Yeah, I got reviews sor here's the new chapter! Also, many have asked already so let me make things clear: Allen and Lenalee's couple will be... kind of complicated. Like, there'll be hints, but nothing much. I believe that, being in a war and also with what'll come next with Nea, Allen can't afford to have any sort of relationship with her. It would be to cruel for him to say "I love you" before going to the final battle knowing he'll die. Allen isn't cruel like that. So! Lenalee/Allen ship, but barely present!

Answer: Well, let's just say that Leahcar-chan got one right! *cheers*

Enjoy!

"So, you're saying that the Case is now inside Lenalee?!" repeated Komui, bordering on the hysterical.

"Yep" I popped the 'P'. "But don't worry. It'll come out once we get the three other fragments and the Heart together"

"But why did it do this?" asked my girl friend, eying her carved palm in curiosity.

"Without the Heart, the Case is extremely fragile, which is why it was easily broken in four pieces" I repeated Gabriel's explanation. "So, they tend to seek protection. Seeing as you broke it's current safety net, so to speak, you became the new one until we find its peers and the Innocence it's supposed to protect. You won't be able to get it out before that, though"

She nodded, and Komui rubbed his temples, apparently tired. The mission really hadn't went like planned, what with us being unable to come back as promise seeing as Allen couldn't open a gate. We passed two and a half days in there.

Two and a half days too much. You really had to do the big deal, uh?

Eh, it was safe for thousand of years. I needed a safe place to hide it, and I was getting desperate. Sue me.

Tche.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it" shrugged Reever. "How about you all go get some rest? You had a rough few days"

The idea of sleeping in a bed and not having to worry about poisonous spiders and killing plants was appealing, but I was worried at the same time. I would more than probably discover the location of the second fragment, and I was kind of concerned to see exactly where it was.

You sound so distrusting.

I lost faith at Darién Gap.

Touché.

::

There was a whistle. It sounded like a kettle forgotten on the fire.

I jumped back, just in time to avoid the toxic gas spit from a geyser just ahead.

Covering my nose to avoid breathing the dangerous chemicals, I slowly made my way through the holes in the ground, which was practically eroding under each of my step.

And it was hot, almost like my skin was melting.

There was another whistle, and I jumped on the side. Nearly loosing my balance, I let out a a shaky breath as red-orange lava bubbled a few meters down.

The roc suddenly disaggregate under my weight, and I plummeted towards the deadly river as flames rise around me, engulfing me in-

::

"Fuck!"

It was even worst than the first time. However, as Gabriel muttered soothing words in the back of my mind, I managed to calm down.

The second Case had revealed itself.

So, Trickster? Where are we going?

"What!?"

I winced at the volume of the voice as Komui started pacing around in a dramatic gesture, his arms wailing around in protest.

"You're saying that the second Case is in the fricking Danakil Desert!?" he repeated.

"What now?" grunted Kanda.

"To be honest, I have no idea either" I admitted.

I had never heard of that place before, but it sounded bad.

"Danakil Desert" Jiji took charge. "A few teams were sent there, but they never came back with all the members. Most of them had died after breathing the toxic mist emanating from the geysers, or just fell to their death in lava"

"There's also a lot of military action, seeing as it's on the border lands of Eritrea and Ethiopia" pursued Reever.

"A few that came back also turned insane due to the heat" added Dap. "It's the hottest place on the whole planet, and many described it as the earthly apparition of Hell"

"Charming" I scrunched my nose.

"So… who's going?" asked Lavi.

"Well, we can't send back Lenalee, now that she's protecting the First Case" Tiedoll said. "Kanda is still under some effects of the bite, so he's not going either"

"You old geezer, I-"

I hit the back of the jerk once, sending him to dreamland.

The others sweatdropped as he slumped in the couch, unconscious.

"He's going to kill you when he wakes up" Allen pointed out.

I just shrugged.

"Lau Shimin won't be able to stand the heat" added Klaud apologetically.

