Hey guys! Now I have your chapter!

Turns out while I was transferring files I thought I lost my files for the story. Luckily I found the chapter files (couldn't find my story notes I made for DwD sadly) but here we are! Geez, between the last chapter and this one we got DGM Hallow and got thru Chapter 223. Kinda crazy, huh?

Disclaimer: Not mine. It's Katsura Hoshino's beautiful creation. If it were, Chaoji would be gone.

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Almost immediately after calling Komui, Kanda felt he'd made a big mistake.

"Ah, Yu! I was wondering when you would call today!" the director says in a cheery tone. Hearing that, however, Kanda can't help but let out an annoyed sigh.

Silence only lingers for a split second before Komui's tone suddenly switches. "How's Allen doing?"

Kanda frowns. Despite the injury to his side, the stupid Moyashi had insisted on staying nearby. He rarely stepped away from the remains of the building, ignoring the tourists as they'd walked by. He even somehow managed to avoid the handful of reporters who made their way to the town. All for what, his promise?

"He's still at the site. He hasn't left there in two days."

Komui seems to gasp from his side of the phone. "Didn't you talk to him? He needs to come back here! Going this long in the SS for the first time…it's dangerous!"

Kanda rolls his eyes. He actually DID try talking to him; instead he acted stubborn and refused to talk to Kanda. He completely ignored him, just because of something Kanda had said the day before. "He claims he's doing it for the doll."

"I know, I know," Komui replies, his chair creaking being loud enough for Kanda hear through the phone. "You mentioned yesterday."

The exorcist lets out another sigh. This Moyashi…he'd put the entire mission in jeopardy just for…what? Kanda thought it was stupidity; he'd called it 'love'.

Noting Kanda's silence, Komui continues to speak. "We've gotten word from a Finder group in Spain; it appears they've gotten secure evidence of Innocence. We currently have Marie heading over-"

Before Komui can continue, Kanda shuts him down. "Let me go as well."

The eccentric director almost screams into the phone. "I will not! You need to heal, Kanda! You been going on missions so much-"

"I don't care. I'm going."

"What about Allen-"

Kanda hesitates, but his answer is concrete. "He'll be back soon."

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It wasn't until Allen had looked at the nearby clock in town that he realized how little sleep he'd gotten the past two days. In fact, he hadn't gotten any; he'd remained awake for two straight days. He knew it wasn't humanly possible; then again, neither was the SS, which was probably the only reason he was still able to remain awake.

But as he turned and looked away from the clock, the side-effects from the SS began settling in again. The aching in his body, the numbness in his head; the tugging feeling that he'd felt the night he arrived at Mater in his gut had become significantly stronger. It felt as if he was being ripped into two now, and it took all of Allen's might to stay focused and not fall apart.

He took his spot sitting along the stairs that led up to the large hole of rubble. There had been a century-old theater there only two days ago, according to the doll. Now, it was just a giant crater of rubble and history; at the bottom of it now sat two faint bodies.

A few tourists lingered about, looking into the hole and talking to one another. A few used 'phones' and 'cameras' to take photos of them over the hole. However, they all quickly noticed the sound coming from the bottom of the hole.

There was somebody singing.

The voice was light and airy; it carried well along the light breeze that currently drifted through town. While it was soft and fairly quiet, the people standing around the theater remains quickly heard it and began to grow quiet.

Noticing the singing, Allen pulls his legs closer towards his body and tugs at the hood of his exorcist coat. The dark material covers his hair, and even most of his face, as if to try and surround himself in the fabric. He wanted to sleep so badly; to close his eyes and return to the hospital, to the Order.

But, he had a mission to finish; a promise to keep.

He promised the doll she'd sing until her dying breath, that he would take the Innocence after she died, even if that meant fighting Kanda or any other Akuma who possibly came in the way.

Thinking back to his promise, it shocked Allen that it had all taken place two days prior. In fact, it only felt like it'd been within hours. Yet, just by his exhaustion alone, he could tell it had been longer. Shaking his head, he lets out a sigh and continues his silent watch over the site.

He wasn't dare going to back out now, even when his body screamed for rest and threatened to split in two.

Silently, Allen let's his mind wander back, back to the events that had happened two days ago.

It was still fresh in his mind; him finding the large ballroom inside the theater, moonlight shining down into the room. The two bodies that sat in the center, one covered in cloak and the other a young girl with blonde hair. The surprised look on the girl's face when she noticed him standing there, carrying both Kanda and Toma.

He wasn't even able to get a word out before the Akuma appeared from above, crashing through the remains of the ceiling and landing behind the girl. And before Allen could even activate his Innocence again, the Akuma had ran its morphed arm through the girl's chest.

