A/N: So I just felt like updating this on the whim… I mean, I know it's been less than two weeks since my last update! Don't hate me! Sheesh!

Anyway! Thank you to EpikalStorms, Takei Daloui, bougainvillea blossom, 9foxgrl, wittyusernames, patrick the almighty observer, OtakuDrag0n, RaNDoem, Kiomori, Shad0wReaper133,NeonBlackRoseRevived, and D. P. Master01 for reviewing! You guys are such cool people for doing that! Though one does have to wonder if any of you are actually really reading this note… But it's okay! I APPRECIATE YOU ANYWAY!

Did you guys know I hate writing in all caps? I feel like I'll just end up rambling if I don't nip this in the bud, so have fun reading!

Disclaimer: It's mine! *has her eye stabbed out by Road* I-I take it back… *sobs*

Chapter 13

Time Frame — Morning of January 1st, 1896

—3rd Person POV—

~Allen~

"How are you holding up, Allen?" Lenalee asked gently as she took a seat beside him on the infirmary bed. Thankfully, she'd arrived just a moment after the Matron had completed rewrapping his wounds.

Glancing up with a single, silver eye—his other eye swathed in layers of bandages—Allen smiled gently at her. "Just fine, Lenalee. What about you?"

"Could be worse," she muttered distractedly, as she continued to scrutinize him. With a deepening frown, Lenalee tentatively asked, "Allen, are those… Are those bullet wounds?"

"Ah, yeah," Allen winced slightly at the mention of them—a fact that did not go unnoticed by the Chinese girl. "I just got careless while battling an Akuma." Or at least, it had been something along those lines. Allen wasn't sure how to explain that fact that he'd been so frightened, he'd been unable to defend himself against Road's fake Mana turned Akuma. Despite knowing that it wasn't, it had seemed so real, that for a moment, Allen truly believed that he had somehow been damned to hell.

"I've never known you to be careless, Allen," Lenalee murmured, but fortunately, for his sake, let it go. "Are you sure you'll alright, Allen? I mean, you lost an eye…"

Allen momentarily wondered why she sounded do imperative, before recalling that she didn't know about the fact that his cursed eye could regenerate. Allen parted his lips, ready to attempt an explanation, before pausing. Would she actually believe him, though? The idea was pretty far-fetched, and he'd only known about the fact the first time around because of Bookman—how he was able to tell how his eye was redeveloping at all, was mystery in of itself—and he was nowhere in the vicinity. In the end, he figured he could explain the fact afterwards, and simply replied, "Everything will be fine, Lenalee."

"Maybe you should ask Lavi for advice," she hesitantly suggested, wondering if the younger boy was somehow in denial.

In order to appease her, Allen replied with a nod, "If it makes you feel better, I'll be sure to."

Lenalee gave him an uncertain glance before standing. "Alright, Allen. Be sure to get some rest, okay? Brother wanted me to let you know that they'll be calling you down tonight. We tried to persuade them to wait for your injuries to heal, but Brother says they find it imperative to do it as soon as possible." Lenalee frowned in frustration, and then offered him an apologetic look.

"I'll rest all day long… If you bring me some of Jerry's food," Allen said cheekily.

Glad to know that Allen's mood was beginning to pick up, Lenalee readily agreed. "On it! I'll call for everyone's help so we can bring you enough!"

Allen watched her skip off with small, weary sigh. Lying back on the cot, he wished he hadn't sent off his female friend, as dreadful flashbacks once again continued to replay behind his lids.

Time Frame — Night of January 1st, 1896

"And do you, Allen Walker, accept all these responsibilities as part of your new mission?" boomed the Great General from high above, shadows clinging to him and obscuring the rest of the generals that sat on either side of him.

"I do," Allen nodded somberly, for the last time. A wide range of emotions permeated the young fourteen-year-old, and so he was unsure of how to feel. Though most of his friends had shown pride in response to his promotion as a general, Allen knew that it had only occurred in reaction to General Yeegar's brutal death, which had left a bitter taste in the back of his mouth. Fortunately, they had been able to warn Komui in time, allowing most of the Exorcists—including the Generals that did not go by the name of Cross—to make it back to Headquarters before they could be caught by any of the Noah. Unlike the multiple deaths that Tyki had caused last time, only one, Chalker Loboun, had been apprehended and killed. Allen was especially relieved to find that Suman had escaped the devious Noah of Pleasure. Despite it, Allen was still frustrated with the situation in general. What with the Noah suddenly getting involved, Allen knew he'd have to immediately accomplish something he'd vowed to do; destroying the Akuma Egg, before they downloaded a new Ark and lost all access.

The Great General seated at the center nodded in acceptance, and continued, "General Walker, as a previous apprentice to General Cross, we assign your first mission to be that you locate the missing General as soon as possible and bring him back. In addition, we will allow you to carry four extra pieces of Innocence so that you may seek out any Accommodators during your travels. But proceed with the utmost caution; because of General Yeegar's death, not only did we lose a Soldier of God, but an addition of eight shards of Innocence were also lost, which is why we have decreased the number of Innocence pieces that Generals may carry. But if an Accommodator is found at any point during your mission, return without delay."

"Understood," Allen answered, rigidly standing at attention before them and Hevlaska on the elevator. Behind him stood Komui, as well as his Exorcist companions who he had been allowed to invite for the formal procedure of becoming a General and being assigned his first mission. With all Exorcists currently residing at Headquarters, he'd even gotten Miranda and Krory to come along; he'd attempted to tell Suman about it, but the older Exorcist had been visibly upset about the fact that they were giving someone as young as Allen the job of a general. Allen figured it was for the best though, considering the elevator could barely hold the current amount of people it already did.

Soon after, Allen was dismissed, only to be met with the Science Division, that even after everything that was occurring, managed to greet him with smiles and many congratulations.

"This is for you, General Walker!" Johnny declared with grin, propelling a thin box into his hands. When all he could do was stare at it in astonishment—Allen still felt as if he were in some sort of trance, the actions of those surrounding him seeming surreal—his friends were forced to drag him back to reality.

"Come on, shortstack!" Lavi shouted, causing him to jolt in surprise.

Alma jumped up excitedly. "Yeah, Big Brother, I wanna see!"

Glancing back at their encouraging smiles of various degrees—that is, if you were to count Kanda's bored expression as encouraging—Allen finally tugged the lid off, pulling out his new Exorcist uniform. The design was the exact same as the second uniform he'd received in the previous timeline, the only difference being that the lining of the uniform was a dark amber rather than silver.

"I thought this design would suit Crown Clown better. How do you like it, Allen?" Johnny eagerly asked, reverting back to his name rather than his title, much to Allen's relief.

"It's perfect, Johnny. Thank you," Allen replied with a kind smile.

"So what's General Walker's first mission?" Reever piped up. Allen wasn't sure if he'd ever get used to the formal title.

Daysia answered for him with a small frown. "They're sending him back out in order to search for the missing General Cross."

"Alone?" Johnny frowned.

With a small smile, Allen explained, "It is my first mission as a General. And no matter the mission, I would've been sent out regardless."

"I guess I didn't think about it that way," Johnny muttered.

Allen smirked. "No worries, everyone. I know exactly what I need to do in order to drag back the General, whether he likes it or not."

And though this was meant to reassure them, all they could do was shudder at the dark, eerie aura that suddenly shrouded Allen as chuckled darkly to himself.

Time Frame — Afternoon of January 9th, 1896

"NOW!"

Allen glanced back, startled. Originally, he'd been searching for a train station, but curiosity winning out, Allen turned towards the opposite direction, from which loud yells and the occasional gunshot could be heard. Hurrying over, Allen turned a corner, coming to face with a magnificent building further down the lane; it stood low and flat, but towered over him all the same. Further observation revealed a force of policemen enclosing the structure. Fortunately, whatever thief they'd been apprehending, had already been caught and was currently being taken into custody. Shrugging, Allen was about to turn back, figuring they had it under control, when a loud cry forced his attention back. A small boy seemed to have escaped one of the police officers and was currently making a clumsy getaway in his direction.

