A/N: Wow! Yet another update in less than two weeks? I'm on a roll, you guys!:D You're welcome~.(;

And yay! All the reviews! :D Thank you to ultima-owner, 9foxgrl, Ennael, Takei Daloui, Shad0wReaper133, D. P. Master01, bougainvillea blossom, linderp, AnimeWarrioress 359, Mariatheartist, ShimmeringCrimson, NeonBlackRoseRevived, Gamma Cavy, RaNDoem, Rael Kertia, patrick the almighty observer, SunsetKitsune, KK, RoxasAlexi19, JackFrost14, D GM, OtakuDrag0n, hollowwind, Pacifistic Brat, and allenx road for taking the time to review! You guys are so fantastic, and I'm so happy to read your thoughts!^.^

Well, I hope you like this chapter!(:

Disclaimer: I am but a poor FanFiction writer that has nothing better to do with her life than write about other people's characters… So yeah, if it wasn't clear, that was a no to owning D. Gray-Man.

Chapter 14

Time Frame — Night January 27th, 1896

—3rd Person POV—

~Lenalee~

A small, pained groan escaped her lips, and she briefly wondered what it was that had caused such an ache to run rampant across her body. Sluggishly blinking her eyes open, Lenalee found it difficult to decipher her surroundings, her eyesight needing time to adjust to the dim lighting. She gritted her teeth, and with labored breaths, forced herself upright, wincing at the lacerations that crisscrossed her filthy body, her Exorcist uniform barely hanging on by a thread. Gazing up overhead, her violet eyes widened in horror, the once dark castle known as the Black Order trampled over and shattered into crumbling pillars precariously stacked atop each other, a blood-red sky framing the ghastly scene and an onyx, waning moon hanging overhead.

Stumbling back with a cry, Lenalee would've fallen back onto the ground if it weren't for the arms that caught her and wrapped around her in a secure hold. "Lenalee, are you alright?"

The voice immediately soothed her, and she whispered in relief, "Allen."

Turning to look at him with shaking limbs, Lenalee released a horrified cry, and attempted to wrench herself away. Whatever this demon was, it was not Allen. A vile back was slowly seeping into his glowing, white locks, ash poisoning his skin, and blood oozing from his forehead as the stigmata came to life. A crazed grin formed on his face and a demented laugh bubbled in the back of his throat as his pupils dilated with bloodlust, further showcasing his molten, gold eyes.

"What's the matter, Lenalee?" he asked mockingly and laughed. "Can't handle the truth?"

"NO!" Lenalee shrieked as she wrenched up, sweaty limbs tangled in her bed sheets. Eventually, she calmed her labored breaths, but it wasn't until the early hours of the morning that her weeping brought her back to a dead and exhausted sleep.

~The Millenium Earl~

"Millenie?" Road tentatively asked from the doorway, while the Maker listlessly sat in front of the grand piano, mindlessly playing the familiarly wretched lullaby, his demented grin seeming forced past the trail of tears.

"He's back Road~!" he giggled manically. "My dear Fourteenth has returned to us~. But why can't I see him, Roah~? W-why…?"

"Millenie…" Road frowned, and then asked, "What do you mean you can't see him?"

"I-I can't feel his Noah…" The Millenium Earl trailed off, and with an unexpected, thunderous slam of the keys, he shouted, "WHY CAN'T I SEE HIM?!"

Road momentarily hesitated, wondering if these would be seeing as traitorous actions, but then went on to admit, "I've seen him, Millenie…"

The Maker abruptly froze in place, before his neck twisted around in an unnatural manner, and numbly asked, "Y-you have…?"

Road nodded with a distressed expression, before replying, "He's an Exorcist."

~Allen~

"So, Mana had a connection to the Fourteenth, didn't he?" Allen gritted his teeth. It had been a thought he'd managed to shove out of his head a whole year ago, once he'd focused on the fact that he had a second chance. It wasn't until Allen had to confront the shadow on the mirror and the symbols projected by Timcanpy, that the thought had begun to plague his thoughts once more. His Master stayed silent, but Allen didn't bother to urge him. Did he really want to know the answer to his question?

"What more do you know?" Cross eventually asked blithely, after taking another drag from his cigarette and blowing out a thick puff of smoke.

"Don't give me that, Master," Allen spat, becoming more incensed by the second. "Just answer the damn question."

"Really, Allen, when did you become so impolite?" Cross sneered, before sobering slightly. "The Fourteenth… Huh, what a bastard, getting Mana dragged into this mess, but it's not like Mana would've ever abandoned his little brother."

Allen froze, the shock chilling him to the bone as he eventually mumbled breathlessly, "Little… Brother…?"

"Yes, the Fourteenth and Mana. When he died, I promised him I'd watch over Mana, until he came back to him someday. And you did, didn't you, Fourteenth?" Before Allen could form any sort of protest, Cross continued, "You clearly know the Musician's Song; those are his memories, the ones that were implanted in you, making you the Host necessary for his revival… Is that what you wanted to hear, Allen?"

"Shut. Up," Allen growled tersely, because it was then that a little bit of doubt was beginning to crop up in regards to his foster father. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I am nothing but me. I'll never give in."

"Really?" Cross questioned rhetorically. "Then what was it that you were seeing in the Musician's room, because it certainly wasn't you, was it?"

Inhaling a deep, shuddering breath, Allen finally asked in a broken whisper, "Then who was it that Mana loved?"

There was a thick penetrating silence, until Cross finally said in a hushed voice, "Mana lost his mind after the Fourteenth died, so I don't know whether he remembered the past or not, but… If I told you that when you turn into the Fourteenth, you'll have to kill someone you love, then… What would you?"

Numbly, Allen began to walk away without a single word.

"Where are you going? Do you not have more questions?"

Allen paused. "… Yes, but ones you can't answer. I'm going to search for them." Once his hand touched the doorknob, he paused once more. "I hope you stick around, Master. Headquarters will be attacked by a Level 4."

By the time Cross thought to reply, Allen was already gone.

Time Frame — Morning of January 28th, 1896

His stomach growled due to the uncomfortably empty feeling, but probably for the first time in his life, Allen pointedly ignored it, as he slumped further onto the desk, chin resting atop the manila folder Komui had handed him the night before, The 14th titled in big, block letters in the center. After the conversation with the General, he'd had absolutely no desire to sift through it, and had instead gone to bed thoroughly depressed. It wasn't until he'd arrived to his room last night, that the full anger had hit him like a battering ram, and it was only through self-restraint that he'd managed not to return and give Cross a piece of his mind. Instead, he'd taken his anger out on one of the walls, and was slightly surprised that nobody had come running with all the racket he'd made, but didn't bother to think on it too much.

Knowing he couldn't put it off for much longer, Allen finally flipped the cover over and leafing through it, he swiftly skimmed the seemingly useless information. It seemed that many had already undertaken this task previously, basing evidence on false witnesses before reaching a dead end. It appeared Central was desperate for some sort of information on the elusive 14th, especially considering the massacre of the other Noah he'd been accountable for, 35 years ago. It wasn't until he reached the bottom of the stack, where an innocent, loose piece of paper sat, that Allen realized how much they'd simplified his mission, despite its difficulty level. On the mostly blank paper, three, simple question were printed.

Who was the 14th and what of his relations?

Without a thought Allen simply scribbled down, Neah Walker; younger brother to Mana Walker and adopted uncle to unsuspecting Allen Walker. For the source, he scrawled, General Cross Marian, feeling no remorse for throwing his Master to the dogs. He then glanced down to the next question.

What were the 14th's motives?

With small frown, Allen simply skipped to the next question.

Is there a possibility of a reincarnated 14th?

Vehemently, Allen jotted down a forced, No, and then fibbed on the source, 9th Apostle of the Noah, Road Kamelot, claimed this confidently during one of my battles with her while I searched for answers, though it is possibly up for debate.

Thinking back on the second question, Allen wondered what could possibly be the true answer, and contemplated asking his Master. Before he could come to decision though, the door to his room was abruptly slammed open, causing him to jump and scatter a couple sheets of paper.

"Allen!" Lavi exclaimed loudly from the doorway, a hint of excitement to his voice. "Good, you're here! You have got to come see this!" Before Allen knew it, Lavi had forcefully dragged him out of his room with a swift slam of the door, before he began to forcefully lead him in the general direction of the rest of the crowd.

"Err, where is everyone going?" Allen quirked an eyebrow, listening, but unable to decipher, all the eager chatter.

"Well, no one really knows what it is, but it's quite the sight!" Lavi babbled elatedly. "Man, Komui already had to send for some Central delegates last night, so that they can figure out what the heck is going on, but the Science Division is certainly going to have a field day with this!"

They had just reached ground level—or as ground level as you could get when sitting atop an enormous cliff—and were headed out into the courtyard, where the milling crowd was staring and pointing up at an astonishing sight, though it was still invisible to Allen, while chattering among themselves.

"What on earth…?" Allen muttered, as Lavi made way for them through the stubborn crowd, until they reached a certain vantage point that allowed them to view whatever it was, that had gotten everyone in such a tizzy. When Allen finally got an eyeful of the colossal, brilliant cube that floated atop the tower, he asked thoughtlessly, "Why's everyone freaking out over the Ark?"

In a moment's notice, Lavi was on him like white on rice. "You know what it is, Allen? You've been holding out on me, shortstack!"

Allen momentarily scowled in response to the nickname. "It's Allen." Then, with a sheepish smile, said, "Though I should probably go and give Komui an explanation first. I don't know if the Science Division has made a connection to this with my entrance last night, and if they haven't, they're definitely going to be wracking their minds."

"Shortstack, you really need to learn to start telling me these things!" Lavi exclaimed, casually throwing an arm around the younger boy as they began to make the dreaded journey back through the immovable throngs. "C'mon, you're like my best bud!"

Allen chuckled. "Sure, Lavi, whatever you say. You can hear all about it once we get to Komui's office."

It wasn't until they had reached the general direction in which they were heading, that they quite abruptly ran into a distracted Lenalee. Grabbing her by the shoulder before she could topple over, Allen took in her red-rimmed eyes and the shadows that stubbornly clung beneath her lower lashes. "Err, Lenalee, are you alright? You don't look so good…"

"Huh? Allen, you're back!" Lenalee sighed in relief, before briefly saying, "And I just haven't been sleeping very well, is all. Do you guys know where everyone is, though? The cafeteria was practically empty."

"Haven't you taken a look outside, Lenalee?" Lavi grinned. "There this huge, glowing cube on top of the tower!"

"Err…" Lenalee wasn't sure whether she was ready to believe the spunky red-head, which she made clear with her doubtful expression.

"He's not exaggerating, Lenalee. It's exactly as he says, and it's all pretty much my fault," Allen grinned sheepishly. "I'm about to go and try to give Komui an explanation, since he's probably confused."

"Oh," Lenalee blinked, and then asked as they continued their walk, "So how was your mission? We didn't think you'd be back so soon. You're eye didn't give you too much trouble, did it?"

"My eye…?" Allen asked, before shouting, "My eye! I completely forgot!" Lavi and Lenalee gave each other dubious glances, suddenly worried for their younger comrade. Allen, on the other hand, began to tug at his fraying bandages. It had been a while since he had last changed them, but he'd been so used to the darkness on his left side, and with all the distractions lately, he'd completely forgotten about it and the fact that it had probably already healed.

"Ah! Shortstack, what do you think you're doing?!" Lavi freaked out, as Allen began to swiftly unravel the bandages, certainly unwilling to get an eyeful of his grotesque eye. Having his own, was certainly enough!

Ripping off the last of the bandages, Allen gently rubbed his eye, so that it wouldn't be blinded with light, before slowly blinking his new orb open. "What do guys think?" Allen beamed.

"AHHHH!" Lavi and Lenalee simultaneously shrieked as they held on to each other, almost falling back.

Allen sweatdropped. "Uh, what?"

Pointing his shaking index finger, Lavi asked, "W-what the hell, man?"

"Huh? Oh, because my eye is cursed, I can't just easily get rid of it by stabbing it out, so it only ends up regenerating. I guess I never told you," Allen explained with a slightly amused grin.

"You guess?" Lavi's eye twitched.

With an accusing frown, Lenalee straightened up and said, "I don't see why you couldn't have just told us, Allen."

"Yeah, sorry about that, I just wasn't sure if you'd believe me, and if so, think I was in denial or something," Allen explained with a small, guilty smile.

"Well, at least you're okay," Lenalee nodded agreeably, as they finally reached the entrance to the Science Division section, where they assumed Komui would probably be. Throwing the wooden double-doors wide open, Allen winced at the pure chaos that emitted from the room, almost as bad, if not worse, as the night before. Before Allen could further contemplate how he could possibly gain their attention, Lenalee was suddenly producing an earsplitting, high-pitched whistle. Once everyone's eyes were trained on her, Lenalee asked tersely, "Where's my brother?"

Without question, they all dragged Komui from beneath a pile a papers and threw him mercilessly at Lenalee's feet. Jumping to his feet with a smile, Komui exclaimed, "Lenalee, you're here! Now, my sweet, little sister, I'm thrilled you've decided to visit—"

"What are we, chopped liver?" Lavi muttered to Allen, but Komui pretended he hadn't heard him.

"—but your older brother is very busy trying to figure out this strange occurrence. Normally, we chase after phenomenons, they usually don't come to us," he chuckled.

Noticing that Reveer was nearby, Allen called, "Reveer, can you come here for a second?" As he neared them, Allen continued, "I should have probably told you sooner, but I guess I assumed you would all make the connection. That cube up there is the Ark, what I used to make my entrance last night, and the weapon I stole from the Millenium Earl."

"Wait—what now?!" Lavi exclaimed, along with surprised responses from Lenalee and Komui.

"Huh? Oh, you're right! Damn, suddenly it doesn't seem as complicated," Reever rubbed his exhausted eyes.

"Whoa, shortstack, you really do need to tell us what's going on," Lavi demanded, still trying to process what Allen had just said.

"Indeed. I think I'd like to hear this as well," a silky smooth voice spoke from the doorway. Simultaneously, they all glanced back, and Lenalee gasped loudly at the sight of the Central official surrounded by the CROW. He was tall and broad-shouldered, brown hair gelled back and a small, square mustache situated beneath his nose. Allen shuddered, the sly smile on the man's face giving him the creeps.

"Ah, yes, why don't we take this to my office?" Komui said grimly, his silly attitude abruptly gone as he adjusted his glasses. "Reveer, if you would assist Lenalee?" Without waiting for an answer, Komui began to lead the way.

Allen was relieved to find that Lavi had managed to worm his way into the meeting by claiming his status as a Bookman. One more friendly face couldn't hurt, and with Malcolm C. Leverrier around, Allen was willing to take what he could get. Once they'd gotten past the awkward part in which Leverrier had offered him a pile of pastries, which Allen had surprisingly declined despite the gnawing hunger—honestly, even he wouldn't accept sweets from a creepy, older man, regardless of what everyone else might think—Allen had plowed into his explanation, starting with what had happened in the mission.

"General Cross' mission; he was to retrieve and destroy the Akuma Egg, but for that, he figured he needed to intercept the Ark. Now, I'm not completely sure what the Ark is, but it's like this whole other dimension. There're different rooms you can enter, and each room can take you to a different place; any place, any place in the world. At least, that's what I can guess from the fact that it allowed us entrance into Headquarters. I don't really know much more than that, other than the fact that I have control of it now. You'd have to ask General Cross for any more information," Allen finished up, figuring his Master could also clean up after his own messes.

"Hmm," Leverrier hummed, as he took a small sip from his tea, before finally asking with a sly smile, "And how is it that you were able to take control of it so easy, Mr. Walker? It would normally appear that a weapon of this proportion would be much more difficult to attain, let alone be able to take full control of. It seems to me, Mr. Walker, that one would need to have some sort of connection to the Noah, in order to accomplish such a feat."

Before Komui could form any sort of protest, Allen simply nodded with a grave expression and replied, "You're right, sir, I do." Leverrier simply raised an eyebrow and nodded for him to continue. "I didn't find this out until recently, but it seems that my foster father, Mana Walker was brother to the Fourteenth member of the Noah Clan, Neah Walker." Allen knew it was a dangerous game he was playing, but continued nonetheless, "Of course, by the time he adopted me, the Fourteenth had been long dead, but as any brother or family member would, he tried to keep his memory alive." In a more literal sense, Allen added bitterly in his mind. "He taught me these symbols that created a unique Score for the Fourteenth's song. When we were in the Ark, we found a piano room with this same Score inside," Allen continued to fib, knowing that he had technically created the symbols with Mana, and that it was Timcanpy who held the Score.

"It turns out that it was the song that controlled the Ark, and considering that fact that the Fourteenth was a traitor to his own Clan, I doubt he ever actually taught the song to anyone in order for them to gain full control. But because I was the first to play it since the Fourteenth's death, the Ark now recognizes me as its master." Part of it was a big fat lie, but when facing this cruel man, Allen found that he couldn't care less.

"I see," Leverrier frowned. "And are you sure you could not pass on its power to someone else?"

"General Cross attempted to do so, but he was unable to," Allen simply replied. "But I'm sure the Science Division will have their work cut out, trying to figure out how the Ark works. I closed the portal last night, but I can open it back up and leave it that way, to allow them full access."

"Yes, I agree," Leverrier nodded, satisfied with all that he had learned. "It seems that you were the perfect choice for the mission I assigned you, General Walker."

It surprised Allen that he'd finally referred to him with his formal title, but he simply nodded and said, "Yes, I found it rather shocking myself."

Smirking, Leverrier murmured as he took another sip from his teacup, "Ah, just a hunch, General."

Time Frame — Afternoon of January 28th, 1896

"Shortstack! Where are you off to?" Lavi called from the doorway, as Allen packed the last of his clothes.

"I have to continue my next mission," Allen muttered absentmindedly, finally throwing the slightly creased manila folder on the top before closing his suitcase up.

"So soon after you've returned?" the older red-head asked, though Allen stayed silent, not wanting to admit that it was his own motives urging him on to find more answers, because it had been a valid question. What were the Fourteenth's motives? And asking the Fourteenth himself was certainly out of the question! No need to encourage the guy…

"Well then, shortstack, I'm coming with you!" Lavi unexpectedly declared.

That caused Allen to pause. "Wait, what?"

"Yep! Bookmen duties and all," Lavi nodded, but when all Allen could do was give him a dubious stare, Lavi defended himself, "What? It's true! I'm actually not fibbing this time, like with Leverrier. I was telling the old panda about what happened in the meeting, and figuring that this mission of yours clearly has something to do with the Fourteenth, considering what Leverrier said, Bookman ordered me to follow up on whatever it is your doing. Even we, Bookmen, don't know much about the Fourteenth, so even if you do have something to hide, you can count on the fact that these records are for our Clan and not the Order."

After a small silence, Allen finally asked quietly, "What makes you think I have something to hide?"

"Well, this was technically your family, Allen," Lavi pointed out quite seriously, deliberately using his name. "I'd be more surprised if you didn't have something to hide. Most families tend to have their skeletons, after all."

And in the Fourteenth's case, probably a couple literal ones, Allen thought scathingly.

"What I'm trying to say," Lavi finally spoke up when Allen made no move to reply, "Is that you don't have to worry about me running to Leverrier the moment we discover something unsavory."

Allen glanced up at him, thinking, It's like he's trying to tell me to trust him, without actually saying it.

The young, fourteen-year-old finally replied with a small, understanding smile, "Alright, Lavi. Go get ready and I'll meet you down in the canals."

"Great!" Lavi shouted, reaching over to obnoxiously ruffle his white locks.

"Agh! Lavi, quit it!"

Time Frame — Morning of January 30th, 1896

"So if I were a Noah, where would I go?"

"Uh," Allen blinked up at him, from where he sat across from him inside the train compartment. "… I've got nothing."

"Come on, Allen!" Lavi abruptly exclaimed. "Out of everyone, you should know best! This girl, Road, led you on for a long time. Did she not, at some point, let something slip?"

Allen blinked, realizing that Lavi had made a good argument. Had Road, at any point, said something of her normal, human life? Let's see, he certainly didn't recall anything she might've said from the previous timeline. Words and snippets yeah, mostly taunting, but it had been so long ago for him. And in this timeline…? The first time around, she hadn't said much, but about when she dragged him along for that ball…?

"Yeah!" Allen suddenly jumped up. "I remember!"

"What? What is it?" Lavi immediately perked up.

Closing his eyes in concentration, Allen thought back to conversation from many months ago. "I do remember… She said something about her father… Something about him being… Prime Minister!"

"Of what?" Lavi urged.

The fourteen-year-old smiled sheepishly. "I don't recall if she said of what, just that he was Prime Minister of something."

"Hmm," Lavi leaned back against the seat with a thoughtful expression. "What was her last name, again? Kamelot, right?"

"Yes," Allen nodded, though he doubted Lavi would have actually forgotten.

"Right, we'll get off of this train at the next stop, and see if they have some sort of library nearby. They usually keep records of newspapers, so we'll sift through them and see what world affairs they have spoken of. They should include changes in world leaders, so we'll just look for Prime Ministers by the name of Kamelot."

Glad to finally have a solid plan, Allen nodded in agreement, before pointing out, "Ah, Lavi, we're in France right now. I've had to learn to speak my fair share of languages while traveling with Master, but I don't think my reading skills are up to par."

Lavi beamed. "Don't worry, buddy! Your personal, Bookman extraordinaire has got you covered!"

Allen chuckled. "Whatever you say, Lavi."

"Aha! I found him!" Lavi shouted.

"Shhhhhh!" members of the library shushed the rambunctious teen alike.

"Sorry," Lavi muttered sheepishly, before eagerly turning over to the white-haired boy, and exclaiming in a hushed voice, "Look, shortstack—"

"It's Allen," came the irritated reply.

"—I found him. It says here that Sheryl Kamelot became Prime Minister of Portugal in '89! He was wedded to Tricia Kamelot a year before that, and not long after, he adopted a girl named Road Kamelot! We've found them, shortstack!"

"Yes, and now, we're off to Portugal, though I do wonder what it'll be like walking into the lion's den…" Allen mused.

"Well, it's all part of the adventure!" Lavi exclaimed.

"Shhhhhh!"

"You know that thing you said about walking into the lion's den? This is not at all what I was expecting," Lavi muttered behind his teacup.

"You and me both," Allen mumbled in return. Entering Kamelot Manor had actually been much simpler than they'd originally thought. After arriving to the large town, they'd gone and bought some expensive suits, simply putting it on the Order's tab, and after getting cleaned up and dressed, they'd shown up at the front door, hoping to fib their way in. What they hadn't expected though, was for the maid—the same exact one that had been forced to make Allen look presentable for the ball from months ago, under Road's orders—had actually recognized him and simply ushered them into a sitting room without a word and then leaving them to be attended to by a different servant.

Before long, a young, sickly woman was entering, fancily dressed in an extravagant gown. Minding his manners, Allen swiftly stood at her entrance, quickly followed by Lavi, before they all sat once again, and the nondescript servant was handing the lady a teacup.

"Hello, and welcome," she smiled at them. "I am Lady Tricia Kamelot."

"A pleasure," Allen and Lavi replied simultaneously.

"Now, I am unsure as to what business you could both possibly have with my husband, especially taking into account your age, but I'm sorry to say that he is away for business at the moment, and won't be back for at least another week."

"Ah, actually, Madam," Allen interrupted, "We're here to see Road. I'm a friend of hers, you see."

"Oh," she blinked and then smiled. "That makes much more sense, I apologize for the confusion. Wait here, will you? And I'll have someone go and get her."

"Thank you!" Lavi grinned as she stepped out of the room. "Wow, Allen, who knew this would be so easy?"

Allen snorted into his tea. "You may think that now, but Road is quite the difficult person to work with."

"So how did that work? You dating her while you were in the Order? And isn't it a coincidence that she turned out to be a Noah?" Lavi mused.

Allen shrugged uncomfortably. "It's complicated. Though we never actually dated. It was her that got that ludicrous idea into her head," Allen scoffed.

Lavi snickered, but before he could form a reply, the sound of humming reached their years. They looked up to find Road in the doorway, and their eyes widened at the sight. Rather than dressed in her rebellious, punkish style, the pre-teen girl had tamed her hair flat with ribbon intertwined in it, and was wearing a pretty, pink dress making her look much more younger and innocent than she truly was.

"Allen!" she called with glee, immediately skipping over to him and throwing herself in his arms. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to visit?" she grinned up at him.

"Err, hi Road," Allen replied awkwardly, wondering how it was possible for her to go between stabbing his eye out one day and greeting him the next like they were the best of friends. Lavi also looked on at them awkwardly, because despite the immediate urge to tease Allen, it was strange when recalling Allen's screams of pain from a month ago caused by this same, giggling girl.

"Well, I usually don't make a habit of calling my enemy when I'm going to show up at their front door," Allen said somewhat dryly.

"Well, I'm happy you came! And your eye seems to be doing great," Road continued to grin.

"Err, thanks?" Allen muttered, quite bewildered. "Anyway, Lavi and I came here because we wanted to ask you some questions."

"Oh?" Road finally glanced over to Lavi. "Ah, the Bookman Junior is here too."

Lavi sweatdropped. "You mean you didn't notice me before?"

"Nope."

A dark cloud appeared over Lavi as he muttered, "What have I been doing that I've become so unnoticeable?"

"Get over it, Lavi," Allen rolled his eyes, and pointedly looking down at Road who had yet to get off his lap, he said, "There are other seats, Road."

"I know!" she beamed, snuggling closer to him.

"Alright," Allen sighed. "We just came here to ask a simple question."

"Out with it, Allen," Road said impatiently, when Allen's pause lasted for too long.

"What were the Fourteenth's motives?"

"E-excuse me?"

"You heard me, Road. What motivated the Fourteenth? What was his goal? What did want?" Allen barraged her with questions. Because this wasn't about completing a simple mission anymore—was it ever?—it was about finding answers for himself.

"Why do you want to know?" Road asked quietly, her tone darkening.

"Because I need to know, Road. And you know exactly why," Allen said with gritted teeth.

Her tiny, pale hands fisted, and Road finally said, "You can say a lot of things about Neah, and selfish is definitely one of them. Sure, you can look at the fact that all he wanted to was protect the only person he loved," she spat, "But he became arrogant, killing us off, one by one. You know what his goal became, Allen? He wanted to become the new Millenium Earl. To rule over us, but what would there have been to rule, once he finished killing us?"

For moment, Allen feared that Road was actually going to cry, but she stayed resilient, and rather, allowed her deep, bitter anger to overtake her in heated waves, as her furious eyes glazed over, seeing memories long past. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Allen said, "Alright, that's enough, Road. It's getting late; we should probably get going."

Without a word, Road got up and allowed them to make their own way out.

"Allen?" she called at a last moment's notice.

"Yes?"

"The Millenium Earl. He knows about you now."

Allen faltered in his step. "Thank you for letting me know, Road."

Time Frame — Night of February 5th, 1896

Allen was relieved to find Komui awake when he stepped into his office, albeit distracted. Stepping up to his desk, Allen placed the slightly wearied, manila folder atop the desk. "Here, Supervisor. I have completed my mission."

"Allen?" Komui glanced up. "Back so soon? I'm surprised you've been completing all these missions so swiftly and effectively. The Science Division is still having a field with that Ark of yours! But… I couldn't help but notice that you've seemed so trodden down lately. Is everything alright, Allen?"

"Just fine, Supervisor," Allen fibbed, though his tired smile hardly seemed convincing. But after everything he'd learned. I should have known better than to believe that the Fourteenth could have been anything but a filthy Noah, Allen thought bitterly, before wincing slightly when thinking of Road. He still had conflicted feelings towards her. It would be so much easier to just recall all those times she's caused him pain, but it seemed his emotions needed to make things more complicated than they really were.

"I'm not so sure I believe you, Allen," Komui finally sighed. "I think I'm going to give you a break."

"A… break…?" Allen blinked in surprise, but before his brain could fully register the fact and begin to vehemently protest with the fact that the Millenium Earl and Noah were certainly not taking a break, Komui continued.

"Well, not a break, per se, but something akin to it," Komui said vaguely, before finally elaborating with a kind smile, "Allen, how would you like to take on your own apprentice?"

"Eh?!"

A/N: Um, I didn't really edit this before posting it, so sorry about all the mistakes! Also, I've put the poll about who you want the Heart of Innocence to be, back up. I'm not sure how much longer it'll be there, so you might want to go and vote, if you haven't already!(: And thank you to the 50 of you who voted on my last poll!^.^

But I'm excited you guys! :D I have only ten chapters of this story left to write before I complete it (not including the epilogue)! :D Thank you for all of the encouragement you've all given me so far, and please don't forget to review!(:

P.S. For any of those who are interested, I've taken to updating on my profile what I'm currently working on, and the progress of my ongoing stories. So if I haven't updated something for a while, that you'd like me to update, just go on my profile to see its progress.(: