A/N: hope you enjoy this chapter, it's the attack on the Louvre. Please review, I feel like a broken record saying this, but if it helps get me reviews, I'll be a broken record. Flames are not welcome, constructive criticism is. Just a note, the bold writing is what the Fourteenth actually tries to say to Allen or whoever else, but usually Allen. Sort of like a one-sided conversation. If it is in inverted commas it means he said something at the same time Allen did.

Disclaimer: I don't own -man, not anime, not manga, not characters. Plain, simple.

7. Night at the Museum

Sometimes I wondered which was reality and which was memory. Sometimes the memories that I had been actively involved in or the ones I had been conscious for floated to the top of his mind. So poignant that I had to stop and think, was this real or was I lost in the past. I had forgotten so much of what it was to be human, how the memories could come back, how the emotions that were tied to that memory could overwhelm you, time and time again. Now a dead man's voice assaulted me. Well, he may not be dead, but hope was never a familiar emotion to me.

Hey, Allen… come to think of it I never asked you this before, but…do you like Tim? I asked you to keep hold of him for me, but to be honest. I was always planning on giving him to you.

To him or to me, I wondered. I had always considered Timcampy my own, especially after I had placed the music in him.

"I've told Tim he can do as he likes from now on. You may not want to listen to me, knowing that I'm carrying on the Fourteenth's will…"

No, that was always the problem, involve the enemy and no one was willing to listen to you, even when you are doing the right thing. I watched a breath escape my nephew, leaving in a milky cloud. One less, breath, I couldn't help but think. One breath closer to being my breath.

"But in case you think that you are being made to walk a path that that the Fourteenth and I chose for you… I just wanted to tell you you're wrong."

That, at least, I can give you. I will be the only one to walk my path. Your life, your decisions, the people in it, that will all be you. Untainted by me, by what I fell, well mostly in any case.

"A path is something you create as you walk it. The ground you've trodden on hardens and that is what forms your path. You're the only one who can create your own path."

There will always be people trying to influence you, change your direction but.

That too is your choice.

"So stop wearing that mask of Mana. Walk on your own. If you haven't given up yet, that is."

You make it sound so easy Cross. I have lived far longer than he has and I still walk in my brother's shadow. Even though I lost him so long ago. I still walk with a Noah's face. It is how people keep themselves safe. not everyone is born with the level of confidence that you were.

I felt the pain of memories and confusion but for once, I didn't try to look. I left him to himself. I left what he was doing pure.

"No matter how many times I listen, it sounds like a last request or something… it pisses me off."

Reality then.

"Surely that is what it is, though?"

Possibly, but you never know, after all it was Marian who left it.

"But stuff like this just isn't like my master at all."

Child, he was never faced with death before. The imminent approach of the end can change people. Then again, maybe we are missing something he hid in there. Something only we could recognize.

"Yeah, my path isn't set for me. I'll create it… myself."

Good boy, that's the spirit.

"So Link, you mind if I take the last donut?"

As if that would stop you!

"Just how many have you eaten?"

Excellent question, but it's not doing any damage. A killjoy voice came over the golems.

"You hearing me beansprout?"

I was ready for the response, their conversation did not bother me as it once did. In fact, it had become something of a routine in my life. I thought that I would miss it the day I took over.

"The name'th Allen!"

Don't speak with food in your mouth.

"Quit stuffing yourself, it's almost time."

How did he know Allen was eating? A lucky guess, or could Marie hear the sounds from so far away.

"You'd better not let the police snatch the prey from under our noses."

Really, that boy's diction.

"It's not prey, it's Phantom Thief G, Kanda, but roger that~!"

Besides, I wasn't sure that catching him would work. It hadn't in the past. How did you trap something as insubstantial as a phantom?

***

If the Black Order was in need of money, they could sell tickets to the exorcists' fights. I couldn't here what was being said from where we sat, at the top of the building but I could appreciate G jumping out the window and going right to Kanda. The fool was approaching him from behind too. He truly did not know what hit him when he got too close. It took him seconds to deal with G. Much to the inspector's disgust, or at least that's what I thought it was. He looked anything but happy when he came from the museum. With typical carelessness, Kanda threw the crown to the inspector. It had been too easy. I don't know how he got the crown from the policeman or how he reached the roof as quickly as he did but the next thing I knew, another G was standing on the roof. Not to far from us. He was so involved in boasting to the police, that he failed to see us approaching from behind. We landed a perfect kick.

"So sorry about that, but you're not the only one who can pull an ambush."

The grin on his and Timcampy's face was infectious and I knew that it decorated my face too. It was still way too easy but I got the feeling that despite all this "Phantom" had done, he was still very inexperienced. That was good, he would make mistakes.

"Now make sure you don't damage the crown!"

Oh please, it's just shiny metal and rocks.

"That thing is worth more than we could hope to just reimburse you know."

"How much?"

"Enough to make General Cross' debts look like nothing!"

All of them, put together? That was impressive. Perhaps he meant each debt as an individual? It was still a lot of money.

"I'll protect it with my life!"

"Who are you guys? Police?"

You wish. We actually risk catching you."

"Not quite, but since we are trying to capture you I guess that is close enough."

Something occurred to me as his hand began to move. He could possess nearly anyone so it wasn't a problem for him to let the crown return to ground level.

"The crown"

The adrenalin glands in Allen's body went into overdrive and we caught the crown, barely.

'Ahh, that was close."

"So what was that, you want to capture G, eh"

I thought sinking feelings were connected to bodies, I shouldn't be able to get one when I was less substantial than this G. Not that I cared that we would be fighting Two Pimple, rather that I thought he would be hard to fight. The Order wouldn't assign just anyone to watch my host. He stuck out his tongue. The part of me that always worked realised why he was so inexperienced even though he'd had months to learn. He was either very young, or a half-wit. Neither of the ideas appealed to me. the idea of being bested by a child or a fool rankled me. We didn't move in time, he was moving to fast and my Allen was in slight shock. He still landed on his feet, with the crown intact but I felt wariness full him.

"Allen!"

Shut up, we're in the middle of something.

"Marie- it's Link!"

"The inspector? What about him?"

"From his title I always thought he'd be more of the intellectual type."

Of all things?! Of all people, surely exorcists realised more than most others that appearances meant nothing!

"Huh?"

I nearly rolled the eyes I did not have. Surely, they could see something was wrong, even on ground level. Speaking of seeing, I saw a nasty looking blade appear from Two Pimple's sleeves.

Eyes forward nephew! Fight now, talk later!

Too late, the blow landed.

"Come to think of it, I seem to remember that he actually saved me once, back when headquarters was invaded."

That won't stop him killing you now!

"Could you please explain what you're talking about?"

No, he could not! He is busy fighting a psychotic maniac, come back later!

"Now what's with this guy, he's so high spec?"

Yes twerp, he is high spec. and I will wring your little neck given the chance.

"Link seems to have been taken over by G."

"Yes rather, I heard him just then."

So why was he still bothering us.

"Now then, could I have my crown back? Oniii-san (big brother)"

Try no.

I was definitely voting young so far as the real G was concerned and it wasn't a piece of innocence alone. This one had a host.

"If I gave it back to you, you'll just run, won't you? That would be a bit of a problem…"

He was holding out the crown for Tim. A smart move, it would be harder for him to fight while trying to stop the silly thing from getting damaged. It also gave Kanda the opening he needed. The child still hadn't learnt to be conscious of his surroundings.

"After all we came here to capture you."

He reacted with seconds to spare. Turning to face Kanda when it should have been too late. I recognized the technique. The one that had made Allen's arms so heavy when they had taken him to learn about me. Two Pimple was a Crow?! I had not seen that one coming. Allen made the connection too and Kanda escaped the ring in time to avoid being fried.

"Not good."

G was definitely still a child. He had not allowed for the strength of the man whose body he had stolen, or for the strength of his opponents.

"Don't tell me the inspector is a member of Crow."

The moved back to a safe distance. I wasn't sure what to think about Kanda knowing about Crow. It seemed that it was not as big a secret as I had believed it to be.

"Crow?"

"A special combat unit working for central. I don't now or care to much about them but they're supposedly trained from very young and have incredible combat skills."

The police finally reached the roof, I can't say I was surprised that they never recovered anything from the robberies, they moved too slowly. I didn't pay them any attention but G did. When the shouts of one of the policemen reached us he suddenly began laughing.

"Is something funny?"

"Well it is funny right? Watching big ol' grown ups acting like that."

"You're like a child, aren't you…?"

What did they mean by like? He was a child. He sounded far younger than I had thought at first.

"Well I think you're terrible. All those people who were turned into G- you've messed up their whole lives. You're the worst"

I was surprised when my nephew's comment seemed to upset G. usually a criminal was set in their ways and they didn't believe what they were doing was wrong. More than that, this was a child, and children had a strange sense of justice. Their world was black and white. The end justified the means. The thing about anger was that it stopped you thinking. He was in a body that could've avoided the attack but we caught him, round both wrists with Allen's clown belt. He shouted like a child when he was cut and hit. He had probably never met anyone who could fight as he could. Innocence made bodies stronger, strong enough that he would be safe, maybe. I would give Kanda one thing, he was good in a fight, he kicked G right into Allen's blade. The one that exorcised people.

"What's this…?"

So it was innocence, it would have purified him if he was like me.

"It's a sword. You've just been stabbed."

That is what you call manipulating the truth.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! A SWORD? STABBED ARGH!"

I was taken aback by the noise.

"PW, PWAHH, PWWAAHHH~~~~"

I'm sorry but what was that? I had never heard someone cry like that.

"IT HURTS, IT HUUUUUUUURTS!"

No it didn't, I could see that nothing was happening. It was amazing what the human mind could do. Allen was trying to explain what I could not but the child in a man's body wasn't listening. He eventually vacated Two Pimple's body.

"Link? You're back to normal?"

Normal mightn't be the best thing because if he was normal then we would need to explain…

"What exactly are you doing?

"He ran away, well Marie can you chase him? Just for finding out who he really is, I may have gone a little far…"

I didn't think so, it was hardly our fault that he had overreacted.

"No, no, you've actually made him much easier for me to find. It's a good thing that G turned out to have proper emotions. And it's helpful his cries are so distinctive too…"

Well it was certainly interesting. Pwah indeed.