Gray Silence

Disclaimer – Don't own it, never will.

Note: READ THE CHAPTER FIRST.

THEN YOU'LL UNDERSTAND THE CHAPTER TITLE!!!

SPOILERS FOR LATER CHAPTERS

Face Down

Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

-

When Allen awoke he found himself both sore and freezing. Grabbing the torn and tattered blanket he had been given he sat up in a vain attempt to both warm himself and stretch. When he tried to loosen the sore muscles all that happened was the pain became more evident. Then when the warmth also continued to make it worse, Allen threw the blanket to the side and grumbled to himself. Glancing over he saw Cat still fast asleep in the soft, comfy bed, and that only served to anger him even more. It wasn't like he had asked to share a bedroom with Cat, but no; because of that stupid guest here he was sitting on the hard wood floor, trying to make himself comfortable. At first the boy had déjà vu of when he had been an orphan, alone on the streets, but somehow this almost seemed worse.

It was like the light had been shown to him and then taken away all of a sudden.

It was a feeling the boy certainly didn't like and hoped that he never had to experience again. Oh, he had felt it before when he was a mere child, but after it happened so many times he finally gave up on the world and began the cold, rude little boy he once was. That is until he met Mana. That man had changed him for both better and worse, and while Allen was glad that he had come into his life, he also hated the man for it. It was all because of the brown-haired man that he was sitting here right now, fighting a war with a man he should have never even had the chance to meet. Yet as he held up his left hand and saw the Innocence imbedded within it, he knew that it was futile dream. He probably would have eventually met the Earl because of his damned Innocence. It seemed like the only other option besides that was death, which he had been fortunate – or was that unfortunate? – enough to not have to experience first hand quite yet.

Slamming his head back against the wall, Allen knew it wasn't smart to continue his bodily harm streak, but he was just so angry. Angry at the world, at the Earl, at Mother, at his Innocence, at Cat, hell, even at Mana! Casting a scathing look Cat's way, for some reason it felt that he could suddenly be able to cause her real pain and harm. An image of the girl lying in the infirmary when he had nearly killed her in the Ark appeared in his mind and Allen immediately gripped his head. He didn't want to hurt Cat, but he had a feeling that the Noah within him wanted to cause harm to the wolf.

If you're her father, than why would you seek to destroy her?!

Allen really wasn't asking for an answer, it being a rhetorical question, but the Noah decided to answer for once in a very long time.

It's not me who seeks to hurt her; it's the actual Noah genes within us both. The wolf was the Earl's first enemy, if you'll recall, and the Noah naturally have the instinct to destroy them, much like with the Innocence.

Then why haven't I felt this around her or Sora or her relatives before?

You have. Your subconscious just decided to push it to the back of your mind where you wouldn't dwell on it. I have a feeling your Innocence is to blame for that one. The way he spat out the word 'Innocence' made Allen's blood boil even more, and he wasn't sure if it was really his own mind that caused that or if it really was the Noah.

Daring to look back at Cat, Allen was slightly relieved when he had no reaction this time. Standing he walked over to the bed and pulled up a chair just where he could watch her sleep. Studying her face, he recalled the mission when he honestly thought he had caused her death. When Allen had seen that mudslide…he thought for sure he'd never see Cat ever again. He had felt so broken and torn up inside, he was sure nothing would be able to fix him. Then when she appeared the dawn afterward, the pieces suddenly came back together and he had been so happy. Though Allen would now admit that he had been broken and put back together so many times, he was only a shell of what he could have actually turned out to be.

He was so messed up…

Shaking his head, Allen didn't want to dwell on his own personal Hell for a few minutes. Instead he settled for resting his back and head against the chair and counted the wolf's breaths. Soon he was lulled back to sleep and didn't wake for quite some time until he heard the door to the room slam open. Both he and Cat jolted upright and they blinked several times before finally taking in the form of Mother.

"You two have slept in for hours! I was beginning to wonder if you had got an early start on your future honeymoon!" The woman snarled while stalking across the room and yanking open the curtains to reveal bright sunlight. Spinning around she glared at Allen and Cat before she blinked in confusion. "You two didn't share the bed?"

"Of course not!" Cat hissed with a red tone to her cheeks. Even Allen looked embarrassed by the thought. "He slept on the damned floor!" When the old woman chuckled, Cat got up, grabbed her clothes and stalked out into the hallway, no doubt headed towards the bathroom to change.

Mother looked back at Allen, a bemused look on her face. "So you were like a husband sent to the couch for doing something rather stupid?"

"No!" Allen growled. "I just have some self-respect and respect for Cat! I wouldn't do anything like that!"

"'That' meaning…?" When the boy just groaned in frustration, Mother smiled again. "Alright, I won't prod and cause you any more embarrassment."

"Thank you!" He spat.

Mother tilted her head and gave the boy a serious look though. "You never did tell me yesterday why exactly you're here."

"Oh, right." Allen said, surprised that he had let something like that slip his mind. "We're here because we wanted to ask you if you had seen Cross at all." At the mention of his Master, Allen felt a stab of regret, but he pushed it out of his mind and concentrated on the old woman's face.

"No, I haven't. Why, has he run off again?"

Allen went quiet and stared down at his hands for a minute. "No…the Order thinks he's dead because his body is gone and Judgment no longer views him as its wielder."

"My god, really?" Mother asked, caught off guard by what the boy told her. She knew that Cross had a target a mile high on his back, but she hadn't expected him to be killed so easily.

Allen nodded and turned his head to face the door as Cat came back in. She had on her short-cropped pants and tank top on again. That beautiful black and red Exorcist coat also hung open as it usually did. Allen had considered reverting back to the old uniform every now and again but he didn't care about appearance as much as some of the others did. Cat loved the coat though and it was just as long as Kanda's, though fashioned a little bit differently to suit the wolf better.

"What?" She snapped, breaking his longing gaze. Allen jumped a bit but offered her an awkward smile and the wolf merely rolled her eyes. "Lovely. You've been corrupted by Lavi the Pervert, haven't you?"

While Allen tried to defend himself with what dignity he had left, Cat was secretly amused and pleased. She liked having his attention on her since normally when someone stared at her it was in disgust or in shock or anger. Having Allen's soft stare on her made Cat actually feel like a real human instead of an Innocence-possessing wolf.

Shaking her head she grinned at him. "Seems that you've already talked to Mother about General Cross so why don't you and I go out and explore the area a little bit? It's a beautiful day, so why not enjoy the time we have here?"

Returning the grin Allen stood and grabbed his clothes to go change. "Give me a minute and then we'll leave."

"Would you like me to have Baba make you a picnic basket real quick?" Mother asked, happy to see the two doing something instead of lying about like sacks of potatoes. "I bet you're hungry already, so you could have brunch."

"Thank you, that'd be nice." Cat replied as Allen left. The old woman padded out of the room as well but stopped at the door to look back at the girl for a moment.

"First off, don't worry about Annabelle; she left early this morning. She was trying to get over the grief of loosing her beloved cat. Second off, there's a beautiful spot by the lake where a large tree sits near the bank. And also…go easy on the poor boy. He'll have a stroke if you do much more than kiss."

Cat's eyes popped open and Mother left her standing there, spluttering gibberish and a few curse words as well.

-

Holding a hand above her eyes to block some of the sunlight, Cat purred merrily. "Ah, it's amazing out!"

Allen smiled as he pulled some of the food out of the basket that Mother and Baba had made for them. They sat on a faded blue blanket underneath a large tree and near the lake that was on Mother's property. The water was perfectly clear today and there were only soft puffs of clouds in the sky. Everything seemed so perfect and Allen couldn't help but feel giddy like a little kid. Spring was always his favorite time of the year, and being in Keswick brought that 'Spring Fever' feeling out in full-force. Liverpool in general was a beautiful area of England, but the boy was more concerned about the here and now. As he offered Cat a sandwich, he took a swig of tea that Baba had also put in the basket of goodies. It was fresh and had a certain fruity taste to it that he couldn't quite describe. Whatever it was, it was delicious.

As Cat ripped apart her sandwich, she looked out to the lake. "I kinda feel guilty…"

"How so?" Allen asked.

"We're sitting here eating brunch on a beautiful day in a beautiful area while the other Exorcists might be out there fighting for their lives." When Cat realized Allen was staring at her, she turned her head back to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry, did that sound rather depressing?"

"No," Allen answered slowly, "it sounded like the truth of the matter." Setting down his food and drink for a moment, he scooted over to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You need to stop worrying about what we have no control over. Keep walking forward; never stop." When the girl finally looked back up at him, he couldn't help but leaning down to kiss her.

"My, have we intruded on a private moment?" Both Allen and Cat's heads snapped up to see a tall, lanky boy standing there with a mop of black hair. Piercing red eyes gleamed in the sunlight, and many Akuma hovered behind him.

"Night!" Cat snarled, already transformed and ready for battle.

Allen stood up besides her and activated his Innocence, eyes locked on the male before him. Remembering that the discussion about Night was the reason why he and Cat had been in the Ark in the first place, he wanted to kill the wolf. Curling his Innocence-laden hand into a claw, he jumped at the boy without a second thought and so the battle began.

At first Allen and Night danced around each other, neither able to properly land a blow on the other. Suddenly the boy grinned and seemingly disappeared, leaving Allen whirling around and scanning the area for him. Seeing Cat fighting the Akuma, Allen didn't pay attention to her until he saw his friend go flying out of nowhere. Night appeared again, one paw pinning down Cat by the neck. His claws were out, drawing thin lines of blood from her neck as the male opened his maw to sink his fangs into her throat.

"No!" Allen cried, rushing at them. The Akuma then got in his way and he was forced to turn his attention on the machines. Knowing that Cat was too afraid to kill Night, he had one thought in mind; kill Night before he could even think about harming Cat. Finishing off the Akuma was easy, and as he finished the last one, he spun around and saw Night speaking to Cat. Indeed the male wolf looked menacing, but easy for an Exorcist such as himself to handle. Cat, who was pinned beneath her former pack mate, looked terrified though.

"You're finally going to die Cat," Night snarled viciously in her face, "and I'm going to enjoy ripping you apart just like you did to Storm and do those poor humans. You're a murderer that doesn't deserve to live. If only your parents hadn't betrayed the Earl's cause and if you and Yuki didn't have Innocence…then maybe you and the entire pack would still be alive! All of the Exorcists must die!" Night opened his mouth and was about to plunge his teeth into Cat's flesh when he suddenly stopped with an odd gag. Turning his head ever so slightly, he saw Allen standing there, disgust written all across his face.

"You talk too much."

Cat stared up in horror at the single black claw stained red that was protruding from the black wolf's neck. Night attempted to say something more but instead his eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the side. Cat immediately jumped up and backed away as Night's body began to turn into dust. Allen stood besides her, his clawed hand resting at his side, the blood dripping from it slowly and to the ground.

"So the Earl really did bring him back to life." Allen muttered quietly. Cat looked up towards Allen's face and saw the white cloak around him with the mask hanging in the hood behind him. The gear-like spectacle that rested over his left eye was also prominent but slowly began to fade and as it did, Allen deactivated his Innocence. He barely cast her a passing glance as he started back up the hill and towards Mother's house. "Let's go back and make sure she's fine. After that, we're leaving." His voice was cold and steely, reminding Cat of Arashi which sent shivers down her spine. For several heartbeats she merely stood there, eyes wide.

"I never thought you were so cold-hearted." She whispered solemnly as she began to follow the host of the 14th back home.

-

"You were attacked by a supposedly dead wolf and some Akuma?" Mother was shocked to say the least but was glad that both of them had returned unharmed except for a few cuts and bruises. Allen's bloody hand also didn't go unnoticed by the old woman just like the small puncture wounds on the base of Cat's throat. She tended to them quickly while Baba stood in the corner of the room, wringing his hands nervously.

"They're just children…" He whimpered quietly, eyes filled with tears. He had panicked when the two returned, Cat in her wolf form and Allen with blood on him. Baba didn't like the thought of them fighting, even if it was mandatory for those who were compatible with Innocence. It just wasn't fair to them.

Allen stood and started to walk out of the dining room. "I'm going to go grab our things because we're leaving. We need to report the attack to the Order and we also need to tell them that you haven't seen Cross."

The boy's dead voice disturbed Mother. She remembered the little boy who was very shy but still outgoing when she had first met him, and she was beginning to miss those days more and more.

Cat remained sitting in a chair, bandages wrapped around her neck. She too was frowning upon Allen's behavior, but she knew it was only because of Night. If those two never had to fight and if Cat had taken care of it herself then he wouldn't be acting this way. Unfortunately there was no way to change the past, so the wolf had to live with the boy's attitude for the time being. As she waited for Allen's return, she watched Mother try to comfort Baba as much as she could. The man was sniffling like a coward, but she agreed with him about the fact that the Exorcists shouldn't be fighting such a stupid war anyways.

What does the Earl hope to gain by killing humanity? There'll be nothing left for him to control. Hasn't the fool thought that out? And what made him the way he is? Something just isn't adding up, yet I can't seem to place my finger on what exactly it is…

"Cat…" Allen's voice knocked the she-wolf out of her thinking process and she gave him an annoyed look. He handed Cat her bag though as she stood and together they left the house. Saying a final farewell to Mother and Baba, the old woman looked up at Allen with a serious expression.

"Allen Walker, I want you to remember who you are. Ignore those who seek to harm and destroy you and your friends. As Mana said, keeping walking forward. I don't want you to waste your kind heart on such petty feelings such as malice and hate. Only keep love and kindness with you always. Can you promise me that?" When the boy didn't answer, she growled at him. "We may never see each other again, Allen. I'm an old woman, and you're lucky I'm still here today. Let me have some peace of mind that you'll try to keep my advice close to your heart." At the end of her rant, Mother sounded almost desperate, and Allen couldn't help but sigh softly.

"As you wish,"

Mother then turned to Cat and stared at her intently. "Keep an eye on him and keep this young pup in line. Will you do that for me?"

Cat dipped her head politely. "Of course I will."

"Good. Have safe traveling you two! And may you find a way to end this war!" The two Exorcists finally began to walk away and Cat took a deep breath.

Just keep walking…

-

And that concludes yet another chapter! :3

Ah, it was another bi-polar chapter. I apologize.

Next Chapter: "Voices swirl around me, I just can't stand it."

"Do I really belong here?"

Haha, mean little Next Chapter preview! XD

-PA