A/N: I'm back for yet another update!(: In this chapter, I'll be depicting Allen's time in the Order with a nice variety of different points of views like I mentioned in my last author's note. I certainly hope you'll all like it, and thank you to Ennael, KillerAkuma, FireFox Vixen, and Takei Daloui for reviewing the last chapter!n_n I always love hearing from my readers!

Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: It's all fun and games until someone starts claiming whole fandoms for themselves… So I will disclaim this. At least, for the time being. *evil grin*

Chapter 4

Time Frame — Night of January 17th, 1896

—3rd Person POV—

~Lavi~

The new kid sure was strange. But it had taken less than the past couple days of train rides and walking on foot to allow Lavi to realize this. There really was something peculiar about the younger red-headed boy that put the Bookman Junior on edge. He couldn't put his finger on it, but Lavi though that it might just be his complete ease. Don't get him wrong; the pipsqueak was attentive enough, especially when Kanda made any sort of move for his katana. But the younger boy had effortlessly joined them, as if he had no real care that he was being forced to join a secret war and would never be allowed to see his family again. Could it be that the shortstack was just ignorant?

"So what is it that you were doing so far from home, beansprout?" he asked with a teasing grin, as they walked further down the pathway, knowing how much the nickname irritated Allen after Kanda had dubbed him with it. They would be nearing Headquarters in about another hours time and Lavi figured he'd postponed his questions long enough, what with having to carefully observe him for the past couple days.

In turn, the short boy scowled in response to the nickname before giving him an odd glance, which Lavi easily deciphered. Why was he suddenly asking him this? After all, it had been days since they'd had their chance to quell their curiosity of him. Not that Kanda had wanted to know anything, and Lenalee had only been willing to venture as far as decorum would allow. Nonetheless, he answered sarcastically, "Gee, Lavi, I don't know. Maybe, I just found it a little difficult to stay home when I'm being hunted down by an insane family that has deemed it their priority to slaughter me."

His derisive remark hardly fazed the Bookman-in-training. Instead, he continued with his silly smile, "Aw, no need to be so snippy, Ally-kins~. But seriously, why would the Noah Clan be so determined to pursue a lone Exorcist? And three of them at once to boot!" Lavi peered down at him with an inquisitive gaze, causing the boy to squirm.

Surprisingly enough, this managed to gain Kanda's attention. Narrowing his eyes at the younger red-head, he roughly spoke up, "He's right, beansprout. What the hell are you not telling us?"

Allen squirmed for a moment, before he came to an abrupt stop and unexpectedly began to rake through his rucksack. Shoveling his bizarre umbrella and a couple articles of clothing aside, he finally pulled out a strange artifact. It was slightly filthy and scraped up, but all the same, the golden broadsword remained untarnished. Lavi gripped his own Innocence, along with his companions, in response at the feeling that resonated from the sword. Innocence. Allen held it out, allowing them a clear view while hesitantly speaking up. "They weren't only after me. I managed to locate Abaddon under my Master's orders, and unfortunately had a run-in with them before I could escape. I was actually supposed to bring this to Headquarters and stay in order to officially become an Exorcist." Lavi was about to ask who this supposed master was, and why simply obtaining a second piece of Innocence would earn him the wrath of the Noah. But Allen continued before he had the chance.

"To be honest, I think they're mostly after because they have some sort of grudge against my Master. Goodness, I hate that man," Allen groused, before putting the broadsword back in his bag as they resumed their trek.

"Allen, who's your master? Is it one of the Generals?" Lenalee was the first to ask.

In response, the squirt nodded. "Yeah, it's General Cross."

"Cross?! But we all believed the General to be dead!" the female Exorcist gasped.

Allen grimace. "Nope. He's alive and kicking alright. I've been apprenticed to him for about two years, but he's allowed me to keep in contact with my family. Said if I was sneaky about it, that I could continue to do so even after I formally joined."

Lavi didn't think this to be odd. A large number of members did this under the nose of the Supervisor well enough, and though many had been caught and sacked because of it, Lavi had yet to see a stop to it. There was something that he had noticed, though. His single eye briefly made contact with Kanda's, and the other's eyebrows rose as if asking, Well? Is that all you've got on the idiot beansprout? Lavi momentarily grinned before his expression sobered. "You know, shortstack, it still doesn't make any sense. Why would the Noah suddenly halt their pursuit? Sure, we came into the picture, but you'd think that would only goad them on more; make it more entertaining for them in fact. Come to think of it, we haven't even been attacked by Akuma in days…"

When this was brought into perspective, both Lenalee and Kanda frowned along with him, while Allen simply seemed confused. This only furthered Lavi's suspicions. As Exorcists, they always carried their Innocence with them, along with the occasional extra piece they were recovering. Sooner or later, it was practically mandatory to simply attract Akuma, and with all four of them traveling together, along with the extra piece of Innocence Allen admitted to having, Lavi was hard-pressed to believe there wasn't something going on with their newest Exorcist when they hadn't even so much as encountered a Level 1.

Before he could think of anymore questions for the fidgeting beansprout, Lenalee butted in with a scolding glare. "Lavi, would you quit interrogating Allen as if he were the bad guy? We're just arriving, and we're trying to make him feel welcomed!"

Offering her a lazy smirk, he replied, "Alright, alright, Lenalee. No need to get your panties in a twist."

Before she could angrily retort, Lavi was saved by Allen's awed, "Whoa, this is the place?" The pipsqueak stared up in surprise at the menacing tower looming over them, surpassing even the clouds. Lavi couldn't help but widen his smirk when the younger boy shuddered slightly at the ominous atmosphere emanating around the castle. "It's not what I expected."

Lenalee giggled slightly, and Lavi piped up, "Yep! Well, have fun climbing to the top!" His mercury eyes practically popped out of their sockets at the thought of scaling the enormously jagged cliff.

"Lavi! Quit teasing him," Lenalee admonished him, albeit with an entertained smile, earlier anger thankfully forgotten. Turning to the shorter redhead, she reassured, "It's alright Allen, we'll be taking the elevator."

Allen nodded eagerly with a relieved smile, and Lavi was quite happy to burst that bubble for him. "Actually, Lenalee, on my last check-in with Komui, he was adamant about the shortstack going up to the entrance in order to get him scanned before we allowed him into the premises." Maybe it had something to do with the fact that an entertained smile was playing on his face, but seemed Lenalee herself found it adamant to place the blame on him, especially when he continued on to say "But of course, he said he'd allow his one and only, precious and adorable little sister to go up on the elevator and to not bother straining herself."

"Hmph. I see. Well then, I guess we'll see you at the top Lavi," Lenalee griped, before swiftly activating her Dark Boots and flying up in one quick motion, but not before grabbing a hold of both Allen and Kanda. His hilarity only grew when he heard the beansprout's shout of surprise.

Shaking his head in amusement, Lavi activated his own Innocence and simply rode to the top on its handle.

~Allen~

Allen slightly stumbled along the path at first, disoriented from the abrupt flight Lenalee had taken him on.

"I'm so sorry, Allen!" Lenalee fussed over him with an apologetic expression.

"I-It's quite alright, Lenalee," Allen stuttered, and attempted to reassure her with a shaky smile, all the while ignoring the sneer Kanda threw in his direction. It wasn't just the flight that had unsettled Allen; but the last couple of days as well. The change in atmosphere had just been so brusque, it'd bewildered him. For one, unlike his family, these Exorcists didn't constantly make some joke or the other of committing some type of murder. He'd grown so used to it—or at least grown used to ignoring it—that having such innocent subjects to converse about had been somewhat enjoyable. Even so, Allen felt slightly uncomfortable around them.

He hadn't had to spend time with someone outside his Noah family for more than a polite and meaningless conversation, and was at a complete loss as to how he should be around them. The Earl had given him strict orders to gain their trust, and though he had believed at first that it would be fine as long as more people like Lavi and Lenalee were around, it'd fine. But it seemed he was wrong in that assumption; Lavi was much more perceptive than he'd originally thought. It had shown Allen that despite his carefree act, there was much more lying underneath that playful grin.

Lavi had pointed out things that the others hadn't even thought to question, and in turn, had only made Kanda turn his suspicions on him as well. Allen was just relieved that the Maker had thought to give him a somewhat detailed back story, which was only supported by the knowledge that Lenalee already thought she had of him. He'd even told him to throw in that fib about being apprenticed to some General who thankfully hadn't shown up at the Order for years. Hopefully, Lenalee would find it challenging to remember anything that might have revealed any connection to the Noah and incriminate him. But she was just so optimistic and full of life—everything that had been lacking in that little girl—that he was hard pressed to believe she would. But he could only hope. After all, he'd only been a child and could hardly remember himself.

"Come on, Allen," Lenalee pulled him along once he had managed to orientate himself, following after Kanda who'd already gone ahead of them and was close to nearing the gate.

"Right," Allen managed a nod, and they both sped after him.

"Aw, aren't you going to wait for me?" Allen and Lenalee turned—Kanda didn't even bother—to see Lavi flying up above them, holding onto some sort of sleek, black rod, before it bent down next to them where it deposited Lavi. The tall red-head offered them a large smirk as the pole shrunk down into his miniature Iron Hammer which he strapped to his thigh with ease.

Giving him the cold-shoulder, Lenalee simply wrinkled her nose in distaste and sauntered off after Kanda.

"What's up with her?" Lavi scratched the back of his in mock confusion, though his smile hardly seemed appropriate.

Figuring that his suspicion of him had already grown to the point that Allen doubted he'd gain his favor by merely trying to befriend him, Allen thought it couldn't hurt anymore to simply to be brutally honest. Looking up at him with an irritated expression, Allen replied, "It's like you've told Kanda before. There's no need to be such an ass all the time, Lavi. And a bit of advice; you don't have to act like such an idiot to get people to like you. It's not working anyway." With a shrug accompanying his last statement, Allen began following after the others.

Lavi seemed unaffected by his reply as he casually strolled beside him. "Maybe. But people seemed to be more loose-tongued when they think you're an idiot. Trust me, it's helped me more times than I count." Allen had no idea why Lavi was suddenly opening up to him in a way that he was sure he normally wouldn't do, but allowed him to continue nonetheless. "But let me give you a bit of my own advice, Allen. Having all the answers won't always turn the suspicion away. Sometimes, it'll only make it worse," Lavi whispered inconspicuously with a noticeable wink—or was it a blink?—just before they neared Lenalee and Kanda, who appeared to be conversing with one of the bat-like golems that permeated the night sky.

Allen was no more unsettled by Lavi than he was before. By this point, he figured that the older teen was someone who was not easily fooled, and even if he had been genuine, it was unlikely he would've gained his trust then. Whoever this Lavi character was, he wasn't sincere; and Allen suspected he'd been doing it for so long that he could pick out anyone trying to play his game. The short red-head decided he wouldn't bother. It's not like one suspecting Exorcists would deliberately ruin his image, especially when Lenalee seemed insistent on seeing the good in him. And even more so when the older red-head was busy playing his own game.

"Allen!" Lenalee turned to call to him with a friendly smile. "Come and stand over here, so that the Gatekeeper may give you a quick scan."

Returning her smile, Allen casually handed her his rucksack as he passed her by to take his designated spot. Thankfully, not even Lavi took much notice of his deliberate action. After all, if this scanner was able to detect Akuma, it would certainly be able to detect the Dark Matter the Earl had used in order to make and bring his golem Eira to life.

Allen tried not to jump when the enormous face of the Gatekeeper came to life and bellowed in a resonating voice, "PREPARE FOR AN X-RAY, SO I CAN DETERMINE IF YOU ARE A HUMAN OR AKUMA!" Its bulging eyes abruptly sparked into a pair of dazzling, shafts of light as it began to scan over his form. After a small, nerve wracking moment, it finally decided, "SCAM COMPLETE! HE IS HUMAN!" The Gatekeeper abruptly returned to its previous position, and it was over just like that. Allen released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

Handing his rucksack over, Lenalee said with a smile, "Don't worry, Allen, that was about it. After this, Brother will simply take you to Hevlaska to have your Innocence checked over, and then you can retire for the night. In fact, we could all use a good night's rest."

