Disclaimer - I do not own D Gray Man

Crescendo

As pertains to music a crescendo is a gradual increase in volume but as it pertains to Allen's story the crescendo had more to do with his feelings than the ever present background song that he could hear in his mind but chose to ignore. He had left India, truly alone for the first time since that day in the cemetery, and Allen found himself worrying about how he would be accepted by the Black Order.

Allen really didn't know all that much about the other Exorcists, General Cross having been the only one that he'd ever met, and he really didn't want to think that all of them were like his Master. He was fairly sure that his sanity couldn't handle that. The boy shuddered as he made his way toward the train station, with his constant companion Timcanpy flying along beside him.

"Be careful Tim," Allen warned, his gaze shifting over to the little golem who was flying at eye level. "I really don't want to have to chase down another cat."

He had already succeeded in getting side tracked from his journey to the headquarters of the Black Order when Timcanpy had been eaten by a cat and that had lead to no end of trouble. He had been forced to chase the cat and, as a direct result, had run afoul of the local police.

That had led to a fight with an Akuma which, given the fact that it was a level one hadn't been all that difficult. Unfortunately it had led to one of the local police officers being traumatized for life. Having experienced the horrors of the Akuma more times than he cared to remember Allen sympathized with the woman but he had to leave her to her grief and move on.

His goal was to become an Exorcist so that he could help all of the unfortunate souls who had been trapped by those they loved and turned into playthings for the Millennium Earl. That was what he had to do in order to make things up to Mana.

"I don't know why the things like you so much."

Timcanpy offered up the only reply that he was capable of, bumping his new master on the side of his head.

"Come on," Allen whined, going pale as he recalled some parting words that his master had offered him. "Master said that you're my responsibility now and that he'd have my head if anything happened to you. I really don't wanna die right now."

As though he could sense the growing worry of his young master Timcanpy ceased his flight and came to land amongst the youth's unruly white hair. Allen was used to this, having endured it since the first day that he had spent with Master Cross, and he heaved a sigh of relief. The golem was a lot safer when he was resting on his head and Allen could relax a little.

He didn't have to be constantly on the lookout for cats.

"I wonder what the Black Order is like?" Allen thought to himself, once again succeeding in launching himself into a panic. A mental image of a room full of people who looked just like his Master appeared unbidden in his mind, completely masking the soft music that he had grown accustomed to. "NO! I can't handle that! One was bad enough but this. . ."

Timcanpy could sense that the boy had slipped into traumatized by Cross mode and the little golem gently cuffed him on the head with one of his little golden wings. It wasn't much but it served to bring Allen's mind back to the here and now.

And the here and now was a cliff upon which was positioned a rather imposing looking tower, surrounded by creatures that looked like bats. "This is the place," Allen thought to himself as he gazed up at the tower, his heart beginning to pound out a by now familiar tune. "I didn't expect it to be so creepy looking."

Timcanpy launched his small form into the air and resumed flying beside Allen's head.

Allen didn't protest this move from the golem since he was about to do some rock climbing and the danger of cats was virtually non existent. Allen quickly secured the suitcase that contained his meager belonging to his back and cast yet another wary gaze toward the cliff that was separating him from his destination. Rolling up the sleeves of the suit that he was wearing Allen took a deep breath, feeling his pulse rate quicken even more.

"Well here goes," Allen thought to himself as he reached up and began to climb. At least if he died there wouldn't be anyone left behind to mourn him. Mana had been the only soul on the planet who had given a damn about his well being. He knew, with ninety-nine point nine percent accuracy, that Cross wouldn't even bat an eye if he were to be informed of the death of his apprentice.

"Idiot apprentice."

Allen could practically hear the scathing words of his Master echoing in his mind. His determination rose even as his anxiety doubled. He would make it up the cliff and to the headquarters of the Black Order, if only to prove to his Master that he wasn't useless.

The little bat looking creatures began to surround him as Allen slowly made his way up the cliff however the boy chose to ignore them. They weren't attempting to cause him any harm and he had to keep his mind focused on the task at hand or risk falling to his death.

As he progressed upward toward the foreboding headquarters Allen found that he was grateful for all of the acrobatics that Mana had taught him. He hadn't expected that it would ever come in handy as an Exorcist but the upper body strength that he had built up by doing handsprings and flips and the like was proving to be an invaluable asset at the moment.

"Thank you Mana," he whispered as he continued to climb.

It seemed to Allen that the climb up the cliff took forever but in reality it couldn't have been that long. When he reached the top the boy fell to the ground and took a minute to just catch his breath. He had expected for his anxiety level to diminish once he reached the top of the cliff but he found that the exact opposite occurred. He wouldn't have thought it possible but his pulse rate actually increased yet again.

"Well here I am," Allen said as he sat on the ground and gazed at the tower. "I finally made it. Exorcist headquarters. The Black Order." Allen gazed around, taking in his surroundings. There was a path leading off into the distance, bordered on both sides by a row of what appeared to be crosses. "You know I'd heard about these headquarters before but, how do I put this? I'm getting a spooky feeling about this place. There's only one way to find out isn't there? Well alright, here goes nothing."

Anyone who heard this little conversation would have thought that Allen had a companion other than the little golden golem who was fluttering at his side. They would have been wrong of course but Allen was used to getting funny looks for talking to himself. It wasn't as though he'd had anyone else to talk to during those years that he spent training with Cross.

"Calm down," he ordered himself as he got to his feet. It would be embarrassing if he made it to the top of the cliff only to die of a heart attack before he reached his destination. Taking yet another deep breath Allen rolled his sleeves down to cover his arms and removed the suitcase from his back.

"Well," he muttered, more to himself than to his small companion. "Here goes nothing."

The determination in his gray eyes belied the anxiety that was evident only by the rapid beating of his heart as the boy traveled a path toward the tower that was the headquarters of the Exorcists. Visions of a room full of people who looked like Master Cross once again invaded his mind but Allen pushed them back. That wasn't going to happen, after all there couldn't possibly be more than one person in the world like that.

There just had to be a balance, didn't there?

He walked along calmly enough as he made his way toward the front entrance. He didn't really know what to expect but he had promised his Master that he would go to the Black Order and, more importantly, he had promised Mana that he would always keep walking, keep moving forward.

The little black bat looking creatures were every where but for the most part Allen ignored them. If they were going to do something then chances are that they already would have. Allen continued moving forward until he reached the front entrance.

His anxiety reached it's height at this point but he forced himself to push it down and called out, in a voice that sounded falsely brave, "Hello, anyone home? My name is Allen Walker and I was referred here by General Cross Marian. I'm here to request a meeting from an executive of the Order."

This was it. This was where all of his training had brought him and Allen was determined to see things through to the end. By all outward appearances he was calm but inside his heart was pounding. It had made a steady crescendo since his arrival in this town and now that he had arrived at the order it had reached it's peak. Both his heart and his mind were racing as he watied to see who would greet him now that he had arrived.

Where would his path lead him from here?

A/N - and there's chapter two. Poor little Allen, he really has things rough. Hope you enjoyed this second chapter of Allen's story, as told by The Musician. Please leave a review and tell me what you thought. And if you have any suggestions for the story please don't hesitate to share.