Disclaimer: D. Gray -Man belongs to Hoshino Katsura.

Chapter Twelve: Papercut Murders

The atmosphere had been heavy the three days since everyone was informed of Narein's return. Lavi, who did not know Narein, was easily given details by Road. Tyki also happened to tell him about Narein's role in Allen's past life, which made the redhead understand with better ease Allen's camaraderie with the Indian doctor. Usually, Lavi would have liked to tease Kanda about the appearance of a competitor since Narein was quite handsome, but this time around, the bunny dare not simply toss his words about because it was very obvious even to the blind that Kanda viewed Narein as a threat to his relationship with Allen, even if they barely have any relationship to speak of save their intern-patient one.

Allen was the one who suffered the most from the tension. Every time he went to see Narein for a chat, Kanda insisted that he followed. But ever since the little runaway episode, the air between them was so awkward Allen couldn't bear to be left alone with Kanda even for a while and practically begged Tyki to accompany him, which led to Lavi tagging along. Now these four people were always moving together. Kanda couldn't trust Allen to be alone with Narein, but Allen couldn't trust himself to be alone with Kanda. Narein didn't ask any questions, but it seemed to him that it was pretty stressful for Allen to be with his overseer, Kanda. Each time he saw Allen, Kanda was sure to be there. Their conversations were choppy, and Allen could barely manage a strained smile, often opting for a tired frown.

Even Tyki was getting tired seeing these stressful on-goings. "Allen...Can you please, do something about Kanda?"

Allen sighed, staring up at the ceiling. "I wish I could...But...I'm not sure if I'm of any influence to him any longer. Since that Saturday, things have gotten...stuck. I'm not sure how to get out of this predicament, but I don't like this situation any more than you do. I'm afraid that I'd say something that triggers his temper again."

The patients looked at each other and sighed. Road knew Kanda was hardly one to be pacified when he was having a tantrum, and it was impossible for anyone to stop him if even Allen could not assure himself of certain success. Even Madarao looked oddly sympathetic, looking at the door once in a while. His uneasy feelings has not disappeared, if anything, they grew stronger. Something was just around the corner, and he did not want to be the one to find out what it was. Right now, it was still early in the morning and they were waiting for their overseers to come. The wait was not comfortable for them, and neither was it for the interns.

Lavi was usually someone who popped up regularly with the help of an alarm clock, but he was especially early this morning. The source of his anxiety? Alma arrived at their dorm yesterday. Lavi praised the stars that he was Kanda's room mate; who knew what Alma might do if the boy ended up bunking with Kanda? Even Kanda's stiff atmosphere lightened a bit in the presence of his old friend. The redhead did not know if he should interpret it as a bad news or not. What was worse, Alma volunteered to go with them to the institute today. Lavi tried to deflect him with worries of his jet-lag, but the boy cheerfully dismissed any concerns about his fatigue and assured that he was fit enough to follow along tomorrow.

Which made today the trip of doom for Lavi.

Lavi glanced almost resentfully at the sleeping figure opposite his own bunk. Kanda was a blessed individual to still be able to sleep peacefully, even as the world around him got agitated and restless. The redhead missed the slight twitching of Kanda's fingers as he left the room to start his day.

"You absolute fool."

My whole body was on alert; against the disembodied voice which spoke in darkness. He spoke again.

"Wake up while you still have time."

"Who are you?"

As if an answer to my question, a shrouded, almost visible figure appeared. Parts of him were concealed by darkness.

"......Ignorant fool."

Irritated, I lashed back. "What about you, coward? Hiding in the darkness like that."

I could not see his face, but I could sense his cynical grin.

"Hide? No...YOU are the coward. You are the one who refuses to look at me."

"Look? I'm staring at you now!"

The figure did not move, but there was a sensation of something reaching out to me.

"But are you really seeing? You are blind and ignorant."

"Who are you?! What gives you the right to come and insult me?!"

"...Wake up."

"What...?"

Suddenly, I found his eyes staring into mine.

"I never forgive anyone who hurt him...Even if it is my own self."

The fog cleared, I could almost see his face...!!

Kanda woke up with a sharp intake of breath. Immediately, he grabbed his head, hissing. It was not good to start a day with a headache. He vaguely remembered that he dreamt, but the dream was long forgotten. Along with it...the warning.

As he stepped out of the room and into the bathroom, Kanda could smell breakfast cooking, which meant Lavi was in the kitchen. Kanda considered it slightly odd that Lavi was awake this early, but he didn't bother commenting on it. Better for the bunny to wake on his own than having Kanda slap him awake, should the redhead's alarm not work. It didn't take long for the intern to finish his daily chores and take a seat across Lavi. The redhead grinned at him, but being Lavi's friend for a while, Kanda felt something was amiss.

"...Do you have anything to say, baka usagi?"

"Huh, me?" Lavi thought of denying immediately, but something lit up in his mind then. "Well...It's not much of an issue, but as one of your best friends, I'm concerned. How long are you going to keep things between you and Allen that charged? Any longer, and we'll be electrocuted, yanno?"

Kanda immediately scowled at the mention, causing Lavi to shrink away discreetly. Unexpectedly, Kanda spoke up. "It's the moyashi's fault! If he didn't insist on every opportunity he gets to see that...bastard, then I wouldn't be so pissed. And don't call me by my name!" Lavi scratched his head absently. Kanda's jealousy was coming on pretty strong.

"But Yu, don't you think your jealousy is a bit overboard? I mean, I completely understand if you think Allen's cuteness is irresistible, but he's right when he said he can choose his own friends."

Kanda's eyes narrowed down into a glare. Lavi gulped and tensed, prepared to jump away from the table should Kanda feel like reaching over and strangling him. "I'm not jealous! I just feel really pissed off when I see it! It's like...Something in me just wants to get out and kill that man!" Lavi's senses sharpened instantly. Kanda had shown no sign of Awakening...but what if...Maybe, his room mate was finally dreaming of his memories? It could explain the irrationality of Kanda's actions when it came to Allen! But there was no way he could go about this carelessly...If Kanda didn't have those dreams, he couldn't let the Japanese catch onto what he was thinking.

"Say, Yu...Do you ever get any dreams?"

The sudden change of subject surprised Kanda enough for his expression to mellow out into something more thoughtful. Lavi was teetering off the edge of his seat, eager to hear the answer. Then, Kanda snorted. "I'm not a pervert like you, baka." Lavi almost fell off his chair but quickly regained momentum, his face as red as his hair.

"Not like that!!"

Any further conversation was interrupted when someone knocked on the door. Reality came back to Lavi. Kanda got to the door before Lavi did, and as the redhead expected, a cheery looking Alma was there, all ready to go. Lavi muffled a groan with his palm and wearily shook his head. He SO did not have the energy to keep up with that cheeriness. The stress of everything else was already sapping his strength, not to mention Tyki's wandering hands. He almost didn't notice Lenalee who had remained standing by the door frame, looking rather concerned.

"All right, move out! The sooner we go, the sooner we arrive," Lavi commanded, ushering everyone out of his dorm room.

"This is gonna be great! I can't wait to see the patient who's been handling Yu," Alma snickered, unaffected by the half-hearted glare Kanda gave him. Lavi's stomach did another somersault. There it was; another stark evidence of the not-so-vicious Kanda when it came to Alma. The young man's red hair could turn green with illness just by thinking of his mission: ask Alma what he thought of Kanda. If there was any time, today would be the best day to do it. But how was he going to do that? He couldn't just walk up and say, "Hey Alma, would you happen to get that sorta feeling where you just want to kiss your best friend? Your GUY best friend." That was pure idiocy!

Lavi's body went into autopilot as he continued thinking. How about, 'Alma...You know how close you and Yu are? Are you like, you know...swinging the other way for him?" The redhead mentally moaned in misery. That sounded stupid as well. Maybe the straightforward, "Do you love Yu?" No way, he might actually freak Alma out and Kanda would beat him up for asking such a stupid question. He sighed; he would figure it out eventually, as soon as they got there.

