The akuma inspected the room, searching for more humans. A few wouldn't stop poking it; really, what was this harassment? Should it ask them to stop? Would they listen?

Nah. It didn't feel like wasting words on these insignificant life forms. Oh, look. Some normal ones were cowering in a box-like contraption. It started for them, only to rear back as a female human darted in front.

"You are not touching them!" the girl growled through tears of pure wrath.

Touch them? The humans? Disgusting. It had no intention to come into physical contact with any of them. Why else would it work its aching wings so hard to stay out of their reach?

But then again…what did humans feel like? Were they soft and squishy? Hard and scratchy?

Ignoring the lady's violent kicks at its stomach, the Level Five flapped to the shield. When it touch-landed, it decided that the girl was fussing a little too much. Catching her foot, it threw her over its shoulder, tilting its head in wonder as the people in front of it screamed, gasped, and cursed.

A woman—an older, frightened one—stretched out a hand as if in reach for the human it had just tossed aside.

What delicate fingers. The Level Five wanted to hold the woman's hand, out of curiosity more than anything.

Something pinched its wrists. Wires? Looking up, the Level Five stared into the empty eyes of a dark-skinned man. The strings felt funny; it didn't like it.

Wrenching free, the Level Five pumped more poison to its fingers, ready to let fly a thousand drops of death onto the humans before it.

"No!" Lenalee screamed, kicking aside the blocks of concrete that held her down. "Stay away from them!" She wasn't going to make it; there was no way. The black droplets were falling, passing through the shield as if it wasn't there. Lenalee's boots allowed her but her alone to thwart gravity. Everything else still belonged to the cruel order of things.

Out of the corner of her stinging eyes, she saw flashes of scarlet and dark blue that dove unsuccessfully to the rescue. Her eyelids snapped shut of their own accord, defensive against the potentially traumatic sight.


A split second before certain demise, the various non-combat staffs of the Order found themselves surrounded by white. Naturally, their first thoughts were that of heaven, but that was proved false when Komui reached out, drawing back with a gasp when his hand met a soft resistance. So, this isn't light?

"Umm…Supervisor…"

Komui turned at Reever's call only to—much like the rest of those around him—freeze with astonishment.

There, staring back at his stunned eyes, was a mask. Not just any mask. Allen's mask.

"Crowned Clown…" Komui whispered, awed by the intricate masquerade attire and the pure background that so suited behind it.

From outside, Lenalee shrieked, "Brother! Everyone!"

Her comrades were out of sight, encircled by a wrapping formed like an igloo. She dropped down beside it, planning to shred the material; however, as she neared the dome, it glowed in welcome, creating an opening to let her in. Tendrils of white reached out for her, caressing her cheeks, wiping away the grime.

"Brother!" Squinting through the blinding, small hole, Lenalee recognized the crouching figures of many.

"It's okay, Lenalee!" her brother's bewildered voice called from inside. "This…this is Crowned Clown!"

The pale ribbons enveloped her, drawing her into its sanctuary. A silver mask swam to her face, eyes curving into a smile.

"Oh…" Mesmerized by the beautiful design, Lenalee reached out dreamily, stroking the cool metal. Taking her friendly touch as permission, Crowned Clown pulled her further in, sealing the hole after her.

"No," she refused, breathing in the faint scent of…Allen? "I have to go fight. Please…just stay here and protect them."

It released her back into the battleground, as reluctant as a mother handing off her newborn.

Tearing her gaze away form the tempting haven, Lenalee searched for what logically should've followed Crowned Clown.

Her eyes showed her what she expected.

There, brandishing that broad sword of exorcism, was Xiv. He stood there against a surprised Level Five, without Crowned Clown's protective shroud, body defenseless in the absence of the indestructible costume.

Lenalee had a hard time processing this. She never thought she'd witness an Allen—Xiv was the closest thing to Allen at the moment—without his everlasting, jealous veil.

It worried her to see "Allen" so exposed to the elements, lacking the white cape that used to enclose him so. Perhaps she should no longer fret so much over the boy.

Even Crowned Clown had been thrown aside; how could she hope to compete?

Vaguely, Lenalee was baffled that the Innocence had emerged from its coldly dormant state, and even more so when it left Allen in such a rush. But she didn't have time to ask questions.


Kanda had recovered from shock with a blink, glancing at the white refuge with relief. He turned back to the cherubic offender, eyes darting between enemy and comrades.

Lavi circled around the Level Five, silently commuting directions through curt nods and quiet gestures. He stopped on the right side of the akuma, waiting for Yuu to copy on the opposite.

Xiv twirled the sword to practice his fingers and to limit as much direct contact with the handle as possible. It stung his hand to grip the weapon too securely, and even the sheer glow from it was pungent to his eyes. He strangled the need to destroy the Innocence, ignoring the tantalizing idea of crushing it in his palm.

Sorry. Allen, fully aware of the difficulties his two allies shared, could do nothing about it. They had humored this idea thus far, so they might as well carry it out until the end.

If he could last that long.

Kanda and Lavi launched together, sandwiching the Level Five between their Innocence.

From above, Lenalee stomped down against the akuma's vain struggles to fly away.

Taking the chance, Xiv threw the blade with aim that lacked any precision or care whatsoever, for he knew that the Innocence could find its own way when it came to akuma.

Sure enough, despite its uncoordinated start off, the sword embedded itself through the Level Five's chest.

The three Exorcists made their escape as the akuma wailed, staring in terror at the over-sized knife in its torso.

It hurts! It hurts! The Level Five bit back tears as it tested the injury with breathing. Such agony. Blood. Everywhere. The scent of it, fresh and ghastly beneath its nose.

Xiv summoned a Gate at eye-level with the handle's tip; he reached out of the white door, grasping the hilt and bearing with the burning of his skin—which Miranda quickly healed. Letting the Gate fall, Xiv slipped down with it, clenching the sword tightly as it sliced cleanly, almost symmetrically, down the Level Five.

The akuma screamed so pathetically, so mundanely, that Xiv almost apologized. Almost.

The Innocence in his hand flared brighter, relieved to unleash so much of the pent-up energy it had accumulated over its time in dormancy.

Then it remembered the Noah and stingily held back.


Within the shelter of Crowned Clown, Komui considered any possible reinforcements. The Generals were already out of the question. The group of Crow had left with Rouvelier, all except for…

"Your headphones, Johnny." Komui held out his hands in expectation as his subordinate gave up his head ornament.


The Level Five's body hung limply in halves, connected at the neck of the crying creature.

Kanda took turns with Lavi to hack at the neck, hoping to finish what Xiv had started and slash the akuma in two, but the Level Five was no longer playing; it had learned the hard way that Exorcists were more than just weird humans.

At the tiniest movement, the akuma held one arm as protectively as it could over the gaping wound, swinging the other to fan out a thorough spray of poison to hold the Exorcists at bay.

It wouldn't die from such a simple injury; no matter how many pieces it could be chopped into, it'd still continue its purpose.

Suddenly, it began to feel unusually heavy. Assuming the girl was responsible, it did a three sixty to scout for her.

"Two-dots!" Lavi obliviously gave away Link's inconspicuous perch on a collapsed bookshelf. "You're late to the party!"

Muttering something about loudmouthed children, Link quickly completed the spell before the akuma could flee the restrictions.

Crashing to the ground, the Level Five realized with mild horror that it had lost its height advantage against the hammer and sword-wielding Exorcists.

With a sloppy but grateful salute at Link, Lavi welcomed the chance of a ground-level attack that didn't involve reckless bouncing off of walls.

He brought his hammer down on the Level Five's face, beckoning his snake forth. The hammer flew back as the fiery shape burst out from under it, tail weaving above its fanged roots around the akuma's head.

Dodging the flailing snake that held the akuma down, Kanda darted forward and thrust Mugen through both skulls.

As the flames withered to smoke, Lenalee trampled the Level Five with her sharp heels, flattening it with the weight of a thousand suns.

Between Lenalee and Kanda, there was hardly enough room for a third addition to the mutilation of the akuma. Nevertheless, Xiv trusted both Crowned Clown and his human allies to act according to their wise instincts.

The large sword came down on the Level Five's skinny neck, effectively decapitating the akuma.

Xiv landed on the hilt, glad for shoes to guard his feet against the Innocence's destructive properties. He listened to the heavy breathing of his comrades, trying to discern any response from the akuma.