"Me neither" nodded Bookman. "It's bad for my skin"

"You damn panda" grunted Lavi.

Said panda kicked him harshly, sending him flying in the bookshelves.

"So… for now, it's me, Bookboy, Kiddo and Buffy?" I resumed.

"I'm in" Sokaro's lips formed a toothy grin. "I don't want to miss out on the fun this time"

"I will come too" announced Marie.

"Err… no offense, Cherub, but you're kind of blind"

Lenalee whacked my arm for my lack of tact, but the man simply smiled at me.

"I am well aware, Ary. However, I should be able to hear the geysers before they erupt"

"And since his hearing isn't actually Innocence, it'll work like a charm" added Lavi, sitting back next to me and sending a glare at his grandfather.

"Allow us to come too"

We all turned our heads to Link and Tokusa, who had taken a step forward.

"We can use our papers to protect ourselves from the chemicals" explained the blond.

"Your magic paper can do that?" I blinked, confused.

"They're called Feathers" corrected Tokusa.

"Whatever"

"Well then, it would seem the whole team is complete" concluded Komui with a sigh. "Get ready to depart"

"Hai!"

Having learned our lesson, we left our old uniforms behind and took all of our supplies with us, not knowing when we'd be able to come back.

After that, Allen managed to open a gate at a day from our destination.

"You truly went everywhere with your Master, ne, Allen?" Lavi gazed around in wonder.

"Watch out!"

There was a small explosion, and an obliterated tarantula landed on the ground, an inch from Lavi's foot. It had jumped to his face, but Link had stopped it with a Feather.

The redhead gulped at little, quickly stepping away.

"Welcome to Africa" I joked.

We were in Djibouti, capital of the African country of the same name. Like last time, we bought last minutes supplies and decided to pass the night in the city before heading in search of the Second Case.

Feeling some heavy stares following us around, I then realized that more or less all the civilians present were watching us as we made our way through the market.

You look like rich travelers to them. Be careful.

Think we can spare some money?

Hime, handing to three or four of them some money won't change the world.

It will for those three or four persons.

He sighed, but said no more and, diving in my pocket, I went to an old man sitting on the ground, his skin tanned by the sun and his few white hair almost falling off.

I crouched next to him and smiled as he eyed me with some sort of suspicion. Then, I handed him a few coins. He gaze at the money with surprise, before smiling back at me, revealing his four last teeth still hanging on.

"Merci" (T: Thank you)

It was my turn to be surprised, and someone leaned over my shoulder.

"French is the official language along with Arabic" informed Lavi.

"Oh. Pas de problème. Passez un bonne journée!" (T: Oh. No problem. Have a nice day!)

Getting back on my feet, the old man bowed deeply his head.

"Que Dieu bénisse votre âme et votre bonté" (T: May God bless your soul and your kindness)

I simply offered another smile, but my eyes were drawn to a bunch of kids on the other side of the street.

Hime, don't-

I can spare some more, they barely have any skin on their bones!

However, as I took a step forward, Lavi grabbed my shoulders and turned me back to the street, before pushing me ahead.

"O-oi! Bookboy, stop it!" I protested, trying to turn back. "Come on, it'll take a second!"

"Ary" his tone was serious, but gentle. "I know you want to do well, but there are many more than this man and these kids. When you don't have anymore to give to the rest of them, you'll feel bad for days about it"

"I won't- okay, fine" I grunted, and stopped struggling. "But now, I feel bad for abandoning them"

My boyfriend muttered something under his breath, making me frown.

"What? I didn't catch that"

He sighed, before hugging me. I blinked, surprised at the sudden embrace.

"You're like a spark of light in this dark, dark world" he muttered, making me freeze. "Sometimes, I'm afraid that this spark will die and disappear to the hands of the obscurity surrounding us day and night. However, you keep fighting back, but it scares me even more because the more you push, the more it'll destroy you. You give so much of yourself to anyone who crosses your path, and I seriously wonder what'll happen when you won't have anymore to give"

I stayed silent in his embrace for a moment, before grinning.

"That won't happen" I assured. "'Cause you'll always be here to pick me up"

He let out a sharp laugh, and finally let go. I grabbed his hand in mine.

"Come on, we've got to join the others now"

Well… that was deep.

Don't mock him. I think it was sweet.

True, too. Committing yourself is an honorable act, but if you get too involved, it'll destroy you from the inside.

I'll keep that in mind. But…

But?

I still feel bad for the kids.

Idiot.

"Welcome to the Danakil Desert, a wonderful touristic area where said tourists are more than probably going to die from the heat, the toxic gas or the erupting volcanoes" I drawled, wiping away some sweat.

"Aren't you just a little ball of sunshine today?" grunted Lavi.

"So sorry, I'll cry of joy next time we walk to our potential doom" I deadpanned.

Sokaro snorted. He seemed to find me hilarious, which I was quite proud of.

"So, where too, Ary?" asked Krory.

The now familiar pull was barely present, but I could feel it nowadays as the scenery, foreign yet familiar, extended on kilometers around us.

I turned to the South.

"This way"

"You heard the lady boys" called the Marshall. "Let's move"

"I ain't a lady, Zombie-dude" I shook my head, falling in step with him. "I'm more of the dragon keeping watch"

"Yeah, right" my boyfriend rolled his eye. "You're more of a Banshee than a dragon"

"Really? Well, Banshee are cool too…"

That made the dark-skinned man laughed.

"I've said it before Little Girl, and I'll say it again: you're weird"

"I'll take that as a compliment"

"She's not weird, she's insane" scoffed Tokusa, just behind us.

"That too" I agreed. "But then again, aren't we all? I mean, who in their right mind would come here willingly?"

"Touché" huffed Allen, turning red again under the unforgiving rays.

"We're all mad here" I chanted. "I'm mad. You're mad. We're entirely bonkers, but let me tell you a secret: all the best people are"

"Cheshire Cat?" Lavi snorted.

"He's more than probably the only cat I'll tolerate" I shrugged.

"That's right, you're allergic to these things" recalled Sokaro, grinning at the memory of my sneezing fit when Headquarters was attacked.

"That's pathetic" snorted Tokusa.

"Funny, I was going to say the same about you" I retorted without missing a beat.

He glared, and I made a peace sign with a mocking grin.

And thus began our journey in the hottest desert in the world.

"Right"

We all stepped to the left, and there was a whistle before the geyser sent it's toxic fumes.

Covering our noises and mouths with the Feathers created by the Thirds and Link, we passed through without much trouble.

"Ahead"

We stopped, letting another eruption take place before pursuing on our way.

"Left"

Obeying once more to Marie's command, we jumped to the right.

"We have… to take… shelter…" I panted. "We can't… go on… with this… heat…"

"A… greed" nodded Link, in the same state.

"It's… reaching the… 111 F°…" informed Lavi. "Any more… and we'll risk… dying from hyper… termia…"

After a few more minutes, me managed to find some shade under a pile of gigantic rocks. It wasn't fresh per se, but it was better than in plain sun.

"Pussies" grunted Sokaro, apparently just fine.

"Go jump in the lava or something…" I huffed.

He just laughed.

Bastard.

The first night fall quickly, and I shivered slightly.

If the day was hot as hell, the night was cold as fricking Antarctica. Well, in our bare clothing, at least.

However, not wanting to risk some sort of accident –like a volcanic eruption-, we stayed cleared from the lava sources and the geysers. Plus, not wanting to signal our location, we didn't lighten up a fire, seeing as it would be easily spotted on this dry land.

But, I didn't want to be cold the whole night either. So, without any more ceremonies, I settled myself comfortably between Lavi's leg, leaning on his chest.

He chuckled, before closing his arms around me.

Tokusa eyed us, before shaking his head, which made me grin.

"Jealous, Kermit?" I called his way.

He blinked a few times, wrapping his head around the new nickname.

"W-what did you call me!?"

"You hair" I gestured lazily. "It's green, like Kermit's. Even though that frog is more freaky than anyone..."

"Has she gone delirious from the heat already?" asked Link, passing glasses of water.

"I feel like my brain melted and became Jell-O" I admitted, rubbing my temples.

"Not like there's much to melt anyway" grunted Tokusa.

"Hey!"

I tried to go at him to whack his head, but Lavi was holding on tight and wouldn't let me go. In the end, too tired, I gave up and settled back.

"So… who takes first watch?" I asked, stifling a yawn.

"I'll take the whole night" announced the Marshall.

None of us had gone crazy enough to protest as a maniac glint lighted his eyes.

We woke up very early next morning, hoping to use the normal heat to cover as much ground as we could.

So we walked. As I lead the group and Marie guided us through the geysers and the chemical mists, the rest kept an eye out for any movement from the military forces we had heard about.

The ground started shaking, and an heavy black smoke escape from a mountain not too far away.

"An eruption" stated Allen. "We should put more distance between the volcano and us"

"Good idea" nodded Lavi.

However, I couldn't take my eyes off the shaking mount. Something… something…

"Fuck!"

That cry gained my attention and I turned my head to the rest of the group, only to see them running back to my position.

"What's happening?" I frowned.

"Military" simply said Tokusa, gritting his teeth. "Coming straight at us"

"So, killed by the African forces or killed by a volcanic eruption?" I pondered. "Aren't we just a lucky bunch"

"Where's the Second Case, Ary?" asked Krory.

I closed my eyes, trying to locate it despite the ground shaking even harder and the oncoming armed group.

After a few seconds, I finally found the pull, and turned around to follow it… only to stop a step farther.

::

The roc suddenly disaggregate under my weight, and I plummeted towards the deadly river as flames rise around me, engulfing me in their suffocating heat.

I managed to stop my fall by grabbing the roc wall. However, the fragment didn't have as much luck and landed straight into the fire. After a few seconds where it floated above the liquid formation, it sank, taken away by the slow current of the lava.

::

"Ary!"

I snapped my eyes open, and it took me a few seconds to focus on Lavi, just before me. Shaking my head to gain back my senses, I then realized what this meant.

"The fragment…"

"What's happening?" he pressed. "Where is it?"

"The volcano" I answered, still a little out of it. "It's in the volcano"

There was a moment of silence.

Err… oops?

Trickster, I'm going to hit you so hard you'll still feel it in the next century.

We quickly devised a plan. Seeing as we needed the Case, entering in the Volcano was the only solution. So, we divided the group in two. While Link, Tokusa, Sokaro and Marie stayed behind to hold up the military, Lavi, Allen, Krory and I made our way to the fuming mountain.

Lavi, so that he could record.

Allen, so that he could open a gate and get us out of there pronto once we got the damn fragment.

Krory, because he was more resilient than any of us.

As we made our towards the volcano, I stared with wariness at the smoke now hiding the sun. I'd be glad if it didn't meant almost-instant-death.

Explosions echoed far behind, but we didn't look back.

Once at the base of the volcano, I fought back the urge to scream in frustration. The time it'd take us to climb and it would already erupt.

Stay calm, Ary. Can't you feel it? The Second Case is closer, now. It'll more than probably be rejected during the eruption.

I let out a deep breath.

"What do we do now?" asked Allen.

"We wait" I answered. "Trickster said it should be in the lava when it erupts"

"That's nice and all, but how are we going to grab it?" replied Lavi.

"How should I know?" I huffed.

The ground shook again and being so close to the source sent us rolling in the dirt. Then, everything exploded. The mountain spitting it's deadly contents, my wings struggled to keep up.

It burned. Really, really bad.

"We're too close!" I said, gritting my teeth. "If the Second Case comes out now, my Innocence will stop working and we'll be barbequed!"

"Let's move now, then!"

As Lavi extended his hammer to allow us a quick escape, I felt my heart throbbing.

Damn it.

I turned back to the mountain. I could feel the heat literally melting my skin, which wasn't a fun experience, might I add, but I knew it was there, coming down at us.

After a few more second, there was a glint in the lava.

"It's there!" I yelled. "Guys, it's t- fuck!"

I instantly backed away as a few drops landed on my arms. It healed instantly, but damn.

"We can't stay here, Ary! We're going to get killed!" Lavi exclaimed, pulling me away.

"But the Case-"

"We'll search for it later, now come on!"

Knowing he was right despite all, I ignored the call of the the Heart's protection and started running along with the others.

Then, I realized that we were missing someone.

"Buffy!"

Spinning around, it was just in time to see the man using his vampire-like speed to run up the flaming mountain, towards the fragment.

The ground shook once again, and more lava came out in one spurt.

Engulfing our friend.

I stared, horrified, barely aware that the redhead had lifted me from the ground.

Was Buffy… dead?

It hit me like a truck.

"KRORY!"

Everything had happened very fast. We had managed to find a shelter from the explosions and debris as the volcano spilled it's anger upon the earth, but I couldn't forget the sight that had occurred sooner.

When everything finally calmed down, I still wasn't able to talk.

He was dead.

Krory was dead.

And so… so stupidly, at that.

Hime, he-

He's dead. He's fucking dead! How can he be fucking dead!?

Hime, he's-

It's my fault! If I hadn't guided them so close-

ARY!

WHAT!?

He's not dead!

My heart missed a beat.

Uh?

He's alive! Try to sense him.

By now frowning, I sent my aura around, searching for his rose-scented one. After a few seconds, I managed to spot him. It was weak, but present.

"He's alive!" I blurted out.

"Ary!?" I had startled Allen.

"Krory!" I repeated, getting back on my feet. "He's alive, I can sense him! Come on!"

We ran back towards the now calm volcano, it's lava already solidifying as the smoke cleared the sky.

"Ary, if you can sense him, then that means he must have gotten the fragment!" Lavi suddenly realized.

Which is why he's still alive.

How-

Krory must have grabbed it before being engulfed by the lava, therefore becoming its safety net, as you put it. You might think they're just some parts of a container, but the fragments are actually another form of Innocence, destined to protect, but also to be protected. It goes both ways, which is why it saved him just as he saved it.

"I found him!"

At Allen's cry, we changed directions, and found the man crawling out from an hardened lava river.

"Hey…" he greeted weakly.

"YOU IDIOT! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!?"

He just smiled at my outburst, before blacking out.

I sighed, relieved, and the white-haired boy placed an hand on my shoulder.

"I'll get him back on the Ark" he said. "Lavi and you go help out the others"

"Roger that"

When we finally reached the four others, there wasn't much to do, though. All had apparently been taken of rather easily.

"What happened?" asked Marie, probably having heard my scream from sooner.

"Krory fell in the lava, but he's still alive" resumed Lavi. "And he got the Second Case"

"Wait, how can he still be alive?" asked Tokusa, confused.

I repeated what Gabriel had said sooner and, at that moment, another gate opened next to us. Allen passed his head.

"Is anyone else injured?" he asked around.

"We're all fine, Kiddo" I assured. "So… let's go back? I'm starting to get hungry"

That earned some laughs, and we went back onto the Ark, leaving behind us a now silent volcano, some fuming lands and a very destroyed and confused military legion.

I know it might sound weird for someone to survive a little swim in a lava river but hey! It's Krory we're talking about. You know, our oh-so-dear vampire that survived Jasdevi in a blood form, quite literally? So yeah, he's alive and became the Host of the Second Case.

Question: Okay, it's kind of like a poll, but I need as many opinions as I can. You can answer even after this chapter, of course.

So, If I was to write a new fanfiction, for which universe would it be:

A) D. Gray-Man (yes, again) ;-)

B) Fairy Tail

C) Tokyo Ghoul

D) Other?

Love you all, dear readers! Reviews please!