Richie: It's nice to finally be back home.

Lenalee: -nods- I never really know how much I miss everyone, until I see them again after a tough mission like that.

Allen: I don't want to go through that again, that's for sure.

Lavi: I'm gonna sleep! Sleep, and sleep, and sleep and make up for all the lost time.

Hana: -quirks a brow- A bit crowded, I think...Kanda, you have anything to say?

Kanda: No.

Hana: -shrugs- Besides Richie being my OC, I don't own D. Gray-man, but that much is obvious, right? Enjoy the new chapter!

... ... ... ...

+ - Night 28 – Welcome Home! - +

"Man, your ankle isn't the problem here, Ri-Ri." Lavi groused as he finished binding my leg. Apparently, it wasn't a twisted ankle I was dealing with, but rather a broken tibia. He had to set the damn thing, and it wasn't painless. At. Fucking. All. I managed to hold back any cursing, though it was easy to see by anyone currently conscious I was in severe pain. Much to my luck, my shoulder was dislocated, the red-head having managed to pop it in place with as minimal pain as possible.

Still hurt like a bitch, mind you. But at least I had use in my right arm again.

"I figured when you literally snapped my damn bone in place." I hissed. Lavi dryly chuckled but continued to use the shreds of my crop jacket to bind the make-shift splints that would temporarily be my cast. The Head Nurse was going to have to properly cast the damn thing when we got back. "Why the hell are you staring, JerKanda?"

I…wasn't exactly comfortable with catching him staring at me…on a normal day, I would've brushed it off, and picked a fight with him, but after my experience with Road…

"Why would I stare at you of all people?" Kanda muttered. I was pretty sure he was crossing his arms, though I couldn't turn around without messing Lavi up with his first-aid. When I saw him enter, I had taken notice that that tattoo was marginally larger than it used to be. Already his wounds were healed, but I doubted I should've been surprised anymore.

"Because of my sexy good looks?" I joked, and then grinned when I heard the annoyed click of his tongue. Score one for the fox. Just…act normal, and none will know the wiser, right? I shouldn't let that bother me. Kanda was Kanda. If there's any raw feelings towards me, it's most likely animosity.

Well, some form of trust too, obviously, but when not fighting for our lives, it was mostly hostility.

"I see how it is." Cross mused, I saw the half-masked General grin. The hell was he talking about?

"Whatever the hell you're thinking, I suggest you stop." Kanda growled. "It's not what you think, and never will be."

"Seriously, what the hell are you talking about?" I asked in exasperation.

"Seems the pretty boy here—" Cross began, but was interrupted by Kanda's curt retort.

"It's nothing."

"Sure, it's not." I muttered. "You know, we should go out and see if there are any exits here or not."

"I've been thinking that too." Allen said, the curve of his index finger pressed against his chin. "We had no chance to really explore, so maybe we can get a better look of our surroundings."

"Sounds like a plan." I grinned.

"Sorry Richie, but you're staying put." Lavi chastised, as he stood. "You're in no condition to do anything with your leg broken the way it is.

I glowered at him, "Are you serious?"

"We'll go explore, check the surrounding areas, all that fun stuff. You need to keep weight off that leg of yours."

Once the group consisting of Allen, Kanda, Lavi, and Chaoji had left us, we were left to our own devices. Using a crutch that Cross of all people had somehow conjured up. I decided to examine the upright piano that stood adjacent to the couch, which Krory was currently resting on.

The instrument was beautiful, almost reminding me of the grand piano my mother played when I was younger. It was very simple though, nothing like the extravagant one I knew from my childhood. I traced my hands along the keys, not daring to play anything.

"You look intrigued about that piano." Cross's voice spoke out. "You're drawn to them just like your mother." I stopped suddenly, turning to face the womanizing General.

"You've met my mother?"

"I met you as well, once." Cross said with a shrug. "Richelle Linhagem, daughter of Viscount Marcus Linhagem and Lady Veronica Linhagem. You were perhaps one year old at the time. I never realized you were that same tiny infant from back then…but you definitely have the same attitude your mother did. And eyes…or eye, rather."

"Really now…?" I muttered, before turning my attention to Lenalee. "Lena, how's Krory doing?"

"Looks like he really pushed his body to the limits in that last battle…" Lenalee sighed, checking on Krory. I doubted she heard Cross's earlier comment if she was that focused on our out-cold comrade. "That'll take a while to recover from. He's hurt worse than any of us…"

I nodded, and turned, deciding to sit on the edge of Krory's sleeping spot.

"His Innocence transforms his body to grant him power, and that's what saved him." Cross said, as he took a drag from his cancer stick. "If you want him to wake up anytime soon, he's going to need some proper medical treatment to fix up that body of his."

"I guess that's the case in this instance, isn't it?" I asked, looking at the unconscious man. "I don't know him well, but he does have my respect."

"That's good to hear." Lenalee said with a sad smile. She turned her attention Krory, and sighed, "I'm sorry Krory…"

"You've gotten better at letting your emotions out than you used to be, Lenalee." Cross said. "And damn attractive to boot."

"Hey, no flirting with my sister, you ass." I scowled.

"You're almost like a phantom, aren't you, General? How long have you actually been here?"

Now there was a good question. "Back when you guys were fighting down there below." He answered, "I was around too, using Maria's ability to conceal myself, back when you all got swallowed up by the ark."

"And you never thought to help us out?" I muttered under my breath.

"But man…if you were going to turn out this way, I should've done it sooner."

"Pedophile!" I screamed out. Cross glowered at me, unamused.

"I recall both of you had longer hair." I put my arm down, quirking a brow.

"I don't see how you could have ever known I had longer hair." I said, crossing my arms. Cross had moved from his seat, kneeling before Lenalee and myself.

"Admittedly I did sneak into the Order two years ago for something." He admitted. "I saw you with Tiedoll. Couldn't get a better man to train under…don't tell him I said that."

"No promises." I said, grinning.

"Of course, not…" He grumbled, before placing his hand on Lenalee's cheek, his thumb stroking the very short hair she now sported. "Both of you had quite beautiful hair when long."

"Miss Anita…told me the same thing…" Lenalee said. I slightly cocked my head to one side, and closed my eyes, focusing on the past. I was shown a Chinese woman, she was beautiful…was this Anita? I opened my eyes again, as the final moments flashed by. From what I 'saw' from Lenalee's recent past, Anita had quickly become a cherished friend, and perhaps motherly figure, even if she hadn't known her for as long as anyone else.

"Is that so?' Cross sighed. "I told her not to follow me whatever happened, that idiot." There was no malice or anything bad from what he said. I looked to see that his face had a soft look about it…fondness, perhaps? Anita must've meant something to him… "The good women are always a little too feisty for their own good."

"General…" I looked up, just as the sound of rushing feet came over to us.

"Yo." I greeted.

"THAT'S A CRIME MASTER!" Allen exclaimed.

"No, Allen! You've got it all wrong!" Lenalee tried explaining. "Richie! Say something!"

"What do you want me to say?!"

"What's that idiot apprentice? They're both sixteen, both are fine young women now!"

"GENERAL!" Both Lenalee and I exclaimed in horror.

I felt an odd aura coming from one of the men who had come in. It sent chills down my spine, and I dared glance to where I believed it was coming from.

Damn…I've never seen Kanda truly wanting to murder someone so badly before…it was quite oppressing.

(* - *)

"Edo Connection? What's that mean?" Allen asked, after everything had settled down.

"Don't worry, just say it, then we'll be able to get out of here."

"You better explain this all properly later, Master!" Cross's disciple bristled.

"I've gotta hear this too—!

"Just hurry it up, Moyashi." Kanda hissed.

"Didn't you say so yourself?"

"Stop fighting you two!" Lenalee yelled. Allen took that as his cue to turn towards the piano, playing the melody we heard earlier.

"C-cancel the ship's 'Edo Connection'…o Ark…open the gate."

"And where is the Gate…opening to…?"

"If I had to make an assumption…maybe back to the others?" I guessed. Sure enough, as our exit was created, we began to hear voices.

"Woah…" Lavi said, amazed, and in awe. He grinned and raced for the opening, popping his head out. "Hey! Everybody okay?"

"Lavi?!" A chorus of voices exclaimed.

"You came back!" I heard Marie's voice said in joy. "Are Kanda and Richelle alright as well?"

"SHUDDUP, MARIE!" Kanda growled, making his way out. I limped close behind and smiled seeing Marie and Tiedoll…the French man was crying…I rolled my eyes at his antics.

"I-Is that child who is to become my new apprentice safe too…?"

"Must we?" I grumbled. Kanda looked to me a little confused but pulled Chaoji from behind us. "I guess so."

"Um…hi?" The new Exorcist greeted.

"Hey Shortcake, should we get this show on the road now?" Turning to me, Allen smiled and nodded.

"Let's go home…but we need to make a pit stop first…"

. . - * - . .

The pit-stop in question…was actually at the Asian Branch. I'd only been here once before, and that was with Lenalee when we were on a mission in the area. We were greeted by many scientists, the moment we stepped foot into the building through the Gate. "WALKER!"

"That's Bak, isn't it?" I asked, stepping through the entry Allen created.

"Bak!" Allen exclaimed, "We want to make contact with Home right away. Could you grant us phone contact?"

"Everyone will be so surprised with them returning so quickly!" I heard someone say.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Mr. Walker!"

"Lofwa?" I asked, taking note of the twin-tail braids that seemed to almost defy gravity. I'd met her. She stopped and looked to me, before her eyes widened in surprise.

"R-R-Richie?"

Oh…that's right…she was one of the people who thought I was a boy…I chuckled. "Long time no see."

"You met her before?" Allen asked, but was immediately interrupted by an impatient Cross forcing his way through.

"Comin' through. Oh, this your woman then, Allen?" He asked taking note of Lofwa.

"Where are you going Master!?"

"I kind of feel like running for it."

Lenalee and I both paled, before making a grab for his coat. "You mustn't General!" Lenalee exclaimed. Cross stopped and turned around, both Lena and I holding on to him.

"Don't go!" I was…begging, but only because there was no way in hell I wanted to go through another fiasco in finding this son of a bitch.

"Please, don't go anywhere!" I…could only imagine how the rest of the room was viewing this…

I swore I heard Tiedoll and even Bak crying. Maybe Komui too…even if we were in two different countries at that moment…weird.

…so that's why she was put on Cross's search team…

We were pretty sure none of us were going to have search for this guy again any time soon. When everything finally calmed down, Allen made a call to the European Branch. We — Lenalee and I — took time to catch up with some of the people we hadn't talked to in a while.

"H-Honestly, I had no idea y-you weren't…" Lofwa bashfully admitted.

"You had a crush on Richie until you saw Allen…" Lenalee mused, giggling.

"Seriously?" I asked. "Damn, who would've thought the first person to crush on me was another girl."

Shifu shrugged, "I thought it was obvious she was a girl."

"Did you now?" Rikei muttered, looking at his friend in disbelief.

"S-Sorry!" Lofwa apologized.

"Honest mistake," I said, smiling, "Actually, the craziest thing to—"

"Richie! Lenalee!" Allen called out to us. We both turned to face him. "It's time to go home!"

"Alright, Shortcake!" I called out. Lenalee stood, and helped me up, handing me my crutches. "Finally, we're going home, right?"

"Mm-hmm." Lenalee turned to face Lofwa, Rikei, and Shifu, waving goodbye to them, before we headed towards the Ark once more.

. . - * - . .

The next time we stepped through the Ark, we were home. Everyone was there to greet us, and I couldn't stop the tears upon seeing everyone I knew and loved. Komui stood up front, his arms spread wide. Lenalee stood, her eyes wide, and uncertain if she should hurry to him or not. Lavi and Allen made that choice for her, before gently pushing her towards him. She hugged her brother with all her might, crying all the while.

"Welcome back!" They all greeted.

"W-We're back…" I said between choked happy sobs. Because really, how could I not be? The nightmare on the Ark was finally over.

"Richelle, come hug your big brother too, hm?" Komui held out his other arm, he and Lenalee looking at me expectantly. I smiled, as I slowly made my way to them. Unlike Lenalee, I couldn't really run to him. But when I made it, I was pulled into a group hug. The tears wouldn't stop.

"I missed you, Irmão…" I whispered into his coat.

"Miranda, you can release Time Out now." Allen gently said. Smiling sadly, she nodded. Time returned to those who were injured…and our welcome home was cut short as the medical staff and scientists alike all hurried to treat our wounds.

. . - * - . .

"You're crying way too much, brother!" Lenalee complained when Komui had come to visit us. I chuckled, though still felt a little grossed out by the snot on Lena's bed.

"Calm down, we're all fine, honest. Better than we were days ago!" I said.

"But…Lenalee…your lovely hair…the most beautiful hair in the world….it…!"

"STOP SAYING SUCH EMBARRASSING THINGS!" Lenalee scolded.

"Really, you are quite the disturbance here, Supervisor. If you dirty the bed any further, I may have to remove you from the ward!" The head nurse scolded.

"Head nurse…you're horrible…" Komui whined.

"I'm sure you have pleanty of work you should be doing, brother." Lenalee stated.

"Oh, he does." I mused, pulling my legs to my chest, in favor of resting my cheek against my knee. My leg had healed enough where I could walk on it, but the bone still had a fracture that required a cast. "If it makes you feel any better, as soon as Lenalee is back to 100% she'll make you the best coffee ever!"

"Hey, I was just about to say that!" Lenalee pouted. I laughed, grinning from ear to ear. Komui chuckled, placing hand on Lenalee's short dark hair.

"Alright then, maybe Richelle can help you make and serve it?"

"You sure that's a good idea?" I asked.

"I'll supervise." Lenalee said, seeming smug about having me help out for once. Crap…no getting out of that one.

"Oh! By the way, I made this Dakimakura of myself! It sings a lullaby—" The contraction began to 'sing', and I covered my ears, wincing at how off-key it was.

"We have no need for that thing here." The Head Nurse scolded, shoving Komui out of the infermery.

"G-Goodnight, Lenalee! Richie!" The door shut tight behind him, and Auntie sighed in annoynce.

"Sorry for all that, Miranda…" Lenalee apologized to the German woman on her right.

"Oh, Lenalee…"

"W-what is it?"

"It must have been nice for you to see the Supervisor again." Miranda said with a soft smile. "You look so very happy."

"Well, that's to be expected," I said, deciding to lie back, putting my hands behind my head. "They're siblings after all."

"You yourself were quite happy to see him." Miranda smugly said. It was so weird to see her like that, as I was more used to the panic-induced woman who barely slept.

"Ah…I was caught." I said with a chuckle. "Yeah, I'm very happy…I'm happy to see papa, I'm happy to see Marie…and of course I'm happy to be home…being able to be talking about it in the first place."

I looked over, taking notice of her confused expression. "Papa?" She inquired.

"General Tiedoll." Lenalee clarified. "He's Richie's mentor, and father figure."

"Both my parents were taken from me when I was very young." I said, recalling the memories past. "We had a good life…but even before Carol came into the picture…I…really wasn't happy."

"Richie…"

"Huh?"

"This is the first time I ever heard you talk about your family like that."

I smiled softly, placing my hand over my heart. "Yeah…mother and father were kind and loving…I think maybe they knew that despite all we had, I wasn't happy where I was."

"Parents normally love their children unconditionally." The Head Nurse says, sitting beside me on my cot. "They only want what's best for you, and for you to be happy."

"Speaking from experience, Auntie?" I asked. Chuckling, the head nurse nodded. "I thought so."

"I do have a question though…" Miranda speaks up, a little timid as she does, "Who…is Carol?"

"Carol is the old hag who basically took me in when my parents were killed." I bitterly said. "Mother and Father…they trusted her, and she killed them. Poisoned their wine. She wormed her way into their will…and I think I would've been dead too, had it not been for a clause in the documents."

"A clause?" Lenalee asked.

"Their money is mine when I turn eighteen, regardless of the circumstances. Carol can't touch it, so long as I'm here. Should I marry, their fortune becomes my dowry, and will belong to my groom. However, if I should die before my eighteenth year, the money goes to the orphanage they frequently visited."

"Sounds like they didn't trust her…" The Head Nurse noted, "What part of the will was she in?"

I sighed, pulling my legs to my form again. "Should they die, I would be put under her care…she'd make sure I grow up to be a respectable young woman and marry well."

"Come to think of it…with all I just heard…"

"I sound like I could be an aristocrat?" I said. "I technically am. I'm the daughter of a Viscount, after all."

"EH?!" Poor Miranda…

Lenalee looked to her with a confused expression. "I guess that never came up, did it?"

"Surprise~!" I said in a mock cheery voice. "Actually, for you that really is a pretty big surprise, isn't it, Miranda?"

"Y-yeah."

"Alright, you girls should rest up." The Nurse says, as she stands, "I have a bunch of rowdy boys I need to keep in line."

"Your sixth sense is as scary as always, Auntie." I chuckled.

... ... ... ...

A nice calming chapter before the shit storm we know is coming...

R&R ain't short for "Rest and Relaxation", no matter how much I might need it. Leave a review and lemme know how I'm doing! Show this story some love by favoriting this work, and don't forget to follow so you never miss an update! Until next time, I'll see you guys again on...

Clean Slate!


(A/N: Just a few hours after officially posting the new chapter): Alright, so, I'm going to thank Anon (guest) for pointing out mistakes I made in the chapter. I truly appreciate the feedback, and hopefully, the flow of the chapter is a little better now. Thank you again, mysterious Anon reviewer! x)