A/N: I'd like to say thank you to:

Shadow glider- glad you think it's funny. I'm being good and actually updating quickly for once.

Chibihitomi- Yeah, I am lazy aren't I? Lol, Glad you liked it. Well, I hope this chapter makes you happy, I'm dedicating it wholly to Allen torture.

(First in a series of chapters that will be wholly dedicated to Allen torture. If you have any ideas, don't hesitate to give.)

Chapter Twelve

Well, There Was Nothing Else To Do

Well really, who could blame them? They couldn't reveal their true status to Zaibach and reveal their alliance with the Dragonslayer now could they? And so because of this, The Crusade Crew, along with a few Asturian Royal Family members were forced to linger in the background, seeking their own entertainment whilst Dilandau and co got to experience all the heroic action. And of course, they were so bored that the only thing they could do was to torture Allen so more.

Mind, they could have let Prince Chid and Boris take them on a tour round Freid, but what was the fun in that now? It was amazing that Allen still remained clueless despite all that was about to be bombarded upon him. No, he didn't think much of it when Millerna and Eries decided to nip off to the market place.

"What about this pink frilly one?" Millerna enquired, holding up an atrocious hot pink frilly ribbon.

"Don't forget sis, his hair's already that colour," Eries reminded her calmly.

Millerna frowned. "Has nobody told him yet?"

Eries shook her head. "Chid ordered all the palace staff and guards to pretend to Allen that they didn't notice anything was wrong with him. In truth, I think they are having as much fun as we are."

Millerna smirked. "Ah, a true nephew of ours indeed." She lowered her voice and leaned forward. "I heard that he has written to his father alerting him of Allen's arrival. Duke Freid replied that he will be coming shortly, and he doesn't want to miss the fun."

Her sister laughed gently. "Ah, that was not all. It would appear that Duke Freid is to bring a weapon of his own to wield on Allen. He has a trusted confidant who helps his country out when they are in need. His name is Plactu, and he has the power to hypnotize people." Eries looked her sister in the eye, all happy and excited. "Think Millerna, we'll have the power to control whatever Allen does!"

Millerna gaped. And then she gaped some more. Then Eries told her to close her mouth because it was extremely un-lady like.

Eries examined the stalls carefully, and a bright smile lit her face. She turned to her sister, holding up a luminous yellow frilly bow.

"Perfect," she smiled cunningly.

Gaddes had it in mind to ask Millerna and Eries for their beauty appliances to use alongside Hitomi's lipstick, but then Eries informed him that Allen had items similar to those they used already in his room. As he examined his captain's desk, Gaddes knew he had been right all along. Allen so did wear ladies perfume and pluck his eyebrows.

Kio raised his eyebrows as Allen swaggered to the control room, whistling happily and running a comb through his still pink hair. Previously he hadn't dared to come out of his room with splotches all over his skin, but Millerna had patched him up. He was unsure, but nobody seemed to notice that his face was chalk white and that he had bright pink splodges on his cheek. Millerna had stolen Hitomi's bright red lipstick of Gaddes, and covered Allen's lips with it, insisting that it would soothe his lips. Lo and behold, Allen, the perfect pink haired geisha.

As soon as the door swung shut, Kio turned to Merle, who chuckled silently at the sight she had just seen.

"What's he so happy about?" Kio questioned.

"Duke Freid wrote to him to request an audience with him upon his arrival tomorrow," Merle answered smugly. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "You know, so he can sick Plactu on him."

"I see," Kio said in understanding. "So the fun can't really begin until Plactu comes."

Merle looked at him knowingly. "Not necessarily," she told him. "Don't forget, we have the pissed of spirit of Marlene on our side."

Mental note, remember to inform Prince Chid that his palace architecture was not entirely up to scratch. It was rather mysterious really; doors kept slamming into his face, or on him whilst he walked through the door. And the windows kept accidentally slamming down on his fingers of their own accord. He pouted as he eyed his individually bandaged fingers, which had turned a ghostly white colour underneath Millerna's miniature tourniquets. His fingers had gone numb but Millerna insisted that they were meant to be like that.

And wasn't it funny, but that strange silver ball seemed to be following him around in mid air. Allen insisted to the guards that there was a powerful enemy lurking in the palace, but the ball fell motionless to the floor whenever he mentioned it. And he wondered why they refused to listen. Though every time he turned his back he seemed to get shocked from behind. Every time he turned to look, the ball had mysteriously vanished.

He fell into an uneasy sleep, not noticing how the door mysteriously unlocked from the inside, or how two figures crept undetected into his room to replace his face make up with permanent paint.