Okay, I rewrote this like three times. I like how it turned out though. So, it's not as depressing as I thought. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone got nice presents and plan to go out! If you're of age, please practice safe driving and stuff!

The synchronization tests, as Leverrier Order, started the next day just as planned. It almost felt like a death march, walking Allen down to the testing room. He was a ball of energy that morning, running through the halls, waving excitedly at every one who passed. The three scientists that followed him: Johnny, Bak, and Lou Fa, couldn't match his happiness.

Though they tried.

"Allen, you'll get hurt if you keep running!" Johnny called ahead, listening to him giggle.

Allen obediently slowed down and stopped, waiting for the others to catch up.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

They hadn't explained anything to him, and refuses to every time he asked. The morning had been quite silent, with quiet whispering from the scientists. After breakfast(and a tough endeavor explaining to Allen why he felt hungry and had to eat every day), they began walking him somewhere.

They wouldn't explain where or why, and Allen had only been alive a day. They looked incredible sad though.

"Um…" Lou Fa hesitantly looked at Bak and Johnny before she sighed, "Allen, we're almost there. I know you're curious, but it's better if you see it for yourself."

Allen blinked, confused by her sudden quietness. Lou Fa, from what he knew, was very loud and quirky. She was clumsy, she was always stumbling, but she was also very cheerful. Now she was just silent, it was kind of depressing.

"Oh. Okay!" Allen nodded sweetly, smiling.

The walk was long, they were taking him to the lowest floor. Allen hadn't been down there since he came out of the birthing pits-they made a point not to bring him that low. Before, the previous subjects had been kept down there. They didn't even really have a room-Bak snipped that in the bud the moment Allen was born.

There was no way he was letting Allen feel like he was being imprisoned.( Which he sort of was, in a sense.)

The walk there was long, but they got there. Allen's innocence, Crowned Clown, was kept in a room beside the birthing pits. Beside his innocence was a number of others-other poor exorcists that fell to the Noah.

"Allen this is where you'll spend a lot of time." Johnny explained shakily, "It'll be a little tough for you, but please try to persevere. We'll be right up there okay?" He pointed to a window at the top, where several CROW were standing. It Allen a bit to notice that CROW were guarding the walls.

Allen nodded, suddenly anxious, "What's happening?" He asked.

"Allen...you're going to put your hands right here. Don't let go." Lou Fa adjusted his hands.

"And remember, we're only going to be up there. So if you need a break, just tell us." Bak finished and they all straightened. Leaving Allen in the room, they left. A few moments later he saw them at the high window.

Allen was suddenly afraid. He didn't know why, he didn't know how. He wanted to leave.

What's...happening…?

His arms were grabbed and held tightly to the poles that he was gripping. He began to struggle, eyes growing wide. He didn't want this, whatever they were doing

"Wait-"

Bak's voice came through the speakers, cutting through Allen's panic.

[Hold still, Allen. Please hold still. It'll be over in a second.]

Allen stilled, trying to breathe. His eyes closed, trying to calm himself down. Although he didn't know what was happening, even though he was afraid.

[We start in five...four...three...two…]

"We're sorry Allen…"

Allen's eyes snapped open at Lou Fa's shaky voice through the speakers. She was crying….why?

[One.]

Boom…!

"Aaaa-AAAH!"

A flash of unbearable pain, and then darkness.

~insertlinebreak~

What was worse than the tests themselves, were the whispers.

There were newer scientists at the Asian Branch now, and a lot never knew Allen formerly. They didn't understand how horrible the project was, though they did know that it was morally wrong.

They didn't understand why the name Allen was such a big deal within the entirety of the Order. Of course, there were stories. Stories and rumors of an exorcist teen who was strong and fully synchronized, yet also a Noah. The boy who once controlled their ark with a song, and who was friends with the infamous Lenalee(who they knew because of her general status) and Kanda(the only other second alive).

So, none of them could blame the new scientists for their whispering.

Even if it did break their hearts.

"Did you hear…?"

"I heard the tests went well for the first time."