Taking a hold of him once the boy reached him, Allen swiftly turned back around the corner, but it seemed the policemen weren't determined in chasing after the small boy. The fourteen-year-old stared at the younger boy in shock, as said boy struggled, tears pouring from his eyes as he made frantic waves in the direction of his throat. Abruptly realizing that the small boy seemed to be choking on something, Allen frenetically thumped the boy's back, unsure of what else to do. Hacking a couple of breathless coughs, the child swallowed whatever had been stuck in his throat, slumping against Allen in exhaustion, heaving a couple of gasps with tears still spilling down his cheeks from the shock. Allen's mercury eyes widened as he took note of the faint green glow that overtook the boy for a couple seconds, the power resonating with his Innocence as a brilliant, azure stone surfaced on the center of the child's forehead.

Is this… Innocence? Allen wondered in slight shock.

"A-are you alright?" Allen finally asked the boy gently.

Shaking him off, the cobalt-haired boy stood on his own, taking on a strong façade, as he replied in a thick, French accent, "Yes. T-thank you." He then fidgeted, as if unsure of what to do next.

"What's your name?" Allen gently prodded.

"Ah, Timothy. Timothy Hearst," Timothy nodded.

With a kind smile, Allen held his hand out and said, "I'm Allen Walker. Nice to meet you, Timothy."

Timothy stared at him with hesitant, liquid topaz eyes, before cautiously shaking his hand for barely a second and then swiftly shoving them back into his pockets. He then asked tentatively, "Y-you're not going to take me back to them, are you?"

"Huh? You mean the police?" Allen quirked an eyebrow. At Timothy's furious nod, Allen cocked his head before asking, "Do you think you deserve to be arrested by the police?"

The idea, when spoken aloud, certainly sounded absurd and caused Timothy to spit out an immediate, "No!" Taking a deep, shaky breath, Timothy elaborated, "No, it was my dad. H-he's a jewel thief!" Timothy whispered rapidly, as if it were the first he was admitting it. "T-that's why I was choking. He was trying to make me swallow a one of the jewels he'd stolen before he could be caught," Timothy spat in disgust. "Didn't matter anyhow. The police took him anyway."

With a frown of his own, Allen hummed noncommittally. "Timothy, do you have anywhere to go?"

The small Accommodator's face grew a bright red, whether from anger or embarrassment, Allen wasn't sure. "N-no," Timothy scowled fiercely, ducking his head to avoid Allen's penetrating gaze.

Kneeling down to get a closer look at the boy, Allen laid a hand on his shoulder, causing Timothy to stiffen. "Timothy, I'd like to make you an offer. You see, I work for a secret organization called the Black Order. Currently, we're searching for those who can be Accommodators to powerful shards of crystals called Innocence. Unfortunately, these shards are very picky on who they're allowed to bond with."

"Why do you think I'd be one of these Acco-mmo…" Timothy struggled.

"Accommodators," Allen gently corrected him.

Scrunching his nose in slight frustration, the cerulean-haired boy simply said, "Yeah, that."

"Timothy, look behind you," Allen prompted. Timothy gave him an odd glance before turning around, where, across the street, the dark tinted windows of the building allowed for a clear reflection. Timothy gasped, noticing the glowing, sapphire stone placed on forehead. "I believe that the jewel your father forced you to swallow may have, in reality, been a shard of Innocence in disguise. When you consumed it, it bonded with you as you were its chosen Accommodator." For which Allen was thankful. Though the forceful bond hadn't been Timothy's fault, it could have still possibly caused him to become a Fallen one.

"What would I do as an Acco-…" Timothy huffed in annoyance.

