A/N: Here's the next chapter, I'm sorry it's a little late, but I've had a pretty busy life at the moment. It is also official, I've run out of pre-written chapters, so they may be coming even more slowly now, sorry if that does happen.

I hope enjoy the next chapter, and please review.

silverdragon

Chapter 7 Hope and Love

~Allen~

The white haired Exorcist was overjoyed with the knowledge he'd just received. It wasn't necessarily good news, but it was the best thing he'd heard in the past month. Kanda wasn't dead, just a ghost somehow, and that meant that he wasn't out of his life just yet.

Allen looked up into Kanda's face, noticing a hint of anger tracing lines in the beautifully angled features. The younger Exorcist could see that something was troubling the older, but that thought took second place to his joy over the fact that he wasn't alone anymore. Kanda was back and in that moment that was all that mattered.

"Oh Kanda, I thought I was going crazy. I would hear your voice, but no one else seemed to notice, and I kept catching glimpses of you but I'd blink and you'd be gone. I can't believe you're actually here, and that I'm not going insane. I can't wait to tell the others that you're still here, they'll be so happy," Allen let himself smile for the first time in days, weeks even. Kanda was back so everything was going to be alright.

"I'm sorry Moyashi, but you can't tell anyone about me," Allen felt his face fall as Kanda continued, "I'm somehow attached to Mugen and the Innocence the blade carries. If you went and told people there would be experiments and horrible things done to Mugen, and probably me as well. I don't want to risk having to leave you so that the Order can experiment on me again."

Allen understood the reasons, but he couldn't sit by and do nothing. He'd ask Lavi about this, discreetly of course. If anything like this had happened before, Lavi would know. He was Bookman in training after all, if anyone would know, it would be him.

The white haired teen looked back up at Kanda's face to see that half of it had disappeared, the other half was wearing a pained expression.

"Kanda what's wrong?" Allen was starting to panic as more and more of Kanda's face disappeared. What if he disappeared for good this time?

"Nothing, I just have to go for now," Allen watched as Kanda kissed his forehead and whispering one final sentence before fading into the air again.

"I love you too Kanda," Allen whispered to the empty air.

OoOoOoOo-oOoOoOoO

Allen sat in his bed for the next hour thinking everything through. It wouldn't be good to go into anything half aware considering the stakes he was playing for.

Putting his head in his hands, sitting off the edge of the bed and resting his arms on his knees he thought about how happy he was at the moment. Letting a small smile flash across his face he remembered the kiss that had happened not even an hour ago. The knowledge he'd just received made his life more worth living then before. Kanda wasn't gone, well he was dead, but he still managed to linger in the living world, and if that was possible then there must be a way to bring him back into the world of the living. Even though it might be a long shot, it gave Allen a goal, something to work for that might take his mind off the fact that Kanda was dead, and only his spirit managed to remain.

The first thing Allen had to do was talk to Lavi or Bookman about it. One of them was sure to know something about ghosts that could help him in the revival of his lost love. He'd have to be discrete with his questions and would probably have to do a lot of research on his own, but if it brought Kanda back, he would pay any price. The only thing he wouldn't stoop to was turning Kanda into an Akuma. Allen had already done that to one love one, there was no way he was going to let another slip into the Earl's grasp.

So he would just have to ask Lavi, because there had to be some reason as to why Kanda was still here. As he sat there thinking Allen felt a chill tingle up his spine. Instead of being afraid he looked around excitedly, trying to make out the ghostly figure of his lover in the dim room. He felt a breeze brush through his hair, and quickly understood. Kanda couldn't appear right now, but he was still there, still watching over Allen as he'd always done.

Allen felt himself relax as the cold breeze seemed to weave its way through his snowy locks. He lay back on the bed and felt some cold air brush his side, showing the young Exorcist that Kanda was still there, taking up the space he'd always occupied. The white haired teen felt free of the sorrow that had taken hold of him over the past week, and he knew that, at least for tonight, he wouldn't be plagued by nightmares.

"Thank you Kanda," he said as a thread of cold air wrapped around his torso, making him feel safe again.

OoOoOoOo-oOoOoOoO

Allen woke up feeling better than he had in what seemed life forever. The cold air was gone from his side, but it still felt as though Kanda lingered not too far away. The white haired teen got out of bed and dressed for the day, meeting Lavi outside his room and going to breakfast together.

The younger Exorcist felt his ravenous hunger return, and ordered more food than normal to make up for the week that he'd barely eaten. Lavi seemed happy to see the younger finally eating again, but was still slightly confused as to what had brought on the change. Just yesterday the two had had an argument about how little Allen had been eating, and now the kid was packing it in. Lavi knew that it couldn't have been something he said, the younger teen had only taken orders from Komui and Kanda before. Which left the question, with Kanda gone, had Komui really gone to all the trouble of contacting Allen just to eat? Lavi didn't really think so, which left just one option, Allen's returned appetite had something to do with Kanda.

