"That's it. We're here."

They were the first words Allen had spoken since last night. Ever since the obvious rejection the mood had just been awkward and painful. None of the two had known what to say, so they had continued their journey in silence.

However, it all was pushed to the background when they were confronted with a building hidden inside nature. The stones it was made of were cracked and overgrown with plants that had sought refuge in the little slits. The colors that had once probably decorated it, had paled in the sun. Parts of the construction had spontaneously crumbled under the inevitable hand of time. An ancient temple would be the best way to describe it. Especially with the two dragon statues lying at the door. Most of the delicate scales and eyes had been scrubbed off by erosion, but Lavi was sure they had looked majestic at the time they had been made.

"So, this is where that Neah guy is sealed." Lavi let his eye travel over it in investigation. "It doesn't look much like a prison for great evil."

Allen's face was covered with shadows. "There's no doubt about it. This is where Neah sleeps." The muscles clenching his jaw showed how tense he was. "Legend says that Neah is an ancient dragon master that will control the last dragon, born in the night sky, to take down the stars and burn the earth. But it's just a story. I won't let it happen. I will kill him before he awakens."

Lavi watched his companion with worry as he walked up the stairs towards the entrance. He followed carefully. A feeling of discomfort settled deep in his stomach, but he was sure it was because of what Allen had told him and nothing else.

When they stepped in, it turned out that the state of the temple wasn't as bad as it had seemed from outside. Strangely enough, the room seemed perfectly maintained. The paintings on the walls, indicating stars and dragons, were as bright as if they had been made yesterday. The only sign of decay were the bats on the ceiling and the rat droppings on the floor.

In the middle of the little room, flooded with light from the entrance, was a heavy stone altar, with on it a massive coffin. With all the decoration everywhere else he would have expected some on there too, but the thing was completely bare, like the person inside of it wasn't worth the effort.

Allen's breath came out like mist from his mouth, even if the temperature hadn't dropped that low. A lightly burned smell spoke of its origin.

"Well, here we are." The boy sounded like he wasn't really sure where to continue now. "We finally made it and in time it seems."

"So what now? Do you think you can open that thing?"
Insecurity passed over Allen's face. "I… I guess." He made his way towards the monument with little unsure steps. "It doesn't look too heavy for a dragon."

Lavi stepped aside to give some space, so two pale hands could lock on the massive stone lid and push it off on the other side. Then he quickly joined his companion, peering into the coffin curiously.

There he was.

A man with skin as dark as Road's lay on his back, seemingly asleep. Seven star-formed shapes scarred his forehead. The grey, sly hands were bound together on his chest with chains that glowed an eerie green light in the dusk of the temple. Strange, otherworldly inscriptions inside of them caught Lavi's eye, but he'd never seen them before in any book he'd read.

Finally he could hear Allen let his held in breath escape in a rough breeze.

"We're lucky. He doesn't seem like he'll pose much of a problem to defeat." He shot a look at his partner. "This is your chance."

Allen had gone even paler than usual. His hands trembled on the edge of the coffin. "Yeah, we made it in time."

"So what are you waiting for?" He tried to put his support in the question.

Allen pressed his lips together so tightly that they turned white. Then, with a flexibility Lavi could only dream of, he lifted his foot on the edge of the altar and pushed himself up. The boy climbed over the coffin, putting his feet on the edges, so he was standing over the resting man. One of his hands deformed, growing sharp claws and tiny scales.

"Go on, Al. Get rid of your tormentor. This is your moment to take your life back."

Allen nodded determinedly. He lifted the claw, fixing his eyes on the man's face. With an almost terrified scream he launched the attack…

and stopped just in front of the man's neck.

Lavi blinked in surprise.

Sweat dripped down from Allen's face. His eyes had gotten a haunted look. He pulled his weapon back again, then tried another attack. Again the claw stopped just before it tainted the dark skin.

"Al, are you okay?" Carefully he reached backwards, pulling his hammer from his belt. It was a nasty job to do something like this with it. But if his companion really needed the help…

He didn't even get the time to suggest it. Something, similar to gravity, seemed to get hold on his body and suddenly he was flying through the room. The stone walls didn't make a soft landing, nor did the ground under it. The already fragile construction crumbled and showered him with projectiles of aged rock. His body burst out in pain, almost completely numbing the rest of his senses. When the haze of hurt finally pulled up enough for him to see, there were suddenly multiple dark shadows in the room that hadn't been there before.

Noah

Alarmed he tried to reach up to defend Allen, but his muscles wouldn't move. Something was still forcing him down. As he gave up, panting, his eyes met Road's, who smiled victoriously. So she was the one holding him down.

Allen had frozen on his spot. He seemed unable to move as a fat figure with clown's clothes and a high hat stepped forwards.

"Allen Walker, thank you for coming. We've been waiting for you. Nobody else but a dragon can kill Neah, but the same goes for the seal that's been holding him. Now, would you be so kind to free him of his chains?"

Allen's eyes had widened. His pupils had grown so much that almost all the silver had been swallowed by the blackness. Sweat was trickling into his collar. His muscles were trembling.

They had walked straight into their trap! Lavi couldn't believe it. After all the effort Allen had put into coming here to kill the man, this was how it ended up. He knew he had to help him somehow, but the power forcing him down was too strong. "Kill him, Al! You can do it!"

Allen didn't show any signs of hearing him.

The man however, of whom Lavi was pretty sure it was the earl as the books had described him, shot him a quick look before turning back to the boy. "Now, now, no need to stretch this so much. You know you can't go against these orders. He is the dragon master after all. He's been sleeping for a very long time already, give him the chance to finally open his eyes again."

"I… I can't…" All of Allen's muscles tensed, sending heavy tremors through his body. For a moment it was like he would somehow control himself, but just before Lavi could yell another form of support, the boy closed his eyes and the claw shot downwards.

Immediately silence fell over the room. Lavi scrambled desperately in a useless attempt to get up and see what had happened.

The earl's face was hard to read. A handsome Noah man had gotten a surprised expression. Road was just staring at the coffin in interest. The others didn't give away any more information.

Finally Allen opened his eyes. For a moment he stared at the results of his act, then he pulled back in shock, losing his balance and toppling over the edge onto the ground in front of the earl's feet. Then he pushed himself up and scrambled back, away from the altar.

This didn't seem good.

"Al, what did you do?"

Allen turned his head towards him, sending him a glance of pure terror. The silence was a clear answer.

And surely enough, a few seconds later, Neah rose from his sleeping place. His eyes were as pure golden as those of the other Noah as he took in the surroundings.

"Welcome home, dear Neah," the man bowed in front of the dragon master. "My sincere apologies you had to wait for so long."

Neah blinked slowly, then let his eyes travel over the party again. When they passed Lavi he could feel the gaze pierce straight through him: powerful, demanding, ruthless.

"Where's my dragon?"

It wasn't a real question, more like a demand. The earl turned around to Allen and pointed a finger at the boy. "He's here. He's the one who's claws set you free."

Allen froze. Neah investigated him coldly, then raised a hand, gesturing with his finger. "Come here, I want to see you."

The boy stayed where his was. Lavi could see how much effort it took him, but he still wasn't listening to the orders. A shimmer of hope rose in his chest. Maybe Allen could still end this. Neah didn't have full control over him.

However, the golden eyes narrowed dangerously. "Come here, I said."

The order was absolute. Allen crawled up almost mechanically, though clearly outside of his will, and made his way forward.

"Al, no! Don't listen to him!"

The boy turned his head to look back at him, but Neah grabbed his chin and spun it back forcibly to inspect it. He lifted it, then pulled it back down and seemed to look deep into the silver eyes.

"He looks strong and he's definitely a star. I'm taking this one."

A jolt ran through Allen's body. Then the boy started resist, tensing his muscles like he was fighting restraints.

The man rose his fingers to the stars on his head, pressing them to the scars firmly. Afterwards he reached out and pushed them on Allen's forehead.

The boy screamed. Struggling turned into a cramped state of agony. Lavi scratched over the ground, yelling in frustration and fear: "Allen!"

Finally Neah seemed done. He pulled his hands away, letting the boy drop on the floor. Allen's skin had turned dark. On his head were clearly the same star shaped scars the ones around him wore as well.

What was the meaning of this?

Neah finally got up from his coffin. He climbed out of it elegantly. The Noah gathered behind him.

Finally Allen was getting up too.

"Al, are you okay?" there wasn't a response. "Say something!"

"You, dragon." Immediately the boy's head shot up towards the dragon master. "We're going outside. Fly us towards the stars."

White brows knitted together in confusion.

"Aahh~," the earl interrupted with regret. "I'm afraid this dragon can't get us there. He's been banned himself."

Neah frowned, clearly displeased. "A dragon that can't bring us to the stars. How useless." However, he made his way outside and turned around. "Come here. We'll be flying somewhere else. We have some planning to do."

Allen's legs set in motion mechanically.

"No, Al, don't!" Lavi reached out with his hand, trying to catch a pale ankle as it passed him by. However, he couldn't get to it.

For a moment Allen turned his head. There was no recognition in the now golden eyes. They seemed empty. Though one desperate part in Lavi's mind thought he saw a glimpse of fear and sadness pass through them for just a second. Then the boy turned around and left.

Only when the beat of heavy wings had vanished, did the force stop pushing him down, but Lavi didn't feel like getting up anymore.

The journey home was possibly even more painful than his last few hours with Allen. It took him two miserable days to get to a train station. Then three more to make his way to The Order. The whole way he clenched the broken tooth in his hands until the point finally broke through his skin and it got smudged with blood. When the stars came out and stared at him through the cabin window, he would turn away his face, resentment filling him like acid. They had done this. They had sent Allen down like this. They hadn't warned them that the Noah were trying to use them to awaken Neah.

Road had been right, they didn't care about Allen at all.

And now his companion was fully under the dragon master's control.

He pushed the last remnant of his partner against his chest.

He didn't want to think of what they would let sweet, kind Allen do. He knew what the dragon thought of hurting people. Taking down the stars and burning the earth was one of his biggest nightmares and now he would be forced into taking part in it himself.

It just all hurt too much to think about.

The weather wasn't much more optimistic. As soon as he reached the tall tower on the island, the rain was showering from the sky like tears. Thunder rumbled like an angry dragon. Lavi entered drenched, his hands covered with blood and his clothes torn.

But the worst part was probably how he had to tell where he'd gone wrong.

Somehow he managed to fold out the whole story for Komui and his henchmen. The old man was there too. His eyes silent but judging. Afterwards he was sent away to take a shower and rest.

The hot water didn't feel as good as usually. He didn't wash himself, just dropped his head under it and wished he could somehow drown in the streams.

Sleep wouldn't come either, and instead of rest, he lay awake for half of the night, his head running wild on painful memories and feelings of guilt and self-resentment.

How could he ever had let this happen?

The question was still unanswered by the time he woke up again.

"The plan goes like this," Komui stood in front of a giant electronic screen. He spoke to the group of people gathered in front of him, Lavi one of them. As he had been in his room to rest, the scientists had taken their time to work out a solution for the situation. Now it was time they all got to know it.

"Most of the Noah were banned from the stars and thus lost their almost invulnerable position. They can be killed. Every Noah will be fought by groups of three to five people, led by one special agent. We'll divide those immediately after this."

The screen showed a picture of all the Noah. Most of them didn't tell Lavi much, but the sight of Road and the earl made his blood boil with anger again. It didn't get any better when a push on a button turned it into the man who had taken Allen away from him.

"Then, lastly, there's the fourteenth of them, the dragon master, Neah. When the stars banished him he'd already gathered so much power they couldn't rip him from his place in heaven the same way they did to the other Noah. According to our sources," with this the chief sent a quick look at Lavi, who tried to keep his face straight, "he can only be killed by a dragon. Unfortunately, our only dragon has fallen into their hands."

Another button press turned the image into Allen and Neah. The dragon's scales had turned dark grey. His eyes golden. It didn't look anything like his companion anymore, but Lavi knew it was him. His heart squeezed together in the wish to see the white dragon again the way he should be.

"So this is how we'll take care of this problem: long ago the stars gave us one sacred stone. The object was originally meant to bind our dragon to the earth if anything were to go wrong with the curse they had placed on him, but we're sure it should work on the dragon master too. This stone will cut all ties with the stars, turning the victim into a normal human. Since we only have one, it is more than logical we use it on Neah of all."

There was a little murmur of agreement.

"Then, lastly, we'll need to get to the dragon master first." Reluctance was clear in the chief's voice as he continued. "As mentioned before, our dragon has fallen in his hands and will defend him. This creature has to be handled with the utmost care. He's very powerful. If you get the tiniest chance, kill him. Using the stone on Neah will prove to be impossible otherwise."

Lavi could feel his blood turn to ice. He opened his mouth to protest, but Komui silenced him with one stern, but sad look.

"I know, Allen has been a precious colleague to some of you." Now Lavi realized he hadn't been the only one ready to make a move. "But I'm afraid there isn't another option. I hope you too, can see that it's the most humane thing we can do. Everyone here should know how gentle Allen was and how much he hated to see people hurt. Right now, he's being forced in doing terrible things. He must be in terrible pain. It's only merciful to put him out of his misery."

Right. He'd been thinking about it too. How much Allen had to be suffering right now. Komui wasn't wrong. Again the truth hurt like someone was using his heart like a pincushion. He clenched his hands into fists, thinking of what Allen really would have wanted. Then he lifted his face in determination. "I'll do it."
Suddenly all faces turned to him. Komui's eyes widened in surprise.

"If anyone has to kill Allen, then it will be me," he stated, meeting the chief's gaze firmly. "I know how important it was for him to not fall under Neah's control. I'll get him out of there and take care of Neah."

Komui closed his eyes. For a moment it was very clear how hard all of it was on him as well. The mask of control reappeared on his face when he opened them again. "Alright, then that's been decided. Lavi Bookman, you will take care of Allen and, if possible, the dragon master."

He had said it back then, but as they made their way there, all of Lavi's doubts returned. He clenched Allen's fang in one hand, the stone meant for Neah in the other. Was there really no other way to fix this? Did he really have to kill Allen?

He had a new hammer on his belt too. Just before they had left The Order, the scientists had come up to him with the weapon. They had thought he might need something better to fight a dragon. This thing could apparently grow in size and extend to great limits. It was perfect for reaching distant targets, something very useful when your opponent was a flying dragon.

And useful it proved indeed. They finally got to the Noah a few days later, inside a big city. Night had fallen and the buildings shone in a cold grey shine. Their opponents had apparently been waiting for them, because they were standing in an orderly line with Neah flying on his dragon above them.

Fortunately, The Order was very orderly too. The members knew exactly what their jobs were. Before the Noah could make a move of their own, the assigned groups chased up to their own opponent and pulled them into a fight. Their screams and yells in the heat of battle echoed through the dark air, filling Lavi's veins with adrenaline.

He was lucky. He didn't look like much of a fighter at all, so nobody really paid any attention to him as he pulled the hammer from his belt. He breathed deeply and tried to not look the dragon in his eyes as he swung the object back. Then, giving it a mighty shove he yelled: "Extend… grow!"

The weapon, suddenly as big as a house, crashed into the reptile. Allen cried in agony as a nauseating cracking sound echoed through the streets. The impact blew the two away, making the dragon crash out of sight.

The hammer had shrunk and disappeared again so fast, that most Noah were still searching around in shock in an attempt to find the one responsible for hurting their leader. When members of The Order distracted them with a fight again, Lavi managed to slip out without getting noticed. Of the group of seven that had been assigned to him, only three managed to do the same.

They ran between the houses, following the enormous cloud of dust that was starting to form after Allen's impact. However, as soon as they arrived, they were met by a sea of flames.

The two men in front of Lavi screamed. Only one of them rolled when he hit the ground. The other stayed motionless. He himself could feel the heat of the flames scorch his skin, but he got away much more lucky.

The dragon roared dangerously as he reared up. One of his wings lay on the ground in a strange angle, but even earth-bound, the reptile would be very dangerous.

"Al, I'm here buddy!" He couldn't help but hope the words would somehow reach the boy. "I'll get you out of this, I promise!"

It seemed to work. The dragon calmed down a little, letting its body slide back on the ground.

"So you're the cause." Neah was standing next to the reptile by now. He was beating the dust from his clothes. However, apart from a few tears in the fabric, he seemed perfectly unharmed. "I've been wondering why this stupid animal wasn't completely obedient, but now I get it. It's you." He turned his golden glaze to the winged creature next to him. "Well, lucky me. That means I can fix it now. You, dragon,"

Allen's golden eyes widened.

