Hello all and welcome back to my story! I want to keep this short, so let me just say thanks for all the support, and let's get on with the show!

Disclaimer: I don't own CG or -man, all rights go to their respective owners.

Chapter 11: Laugh

Even in a horrid place like the slums, there was still a few small pockets of light. As Ikuko led him around a fork in the road, Allen heard the distinct chime of children's laughter pouring from someplace nearby. "Ah, now I understand..." he thought as the two of them finally arrived at their destination, "she just wanted to play with her friends." Before him was a relatively large park, full of swings, playgrounds, seesaws, and other such do-dads and gizmos. Compared to the rest of the slums, this place was in a relatively good condition, and was packed to the brim with frolicking children and families. Of course, all of these people were Japanese, which was great because that meant that Ikuko wouldn't be scared of any of them. As she rushed towards the nearest open swing, several of the children noticed her, and when they did, their eyes started to sparkle.

"Hey, it's Ikuko!" One of the young boys said as he waved his hand in the air to get his buddies attention. His little wave worked, and soon every child on the playground knew Ikuko was there. Within seconds, they all rushed in and surrounded the girl. Allen chuckled when he saw Ikuko start to blush. Now he understood why she wanted to come here.

"Even in times of suffering, nobody could survive as long as Ikuko did without some support." He thought as he watched the children's parents walk up to the large group of kids, clearly curious to see what had caused all of the commotion.

"Now, now, Arata, give the girl some space." One of the boys mom said as she lightly pushed her children away from Ikuko. However, instead of obeying his mother's commands, the boy pushed back.

"C'mon mom, don't be like that, I mean just look! It's Ikuko! Ikuko's come back!" The boy yelled, clearly startling his mother and all of the nearby parents. For a brief second, none of them seemed to realize what the boy was saying. It was around then that the boy's mother finally turned to the aforementioned girl, and when she realized that it was, in fact, Ikuko, she couldn't help but gasp.

"Oh-oh my..." the mother mumbled as she squatted down to get a better look at the girl. From this position, Allen could see the woman in a clearer light. She had deep bags under her eyes, however, her face and general posture seemed to emanate kindness and energy. Her long chestnut hair flowed all the way down her back, with a small Japanese-style hairpin woven in near the end of a simple ponytail.

"Hello Mrs. Nakamura, its been a long time." Ikuko mumbled, still clearly embarrassed by this whole situation. Immediately after the words left her mouth, the mother, who Allen now knew as Mrs. Nakamura, leaned over and wrapped her arm around her.

"I can't believe it!" Mrs. Nakamura howled out, tears of joy running down her face, as she turned to the other parents. "Guys! Ikuko's come back, she's alive!" After she let the others know, she turned back to the girl in question and playfully squished her cheeks. "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner, I barely recognized you!" Mrs. Nakamura said as she hugged Ikuko again.

"Ugh... Mrs. Nakamura... I can't breathe." Ikuko mumbled as she squirmed in the woman's grasp.

"Now, now Dear, there's no need to crush the little girl." A man, who Allen assumed to be Mr. Nakamura, said as he walked through the crowd of children. Unlike all of the other parents, he was a bit better dressed, and was wearing a small white coat with his name embroidered into its side.

"Make that Dr. Nakamura." Allen thought as the man crouched down and placed a hand on his wife's shoulder. Judging by the style of coat he was wearing, Allen guessed that he must've worked in the slum's clinic. Most of the Japanese, after all, couldn't afford the costly fees to go to a typical Britannian hospital. So, whenever one of them got injured, they'd go to a clinic that was set up in the slum itself. Even back in his day, this practice was fairly common.

"When we heard about Britannia's attack on the Shinjuku Ghetto, we feared the worst. I'm sorry we couldn't do anything." The man said as he gave Ikuko a small, but earnest, bow. When he saw that, Allen grinned and looked up at the sky. No matter where you went, the loyalty that ghetto and slum-dwellers had for each other was simply heartwarming.

"Oh, n-no, don't worry about it!" Ikuko said, her face now completely red. However, Dr. Nakamura didn't let up. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small first aid kit.

"There's no need to act tough, Ikuko, we all saw the video." He said as he gently took Ikuko's arm and inspected it for wounds. However, when he couldn't find any, his eyes went wide. "What the...? What happened to your injuries?" As he asked his question, the doctor let go of Ikuko's arm, and gently rolled her sleeve back up. Allen couldn't blame the man for being confused, he was an expert in medicine, after all.

"You don't have to worry about that!" Ikuko said as she playfully bounced her arms up through the air. "Mr. Walker took care of me, so now I'm all better!" When she said that, all of the parents looked at her in confusion.

