Allen swiftly moved out of the way, letting the floor take the force of Lenalee's attack. The reinforced concrete beneath her boots cracked, letting out a snap like lightning through the deserted hall. Allen shielded his eyes from the shockwave that followed, only to quickly duck beneath Lenalee's foot before it caught his face. His eyes narrowed in frustration as he activated his Innocence, using the flat side of his broadsword to halt another attack. Lenalee merely used this as a surface to quickly leap above Allen, spinning into a drop kick. But the Musician had already moved out of her range, standing at the other end of the hall. Eyes glittering, Lenalee shifted out of her attack and landed lightly on her feet, catlike. Neither side moved as dust traveled softly to the floor. It was only until Lenalee, wavering on her feet, finally leaned against the wall for support before Allen spoke, taking a cautious step forward.

"Lenalee, please. Let me help you. I can take you inside my Arc, not the Earl's, and you can be safe there. I know that saving you won't excuse any of my actions-"

"Do you remember?" she cut in, staring at the ground. "Do you remember that night when your eye was hurting, and I came looking for you because of that dream I had?" She smiled wistfully, continuing on. "I told you that my world consisted of my friends and family, people that I cared about. Even if you did help me, what would there be left for me, now that everyone is… gone?" She pushed herself off the wall and staggered forward, sinking into her fighting stance yet again. She was about to propel herself forward before a voice behind her purred,

"So you're one of the last ones, little girl?" Lenalee's eyes widened in surprise and she let out a small gasp of breath before a charcoal hand closed around her neck and slammed her into the stone wall. As the dust cleared, she looked up at the newcomer, gritting her teeth and grimacing in pain. If the wavy black hair wasn't enough of a giveaway, the burning cigarette dangling from a loose smile could only mean one person.

"Tyki, put her down." Lenalee could hear Allen's voice from behind the third disciple of the Noah.

"Oh, come on, boy," his yellow eyes flitted to the side, mocking. "You can't have all the fun to yourself. Oh, I know! Why don't we let the whole family have their own chance to play with her, and then you can have the pleasure," his voice drawled on the word, "of finishing her off." Tyki's hands tightened around her throat and Lenalee couldn't help letting out a squeak of pain as her vision began to swim. And then, as suddenly as the pressure increased, it was gone, leaving Lenalee to slide to the ground while desperately gulping in precious air.

Allen had grabbed Tyki's arm with his left hand, twisting it backward. There was a cold, hard gleam in his golden eyes.

"I told you to put her down," he spoke in a clipped tone. Tyki snarled and pulled his arm back, massaging his wrist.

"What happened to you, Neah? Did this silly waif of a girl manage to tame you?" the Noah hissed, eyes narrowed. "Besides, I'm here under orders from the Earl. Any Exorcists that have survived up to this point are to be taken on the Arc after, of course, destroying their Innocence. We're all waiting for you at the gate." With that, Tyki eyed Lenalee who was still on the floor one last time before melting back into the wall. Allen watched him go, silent. Then with a sigh, he slid down next to Lenalee, closing his eyes as he let his head rest against the wall. Lenalee looked back at him through the strands of hair that fell over her face. He looked so… vulnerable. Don't be silly, Lenalee, she admonished herself, this "vulnerable" man just butchered the entire Science Wing, any Exorcists that weren't in the mess hall, and Hevlaska singlehandedly without even going into his Noah form. He's as vulnerable as sleeping dragon. With a start, she suddenly realized she was staring into his eyes. He had turned to face her and found her deep purple eyes already gazing into his own. Embarrassed, she quickly twisted away, missing the brief albeit sad smile that passed by his lips.

"Ready to go?" he asked, getting back to his feet and extending a hand. Lenalee pointedly refused to use the proffered hand and used the wall for support. Allen's smile faded instantly, replaced by a look of pain before he turned around and mumbled, "Let's go."

The walk back to the Arc was, for the most part, uneventful. The footfalls of the pair were the only sounds that echoed in the path back up as Lenalee trailed behind the silver-haired Noah. Running was pointless.

She would have been lying if she said she wasn't scared. Yet, when Allen looked back at her and asked if she was all right, she felt herself jerking her head in a stiff nod.

"It's okay to be scared. I'm going to figure something out," he said in what he hoped was a comforting tone. Lenalee stopped.

"What are you saying? Why do you try and help me when minutes ago you killed the people I love. You… how dare you. How dare you!" Her hands were curled into tight fists, shaking. "Why?"

Allen said nothing. He had also stopped, staring at her.

"Why?" she whispered one more time. She was trying to hold back the tears, to be strong for those who couldn't anymore, but it was so hard. Her biggest fear had finally come to fruition: she was alone.

Allen couldn't take his eyes off Lenalee. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was absolutely disheveled. Her bloodshot eyes accentuated the glower she was shooting him, and her clothes were a mess.

She was the most beautiful thing he had set his eyes on.

Walking up to her, he gently placed his hands on either side of her face, trying to ignore her flinch as his fingers made contact with her skin. She was trembling.

Lenalee's breath stopped in her throat as a wave of familiar calm washed over her body. If she closed her eyes, it almost felt like the old days when Allen was simply Allen and not Neah, not the Fourteenth, not the Musician. She remembered the last time he held her like this. It was right before she was pulled into the Arc, beneath the bridge under the night sky. Even then it was the same, this feeling of being safe, of everything going right in the world. She shut her eyes even tighter, trying to will her body back to that time. Everything was simpler then; there were Akuma and Noah, and there were Exorcists. Black and white. She was afraid of this grey in-between that she was now caught in thanks to Allen.

"Because," she heard him say, "you are special." Lenalee's eyes widened in surprise, but he had already let go of her and continued walking down the hall. "Come on, they're waiting for us," he continued.

Her hand brushed her cheek, which was still warm from the contact. She stood for a moment longer, as if trying to comprehend what had just happened, before following Allen's retreating back.