Like a reflex, Allen cringes, his mouth going into a frown as he recalls those moments. If he'd been faster…or if he'd been smarter…

Almost immediately after, he'd dropped Kanda and set Toma onto the floor and began racing towards the Akuma. He'd already let who knew how many people die that night, all because he hadn't been quick enough. And, here he was again, just a few seconds too late to save this girl.

He ignored his world turning from color to black and white and grey in reaction to the Akuma; instead, he went straight towards the demon's head, trying to avoid the soul that floated beside it. The grin on the demon's face only grew wider and harsher once he spotted Allen.

The two then fought, meeting even blow after blow. Both morphed arms clashed and came apart, sending one another flying in another direction for the other to chase after. It was a fight to the death now; if this Akuma's soul wasn't saved, Allen was surely going to die. If that happened, the Innocence would've been lost, Kanda and Toma and the entire city would perish, and this Akuma would get stronger.

Again, Allen found himself angry at his past actions. If he had noticed the Akuma actually hadn't gotten a hold of the Innocence, he could've saved himself the injury he'd gotten along his left side. Not only that, he could've saved those two, the two currently at the bottom of the hole. Well, maybe.

Pressing a single hand against his injured side, the teen feels the dry blood on the bandages. Luckily for him, it's not bleeding, as it was slowly becoming harder and harder to replace bandages after two days straight in the SS. Especially since Kanda insisted that he wasn't going to dare help in any way after their argument.

"Man, I'm going to get in so much trouble…" he mumbles, realizing what Komui might do when he got back to the Order. At the last orphanage, if he got hurt, the adults would yell at him and blame himself for his injuries, when a majority of the time it had been someone or something else that caused them. It gave them more reason to keep in the attic as well, isolated from everyone else. But Komui, the Order, wouldn't do that, would they?

Allen and the Level Two fought for a while, trading blows and eventually destroying all that practically remained of the old theater that had once stood. It became a hole of rubble, the only thing remain was the floor and a couple of doorways leading into the underground passages nearby. The two people Allen had first encountered were still at the center, luckily unharmed from the rubble and fight. So was Toma, and in some ways Kanda as well.

With the Akuma trapped under the rubble from the building, Allen had taken the chance to go and attend to the girl and the person who was with her. The girl was slumped over the second person, who had been lying on the floor. The girl once had bandages on her face, but those were now gone to reveal gears and switches in her head instead of a layer of skin. Her eyes are frantic and wide; her hands clasped around a single wrinkled hand of the second person on the floor and shaking

"Please! Just until he's gone! Let me sing!"

Almost instinctively, Allen turns his head towards the hole, as if he could see the song coming from it. He listens for a few seconds, the voice and tune striking a nostalgic tone with him. Two days ago, when he first heard the doll, Lala, beg to sing, he hadn't really understood what she meant. He eventually would; and that was what caused him and Kanda to argue.

"I won't let you get the Innocence, Exorcist!" the Akuma had screeched before launching itself straight towards the girl. It aimed its morphed arm, which had taken the form of a blade, towards the girl's heart yet again, has it had been too low before. Instead it met Allen's left side, causing a deep gash that went straight through his uniform and into his skin.

Realizing that he'd missed, the Akuma tried striking the girl again. Yet before his blow could make contact with either Allen or the girl, it is stopped by a third force.

Kanda, grimacing through all of his pain and stubbornness, held his Mugen tightly in his right hand. It clashed quietly with the Akuma, and managed to push the demon into the nearby remains of a wall.

Letting out a sigh, Allen turns his head back towards the town of Mater, one that still seemed to be somewhat full of people despite the visibly-burnt or destroyed buildings in certain parts of town. Beyond that though, it was a beautiful place; a one-of-a-kind town for sure. He certainly would not forget it.

"Kanda?!" Allen exclaims, noticing his partner somehow standing and wielding his Innocence despite the injuries he'd sustained. "What are you doing?"

"Something you couldn't do," he'd snapped back, not even glancing at Allen. "Kill that Akuma."

Allen's eyes narrowed. Before he could have said a word back, Kanda went after the Akuma, leaving him to tend to the girl. She'd looked between the person on the floor, an old man of sorts, and Allen, her eyes pleading for help.

Hearing footsteps coming up the stairs, Allen tugs at his hood to try and cover his hair a little bit more. Yet, out of the corner of his eye he spots a familiar sight of blue hair. Again, he finds himself completely baffled by the surprise appearance of his mission partner.

"What are you doing here?" he grumbles, his eyes darting back towards the hole he was watching over. A grumpy frown crosses over Kanda's face; he was in no mood to be back with the Moyashi.

"I've been forced by Komui to give you some information," he says in an annoyed tone. "He wants you back in London by the end of the day with the Innocence. No exceptions."

Surprised, Allen's head shoots up, sending his hood off of his head. It was because Allen wanted to fulfill the girl's promise that he and Kanda stayed separate for the past two days. Kanda just wanted to take the Innocence, the doll's heart, and return back to London without a thought. Allen, meanwhile, wanted her to fulfill her promise and wait till afterwards to take the Innocence. "What? I made a promise to that girl, and she's going to keep it! I'll make sure of it!"

Kanda lets out one of his trademark 'che's and rolls his eyes. "Moyashi, this isn't some fantasy story. This is a job. This is our job as Exorcists. We destroy Akuma, retrieve Innocence, and repeat the cycle. We're destroyers. We aren't saviors."

Temper beginning to flare, Allen stands up in a hurry. A jolt of pain flashes across his side, but he ignores it. "Then I want to be a destroyer who saves."

Just as the two are about to fight, a cry erupts from nearby, in the direction of the theater remains. Both look in that direction, and spot the few tourists that were gathered near the edge staring down. Allen's eyes widen as he listens to the wind blow by; he hears no song, instead only the comments of the travelers at the edge of the hole.

There was no song.

Instinctively, the younger Exorcist dashes towards the edge of the hole, forgetting about his painful injury and the exhaustion from the SS. Upon arrival, he looks down, searching across the broken pieces of rubble and tile in hopes of finding the doll and the man she loved still intact. He finds the couple towards the center, sunlight shining down on both like a warm shower. Neither of them was moving.

"Are they dead?" Kanda asks, walking up to Allen's side. He glances at the hole with narrow eyes; he opens his mouth to speak again, but finds himself instead staring at the two.

"No…" Allen mutters, completely in disbelief. He launches himself over the edge of the hole, jumping down along the side of some piled rubble. He ignores the stares of the tourists and Kanda; he is focused only on the girl.

"Guzol and I…we want to be at each other's side until our demise!" the girl had said, over and over. "I want to sing to him till he's gone!"

Allen didn't have to ask if this girl had the Innocence. He'd figured it out, thanks to the Akuma. He also knew the mission he was given; his first mission, the one that could have decided his fate within the Order. But to take the Innocence, this girl's heart, and killing her without her consent…it wasn't right. It wasn't just.

The girl noticed his hesitation, and spoke again. "After we die, you can take my Innocence; my heart. Just until then, please wait…please…" she pleads. She probably would've been sobbing had she been human. "We promised…"

Allen frowns, realizing what he had to do. For the fate of himself, the girl, Kanda, and the Akuma, Allen had to make a decision.

Reaching the bottom of the hole, the white-haired exorcist races over to the duo. He spots the frame of the girl, sitting completely engulfed in the sunlight.

Allen looked at the girl with confident eyes. "I'll let you keep your promise."

Arriving to the side of the girl, he finds out what he feared to be true. She had stopped singing; her face forever pressed upward to the sky. Her mouth remained agape, as if she were still moving. However, she was silent; no part of her body dared to move. Allen reaches down to check the old man; he too, not surprisingly, was not moving as well. His heart did not move, his chest did not heave.

Both were gone.

The wind gusts, blowing around the dust and parts of the rubble along with Allen's coat. Every part of the couple, however, remained still. He looked at the two in disbelief; part of him wanted the two to live, to not die and be happy. The other part wanted to complete the mission; to return the Innocence and return to the Order successful and just as happy.

Allen sheds a single, silent tear. Not just for their souls and happiness, but also that he, too, would do the same. He too could find his happiness at the Order, just as these two had.

The girl looked at the Exorcist with surprise. No, it wasn't that. It was gratefulness. She clasps her hand tighter around the man's hand. He also looked just as thankful, his mouth wide in a frail smile. The girl said only two words-

"Thank you."

And just like that, the girl, now just a dead doll, falls backwards to the wind.

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Within the hour, Allen found himself back at the Order. He'd been shown how to move Innocence through the SS (which was a fairly weird experience), and how to return back to the Order. Kanda didn't even come back; he was off almost immediately towards Spain. Toma, meanwhile, packed up his things, caught his taxi, and was off on the large highway to the closest airport.

When Allen got back, he expected all sorts of scolding and yelling from the adults. They surely had to be mad at him for staying so long in the SS, especially for his first time in the system. That and getting such a bad injury; why he'd left himself open like that. So many scenarios played out in Allen's head, he ended made himself nervous.

Yet, when he woke up in the hospital, he was instead greeted with a warm smile and cookies from Komui. The Head, of all people in the hospital, was the first person to greet him. Then two of his office workers, by the names of Reever and Johnny, came and helped the boy up to his feet.

Allen had been led throughout the hospital; he supposed he was going to some punishment room sorts. Instead, he was led to the large cafeteria, where a large banner had been strung across the ceiling. Food was set up all across the multiple tables, and balloons of assorted colors danced across the floor.

The Order had thrown him a birthday party.

Allen had been so wrapped up in everything, he completely forgotten his birthday. How, he couldn't say, especially with how worried he been about at the beginning of the week. Back when he'd still been at the orphanage.

Almost all of the Order's workers/employees were in attendance, even the busy ones Allen had seen days earlier buried in piles of papers in Komui's office. He even managed to spot Lenalee, waiting towards the front, a large grin on her face.

The surprise was enough to bring Allen to tears, but the realization that everyone had come to celebrate him was too much for his emotions to handle. Even though he was different, even though he wasn't normal, these people were accepting him and celebrating his life. He never had any sort of event for him. At least, since he lived with Mana.

Now Allen sat, eating his fifth full meal of the evening, large smile on his face. Even after being near him for a week, Lenalee just looked on, still shocked by how much her comrade could eat. The two sat at the table by themselves, the adults off and either getting more food or getting themselves drunk.

"Do you ever get full?" she asks, hoping to receive an answer. Allen just shakes his head, swallowing down the rest of his food.

"Not normally. I'm always hungry though," he replies, causing the two to laugh.

Noticing the lack of a certain character, Allen cannot help but become curious. "Where's Lavi? Is he reading or something?"

The pigtailed girl shakes her head. "He's off on his own mission. Lavi doesn't use the SS for missions often; he usually goes off with another Exorcist, Bookman, and they view the scene directly."

Allen's eyes grow wide. He was told a majority of Exorcists, throughout the years, used the SS for travel to save on both medical and travel costs. It was also safer in terms of getting an Exorcist away from the scene if it became too hard to take on. Did Lavi have some reason he went to the mission in person?

Noting Allen's surprise, Lenalee nods her head. "I know he's this supposed 'Bookman' and all, but he seemed pretty concerned about this one. He didn't really talk about before he left either…." She trails off, also becoming curious about her friend's movements.

"Well, we'll have to save a piece of cake for him right?" she chirps, standing from her seat in a flash. "He is our friend, after all."

Allen pauses. "We're…friends?" the word comes off his tongue oddly; it felt like a forbidden word. He was just so used to being alone; he thought he would have to slowly work towards a friendship with the others. Yet Lenalee…

Lenalee looks back in confusion. "Well, we guess he's also our family too…"

Still in shock, Allen's head slowly droops forward. The words ring in his head; friends, family. He hadn't experienced those in years. And now…now he had one. He had friends. He had an actual family. All thanks to the Order.

See, he wanted to shout to the children at all of the orphanages. I'm not a freak. I have a home. I have friends. I have a family, something you don't have. I'm not abnormal.

He looks back up at his new friend with a small smile, another set of tears building at the edges of his grey eyes. "We're friends!" he confirms. Lenalee, realizing what that had meant to him, covers her mouth with her hand.

"Of course!"

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Even before he arrived, Lavi could sense his mission was serious. The way Komui had been so hesitant to talk into detail, and how the old panda had been so stern and quiet told Lavi enough that he wouldn't ask any questions.

Now that he saw the town and the remains, a large hole forms in the pit of his stomach. It was a massacre; a massacre that included no bullet holes, the first sign of an Akuma. While the idea of a Level Two causing all of it remained at Lavi's forefront, the idea that it got in and killed every person in town without causing harm to a single building was strange. The blood in the streets and painted along the building walls was strange enough as is.

The real surprise came at the center of town, at the fountain.

The hearts of all of the townspeople were piled on the fountain, all silent and dying the fountain water red. It almost made Lavi want to puke; instead, he forced himself to remain stoic and did his best to not stare.

Bookman however did not hesitate to approach it. He studied it for only a few seconds before he whispered, "The Heart of Innocence."

His eyes widen even further after another realization strikes him from somewhere. "Noah,"

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So yeah, the next chapter will be out eventually. Not setting a date, but it'll get update in the next year hopefully. Last time I tried to give an exact date I uploaded it a year late.

If you guys want to give me some extra help, I'd appreciate if you check out my own original writing. It's on FictionPress, Wattpad, Figment, and Honeyfeed. It's called Generation InFinity. Feedback for any story, this one or GF is appreciated.

Sorry for the wait, hopefully next time won't be as long! :)