"Mr. Walker? Who's that?" Mrs. Nakamura asked her as Allen sighed and walked up to the group. He had a feeling that that was his que.

"Uh... hello?" Allen said as he awkwardly waved at the group of people. Not wanting to be rude, he placed his right hand over his heart, and gave them all a small bow. However, none of them seemed to notice his presence. "I guess, compared to Ikuko, I'm little more than dust in the wind." He thought as he watched her talk to some of the children. "This has got to be the happiest I've ever seen her." Her smiles and giggles were genuine, and that amazed him. Eventually, Ikuko looked up from the crowd and noticed him standing in the sidelines.

"Mr. Walker, come and say hi!" She told him as she walked over and tugged at one of his sleeves. As she dragged him into the center of the crowd, the parents, who by this point were now very confused, looked at him with obviously concerned gazes.

"Those features... do you think he's a Britannian?" One of them whispered as he nervously straightened his hair. Allen didn't know why, but being the center of all of these parents attention made him unbelievably nervous.

"He looks familiar, where have I seen him before?" Another one of the parents mumbled as they pinched the bridge of their nose. Obviously referring to the video of him saving Ikuko that had been going viral online. As they thought, he watched as several children looked up and stared at him with curious, and confused, gazes.

"Mister, you look like a clown." A child, who Mrs. Nakumura called Arata, said as he pointed at Allen's white hair and crimson scar.

"Arata! That was very rude!" Mrs. Nakamura said as she pinched the boy's ear.

"Ow! Okay, okay, I get it!" Arata called out as he turned back to Allen and quickly apologized. "Sorry Mister, I didn't mean it." The boy mumbled as he turned away from his mom and pouted, whispering under his breath, "he still looks like a clown though..." Allen laughed as he reached up and scratched his left cheek, the boy had good instincts, after all.

"You shouldn't be punishing him Ma'am." He said as he crouched down to be at Arata's eye level. "After all, he's right, I am a clown." Well, technically, he was retired, but they didn't need to know that little detail. "Hmm..." Allen thought as he felt his foot brush against a small round object, "a ball?" When he saw the baby blue toy just resting at his feet, a brilliant idea popped into his head.

"What are you doing Mr. Walker?" Ikuko asked him as he picked up the ball and tossed it into the air. Within the few seconds the ball was above his head, he found a couple of fist-sized rocks, and tossed them up to join the toy ball. Then, to complete the trick, he hopped over and stood on his hands, juggling the ball and rocks with his feet. The trick definitely got the attention of the parents, but it was the children who were the most intrigued by his clownlike antics. As the crowd stood back to allow him to continue the trick, Allen added on a new layer. Using his left hand's pointer and middle finger as faux-legs, he slowly made his way over to another pile of rocks. Then, he used his right hand to pick up the rocks and toss them into the sky, adding them to his juggling routine.

"Well I'll be damned..." another one of the parents said as several of the children started to laugh and cheer. It was impressive stunts like these that, he found, always got the best reactions out of people. However, amidst the sea of happy faces, there was one person who saw his trick in a completely different light. Said person was, of course, Ikuko, who simply watched his juggling act with a look of complete admiration. Almost like that of a daughter cheering on her father. After that, Allen flipped back up to his feet, and effortlessly caught all of the falling rocks. The blue ball, which he hadn't caught on purpose, simply fell into one of the children's laps. With that out of the way, Allen turned back to his audience and gave them all another one of his small bows. This time, they all saw it, and gave him a thunderous applause.

"That was so cool!" Arata said, his freckled face brimming with glee, as he and a few of the other boys ran up to him. "How in the world did you do that?!" As the boy practically yelled his question out, Allen chuckled and shrugged. It had been years since he last did that trick, yet even after all this time, he hadn't lost his touch. "Ikuko! You have to tell me who this guy is! With skills like that, he's got to be some sort of bigshot performer!" Yet again, Arata's mom walked up and pulled the boy back. However, this time, her gaze was much more soft. In fact, all of the parents moods noticeably changed after his little stunt.

"I guess they don't see me as a threat now..." Allen thought as he looked up at the sky. These people were obviously familiar with Ikuko, however, he was a completely new face. And, to make matters worse, he wasn't Japanese. These people were slum dwellers, and for them, all outsiders were instinctively seen as dangerous. It was a normal reaction that was born out of necessity, and one that he had used in the past.

"Are you okay, son?" Dr. Nakamura asked him as he walked up and took out a small box of bandages. Before Allen had a chance to say anything, the man snapped his fingers, and shook his hand. "Oh, silly me! Let me introduce myself first. In case you didn't already hear, my name's Dr. Nakamura, my wife is over there, and I think you've already met my son." As the two of them shared the standard introductions, Dr. Nakamura gently lifted up Allen's right arm and started to unwrap one of the bandages. "Juggling those rocks like that must've been hell on your body, would you like me to take a look?" Yet another person who was just like the head nurse. He had a feeling that Mr. Nakamura was an excellent doctor, and, if his ragged coat was anything to go off of, probably didn't charge much, if anything, for his services.

"Oh, no thank you. Trust me, I'm perfectly fine." Allen said as he felt something bump against his leg. One of the children had tossed the blue ball back at him, obviously in the hopes that he'd do the act again. However, after taking just one look at Ikuko, Allen felt that he wouldn't have the time. The girl was slowly, but surely, starting to get swept up by the energy of the crowd, and not in a good way. "She's looking for attention..." he thought as a sad smile worked its way onto his lips. Even though Ikuko was obviously close to all of these people, he had a feeling that she didn't spend too much time here. "Hey, Dr. Nakamura, can I ask you a question?" Allen said as he turned to the man, who was currently pushing his son on one of the swings.

"Ask away, Mr. Walker." Dr. Nakamura said as his son jumped off of the swing set, "Arata, what did I say? Stop doing that! It's dangerous!" Allen chuckled as he watched the man's son, who was completely ignoring his father, run off to play with the other boys. "That kid... what am I going to do with him?" Dr. Nakamura sighed as he moved his focus back to Allen. "Sorry about that, now tell me, what's your question?"

"I just wanted to know..." Allen started as he watched Ikuko clamber up the playground, "...what sort of person is Ikuko? Did she spend a lot of time here?" When he asked that question, Dr. Nakamura's eyes widened a little bit, and the man smiled.

"You want to know about that?" The man said as he lazily plopped himself down on a nearby bench. Once he got himself comfortable, he sighed and scratched his chin. "That girl is one of the sweetest bundles of joy I've ever met, but honestly, she's incredibly distrusting of basically anyone besides the people in this slum." As he talked, the man stared at Allen and smiled. "Some of my neighbors kids found her and invited her to this very park to play, since then, she's stopped by here at least once every two months. All of the kids, mine included, love her to bits. However..." the man sighed again, "...she's a very difficult child to deal with."

"What do you mean?" Allen asked as he sat down net to the tired doctor. As the two of them talked, Dr. Nakamura frowned and rubbed his eyes.

"Since you're here, I'm assuming you already know the gist of her situation?" The man mumbled as Allen nodded his head. "Good, that means I can cut right to the chase. As I've told you before, Ikuko's a distrusting person. But, for someone like her, that's more than normal. What makes her difficult is the fact that she doesn't trust herself." When Allen heard that, he leaned back into the bench and looked up at the beautiful blue sky. He had no idea what the doctor meant by those words, but, he was certain that the man would elaborate. "That girl is in a particularly difficult position. She's a homeless orphan with no last name, someone who needs help, but, for some reason, she never allows herself to accept said help. I've invited her to stay with me and my family multiple times, but she always left after only staying a few nights."

"Did she just not like living with you?" Allen asked the man, who chuckled.

"No, no, it's not like that." The man started as he stared at the ground, his expression somber and sad. "If you want my opinion... I think that girl is just scared of this place." As he spoke, the man grabbed a small stone up off the ground, tossed it in the air a few times, and threw it towards one of the many abandoned buildings that surrounded the park. The stone flew through the air, effortlessly passing through the building's rotted wood, before crashing into something inside. "These slums are full of places like this, abandoned towns with no life left in them. Every corner is filled with criminals, rebels, and soldiers, all trying to kill one another." Off in the distance, Allen heard a gunshot ring through the city, its ominous echo slowly shaking his body. A few moments later, another distant gunshot filled his ears, and then another, and another. Normally, such a horrible sound would cause people to panic, however, Dr. Nakamura didn't even flinch. Arata and the other children didn't even seem to notice the fact that, just a few blocks away, someone was fighting for their life. For them, the sound of gunfire was just another part of the daily routine. "It's sad, I know." Dr. Nakamura mumbled when he saw Allen's shocked face. "But, really, who can blame us? If we all scrambled at every little gunshot, then nothing would get done." As sad as it was, Allen understood what the man was saying. Learning to live with violence was part of backstreet life. Hell, when he was their age, he had that lesson beaten into him several times.

"No matter what year, or what country, the rules of the underground remain the same." Allen thought as he watched the children continue to play, however, amidst the sea of happy faces, there was one person that wasn't smiling. Ever since the gunfire started, Ikuko had subtly hid herself away in a little area underneath one of the slides. With every gunshot that echoed through the playground, the girl's tiny body flinched.

"Hey, Ikuko, what's wrong?" Arata asked the girl as he, and a few of the other children, joined her in the little cubby underneath the slide. However, no matter what question they asked, Ikuko didn't answer.

"So that's how it is..." Allen whispered as he watched Ikuko continue to shake. It was obvious that the girl had chosen to come here to visit these people, however, the area itself still terrified her. Looking back, that was probably the reason why she fled to the Tokyo Settlement in the first place. Since she had been abandoned at an early age, she was forced to face the slums horrors by herself. Anybody in her position wouldn't want to stay in one place for long, even if said refuge was with friends. As Allen pondered Ikuko's depressing situation, he felt Dr. Nakamura's hand wrap around his shoulder.

"Now that I've answered your question, would you be so kind as to answer one of mine?" He asked him, Allen, of course, nodded. When he did, Dr. Nakamura smiled and stood up, taking a moment to stretch his aching back. "As I'm sure you overheard, all of us have seen the video of you jumping to shield Ikuko from those Britannians. I'll be honest, if I hadn't seen that video, I wouldn't have told you a thing about her." When he said that, Allen shrugged, the man's words made sense, after all. "So, when I ask this question, know that I'm not asking this because I don't trust you." With that, Dr. Nakamura walked back over and stared straight into his eyes. "Tell me, what's your relationship with her?" He asked, his tone as sharp as a razor.

"With Ikuko?" Allen started as he got up and started to make his way towards the playground. To be honest, he wasn't really sure how to answer that question.

"I know you mean well by returning her here, but, if you're trying to find her a home in the slums, you'd be better off trying elsewhere. This place just itches her the wrong way, you know?" Dr. Nakamura said as a flock of pigeons flew over their heads. "No matter what place you find for her, that child will always flee to greener pastures. Even if said pastures aren't meant for her." As the man spoke, Allen frowned and turned around, taking a moment to stare at the Tokyo Settlement far off in the distance.

"Is it a crime to hope for a better life?" Allen asked the man as a couple of helicopters flew overhead.

"No, but for someone in her situation, it's important to be realistic." Dr. Nakamura said as he leaned against a nearby street lamp. "The Tokyo Settlement is for Britannians, not the Japanese. And, if any of us try to weasel our way in, all too often we just end up underneath one of their bootheels." As sad as it was, Allen understood what he was trying to say. However, he wasn't trying to find Ikuko a new home.

"If she wants to leave, I won't stop her, but, for now, she'll be safe with me." Allen thought as he turned back to Dr. Nakamura and smiled, it was about time that he answered the man's question. "Dr. Nakamura, to tell you the truth, I don't really know how to describe my relationship with Ikuko." Allen said as he somberly stared at the ground, causing Dr. Nakamura to raise an eyebrow. However, before the man could speak up, Allen reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "But don't worry, I promise that I have her best interests in mind." As he said that, Allen turned around and gave Ikuko a little wave. The girl, who was still sat underneath one of the slides shaking in fear, instantly regained her composure when she saw his smile. Allen, for the life of him, didn't understand why such a simple gesture improved the girl's mood that much. However, after seeing her reaction, Dr. Nakamura instantly knew how Ikuko saw Allen Walker.

"So that's how it is..." he thought as he felt a warm rush shoot through his body, almost as if a cherub was gently plucking at his heartstrings. "If it's like that, then there's no reason for me to worry." Some folks were excellent judges of character, Ikuko was one of those people. The gaze she was giving him was one of upmost trust, one that, in his experience, was reserved only for close family members.

"Hey Dad! Can you come help? Reo fell and scraped his knee!" Arata called out from the other end of the playground. When he heard that, Dr. Nakamura smiled, and ran off towards his son. For now, he believed that Ikuko was in good hands. As he tended to the children's wounds, Allen ducked under the slide and joined Ikuko in her little hiding place.

"How's it going?" He said as he struggled to fit his grown body into the small space. "Ah, man, stuff like this was a lot easier when I was your age." Allen groaned out as he awkwardly curled himself up into a ball. Ikuko, who was watching all of this, couldn't help but laugh when she saw his frustrated face. "Oh, so you find this funny?" He said in an overly-exaggerated tone, which only made Ikuko laugh harder. "You know, if you keep doing that, then I'll have to stop you." As he spoke, Allen grinned, and lightly pinched Ikuko's nose.

"Ouch!" She said as she playfully batted Allen's hand away. The fear which had previously washed over her was now completely gone. At the moment, she was just like any other little girl, playing without a care in the world.

"Tell me... why did you choose to come to this place if you're afraid of guns?" Allen asked her, his voice taking a serious tone. When Ikuko heard that, she started to pout, and turned her head away from him. It was a childish act that Allen had yet to see from her, and was honestly very cute.

"I just wanted to see my friends, that's all." Her response was short and to the point. However, there was a sadness to it that broke Allen's heart. He could tell that the girl felt like an outsider in this place, and honestly, he didn't blame her.

"It's alright if you don't want to live here." He told her as he patted her on the back. "What's important is that you were willing to overcome your fear in order to spend time with the people you care about. That's something that not a lot of people can do." As he spoke, he and Ikuko heard yet another gunshot ring off in the distance. The second the sound reached their ears, Ikuko twitched, and instantly grabbed one of his sleeves. "It's okay... I'm here..." Allen whispered as he held her close.

"Mr. Walker, do you get scared?" She asked him, her voice practically an inaudible whisper. When he heard that, Allen laughed and nodded his head.

"Of course, there isn't a person on this planet that fear doesn't touch. Why do you ask?" He had a feeling that he already knew the answer, but, this was something that Ikuko had to tell him on her own.

"How do you deal with it then, the fear, I mean..." she said as another distant echo shook the playground. As she lay still in his arms, Allen brushed some stray strands of hair out of her eyes and smiled.

"That's a good question, but I don't think my answer will be what you're looking for." When Ikuko remained silent, Allen sighed and placed a hand over his heart. "Whenever I'm afraid, I like to think of the people important to me, and that gives me strength." Unsurprisingly, all his words managed to accomplish was make Ikuko more confused than she already was.

"So does that mean if I think about you and my friends, I won't be scared anymore?" Ikuko whispered as her body continued to shudder. Sadly, Allen shook his head.

"Everyone copes with fear in their own unique way, Ikuko. If you want to get over yours, you'll have to find what works best for you." It was obvious that his answer wasn't what the girl was looking for, but he expected that. After all, she was hoping that he'd give her an easy solution to her problem. But, for her to get over this slump, Ikuko would have to find her own way to deal with her demons. "Hey, don't give me that look, I know it's frustrating." Allen said when he saw Ikuko start to pout. "Listen, I know this isn't what you want to hear, but it's the truth. This isn't something that I can save you from, you'll have to save yourself. However..." he started as he lovingly patted Ikuko's head, "...that doesn't mean I won't help you. I'll be here every step of the way, and that's a promise."

"Do you really mean that?" Ikuko mumbled as her grip on his sleeve tightened, when Allen nodded his head, she lifted up her hand and wrapped her tiny pinky around his. It was a gesture that Allen knew all too well. "If you're serious, then pinky promise." She told him as Allen chuckled and scratched the back of his neck.

"Don't worry, I'm not the type of person that breaks their promises." He said as he returned Ikuko's gesture, much to the girl's delight. As the two of them shared their little moment, Allen leaned back against the plastic slide and looked up at the sky. In the short amount of time that had passed, a dense front of clouds had wafted over their heads. "It looks like a storm is coming..." Allen thought as his eyebrows narrowed. He wasn't sure what it was, but something about those ominous clouds made his heart start to beat.

"Mr. Walker?" Ikuko mumbled as she watched him stare intently at the storm front, confusion written all over her face. "Are you alright?" When he didn't respond, the girl just shrugged, and ran off to go play with the rest of the children. If she had just moved a flew centimeters closer, she would've noticed that something was very, very wrong with the boy. For, the entire time Allen was staring at the clouds, both of his eyes had gone completely black.

"Ugh.. I'm hungry.." he thought as he lifted his gloved right hand up into the air, "I need to get something to eat." As he reached up towards the clouds, each of the fingers on his right hand slowly started to extend, lengthening and sharpening until they became five spear-like tendrils. However, as quickly as the tendrils were formed, they vanished. "What was that?" Allen thought as he held his aching head, his eyes now back to normal. For a few seconds, his mind had gone blank, with only the sound of his stomach rumbling to fill the silence.

Author's Note

Well there goes another chapter, I hope you guys have been liking these quick updates, cause I know I certainly have! Anyways, just to let you all know, there won't be any chapters for the next five days (I've got things to deal with) but, after that, who knows. As you can probably tell, the stakes are slowly starting to rise with this story. For those of you who are good with foreshadowing, I hope you can spot the hints I dropped you all from chapter to chapter. Anyways, that's all for me, I hope you guys enjoy the rest of your day and I'll see you all in the next chapter of A New Dawn!

P.S. For those of you that've been waiting, the next chapter will have some action in it, that's a promise!

Chapter 12: Clowning Around