Note: I do not own any character described here!

There will probably be some grammar mistakes, so don't hate me for it, please, instead be helpful and tell me what is wrong, besides, like I said on my profile, English is not my original language, I just like it and want to practice it! ;)

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This is a reviewed version! (So much better!)

So I have to give a BIG THANK YOU to DaNcInG_RiCeBaLL

(.net/u/900331/DaNcInG_RiCeBaLL)

for beta-ing me!!!! I looks sooooo much better! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

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--- chapter 2 ---

"Oh, yeah!"

I ran to catch up with Lenalee, who seemed to be having problems walking. When I caught up, I grabbed her arm and wrapped lit around my neck to support her. As we walked, I noticed a small, lonely house ahead of us that didn't seem to be getting any bigger as we approached it.

"Umm…is this where you live?" I asked politely, hoping she didn't take my words the wrong way. Although I wanted to ask why she lived in such a barren, isolated place, I thought it would be rude, so I said nothing more.

"Yes," she said quietly.

When we got inside, I realized that, despite it's old, rustic outer appearance, the inside was quite modern and clean. Though there wasn't much furniture, the atmosphere was still cozy and neat. The kitchen was linked to the living room and the three other doors in the house led to two bedrooms and a bathroom. Lenalee removed her arm from my neck and went straight to one of the bedrooms. I wasn't sure about what to do, so I settled on following after her. Her room housed a large double bed, a wardrobe, and a drawer, on top of which sat a good-sized television. All in all, the furniture in her room seemed too big for such a dainty girl. I looked over to the bed and watched as she lay there with her eyes closed. She seemed really tired and her frame looked so small on that bed, it was almost as if she didn't belong there.

"Well…you're home. I think I should go," I said, all the while, asking myself what I was doing in a stranger's house. It was an absolutely absurd notion. If Kanda knew, he'd give me a punch in the face for sure and to top it off, Lavi would scold me immediately afterward. My dread-filled thoughts were interrupted when I realized that she hadn't answered me. I looked to her once again and noticed that she had fallen asleep already. Just to be sure, I leaned in close to her to make sure she was still breathing. She's not dead, I thought, releasing a sigh of relief. At that moment, in such close proximity to her sleeping form, I realized how truly beautiful she was. Her pale skin was perfect and her long, dark hair fell across her shoulders, giving her the look of a resting angel. Her features were gracefully sculpted and her whole being delicate and ethereal.

As I watched her, wilted in exhaustion, I wondered what illness could have caused her such pain. I was sure that the herb she'd gotten was for her. Thinking of it, I went into the living room to retrieve her backpack, which she had dropped on her way in, and went to take it back to her bedroom. The door near hers, which I suspected to be the second bedroom, was slightly ajar, tempting me to take a look. That was one characteristic of mine that could sometimes cause me trouble: curiosity. When I peeked inside, I was surprised to find it empty. I couldn't believe that someone who was obviously very ill would be living alone in the middle of nowhere.

I put her backpack beside her bed after getting my fill of peeking and went back into the living room, having decided that it was time to leave. I held the front door knob hesitantly, my legs suddenly unwilling to do what my head told them to.

"Come on Allen, come on! Get out! You have loads of paperwork to review for tomorrow," I told myself, hoping to will my body parts to do as I wanted. But, my hand didn't open the door and my legs, instead of leading me home, led me back towards Lenalee's room. I turned off her bedroom light, removed my jacket, and sat down on the cold floor in the corner of the room. I briefly thought about sleeping on the sofa instead, but something deep inside me knew that my rightful place was next to her.

Despite the millions of things running through my head, I eventually fell asleep, but the much-needed rest was short lived when I was abruptly awoken by a loud sound. In my sleepy daze, it sounded as if someone were drowning or having an asthma attack. I looked towards Lenalee's bed, eyes slowing coming into focus, and realized that it was her that was panting so heavily. She was wide-awake, touching the small drawer next to her bed blindly, searching desperately for something. I immediately stood up and turned on the lamp. Unfortunately, that made things worse. She started, probably fearing that I was a burglar, and her breathing worsened.

"What do you need?" I asked frantically. "I'll get it for you!"

She pointed to the drawer. I quickly removed item after item from the drawer, showing her each one and tossing it down when she didn't affirm. Finally, I removed a small white pot and she nodded vigorously. When I handed it to her, I realized my hand was shaking; I was panicking, my breathing labored. I kept repeating in my mind, 'She's going to die, she's going to die, she's going to die…'

I watched intently as she opened the white pot and grabbed a handful of a greenish paste from inside, slathering it on her chest and underneath her nose. She breathed it in deeply and sank back into her pillow. After only seconds, her breathing returned to normal. Even so, I was too nervous to take my eyes off of her for a long moment, fearing that she would begin hyperventilating again. I tore myself away from her side long enough to replace the things I had thrown from the drawer, then took a seat on the side of the bed.

As I nodded off, I pondered what type of disease she could have. It couldn't be asthma. As far as I knew, asthma didn't leave the person completely weak and pallid. And anemia didn't make a person breathless. But, before I could produce any more possibilities, my mind had gone blank and, moments later, I was awakening from a sleep that I couldn't remember falling into to.

My eyes were half lidded with sleep, struggling to open fully. They widened only when I sense a presence besides me. It was Lenalee, equip with a blanket that she wrapped tightly around my curled up body. When she noticed that I had awoken, she started.

"Oh. I'm…sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," she said in her angelic, soft voice.

"It's no problem," I said with a small smile. "I have to get to work anyway." I looked at my watch, surprised to see that it was 6am.

"Wow. Do you always wake up this early?" I couldn't imagine what she would need to wake up so early for. There wasn't anything around the barren field she called home and her house was spotless so chores were out of the question.

"Yes," she replied softly as she left the bedroom. I followed after her.

"If you'd like, you can use the bathroom to freshen up while I make us coffee," she offered.

I nodded and muttered a barely audible "ok", then head to the door that led to the bathroom. I quickly rinsed the morning breath from my mouth and washed my face, taking a bit of time to fix the tousled mop that was my hair. When I returned to the living room, I saw that Lenalee had prepared more than just coffee. There was a tray set on her dining table covered in fresh fruit, biscuits, tea cookies, coffee, milk, sugar and toast. I was amazed at how quickly she had prepared the spread, especially considering how fatigued she seemed to be. I couldn't help wondering if she ate this much every morning or if it was just because she had a guest. I didn't comment aloud though, thinking of Lavi and his innate ability to say too much at the most inopportune times.

We both took a seat at the dining table and ate in silence. It reminded me of being around Kanda. They were both so quiet and only spoke if someone spoke to them first. But knowing that didn't give me the confidence to ask some of the many questions plaguing my mind, even if I was sure she'd answer them. So I just ate. The only time we spoke was after breakfast when I asked her when the next bus to London would arrive.

The entire ride home, I couldn't stop thinking about her.

When I arrived at my office, the first one to greet me was Lavi.

"Wow. What's with the face? And is it just me, or are you wearing the same thing you wore yesterday?"

I chuckled innocently. "Ahh…it's a long story. I'll tell you some other time."

"Aww, come on Allen! Tell us…have you been with a woman?" Lavi prodded.

"No…I mean…yes...but it's not what you're thinking, Lavi."

"Hmm," was his only reply.

All the while, Kanda sat at his desk, pretending he hadn't been paying attention. Though, I did notice that the gold pen he held in his hand hadn't touched any of his papers. After that, Lavi hadn't brought up the subject again. Days passed, and with each day, I thought about Lenalee more and more. I kept thinking of her illness and wondering how serious it was. I wondered what she did to entertain herself, or whether or not she was just sitting in her tiny house alone. And before I knew it, two weeks had passed and I found myself walking home along the same path that had led me to her. I came to the corner that split into the street that led to my house and the street that led to the bus station.

I stopped at the corner, weighing my choices. I could go home and sleep off a hard day's work or get on the bus and see the girl that had occupied all of my thoughts for the past two weeks. But before I could completely make up my mind, my legs began to work of their own accord again, leading me in the direction of the bus station. Before I knew it, I was waiting at the bus terminal with my ticket to Dartford in hand. But, as soon as I got on the bus and took my seat, my brain decided to process my actions. I screamed in my mind, not wanting to frighten the few other passengers on the bus.

What are you doing you idiot!

My heart pounded in my ears. This whole acting without thinking business wasn't me; maybe an evil spirit was possessing me? That had to be it. I couldn't be doing these careless things of my own volition. My legs began to swing agitatedly and my fingernails were bitten down to nubs. The nervousness only increased when the bus slowed to a stop and the driver announced that we had arrived in Dartford.

I exited the bus and my body froze. My blood seemed to stop flowing for a moment. What was I doing here? What the hell had gotten into me? I asked myself these questions over and over, my feet moving again towards Lenalee's small house. When I got close enough, I saw that the lights were on, so she had to be there.

I stopped in front of her door, raising my hand hesitantly before knocking o the dark wood a few times. I waited a few moments but got no reply. That's when my thoughts began to race at top speed. Was she ill? Did she faint? Did she hit her head? Did she die!? Maybe someone kidnapped her? But who would travel to the middle of nowhere to do that? Why hasn't she answered me yet?

I knocked again, this time a lot harder.

--- end ---

Sorry for the short chapter, so here is some more.