A/N: Yay! I'm back for another chapter!(: I wrote a bit of a vague outline for the coming chapters, so hopefully that will aid me in getting these out sooner!^-^ Thank you to Neah D. Campbell, Kittenanimegirl13, Guest, Lena-luvs-cats, lizy2000, mellifluousMondegreen, GloomyMercury98, and xenocanaan for all taking the time to drop a review! I appreciate it immensely!(:

GloomyMercury98 asked if my OC would be paired with anyone—I think it's most probable that she will. I don't really have anyone specific in mind, but as you get to know her more, let me know who you think she'd be best paired with!(:

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Sorry, that's a no!(x

Chapter 4

Time Frame — Morning of January 5th, 1888

—1st Person POV—

By morning, the hustle and bustle of the red light district had quieted down to a muted hush (as probably expected). And luckily for me, Anita had gifted me with my own private room, down the hall from hers (it was the only other room on the top floor, as her own took up the rest of the space). She'd even given me a key to reassure me that no one other than me would be entering these rooms, which was nice; though I don't know how often it happened, I didn't want any of the men that came here accidentally wandering into my room; I shuddered internally, pushing the thought away as I pulled aside the silk sheets and got up for the day. It was a little late in the morning, but I'd stayed up later than usual with Anita last night.

And now, after the conversation I'd had with Cross a week ago, I was not… eager per se, but curious enough to get started; with Anita around though, he'd probably be too distracted to help, and so, I'd decided to take the matter into my own hands for as long as we were staying here, to see if I could make any progress on my own. As I got ready, I took my sweet time; I had a feeling this would be the last of any luxury I would be seeing for a while. I pulled out the cheongsam that Anita had let me borrow with a small smile, and made sure to pull on a thin, black long-sleeve that matched the dress, beneath it so that I could shield my deformed arm from prying eyes.

I also made use of the fancy items that shone along the vanity, using the sparkling comb to brush through my tangles and rubbing some lotion onto my face. The rest of the products were pretty useless for someone my age though, so I left it alone, and moved on to pull on a pair of traditional Chinese flats that matched the red threading on my dress, before slipping on my gloves.

Part of me found it a little disappointing that I couldn't make any more use of all the cosmetics Anita had been generous enough to leave lying around the room, but figuring it was for the best with a resigned sigh, I silently padded across the room and exited, shutting the door with a soft click and using the small key to lock it in place, before pulling the chain on which the key dangled from above my head and around my neck. Tucking the key beneath my dress with a reassured pat, I felt like a bit of a ninja as I sneaked around the brothel, dreading the thought of running into any of the workers or customers. It was all very intimidating considering the fact that I'd always found these sorts of places revolting (still did, in fact), but beggars couldn't be choosers, and I genuinely cared for Anita. I'd just have to keep my opinions to myself.

Fortunately, the rest of the brothel was dead silent and I didn't run into anyone before I was able to make my escape. The streets outside were practically deserted, and so I was unbothered as I exited the red light district; Anita's brothel edged right onto the sandy beaches, so all I had to do was go down the street and walk along the coastline until the view of the harbor came in, massive ships pulled up along it as the bustle of sailors and merchants loaded and unloaded wooden boxes onto the docks. It made quite the sight, and it was relieving to see that there was a normal side of this town. For a few minutes, I watched curiously, before ambling over to a nearby a bench. I hadn't actually planned on going down to the ports, but I figured that sitting here would be a good place as any.

"I wish they could've explained how to do this part in the series," I muttered to myself, eyeing my immediate surroundings to make sure I was alone. Once I was comfortable, I carefully tugged off the glove from left hand, curiously observing the shimmering crystal imbedded into the thick gnarled, red skin. I guess this could technically be considered my next goal. I was attempting to learn how to activate my Innocence weapon; not that I had any idea where I was supposed to start.

"I'm somehow supposed to connect with you," I mumbled under my breath, lifting my hand up for closer inspection. "We're supposed to be partners, right? Is it really as simple as saying, Innocence activate?"

I gasped in reaction to the warmth buzzing along my left arm. There was no physical change, but I was positive I'd felt something! The warm and somehow familiar (but not familiar) feeling had made itself known (maybe I'd dreamt of it; why was it familiar?) quite strongly. "Um, wow, that was simpler than I'd thought," I murmured, awed, and a little disappointed once the familiar (how was it familiar?) warmth left me. "Though maybe it'll only activate when I'm truly desperate," I pondered. I didn't have a real strong need to activate it right now; it had been more for the sake of curiosity if anything.

Carefully, I slipped my glove back on, a little more reassured now. I couldn't believe that the simple act of trying to connect and communicate with the Innocence had been so effective; it had been a part of me for as long as I could remember, but I'd never felt anything like that before! Even so, I refrained from trying to activate it as a weapon; for one, I didn't want it to rip through the dress Anita had let me borrow. Plus, I was out in the open in the middle of the day; no need to attract that sort of attention.

"Hiya there, lass," an old sailor leered in my direction, setting down a wooden crate beside my bench. I wrinkled my nose and tried to discreetly shuffle further away, observing his receding hairline, wrinkled and spotted face, and the missing teeth. And boy did he reek! When was the last time this guy had taken the time to clean himself up?! The air around him was thick with a rotting stench. I refrained from gagging.

"Um, hi…" I muttered with distaste, hopping to my feet and attempting to make my escape. A large, filthy hand seized my wrist.

"Not so fast there, lassie—"

I shrieked. Long and hard. I kept it up for a good ten seconds before the old guy thought to slam his other hand atop my mouth in an attempt to shut me up. I bit him—and instantly regretted it! Ugh! Where had his hands been?! That was disgusting! Without remorse, I spat a glob of saliva at his feet.

"Damn it!" he growled, grabbing me by the hair this time.

I shrieked again. A lot louder and shriller.

"What the hell?!" a familiar voice demanded, stalking over into our direction.

"Cross!" I sighed in relief, when suddenly the old guy was wrenched away from me, forcing him to release me, much to my relief. Once I was out of his grip I watched stunned as Cross, without remorse, knocked him out with a single punch to the face.

"Damn it, Allen! What were you doing?!" Cross suddenly demanded and turned to me with a heated glare. He did a bit of a double-take though, once he got a better view of me; I'd forgotten I better resembled a girl after Anita's work. His gaze softened and he simply rubbed his face with an exasperated sigh as he said, "I thought I told you to stay with Anita…"

"Um, yeah, sorry about that," I replied sheepishly, rubbing my wrists. "But everyone was asleep and I needed some fresh air. I didn't think I'd get assaulted in the middle of the beach, though!"

"And that's exactly why I told you to stay with her! People around here aren't nice; especially to defenseless, little girls!" Cross scolded me, single eye narrowed into an irritated glare. "You have a better chance under Anita's protection, so I don't want you wondering around by yourself again!"

Naturally, I wanted to argue in my defense, but there was a larger part of me that was utterly amused by this whole scenario, because surely Cross would have never reacted like this with the original, male-Allen! Anita had been right! And I secretly found it cute that Cross was trying to be more careful with me just because I was a girl. So, I decided to cut him some slack, and to avoid having him be witness to my amused smile, I simply turned and begin to walk down the pathway. Once I heard him follow after me, I said, "Of course, I'm sorry for disobeying you, General Cross."

I think my formality made him feel a bit better, but from my peripherals, I noticed him eyeing me, as if stunned that I hadn't put up an argument. But eventually he just shrugged it off, and when it appeared that he wouldn't say more, I prompted him, "So what is it that you've been doing all night?"

Luckily, he seemed more willing to speak freely now that we were alone. "Like I told you before, I was speaking with an old contact of mine. It was fortunate that we arrived as soon as we did, as he headed for overseas today. It's how I found you just now; I was over at the docks with him." I gazed up at him and nodded, and he continued, "Anyway, I just needed to borrow a couple of books from him. With Neah's cooperation, I've fleshed out some of my plans and have been figuring out some of the details, and realized that the Magyk I'll be performing is a bit complicated, even for someone of my caliber. He didn't have everything I need, just this," he indicated, holding up a frayed, old book with his other hand, "But I could probably figure out the rest for myself."

"Err, wow," I remarked, a little bug-eyed. "What sort of Magyk?"

"I'm trying to see how long I can erect a fortification shield," Cross explained nonchalantly, as if it were everyday talk. "We'll eventually need it once Neah is ready to posses your body. It'll keep the Earl from immediately sensing you and arriving to our location. But after that, with Neah's help, it'll be a convenient way for you to make your way into the Earl's ranks."

"Whoa, wait! You're actually going with that idea?!" I demanded, craning my head to gape at him, astonished. This was all becoming a little too much for me.

Cross momentarily paused to eye me with scrutiny, before continuing, "Yes, I am. Neah was originally supposed to be our secret weapon, but after Mana found you in that circus, I realized he's a lot more suspicious than we thought."

"And that's how you're planning to fix it?!" I practically shouted. "By handing me right over to him!"

Cross shrugged. "Sure, because if you then fake your death, he'll think you're out of the picture for good." He said it so firmly, as if he truly believed it were that simple! But I was beginning to believe that this man, this so-called general, was simply off his rocker!

"Fake my death?!" I sneered, trying to hide my true fear beneath false bravado. "You know, when I suggested that, I never believed for one second that you'd take me seriously! I mean, at this point, you might as well take me out of the game, because I doubt that I'll last for one second beneath the thumb of the Earl! Actually no, it's probably Road that scares the shit out of me the most! No, Cross, I won't need to fake my death, because I'll probably be a good six feet under before I even try to bluff my way in!"

By the end of my rant I was breathing quite harshly, and I'm sure my face was probably a bright cherry red. Cross didn't seem the least bit deterred. He simply replied, "And that's where Neah comes in."

Before I realized it, I'd burst into laughter (and I think I even sounded a bit insane). "Yeah!" I gasped between giggles, "I'm sure they'll welcome the traitor with completely open arms!"

"Maybe they won't," Cross shrugged, "But all you truly need is the Earl's backing. Mana still holds a deep love for his brother that will never really go away. And if we play up the fact that Neah has reincarnated by natural means, and remembers nothing, then he'll certainly be welcomed back."

Nervously, I gripped at the fabric of my dress, fisting my hands into it. "O-of course…"

For a moment, Cross eyed me quietly. Eventually, he asked, "Would you like to back out? When I made this plan, I assumed I had your full cooperation, but if not—"

"No!" I shouted abruptly, and then scrambled to say, "I mean, you do! I-I'll do it!" What on earth was I saying?! Why was I agreeing to this crazy and awful plan?! It was stupid, so utterly stupid, but I now I couldn't take it back and—

"Alright then," Cross nodded, and then said, "But I think that enough of this talk for now."

"Huh? Why?!" I demanded. I'd just agreed to some insane, far-fetched plan! He couldn't obscure the details now! I needed to know everything—

"Because there's an Akuma that's been following us for the past five minutes, and I'd like to see how you fair against it," Cross replied nonchalantly, suddenly stepping away from me, and I instantly whirled around with a choked gasp. It took me a moment to spot the aging woman by the shadows, but when our eyes made contact, she offered me a sincere smile.

"Ah, young lady—"

"Innocence activate!" I shouted distraughtly, with a bit of a squeak. The woman hadn't even fully transformed before I was hacking at her with my enormous claw—oh my gosh, where had that thing even come from?! Ahh! What if I was just killing an innocence woman—but no! She'd erupted into ashes! And my claw was gone…?! What…?

"Oh my goodness," I hiccupped, and I belatedly noticed that I was crying.

"Well, if anything, that was a bit enthusiastic," Cross remarked dryly, appearing at my side once more. And once he took a look at me, he frantically said, "Ah, shit! Don't cry! You're not even hurt! It's okay!"

"B-but!" I choked on the single word as another sob worked its way up. I was trembling uncontrollably and I felt so mortified to find that I was now sobbing hysterically. "T-the woman—a-and she was a demon—I-I killed it!" I blubbered incoherently, making wild hand gestures.

"Right," Cross replied awkwardly, patting me on the head, before reluctantly pulling me into a stiff hug. Immensely grateful, I sunk into his coat, fisting my hands into it and unwillingly to let go. "Err, sorry about that," the redheaded General apologized, much to my shock. "I figured you'd remember enough from before. Didn't expect you to go into shock."

Unable to speak without blubbering, I simply nodded against his coat. He sighed. "Alright, come on, let's get back to Anita's."

Shakily, I stumbled beside him, unwilling to look up or let go. Eventually, he simply gave up and picked me up, much to my mortification.

"Oh my goodness! Cross! Is she alright?!" Anita demanded once we'd arrived, though I was confused as to why she was awake. "I went to go check on her just now, but she was gone! What happened to her?"

Cross sighed, but my face was still burning red with embarrassment and I pressed it further against his shoulder. "We had a run-in with a Level 1 Akuma. I thought it'd be a good learning experience for her, but she freaked out and once she killed it, she went into shock."

"Cross!" Anita practically shrieked. "Of course, she's only six! What were you thinking?! Oh, give her over to me, would you?"

General Cross was quick to give into her demands (and if I knew him well, probably relieved to do so) and I was too embarrassed to protest, so when I was in her arms, I repeated the motion of pressing my face against her shoulder, feeling quite mortified. "Oh, sweetie," she murmured, rubbing my back soothingly and leading me away from Cross. "How are you doing? Can you speak?" I attempted to, but my voice was too choked up, so I simply shook my head against her shoulder. "I see. Hmm, how does another bath sound? You're very stiff and you need to calm down and relax."

Hesitantly, I nodded against her shoulder, and it wasn't long before we were both sinking into the steaming waters of her expansive baths. It certainly did its job in loosening the tension in my muscles and I definitely felt calmer, if a bit humiliated. "Here you go, honey," Anita murmured, handing a bar of soap, and I gratefully accepted, still avoiding eye contact. But it was nice getting back a little control, as I slowly rubbed the suds along my body. The process was quite soothing.

"Would you like to tell me what happened?" Anita eventually asked softly.

"Um," I hesitated, and then the words tumbled out, "Ah, I'm so sorry! That was so embarrassing! Please forgive me!"

Anita tilted her head forward in a thoughtful manner, and then reached out to take my hands in hers. "Allen, please look at me in the eyes," she pleaded, and after a hesitant moment, I turned and gazed into her expressive, dark eyes. "There's no need to be ashamed from feeling scared. Especially for someone who's so young! Allen, you certainly have a dark road ahead of you, but I am sure that with Cross' guidance you'll turn out alright. And I hope you don't hold a grudge against him for this mistake."

I blinked up at her, and then smiled, shrugging slightly. "I'm not mad at him, really. Mostly just at myself, for reacting the way I did." I slumped down. "I knew it was coming," I grumbled.

Anita beamed and squeezed my hands. "I am glad you seem okay. I was worried, but it seems you're coping better than I expected."

"Yeah, um, do you still want to know what happened?" I offered, shifting in the warm water.

"If it's okay with you," Anita nodded, her smile encouraging. "I would appreciate it."

I smiled slightly at her, before it dimmed once I explained, "It's as Cross said. I freaked out; he pointed out an Akuma that was following us and wanted me to fight it. I was so scared and I kind of just activated my Innocence—it was this huge claw, and I kind of just attacked her without even looking. I was just so petrified! And oh my gosh, I ruined your dress didn't I?! I didn't even think to check—"

"Allen!" Anita caught my attention, and I quieted as she grabbed my shoulders and rubbed them in a soothing manner. "It's okay! My dress appeared fine and fully intact to me."

"O-oh," I stammered. I guess if the original Allen's clothes had managed to stay fully intact, so should mine… That's it, I think I was officially losing it.

"Come here," Anita murmured, pulling me to her side and pressing her cheek atop my head. I refrained from pointing out that I found this a little awkward considering we were both naked, but she probably didn't find it so, since I was merely six. Plus, Asian culture and all that. "I'll talk with Cross, okay? Have him take it a little easier on you. How does that sound?"

"Extremely relieving," I smiled, sinking into her side.

"Yeah, I thought so," she giggled, before sighing a bit dreamily. "Sometimes, I wish I could also travel with the General around the world. It sounds so romantic."

An image of dirty bars and crappy inns popped into my head. I huffed. "Trust me, it's not as great as you make it sound."

She laughed again. "Maybe. But because I know it'll never happen, I enjoy imagining the most brilliant scenarios. It makes General Cross seem all that much more desirable. Pity it can't be so."

I shrugged. "I've only been with him for a week, but if we ever return, I'll be sure to tell you all about it."

"That's be nice," she hummed with a contented smile. "Or, we would just write letters to each other. That'd be nice too."

I smiled at the idea. "Yeah, it would."

A/N: So, is it cool with you guys if I do a time skip for the next chapter? It won't be a massive jump; just a little over a year. And we'll have some of our favorite canon characters making cameos! Can anyone guess who?(;

Anyway, review and let me know your thoughts on this chapter!(: