-Chapter 12-

"..." Allen stared at his black tattered clothes lying by the side of the flowing river. There wasn't a towel. Breathing out, he shivered as he stepped out of the water slowly. The air was like knives stabbing him; it was freezing cold. His teeth chattered as he reached to his tattered clothes, using it as a replacement of a towel. Sighing, he stared at the brand new white shirt and clothes. Those children were too nice.

He closed his eyes.

Too nice for a monster like him.

"Ooh!" Little Allen spun around, his hands spread apart. The leaves rustled, the forest was beautiful. The light sank into the ground like sprinkles of gold, the leaves were from green to yellow to orange. Little Allen skipped to the center, where trees surrounded it. "Pretty!"

The forest was mysterious yet breathtaking, Yu stared at the scenery. There were trees, a lot of trees. The trees surrounded this empty space with grass, he realized. In the center of the grassy ground, there was a rock, a fairly big one, enough to sit on. "... You live here?" Yu asked. Allen paused for a moment, then he nodded sadly.

Sadly, huh. Yu glanced up. He couldn't see the man's eyes that well, having his white hair blocking his way. He clicked his tongue. How annoying.

Little Allen cheerfully approached the rock, sitting on it and rolling on the grass, to the point in which Yu finally stopped him from fooling around. "Say, Allen!" Little Allen said, the man looked at their direction questioningly.

"Why not tie your hair? Won't your hair poke your eyes? Won't it be itchy? I remember growing out my bangs, it kept poking my eyes!" Allen blinked, then he quickly shook his head.

Little Allen pouted, "Why not?"

He shook his head again.

"Eh? 'Embarrassing? How so?"

He shook his head.

"But..."

Yu groaned, "Use your god damned voice already!"

Turning away, Allen scratched his head with his right hand, "..." He shook his head again, Little Allen pouted.

"Okay then..."

"What was it?" Yu said in annoyance.

"Well..." Little Allen started, "he says it's... Ugly?"

"... Ugly?" Yu blinked.

"Mmhm," Little Allen nodded. Allen cried in the corner, Little Allen just didn't know how to interpret his message.

You're not on your own now, are you?

Allen blinked, his gold and silver eyes widening at the voice of the unknown. Shivering slightly, he gave a weak smile. Little Allen noticed it, his bright eyes staring at the man.

"Allen's happy?" He smiled, Allen flinched. The man turned back his head, towards the kids. A bead of sweat rolled down the back of his neck. Little Allen grinned.

"Allen's happy!"

Allen, I wanted you to know, that even if you kill -yourself-, it won't kill you.

Because that time I still existed inside of you, it disturbed time and space.

"Mm... I think we need money," Little Allen mumbled, Yu glaring at him.

"I'm not going to lend you any," Yu said furiously, protecting the last of his savings, seeing that they used his money for Allen's new clothes.

"Eh?! But Yu~!"

"No!"

Your friends will not remember you...

But consider this a second chance.

"Hm but I think we should first go to town!" Little Allen said, raising his fist as he continued, "to earn money and get FOOD!" Yu sighed, his palm on his face.

"Whatever..."

Smiling brightly, Little Allen took Allen's and Yu's hand, his little gentle hands grabbing theirs' tightly. Allen's eyes stared at the little hand holding his, "..." His lips parted a little bit as a small pull pulled him forward. Little Allen grinned, he was like the light.

A bright, blinding and innocent light.

"Let's go!"

-.-.-

"We're going to town," Lavi said quickly, grabbing his supplies and Lenalee talked to the director of the orphanage. "We had witnesses seeing a group of not ordinary people walking towards the forest... Presumably, it's the forest that the kids of this orphanage ran to that night." Emilia gulped nervously.

"Please let me go, too... I can't have them run off like that!" She said, her hands in fists. "First it was Timothy... I just..."

"... If anything, you'll probably be the only one who can persuade them to go back to the orphanage," Lavi said, motioning towards the door. "Let's go, to the forest."

Holding back doubting tears, the woman nodded. "Yes!"

Though... What I'm most worried about is that man... Lavi frowned, if he happened to be... That, then... The children are in danger, aren't they...? Gritting his teeth, he opened the door and left the building. "Okay now, where's this dark forest...!"

Time to time, Allen would hear a voice. A voice of reassurance... He wasn't sure who's voice it was. Despite that... He wore a small gentle smile, his eyes looking away from the two boys. "..." It had been long since he felt that way, a small feeling. Was it because he found his heart? Or was it because of something else... He heard the kid's, no, the other Allen's laugh. It sounded so cheerful. Beyond this road is the town, it was already visible. Allen stared at it as Yu glanced at him weirdly. Well, Yu was always like that, either glaring or scowling...

At the back of his mind, he recalled seeing a man standing before him, with short dark purple hair and golden burning eyes, a row of scars engraved on his forehead. The man had a sad smile, and he said to him with the voice, a voice that sounded so familiar to him.

You... Aren't on your own, anymore, right?

Now I can leave without any regrets...

Allen.

For both Mana... And... Ahaha...

You glasses freak, too.

And the turning point owo

It had been some time since I last updated this story ahaha. Hope you liked it! I spent some time trying to figure out how I should write this chapter... Teehee *star*

D. Gray-man belongs to Katsura Hoshino