Hi everyone I am so busy that I have no time to look through this chapter, so do forgive me when you spotted some okay? :P I'm sorry that it came rather late. Enjoy and remember to review!

Chapter 3: Coincidence

"Yuu? What's wrong, Yuu?" Lavi asked, seeing his weird face expression. Kanda just stood there, stunned on the spot. He turned and looked at where he was seeing, but the only thing he saw was people and nothing else. What exactly had caught his attention just a few seconds ago?

Meanwhile, Kanda did not know what to do. He was still seeing him from a distance. He was just there, laughing with someone beside him. He wasn't sure whether it was him. He had the same greyish hair, and he still looked short. He couldn't notice his red scar very clearly from his current position. He looked so similar to him, yet he wasn't certain. It wasn't as if he wanted to see him that much...

"Sorry!" Someone was approaching him, riding his bicycle at high speed. Lavi pulled him away in a nick of time before the two of them collided. The redhead apologised to the person, before looking at Kanda who still had that blank look on his face. It had been a long time since he saw that face expression, and he wondered why.

"Yu, what's wrong with you?"

Kanda stumbled backwards, feeling the wind rushing through him as the bicycle went past, but his eyes were still onto that figure who might be someone he knew. He lowered down his camera, his hands slowly clenching as he took a step forward. The whole place was getting noiser, yet everything was thrown out of his head. The only important thing he had in mind was this person who resembled so much of him. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't.

He couldn't take his eyes off him. From the moment he saw him, those memories from that particular night rushed back to him. It was strange, for him to remember something so insignificant in his life...or was it significant to him, just that he did not notice it? But no matter what, he felt like running towards him and asked why he did that on that night. Why did he leave, showing such a complex face expression that he couldn't understand, even till now?

Why was he getting more difficult to understand? Why was he caught in...that complicated emotions?

Kanda took another step, and another step. He started to walk, getting faster as he walked towards that figure. Lavi followed him, not understanding what was going on here.

"Yu, where are you going?"

He did not understand either. Right now, he just needed answers.

He started to run. He was slowly disappearing from his sight. Kanda couldn't allow that, as he sprinted across the crowd which was getting bigger, congesting the whole street. He pushed around, muttering an apology to passersby as he looked around. He seemed to be there, yet he vanished immediately. Kanda hissed in frustration, getting out of this annoying crowd as he stopped.

"Yu...what...are you looking for?" Lavi panted, coming to his side, but before he could get to rest, Kanda started moving again, searching.

"No, um...I just come here,"

"Aren't you supposed to be at the party?"

"Yes."

"I see."

"Where the hell are you?" Kanda hissed.

"Where are you heading from tomorrow onwards?"

"Not sure. Probably returning back to Japan."

"I see. That's good! You must have missed your hometown a lot right? After all, you have not gone back for years."

"No."

Kanda searched through many people, yet it wasn't him. They had gone through the whole market which was already swarmed with many people. The chance of finding him would be very slim, and maybe it was simply impossible to find him now, yet he wasn't going to give up at the very last moment, because this was what he taught him. He taught him not to give up.

"I see!"

"Why are you acting so strange today, Moyashi?"

"I...don't know."

At first, he wasn't very sure what he had seen, because the whole place was dark and his face wasn't in the direction of the moonlight. He couldn't see what expression he was making at that time. He couldn't figure out that uneasy feeling which settled at his chest at that instant when he said those words.

"Sorry."

"Allen!" He shouted. Kanda slowly stopped, finding himself at a bus stop. He put his hand at the pole as he gasped and panted heavily, catching his breath. His hair was damp and wet from the running. He growled, taking down his cap as he brushed through his hair. He couldn't believe he was chasing after someone whom he shouldn't have noticed, and he might not be him either. Kanda continued panting, covering his heated face with his hand.

"Yuu...what did you say just now?" Kanda looked at Lavi who had an astonished look on his face. He closed his eyes and turned away.

"Nothing."

"No, I definitely heard you say something! What did you say? Is it -"

"I made a mistake!" Kanda shouted, attracting some attention from the public. Lavi stopped talking, slightly taken aback by his reaction. The raven teen just stared back at him, before he sighed, wondering what he was exactly doing. Till now, that hurtful face expression he had did not disappear from his head. His eyes narrowed, walking over to a tree as he slammed his fist hardly on the tree trunk.

It hurt. He wasn't even sure whether it was because of the wound. All he knew was that it hurt so badly that he was slightly overwhelmed by the pain for that moment. He glared at his hand fiercely, as though he was facing the enemy in the past, but he couldn't explain to himself why he suddenly lost control over his emotions.

"Yuu, what are you doing?" Lavi went over to him and grabbed his wrist, preventing him from slamming again. He looked at the bleeding wound closely, realising that it was only bruises. The wound was tiny as well, so little blood was lost. The redhead sighed, before looking at the obstinate one thinking that everything was alright.

"What exactly are you thinking, Yuu? You might break your fingers if you continue knocking like that. Do you want to lose your career?" Kanda turned towards him, a slight astonished look on his face.

"How did you know?" Lavi just grinned and pointed to his head.

"Because I'm once a Bookman?" He said. Kanda almost wanted to smack that useless brain of his. Lavi laughed, his low and lively voice echoing throughout the place. It somehow took off some of his frustration inside him as well. Kanda peered at him from the corner of his eye, and couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"Ah, did you chuckle just now, Yuu?" Lavi exclaimed, turning towards him. Kanda choked and coughed awkwardly, pretending to look elsewhere and think that nothing had happened. Lavi raised his eyebrow, sensing something fishy in this.

"Yuu-chan..." He spoke very slowly, dodging Kanda's fist as he blinked his eyes a few times.

"You do not have Mugen with you anymore. I'm not scared of you." Lavi stuck out his tongue playfully. Kanda just growled softly before he started heading to the bus stop. He couldn't stand his nonsense and jokes at this moment. His heart pounded hardly at the image of the silver-haired teen that he had just seen with his own eyes.

"Your hand needs to be treated!"

"There is no need to. It's not even serious."

"Ah, there's blood! I swore that blood is oozing out of your wound now! It's so, so disgusting!" Lavi exclaimed rather loudly.

"Shut up, rabbit. You are too noisy."

"No, I'm not lying, Yu! Ah, a rather big pool of blood has formed on the ground! Ah, someone has fainted because of it! You are freaking the whole neighbourhood out!" Lavi continued gasping and screaming until Kanda was standing right in front of him, glaring fiercely at him. He gulped as he shutted his mouth immediately. He looked around and saw a pharmacy nearby.

"Look, a pharmacy. Best to get your hand treated." Lavi said. Kanda turned to the store and just sighed.

"So that means Allen is coming later?" Marie asked, carrying a large box out of the storeroom and into the living room. Froi Tiedoll was sitting at the dining table, doing the preparations for the coming Christmas party.

"Yeah. He has agreed to help me contact these people." Tiedoll replied, peering at the paper beside him. Marie put down the box and went to him, glancing at the paper. As he looked, he raised his eyebrow at the name he saw inside.

"Why is Kanda's name inside as well? I thought we already knew that he has already arrived here in England?" Marie asked, pointing to the name of the raven-haired teen included inside.

"He is here, but it doesn't mean that he would go to the party. You know that guy's character. I know Allen-kun will persuade him to come in the end. I have faith in that boy."

"Yeah, but even so, would Kanda listen to him? You know that they can bicker over the slightest thing." Froi finished writing his stuff as he put down his pen and got off the chair, walking towards the balcony to see the magnificant view sun was shimmering faintly in between the clouds.

"Things might be a little different from now."

"So...where are we?" Lavi asked, looking around.

"That old man's house." Kanda grunted, pressing on the doorbell for many times. When was that old man going to answer? The raven-haired teen frowned as he peered at the darkened sky which started to rain.

"So where are we, Yuu?"

"Stop asking again and again, usagi!" Kanda snapped, getting frustrated. He glared at the door, hearing some movements from inside. Seconds later, the door opened.

"Who is it?" Marie peered out, and as he stared, his eyes widened slightly.

"Kanda?" He then turned towards the familiar red-haired teenager standing beside Kanda, shocked.

"La..vi?"

"Nice to see you again, Marie!" Kanda just grunted as he went inside first, leaving the two of them outside to continue their long-winded conversation. The house seemed to be neater than what he thought to be. With that old man's old habits, he should be finding more paintings and drawings pinned onto the walls, but to his slight amazement, there was only two or three of them along the sides of the living room.

"Who is it?" Froi peered out of the small corridor, seeing Kanda standing in view. Kanda just blinked at their first meeting and continued to look around.

"You are here, Yuu-kun. And I thought you would never come and visit me again."

"Che. How I wish I do not come here, old man," Kanda replied. Froi just chuckled, and he was not surprised at his reaction. The whole place was rather spacious, and the theme chosen wasn't bad either. He walked to the balcony and opened the glass doors slowly, feeling the gentle breeze sailing in as it glided across his face lightly. He stood by the door, taking in a deep breath.

"Here's a cup of hot green tea to warm up your body." Froi appeared from the kitchen, putting the cup of hot beverage onto the short coffee table. Kanda turned and looked at him. It had been a long time, but he hadn't forgotten his only favourite beverage. He went over and took it up, taking a small sip. It really warmed up his body a little for now.

"So how have you been?" Froi asked, sitting down on the sofa beside him. Kanda held the warm cup by his cold hands as he sat down as well, his eyes looking at a particular magazine on the coffee table. It showed an article regarding him and his career. Apparently, he did not expect his fame to reach as far as England.

"Fine." He noticed the large picture pinned above the television, in the middle of the living room. It showed everyone who had worked in the Black Order three years ago. The raven-haired teen just looked at each of their faces, moving from the furthest left to the right. Frankly, if he had not spotted this portrait, he would have forgotten some of their faces. Kanda rubbed the centre of his chest, feeling slightly guilty.

"Are you looking at the photo which was taken in the Order? That was the only one which have everyone in it, that's why I put it up here, so that whenever I sit here, I would be able to see and remember their faces and the memories we had. It really felt nostalgic," Froi said, looking back to peer at it with softened eyes. Kanda did not say anything as he continued to look at it. The adults looked almost the same, and Marie had not changed much as well. That stupid redhead looked slightly different.

He spotted Allen who was standing between Lavi and Lenalee. Kanda's eyes narrowed, feeling a strange wrench inside him.

"I wonder where Marie is," Froi muttered, standing up to search for the young adult. At the same time, Marie came into the house, together with the redhead following him behind. The former general just stared at the figure in slight astonishment.

"Lavi-kun?" Lavi grinned and waved back.

"How have you been, General Tiedoll?" The two of them laughed as they hugged each other.

"Just call me Froi. I'm not a general anymore." He said as he patted his shoulders gently. Lavi blinked, before realisation hit him.

"Ah, you are right! Sorry!" Lavi said, rubbing the back of his head as he smiled sheepishly.

"Che." Kanda glanced at the redhead and frowned. That guy had never failed to give such a comical look on his face. Marie went out of the kitchen and handed him a warm cup of hot cocoa. Lavi thanked him as he went to sit beside Kanda.

"So what are you doing here, Yuu? Oh, the family portrait of us! It's the first time I see it!" Lavi exclaimed excitedly, looking at everyone's faces eagerly. Kanda wondered why there was a need to get so enthusiastic over a simple portrait. He glanced at it, only to see Allen's face immediately. He hissed in irritation, looking away.

"It would be your first time you see it, because everyone was leaving the next day and we weren't able to wash out the photo by then." Froi said, discussing something with Marie at the dining table. Lavi just nodded his head as he continued to look.

"Look, I saw Allen! He really looks so happy." Kanda's eyes widened slightly as he stiffened. He felt a hard pang of guilt all of a sudden. That particular feeling stung painfully, frightening him slightly.

"Where's...your room, Marie?" He asked hastily, standing up all of a sudden.

"Why? I thought you would never be curious," Marie said, looking up.

"Just...I'm just curious, that's all," Kanda sputtered slightly, looking elsewhere. Froi and Lavi looked at him in slight puzzlement. Marie just nodded his head slowly as he led the way inside the corridor.

"Here. You can look around." Marie opened the door of his room. Kanda stepped inside, looking at the plain room typical of a teenager in front of him. There wasn't anything that attracted his attention in the least, though he wondered why he requested Marie to let him see his room. Maybe he wanted to compare his room to his room in Canada, he supposed. His room was surely better in terms of its theme and design. The whole apartment was even designed specially by himself.

Kanda looked around, flipping the documents on the table and the disks he had on the shelves. He played with the small wooden toys beside his bed, yet nothing really fascinated him. It was just an ordinary room, with the necessary equipment needed for a person in his daily life. He sat on the bed, wondering why he was doing this. What on earth was he exactly thinking, turning so sensitive at only the name of that beansprout?

He could still remember that coincidental meeting they had in the market. That boy was facing the side, having that same smile on his face. No matter how much he wanted to deny, he just couldn't throw away the conclusion which appeared in his head when he saw him; that the person was Allen Walker and no one else. It wasn't confirmed, yet he had a strong hunch that it was him.

He groaned softly, running through his hair with his hand. He couldn't forget that particular moment when he showed such a vulnerable face in front of him. He couldn't erase that saddened look he left in that pair of silver orbs when he left. He couldn't understand anything about this silver-haired teen at all! Because of this, he was spending the next few days getting frustrated and confused.

"Allen..." Just by speaking his name made him slightly sick. Kanda covered his fatigue face with his hand for a while, before he looked outside.

"Do you want to come to the Christmas party, Lavi-kun?"

"What Christmas party?" Lavi asked, rolling over the sofa in slight boredom. Froi just smiled.

"You would get to see your friends again." Lavi's eyes slight widened.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"I go! But then, would Yuu go as well?"

"Um, for this...he probably...will not go, I guess." Froi pondered as he tapped his chin lightly by his finger. Lavi's heart literally sank in sadness.

"No, Yuu must go! It has been a long time since I get to see them! I miss Miranda, Reever, Johnny, Kuro-chan, Komui, Allen, Le..." He stopped talking as he stared on the ground, his eyes widening. Froi raised his eyebrow.

"You mean...Lenalee Lee?" Lavi blinked. The whole house was silent, the atmosphere turning tense all of a sudden. He just blinked for a few seconds, before stiff laughter broke out of his lips.

"Y-Yeah, Lenalee. I...forgot." His head was downcast.

What was he thinking? He hadn't forgotten about that cheerful olive-haired girl that he had known ever since he entered the Black Order. He was once a Bookman, yet he could simply lie so easily.

A few minutes later, he stood up.

"Sorry. Where's the washroom?" Marie pointed to the corner of the corridor. Lavi excused himself quickly as he went inside. The two of them stared at each other, wondering what had happened to the both of them.

"But when is Allen coming? He would probably be happy to see the two of them. After all, the four of them were once great friends." Marie said as he turned and looked at the large portrait.

"Yeah. You are right."

What the hell was he doing?

Lavi washed his face repeatedly at the sink, before he turned off the water tap and stared at the wet face shown at the mirror. Water droplets were streaming down his face, dripping slowly into the wide sink below. At this, he wasn't even sure what was happened to him. He almost lost his cool just now.

Because of Lenalee. Lavi just laughed rather bitterly. Because of Lenalee.

How long had he not seen her? Three years? Or was it more than that? He had no idea, and did not want to know either. All he knew about the relationship between him and her was only guilt and nothing else. He hadn't realise his cold heart which was slowly reaching out to the olive-haired girl, unknown to him.

He didn't know why he was still hesitating. The war was over, and he had already resigned as Bookman. There was simply nothing to block his path towards his future. Yet, those horrid memories had been coming back to him, haunting him for every night whenever he wanted to sleep. He couldn't deny the fact that he had once tried to hurt Lenalee, because he was not only an Exorcist, but a Bookman as well. He had to weigh the importance of these two, and make a wise decision out of it. Because of the job as Bookman, he was forced not to have close feelings towards the comrades working together with him. He was only there to record, that was all.

A Bookman had no need of a heart. He had been countlessly reminding himself of that. He thought he could endure the pain and loneliness from his friends, yet after the incident which happened in the Ark, he wasn't sure anymore, because what he was avoiding all along was his own self which was detesting the job of being a Bookman. He was confused of what he should be doing. He was afraid of hurting his friends, and was running away from it. Through Rhode's dream, realisation hit him hardly, and painfully as well.

He rejected all feelings, and when Lenalee came to him, he pushed her away. He wanted to tell her to leave him alone, in a harsh way. It worked, and Lenalee did not find him for a few days. He thought he could overcome the pain of it. It was okay to be selfish, for the other would understand why he did that. Lenalee knew very well to what he was doing, and she was a mature girl, so she would definitely understand. If she didn't, well, she would just be crying at a corner and get over it soon. There was nothing...that he could do.

Clearly, he was wrong. She came and confronted him rather boldly. He even wondered whether she had confessed to him.

"Why did you do that?"

"What did I do?" He asked as if he did not know anything regarding her problems. She shot hateful glares back at him.

"Saying such hurtful words at me. Why? Do you think you can chase me away just by those words?" Lavi's eyes widened in slight astonishment. She...actually knew.

"If you understand, then you should know what to do."

"I don't! I couldn't understand a single word you said!" Lenalee cried out, staring hardly at him. Lavi avoided her gaze as he looked elsewhere, silent.

"Say something, Lavi! Why do you do that? Why do you always have to push me away when I...when I..."

Lavi stared at her. Tears were streaming down her face.

"When I care for you!" He noticed that pain in her eyes. He had hurt her really badly.

"But you have understood all along, Lenalee. You knew it."

Her eyes widened, as she slowly loosened the grip on his arms and stepped backwards. Her face was burning, not because of embarrassment but of shame. She turned and ran away, and he just stood there, not doing anything. He was really cruel. He pulled her back to the painful reality so easily, which she had been avoiding for a long time. To him, it didn't take efforts, but to her, it took her a long while to forget.

She would...probably never forgive him for a very long time.

Lavi stared at his reflection in the mirror. He slowly smiled, and a rather awkward and shaky grin was shown on his face. He couldn't laugh and smile naturally all of a sudden. It was so stupid to remember such things. How could Lenalee remember him when he had said such harsh words to her in the past? After throwing away the heavy burden of the job as Bookman from his shoulders, was he pining for her comfort?

He laughed. How pathetic. He had no right to treat people this way. Lavi sighed softly as he leaned against the door, peering at the plain ceiling. What should he do if he saw Lenalee at the party? He would probably panicked and run away, because he was afraid to see that cold and rejected look on her face when she saw him. He was afraid to be pushed away by her.

He missed her. He wished to see her again.

"Lavi." Someone knocked on the door which startled him.

"Lavi, are you inside?" It turned out to be Kanda. Lavi laughed softly to himself.

"Yeah, I'm here. What is it, Yuu?"

"I need to rush off to meet someone. Are you staying here?"

"Er, no. I think it's time to meet Panda Gramps now." He answered as he opened the door. Kanda was standing there, staring at him. Lavi just smiled as he patted his shoulder and walked to the living room.

"Marie, General Tiedoll, Yuu and I have something on and we need to go now." The both of them stepped outside, wearing their boots on the spot. Froi and Marie put their stuffs down as they went to send them off.

