"Allen! Allen!" Lenalee sobbed cradling his head against her chest. How could this have happened? It shouldn't have been like this! He should have been here waiting for me with his wide smile that came from such a happy place in him. Another sob escaped her body. She was already shivering from the cold and the body pressed against her felt like ice.

"Lena?" A shaky voice whispered from beside her. She opened her tear filled eyes to see Allen, awake and looking up at her. His eyes were hazy, but filled with emotion. "Is that really you...or is it just my imagination again?"

Lenalee had to choke back a cry at that. Had he been imagining her coming to him often? The crushing guilt that that brought to her impeded her ability to reply. Several seconds later and after trying to steady her breathing, Lenalee forced out a reply.

"Yes, Allen, it's me. I came back." She smiled through her tears.

Allen's tired eyes widened remarkably beyond his strength. "You...came back?" He asked in a tiny voice, as if afraid she'd suddenly tell him he was wrong, as if she could. She gave a slight nod in response. A slow smile spread across the dying boy's face. "I'm glad. I thought I'd never see you again."

The two were so engrossed in each other that the rest of the world seemed not to exist. They never noticed when Tyki stopped at the edge of the garden and watched the two closely with bated breath.

"What happened, Allen? Why aren't you inside?" Lenalee asked, heartbroken.

"Pneumonia. When you left, I thought I'd be fine, that I could go back to how I was before." Allen's eyes shifted so that they were looking into hers. "But after you left, I just didn't see any point in living anymore. You were all I had."

I never should have left. "Allen, I'm so sorry!" Lenalee sobbed.

"Don't be." Allen gave a dry laugh. "I wanted you to be happy. You can't be happy with me...so…"

"No, I can! I have been very happy with you, Allen!" Lenalee interrupted him. "I was miserable without you! That's why I came back…"

"You were?" Allen asked in surprise. Lenalee doubted she'd imagined the snippet of happiness in his voice.

"I was." She let out a giggle. Talking with Allen again just felt so good. Suddenly, the body in her arms shifted, drawing her eyes back down towards him.

"I'm glad." He whispered as his eyes began to close. "I can be happy now." Allen's muscles began to relax as all the tension left them. He relaxed into her arms and his eyes slid closed.

"No! Allen, you can't leave me!" Lenalee cried. Allen gave no response. "You can't...Allen...I love you…" Lenalee whimpered, her sniffling was the only other sound in the garden. Yes, she did love him. With all her heart and he needed to know that.

"You...love me?" Allen asked, weakly, prying his eyes open as much as he could as he fought the lure of eternal darkness.

"Of course I do!"

"D-don't cry, Lenalee. I love you too." Allen said as he reached up to cup her cheek. His voice was shaky; his body couldn't hold out much longer. The two leaned down for a kiss, for what would be their first and last kiss. Suddenly, the two were engulfed in a bright light. "W-what's happening?" Allen asked, frightened. Lenalee didn't know.

The two likely would have been blinded by the light if they were not in it. Someone appeared before them and Lenalee looked up to see a very beautiful woman. She had silky black hair and was clad in an embroidered dress.

"My Prince." The woman spoke. "You have finally learned how to love someone else more than yourself. As payment, I release you from your curse." At her words, the light surrounding the couple intensified.

Allen screamed in pain. "Allen!" Lenalee screamed. She held him closer to her and buried her face and chest and buried her face in his chest. After pulling him closer she found her consciousness fading.

Lenalee thought that perhaps her life was being sucked out of her and that she was going to die with Allen. Her last thoughts on the matter being that that would be better than living without him.

Just before she slipped away, her mind cleared and she came back to full consciousness. She pulled herself up and looked around for a moment as if in a daze. Movement drawing her eyes downward, she noticed Allen doing the same. He pulled himself up to a sitting position.

"What happened?" Allen asked, looking to Lenalee. Lenalee opened her mouth to say that she didn't know, but only let out a startled gasp when she saw him. Allen, who saw the utter shock written all over Lenalee's face, grew worried. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Lena! Master!" Lavi's voice rang across the expanse. Said redheaded servant ran from the house towards the pair still entangled on the ground followed closely by a still shaky Kanda. The previously deathly sick man now looked good as new. Though his skin was still unusually pale, the light had returned to his visible emerald eye.

"Lavi! You're okay?" Lenalee cried, getting up and dragging Allen up with her.

"yeah I'm fine." Lavi you smile though he still seem to be recovering. "thanks to you." Lavi nodded towards Lenalee. It was only then that Lavi got a good look at Allen. He let out a cry of excitement when he saw master.

"All right what is it?" Allen cried exasperated.

"Have you seen yourself?" Lavi you reached into his pocket and pulled out a small hand mirror. He quickly threw it to Allen as he could barely hold in his excitement. "You look just like he used to. Before the curse and everything went wrong!"

"What?" Allen cried excitedly. He took the mirror and looked at his reflection.

It was true, he did look different. He looked just as he did before he he was cursed look like a monster. His previously white hair had taken on a chocolatey brown color. His monstrous arm no longer looked strange. It was the same pale skin tone is the rest of him. The nails on my hand were no longer black and it probably didn't turn into a claw anymore either. There was no scar over his left eye.

Allen felt tears of joy and sadness running down his cheeks. The curse had been lifted. It had been so long and he had lost hope. He'd long thought it impossible for him to have this again, to be able to look at his reflection without feeling remorse and hatred towards himself and yet here he was.

"Well, that was quite a show." Tyki said, lightly, finally leaving the edge of the garden.

"What are you doing here?" Allen asked while Kanda glared. There was more surprise evident in his voice than anger.

"He brought me back here." Lenalee jumped in. Seeing the pure shock written on Allen's visage, she plowed on hurriedly. "I might not have come back in time if it wasn't for his urging that I should come as soon as possible."

The guys all stared at Tyki, even Kanda, uncomprehending of what they'd just been told. They stared past when Tyki began to fidget uncomfortably. Finally, Tyki cleared his throat so as to let them know they were bothering him, they then turned all turned their eyes away quickly and an awkward silence filled the space between them. No one knew what to say.

It was then that Lenalee remembered Allen's unexplained transformation. Bringing their attention back to her, Lenalee asked what she really wanted to know. "What happened? Am I missing something here?" Lenalee asked looking between the two boys.

"The Master was cursed to ugliness because of his attitude. It could only be cured by learning to love someone again and getting them to love him in return. If the love was one sided, it wouldn't have worked and when you two told said that you love one another, he was released from it." Lavi spoke, switching to a more refined tone as he did so.

The two lovers stared at him for a moment before they turned to each other. "Lenalee." Allen said seriously, looking into her eyes. "Did you mean what you said, that you love me?"

At recalling her earnest confession of love but a moment ago, Lenalee suddenly became embarrassed. Her cheeks flushed and her eyes darted to the ground. She gave a shy nod in lieu of an answer, unable to do anything else. Because she was looking down, Lenalee couldn't see the gentle smile that appeared on Allen's face.

Allen reached out slowly and held Lenalee's chin in his hand, lightly bringing it upward to lock eyes. While that hand kept hold on her face, sliding to her cheek, his other took hold of one of her hands and held it tenderly.

"Lenalee." He said softly but firmly. "Stay with me. Please. Stay here with me. I promise that I'll treat you right and that I'll always love you."

Lenalee's eyes overflowed with tears and blurred her vision. She didn't need to see, though, to jump forward and bury her face in the chest of the man in front of her. She felt his arms embrace her in understanding. They wouldn't be torn apart anymore. They'd always stay together and never look back. They stayed like that for a while.

I'm going to try and make the next chapter the last one. Then, after that, I'll publish another story, likely a oneshot.