Chapter 2

Lavi tied on his eyepatch and fixed his hair in the mirror.

Today was a special day, it was his birthday; his 18th birthday. He had spent all day in the library studying, but now his "surprise" party that everyone knew about, was about to begin. He looked at the dresser and on it was a box of letters that he kept that were full of letters from Allen. The last time he saw Allen, was on his 11th birthday. Allen had ruffled his red hair and given him a small box wrapped in silver paper. Inside it was a leg strap. "It's for your hammer. So you don't lose it." Allen smiled. Lavi remembered Allen's face and how it looked younger. He looked like he was in his early 20's, not his early 30's. Lavi opened the box of letters and picked the one on top.

Can't wait to see you! I'll be at your party!

Allen Walker

Lavi smiled, folded the paper and set it back in the box.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Come in!"

Bookman walked in.

"Hey," Lavi closed the box and slipped on his exorcist jacket.

"Everyone's waiting for you."

Lavi smirked. "Tell them I'm coming."

###

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Everyone exclaimed in unison as Lavi entered the Black Order's mess hall.

Lavi smiled.

Lavi had walked through the mess hall at least 24 times. Where was he? Where was Allen Walker? He saw no white hair, no scar, and no red hand as he searched.

After another 9 times through the mess hall, Lavi decided to end his search.

"Where are you going?" Lenalee asked as he attempted to walk out of the room.

"HELLO! EVERYONE!" A voice said in a sing-song way. "Where's the birthday boy?"

All eyes turned to Lavi.

Komui pushed through the crowd. "Everyone can go back to socializing now." Komui informed as the buzz of talking already commenced. "Happy birthday Lavi." Komui handed him a box.

Lavi accepted the gift and opened it to find a new head band. "Thank you." Lavi smiled as he slipped it onto his head.

"My sweet Lenalee helped to pick it out."

"Thank you." Lavi said again, this time to Lenalee, as he turned to leave.

"Someone wants to see you, Lavi."

Lavi stopped in his tracks.

"He wants to see you really bad, but he's too sick to leave his room. He wanted me to come and fetch you."

Lavi followed Komui through the crowd and out of the mess hall. They climbed the stairs till Komui stopped at a door which he knocked on.

"Hello?" Reever opened the door. He noticed Lavi, "Happy birthday Lavi."

"How is he?" Komui asked.

"Fine, right now. He's sleeping." Reever stepped aside and let the two enter.

The room was empty, except a weird looking painting of a clown carrying a coffin, a stool, and a bed. In the bed, sleeping, was a kid. He looked 14, maybe 15. He had white hair and pale skin. He had a scar that covered his left eye.

"Should I wake him up sir?"

"Yes, it's time for him to take his medication anyway."

Reever gently shook the teen's shoulder. "Allen… Allen… wake up."

The teen's eyes slowly opened and he sat up in bed and coughed.

"Allen?" Lavi asked shocked.

The teen "Allen" looked at Lavi with sleepy, gray eyes. He coughed and hacked furiously into his hand.

Reever reached over and gently patted the coughing boy's back.

After his coughing fit, he looked up. A stream of blood dribbled down his chin and in his hand was a pool of blood.

Reever cleaned the blood up and wiped the teen's mouth.

Komui handed the boy two white pills and a glass of water.

The boy swallowed the pills and drank the water. He then gave the glass back to Komui.

Komui and Reever walked out of the room, leaving Allen and Lavi.

"How…?"

Allen smiled. "Can you sit down? It feels weird looking up to you."

Lavi nodded and sat on the stool by the bed.

"Happy birthday, Lavi."

"Thanks, but…"

"Remember when I saved you from that akuma that day?"

"Yeah," Lavi nodded.

"And remember when you asked me about my past?"

"Yeah."

"Well… do you remember that there was a big part I left out and said I would tell you when you got older?"

"I do."

"Well… this is my secret."

"But… how?"

"I don't remember if my parents were killed, if they died, or if they just gave me away." Allen continued his story from so long ago. He told Lavi that he was born with an extremely rare disease where you are born old and die young. He explained that when he was young (old), he was abandoned or dropped off at a circus. At that time, he told Lavi that he was only three, but he was in a wheelchair, almost completely blind, bald, wrinkled, weak, and had arthritis in most of his body. A man named Mana Walker, he worked as a clown for the circus, took him in. Mana's brother had had the same disease as Allen and he felt bad for Allen. Mana raised him and taught him to be a clown. When Allen was only 10, he looked 90; Mana died from an illness that he had for a while. Allen was grief stricken and agreed with the Earl to resurrect Mana. Allen discovered his hand was innocence when he destroyed the Akuma Mana. He went on to become an exorcist. "And then I met you."

"What?"

"That's the end of my story."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Just asking, but how old are you?"

Allen smirked, "83."

Lavi's eyes widened.

Allen laughed which progressed into a coughing fit.

Lavi didn't know what to do.

"It's alright. I'm fine." Allen mumbled as he leaned against the pillows behind his back. "I'm dying."

"What! Don't say that!"

"But I am… Normal people don't know how old they'll get before they die. They can live to be 122, for all its worth. But me… my life's been nothing but a countdown."

"Everybody has to die. That's the way life is."

"Lavi…," Allen whispered. "You have grown up." Allen closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.