"Amen to that, sister!" Lavi chuckled, and then released a small yawn as if to prove her point. Letting him know that he had still not been forgiven, Lenalee didn't bother sparing him a glance.

"Brother?" Allen asked, as they made their way inside, the gate closing behind them with a thunderous slam. Out of the corner of his eye, Allen took note of Lavi and Kanda leaving Lenalee the chore of taking care of him.

"Ah, yes, he's the Supervisor around here. In fact, you might even remember him attending the Christmas Ball!" Lenalee exclaimed excitedly.

Allen scrunched his face as he tried to think back on it. It was a bit vague, but… "Oh! Was it the really big guy that kept glaring at me?"

Lenalee burst into peals of laughter. "Yes! That definitely sounds like him!" Sobering slightly, she continued with a small smile, "Please, don't hold it against him though. I'm sure he was only looking out for me. He'd only just earned his position in order to join me here at the time, so he's always been protective."

I can certainly remember why, Allen thought dryly. But only answered with a small, "Of course."

Thankfully, his meeting with Komui and the shocking figure of Hevlaska didn't take long, and he was soon in his own room, thinking of Mana, the Exorcists, and how he really should make a report to the Earl soon.

~Lenalee~

Lenalee was worried. In retrospect, it wasn't an astonishing reaction from her, but she honestly couldn't help but think of Allen and grow concerned each time she did. A little selfishly, Lenalee had actually been somewhat happy that he was joining them. He seemed like the type of friend Lenalee would love to have, and if she were to be honest with herself, she'd sometimes dreamed of meeting him once again; occasionally even envisioning them as more than just friends. But that was not the point!

Right now, she thought of him as her friend, and couldn't understand why he was acting the way he was. He'd been friendly enough when they were traveling to Headquarters, but after the night they'd arrived, he seemed to recluse himself from everyone and everything. Despite all her failed attempts, he continued to keep to himself as if he had suddenly changed his mind about their friendship. But what could have possibly caused such a reaction?

She had brought it up with both Kanda and Lavi, but Kanda had told her to mind her own business and Lavi had only seemed mildly curious before shrugging it off and telling her that he was probably just having a difficult time adjusting. She'd tried bringing it up with Allen, but just like every other time, he'd evaded her.

Well, no matter! She'd already forced Kanda and Lavi to agree into accompanying her into town for the sake of spending time with Allen, and she would not accept no for an answer!

"Gah! Kanda! Help me!" Lenalee suddenly heard the distinctive voice of Allen shout. With a quick burst of speed, Lenalee dashed into the dining hall, where she came face to with an enormous robot. Trying to take it all in at once, she noticed the cowering Finders in one corner, while Allen was being held up by the robot. In turn, Kanda was calmly sitting at table right in front of the dangling Allen, casually eating his soba. Before Lenalee could burst into action though, the robot took a wrong step, unintentionally stepping right on Kanda's lunch, and crushing it before his very eyes. Intentional or not, Kanda slid Mugen out in one swift motion and slit the machine into pieces with an irritated, "Che."

"NOOO! MY DEAR KOMURIN! HOW COULD THEY DO THIS TO YOU?!" Lenalee blinked in shock, as she saw her brother come out of nowhere and burst into dramatic tears, weeping over the loss of his idiotic piece of junk.

Lenalee face-palmed. Hopefully Allen wouldn't be too put out, and would actually agree to her plans for once…

~Allen~

Allen's thoughts had been too muddled to even think of what Lenalee had been trying to ask him at the time. Unfortunately, a short trip to the Hospital Wing later had Allen realizing that he'd agreed to accompany her into town, and was now, doing just that, along with Kanda and Lavi. This was the exact sort of interaction that he'd been hoping to avoid! It wasn't until his first night at Headquarters, after he'd reported to the Earl, that his eyes had been truly opened to the situation he was in. He was going to be the death of these people!

Okay, maybe that was a little too dramatic, but still, it pained him to think the sort of turmoil he could cause just by simply befriending them. He'd only been here for about two weeks and had already gone out on two different missions with some new Exorcists that he'd met, and they had taken quite a liking to him, just like Lenalee had, which only made him dread the consequences. How could it be this easy to fool these people?! They were hardened by the war, but some of them were just so gullible! Couldn't they see the mark over his head that practically screamed traitor?! Ugh, why did he ever think he could follow through with this…?

And the answer? He hadn't. All he'd known was that anything the Earl said, it goes. Why? Because he knew how important this was in order to protect Mana. The Noah may be out to destroy humanity, but he knew they also held a grudge against Mana after what happened with Neah, and wouldn't hesitate to go after him first. Fortunately, they had yet to know of his relation to him, and he would try to keep it that way, for as long as he could manage.

Still, he had no clue as to what to do. The Millenium Earl had said that he wanted him there for at least a couple months, and to get started as soon as possible. He wanted to cause complete chaos in the Black Order before he officially struck. Allen just wished he didn't have to be at the center of it.

"What's with the long face, Ally-kins?" Lavi nudged him with a teasing grin.

Allen grimaced. "I just don't see why I have to come along."

Throwing an arm around him, Lavi exclaimed, "I guess you just can't help that everyone else seems to think you're a likable guy."

"I could say the same for yourself," Allen grumbled; he'd noticed that Lavi wasn't always such a jerk and it seemed almost everyone considered themselves his friend, though he was sure Lavi thought differently. Whatever this Bookmen Clan was, Allen thought it might've been as bad as the Noah.

"Trust me, shortstack, it's probably just for the best," Lavi shrugged, though for once, his grin had dimmed somewhat.

Allen sighed. "I just wished they all weren't so oblivious." Allen thought that maybe Lavi had nodded with him in agreement, but it might've just been his imagination.

Time Frame — Afternoon of February 26th, 1896

The fourteen-year-old walked down the crowded lanes with an irritated huff. They'd only just arrived, and already Kanda had ditched him in order to complete the mission. Said some nonsense about holding him back and whatnot. In his defense, Allen had already been on a small number of missions, and had a good idea of how things worked. Kanda didn't need to be so unpleasant. Alas, it seemed that was practically his whole personality. Ultimately, Allen decided that if he was that determined, then he could go off and bust his rear trying to complete some stupid mission. It's not like it was his priority, and he could do with a good break.

Pulling his Exorcist coat tighter against the chilly wind, Allen wished he could be back home. The Black Order was okay and all, but he was actually starting to miss his eccentric family, even if they were manslaughtering fiends, as one of the Exorcists so eloquently put it. Ugh, this was all just so messed up. He couldn't logically think about all this without getting a headache in response. None of it made sense, because there were no bad guys or good guys in his eyes.

On the one hand there was his family, that was strange and quirky, but also had an insane thirst to spill the blood of human beings. This greatly put off Allen, but after living with them for half his life, it was difficult to hold any sort of hate for them. And then there was the Black Order; those that had the guts to oppose the Millenium Earl, but were willing to go to any lengths to defeat him, whether they were moral or not. And in their case, a lot had certainly been immoral. Oh yes, Allen had already been shown some of the horrid experiments they'd conducted, by the Maker. Allen suspected that he had only shown him in order to dismiss any notions Allen might have had of wanting to switch sides.

I just wish I could've stayed with Mana and out of this war, Allen thought somberly. But hadn't Mana also been a part of it, once, long ago? If he was able to escape it, then so can I! Allen thought with new vigor. Even if I have both the Noah and Innocence within me to deal with, I'll do it, just like my father…

Feeling slightly reassured, Allen neared a tavern and began to plan a game of poker or two with a wicked smile. Even Tyki was no match for him, let alone a throng of uneducated drunks. Allen smirked darkly. But before he could even make it to the doorway of the shabby establishment, he was pulled into the alleyway beside it with a sharp yank.

Allen blinked in shock, as he came face to face with a towering, fiery-haired man that leered down at him in disgust. "Why, if it isn't my so-called apprentice that I've heard so much about."

A/N: Haha, I'm sure we can all guess who that is. But worry not, all your questions will be answered in my next update!:D Please review my awesome readers!:3