You had the blue note sapphire eyes, to back up all those gazes

To pierce my guard and to take my soul off to faraway places

Told me I'll never be alone, 'cause you're right there

We took a gamble with this love, like sailing to the storm

With the waves rushing over to take us, we were battling against the tide

You were my beacon of salvation, I was your starlight

Cradled in Love

Poets of the Fall

xXxXxXx

Lavi closed his journal as the last of the ink dried, looking up when the door to opened. Allen entered, a few slips of paper in his hands. Once the door closed again, he sighed and walked over to the desk, placing the paper next to Lavi's journal.

"General Tiedoll managed to book us passage on the ferry tonight. We leave in a few hours."

"Suppose we should pack up our things, then." Lavi stood up slowly, then limped over to his pack near one of the twin beds. They had searched for a healer as soon as they reached town the previous day, and found that their injuries were not life threatening. Lavi made it out of the fight with a concussion and a severely bruised leg, while Allen had to have stitches in his right arm. They looked bruised and beaten, but were otherwise still functioning like normal.

Allen swallowed, his hand still lingering on the desk. "…There's something else. A message from Central."

Lavi paused, dropping his bag back to the floor before he turned around again to face Allen. "What did it say?"

Allen grabbed one of the papers and handed it to the redhead. It was a folded, official looking letter complete with wax seal. "General Tiedoll got one as well. It's telling all agents of the Black Order to return to their home base. I'm guessing they knew we'd be here after completing our mission. We checked the post after buying our ferry passes."

Lavi's eyebrows furrowed as the took the letter and read over the contents aloud. "All Black Order agents must return to their respective Branch immediately. Delay will not be tolerated." He paused, then looked back up at Allen. "This sounds vaguely threatening."

Allen nodded. "I asked the General what he thought it meant and he said he wasn't sure." Moving to his bed on the other end of the room, Allen grabbed his pack and started neatly putting his few belongings away. Lavi's green eye followed him as he moved, but Allen refused to meet his gaze.

"At least we're headed home anyway," Lavi added, still looking over the letter. The whole thing reeked of the Central office's meddling, which put him on edge. Komui was easy enough to deal with, but Louvelier and Central… They were a whole different matter entirely.

Allen tucked a few items into his bag, not looking back at the redhead. "…Why are they calling everyone back like this?"

With a sigh, Lavi folded the letter and set it on the desk with their ferry tickets. With slow, pain-ridden steps, he followed Allen's example and began packing his bags. "Not sure. It's never happened before, at least not since I've been with the Order." Looking up, he saw Allen's face—distracted, distraught. His chest pinched tight at the sight. They hadn't had time to talk alone, either too busy or too exhausted from the mission and their subsequent injuries. Their fight with the dragons en route to Alora left Lavi uneasy, and he could only guess how Allen felt about it. The dragons said they wanted to capture Allen—alive. Lavi had never heard of anything like that happening before, not on record at the Order or through any of his Bookman channels.

It worried him.

Putting on a smile, Lavi reached over for his journal and tucked it into the bag. "Don't worry about it, Al. The sooner we get back to the Order, the sooner we get to have Jerry's cooking again. Travel rations and tavern food are starting to get pretty tiresome."

The mention of food perked Allen up. Lavi saw a smile on his face, even if it was a small one. "Yes, I'm looking forward to that, too."

Lavi watched him for a long moment, and when Allen said nothing more on the subject, he went back to packing. The silence between them grew, and a sense of unease settled into his chest. The redhead had watched Allen for months now, catalogued all his quirks and mannerisms. This aching quiet was anything but normal, and it put Lavi on edge.

Before he could bring up his concerns, Allen shouldered his packed bag and turned back to Lavi. "Better hurry up. The boat leaves soon." Allen tried to smile back at the redhead, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

The fake smile on Allen's face hit Lavi harder than he thought it would. It looked wrong on Allen, like that smile didn't belong on his face. Lavi knew all about fake smiles, and Allen didn't deserve to have to wear one.

In spite of his feelings, Lavi kept his own upbeat mask on and tucked away the last of his things before grabbing their tickets off the desk. "Ready when you are."

xXxXxXx

The Earl is waiting.

