What do we have but illusions where one man's absolute is another's choice
Giving in to confusion, til love and hate both tempt with the same voice
Won't you take me to a higher ground, I need to see again the way I'm bound
And choose the uneasy redemption, run by fear and the flaws of attraction
Rewind, I wanna go it again, light up the dark, halo on the side
So I'll know it will not leave me wanting, I see my heart, waving me bye-bye

Rewind
Poets of the Fall

xXxXxXx

Allen winced as he looked up at the sky, the sun poking out behind a few white clouds and blinding him momentarily. The weather had been perfect the past few days on their trip — cool breeze, clear skies, and moderate temperatures. No one had bothered their group as they traveled, slowly making their way to Alora. They had crossed the Ariala border earlier that day. Allen was excited to be on the last leg of their journey, but the past four days of travel had worn on his nerves.

Though, that had mostly been Lavi's fault.

They had returned to the castle after their nighttime excursion, excitement still burning in their veins as they stole away back to their rooms. Allen had been reeling from their kiss on the roof, his heart ready to burst right through his chest. How long had he been thinking about it, contemplating kissing Lavi like that? And then for it to happen, for them to kiss… It didn't feel like it was real.

They had parted ways, retiring to their rooms for the night. Allen had been certain things were different now. They had to be! You didn't just kiss your friend like that for everything to remain the same.

Come morning, Lavi treated him as he had every other day — Except…

It felt as if a wall had grown between them overnight. It was thin and fragile, but achingly real. Allen had been with the Black Order for months now, and he and Lavi had become good friends since then. Allen would be hard pressed to name someone he trusted as much as the redhead. They normally ate together in the cafeteria, trained in the exercise room, spent their free time in each other's company.

They were so close. Lavi never shied away from resting a friendly arm over Allen's shoulder, or ruffling his white hair with a playful smile on his face. But the morning of their departure from E'la Nalore, Lavi distanced himself. He feigned his normal friendly attitude, refused to touch Allen, and if they did happen to bump or brush against each other, Lavi refused to let the touch linger.

Friendly indifference — It was the only way Allen could describe it. And it rubbed him the wrong way.

Throughout the trip, Lavi refused to be alone with Allen. He made friends with some of the other soldiers, sat in groups when they stopped for meals, made sure to either be asleep before Allen when they shared a tent on the road or stayed away until Allen couldn't keep awake any longer. Had they not been on a mission, not to mention in the presence of royalty, Allen would've called him out on his behavior. He would just have to wait until they reached Alora and were on their way back to the Order. Lavi couldn't avoid him then.

It was their last day on the road before they reached the city, but even so, Allen felt distracted and irritable. He rode by himself in the middle of the group, too deep in thought to notice his surroundings. He heard Lavi in the back of the line, joking around with a few of the soldiers. The sound of his laugh made Allen's heart ache, as if a boulder had been placed on his chest, the weight of it slowly crushing him.

Allen was so distracted with his thoughts that he didn't notice the horse that fell in step with him, or the rider's gaze.

"That's a dour face if I've ever seen one."

The comment took Allen off guard. When he looked up, shaken from his thoughts, his jaw dropped just enough to be noticeable. The Queen had fallen in step with him, her gentle gaze assessing his well-being.

"Oh! I—" Allen stuttered, trying desperately to find words. "I-I'm fine. Really, Your Majesty." His cheeks burned bright red. How was he unable to speak properly in front of her? He had never been so nervous in his life, and now he didn't even have Lavi to back him up.

"Are you certain? I've noticed you and your companion haven't been speaking this whole trip." She looked up and took a long breath. "I don't mean to overstep my bounds. I just like to make sure everyone in my group is well taken care of. And you, in particular, seem distressed."

"Ah…" Allen stuttered, still not used to being in the presence of royalty. "I-I assure you that I'm fine. My companion and I have just been traveling for too long together. I think we needed a break." He hoped the half lie was good enough for the Queen.

Queen Adeline nodded politely, pushing her dark, braided hair over her shoulder. "Well, I trust you know more about the situation than I do. Whatever the case, I hope everything works out."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Allen added. He could barely look her in the eye as she smiled over at him. His hands tightened on the reins.

"And, if my opinion makes any difference," she started, still watching him with a gentle gaze, "I think you should talk with him before the trip is up. Communication between comrades is important, after all."

Allen nodded. "I'll remember that."

The Queen gave him one last smile before snapping the reins of her mount. The horse picked up its pace, moving her further ahead in the line, catching up to her personal guard, Levan. Even though their chat was quick, Allen couldn't help but feel a touch better than he had before. Queen Adeline's overall presence comforted him the longer he interacted with her, even in spite of his nervousness around her.

Sparing a look behind him, Allen caught sight of Lavi. His red hair was hard to miss in the sea of black and silver uniforms. Most of the soldiers wore helmets, so Lavi's hair and orange scarf stood out in the drab, colorless mass. Allen felt his chest tighten, then turned to face ahead of him once more.

They needed to talk about this tension between them, or Allen knew he would lose his mind.

After another hour of travel, the group stopped at a clearing near the road. Travel between E'la Nalore and Alora had been rough, and there were few decent places to stop along the route. They slept on the road, camping out each night when inns were scarce. According to Levan, there were at least two more hours before they would reach the outskirts of Alora. As it was past noon, lunch was in order, as well as a rest for the horses.

It would only be a short rest, since they were so close to their destination. Allen figured they'd make it to Alora well before dusk, though he and Lavi weren't scheduled to leave with the ferry back to the Black Order until the next day.

Lavi… At the thought of the redhead, Allen sought out his whereabouts once more. Everyone had scattered about the clearing, finding their horses food and water and breaking out the travel rations from their packs. As usual, Lavi had found a few of the soldiers to sit with, ignoring Allen completely.

With his stomach too knotted with worry to eat, he shuffled his way through the groups of people. The soldiers raucous behavior wasn't anything new, but it did set his nerves on edge. When he finally made it to the group Lavi had gathered with, Allen stopped just behind him and tapped his shoulder.

"Lavi?" Allen asked, his voice nearly lost in the surrounding din. The redhead didn't react to his calling until he raised his voice and repeated himself. "Lavi?"

Lavi looked up for a quick moment, then back at the food in front of him. "Yeah? What is it?" The reply was curt and devoid of the friendly tone that his voice usually had.

Allen's resolve wavered, but he pressed on. "I was wondering if you had a minute…?"

"I'm a little busy here," Lavi replied, picking at the bread in front of him. He passed the rest of his loaf to the soldier to his right.

"It's… It's important." Allen felt his earlier determination start to ooze from him, as if he were squeezed dry from Lavi's rude demeanor.

One of the soldiers elbowed Lavi's side. "Hey, don't ignore your friend."

"Yeah," another piped up. "We'll save you some grub."

With the soldiers pushing him to go, Lavi sighed and stood up. "All right, but don't eat all the meat."

"Wouldn't dream of it!"

Lavi spared a quick glance at Allen before walking out of the makeshift camp. They moved slowly, snaking their way past the groups of people until they cleared away from the crowd. Lavi continued to walk until they reached the nearby treeline, out of sight from the rest of their traveling party.

"What do you want?" Lavi asked, his tone brusque as he crossed his arms over his chest. He still wouldn't meet Allen's gaze.

The words struck an uneasy chord in Allen's guts, twisting and turning them like worms in his stomach. He was quiet for a long moment, wondering exactly how to breach the subject. There were a million ways to phrase what he wanted to ask, but finally, he gave up on subtlety and tact, instead going for the direct approach.

"Why are you avoiding me?"

Lavi stiffened. "I'm not," he replied, the defensiveness in his voice unmistakable. The muscles in his jaw tightened, and his gaze kept well away from Allen's face.

Allen continued to stare at him. They could still hear the far off chatter of the soldiers as they enjoyed their lunches. The sound grounded Allen, kept him focused on what he wanted to say. "Lavi, it's been four days. You've barely talked to me, barely even looked at me since we left E'la Nalore. You're not… You're not acting like you had before."

Lavi shook his head, his hands slipping down to the pockets of his trousers. His green eye still wouldn't meet Allen's silver ones. "We're talking now, aren't we? You're being paranoid."

He wasn't being paranoid — Allen was certain of that.

A quick look of pain crossed over Allen's face at Lavi's dismissal. However, he set his jaw and glared back at the redhead. "This is because we kissed, isn't it?"

Lavi said nothing, but Allen couldn't miss the surprised look that crossed his features. He felt his chest tighten, shame and anger building up inside him.

When Allen spoke up again, he stared right into Lavi's eye, making sure their gazes met. "It is, isn't it? It's because of the kiss." He clenched his hands into fists to keep them from trembling. "So, do you regret it, then? Think it was a mistake? Wish it never happened?"

Lavi swallowed, his tongue feeling too big for his mouth. Allen's glare sent shivers down his spine and left his stomach aching. "I didn't say that," he replied, but even to his own ears, the excuse rang hollow.

"No, you didn't have to say anything," Allen replied, his voice wavering before he turned away. "But I'm not stupid, Lavi. I can take a hint."

The guilt burned Lavi's face as he looked down at the pine needles under his boots. He hadn't thought he'd affected Allen this badly, not after one kiss. Even though his own thoughts were in disarray, he hadn't realized Allen was in the same position.

Before Allen could take more than a step, Lavi spoke up. "Al, I'm sorry. I know I've been distant, but I have my reasons. I need… I need time to think about things."

Allen didn't turn back to look at Lavi, but the redhead could see his shoulders slump at his words. After a long moment, Allen said, "Sorry to bother you, then. I didn't mean to cause you trouble." Allen straightened his stance, then started to walk back into the field, towards the campsite.

The guilt in Lavi's gut increased tenfold. He knew he shouldn't pursue this feeling that had been brewing between him and Allen for months. It contradicted everything that the old man had drilled into his head for years — Don't get involved; Don't become attached; They're just ink on paper.

He understood it, knew that he shouldn't let Allen get under his skin. But after these past few days, trying to avoid looking at, thinking about, dreaming about Allen… He knew it was too late.

Much, much too late.

Lavi reached out, grabbing Allen's arm and tugging him back to their secluded spot. "Al, wait. Please, just wait a moment." He hated how desperate his voice sounded, but in that moment, it didn't matter.

When Allen turned back around to face Lavi, the defeated look on his face nearly broke the redhead. Allen looked up at him, not speaking as he waited for Lavi to explain himself.

Losing his confidence and his words, Lavi just stared back at Allen. He searched his mind, trying to think of some way of justifying his actions. However, no matter what he came up with, his tongue stayed tied in a knot and the lump in his throat would not disappear. Instead, he continued to stare into Allen's silver eyes, drawn deeper into their milky depths.

Giving up on words, Lavi leaned in to meet their lips for a second time. He could feel Allen stiffen under his hold, not expecting the sudden contact. He gasped, but the sound was swallowed by their kiss. Just like on the roof, their lips brushed against each other like the gentle caress of feathers.

Once Allen's brain caught up with what was happening, the tension in his body melted away. He exhaled through his nose, moving closer to Lavi. Allen's hands reached out, pressing against the dusty folds of his shirt. He kissed Lavi harder, their lips molding together as they stood among the pines.

Allen's gentle insistence left Lavi softly whining into the kiss. His hands slid up Allen's arms, then cupped his rosy cheeks, thumbs rubbing over his skin with a tender touch. The kiss left Lavi's worries to float away without a care, until all he could think about was Allen.

After a moment, Lavi pulled away, his heart fluttering in his chest as he opened his eye and looked down at Allen. Matching his gaze, Allen's lips were parted, red and wet from their kiss. The sight left Lavi struggling to swallow, his fingers trembling against Allen's cheeks as he held them.

"Al… I—"

A loud crashing noise and the sound of screaming cut off Lavi's sentence. Their attention snapped to the source of the commotion.

Lavi took a step, ready to rush back, but froze when another, more terrifying noise echoed in the air above. His green eye widened. Turning to Allen, he found his companion's face pale with the same shock he had.

"A dragon?" Allen asked, still staring out at the field.

"I can't believe our fucking luck," Lavi grumbled, grabbing Allen's hand and tugging him along as they hurried back to camp. "C'mon! We're the only ones who can fight it!"

Allen snapped back to his senses when Lavi yanked him back into the field. They ran as fast as they could, the dry grass and weeds biting at their legs. It only took a minute to return to the campsite, but it had felt like an eternity with the screams bombarding Allen's ears. As they ran, Allen pulled the glove off his left hand, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lavi unholster his hammer.

Skidding to a halt amongst the chaos, Allen activated his arm. His clawed fingers twitched anxiously as he surveyed the situation. As his silver eyes drew to the giant, scaly beast that stomped through the middle of camp, his mouth dried up. This dragon was just as big as the one they had encountered in Erethan, and just as frightening. His scales were black and yellow, forming stripes along his body, and instead of one head, he had two. The long necks slithered up over two meters, small heads on top with piercing black eyes and snapping jaws.

Allen turned his eyes to Lavi, who looked just as shocked as he did. The dragon roared, the murderous sound echoing across the field, then continued to slash and snap at anything that moved. The ground trembled with each step the beast took.

"What do we do?" Allen asked, the clawed fingers of his left hand flexing. "Last time we fought a dragon, we couldn't touch it, and that was with Lenalee and Kanda's help."

"Yeah, but we also had been fighting a hoard of chimera beforehand," Lavi pointed out, his face etched in seriousness. "This time we have a chance."

Before they could jump into the fray, Lavi felt a strong grip on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Levan, her face set hard and her sword drawn. The queen stood behind her bodyguard, eyes wide as she stared at the monster before them.

"Dragons are your specialty," Levan began. "Tell us your plan for thwarting the beast and myself and the Queen's soldiers shall assist you."

Lavi looked to Allen, then back at Levan. "You and your soldiers will just get in the way. Only Hunters can slay a dragon. Leave it to us. Take the Queen and the soldiers and find cover. If we fail, your only chance is to head for the city and get to shelter."

Levan nodded. "Understood. Quick, then, Your Majesty. We must hurry." She took the Queen by the arm and rushed her towards one of the still tethered and panicking horses.

The Queen turned as she was pulled away, looking at Lavi and Allen. "Thank you, both. I wish you luck in battle."

Allen sighed, as if releasing the last of his doubt with that breath, and turned back to the dragon with resolve steady in his eyes. "This time we'll win."

"You got that right," Lavi added, twisting the hammer in his hands.

"Make sure the rest of the group has escaped," Allen said, focused on the scaly beast. "I'll divert its attention."

Soldiers were still trying to evade the dragon's clutches, unable to do anything but flail with their weapons at the beast. Normal weapons wouldn't pierce his scales, so the men and women were helpless against the monster.

Lavi blinked. "Divert? Allen, what are you—?"

Not bothering to wait for Lavi to finish his sentence, Allen jumped to action. Darting across the campsite, he caught sight of a soldier being stalked by the dragon. The beast had him cornered against a wagon as the soldier brandished a sword at him.

The dragon chuckled, his voice duplicated as both mouths laughed in sync. "Stupid human, that's not going to help you now." He raised his claw, black talons sharp and poised for the kill. Just as he went to strike, a band of white fabric wrapped around his outstretched leg.

"What the—?" the dragon started, looking down at the glowing white band. But before he could say anymore, the fabric went taut, and yanked the dragon off balance. The soldier ran off then, seizing the opportunity to escape.

When the dragon looked up, he saw Allen. His white cloak had stretched to form the binds, the magical fabric holding strong against the dragon's might. He glared at Allen, then drew himself back up on his feet.

"That wasn't very nice," he said, thick tail whipping about with barely contained rage.

"Leave them alone. If you want a fight, you fight me," Allen said, his eyebrows drawn in tight as he stood firm.

"This is gonna be fun," the dragon called, then yanked his bound leg. Allen wasn't ready for the force and lost his footing. He cried out as he was tossed to the side, his white cape loosening its grip on the dragon and returning to normal size. Allen worked his way to his feet, wincing at the scrapes and bruises he earned from that toss. Readying for another attack, he regained his footing and prepared to fight.

"Fire Seal, activate!"

In an instant, the flames erupted around the dragon, encircling his body and exploding with a force Allen hadn't seen before. When he looked to his right, Lavi was standing on one of the upturned wagons, grinning at the flaming mess he had just made.

"Sorry I'm late, Beansprout."

"It's Allen," he replied, smiling even as he sighed at the redhead. "And thanks for the help."

"Hey, what are friends for?"

A sudden roar stole their attention, and they stared back at the dragon. As the flames dispersed, they could see the beast had been wounded, but for the most part, remained unscathed. He swung his heads back to growl at the sky in frustration.

"You assholes! You're gonna pay for that!" He swiped out his claws, aiming for Allen. Even with his massive form, he could move as fast as lightning, nimble and quick. Allen only had a second to dodge, but the sharp claws caught his right arm, grazing against the skin before he managed to jump out of the way.

"Allen!" Lavi shouted, then grit his teeth. He went to swing his hammer again, but something knocked him in the side of his head, making him see stars. His mouth opened to cry out, but no sound escaped as he fell into the dirt.

"Now, now. There will be no more of that pesky fire, Eyepatch."

Once he was clear of the dragon, Allen looked up at the new voice, clutching at his wounded arm. His eyes widened. Tyki stood before him, the man who he'd stolen from in the tavern in E'la Nalore not more than four days ago.

Tyki looked down at Lavi, dropping a large, bloody rock from his hand. When it looked like the redhead wasn't getting up any time soon, he leisurely strolled back towards Allen and the other dragon.

"Jasdevi, you know this one isn't supposed to be hurt. The Earl wouldn't appreciate us wounding Mana's brother, would he?" Tyki kept his eyes on Allen as he walked, even as he addressed the dragon.

Jasdevi growled and scratched at the earth below him with his clawed feet. "I know what ya' said! But he hurt us! Him and his stupid friend."

"Calm yourself. You don't want to disobey the Earl, do you?" Tyki asked with a grin.

The dragon kept growling, but didn't reply.

Allen swallowed down the lump in his throat. Everything was happening all at once and nothing made sense. Who was the Earl? Or Mana? And why did they want him? Most confusing yet, why was Tyki here, conversing with the dragon?

"You—" Allen started, but the two headed dragon interrupted him.

"This isn't fair, Tyki! You said we could capture him!"

Tyki ran a hand through his curly, black locks and sighed. "I said to capture him without harming him. Looks like you already lost the bet. I'll have to take over from here."

Allen simply stared, not believing the scene unfolding in front of him. His mind blanked, and his feet felt like they were rooted in place. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe.

Tyki caught sight of Allen's confused look and walked towards him. "Hey, cheating boy. C'mon, now. The Earl is waiting." He moved until he was an arm's length from Allen, smiling down at him. Reaching out, he caressed his cheek with a calloused hand.

Allen winced and stepped back, his head suddenly pained and throbbing. A flash of something moved across his mind—

The winds thrashed ice cold rain across the mountain top. Lightning streaked over the clouded sky. A black dragon roared, wings flapping against the storm. Everything was cold and painful. Everything hurt.

Allen snapped back to the present when Tyki's hand was ripped from his face. He saw Lavi's hammer shoot past him, forcing Tyki to jump back towards Jasdevi. When Allen looked at the redhead, he was panting, blood running down one side of his face. His green eye narrowed as he glared at Tyki.

"Stay away from Allen!" Lavi shouted, anger clear in his voice.

Tyki only laughed and shrugged at the two Hunters. "Oh, Eyepatch is back up. Guess I'll have to get serious." With that, the facade of human skin and form disappeared. Tyki grew large limbs, wings, a tail, his body shifting from one to the other in a haze. Scales rippled over his skin, purple and black in hue.

Lavi and Allen gaped at the second dragon, recognizing its coloring and patterns instantly. It was the same dragon the fought in Erethan, the one that beat them all into a pulp before leaving without a trace. The two Hunters instinctively took a step back, brandishing their weapons to protect themselves.

Without warning, Tyki attacked. He lashed out at Lavi, swiping his claw at the redhead's feet. Lavi jumped out of the way, just barely managing to dodge the attack. Allen and Lavi ran then, escaping from the littered campsite to the open field. Jasdevi and Tyki followed, taking flight to chase after them.

"Do you have a plan?!" Allen shouted, stumbling over a discarded crate as they cleared the camp and ran into the grassy plain. He cursed as he regained his footing and kept up with Lavi's quick pace.

"Not exactly," Lavi admitted, hazarding a look behind him. The dragons were gaining on them, and if they didn't think of something soon, they'd be dead in no time. He looked around, finding no way out, nothing to help them with their situation.

Gritting his teeth, Lavi stopped, turning around abruptly. He activated his Fire Seal once more. As the flames licked up a barrier to stop the dragons from advancing, Allen noticed the attack and turned to Lavi.

"What are you doing?!" he shouted, panic in his voice.

"Just keep running, Al! I'll keep 'em busy!" Lavi said, focusing on the flames.

"Like Hell! I'm not leaving you by yourself!" Allen ran back to Lavi's side and readied his weapon.

"I said go!" Lavi winced, his grip on the hammer loosening for a moment before he tightened his hands. The amount of energy he put into the seal left him feeling weak, not to mention the blow to the head he sustained earlier made him woozy.

"I won't," Allen retorted, determination in his silver eyes. "We fight them together or not at all."

"Stubborn ass," Lavi grumbled under his breath, even as a smile spread on his face.

"Takes one to know one."

Shaking his head, Lavi kept his eye on the dragons behind the flames. "I'm going to bring the wall down. When I do, we each attack. Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

Without another comment, the flames disappeared as quickly as they shot up. Lavi extended his hammer, aiming for Tyki's head, while Allen jumped towards Jasdevi, claws out. Allen landed on Jasdevi's back, swiping his sharpened claws down the dragon's scales. Jasdevi's scream echoed in the air, but once he regained composure, he shook Allen off thrusting him across the field.

Allen landed on his feet, expecting another attack, but Jasdevi ignored him, focusing on helping Tyki instead. The dragons double teamed Lavi, snapping their jaws at the redhead and clawing at him with every chance they got. It dawned on him then what they were doing — hoping to get rid of Lavi before they took him away. Allen rushed back, his cape wrapping around Jasdevi's two necks this time around. Using all his bodyweight, he pulled and jerked the dragon's heads to the side, hitting Tyki square in the shoulder. The dragons stumbled against each other and Allen grinned triumphantly. Without wasting time, he jumped on Tyki's back, plunging his claws into his shoulder. He hit the same spot Kanda had weeks earlier.

The strike worked well, earning Allen a cacophony of guttural screaming from the dragon. He was shrugged off immediately, tossed back to the ground in a heap. However, as well placed as the hit was, it only left Tyki seeing red. He lashed out, hitting Lavi's leg hard with a rough swipe of his claws.

Lavi screamed, falling back against the field. His hammer flew from his hands. He was defenseless as the dragons loomed over him.

"I'm ending this now!" Tyki growled. He opened his jaws and lunged at Lavi, ready to bite the Hunter in half.

Allen's heart stopped in that moment, and without thinking, he darted forward. His feet moved faster than ever before. Time seemed to slow, almost stopping as he ran to Lavi. He could see the look on the redhead's face, shocked and fearful as the menacing jaws came bearing down on him. Just before Tyki's jaws could find purchase, Allen jumped in front of the redhead, blocking the dragon from his prize. Allen wrapped his arms tight against Lavi's neck, his back to Tyki's massive form as he protected Lavi.

Tyki saw Allen blocking Lavi at the last second, landing right in his path. Just before his teeth could clamp down on Allen instead of Lavi, Tyki phased through them both and into the ground, disappearing out of sight.

Allen and Lavi trembled against each other. Lavi's eye was still blown wide with fright as Allen clung to his coat, face buried in the redhead's neck. The dragon had passed right through them as if he were a spectre. When Lavi was finally able to blink, eye focusing properly again, he saw Tyki reappear next to Jasdevi. The purple and black dragon floated up from the ground, and both he and Jasdevi were seething with rage. With Allen unresponsive and Lavi still too shocked to move, he could only sit there and stare at their opponents.

"Can't we just kill them both?!" Jasdevi complained, his tail thrashing back and forth.

Tyki bared his fangs, scaly lips twitching with barely contained anger. "No. The Earl needs that one." He stared at the two Dragon Hunters for a moment, then snickered. "But I supposed a few scratches won't hurt. As long as we don't bleed him dry."

Lavi's grip on Allen tightened and he knew this was it. They couldn't fight like this. His hammer had disappeared somewhere in the scrub brush and he and Allen were already hurt. They were defenseless. Prone. Helpless.

They were going to die.

Closing his eye against the pain that was to come, Lavi pressed his face into Allen's shoulder, clinging to him as he waited for death. Sweat, dirt, and blood smeared across his face as he prepared to be torn away from Allen and ripped to pieces. He knew this war would be his last, that this war would be the death of him.

There was a growl, and Lavi winced. He waited for the pain to come, for the end. But as the minutes passed and nothing happened, Lavi opened his eye. The sight around him made him gasp.

The light changed, sun beams replaced with a soft, ethereal glow. A forest of white, lifeless trees surrounded him and Allen. The sounds of battle outside of the protective barrier were muffled, faint growling and shouts. The ground shook, and it was the only thing that reminded Lavi that he wasn't imaging things — that there were still dragons outside of this pale forest.

"Allen?" Lavi asked, loosening his grip on his waist. He tried to pull Allen off of him, but he continued to cling to Lavi like a leech. Lavi smiled and sighed, reaching up to gently pet Allen's hair.

Allen stiffened at the touch, but slowly relaxed, even if he kept clinging to the redhead. "…Lavi?" Finally, he pulled away, still sitting in Lavi's lap. "W-What happened? I thought we were…?"

"Not sure," Lavi admitted, looking around the weird forest. The sounds of fighting just outside the forest ceased. "I think someone just saved us."

"Someone?"

As if on cue, a gentle, old voice called out to them. "Hello, in there! I hope you two are all right."

Lavi blinked, recognizing the voice even though it was muffled. He chuckled. "Yeah, we're pretty lucky, Beansprout. Help me up, will you?"

Reluctantly, Allen stood up, helping Lavi to his feet and keeping him steady. As they stood, the trees around them began to shrink, and the fabricated light waned while the sunlight streamed in once more. When the trees disappeared, Lavi and Allen were greeted by an old, pleasant man. Allen had never seen him before. He was certain if he had, he would've remembered that crazy, frizzed-out hair, mustache, and thick glasses.

"Ah, Lavi! You and your friend seem to be in one piece, thank the Gods," the old man said, grinning at the two of them as the trees finally disappeared into nothingness.

"Thanks to you, General. It was a close one," Lavi said, pulling away from Allen to test his injured leg. "This is Allen Walker, by the way. He's new to the Order. I don't think you've met."

The old man walked up to Allen and clasped their hands together. "Froi Tiedoll," the General said as he shook his hands.

"Ah, nice to meet you," Allen replied, smiling back. He had never met another General besides his Master, and Tiedoll seemed like the exact opposite. "I'm guessing the forest was your doing? And you took care of the dragons?"

Tiedoll sighed, and nodded. "Well, they decided to run off when they realized they were now outnumbered. But, yes. They've disappeared."

Lavi hobbled a few meters away as Allen and the General talked, spotting his hammer resting against a patch of thick grass. He picked it up and holstered it, swallowing the lump that was still in his throat. It had been a close call, too close. He had lost his weapon and he and Allen had been about to be ripped to pieces by a pair of dragons. Or at least he was — Allen seemed to be important to them. That thought didn't sit well in his stomach, knowing that the dragons wanted Allen. From the look on Allen's face when the dragons spoke of taking him, Allen had no clue as to the reasoning. Even Lavi was at a loss for answers. Bookman had been curious of Allen since he had arrived at the Black Order, considering he was General Cross' pupil. With the return of the dragons, the Hunters fought more than just mere chimera. The war was heating up and Lavi could feel things being set into motion — things bigger than him or Allen, even the Order or the Bookman clan. Something was brewing and he couldn't figure out what.

It unnerved him.

Moving back to the group, Lavi put on a smile. "How did you know we were here, General?"

Tiedoll shrugged. "Call it intuition. I was in Alora, passing through after I had just finished with a mission. I was planning on booking passage to return to the Order when I got a weird feeling. I was on the outskirts of the city when I saw the commotion miles away. I was surprised I managed to get here in time."

"Saw the commotion?" Allen asked.

"Well, first I thought I spotted something big the sky — a dragon, of course. So, I headed out," Tiedoll explained. "Then, once I saw the first flash of fire, I knew there was a fight. I hurried as fast as I could. I met with the group you were traveling with and they instructed me towards here."

"So, were the trees your weapon?" Allen inquired, wiping at the sweat on his forehead. "They were so strange. I'd never seen anything like it before."

"Mine is a bit unique," the General admitted, smiling. He pulled out the weapon, and it looked like an ordinary paint brush to Allen. "This little brush lets me create things with magical energy. I need only think about what I want to see, and it will appear. Since the energy is dragon resistant, it works well as a shield, but can also function as an offensive weapon."

Allen blinked, intrigued by the innocuous, little item. "Amazing!"

"That's why he's a General, Al," Lavi piped up before looking around at the busted up supplies and wagons. "I suppose we should go find our party, let them know the dragons are taken care of."

"Right," Allen agreed, the question pulling him out of his distracted state. "I hope they all made it out okay. I didn't see any casualties, but—"

"I'm sure they did," Lavi added, cutting Allen off from his train of thought. He started to walk, heading down the path towards Alora, but each step left him wincing in pain. He cursed under his breath. The dragons had fucked him up more than he thought, and even his head still felt dizzy from the first blow Tyki had managed.

Allen was at Lavi's side in an instant, helping him stay upright. "Are you sure? You don't look fit to travel, and who knows how far they made it."

"You kids stay here for the moment. I doubt the dragons will be coming back, now that they don't have the upperhand. Besides, we'd be expecting them." Tiedoll turned and started down the road without a second thought. "Just stay put and I'll find them. Be back in no more than fifteen minutes."

As the General disappeared down the road, Allen helped Lavi back to one of the upturned wagons. They found a few unbroken crates to sit on, and Allen eased Lavi down against them. With a worried look in his eyes, Allen pulled off Lavi's green headband, smearing the dirt and blood over his skin.

"Lavi, you don't look good," he commented, checking the wound on the side of his head. His fingers probed the gash with a tender touch, careful not to aggravate it.

"That's not very nice, Al," Lavi joked, trying not to take the incident seriously. "I've been told I'm quite handsome."

Allen only sighed, refraining from commenting back. He looked over the wound for another minute, then pulled away. "I'm going to see if I can find some medical supplies. Most everything had been left in the chaos, so I'm sure I can at least find some bandages. Just rest here while I go look."

"Al, I'm fine. Stop worrying," Lavi insisted, waving off Allen's distress. "Besides, you're not exactly in perfect health either."

"Yes, but I don't have a head wound and I can walk properly." Not hearing anymore debating on the issue, Allen stood up and started to walk away. "Just sit tight."

Lavi huffed as Allen walked away, but once the other Hunter was gone, he relaxed against the wagon. His body ached, his head throbbed, and he was silently praying to whatever Gods would listen that his leg wasn't broken. The dragons had done a number on them both, but they still had their lives — for now. If the General hadn't shown up when he did, Lavi knew the outcome would've been much bloodier.

He could hear Allen shuffling around the camp, sorting through discarded and broken items. As much as he wanted to deny it, Allen had been right — he wasn't okay and he needed medical attention. But the only way for him to deal with the gravity of the situation they had been in was to crack a joke and pretend it was all right — that everything was in control.

Even though Lavi's world felt like nothing but chaos.

He wasn't sure how long it had been, stuck in his thoughts and staring out over the field, but suddenly Allen was back in his vision with a few bags of supplies and a canteen of water. He handed the canteen to Lavi, then went about opening the other bags.

"Drink what you want of this and I'll use the rest to try and clean your wound. It'll have to get treated properly when we get to the city, but I think I can manage to patch you up for the time being." Allen pulled out a shirt, clean from the looks of it, and started to rip it into long strips.

Lavi watched him, lazily drinking from the container. The water was cool as it touched his lips and tongue, and he exhaled a content sigh. Leaving nearly half of the water, he capped the canteen and set it on the ground next to him.

He watched Allen as he worked, methodically creating strip after strip of cloth until the entire shirt was nothing more than ripped fabric. That done, he took a clean cloth and grabbed the canteen, wetting the fabric down. Allen didn't speak as he worked, too focused on his task to bother. Lavi had too many words on his tongue, but bit down on them to keep from saying anything.

"Tell me if it hurts at all," Allen mumbled, working on the wound. Lavi winced as the cool water hit the tender flesh, but he refused to complain. It only took a few moments anyway, before Allen grabbed another item from the mess of supplies he wrangled up. He opened a small container of salve, then slathered it over the wound. It tingled, but cooled the burning pain that had radiated through his temple.

Allen grabbed the strips of cloth, wrapping them around Lavi's head. He was just about to finish, when Lavi finally spoke up, breaking the silence that hung between them.

"Why did you do it?"

Allen's hands froze as he tucked the last end of the fabric into the wrapped cloth. His surprised looked turned into an amused smile. "You'll have to be more specific." He pulled away as he secured the bandages and gathered the scattered supplies.

"When Tyki was going to kill me… Why did you jump in front?"

Allen sighed, but he never lost his smile. His eyes turned sad, leaving his face to look more melancholic than anything else. "I would do it for anyone, Lavi. I knew he wouldn't kill me. He said he wanted me alive."

Lavi frowned, his eyebrows narrowing at the answer. "That's not what I mean, and you know it. You couldn't have thought you would make it in time, let alone give the dragon a chance to stop before it killed us both. Why did you do that for me?"

Allen chuckled softly and shook his head. "And here I thought you were so smart, Lavi. Especially after reading all those books."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Lavi asked, irritation lacing his voice.

Without a word, Allen turned to face Lavi, kneeling on the ground in front of him. He smiled, sweet and gentle, before leaning in and meeting their lips.

Lavi inhaled sharply at first, but quickly melted against Allen without hesitation. Their lips were chapped and dirty, the faint hint of blood in their mouths from the battle, but the kiss left Lavi feeling light, weightless. His eye closed as they moved against each other, slow and careful to avoid injuries. This kiss reminded Lavi that he was alive, that they had both made it through the day. It reminded him of what he wanted, of what he almost lost. Lavi could feel his heart pounding in his chest, the heart he wasn't supposed to have. And he knew what it was he wanted and needed more than anything — What he shouldn't have.

Allen.

God, he knew it. It was always Allen.

The sounds of excited calling broke them apart, Allen looking away first, then standing up as he saw the group of soldiers down the road. They were still a ways off, but arriving quickly. Smiling, Allen waved back before turning to Lavi. "Hopefully, we can find our horses. I don't exactly want to walk all the way to town."

Lavi managed a smile to match Allen's. "Either way, we'll make it."

Allen nodded, his mood perking up. "Yes, we will."

xXxXxXx

05/30/XXXX

Entry 584

I have fallen and there is no hope. My heart has betrayed me, betrayed the life that I have worked so hard to achieve. A Bookman should never form attachments, friends or otherwise, but I have strayed dangerously close to a feeling that I should not have. Allen Walker has bewitched my heart, and I feel there is no cure for this spell.

Ever since our kiss, I knew I could not keep unbiased any longer. I pray Bookman never finds out — I do not know what he would do to me or Allen Walker. The uncertainty worries me.

As I sit here at the inn in Alora, resting while my companions book us passage on the next ferry back to the Black Order, I know I can no longer avoid it. I must face my feelings, face Allen Walker, and figure out what there is between us.

He is no longer just ink on paper to me.

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