"Okay. I hope to see the both of you again, and don't need to call me 'General Tiedoll', Lavi-kun." Lavi gave a bewildered look on his face for a while, before he realised it.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry! See you soon!" Lavi said as he waved, before the two of them walked over to the bus stop. The redhead stared at the trees and greenery randomly, before he realised that someone had been staring at him for a while. He turned, peering at Kanda who was still looking at him silently.

"What, Yuu?" He murmured, looking away and pretending that nothing had happened. Kanda did not answer, and his burning gaze was starting to make him feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Oh, look! Is that a canary?" Lavi asked, pointing to a wild bird settling on a skinny branch, flapping its little wings. It looked weak and vulnerable, easily preyed by predators like wild cats. Yet, it wasn't afraid, having the little courage it had to spread out its wings and fly high up into the wide sky. Lavi stopped by the tree and looked up, somehow envied the small bird. He wasn't like it. Rather, he was trapped and caged by his own emotions.

"Lavi." Lavi turned and faced Kanda, who stopped a few metres in front of him. The raven-haired teen folded his arms as he had a serious look on his face. Lavi realised that he was acting foolish and stupid. It wasn't cute at all. Rather, it felt slightly revolting.

"Okay, I know it's not a canary. How can such a refine bird be out in the wild? I must be...out of my mind." He muttered softly, looking at the pile of dry leaves on the dirty ground.

He had made a mistake. Beside Lenalee, Kanda was able to see through his lies immediately as well, and he mustn't let him see through his pathetic self. He was once a Bookman. He was able to conceal his own feelings so easily. There was no way...anyone would find out.

"What is it, Lavi? Though you are a fool, but you will not be stupid enough to say such nonsense."

"Nothing," He replied as he continued to walk forward. Kanda followed him behind, his gaze always onto him so closely. Lavi tried to walk faster, but that gaze still didn't leave him, forcing him to open up his real feelings. He slipped his cold hands into the pockets and continued to walk rather briskly until Kanda slapped his hand at his shoulder and stopped him instantly.

"What is it?" He was so shocked and so disappointed at himself. Why was he running away?

Suddenly, he felt vibration from his phone inside his bag. Lavi gladly excused himself and shook off his hand, taking out his phone and answered.

"Where are you?"

"Oh, Gramps! I was about to call you! I'm going to take a bus there right now. I might be slightly late though." There was a grunt heard from the receiver.

"Okay." At the same time, he saw the bus that he was going to take. Lavi ended the call hastily and rushed to the bus stop, joining the queue which was waiting for the bus. As he was going to board it, he turned around and saw Kanda standing at the back of the bus stop.

"I go first, Yuu! I will call you later!" Lavi shouted, walking up the bus and sat down at the other side. As the bus was slowly driving off, he let out a soft sigh, staring outside the window. It was good that the call came at the right time, or else he did not know how to face Kanda and answer his question. He also did not know how to answer either, because it was simply too hard and difficult to comprehend the feelings inside him.

Maybe, when he finally had the courage to face his own feelings, he would tell Kanda everything by then. He was slightly relieved.

For now.

"Che," Kanda muttered. He didn't know Lavi was that foolish as well, just like that Moyashi. He peered at the road street, indicating that he was at Bellsprout Street. As he looked, he saw a bus 700 approaching the bus stop. It was the bus that he was going to take. As he stood by the roadside seeing the doors opened, he boarded the bus. Kanda sat at the side, before he stared at his watch.

4 o'clock. Great. He was going to be late.

Lenalee was staring at the important date which she had circled earlier on. On the 20December, she was finally going to the airport to fetch her brother back. The news was so sudden that she did not know how to respond. He would be reaching by morning, so she needed to reach there by about eight. She put down the calendar on her desk and slumped down, sighing.

"Niisan..." She wondered whether she should have accompanied Allen to get the list from Tiedoll. It was unnecessary, since Allen was already outside and would be on his way. Furthermore, one person was enough to get the list, and he wanted Allen to go and get it, not her. She peered at her pen and started playing with it.

She wondered what present she should buy for her brother. Christmas was approaching, and it would be better to pass to him during the Christmas party instead, but for all these years when he wasn't around, she hadn't given him a proper gift yet. She felt rather embarrassed and guilty for receiving so many presents from him. He adored her, too much till she thought he had pampered her too much. He laughed through the phone, thinking that it was reasonable to give presents to his beloved sister, but all she gave him was pretty postcards asking how he was doing and when he would be able to come home. Apart from those, she gave him nothing.

Lenalee grabbed the newspaper from her table and flipped through the pages, seeing the things that were currently on sale. The weather was cold, so she should probably give him a sweater or something, but a porcelain cup for his coffee would be nice as well. Lenalee bit her lip, wondering how she should decide. The scarf looked attractive as well.

"If only Allen was here..." She muttered, but as she saw balls of wool and knitting set for sale, an idea popped in her head. A wide smile spread across her face, as she knew what she should do. Knitting a sweater or a woollen vest by herself would definitely be a fabulous surprise present for Komui. She had knitted before, so it would not be a problem, but she wondered whether she had enough time to complete it. She looked at the calendar settled on the table. It was 18 of December, exactly seven days to Christmas. It would be too late to make a sweater, so she decided to make a woollen vest for him instead. It would be a little rushed, but if she hurried, she should be able to make it by then.

Lenalee grabbed her favourite pink pen as she scribbled the shopping mall and the items that she wanted to purchase for today. It would be best to start now if she wanted no delays in her work. She threw her pen towards the pile of papers beside her desk as she hopped down the chair, grabbed her coat and scarf and prepared to go out. As she reached the door of her room, she stopped.

"Maybe I could use this time to buy Christmas presents for them," She mumbled to herself. Her brother's present was settled. She decided to buy a necklace for Miranda, a headphone set for Marie, a wallet for Krory and perhaps, a jacket for Froi Tiedoll. She thought of cooking Allen's favourite delicacies for dinner and to buy him a pair of converse shoes that he had eyed on a few weeks ago. She wasn't sure whether Kanda would even be present for the party, but she would buy a pair of warm leather gloves for him nonetheless.

She knew she left one more person, and when she thought of him, nothing came to her head. Lavi would definitely come for the party. Somehow, she was certain of it. Lenalee paced around, wondering what she should do. Though their meeting would mostly turn out to be awkward, but she had always wanted to give Lavi a gift in thanks for helping her in the past.

As she thought, his red scarf appeared in her mind. She then thought of knitting a scarf for him. She certainly felt slightly embarrassed, personally doing his present by her own hands. Lenalee blushed a little at this thought, reminding herself that it was only to thank him for what he did. There wasn't any other meaning to it.

But, what if Lavi rejected it again, just like that particular moment? If he did that, she would be embarrassed completely in front of everyone, who would probably look at them with weird gazes. She certainly did not want to go through such pain again. But even so, she still wanted him to receive her gratefulness through this scarf she made for him. Lenalee smiled, as she walked out of the room and towards the main door. As she slowly wore her long black boots similar of her Dark Boots, her chest suddenly felt light, and she felt happy as well. Lenalee closed the door behind her as she shook her head, wondering whether she was turning crazy.

"I should call Allen and tell him that I might be late tonight, so he can decide whether he wants to settle his dinner outside." Lenalee said, taking out her cellphone and began dialing his phone number. As she put her phone at her ear and listened to the loud beeps, she looked at her watch. Allen was probably on his way to Tiedoll's house by then. She stared at the sky.

The afternoon sun was beautiful today.

"Where are you now, Allen?" Allen fumbled his pockets as he took out his card and scanned it on the card reader. As the bus slowly came to a halt, the doors opened and he alighted at Bellsprout Street.

"I just alighted from bus 700. It's currently four in the eveningright now." He searched through his bag and took out a piece of crumpled paper, staring at the address that he had written down this morning when he received Tiedoll's call. Apparently, he ended work rather late today, and because he was busy the whole time, he did not have the time to give the adult a call to notify him. Allen walked to the side of the road as he peered at the rows of terrace houses located just a few metres inside. Tiedoll's house should be one of them, but let's hope he would not get lost.

"I'm going to his house now. I hope I can get the right one though. I don't want to get lost inside." He heard soft laughter from the receiver, and he frowned. He certainly did not like this joke at all. He had been trying his very best to remember the road signs and places that he had previously gone by, but no matter what, he still managed to forget some, to his amazement.

"I really think it's not funny, Lenalee," Allen said, rolling his eyes. Slight coughs were heard before the olive-haired girl stopped her humorous laughs, which liftened up his mood a little. He was glad that the depressing mood she had was gone. When he saw that teary face of hers, he was really astonished. Lenalee cried sometimes, but he had never seen her crying that hard before.

"I'm sorry, Allen."

"It's okay." Allen stared at the address on the doors, shaking his head as he moved from house to house. The single road was very quiet, with a few vehicles parked at the side. Though it was a scorching afternoon, but thanks to the large trees, he had been shaded from the sheer torture of heat. He jumped slightly at the sudden barks of a watching dog, and Allen gladly hurried away before it could pounce onto the gates and frightened him further.

"What's that...noise, Allen?"

"It's...someone's dog, I supposed," Allen muttered softly. He was about to walk past a particular white house when he stopped, walking backwards to see the address once more. His eyes widened slightly, as he checked the address on the paper again.

"Phews, I almost miss it. I found his place, Lenalee. Talk to you later."

"Okay." Allen ended the call and walked towards the gates. He raised his hand and pressed the doorbell. He let out a loud sigh as he paced around, getting slightly nervous. After all, it had been a long time since they met one another. He peered at the small tree branches and stared at flower pots in neighbours' houses.

"Who is it?" The main door opened as Marie looked out, seeing Allen. His eyes widened, slightly astonished.

"Hello, Marie! How have you been?"

"Allen! Good to see you! You really look different now," Marie said, opening the gates for him to come in. Allen rubbed his head and laughed sheepishly, feeling slightly flattered.

"You look different as well, Marie." As they reached the main door, Tiedoll peered out and saw the silver-haired teen approaching. He slowly smiled as he stepped out, welcoming him warmly.

"Allen-kun! Glad that you are here!"

"Me too, Froi-san!" The both of them hugged each other. The old man went inside for a while, before he came out again, with an incredibly long list in his hand. Allen gasped in astonishment as he stared at the indefinite names written inside. He did not remember having so many people working in the Black Order.

"This is...such a long list!"

"Yeah, sure it is. There are some names which have a tick at the side. This means that they will be able to go for the party. Those names that are crossed out means that they would not be able to make it. You just need to give them a call and ask whether they are interested in it and whether they can go, that's all. I hope this would not...bring you any inconvenience..." Tiedoll looked down, feeling slightly guilty about this. Allen noticed it as he shook his head.

"No, it's okay!" Allen read through the names quickly. There were a few names which he couldn't recall, but most of it inside were people he knew. There were about a hundred names written inside, but about 50 of them were already crossed out. Only ten of them were confirmed going to the party.

Johnny

Reever Webham

Jerry

Fo

Bak

Komui Lee

Lenalee Lee

Lavi

Kanda Yu

He blinked.

Kanda Yu

He frowned, before he read it again, making sure that he had not seen wrongly. Why was...his name on the list? Hadn't they forgotten something? It was slightly...ridiculous to have his name till now. He couldn't imagine that he would still be here.

"Isn't that..."

"Yuu-kun? Why are you so shocked about it?" Tiedoll asked. Allen just stood there, not knowing what to say.

"But...isn't he..." He muttered under his breath. It couldn't be. What was this? There was no way...

"He's not dead."

Allen stiffened for a few seconds, staring hardly at the marble floor in the house. After a few minutes, the silver-haired teenager slowly looked up and stared at the ex-General and Marie with wide eyes.

"What?"