A/N:

I am back. After a very long two and a half years of Hiatus, I have finally returned! My apologies guys! I want to thank firstly to all the people who continued to leave me PM's even though I have not updated the story during that time. Your messages were beautiful, and were what kept me going throughout those dark times!

These last two years have been some of the worst (I briefly even contemplated if I was somehow cursed). So many things have happened: the passing of my grandmother, a long relationship coming to ends, Being stuck in a shitty part time job because of financial issues, me losing my motivation for school and falling into a deep depression. I am very glad to say these trying times are over, and I will see Lost & Found to its very end. Thank you so much for the support, aand let's get on with the chapter!

"-Shit..."

Chris would've made that word his mantra... Though the brunette was pretty sure 'shit' - belonged to someone else. Well, his face felt cold. Drawing in a shaky breath, the nobleman ran a gloved hand through his rustled hair, painfully aware of the blunder he had just committed.

...

... It was too soon...

Once the words came out of his mouth, Chris couldn't help but cringe as he realized what it was that he had said at that moment. Hesitating only for a second before he burst out the Inn's doors to look for the redheaded Exorcist. "That was fucking insensitive, what the hell's WRONG with me?" A flutter of light suddenly caught his attention. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, Chris looked towards its source and nearly ran over a trashcan. "... You..."

"..."

Timcannpy refused to look at him, almost as if the rather large metal contraption were ignoring him.

"Oi, uhhh- shit was is it that Allen calls you-"

TIMCANNPY REFUSED TO LOOK AT HIM, ALMOST AS IF THE RATHER LARGE METAL CONTRAPTION WERE IGNORING HIM. Realizing this, Chris's brows shot upwards quickly, his previous mood now being replaced with baffled anger. "OIIII! DON'T FUCKING PRETEND LIKE I'M FUCKIN' AIR!" As he yelled out, Chris had stormed his way to the golem, yanking it by its tail before it could fly away. With narrowed eyes, Chris peered down at Tim, his gaze nearly hissing with ill intent.

"!"

"Don't think I haven't forgotten what you did to me the last time." Chris spat out, frightening Timcannpy even more. "I hope Allen doesn't know about your little habit of biting people..." Chris sighed. Somehow, he got the impression that Allen knew the pesky little habit rather intimately.

"..."

...

"..."

"?"

CLANK!

Without warning, Timcannpy turned and opened his mouth, clamping its jaws and double rows of sharp teeth onto Chris's hand, along with his wrist. "... OW, WHAT THE HELL?!" Timcannpy bit his shirt collar, dragging the teen outside the Inn towards to who knows where. Chris fussed about, confused and not understanding what the hell Allen's weird little metal companion was currently doing. The golem suddenly stopped, but still held its grip on Chris's shirt as he nudged the brunette forward. Chris's eyes trailed towards where it wanted him to go, and nearly froze on sight at seeing Nayami sitting on a bench, her back facing him a few feet away.

… Why did it lead him to her? Chris blinked, not sure what to do as Timcannpy kept nudging him towards the girl.

"Are you crazy? She's probably still pissed!" Chris angrily whispered towards Tim.

"What are you doing?"

"Did I miss something?" Nayami's bemused voice suddenly appeared by his side. Chris briefly peered over at her before letting out a rather loud howl of pain.

"GET IT OFF MEEEEEEEE!"

"-and how exactly did this occur..." Helga droned out blankly, small beady eyes never leaving from her work dressing the still bleeding wound on Chris's arms and wrist. Chris glared back, eyeing the stupid thing on perched atop Nayami's Head.

"…"

"I've purchased the tickets for tomorrow. We'll leave by dawn." Nayami turned around, heading towards her room before being stopped by Chris's retort.

"Wait." Chris stood now, walking towards the Exorcist. His eyebrows burrowed downwards, a small frown etched on his lips as he leaned in closer. "Hey, can we talk?" He whispered, crossing his arms about him.

Nayami raised a brow. "About what?"

The noble suddenly looked uncomfortable as he motioned his head towards the door. Nayami didn't say anything, merely walking ahead of him as she stepped out of the Inn. The Inn's bright porch light created a sort of halo of light around them, illuminating them both. "Whatever it was you wanted to say, spit it out. It must be so damn important for you to try and speak to me without your maid present."

"About earlier-" Nayami's mood visibly soured with a frown. "- it was really fucked up for me to say. So I wanted to, um well… I just needed to let you know, uh-"

"Know what?" Nayami's harsh tone suddenly quipped, her gaze making Chris feel like if he had just been impaled by ice. "That you're sorry? You're sorry that my Father's not here?" Nayami sighed, shoulders slumping downward as she looked away from Chris.

"…"

"What happened had nothing to do with you." Nayami stated simply. Chris frowned, about to argue back when the realization of her words hit him… Nayami used past tense. Whenever he would bring up the touchy topic of the Black Order, or anything related to them, the girl would get defensive and tell him it has nothing to do with him. Yet she had phrased her words differently. Why- Chris had no idea, but a small sliver of hope filled him as he met her gaze. .. Did she think that he was still out there?

"Anyways, what I said was uncalled for so… I'm sorry." Chris finally said, watching as she became silent for a while. Whether she was thinking on his apology or the situation, he wasn't sure. Nayami was sort of a mystery to him. He could never tell what the girl was thinking, and more often times than not they either were in full blown arguments, or close to one. "For all it's worth, I wasn't very close to my Father at all as a kid, heck- I still hate the guy's guts!" The noble let out a small laugh. "So whatever happens, I'm here ya know? And I'm sure that Allen will too."

"…"

"I'm impressed." Nayami suddenly said quirking up an eyebrow. "Wouldn't have expected a noble to deliver such a sincere apology." Chris rolled his eyes, although aware of the light humor in her words..

"The Welt's aren't known for being liars. Plus, I'm man enough to admit a mistake."

The redhead leaned against the porch's wooden railing, staring out into the pitch black sky. "I'll take your word for it." With a sigh, she walked back into the Inn, stopping only briefly to glance at him from the corner of her eye. "It's getting late. We have to wake up early to get to the Seaport tomorrow morning."

(The Gang Arrives At The Seaport: )

"Looks like we weren't the only ones trying to get out of here…" Was the first thing Chris said when they arrived at Istanbul's Seaport. Large crowds of people stood lined up near the Docks, several ships already boarding passengers. Nayami stood next to Helga with Chris in tow, pocketing the four tickets she managed to get before their ship filled to capacity. "Our ships at Dock 4. We should probably wait in line to be the first ones on board." Chris agreed.

"Good idea, before all the good seats get taken. If you'd let me know earlier that you were buying the tickets, I would've been able to get us First Class, by the way." He added slyly, getting an annoyed look from Nayami.

"I just care about getting there, not how we get there. Let's go."

…

"ALL SHIPS TO THE DOCK 4 DESTINATION TO SHANGHAI HAVE BEEN CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. I REPEAT, ALL SHIPS TO DOCK 4 DESTINATION TO SHANGHAI HAVE BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO DANGER IN THE AREA." A large, burly man with a pipe boomed over the crowd as he stood in front of the Dock gates. There was a small group of sailors working behind him, tying down the anchor.

"What?!" Chris saw Nayami walking up to the guy before he it even registered in his head. Cursing to himself Chris joined her, who seemingly didn't notice all the weird looks she was receiving whilst carrying the comatose Allen on her back. "Nayami!" She ignored him.

"What do you mean the ship to Shanghai is cancelled?!" She said, pointing to the clear blue skies above. "There's no fucking storm!"

The older man peered down at her, seemingly unfazed by her reaction. "Not a storm I'm worried about, kid." The old man said. "If you're headed for the Orients, you're gonna have a hard time finding any ships that'll go there. Trips to the East have been permanently cancelled from all Ports."

Chris quickly took over, flashing the man a pleasant smile. "I take it you must be the Shipmaster."

"Yeah, I am."

"Did something happen in the East? I heard there was a war with some neighboring countries, but I was under the impression they were under some sort of peace treaty?"

The Shipmaster nodded, letting out a puff of smoke from his pipe. Nayami made a face of disgust, moving her head to the side to avoid breathing the vile cloud in. "… There's a terror alert in the area. I've gotten word from a lot of the Ports over there that their ships have been attacked. I'm not sure what's really going on over there, but I'm not gonna risk my passengers lives just to go there. From what I've heard, China's not the same it used to be. It's gotten real dangerous."

"Look-" Chris spoke up, a grave look on his face "- my friend's really sick, okay? He needs the best doctor he can get. Is there any way we can get there?"

The Shipmaster didn't say anything, looking over at Allen with a questioning look. Chris guessed from the man's perspective it must have looked like Allen was passed out from a night of drinking, or they were kidnapping him or something. After what seemed like a long time, the Shipmaster finally spoke, apprehension evident in his tone. "… If your friend needs a doctor so bad, why' ja headed off so far?"

"…" Chris mentally cursed himself, but before he could blurt out anything, Nayami interrupted.

"Medicine's the best from the Orients." The redhead said calmly, her lone eye unwavering as her gaze met the Shipmaster's. "We're taking him to a Chinese healer to help him get better. Western medicine hasn't done anything."

"Well…" The Shipmaster drawled out, seemingly no longer holding an air of suspicion. "That's true. Them Chinamen do know how to make some powerful stuff. I got an herb medicine for my son's terrible cough. My boy was bad, coughing up blood and all looking like hell, and now he's completely cured." The old man smiled. "I'll tell' ja what-" He took out some navy blue wristbands with numbers on them before handing them to Nayami. "I'll let ya guys take the next ship out to the Dead Sea. It's headed for a territory under the Persian Empire. It's not exactly anywhere near Shanghai, but it's the farthest any of my ships will go. Sorry about your friend. I Hope you all find what you're looking for."

Chris nodded. "Thank you so much!"

With a smile, the Shipmaster left.

Chris looked at Nayami, a grin spreading slowly across his face. "Like I said, the Welt's aren't known for being liars." The grin turned into a smirk. "But a little white lie doesn't hurt."

…

Upon approaching the ship bound towards the Dead Sea, Chris noticed the small number of passengers. The ship was well capable of boarding at least 200 people, yet the passengers manifest posted near the Dock amounted to only 30. "A big ship for only 30 passengers, wonder why that's not weird at all." He muttered under his breath, unaware that Nayami had heard. The exorcist pondered on the thought, observing the passengers near them boarding.

On such a large capacity ship, there should be a division of the social classes, yet all of the passengers accounted for looked like lower middle class, judging from their lack of leather bound suitcases, and plain cloths. Brightly hued fabric was something only a person of considerable wealth was able to afford. Patterned textiles and designs were only attainable for the filthy rich- Nayami's eyes flitted to Chris, who was speaking with his maid.

'Chris does have a point. With the size of this ship, and the low number of passenger's manifest, it's more than a little suspicious. And why is this ship bound for the Dead Sea? There's only one way in as the Dead Sea is inland and almost completely surrounded by land.' Nayami thought. One by one, The exorcist tallied down her observations, trying to figure out why it seemed strange for a ship that would have been most likely going over capacity with passengers who would originally be bound for Shanghai, to be so empty..

As they boarded the Dock, a man with salt and pepper hair greeted them. "Good morning everyone. My name is Silvestre, and I will be your Captain during our week and a half journey towards one of the Persian Empire's many territories." The man wore a neatly pressed uniform, and he tipped his hat in a polite gesture as the small group of passengers applauded. "Our journey will be passing through the Dead Sea, an area in which only two decades ago was un-ventured and dangerous to travel." He looked grim as he said this, but suddenly let out a boisterous laugh, waving his hand dismissively. "But alas, that was decades ago! Marine Navigation has vastly improved- not only are we able to venture to places humans have previously never been to, but the technological advances allow us to have a safer sea fare than those of our ancestors. As Captain of this ship, I am very proud to announce that our ship is the only one in existence with all of the up to date equipment. This Century has seen many new inventions that not so long ago were thought to be impossible, such as the telegraph, or the moving pictures! Let us enjoy the creations of the 19th Century- the greatest of all, as the dawn of technology!" The Captain bowed at the onslaught of praise from the crowd. "Let us have a safe journey towards our destination. Amen." A chorus of Amen followed soon after. "Please make your way on board the ship in a single line, in orderly fashion. Those of you who have purchased tickets, please have them out and ready to be stamped. For those of you who have been transferred from Dock 4 by the Shipmaster, please secure your armbands, and have it on your persons at all times for the entirety of the trip. Meal times will be posted all throughout the ship, and we do have several game rooms on board. Once again, thank you for being our passengers, and I welcome you to the Magnolia Passenger Ship. This was your Captain speaking-we will be departing shortly."

(Chris P.O.V.: )

"… Do they really expect to fit four people here..." I muttered once got a good look into the suite we would be staying in for the next week and a half. "This is ridiculous."

"Master Chris."

I looked to Helga, who had finished setting all the bags. The room we were in was no way big enough to house four people, but having been traveling with Allen; we had stayed in far worse Inn's with rooms barely big enough to stretch in. I let out a sigh. "This sucks."

Helga raised a brow. "Come again?"

"Had I known I'd get seasickness, I never would've gotten on this damn ship in the first place." Right on cue, another wave rocked the ship, and I covered my mouth. I feel like shit. "Ugh, are we there yet?"

"Relax. We just departed from the Dock, you idiot." I heard Nayami say from the small couch on the far corner. She had her eyes closed, yet I could tell she was a little bit on edge about something. Nobody said anything, until the ship rocked again, and I gagged a little. Nayami snapped her head so quick, I could've sworn she gave herself whiplash. "DON'T."

I grinned weakly. When I do throw up- I'll make sure Nayami would be the first to know… "Anyways- I'm gonna look around the ship for a while. This damn room's making me claustrophobic and I need some fresh air." That and I wasn't looking forward to be in awkward silent with Nayami. Even though I apologized, and things seemed calm for the moment between us, I don't doubt we'd be at each other's heads if we spent too much time in the same room. Nayami didn't even look at me as she shrugged, crossing her feet.

"Knock yourself out." Oh, if I could wipe the sarcasm off her… I rolled my eyes, looking over at Allen for a second before heading out the door to look around. In a week and a half, we would be one step closer to Shanghai, towards that friend of Nayami's who could help Allen. The boy had grown on me, I'd have to say. I tried to remember another time where I had been so worried about anyone before, but nothing came to mind. Allen Walker grew on me like cancer, and I would do anything to save him from being erased by Neah. Looking out, Istanbul's Seaport seemed to grow smaller and smaller.

…

… It might take us a while to get to Shanghai, but this is the best we can do for now.

(Concerning Johnny and Kanda, Who Are Still On The Hunt For A.W. : )

No matter how many times Johnny ran over the scenario, all possible leads led to only one conclusion:

That it was impossible. There was no way that the General could have survived after being taken away by Sheryl. He had seen her corpse! The Noah's had left her body, strewn over a cross in a mock representation of the crucifix in front of their Headquarters yard, Johnny had willed his mind to believe that it was anyone but the General. But when the test results came back, a 100% match to the General- Johnny was crestfallen. General Nayami Cross was dead…

The General's death threw the Order's Higher Ups into complete disarray. The Inspector arrived the next day, a furious scowl etched on his usually poker faced features as he was escorted by a multitude of Crows. The Generals had been called back, all of them silent and grim at the news of one of their own gone. Even the usually cheery Komui was quiet and solemn. With the death of Nayami, came the presence of the Crows. They came in during the night, unannounced and foreboding. Exorcists and Scientists alike were now under 24 hour surveillance. No one could as much as breathe without the presence of Crows down their necks. Being one of the last people to see the General, he and Lenalee were constantly interrogated. They were asked many things, some of them so absurd and intrusive, that Johnny only had to wonder why they were so crazed about knowing Nayami's every move.

On the Fourth day after her death, Johnny was pulled from the middle of an experiment by the Inspector Leverrier. The man had been perched on a maroon sofa, legs crossed, and a scowl so huge, it seemed to sag further down his neck. The Inspector had asked Johnny about the events regarding the day Sheryl infiltrated the Order and took the General. He and Lenalee hadn't spoke about that day, but the two had a sort of unspoken agreement of silence. He wouldn't rat the General out. He wouldn't tell The Inspector that Nayami had been willing to provide the Noah with information that even the order didn't know about concerning the 14th. That she had, quite literally, committed treason, and that he and Lenalee were witnesses to that. Nor would he mention anything concerning the 14th that would put Allen's status amongst the Order into a worse off position than he already was, if that was even possible.

It wasn't until a week after the General's death, that Johnny had decided he would leave the Order in search of Allen Walker. Kanda had appeared out of the blue the very same day he was supposed to leave. Since then, the two have been traveling all over the European continent visiting all the places with debt General Cross had, in hopes to come across someone who might have seen him recently.

"…" Johnny sighed. "At this rate, it feels like we're going nowhere…"

"We're leaving, Johnny." Kanda's deep baritone startled him, causing the empty mug of tea to come crashing down. "Look, you made a mess."

"Sorry about that!" Johnny apologized with an embarrassed smile, a little red in the face as he immediately knelt down to pick up the shards of ceramic littered about the floor. Before he could pick one up however, A broom blacked his reach… kanda swift up the broken mug.

"You really were about to pick it up with your hands- so careless." Kanda's words made Johnny grin, just realizing his silly mistake.

"You're right. That would've been bad, ahaha!" Johnny rubbed his nose. "Hey, Kanda?"

The boy didn't make a noise of acknowledgement, but Johnny could somehow tell he was listening for him to continue. "…"

"… The last time I checked, Istanbul was the last place before China. But I'm not so sure about where we should go next. There's a mountain of debts all over the country- I wouldn't know where we could even start off-"

"Shanghai."

"Eh?" Johnny blinked. Kanda stood up, sending the boy a look as he headed for the door. "Wait- what makes you think tha-"

"-Because I'd bet my life that's where that bitch would go."

It was silent between the two teens as they finally arrived at the Seaport. Upon arrival, Johnny felt his stomach sink as they saw the huge crowd of people waiting. "Oh no. We might not be able to get on a ship until tomorrow with all these people!"

"Tch!" Kanda scoffed. "Try to catch up this time." At this, Johnny became confused, about to ask Kanda what he meant by that, when the Japanese suddenly shoved his way among the crowd. poor Johnny could only stumble behind the teen as he muttered apologies.

"HEY! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING- GET BACK IN LINE IDIOT!" One man yelled, marching up to Kanda. The man intended to grab the Japanese by the scruff of his collar, but his attempt was thwarted before he could even get an inch close to him. Mugen gleamed in the early morning light as it pressed dangerously close to the man's jugular.

"WANNA DIE?" The man immediately shook his head, and people didn't say a word as they moved away from them, creating a path for them to walk through. Johnny sweat dropped.

"Maybe you shouldn't have done that, kanda."

"Did you want to wait another day- you did say that's how long it would've taken."

"Yeah, but I didn't mean for you to do something like that- oh it doesn't matter anymore, does it? You probably would've done something like that anyways." Kanda smirked, not denying Johnny's words in the slightest.

"We know each other that well know?"

"… You've changed a lot, Kanda." The tall Japanese stopped, peering over his shoulder briefly before they continued onward towards the Ticket Master. "You're a lot nicer now. Ah, no, I don't think that's what it is… It's more like you're more tolerant. And calmer." Nothing was said as they walked in silence.

"Where're ja two looking to head off to?" The large man asked.

"Two tickets to the Shanghai bound ship. Preferably the next one out." Kanda answered, taking out an envelope to hand the Ticket Master. With a raised brow, the large man opened the envelope, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head at the sight of two gold coins.

"W-wha- holy- it's real!" The man muttered, eyeing the gold coins in awe. "… The next ship's heading five minutes." He handed them two passes. "The ship number's on the back."

"Thank you so much sir." Johnny thanked him, bowing slightly as he went after Kanda. "Kanda, I have a good feeling about Shanghai!" The teen gushed. "I feel like we'll finally find Allen soon! This will be my first time on a ship. I'm actually pretty excited."

"You've really never been on a ship before?" Kanda rolled his eyes. "It's not as fun as you'd think it'd be, trust me."

"Well, I still think it's pretty amazing." Johnny commented with a small smile. "When I was a scientist for the Order, I rarely went outside the grounds of Headquarters. Except for that one time at the North American Branch visit. But I had traveled through with Allen's gates, so I don't think they count haha. Oh, hello."

"Boarding passes." Johnny nodded, showing the man the two tickets they had purchased earlier. "Shanghai, huh… I don't suppose you two are aware of the reroute."

Johnny frowned. "Come again?"

"China's a boiling pot right now, so it's not safe for sea fare. All ships are heading off to territories owned by the Persian Empire, but no one's going any further than that, at least not by sea. You two will have to get another form of transportation from one of the territories if you want to get to Shanghai."

"That old man didn't say anything about this." Kanda growled.

The man shrugged. "Well, we don't know much about it ourselves, but apparently there's been a terror alert issued out. No one's been able to get in or out of the country through sea fare, but I heard they're still letting people in through land travel. You two should board the ship soon, we'll be heading out in two minutes." With that, the man left, and the two boarded the ship.

"I guess there's nothing we can do about that." Johnny said quietly.

"Tch."

"Um, Kanda- can I ask you question?" Johnny tentatively said, flinching slightly at the annoyed look he received.

"You just did."

"Ah, well… Why do you want to find the General so bad? From what I recall, you two weren't on good terms."

"Isn't it obvious?" Kanda said as if it really were, but continued on. "Wherever that bitch is, Allen's with her. They're probably headed for Shanghai since that's the only place the Order wouldn't think about looking for them."

"Boss Komui mentioned to me once that there were incidents of Akuma sightings in China, but I thought after you guys went and destroyed the Akuma plants there and in Japan, it would be safe."

Kanda shrugged. "What must've happened was that after we left, Brokers came in and started influencing the creation of Akuma. That or it was a Noah. Besides, it's been years since that mission, and the Asia Branch doesn't have nearly enough people to patrol hot spots, or maintain them."

"Let's say if hypothetically speaking, the General was somehow alive- how would she find Allen so fast?"

"Her father."

"General Cross?" Suddenly, all this was starting to hurt his brain. Her father was already M.I.A- possibly dead, and his daughter was as well, yet Johnny was pretty sure ghosts didn't have the capability to kill!

"… Remember the whole 14th thing in the Ark? Her father was been tried for treason up until the moment he disappeared, but it was found out that he had made some sort of agreement with the 14th. He never talked, but I bet you his daughter knows, and she's been picking up from where her father left of ever since. I think this whole thing with the 14th is much deeper than what the Order thinks they know."

"Oh my god…" Johnny's glasses nearly fell off his face with how much he was starting to sweat.

… If what Kanda was saying was true- then Johnny feared the fate of Allen Walker…

(Death On The Magnolia:)

Three days had passed, but Chris's nausea was still as strong as ever. To make matters worse, he had heard the crew men speak of a storm that seemed to be forming. With a sigh, Chris sat up from the horrendously bulky bed and parted the blinds, nearly sighing in relief as he saw the clear blue skies with not a single cloud. "I'm going to go crazy…"

A chuckle could be heard from the next room. Chris could hear Nayami shuffle around, and he briefly cursed the small space. There was no freaking privacy, and it was going to stay like that until they got to their next destination… which was about another week and a half thanks to this storm forming.

"Oh? The noble can't handle a little waves?" Nayami's attempt at humor made Chris roll his eyes, standing up to stretch his aching muscles.

"I'm gonna get breakfast." Chris said, heading towards the small bathroom next to Nayami's room. The layout of their small room irked the noble. While his room was the most spacious of them all (barely) Nayami's room connected with his. Past her room, were the bathroom and the small makeshift room with a lopsided couch and table. Chris passed Nayami's door, grabbing his towel and brush just as he heard her step out of the room. Chris started to turn, sending her a quick glance. "You wanna go? You've been holed up in this shitty place ever since we left. I don't think eating in is a good ide—oh." Chris's jaw dropped, eyes widening.

"What?" Nayami said, raising a brow at the noble's sudden antics.

"Uh… Uhhh- w-wow… You're. You're wearing a dress." Chris stated. They were only arm's length away, but Chris suddenly felt like they were waaay too close for his comfort. He didn't move however, too caught up in staring at the redhead. Gone was the girl's Exorcist uniform, instead donning a short billowy white dress. Whether it was chiffon or bayan, Chis didn't really care, but the dress clung snugly at her hips, flaring out in intricate patterns a few inches above her knees. Chris hadn't realized just how pale Nayami was as he stared at her milky white thighs.

"Never seen a girl in a dress before?" Nayami crossed her arms, bringing Chris out of his stupor. Chris blinked for a couple of seconds, before his actions caught up to him, and he frowned.

"I almost didn't recognize you." Chris commented, a smirk slowly growing on his lips as he continued. "I was just about to ask myself why such a cute looking girl was in my room, until you started talking and I realized it was you, and the spell was broken." Chris laughed as he evaded a miscellaneous object being thrown in his direction and closed the bathroom door. Before closing the door completely however, he parted it slightly, the door open enough for Nayami to hear him. "It looks nice, though."

Nayami smirked. "What does? Me or the dress?" She could practically hear his eyes rolling.

"I'm taking a bath." With that, he closed the door.

"Finally." Nayami said as Chris emerged out of the bathroom, tying the red hair ribbon into a low, albeit messy ponytail.

"Hey, I was trying to enjoy the warm bath. It finally wasn't ice cold."

"If you wanted hot water, you know you could've asked one of the crew men."

Chris shrugged, turning slightly as to finish buttoning up his vest. "You know, you really didn't have to wait for me." Although Chris said it with an air of nonchalance, he couldn't help but feel as if it sounded like a question, and the noble knew by now that the normally cut throat redhead hated being asked a question. His curiosity got the better of him.

Normally, the girl was long gone to who knows where by the time he would wake up, but he was honestly surprised to see her. Especially the fact that she had waited for him. Brushing the thoughts away, Chris just followed her as she opened the door to the hallway, looking anywhere but her swaying dress. "Some kind of a distraction, huh." Chris muttered to himself. Nayami turned back to peer over her shoulder at him.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

The ship's makeshift food area- (the dingy, cramped room by no means had the honor of being called a 'cafeteria')- was probably the highlight of Chris's days so far on the ship. The noble managed to make the dreary hours of the evening before sleep to pass by joining most of the older passengers in the Game Room. Chris quickly came to know the lively bunch, often playing poker and the likes late into the hours of the night, just as the India ink stained sky would be set ablaze by the orange hues of the rising sun. Chris was especially fond of the two Russian brothers who roomed across the hall. Although their English was poor, the fine vodka they had introduced quickly made them become fast friends. Heck, it was practically a brotherhood.

… Just last night, Chris had joined some of the men for an interesting game of drunken charades. His night had ended knees deep in spiced bourbon, brandy, and the imprint of a barrel he sat on for hours on his ass… How Chris managed to evade the hell of all hangovers was a mystery,,,

Chris held the door open for Nayami, chuckling when several of eyes immediately zoomed in on her attire. Several men's jaws slacked a little, and to Nayami's annoyance, she even heard a wolf whistle from somewhere amongst the small crowd. "How immature." Chris laughed, joining her side as they stood on line for breakfast.

"Alas, we're a simple minded species, my friend."

"Yes, I'm aware." The redhead retorted back, glaring down a nearby brunette who's eyes seemed to be trailing to her chest. "Honestly, it's like suddenly they realize I'm a woman."

"Well, you're uniform is pretty modest. That's why I was so shocked when I saw you. I was so used to seeing those bulky clothes; I just got surprised that you owned a dress like this, haha. But don't worry about it- just ignore them like you usually ignore everyone."

Glare. "I don't ignore everyone." Chris shot his hands up defensively.

"Okay, whatever you say."

… He was not in the mood to argue. It was such a beautiful day after all.

Their turn for breakfast came up, and once grabbing their plates, the two headed for an empty table near a large window overlooking the part of the upper deck. It wasn't so loud in the food area, Chris noted. Usually even this early in the morning, the passengers would be all jolly and festive, but he noticed the absence of some of the men he had seen last night. "Last night was so crazy. Some of the guys probably got crazy hangovers; maybe that's why they're not here."

"Yeah, I heard you guys last night." Nayami commented, scrunching up her nose in distaste as she poked an egg, watching the yolk pop and spill all over her mashed potatoes. "Real damn loud, by the way."

"Hahaha- yeah, it was pretty crazy-" Chris trailed off, watching as someone entered the food area. The person was someone he had seen briefly, but never noticed participating in any of the Game Nights, or information assemblies the crew men would give every morning before breakfast. He wouldn't have noticed the oddly heavily cloaked figure if it wasn't for the fact that the unfamiliar cloths the stranger was wrapped in oddly reminded him of an imported scarf from Persia he had received as a gift from one of- (his many)- noble lady admirers. Chris idly watched as the figure sat down, not bothering to get up for food. It was then he noticed another cloaked figure approach with what looked like a large banquet of food, placing it in front of the figure before bowing down on one knee. "… Okay…"

"The passengers manifest accounts for 30." Nayami suddenly spoke, catching Chris off guard.

"Um, Yeah? What about it?"

It's been a couple days and we've seen all of the passengers." Nayami now looked at the noble with a frown. "So why is there 32…"

"?" Chris turned to look back again at the mysterious cloaked figures, but was stopped by Nayami, who eyed him intently. "2 extra people- are they stow-a-ways? I remember seeing them at the Game Night."

"Finish eating. We're going to see where these 2 extras are staying at…"

… Why did Chris suddenly feel like this was going to start something real bad..?

"KYAAA! Oh My God!" Without a second thought, Chris and Nayami rushed out to see a crowd starting to form at the end of the hallway. A woman wailed hwilst many tried to calm her down, and the two of them pushed their way through to see what was happening.

"What's going on?" Chris yelled, looking down at the woman who was now crumpled onto the floor.

"M-my husband..." The woman croaked out. "He's- He's DEAD!" She pointed behind her, where the corpse of a man was strewn across the floor, his head a few feet away wrapped in a blanket.

...

A/N: Yaaay! It has been quite the, two years right? Unbeknownst to the two groups who have Allen's wellness in mind, this AU fanfic will soon be catching up to the events in the manga! Within the next two chapters, I will provide a little insight on the condition of the Bookmen, as well as a flashback from Allen and Nayami's days at the Order, so I hope to look forward to posting that very soon!

Mata Ne!