"Lavi? We're here."

Lenalee's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. 'No way, already?!'

Alma peered at Lavi's wide eyes. "Are you alright, Lavi? You seem a little off?"

'Do I look okay?! Of course I'm a 'little off'!! And whose fault do you think it is?!' Lavi almost demanded, but managed to just nod. He never did tell Tyki and the rest that Alma would be here today...Crap, it was going to be a nasty face-off. Just then, something brushed against the back of his palm. Emerald eyes looked up just in time to see Lenalee withdrawing her hand. Her expression was strangely calm and melancholic at the same time, as she leaned in and whispered, "I'm sorry I hit you...You were right about Allen."

Before Lavi could ask her to clarify her words, Lenalee briskly strode away from the redhead. Anything and everything else didn't matter, the moment Alma approached Allen on the fly. Every single person available in the room were watching with their breath held in, surprisingly even Kanda. Alma stuck his hand out, grinning brightly. Without hesitation, Allen received the hand in a friendly handshake, equipped with a dazzling smile of his own.

"Hi, you're Yu's patient, right? I've heard a lot about you! My name is Alma."

"Yes, I am. My name is Allen, pleased to meet you. I'm surprised that Yu has anything to mention about me," Allen's warm smile didn't waver, but who could tell what the teen was thinking? Alma's eyes widened for a bit, but he laughed. "Wow, I have never seen anyone say Yu's first name and not get their head bitten off! Well, apart from Lavi, but he gets death threats from time to time."

"What can I say, I'm persistent and very stubborn."

Even though they spent a long time together, Road could not tell if it was true friendly hospitality or frigid sarcasm coming from Allen. Knowing the boy, it could very well be either one. Kanda interrupted the conversation with a snort. "That moyashi was annoyingly persistent all right. Reminded me of you back when we were still kids." Everyone's eyes riveted to the long-haired Japanese, trying to hide their glares with varying degrees of success.

Lavi felt like slapping Kanda at that very moment. 'Crap, you DO NOT compare these two at a time like this!!!'

But to everyone's surprise, Allen GIGGLED. The white-haired teen looked up at Kanda and said, "It really does explain how easily you put up with me."

"Or rather, how easily you can put up with Yu's tantrums. Only people who are stubborn can do it," Alma interjected. He directed his grin to Allen and Allen smiled back, obviously sharing a joke about Kanda. Kanda scowled, but inside his heart he felt a relief. Alma and Allen got together just fine. He didn't know why it seemed so important to him that they did; maybe it was some unspoken code about best friends and girlfriends needing to approve of each other? Not that Allen was a GIRLfriend, but the point was there.

"So, how are we going to spend the day today?" Tyki quickly asked. It was not that he didn't approve of Allen and Alma befriending each other, but the tension was so thick you could slice through it with Mugen. There was also the undeniable fact that none of them knew Alma's feelings towards Kanda yet. Tyki honestly wanted to avoid having Alma and Allen become friends just to find out the guy was to be his love rival.

"Well, I'd like to see what you guys do on a usual day!" Alma suggested enthusiastically.

Everyone agreed; no one wanted to do anything out of the ordinary in case they rocked the boat. After exchanging introductions and greetings, the pack began their day. Not a single soul missed how good a mood Kanda seemed to be in. But seeing Kanda almost sandwiched between Allen and Alma made a strange sight to see indeed. Lavi could care less at the moment; right now he was concentrating on how to get Alma alone long enough to ask THE question. He finally found the way to do it. And right now, he was heckling his lover for ideas. Tyki was trying to answer to the demands of his lover, but it was common sense to know that Kanda probably would not let Alma out of sight, especially since the intern thought that Tyki was a 'questionable character'. What was so questionable about his hunk of sexiness?!

"...Okay, love, here's what we do. I fake leaving something in my room, and you ask Alma to come along with us to retrieve it, showing him some more parts of the building? It's lame, but it might work."

