A/N: Hey, sorry for the extremely late update you guys! But thank you to Lucia Tsukiyomi-hime, Snipperita, Lenore91, bougainvillea blossom, Firehedgehog, EpikalStorms, lily, skidney, Ennael, Will of the Abyss - AllenxRoad, Queen Louise (x2), the3leonine, hobozrule, hoshiseichan, Mustang's Inferno, NekoGurl98, EnderStorm, FutureEater, Anime lover 3593, Eron Elric aka the malchemist, Cana99, Dareagon, unimportance, Errinenrungun, Shad0wReaper133, Nalayza1426, kickassdani, The Magnetic Witch, and Coppa-Cola for all leaving such wonderful reviews! I really appreciate it!n_n

So I was watching the episode My Master, General Cross, and I thought I'd write this!(: Haha, I hope you all really like it, and please enjoy~!(;

Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do not own the amazing and wonderful D. Gray-Man.

Chapter 6

Time Frame — Afternoon of April 1st, 1895

—3rd Person POV—

~Allen~

Allen leisurely strolled around the lively town on his own; unfortunately, Timcanpy had disappeared for the time being. Hopefully, he wouldn't be eaten by another cat. That would be the third time this month…

Komui had sent him on a small Akuma extermination mission, in a large town where one too many of them had appeared. A town in eastern Poland he believed. Allen paused for moment, and listening to the surrounding chatter, he nodded with confirmation when his sharp ears detected the smooth speech of fluent Polish. Either way, he was certainly glad. For the past month, his friends and comrades had been acting a bit strange, and not in a good way. Lavi had been more attentive and questioning than usual, but in more of a suspicious manner. Komui had acted a little strange himself, giving him calculating looks every time he saw him. And even Lenalee herself had been a little jumpy around him. It had mostly died down by now, but a small break away from the Order had been like a breath of fresh air.

With a small smile, Allen relaxed slightly and immersed himself in the cheery atmosphere. Though he wasn't due to return home for another day, he'd already done a thorough job of completing his mission. Allen didn't want to return just yet. Lately, an ache had welled up in his chest like a heavy rock and it seemed that nothing he did could remove it. Not even his friends had been able to help. And it wasn't like their suspicious attitude towards him helped any. The ache in his chest just seemed to grow worst around them. And still, Allen couldn't understand why.

Allen suddenly stumbled back in surprise when he saw a brightly colored piece of paper being excitedly shoved into his face. And as Allen glanced up, the little boy inside him wanted to break down right there and then, because standing there in front of him was the last person he wanted to see. He looked so bright and cheerful as he insisted to Allen in jovial Polish, "Hello there little boy! Would you like to enjoy a fun night at the circus tonight?"

He was a clown. A clown so much like the one he used to know, that it broke the child that Allen currently was into a thousand pieces. Allen furiously shook his head, unsuccessfully trying to control the raw emotions that strangled his wildly beating heart. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat and rapidly blinked away the oncoming tears as he hurriedly stepped back and stumbled into someone. Spinning around in a dizzying motion, Allen came face-to-face with Lenalee.

"Allen! There you are! I've been looki—" Lenalee's cheerful attitude abruptly came to an end when she took in Allen's distressed face. Frowning, Lenalee asked, concern coloring her tone, "Allen, what's wrong?"

"I—" Allen choked on the simple word as the clown called out to him once again in Polish, "Does the little boy not enjoy a good circus show?"

Allen flinched softly and he felt his heart breaking all over again as Lenalee gave him a confused look. "What is it Allen? Did he say something wrong to you?" Allen offered Lenalee a pleading look, and when all she could do was continue to stare at him in worried confusion, it was then that Allen finally realized what that heavy ache in his chest was, and it only continued to grow heavier. Allen missed them. He missed them so much and it tore at his heart because he knew there was no going back. Allen missed his old comrades. And staring at Lenalee's uncomprehending face, Allen missed them more than ever, because his Lenalee would've understood. His Lavi and his Lenalee and his Order were gone. And worse, Allen felt ashamed that he was comparing this girl who was standing in front of him, trying to understand him, with someone who no longer existed.

Allen tore through the crowded streets as he felt his heart slowly tear away at itself, leaving a confused clown and girl behind.

Time Frame — Morning of April 2nd, 1895

"I apologize for my behavior Lenalee," Allen bowed his head and said with a slightly shameful tone of voice, mask completely intact. It wouldn't do to break down in front of her like he had last night. They were currently seated in a private compartment of the train that was leading them towards home.

Lenalee offered him a small smile, though slightly worried, and replied, "It's alright Allen. No harm done. But what happened last night?" Allen paused for a moment, wondering how he should reply. He wanted to tell her, but the part of him that terribly missed his friends, didn't want to, because she should have already known. But she didn't, because his Lenalee no longer existed, and though it might've sounded silly, it felt a bit like he was replacing her. Allen almost snorted. Right. He was replacing Lenalee with herself. He was so confused.

"I—" Whatever Allen was about to say, was interrupted by the screeching tracks of the train as it came to a sudden stop. Allen and Lenalee exchanged perplexed looks and just like every other passenger, they peeked out the window, out into the forested area, to see what was going on. Their eyes widened in shock when they realized that it was a horde of Level 1 Akuma that was blocking the tracks. Without a second thought, Allen slung his backpack over his shoulder and jumped through the window and then into the mass of them, Crown Clown activating in the middle of it all, with Lenalee and her Dark Boots following soon after. In their combined effort to exterminate them all, Allen and Lenalee were soon finishing them all off, finally done once Allen used Cross Grave to exterminate the last of the lot. Landing back on the ground with a small gasp of breath from the exertion and deactivating their Innocence, they offered each other small smiles.

Lenalee glanced back and with a grim expression and sigh, she muttered, "Great. Now we get to walk home." Allen glanced back as well, and realized what she meant. While they'd been taking care of the Akuma, the train had zipped out of there, not that Allen could blame them. Glancing back at Lenalee's pouting face, Allen recognized the fact Lenalee might not have always been as selfless and mature as she had been when he first met her.

"Don't worry, it won't be so bad. Better for all those passengers to be safe," Allen reassured her.

Lenalee blinked and smiled a bit, "Yeah, you're right. I'll use Dark Boots to see if there are any villages nearby." Once Allen nodded in agreement, Lenalee activated her Innocence again, and flew high up, the bright morning sun making it difficult for Allen to keep an eye on her. Thankfully, it wasn't long before she excitedly flew back down, almost slamming into him, as she exclaimed, "There's a village not far from here Allen! C'mon!"

Allen chuckled softly in amusement, as she deactivated her Innocence and quickly begin to drag him under the canopy of trees with a bounce to her step. Allen decided to go along with it, until Lenalee suddenly came to an abrupt stop, causing him to slightly stumble. "Hmm? What is it Lenalee?"

With a frustrated groan, Lenalee complained, "Oh no! I forgot my suitcase back on the train!"

"Huh? What's the matter? I'm sure a spare change of clothes won't be that big of a loss," Allen scratched the back of his head, a bit perplexed with her behavior. He hadn't really taken Lenalee for the type.

Lenalee shook her head furiously and quickly explained, "No, no! It's not that. My coat is in there, so now I won't have anything to cover myself up. I knew I should have put it on when I had the chance!"

Staring at her anxious face, Allen raised an eyebrow and pointed out, "Lenalee, it's the middle of spring. I see no reason to keep warm…"

"Allen," Lenalee began seriously, "You don't understand. How many girls do you see prancing around with a skirt as short as mine?"

Allen blushed at the sudden question and stuttered out, "Umm, I…"

"Exactly. I need to completely free my legs when in battle, but that's not the way other people outside the Order will see it. They'll most likely kick me out and accuse me of being a harlot if I so much as step into their village," Lenalee explained patiently, and looking into her eyes, Allen had the feeling that she was speaking from experience. Lenalee continued, "It does depend though. If it's a large village, that's constantly receiving many newcomers, I might be left alone, but we can't be sure."

Nodding, Allen responded, "Right, I'm sorry Lenalee, but I understand now. Although, I do think I might have something that can help." At Lenalee's hopeful expression, Allen quickly slung off his backpack, and dug through it, but before he could pull anything out, a golden blur slipped out and slammed right into Allen's face, causing him to stumble onto the ground. "Gah! Tim, is that you?"

