A/N: Hey! *wave* I've finally updated this story - I'm sorry I've left it so long, but as you've probably noticed, I've been having a bit of trouble with this one and Synchro lately. *rueful smile*

Thank you to blackheads, jy24, lizyeh2000, Lena-luvs-cats, WindBear47, karina001, Shadow Spears, Candy Crackpot, The-Allenfangirl, Quiet Leaf, GothQueen01, newby6320, pikaree1, SakuraKoi, Kayo-San, and Above the Winter Moonlight for reviewing!

Title: Blackberry Bushes

Author: liketolaugh

Rating: T

Pairings: None

Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Adventure

Warnings: AU

Summary: That night after Allen turns Mana into an akuma, it isn't Cross Marian who picks him up. It's Tiedoll.

Disclaimer: I only wish I owned D. Gray-man.

"There's an hour and a half until the first train back," Jane told Allen, while the boy looked up at her expectantly. "You'll need to be at the station by then, and it's around half an hour's walk from here."

Toma and Allen would be heading back to the Order first, while the rest would be taking a later train, after everything here had been cleared up. Allen was pleased; the mission had gone well so far, which meant- Well. He wanted to get back to Tiedoll soon.

"We should probably go earlier," Allen offered, glancing at Toma with a faint smile. "In case we run into any akuma on the way. I'm not very fast."

Toma nodded back, looking perhaps slightly less worried than he had on the train here.

"Why were you sent on a solo mission so early?" Jane asked suddenly, drawing his attention so their gazes met.

Allen considered her for a moment, letting his smile fade away into a small frown. She held his gaze, a hint of suspicion in her eyes, and after a few moments, he shrugged.

"General Cross wanted me as his apprentice," he said at last, frowning at the thought. It worried him a little, still – as he understood it, Cross had never had an apprentice before, so what could he possibly want with Allen? And what could he possibly know that made him so certain that Allen would- "And he went to Central to try to get me taken from my current master."

Jane gave him a blank look. "You're here because two generals are fighting over you?" she interpreted incredulously.

Allen tilted his head, considered, and giggled a little. "I guess," he agreed, and then shook his head and smiled, small and certain. "It'll turn out okay, anyway." He had confidence in Tiedoll, and after the past few months, he had confidence in himself, too.

They'd be fine.

"I'm sure it will," Jane said, apparently on automatic, and Allen had to work not to laugh, smiling warmly.

They left with about an hour until the train arrived, with Allen waving over his shoulder at the finders left behind.

They didn't talk much; Toma was tense again, and Allen's mind had drifted back to matters at the Order – to thinking about Tiedoll, waiting for him and probably worrying, and Kanda and Daisya and Marie, who he hadn't gotten to know very well yet, most likely subject to Master's fretful tendencies. Allen smiled a little, but it faded quickly.

And Cross, thinking God knew what about the whole thing.

Finally, though, he shook his head and focused; taking your time was fine when you were only travelling, he reminded himself, but when you had a job to do – like watching for a threat – you needed to do it, as well as you could.

They were still ten minutes away from the train station when Allen's eye twinged, and he frowned and looked harder.

Ah- there was one. He looked away quickly and nudged Toma beside him, and Toma responded instantly, looking down with eyes that were maybe a little wider with alarm. Allen smiled at him reassuringly.

"It's just the one," he said, keeping his voice low for the people around them. "It's her over there, against the building."

Toma glanced over, apparently trying to locate the akuma, but then nodded and slipped away, starting to do his job of ushering people away. Allen watched for a few moments, curious, and then looked back at the akuma-woman.

She was gone.

His breath hitched slightly with surprise, eyes widening, and he took a half-step back, starting to spin slowly in place, searching the crowd for her and her rotted-soul sister/friend/lover-

He found another akuma a few moments later, but it was a man this time, shabbily dressed and looking right at him. He almost flinched – there was more than one? But then he shook his head to himself, taking another breath to let it out just a little too quickly.

That was okay. He could handle two. He'd handled two once or twice before.

He looked again, stalling until more of the civilians left, and there was the woman. Tiedoll liked to wait for everyone to be gone, when he could – the habit often made Allen antsy, but he resolved to try his best anyway. Tiedoll had never yelled at him for letting civilians get caught in the crossfire, but that didn't mean he didn't mind.

Allen edged around towards the side of the street, glancing briefly at Toma, who was having trouble with some of the more stubborn pedestrians. Allen turned around, and his eye stung at him viciously enough to make him wince.

But not enough to distract him from the third akuma, right in front of him.

His eyes widened, and for just a moment, he froze, staring at the soul that was right in front of him, face to face and far too detailed for the closeness. It stared back, stricken and miserable, and cried out silently. He took a step back.

The akuma transformed, bursting into a hulking steel balloon, and before he could think twice, he activated his Innocence and swiped at it – his claws formed and skidded across the metal, driving it away but not really hurting it.

Around him, people started to scream and hurry away. That was good, he supposed, eyes fixed on the monster before him. It meant they'd be safe.

Where was Toma?

He shook the thought away and dove out of the path as the akuma shot a volley of bullets at him, and glanced over as he saw the first akuma transform, and then the second.

Three. Three akuma. He could maybe do three akuma, if he tried.

He backed up, eyes darting between the three akuma warily – one silver that cast the world in colors and light, and the other black and red, revealing the darkness that highlighted the cursed souls of the damned akuma.

He clenched his jaw, took a breath, and then darted forward.

There we go! *smile* Now, related to the Very Late update and the above - I'm no longer going to be updating this story regularly. Sorry, guys, but it's just not working out quite as well. I don't plan to rotate anything in its place at the moment, but if I story I really like comes along I might. *shrug* Thanks for reading, and please review!