Lavi nodded thoughtfully at the suggestion and shifted gear into hyper mode. Damn, the young man could change in a snap! "Hey Alma! Tyki forgot something in his room. I figured we both could accompany him, yeah? And I can show you around while we're at it," he suggested with his best 'please say yes' look, all while praying Kanda wasn't going to interfere. Road caught on, and with a wicked smile she knew just how to distract Kanda.

"Hey Allen, why don't we go see Narein?"

Allen jumped a little at the suggestion, but he readily agreed. "Sure, why not?"

Kanda instantly muttered, "I'm coming with you, moyashi."

"I'll go with Lavi. See you later, Yu!" Alma mentioned and walked off with Lavi and Tyki.

The now party of four continued their journey on to the pharmacy where Narein worked. Kanda now had Allen's hand tightly clenched in his own, his aura burning, as if daring Allen to object. Allen did not speak, but his face was set to a grimace. It was going to be another day for an ugly showdown. It always was. Every time after visiting Narein, they would get into some petty argument, all of it always about why Allen insisted on visiting his friend, and why Kanda was so adamant on avoiding it. He had no idea why Road would suggest such a thing while knowing it brought tension between Kanda and himself. But she never did things without a reason, so Allen could only trust her.

On the other hand, Lavi was having the hardest time in his life. Tyki was pretending to be searching his room for the non-existent object, leaving Lavi and Alma waiting outside. Now was the time. And Lavi decided that being vague was the best way to go about it. "Alma, you've been friends for a long time with Yu, haven't you?"

Alma nodded, his face lighting up. Lavi smile weakly in return. "You know...Some people, when they're friends for a long time...Well, they develop this uh...something, yeah? You get what I mean?"

"Yeah, I understand what you're saying," the latter replied, paying attention to Lavi's words.

"So...Do you experience that with Yu?"

The bomb was dropped.

Alma blinked blankly at Lavi for a while. Lavi's prayers for denial were dashed. Alma put on a big grin and announced, "Of course! We've been together since we were kids after all!" Lavi felt his heart sink to the bones of his heel. He tried to be calm, but the only thing that seemed to be going on was the phrase 'what should I do' loop in his head several times. His salvation came from Tyki, who came out from his room and smoothly blended into conversation.

"I've got what I needed, lads. Now, let's head over to Narein. Chances are they're still there talking," he suggested with a suave smile, discreetly guiding Lavi with a hand at the small of his back without Alma noticing. "Sure! Who is this Narein guy anyway?"

Lavi gave his lover a look of pure distress. How were they supposed to tell Allen that their fears were true; that Alma had feelings for Kanda?

Kanda couldn't keep the scowl off his face. He could never stand it when Allen spent time with Narein. It only cemented his opinion that Allen seemed have something going on for Narein. He couldn't explain his feelings about the situation; it went beyond plain jealousy. Kanda was quietly struggling to find out the answer. He was angry, of course, after all the devoted attention Allen poured him the limelight somehow suddenly switched to the new guy on the block. He still hadn't even asked Narein when he became Allen's overseer, but his pride was too great to allow the question. But somehow, Kanda couldn't grasp his jealousy. There was something in him that made him want to rage, but he didn't understand what that 'something' was. He only knew if Allen was near Narein, he would only be pissed. To the relief of the stressed man, the conversation was finally wrapping up.

"Let's go to the dining hall. I'm hungry."

Allen's voice was airy, and it sounded like such an obvious ploy to distract him. Kanda was about to answer when Alma came into view, with Tyki and Lavi behind them. Lavi looked blue, literally. Tyki had an odd half-smile half-frown on his face. Only Alma seemed to be genuinely happy. "Hey, Yu! This place is really cool! They have so many facilities other institutes lack!" Kanda snorted, but he was glad. At least there was someone normal to depend on, not that Lenalee and Road weren't normal, but the girls were unusually withdrawn today as well.

"We're going to get something to eat, Alma. Let's go."