"We're also called Exorcists," Allen chuckled as Timothy continued to gawk at the gem. Gently turning him back around and staring intently into his toffee eyes, trying to convey the seriousness of the situation, Allen carefully enunciated, "Timothy, we fight."

Narrowing his eyes, Timothy asked, "You fight what?"

"Akuma." At Timothy's blank expression, Allen elaborated, "They're demons; created by the archenemy of the Order, the Millenium Earl. We're a fighting in a war, Timothy. But as Accommodators, we're the only ones who can actually become soldiers."

"S-so if I came with you, they'd send me out to fight? Get hurt? Lose an eye like you did?" Timothy frowned, pointing at Allen's left eye, which was still swathed in bandages.

Slightly touching said eye, Allen replied, "I didn't lose it. Just a small injury I received recently."

"Doesn't look very small to me," Timothy pointed out dubiously, referring to the curse scar the peeked out from beneath the bandages.

"Oh, no, that's actually an old scar that I received before I even joined the Order," Allen explained with a sad smile. "You're right, Timothy, we do get hurt. We fight, we get injured, and whenever someone's in danger, we protect them and take the blow for them. But you're wrong on one account; we won't just send you to your death, Timothy. You're a child, and we'll make sure you receive training before you're sent out on any sort of mission."

Heaving a sigh, Timothy kicked at the pavement as he said, "I guess it beats staying on the streets or going to an orphanage. And…" Timothy hesitated, before saying, "You've been more honest with me than anyone else." Glancing up at him doubtfully, he continued, "Then again, you're also just a kid. What are you? Eleven?"

Eye twitching, Allen bit out, "I'm fourteen."

"Meh, whatever," Timothy shrugged carelessly. His stomach suddenly growled. "Ugh, you got any food?"

Rubbing his forehead, Allen had a feeling that this kid would be more of a handful than he'd originally thought.

Time Frame — Morning of January 14th, 1896

"Hey! I thought you said we were going to this Black Order of yours!" Timothy said indignantly.

Allen groaned, irritated to be woken from his sleep, the rumbling of the train beneath him neither allowing him to relax, before the question finally registered. "I said no such thing," he grumbled.

"Did too!" Timothy crossed his arms petulantly.

Knowing he wouldn't be getting anymore sleep, Allen forced himself to sit up, rubbing his single eye tiredly. "No, I asked you if you would join the Order, not that I would take you there."

"Y-you're not some creepy pedophile, are you?" Timothy suddenly gave him a horrified stare.

Allen startled. "W-what?! No! I'm only a kid myself!" he yelled indignantly, though he was loath to admit it.

Timothy huffed. "Whatever."

"And anyway, why would anyone want to choose a bratty kid like you?"

"Shaddup, old man!" Timothy shouted.

"I'm not old, damn it! It's not my fault my hair's like this!" Allen cried, while Timothy only stuck his tongue out at him and began making ugly faces. Allen slumped back against his seat. Timothy always managed to bring out his immature side and only ended up tiring him out. He could only hope that they wouldn't assign him as his apprentice.

"So where are we going?" Timothy finally asked.

Idly scratching his head, Allen explained, "I know of another young girl, who is also an Accommodator, here in China. Unfortunately, Exorcists are heavily being targeted right now, so I'm going down to collect her."

"Wait! You mean if an Exorcist doesn't want to join, you force them?" Timothy asked furiously—or as furious as a seven-year-old could manage to get.

"It's not as simple as that, Timothy. If we were to simply allow Accommodators to stay where they are, it would pose a big risk for the civilians that surround them. Not only does Innocence cause strange phenomenons, as I've explained before, but it can also attract hordes of Akuma, and most of the time, because they don't know how to use their Innocence, the Akuma end up eradicating everyone that surrounds them," Allen said gravely.

"Oh," Timothy muttered. "Allen? How do you think my Innocence works? You've already told me of all the cool powers all your friends have, but mine doesn't seem like it'd be anything like that."

