A/N: Prepare yourselves cuz we're in da home streeeeeeetch! :D

White Demon, Red Scribe, Black Nightmare
A D Gray-Man and Assassin's Creed Revelations Crossover

A few more days passed, with no sign of Apollo, not counting the one visit he afforded Lavi when it was certain that no one would be around to see them save for the redhead himself.

He passed along the message to the man, though perhaps not entirely everything that Allen or Kanda would have wanted him to. Apollo seemed to expect a trap, and Lavi's own words both confirmed that for him and pleased the older Templar to know for certain. The fact that the Apple was part of the trap came as no surprise to him.

Whether or not passing along the meeting place by informants was a lie or not - half-lie, he would say, technically - he still had some leg-work to do in finding someone to help his ruse along. He had someone particular in mind, deciding familiarity, even if it was sparse, would be better than finding someone neither Allen nor Kanda knew at all.

That led him back to Demir, or rather, leaving a hint for Demir to find him, since the man, much like Apollo, only showed himself on his own terms and on his own time.

It was easy enough to get the man in on what he wanted, considering he would do or say basically anything so long as he was paid to.

When he had everything set up as he needed, he went back to the den, informing his companions that all they would have to do now was wait for the information to reach Apollo.

Demir, as was planned already, showed up some time later, rapping his knuckles on the wall to more or less draw attention and announce himself, and not really bothering with a proper invitation to enter the main room ahead of time, equally as intrusive and arrogant as every other time.

"Knock-knock. Hello again, little flower~"

Allen raised his head, slightly startled but his surprise soon bled into some kind of fond exasperation. It was, however, good to see that he was back to his always-pleasant behavior and way-too-big smiles.

"Demir," he said, nodding his head in greeting, putting a hand on Kanda's arm, to stop him from drawing his sword and cutting the man into pieces. "Fancy to see you! How are you faring?"

Alright, so maybe he was back to his old self, but he still hasn't forgiven the man for the nickname - if the strong sarcasm expertly hidden behind his polite words was any indication.

Kanda was silently murdering the man with his eyes, grinding his teeth so hard that Lavi almost winced at the sound.

"Busy," Demir hummed, crossing his arms and leaning on the wall, though with some notable enough distance between him and Kanda. He was bold, but not stupid enough to press his luck more than he already was. "As you seem to have been as well, from what my birds tell me. Exploding buildings, some falling-outs... some say you rose from the dead, and you even managed to kill off the blacksmith's boy... shame, that. I rather liked him." He sounded less distraught over it than his words implied, more as if he was talking of the weather. "-but I guess it can't be helped, when dogs go rabid."

Allen's face lost its happy shine after the boy was mentioned. At that moment, Kanda decided to intervene.

"Enough," he barked, covering Allen's hand with his own in a silent reassurance and hoping the gesture would go mostly unnoticed. "What do you want?"

The men present in the hall stilled and focused on the man leaning against the doorframe at the sound of Kanda's voice, ready to spring into action if needed. The sudden lack of murmurs and the tension in the air was almost palpable. Allen's subtle gesture made the men relax, but only slightly, and even if they went back to whatever they were doing, none of them let their eyes off the guest.

"You've been leaving bread crumbs," Demir mused, appearing entirely unaffected by the sudden intensity in the air, looking perhaps a touch smug at the reaction he garnered, for better or worse. "Birds love bread crumbs. Word gets around. Your Italian friend, the Templar, has accepted your invitation to settle everything to its finality, as it were."

"Good," Kanda's tone and face turned unnaturally pleasant, which, of course, only lasted for a second until he was back at scowling. "Now get out."

"What," Allen interrupted, "what is the payment?"

"Oh, I can assure you, I've already been paid for this," Demir cooed. "When all is said and done however, you still owe me a demonstration, as you should recall, for first informing you of his name." He pushed off the doorframe, idly stretching his back in an arch. "That is, of course, assuming that you emerge victorious."

Allen straightened his back and raised his chin in determination.

"But of course I will," he said, and his words rang so clear and strong it seemed that doubting him was the most foolish thing a man could do. Kanda grinned at him briefly, satisfied with his partner's iron determination.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though." The swordsman turned to Demir again, his grin gaining a rather vicious, provocative shade. "We do have to take into account that you might not be able to live that long. Accidents do happen."

Pinching Kanda's thigh as hard as he could, Allen continued, gracing the informant with a briliant smile. "But of course, Demir. I stand by my words."

Demir merely smirked at that.

"Good. I look forward to it. Well then... as they say back in Italia, arrivederci ea presto!" He offered a sweeping bow, almost mockingly so, before walking off into the streets.

"Well he's still as pleasant as ever," Lavi mused with a hint of sarcasm, having otherwise remained silent up to that point.

"And dead pretty soon," Kanda growled, jerking his head towards the exit. Two assassins immediately stood up and bolted outside without any further inquiry.

Allen stared at him in disbelief. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing?" Kanda answered, looking way too satisfied with himself. "Merely making sure I won't ever hear his annoying voice. Ever. Again."

"Why?" the whitehead screeched, throwing his hands in the air. Kanda refused to elaborate but Lavi was pretty sure it was partially because of Demir's nickname for Allen. He briefly recalled how livid the man was when Demir made his last appearance at the den, gifting his lover with a harmful little flower.

"You sure know how to show your gratitude, Yuu," Lavi mused somewhat sarcastically, before shrugging. "Anyway, Demir aside, there are other, more pressing people to worry about now. I imagine Apollo won't go down easily, even with our improved odds."

"I will show my gratitude by killing him swiftly."

"Stop it!" Allen scolded, slapping his arm. "What's gotten into you again? He's helping us! Anyway," he said, turning to Lavi now, "I think the three of us with the advantage of the bomb will be able to deal with him rather easily."

He was confident, yes, more so because he opted not to voice his final decision of using the Apple again if the plan was to fail. He swore he would protect it until his last breath and he intended to hold to that oath until he wouldn't be able to keep walking again.

Lavi nodded his agreement, keeping some of his own decisions to himself.

"Hopefully so. Once we manage to catch him off guard, the tables should turn in your favor. With any luck, this'll be the end of it."

"No," Allen protested with determination, "this will be the end of it - there's no other option anymore."

"Then we should get ready," Lavi mused, smiling faintly.

Not long after, the two assassins Kanda had sent out returned, Demir having given them the slip almost as quickly as his unannounced appearance. Regardless and though somewhat unhappy about it, the man was more focused on the greater evil that was Apollo.

Suffice to say, that meant both Allen and Kanda arming themselves to the teeth and the toes, readying themselves for a battle that they hoped would go smoothly and more easily than past attempts. Lavi was a little more minimalistic in arming himself, mainly only opting for his spear. If all went according to their discussed plans, he wouldn't need much weaponry or armor anyway.

Most of the rest of the assassins were ordered back, partially for fear Apollo might not show otherwise and partially for their own safety while Allen, Kanda, and Lavi would deal with the threat.

After being armored up and armed, they headed out towards the Imperial District on the opposite side of the city, to the graveyard where they were meant to meet with Apollo. Lavi allowed Allen and Kanda to lead the way, taking up the rear. He'd like to say he'd gotten a fairly good handle of the rooftop navigation by now, though Allen and Kanda still had him bested in practice and skill with it.

The graveyard in the far corner was a fair ways from any buildings, forcing them to drop back down to ground level and walk. They reached the location first, though it was probably a fair bet to guess that Apollo was near and watching, likely to make sure they didn't bring the entire Assassin Order to the rendezvous.

Even so, they didn't need to wait long.

They stood in the shadow of the chapel, peaking around the corner to scan the soon-to-be battlefield. Allen nervously fidgeted with the hilt of his monstrous silvery greatsword that was strapped to his back, and Lavi had to admit that he had some difficulties understanding just how was the whitehead able to stay as agile as before with that on his back.

Kanda looked as stoic as ever but he, too, wasn't able to conceal his nervousness fully, going by how he fisted his own sword.

Lavi watched them exchange a non-verbal message before Allen walked out of the shadows and loaded the mechanism on his left arm, shooting the wall at the other side of the graveyard.

The sound that rang out was clear and concise, a boom that disturbed the otherwise stiflingly still air.

He took note of his companion's tension as he hung off to the side slightly, resting his spear-point into the ground and both hands idly resting on top of the opposite end, the only hint of his own edginess being the silent tapping of one index finger against his knuckles.

Within moments, Apollo appeared, not far from where Allen had fired, walking with such casual confidence it was almost blatantly arrogant. Lavi knew, though, that he had little reason not to be. He stopped not far, though certainly with enough distance to react should any of them try something sudden.

Allen said nothing. His face twisted into a frown as he took a few steps closer, his shoulders tense and pose rigid. Kanda stalked forward as well, but stopped few paces behind Allen, his eyes never leaving the Templar.

"And so here we are at last," Apollo hummed when it became apparent that Allen and Kanda had nothing to say, whether because they were waiting for him or they could not think of how to begin. "I'm told that you are ready to give in, and surrender the Apple to me." When Allen went to reach for it - or rather, the replica - he spoke and halted him, his revealing words causing them to go slightly rigid. "Oh, I wouldn't bother with taking it out to use against me. You think I'm unwise to your intentions, but I already know the trap you intend to spring, in its entirety. You and I both know we aren't here for bloodless resolution."

Allen's heart jumped into his throat. He looked at Kanda, his eyes wider than before, desperately trying to cover his panic and failing. Kanda returned his gaze mutely and then slowly drew his sword.

"What are you going on about?" he barked, carefully shifting into an offensive stance. Allen also reached for his sword but couldn't help but to glance behind where Lavi was. Of whom Lavi was making it a point not to look back at him, expression unreadable and focused more on Apollo than anything else.

"Well, to be honest, even had I not been told of it, I would have been a fool not to suspect," Apollo told them, toying idly with a weapon of his own, not seeming overly concerned with Kanda's new stance brandishing his sword. "Both of you have been tenacious thorns in my side for a long time, and I'm not dim enough to believe you would simply give it up, even after all of my efforts thus far to tire you."

Allen's hand slid down from the handle of his sword. "Then let´s end it here," he said, his voice disturbingly calm.

Kanda shifted, gritting his teeth. "You are not going to use it - not while I still draw breath. Don't you dare!" he whispered loudly enough only for Allen to hear. They were both drawn to the edge of a cliff with no way out but using the Apple was not an option. Not anymore.

They both knew what Apollo meant, and yet they both waited for someone to say it out loud.

Kanda was ready to turn around and charge if needed but he didn't dare to let his eyes stray from the Templar.

Apollo's smile broadened, carrying a hint of deadly confident malice just beneath the surface.

"Yes, let us finally see the end of it," he agreed, his gaze shifting over to Lavi as the redhead lifted his weapon up properly. "After all, with two on each of our sides, it will be much more of an even match this time."

Kanda's arms shook with rage but he couldn't look over at Allen. With a roar he charged forward, missing Apollo by a hair's breath.

Allen slowly turned around, waiting for Lavi to come completely out. "I'm not going to fight you," he said, squaring his shoulders.

Lavi stared back at him, though there was nothing in his demeanor to suggest a bluff, and his tone was frigid.

"Then don't. You can simply surrender the Apple over, and that will be that," he said, pausing for a moment, before he shrugged. "At least, that's what I would recommend, but both of us know that you won't." He turned to face Allen properly, brandishing his weapon and giving Allen a few seconds to prepare himself at least. "If that truly turns out to be the case, then I'll just have to take it from you by force, though I'd hope you'd make it easy."

Allen bit his lower lip and frowned in defiance, raising his chin higher as if to dare Lavi to attack. He tried not to flinch at the sounds of the battle between Kanda and Apollo in the background.

He held Lavi's gaze and forced himself to relax and swallow down his madly beating heart.

"Very well, then," Lavi muttered, pausing only long enough to adjust his grip on his weapon and then leaping forward, taking a jab at the white-haired male with the point of his spear.

Allen dodged in the last second, sustaining only a scratch on his armored chest.

"Why?" he gasped, backing away from the redhead, tortured by his own mind that screamed at him to draw his weapon and defend himself.

Lavi took another swipe, missing as Allen leapt back away from him without drawing a single weapon against him. He couldn't help but crack a smirk, one that was mirthless and weary, making him appear far too old and tired.

"Why? Because I'm exhausted with the human condition. Of wars, and the greed and prejudice that causes them. As just one man, there's not much I can do, and as a bookman, there's even less, but its exactly because of the path I've been on that I can see that so clearly. Our kind has had more than ten thousand years to achieve peace and end all wars, but all we've managed to do is decline further and further. With the Pieces at their disposal, the Templars will end that." He frowned, his expression once again turning as fortified as steel, readying to attack again. "I want to finally see it. A world free from wars and suffering. I won't let anyone, not even you, get in the way of that."

Allen almost stumbled when he heard that. Another slash and stab, this time making his hand reach for his weapon but he caught himself before his fingers even brushed against the hilt.

"What happened to the ´never interfere rule in your books?!" he said, surprising himself with his own spiteful tone.

"When the world is free of wars, there'll be no need for bookmen," he said simply. "And then, no need for such rules."

He charged in again, and managed to just barely nick the side of Allen's face with a small laceration from the tip of his spear, far too close to his eye for anyone's comfort.

"Are you listening to yourself?! La-" So taken aback by the words, Allen failed to notice a gravestone behind him and tripped, ending up on his back. Despite being used to the weight of the sword when on his feet, it proved to be a big disadvantage when he was lying on the ground. He had to roll to the side to dodge the spear that hit the ground where his chest has been just a second ago, clumsily scrambling to his feet and stumble again under the weight.

He parried the next attack with his hidden blade and growled.

"Stop this nonsense!"

The only answer he received was an abrupt change of direction of Lavi's weapon, using the blunt end to smack him in the side of the head and stun him, followed by a kick that the redhead aimed at his gut to send him sprawling.

The whitehead cursed, finding himself on the ground for the second time, barely dodging the spear again.

"Idiot! Draw your sword!" he heard Kanda yell from where he was trying to keep Apollo from advancing.

"I will not fight him!" Allen yelled back and parried again which left his right tingling unpleasantly.

Lavi, however, didn't appear to have any such same reservations. He didn't even flinch when his spear caught Allen's side, leaving it faintly tinged red, and his blade came far too close to Allen's neck at one point as he advanced with his attacks, most others of which Allen managed to parry or dodge.

"Idiot!" Kanda yelled from the distance when the whitehead sunk to one knee. Apollo used the distraction to bring his dagger into the swordsman's shoulder and kick him to the side.

"Is this the great legacy of Neah Campbell? What a shame you turned out to be - I'm sure he would be disappointed," Apollo taunted as he slowly made his way towards him.

"Shut your mouth!" Allen spat, the weak spark of confusion and betrayal turning into a fullfledged flame of rage. "How dare you speak of him you murderer!"

Kanda groaned on the ground and stood up. He knew exactly where this was going - mentioning the one thing that made Allen feel sore and angry even after all those years. He didn't know what exactly happened, but he knew enough to fill in the gaps. Apollo was trying to bait the sprout, force him to lash out in anger and recklessness and he was doing a great job at it.

He knew exactly how reckless Allen could get and the fact that the real Apple still sat in the pouch on his side did not help Kanda's worry.

"Don't listen to him!" the swordsman tried again, collecting himself and charging again.

"It makes me think about how he called your name before he died!" the man sneered.

Lavi looked between them for a moment, recalling something from before. Allen had mentioned something of a man called Neah, a friend of his who died. It was no mystery that Apollo, going by his words, had been responsible.

He saw Allen reach for his sword and turn his sights on Apollo, and the redhead jumped in to block his way, catching the edge of the sword with his spear length. The power behind it was no small force either, and for a moment he couldn't help but be glad that Allen was unlikely to use it fully against him, unlike Apollo.

He shoved Allen back and advanced forward, seeking to put some distance between them and Apollo, while Kanda rejoined the fight to take away the other man's attention.

"Lavi," Allen warned, aiming the tip of his disturbingly big blade at the redhead, "step away."

Lavi eyed Allen's sword with a healthy respect for its size, but he didn't waver. If that weapon managed to gain a lot of momentum, it could prove a real problem, so he determined he would simply have to make sure it couldn't.

"Not a chance," he answered simply, lunging forward and using his lighter weapon to his advantage to make quick movements that would hopefully serve to impede Allen's so that he couldn't use his blade effectively.

Except the weight of the sword didn't really do much to slow Allen down.

The whitehead swung it around, narrowly missing Lavi's side and Allen's delicate weight really worked in his advantage when instead of stopping the sword to swing the other way, he spun around thanks to the momentum and parried the bookman's attack.

"I am not here to fight you! Move!" the whitehead yelled and attacked again, this time swinging downwards.

Lavi lifted his weapon to block the swing, the force of which splintered one of the segments as the two impacted. He hissed and couldn't help but think unhappily that something may have also splintered in his arm closest to where it hit, a sharp pain traveling from wrist to elbow.

Allen - naturally - used the moment to try and rush past him, but he caught the man with the length of his spear handle and twisted him back around, shoving him the opposite way he intended to go.

Ignoring the pain in his arm, he rushed forward, and Allen was forced to block one of his own blows. They traded a few more for a moment, and Lavi had a moment to glance over at Kanda and Apollo, noting they were a suitable enough distance away for his purposes.

He blocked another attack headed his way, openly wincing as the same arm from earlier gave under sharp pain, but ignored it again.

"Allen, I need you to listen to me carefully, and do as I say without question," he ground out from teeth clenched against the small inferno in his arm, his tone willing the white-haired man to listen to him and voice low enough not to be overheard. "I'm going to come at you again. Use your smoke bombs when I do, and make it big."

The drastic change of tone in Lavi's voice made Allen's anger pop like a bubble. He eyed him hesitantly, taking a few steps back and craning his neck to see how Kanda was faring before focusing back at the redhead.

It was a gamble. Fifty-fifty chance that Lavi would bluff and kill him and yet the way he said it made everything so different. He stared the man in the eye, searching for something that would help him see his real intentions, but Lavi was a pretty damn good actor and he wasn't sure.

Questions and doubts - and Allen didn't have the luxury to find answers to them.

So when Lavi charged again, he grabbed a pair of smoke bombs and smashed them against the dirt, letting himself fall to the ground when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

When the smoke cleared, Allen lay soaked in blood.

A/N: Little cliffhanger for all of you :D Cuz I'm an evil shit like that. Anyhow, enjoy your update!