Swords of a soldier

By Zeida of Zeida and Maria

I know that the spades are the swords of a soldier
I know that the clubs are weapons of war
I know that diamonds mean money for this art
But that's not the shape of my heart

Summary: "…Hey boy, how about we play one more game?" Allen stopped, turning back around in surprise. Then he smiled. "Ok."

Pairing/s: Poker pair (Tyki/Allen) Lavi/Linalee and possible Marie/Miranda

Warnings: possible (Not intentional) ooc, later romance between a man in his mid-twenties and a boy 11 years younger (who is still under aged). …Also, Yaoi in future. And a definite possibility of Het. ...And a game that I've spent weeks (cough more like months at this point cough) agonizing over, 'cause KNOW it's stupid, ok? Pretend for my sake that I am not lame

Notes: The most unfair gap I think I've ever had between a prologue and first chapter- it probably won't get much better, I'm very rusty at writing at the moment especially for D Gray-Man but I'm gonna try, just this one for now because I don't want to push my low motivation too hard with both this AND Semblance. Sorry for those who've been waiting for the next chapter of that- I'll try to explain myself somewhat at the bottom.

Chapter Warnings: Awkward dialogue, too much not-quite canon, mild gore, and my sad attempts at writing something 'cool'.

Round one: Ace of Spades

He deals the cards as a meditation
And those he plays never suspect
He doesn't play for the money he wins
He doesn't play for the respect
He deals the cards to find the answer
The sacred geometry of chance
The hidden law of probable outcome
The numbers lead a dance

I know that the spades are the swords of a soldier
I know that the clubs are weapons of war
I know that diamonds mean money for this art
But that's not the shape of my heart

He may play the jack of diamonds
He may lay the queen of spades
He may conceal a king in his hand
While the memory of it fades

I know that the spades are the swords of a soldier
I know that the clubs are weapons of war
I know that diamonds mean money for this art
But that's not the shape of my heart
That's not the shape, the shape of my heart...

- x -

Now that he really thought about it, his life hadn't really been over then… just half of it.

Maybe if he hadn't been so rash, he wouldn't have lost the other half, too…

- x -

The streets were dark and wet, misty after the rain of the previous night. It was early morning. A dog howled somewhere in the distance, making him glance up. It was probably the only living creature for miles around. The chill that hung in the air made him shiver- or maybe it was something else. He could feel it; sinking into his hands- could feel the cause of those red stains on his gloves against his fingertips.

Unbidden, a grin began to form on his face, and he brought a hand up to cover the view of it from the blank eyed corpse that leaned lopsidedly against the grimy brick of the alleyway. The feelings running through his body as he stared down at his handiwork made his spine vibrate once more, shoulders rolling in an attempt to suppress the subtle motion.

His tongue darted out, licking some of the coppery stain from the covered pad of his thumb. The fabric against his sensitive taste buds was rough and muculent from the foreign substance, but the flavor behind the metallic tint was one of death and fear; more than satisfying.

An overpowering urge to strike again, to massacre somewhere –someone- bubbled up in him and the laugh that escaped was frightful. His other hand squeezed, baring down on the soft object held there. The feeling of still more blood pouring over his glove from the ripped openings of the muscle making him feel... alive, as he gulped down another breath of freezing morning air.

The laugh died, ending in a soft sigh of contented giddiness lost to the abandoned area surrounding him.

He crouched before the dead body, the vacant eyes still filled with a few unshed tears, ones the women had attempted to conceal as his intentions became apparent. His free hand reached out, caressing the pale cheek of his victim. A light trail of brown-red smeared after the path of his thumb as he ran it from the corner of her lip to the height of her cheekbone.

A brave woman she had been, fighting, kicking, screaming... until the very end. She had tried to hide her fear, tried to force back those tears even as her life had been wrenched violently and cruelly from her grasp. The struggle had elated him, making the battle all the more enjoyable as he'd let all of her desperate attempts at pushing him away, at stopping him from finishing her faze through him and he reached in, and he-

He licked his darkened lips, tasting another hint of that copper that he loved so much. The fear he sometimes felt at the enjoyment he gleaned from the stealing of an innocent and untainted life not present today, the corners of his mouth twitched impossibly further upwards. His breath caught just before he released another inhuman giggle to be heard by no one in the chill of the early morning.

He wanted to do something more- to somehow continue hurting the defenseless women even after the lasts of her life had already faded with the night.

His hand stilled, the journey of his thumb over the women cheek stopping midway as he stared at her perfect features, then he squeezed. The still soft skin gave way under his suddenly forceful grip, and he continued to bear down on her, pressing harder, digging his nails into the seems running along the inside of his gloves until he heard a snap, sharp and vivid in the silent ally.

As he drew his had away, feeling still more blood pour from the innocent's body a rush of pleasure filled him. The disfigured head lulled to the side, bringing the rest of the corpse down as well as it fell to the ground with a wet thump, the puddle beneath her not large enough to cause an actual splash as he pushed himself to his feet.

His knees were wet from his time upon the ground, and his back complained from leaning over for so long without moving. None of it mattered as he gave the woman another moment of attention.

It was time to go.

He dropped the organ in his other hand, sparing what could hardly be considered his first target of the night a last glance as he turned and walked away, completely uncaring that his gloves were once again ruined- they always were after something like that- that the blood that had been coughed on his face was already drying on his cheek, the red liquid smeared on his lips and seeped into his clothing.