"Kill the red haired guy."

A low, dangerous rumble collected in the creature's throat. Smoke escaped through its nostrils.

"Wait, Al, it's me." The memory of that day with Road returned. Then a rampaging, furious Allen, had somehow heard him through the red haze. Careful, just like that time, he closed in on the reptile. "You don't have to kill me. Nobody but you can decide what you want to do."

The animal lifted its lips, baring a row of pointy white teeth.

"You were so mad at me when I called you beansprout, are you really going to let a guy like that treat you even worse? Shouldn't you at least drop a bottle of ink on his head too?"

Apparently something was holding Allen back. The reptile was still just growling at him. It hadn't taken any preparation to actually hurt him.

"and what about the stars? Aren't you going to return? When I saw you dancing like that, that night, I knew you belonged there. If you stay like this, you will never be able to."

He put a hand on Allen's snout, just like that other time. The scales felt warm and smooth as always. The desire to climb on his companion's neck and just fly away took him over. He smiled painfully. He would never do that again. He knew he was just stretching this to create his chance. He knew sooner or later Allen would have to obey his comment.

Neah folded his arms in annoyance. His foot was resting on the last man of their group. Only Lavi was left. And soon he might be reptile food as well.

The man narrowed his golden eyes. "I said to kill him. Now get on to it!"

A flash of pain shot through the eyes of the dragon. The muscles under Lavi's hands rippled when the reptile's snarl grew even more. However, he was still unmoving.

Lavi leaned forward, pressing his forehead against the giant grey nose. "I know you can't resist him, Al. I'm really sorry it has to end like this. You will probably hate me after this." He smiled sadly as he scratched the scales. "and it's okay if you do. You'd have all the right to. I rather have you circling around me, out of reach, than not at all. I'm sorry."

"KILL HIM!" Neah had lost the last of his patience.

The order was so harsh, that Allen jolted upwards in response, roaring towards the dark sky. Then he curled back like a snake. His maw opened. Red lights danced at the back of his throat. Flames, meant for the human in front of him.

Lavi clenched his hand around the tooth. He stared into the face of death. Memories bubbled up. Allen and he on the train roof, talking about the stars. Allen crying into the folds on his shirt. Allen dancing in the starlight, his skin glowing a miraculous white light. Allen's lips, brushing over his. Allen's breath as it filled his lungs.

Allen really was going to hate him for this.

His other hand shot out of his pocket, holding the smooth, round object he'd been carrying ever since his visit at The Order. Sending a little, desperate prayer to the stars he pulled his arm back, then swung it straight at the reptile.

The sacred stone cut through the air like a projectile. Even Neah, suddenly coming into action of shock, couldn't stop it before it reached its goal.

It disappeared straight into the light dancing in the dragon's mouth, deep into the creature's innards.

Lavi watched the reptile convulse with a sinking feeling. It howled, squirming in agony. Finally the golden eyes rolled away and the giant serpent body went limp, colliding with the ground with a deep rumble that shook the ground. The contours shimmered, then the beast started to shrink, scales disappeared. Claws shortened and rounded. The grey color turned to a pale skin and light hair that dulled to a natural white color. A normal, human boy was lying on the ground. Unconscious, but breathing.

Lavi had just taken the biggest risk of his life. He might just as well have condemned the world to a future of burning.

Still he knew he couldn't have done it any other way.

"YOU!" A hand locked on his throat, smashing him into a wall with inhuman force. "How dare you take MY DRAGON!" Two golden eyes cut through him like knives. Neah's dark face had contorted into a furious grimace of killer intent. "This is it. You've just surpassed your boundaries there. You're going to die in long and pure agony."

The hand around his throat tightened. Lavi wrestled in its grip. His hand slipped in his jacket, finding Allen's fang. He clenched it, closing his eye and letting memories of the boy grab hold on him once more. If Allen could just live, that would be enough for him.

"I'll let you watch as the world burns and everyone dies. I'll let you scream until your voice dies and you beg me, whispering, for death. Even then, I will torture you, until your little mortal heart uses up the last of its strength and sputters out softly." The mouth of the man cracked open in a grin that made Lavi's blood turn to acid. "And there's nothing you can do about it. You wasted the only means of defeating me on that stupid dwarf star. You're out of options now."

It was a stupid idea. A risk he should never have taken. It was the tiniest presumption that it might work. Still, Neah was almost right. He was out of options now. He had just this last one. The one he hadn't spoken about with Komui, because he'd been sure the chief would have put him on another team if he had.

He pulled his hand out of his pocket, clenching the hard object in it so tightly that he might have broken it if it hadn't been made from dragon enamel. He grinned at the man, then launched his arm upwards in front of him.

The dragon master's face cramped in shock when Lavi felt the object in his hand sink into flesh. The eyes opened so far that the white around them was clearly visible. Pupils, dark as black holes, ate up the golden irises.

"You…"

The hand around Lavi's throat loosened. But the redhead didn't stop yet. He kept pushing, his hands sinking further and further. Something jolted at the fang a few short moments, then the man collapsed.

Neah, the dragonmaster, was forced to the ground by the redhead, a dragon fang deep in his chest, puncturing the black heart.

Finally the redhead let go of his weapon. His fingers were sticky with dark blood. His own heartbeat suddenly felt strange and miraculous in his chest.

He'd done it. He'd killed Neah, no, Allen had killed Neah.

Tears jumped in his eye as he stared at the dark man in front of him. He'd done it. He'd freed Allen from his tormentor, and given him a new one instead. A single tear slid down his cheek. He'd saved him, but imprisoned him in the worst way possible.

He'd even taken flying away from the star.

Still his legs raised him and carried him to his partner. The boy was still lying on the ground. Lavi kneeled in front of him and stared at the pale face, looking so peaceful in his sleep. This was probably the last time he was going see it again. Allen really was going to hate him after this.

Eyelids shivered, then fluttered open. A set of grey eyes discovered the world with confusion. When Allen tried to get up, his arms folded back in and Lavi had to catch him to prevent the pale face hitting the tiles.

"What…?" Allen shook his head in confusion while he let himself get helped up to his knees by his companion. "What happened?"

The boy stared at the dark body next to them in silence, then back at the redhead. "Is this a dream? My body feels so different too. It's like gravity has gotten even a little stronger."

However much he wished to do it, he couldn't lie. Not now. "It's not dream, Al." He stared straight into the grey eyes, confronting his own guilt and responsibility of what he'd done as he continued: "I just cut all your bonds with the stars. You're a normal human now. Your fang was the thing that killed Neah."

Allen turned his face away in disbelief. His eyes stocked on the man lying on the ground, a pointy tooth sticking out of his chest.

"I'm sorry, Al," Lavi whispered softly, "I couldn't kill you, but I did something probably much more horrible instead. You definitely won't return to the stars anymore. You won't even be able to fly."

However, when the boy looked back there wasn't any resentment on his face. The sadness was there, but it wasn't nearly as much as that night the dragon hadn't been able to return to his home. Instead the boy smiled through the pained emotions. "You didn't kill me. The Order and even the stars had planned to kill me once I got under Neah's control, but you didn't. When everyone would have lost faith you still tried for me." Tears glittered like tiny stars over the pale cheeks. "Thank you, Lavi. Even if I can't fly, being alive, next to you, means much more to me. I knew long ago already, that I would never return, because even if I would, it wouldn't be the same without Mana."

Lavi leaned his face closer, their noses almost touching. "You're really not angry?"
Allen closed the last distance. The skin of his cold, soft nose felt almost healing on Lavi's scorched face. "No, of course not."

Lavi wrapped his hands around the delicate boy, pulling him close. For the first time, tears didn't stop streaming from his eye. They blurred his surroundings, making the sensation of touch even stronger. "You know, Al," his voice cracked desperately, "we aren't a human and a dragon now anymore."

Allen's body shocked. His breath came out in short bursts. Was he crying or…?

When the boy grabbed his face and pressed a kiss on his forehead he realized it was both. Allen moved downwards, pressing his head against Lavi's. "I know." The whisper was almost too soft to hear, but the kiss said more than any word could.

This time there wasn't anyone breaking them apart. Lips brushed over each other gently. Hands caressed soft skin. Fingers tangled through red and white hair.

The salt of tears filled his mouth, but strangely, it tasted miraculously sweet to Lavi.