In response, Timcanpy harshly bit his nose, eliciting a loud yelp of pain from Allen. "Okay! I get it! I'm sorry for forgetting about you Timcanpy! I didn't mean to leave you in there for so long!" Tim thumped himself against Allen's forehead, seemingly indignant, and then, as if forgiving him, he snuggled into Allen's soft, white hair.

Shaking his head in exasperation, he offered Lenalee an apologetic smile, who giggled in return at the scene she'd just witnessed. Reaching back into his backpack, Allen pulled out the plain black coat that he hadn't used in a while, and offered it towards Lenalee with a small smile, "Sorry about that, but will this do Lenalee?"

Nodding, Lenalee took the coat and slipped it around her slight frame. Being around the same height, the coat also reached a bit below her knees. It would still gain her judgmental looks, but it was better than her skirt, being that it was above her mid-thigh. Plus, it wasn't as noticeable with her legs being mostly covered by her inactivated Dark Boots. Swiftly buttoning it up, Lenalee beamed at him and tugged him along, "Thanks Allen! C'mon, let's go!"

Soon enough, they were breaking through the tree-line and out into the outskirts of a large and lively village. It was positively prosperous, as they could hear, even from their position, the loud chatter of the town. Entering, they made their way over to the main street, where numerous stalls were set up, and the occasional new merchant entering and setting up their own stall. Lenalee had fun exploring around, dragging Allen along with her. They both continued to enjoy themselves throughout the morning, until Allen suddenly stopped.

"Huh? Is something wrong?" Lenalee asked when she noticed.

With a grimace, Allen sighed and pointed to someone in the crowd. "Yes. He's here."

Confused at his reaction, Lenalee glanced up and with a small giggle, reassured him, "He's not so bad, Allen. Why don't we go and see what he's doing here?" Before he could reply to her suggestion, Lenalee began to lead them towards Allen's usual source of aggravation…

"Kanda!" Lenalee called out, causing said Exorcist to turn to look at them. Kanda's expression turned even more sour—if that was possible—when his eyes landed on Allen. "Kanda, what are you doing here?" Lenalee asked once they reached him.

Glancing back at her, Kanda replied, "Your brother has been sending Exorcists throughout Germany and Poland on extermination jobs. There seems to have been a rise on the amount of Akuma lately, and we're trying to regulate the numbers." Allen just knew that if he'd been the one to ask that, all he would have received would've been a grunt. Stupid Kanda…

As if he could read his mind, Kanda glanced back at him and glared.

"Oh, yes," Lenalee nodded and then explained, "We ran into a mass of them ourselves back on the train, and we fought them off, which caused us to be left behind by the train."

Jerking his head back, Kanda said, "There's a train station two streets down." With that, Kanda begin to swiftly head in the opposite direction. How typical.

"Wait up Kanda!" Lenalee jogged after him, forcing Allen to follow after them. "How about we help?"

"I've had enough help, thanks," Kanda muttered, sounding a bit aggravated.

Curious, Allen piped up, "What do you mean?"

Before he could reply with some scathing remark, they were interrupted by a very familiar voice.

"Lenalee! Shortstack! Fancy meeting you here!" Lavi exclaimed as he bounced up to them in his usual, cheerful voice. And here was Kanda's source of aggravation.

Allen had noticed him being better at trying to be genuine, and despite all the suspicion against him lately, it warmed Allen's heart, and made the ache in his heart a little lighter. "It's Allen," Allen automatically corrected him, though he still held a small smile.

"I thought I told you to patrol the other side of town, Rabbit," Kanda bit out, obviously annoyed.

Lavi whined, "You can't just steal Allen's nickname for me, Yuu-chan! How would you feel if I just started calling Allen 'beansprout'?"

Scowling furiously, Kanda growled while jabbing the unsheathed Mugen at Lavi's neck, "The hell if I care! And don't call me that!"

Allen sneered slightly at Kanda, "Doesn't feel very good when you're on the receiving end of a stupid nickname, does it BaKanda?"

"Enough!" Lenalee exclaimed, breaking them up and making Kanda sheath Mugen with a slight glare. "Thank God, Daisya's not here!" Kanda scowled at the thought, while Lavi and Allen smiled sheepishly at her. Maybe they really weren't different from their older selves. Of course not, they were the same people after all, but the question was: could he trust them the same way as before…?

"Err, so when did I ever give you a nickname?" Allen turned to Lavi, a bit puzzled.

Grinning, Lavi begin to explain, "Why, Allen! Of course you don't remember! You were only about yay high," at this, Lavi, waved his hand down to below his knee and then pulled Allen into a side-hug. "You were so little Allen! Feels like it was just last month that you were wrecking havoc all over the place, running away like you would! Oh, they grow up so fast!" Lavi shook his head with a nostalgic expression while wiping away an imaginary tear. Out of the corner of his eye, Allen noticed Kanda's hand twitching towards Mugen again.

Lenalee sweatdropped and pointed out, "Err, Lavi? That was last month…"

"Was it?" Lavi continued smiling like an idiot. Annoyed, Allen squirmed out of his grip, and when he still didn't spot the Bookman Junior's usual companion, he asked him, "Hey Lavi, where's Bookman?"

"Huh? Oh, you mean the old fart? Meh, I think Komui had him scout out some other town nearby, but we'll probably meet up sometime later," Lavi explained absentmindedly, though he was anything but.

"Actually," Kanda bit out with a glare, "You were supposed to go with the Bookman. Don't know why the fucking hell you're here."

"Aww, don't pretend that you don't enjoy my company, Yuu-chan~" Lavi taunted him with a knowing eyes, and a supposedly innocent smile.

Growling, Kanda pushed past him roughly, and angrily stalked away. Before Lavi could follow after and pester him any further, Lenalee promptly grabbed his arm and scolded him, "That's enough Lavi. We can't actually have him committing murder."

"Yeah, yeah," Lavi waved it off with a grin. Lenalee simply shook her head in exasperation. Lavi continued as they strolled down the street, "We were actually supposed to leave this morning, but Kanda insisted on making another round," at this he snickered. "I think he was just trying to get rid of me. Komui did order us to leave today though, so he'll cave sooner or later."

"Yes, Kanda always follows orders. He'll probably go to the train station, so we should probably meet him over there," Lenalee decided, and begin to lead them towards the direction Kanda had pointed out earlier.

Coincidentally enough, the moment they stepped into the train station, they saw Kanda stepping into one of the train carts. "Looks like Yuu-chan's trying to get rid of us~" Lavi snickered, and before they could reply, Lavi quickly scurried over to one of the ticket lines, and soon strolled back with a Cheshire grin, waving three tickets in front of him.

When Allen received one from him, he looked at it with perplexed frown. "Um, Lavi, I think you bought the wrong tickets. This says our destination is Makhachkala, Russia. I thought we were heading home…"

Scratching the back of his head sheepishly, Lavi explained, "Well, apparently, that's where the train that Kanda boarded is headed to." He snickered. "Yuu-chan really is trying to get away from us, but we're not letting him~"

Allen wrinkled his nose in distaste and handed Lavi back the ticket. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass. Following BaKanda around isn't exactly how I want to spend my time."

Lavi gave him a childish pout and whined, "Oh, c'mon Allen! Don't you ever wanna have fun?"

Allen replied dryly, "If by fun you mean being repeatedly jabbed at with Mugen, then no. I don't want to have fun at all…"

Lenalee giggled slightly at the exchange and then gave Allen a small smile. "I don't think it'll be so bad, Allen. Kanda is always going off on his own, and that's okay and all, but humans do need company once in a while. I've hardly seen him this past month, so I think we should go."

Allen sighed at his friends' pleading gazes and finally conceded with a small, grumbled, "Fine."

Lavi immediately cheered, and swiftly shoved the ticket back to Allen, and began to saunter over to the train Kanda had previously entered. Each handed their tickets over to the attendant, but before she could lead them to a private compartment, Lavi questioned, "Do you happen to remember a compartment currently being held by a boy my age? He's about my height, has long hair, carries a sword, and looks like a very grouchy samurai."

"Lavi!" Lenalee quietly exclaimed, in a scolding tone.

Before Lavi could defend himself, the lady's expression turned slightly sour and she replied in tight voice, "Yes, actually. He is two compartments down to the right. I'm sure you can find your way to him?"

Not even giving them the chance to reply, the attendant swiftly walked away, leaving the Exorcists to find their own way. Lavi ruffled his hair and commented, "Gee, Yuu-chan must've really made an impression…"

"I'll say…" Allen rolled his eyes as they begin to head in the direction the attendant had pointed.

Lavi, with a face-splitting grin, slid the compartment door open with a bang and called out, "Hello Yuu-chan~!"

Kanda, who had originally been calmly sitting, immediately tensed up with a heated glare and growled out, "The hell!?" His glare only intensified as they all filed in, especially when Lavi plopped down next to him and casually draped an arm over his shoulder and began to blather on in his cheerful attitude, blatantly ignoring Kanda's fierce scowl.

"Why the hell are you here?" Kanda bit out, his hand twitching towards Mugen as he was barely able to withhold his rising temper and irritation towards mostly the redhead.

Before Lavi could say anything worthy of Mugen coming out, Lenalee immediately piped up, "We just thought you could use some company. Want to tell us about where you're headed Kanda? It must be another mission, right?"

Kanda harshly jabbed Lavi with his elbow, causing Lavi double over in pain, thankfully releasing his hold on Kanda, who replied, "It's a mission that has nothing to do with any of you. Go home."

"Too late," Allen muttered, as the train began to move. Though barely noticeable, Allen did see Kanda slightly slump down in resignation. And so, it was, that a long and tiring train ride begin…

Time Frame — Morning of April 3rd, 1895

Allen blearily opened his gritty eyes as he felt the morning light stream in through the window, lighting up the compartment. He was currently sitting sideways on the seat, with his legs crossed and leaning back against the wall. Not the most comfortable sleeping position, but he hadn't had much of a choice after Lenalee had fallen asleep. She had curled up on the remaining space of the seat and had, and still was resting her head on Allen's lap. Glancing to the opposite seat, Allen snickered, and decided that it was certainly a better position than those two. Kanda had simply lent back and fallen asleep, unlike Lavi who had obnoxiously sprawled across the whole seat—including Kanda's lap—and was currently snoring and slightly drooling.

"Shut it, beansprout," Kanda bit out, irritated. Apparently, he wasn't as asleep as they'd like to believe.

"It's Allen," Allen scowled lightly. He almost sighed in relief as he felt the train slowing down to a stop. They were finally here. Kanda abruptly stood up, causing the still snoozing Lavi to flip onto the floor with a painful thud, eliciting a yelp from Lavi.

"Huh? Oh! Wait up, Yuu-chan!" Lavi called out groggily, slightly stumbling as he chased after Kanda before disappeared from view. Allen shook his head in exasperation as he watched them, and gently shook Lenalee awake before grabbing his backpack, and following after the two, Lenalee at his heels. Even after they caught up to them, they had to slightly jog to keep up with Kanda's swift strides.

"Slow down, Yuu-chan!" Lavi whined slightly. He must be really bored if bothering Kanda this much is seriously all what he wants to do… Allen thought dryly, as Lavi continued to be obnoxious.

Kanda suddenly came to an abrupt stop, causing them all to stumble into each other, as they tried to follow his lead. Turning to them with an annoyed scowl, Kanda griped, "Look, if you're going to follow me around, at least be useful!"

Grinning widely, Lavi straightened up and called out, "Yes sir! What can we do to help?" Allen raised an eyebrow, slightly amused. If he didn't know any better, he'd think he was actually back home, and Komui had simply given them all a potion to revert back two years in age. That is, if Lavi's slightly hardened eye, Lenalee's naivety, and Kanda's extra short temper weren't so glaringly obvious to him. At least, compared to before this whole mess had occurred. Allen frowned slightly, wishing that his previous relationship with them hadn't been taken away from him like it had. It made him feel so alone…

"You'll shut up, quit being a nuisance, and stay back like those two," Kanda scowled at Lavi and jerked his head over to where Allen and Lenalee were standing, and then continued in his quick stride.

Scratching the back of his head, Lavi muttered to Allen, "Gee, that guy's no fun…"

"What gave you the first clue?" Allen asked dryly, as they began to follow him once again.

Lavi simply shrugged and replied with a bright smile, "Aggravating him can be pretty amusing, but he needs to learn how to lighten up."

"You shouldn't be so mean Lavi," Lenalee shook her head slightly, "Kanda could seriously hurt you if you go too far."

This didn't seem to detour Lavi one bit as he continued grinning, and replied, "I guess I'll have to find out how far I can push him."

Allen suddenly wished he hadn't been dragged along.

Time Frame — Afternoon of April 10th, 1895

Allen trudged along, wishing with all his being for even an ounce of water to sooth his parched throat. They'd been walking since early in the morning under the unbearably scorching sun, and he'd already downed all the water he'd brought. Where they were headed, he had no idea, and honestly didn't care all that much. It had been a harsh week of traveling, and they had yet to arrive to wherever they were headed. Allen briefly wondered if Kanda was purposely leading them astray, in order to extract his revenge for following him around uninvited. He certainly wouldn't put it past him. Unfortunately, he didn't have much of a choice but to keep walking.

"We're here!" Lavi suddenly exclaimed, relieve coloring his voice. At this, Allen and the rest perked their head, and released a sigh of relieve when they saw the large town they were nearing.

"Finally," Allen muttered exhaustedly, slightly leaning against Lenalee as they continued to slowly trek in the awfully dry heat, all of them sticky with sweat. As they continued getting closer, Allen frowned slightly at the extreme familiarity that he felt. "Err, where exactly are we?"

"Gee Allen," Lavi said with slight disappointment, though he still held his contagious grin, "It's like you haven't even been listening to me these past few days!"

Allen didn't argue, knowing it was true. When Lavi got to talking, it never seemed to end. Plus, there was the fact that he was tired, and he honestly just wanted to go home.

"We're in India of course!" Lavi exclaimed. Allen suddenly began to get a dreadful feeling in his chest, as Lavi continued talking, "The very place in which the Palace of the Maharaja resides! Hmm, wonder if I can get a tour…"

Allen came to an abrupt stop, realizing why he had felt so dreadful. The others halted as well, and looked at him. Wiping her slightly, sweat-covered forehead, Lenalee asked, "Something the matter Allen?"

Shaking his head, Allen replied, "Uhh, sorry no. Just tired is all."

"We all are, beansprout. Now keep moving," Kanda called back, and continued heading towards the lively town.

"Right," Allen muttered, fear taking a hold of him, but continued walking nonetheless. Was it possible that he was here? If Allen remembered correctly, in the original timeline, he'd been around this age when they'd first come here. But if he was… Allen slightly shuddered, wondering what his Master would do to him if he were to find him after having run away.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Lenalee asked softly, giving him a worried glance.

Nodding, Allen offered her a small smile and replied, "Just fine."

After getting a room in an inn and freshening up, they had each gone their separate ways. Kanda had gone to complete his mission, absolutely refusing help from any of them, and this time, he made sure to make it clear they were unwelcomed. Thankfully, Lavi got the message. Or it could just be that he wanted to go and sneak into the palace so that he could explore, seeing as it had been one of the few places he had yet to visit. Allen could only pray that he didn't run into Cross. Of course, because of this, Allen absolutely refused to let Lavi drag him along. He figured if he could stay in the lower part of town, he wouldn't have a chance of running into his Master, seeing as Cross wasn't one to let 'filthy things' near him. Thankfully, Lenalee decided to go with him as well, instead of Lavi. Allen certainly didn't want his Master going anywhere near Lenalee.

"Ooh, let's take a look in here Allen!" Lenalee pointed to a small bookshop, and tugged him along. Allen smiled fondly, glad to be able to spend some time with her. Talking to her while at headquarters was a bit difficult considering how overbearing Komui tended to be.

As they browsed around the shop, Allen turned to look at one of the other shelves when he accidentally bumped into someone. Quickly, pulling back, Allen said apologetically, "Sorry, I—" Wide-eyed, he came to an abrupt stop when he realized who it was that he'd run into.

Bending over to pick up the book he'd dropped, the other boy, unaware of Allen's inner turmoil, replied, "Ah, it's alright. No harm done."

"R-right," Allen stuttered slightly, awful emotions of guilt, sadness, and despair crushing his chest with unbelievable intensity. He shouldn't have come! … What if he made the same mistake again?

Straightening back up, the other boy offered him a small smile and said, "I haven't seen you around. You must be new! I'm Nalei, nice to meet you."

Offering him a slightly shaky smile, Allen responded, "Ah, yeah, I'm Allen. It's nice to meet you too."

Before anymore could be said, Lenalee called out as she headed their way, "Allen, I—" Noticing Nalei, Lenalee paused in what she was about to say and gave him a smile, "Oh, Hello."

"Um, right. Lenalee, this is Nalei. Nalei, this is Lenalee," Allen introduced them.

Smiling, Lenalee said in response, "It's nice to meet you! What's that?" At this, Lenalee pointed to the small stack of books held in Nalei's arms.

"Ah," Nalei gave them a sheepish smile and replied, "Just some medical books, is all."

Lenalee blinked in surprise and asked, "Why do you need so many of them?"

"Well, it's my dream to one day become a doctor, so I'm trying to learn as much as I can," Nalei explained, though he seemed a bit embarrassed to be explaining this to a pair of strangers. Allen looked down with a frown, remembering how that had ended the first time. What if the same thing occurred again? Allen didn't even have to be here. It was the Akuma that had to destroy that building at the right time, in order to kill Mina…

"Would you like to come with us?" Allen suddenly asked, interrupting whatever it was that Lenalee had been about to ask. Both of them blinked in confusion, and stared at him, perplexed, as if trying to figure out whether they'd heard correctly or not.

"Uh, what I mean is," Allen fidgeted slightly, and then continued, "Where we work at, they're looking for new medical students to train… Maybe you'd be interested?" Allen was a little surprised himself at what he'd suggested, but he certainly wasn't taking it back. After what happened the first time around, Allen thought that he'd never be able to fix it, but now he had the chance, and he was going to take it. Allen knew that letting Nalei come with them would allow him to fulfill his dream. As for Mina, she'd be alright. She was working towards her goal, and without Nalei, her death would be unlikely. She spent most of her time in the palace, and rarely went into town, that one time being when she'd gone to buy Nalei the Medical Dictionary, which had ended in her death.

Assured by this, Allen gazed at Nalei's slightly shocked face and questioned, "Well, what do you say?"

"I—… I don't know. My sister…"

"You have a sister?" Lenalee asked.

"Uh, yeah. Her name's Mina. She works over at the palace for the Lady Urmina and also works with the dancers there," Nalei explained.

"Really? Is that her dream? To be a dancer?"

Nodding, Nalei replied, "Yeah! It's her dream to one day dance on the stage of London, and is working hard to become the best!"

"Well, shouldn't you do the same as well? I mean, if she's doing the best she can to get there, shouldn't you too? This is a rare chance Nalei, maybe you should take it," Lenalee advised with a small smile. "But we'll understand if you don't. We'll be at the inn down this street for a couple days though, so think about it." At this, Lenalee began to head out the small shop and called back, "C'mon Allen! I saw this other shop selling these cool barrettes, and I want to get one for Komui!"

Offering him one last smile, Allen said, "Think about it, Nalei."

Allen stood close to Lenalee as they walked through the rapidly darkening streets, on their way to the inn.

Glancing at him, Lenalee asked, "What you did earlier was really nice of you Allen, but why did you?"

Allen frowned slightly, wondering how to answer, and then simply said, "Just a debt I needed to repay."

"Not one of your Master's, I hope," Lenalee giggled slightly, recalling some of the outrages stories Allen had told her of before.

Chuckling slightly, Allen shook his head and replied, "Certainly not."

After that, they continued to walk in silence, until Timcanpy suddenly begin to pull at his hair from where he'd been resting peaceful before. "Huh? What is it Tim?" Allen asked softly, causing the golem to respond by waving his tail frantically in the direction ahead. Allen searched ahead, eyes widening when he saw a flash of bright red through the small crowd of people still milling about on the streets. Realizing it was head their way, Allen immediately pulled Lenalee into a small alleyway, and backed up onto the wall hurriedly, pulling Lenalee against him and gently placing his hand atop her mouth to keep her quiet.

"Shh," Allen whispered into her ear, and she thankfully nodded slightly in response. Tensely, he kept an eye out, waiting for his Master to pass by. Timcanpy was curled up on where his neck met his shoulder, smartly keeping out of sight. Allen felt like they'd stood there for the longest time, and even when he finally saw Cross pass by, leaving them unnoticed, he still continued to stay stock still, deciding it'd be better to be safe than sorry. After a few more moments, Allen released Lenalee, causing her to turn to look at him in confusion, awaiting an explanation.

