….

Tyki stood outside the door hesitantly. He was beginning to think that this was a bad idea… wait it was already a bad idea from the very beginning! Honestly, if he could he would strongly argue against it but then Sheryl comes to mind and Tyki is quickly deterred.

He sighed, knowing he would have to do this and softly knocks on the door. He'd rather make sure that the boy knew someone was coming in then walk in and cause trouble. There was, of course, no reply and Tyki opened the door anyway. Gazing about he spied the whitehead staring at the grain in the wooden table.

It was difficult to determine if the boy had actually heard him knock on the door as he took one step into the room. His dress shoes clicked against the floorboards and caused the ex-exorcist to shift his head slightly. Tyki decided to push aside his uneasiness and walked into the room pulling a spare chair out from the table.

Taking his place across from Allen. He silently took in the boy's pale complexion, his white hair messed up and looking as if it hadn't seen a brush in a while. But despite not seeing the silver pools that were no doubtfully glaring at him, dark bags were the result of many sleepless nights.

Tyki begrudgingly blamed himself for that because it had seemed the boy had his only peaceful night when he was around. At least that was what he had hoped anyway.

'Why are you here?' The boy's voice was cold and slightly raspy as if he had been crying only a moment ago. Tyki fought the urge to flinch under the hidden scrutiny behind Allen's gaze and laid eyes on the dark-coloured wall.

'It's a forced visit, I won't be staying long,' Tyki murmured quietly. He leaned back into his chair and stole fleeting glimpses of the beautiful being sitting just out of his line of vision… and out of his reach; he couldn't help but think glumly.

Then there was an awkward silence that followed like an unwelcome presence that you can never shake free of. Tyki shifted in his chair and sighed.

'I'm sure Road told you about your friends shounen, if we're lucky the Earl might let us rough them up a bit,' he teased lightly, knowing well that it could possibly rile up the boy sitting across from him. He wasn't disappointed either as Allen turned to fully looks at him.

The hatred burning in his silvery eyes was a more welcomed sight to Tyki then the gloomy depressed state he had seen the boy in before. His amusement soon twisted his lips into a playful smirk that caught the ex-exorcist off guard.

'And here I thought I couldn't get you to even look at me~' Tyki sneered and it would seem that Allen missed the light tone in his voice. The boy instantly reached for the vase situated on the table with the aim of throwing it at him. Though it did little good, Tyki simply fazed through it as he stood up and it smashed harmlessly on the chair.

'I hate you! Get out of here, get out!'

….

Allen watched Tyki's retreating figure with a renewed sense of hatred… and here he thought he would almost apologize to the bastard! The first time he had seen the Noah in a long while and it was only to be an absolute ass to him.

He had been happy, relieved even when he had heard that his friends were safe and sound. But it quickly turned to concern when he had heard that they had made landfall somewhere in Japan and were possibly making their way here as he stood captive in a room he had rarely ventured out from.

Sinking to the floor, Allen drew his knees to his chest and buried his face into it. He rocked back and forth as he was filled with a new sense of hopelessness and dread. Lenalee and the others probably believed that he was dead. If only he could see them again, tell them that he was all right and somehow alive but at the mercy of the Noahs.

A sad laugh escaped his lips as he crawled to the foot of his bed and leaned his head against the dark wood. What on earth was he thinking? There was no way he could get outside after last time.

'What am I to do Mana?' Allen whispered, trying his best to contain the tears welling up in his eyes. But as quickly as he could wipe them away, they fell once again. He hated these feelings that made him tremble uncontrollably and made him ruefully wish for a warm presence to comfort him.

He couldn't care less who they were; Allen just needed the warmth of someone else to carry this pain away. A soft voice to chase away his nightmares and tell him that everything was all right.

Allen needed… no!

Shaking his head, he scowled himself for even thinking that. Allen drove his fingernails into his clothed thigh gritting his teeth against the flash of pain it caused. What he really needed was to be strong, to stand on his own. He didn't need anyone but himself.

It had worked in the past, before he had met Mana but the thought of it made his resolve waver. Leaving him to wallow back into darkness where he could faintly hear the screams and pleas of the trapped souls.

But even so, as much as he hated to admit it, seeing Tyki again had made him even the slightest bit happier. Allen growled and thumped his head against the foot of the bed. No he was not, not one little bit!

Allen gritted his teeth as he brought his hand up to his face. Why was he so confused? The Noah was the enemy. They tricked and deceived people to use them and turn them into akuma. But why didn't Tyki kill him after he had failed to assassinate him the first time? Why did Road's embrace feel strangely nostalgic even before when she drove a candle into his left eye? Why, despite being the biggest jerk beside Kanda, did the Noah of Pleasure leave him feeling so confused?

Why…?

….

Hello everyone, sorry about the very long hiatus I did inform anyone about but now that I've come back to this story, I'm going to try and continue it from here on whenever I can!

So I hope you enjoyed this and please leave a REVIEW!