Hana: Well. Look who showed up.

Allen: There's two of them.

Link: Please cease your talking of me as though I'm not here.

Richie: Didn't see ya there, two-spot. But we were also talking about your creepy boss. -shrugs- Hana doesn't own D. Gray-man.

Hana: ...are you gonna be here the whole time, Link?

Link: When necessary.

Allen: ...Richie is Hana's OC, and...enjoy the new chapter.

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

+ - Night 29 – Unknown - +

"Uh…" We all stared confusedly at the newcomer holding a tray of sweets out to Allen. I blinked, looking at him…he seemed familiar somehow, but I couldn't place my finger on why. He had golden blonde hair styled with a bowl-cut-like fringe, where the longer tresses were braided back loosely. There two moles on his forehead, the weird dots were exactly vertical from each other. He sported very formal clothes, and if I had to guess…looked older than he really was…and that was saying something.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Howard Link. I'll be supervising you. I baked some pumpkin pie. Please help yourself." Did I mention he was super formal with his speech? I looked at this 'Howard Link' character with complete skepticism.

"Oh! I'll gladly have some! Bon appétit~!"

"SHORTCAKE!" I scolded.

"Wait Allen! Get a hold of yourself!" Lavi said, trying to stop the younger male from taking the pie. Lenalee stood abruptly and ran off. Getting a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, I excused myself, and raced after her. My abnormal ability to heal fast was very welcome at that moment.

. . - * - . .

"Lenalee! Wait up!" I called out, chasing after my sisterly figure.

"Where's my brother?!" She called out.

"AH! Wait up, Lenalee!" Reever's voice called out.

"BROTHER! WHAT DO YOU MEAN ALLEN IS UNDER SUPERVISION?!" She had entered the office of her brother, and I was right behind her out of breath.

"I'd like…to know that my…m-my…" What…?

"Lenalee, Richie…"

"Oh. Good afternoon, Lenalee. Richie." I grimaced. I didn't like that man saying my name.

"Lvellie." I curtly said. I remembered him from Lenalee's beginnings at the Order. I remembered how fearful I had been when my eye showed me these dark recollections Lenalee had to endure. No one should've ever gone through what my big sister had gone through. I stepped in front of her trembling form, glaring at the man.

"Such a scary look, young man." It still amazed me how many people still mistaken my gender.

"Heh. That so? Mustn't be scary enough if you're ugly mug is still here."

"Indeed." The man mused. "Well, it looks like we'll be staying here a while. Oh, I'll also be taking a look at your Innocence too, by the way."

I made no move to get away from the snake in the room. My glare never wavered.

"Ah yes, this is my newly baked cakes. Care to try one?"

"WOW! Looks delicious~!" Komui said, quickly stepping between us and him. "I'd like to have one~!"

"Director Lvellie's cakes really do look nice!" Reever said from behind Lenalee and me.

"Now, Lenalee!" Komui exclaimed, suddenly 'remembering' the false information. "It's time for your medical exams, right? Richie, go with them!"

"Oh yeah!" Reever said as he began to quickly lead the two of us out. "Well, I'll be taking them!"

"I'll leave it up to you, Reever!" We were ushered away promptly.

"…hey, are you okay, Lenalee?" The Australian born male asked. He face-palmed himself, maybe pondering things to himself. By that point, we were finally far enough away from that snake.

"Section Leader Reever…that person…why is he going to be here for a while…? W-watching over Allen…what…what is he up to?"

"Whatever it is, I don't think it's good for any of us." I sighed. "Do you want me to 'look'?"

"Would you…do that?"

"If giving you a sense of knowing will ease you at least a little, then I'll 'look' for your sake."

"Richie…thank you…but…maybe not." She said, smiling at me. "I know you don't like Lvellie as much as I don't…because you saw my past that time. I don't need you having to go through things that never happened yet too, okay?"

"Appreciated." I sighed. "He gives me the creeps."

"He does for all of us, actually…" Reever sighed. "Let's get you to your check up, Lenalee."

"Wait, that was a real thing?" I found myself asking.

"Yes…interestingly enough." The Section leader admitted. "It was the first thing that came to mind in that scenario.

"I'll see you later, Richie." Lenalee bid me a goodbye, and I waved as she and Reever left and only then did I release a sigh.