"Hmm, well everyone's Innocence is unique. Don't worry Tim, I'm sure you'll figure it out," Allen gave him an encouraging grin.

"Ugh, don't call me that, you old geezer!" Timothy stuck out his tongue in a disgusted expression.

Allen simply sulked. Again.

Abruptly, Timcanpy pulled himself out from underneath his Exorcist coat. "Eh? Sorry if we woke you up, Timcanpy," Allen said sheepishly. For his part, Timcanpy simply shook it off, before glaring—or at least, the equivalent of glare for a golem—right at Timothy, before, not quite unexpectedly, beginning to swat the boy over the head with his wings.

"Ow! Ow! Quit that, you stupid golem!" Timothy cried with frustration.

Swiftly, Allen grabbed a hold of the golden golem by the tail, and forcefully dragged him back. "Alright Timcanpy, I know that you clearly don't like Timothy, so I'm going to have to kick one of you out for good." At this, both boy and golem offered him pleading looks, though it seemed Timothy was already sure of what the verdict would be. Shaking his head in exasperation, Allen finally decided, "Sorry, Timcanpy, you're going to have to be the one to go."

If a golem could look indignant, Timcanpy had certainly managed it.

Affectionately patting the golem, Allen chuckled as he said, "It's for the best, Tim. I need you to send a message to Master, anyhow." At the mention of Cross, Timcanpy seemed to perk up. "Record this message for me, would you?" At the bobbing of Tim's body, Allen cleared his throat and began as he stared straight at the golem, "Master, wherever you are, I'm sure you've become aware of the fact that the Earl has finally made the Noah known in this war; they're after the Heart, and in accordance, they're targeting the Generals first. I am to bring you back to Headquarters, and I'm sure you'll be interested to return if I allow you to question me on my knowledge. But I also know of your mission and the basics of what we must do to complete it. I will also help you out with this. If you agree to my terms, meet me at Anita's brothel." Giving Timcanpy a thumbs-up, the golem affectionately nipped his nose and flew out the window of their compartment.

"You know, for a second, I thought it would've been me being thrown out of that window," Timothy muttered.

Allen smirked. "Keep it up, and maybe we'll get to that point."

Timothy gulped.

Time Frame — Afternoon of January 17th, 1896

"Behave," Allen hissed down at Timothy, while simultaneously knocking on the wooden gate.

"Hmph," Timothy puffed out his cheeks and petulantly crossed his arms across his small chest. It might've been cute, if Allen hadn't already known how much of a little fiend the cobalt-haired, seven-year-old could be.

With a faint, creaking groan, the gate was slightly pushed open, and they were soon greeted by an elderly man with a kind smile. "Hello boys, what can I do for you?"

"Good afternoon," Allen nodded back. "We were hoping we could have an audience with you and you're granddaughter."

"Ah, is this about her fortunetelling? I'm sorry, but could you please return tomorrow? Mei-Ling is always willing to help, but I'm afraid she pushes herself too hard sometimes, and I would like for her to have the day off."

Allen shook his head. "I apologize. If it makes you feel better, I'm not looking to have my fortune told. I just need to speak with you and your granddaughter about her abilities. At the very least, allow me to explain how it is that she has these abilities.

The old man cautiously observed him, before hesitantly nodding. "Alright, come in."

Once they entered, they were led to the sitting room. It wasn't long before Allen was going through a similar explanation that he'd gone through with Timothy. Fortunately, Timothy managed to keep control of himself for the little time that they were there.

"General, are you meaning to take my granddaughter from me?" he asked gravely.

Before Allen could reply, Mei-Ling interrupted, "But Grandpa! I have to go! If my visions can help these people, then I have to."

"Mei-Ling, this is war. You are only twelve," he pleaded with her.

With a determined expression, Mei-Ling replied, "I'm sorry, Grandpa, but this has to be my decision. And you heard what he said; if I continue to stay here, I will only continue to put you and everyone in this town at risk. Grandpa, I simply couldn't bare it if I was the death of you all."

Mei-Ling's grandfather suddenly seemed to age before their very eyes. "A-alright, Mei-Ling, if this is what you truly want." Mei-Ling flung herself into his arms, and as they had their moment, a familiar, golden golem swept in through one of the open windows, causing Allen to smile in relief. For a while there, he'd been afraid that Cross might've decided to reject his offer and kept Timcanpy. A little impatiently, Allen allowed Cross' message to play out, his image suddenly fizzling to life.

"Hello, Idiot Apprentice. I don't know why the hell you didn't tell me this sooner, but alright, I'll agree to your terms. Let's make one thing clear though, if you're not at Anita's by the 20th, deals over and I'm bailing."

Allen's eye widened in horror as the message abruptly cut off. He only had three days to get there! And to make matters worse, he wouldn't even have time to escort Timothy and Mei-Ling back to the Order. He didn't want to drag them into this! Damn it, why couldn't he just have waited a bit longer to send the stupid message? Noticing that Mei-Ling and her grandfather were giving him an odd look, Allen attempted to hide his panic. "I apologize, but we must leave at once."

"So soon?" the older man's face fell.

"I know this quite abrupt, but there are other matters we must attend to." Fortunately, they argued no further, and Mei-Ling had gone off to quickly pack up her belongings. With a deep sigh, Allen hoped that they'd be able to at least make it on time.

Time Frame — Night of January 19th, 1896

"Allen! Allen!" Allen head Mei-Ling shriek from a distance. Sheesh, he'd taken his eye off of them for a second and allowed them to go buy themselves a treat down in the food cart, and already something had gone wrong? Sliding the door to their compartment open with a small sigh—and was that a headache coming on?—Allen noticed Mei-Ling clumsily running in his direction; oddly, in that same manner Timothy had.

"What's the matter, Mei-Ling?" Allen asked.

"It's not me, Allen! It's Timothy!" she exclaimed desperately.

Allen could only give her an uncomprehending stare. "Um, did you hit your head Mei-Ling?"

"No! I mean, yes!" she shouted, clearly frustrated with her contradictions."Darn it, you old geezer! Listen to me! I'm Timothy!"

Okay, maybe now he could believe her (him?); Mei-Ling had been nothing but respectful towards him this whole time. "Alright, Timothy, can you explained to me what happened?"

"I don't know! I bumped heads with the dumb girl, and suddenly I see my body lying right in front of me!" Timothy continued to yell, pulling at Mei-Ling's brunette locks with frustration.

Allen contemplated this for a bit, before pointing out, "So you're telling me that you're forehead, the same one that contains your Innocence, bumped with hers? Huh, wonder what that could mean…"

"Yes—I mean… Oh… Cool! So this means I can take over bodies? Can I take over yours?" Timothy—in Mei-Ling's body—grinned widely, jumping up and down.

"What? No! That's awfully rude Timothy, and you should give Mei-Ling her body back this instant," Allen scolded him.

Timothy slumped down. "Fine. I'll go back and get my body." Timothy trudged off, and with a satisfied nod, Allen went back into the compartment.

Time Frame — Night of January 22nd, 1896

With a choked gasp, Allen broke through the surface of the inky waters, frantically searching the endless expanse, only for split chunks of wood to block his way as Timcanpy fluttered uselessly above him. The fourteen-year-old gagged, as foams of ice-cold waves unsympathetically crashed over him, sending him head over heels, the salty waters being forced down his throat, making it raw and sore. Hacking out a harsh cough, Allen greedily took in the bitter air as he roughly kicked his legs upward, breaching the frothing waves once more.

"Timothy! Mei-Ling!" Allen desperately called in a hoarse voice, swatting aside dark blobs, that if seeing in better lighting, would've been revealed to be shattered remains of a ship and corpses of Akuma alike, as he continued his frenzied search.

"A-Allen?!" Timothy's small called from a distance, gurgling towards the end as if going back under.

Turning towards the direction of his cry, Allen rapidly kicked his legs into motion, painstakingly swimming around bobbing obstacles that were constantly carried in his directions by the rough waves. Spluttering as the water splashed aggressively against him, Allen tried to maintain his raw, stinging eyes open as he continued his violent swim. It wasn't until he saw a small, pale hand, just barely lit by the moonlight, trying to stay aloft, but sinking nonetheless, that Allen swiftly dove under, managing to grab a hold of Timothy's small body, and with some strain, splashed back onto the surface. With a small cry, Timothy coughed out the water constricting his lungs, his eye watering as he gulped in mouthfuls of breath.

With a small gasp of his own, Allen called out, "Mei-Ling!"

Though it was faint, he thought he heard a faded reply of, "Allen!"

Anxiously glancing around their murky surroundings, Timothy managed to croak out in a rasping voice, "Over there." Following the direction in which he'd feebly pointed, Allen could just make out through the gloom, the distinct shape of a small boat bobbing atop the waves. Shifting Timothy over, so that would hold him by his shoulders, Allen panicked for moment, as he sunk due to the extra weight, but with forced strength, pushed himself to stay aloft as he rapidly swam in her direction. After what felt like an exhausting eternity, Allen and Timothy were quite abruptly lifted from the chilly waters. Too worn out, they could hardly protest.

"Useless Apprentice," General Cross said gruffly, as he dumped their dripping forms onto the surface of the small boat, the unexpected weight causing it to dangerously rock back and forth.

Wearily, Allen sat up with a distressed grimace. "I should have seen them coming."

"Then don't get your fucking eye stabbed out next time," Cross growled, as he began the meticulous task of rowing them to the faraway shore.

"No," Allen stressed. "I've seen this before." Pointedly looking up at the older General with his single eye—the other still obstructed by layers of soggy bandages—Cross seemed to finally understand as he offered him a subtle nod. Allen jadedly rubbed his forehead, irritated with himself. He'd known this was coming. Hadn't Anita told them in the previous timeline that Cross had been thought dead, because of the fact that the ship he'd been on, had been utterly annihilated? Admittedly, it had briefly crossed Allen's thoughts, but he'd been so confident. How could they have still ended up like this, even with two Generals on the ship? If only Miranda were here…

"I-it's okay, General Walker," Mei-Ling stuttered with a shiver, pulling Cross' Exorcist coat tighter about herself, despite the fact that it was as damp as her. Offering him a shaky smile, she said, "I truly saw it coming, but it did us no good."

Though Allen smiled slightly in return, her words only dampened his mood, as an old though once again processed in his head; things couldn't be inevitable, could they?

A breeze began to pick up, the frigid air causing them all to violently shudder. Timothy curled up against Allen, who exhaustedly leaned back. And it wasn't until the early hours of the morning that they managed to reach the shores.

They had finally reached Japan.

"So where to now, Idiot Apprentice?" the older General asked as they stepped onto the outskirts of Japan, piggybacking Mei-Ling and Timothy respectively.

Slightly adjusting Timothy's slumbering form, Allen replied, "To be honest, I'm not sure. This is where the Ark is located. The first time around, when they were downloading the new Ark, while the old one slowly crumbled away, Tyki and Road pulled us in, making a game of it. We had to make it to her door before we died along with it, and slowly, each of us died one by one, until it was only Lenalee and I left. I don't know how, but you suddenly appeared at one point, disguised as a Skull using that mask of yours…" Trailing off, Allen gave his Master a pointed stare. "It was Timcanpy that allowed you to navigate the Ark, because we suddenly appeared in the Akuma Plant, before he whisked me away to the Musician's secret room. I then played the score, keeping the Plant from being downloaded by the Earl, which was the last room left. And so we kept the old Ark… There's only one problem."

"Spit it out, filthy Apprentice" Cross growled, singlehandedly pulling out a cigarette and lighting it as he held it between his lips.

Wrinkling his nose in distaste, Allen replied, "The Akuma Egg was protected by barriers of magic. At the time, you said you weren't able to break through them, so we simply kept the Plant along with the Ark, but Central got their hands on it. We need to destroy it."

"What happened?" Cross peered down at him with a scowl.

Shaking his head, Allen simply said, "Just a gut feeling. If they were able to create the Second Exorcist Project through Akuma cells alone, who knows what the hell they'd be able to produce with the Akuma Plant itself."

Cross turned back and scoffed. "Whatever. Timcanpy will allow us to enter the Ark once we near it, and I can destroy the damn Egg, but if the situation was as dire as you say, then I probably didn't have time. And it shouldn't be too hard finding it; the damn thing isn't exactly discreet."

"I'm just worried about these two," Allen sighed, referring to Mei-Ling and Timothy. "The place is infested with cannibalistic Level 3s."

"Then maybe you should have planned this out better," Cross sneered. Before Allen could indignantly protest, Cross pointed out, "And you forget, Idiot Apprentice, that Maria can disguise us."

"I certainly didn't miss you," Allen grumbled.

With a cackle, General Cross simply declared, "Who wouldn't miss a beautiful being like me?"

"Ugh…"

The Black Order had gone into complete and utter chaos.

Well, that's not entirely accurate, so let's rephrase that, shall we?

The Science Division had gone into complete and utter chaos. Then again, for those who are familiar with this strange and whacky group, this wasn't too outlandish. But let's take into account that is difficult to stay focused on your work, not only when you were sleep deprived, but also, when there was an immense, bright light overtaking your workspace. And not just one shard of light, mind you, but dozens of shards of light, coming to life like giant puzzle pieces to create an exotic (and slightly chaotic) work of art.

And of course, why should it surprise any one of them that Allen Walker stepped right of this bizarre piece of magic?

"Allen?!" Reever managed to call out when everyone else could only pause to stare at the small, white-haired fourteen-year-old.

With a sheepish smile, Allen vaguely explained, "Um, so I accomplished quite a few things on my mission…" Receiving their expectant and shocked stares, Allen clarified, "Well, first of all, I found two new Accommodators." At this he reached one hand back, dipping it into the blinding light, and pulled out two young kids, even younger than himself! "Second, I dragged my Master back!" he exclaimed with a smirk, Cross stepping out of his own accord and crudely demanding someone to bring him some wine before he changed his mind and left. With an irritated sigh at the older General, Allen turned back to them and finished, "And third of all, we kind of overtook and stole a weapon from the Millenium Earl."

Before they could all burst with their questions, Komui unexpectedly skipped into the room, wide awake, a coffee mug in one hand and manila folder in the other. Noticing Allen, rather than the brilliant slivers of light, or even the two gaping children, Komui turned to him. "Allen! Welcome back, and kudos on the perfect timing! I've just received your next mission from Central. Have fun!" And shoving the thick folder into his hands, Komui pranced out of the large room.

Glancing down, Allen's eyes widened, as he read the title engraved on the cover.

The 14th

Well, seems like Fate had decided to take an interesting turn.

A/N: Err, that ending was intended to be more serious, but for some reason, it just ended up feeling like crack. And I also find myself to be in quite the flippant mood. I don't know why, and I don't know why I find it necessary to tell you this, just thought you'd like to know. But I mostly blame Cross. Yep, it's all his fault! Maybe I'll just kill him off and be done with it.

On a more serious note, I'm still leaving the current poll up, until the next chapter, so feel free to go vote on that if you haven't already! And sorry I haven't included much of the other characters (especially Kanda and Alma)! Probably not the next chapter, but the chapter after that, I'll try to do so. Also, I'm about to answer last chapter's reviews.(:

If anyone's got any neat ideas for this story, let me know, and don't forget to review please!

P.S. Does anyone else find it ironic that the 14th chapter is supposed to be about the 14th? No? Okay, never mind…