YAY! Reviews are love!! Made me want to get this chapter done sooner, which didn't make packing easier, let me tell you!

MitarashiiDango- Kanda, do something stupid? Who would ever believe something like that? Hope you recover from being beaten unconscious, or what would be the point of me updating?

JuliaSuna- Moustache? *Has visions of handlebar monstrosity* somehow I find the concept of Allen with facial hair vaguely disturbing… I'm glad you like my Kanda, at least I'm doing something right!

MidnightEmber- I'm glad you're enjoying it! Hopefully there will be some action soon… *looks worried* maybe planning this story would be a good idea…

Kayday- Well, we can't have Kanda showing too much concern, can we? The world would go sput.

XxMissyRandomxX- It doesn't like your dot. *Scowls at computer* Yay, you think I'm awesome! And of course, all answers will be answered… eventually! MWAHA!

darklink231- well, "Allen" still has white hair… "William" on the other hand… lol

ramenluv- I'm rather interested too- I only find out what's going to happen in the chapter about two days before everyone else…

MiniBloodyMurder- And what would life be without a bit of drama, darling?

aly-puff- *sulks* It was only 509 words shorter… And it won't be long 'til "William" has contact with people form the Order… *evil laugh* I was just a little unfair to slap Kanda, but he's a tough guy, he can handle it! LOL

Sakura-Cherryblossom4- bet you're not missing it as much as Allen is! Glad you like the story!

CrimsonKitsune333- If I ever rule the world (unlikely, but hey, a girl can dream) all men capable of maintaining long hair should do so. As long as it doesn't look better than mine, of course…

Erendyce- Why thank you!

I'm sorry! I very nearly didn't get a chapter out at all this week. Since I am now back at home I have to earn my keep and my mum hasn't let me sit down for two seconds! It's not what I really wanted, it really slowed down, but hopefully the next one will make up for it. I have the weekend off so I should get a lot of it done!!

Allen lay on his back on top of his admittedly inadequate mattress, staring at the ceiling and trying very, very hard to ignore the persistent rumblings of his stomach, which were getting increasingly louder the longer he tried to do so. He huffed out an irritated breath and turned over onto his front, grateful that the straw-stuffed mattress gave nothing but a whispery rustle as his weight shifted, not loud enough to disturb the old lady sleeping in the next room.

He laughed at himself silently. Out of all the things he was going to miss about the Order, Jerry's cooking was certainly very close to the top of the list. At the minute the wonderful food he was missing was sitting at the very top of that list.

He knew he was taking a risk, not eating enough was going to have an effect on his ability to fight- if he could even invocate when the time came, but Nelly was poor and struggling as it was to feed herself. His extra help over the last couple of days had brought more money into the small household, but there was still no way that he was going to be able to eat anywhere near the sheer quantity of food that he needed to.

It was definitely something that he needed to do something about, and now that his disguise was in place, he could venture into the local town, situated a couple of miles away from Nelly's small farmstead. Perhaps he could pick up extra money doing odd jobs around town for the other locals, or failing that, well, he still had his circus tricks and poker face to get by.

He'd been lying awake for most of the night, and now pre-dawn light was creeping over the horizon. It could only be an hour at the most before he had to get up anyway to start the day, so he figured that he may as well get going now. He wasn't going to get more sleep now anyway.

He threw the rough blanket off him and got up, throwing on a shirt. It felt very strange to be starting the day like this. It was scarcely half-past three in the morning, and the already balmy air was sneaking through the window he'd left open the previous evening to try and tempt in a non-existent breeze.

The Order was almost never too warm. In the old tower, the cold stone had never retained heat, and even in the new building chilled winds swept through the corridors, but here, the small rough-stone house with thatched roof was like an oven. He didn't need to do extra exercises in the morning- his day was almost non-stop physical labour, but he didn't think he'd be able to anything in this humidity even if he had to. He splashed his face with frigid water from the tap, immediately waking him up fully. He gasped as the shock of cold water coursed though his system before turning the tap off and scrubbing a thin towel over his face.

He made an irritated noise, feeling his long hair stick to the sweat on the back of his neck. Although he knew it made him look very different from his usual self, it was already getting on his nerves. Maybe he should cut it a little. Not as short as his usual style, but enough that it wasn't hanging down to the middle of his back. Whatever, he'd have to give it some thought. For now, he tied it back into a high ponytail to keep it off his neck throughout the day. He brushed aside a lock of hair that didn't reach into the ponytail, scowling at it in frustration. God, long hair was such a pain! He didn't know how Kanda coped with it. The scowl on his face deepened at the thought. He opened the door silently and headed outside. He expected to feel a little sad each time he thought about his previous home, but thinking about the anti-social Japanese exorcist, the fact that he would probably never see him again, made his heart clench in ways that made him defiantly confused. Why did the thought of never laying eyes on Kanda again make him feel so down? He waved a hand as though he could brush the thoughts away. He couldn't afford any such thoughts now.

As he closed the door and headed to the sheds to start feeding Nelly's few animals, he noticed that a few tears had managed to escape and he angrily cuffed them away. Allen Walker might have been part of that world, but Allen Walker didn't exist anymore.

0o0o0o0o0

If asked, Kanda wouldn't have been able to answer why he was currently charging down the corridors of the Order searching out one Howard Link. Perhaps it was the slap courtesy of Lenalee that galvanised him into taking out his anger on the inspector, but more likely it was his indignation of the way that Allen was being treated. Not that he'd admit feeling like that, but the fact that Link was allowing Allen to be treated as a traitor without the full story being told- allowing people to believe exactly what the higher-ups wanted them to believe.

He snorted harshly as he turned another corner, his boot steps leaving no doubt as to the mood he was in. He should really calm down a little, or he'd end up tearing the stupid little man's head off.

Not that anyone would care if he did.

He hoped.

0o0o0o0o0

Allen wiped his forehead with his forearm, careful not to smudge the concealer that covered the scarlet pentacle scar above his left eyebrow. The sun had only been up fully for a couple of hours, but he could already feel it burning his exposed skin. Nelly had left a few minutes ago to head into town, refusing Allen's offer to go instead, so he found himself mucking out the dilapidated cowshed in the intense morning heat.

After a few minutes deliberation, he figured that Nelly was going to be gone for over an hour, and the smallholding was at a far enough distance from its neighbours that he reckoned he was safe removing his shirt and gloves.

While it was true that outside the Order he had still kept his arm hidden from curious eyes, within the building everyone was aware of his parasitic innocence and many had seen far stranger things in their lives than his dark skin and cross-embedded hand, and he often rolled up his sleeves, but out here, in the real world, he had to be careful. He had suffered at the hands of the unaccepting public far too many times in his childhood to risk being spotted with his arm uncovered.

Still he was alone here, and it was like a sauna inside the shed.

He hung his clothes over one of the partitions before picking up the pitchfork again wearily. He had no clue how Nelly managed this stuff on her own. She certainly couldn't afford to hire anyone to help her, that much he knew.

Within fifteen minutes he'd finally finished with the cowshed, and tiredly put away his tools and went to the outdoor water pump to wash the sweat from his skin, flicking the water from his hair as he pulled on the shirt and wondered what he should do next. There were definite disadvantages for getting up so early. Not only were all his chores done, so he had nothing to do to take his mind off the heat, but he'd had breakfast really early too, and now he was starving.

He sat dejectedly in the shade of the house, trying to think of something to distract himself from his protesting stomach. The heat and lack of sleep the night before was making him drowsy and he dozily mused that if he continued to work out in the sun he'd end up so tanned that no one from his previous life would ever recognise him. Huh, there he went again, thinking useless thoughts.

Komui had suggested that he could carry on acting as an exorcist. He could still see Akuma, after all, and still had his arm… (he ignored the sniggering in his mind when he considered this) but… the Black Order had an extensive intelligence network, he could easily be spotted, and even if he wasn't recognised for who he was, though since parasitic innocence was rare, that was unlikely, he would be reported back to the Order as a new conformer and then the shit would really hit the fan.

And if he went into populated areas, he could almost certainly attract the attention of any Akuma in the area, since they would sense his innocence, and if word of someone destroying innocence made it back to Headquarters… He sighed, feeling as though an intense weight had settled on his shoulders as he realised the truth- it would be very hard to continue working as an exorcist independent from the Order without being discovered.

0o0o0o0o0

Ah, there he was, the little weasel. Kanda quickened his steps to catch up with Link before the blonde man could vanish around the next corner and vanish into the labyrinthine corridors of the building.

"Oi!" he barked, his frustration at even doing this carrying clearly in his tone. Never before had he been so tempted to use one of the Lavi-coined nicknames that flitted around the Order as he did now as he approached the 'Two-spot'.

"Kanda Yuu" the inspector paused, allowing the exorcist to catch up to him, his face blandly interested. Kanda wasn't all that impressed with the older man's façade and practically stomped up to him.

"Why" he growled, stopping a little closer than was generally considered polite. "Are you not telling everyone the real reason that the Moyashi ran away?"

Link didn't even bat an eyelid at the other man, his face staying perfectly calm. "I do beg you pardon, but I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about." And with that, he turned abruptly and began walking away. He came to a sudden halt when the feeling of cold steel touched his neck. "I would suggest your remove your blade from my person, exorcist" Link said, his voice still placid even as the switchblade slid out of his sleeve.

"Not until you tell me what the hell you're playing at!"

Quicker than Kanda expected the man to move, Link's small blade knocked Mugen aside and was now positioned defensively across his chest as he studied Kanda's face over his arm. "And why would you be interested in the affairs of Allen Walker?"

Kanda didn't reply, but his eyes narrowed. He'd hoped that his motives wouldn't be questioned, because he simply had no answer.

Link continued to study him interestedly, before appearing to come to an abrupt decision and lowering his defensive stance and withdrawing the blade back out of sight up his sleeve. "Very well, come with me" he said suddenly, still looking at Kanda as though he understood something that the exorcist didn't, turning away and walking down the corridor at a slow gait, allowing Kanda to easily keep pace.

Link opened a door on the right, holding it wide so that Kanda could precede him into the room beyond.

Kanda had never been in this room before- nor in any of the rooms along this corridor, and as the door closed and the light flicked on it became apparent why as it was revealed he was standing in what appeared to be Link's office. It seemed that Allen had been in here though, judging by the random discarded right glove lying on a cluttered desk and the red ribbon tied haphazardly around the slatted chair back.

"Alright" Link said, appearing far less uptight than he did usually. "Shut up and say nothing until I have finished, and perhaps you'll understand the true scale of what's happening here."

Kanda gaped at him unattractively in surprise, unable to say anything out of sheer shock at being addressed in such a way by the usually stiff inspector.

"I know full well that Komui helped Walker escape" the inspector said, nodding to himself when he confirmed what he'd suspected- that Kanda was also aware of this fact. "Do you really think I would be so stupid as to inform the supervisor of Central's plans a whole day before they were due to be carried out and not know what Komui would do?"

Right at that moment, Kanda didn't think he could possibly look any stupider, even if he dyed his hair pink and wore a tutu. His mouth hung open like a gaping fish and his eyes stretched wide as he tried to think of something to say.

Link watched with some amusement as Kanda tried to some to terms with this revelation. Eventually the exorcist pulled himself together and cleared his throat roughly, still looking a little perturbed by the news that Allen's escape had been planned by the inspector who had been skilfully manipulating everyone involved.

"I know I asked for your silence, but you can speak now, you know" Link said wryly, making Kanda scowl angrily.

"Why didn't you just do it yourself instead of going through all this?" Kanda asked snappily, annoyed that the inspector was mocking him.

"Just because I don't agree with my superiors in this particular instance, it does not mean that I am against them in everything" Link informed him coldly, turning up his nose haughtily.

This whole situation was proving complicated for Kanda to understand completely and he rubbed his temple in exasperation. "Let me get this straight. You wanted the Moyashi to escape Headquarters, but set Komui up to take the fall if your superiors suspected someone helped him?"

Link considered him thoughtfully for a moment. "That would be an accurate summary, yea. Now perhaps you can answer my questions honestly." With a small smirk the inspector folded his arms over his chest. "Why are you so interested in what others think of Allen Walker?"

Kanda narrowed his eyes and glared death at Link. "Don't think for one minute that I care what anyone else thinks of that stupid little Sprout, I'm just fucking sick and tired of people gossiping like schoolgirls and not doing their fucking jobs!"

Link made a small noise that might have been amusement, but otherwise his face was back to being calm and blank and impersonal again. He opened his door and gestured for the exorcist to go through it. "I am afraid I cannot disclose Central's plans to you or anyone else here, as much as you may wish it be otherwise" he said, and shut the door firmly in Kanda's face.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Komui glanced over his noted a final time before nodding to the two exorcists sitting on the couch in front of him. "Well that's everything, I think." He didn't sound too convinced. "I know all the details are a bit vague, but there are some pretty sketchy rumours flying around at the moment, and they all still need investigating." He sniffed a little in thought. "Don't hang around too long if you don't stumble on something that could explain this phenomenon though, I would prefer to keep as many exorcists close to home at the moment."

"You don't really think that Allen will lead an attack here, do you?" Crowley asked nervously, his long pale fingers twitching the edge of his cape.

Of course, Komui knew that Allen would do no such thing, but as far as anyone else knew, Allen had left and quite possibly defected to the other side. Planning for an attack only made sense. The supervisor glanced once at the other exorcist sitting on the couch. Of all the people in the Order, Noise Marie was the hardest to lie to. For a blind man, he saw an awful lot. "It's a possibility" Komui hedged. "At the least we could well expect an Akuma attack, if not a full scale invasion of Noah."

If possible, Crowley paled further, though as usual Marie remained placidly calm. "We'll leave immediately, supervisor" he said and Crowley nodded his agreement.

"Very well. There's been rumours of more activity than usual in a number of these small towns and villages. It's unlikely to be anything, but it could also be innocence that's attracting all these Akuma, so be careful" Komui added as the exorcists stood to make their way out of the office.

Outside the cluttered room Crowley breathed a sigh of relief, looking out of the window at the cloudy sky. It wasn't cold though- it was oppressively humid, the air hot and sticky. "I wonder what the weather's doing in France" he murmured, debating whether he should bother with his cape at all on the mission.

Marie also looked out of the window, though he could see nothing of the vista the view offered. "I certainly hope that it's cooler" he commented, picking up his case that had been waiting outside the office door. "Without Allen, we'll have to go back to traditional travel methods, and the channel crossing will be unbearable in this humidity."

Crowley hummed his assent and collected his own luggage. "Do you really think he did it?"

Marie didn't need to be told who the Romanian was talking about. "Did what? We haven't been told anything about what's going on. Personally I highly doubt someone like Allen Walker would just up and leave without good reason."

"That's true" Crowley agreed, falling into step with the other man. "But I can't imagine what that reason would be. Anyway" he sighedx, shifting his case into a better grip. "Let's go and find out what all this fuss is about. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave."