Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters within this story.

A\N: I started writing this story years ago - when -Man had less chapters out (so when Kanda had basically only just gone after Allen) - so the story will be AU after about Vol. 22/23. I just wanted it to be finished before I started publishing it but I hit a road block that lasted quite a while. So if things don't make sense to where the manga is now, that's why.

Purpose

It was over. In fact, the war had been over for a couple of months now. The Innocence had been collected and taken away by Hevlaska and the Millenium Earl had been destroyed by Allen and the 14th. But exorcists, finders, and scientists still lingered at their HQs, not sure what to do now that everything was over. This had been their lives for so long and, now that the end of the world had been averted and the enemy defeated for good, it seemed like all purpose was gone.

Allen sat in the training room, staring at the wall. He'd been there for hours, doing nothing, saying nothing, thinking about nothing. It was eerie. Link watched him from across the room, not wanting to disturb him, but wishing to provide silent company to the boy. They were all a little messed up from the sudden loss of a routine, but Allen seemed to have been affected the most - and so had Kanda. Link had found the usually stoic man wandering the corridors in a state of what Link could only think of as loss. Not even Lenalee or Marie could snap him out of it, and everyone was worried. Lavi had coped by throwing himself head first into the library and Lenalee had decided that spending time with her brother and the young Timothy was the best medicine. But Allen and Kanda, who were arguably the most tied up in the war, didn't know anything other than fighting, horror and war. So now that everything was over, they didn't know how to cope.

Link sighed inwardly. What they both needed was a purpose but he didn't know what that would be. Lavi could probably go into teaching or politics and Lenalee would probably be a wonderful carer or nurse and Timothy was still young enough to attend a school of some kind. But Allen and Kanda were full-time soldiers and Link didn't think they would want to fight a different war in a country far away. But he didn't know what else they would be able to do. They needed to find each other and talk. Link dropped his head into his hand, eyes still on the white-haired boy - no, man - staring at the corner. Those two struggled to talk at the best of times, this could go really well or start another argument. You never knew these days.

Lenalee finally popped her head around the door.

"How long has he been here?" Link glanced at the girl,

"Since this morning. He hasn't moved an inch" he mumbled, not caring if Allen heard him. Lenalee sat beside him and looked over at her friend.

"Kanda's basically the same. He went to train in the forest to clear his head this morning but gave up and just sat under a tree." he sighed.

"It's not good but I don't know what to do. Lavi basically lives in the library and Timothy is basically glued to Jonny and Reever. It's almost like we never expected to reach the end and now we're here, we don't know what to do '' she sounded solemn and looked down at her feet. Link could do nothing but nod. None of them had, deep down, thought that there would ever be an end so hadn't thought of what would happen afterwards. It would be too painful to imagine if everything had been destroyed. So now they were lost. How do you navigate a normality you never thought you would live to see?

Lenalee eventually got up from the sofa and headed towards her friend and Link watched to see how the boy would interact with her.

"Allen?" she touched his arm and he seemed to blink himself out of his trance to look at her.

"Hmm? Lenalee hi. What time is it, have I missed lunch?" he asked, still slightly drowsy. She shook her head.

"Lunch didn't start that long ago - there'll still be food left" she smiled, at least the foodie part of her friend was still there. But there wasn't much else.

"I - I'm sorry Lena." she looked at him, surprised.

"For what?"

"Being a bit of a brainless mess at the moment. I - I just - I didn't think I would ever -"

"Be the victor?" she asked, softly. He winced.

"Yeah." she smiled sadly,

"I don't think any of us expected to survive deep down. You're just as lost as the rest of us"

Allen winced again. He knew that he wasn't the only one struggling with normal life, everyone was unused to a life without death hiding around each corner. He'd passed Kanda in the corridor on his way to the lounge and he'd looked so out of it, he'd been truly concerned.

"Where is everyone else?" he asked the girl. She tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear. She recalled everyone's location,

"Lavi's reading at the lunch table again, Tiedoll is forcing Timothy to try new foods, Jonny and Reever are slowly printing off all sorts of research to file for memory's sake. And Kanda -"

She went silent for a moment as she thought about the man who was almost like a brother to her.

"Kanda's in the forest." Allen cocked his head.

"Training?"

"No. He was planning to, but he's just kind of. Sat there" she finished awkwardly. Allen grimaced at this information. So they'd both become the masters of meaning to do one thing and just staring into space for days on end. He heaved himself off the sofa, steadying himself from the lack of blood to his legs. Lenalee gave him an encouraging smile and he smiled back,

"Shall we go get our grumpy samurai?" at her nod, he started towards the door, before pausing to look back at the blond who had risen from his own sofa.

"What will you do, Link?" Link shrugged.

"I might help Reever with his filing - God knows he'll need it. And, call me Howard" he smiled before heading out towards the science department, leaving to ex-exorcists to blink after him.

"Right, Kanda," Allen eventually squeezed out.

"Kanda" Lenalee agreed and they both headed outside to find their friend.

Kanda heard the pair coming but didn't bother opening his eyes. He'd had plans for today. Train until lunch, maybe do some studies about the outside world (if Lavi would let him into the library) until teatime, and yoga and meditation before bed. But it had all gone to pot once he had reached the forest. Holding a sword that wasn't Mugen, in an organisation that was no longer at war with anything else, his brain had asked him 'What's the point?'. And he had gotten stuck within his thoughts for the rest of the morning.

He assumed (correctly) that their presence meant that he had wasted his morning and lunch was now being served. He sighed and, as he heard them get closer, opened his eyes. Lenalee smiled down at him and Allen gave an awkward half smile, his eyes as glassy as Kanda's brain felt. Like pure mush.

"You not think either?" Allen asked him. Kanda hnned his confirmation, closing his eyes. They shot open as he felt the two sit either side of him, leaning against the tree.

"Yeah. I'm sure we'll find something to do eventually." Kanda looked over at him and leaned his head back.

"Eventually" Kanda echoed. When that would be, Kanda wasn't sure. But he hoped he wasn't in this stasis forever. He needed a purpose. He was going stir crazy without something to work towards.

The trio sat like that in silence for a while until they heard Reever shout from the window.

"Oi! Jerry says he's gonna finish up lunch soon so you guys should hurry!" they opened their eyes to see the man waving from the lunch hall. Lenalee was the first to stand,

"Well, we'd better go. Food is calling" and she held both hands out for the boys to take. Kanda and Allen looked at each other before taking an arm each and letting the girl haul them up from the grass. The trio walked towards the main building, stood close together, led by the smell of soup and stew.