This is kind of AU, obviously. As cool as Hoshino-sensei making "The Unholies" a thing, I don't think it's quite canon.

Neah had thought the man sitting across from his best friend was an old coot at first. The shock of white hair had been totally noticeable in the casino full of shining bald heads, to say the least. As the trio drew closer, they all realized that it was a kid with an unholy amount of chips in front of him.

"Him," Neah said, pointing. "He seems like a worthy opponent." Allen sighed, pulling off his top hat and loosening his tie.

"That's insulting. He's what, five?"

"There are a lot of chips in front of him, though," Cross said, taking Allen's coat as the red-haired man cut across the main hall of the casino. "It can't hurt. Maybe if you defeat him hard enough he'll be crushed and discouraged from a life of debauchery. Kids shouldn't be in casinos."

Neah laughed. "Cross has a point, my dearest cheater. It can't hurt. Win-win, right?"

Allen was already sitting down in the plush-cushioned chair across from the strange kid as a woman dealt him his cards. It was then that Neah noticed the interesting facial feature on the boy down on side of his face. It was a jagged red scar that went up past his eyebrow. His white bangs covered the top of the scar. Looking away from the boy, Neah's golden eyes roamed the establishment. His Noah senses tingled. "Well, that's interesting," Neah muttered.

"What is it?" Cross said in a low voice.

"Someone in our vicinity has Innocence."

Cross rocked back on the balls of his feet. "That is interesting. We'll deal with it after this game." Neah rolled his eyes.

Watching Allen cheat was much more exciting than stealing exorcists' Innocence, after all.

There were a lot of thoughts running between the consciousnesses, but the one that Sam thought most important was that I cannot let my past self beat me at poker.

Really? Neah said. You haven't matured at all.

It'd be embarrassing if the truth ever came out, Sam moaned. What if Kanda found out?

Your angry Japanese friend has not been born yet.

Still…

Focus, idiot!

"Hello," Sam replied, smiling back at himself was strange. This Allen Walker was older, taller, and had long red hair tied off midway down his back. His bangs were the same length as Sam's, though, and he had the same blue-silver eyes Sam had himself. (Unless Neah took over, which was an entirely different matter). "Nice to meet you. I'm Al-Sam. Sam Lee."

Most likely mistaking his stutter for nervousness and lack of skill, Allen smirked. Sam internally rolled his eyes. Looked like his past self wasn't immune to age prejudice.

"How old are you?" Allen asked calmly, looking over his cards.

You're like fifty, Neah volunteered. I did some estimation.

Thanks, Neah, Sam said, but I really don't think I can tell them that. "Fifteen," Sam said aloud.

"That's pretty young for a hardcore gambler," the red-haired man replied.

"How did you get in here?" a third voice joined the conversation. Across the table from Sam, a black-haired yellow-eyed man volunteered the question, leaning forward and studying Sam with unmasked curiosity.

Oh my goodness, Sam thought. That's-

Me. Actually, you look kind of like that when I take over your body, by the way. But you're stil short.

Wow. You look the exact same as you do in my head.

"I think you scared him," Allen muttered to Neah. Realizing his jaw had dropped, Sam shut it and took a deep breath. I've got to view them as just another opponent. Opening his eyes, he smiled slowly. The rush of anticipation at facing a good game ran through him.

Yep, you're a youkai. Knew it.

"I just sort of walked in," Sam said, widening his eyes innocently. "But.. do you still want to play me? It's okay if you don't."

"N-no," Allen said, shooting Neah a dirty look when his friend snorted.

The game began.

It wasn't clear at first who was winning since both of the Allens cheated However, this changed very quickly.

Is he.. cheating too? Neah furrowed his brow, trying to understand the mechanics of the fast-paced game Allen was playing in. The boy his friend was playing against seemed to be cheating just as much as Allen did. It took superhuman eyes to follow it, but Neah's Noah-genes gave him an advantage; little flashes of white as cards went up and out of sleeves, the sleight of hands. The kid's hands were gloved, a small difference from Allen's.

Allen's poker face was very, very good. Unfortunately for him, Neah had known him for over ten years, so it was easy for Neah to see what Allen was really feeling: Panic.

Allen was actually getting beaten by a fifteen-year-old boy, with thin features and slim limbs. His twenty-three year old genius poker cheater friend was getting slammed by a white-haired nerd. A gleeful smile spread across Neah's face. Look's like Allen's gonna have to go dress shopping after all.

With a final breath from the boy (Sam?), all was over for Allen. The two players stared each other from across the polished table, Sam's hand laid out clearly. There was utter silence at the table while all around them other games went on.

"I- I think I won," Sam said cautiously. He nervously bit his lip, blue eyes worried. "S-sorry."

