Author's Note - Wow, guys. Thanks for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites! I hope you all continue to enjoy Shadows of the Past.

Disclaimer - It would not be wise to leave all those awesome characters in my hands. You all think the art's screwed up now...

Allen was everywhere.

Memories of him flashed through her mind as she hurried along through the corridors. Every corner she took she was met with another memory. In her mind's eye, she watched him smile, watched him speak. She felt him hold her, felt his hand wrap around her's.

But nothing was more heartwrenching than seeing those eyes. No one else had eyes like his. Eyes that, no matter how angry he was, reamained pools of kindness. Nobody saw passed that smile he used that day he was led away from his home.

She did, though.

Furiously, she barged into her brother's office. Komui had been doing paperwork and had looked up in alarm upon seeing her. "L-Lenalee?"

"Where's Leverrier?"

"He's having a meeting," the man replied, though there was concern evident in his facial expression. "Lenalee, what's going on?"

"I need to talk to him." She said before adding and leaving the room, "now."

Ignoring her brother's protests, she continued along, quickly making him lose his trail. She made her way through several halls until she came upon a door she was certain he would use as a meeting. Following the exterior wall of the room, she continued along untl she found a ventilation system, appearing to lead straight into the room itself.

She pulled on the bar, but as expected it didn't budge. Narrowing her eyes, she jogged to the science department, where she was certain Johnny would be at.

"Johnny!"

Johnny rushed to meet her. "Lenalee! What's wrong? You look really pale, maybe you should go-"

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "I don't have much time. I need a screw driver."

"Screw driver?" He repeated, bewildered. "What for, Lenalee?"

Careful to make certain that no one was listening, she lowered her voice, "I can't guarantee that we won't get introuble, so I can't tell you, but please... I need your help."

He nodded, casually making his way back and grabbing the tool, returning to her in record time. "Good luck," he whispered before turning back to his work. Lenalee took a deep breath and headed back to the vent, making sure no one else was around before working to unscrew the bolts.

The cover came off easily, and she propped it up against the wall gently before crawling inside. It was small, dark, and cramped, but she could make out light up ahead, giving her a sliver of hope.

And because she knew Allen would do the same for her.

Settling before the end, where she found herself overlooking the very room Allen had been led in the night of his last encounter with General Cross, she soundlessly peered around the room. Link, Leverrier, and one of the Third Exorcists were located in the room. Link was standing near the door, the Third Exorcist sitting on the couch facing Leverrier, who was in the chair.

How odd. Leverrier, from what she had seen, had never felt the need to address one Third Exorcist in particular. She continued to hide the dark shadows of the vent as she witnessed everything before her.

"I assume everything went as well as I hoped for, is that right?" Despite his personality, Leverrier had always been an expert in being kind. The calm before the storm.

"Yes, sir," the voice replied tonelessly. His voice was masked, so it was difficult to tell who he was besides hat he was a man.

"As long as you're a good boy and do as I say," he sounded dictorious, "they won't suspect anything."

They? Who was 'they'? Lenalee clenched her fists.

"Understood."

"And if any feelings are to surface," he stated sternly, "they will be reported to me. I will not let my project ruin after it's come this far."

His project? Wasn't that a human being? Lenalee suddenly felt very sick. The crosses on her ankles burnt without warning, making her bite down on her lip as she clutched at them, squinting her eyes in pain. The pain continued on for many minutes and, just when she thought she couldn't hold it in any longer and was about to break, the pain ceased slowly.

"Yes, sir."

Her foot slipped, her heel scratching against metal. She gasped before freezing, but it was too late. Leverrier's head snapped back to where she was. "Who are you?"

As they rushed to uncover her identity, she broke into a run, making it out before they could see her. She heard the door, just around the corner, open, thus making her dash for it. Corner after corner she went until she collided with someone, making them both tople over.

"Lenalee?"

It was Lavi, but she didn't have any time to react before Leverrier and Link appeared. Her heart stopped.

Yet, somehow, Lavi seemed to know that she'd gotten herself into trouble, because he took advantage of the fact that he was practically supporting her. "Ahh, Lenalee, take it easy for once, will you? Here, let's get you to bed. Next time you're tired, you really should get to bed sooner before you get this klutzy."

His acting seemed to do the trick. Leverrier grumpily reminded her she was an Exorcist and, therefore, was doing an excelent job was ruining her reputation, before heading back. After a tense silence, she tried to follow after but was pulled back by Lavi. "Are you crazy?" he whispered in a cry. "What'd you do?"

"I... I heard him, and I need to go back."

"No, what you need to do is stay the heck away from him." He tightly gripped her arm. "Do you want to die?"

"I'm not going to die," she replied, pulling away.

"I won't let you."

"And why's that? I thought you were a Bookman. Shouldn't you not be interfering with us?"

She was saying it to get her way, and Lavi knew that. He gritted his teeth. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"Lenalee," he pushed her against the wall, and she struggled to make him release his grip, but it was to no avail. "I understand what you're trying to do, but reminding me that I'm a Bookman isn't going to change anything. I'll come to terms with myself later, but right now, I think I'm going to kick myself if I sit around and watch you get yourself into this."

"Don't try to stop me," she snapped. She was tired of just hiding in the dark and hoping for Allen's fate to be handed to her. This was not a fairytale. The truth was likely to be hard, but one way or another she was going to find out what had happened to Allen.

"Listen," his voice had dropped, "I will let Gramps punish me for interfering with history later. He's going to find out soon enough, anyway. So just let me help you too, okay?"

"Do..." her voice was shaky. She must've looked more fragile than she felt. "Do you think he's still alive?"

"I don't know, Lenalee," he replied. "There's no facts that-"

She gripped him by the jacket, making him blink. "Forget the facts," she said. "What's your opinion?"

"I don't have opinions, Lenalee. I'm a Bookman."

"You have opinions," she remarked, getting irritated. "You just don't want to say them because your worried about how it will affect you being a Bookman? Didn't you just mess up history five minutes ago?"

"Lenalee, if Gramps finds out and my title is removed, I don't have access to information anymore. I want to help, but the emotions you're expecting me to express I can't. Bookman-"

"Aren't supposed to have friends," she finished. "Especially with those creating history. I know that. However," she took a step closer, "what about when those very people think of you as friends? We're all comrades here."

"Lenalee..."

Huffing, she turned away and began to walk away. When she was a few feet away, she stopped, and without turning around spoke, "Allen thought of you as a friend."

"Your world's broken." It wasn't a question. It was a statement. One that she could not deny and did not even try to.

"It's shattering," she replied, studying her hands. "We keep drifting apart from each other, and as much as I try to pick up the pieces, I always cut my hands. Nothing works to mend it back together. Maybe it's because I'm broken too... or I'm too weak to fix it."

Her emotions were numb. It felt awkward to have them after being deprived of them for so long. Maybe she was still living in her shell.

"That must be the first time in nearly a year since I heard that name come from you," Lavi commented, now leaning against the wall. She turned, just in time to see him open his visible eye. "Sometimes, I get myself thinking that you two have a connection, and always end up knocking myself for the idea. Even now, I don't get it. Seems almost impossible for you to still be alive if he were dead."

"Huh?"

"Think about it. You were fine before he came, weren't you?"

"That's not true!" she protested. "We were happy when he came too-"

He held up a hand, silencing her. "But you've gotten happier since he joined us. We've all seen it. Why do you think Komui has yet to kill Allen for being around you all the time. Like I said before; it's you and Allen. You two go together like peanutbutter and jelly. And everytime you two are separated, something always occurs with your Innocence."

"What are you saying?"

"I mean what I say." He ran a hand through his hair.

"You're proof that Allen is still alive."