Thank you for your continued support. Sorry it's so late, i had finals last week to knock out and i could afford any distractions...Hope you enjoy!

It wasn't too long until red passed out again, this time in true sleep rather than the hectic state he was before. When he awoke there was a note on the night stand addressed for Allen.

He looked at the paper skimming it over with his grey eyes, trying to pick out words he knew as he hand never been properly taught to read; only the small amount he picked up on his own and from Mana had to suffice.

The note from what he could tell explained for him to clean himself, as there was something-though he couldn't tell what-he was supposed to do. He could tell it was important whatever it was, and quickly realized that under the note were cloths for him to wear. They were new and fit him alright, but he yearned for the checkered jacket Mana had given him; one of the few possessions he had actually owned. Still, it was nice not to be wearing raggedly torn apart pants and bandages anymore.

Allen made his way to the bathroom at the far end of the room and stripped, seeing that there was a shower and a bath that had actual running water. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror as he did so.

Allen eyed over himself, his brown hair unkempt and knotted, his body thin and mistreated, still light bruises and scratches from the torment he had endured. He looked pale, his eyes dark from lack of sleep. Red looked awful, like a zombie, or a person dying of neglect or disease. Red still had more muscle than most kids his age, but that was about all that could be said for him.

The worst was his arm though, terribly hacked off below the shoulder. He seemed lopsided, off center somehow with part of himself gone. Red wanted revenge, Red wanted to die, Red wanted many things to happen as the feelings twisted inside of him like trapped snakes fighting to escape his tiny body. All that showed however were his eyes darkening to a silent, depressing grey as he rubbed the stub where his arm used to be attached.

Red couldn't even fathom taking off the bandages, so he walked into the bath with them still on, letting the warm water relax him as it flowed over his naked body. It felt nice, and Red closed his eyes as he drifted, trying to escape the depression and rage brewing inside him.

For a while it worked, Red's body de-tensing as he slipped deeper in the water. In his calmness however, there was a flicker of light behind his eyes. Red tried to look closer at the light fleeting his vision, and he saw a set of what looked like eyes, staring back at him from a distance

Two sharp gold eyes.

Red immediately snapped open his eyes, realizing the water was getting too high as he panicked. He gasped heavily leaning over the side of the bath.

"What where….those?" he stared hard at the floor, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "or better, who's…." he slipped back into the bath tub, now on edge. Red quickly washed himself and got out of the bathroom, not wanting to re-enter after the jolt he just felt.

He dressed quickly.

"I wonder if I should ask…." Red pondered "no, I'll keep this to myself. It's probably nothing."

Red returned to the note, his hair still dripping wet, getting little droplets of water on the paper and smearing the ink. From what he read, he was supposed to come down stairs to the main room, for, something. He still couldn't tell what. Red had never been outside the room before though, and didn't know where he was going. There were probably instructions on the note, but he couldn't read them.

Red decided to open the door to try and find his way downstairs. As he looked out his door was at the end of a long, dark corridor, no windows nor candles lit. It would make someone over twice his age tense.

"I'd better….get moving." Allen moved out of the room nervously, the atmosphere of the hallway very different than the one in the room.

The hallway seemed to go on for some time, until he began to notice that there were other hallways, and as he made decisions on which hall to take, Red became ever more lost in the tangle of room. Red was getting scared now.

"Hello?" he whimpered. No response.

"Maybe I should just go back…." A chill crossed over Red's spine.

Suddenly a loud clattering came from a distance, and Red's heart leaped into his throat.

"AHHHH!" he bolted, taking turn after turn without paying attention to his direction, mind racing at what possibly could be chasing him.

Similar to the first night, he ran right into something.

"Ow….he bounced away, rubbing his head. He looked up slowly at what he had run into, ready to bolt again.

Before him stood a tall, dark figure, body a dark grey with gold eyes peering from black bangs. He almost looked like the thing from the dream, towering over him. He was too scared to scream. The figured look down at Red.

"….shonen?" it cocked it's head, and Red began to scramble upright, only to have the back of his grey vest snatched in its hand. It spoke in a deep smooth voice.

"What are you doing here?"

Red squirmed "No, NO! I'm not being taken again! Who are you? Where is Adam?" he glared angrily, hints of terror still hiding behind his gaze. The figured lifted Red up to eye height.

"Adam, who's….Adam?" he queered. "Well since a kid shouldn't be in here….i suppose I should just take you to him." He looked off non chalontaly. "I really don't want to deal with a kid right now, and I'm not cleaning up the mess if I have to take care of you."

Red gulped "Take care of me?"

"Yeah…." The figure smiled sadistically "Don't you know what happens to trespassers?"

Red, once again, was being dragged off by some strange guy he didn't know. His heart beat at his chest continuously, making him feel dizzy and faint.

"I just have to keep calm" he thought "Maybe it's just a….misunderstanding…."

He hoped this rather fervently, but doubted it. Soon they were at a set of large, rather elegantly carved doors. They where intimidating to say the least. The man knocked on the door.

"Hey, seinen-kun. I found this child running around the halls upstairs, should I kill him?"

Red began to wriggle in the man's grasp again "NO!" he lashed "Get me out of here!"

There was a quick sound of footsteps, and a low voice spoke from the other side of the door. "Don't kill him! He's….mine. He's supposed to be here. Don't hurt him. You just leave and go do your job for once Tyki."

"All right, I guess." The man replied, looking down at Red pitifully "You are the sickest kind of person, hakushaku-san. What is he, 8?"

The voice on the other side of the door immediately replied in panic "It's not like that! I am NOT a pedophile. He's here for other reasons. What could possibly make you think that?"

The man countered "Because, you're a sick person, and I don't know, nor do I WANT to know what gets you off. You disgust me, not that I really know you. Do whatever the hell suits your fancy." The man, apparently named Tyki, dropped Red and left rather distraught. The door peaked open, and Red shrank back a bit.

"Allen, are you ok?" the voice on the other side of the door suddenly changed to a familiar one, and as the door opened he was quite relieved to see the face that matched.

"Adam!" despite his better judgment he ran up and hugged his leg. "I'm ok….that man attacked me!" Red wimpered.

Adam knelt down to Red's eye level. "No, that's just Tyki." He replied. "He's my younger brother. He just didn't know who you were."

"That guys your younger brother? He tried to KILL me!" Red said exasperated.

"I know I know…." Adam looked away. "He's a bit of an asshole. He wouldn't have actually killed you, I promise."

"But….why would he say that then?" Red queered.

"Because people aren't supposed to be here; it's also our house, so trespassing I guess. Let's just say my family has some secrets that need to stay hidden." He responded.

"Secrets….are you like the mafia or something?" Red's eyes lit up "and why was his skin grey?"

"There's a lot you don't know yet, Allen. Don't worry I'll explain them later. What I want to know is why you where wandering around the halls upstairs when I told you specifically to head right down with my instructions, the powers out on that side of the house because of a thunder storm last night." He answered.

"But…." Red looked off hesitantly "I can't read very well…."

Adam face palmed "Well damn….didn't think of that. You were a street rat, where would you have learned to read?" He looked off embarrassed "I guess you didn't read the last part did you?"

Red cocked his head "no? What was it about?"

Adam grinned "It was about fixing that arm of yours."