished he hadn't, but thinking about Mana hurt too much to try and remember.
"He went mad, too," Allen added.
Because Allen knew madness. He'd spent three years talking to it all the time. This, it was like welcoming an old friend back.
Allen knew he was mad, too.
Heh. *apologetic smile* I don't actually have plans in place to do this again, but I figure it would happen. *shrug* Also, I've been more invested in Allen's friendships lately, huh... *muse* Well, thanks for reading, and please review!