"Is it…over?" Lavi gasped as the Level Five floundered underneath Lenalee's boots.

Kanda retreated with Lenalee, watching Xiv with concern as the Noah stepped off Allen's sword to kneel next to the akuma.

"Excuse me, miss," Xiv inquired indifferently, "won't you stop it now? It's no use to keep trying."

The Level Five's limbs fell in defeat to the side, its maimed features crumbling away.

Satisfied, Xiv pulled Crowned Clown from the ground, backing away to join up with the other Exorcists.

Slowly, the Level Five sat up, leaving its head behind in the impression Lenalee had pounded into the floor. It felt gingerly at its open neck, flinching when it touched the sensitive, raw flesh. Its body was barely joined together, attached by a thread of tissue.

Stupid humans. Stupid Exorcists. Stupid Innocence. Stupid everything. Everything that deserved to die.

Fury drove it mad, extracting more poison to its fingers. Its glands created more and more of the substance, gathering it in its arms.

Kanda tensed at the shaking akuma, a little put off by its competent body functions despite the loss of its head.

Lavi took steps away from the small crowd; the more they spread out, the smaller the chance of sustaining multiple injuries as a group.

Lenalee moved toward Link, ready to whisk him away at the first sign of danger.

Xiv noted the signals passed back and forth; he followed what he could understand, dragging the sword along the ground.

With no warning whatsoever, the Innocence disappeared. It simply evaporated, its handle crushed as Xiv automatically tightened his grip to adjust to the shrinking weapon.

What happened, Allen? When Xiv's anticipation for a response was unfulfilled, he dove deeper into his mind. Allen?

Xiv searched everywhere, tearing his mind apart thought by thought. He explored every corner, prowled every uncharted forest of consciousness, and even the depth of his subconscious. There, he found the boy. Allen, wake up.

Allen mumbled something but not with enough volume.

"Allen?" Xiv covered his ears, magnifying his voice to himself. "Allen?" He called harder and louder to the point where the intensity of his shouts impaired his own eardrums.

Abruptly, a pair of rough hands grabbed him, flying him out of the course of a missile beam of some sort—he wasn't paying enough attention to ascertain for sure.

"That was close!" Lenalee cried, huffing with the exertion of keeping their combined weights in midair again. "Are you okay?"

"Allen's gone!"

Lenalee nearly lost her composure and her grip on the Noah. "What?"

"Allen! The Innocence! The activation may have been too much!" Xiv forgot to blush at the pathetic panic in his voice.

No! Allen swam against the suffocating vacuum of their mind, emerging only with an urgent grab from Xiv. I'm okay. Don't worry her.

"What happened?" Xiv solidified the ground beneath Allen in an effort to keep him from sinking back down.

I don't know. Crowned Clown was falling, so I chased after it, and…and…it won't…it's asleep. It won't wake up. Allen made another break for the bottom of their being in search of his valued Innocence, but Xiv yanked him back up.

Don't. Let it rest. It's done enough. Working with me must've been too much. While Xiv would never admit it without serious persuasion, he was also starting to cave in under constant pain and bloodlust. That, and it was simply too dangerous; who knew what sinister horrors lay in ambush for the next clueless wanderer of their mind.

Lenalee set Xiv down as he contemplated the situation.

The Level Five was back on its feet, unsteady but certainly still a threat. It was throwing dark projectiles that splattered against whatever they touched, coloring the walls black.

Unfortunately, this fight didn't appear to be over quite yet.

And, this room was going to need a fresh paint job.


Lol. I really need to get over my phobia of serious situations.

Anyways, so, yeah… Wow. I'm hungry. But it's like…3:30 AM. Can't eat now.

Sleep… Oh, sleep. Hopefully, I'll wake up to an email full of reviews. Please? Please, please? Xiv will kiss your hand if you review…

Hmm… Green tea is finally getting to me… Maybe it's not really tea. It could be weed…

Oh… I can hear birdies outside… What are they doing up so early… Oh, wait, that's my stomach. Daaang. This belly doesn't growl; it chirps…

Now onto my new oneshot (Hoppipolla). Read it if you love me? Lol.

Excuse any mistakes, thank you. Anything like misspellings that are like…you know.