The crosses on his forehead seemed to gleam in the eerie light of the main street, a few sleek black curls escaping to lie lightly atop them. The unnatural skin beneath smeared further crimson as a gloved hand reached up and smoothed the curls back into place.

No heads turned though as he walked, the mist covered streets chilly and deserted in the morning air.

He could hear the sounds of his footsteps as he walked, the scraping of his soles against the cobblestone accompanied only by the sound of inhuman laughter.

As the dream-memory- faded, and the man opened his eyes, the first thing he had to wonder was 'Where am I?'.

"Tyki Mikk" He looked up at the man that stood in front of him- his only companion in the room. This seemed to be a tall strict looking man he did not recognize either, trying and failing to shift as he stared.

Then it came back.

Where he was, how he'd gotten there, what this man must represent.

"You may call me inspector Revoulire." The man said, and Tyki found himself wondering if it was an art to keep oneself within an air of constant negative feelings as this man seemed to be radiating. His toothbrush mustache managing not to even shift as the narrow eyed man spoke once more to the bound Ex-Noah in the otherwise empty room. "We have some questions for you."

- x -

Allen stared up at the score; he could hear the faint sound of someone singing, the soft voice sweeping over him, the song calling to him in a way Allen usually associated with the innocence or the Akuma. He had only felt a connection this strong once before- no, twice. Once when he had regained the use of his eye, when it had fist evolved, and again in that moonlit dream he'd had after he'd been defeated by Tyki.

If you could even call that pitiful failure a defeat.

More like a slaughter.

He swallowed another bite of his sandwich, feeling it drop like dead weight to the bottom of his stomach. He felt sick.

"…" He handed the remains of his meal to Tim, who cut off the projection to gobble down the long sub, and Allen drew his legs up to his chest on the piano bench, wrapping his arms around them as he stared at the mirrored wall across from him.

A grinning shadow stared back.

Instead of allowing the reflection to initiate a staring contest, Allen screwed his eyes shut and buried his head in his knees. He still ached from his many injuries gained over the last month, and he technically wasn't supposed to be out of bed, let alone inside the Ark as he was.

After all, after returning to HQ, Tyki Mikk had been carted off by a strange man in a red robe, and the Ark had been christened as 'dangerous, entrance prohibited' and he and his friends had been swept off as well, to soft beds, welcome and rest. He wasn't supposed to be here, but...

But he'd decided when he woke up this morning he was going to do two things, and he was going to do them. This was the first-

He needed to get back into the player's room, to make sure.

And now he was sure.

He knew for absolutely sure that he knew absolutely nothing, he was an idiot, and there was still someone out there, pulling his strings. His shadowy reflection grinned at him and stared, burning holes into his gray irises when he made the mistake of glancing back up at it. Or maybe that someone was right here with him.

Maybe he'd always been.

"…What does this mean, Tim?" He asked quietly, knowing full well the golden Golem couldn't answer him. "Why is it, this score…"

Allen quieted, not sure how to continue. 'It's made up of the letters I created with Mana' He shook his head to clear the thoughts that came to mind after that.

Thoughts he shouldn't be thinking about. That he had no right to be thinking about. His beloved step father did not deserve any suspicion, nor any of the doubts he was currently placing unfairly upon the dead man's memory.

No sound interrupted the quiet singing still echoing in his mind, the voice was so gentle- so kind... He couldn't understand how he was supposed to feel in a situation like this, what was he supposed to do? He buried his head back into his knees and shut his eyes forcefully once more. The pressure in his head would lesson if he couldn't see his reflection. If he didn't think about it... But it wasn't that easy when the singing in his mind only grew louder, the feeling of cold dread stronger... his thoughts overwhelmed by he terrifying possibility that maybe, just maybe Mana hadn't been-

"I've… I've been sure to walk down my own path, haven't I, Tim?" Allen asked yet another question, still knowing he would never get an answer. He let the silence fill the room, let it wash over him as his thoughts tried to take him to a place he really didn't want to be. He had decided to walk this path in order to keep going- to keep walking, like Mana had asked him to. Like Mana had wanted him to...

To walk his own path...

Just keep walking...

He sighed, slowly releasing the hold on his legs and letting them slip back to the ground. He needed to compose himself.

After all, he couldn't just stop walking here.

A deep breath and a quick glance at the shadowy reflection, and he was gone, making his way to his next stop.

- x -

Tyki Mikk hadn't spoken a single word since leaving the Ark.

When a member of the order walked into the large empty white room he was being held in, all he would do was glare. After inspector Revoulire had made a forceful first attempt to 'convince' the black haired man speak, many other less important individuals had been sent to give it a try. No one had managed any better, and honestly, no one had gotten him to eat more than a bite either.

The man was tied to his chair, in the center of the lonely room with the clothes they had given him- a cheep black wide-necked shirt and matching cheep black slacks.

He wondered if they had a reason to use black cloth. Could just be that the Order liked black, or were they trying to accentuate the lightness of his skin.

Because that was the only thing he was noticing.

He was probably just being paranoid, but it was captivating him.

Only twice had he ever found himself involved in this war with his natural skin color visible. The first time, had been very shortly after the awakening of his Noah side, when he was still figuring things out, before he'd decided to keep his two lives completely separate from one another.

The second time had been in order to approach Allen Walker on the Ark.

Allen Walker had become like a bridge between those two lives, just because of one chance encounter. Just because of a Poker game.

And suddenly that kid was…

That kid…

Tyki ground his teeth, letting a sharp breath escape out the gap where the top and bottom of his teeth didn't meet perfectly.

He didn't want to think about this right now.

