Okay, I said I wouldn't update this until I finished the Bleach Fic, but I could notresist, AND I had an announcement. There is a poll for which DGM Fanfic will be made next, after the Bleach.

Chapter 10

A Family Chat

Allen slowly came to, surprised to find himself on a couch in a strange room that resembled a personal study. It possessed an unusual number of portraits on the wall. He looked down, surprised to find a pillow had been placed beneath his head and his coat draped over him like a blanket.

"So you're finally awake?" Allen's head whipped around at once as he sought out the owner of that familiar voice. His eyes fell on a Noah kneeling on a chair to look out the window.

"Road!" he exclaimed. The girl turned to grin at him.

"Hello Allen," she said with warmth and a little bit of a teasing tone. "Did you miss your big sister?"

The young man did not answer. Instead the he threw off the blanket and enveloped Road in a bear-hug. The force knocked her into the window a little, but she laughed and took it as an affirmative answer. She wrapped her arms around her brother as gently as if he were her son. Her expression became loving.

"I missed you," she whispered. Allen looked into her eyes, warmed by the honest tenderness he saw there.

"I missed you too."

Suddenly someone walked in, this person making Allen leap away from Road excitedly. The girl pouted, crossing her arms as Allen ran over to Tyki.

"Guess that's my cue to leave," she muttered. She got out of the chair, winking at the couple as she passed by them. They were not quite touching yet, but she could sense their eagerness. "Keep it at first base, yeah?"

Both males watched as she left with blank faces. If Allen had not spent so many years living with General Cross, he would be blushing furiously. As it was, he was a little disturbed that she had to say something like that when she looked so young.

"I swear, it should be illegal to talk like that when you look so young," Tyki muttered, voicing Allen's very thoughts. The young man raised an eyebrow at his companion.

"You seem to have forgotten that I lived with Cross." Allen's eyes sparked as he suddenly remembered something. He started rummaging through his pockets for a good while before he found what he was looking for. The General held out the objects in his hand. "Here. I wanted you to have your cards back, and I thought you could wear my button-as a good luck charm."

Tyki looked at the deck as it slid to his hand. And then, seeing Allen's gesture, dipped his head down so that the cord could be slipped around his neck. Once the chunk of metal had been settled down onto his chest, the Noah lifted it up, smiling softly as he caught sight of Allen's name. He looked up towards his lover. "Thank you."

Allen was a little embarrassed so he shifted uncomfortably when a hand reached up to touch his cheek. "These are my gifts to you, Tyki. I don't want you to let go of them so easily, like you did the cards."

Tyki tilted Allen's head up as carefully as possible. A moment passed by as they simply stared at one another. The Noah bent down and pressed his mouth against Allen's in a gentle kiss. The Exorcist's eyes fluttered close when he felt the familiar lips pressing against his own. He parted his lips a little, confused when Tyki pulled away.

Gloved fingers caressed the pale cheeks. Tyki was pleased to see that Allen's eyes had dilated slightly. "For you, I always make an exception."

The Noah's gaze wandered down to the pale throat, where he could still see the scarlet ribbon. He usually thought the color was one that matched how he saw Allen, but at the moment, it brought to mind a certain person. "Who was that Exorcist I saw you with earlier."

"Lavi," Allen replied. At first he was confused as to why Tyki had asked about the red head, and then he realized. "He's a friend. He seemed surprised that I was alive, though I'm not entirely sure why. Could you have something to do with that?"

Tyki averted his gaze ruefully. He had implied that he was the one to kill Allen, in order to stir up a little mischief. The way humans reacted towards the death of a comrade or a friend intrigued him. It was an opportunity he could not resist passing up.

"Sorry, Shounen," he apologized. The young General waved him away.

"Since no one was severely injured, there is nothing to worry about. We fight with each other all the time," he replied. "Anyways, how did I get here? The last thing I remember was Lenalee waking up. We were under a bridge, and then…"

Allen's head whipped around as he glared at his enemy. "You wouldn't."

Tyki rubbed the back of his neck uneasily.

"I told them not to, that you would get mad," he said defensively. "But the Earl told Lero to transport you onto the Ark, so we could all talk together as a family without you getting in trouble with the Black Order."

The General rubbed his face in his hands roughly. He groaned."Is there anything else I need to know?"

"Well…you weren't the only Exorcist that came onto the Ark," Tyki admitted slowly. When he felt Allen glaring at him again, he winced. "We accidentally took four Exorcists, and one human. They should be waking up now, like you did."

"Is that so? Then how are you going to deal with them when they come looking for me?" he demanded. Tyki sighed.

"It's Road's idea; she didn't tell me everything, not since wehad to improvise your kidnapping." The Noah of Pleasure took Allen's hand in his. "Come on, it's not like she will kill them."

Allen wasn't so sure about that.

After much coercion, Allen persuaded Tyki that he was awake enough to be led to the tower where the rest of the Noah family was. He had expected the long table, and the food set out. What he did not expect was to see that every member of the family present, including ones he did not recognize. All were present- Adam, Lulubell, Sheryl, a pair of twins he didn't know, and Road- except for one.

"Where is Skin?" Allen asked. The words had been blurted without a second thought and he quickly swallowed when all of the eyes were turned on him. He suddenly felt shy. Here was his family, his enemy, his former captors. He could still feel the love he held for them, and yet he did not know how any of them saw him. As a son, a nephew; as a prisoner, or the enemy. He simply did not know.

"He is fighting the Exorcist Kanda Yuu," replied the Earl. He gestured to one of the empty chairs closer to his right side. "Come join us; we have a few matters to discuss."The young General glanced at his lover for reassurance. Tyki gave him a small nod. Then he took Allen by the arm and led them to the seat which the Earl had motioned to. Allen slid in next to Sheryl. For a moment, their eyes met and Allen found himself teleported back to a time where the two sat as father and son in the study. Reading together in silence as the storm raged on outside. But then the moment passed and Sheryl looked away.

Tyki settled beside Allen and they held each others' hands below the table.

"What is it you wanted to talk about?" Allen asked as he tried to focus on the patriarch alone. He was not quite able to mask his nerves either. The Earl noticed and he chuckled, picking up a fork.

"We can talk while eating," he said. "I heard that the Asian Branch was trying to help you gain eight and I thought it would be a good idea to make sure that their efforts were not in vain."

Allen blushed. He was surprised to know the Earl knew about such an insignificant matter, but he was also touched by the genuine concern that was being shown to him. So the young man picked up hiw own utensil and began to saw at the plate of food set before him. It did not escape his notice that most of the food consisted of proteins, cars, and fatty products. All of which he assumed made people gain weight.

"Who is this person?" demanded the dark haired twin.

"Hee, who?"

"Allen, meet the twins David and Jasper," the Earl said brightly. "They are two of our newer Noahs and have been with us for only a few months. I believe you have something in common."

"Hee! Cross's Apprentice!" the blonde screeched with an accusing finger. Allen stiffened. He really did not want to remember General Cross, and definitely did not want to be associated with that man.

"What do you know of Cross?" he asked warily. They brought out two thick pads of paper, showing them to Allen. The young man felt a shiver run up his spine when he recognized the slips as debts.

"He disappears without a trace!" cried David.

"And he leaves behind debts!" Jasper added.

"What do you know about him?" they demanded in unison. Allen simply smirked at them, his darker side drawing out.

"I know far better than you do," he said sweetly. "I know every trick to place a debt on someone, how to make women beg for your company, which wine is the best to buy, and how to make other people disappear without leaving a single hair behind. Would you like me to show you?"

Everyone in the room felt the temperature drop in the room as the aura around the young man darkened considerably. Tyki felt a roll of sweat run down the side of his cheek and he shuddered. "Are you really fifteen?"

"Are you really scared?" Allen retorted. There was a mean glint in his eye, but also an amused one. It was Sheryl who pulled his attention away from Tyki.

"Putting all of that aside, I have a question for you Allen Walker: Do you see us as Ash did?"

Allen's aura dissipated as quickly as it came. He hesitated to answer that question.

"Yes and no," he finally answered. "Ash's memories are now my own, but his emotions are not. I see you in my mind and feel differently about you. Whereas Ash saw Skin as a cousin, I see him as a brother. I like him more than Ash did."

"Then what do you see us as?" the Earl prompted. He seemed curious.

"I see Lulubell as a close aunt, too motherly to be distant. Tyki is Tyki. Sheryl is still my father. Road is my sister." Allen smiled at the Earl a little shyly. "And you feel like my father or a grandfather."

Silence spanned across the table as the General's words sank in. The longer time passed without anyone talking, the more Allen began to suspect his feelings had not gotten across. He cleared his throat.

"What I mean to say it that you all are my family. I love you."

Sheryl's hands flew to his mouth, Lulubell sprayed water across the twins and began coughing. Road's jaw dropped and even Tyki looked shocked.

"What?" Allen asked in confusion.

"It is nothing," the Earl assured him. "We simply did not expect you to say something so straightforward."

The General scowled as everyone began to collect themselves once more.

"Ah, what I meant to say was: we understand Allen. We know that you love us. We also know that you are conflicted because you see the Order as your family as well," the Earl explained gently. Then his expression changed. "So we kidnapped you and lock you in Sheryl's mansion!"

Tyki pinched the bridge of his nose. Allen's face went blank.

"Are you kidding?" he demanded as calmly as possible.

"No, he isn't," Sheryl replied.

"You can't do that! What's-" Allen's protest died when he saw the tears running down the Earl's very human face. One by one the Noah began to cry. First Adam. Then Tyki. Sheryl, Road, the Twins, Lulubell.

"It would seem Skin has perished," Adam announced. The members of his family touched their cheeks in confusion, so he elaborated. "The Noah inside of us weeps, in the order of the Apostles."

Allen Felt himself being turned away from them.

"We don't want you to watch us Allen, for what the Noah feels, you would be able to see," Tyki whispered. "And it is hell."

Allen obeyed their wishes without question and kept his gaze on the sky he could see outside. An artificial sky. His eyes began to burn and the sky blurred. A wetness slid down his cheek, first one and then the other. Allen reached up to wipe it away in confusion.

"Are you crying, Allen?" Adam asked.

"Yes…but I don't know why," he murmured. It couldn't be that Skin's death was affecting him, could it? He still felt so very numb from hearing the news.

"Turn around Allen," the Earl ordered softly. Allen turned around to face the Noah. And he saw a shocking myriad of emotions. Dreams; lost. Desires; gone. Pleasure; dead. Bonds; broken. Lust; denied. And the last emotion he saw in the Earl's eyes-

An that's the end. Remember, I have a poll up on which DGM fic gets posted after I finish the Bleach Fic. Please take it! Both are rather short stories compared to the others but decent length, I promise!

To those who live in the U.S. : Beware of SOPA