Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray-Man. The original plot and its characters belong to their respectful owner, Katsura Hoshino.

"What?"

The tears that threatened to fall stopped abruptly as Lavi's cry filled her ears. She spun around to face the bottom of the stairs, where Lavi stood, eyes blazing in anger. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she turned to look back at Allen, hoping for a change, but she found none. His eyes appeared more of an icy blue color as he glared at them bitterly, almost hatefully.

And once again, she was unsure of what to do. She was out of options. What was she supposed to do now? Beg him to listen? Force him to listen? Let him leave?

"What's with you?" Lavi trotted forward so that he was standing before Allen. Without warning, he grabbed him by his shirt collar, holding him into place. "This isn't like you one bit! You told me before you left to look after Lenalee for you. You said you'd never forgive yourself if she got hurt because you weren't there." His eyes narrowed. "You said that."

"I did," the white-haired man replied, attempting to force Lavi to release him with his own hand, but the Bookman's grip remained tight.

"Then why are you acting like this? Why'd you come back all anti-social and hateful? You'd better have a good explination or I just might beat you until you come to your senses rather than prove to everyone Leverrier's brainwashed you."

"I've already told you!" Allen snapped. "While I was at Central I realized my true purpose. There's no need for bonds. Central reminded me of what I really care about."

Lenalee narrowed her eyes. What could he possibly care about when he was so cut off from the world? It frustrated her to no end. They were never going to get any answers from Allen. They needed answers from another source. Someone who knew Allen more than anyone else.

And she knew just the person.

"What is it?"

Lenalee had been an Exorcist for many years. Although not as experienced as others, she was nowhere near being stupid. She understood the stakes just as anyone else. She understood the odds that were against them. For most of her life, she had lived on the boundary that separated life from death. Therefore, she could easily spot danger when it was close to her.

It'd never scared her as much as now, however. What was she supposed to do now when it seemed the very organization that had imprisoned her - the very organization she had come to call 'home' - was crumbling before her eyes, oblivious to those in it? There was so much she had learned in this small amount of time, and yet there was still so much she needed to know.

"Are you on our side?"

There was no other way to rephrase that question; no other way to make it easier to understand. All she could do now was pour faith into what she had asked and hope for the best. At this point, she wasn't sure what to expect.

Exhaling smoke from his cigarette, he scoffed, "you expect me to believe it's really me you're concerned about?"

Lavi grinned, but she could tell that it was forced. "Well, if you wanna take it in that direction, General," sarcasm dripped off the title, making it obvious he was irritated, "we'd like to know 'bout Allen."

She watched wearily as Cross propped his feet up on the coffee table, the corners of his mouth tugging into a grin that was almost sadistic. "Now that's more like it," he replied through a fit of laughter. She was beginning to wonder if he was slightly tipsy.

"What happened to you?" Lavi asked him after a moment of silence. "You left without a trace. You weren't even the accommodator for Judgment anymore. So why are you alive, hiding yourself in a cloak and with Leverrier?"

"Relax, will you?" He reached for another bottle of alcohol when Lenalee boldly snatched it away from him. Lavi and Cross stared at her in surprise, but she merely set the bottle in her lap carefully as to not break it.

"I would like to know what happened to Allen, of course," she spoke softly, afraid to hear what he had to say, "but there is more I'd like to know."

"I assumed," he replied before he began. "As you've probably already noticed, Leverrier is here on a visit. Along with the idiot and I, there is also another person that was under strict orders of Leverrier to keep their identity hidden, Link."

Lenalee nodded. "Why is Leverrier here, though?" It'd been a question that'd been bothering her for a while now. Leverrier had called Allen a 'project', yet technically didn't want him to get close to the people he'd been close with before. If he was so concerned about Allen's emotions returning, then what did he aim to accomplish here using Allen?

"As a fair warning, you two better watch your backs. Leverrier is already aware you're onto him. If the opportunity comes to kill you," he was looking specifically at Lavi, "he will take it without hesitation."

"What about Lenalee?" Lavi asked.

"He can't kill Lenalee since she's part of the Heart—"

"What?" both exclaimed.

"No, no." Lenalee sputtered, "there's no way I could be the Heart." She paused when she recalled the rest of what Cross had spoken. "Wait, you mean there are parts of the Heart?"

"There's no denying it," Cross replied. "Hevlaska herself has confirmed it. A part of the idiot's Innocence has become part of your own."

She stared at him wide-eyed. There was no way. How could Crown Clown become part of her Dark Boots? Unconsciously, she felt her anklets. "How long?" she mumbled softly in question, no longer looking at him but her Innocence.

"God knows how long ago it happened. Obviously before your Innocence malfunctioned. Both of your Innocence is tied to one another; if one is weakened, the other is as well."

"Is that why I lost synchronization with the Dark Boots?"

"Partly. You also lost synchronization because you lost faith in yourself, as did Allen. Your emotions are tied into your Innocence. The more you doubt yourself, the lower your synchronization drops."

Lenalee thought over his words for a moment. It was true that she'd doubted herself, but it wasn't just her that this phenomenon had occurred with. Allen had told her once about his time at the Asian Branch. He'd doubted himself as well and was met with the same results. It then hit her.

"Wait," she asked him, "Allen didn't doubt himself until after he 'lost' his Innocence. How do you explain that, then?"

"Your emotions do not tie into just your Innocence."

She gasped in surprise. "Oh, no. It was me who weakened Allen's Innocence wasn't it? I doubted myself when I was separated from him. And when he doubted himself and I doubted myself more..."

"It weakened your own," Cross finished. "If there's one thing you will keep in mind when using your Innocence, remember this. The more you both trust one another, the stronger your Innocence will get. Just because your Innocence have evolved into their final form as the Heart doesn't mean they can revert back. It isn't just his Innocence that is the Heart, it's your's too."

"Does that mean no other equipment types can achieve this form?" She gestured to her anklets.

"No. Parasitic types cannot achieve the Idiot's 'final form' either."

She took a deep breath, allowing everything to sink in. Finally, when she was ready and had settled upon her decision, she looked at the man in front of her again.

"General Cross," she told him slowly, but sternly, "I want to stop Leverrier and save Allen, but I need your help. Please, tell me everything you know about what he is planning and what he did to Allen." She clenched her fists. "I don't doubt myself... I know I'm strong enough to do this, and Crown Clown and the Dark Boots know that too. We can't do anything until we know what's going on, though."

He met her pleading eyes and was silent for a moment. Lavi and her studied his face, trying to determine what he was thinking. This was the only safe route they could take. If they were turned down, they'd have no other choice but to pry it out of Leverrier themselves.

"Very well. I will tell you."