Some conversations are taken from Lost Fragment of Snow, the second chapter from the third novel of DGM: Reverse.

December 22, 1882, Manchester, England

Newly-appointed General Cross Marian sighed as he trudged along the snow-ridden path. Why did he join the Black Order in the first place? Being a freelance Exorcist seemed better than being ordered around. Oh yeah, the Finders found him at the ruins of London and noticed his Innocence gun. There was no way he couldn't join the Black Order. He should've run away the moment he spotted the tan coats. Stupid emotional moment.

He had just finished his assignment in the neighboring town, Droylsden regarding a strange statue that predicted the deaths of anyone who touched it. Of course, none of its predictions came true and it annoyed the locals to no end. The story reached the ears of the Black Order and they sent Finders after it. However, the Akumas nearby had also sensed the Innocence's presence and had started moving.

The Finders sent a message to the Black Order about the impending danger and the Order saw fit to send the 'only' available Exorcist in the HQ. That damn Komui refused to send his 'darling, sweet, innocent Leenalee' stating that she had just come back from a mission two days ago.

Cross had taken a train with a Finder, who he didn't bother to ask the name, to the nearest town with a train station. A carriage had been set up there to take them to Droylsden. On their way, they encountered six Level One Akumas which destroyed their carriage. All were obliterated by Cross. Those fucking heathens forced him to run toward the town, and he hated dirtying his clothes.

Upon arriving, he saw the Finders unsuccessfully pushing the Akumas away from the statue. Shots were fired and the Akumas were soon nowhere to be found. Cross ignored the grateful 'Thanks' sent his way and immediately zoned in on the statue.

He took savage pleasure in destroying the awful statue. He took the Innocence and stored in his new but now dirty General's cloak. He proceeded to question the locals about their red light district. He had every intention of getting smashed.

However, the locals chokingly informed him that the town had none of those. It was relatively new, after all.

That caused Cross to be shocked, then angry. There were no train stations nearby and the nearest town was the capital, Manchester. He once again ignored the Finders as he stormed off, intent of reaching the next town that day.

Che, he'd send the report when he felt like it. He was a General now, and weren't Generals supposed to wander aimlessly until they'd found an Innocence and an accommodator?

Unfortunately, he did not reach the capital that day. Instead he was forced to camp out in the freezing snow. He reached Manchester by the afternoon the next day. By then, he was thoroughly annoyed.

Upon arriving, he grilled the nearest local about the town's red light district which they thankfully had. He made a beeline for one of the town's whorehouses. He, of course, chose the most extravagant one he could find. He found that, through 'research', most expensive places dished out the best services and alcoholic beverages.

He put all expenses on one Malcolm C. Lvellie's tab. The man was such a stick in the mud and it was somewhat his fault for forcing him to join the Order. That Malcolm shouldn't have made a callous remark that made Cross lose his temper and agree. He was not a coward, damn it!

That was how Cross Marian spent the next two days in Manchester, hopping from one bar to another until Lvellie's tab reached more than a thousand gold coins.

December 24, 1882

Cross finally got bored and checked himself in a simple inn. This time he paid with his own money which was sparingly few. That damn brother of his pushing all his debts on Cross! Even after twenty years, the damn debt collectors were still hounding him.

After leaving his things in his room, he got up and decided to walk around town. He put on his faded winter coat and tied his hair back. As he was exploring the town, he noticed a tense atmosphere permeating the air. His sharp eyes immediately honed on townspeople eyeing him hungrily.

1..2...3...10...20...25...

He counted at least twenty-five and he supposed that there were many more scattered across town. The question was: Why weren't they attacking?

Unless...a Noah?

Then he heard cheering and from the top of the crowd's head, he saw a powdered face of a clown. He would have gone on and ignore the circus performance when through a gap, he saw a red-haired kid performing an impressive somersault and landing nimbly like a cat. Then Cross saw the kid's face.

He pushed through the crowd until he reached the front. The duo was bowing when he reached them. The kid was holding out a silk cap in which people were tossing coins. He gazed at the blushing kid's face, taking on his features meticulously and comparing it to someone he knew.

If this was him...would he...?

"Kid, what's your name?" Cross demanded. He saw the kid turn around and seem to shrink back.

Allen would never do that.

He felt pity and put some money in the kid's hat. The kid looked shocked and continued to gaze dumbly at him.

Allen would never have a dumb look on his face.

"Didn't you hear me? Your name." Cross repeated impatiently when he saw the kid still staring.

Then the kid shook his head and turned away from him. He was ignoring him?

The brat continued giving out the fliers he was holding and telling promotional statements to those listening.

"Oi!" Cross shouted. He took a stab in the dark. "You're called Allen?"

The boy actually froze and for a moment, Cross hoped that he would say 'yes'.

"No." The boy mumbled as he glanced at Cross. Cross concealed the disappointment he felt with that answer.

After a moment, the kid turned away and muttered, "...'m not a dog."

"Hah?" Cross was confused. Which part had he mentioned about a dog? He threw that thought away and focused on the clown the kid was constantly glancing at. He frowned as he saw the golden eyes on the clown's face. He studied briefly the clown's face.

Neah? No. Jaw's too broad. Mana, then.

He paused before looking back at the kid. He felt his heart clench at the familiar face staring back at him.

I probably won't remember you, or anyone in the family.

The silver eyes that could sometimes be seen as blue had stared at him with fear and no recognition.

I don't know how long this adaptation will last...

It's been more than twenty years, idiot brother.

...so please, take care of yourself.

I am, you hero-complex. And I want you to do the same to yourself.

"...If that's not your name, forget it." He said. The kid looked back at him. "Listen up, brat." He took some pleasure in calling this amnesiac pseudo-brother of his that. "Don't get too close to Mana." He started a tragedy that can never be forgotten. You'll get hurt.

Goodbye, Marian.

Goodbye, Allen. He then turned around and disappeared amongst the crowd. He did not want to see his brother's young face anymore. It hurt too much even though he said he would never bother with such mushy emotions again.

He had reached the inn he was staying and ignored the owner's words of dinner. He wasn't hungry anyway. He sat down beside the window and gazed at the people below. He did not know how long he stared but he started when a clown passed through his line of sight, followed by the person he last wanted to see.

"Mana! He can't be found anymore!"

Huh? Were they talking about him?

Then the two left his field of vision. And it was no longer Cross' concern.

He stood up and straightened his clothes. The sun had already set and he was getting hungry. His hands felt a bump in his General's coat pocket. He pulled it out and frowned.

"Oi, wake up, you lazy golem." Cross gave the golden ball a forceful shake. The golem immediately jumped off his hand and bared its pointy teeth at him.

Cross merely gave it an unimpressed look.

"Come on, Timcanpy. Fly on your own. You're gettin' heavy." He said. "I'm getting food and don't you dare steal it. I swear to God if Neah returns, I will beat him to every inch of his Noah body for teaching you to play-eat. Stupid, good-for-nothing, thieving golem..."

Tim just to spite his current owner enlarged his size and sat on his head.

"Now he made me look stupid. Gerroff, you bloody turkey!" Cross attempted to dislodge the large golem from his head, but to no avail. Tim had grabbed locks of Cross' hair and the General couldn't just pull him off. The damn thing would ruin his hair!

He gave up when it became apparent that the golem wouldn't leave. He was about to order some food when he felt a shift in the air. It was a feeling he got when associating with the Campbell brothers...

He hurriedly ran out the inn and followed his gut feeling. His feet led him to the most crowded place possible, the circus. He immediately went in the largest tent. The feeling was overwhelming that he failed to notice that Tim was no longer on his head. He entered just in time to see a circus performer burst into dust.

He saw the Millennium Earl twirling that stupid pumpkin golem round and round as the Akumas destroyed everything in sight.

"Che, as I suspected?" He muttered rhetorically. He pulled out his silver gun and aimed. "Destroy them, Judgement."

In a few shots the Akumas were destroyed. He was lucky that there were no Level Twos and Threes involved, especially with the Earl here.

Speaking of...

"Hey, fat-ass" Cross called. He no longer feared the Earl. "Still enjoying tragedy, I see."

The Earl laughed even though all his machines were destroyed.

"I find them simply delightful. You Exorcists can never appreciate a good story."

Cross fired his gun. He never expected his bullet to hit. He just wanted to shut the guy up. As he expected, the Earl blocked the bullet with ease and obliterated the shot.

"There's nothing here for you to find, fatty. Leave."

"Oh?" The Earl questioned. Cross had the feeling he was raising an eyebrow. "Then what of the I-nno-cence you are carrying?"

The Earl held his hands up in front of him and Cross saw the Dark Matter being concentrated on the Earl's palms. Which were aimed right at him.

Shit!

He nimbly dodged to the side and began his chant.

"On, Avata, Ura, Masarakat, On-gatar."

The Grave which had once been his brother's rose from the ground. The chains loosened and vanished at the same time as the coffin.

"Activate!" Maria began her hymn, knowing her owner's intention immediately. Cross vanished from the Noah's sight.

"I've got no intention of fighting you, you megalomaniac." He sighed as the Earl looked around, sighed dramatically, and then vanished through a heart-shaped door.

Why was he here? Unless...Did he find about Mana being here? That man is truly the cause of everything.

Cross was snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed Tim fly in front of his face.

"What now, ugly?" He growled. He pushed the golem off his face and took stock of his surroundings. The tent's interior was in shambles and it amazed the General on how it could still be standing.

He exited the tent. As soon as his whole body exited, he felt rather than saw the tent behind him collapse. He took back his amazement.

Oh well, it was the Ringmaster's problem now.

Speaking of whom, the Ringmaster was nowhere in sight and he doubt that he was caught in the crossfire.

He heard a faint cry coming from his left and saw a shocked Ringmaster staring at the tent remain then at him.

"How dare you?!" The Ringmaster cried as Cross approached the man. "You destroyed my tent!"

Cross, feeling rather annoyed at the moment, ignored him. The other circus members were already circling the tent and he saw that the boy was nowhere to be found. Dread filled his heart.

"Where's the kid?" He asked the Ringmaster. He did not like the nasty grin spreading across his face.

"Red? Let's just say, he's been taken care of." The Ringmaster replied.

Feeling his temper snap, he punched the man across his face. The Ringmaster hit the ground, unconscious. His two cronies attempted to hit him and they too met the same face.

Goodbye, Marian.

He was worried. What did that sorry excuse for a man mean?

Then he heard another cry. This one was familiar.

"Tim...!" Cross immediately ordered. The golem which had now shrunk in size flew at a tent near them. He heard a growl inside then silence. With a start, he realized it was where the carnivores were caged. His worries were unfounded as Tim soon exited the tent, closely followed by a small figure.

He stalked toward the child who was no longer his brother and gave him a punch.

"You stinking brat...!" How dare you make me worry?!

He drew his gun and pointed it at the child's forehead. He no longer knew what he was doing. Everything was red, red, red.

"I told you not to get close to Mana, didn't I?"

His finger was already near the trigger. A few movements and he could fire his gun. Then he would no longer see this stranger wearing his brother's face.

Before he could do the regrettable act, something heavy collided with his face. It did not hurt him, but it was enough to snap him out of his haze.

"Tim!" He glared as he saw the golem. Secretly he was grateful. Tim had always been too intelligent for a golem.

He saw the pitiful look the child gave him and kept his gun.

"Che. I ran out of bullets." He lied through gritted teeth. He roughly picked up the child from the ground and resumed his glare.

"Don't forget, this is all because of you." He did not know who he was talking to anymore. In his barely suppressed anger, the image of Mana was overlapping with this child. He released the child from his hold.

"Disappear." He sighed wishing that could really happen to Mana. He turned around and returned to the inn he was staying.

It was late and he was already tired. He would return to that place tomorrow to check if there were still stragglers left. He doubt that there were anymore Akumas left in town now that the Earl had called them all in one place, but it wouldn't hurt to check now, wouldn't it?

He stripped off all his clothes, as he was wont to do, and went to bed. He would figure things out later when his thoughts weren't raging and his emotions in turmoil.

December 25, 1882

I'm not stalking them. I'm not stalking them. I'm not stalking them. Cross repeated the mantra in his head. Oh who am I kidding? I'm following them secretly. That's the very definition of stalking.

He was definitely annoyed at both Mana and 'Red', but mostly at 'Red'.

As he promised yesterday, he did return to the circus. He found the place teeming with people, curious bystanders and gossipmongers. He circled the place once and no one approached him as his General coat was displayed proudly. No one even burst out of their skin.

Curiously, he did not see the child once. Did I scare him off?

He stopped by a tree with a freshly-dug soil near it. His copper eyes momentarily brushed over it, taking note of the ball placed above it.

A grave...

The ball had a few scratches and bites on it.

...for a dog, it seems.

His thoughts briefly flashed to the first and only proper conversation he had with the child.

"...'m not a dog"

Is this what he meant? Cross wondered, although he let none of his thoughts show on his face. Then the dog was probably called Allen, too.

He was startled out of his thoughts by a shout.

"You're looking for your little brother! Your little brother who was separated from you! Didn't you say it, yesterday?!"

Cross looked around and saw them talking a few distance away. Mana was bloodied and wearing soiled clothes and he was holding 'Red's hand.

From the distance he could still see Mana's face. He was shaking and his eyes seemed to hold so much pain. They were also curiously empty, but sad. Had he lost his memories, too?

Snow was starting to fall...

He saw as Mana reached out with his free hand and wiped the child's face. He saw him open his mouth and say something, and he heard 'Red's reply. Although it was said softly, it was still carried by the wind.

"Take me with you Mana." And Cross almost stormed over and throttled the brat. Was his warning not enough? "I'll tell you, what you have forgotten…I'll remember it for you….please. Take me with you..."

It took all his self-control not to interfere. He had a feeling that he shouldn't do so.

The two began walking away from the circus. Cross sighed. His brother had always been annoyingly stubborn and seemed to be attracted to trouble like moths to flame. Affiliating with the renegade Noah was one example.

And that was how it came to the point of Cross convincing himself he wasn't stalking them. He had shamelessly called forth Maria and had used her Curtain to shield him from the two's view. He proceeded to follow them from a distance.

They were, of course, unaware that they had a stalker. Not that Cross would call himself that.

When the sky turned red and more than two carts had passed by offering assistance did Cross realized that two were simply wandering aimlessly.

He mentally cursed in every language he knew which was a lot, considering he spent more time travelling than staying in the HQ. Cross had deactivated Maria when the sky had turned dark. The lack of proper lighting would make him hard to spot.

Night fell and the two continued to walk.

"We can't rest here, Allen, or else the Earl would find us." Mana seemed to be saying to the whining child.

Cross found it ironic that the one who caused his brother to lose everything was the one giving him everything. He supposed he should be happy that his brother finally got his proper name back. Being called 'Red' was tasteless.

It was not until the next day that they reached the next town. Locals had screamed when they saw the bloodied clothes Mana had and Allen mumbled off the excuse of 'attacked by wolves on the way'.

Cross followed them discreetly. His entrance was not as noticeable as the two's.

The townspeople took pity on the two and gave them a free house to stay in. When it became apparent that the two wouldn't be leaving for some time soon, Cross checked himself in an inn.

He set down his suitcase on the floor of his room. He was dirty, tired and annoyed. He couldn't stand being dirtied in anyway. He lit a cigarette and inhaled. It was a habit he gained some years ago, when he was actively searching for his brother.

He cleaned himself up in the inn's bathroom. After that, he returned to his room to rest. But he found out he could not. That damn cheering outside was too loud!

He drew his curtains apart and looked out the window.

Mana, it seemed, was intent on giving him hell. The clown was currently performing on the streets outside the inn. The people were causing so much ruckus that sleep sounded like a dream.

He angrily frowned and heavily sat on a chair, lighting another cigarette as he did so. He need a drink.

But first, he needed to send that damn report in. Heavens know that the Order, especially those stuck-ups from Central, would hound him worse than an Akuma bent on killing him.

He pulled out a parchment and began writing.

On the day which should have been on your files, shit happened and Innocence was retrieved...

Well, nobody said it had to be precise.

Cross would spend his free time away from the Order keeping tabs on the two. Sometimes there would be an Innocence that needed to be retrieved and he would lose them for a few months. He would destroy the Akumas around the two's area and kept them, but mostly his defenseless brother Allen, safe. This had been his routine for the next two years until he was given the order to destroy the Akuma plant in Edo.

September 18, 1884

Cross watched dispassionately as Allen mourned over Mana's rapidly cooling body. It was anticlimactic for the man who survived many things to die just because he was hit by an out of control carriage. People were already beginning to notice what happened.

They formed a circle around Allen until someone smart enough called a doctor.

He watched as the doctor pronounced Mana dead and ignored the feeling when Allen began crying once more. The doctor offered his sympathy and another man offered his help in burying the body. The man carried the body up a steep hill where a single dead tree stood and began digging a grave.

Then another man showed up, carrying a slab of stone. He was the driver of the carriage. There were some writings on the stone. It said: 'Mana Walker' and a passage underneath the name.

"I,I found his bag and found the name on the tag. I'm sorry, kid." The man offered to the still shocked child.

The men who helped soon left and Allen was left alone.

And as these happened, Cross just watched. Tim had been incessantly nudging him forward but he ignored the golem.

He knew that Allen would need time alone to mourn someone he recognized as a father. He was fairly confident that he was strong enough to resist the Earl's offer. He turned around to leave.

He was a long way away, far enough that he couldn't hear anything, but near enough to still see the top of the hill, when he heard a scream. It was Mana's voice. But he was already dead.

Cross cursed as he raced back to the top of the hill. He reached it in time to see the smoking remains of an Akuma frame. Allen was sitting in front of it, his red hair now a shocking white.

He knew what the other was thinking.

"Souls within an Akuma have no freedom. It is restrained for eternity, becoming the Millennium Earl's toy." He approached Allen and knelt beside him. "There's no way to save them but to destroy."

For the first time in forever, he noticed Allen's hand. "So you're a human born with an anti-Akuma weapon, eh?" But he knew Allen wasn't born with one. When had this happen? "That's an unfortunate fate." And he wasn't taking about the Innocence anymore. "It would seem you are yet another apostle chosen by God." God's plaything's more like it.

He paused and laid a hand on Allen's shoulder. He hated himself for saying the next line.

"Won't you become an Exorcist?"

It occurred to me that this fic has no plot and is merely connecting dots. That's why I've decided to add one!

Reviews are much appreciated :)

Next chapter: Thank God that those boring prologues are over. Allen remembers.

Feel free to ignore the next line.

Thanks once again to Ainekin, QuietRose-13 and Tora19Kage for your encouraging reviews :) And thanks to Avalon-curse, Nora678, TykiAllen, Happycafegirl and Lucia Tsukiyomi-hime for following/faving this fic.