String That Ties And Bounds

"That damn Wishing Star...I can't believe she made us do all this stuff..."Allen groaned.

"It was a little overboard,but it's over now,right?"Lenalee smiled.

"I guess...we better sleep early before Komui calls.I don't wanna die so early."Allen laughed nervously.

"I'll tell him we got caught up in a snowstorm.He'll understand."

"As long as you tell him.He won't believe me."

"So...you'll sleep on the bed?"

"No.We should sleep on the bed.There's enough space for two.Besides,Wishing Star might just show up again."

"Good point."

Allen and Lenalee left their suitcases at a side and went to bed.Just as Allen was dreaming about dangos,Lenalee shook him awake.

"Huh?Wha...Lenalee?What is it?"Allen stuttered,rubbing his eyes.

"I can't sleep."Lenalee whispered,tugging at his sleeves.

"Um...all right.Sit down.I'll talk to you,but only for a bit."

"Okay."Lenalee smiled."So...about the notes on the piano,how did you come to know about it?"

"Mana taught me how to read the notes."Allen said,looking up to stop his tears."I didn't know what it meant,but I always remembered.Always...."

"Mana?"

"He's my foster father."Allen smiled,his tears almost overflowed."We were not related by blood,but I loved him more than my birth parents."

So that's why you fight for the akuma so much."Lenalee said."Because you wanted Mana to be proud of you."

"He's always been proud of me."Allen paused."Maybe he's in heaven looking at me with eyes that says,'That's my son,and I'm proud of him.'"

"He is."Lenalee smiled."If you look into your heart."

"I believe you."

Author's Appearance:First Night

"Man...if it keeps snowing like this,we'll never get back home and report in time..."Allen groaned.

"Cheer up."Lenalee smiled."It's not like it won't stop."

"Yeah but..."Allen stammered."What if Komui misunderstood and....HE'LL MURDER ME!"

"He won't.He'll understand."

"I hope so..."Allen said."Anyway,we'll have to stay for the night.It's getting late."

"I guess."

Allen and Lenalee trudged in the thick snow.I followed.DUH.

"Hey!"I waved.They turned around and gaped.

"WHAT are YOU DoINg HERe?"

"Um...HELLO?!I am the AUTHOR!I can make appearances whenever and WHEREVER I LIKE."

"Those shades are not your color..."

"Um...these?No...I borrowed them from Tyki."

"SAY WHAT?!"

"Yup!Or should I say I stole it..."

"WHAT???"

"Sheeesh...don't get so worked up.Or I'll make you do with Lenalee..."

"Do WHAT?"

"Awww...Allen's acting innocent."I grinned."If you get her pregnant,you're dead."

"Um.....how excatly are you gonna do that?"

"I have a pencil,you coconut head!"I said."It makes wonders."

"Prove it."

"Okay."I pulled out my pencil and paper and scribbled out some words.

Allen kisses Lenalee.

It happens.

Allen was kissing Lenalee.

"Don't make me erase the 'kissing and turn it into 'rape'."

"All right!!!!"Allen screamed."Help us find a room!"

"Done."I snapped my fingers."You'll be staying at the inn nearest to the harbor.There will be only one room left,but I made reservations."

"Okay..."

"But..."I started saying.

"Not the 'but'...."

"Only one bed.No arguments?"

"WHAAATTT???"

"Allen?"I said."Again?"

"I got the hell enough of it!"

"Shall I put in the rape word for you,my dear?"

"All right...We'll share a bed..."

"Good!"I'll see you sometime soon..."I snapped my fingers and disappeared.

"Not so soon..."He barely whispered.

"What was that?"My head popped out on Allen.

"GAH!!!N...nothing..."

"All right.But I'm sure I heard something...Anyway,good luck!"I disappeared again.

"Come on Lenalee.Let's go."

"W-wait!"

First Night

"Why do you want me to stay here?"Allen asked.

"I don't want to be alone."

"Yeah but...can't this wait?We could always talk by morning."

"I can't go back to sleep."She whispered,her voice thinner than a piece of string.

"Why?Is it that nightmare again?"Allen asked worriedly.

Lenalee nodded.She clenched her fists as she described her dream.

"I couldn't use my inoocence anymore."Lenalee whispered as she clenched her fists further with tears welling up in her eyes."I saw your innocence destroyed and..."

"I was killed?"Allen said for Lenalee.

"By the Earl."

"That's not really possible,right?"Allen said."Helvaska predicted I was going to defeat the Earl.Even I made preparations for that to happen anytime.You should,too."

"But..."Lenalee

"It's all right."Allen said."You were always the one who takes a death the most seriously.But...I know you could protect yourself.You're still strong,right?Your innocence evolved into a new type.You should be very well aware of that."

"I do..."Lenalee said with tears flowing freely down her face."You always seemed to be stronger than me.I...didn't realise I was this weak...until you came back to me."

"Everyone realises what their weaknesses is.What we should do is to face them,overcome them and believe in yourself more."Allen smiled while drying her tears.

"Yeah,but...now I'm not even sure.I always feel I believe in you more than myself."

"Thank you,but you should fend for yourself,too."Allen whispered,still smiling."You still have a brother to protect."

"True."Lenalee smiled back."It's about my turn to protect him,too."

"I believe you can do that."Allen smiled.

"You're right."Lenalee felt her eyelids getting heavier."Let me rest for a bit,Allen-kun..."

"All right."Allen pulled her towards his shoulders."Rest well.We'll be returning home tomorrow."

"Allen-kun..."

"Yes?"

"When the war is over,can we start over?"

Allen didn't say anything.He smiled.When Lenalee fell asleep,He let his head rest on Lenalee's.Letting a faint smile slowly crawl onto his face,he said,"Of course.Anchor that belief and it'll certainly come true.Someday."

A few finders happened to pass by and giggled softly.They got the the two of them a blanket and laid it on them.The night passed quickly and when a finder told them about what happened last night,Allen almost threw out what he had in his mouth.Lenalee cleared her throat.

"May I have your attention?We would like to announce something."

Allen swallowed his food and had a sick expression on his face,"Don't tell Komui-san."

A Promise Made

I was in a battlefield.The Earl invaded our home.Everyone was trying so hard to fight.So much bloodshed,screams and sorrows.I saw Allen-kun,drenched in crimson blood.Yet his body was pushed past his limits. Every time he was attacked,he pushed himself further,not caring about the consequences.


"Allen-kun!!"I shouted.

I must help him.I con't care if I die!


"Innocence!Activate!"

My blood red anklets won't activate.


"Come on!Activate!!"

It didn't respond.Instead,it turned into ashes and disappeared.I clenched my fists.I was no longer an Exorcist.I saw Allen as he was flung onto a wall and fell.


"Allen-kun!!"I shouted and ran to him.


He smiled and caressed my cheeks with his normal hand.I cried,holding it so tight I wasn't able to let go.


"I'm sorry..."Allen barely whispered as a tear rolled down his blood-stained cheeks."I...."


His eyes closed and his hand slipped out of my hands and watched him turn into dust.


"ALLEN!!!!!"


"Lenalee?Lenalee!Wake up!"




              ~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~




"Lenalee!Are you all right?You were screaming in your sleep.What happened?"Asked a worried Allen.


"Yes...it was just a dream...oh!By the way,why are you here?"


"You were screaming,so I though something happened."Allen said while pouring some water into her glass."Here."


"Thanks."Lenalee smiled as she took the glass.


"You know,I was pretty worried about you.You must have a bad fright."


"I..."Lenalee tightened her grasps on the glass."I don't know what I should do..."


"Do what?"


"I felt like I was seeing the future.You...died..."Lenalee closed her eyes and gripped the glass even further that it shattered.


"Careful,Lenalee!You shouldn't hold it so tightly."Allen removed the glass pieces from her hand carefully."Hold on.I'll get you a towel."


"Allen-kun..."Lenalee muttered as Allen wring the towel from a tub of water.


"This will hurt a little,so please bear with it."Allen said as he cleaned Lenalee's wound.She winced a little.


"Can't you be a little more gentler?"


"Bear with it.It's almost done."Allen said."You really shouldn't worry about me,Lenalee.The future would have to wait.The most important moment is the present."


"I know...but..."


"It'll be fine."Allen smiled."Where's the bandage?"


"It's in the cabinet on your right.The scissors,too."


Allen wrapped the bandage around her hand and cut it when he's done.


"We'll be home tomorrow,so you don't need to worry so much,all right?"


Lenalee nodded.


"I see you tomorrow,then."


"Wait!"


"Do you need anything?"


"Could you....stay for a while?"


"Shouldn't you be sleeping now?"


"I can't sleep.I'm afraid the dream would come back."


"All right.I'll stay for a bit.But promise me you'll go back to sleep."


"I promise."Lenalee smiled.

When I'm With You

The both of them were very quiet.Too quiet,in fact.The only sound that could be heard was the lapping of the waves and the soft flutter of Tim's wings.

"I noticed you were late,Allen-kun."Lenalee broke the silence with her gentle,yet fragile voice."You were never late before.Is something wrong?"

"No..."Allen looked away."It's just that...I don't feel well."Allen said.

Lenalee held back her tears while she stood up.

"Why can't you tell me anything?!I'm your friend.That's what friends do!"She shouted at Allen,tears flowing freely as she broke down and sobbed.

"Lenalee...I-"Allen reached out a hand to wipe her tears when she pushed his hand away.

"Don't touch me!"Lenalee ran for the door when she felt an arm stopping her from going.

"Let me go,Allen-kun."Lenalee's lips quivered.

"Please...hear me out.I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Now you did."

"I'm sorry."Allen said,letting her hand go.He buried his head in his knees."I've just been thinking too much.Everything just goes too fast."

Lenalee sat down beside him,overcame by worry more than anger.

"Thinking about the Fourteenth again?"

Allen nodded.

"I see that figure behind my reflection,then everything came back to me.My past And what the future holds."

Lenalee put a hand on his shoulder.Allen looked up,his grey orbs overflowing with emotions.

"You know,every time I think that way,I was afraid I'd kill you first."Allen smiled slowly.

"Why?"

"Because you are themost important person of my life."

Lenalee smiled.

"That means a lot to me.Thank you,Allen-kun."

"No,I should be thanking you,Lenalee."Allen gave her a faint smile."You made you realise something."

"What is it?"

"You know,I used to think fighting akuma was the purpose God even let me exist in this world.They were all that mattered to me.I used to think it was to make it up for Mana because I was foolish enough to trust the Earl.But I almost got lost on the way..."Allen paused,looking up at the dusty ceiling."Then I met you and the others at the Order.I realized that I was fighting for something else.But above all the people I know,you are the only one next to Mana in my heart."

"That goes for you,too."Lenalee said,sliding closer to him.

"Huh?"Allen's head snaps to face Lenalee.His sudden action made her jolt a little.

"You take up more space in my heart than anyone besides my brother.And I believe you could overtake Nii-san's place."

"Y-yeah....I guess so..."Allen blushed."I just hope he doesn't kill me,then."

"If he does,I'll send him flying with Dark Boots."Lenalee wrapped her arms around Allen's neck."Don't worry so much Allen-kun.I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Yeah,I hope so!"Allen laughed,putting his hands on her hips.

"Do you feel better?"

"With you,I'll always be happy."Allen smiled and gave her a peck on her lips.

"What about our sorrows?"Lenalee asked,blushing.

"Washed from our memories,"Allen Gave Lenalee a hug."forever."

Reflection

Allen and Lenalee managed to kill all the akumas by dusk,but almost all the finders were sacrificed.Most of them said they had to protect the Excorcists because it's their part of preventing the prophecy of the Earl's victory from happening.Even if it's only a little they can do,they are willing to support them in anyway they can.While the finders mourned for their dead comrades,Lenalee went over to them.

"I'm sorry we couldn't protect your comrades."

"No,Lenalee.You've done more than enough."

"But...-"

"They died for a cause..."the finder looked away,unable to speak anymore.

Lenalee understood.After putting a hand on his shoulder,she got up and left.She felt guilty and responsible for being the cause of the other finder's lives they hadn't saved.She wanted to confide in Allen so she decided to look up for him during supper,but he was late by almost an hour.Allen ordered twice as much as usual and kept quiet all the time.He looked away from Lenalee and got up as soon as he finished.Lenalee decided to follow him and ask him what's wrong.

Allen was feeling as bad as Lenalee was:He felt bad to be the cause for everything that happened.He became an Excorcist to save lives,but he ended up taking more lives than saving them.He saw more bloodshed,sorrow,and misery.People existed in a world they didn't know about.As he walked past a mirror,he could see himself - a white-haired fifteen year-old with storm gray eyes filled with emotions and seen what ordinary fifteen year-olds hadn't seen nor expirenced.The hatred he felt when he was abandoned by his blood parents,the joy of being with Mana,the sorrow when Mana died,the happiness he felt when he was at the Order,the pain whenever he saw Lenalee's tears.The scar that ran down from his left eye to his cheeks was embedded with memories of Mana,probably the Fourteenth.Dressed in his usual white shirt and grey vest,he looked into the figure that scares him everytime he looked into his reflection.Someday,he was told,that he would betray the Order.He would kill all the people he loved.He would become a monster that knows nothing of friendship,and would forget all that he experienced.He would not let himself betray Lenalee.Allen often told himelf.He'll not let that happen,ever.

Allen walks on,still thinking about Mana's connection with the Fouteenth.How the Fourteeth's death was related to Mana's.Of all the people in the world,why must the Fourteeth choose him as his host?He took off his glove and glaced at his left hand before opening the door.Maybe the innocence is supressing the Fourteeth from emerging.Or his will to protect.But he didn't want to think.He looked out of the window and gazed at the stars outside,pointing out constellations Mana had taught him.For once,he wished he could be normal,but his left hand changed everything.He was an Excorcist.That's all that matters now.He didn't care if it didn't last for long,but as long as he woke up to be able to see Lenalee,that would be the best thing that could happen to him.

Wait...the last part didn't sound right...he shook that thought out of his head and slumped onto an armchair beside the window.He kept gazing at the stars,trying to forget everything but he couldn't.Tim made a nest on his head and grinned.Allen smiled slightly.At least being with Timcanpy was better than being with only the walls and furniture inside the room.His eyes reflected the light of the full moon above him as he sighed.Just then,he heard a knock on the door.

Allen got up,moving towards the door with heavy steps.He opened the door and saw the person he wanted to confide in,but was at the moment,seperated by only the locked door.(so close yet so far....)His eyes softened and he let her in.

A/N: I'm sorry for the abrupt ending,but I have to rush my homework.(there's a mountain of it - literally.)I think by the time now,you should know who Allen let in,right?If you don't,you're not paying enough attention.So anyway,I should be posting the next chapter soon.Hopefully by next week.I'm considering to add some author appearances every now and then for a generous pinch of humor.If you have any feedbacks,you could comment on this particular chapter.Ideas are welcomed with open arms.

Thoughts of the Heart

At breakfast,they pretended that NOTHING had happened last night,though stealing occasional glances still happened.

When the two Excorcists finished their meal,a finder called Allen to pick up a call from the Headquaters.

"Coming!"Allen called with his mouth filled with food.

Allen knew better than to tell Komui what had happened between Lenalee and himself.He gulped before picking up the phone.

"Hi,Allen!How'd the mission go?"Came Komui's usual comical voice.

"Not very well."Allen sighed as he stole a glance at Lenalee who was chatting with one of the finders."We lost a host.Lenalee was very upset about it.I wasn't able to protect her.I'm sorry."

"How's Lenalee feeling now?"Komui asked,concerned.

"She got over the incident."

"All the more you should.As long as the two of you are fine,I'm happy enough."

"But...-"

"You were able to protect Lenalee,and that means a lot to me.But..."Komui's voice changed into the one Allen was afraid of most."Did you touch my Lenalee?!"

"Eh?!O-of course not,Komui-san!"

"Good."Komui's voice changed back to normal."I'll see you at the Headquaters,then!"

"Hm."Allen nodded and hung up the phone before he leaned against the wall and sighed.Lenalee came over to him with a bright smile on her face.

"Was that my brother just now?"

"Huh?Uh...y-yes..."Allen stammered as he felt his cheeks burning.

"Did you tell him anything,then?"

"No."

"Good!I don't want you to be shot by Nii-san's bazooka,you know."She gave a wave before she left Allen to himself."I'll see later,then!"

"Okay."Allen nodded.He retreated to his room and thought about a few things.

Do I like Lenalee?Allen thought as a grinning Timcanpy landed on his shoulder.Allen continued thinking without paying attention to Tim.Something tells him that deep down inside,he didn't just like Lenalee.He loved her.But on the other hand.Lenalee is just another friend,part of his family.

"Arrgh!This is so frustrating!Do I like her or not?"Allen scratched his head,then he noticed Timcanpy on his shoulder.He let Tim perch on his finger.

"What do you think,Tim?"Allen sighed,looking at the golden golem.

Without hestitation,it bit Allen's finger as hard as it could.

"Ow!That hurts,Timcanpy!"Allen grimaced and quickly shook it off his wounded finger.

Timcanpy pointed at Allen's chest,as if it was answering Allen.

"So,you think I should listen to what my heart says?"Allen asked the golem.

Timcanpy nodded.

"Still,you don't have to bite me!"Allen pouted.Tim just showed his sharp teeth at Allen,as if it was threatening to bite Allen again.

"All right!I get it!I'm sorry!"

My heart...Allen thought as he laid on his bed.lies all the answers.I wonder if it could tell me more about the 14th.

Suddenly a shout snapped Allen out of his thoughts,sending him rolling down his bed and he landed with a loud thump.He felt pain,but had no time to bother it.He had to find out what was happening outside!

Allen ran to the deck of the ship,Lenalee was already there.

"Lenalee what happ- what the..."Allen looked up and saw hordes of akuma trying to destroy the ship.

"Allen,We're being attacked!We have to protect everyone,before it's too late!"

Allen nooded.The two Excorcist invoked their innocence and fought to protect the ship.