Allen was still silent, equally blue eyes unseeing and unfocused. Neah laughed, whacking the man on the back. "Sam Lee, I think you broke him. Thanks for defeating him. We had a bet that if he ever lost, he'd have to crossdress as a girl, and thanks to you, that's a reality!"

Sam looked utterly horrified at Neah's words. What's he so freaked out about? Neah thought. Does he think we're gay or something?

"I- He has to wear a dress?" Sam said.

Before Neah answered, Cross's huge fn's limp form out of his chair. The man was still unresponsive, but Neah thought he could hear a quiet moan "..lost...lost..kid.."

"Imma drag this loser home," Cross said, turning his eye to Sam. "Good game kid. See you around."

"Y-yeah," Sam said. The twinge on Neah's Noah instincts tingled again. There was Innocence somewhere. But where?

"That was easier than I thought," Neah told Cross as they left. "Just picked the first kid we saw, and voila! Beaten Allen." He shot one last glance at the boy sitting at the table, chips everywhere, steps faltering for a second.

He thought he saw Sam's hand wipe his cheek, but he must have seen wrong.

Why would the boy be crying?

Gone was the gleeful joy at beating his past self at poker, or even the comedic panic that had seized Sam when he found out Allen's punishment. After seeing Cross Marian in the flesh, all that was pain and a kind of sadness that left his heart aching.

I'm taking over, Sam, Neah told him in his no-nonsense tone. You're too much a mess to control this body.

Sam didn't respond, but Neah felt the pull of the physical body for a soul to control it as Sam let go. With a blink, the Noah was in control. It was lucky that no one was watching the boy, because his skin darkened and eyes flicked to gold. Underneath the white bangs, there were stigmata hidden. In control, Neah dealt with the situation, cashing in the won chips so they would have money and then quickly walking out, effortlessly avoiding the money-hungry hookers standing around.

Sam, you've got to stop remembering. It doesn't help. Neah could see all the memories that Sam was looking through, all of Cross. One image appeared over and over again, the image of Cross' blood body collapsed on the window sill. Neah grimaced.

Sorry, Sam's quiet voice responded. It's just.. seeing him there- real- it's not supposed to hurt this much.

Of course it hurts, Neah said softly. He was the closest thing to family you ever had, and your best friend, even if we don't remember. Of course it hurts.

I think it hurts more because I don't remember. I feel like I'm hurting his memory. I mean, you say how we were friends just now, how can I explain not knowing that?

It's the Innocence in you's fault. Besides, Neah's tone grew intense, we're going to change everything this time around.

After giving control of the body back to Sam, they went out to find something to eat. As a parasite-innocence wielder, Sam ate three times a normal person. To make it worse, he was a teenager.

Finding a normal-looking establishment with worn wooden benches and faded curtains, Sam went in and was seated. When the waiter gave him the you-must-be-trouble look, Sam simply flashed a wad of cash and all was well. While Sam knew that the use of electricity was still around thirty years in the past, candles were still prolific and one lit the deep oak table he sat at. The waiter bowed to him, asking his order.

"Steak, medium rare please, with chips and gravy as a side," Sam said, smiling.

I hate steak, Neah said. You're disgusting.

Who hates steak?

I just said I do.

I'm eating it anyway. Remember that one time we forgot to eat for two days straight? We're not doing that again.

That was not my fault, Neah said defensively. We each took twelve-hour turns for the body, and I didn't know I was supposed to keep track of eating. I just assumed you'd eaten while you had control.

Sure, Sam said. Surree.

Thirty minutes and one delicious bite later, Sam was just starting in on his meal when his eye activated. Dropping his fork loudly, he was out of his chair in a second, looking for the akuma causing his Innocence to be activated.

I can hear the thought trail of an akuma directly behind us, out on the street, Neah informed Sam, using his Noah powers. If you let me take over, I could control it-

No, Sam said, cutting off Neah. We're outside the casino now, and if anyone sees the physical changes it'd be bad, and besides, you can't save the souls its taken with your powers.

You are such a wimp, Neah said, but without any real venom. Sam's skinny legs carried him out of the diner, pushing aside richly dressed people around the entrance as his black and red akuma eye roved the street for akuma.

"Is that-" a voice from behind him said, the familiarity of it making Sam freeze where he stood, "Sam? The poker kid?" It was past Neah.

Turning around slowly, Sam frantically tried to think of something to say. Neah, help! What do I- an idea came to him. Swallowing, Sam faced Neah and the two other familiar faces next to him.

"H-help," he said, trying to sound as scared as possible. "Mr. Walker and Mr. Walker's friend, you gotta help me. My eye- it's doing something weird."

Neah gasped, looking straight at the spinning gears and oddly colored pupil. "So you were the source of the Innocence I felt earlier," he muttered.

In his mind, Neah cackled. I don't know why you weren't born a Noah, Sam, you scheme enough for all fourteen of us.

Sam dramatically began shaking his Innocence arm, making it look like it was possessed. "My arm," he said in his panicked child voice, "it's doing something weird! I'm scared!" He threw himself forward, Neah autmatically catching him. Feeling the burning sensation from coming into contact, Sam looked into Neah's confused golden eyes. "H-help," he said.

"There's an akuma near," Cross said. "Allen, you keep the boy with you. He has Innocence. Neah?"

"Yeah," the Noah resopnded, gently pushing Sam towards the red-haired Allen. "Coming."

Sam watched Neah point at a citizen, a citizen with a trapped dead soul floating above (not that they could see it). He clung to his past self, acting the perfect part of a scared fifteen-year-old boy with no experience with Innocence.

"Hey, kid, it's okay," Allen said. "You're not gonna get hurt."

"B-but my arm," Sam replied, lifting his Innocence hand and pulling off the glove, revealing the glowing cross inset on the back of his hand. "It's vibrating and telling me to exorcise something."

Allen bent down, meeting Sam's eyes, blue on blue. "Try listeing to that," he said. Perfet, Sam thought.

You just wanna show off, Neah whined. I always hate it when you activate it. It does this weird ringing thing in my eyes.

Excuse you. I'm quite a powerful exorcist for my age, Sam replied.

You're like fifty.

Ignoring this, Sam made a big deal of scrunching his facial features. Activate, he thought, and instantly his arm transformed into the sword it always did. "Whoa!" Sam said, and pretended that its weight was too much. He dropped the huge sword and threw himself away from it. "W-hat happened?"

Allen laughed. "You're an exorcist, kid! Congratulations!" The tall red-head ruffled Sam's hair. "I guess I better forgive you for beating me at poker."

More screams from up the street drew their attention. Cross had pulled out his gun and effortlessly shot the citizen, effectively killing the demon with one bullet. To all the other people in the street, it looked like someone had been murdered in cold blood.

"Better go," Allen muttered. Seeing Sam's (fake) scared and confused explained Cross' actions. "Don't worry. That was a demon, not a real person." He grabbed Sam's arm and dragged him to where Neah and Cross were quickly walking back to them. Sam felt his Innocence sword return to his shoulder again as they got father away.

Neah called up an ark gate just as a group of policement ran up the street yelling at the foursome. Sam was forcibly shoved in first, his head hitting a pot of flowers in the strange ark, and his consciousness fainted.

You are such a weak idiot, Neah cursed him. But the Noah couldn't take over the body because the physical effects of his Noah powers would show in front of their past selves.

"This is your fault," Cross growled as Neah fanned the boy unconscious on their couch, looking worriedly at the forming bruise on his temple. "If you hadn't shoved the kid in the freaking gate-"

"There was an akuma in the street, Cross! How was know he was going to stumble?" Allen snapped back.

"Hey, Sam-" Neah called to the white-haired kid, gently shaking him. "Wake uppp. Oh, hey guys, did you see his rad scar?"

Giving Cross one last nasty glare, Allen and him looked at the red scar Neah was pointing out, pushing back his white bangs. It was an akuma's pentagon with a line going straight the boy's closed eye and stopping just before his chin. "Weird," Allen said. "He was freaking about about it seeing something, so maybe it's a part of his Innocence?"

"Speaking of Innocence, did you see his sword?" Neal laughed. "That thing was huge!"

"He'd obviously never wielded it before, because he dropped it," Cross said. Neah shrugged and nodded.

"Do you guys think.. we should get him to join us?"

"You say join like we're some huge and powerful group," Cross rolled his eyes. "It's just three of us."

"He has Innocence not corrupted by the Black Order. I say he's the perfect candidate for the fourth member of the Unholies," Neah said.

The other red-haired member of the trio groaned, turning his back on the group and heading to the kitchen. "He's named us, Allen," Cross said. "There's no going back." A muttered "and what kind of name is Unholies?" was the heard, and then the ornately carved sitting room doors shut behind Cross.

"I think it's a good name," Neah said, pouting. He squeezed himself into the couch next to the sleeping Sam, crossing his arms. "But, seriously, Allen, do you think we should get him to join us?"

Allen poked at the fireplace with a poker, getting the fire going again in the candlelit room as the daylight faded. "He seemed pretty scared of his Innocence, so it couldn't be bad for Cross to train him. But.. he's also super young, despite his super-poker skills."

"The Black Order has five-year-olds trapped in its ugly walls trying to train them," Neah replied darkly. "I say we're the best thing to happen to this kid. We'll take care of him."

Next Chapter: Sam joins the Unholies. Neah, though, is plagued by an important question: Does Sam even count as a fourth member?

More sassy Neah next chapter, hopefully. :D