Tyki's words were seared into Allen's mind, burning away every other thought until it was all he could think about. Ever since he and Lavi fought Tyki and that other dragon—Jasdevi, if he recalled correctly—it was as if a dark cloud formed around his head, casting Allen in shadows. The dragons wanted him badly enough to keep him alive for it. Whatever it was, whatever plans they had, he dreaded the end result.

The smell of fresh water and fish wafted in on the breeze as Allen walked up to the main deck of the ferry. Stars sparkled in the black sky above, and the moon had reached its zenith. He'd spent hours tossing and turning on the lumpy cot, lined up in the hull like sardines with the other passengers. After staying at the royal palace in E'la Nalore, it was quite the step down in luxury. But even in the damp of the boat, he was more comfortable than he had been in that fancy bed.

Still, he couldn't sleep, and not due to the accommodations. His mind wandered, restless as the dragon's words haunted him. Tyki had spoke of this Earl, of someone named Mana, and Mana's brother. Allen wondered if he had heard wrong, if it had been the rush of adrenaline from the fight that made him mis-hear the words. But no matter how many times he replayed the scene in his mind, he kept coming up with the same thoughts.

Tyki had said, The Earl wouldn't appreciate us wounding Mana's brother. The insinuation was clear enough—Tyki thought Allen was this brother.

Allen shook his head. Whoever this Mana was, he certainly wasn't his brother. He wasn't anyone's brother. He had no family to call his own, no country to call his, no place to call home. Hell, even his name wasn't his—not really.

He was no one.

The thought would've stung more had he not been used to it by now. Growing up as an orphan, not knowing where you came from, who your parents were, or even what your name was… It took Allen a while, but he had mostly grown numb to it.

Then this happens, and throws his entire perspective out whack. Allen sighed, his hands resting against the damp railing. He stared down into the churning water around the boat, foam and bubbles swirling in the otherwise placid river. They would reach their destination tomorrow, yet the thought of returning to the Black Order now held an ominous feeling in his heart, instead of a joyous one. What would be waiting for him when they returned?

"There you are," a voice sounded behind him, startling Allen. He turned to see Lavi, rubbing his good eye as he shuffled towards the railing. "I was wondering where you disappeared to." Lavi stood next to him, close enough for their shoulders to touch as they both stared out into the dark.

"Sorry. I couldn't sleep," Allen replied, shoulders hunched up as he leaned against the railing. The light on the boat was scant, a few lamps lit on the bow and the stern, but otherwise there was little to see by. He hoped Lavi couldn't catch sight of his tired eyes, or the worried lines on his forehead.

Lavi watched Allen, with little more than the light of the half moon to illuminate his features. Silence fell between them for a long moment, the sound of the river below filling the air. Finally, Lavi breached the quiet, his eye still on Allen's face. "Al, if something is wrong, you can tell me."

At the offer, Allen felt his throat constrict and his eyes burn with unshed tears. He wanted to tell Lavi that he was all right, that nothing was wrong, but the words died in his throat. He knew if he said anything he would start crying.

Before he could make a decision either way, Lavi reached out and grabbed Allen's shoulders. He pulled Allen into a tight hug, hands bunched up in the fabric of his coat.

The suddenness of the hug took Allen off guard, but once he felt his body press against Lavi's, and the weight of his hands on his back, he could do nothing but sink into the embrace. His arms encircled Lavi's waist in a bid to pull him even closer. He could feel Lavi's breath on his neck, warming the skin. Gods, it was comforting…

"Allen," Lavi mumbled, his voice muffled by the fabric of his coat. "Just tell me what's wrong."

Taking a breath to calm his reeling emotions, Allen finally found his voice. "I'm worried," he whispered, the words barely audible as he pressed his face into the folds of Lavi's shirt.

Lavi's hand slipped up into Allen's hair, softly petting the white strands. He chuckled. "Well, that's obvious." There was a moment of silence before he spoke up again. "Is it about the summons from Central?"

Allen nodded against Lavi's chest. "I have a horrible feeling… Like it has to do with the dragons and how they…" He fumbled with the words, a sudden anxious tremor filling his body. "How they wanted to take me."

Lavi nodded, still stroking Allen's hair. "It can't be because of that. There's no way they know anything about what happened. We're the only ones who know."

"But what about our report? We have to tell Komui what happened… And once they know—" Allen's sentence cut off as Lavi's grip tightened. He pushed Allen back enough so they could see each other's faces.

"Don't tell him—or anyone else." Lavi's tone was serious, scared even. Allen had never heard it sound like that before, not since he had almost drowned in the river on their first mission.

"But, we have to. If they find out that we've kept this information secret—"

"Allen, do you know what will happen to you if they find out the dragons are interested in you?" The question was stern, and Allen felt a quick bout of fear slice through him. Before he could answer, Lavi continued. "You haven't been at the Order long enough to know how Central can be. They aren't like Komui or the people you've already met. They…" Lavi trailed off, trying to find the right way to word his thoughts.

"They don't care about the Dragon Hunters, Allen. All they care about is winning this war—it doesn't matter who gets hurt in the process. Their only concern is eradicating dragons from the three kingdoms. If they find out that the dragons want you, that you're useful to them in other ways… I fear what they will do to use that information to their advantage."

Lavi's warning echoed something Allen's Master had said to him in the few weeks before he had disappeared and left Allen with nothing but a letter and vague directions on how to find the Black Order. He knew General Cross never had fond feelings for the organization he'd left years ago, a sentiment he didn't bother hiding.

"There's nothing more despicable than playing at the saint when you've sinned enough to put a demon to shame."

The comment had come at one of Cross' less-than-sober moments, prattling on about the Order while Allen had been trying to clean up their temporary living space to avoid another fee from the owners. Cross had a tendency to drone on when he was drunk, and Allen had heard him ramble on about enough nonsense to know that this was not simply an idle thought. He had given Allen a few veiled warnings about the Order before ditching him and leaving him to find the place on his own, but since he had arrived those two months ago, he had felt nothing but welcome. Everyone there had treated him like family. It didn't sound like the place Cross had described at all.

But with Lavi's new warning, and Cross' previous one, Allen started to wonder what sort of hornet's nest he'd settled into.

Allen shook his head, confusion adding to his already scrambled thoughts and feelings. "Lavi… I can't lie. It would be wrong to keep this a secret. What if it could help everyone?"

"What if it makes them think you're a traitor?"

The question stole the breath out of Allen's lungs. He stared back at Lavi's face, scarcely able to see his expression in the dark. "I… Lavi, I'm not… I'm not a traitor! They wouldn't believe it. Komui wouldn't! He—"

"It's not up to Komui," Lavi interrupted. "Remember those guys who showed up at the Order after our first mission together? Louvelier and his guards? That guy runs the Black Order—what he says is law, and nothing Komui or anyone else says can contradict his decisions. He's the one you should worry about. That man is a heartless son of a whore, and no good comes from his presence. The letter telling us to return came from him—from the Central office. I don't know what his reasons are for forcing us all back, but telling him or anyone else about what happened during our last fight… It will turn you into a person of interest, if nothing else. And the last thing you want is for Louvelier to be interested in you."

Allen tried to swallow, but found his mouth dry. "…Then what do I do?" he asked, the question so softly spoken that the words were almost lost to the wind.

Lavi took a breath, looking out to the river for a quick moment before turning his gaze back on Allen. "Don't mention it in the report. Just say that we fought a pair of dragons, then Tiedoll came to help us. Nothing more than the basics." He reached up and smoothed a hand over the side of Allen's face, his thumb brushing over the red scar under his left eye. "Let's keep what the dragon said between us for now. I'll look into it when we get back to the Order."

"…Look into it? What's there to look into? I don't even know who Tyki was talking about. None of it makes any sense to me, Lavi. None of it! How are we supposed to find anything out if we don't even know what we're looking for?!" Despair clung to Allen's heart like a vice, gripping and squeezing until he couldn't breathe anymore. If it weren't for Lavi's hold on him, he might have collapsed right there on the deck.

"We'll figure this out. I promise," Lavi replied, his words more calm and collected than Allen thought they should've been considering the situation. "I'm a Bookman, after all. Research is my specialty. Just leave it to me and I'll find you some answers."

Allen shook his head, his hands trembling as he clung to Lavi's sides. "I can't ask you to do that for me."

Lavi laughed. "You don't have to ask me to, Al. I'd do it anyway."

The redhead's steadfast commitment to him left Allen weak with gratitude. "Thank you, Lavi." He wanted to say more, explain the swell of relief that flooded his chest with the knowledge that Lavi was there, that he would help him. But the words wouldn't come. Instead, he reached up to take a firm hold of Lavi's shirt collar, then pulled him down to meet their lips. Lavi moved with him, as if he had been expecting the action, and kissed Allen back with a gentle insistence.

When they pulled apart, Lavi smiled down at him. "C'mon. We should at least try to get some rest before morning. After we reach town, we'll still need to ride all the way back to the Order."

Allen sighed. "I know, but I don't think I could sleep even if I wanted to. My mind is too cluttered with thoughts to rest."

A mischievous smile curled up on Lavi's lips as he leaned in once more. "Then let me help you clear it."

xXxXxXx

Kanda didn't talk to her the entire trip back to the Order.

Lenalee knew she shouldn't have been surprised. She had worked him into such a lather that she didn't know if he had ever been this pissed off with her before. Part of it was her fault, undeniably, but she refused to take all the blame. Kanda had been just as much of an ass as she had.

Still, the silence stung.

Feigning illness, she left Kanda and Miranda to give their report to Komui, saying she wanted to go rest in her room. Miranda had simply nodded and continued on her way to Komui's office. Kanda, however, stayed behind and stared at her. She half expected him to say something, finally breaking the silence, but instead he turned away after a long moment and followed Miranda.

Lenalee sighed. What was I even expecting? she thought, then turned to head to her quarters.

Her room was how she had left it, and Lenalee welcomed the familiar atmosphere. Normally after a mission, she would unpack her bags, then head to the baths to clean up. But this time, she had a different destination in mind. Leaving her pack next to her bed, she exited her room and headed down the corridors to a section of the Order she had not willingly entered in years.

The infirmary smelled of herbs and salves, the cloying, thick odor leaving her light-headed as she tried to swallow down the nervousness that bubbled up in her stomach. Lenalee repeated Kanda's past reassurances in her head over and over again, in the hopes that it would calm her anxiety and force her to face her fear.

No one is going to hurt you.

Louvelier's men have been gone for years.

Komui won't let anything happen to you anymore.

I won't let anything happen to you.

It's okay.

You're safe.

Part of her wished she had taken him up on his offer to come with her. Even though he was mad at her, she knew he would oblige her request. It had been his idea, after all. He'd been badgering her to go to the infirmary for months now. However, going on her own felt right—necessary. She needed to prove to herself that she could do it, that she could overcome her fears and stop letting the past haunt her present.

Lenalee paused in the doorway, hearing the light banter of a couple of nurses chatting as they worked. Her throat dried up as she watched them, trying to talk but not finding her voice. It wasn't until they noticed her in the doorway that they spoke up.

"Ms. Lee? Is there something you needed?" one of the women asked.

Lenalee nodded, pushing herself to make her mouth work. "I need to see the Head Nurse, please?"

xXxXxXx

It wasn't how she remembered it.

The room's walls were whitewashed, clean, and free of needless decorations. A large, open window let in the sun as the warm, afternoon breeze toyed with the sheer fabric of the curtains. The smell of apple blossoms hung in the air, faint but unmistakable. Fresh linens, folded tight and neat on the narrow bed, scratched at her skin as she laid there and focused on breathing.

Lenalee had been left alone to wait on the results of the tests. She had asked for the Head Nurse to not make a fuss over her, keep the other healers out of the way. As such, she had been given a private room, left alone to rest until she could figure out what was wrong. Lenalee had described her symptoms, the time and duration of occurrences, and the Head Nurse had checked her over. She took blood and urine, and left Lenalee to rest until she had an analysis.

An hour had passed, and Lenalee wasn't too surprised when her brother came bursting into the room, breaking the serene atmosphere with a cry.

"My darling Lenalee!" he called, overemotional and flamboyant as he fell to her bedside as if she were about to die. "I came as soon as I heard you were here! Why didn't you tell me you were ill?"

A soft smile graced Lenalee's face, washing away her worry. The anxiety in her stomach lessened as she stared into her brother's face. She figured that he would show up sooner or later—considering the nurses had to report to him on all the Dragon Hunter's health issues so he could keep sick or injured Hunters from going on missions.

"I'm probably fine. I didn't want you to worry."

Komui sighed, his demeanor shifting in that moment. He looked down on her with concern. "You know I'd worry no matter what."

Lenalee reached out and took one of his hands, closing her eyes and trying to keep calm. It had taken all her energy not to run from the infirmary and hide back in her own room. Komui's presence helped. "I'm sorry. You didn't need to come all the way down here for nothing."

"I wouldn't call it nothing," Komui replied, settling into the wooden chair next to the bed, keeping hold of Lenalee's hands. "Miranda said that you fainted while fighting with a chimera in her and Kanda's report. I left as soon as I could to find you. I'm surprised you came here on your own, though."

Opening her eyes, Lenalee stared at their clasped hands. "It was time," she said, her voice soft and tired. She took a long, calming breath and tightened her grip on his hands.

Komui smiled down at his sister. "I'm proud of you, you know."

Averting her eyes from their clasped hands, she looked up into Komui's face and smiled. "Thank you."

The moment was broken when the Head Nurse came into the room. She nodded politely to Komui, then turned to address Lenalee. "Sorry it took so long," she said, her face stern as ever. "But I have your results."

Lenalee sat up in the bed, leaning back against the headboard. "And? What's wrong with me?" she asked, her voice calm and collected even as her hands trembled.

"Well, nothing's wrong, per se," the Head Nurse said, looking down at her notes. "From what I can tell, you're pregnant—almost three months along, too. We'll have to do a few more tests to be certain. If you could, I'd like you to stay and get some bed rest until we can confirm that the baby is healthy. Being out on missions seems to have been hard on your body, hence the sickness and fainting spells."

The silence in the room felt like and oppressive wave as Lenalee tried to digest the information. She had a feeling that this was the case, especially after her talk with Miranda on their last mission, but to hear it confirmed… She wasn't sure how she felt.

Before she could say anything, Komui spoke up. "She's not pregnant. There's no way she could be pregnant." There was an obvious flustered panic in his voice, and Lenalee closed her eyes against the argument she knew was coming.

The Head Nurse seemed amused at the statement. "Well, considering she's a woman with a fully functioning uterus, I would have to disagree. And unless my years of experience are wrong, she is pregnant."

Komui's lips formed a tight, straight line and his eyes narrowed. He glared at the Head Nurse for a long, tense moment before speaking again. "Could you give us a moment?"

She nodded and left, closing the door behind her.

Lenalee sighed and glared up at the ceiling, avoiding Komui's gaze as his eyes turned to her. His earlier, comforting presence now turned into an unwanted one. She hadn't even thought to ask to hear the results away from him, and now she was stuck having to explain her current predicament to her overprotective brother.

"Who is it?"

The question threw her, and she looked back at Komui. "What?"

"Who is it?" he repeated, his voice growing stern. "Who did this to you?"

Lenalee groaned then, feeling frustration taking over. "First off, let's get one thing straight—no one 'did this to me.' I wasn't coerced like some naive child. Secondly, I'm not telling you who the father is. It's none of your business."

She rarely saw Komui angry, and it certainly was never directed at her. But this time, she couldn't miss the look he gave her. Frustration, anger, and disappointment all rolled into one searing gaze. She had to look away.

"None of my business?" Komui asked, his voice trembling with emotions. "Lenalee—you are my sister, the only family I have left. How is it not my business to know who you're…?" He trailed off, clenching his jaw tight and looking away. "Just tell me who it is so I can deal with it."

"Deal with it? How exactly are you going to deal with it?" Lenalee asked, an edge to her voice that mirrored her brother's.

"Whoever he is, he needs to own up to what he's done. If he doesn't even have the decency to have an open relationship with you, instead of hiding it from me and everyone else, then he's not fit to be with you!"

"He didn't hide it from you. I did," Lenalee said, pointing to herself as she glared at Komui. "I'm the one who didn't want you to know. I'm the one who made him keep it a secret."

Her words left him speechless for a long moment. He watched her, quietly going over this new information. "Why, Lenalee? Why wouldn't you tell me?"

"Because you'd make a big deal out of it, just like you are now!" she shot back, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's my relationship and I didn't want you involved in it. No matter who it was, I knew you'd act like an overprotective guard dog. I'm an adult—I can make my own decisions."

Komui pursed his lips, then stood up. Lenalee watched him as he moved away from the bed and towards the door. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Lenalee. I can't keep myself from worrying about you, and if that makes me overprotective, then so be it." He paused at the door, not bothering to look back. "And I can't make you tell me who the father is. But I want you to think hard about what happens from here on out. Because this situation you didn't want me making a big deal out of is now a very big deal. Once you figure out what you want to do, I would appreciate it if you tell me your plans so I may make accommodations for you. I'll take you off active assignments until then."

After he left and the door closed behind him, Lenalee felt sick again, and this time she knew it had nothing to do with the baby growing inside her. The coldness in Komui's voice struck her like a dagger to the heart. She sunk back into the cot and stared at the ceiling, taking a long breath as her hands trembled against the sheets. The curtains fluttered as the breeze kicked up again, and Lenalee fought back the urge to cry.

The infirmary now felt just as lonely and dark as it had all those years ago.

xXxXxXx

So far, nothing had changed.

Allen and Lavi had been back at the Black Order for nearly three days, and no one had questioned either of them about the incident with the dragons, or anything else for that matter. Even so, the nervous flutter in his stomach would not abate, leaving him sick and exhausted most of the time.

The corridors were busy with activity, and Allen had seen more strange faces in the dining hall than ever before. No one paid much attention to him, and even though that should have relieved some of his anxiety, Allen couldn't help but feel uneasy.

True to his word, Lavi had started researching the dragons, looking for anything he could find in the Order's extensive library. Even with his skills, Lavi seemed flummoxed. No real leads came to him, and they were still afraid to bring up the incident with Komui.

Hoping to relieve some frustration and pent up energy, Allen headed towards the training room. However, before he could get more than a few steps away from his quarters, Lavi stopped him in the hallway.

"Al! Are you busy?" he asked, stopping to catch his breath. It looked as if he had been running for a while.

"Not really. I was just going for some exercise. Why?" Allen turned to Lavi with a curious look.

"Apparently, Komui is looking for us. Yuu told me to find you and meet back up at his office right away." Lavi straightened up, pushing his bangs out of his face.

Allen felt a quick stab of fear shoot through him. "Is… Is it about…?" He couldn't bear to finish the sentence.

Lavi was quick to shake his head, sensing where Allen's thoughts were headed. "No, not that. Something else—though I'm not sure what. Sounds important, whatever it is. C'mon, let's get going. Don't want to keep the boss man waiting."

Even with Lavi's reassurances, Allen still felt the apprehension buzz under his skin as they headed up the stairs to Komui's office. The redhead must've noticed his unease, because on more than one occasion, Lavi's shoulder bumped against Allen's. Each time he looked up, only to see Lavi smiling back at him.

When they arrived at the office, Allen noticed they weren't the only ones there. Kanda sat in one of three chairs situated on the outer edge of Komui's cluttered desk, irritated as usual. Allen sat down as far from Kanda as he could, leaving Lavi to take the middle chair. He looked over the mounding papers at Komui, trying to gauge what kind of meeting this would be, but his face was a blank mask. The strangeness of it all left Allen on edge.

"I apologize for the short notice, especially to you, Kanda, as you only just returned from your last mission, but this is a matter that couldn't be put off," Komui explained, leveling his gaze at the three young men in front of him.

Komui's serious attitude left Lavi taken aback with confusion. "Has something happened with the mission hiatus?"

Allen's throat tightened at Lavi's inquiry, but Komui only shook his head.

"No, this is more of a… personal matter. And I'll ask to have your discretion."

Kanda sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Spit it out already. We don't have all day."

"Very well—I'll cut to heart of the matter," Komui replied, folding his hands together and resting them on the desk. "As you three have been out with my sister on missions the most over the past few months, I'm asking you to ferret out some information for me."

Allen tilted his head, not understanding where this request was headed. "Lenalee? Did something happen to her?"

Komui sighed, an amused and frustrated grin on his face. "In a way, I suppose it has."

"That's really vague," Lavi complained.

Ignoring Lavi's whining, Komui continued. "Has she been with anyone recently? Spending more time with a particular person?" His voice grew agitated, and he stared at each of them in turn.

"What are we, her keepers?" Kanda asked, glaring back.

"Komui, what is this about? What's happened with Lenalee? Is she in some sort of trouble?" Lavi asked, his face growing concerned.

Komui sighed, unable to avoid the subject anymore. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he finally answered their inquiries. "My precious Lenalee is pregnant."

The silence in the room nearly suffocated the group of them. No one dared move, watching Komui as if he would explode at any moment. Allen looked around at everyone's faces as they processed the news. Komui still had that too serious look about him, a look that he hadn't seen in his entire time at the Order. Lavi simply blinked, his mouth hanging open in shock. Kanda seemed the least affected by the information, his face a blank mask as he stared back at Komui.

For Allen's part, he was confused and embarrassed. He still wasn't quite sure what all this had to do with the three of them, or why Komui asked them here in the first place. Braving to break the silence, he spoke up first. "Uh, Komui… What does Lenalee being pregnant have to do with us?"

Komui's eye twitched and he let out an exaggerated sigh as his serious demeanor finally fell to the wayside. "Because she won't tell me who the father is! I didn't even know she was with someone! How could she not tell me?! I'm her brother! I should know these things!"

The crying fit brought the rest of them back to their senses. Lavi scratched the back of his neck and tried to look sympathetic. "Well, she didn't tell us about it, so I don't think you're the only one who was left in the dark."

Allen shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Did she even have a partner? I mean… I never saw her with anyone. Is it possible she simply had a one time affair?"

Komui glared at Allen. "Are you saying my sister sleeps around?"

Lavi jumped to Allen's defense, already knowing where his boss' mind was headed. "No, no, no. He's definitely not saying that."

"Then who is it?!" Komui asked again, slamming his hands on the desk and pushing himself out of the chair. "It has to be someone who works here! It makes no sense otherwise!" Suddenly, Komui's gaze turned to the three in front of him.

"Unless… it was one of you."

Allen only realized the dangerous situation they were in when Lavi tensed up next to him. His eyes went wide as Komui scrutinized them. The accusation hung in the air between them, and Allen didn't know what to say. He knew he was innocent of having anything but a platonic friendship with Lenalee, but even so, the words wouldn't come out so he could defend himself.

Luckily, Lavi had the sense to speak up for all of them. "Whoa, there," he started, holding up his hands in defense. "It wasn't us, Komui. I mean… You know Lenalee and I are just friends. Same goes for Allen—and he hasn't even been here long enough to do anything of the sort! And Yuu… I mean, look at him! Who the hell would want that?" He gestured at Kanda, who had still said nothing through the entire exchange.

It was then that the redhead finally took note of the silence from their companion. "Yuu? Back me up here."

Kanda said nothing, his dark eyes unfocused as he stared at some unseen point in the room. Their attention now turned to him, but he seemed immune to their gazes.

Lavi spoke up again. "Yuu, tell him it's not you." He paused, waiting for an answer that didn't come. Finally, Lavi raised his voice in hopes of getting his attention. "Yuu!"

Without a word, Kanda stood up and left the room, slamming the door on his way out. The room's remaining occupants were left in stunned silence. Lavi exchanged glances with Allen and sighed.

"Well, at least it's not us, Komui."

xXxXxXx

It didn't take Kanda long to realize where Lenalee was. He tried her room first, but upon finding it empty, headed to the infirmary instead. He'd been badgering her to go for so long, that he was surprised she would go there without saying anything.

She must have been desperate, he thought, silently berating himself for their argument not a few days prior. He had stubbornly refused to talk to her after it, and now he felt like a total and complete asshole.

He spoke to no one on his way down the stairs and towards the hospital wing, the scowl on his face enough to keep passersby from bothering him. Even when he barged into the infirmary, most of the healers scattered to avoid him. Kanda didn't bother to ask where Lenalee was, instead taking it upon himself to check each room until he found the right one. There were a few protests from the nurses, but they fell on deaf ears.

When he finally barged into the correct room, finding Lenalee's startled face staring back at him, he closed the door and locked it, cutting off the sounds of angry nurses behind him.

Kanda stood there, watching Lenalee as she sat up. She pulled the blankets close to her chest, and he could tell she didn't look pleased to see him there. He tried to think of something to say, but all the words dried up in his throat like dust. Instead, he walked over to the chair next to her bed and sat down.

Lenalee sighed, then rubbed her eyes. "My brother said something, didn't he?"

"Do you even need to ask that?"

She shook her head. "Who did he tell? Did he accuse anyone of it?"

Kanda shrugged. "Just me, the idiot, and the sprout."

Lenalee let out a groan and pressed her face into her hands. "Oh, Gods. Lavi and Allen know, too? Could this day get any worse?"

Kanda said nothing on her complaints, only continued to watch her with concern. He was still trying to say what he wanted to, the miasma of mixed feelings boiling up in his guts, but he couldn't bring himself to say more than a few words, simple answers to her questions.

His dark eyes drifted down to her covered stomach. She looked no different than normal—he couldn't even tell if she had gained any weight yet. "Are you… okay?" he asked, the words coming out awkwardly.

"I'm fine, Kanda. I'm just pregnant. I mean… At least I'm not sick, right?"

He paused, watching her for a long moment, then spoke again. "No, Lenalee. Are you okay?" He repeated the question, keeping his dark eyes on hers, waiting for an answer.

Lenalee sighed, her fingers picking at a fold in the blankets. "I don't know… Everything is happening so fast." She looked down at her hands, still worrying the same loose thread between her fingers.

Silence hung between them for a moment, and Kanda couldn't take it anymore. He stood up, moving from the chair to the edge of the bed, sitting on the mattress. He pulled her close, hugging her gently. Lenalee looked up at him, then fell quickly into the embrace. She pressed her face into the crook of his neck, and Kanda let out a long breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"I'm sorry," he said, one hand slipping up into her hair. "I've been an ass lately and I'm just… sorry."

Lenalee laughed softly, shaking her head even as it lay against Kanda's shoulder. "I've been just as stubborn and ass-like. I should be the one apologizing."

He didn't bother to argue. They had both been obstinate, but at least they could admit it. "Let's go. I'll take you back to your room." He moved to help her up, but Lenalee kept hold of him, refusing to break their embrace.

"I'm not supposed to leave yet…"

"Who cares. You don't need to be here. If they need you, they can find you." Kanda took Lenalee's hands in his own and carefully helped her onto her feet. He smirked then, as another thought came to him. "It's like you said—You're not sick, just pregnant."

His reprisal of her words left a frown on Lenalee's face. She stood next to him, lost in thought. "…What should I do about it?" she asked, looking up at him with concern in her eyes.

"About what?"

"The baby."

The question took Kanda off guard. His eyebrows narrowed as he returned Lenalee's gaze. "What about it?"

Lenalee fidgeted, looking away towards the window as she answered. "The Head Nurse said if I didn't want it, she could… get rid of it. I just had to let her know soon. I guess it's harder the longer you wait." She swallowed, looking uncomfortable with the conversation. "She said she would mostly do it for women who were fighting in war, who couldn't be away from the battlefield…"

"Do you want her to do that?" Kanda asked back, still watching her face with concern.

Lenalee shook her head. "I don't know," she said, distress in her voice. "What do you want, Kanda?"

He blinked, confused. "Why are you asking me?"

"Because it's your baby, too. You do realize that, right?"

"I figured."

"So? Don't you want a say? Don't you have an opinion?" Tears began to well up in her eyes, threatening to spill onto her cheeks at any moment. Her shoulders shook with silent sobs.

The tears were what did him in. He pulled her into another tight hug, holding Lenalee close as she tried not to cry. "Do you think I don't care?"

"I…" Lenalee began, but sighed and pressed her face against the hard planes of his chest. "Yes. It doesn't feel like you care at all."

Kanda sighed. "Lenalee, I won't tell you what to do. I can't make that decision for you. You have to decide on your own." He felt her stiffen at his words. "But know that no matter what, I will support your decision. Whether or not you keep the baby, I will stay with you and I will help you through it."

Lenalee sniffled, wiping at her eyes with one hand while clinging to Kanda with the other. She laughed, though her voice was hoarse and strained from the tears. "Sounds like you just don't want to make a decision. Stubborn jackass." Even though her words were harsh, her tone was soft and joking. She leaned into his embrace.

Kanda didn't bother to remark on her jibe. Instead, he pulled her towards the door. "C'mon, I'll take you to your room."

Not bothering to argue anymore, Lenalee walked with him. "Will you stay with me for a while? I don't want to be alone right now."

Kanda nodded as they left the room and headed out of the infirmary. "Yes, of course." It was only after they were in the corridors and almost back to Lenalee's room that he realized she was still clinging to him, not caring who saw them together any longer. He supposed she wasn't bothering to hide it anymore, now that she was pregnant and couldn't keep it secret. After all these years, they would finally stop hiding their relationship and the thought made Kanda smile.

He was tired of hiding, anyway.