Author's Note - Sorry this is a little on the late side, everyone!

Disclaimer - I do not own D. Gray-Man. The original characters and plot belong to Katsura Hoshino.

"Madelynn?"

She let out a soft groan as she was greeted with nothing but pain, but gave into the voice and bright lighting that was dragging her towards reality once again. Forcing her eyes open, she saw Lenalee out of the corner of her eye, sitting in a chair beside her. A massive headache welcomed her, as well as the aching pain in her side from when she'd been wounded. Though it took some effort, she managed to provide the older female with a small smile.

"Ugh..." Slowly, she sat up, examining her surroundings, which was nothing but a sea of white. She must've been in the infirmary. That would explain the obnoxious beeping coming from beside her, though when she glanced over and saw all the wires, realizing they were connected to her head, mainly her forehead, she couldn't help but let out a sigh. "Am I going to have wires attached to me every time I faint?"

Lenalee asked her almost frantically, voice filled with worry, "are you alright? You really had us all worried. You were out cold when we found you. Just lying on the floor."

"Yeah," she replied drowsily, "I think. I feel really sleepy, though. What's up with all these wires?"

"You were in a lot of pain when Lavi found you. According to him, you were lying completely on the floor, pressed up as far as you could against the couch and whimpering. At first, he thought it was because of the wound in your side, but when he nudged your head he said you screamed. Anyway, you were partially awake - though you didn't respond to any of us - and in a lot of pain, so the Head Nurse gave you some medication to put you to sleep for a while." Lenalee paused for a moment, catching her breath. "She wasn't sure exactly why you were in so much pain, so she was monitoring your brain. Oddly enough, it was under a lot of pressure."

"Pressure? From this end it feels like I was used as a piniyata," she mumbled, rubbing her head. "Hey, Lenalee, how long have I been out?"

"A few days. You were up for a few moments yesterday, but Head Nurse put you back to sleep because you were still in pain."

"What is it?" she asked, noticing her eye brows furrowing in what she could only guess was confusion.

"You mumbled a few times in your sleep. First time about not wanting to be the Accompanist, and the second time you specifically said not to tell Allen. Madelynn, what happened in the Ark? We left you in there for about fifteen minutes. Road and her Akuma left after Allen put you in the Ark. You came out such a mess people were concerned of your mental state."

"I... I don't know," she lied. "I... I was upset, I remember. Not being able to fight. I guess I fell asleep sometime after."

"Madelynn," Lenalee pressed, "if something's bothering you then you need to tell us. Any one of us are willing to listen. I..." she reached for her hand, squeezing it tightly, "I've been kept away from my home before... against my will. I know what you're going through. I know you want to go home, but you can't trust the enemy. I know it's hard, but trust me, it's better you didn't go with Road."

"I'm fine," she replied, offering her a smile.

"I hope so. But in the future talk to someone if something is bothering you."

She felt that she was at a loss. She knew she needed to tell someone what had happened to her, but was uncertain who to tell. She knew she could trust Lenalee and the other Exorcists, but they were most likely busy cleaning up after the attack on Headquarters. Besides, they probably had problems of their own to deal with.

"Lenalee..." she paused for a moment, thinking over her words carefully. The last thing she wanted to do was make her suspicious. "If I ever needed to inform someone something important and urgent, where would I go? You know, for future reference."

"Anyone will listen, Madelynn. But I suppose if it was very important, Brother would be the best person to talk to."

"Thanks, Lenalee."

Shortly afterwards, Lenalee left with the intent of informing everyone she'd awoken, and she laid back against the covers. The Matron had stopped by momentarily when Lenalee was still visiting her. It seemed the woman was weary of dispatching her and didn't intend to do so until her 'condition improved'.

Not long after, she grew bored. Since various equipment was crowding around her, she was in a remote area of the infirmary away from the other patients to give nurses and doctors easier access. For a couple of hours, she merely laid in her designated bed, staring off into space and thinking about just how she would explain to Komui what'd happened.

Catching someone with red hair walk into the room, she looked up, blinking in puzzlement as she realized it was Lavi. For a moment, the Bookman glanced around the area, as though searching for someone. When he noticed her, however, he grinned and began to wave his arms energetically as he jogged towards her.

"There you are!" he exclaimed. "How ya feelin', kid?"

"A little better," she replied, adding in a softer tone, "I guess..."

"Seems like it," he responded, sitting down in the chair Lenalee had been in earlier. "Considering your condition the past few days, I'd say just being awake is an improvement."

"How is everyone?" she asked casually, feeling a bit awkward.

"We're doing good. Just a little concerned about you, that's all. Besides you ending up here, everything went well. There were no casualties, and very few people were admissioned into the infirmary. Probably because there weren't many Akuma."

"That's good to hear."

The area was silent for a moment before Lavi spoke again. "How are you holding up?"

"Pardon?"

"As an Exorcist."

"Oh. It's... nice, I guess. I need a lot more training."

"You'll get the hang of it eventually," he told her. It was odd seeing this side of him; normally he was hyperactive. She wasn't used to him acting this way at all. "Say..." she felt her stomach drop as he began to speak again, knowing exactly what was coming up, "have any explanation for what happened?"

She wasn't sure what to say, honestly. Deep down inside, she knew she could trust him, but still wasn't certain if he was the right person to say such things to. After all, he believed his purpose was to only record things, right? She didn't want someone just to note what had happened to her. Although she was a little afraid to admit it, she needed someone willing to listen to her. Someone willing to provide her with the comfort and guidance she needed.

"I don't know..." she mumbled.

"Don't know what?" Suddenly, Lavi seemed to catch on. "Ahh, I get it now. You think I'm just here to record."

"It's not that," she told him. "I mean, what happened was... well, it was kinda big. I don't really know who to tell, honestly. I guess I was just waiting for someone to come and demand to know."

"You don't like me enough to tell me?" Lavi pretended to look crestfallen. "That just hurts, Mattie."

"Yeah, well right now it feels like my head's splitting in half and I feel icky, so I apologize for not being able to show you enough enthusiasm."

"Your head hurts and you feel icky," Lavi repeated, raising an eye brow. "I'm sorry, just saying you 'feel icky' is enough reason to record this event."

"There was no other term that described it as close as 'icky'."

"And why, exactly, do you feel icky?"

"Umm..."

"You wouldn't want me to have Allen pry it out of you, would you?"

"Okay, fine!" She sunk farther back into the bed, trying to make herself appear smaller underneath the covers. "I did a bad thing," she mumbled.

"Bad thing? You were in the Ark. How can you do something bad?"

Although it was tough to muster the courage to speak, she forced herself to. "You see, I... kinda made this deal."

Lavi raised an eye brow at her. "Deal?"

She nodded. "The Fourteenth told me Allen would be killed if I didn't go back, so I made a deal with him. I know it was really stupid and I probably just committed heresy and I'm going to be hanged and I'm really sorry and-"

"Whoa, whoa!" He grasped her shoulders, just to make her stop speaking. Once she settled down, he released his grip on her. "Calm down, it's okay. Just tell me what this deal was."

In response, she uncomfortably looked down at her lap. "Well, he said if I became this 'Accompanist', then I'd have the power to make a gate."

"A gate?" His eye brows rose in confusion. "Why were you trying to make a gate?"

"He told me the Noah would kill him in place of failing to use me to kill him and said the only way I could prevent it from happening was to make a gate."

"So the deal was that he'd make a gate if you became something called an 'Accompanist'," he summarized.

She shook her head. "No, he said I could. And..." she trailed off. Would it be wise to tell him it'd been the Fourteenth who'd brought her here? Sure, there were people she could trust, but the information would eventually get back to others she doubt would be as understanding.

"What is it?" Lavi urged.

"The Fourteenth's the one who brought me here."

"The Fourteenth told you that?"

