Chapter 9: Our Story

Lenalee invited me to eat breakfast with her this morning but I was having a hard time leaving Lavi sleeping when I'd promised him that I'd stay last night. I looked at the clock on the wall and sighed, it was seven in the morning. I had to leave eventually but didn't want to leave before Lavi woke up, for obvious reasons. But when Lenalee walked in I felt nothing but pure embarrassment.

"How long have you been like that?" she asked in a hushed tone.

I was lying on my side, Lavi's left arm around me, "All night. I promised I wouldn't leave until morning and I'm afraid if I move it'll wake him."

Lenalee smiled, "Well, you'll have to move eventually. I mean, you can't escape your appetite forever."

Just then my stomach growled, "I know… just the last time he didn't know where I was he left the hospital wing just to come make sure I was all right. I don't want to make him come back here again and have nurses scowling at me."

"He'll probably wake up the second you try to move anyway," Lenalee laughed reaching for my hand.

I took her hand, gratefully, and tried to move as little as I could out of Lavi's grip.

"You're not even going to say 'Good Morning' or 'I'm leaving'?" Lavi's groggy voice sounded as I pulled myself into a sitting position.

"I didn't think you were awake," I smiled as I turned to face him.

"Who can sleep with all of you parasite-types's stomachs growling?" Lavi laughed.

"My stomach only growled once!" I half growled.

"Once is plenty to pull you out of a coma," Lavi laughed, "Go eat."

I smiled and left with Lenalee. I'm growing way to attached to Lavi… It's going to cause problems.

"Hey, Lynessa?" Lenalee asked as we entered the kitchen.

"Ya?" I replied.

"Sorry, never mind. It's a silly question…" Lenalee said blushing.

"No, really, what is it?" I asked as we sat down to eat.

"Well, it's just… You look like you're trying so hard not to give into your feelings for Lavi… I was just wondering why…" Lenalee said.

"I already told you… There's a war going on and I don't want to get attached…" I paused, "And I don't want to hurt myself if I go back…"

"I can understand that, I guess. I mean, if I had to think about never seeing Allen again…" she sighed.

"Speaking of Allen, do you mind… Well this might sound sort of strange but… How did the two of you start dating?" I asked.

"Oh that… It's actually not very romantic…" Lenalee was turning the color of a ripe cherry.

"I don't care, I want to know," I smiled, "I mean, from what I've heard it just sort of happened one day… But I guess I have a sort of natural curiosity."

"Well, it actually was kind of sudden. Allen and I were on a mission together…"

"I've got this akuma! You get the ones over there!" Allen called out to me following after the Level 3.

"All right!" I called back attacking the mass of Level 1 akuma.

The akuma were coming from everywhere but somehow it seemed as if they weren't even trying… And then they retreated and I looked around for Allen.

"Allen?" I called out into the barren landscape, "ALLEN!" There was no answer so I ran off in the direction he had gone after the Level 3.

"Oh my, the pretty exorcist has let her guard down… Such a shame…" I heard a familiar voice behind me only to turn and recognize Road.

"What business do you have here Noah?" I growled.

"Oh come on, Lenalee… I thought we were closer than that," Road laughed.

"Where's Allen?" I asked.

"Oh, The Earl just wants to try and re-awaken the 14th… I think he's wasting his time… Allen's will is too strong right now. He's going at it all wrong, but of course Master Earl won't listen to me," she smiled, "If you want to try and stop him he's over there."

Road was pointing toward the building we were using as a base camp and without knowing if I were heading straight into a trap I ran off to find Allen.

When I arrived at the building it looked completely deserted aside from the hundreds of akuma corpses scattered around and in piles. I made my way, cautiously into the building searching for any sign of life only to find my way into a large room. Allen was sitting in the center, offered up like some kind of bait.

"Allen?" I asked taking a hesitant step toward him.

"DON'T!" Allen yelled looking up at me, "Run!"

"I'm not leaving you behind!" I said taking another step toward him.

"They're awakening the 14th! Lenalee, get out of here!" Allen yelled at me.

"I can't leave my friends behind!" I yelled back closing the gap between us.

"You're too foolish, Miss Lenalee," that voice, it sent shivers down my spine; Allen's Noah was waking up.

"Allen, no! Don't disappear on me!" I yelled wrapping my arms around his neck, "You can fight this, the 14th doesn't have to control you!" tears were streaming down my face now.

"You've got it all wrong, I don't want to control him… I want to work with him," the 14th's voice sounded again.

"I can't lose you, Allen…" I pressed my face into his shoulder, "I can't…lose…you…"

"Do you have feelings for my host?" the 14th asked.

"He's my friend!" I sobbed, "No, he's part of my family…"

"Lenalee?" It was Allen's voice again.

"Allen!" I pulled away to look at his face, "You're back!"

"Thanks to you…" Allen said wiping the tears off of my cheeks, "Thank you, Lenalee."

"There's no need to thank me…" I blushed.

Allen leaned over and pressed his lips to my cheek, "Just take it this once," he said.

"We returned from that mission and have been almost inseparable ever since," Lenalee smiled at me.

"That's not a romantic story?" I said.

"Not really… I mean, if you were to ever finally give into your feelings for Lavi your story would be so much more romantic. I mean you woke up in his arms and a few weeks later danced for hours at a ball and then shared your first kiss. Allen didn't even kiss me until our seventh or eighth date…" Lenalee laughed.

"But it was perfect when I did," Allen said coming to sit with us, kissing Lenalee on the head as he sat.

"He set the mood and everything. It was very romantic," Lenalee giggled.

"And more good news, Komui's moving my room up to the same level as the rest of you, but my room is right next to Lavi's… You wouldn't mind too terribly if Lenalee switched rooms with him, would you?" Allen asked.

"It's not my room you're moving so I don't care," I replied.

"He's being checked out of the hospital wing today so I'm sure he'll be happy to see you," Allen said, "We already moved his things."

"Good to know. Well, have a good breakfast…" I said getting up to leave.

"Give it some more thought, Lynessa," Lenalee said as I walked back toward my room, a small bag of bacon and sausage in my pocket for Daniel.

A/N: Okay so I wanted to have a sort of "lighter" chapter considering a lot of this story is so depressing and so now you get to see how Lenalee and Allen first started dating. I'd still love to hear your ideas on what I might put in the story. Next chapter will have more of Daniel in it!