Kanda missed the slight wince that flashed on Allen's face as he walked on with Alma, obviously expecting Allen to automatically follow after at the same pace. Road did not even need Lavi's words to understand, but Allen had to hear it. If he needed any emotional preparation, he had to know. The job was obviously hard on Lavi, but sometimes the saint must play the devil to get a message across. The redhead gently laid a hand on Allen's shoulder. Allen expected the answer, but his whole body tensed as if trying to brace for a physical blow. "...He confirmed it...About Yu..."

Allen's shoulders went slack, his expression spelling out devastation. Tyki tried to cheer him up by saying, "H-Hey, but there's no guarantee that Kanda likes him back, right?" Quivering silver eyes gazed at the strong back of the man he loved, who was walking with Alma, Lenalee and Road.

"...Who am I kidding, Tyki? Between the normal best friend, and a mental institute live-in psycho, who do you think would have a better chance?"

Allen liked Alma, he really did. Alma was a nice person. But reality was a sucker punch to the gut. Then again, there was a sort-of chemistry going on with Kanda's obvious physical attraction to Allen...But what if it was just that? A no-strings attached relationship? Allen felt his head hurt just thinking about it. Add the fact that Kanda seemed to remember absolutely nothing was the sour icing on the cake. Allen could've accepted that, but right now, he needed reassurance, something to tell him that the past was not lost. That he still stood a chance.

Kanda felt something was amiss when Allen fell silent. Even Alma sensed the awkwardness dancing naked in the air, as his glance passed back and forth between his best friend and his new friend. So, like any best friend should do, he distracted Kanda. "Still up for that soba eating competition? You know, I might actually beat you this time." Kanda looked over to Alma and sneered, but in a friendly way.

"You'll never win, idiot."

"But I'll never know unless I try!" Alma insisted.

And then...The most beautiful sound came to Allen's ears. Kanda gave a light, short chuckle, casually cuffing Alma's head. "Which you did like thousands of times. Give it up, stupid." All of a sudden, Kanda was pulled back by Allen away from Alma. The man tilted his head towards the boy, as if asking with his gesture alone what in the world was Allen doing. Allen himself was shocked; his body just reacted and did what it could to get Kanda. He almost wanted to scream how unfair it was to see Kanda laugh from a normal conversation with Alma, while he couldn't even coax it out as his lover. His logical side however, chided him and preached that Alma and Kanda deserve their friendship after all the pain and suffering they went through in their past lives. Allen stared helplessly into Kanda's eyes, wondering if he could ever understand the frustration.

It hadn't been there for some time, but there it was again. That searching gaze in those silver eyes. The one that made Kanda irritated beyond compare, because it was as if Allen was searching for something that didn't exist within him. That Allen was seeing someone else instead of the true him. With the stress continuously increasing the past few days, it was the last straw. "Just what the fuck do you want?"

"What...?" Allen couldn't comprehend the venom dripping from Kanda's voice. But he knew it from somewhere before...When he told Kanda about the Fourteenth. The boy visibly trembled, but Kanda took no notice of it, being consumed in his anger. If only Kanda had seen the fear glimmering in his eyes as well. Everyone paused in their steps, staring in shock. No one tried to stop Kanda; consequences could get very ugly if any careless attempt was made.

'No, please...Please don't tell me...'

Prayers never worked out for Allen Walker.

"Stop acting so fucked-up with me, moyashi! Listen here, you have a goddamned MENTAL disease eating up your brain and it's screwed your thinking badly! I am NOT whoever you think I am, so stop daydreaming and focus on getting yourself cured!! Stop staring as if I know what you want, I don't! I don't even fucking know you until I landed this crap internship but you acted like you knew me since forever! Stop that! Looking after you is a pain in the ass!"

Kanda heaved a breath after his tirade. The outburst left many silent. Allen's expression didn't change, but Road and Tyki could see the fountain of sorrow welling beneath his skin right now. "Oh well...I guess you're right, Kanda. I need to get to the dining hall now, I'm really hungry." That was the first time he had been called Kanda by Allen. Somehow, it stung him but Kanda vehemently shook it off, ignoring the looks of anger from Lenalee and betrayal from Lavi. Something had broken, but Kanda couldn't sense what that was yet. Alma hurried after Allen, worried for him. He managed to catch Allen at the stairs.

"Wait, Allen! Yu has a really foul temper, he doesn't mean that!"

Kanda snarled. "Don't mind that brat, Alma."

"But Yu!" When Alma turned to face Kanda, everything else that happened after seemed to go by in slow motion. Alma's elbow nudged into Allen's back when he swivelled around to look at Kanda. Allen, who had been about to step down the stairs found himself suddenly mid-air, staring at the descending steps, his feet only a few inches off the ground. Allen's mouth opened, but no word came out. His mind couldn't comprehend; it was simply stuck on the image of the stairs trailing downwards beneath him. Everyone gasped, but Road let out a horrified scream.

"ALLEN!"

It was the first time Lenalee ever heard Road scream like that. The little girl reacted faster than anyone else, rushing to catch Allen. She managed to snatch his wrist, but the triumphant smile was washed off when she realized that she was too light to pull Allen back. Instead, the young girl hurtled down the stairs with Allen, both of them rolling and bouncing off the steps until they landed in a crumpled heap at the foot of the stairs, unmoving. The shock which kept everyone rooted to the ground broke, and Lenalee was the first to shriek in fear, rushing down the stairs towards Allen and Road. Lavi and Tyki too wasted no time in reaching the injured pair. Kanda however, was still stuck to where he stood, as if he did not just witness Allen fall down the stairs.

"Yu, what are you doing?! We have to get going!" Alma yelled and went down the stairs himself.

Lenalee took several deep breathes to calm herself, scared at the sight of blood that poured profusely from a hideous gash to Road's temple. She did a quick examination of them both, trying to determine if they broke any bones before declaring them fit to be moved. Lavi immediately scooped Road into his arms while Tyki picked Allen up very carefully as if he was glass. The man glared at Kanda as the latter got down the stairs. Kanda stared at Allen's face; it was lifeless, as if...His heart pounded painfully, but he shook it away. He was still angry at Allen for everything that led to his outburst.

The couple wasted no time in getting their friends to the ward, with the others trailing behind them. The doctors were veritably surprised, but they were quick to spring into action, moving Road and Allen into the theatre while ushering the rest out. The agonizing wait was done in silence. Alma was pacing, wondering if they were alright. Lenalee was much calmer than before, but still she sat by the door, worried. Lavi however, was focused on Tyki. Tyki was giving Kanda the sort of look which could kill.

"Why are you even here?"

Kanda glared in return. He did not feel up to answering Tyki. Unsatisfied, Tyki grabbed his collar and slammed Kanda against the wall. "Listen up, birdbrain, because I'll only say it once. You don't fuck around with Allen and get away with it," Tyki was practically hissing. "Tyki, stop it!" Lavi groaned, trying to pry Tyki away. Strangely defiant, Kanda smirked and answered, "We didn't ever get to the fucking part, so you can get your slimy hands off me."

That was it. Tyki punched Kanda with all he had, prompting Alma to step in to stop Tyki as well. Kanda spat out a mouth of blood; his teeth cut his inner cheek. Lenalee ended all the hullaballoo, screaming, "You guys better shut up before I personally send you into the ward myself! Tyki, sit down and behave! Lavi, restrain your charge! Kanda, just shut up and Alma, don't even say a word!" She looked calm on the outside, but Lenalee had been one of the most anxious of the group. How could she not be; it was Road who fell trying to save Allen. Why hadn't any one of them reacted faster? Apart from Road, the rest were capable enough to stop Allen from falling. Now they were both injured, with no telling how grave those injuries could be.

It was an hour more to wait before the doctor finally stepped out. "How are they, doctor?" Lenalee rushed up front, dreading yet wanting to know. The doctor looked gravely at them. "Road Kamelot suffered concussion, a sprained ankle and a deep wound to her temple. She will not be conscious for an indefinite amount of time. Allen Walker has a fractured right arm, and a light concussion. I suggest that you report this incident and leave the patients to recuperate."

Lenalee looked at Kanda; this was going to be trouble.

"Say what?!"

Reever winced at the volume. He sighed, not expecting things to turn out this way either. "Like I said...Road and Allen fell down the stairs and got injured. The Internship Office held Lenalee and Kanda responsible for failing to look after their charges and dismissed them. This is one month too early from the plan, Supervisor. What do we do?" Komui looked deeply troubled. His plan was not supposed to be halted here. He thought Lenalee and Kanda would be able to last the whole internship, not getting cut short one month early. Komui considered however, that Lavi was still among the ranks of the patients. He could be of use.

"...I'll ask Lenalee to try and convince Lavi to look after them. Also, you can try to get Timcanpy to look out Allen," Komui ordered. Reever nodded. He hesitated for a moment, but decided that he should mention it. "...The cause of the accident was from an argument. Kanda was yelling at Allen. Allen didn't fight back but headed downstairs when Alma accidentally bumped into him and...What do we do about them?"

Komui sighed; he always knew Kanda was a troublemaker in his own brand. "Reever...We know for a fact that the beginning of the Awakening varies according to people. Timcanpy already helped in jump-starting that process for Lavi and Kanda. Lavi seems to have fully recovered, but Kanda...It's as if he's really forgotten, or that he is unconsciously repressing his memories. We can do nothing about it, because whether the memories come back or not depends entirely on the person themselves."

Komui prayed that Johnny worked fast. If not, lives might become very miserable for those imprisoned at the mental institute of the Black Order.

"Why so sad, Allen Walker~?"

"Do I look sad, Earl?"

The sound of clashing steel rang sharply. The Earl's face in a perpetual smile.

"Yes, it does~ You look like a broken-hearted doll. Just like when I first saw you~"

A smile etched on my face, but I knew...It was void of emotions.

"Thank you for your concern."

I've lost my ability to feel since that day.

"Poor child, did someone close to you die?"

The Earl sounded strangely, truly sympathetic.

"No...Worse still..."

I continued to taunt him with my hollow smile.

"What can possibly be worse than the death of a loved one?"

His curiosity made me smile wider.

I never noticed the tears that fell down my cheeks.

"Why, it is the death of my own soul."

Allen woke up to white...everywhere. He suppressed a sob, wiping away his tears with sleeves. The boy wondered why he dreamt of his final battle with the Earl. To him, it seemed such an insignificant event of his life but it was so important to those who depended on him to win. Looking around, Allen saw that no one was in the ward. Road was lying in the bed next to his, looking like she was peacefully sleeping. Allen tried to move, but realized his arm was in a cast. Seeing it made him remember what happened, from when he fell down to what happened before it. Strangled sounds of misery escaped his parched lips, fighting back more tears that threatened to fall.

"Allen...?"

Tyki was standing at the door, hurrying in when he saw Allen crying into the sheets. Allen glanced at him, but the teen was too distraught to speak and Tyki understood. Allen flung himself at Tyki as soon as the man approached his bed, sobbing into Tyki's shirt. Tyki rubbed his hand on his back, trying to calm the child down. "Shh, it's okay...He's an idiot. You shouldn't be crying over an idiot...Forget about him, lad. There are many other men and women who want you out there," Tyki tried to encourage, but none went into Allen's ears.

"I just...Wanted to hear him say my name again..." Allen murmured with a broken voice. He had been imprisoned here, all his life, only praying and hoping that he could meet his beloved once more. All he wanted was Kanda. Where had he gone wrong? Had he endured the torture of his sanity for ten years just for it to all vanish in a single moment? "Just sleep, Allen...I'll be here," Tyki murmured, tucking the teen into bed carefully. Seeing Allen's tear-stained face hurt him as well.

It was a good thing that Kanda was no longer Allen's overseer.

Mwahaha! 8D Read and review!