Allen sighed, and told her briefly, "Let's just say, that my apprenticeship with Master Cross didn't end on his terms…"

"His terms?"

"I left," Allen elaborated.

Lenalee's eyes widened slightly, and she asked, "Left? How could you just leave?"

Scratching his cheek sheepishly, Allen replied, "Wasn't difficult. He was drunk out of his mind."

"But… Why? He didn't hurt you Allen, did he?" Lenalee asked worriedly.

"Huh? Uh, well not really. I mean he made me earn money to pay his debts, and he sometimes threw me at debt collectors, and I do consider him to be the devil, but he never seriously hurt me. He rarely even touched me, saying the he didn't like getting his hands dirty," Allen explained.

"Oh, well that still sounds a bit harsh. Why did you leave then?"

Shrugging, he said, "I wasn't getting anything done with him. I felt, becoming an actual Exorcist would be more productive. But please don't say anything Lenalee! You know how strict they are about having to have an official apprenticeship!"

She nodded in understanding, and said, "It's alright Allen. You're secret's safe with me."

Allen smiled gratefully, but before anymore could be said, the dark alley suddenly became bright with light and they turned to see one of the backdoors further down, that must've lead to the back of a small restaurant—which Allen could tell from the smells richly filled with spices—being opened by a large man. Spotting them, he began to yell in a deep voice, "Hey, kids! What the hell do you think—"

Laughing, Allen and Lenalee quickly ran from the alleyway, angry shouts following after them.

Time Frame — Morning of April 14th, 1895

"We're leaving," Kanda suddenly announced.

"Huh?" Allen asked groggily, releasing a yawn from where he'd been sleeping on the floor. Lenalee, who had taken one of the beds, began to wake up, rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes, while Lavi continued to obnoxiously snore from where he was sprawled out on the other bed. With an annoyed grunt, Kanda swiftly shoved Lavi off the bed.

"Ouch!" Lavi yelped. "What was that for Yuu-chan?!"

"I've completed the mission and am leaving in one hour, whether you're ready or not," Kanda simply said, and walked out of the room.

Sitting up, Lavi yawned and said as he rubbed his eye, "Gee, that guy sure woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

"Doesn't he every day?" Allen rhetorically asked as he sat up and stretched out his arms.

"Too true shortstack," Lavi chuckled.

Lenalee simply shook her head in amusement, knowing that no matter how much scolding she gave them, it wouldn't stop them, at least, not for long. Turning to Allen, she asked softly, "Do you think he'll come?"

Allen slight shrugged, and answered with a small frown, "I'm not sure."

Lavi, who had already been filled in on what had happened, piped up, "Ah, don't worry shortstack! I'm sure this Nali boy will show up in time!"

"Err, It's Nalei…" Allen said dryly.

"Right! That's what I said," Lavi continued grinning idiotically.

Shaking his head in exasperation, Allen muttered, "Sometimes Lavi, I wonder…"

Tugging at his hand, Lenalee murmured, "Come Allen. We need to go."

Looking back one last time, Allen sighed softly and then turned to her and Lavi, "Yeah, alright."

Allen frowned, as they began to follow after Kanda, who was ahead of them, having already exited the outskirts of the town, seeing no reason to linger. As Allen trudged after them, he wondered if there was anything he could do. He didn't just want to give up, but Nalei didn't know him anymore, and forcing him really wasn't an option. But… What could he do then?

"Allen! Lenalee! Wait up!" Allen heard Nalei call out to them, causing him to swiftly look back, a wide smile spreading across his face. Catching up to them with a small gasp, Nalei asked, "Are we leaving already?"

"Yeah! Come on Nalei!" Allen exclaimed, a sudden bounce to his step, as they hurried after Kanda.

Seeing Nalei had made Allen realized just how big of a second chance he's really received. Despite missing his old comrades terribly, he'd try and give his new ones a chance. After all, they would always be his closest friends, his family, no matter how much they really knew of him. He'd make sure to treasure them, and not push them away.

A/N: Well, isn't that sweet?:3 Haha, maybe not the chapter you were expecting (or wanting), but I thought it was pretty nice(: Even so, I hoped you thought it was okay, so I hope you leave a review on your thoughts! Please?(: