Hello, my beautiful readers! I have some good news and some bad news. Let's start with the good! As an apology for such erratic updates and long waits between chapters, here is a longish one!

And the bad news: I've been sensing a decline of interest in this story, so I may be taking a hiatus to go through and refine the plot to make it more appealing to the readers! The falling review rates makes me feel like maybe there's something that I'm doing wrong, but I promise you that I shall come back better than ever! I would be so, so, so happy if those who feel unsatisfied with how the plot is moving along could private message me or leave a review with advice on how I can improve!

To those of you that have been with this story since the beginning, I love you so much. I promise that the hiatus won't be for long, and that once I come back I'll be updating more regularly!

She kept running. No amount of the burning pain in the legs could stop her as she flew across the white Ark. Even away from Allen, the memory of his presence smothered her like a soft blanket, wrapping her in warmth and leaving her breathless.

It seemed like all she could do was run. Lavi's and Hevlaska's words echoed through her mind as the pearly buildings around her whizzed past.

"If you're in any trouble, promise me you'll run."

She had been running her whole life. First running from the Order, and then running after her friends, and now running away from him.

Was this… was this really all she could do?

Finally slowing down, she stumbled into a clearing with a beautifully ornate fountain standing in the center. Birds circled high overhead. She collapsed onto its edge to greedily have a drink, splashing her face to snap her out of her own thoughts. The water's chaotic motions cast ripples on Lenalee's reflection as she stared down at her flushed face and tousled, windswept hair. Her eyes gazed back at her.

"I'm so jealous," she found herself whispering to her reflection, fingers lightly touching the surface of the water. "You don't have to think or make decisions. You just follow what I do, so you feel no regrets. But…" Lenalee withdrew her hand, gaze moving to the white stone instead. "Are you happy?"

Her reflection said nothing.

Lenalee smiled wistfully. "Can you call your life your own? You can't change the past or control your future. You feel no regrets, but can you feel joy? Maybe I am jealous of living with no regrets, but…" Her voice strengthened as she pushed herself to her feet. "I could never be you. I could never ignore injustices, and I could never stop fighting. I fight… for them." She could see the Order, Komui, Lavi, and Kanda just behind her eyes. And at the forefront, was the Allen of her memory. From before.

It was time to stop running, and time to start fighting back. But first…

Out. She had to get out. This whiteness was too bright and she could feel him in the air around her. This was his Ark after all. She found herself craving the black frigid air of the other Ark that would shock her senses and keep her on edge.

One by one, she began wrenching doors open only to find each of them leading into an infinite void. Her desperation soon turned into annoyance with every passing door. She had a suspicion that Allen could somehow see her and was controlling where all the doors she was opening were leading to.

After the twelfth door, her patience snapped. Including a part of her sanity. Looking back on it, it was a wonder how she kept so calm beforehand.

"I know you can hear me!" she yelled angrily, kicking the door to relieve some of her physical anxiety. "This isn't funny! You are so lucky that my Innocence is sealed, or else I would force you to let me out and I can promise you wouldn't enjoy it. At all!" And then, laughter filled the sky.

"I don't know, I might enjoy it," he said, his voice full of mirth. His amusement only added fuel to the fire and Lenalee's eyes narrowed dangerously. This was good. She could deal with anger – being angry made it possible for her to talk to that man without other emotions slipping in.

But anger wouldn't help her convince him to let her leave. That would require something of a different nature.

Perhaps…

"Allen Walker," she said in a low, controlled tone. The laughter stopped instantly, lending Lenalee some confidence. This could work. "Please let me out."

For a moment, there was only silence. Then, just a couple feet away, a white doorway materialized out of the air as Allen stepped through.

He stared at her with a serious, unreadable expression. At the sight of him, her bravado that she had worked up by the fountain buckled slightly. For a moment, neither of them said anything. Was he testing her?

"Let me go to the other Ark," she said again, although in a smaller tone.

"You called me 'Allen'," he stated, completely ignoring her request. There was something in his eyes that made Lenalee want to move out from under the weight of their intensity.

No, no more running.

Instead, she attacked his gaze with one of her own. She hoped it was full of the fire and defiance she had felt moments ago and not… well, whatever she was starting to feel. "Are you not Allen?" she ventured.

The Noah opened his mouth to retort before hesitating, a haunted, pained look invading his features.

And suddenly, it was like he changed. Not physically, if his grey skin and golden eyes were any indication, but it was as if one second ago, a Noah had been standing in front of her, and in the other it was simply…

Allen.

He sank to the floor with his head bowed, startling Lenalee who was torn between keeping a safe distance and getting closer to see what was wrong.

"What would you do," he whispered, "if I said that I don't know?" His words were etched raw with guilt and confusion. Glancing up at her, an empty smile pulled at his lips. "I used to be so sure. I was Neah, a Noah with Innocence, pretending to be an Exorcist to give inside information to the Earl. It was supposed to be easy. So what happened?"

For the first time, Lenalee noticed the dark circles under his eyes, the air of vulnerability emanating from him, and the pure sadness. It was hard to remember that the almost broken man in front of her was the same as the one who murdered the Science Division and betrayed the Order.

But seeing him, sitting on the hard, white ground so lost and confused… her heart broke for him. Before she knew it, Lenalee's legs pulled her to the floor just in front of him as her arms wrapped around his body tenderly, hands tracing gentle circles into his hunched back.

This was something Komui used to do for her when she was younger, her early and agonizing years at the Order. She wasn't sure what prompted her to comfort Allen; he was supposed to be their enemy, and the persona she knew as Allen Walker was supposed to be a farce. Deep down, though, she knew (hoped) that perhaps his time at the Order, with her and the other Exorcists, quite possibly changed something inside him.

Slowly, she felt his own arms pull her body closer to his, but at the moment Lenalee found herself not caring, giving in. He needed a rock to steady him, and right now she was willing.

Her brother had once said that her heart was too big, too compassionate, for this war. Maybe he had been right.

"I don't like that name – 'Neah'," he murmured into her neck finally. "It feels wrong." Lenalee gave a small, affirmative hum. Her calm ministrations on his back didn't miss a beat. She had to resist an urge to shiver as his breath ghosted down her spine when he continued. "Who am I? If I'm a Noah, why do I feel so awful about winning the war? If I'm an Exorcist…" Lenalee felt one of his arms pull away from her as he held his hand in front of his face. "…why do I look like this?"

For once in her life, Lenalee didn't know what to say. How could she? She had first assumed that he had been an Exorcist when she befriended his 'costume', Allen Walker. Then she thought of him as a Noah, a sworn enemy, after his betrayal. Good and bad. Black and white. But now the tendrils of grey, which were slowly creeping into and latching on her vision of the world, frightened her.

So she stayed silent.

Suddenly, she felt Allen grasping her forearms and pulling her back so she could see his face. His weary, guilt-laden eyes searched her own intently.

"Are you afraid of me?" Various emotions flickered through his honeyed irises – fear, sadness, and hope.

Am I?

She remembered dancing in the snow with him after a mission to Germany, learning how to cook together under the careful eye of Jeryy, and midnight escapades to the roof during clear nights to stargaze. She remembered laughing so hard there were tears in her eyes while watching his many spats with Kanda, him teaching her how to play poker (even though he never let her win – she didn't mind), and getting lost with him in the rain.

She remembered how her heart would flutter when he looked at her, and how she felt at peace when he genuinely smiled.

Am I?

She found herself leaning forward and brushing a couple of loose hairs out of his eyes, ignoring the stigmata that was revealed by her actions around his forehead, staring into those surprised, golden eyes of his, and whispering, "I'm not afraid."

The sun itself could not have been brighter than the smile that blossomed over his face. And it was infectious – she couldn't help returning his with one of her own. He stood up, pulling Lenalee to her feet; twirling her around him with her laughter piercing the bright blue sky, he drew her in for another embrace – this time it was one of joy, not sorrow.

Breathing in the scent of her hair, the smell of her, he said, "I don't think what I am matters to me, as long as I'm with you. Like this."

"Well then, you'd better consider yourself an Exorcist," she replied quickly, feeling her blood rush to her cheeks.

"I am an Exorcist."

"Are you sure?"

"I am an Exorcist if you'll let me. I've… done some terrible things, haven't I?"

At these words, Lenalee stiffened. She had tried not to think about the family she had lost. Mourning would come later, she had told herself, it would come after the Earl was defeated.

"…could you ever forgive me?" It sounded as though he asked even though he already knew the answer. They both knew.

"No." Her answer was quiet but firm. "But," she continued, "that doesn't mean that you can't redeem yourself. Help us fight him, Allen. Help us save the world."

And this time, he couldn't say no.

"I will. I have information to tell you about the Earl and Stage Two and–"

Lenalee cut in, pulling apart from Allen to pace in agitation, "Wait, we need to find Lavi and Kanda. After we get together again you can explain everything you know. Do you know where they might be? Lavi's with Road, isn't he? I hope she hasn't hurt him too much…"

"Actually, now that I think about it, Kanda may have already pulled something off," Allen said thoughtfully as he crossed his arms. "Tyki looked a little injured when he came to the meeting."

Lenalee sagged with relief. If Kanda managed to escape, the most logical thing for him to do would be to find Lavi, which meant that all she and Allen had to do was find the hiding Exorcists. And quickly.

Before the Noah did.

There were certain ways with which Kanda liked to start his days off. Meditating was one of those things. Eating soba for breakfast, lunch, and dinner was another. He considered himself a simple man with simple pleasures living in a world full of morons.

However, this was not on that small list of things he liked to do. Not even close.

"I'm only going to say this one more time. Move. Back."

"Okay, Yu, let me just magically make myself smaller so I can fit into this space. Oh, wait. I can't."

"I warned you, stupid rabbit."

"Wh-what are you… OW!"

"Shut up, you idiot! You're going to get us caught. Now, stay still and don't move."

Yes, being one inch away from Lavi's face while awkwardly sandwiched between him and the ceiling of a tiny crawlspace to hide from an approaching Noah most definitely was not on his list of good ways to start the day.

They watched as a pair of heavy boots thumped past the crawlspace, waiting for a couple minutes before they quickly moved out of the tight and compact area. For once, Kanda was mildly thankful that they hadn't found their Innocence yet. He had a feeling that the Noah would have been able to sense the pair in hiding if they had gotten their weapons back.

"How come you got to be on top?" Lavi complained as he gracelessly attempted to brush some dirt off his back. "That floor was gross. You would think that being a relatively new mystical floating cube would mean that it was clean, but nooo."

"Your hair is too flamboyant," Kanda replied. ("Hey! Who're you calling flamboyant?") "They would have noticed it if I didn't use mine to cover yours up," he continued, ignoring the bookman's feigned hurt.

"Good thing your hair is so long and voluptuous, Yu," Lavi teased. "Looks like all that shampoo paid–"

"Do you like your tongue? Then stop talking or you won't have it anymore."

"You're so cold, Kanda, so cold."

They moved further down the hall, stopping to listen for any approaching footsteps every minute or so and keeping an eye out for any open rooms that they could search for their Innocence.

As they rounded a corner, they spotted an open door. The two Exorcists moved like shadows to either side of the doorway, having developed a routine of entering each room they found. Kanda flexed his hands before tightening them into fists as Lavi mouthed, "Three, two, one…"

On zero, they burst inside, adrenaline flooding their system as they quickly scanned the room for any unwanted guests. To Lavi's relief and Kanda's mild disappointment (his muscles felt like they were on fire – he would have welcomed beating an unsuspecting Noah to a pulp), the room was empty. Neither of them closed the door as they moved further inside – a closed door might be suspicious to passing Noah.

It was yet another bedroom. Swathed in darkness, it was difficult for Kanda and Lavi to navigate around the bed, table, and dressers to search for their weapons.

Lavi had stuck his head under the bed, his arm sweeping across the black floor, when two sudden and loud snapping sounds startled him. He jerked his head up, colliding with the bedframe and sending stars into his vision.

"Ouch," he whimpered, rubbing the back of his head as he sat back up on his haunches.

"Here," Kanda said, handing him a thick iron rod. A second one was tightly grasped in other hand. "We can use these as weapons until we find our Innocence." Looking back at the bed, Lavi noted that the now-vandalized footboard was missing two of its metal bars.

"Good idea, this is better than nothing. But I don't think our Innocence is…" the redhead's voice trailed off as two pairs of soft footfalls echoed down the hall outside. Did someone hear them? Did their jailers somehow figure out where they were?

Of course Lavi realized that the footsteps could have belonged to two Noah, like those twins that Krory fought in the white Ark, who just happened to be walking down the hall. But now, armed with the heavy metal rods, this was an opportunity for the two Exorcists to extract some information from their unsuspecting victims.

Kanda motioned to Lavi as they took their positions on either side of the doorway once more.

"I'll take down the one closest to the door," he whispered as his grip on his temporary weapon tensed. Lavi nodded, sinking lower into his legs.

Closer… closer…

Now.

They exploded out of the door with their weapons hurtling towards their prey and lightning coursing through their veins.

It took Lavi less than a second for his eyes to process what he was seeing – fair skin, long dark hair, a pair of deep purple eyes widened in surprise… oh crap. He instantly stopped the path of the iron bar, which hovered dangerously close to his ex-target's face.

It took Kanda less than a second for his eye to process what he was seeing – smoky skin, silvery white hair, a pair of bright golden eyes… that bastard. He didn't hold back, didn't hesitate, throwing even more force behind his swing…

…which stopped before it ever made contact with his victim's face.

"See, Lenalee?" Allen chirped, his hand having snapped up to block the offending metal rod. "I told you we'd find them if we followed Kanda's trail of perpetual grumpiness."

"Kanda… Lavi!" Lenalee cried as happy tears overwhelmed her. She rushed forward, pulling the two of them into a close hug and nearly knocking them off balance. "I'm so happy you're all right," she sobbed into Lavi's jacket, her vice-like hold preventing even Kanda from squirming away from the emotional exchange.

"It's good to see you too," Lavi replied warmly with relief, stroking her head.

"Tch," was Kanda's only response, although his eyes softened. That is, until they snapped back up to glare at Allen who hovered behind the trio uncertainly. Lavi noticed too, looking up to stare at Allen's appearance. This was the first time they'd seen him in his Noah form.

There was nothing more that Kanda wanted to do than slice up the man standing before him. But, after seeing how quickly he had moved to block his attack, the swordsman knew that he didn't have a chance without his Innocence. And Lenalee didn't seem to be hurt or afraid of that Noah, so instead he opted for the other kind of attack he could use.

"It's sad to see that even in that form you're still short, beansprout," he sniped coolly.

"The name's Allen!" Allen retorted loudly.

"And you still have hair like an old man? I thought all Noah had black hair, beansprout."

"My name's ALLEN, you idiot!"

Lenalee wanted to laugh, tears still pouring down her face. It was just like old times. She never knew how much she missed their little fights.

"Lenalee? Are you sure you're okay? What's going on?" She glanced up to see the bookman looking down at her with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine, now that we're all together again," she said, letting go of her two friends. "Allen has some information for us that might help us defeat the Earl."

At her words, she noticed the bickering stopped as Kanda and Lavi both turned to stare at her.

"Have you gone mad? How can you trust a Noah? We trusted him once and look where that got us!" Lavi exclaimed. Behind her, Allen shifted uncomfortably on his feet, mumbling "I'm an Exorcist" under his breath.

"I know, I know. But what other choice do we have?"

"Look, I'll explain everything," Allen interjected. "But let's go to my… the white Ark first. It'll be safer to talk there."