Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray-Man or any songs mentioned

Chapter 9: Take A Hike

He had found a book underneath Mana's bed while vacuuming, and even though he knew that he wasn't supposed to be sneaking around he had opened the book and began looking through it. Some of the things he saw there were terrible, hideous. It was enough to forever scar his young mind, and he knew that if Mana found out about him looking through this he would most likely get angry.

Mana didn't often get angry with Allen, but when he did it was scary. Allen preferred staying on his good side. So it didn't help his case very much when the door creaked open, and he quickly shoved the book back under the bed, probably on the complete opposite side of where it had previously been, too. "Allen, what are you doing?"

"Just cleaning," the boy said quickly, standing up and plastering a smile on his face. A sick feeling squirmed in his stomach as he remembered the pictures he had just seen. He wanted to ask what they were, he wanted answers, but some deep gut feeling was saying to stay far, far away from the subject.

"Alright, but you can leave my room to me. Don't let Cross boss you around. He's my partner with work, not an authority figure towards you." Mana looked a little terse before smiling. "Anyways, off you go." Allen didn't hesitate to unplug the vacuum and hurry off.

I still couldn't believe I was going through with this.

"So, you just decided to go on a hike?" I cringed at Master's voice. He had been hovering over me all morning, since I had gotten out of the shower. I don't know why he decided to wake up early today, but it was definitely not to my advantage. Sometimes, Master could be the most curious person I knew, and he had a way of making curiosity a cruelty.

"I told you already, I'm going with people." I snapped, but regretted it. He flicked the back of my head, which was gentler than usual, but maybe he just wanted me conscious to tell him what was going on. I still hadn't told him anything about the club, either. The only thing he knew about it was, well, nothing, just that there was a club that existed that I wanted to get into.

"Don't give me that. And just tell me where the hell you're going already." He snapped, and I sighed.

"I told you already." I repeated calmly. "I have no idea, I'm just tagging along." I didn't mention that I was sort of required to do this, or that I was technically being forced to do this. I finished tying my boots, standing up from the floor and checking the clock on the wall. Knowing Lavi, someone would probably be here in about five minutes to pick me up, and the number one person I could think of was…well, a very ticked off Fou.

"Yeah, whatever." Master retorted feebly, scoffing and walking into the living room. I would have to make sure to wait outside, so he wouldn't see Fou, or else I would never hear the end of it. Of course, what exactly I wouldn't be hearing the end of I wasn't so sure. Was Fou even Master's type?

I grabbed my bag, which held everything I thought I needed, and opened the door, ready to wait outside, only to be smacked in the face. "Oops! Oh, sorry Allen." I clutched my nose, looking up to find an innocently smiling Lavi, his fist raised as if ready to knock.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed, my voice muffled by my hand. I let go of my still stinging nose, and glared at the redhead.

"I came to get you," He replied. "I am sorry for hitting you in the face, you know. I was trying to knock on the door, but you opened it right when I was going to."

"Yeah, I'm sure. You were probably trying to eavesdrop, weren't you?" His guilty expression said it all. I sighed. "Which means you knew I was going to be opening the door. So stop acting innocent and admit the fact that you enjoyed hitting me in the face. I can see it in the way you're smiling a little too happily."

"Alright, you caught me. It doesn't seem like I can hide anything from you anymore." Even though his expression was relaxed, and his tone was light, his words sent a thrill through me. I didn't let it get to my head, instead shoving past him, trying to act like his words had no effect on me. It was silly that there had actually been an effect in the first place.

"Who else are you picking up?" I asked over my shoulder as I headed towards the black SUV. There was no driver this time.

"No one." My steps faltered, but I quickly regained my pace. "I convinced Kanda to take Lenalee, since they're right next to each other, and Fou is picking up Daisya. Noise has his own methods of getting places, and it's not like any of us are about to go and pick up one of the Noahs. So, it's just you and me."

The idea of us being alone without anyone else there to disturb us made me oddly happy, but I threw the feeling away and instead replaced it with thoughts about the Noahs. To be honest, I had sort of forgotten about them the past few days. Since Road had talked to me that day, it seemed like they were rarely mentioned, and the only other contact I had had with the family since was when I had run into Skin Bolic. I had been more centered around Lavi and the things he seemed to drag me into lately.

"Allen, stop spacing out and get into the car already." I jumped, looking up to find that I had reached the SUV, and I quickly walked around and entered the passenger side. Lavi was already buckled in by the time I had closed the door, and the engine was purring to life in an instant.

"When did you get your license?" I asked, trying to make small talk. It was odd trying to do something like that with Lavi. I wasn't sure why it felt so awkward right now.

"A few months ago," he said dismissively. He pulled away from the curb smoothly, and drove at a much better pace than Kanda or Fou. Silence followed, broken only by the random sounds made outside and the sound of the tires against the road. I felt like I should be asking him questions right now, using this time to my advantage, but I didn't seem to have it in me. He would counterattack; Lavi always counterattacked.

"So what exactly are we doing today?" I asked, when the silence was beginning to press down on me.

"Hiking, maybe having a picnic. I have a nice little game for everyone, too." He smiled, but for some reason there was something wrong about it. What was wrong with him today? "What kind of music do you like?"

"Anything that isn't country or rap." I replied calmly, looking out the window. Lavi pushed a button on the car stereo, and music began playing rather loudly. I jumped, looking at Lavi, who began to bob his head to the music, even though it wasn't exactly a happy sounding song. I vaguely recognized the song from somewhere, but I couldn't put my finger on it. "Why is it so loud?"

"What?" Lavi called over the music, looking at me briefly before returning his attention to the road. I sighed.

"I said, why is it so loud?" I repeated, louder this time.

"Because this kind of music is better to listen to loudly!" He called. I rolled my eyes, leaning back in my seat and trying to name the song. When I still couldn't remember it and the song was about two minutes in, I gave in and asked Lavi. "Fake It, by Seether." He replied. He began to sing with the song. "Who knows if your soul will fade at all…the one you sold to fool the world…"

"Lavi?" I asked cautiously, surprised by how well he was able to sing with the song. That wasn't what made me call his name, though. His eyes took on a strange, glazed over look. "Are you okay?"

He glanced at me again, his eyes clearing. I sighed in relief. "Yeah, fine. Why?" He asked, smirking. "Are you concerned about me, Allen?" I tried not to blush, glaring at him.

"No, I just don't want you swerving off the road and killing the both of us." I muttered, turning away from him to instead glare out the window.

"Agh," he groaned, releasing one hand off the wheel to run it over his face. "You're so mean, Allen! Why don't you tell me the truth instead of being all mysterious?"

"How am I being mysterious when I'm clearly insulting you?" I retorted, turning to face him again. He still had one hand off the wheel. "And will you please drive with both hands!"

"Why? I can drive with no hands and it'll still be fine!" He snapped. "You know you're not telling the truth, so tell me already!" The SUV came to a sudden halt, and Lavi yanked the keys out of the ignition after putting the vehicle in park. The music died, leaving everything completely silent, and all I could do was stare at Lavi in shock. "I'm tired, Allen…" He whispered, slumping forward. His forehead hit the wheel. "I don't know what to do anymore."

"Wh-what're you talking about?" I asked, shrinking closer to the door. "What do you mean, you don't know what to do?"

"Everything…it's so confusing…" he muttered huskily, barely understandable. "You avoid all of my questions, or right when I could possibly get an answer someone interrupts. You don't tell me the truth, you go around it. Do you understand how frustrating it is?"

"You…" I said softly, sighing. "Aren't really one to talk." He sat up, looking at me in surprise. "You do the same thing, you know. Maybe not like I do, but you do avoid my questions. Usually, you answer them in a joking manner, not telling me the truth but just being sarcastic or telling me what a normal person would want to hear. It's plenty excruciating. However, just like you have your reasons, I have my reasons. Therefore, we have now come to a standstill. We both want to know more about the other, but we both do not want to reveal our own secrets."

"Allen…" Lavi smiled, the same smile he wore every day when he was around everyone. "You sounded pretty serious there."

"See what I mean?" I muttered, turning back to my window and trying not to hit him. The engine purred to life again, and the music went back on. The song was different now, by a completely different band. This one I didn't know at all, and I didn't bother asking. Lavi turned down the music, but I wasn't sure why. "You said you were tired… does that mean you could end up falling asleep at the wheel at any time?"

"You're still worried about my driving skills, Allen?" Lavi wined, pouting. "That sort of feels like an insult."

"Good." I said shortly, and Lavi gave a devastated look when I looked at him.

"You're not very nice." He muttered, looking back at the road. I rolled my eyes. We were back in routine. I was pretty sure we weren't going to be having another moment like that for the rest of the day, and maybe that was why it had happened. After all, it was better for this to happen now than in front of everyone else, and it seemed like every time the two of us were together we would have a conversation like this, a brief moment where neither of us are putting up our mask.

"When will we get there?" I asked. We had been driving for a while now, but I honestly didn't know where there were any hiking trails or anything like that.

"It's coming up soon, but for now why don't you just enjoy the scenery?" He suggested, tapping his fingers on the wheel to the song. I did as he suggested, watching the trees go by. I had never noticed how green this place was. There were evergreens everywhere, with not too many other trees. The trees that weren't evergreens were either completely bare or had a few brown leaves still clinging to them.

I continued to examine the wildlife until Lavi pulled onto a long, bumpy road. Straight ahead, a familiar shiny motorcycle and sports car were parked, as well as a few cars that were unfamiliar. Lavi threw on a teasing smile, and I put on my innocent, vacant smile. "Well, we're here. Just remember; no running into a bush with one of the girls until we leave."

"Lavi!" I gasped, my eyes going wide as a bright blush spread across my cheeks. He laughed heartily, pulling up beside Kanda's car and once again putting it in park. This time, he was more gentle with taking the keys out of the ignition.

"Joking, joking" he waved his hand dismissively before getting out of the car, not bothering to wait for me before beginning down one of the many trails that were there. I rushed after him, looking back at the SUV when I caught up to him.

"Is it okay to leave it unlocked like that?" I asked.

"Sure, it's not like anyone else will be here today. This place is pretty quiet." He said, looking at me from the corner of his eye. "I like coming here a lot, when I feel like thinking. There's no one here to disturb me, or try and change my mind. I can think without anyone else's influence." I didn't say anything, thinking it better to not. "Ah, we're here!"

"Huh?" I looked ahead of me, surprised to find a large clearing with still-green grass. Even though it was Autumn, today seemed to be pretty clear, which I had only just noticed. In the center of the clearing was a single picnic table, and I could tell there was a silent battle about who dominated it. Three people from each group sat on either side, while the stray ones from each just stood by their own side. Most of them were glaring at each other, except for Lenalee and the only person I had yet to meet on our side.

"Allen! Lavi!" Lenalee waved at us as soon as she saw us, grinning in obvious relief. She was one of the people not sitting, so she ran to us right away.

"Keh, about time." Kanda snapped, the only other not sitting on our side. He had his arms crossed in a cold stance, glaring at Lavi. The side I wasn't familiar with were now all standing, forming a loose line and staring at Lavi and I.

"Are we going for the hike now?" Tykki spoke, at the end of the line closest to the table. Directly beside him was Road. At the other end of the line was Skin Bolic.

"Yeah, but we have to be back here by two. We're having lunch, and then we're going to play a game. Winner gets something special." Lavi explained, but he wasn't smiling like he had been earlier. His eyes were colder than before, too.

"What kind of game?" Lenalee asked, giving Lavi a curious look.

"You'll see when the time comes," he replied, giving her a teasing smile and patting her on the head. Her face went red and she turned, stomping off muttering about being treated like a kid. "Everyone ready?" Lavi called, but he was mostly looking at our side. Every one nodded, and suddenly the clearing was filled with movement. Everyone was getting their things together, putting on back packs or taking out hats and water bottles.

My own back pack was rather light, since I hadn't really thought I would need too much, but seeing how full their bags were I was beginning to doubt my packing knowledge for hiking. I walked forward, about to join Lenalee and Fou, who were conversing (though Fou seemed to be arguing) about bottled water, but I was cut off by two bodies.

"Ah, aren't you a cutie?" I looked into the face of a blond, long haired boy with wide brown eyes, that weren't innocent but weren't as sinister as Road or Tykki's. He looked sort of like a hippie, with a red string tied over his hair and around his forehead. He had a brown vest on with fur around the collar and inside the attached hood, and a pair of leather jeans. Hiking boots were on his feet, worn out from use.

"E-excuse me?" I stuttered, my cheeks burning as I stared at him in shock. The boy beside him grinned slyly, shrugging an arm over the blonde.

"Don't mind my brother," he said, his brown eyes flashing. "He's a little forward." He looked different from the other one, with black hair that framed his rather pretty looking face, wearing a jacket that was black and had the same fur as the blonde's around the collar and inside the hood. His jacket was open, showing a white men's tank top, and he wore the same leather pants and boots as the blonde.

I was pretty sure the most noticeable thing about both of them, though, was their makeup.

"Er…" Why was it that a Noah was always able to make me speechless? I felt nervous, even though they wore such drastic makeup. The blonde one looked almost like he had black eyes, if it weren't for the three lines on the corner of each eye. The other was just as drastic, maybe a little thicker, with a long line like a scar going down his left eye. The blonde also looked like he had sewn his mouth together, except that his mouth had no string blocking it, so it was either a tattoo or more makeup.

"Jasdero, David, don't start playing around all ready." Tykki was by their side so suddenly, I almost jumped.

"I couldn't agree more." This time, I did jump. Lavi was next to me, glaring at the black haired boy. Odd, he seemed to be completely ignoring the blonde.

"Of course, the hero in shining armor appears as soon as his new pet is in trouble." Tykki said calmly, staring blankly at Lavi. I didn't want to be a part of this argument, although the pet comment kind of irked me. I wasn't exactly some item to be claimed.

"You should watch your mouth, Mikk, before I stick my lance right through your non-existent heart." Lavi said quietly, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Or rather, before my pet decides to stop playing innocent and dumb." I glared, clenching my fists, and turned on Lavi.

"Watch who you're calling dumb!" I snapped, glaring up at him. I didn't feel as intimidating as I should, considering he was so much taller than me.

"Come now, Allen, you know I didn't mean it." Lavi grinned innocently, and I pouted.

"Now look who's playing dumb." I muttered, turning away from him. "You shouldn't be such a hypocrite, you know."

"I'm not being a hypocrite…" There was a long pause, in which not only me but Tykki and the two boys gave him a pointed look. "Oh."

"Maybe you should pay more attention to what you say and do," I suggested. "Especially before blaming someone else, namely me, of the same thing. It just makes you look bad."

"Look at that, Lavi. Even your supposed friends are turning on you now." Tykki smirked, looking like he was really enjoying himself. No…that's not true…

"That's not how it works." Lavi said, before I could. I looked at him in surprise. "Friends are supposed to have these arguments. We tell each other our bad points and make fun of each other for them. You, on the other hand, only have bad intentions."

"What he said." I jumped again, looking over to find Fou. She was wearing her black toque today, with a baggy black sports jacket and baggy sweat pants, a pair of worn out hiking boots adorning her feet. "Come on, we're getting impatient." She said, and walked off. I blinked, confused by what had just happened, and was even more confused when the two boys and Tykki walked off without saying a thing, and Lavi headed to where Fou, Lenalee, Kanda, Daisya, and the unknown boy were. I quickly followed after him, not wanting to be alone in the clearing.

"Alright. We don't necessarily have to stay in a group, we're not in elementary anymore, so take whatever path you like and be back in…" Lavi checked a wrist watch I had never noticed before, and counted with his fingers. "Five hours. It's nine now. So, you should have plenty of time to run around and do whatever. So, if you want to go with someone ask." His eyes fell on me, and his mouth opened, but someone beat him to it.

"Allen, you wanna go with me?" I was, to say the least, shocked. Fou just stared at me, her face completely serious. Everyone stared at her, and obviously I was not the only one surprised. When I glanced at Lavi, he seemed suddenly guarded, and the only one not staring at Fou in shock. "Well? Give me an answer instead of just gaping."

"Uh…sure…" I mumbled, my cheeks burning a little.

"Yuu…" Lavi whispered, shoving past me and going to stand in front of Kanda. When he spoke again, his voice was back to normal. "Wanna join me in my adventure? We can bring Lenalee along, of course!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kanda snapped. Lenalee just waved it off, smiling.

"Come on, let's go! Daisya, Marie's in your care!" She called, dragging Kanda and Lavi towards a path. I looked at the unknown boy, with black skin and his eyes shut, a small black ponytail the only thing on his head but bald otherwise, and wearing a long black cloak. In seconds, everyone was splitting up, and Fou grabbed me by the wrist to drag me off. I hadn't even been given time to process anything that had just happened.

"So, what path do you want to go along?" She mumbled, although it was doubtful she would listen to me. Maybe it was just my imagination, but her cheeks looked a little flushed. Before I had a chance to even suggest a path, Fou dragged me down a rather worn, but not very used looking one, letting go of my wrist once we had entered it.

We just walked for a while, not really saying anything or making any acknowledgement in either's existence, but the flush that I had thought was my imagination wasn't going away. So I decided to occupy myself by searching for any wildlife besides trees and moss, trying to get Fou's behavior out of my thoughts.

The silence was beginning to get to me after about ten minutes, though. I was beginning to take it for granted, enjoying the walk and allowing myself time to think, although it seemed all I wanted to think about was my car ride with Lavi. I was a little perplexed about the look that had been on his face when he had been singing. There had been something else there completely… The snap of a twig and the sound of someone falling interrupted my thoughts.

"Ah, Fou!" I hurried forward, crouching down to see if she was okay. She was sitting on the ground, wincing and rubbing her backside. "Are you alright?"

"Don't go thinking this is something special or anything, I just don't want to be around any of the others right now and its not like I want to be alone on this trip, and you're the only one-" I put a hand over her mouth, my heart racing. She looked at me and shock, and I quickly pulled my hand away, cursing myself.

"Sorry, I don't know why I did that." Yes I do… "Why don't you answer my question, though, instead of giving me a speech? I don't think like that, Fou, so I wasn't getting the wrong idea when you asked for me to come along with you." For some reason, it was different with Fou than it was with Lenalee. She was acting weird, and being alone with her seemed so much different.

"I'm fine," Fou snapped, pushing herself up and not looking at me, but her cheeks were redder than before. Her behavior was beginning to confuse me. Lately, my time with Fou had been limited. We hadn't talked since Thursday, besides her brief insults yesterday whenever I saw her, and it had been rare for Lenalee not to be around before that. I wasn't sure when this had started.

"Shall we go, then?" I whispered, walking forward. An odd thought began to occur to me.

How should I react, if a girl were to confess to me? I had never really thought about it before, since the idea seemed impossible to me, but now that I was seeing Fou like this I was beginning to wonder what exactly I should do if it were to ever happen. Things like this depended on so many different aspects, like if I even liked the girl or if I wanted a relationship, but at the same time I wasn't sure how I would be able to say no if either of those things didn't apply in the first place. Would I be able to say no?

Girls were a complete mystery to me. I had no idea what went on inside their heads or how their emotions ran, since I had never really bothered with human beings in the first place, and where I stood at the current moment was probably worse than Lavi, which sort of irked me. Even though Master often said I was rather feminine in the way my mind worked, I doubted he actually knew what went on inside a girl's head. Why do girls have to be so frustrating?

Also, why had I only just started thinking about this? I was a guy, wasn't I? Yet, even before everything had happened, I had never really noticed girls. I suppose the closest I had ever really gotten to a crush were standing behind me and with Lavi and Kanda. Fou and Lenalee were the only two girls I had ever really had contact with and actually gotten to know, and had ever really noticed more than just their presence. It was pathetic, but it was true. Even Lo Fwa hadn't really been noticed as 'hey, she's a female'. I just noticed her, and that was it.

I sighed out loud. "I guess the only real way to know what to do is to just do whatever comes to mind when it happens." I muttered, running a hand over my face. I was surprised by how frustrated I was with this. It had even driven out thoughts of earlier this morning, and had taken over my whole train of thought. Girls really were a complicated subject.

"What are you talking about to yourself?" Fou snapped from behind me, and I looked back. I had been so absorbed in my thoughts that I hadn't even noticed we were now on a rather steep hill, both sides of the trail cutting off to more steep hills, and being the idiot that I was I slipped as soon as I turned. "H-hey! Watch out!"

Fou reached for me, but I was already falling over. She grabbed my hand as my arms reached outward of their own accord, but as soon as she did that I could tell there was no chance of her being able to pull me back up. I tried to shake her hand off, but it was too late, and instead we ended up both falling.

For some reason, my head was completely clear, and I was able to think calmly and collectively. I grabbed Fou and encased her in my arms as we began to fall, trying to protect her as much as possible from the stray things on the ground. I wasn't sure how long we rolled down the hill, hitting various logs and fallen branches as we went, but we didn't stop until we hit the bottom. Grunting in pain and closing my eyes, I let Fou go.

"Are you…okay?" I mumbled, trying to sit up, but a hand stopped me. I opened my eyes, finding Fou hovering above me and staring at me in shock. I could taste blood in my mouth, and I was pretty sure I had quite a few cuts and bruises all over my body, but I was glad to see that she looked relatively unharmed. Her toque had fallen off at some point, and a few twigs and stray leaves were sticking out of her hair, dirt all over her face, making her look comical. I chuckled.

"Why're you laughing, idiot!" she yelled, hitting me on the chest. "You could've died!"

"No, not really," I grunted, this time pushing against her hand to sit up. I rubbed the spot she had hit. "The path we took didn't have any trees, and it wasn't steep enough. I'd say we're pretty lucky, considering."

"You idiot…you should look where you're walking next time." She mumbled, turning away from me.

"But you spoke to me, so I was just trying to be polite and look at you when I talked to you. Don't you know it's rude-"

"Stop it!" She cried, turning to look at me again. I stared in shock, seeing this Fou for the first time. Tears were in her eyes, and her lips were trembling. I had never thought I would see a face like this on Fou. Her tough girl act had crumbled away slowly, and I already knew it had started long before this. How long had I been so ignorant? "I was so worried…"

"Why?" I asked, my voice strained. "It's not like I went unconscious or anything."

"When we were going down the hill, idiot!" She snapped, a futile attempt to pick herself up again. It didn't work. Instead, she started crying. "I'm not some fragile…weakling…" I didn't know what to do at all. I began to reach for her, but I hesitated. Would she get the wrong idea? Idiot, don't think about that now! "Hey, Allen…what do you think of me?"

Was now really the time to ask that? She was crying, and I was bleeding in various places, yet she wanted to ask a question like that? Girls really are a mystery. "Well, I guess you're pretty cool. I mean, you did stick with me for the past couple of weeks and all." I smiled nervously, cursing my luck. Why did she have to get all emotional now? I had no experience with this at all, for Christ's sake!

"Stupid bean sprout…" Fou muttered, wiping at her eyes. I was about to sigh in relief, hoping that she would go back to normal, but nothing seemed to be going my way today. Fou shifted on her knees, throwing her arms around me before I could do or say anything, and our lips connected.

Since I had only really been kissed once before this, and that just so happened to be the incident with Lavi, I wasn't sure how I was supposed to feel. I don't think I was supposed to feel uncomfortable, though. Her lips were soft against mine, and rather warm, but all I could taste was blood, and I was so nervous that I was actually beginning to sweat now. Also, it just didn't seem right.

When she pulled away, I was unable to say anything. I just stared blankly at her, and the longer I stared the more pronounce her frown became. Soon, she was looking away, the blush that had been there gone, replaced by bitterness. When I finally got my speech back, I was only able to whisper. I started to stand, avoiding looking at her. "Maybe…we should go and find the others."

"Right." Fou whispered, standing up as well. I thought I saw another tear rolling down her face, but I ignored it.

We searched for a long time, not a single word being said once. During our search, I found various different tears in my clothes and quite a few spots soaked through with blood, and the longer we walked the more I was able to feel the pain with each step. It was by accident that I ran directly into Kanda coming out of another bush, once again falling over.

"Oi, watch it--what the hell happened to you, bean sprout?" I just grunted, slowly picking myself up and looking over his shoulder. It was rather difficult, since his shoulder was higher than my head, but I was still able to see the top of Lavi's wild red hair. He poked his head around Kanda's frame, looking at me in surprise. Fou slipped out of the bushes behind me, and Lavi's expression turned sly.

"What did I say, Allen?" He said sarcastically, but I just shook my head. I couldn't look any of them directly in the eye. I felt ashamed of myself, because I knew I had hurt Fou. No matter what way I looked at it, I had rejected her.

"We fell down a hill," I whispered. "We couldn't find the trail again, so we got a little lost."

"Are you two okay?" Lenalee asked, appearing on Kanda's other side. She looked worried.

"I'm fine." Fou muttered. "You should take Allen back to the clearing, though. He took most of the damage." When she said my name, maybe I was the only one who noticed it but she sounded like she was straining to say it.

"I'll take you back." I wasn't surprised that Lavi had volunteered. I was glad, though. The whole time we had been searching, the one person I had wanted to see was Lavi. I didn't know what it was anymore, that drew me to him, but it was like there was a part of me that was empty when he wasn't there. I couldn't understand any of it anymore. Especially not after what had just happened.

Lenalee waved us off as Lavi forcefully slung one of my arms over his shoulder and began dragging me off, Kanda already starting to walk and Fou turning her back to us. No, not us, me. I knew, I could feel it, that our friendship would never be the same, if it even existed anymore. Even though I knew her feelings, I felt like I had lost a part of myself. I hadn't realized how much I depended on our friendship until now.

"So, what'd you do to Fou?" I jumped, looking up at Lavi in surprise, before sighing. I looked away again, just shaking my head. "She told you?"

"Told me what?" I muttered, thought I was pretty sure I knew what.

"Her feelings towards you." He said absently, his tone not changing at all. He may as well have been discussing the weather with me.

"No." I whispered. "She showed me."

"She kissed you?" Lavi asked. His tone was a little darker now, but it was probably my imagination, since my thoughts became darker the second he said that word.

"Yeah. After we fell. Was pretty weird." I didn't want to make full sentences right now. I was tired, and I felt like a fool. "Idiot girl. Should've just left it alone." Then I sighed. "Never mind. I shouldn't have fallen." Then I shook my head. "No. I should've said no. Y'know, when she asked me." Then I hung my head. "Never mind. I should have just never been born."

"Wow, you're pretty upset over this." Lavi grinned, but it wasn't sarcastic like it usually was. It was understanding. "So, are you going to go out with her?"

"No." I replied, in a ghost of a whisper. I spoke up louder for the next part. "Besides, I'm pretty sure I've already rejected her. I'm pretty sure she noticed, too. Actually…" my head was getting cloudy. I knew this feeling, but it wasn't like knowing was going to stop it. My vision began to blur, going black around the edges. "Sorry, Lavi…but could you…please…"

"Don't even worry about it." He muttered, before my vision went completely black.

I woke up to the sound of arguing voices. My name came up a few times, but other than that I couldn't distinguish a thing. My head was aching as if someone had smashed a rock over it, and I could feel little stings of pain all over my body as I shifted my weight. When I opened my eyes, I found Lenalee smiling down at me.

"Hey, sleepy head!" She chimed, offering her hand. I took it, using her support to sit up, and found that I was lying in the middle of the clearing we had been in earlier. It took me a minute to gather my thoughts, and the more I remembered the worse I felt.

"Can I go back to sleep?" I muttered, glaring at the ground. The arguing voices came to a stop, and many different pairs of feet began to surround me, except for one.

"Allen, you're up!" Lavi said cheerily, and I followed the muddy green converse shoes up Lavi's body and to his face. "You know, you're pretty heavy."

"What time is it?" I asked. He looked at his wrist watch.

"Two-seventeen." He replied. I just nodded, the gesture making a fresh wave of pain rush through my head.

"Do you have any Advil or something?" I asked. Lenalee held out her hand, showing a small white tablet, and Lavi pulled a water bottle out of his bag. I took them both gratefully, aware that everyone was watching me. When I finished, I looked up at Lavi again. "Uh…what exactly happened?"

"I carried you back here and let you sleep while waiting for everyone to get back." He said. "I was just explaining what happened to the others when you woke up. You hungry?"

"A little…" I was starving. My stomach was making itself known, and had been since I had woken up, but I hadn't wanted to say anything incase they thought I was being rude or something.

"Good, because it's lunch time." Lavi and Lenalee helped me up, bringing me to the picnic table and making sure I was able to sit down on my own before going back to where they had left their backpacks. My own backpack was nowhere to be seen, but I could tell it had probably helped a lot with keeping my back safe, since it didn't feel like there were any cuts or bruises on it.

"Here. You can have some of my lunch, if you want. Lavi had to get rid of your backpack, since it was slowing him down and it had too many tears in it, so you don't exactly have your own." Lenalee said, sitting down next to me when she returned. She was holding out a plastic bag, which looked like it was ready to tear in at least five places from how many things were sticking out of it. "Besides, my brother packed too much again."

"Er, thanks." I said, grinning sheepishly. I took the bag, placing it on the table and beginning to take out the contents. Lenalee pulled out a second plastic bag, with just as much in it, and I blinked, staring at the two overfull bags on the table. Komui seemed to be written all over it.

Everything in the bag seemed to be homemade, and my mouth watered just seeing them, even though the fact that little hearts and Lenalee's name were decorated all over everything made it a little difficult to take seriously. Lenalee began to eat from the other bag, and I gratefully began to eat from the bag she had given me. I began with the biscuits, since they seemed to look the most appetizing.

"Your brother's a really good cook." I said through my mouthful of food. Lenalee giggled, covering her mouth. After a minute, she swallowed and took a deep breath, still smiling.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Allen!" She chided happily. I grinned, but quickly covered my mouth, my cheeks burning when I felt the food that had been on my lips. I swallowed quickly, laughing lightly and removing my hand from my face.

"We've got the table to ourselves." I jumped when I heard Lavi directly behind me, and his interruption in the happy moment reminded me of Fou. My smile disappeared, and I turned back to the food, stuffing more into my mouth in order to avoid questions from Lenalee. "The Noahs agreed that since you're injured you can have the table, and the others don't want to sit at the table anyways."

"Fou's okay, right?" Lenalee asked, which had been the question I was about to ask. I was a little glad she had been the one to ask, and not me, but at the same time I felt guilty for not being more concerned about the girl.

"Yeah, she's fine. A little hostile, but that's all." I froze. Was Lavi going to tell Lenalee?

"Poor girl…" Lenalee whispered. "I told her she should just leave it alone." My heart sped up, and I looked up at Lenalee in surprise.

"What?" I asked.

"I've known for a while that she liked you. My first hint was the way she always ignored you. Even though she has an attitude, she doesn't usually completely ignore people, not even the Noahs. The second hint was the way she gave you a nickname, and the way she continued to hang out with you even after Lavi stopped asking her favors. If she doesn't like a person, she gets away from them as soon as possible. Third, whenever you were around she would try her hardest to act tough." I frowned, stumped.

"But that makes no sense. If she liked me, why wouldn't she try to get on my good side? I thought that was what girls did—try and make themselves more innocent, not less." I wasn't sure I could keep up with a girl's mind.

"Well, Fou's a little different, I guess. Technically, though, that's not true. A girl has no specific boundaries to the way she acts around a guy she likes. Generally, though, it's either trying too hard not to be obvious that it becomes obvious, or trying to be obvious by flirting and such." Lenalee explained, as if it were a simple math equation. At the moment, math felt like the easiest thing in the world.

"I don't get it." I muttered, giving up. "Honestly, it doesn't matter anymore anyways. Nothing's going to happen."

"I know." Lenalee whispered, and Lavi patted me on the back from his spot beside me.

"So she told you? Or did Lavi?" I asked, not lifting my head as I turned to look at her. She looked different when I saw her from a down angle.

"She did. We got Kanda to walk at least ten feet ahead at all times." Lenalee looked pretty proud of herself when she said this, and I laughed.

"He probably didn't like that much, huh?" I asked, pushing myself up and about to take more food, but it had disappeared. I blinked, staring at the empty space. "Where'd it go?"

"Oh, you were still eating?" My eyebrow twitched, and I turned to look at Lavi, rage beginning to take over when I saw that he had moved all of the food that Lenalee had given me over to his side. He was half way through eating a biscuit, looking perfectly happy.

"Lavi…" I hissed, "Give it back…now…"

"Nope."

("…")

"Do you give up yet?"

"Ow, ow, yes!"

"What do you say?"

"What do you-okay, okay! I give! I'm sorry for taking away Lenalee-your food!" I released his ear and stood up from my straddling position, wiping off my pants and smirking down at the redhead. He pouted, rubbing his ear before pushing himself up. "How'd you get to be strong enough to overpower me?"

"You took my food." Was all I said, going back to the picnic table and grabbing more of the baked goods, stuffing a donut in my mouth.

"Er…right…" He said from behind me, and I turned to look at him. "Anyways, it's time to gather everyone around."

"Are we playing that game now?" Lenalee asked, having just watched our scrap from the picnic table while calmly eating. She had even cheered for me a couple of times. I placed my food back on the table, stashing a couple more biscuits in my pocket.

"Yeah. I'll be right back." Lavi said, walking away while rubbing his still-red ear.

"Allen?" I hesitated from turning around, not quite ready to face Lenalee, since she was the one person that was able to make me regret the things I did. When I saw her face, I relaxed a little. She wore only a gentle smile. "Are you okay with how things are now?" It took me a moment to answer her question, since I wasn't so sure myself.

"Well, not really. I don't want to lose Fou as a friend. After all, it's because of my ignorance that this happened. If I would have noticed this happening, I probably could have prevented it in a way that wouldn't hurt her." I admitted, taking a seat next to the Chinese girl. When had I started trusting these people so completely? Why was it so effortless to tell Lenalee my feelings now? Why was it that I had told Lavi the truth without him even needing to ask me more than once?

"I'm not so sure that's true, and besides, I don't think someone like you would be able to realize something like that until it's so obvious that it's impossible to ignore it anymore." For some reason I didn't think that was a compliment. "Fou takes a lot of things hard, and so no matter what would've happened she would have ended up upset."

"Not if nothing ever happened. She would just gradually stop liking me, wouldn't she?" I asked, frowning.

"Not necessarily. There's always the chance that she would only end up liking you more and more as time went on, to the point where she would become blind to any other man around her and would most likely live a rather unhappy, unfulfilled life, because all you would ever do was avoid her." Lenalee said calmly, and I winced.

"I don't even know why I felt so odd when she kissed me…" I whispered. "It felt wrong, as if I were kissing my sister or something. I don't know why I don't like her, or why I can't start. It's like a barricade or something, but I don't know what's causing it."

"There's nothing wrong with that, Allen. we can't control our feelings." She said quietly, gently. "Otherwise, Fou probably would have stopped liking you a while ago."

"What did you mean…when you said you had already told her to just leave it alone?" I asked. Lenalee smiled secretively.

"Because, I've had my eye on you two for a while now." I had a feeling she didn't mean me and Fou. If it wasn't Fou, though, then who?

"Alright, everyone's here!" Lavi chimed from behind me, and I jumped. I looked back, finding that he had brought everybody over to the picnic table, and I could see Fou hiding in the back. "So, we're going to play a little game of Capture the Flag."

"That's a little childish, isn't it?" Tykki said in a bored manner from behind Lavi, of whom was only facing me and Lenalee. He turned to face the rest of the people, leaving me to stay behind him.

"Well, it's still fun." Lavi replied. "Besides, it's full contact. The border line goes from the beginning of the mountain to the stream that's just over there, and from road to road length-wise. Half way line will be down the middle of this clearing, so one of the teams might have more ground than the other, but that's as much an advantage as it is a disadvantage. You can hide your flag anywhere in your area, so long as it's on the ground and in plain sight when you get at least ten feet away from it.

"You can have two people to guard the flag, and can do whatever you want with the extra players. It's suggested you have at least one person running around on your side to check for anyone going over the border, and like I said earlier, it's full contact. If there's someone on your side, you can do whatever you want to get them back to their side, but only to get them back to their side. You can't keep them on your side, and no knocking them out. There's no such thing as tagging and then going back to your side. You have to fight. Also, everyone needs to go easy on Allen and Fou." Lavi finished with a cheeky grin, looking proud of himself.

"So you win when you get the opponent's flag onto your side?" Lenalee asked.

"Well…yeah…" Lavi scratched the back of his head. "I thought that would be the most obvious part." There was a long pause. "Anyways. I think we all know our teams. We have five minutes to hide the flags and get into our positions. Begin."

I wasn't sure which was faster—the way we effortlessly split up into two teams, or the way we wordlessly chose our sides. Everyone headed into the forest together, and I knew that we had the advantage with seven people. Then I paused. "Wait…wouldn't it be good to have a referee?"

"You're right!" Lavi grinned, and then chuckled. "I already thought of that though. Marie's going to be our ref."

"Marie?" I asked, thinking maybe a girl, but then I noticed the same boy that I had seen before that I didn't know. He was standing there, his eyes still closed, on what I imagined was the invisible boundary line. "Why are his eyes closed?" If he was there, then that meant we were back to even numbers on both sides.

"He's blind. However, he can hear things almost as good as a dog. So, he'll be able to hear everything that goes on around the clearing at least, and if he walks around then it'll be easy for him to hear most of the stuff going on." Lavi explained, and then turned towards Marie. "Good luck! We're counting on you!"

"I'll be here." Was all he said, his voice rather deep. Lavi and I disappeared behind the trees together then, following the rest of our group and looking back to see the Noahs doing the same.

"What about the flags?" I asked.

"Already thought of that, too." Lavi pulled out a red bandana. "They have a blue one."

"When did you give them that?" I asked.

"I gave it to Tykki earlier. You know, when I was rounding everyone up. Trust me, I wasn't exactly willing to give him something besides a fist in the face." I chuckled, and gradually we became the leaders in the group, until Lavi stopped in a random area and picked up a twig, tying the bandana to it. He stuck the twig in the ground, and it looked like a mini flag.

"I'll be a guard." Fou's voice was sort of dead, without its usual spunk, and a fresh wave of guilt washed through me. Thankfully, the Advil I had taken had long taken effect, and so when she shoved past me I didn't feel more pain than I normally would have. I winced, not liking this new Fou. Lavi placed a hand on my shoulder in silent comfort.

"Me, too!" Lenalee volunteered, waving her hand in the air and grinning. I felt like she was doing it for my sake.

"All right, I guess it's been decided." Lavi said heartily, releasing my shoulder.

"I'll be on watch." Daisya said calmly, already walking back towards the boundaries. I swallowed nervously.

"That leaves me, Yuu and Allen to be the offensive." Lavi chimed, obviously happy with the results.

"Great." Kanda scoffed, stalking off in the direction Daisya was going in. Lavi grabbed my wrist and dragged me off, and I stumbled after him. He was slower than Kanda and Daisya, though, and we soon lost them. Not long after, Lavi let go of my wrist, turning sharply to the right. Surprised by the change, I quickly caught up to him.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Well, it's not exactly smart to go right through the center now is it? Kanda's the only one stupid enough to do that. The best way to sneak into another's base is by going through the sides and staying hidden. So, that's what we're going to do." Hearing him say it made it really obvious.

"Okay, well, maybe we should try and be quiet too?" I asked, as Lavi seemed to take the loudest route possible. Every step he took he snapped another twig. As he began to try and avoid them unsuccessfully, I pulled out the two biscuits I had grabbed. He looked at me curiously, and I grinned guiltily.

"How big is your stomach?" He asked, shaking his head.

"Pretty big, I guess." He didn't say anything after that, and neither did I. Instead, we took as quiet a route as possible, getting closer and closer to the beginning of the mountain, until a distant 'begin!' was heard. The games were on.

"Allen, this way." Lavi whispered, beginning to creep towards the center line again. I turned with him, using stray logs to avoid stepping on twigs. Soon, it was like a game, as we hopped from log to log trying not to touch the ground. I felt like I was a kid again, trying not to touch the magma that would burn me alive.

I wasn't sure when we crossed the center line, but Lavi suddenly pulling me down and making me huddle with him behind a bush told me that we had come across someone. I peered through the branches, finding a girl that looked a lot like a woman walking around, wearing black sunglasses and with long blonde hair tied into a loose ponytail, her bangs cropped short. She looked a little out of place, wearing an expensive looking suit.

"Lulubell." Lavi whispered in my ear. "Watch out for her." I just nodded silently, watching as the Noah walked right past us, her overly long fingernails painfully visible when she passed us. As soon as her footsteps faded away, Lavi pulled me behind him, heading deeper into the enemy base.

We searched for a long time, creeping behind trees and trying not to be seen, and I was beginning to think that we would easily be able to take the gold when I saw Skin. He must have been their watcher, because he was prowling around in circles instead of continuing forward. I swallowed nervously, not sure we would be lucky enough to avoid this one.

"Allen, stay down." Lavi muttered, getting on his hands and knees and crawling forward. I quickly followed after him, not exactly happy to be getting more muddy than I already was. Lavi lead me in a large arc around the enemy, constantly looking back to make sure I was following, and soon Skin was out of sight. I sighed in relief, beginning to stand up. "Not yet!"

"Huh?" I looked at Lavi in surprise, half way up, and then quickly fell back down. What was wrong?

"Their flag is probably somewhere close. Skin's an idiot, and has a tendency to stay close to where his family is, so whoever the guards are will most likely be right up ahead." Lavi explained, and then moved his fingers in a gesture to continue forward. I took his advice, being careful to tread more quietly along the ground than before. It was doubtful we would be able to get to the flag without a confrontation of whoever was guarding it unless we were perfect with our timing and our strategy.

But what was our strategy? Better yet, what was my strategy? I felt lost, confused, and stupid. Realizing that Fou liked me had shaken me, and I was beginning to feel like I knew less than I had thought about the people around me. It was making me feel selfish, oblivious. I was too centered on myself, and I wasn't paying enough attention to the people around me. I could have done something about what had happened today if I had decided to pay an ounce of attention to Fou, but instead I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts to care.

I was so stupid.

"Allen, stop!" Lavi hissed, and I realized I was almost passing him. I quickly halted, bringing my head back to the game at hand, glad for the distraction. "The twins are up ahead." I knew who he was talking about easily enough, since it was hard to forget faces like theirs. I looked over the log we were hiding behind, and what I would have most likely hit my head on if Lavi hadn't of stopped me, and found the two boys from earlier this morning standing there. They stood on either side of a blue bandana tied to a twig, just like what Lavi had done.

"What do we do now?" I whispered, but Lavi just shook his head. They were about twenty feet away, give or take, and they were standing a little too close to the flag. So much for timing and strategy.

"We need a distraction." Lavi muttered, glaring at the black haired one. It really did seem like he was ignoring the blonde.

"Lavi…why are you ignoring the blonde guy?" I asked. He blinked, surprised, and looked at me.

"You noticed?" he asked, and I just nodded. He shrugged. "Jasdero never really did anything bad to me. He just does what his brother tells him to do, and that's it. So, I just don't acknowledge him, since he does the same for me. It's a mutual thing."

"His name's Jasdero?" I asked. I was distracted now, intent on finding out about the two boys.

"Yeah. The other one's David. Together, they're Jasdebi, or something like that. I don't know why, but people started calling them that. Anyways, they're total pranksters and stir up trouble not only for the school and the town but for their family too. They played a pretty cruel joke on me once, too."

"Really?" I asked, intrigued. "What did they do?"

"Allen, now's really not the time for that. Please, concentrate on now." He hissed, but the hint of a blush on his face told me he was just trying to avoid the subject. I obliged anyways, tired of blushes for the day. "Now, if we could just find a distraction…"

Something cracked in the bushes, and heavy grunts as if someone was pushing against something heavy reached my ears. Lavi and I both looked back at the same time, surprised to find Kanda and Skin in a duel, Kanda carrying an extremely large and thick stick and using it to push against Skin, pushing him closer and closer to us. However, they were out of view from the twins.

"Go and see what that is." David said, glaring at the bushes, and I swallowed, ducking down lower. Jasdero walked forward, in the complete opposite direction than where Skin and Kanda really were. David crept forward, too, and I wondered how they had all been so oblivious to Lavi and mine's presence. It wasn't exactly like we had been the most quiet of people, considering we had just been talking rather loudly and had snapped at least three branches while waiting around here.

"Allen, this is our chance," Lavi whispered, pulling his headband down so that it hung around his neck with his scarf, shaking his hair out and ducking low. "Stay here, just in case." He muttered, and turned to the right to go around the log. David was getting closer and closer, and I knew what I needed to do.

As soon as Lavi disappeared into the nearest bush, David reached the log and was looking down at me. I swallowed, already knowing that this was going to happen, and I stood. "Go easy on me," I whimpered, before turning and running. Laughter floated behind me, and then I heard his footsteps as he began to run after me.

"Come back and be a good boy!" David called after me, and I took a sharp turn, hoping I would be able to lose him by hiding behind a tree or something. Instead, he just got closer to me. Cursing, I turned back towards the way I thought the center line was, even though I had no idea where I was and had absolutely no sense of direction. I was, to say the least, lost, but all I had to do was distract him long enough to let Lavi get by.

Thank god Kanda came at that time. I thought, even though I didn't want to thank Kanda. My breath was starting to come short, and an ache was starting in my chest. I slowed down, my legs aching and pain coming back in areas that had been hurt from my hurdle down the hill. David was catching up, I could hear him, but I didn't stop running.

"Clothesline!" someone shouted, and an arm appeared out of nowhere. I just barely avoided it, but David didn't seem to have much luck. I skidded to a stop, turning around to see what had happened. Daisya was standing there, grinning like a madman, his arm hooked around David's waist. I winced, and was surprised when I saw Lavi not far off, grinning like a madman and waving the blue bandana around wildly.

"Freedom is ours!" He yelled as he passed me, laughing madly. I realized that if Daisya was there, then we had crossed the line. In other words, we had won. I laughed, a little surprised, a funny feeling rushing through me.

"Yahoo! We did it!" Daisya crowed, grinning madly. I fell on my butt, staring in amazement as David cursed, falling to the ground and clutching his stomach.

"Lavi's team are the winners!" Marie's voice just barely reached my ears, and I blinked in surprise. He had heard?

"We won, we won, we won, we won!" Daisya began to do a little jig, and Kanda appeared through the trees with a bleeding lip. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that grimace was more of a smile.

"Shut up, Daisya. You're embarrassing." He snapped, walking past him and stopping in front of me. "You're a pussy."

"Er…what?" I asked, surprised.

"If some guy comes up to you, don't go running off pissing your pants. Fight him." He said calmly.

"Is that advice?" I asked slyly, smirking. He just scoffed. "I can't exactly fight in these conditions, you know."

"Not like you would have fought anyways." He snapped, walking off. I just smiled, falling back and staring up at the sky, blurred by the evergreens surrounding us.

"Feel good?" I drew my eyes further back, finding Lavi standing there with a huge grin on his face.

"Yeah, actually. Thanks." I whispered. He just grinned, holding out a hand.

"I think we'll have another round. That only lasted a half an hour." Lavi said. I blinked in surprise.

"That long?" I asked. It had felt more like ten minutes.

"Yeah. Anyways, let's go." I just nodded, taking his hand and hoisting myself up. I followed him back to the clearing, considering I had no idea where we were, and the whole way there all I could do was smile.

("…")

We had another four rounds, one lasting for two hours it was so difficult. After their letup with Lavi and me, the twins were more on guard and weren't letting anyone near the flag. The two hour game had ended up being won by the Noahs, but that was the only other game we let them get away with. The end result was that we were winning four to one by the time Lavi announced we needed to stop and start heading home, since it was so dark.

Fou didn't talk to me once. She didn't even look at me. It was like I didn't exist. Yet, I knew she was still aware of me, because every single time I went near her she would suddenly become rigid still and not move from her spot. It seemed Lenalee had become her new support, and didn't leave her side once. When I had become guard because Fou wanted to be on the offense, Lenalee had immediately gone with her. As a result, Daisya had stayed with me.

Lavi had gotten the bandana three out of four times. The only time he hadn't had been when Kanda had gone berserk and simply ran straight through the twins and snatched the flag, then ran like a bulldozer back to our side. Lavi had had a good laugh with that one. Currently, he was recounting the story to Lenalee, who was laughing at him, everyone carrying a flashlight but me.

I strayed away from the group, heading towards the bushes, in need of releasing myself. No one noticed. I was about to head into the bushes when voices caught my attention. "…Aren't going as planned. He's winning everything, and his stupid grandfather is getting more and more cunning. If we aren't careful, we'll lose our chance."

"Even if you say that, what are we supposed to do about it?" That was Road's voice. They were standing together, her and Tykki, without flashlights. I hadn't noticed them missing because they had originally been on the complete opposite side of the clearing in the first place.

"We have to strike soon, before they can make a full counterattack against us. If we lose this chance, then it's over for us. We already failed in getting him on our side. The Earl has already said that if we fail one more time we're out." The Earl? Who would want to be named that? "But how do we get to him?"

"I know…" Road whispered, her voice sounding a little odd. "His new pet." Were they…talking about me? Tykki's comment on my being Lavi's new pet echoed in my ears, and my heart thudded in my chest. They were planning something against Lavi. "After all, he seems to be attached to the boy. More than usual. There's something else there."

I began to walk away, but a twig snapped under my shoe. "Shh!" Tykki hissed, and I caught their movement just barely in the dark. A flashlight went on, and I ducked down. The light swerved around, going over the spot I had just been, before turning off again.

"Jesus, you're paranoid." Road whispered. "Anyways, let's go back. David and Jasdero said they would let me play with their guns when we get home." I raised my eyebrows at this statement, wondering what kind of a family in Canada would own guns and carelessly talk about playing with them.

As they walked off, I relaxed a little more, until their footsteps completely faded away. No longer needing to go to the washroom, I headed back to the group, finding that Kanda, Daisya and Marie had already gone. Lenalee was riding with Fou. When Lavi saw me, he gave me no chance to talk, he just dragged me off. I waved helplessly at Lenalee, Fou turning her back on me, as we went along the short path leading to the parking lot.

When we reached the SUV, Lavi released me. He opened his door, and the area flooded with light. He turned off his flashlight, letting out a long sigh. "Man, that was a long day." He sighed out.

"Maybe you shouldn't have made us do four more rounds." I stated casually. Lavi chuckled.

"Maybe, but it was still fun." Lavi replied. He slipped into the SUV, looking at me expectantly. "Come on, let's go before Fou and Lenalee get here." I just nodded, going around and getting into the car. The engine purred to life, and music turned on instantly, but Lavi turned it off. "I don't feel like music on the way back."

"Alright." I muttered, but I didn't blame him. I didn't feel like music at the moment, either. I was overwhelmed with thoughts about Fou and what could be happening with Road and Tykki. I said nothing until we were well on the gravel road. "Hey, Lavi…do you know if the Noahs are planning anything against you?" I asked.

"As far as I know, a lot of things." He replied casually.

"Would they use…well, I mean, would they go as far as using your friends to get to you?" I asked. Lavi frowned, his eyes narrowing as he paid attention to the little amount of road given light.

"Knowing them, probably. I guess the best thing I can do if that were to happen, though, would be to trust in my friends to not betray me." He said lightly, giving a small smile before frowning again. "Then again, I guess I can't really say I have any real friends besides Yuu." His words echoed in my head, and I bit down on my lip.

"I see." I muttered. There was a long pause, and a sigh left Lavi's lips.

"I mean, of course you're my friend, and so is Lenalee, and Fou, and all the others, but it's difficult to understand what I mean when I say that. There's something different about me and Yuu. He knows more about me than anyone else, just like I know more about him. He is the only one who actually shares my secrets, not just knows them. He's in all the same sticky situations as me because of our families, he's just not as threatened as I am because I'm…" He stopped.

"You don't need to explain to me," I muttered. "I understand."

"You don't really sound like it." Lavi snapped, but I just shrugged it off. I didn't feel like arguing with him.

"I'm just tired, and I'm in pain. I did fall down a hill today." I pointed out feebly, leaning back further in my seat. Besides, I didn't want to go on with this conversation. If it went on any longer, then it would turn in a direction I didn't want it to. As it was-

"Allen…I wanted to ask you a few questions. About your past."

My heart froze. Why did he always seem to bring up the one thing I was dreading? "I don't know if I can answer them." I admitted, looking out the window in order to avoid seeing his face.

"Then answer them to the best of your abilities, and I will do the same for you." Lavi said calmly, only surprising me a little. After all, he knew that I would give nothing if I received nothing in return.

"Then…" I let out a gentle sigh. "Hit me."

"Can I really?" Lavi asked, grinning suddenly. I rolled my eyes, and his expression went back to serious.

"What do you remember of your past?" He asked. This confused me; it was such a vague question, and it could be answered in many different ways. But I guess this was a good enough strategy. After all, I had agreed to the best of my abilities. Giving me a vague question like that was allowing me to stay in my safe zone.

"Almost everything beyond seven years old. I vaguely remember things from when I was five and six, but other than that, I have no idea." I said calmly.

"Who exactly is this Master?" I blinked, wondering why he would want to know about Master.

"He's my guardian. He used to…" I stopped there. I swallowed nervously, biting my lip before continuing. "He used to be a scientist of sorts, I guess. Do you remember the golden golem you saw the other day?" I asked. Lavi just nodded. "He invented it. Actually, it's not so much an it as a him. His name's Timcanpy, but it's easier to just call him Tim."

"Why did he become your guardian?" I could feel my throat tightening, and I took a deep breath to try and loosen it.

"Because…of Mana…" I muttered, and as soon as the name left my lips I knew I had reached my boundaries. I was digging too deep into my past. Flashes of a hideous book entered my mind, followed by a smiling face, a piano, police, sirens, fire, hot chocolate on a winter night, a Christmas tree, being alone, and finally, it stopped on something that I had been trying to suppress for six years. My breathing became ragged, and my heart was beating too fast. Blood was rushing through my veins, and I could hear my gasping breath. "No…no…"

"Allen, calm down!" I shook my head, grabbing my hair and pulling at it, trying to forget the image currently burning into my mind. I could feel tears rolling down my cheeks, and I could hear the sobs retching through me, but I ignored it all. I started smashing my head against the dashboard, and grinded my teeth together.

"Go away…go away…go away…" I whispered, chanting to myself, each time another hit on the dashboard.

"Allen, stop it!" Arms were securing me now, pulling me away from the dashboard and towards a warm, solid chest. I was vaguely aware that the car was off now. "You're going to hurt yourself if you don't calm down!"

"Let go of me!" I cried out, struggling against the restraining arms. Sobs continued to course through me, and I wasn't sure how long we sat there for, but Lavi never let go once, not until I finally gave up, slumping forward in defeat and crying gently into his jacket. Instead of letting go, he only wrapped his arms around me securely, and I continued to cry, clutching at his jacket.

"I'm sorry, Allen…"

You're not the one who should be sorry.

End Chapter

A/N: Yay, it's done! So, I put some pretty predictable stuff in here I think, and a little typical, but I decided what the heck lets just put it in. I hope the last part wasn't too cheesy or too fast…I feel like I rushed a few parts, and dragged on some parts a little too long, but other than that I'm fairly pleased with this chapter, especially since it ended up being the longest one yet. It makes me happy.

I'm not really sure what I centered on for this chapter, really. I think it was mostly Fou and Allen's confusion with girls. Anyways, I hope I didn't do too bad on the twins, since they're a little difficult to describe when it comes for the makeup. At least…for me, it is. Well, review purty please!