He wasn't sure if he'd ever want to think about it. He hadn't wanted to for the full three days he had already been imprisoned here.

But he was bored out of his mind.

Despite the fact that his life had just fallen apart around him, first in the destruction of his Noah and all ties to his family, and then in the captivity by the Order preventing him from returning to his old life, he found that he couldn't be content sinking into depression.

It had been just as he thought.

'Not better, not worse. Just… boring…'

Of course, he wasn't sure why it wasn't worse. It should have been. Boring was worse, right? In truth he felt a little numb, like he was still in shock. That was probably why it wasn't worse yet. That was probably why the ache in his chest felt the same as the guilt he had felt in the past. Like they cancelled each other out and made the situation the same, beyond the boring. When he finally snapped out of his whacked out shock it'd defiantly be worse.

Two more men had come and gone in the last hour or so, attempting different methods to try and get him to speak without touching him. For some reason, none of these people at the order wanted to touch him. Tyki was almost positive that they were afraid he would bite if they got too close.

…They were probably right.

Then again, he could have slipped out of his binding with or without his abilities at any point, so his teeth were really the least of their worries if he actually decided to get violent.

He sighed tiredly, staring down at the band of light flesh that was in his view before black cloth cut it off. The contrast was almost blinding.

….Not that he had any inclination to get violent. It would have been pointless. His life was over, but that didn't mean it was gone. With no way whatsoever to defend himself against the army of people living in the building, he wouldn't survive an attempt to escape.

The sound of the guards outside the door murmuring (something they only did when someone was coming inside) broke him from his thoughts. He glance up, but quickly brought his eyes away from the door as it was pushed open.

Whoever came inside came inside alone, the Guards whispering a quick 'Be careful' as the door clicked shut.

Whoever it was didn't speak for a long moment.

"…I didn't mean for things to happen like this." Tyki whipped his head around in surprise, staring at Allen as he smiled apologetically, leaning nervously ageist the door.

He looked pale (though he always looked pale) and he had bandages plastered to him almost everywhere that skin was visible. Most of his right eye was covered by a long strip of gauze taped to his cheek and forehead, and there were several fading bruises where the skin wasn't covered.

He wasn't wearing any form of the exorcist's uniform that Tyki had become accustomed to, either.

He also wasn't wearing shoes.

"You being imprisoned like this, I mean." Allen explained after he received no answer. "I had meant to try and get you back to those people… that I met on the train."

Tyki watched him, but didn't respond.

Allen brought his Innocence arm upwards to rub the back of his neck in a nervous habit as he laughed awkwardly.

"I guess it was kind of stupid not to realize the Order would try and take advantage of the situation..." The boy glanced at him, and despite the smile plainly visible on his face, it didn't reach his eyes, they shone instead with guilt and maybe a little bit of sadness. Or a lot of it. Maybe.

Tyki was ever silent, contemplating what to do in this situation. Allen shifted uncomfortably, pushing himself off of the closed door he had been leaning on to step into the center of the room, just a foot or two away from Tyki.

"I herd you're not eating." Allen stated while sitting himself down on the ground.

Tyki did not respond. He was still listening, but a thought had just stuck him.

For a long moment Allen just stared at him. "…I realize, um… I realize you probably hate me." Allen admitted, looking back up at him with the same sad look he had had back then. "I'm sad…"

Tyki felt the strong urge to say something in retaliation to that accusation.

"If this could just be another game of poker, and no one had to die,"

"But I came here, because…" Allen sighed again, leaning back on his palms and staring at the ceiling. The boy's Golden Golem Fluttered off his head to rest instead in the boys lap. "I wanted to tell you I'm sorry."

"Things would be much better…"

"…"

The room lapsed into an uncomfortable silence, neither of them willing to speak for the moment.

What could he say?

This boy… He had tortured this boy, hadn't he? He had ripped off his arm and destroyed it, had killed a friend of his… had killed so many of his comrades… He had ripped a hole through the child's heart.

Yet… He was the one receiving the apology?

Another minute passed, and Allen grimaced, nudging his Golem off his lap as he stood. "Sorry for bothering you." The white haired teen turned from him, and walked back over to the door.

…

…

…

"…Hey boy…" The white haired boy's hand froze on the doorknob. "How about we play one more game?" Allen let his hand fall slowly back to his side as he turned to look at the Ex-Noah.

Then he smiled.

"Ok."

- x -

Allen had been informed by the guards of Tyki Mikk's current status.

Of how he had been refusing food. How he hadn't spoken a word.

Allen had felt immediately terrible. That look he had seen in his eyes back at the ark… that despair could easily become something suicidal.

When he entered the room, Allen found that it was just as the two men flanking the outside of the door had told him. Mikk had been completely silent as he closed the door and tried to talk to him.

He found himself feeling disappointed that the man wouldn't even talk to him.

The whole attempt started to seem pointless as the second strained silence lapsed between them.

He stood up to leave, apologizing for bothering him, though he had no intension of giving up so easily. He was going to keep coming back until Tyki Mikk would talk to him.

He would not give up.

But just before he started turning the doorknob, Mikk had spoken.

Allen froze, the man's words, despite everything else, intrigued his gambling side the most.

Slowly he turned back around; door knob abandoned as he stared back at the only other occupant in the room once more. Those dark eyes stared right back, the Ex-Noah's face schooled to show none of the emotion he may have been feeling as he waited.

Allen felt relief wash over him, and he thought maybe this could be good for both of them.

Despite himself, and image appeared in his mind of that musical score… of its implications.

'Mana…'

The face of his foster father seemed to be haunting him now, but he shook it off inwardly, letting the relief he felt at Tyki Mikk's proposal wash over him instead.

He wasn't completely lost, then.

He smiled, stepping back towards the restrained Mikk. "Ok." Allen agreed, a twinkle appearing in his eyes in anticipation despite his desire to keep this 'game' as harmless as possible.

…He couldn't start getting competitive…

Tyki Mikk's face split into a grin very similar to the one he had worn during their first meeting on the train.

"Great." And before Allen could ask what they would be playing with (There was nothing in the room, and Allen didn't have any cards…) Mikk shifted his shoulders and seemed to be doing something with his bound hands.

A moment later, he stretched his now completely unrestrained arms above his head. The man groaned, screwing his eyes shut as he stretched and flexed his likely soar appendages. "That feels a HELL of a lot better."

Allen stared. "…You could have removed your bonds at any time…?" Confusion stained his tone. Mikk smirked at him, seeming to have completely regained his composure since finally allowing himself to speak. "Why didn't you earlier, you could have…" He trailed off, wondering what he could have done.

"I wouldn't have had someone to tie me back up before." Mikk leaned forward, stretching his back next as he continued. "It's not like I'd be able to escape in my condition anyway." An audible 'pop' was heard, and Allen winced. "So, Boy-"

"Allen." Tyki Mikk blinked at him before smirking in amusement. Allen was getting frustrated with the growing number of people just refusing to say his name. He already had to stand both Kanda(The jerk) and his Master(The bastard), and he didn't want to deal with Tyki Mikk doing so as well.

"Allen, then." The way the man said his name- he wasn't sure why, but it made him smile... "Do you want to know the rules of my game?" His time to bask in the willing use of his name by one of the people who never called him by it was interrupted, and Allen blinked, only then realizing the 'game' Mikk was proposing wasn't something you'd find in a normal gambling hall.

"What sort of game is this?" Despite how stupid he knew it was to accept what could very well be a very obvious trap, the possibility of backing out of this 'game' didn't even cross Allen's mind.

The game was Called 'Spades', named because a few of the rules seemed similar to the card game called 'Hearts'.

The object of the game was to gain the least number of points possible.

The game was played in Rounds.

Before a round began, the player would agree upon bets. Bets could be anything, as they had no money; it was acceptable to ask some sort of favor from the other player as a prize for winning.

In a round, the players involved will go through a set of three separate 'trials' the nature of which will be decided by the players. Once the end of a 'Trial' has been reached, the players will judge their opponent, giving any number of points within the set parameters depending upon what they deem their opponent should receive.

Players assign points to their opponents from 1-10, at the end of each 'trial'. After the three games that take place in a round are completed, the scores are tallied, and the player with the lowest score is the winner. As it is illegal to give either zero points or over ten, the maximum number at the end of a round is 30, and the minimum is 3.

At the end of three 'trials' the winner receives their prize, and if both players agree, another round can be played.

However, in the event of a tie, both players will receive their requested prize.

Lavi groaned in his bed, curled up in something similar to the fetal position with a pillow shoved forcefully into his ears in an attempt to block out the noise. He enjoyed Crowley's company, he really did, but when the man was unconscious, his stomach could have woken the continent.

He was at the edge of his rope.

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" He yelled, climbing out of his bed with his palms pressed against his ears. "Someone feed him!" He shouted over the loud gurgling noises that came from the comatose man's stomach. That couldn't possibly be healthy! And He couldn't sleep! Or think! Or-

The head nurse, a scary looking woman that could have been his grandmother, turned to look at the redhead. "I can't feed him when he's not awake. Just ignore it."

Lavi almost screeched, but restrained himself as he slammed himself back down on his bed, hands still attempting fruitlessly to block out the distracting noise. He gritted his teeth, his only visible eye clenched tightly shut as if the saying 'Out of sight out of Mind' actually had any truth behind it.

After a few moments of trying to press himself into the mattress fruitlessly he sighed, calming down. Letting himself relax, he tried to shrug off the last five or so minutes with a thought-out statement.

"I guess he's really hungry because he's a parasitic type like you, huh Allen?" He let his hands release his slightly soar ears to hear the response, but none came. The silence that followed was eerie and disconcerting, but didn't last long.

As Crowley's stomach interrupted.

Lavi twitched and looked over towards the bed beside his, expecting to see the white hired boy sleeping, or ignoring him, or trying to block out Crowley's noise. "…Allen?" He squeaked, staring at the large circular lump that was dominating Allen's bed, it's mass large enough it was doubtful the laws of physics should have allowed it to stay as it was. It looked bigger than the bed, yet was still somehow surrounded by it.

He felt so confused for a moment, walking cautiously over to the still bed, carefully taking the sheet and yanking it as fast as he could from the strange form. He closed his eye for a moment, fearing the monster he would find there, but as he herd the bed creak, he peaked it open again.

The amount of trash that fell to the ground at the yank shocked him. A large carcass, meat seeming to have been stripped from the bone slid past him and fell to the floor with a wet crunch as bits of other food remains spilled after it in torrents.

"…His… left-overs…?"

Lavi couldn't fathom why the younger exorcist had decided to pile up the food in such a manner, on his own bed no less- but one thing was for sure: Allen wasn't in the infirmary.

Quickly covering the food that had managed to cling to the bed (Likely because it was sticky or something, Lavi decided not to think about it), he hurriedly walked away, not able to stand the craziness of the medical area as it currently was.

A hand rested on his shoulder before he could reach the door. "Where are you going?" He turned to see the head nurse giving him such an evil look, Lavi jumped away from her and slammed himself into the door in fear.

He tired to force himself to smile when the women raised an eyebrow and failed miserably, only managing a strange crooked smile that seemed more like a grimace than anything else. "To lunch." His voice seemed at odds with his actions he noted, as it came out in a causal tone of one who wasn't scared out of their wits and pressing themselves against a door.

The evil look softened slightly, and the nurse seemed to pull Linalee out of no where. "Take her with you." She ordered, and before either the startled Linalee or the traumatized Lavi could say anything, the woman was marching back down the rows of beds to check on a fatigued Miranda.

"…Right then…"

Opening the door for his female companion, Lavi wondered why he had been ordered to baby-sit Linalee. It wasn't as if he minded, but…

The two of them walked down the hallway, side by side and in quiet. After what seemed like an eternity of echoing footsteps and long winding corridors, Linalee broke the silence. "…Helveska took my Innocence for a while…" The Chinese girl informed him quietly.

Lavi blinked in surprise, turning towards her as he walked, worry written into his features. "Are you okay? Did something happen?" He asked, wondering if the events of the Ark had put her in a worse position than she had been in previously. Such things could make it even more difficult for her, and if they continued to react badly with each other (Linalee and her Innocence) than she might not be able to rejoin her comrades on the battlefield. He faced forward once more, eye sweeping to a half lidded position as he watched the minutely different stones pass them by.

Lavi wondered if that was truly a bad thing, before deciding those thoughts were a bit too human.

"Well… My synchronization rate is below 10 percent right now… So they thought it would be… best." Lavi looked back over at her, eyebrows furrowed, but she smiled in a reassuring manner. "But... I feel… great." She brushed a lock of hair away from her cheek, the strands not long enough to be caught behind her ear. "My feet haven't been this light in years." The black wisps of what had once been beautiful long hair fell back into her face as they continued moving.

"Ah." Was all Lavi said, not able to think of any real response. He glanced at her, the smile still bright and cheerful. The corridor they were walking down was dark, no windows, they were too far inward of the tower for windows, and the lanterns looked to be going out. A cool breeze sped passed them, Lavi noting how the small amounts of light in the hallway seemed to dance in her short hair as it fluttered from the gust.

"Why did you really want to leave the infirmary?" Linalee asked, holding her hands behind her back. At the twitch of confusion and flash of guilt that had obviously found itself on his face, she continued. "We're not heading for the Lunch room." It was all the explanation he needed to proove he had been caught.

Lavi coughed. "Allen's missing." He explained. "And his bed is filled with the sad, sad remains of his lunch." Linalee giggled, covering her mouth out of politeness. The light sound was enough to bring an unexpected smile to Lavi's face.

"That sounds like Allen-kun." She admitted, her smile faltering for a moment at a thought or memory that must have just crossed her mind. Swallowing, she looked over at Lavi. "Where do you think he is?" She asked, her voice sounding a little far away as she spoke. She was probably thinking of another thing that 'sounded like Allen' that hadn't happened too long ago. Lavi found it bothering too.

His smile dropped.

Lavi stuffed his hands in his pocket, glancing worriedly at her. That guy could get pretty selfish sometimes... A new smile blossomed on his face as an idea sprang to mind. Linalee came back to reality as well as he suggested teasingly "The lunch room?"

- x -

Allen looked thoughtful.

Allen looked thoughtful. The boy had asked him to use his first name. He had explained the rules (they were simple, it wasn't like some of the complicated things he'd come across in his life-long search for a really fun game that would keep him occupied) and then he had stopped speaking. Just... thoughtful.

Tyki watched him curiously, still not completely sure what he was even doing. Not completely anyway.

After several long minutes of silence, thoughtful began to speak at last.

"It's rather unconventional." Allen Admitted, staring at Tyki with those gray orbs that seemed to reach out for all he looked upon. His eyes just screamed 'I want to help!' Normally, he'd want to hurt this child for something like that. See what must have been such pure blood flow freely, but he felt none of that now. No need to hurt, maim, kill- he just felt intrigued by those eyes that would spare such a soft look for his enemy.

It was because of this boy that he couldn't feel that anymore. It was because of him that he was once again just another human. That he was no longer a part of the Noah family. His family.

But he couldn't bring himself to blame this boy.

"It is." He acknowledged, still thinking. It was out of pure intentions, he knew, that Allen Walker had ripped him in two, locking his other self away for good. He had wanted to save him.

But had he really been saved?

Or just torn apart?

He shook the thoughts from him, concentrating on the matter at hand. He was doing this because he wanted distraction. He didn't want to think about his problems right now.

The game was something he and his gang had put together a while ago, just a little something to pass the time, when they couldn't decide what to do. Allen cocked his head to the side. He still looked thoughtful.

"Well, it's fine by me, I suppose." A good natured smile replaced his contemplation, and Allen laughed softly. "I admit, it's not what I was expecting." Tyki returned the smile, and Allen nodded, as if he'd decided it for sure this time. The smile widening a little as he sat back down on the ground.

"What's your wager then, Mr. Mikk?"

Tyki slid from the chair he had been sitting on for the past three days, and joined the pale boy on the ground. It bothered him a little that he was being spoken to so formally, but he ignored it for the time being. He had other, more important things to worry about. "If I win," Tyki started, smirking. "You have to bring me food from your cafeteria."

Allen stared at him, blinking a few times before shooting his a weird look and a quirk of the eyebrow. "…You want food?" Tyki nodded. "Why didn't you just eat when the guards try to feed you?" Tyki rolled his eyes.

"Same reason I won't talk to them, b- er, Allen." He made a face, draping an arm on the seat of the chair beside him, bringing his head to lean on his palm as he continued. "I. Don't. Trust. Them."

He wondered why it was so easy to talk to this person, who had been his enemy so recently, who he had fought with and tried to kill, who had almost- He stopped himself from making another face as he once again pushed his mind from it.

Allen hesitated a moment before speaking.

"…You trust me?" Was that kid blushing? No… he must have imagined it.

The question made Tyki grin again though. "You're a good kid." He informed him, and another quirk of the eyebrows responded to him. Apparently, he didn't appreciate the wording. "You could've killed me a lot more easily back then, left me to die or something. But you didn't. I doubt you'd do anything now, if you weren't willing to at that time, Allen." He didn't mean to, but he'd managed to slip a little bit of an accent into the child's name, rolling the 'll's as he said it.

"…Oh…"

"Am I wrong?" Pale eyes widened and the white haired teen shook his head in a quick negative. Tyki nodded briskly. He was wishing he hadn't mentioned the events of the ark already. Damn it, why couldn't he just relax and… and what? He didn't know. This was a distraction; it couldn't be permanent after all. He sighed, forcing his mind back to the fact that he was, in fact in a cell, trying to start playing a game with Allen. "So, what's your bet?" He asked, glancing at the door despite himself.

He didn't like the idea of someone listening in on this conversation, being in the Order as he was.

Allen seemed to give pause at that, looking down thoughtfully before a small grin appeared on the boy's pale face. "If I win, you have to eat." Allen stated, looking up at him. Tyki stared. After the conversation he'd just had with that kid, he… "The food they give you, I mean. You shouldn't starve yourself." The way Allen said that, it was as if doing so was like insulting all the people who ate out there by starving or something. He opened his mouth to protest the unfairness of the request, about to point of that a bet couldn't be agreed on unless both players agreed on it, but Allen spoke again before he had the chance. The fifteen year old sounded too calm, in a way that was scarier than any tone he had heard, besides the Earl of Millennium's. "I don't think you need to worry about them poisoning you, by the way." Allen's half lidded eyes looking casually at the ceiling as he spoke.

This kid was starting to act more like the card shark he had been when they first met.

He sighed, smiling despite himself. "Fine then." He held out his right hand. "Shake on it?" Allen smirked in return taking the hand in his own and shaking firmly.

- x -

After checking not only the lunch room, the science section, Allen's room and the training area, Lavi was running out of places to suggest to Linalee. He knew one place Allen might be (the chances of the British boy being there were growing exponentially by the minute) but that wasn't a place Lavi particularly wanted to bring up.

More specifically, who it would bring up, and What Allen had done for this particular enemy like the idiotic Martyr he was and forever would be.

Lavi heaved a sigh, letting the air blow out of his mouth to lift some of the hair hanging in his face.

The force wasn't great enough to keep it away (He hadn't thought it would be) and the red strands fell right back into place, only a few lf them even shifting, thanks to the bandana that held them.

"…Maybe he's bugging Kanda?" Lavi tried, and it was Linalee's turn to sigh, hers more forlorn than anything else. She shook her head, their hour and a half of searching for the missing young man obviously taking their toll on her. She seemed uncomfortably, and defeated, like she had known all along as well that if Allen had bothered to sneak out of the Matron's clutches, it would be to go do something kind and idiotic.

Like Visiting Tyki Mikk.

The Peace of mind she had gained from the temporary loss of her Innocence's burden seemed to be wearing thin.

"Kanda-kun's in the infirmary right now." Linalee informed him, and Lavi wondered if she had been distracted when the man had declared his great dislike of the place and stormed off like a child.

"Maybe he's…" She struggled for a few seconds for a place to suggest, and Lavi contemplated the a point of skirting around a truth both of them were obviously already aware of…Besides that peace of mind, if only for just a little while longer.

"…The forest?" Lavi was pulling at straws but that peace of mind seemed so important, for some reason. Linalee glanced over at him skeptically, but nodded none the less.

"Maybe." And they were off again.

For some reason, that peace of mind just seemed so precious…

He wondered if that meant he was still getting attached.

He wondered how long he planned on fooling himself wondering.

- x -

It didn't take them as long as Allen had expected for Tyki Mikk to think of the first 'Trial'. He supposed the man must have been thinking about this for a while, though he didn't see why he would have been so difficult if he'd been planning this all along.

"So… You're going to say three things, and I have to guess which one is false?" Allen Reiterated. Mikk nodded, looking exasperated that he'd had to explain such a simple concept at all.

"Yep. I'll tell you three things, and one will be false, you've got to figure out which one you think it is." Allen nodded. It seemed very easy. Except…

"How do I know You won't lie?" Allen asked, trying not to seem like he cared too much. He just really hated to lose, and if they were going to cheat… He didn't want to be on the wrong end of it.

"We're playing with the honor system. If I cheat, give me a high score or something, it'll only hurt me."

Allen nodded; it wasn't like it really mattered anyway. "Alright, go for it." He was curious as well. He admitted he knew nothing about the man he had risked his life to save- nothing but reasons he should have just left him to die. His heart constricted at the thought of allowing a life to slip through his fingertips if he had the chance to save it.

He wouldn't mind finding out some things about this man.

The Older of the two leaned back, staring up at the ceiling in thought. He seemed to be gathering himself more than thinking up his facts. He didn't look like he was concentrating.

"…Well, I'm 26, I've got a high school diploma, and-" He stopped, obviously noticing the look of disbelief Allen was currently sporting. "What?"

"…Aren't you a Coal Miner?" The look that responded to Allen's question implied he didn't see the problem.

"Yeah, so?"

Allen pointed at him, look of pure disbelief now completely unmistakable. "So- people with diplomas don't become coal miners!" He pronounced, and Tyki blinked at him."….." Allen coughed and gather back his composure, cheeks tinted slightly red. Finally Tyki laughed. "'That your final answer? I haven't even said the last one…."

Nodding firmly, Allen leaned foreword seriously. "Yes." His tone was decisive.

Tyki huffed. "Well it's your turn now then!" he declared with arms crossed. It almost looked like he was pouting. A thought struck him then that made him pause.

Was Tyki Mikk really contented to just stay in this cell and let the war go on outside? To just play this game and pretend it wasn't happening at all…?

It didn't seem right. For some reason the idea of Tyki just giving up on everything he loved because of something Allen did really bothered him. He felt this irrational (completely irrational- it would be trying to get the enemy to fight against them again) urge to help Tyki find his resolve to fight even without his Noah genes.

That was not a good thing to be feeling. He gulped, well aware of how dangerous his thoughts were. He was already on thin ice for saving Tyki at all he was sure, although Cross seemed to be blowing it off as this being his intention all along. 'This' being Tyki's present condition, his present situation…

"B- Allen, you okay?" The Portuguese man frowned, letting his sulky disposition leave him as he leaned towards the younger boy curiously.

"Ah…." Allen started, thinking fast. He wasn't going to tell Tyki what he was thinking that would be stupid. "You uh- you didn't tell me if I was right first!" He finally accused, his bluff causing Tyki to laugh a little again. He found he very much liked the sound."Yeah yeah I'll tell you if you did after your turn." He smirked. "It's your punishment for not waitin' till I at least finished talking before you guessed." The cheerful, confident expressions, obviously meant to make him uneasy about his decision to answer without waiting for Tyki to finish, only managed to make Allen feel a little better.

Even if he couldn't help Tyki like that, he never could, he could at least make sure he ate.

- x -

Lavi had given up trying to avoid the situation. Allen had gone to see Tyki Mikk and there were no two ways about it. Linalee had agreed.

They were on their way there now.

Hours had gone by since they'd started looking, too many hours. Linalee was tired and bothered, and Lavi was just plain frustrated. Allen shouldn't have even been in there that long. But they'd peaked stealthily back into the infirmary and lunchrooms to check and Allen was still missing.

Linalee had her hands clasped tightly in front on her, and she was watching her feet move across the stone floor as they walked. She was biting her lip again, and Lavi felt the need to make that stop. She really needed to break that habit, she was hurting herself…

He opened his mouth to say something, but his mind was for once completely blank. Panda-jii wouldn't like that at all. He was getting too… Suddenly, he snorted, the train of thought he had been skirting in and out of since his battle with Rhode and even before filling him with an irrational irritation and impatience.

He was a bookman, but he was also an Exorcist. Exorcists could worry about their comrades. He was Lavi now and until the end of the war and he was going to let himself act like it, at least for now.

Linalee tore her large violet eyes away from her feet to stare at her traveling companion. "Lavi?" She asked uncertainly. "Are you okay?"

Lavi stared back at her, a smile forming on his face. "Yep! Just fine. How're you holding up?"

She didn't respond, instead looking foreword once again. And stopping her progress foreword abruptly. Lavi just barely managed to stop in time too, narrowly avoiding running right into Kanda who was for some unfathomable reason standing dead in the center of the hall watching them.

"Y-Yuu-chan-" He choked out, stepping back with a nervous grin. "Whatcha doin all the way out here?" Kanda was frowning at him, eyes narrowed.

"I could ask you the same thing." He growled, looking over at Linalee. "Both of you."

Linalee stared at him face unreadable. "Kanda-kun.." She said eventually, sounding a little confused. "Aren't you supposed to be resting?" Her eyebrows drew together slightly. "Weren't you badly injured in your battle with the Noah?"

"I'm fine." he responded shortly, thought it was more of a response than Lavi would have gotten. "Why aren't you?" His tone was harsh, but it was more than a little obvious that he was worrying for her just as much as Lavi had been.

Awww… Yuu-chan was worried…

As if sensing his thoughts, Lavi was sharply placed on the receiving end of an evil eye. He laughed nervously and edged a little closer to Linalee for safety. Linalee glanced at him, then back at Kanda, then down at her feet again.

"We're… looking for Allen-kun, actually…." She told Kanda and the swordsman seemed if anything less pleased by this development. Linalee either didn't notice, or was unaffected by the aura of irritation that exuded from their companion because she just continued without faltering. "We haven't found him anywhere, and I was worried, and we thought he might be….." She cut herself off, suddenly looking uncertain. Glancing at

Lavi for help Linalee bit her lip again.

Lavi stared back at her, for once not worrying about the repercussions that taking his eyes off an irked Kanda would defiantly have as he tried to find the right words to explain.

It didn't seem for some reason a good idea to tell Kanda about their theory. Kanda was the type to turn on Allen as Chaoji had- maybe. But telling him wouldn't help anything either way he was sure.

It would have been best to just not mention Allen in front of Kanda at all really. Those two never got along no matter what. He gulped, realizing he needed to say something at least.

He let his visible eye sweep over to the long haired man half lidded and calculating. Kanda's frown deepened, obviously seeing the glint present there. "Well Yuu-chan, to be honest, we're looking for Allen in the holding area. For prisoners." He said calmly, having deemed the truth the safest rout at this point.

Linalee seemed relieved he hadn't said a certain person's name.

"…Tch." Kanda's nose wrinkled slightly in his irritation. "Like I care anyway, baka-Usagi." He was staring at him very intensely, trying to see through whatever façade Lavi was putting on today. Kanda may have been the person at the order who knew him best..

He swept past the both of them without another word, the tense atmosphere dissipating as his footsteps faded into the distance when he turned the corner. Linalee looked confused and worried, staring up at Lavi questioningly.

"WHEEEEEEW-" Lavi said finally, leaning against a wall and placing his hand to his chest dramatically. "I wonder what's up with Yuu-chan he seemed even pissier that USUAL!" He grinned at Linalee. "Well anyways, we should get going right? It would suck pretty bad if Allen disappeared again just cause we took too long~"

"Ah- yeah!" Linalee nodded, snapping out of her confusion at Lavi's cheerful tone. She turned back to the empty corridor and started moving. "We should go then defiantly!" Lavi smiled affectionately as he followed her towards their destination.

Kanda waited quietly, just around the corner until they were well on their way again before he followed. He wouldn't admit something stupid like he was worried for any of those idiots, least of the Moyashi himself, or that he was curious. Because he wasn't. They didn't matter that much. He just wanted to beat the crap out of the stupid white haired brat for causing such a commotion all the time.

- x -

The darkened room had emptied long ago, only three men remaining. Of those three men, two were locked in a battle of silence, staring at each other intently, waiting for the other to crack.

Revoulire glared seriously into the calm confident eyes of Cross, who was smirking for all the world like this battle was already won.

Inspector Link stood silently observing the two- he had not been ordered to leave as of yet or he would have given his commanding officer and the bane of said commanding officer's existence some privacy while they silently let their problems work up instead of out. As it was, he stood there silently as well, drawing his own conclusions on the situation.

It seemed that, despite the lack of information the captured Noah had given them on anything, his presence there alone was a useful weapon against the Earl, one that their enemy likely was not aware of at present.

But the actions of the one who had brought the Noah here, Allen Walker were in question. It was already plainly an issue raised by Revoulire that Allen Walker had a suspicious connection with the Noah. He had control over the Noah's Ark, a weapon of the Earl, had the eye of an Akuma, and had saved a Noah.

Cross insisted all were done with the intent of making them useful to the order, that the reasons didn't matter if the motives were favorable.

But not even Link was convinced that the motives were as such. Maybe Cross's were, though he doubted even that. Allen Walker seemed for all intents and purposes to have saved the Noah simply for act of saving him. From the information they had on him, (Which was surprisingly little, likely thanks once again to Cross) he was a martyr and a fool who sacrificed his life and happiness willingly for anyone he called 'friend'.

And there, Link had deemed inlay the problem. Apparently this Noah had been deemed 'friend' as well.

"This is getting nowhere, Cross." Revoulire ground out, breaking the silence and therefore losing the first round of the game. "It doesn't matter what you do and don't tell us now though. We'll get it out of the boy one way or another."

Cross grinned at the tall man, looking more predatorily than friendly in Link's opinion. Then again, that was his aim in all certainty. "Good luck with that."

"That brat never knew what he was doing."

- x -

And if I told you that I loved you
You'd maybe think there's something wrong
I'm not a man of too many faces
The mask I wear is one...

Those who speak know nothing
And find out to their cost
Like those who curse their luck in too many places
And those who smile are lost

I know that the spades are the swords of a soldier
I know that the clubs are weapons of war
I know that diamonds mean money for this art
But that's not the shape of my heart
That's not the shape of my heart

Shape of My Heart
- Sting

kkiM ikyT : eno dnuoR

- x -

Chapter one end

I... really hope this is okay-

It took far too long as I said to bring this to you, and As I said I will attempt to explain myself if only slightly.

First off, I would like to apologize again because honestly, the majority of this was written well into a year ago, and hasn't been touched for almost as long. Many things have been gping on in my life to prevent me form writing, from school to family emergencies to just plain old writers block. Then my computer stopped turning on perminantly and I lost a good portion of everything that I had on all my stories.

Which really really sucked and made me want to write even less. But beyond excuses, here are the facts-

I have been looking over my old stories, particularly This and Semblance and have decided to give this one another chance. It's not nearly as planned out as Semblance and so I have more room to run wild and settle back in. If I get encouraged enough by this, then I may start up Semblance again too.

If I decide that it's a lost cause, at the very least I have plans and some snippets of things I had started working on that was salvaged that I can post for anybody who wanted to know where they were going. But I won't do that yet, because I haven't decided for sure what I'm going to do.

For now, wish me luck on this story and I hope I don't disapoint too much.

On another note, I need to apologize for what will very likely (and may already have shown unfortunately) become commonplace ooc if there wasn't any before. I haven't touched D Gray-man in almost as long as I haven't touched my stories, and haven't really been reading the new chapters of the manga either. Therefore I probably don't know a hell of a lot of stuff that I really should when writing this, and it won't appear in this story because of that. Sorry. I'm warning you all ahead of time.

All that aside, I really do hope I'll be able to continue this and that people will still enjoy it, and just as I said last time (so very... very.. long ago...) I like reviews a lot~

They're rather pleasant motivators and a reat way to tell me that anybody's still willing to read this.

Well either way, ta ta (hopefully not just) for now