Chapter Two

"!!!!" Road shrieked, falling out of the bed in abject terror and tossing around, unable to pass a single logical thought through her mind. Her sheets were soaked in a cold sweat. She jerked around, unable to stop until she felt a strong pair of hands on her. She had become rather tangled up in her sheets. She wasn't used to having blankets. In the past year, she had only had newspapers to cover herself with. Allen helped her to untangle herself from the blankets and he held her down for a moment. At first, this only made her struggle harder, afraid that he was going to hurt her. But then, seeing who it was, she calmed down, not moving anymore, but heaving in and out, hardly able to breathe, but starting to take slow, heavy breaths in and out.

In Allen's eyes she saw a look that had not been directed toward her for over a year. Worry, and maybe just a hint of warmth. Road practically jumped on Allen, squeezing him tightly, her eyes brimming with tears. Allen found himself feeling… empathy? Or maybe it was sympathy. He never really pictured Road as someone who even could feel human emotions. He had always just continued to fight her by telling himself that she was just as much a monster as the Akuma were, if not worse. But now, he realized that she felt sad and happy, and scared just like any other human on the face of the earth. Maybe for the years that he had fought her, he had been deluding himself… and it had worked. It allowed him to continue fighting the Noah, as he needed to do. But now that the war was over, maybe he needed to start seeing Road as a human being again. Allen sighed, smiling comfortingly and hugging Road back. Even if she did kill Lenalee, and the others, he found that he couldn't really hate her. He didn't know why, but he felt an odd connection to this former Noah that couldn't be explained in any logical way. Maybe it was just one of those things that was.

Road felt tears streaming down her face as she embraced Allen. She wasn't embarrassed to be seen like that, though.

"Road? Would you prefer if I stayed for a while? At least until you fall asleep again," Allen said quietly. Road nodded and got back in bed, covering herself again and turning over so she could fall asleep, and Allen sat down in a chair beside the bed. He wasn't exactly sure why he was helping her so much. He could have claimed that it was so that she wouldn't wake him up with her screaming again. But that wouldn't have been true. The truth was, that even though he was really angry at her when he first came across her, she seemed somehow different than the Road that he remembered. She had become more humble and gentle. Maybe it had been when he realized that she wasn't fighting back, even as he attacked her. Maybe it was when she downed two bowls of the stew in two minutes. No matter when it happened, though, he had come to see Road differently than before. He found himself drifting off, though, and after a few minutes, he fell asleep sitting in the chair. He had slept in more uncomfortable conditions than that in his life, especially when he was travelling with Cross.

Road awoke late the next morning to find Allen gone from the chair. With somewhat less difficulty than she had been having before, she stood from her bed, taking time to catch her breath after she stood up, and then walked down the stairs. It was almost noontime, and she smelled food coming out of the kitchen again. She never really knew that Allen could cook. Of course, she could just add that to the list of things that she didn't know about Allen. She would have liked to learn more, but she wasn't sure if it was alright to ask him personal questions.

Almost as soon as she walked into the kitchen, the doorbell rang, causing Road and Allen both to jump. Apparently, Allen hadn't been expecting company. Allen sighed and turned off the stove, starting to go over to the door, but Road stopped him.

"Um… It's alright. I'll get it," she said. She wondered vaguely who would be visiting Allen. Perhaps one of the members of the church. If that was the case, it might be bad for her. When she got to the door, she opened it, and was shocked to see a tall Portuguese man with short hair combed back, striking gray eyes and the attire of a Victorian gentleman. He looked down at Road, and stared for a moment, and for a moment, all Road could do was stare back at him, mouth agape. She had been sure that Tyki had died. But apparently, more of the Noahs survived than she had previously accounted for. It was true that she never actually saw Tyki's body, but she assumed that with all of the other Noahs dead, Tyki was logically among them.

"Well, are you going to stand there, mouth agape?" Tyki asked jokingly, "Or are you going to invite me in?"

Road immediately closed her mouth and took a deep breath, coughing for a moment. She still wasn't 100% yet, as proven by her skinny frame.

"I-I'm sorry, Tyki. I can't invite you in." Road said, not thinking much about how she was phrasing her sentence. To Tyki, it sounded like she was refusing him entrance, and moreover, blocking his way. He felt a little bit hurt.

"W-whatever do you mean, Road? Just because we aren't comrades anymore doesn't mean that we aren't still friends, does it?"

"N-no!! Not at all!!" Road said, eyes wide, waving her hands wildly before her, almost falling over. "I-I just mean that it isn't my house. You'd have to ask him…"

"Well, ask him for both of us, because it appears as though another young lady has shown up looking for him. Apparently, your friend is quite popular."

"Um… A-Allen?" Road called. A few moments passed, and then Allen answered, popping his head around the kitchen wall and staring at the door.

"Hey, Road. Is that a friend of… Tyki Mikk?" Allen asked, quirking an eyebrow. He was drawing Noahs from all over to him, apparently. He wondered if he was expected now to be the reform committee or something. Instead of saying so, though, he merely sighed.

"Come in, Tyki. It's rather cold outside. Tell Miranda to please come in as well."

Tyki bowed politely and stepped aside, holding the door for Miranda. She thanked him quietly, somewhat cautiously, and entered, stomping her boots on the mat before she slipped them off and entered the house.

"Hello, Allen. How are you doing?" Miranda asked, smiling at Allen's shocked face. Allen's look was almost as funny as Road's, who was also questioning Tyki.

"Tyki! H-how did you know that I was here!?"

"Well, I asked around for a while, and heard that a homeless girl fitting your description had been seen begging scraps of food from restaurants. Apparently, you've gone down from crimes against humanity to petty theft…" he said, chuckling at his joke. Road just looked at him incredulously. She couldn't believe that he was making a joke about the things that she had done.

"W-wait. Y-you mean… you aren't sorry at all for the things that you did as a Noah?" Road asked, hand over her heart. She was sure that she knew the answer, but she had to hear it from him. He cocked an eyebrow and looked away for a moment, possibly to compose a suitable answer to her question, even though he thought it rather beneath her to ask such a thing.

"Why should I be? It was decided from the moment that I was born that I was to fight alongside the Earl as a Noah. I chose my side. It happened to be the losing side. I don't regret losing the battle, as it must have been destiny. However, I also don't regret becoming a Noah. When I heard that you were homeless, Road, I have to say that I was shocked to say the least. You must have known that even if I had been dead, my family would have welcomed you as one of their own. I've actually come today to invite you to come stay with me and my family in Portugal."

When Allen heard this, he looked up. He knew that Road and Tyki were close, and he had known from the beginning that Road's stay there wasn't going to be permanent. However, he hadn't even fully gotten used to having one extra person in the house yet, let alone had time to say goodbye to her. He had to say, that he wouldn't be devastated to see her leave. However, he wouldn't relish the day that he knew would inevitably come. Road seemed to have changed, and were she anyone else, perhaps they could have been friends.

Road stared at Tyki, tears filling her eyes. Then she poked Tyki hard in the chest.

"Listen! For 14 months, 2 weeks, and 6 days, the screams and pleas of the people that I hurt and killed, the lives that I tore apart, the homes that I destroyed, all of them haunted my dreams, never giving me a moment's respite. I deeply regret what I've done, and I can tell you for a fact that you do have a choice. We didn't have to follow the Earl. We could have refused him, and gone on with our lives. Despite the recrudescent memories that we now have, we were still normal people living normal lives until we gave into our dark desires and followed the Earl, not out of necessity, but out of greed for power! I gave into the greed just like you did. Just like Jasdero, just like David! I can't believe you really don't feel any shame at all for what you've done! And as for your answer? No! I won't live with you! Because likely, your family has the same outlook as you do. Tyki, I don't hate you, but I'm trying to redeem myself in God's eyes, and I don't see how I could do that if I lived with you."

"I see. Well, I suppose that our differences of opinion are too great to bridge any longer. We have certainly gone on different paths. I wish you luck in finding God. Allen, I wish you well, and bid you adieu."

"Huh? Y-you mean, you aren't here to attack me?" Allen asked, dumbfounded, his mouth hanging open slightly.

"Quite the contrary. I wish to restore peace between us. I never bore any personal grudge against you. I was merely following orders, as were you. I see no reason that we can't be civil in the future."

"I-I suppose so. If I can do so with Road, I suppose I can do the same with you, Tyki."

"I really must be going, now. I have much to attend to. Please take care, Road…" he said politely, turning and walking out, putting his top hat back on and strolling back to his carriage, the door of which was opened by a driver and he got in. The carriage then rolled away. To Allen's surprise, Road seemed slightly sad to see him go. She turned around and smiled at Allen, though, and started walking toward him when her knees buckled beneath her and she fell to the floor.

Miranda immediately grabbed Road picking her up and carrying her over to the couch. She then looked at Allen with a somewhat chastising look. Even though she didn't have any children, Miranda always reminded Allen of a parent, especially when she looked at him like that.

"Now please, tell me how on earth you came to pick up Road Kamelot. She looks like she just emerged from a cave. How long have you had her? What possessed you to do such a thing!? You don't really think that she's changed, do you!?"

"Miranda, if you had seen the way that she looked yesterday, you would have done the same thing. You wouldn't have just left her to die either. It's impossible to explain if you weren't there. But the short version is that I found her in an alley yesterday. I'm surprised in retrospect that I recognized her at all."

"Allen, I know that you're a kind person, but there has to be a limit to how generous you can be!" Miranda said, perhaps a little bit louder than she had meant to. Road was still asleep, but it wouldn't be too hard to wake her up if they were too noisy.

"Maybe I am being too nice. But I'm not stupid. Just because I'm helping her doesn't mean I have to trust her. And it doesn't mean that I have to become friends with her."

"Allen, you say that now, but that isn't how you are. You're naturally trusting, and you make friends with just about everyone you meet. There isn't a person alive that you couldn't become friends with. Besides, what about Lenalee? What would she say if she knew you were sheltering Road Kamelot?"

"I don't know what she would say. And even if she was furious, I wouldn't care. I'm not doing it for her. I'm doing it for Road. Road is still young, and she can still be saved. Maybe it's too late for Tyki Mikk, but it might not be for Road."

"I just hope you know what you're doing, Allen. I don't want to see you hurt. Wasn't Lenalee's murder enough to make you see that Road is a monster?"

"Miranda. When I first saw Road, I was furious. I was ready to kill her myself. But something changed my mind. I don't exactly know what, but I think that God stopped me from killing her because he still has plans for her. Who am I to fight God's plan?"

"Okay, Allen. Just tell me if you need anything, and don't get too close to Road. It can't be good for you."

Road sat at the dinner table, cracking her knuckles. She had heard almost the entire conversation between Allen and Miranda, and she wasn't sure how to bring up the subject. She was sure that Allen would never have said any of those things had he known that she was listening. Somehow, though, that made it hurt even more. Did he really not trust her? Did he really not intend to be friends with her? She sat silently for a while and took the food that Allen put in front of her, putting a spoonful into her mouth, even though she didn't feel very hungry. Was Allen going to get rid of her as soon as he thought he could? Why did he take her in in the first place? Was it out of pity? She had been a pretty pathetic sight to lay eyes on. What did Allen really think of her? Was he still angry at her because she killed Lenalee?

After a few minutes of thinking along these lines, she realized that the food in her mouth had turned into little more than slurry, and she swallowed hard, choking down the food. It wasn't that it wasn't good. It was delicious. She never pinned Allen as a good cook, but she felt sick, and it was hard for her to force herself to eat. Allen seemed to notice this, and he looked at her with mild concern.

"Is something wrong, Road? Do you not like what I made?" he asked, looking at her probingly. Road shook her head, not daring to speak for a moment. Finally, she said something, but it came out rather raspy and weak.

"I-it isn't that. It's really good. It's just… When you were talking with your friend, did you mean what you said?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Allen asked, confused.

"Well, you said that you didn't trust me and that you weren't interested in being friends with me."

Allen looked at her, his mouth agape for a moment. Then he composed himself again, though, and said something, even though he wasn't really sure what he could say to something like that.

"Well, I mean… We've been enemies for so long now that I'm not sure I can ever really trust you. I mean, do you trust me? I'm an exorcist, and officially, I'm supposed to assassinate you on sight."

"Y-yes," Road said meekly, tears filling her eyes again, her face turning a light shade of pink. "I… I do trust you. I trust you more even than I trusted the rest of the Clan of Noah. They were supposed to be on the same side as me, but the only thing that really held us all together was the Earl. You were different, though. You weren't like any of the Noahs. But you weren't like any of the other exorcists, either. On that note, you weren't even like most humans. Something about you made me believe that I could trust you no matter what," she said softly, causing Allen quite a surprise.

"Road… I'm sorry if I made you think that I did intend to be your friend."

"If not that, though, then why did you save me!?" Road yelled, her breathing starting to become ragged. "Do you really not believe that an exorcist and a Noah can be friends? At least tell me that you don't hate me!!"

"Do you really want me to lie to you, Road?" Allen asked, his usually friendly blue eyes having turned ice cold. Road stared at him in disbelief. She couldn't understand why he was suddenly acting like that. It wasn't fair. She thought that perhaps he had finally forgiven her for what she had done. She didn't care if God ever forgave her, or even if he sent her to hell for her crimes. But she needed to know that Allen would forgive her.

"But what about forgiveness!? Isn't that what God is about!?"

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT GOD!!" Allen yelled, his voice suddenly rising along with Road's. He slammed his fist down on the table and glared at Road, his fist sending the plates flying. Finally, though, he calmed down a bit, and even though his stare was still cold, he wasn't yelling anymore.

"Besides, I'm not God. I don't know if I can ever forgive you for killing my friends. They were my whole world! Without my friends, I have nothing! Even God isn't a replacement for friends, and you murdered them!"

"I'm sorry, Allen! I can't bring them back to life! I just want to try to repent for everything I've done! I'm not sure that I can do it alone, though!" she shouted, struggling to speak clearly through tears. She could feel her breath coming in ragged bursts, and it was hard for her to breathe. She clutched at her chest, but it didn't do any good. The only thing that would help now would be for her to leave. She could never go back to Allen's house. Not knowing what she knew, now. Maybe there was a priest somewhere that would shelter her for a few days until she could get her bearings and find her way to Tyki's home. He had invited her, and even though she had been so angry at him, his invitation seemed sincere.

Road jumped up from the table and ran out the door, forgetting to put on shoes, even though it was winter and snowing, now. Her bare feet were ice cold in the snow, but she didn't care. Even if she did die, now, it wouldn't mean anything. There was nobody left who cared about her. Then, she had an idea. She had to die. Maybe in death, she could finally repent for her sins. Perhaps she would still go to hell, but at least the world would be rid of one more monster.