"No, about the scientists I mean. Professor Lou Fa and Professor Johnny were crying."

"Weren't they friends with him? Before?"

A laugh, amused and a little uncomfortable, "Rumor has it that Lou Fa even had a bit of a crush on him."

Laughter.

The scientists in question sat away from the group, nursing cold coffee and equally cold, untouched food. It seemed like the cooks of the Black Order were universal because their cook kept trying to coax food into them.

"C'mon…" He cooed, "It's just soup. It'll keep your strength up?"

Lou Fa tried to smile at him, "We'll eat later. We just feel a bit tired."

"I bet with those tests! That poor boy, he doesn't deserve this." He looked up, "Is he awake? Is he hungry?" It took them a moment to realize that the cook knew Allen before. He was equally as worried and saddened by it, but at least he as trying to remain cheerful.

Johnny shrugged, "The head nurse has him, he's healed but asleep and I doubt he'll eat." He picked up his coffee and took a small sip.

The coffee was bitter, he didn't spoon any sugar into it. He took another deep gulp.

"You should at least try to get something into him. I'll be damned if this Order is going to torture that boy and he's going to starve as well. C'mon." He slammed another three bowls of hot soup down onto the table.

"And you'll have to kill me before I let you three kind, loving individuals beat yourself up for trying to protect him. Now eat." He gave them a stern stare before turning on his heel and walking away, "I'll be back with more for Allen."

They stared after him, before all taking a small sip.

He was right. They were wallowing in their self pity even though it was really Allen who should be upset. He wasn't even upset at them. After the tests, even when he was cracking and breaking, he smiled at them when they came running in.

Although he was crying, although he was in clear pain, he reached for their hands. He giggled when Timcanpy fluttered around his head like a worried mother.

"Did...I do alright?" He asked quietly, faintly. He was slipping into unconsciousness.

Lou Fa had tried to smile back, although she was crying, "Yes, you did so well."

It seemed things were transcendent. The boy was still as forgiving and loving as he was before, and that was comforting. They didn't deserve to be upset, they had to be there for Allen.

"I just don't understand one thing." Bak whispered.

"What's that?" Johnny responded quietly.

There was a moment of silence before Bak answered, "Crowned Clown, Allen's innocence. It stayed with him even when it was broken so...why is it rejecting him? I hoped...I wanted him to just synchronize, so it wouldn't have to keep doing this."

"Innocences have their own wants and needs, that's what Lenalee and told me," Lou Fa answered, "Lenalee didn't became a crystal type until she resolved to stop hating the Order. She didn't synchronize fully until she stopped crying over Allen. You have to have something for innocence to choose you. Something people don't normally have."

"Allen had his faith and Mana before, that's what kept him going. This Allen doesn't have anywhere near the mental and emotional trauma that Allen went through. That's what gave Allen his strength."

Johnny gulped, "Does that mean that Crowned Clown will kept rejecting Allen? Although it choose Allen twice?"

Lou Fa looked down, "Until...Allen finds a resolve maybe?"

"Or…"

"Or what?"

Johnny smiled bitterly, "It result like how Kanda and Alma resulted, and Allen will have to do something traumatic."

Silence.

~insertlinebreak~

Allen had been awake for awhile.

He had been awake since he healed, the nurse just wouldn't let him out. He was tired, he wanted to go to his bed in his room. The nurse was like a demon, and kept refusing.

At least she let Tim stay with him.

"Hey, Tim? The innocence hurts more than I thought." Allen whispered, "I never expected that."

Timcanpy nuzzled him, trying to comfort him.

"I should sleep, but I can't." Allen rubbed his eyes, "is that weird. I feel strange."

Timcanpy landed on his chest, and tipped back his head. After a few moments music started to filter through. It was soft at first, but Allen could the sound of a piano. Then someone singing.

'And so the boy fell into his slumber…"

"It's so pretty! A lullaby?" Allen yawned, "Ha...now I feel more tired." He slowly drifted off.

'I will never cease to pray…"