I turned my attention to the window, looking out into the distance. "I got a bad feeling about something…do you feel it, too, Escuro?" My Golem flew faithfully to my side, having been god-knows-where for the last few days. He perched himself on my shoulder, his tail lazily swaying against my arm.

. . - * - . .

I had mountains of food before me, feasting upon what would normally feed families. It was one of the perks of being a parasite user. I could eat as much as I wanted, and still keep my figure…but eating so much wasn't something I was used to, even after two years of it. It was this one particular morning where I was currently stuffing my face, when rumors were flying around the mill.

"Did you hear? Allen Walker could be a tool of the Noah." I heard from behind me.

"I heard that central has started poking around the place." Another Finder, I was sure.

"I heard that even General Cross is under house arrest. They're placing him under suspicion together with his student."

"No way! An exorcist?" I looked behind me, and spotted Allen walking past the canteen. Link was right behind him. I knew I must've seen that guy somewhere before, but for the life of me, my brain couldn't pinpoint him. Had I 'seen' him before?

"But I have heard that the Noah have strange powers…don't you think they would be able to sneak one of their underlings into the order as an Exorcist? Attacking us from within…"

I wasn't sure why, but that last comment made me very uneasy.

"Cross was always a little weird…but a kid like that? Unbelievable." A table behind where I sat, I heard Bak Chan speaking with the other Head branches with him.

"What's with this atmosphere?"

"It looks like the rumors about Walker and General Cross have been spreading." Crap, who was that guy again?

"It sounds like the story's being blown out of proportion too." Renny Epstain mused. I didn't feel the need to argue there. These rumors were insane, to say the least. I felt it was maybe better to ignore everyone, and finish my meal. Can't kill Akuma on an empty stomach…though Link always seemed to think otherwise.

"ALLEN IS A GOOD GUY!" Johnny's voice rang out and I turned behind me to get a look at him.

"Johnny?" I asked, concerned for the scientist.

"I-I'm sorry…"

Taking a breath, I stood, and walked to my friend. I placed a hand on his shoulder, and smiled, "Hey, it's fine. I'm worried about Shortcake too."

"Hard not to be, right?" Johnny asked, attempting to cheer up a little. "I know he can take care of himself, but all these rumors…"

"I know, Johnny. But we just have to do what we can in these situations. Speaking of situations…you guys are gonna be looking into that Egg aren't ya?"

The twin-fuzz tail male nodded, a look of eagerness plain in his features. "Yeah, but how did you…oh, right…your eye showed you?"

"Nope." I said, "Irmão told me, actually."

. . - * - . .

The next day, I was with Lavi and Allen. I had nothing better to do, and really, how could you not want to check up on the Science Section guys? They always worked so hard.

"What's up?" Lavi asked, as we approached. Allen looked to the sign that helped barricade the rest of the Order.

"Science Section only?" Allen asked, seeing the sign with a work bowing at the head on it.

"Oh, hey! G'morning over there!" Reever called out to us.

"Hey Reever." I greeted, stopping beside the boys I was with. "What's going on?"

"Like you need to ask."

"Well, perhaps not,." I admitted. "But on the other hand, I can't 'see' that thing at all."

Allen and Lavi looked to me, before realization seemed to hit them. I'd told them my theory of how my eye couldn't 'see' the Noah, and considering the Egg was a large mass of Dark Matter, the same went for it, and those around the thing.

"You brought it here from the Ark?" Lavi asked, clasping his hands behind his head. "You guys are investigating it?"

By then Reever had gotten closer to us, before looking towards the major spoil of our endeavor on the Ark. "Well, you know…it's an incredible opportunity to find out more about the Akuma." He muttered something else under his breath, something that sounded like, 'how to modify them and stuff'.

Annoyed, and still a little pissed off, Lavi made a grab for Reever's lab coat, "More importantly, could you get around to fixing my hammer?"

"Well, we have a ton of people with requests like that right now…"

"By that you mean actually mean Chaoji, Kanda, and Lavi." I bluntly stated. "That's literally it."

Reever cleared his throat, and continued, "With all the people collapsing from overwork, we're a little shorthanded…we'll deal with it as soon as this is over, okay?"

I wouldn't lie. Reever did look like hell…and looking between him and Allen…neither seemed to have gotten much sleep in recent nights. The older man was just worse off. "Don't worry, you'll get your hammer when they can get to it."

"Ri-Ri…that's beside the point."

I shrugged, "Trying to cheer ya up is all. Speaking of, I gotta go check on Lena. She should be on her way to Hevlaska's chambers."

"Hevlaska's chambers?" I nodded, before waving everyone off, as I headed towards where I knew I'd be meeting Irmão, Lenalee…and that bastard with the toothbrush-stache going on.

"I don't trust that sonnova bitch." I hissed, clenching my fists as I hurried.

. . - * - . .

I didn't have too long to wait before the small entourage headed our way. "Nice of you to join us."

"I'm here for my sister. Nothing more." From behind the man leading them, I saw Lenalee give me a grateful smile. Komui curtly nodded his approval, and I let the Director pass before I walked with Lenalee and Komui.

"Thank you, Richie." Lenalee whispered. "I'm happy you're here."

"I can't let you go through hell on your own. That's a horrible thing for a little sister to do."

(* - *)

"The synchro rate is under ten percent…" Hevlaska was an ethereal being who stood stories tall. Like Lena and myself, she too was an Exorcist. One who had been around for as long as the Order had been erected, if I recalled correctly. Her white transparent form was otherwise hard to describe, her face was a nose, and her mouth, eyes either not there, or just hidden by the large mass that acted as her hair and limbs.

"What's that?"

"For the moment…I think we should return the Innocence to my own body…to restore its original form…" The tendrils that prodded at Lenalee's legs, began remove themselves, forming miniature hands instead, summoning the Innocence from my sister. We were in shock when the cube melted within the sphere of light Hev had created.

"My legs…the pattern is fading…" Lenalee said in awe as she watched the circular pattern slowly disappear from her skin.

"That's great. You aren't hurt at all, right, Lenalee?" Komui asked, sitting with Lena.

"I think she'll be fine, Irmão." I said, my own relief showing through.

"So, what exactly is the situation, Hevlaska?" Lvellie asked…demanded, really. "Has the girl ceased to be compatible with the Innocence?"

"That's not…the case…" Hevlaska stated, "However…just like the situation with Allen Walker's Innocence…right now…the Innocence is exhibiting a phenomenon that has never before been seen…" She paused, before her attention looked to me.

"Hevlaska?" I asked.

"The situation…is also the same with you, Richie."

My eyes widened. "But…I was told Raposa had this form in the beginning—"

"In a situation…that involves where one would die…your Innocence too…saved your life."

"Richie?" Both the Lee siblings looked to me in confusion.

"In fact…it is very similar to the way Akuma feed upon sorrow and evolve…" Hevlaska continued. "The Innocence is reacting to the strong emotions of its compatible user…yes…"

"Evolve…" I have never seen the Director so surprised. "Are you saying the Innocence has begun to evolve?"

"Evolution…?" Komui asked in surprised. I looked up to him, as Lenalee did. "Is that it…?!"

"The Parasitic-type possesses a higher level of power than the Equipment Type…perhaps this is why it so rare…"

"Huh?" Lenalee asked.

I clenched my teeth.

"But…this power may come at a heavy price…something like a Parasitic Type…" She paused, looking to me again. I gulped.

"We possess a powerful Innocence within our own bodies…" I shakily said. "And…it pushes our bodies beyond our limits."

"As such…their lifespan is used up more quickly than a normal person's." Hevlaska finished. "They do not have as long to live as other humans…however, Richie…" She never got to finish for Lenalee had already began speaking.

"Brother…is that true…?" She turned to me, and I saw the full fear in her eyes. "Richie…you…you knew something so terrible…?"

"Yeah…" I admitted. "But…there's something else—"

"Hevlaska, are you saying that Lenalee's Innocence is becoming a Parasitic-Type?" Lvellie demanded.

"That is…as of yet unclear…" Hev said. "However, the next time Lenalee Synchronizes with her Innocence…I think she will need to be prepared…"

The silence was heavy with Hevlaska's final words.

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

What a heavy note to end a chapter on...

R&R ain't for rest and relaxation, despite how badly 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 a new chapter! That's about it, so until next time, I'll see you guys again on the next installment of...

Clean Slate!