Lavi had been told by the old panda that something was wrong with Kanda's Innocence, but no one, not even Komui, knew what it was. They knew that it wouldn't change back to basic Innocence to be fitted for a new Accommodator, almost as if its old master were still alive. So they'd given it to Allen, who was almost at General level, to see if putting the sword in proximity to the person Kanda was closest to would cause some kind of change.

Just based on Allen's sudden mood shift something obviously happened the night before, and it was up to Lavi to pay attention and figure out what.

After Allen had finished his food, Lavi led the pair outside to scout the town some more. They needed to find the Innocence and leave before one of the Noah showed up and took it from them. It wouldn't do either of them any good should a certain Portuguese Noah show up and provoke them.

Both of them knew that Kanda had been killed by Tyki, who had somehow found a way to kill the Japanese Exorcist with his own Innocence, and both of them wanted to kill the Noah for it. Lavi because Kanda had been one of his best friends, despite the blue haired teens could attitude and Lavi's position as Bookman in training. Allen because Kanda had been his lover, his best friend, his world. They had shared a bond that had somehow managed to keep Kanda's spirit in the living world, something that very few people could say.

In both cases, were Tyki to show up at any point during their mission, it could be assured that the Noah wouldn't live to see the next day.

As they walked down a rather busy street, Allen decided that now would be the best time to try and gather some information on Kanda's condition.

He sidled up to Lavi and started in, "Lavi, I have a question to ask you."

When the Bookman Junior looked up Allen continued, "What do you know about ghosts?"

The white haired Exorcist tried to phrase the question to make it sound hopeful, as though he was asking if there was anyway Kanda could still be around. He seemed to pull it off, based on the understanding and concern in Lavi's eye.

The red haired Exorcist gave a deep sigh before starting, "I think I know why you're asking, and there's no way to bring him back Allen."

Allen had figured that getting the information would be hard, but he'd always been a good actor. He let his eyes fill with fake tears while making his bottom lip tremble ever so slightly, "I just that thought that maybe, there might be a way…"

Lavi heaved another sigh before bringing the younger teen into a hug. There was no way he could leave the younger like this, having a hope that was impossible to come true. The Bookman Jr. steeled himself, he needed to make Allen understand that what he was asking was impossible.

"Allen, he can't come back, for many reasons, a few of which you probably know. All of the ghosts I've ever encountered were vengeful spirits, somehow attached to something in the physical world. There was usually Innocence involved, but not always. What you need to understand is that these kinds of ghosts have a mission, and they can't move on until that mission is complete. Most of the time this vendetta is against the person that killed them, and they will restlessly seek this person out until they either get what they want, or the object they're attached to is destroyed.

"I know you miss him Allen, and I do too, but there isn't a way to bring him back. You need to stop grieving for his loss, because if you don't at least start to move on, the Earl will offer you exactly what you want. I now you're strong enough to resist, and understand exactly what the Earl offers, but there's always that chance," Lavi pulled away and patted the younger teen on the head, hoping his words would make it through the haze of grief.

Allen wiped his eye and smiled a sad smile at Lavi before continuing down the street. Lavi's information made sense, but Allen still couldn't figure out why Kanda was still around.

There were a couple of options and none of them looked very good. Kanda could be around in order to keep the white haired Exorcist sane, and to stop him from hurting himself. He could also be stuck because of something that had to do with his death. If that was the case then Allen hoped that he never ran into Tyki again until he could fully figure things out.

OoOoOoOo-oOoOoOoO

The rest of the day went by uneventfully. Lavi left Allen to his thoughts, and Allen kept catching glimpses of Kanda's ghost following the pair around. Seeing Kanda following them gave Allen some comfort, his mind was able to relax knowing that Kanda was watching over him once more.

When the pair of Exorcists got back to the inn they were staying in they ate dinner, Allen once again getting a portion even larger than his usual. Once the pair was done they both retired to their rooms to rest up for the next day of searching.

As Allen got ready for bed he kept falling asleep standing up, only waking himself up when he began to fall to the ground. He figured this would happen. Sure he did get a good night's sleep the night before, but he hadn't been sleeping well, or at all really, for the past several weeks, and it looked like it was finally catching up to him.

He didn't want to go to sleep just yet, because he knew that Kanda would be there and he really wanted to talk to the ghost about where they could go from the information he'd gained from Lavi.

As if on cue Kanda appeared, but his face looked deep in thought and rather troubled.

A/N: The end to another exciting chapter, thank you for reading and please, please, please review.