She nodded, finally having the courage to look at him. "He chose for me to be the 'Accompanist'. I..." she bit her lip, "I think I fell into one of his traps."

He mumbled a curse word before he fell silent for a moment, likely thinking. "We need to tell Komui," he told her. "Stay right here. I'll go tell him."

"I want to come," she said and, without waiting for his reply, promptly slipped out of bed. Suddenly, she began to regret moving as her head began to throb even more. She swayed, falling forward, but Lavi grabbed hold of her, helping her back onto her feet. Before then, she hadn't even realized an IV needle was attached to her until it reached the end of its extension, tugging along with the other wires.

"Careful," he replied. "When the Akuma virus invaded your body, it left behind poison. Head Nurse didn't realize it until yesterday, so your body's weaker than normal and needs IV fluids," he told her while helping her back to the bed. "Until your body recovers, you'll want to take it easy and lay down."

Letting out a long sigh, she frustratedly dropped back against the bed, staring at the ceiling dully for a moment as she allowed everything to sink in. As if it wasn't confusing the day she became the host for Crown Clown. She'd just came to terms with herself and accepted the fact. She'd just became an Exorcist.

And now she was finding out she was this 'Accompanist'. Not only that, but she'd only ended up here because the Fourteenth brought her here.

What did the Fourteenth mean by 'Accompanist', anyway?

Based on her knowledge of music, she assumed it meant she was to join the Musician as an accompaniment.

So, in simpler terms, the Musician just went from being solo to being part of a duet.

What was she supposed to do, though? The Accompanist could require her playing anything. There were no rules listing what instruments could accompany a pianist. Then again, the Fourteenth had mentioned he'd been looking for a violinist...

She snapped out of her thoughts as she heard someone approaching, looking up to find Lavi had returned with Komui. The Supervisor exchanged a few words with the Matron before they headed over to where she was at. She smiled apologetically, surprised to see the older man smile at her reassuringly.

"Hey," Komui greeted gently, sitting down in the chair. Lavi was leaning against the wall. "How are you feeling?"

"A little better than when I first woke up," she replied, a bit nervous.

"Lavi informed me of what happened to you," he told her, "and there's no need to worry. You are not at fault, and you are most certainly not going to be treated as a criminal. However, I need to know exactly what is going on so we can help you."

"What's going on?" she repeated.

Komui nodded. "Based on Allen's report, when Road revealed that they were after you and - after you refused her offer - specified they would take you by force he left you in the Ark. Lavi met up with Allen shortly after Road left and, after Allen made a gate for him, went in to locate you. He found you unconscious in the Fourteenth's room and, because you were nonresponsive and had a nasty gash from your fight, took you here to the infirmary."

"Does everyone know?" she asked him quietly.

"About what happened between you and the Fourteenth? No. No one else was present in my office when Lavi told me. Everyone knows about the condition you were found in, though, and I wouldn't be surprised if your closest peers try to pry the details out of you."

"Okay," she replied, before staring at the wires attached to her forehead still. "What are the wires for, exactly?"

"We thought you were having a migraine, but Matron confirmed that it wasn't one. Your brain was under a lot of pressure, probably because of what the Fourteenth did to you. Your pressure and stress levels have lowered, but we're going to keep them that way for at least another day to make sure they've dropped for good."

"Alright."

"Besides that, is there anything else the Fourteenth told you?"

She thought for a moment. "He told me he was the one who created the gate I arrived here in. He said he did it because he'd chosen me to be something called an 'Accompanist'. He hasn't said what that is, exactly, but I think it has something to do with me accompanying Allen in something."

"That's most likely," he replied, standing up. "But we won't know for sure until you or him hears more. So for now we'll just put that aside and let you get better. Unless you are dead against it, I think it'd be best if I told him about this. It could be the Fourteenth's spoken about the role of this 'Accompanist' he chose you to be."

She nodded, reminding herself that she could trust Allen. He may be mad at her, but things would eventually return to normal.

At least, she hoped so.