Plot bunny alert! I probably will continue this eventually. But I can't continue on any of my stories with this bouncing around inside my head. So, enjoy this little plot bunny~

(I blame Tempestas D. Uzu and her Soldier stories (specifically Come Home, Soldier) for this idea, by the way. So, make sure to check her out…)

I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn or D. Gray-man

Allen stared at the reflection in the mirror.

He reached up and fondled his lanky white hair. Pitiful grey orbs stared into the reflective surface.

His pale skin only accented the red scar that marred his boyish face.

Allen sighed, turning away from the mirror. He would need to hide. He would need to blend in with the background. He's done it before, he could do it again.

It hurt to leave his friends behind. He had spent so much time and effort to finally have friends. After the Circus and Nalei, Allen hadn't thought he would be able to gain so many friends.

But, now he was on the run from the very people he wanted to protect. And all because of his Master and adoptive father.

After Tyki and Rhode had saved him from Apocryphos, he had fled England. He couldn't go anywhere that the Order or the Noah would think of. He had to go to wherever they would least expect him.

In hindsight, Italy might not have been the best idea. Living so close to the Vatican made Allen twitchy. And yet, he had been roaming the streets of Forsinone for three months now. Not only had he not seen a single exorcist, but his eye has yet to detect any akuma.

Allen knew that the peace wouldn't last long. He was an enemy of the Church, a Noah in an Exorcist's skin. He needed more than a clever hiding place if he wanted to live. He needed something more if he wanted to keep his promise to the first person that took care of him.

Keep walking, Allen, you have to keep walking.

He needed to stop playing the part of the naïve child. He needed to go back to his roots, before Allen, before Innocence, before the Black Order.

He needed to shed the skin he donned for his own safety. But, Red was not someone that wanted to rejoin the world. The world was cruel and cold to Red.

No. Allen needed a new skin, a new mask to hide behind. He was good at that. All of those years with Mana and Cross told him that much. He just had to obverse and adjust. The tragic boy-hero was what the Order wanted. The obedient student-slave was what Cross wanted. Allen still wasn't sure what Mana had wanted, but if Cross was to be believed, it hadn't mattered either way. An insane man wouldn't have noticed Allen testing different personalities on him.

Allen left his hotel room to walk the crowded streets. He needed a job, something that no one would expect from him. Unfortunately, the only thing Allen was good at other than defeating inhuman creations was being a clown. And too many people knew about that skill. The Church and the Noah would be on the lookout for a white-haired, scarred clown. It was too risky.

Allen was running out for money, though. He needed a job soon. Sure, he could play the bum easily and live off of scraps in the alleys. It was just less conspicuous to become another face in the crowd.

"Did you hear?" Allen passed two gossiping housewives, his attention perking at their whispered Italian conversation. "I heard that the circus is in town!"

"Isn't that a little childish, Maria?" the other woman questioned her companion. "I thought you grew out of clowns."

The woman, Maria, let out a giggle. "Claudio told me about it. There's not a single clown in the entire crew. Only stuntmen!" Allen's interest was quipped against his will. "I heard they even have lions!"

"Ah, excuse me," Allen cut in, using fractured Italian. Considering his looks, it was better to be seen at the ignorant tourist than try to pose for a native. Cross had made sure to pound that into his head early on in his apprenticeship. No one would believe either one of them was a born and raised Italians, it was best not to push it in other cultures. They only had to let some of the truth slip and they would be safe in a crowd. "You say…Circus?" he smiled hopefully, dazzling the two older women. They responded by giggling in his face.

"It's okay," the nameless one responded in English. Allen twisted his face into relief. They giggled softly once again. "Maria was just saying there was a circus in town."

"It's just on the outskirts!" Maria added gleefully. "To the west of here!"

"Thank you very much!" Allen bowed slightly, straightening in time to see the two women blush at his action. With a wave, Allen headed to the west.

As much as he didn't want to do anything that would bring the attention of those he was running from, avoiding risks wasn't the right way to go about it. He learned from the master of hiding in plain sight after all. Chances were, if Allen didn't want to be found, they wouldn't find him.

He might as well have some fun while he was on the run. He didn't know how much time he had until the Noah inside on him consumed all that he was. Already he could feel it shifting around, as if adjusting its position.

Maria's directions were spot on and in no time at all, Allen stood in front of a familiar set up. He looked down at himself, making sure that the makeup still covered his scar and that his gloves were on correctly. No need to grab unnecessary attention.

"Whaz dis?" A gruff voice called out. Allen watched as a large man walked into sight. His entire head was shaved and tattoos decorated his board arms. The man crossed his colorful arms when Allen didn't answer.

"I am sorry," Allen started. "I am here for a job, if you have any openings that is." He smiled benignly at the larger man.

"Ginevra!" The man barked. A red haired woman, dressed in tight leather, stepped out of the shadows. "Watch dis one. Imma get da Boss."

The woman smiled slowly at the man. "Of course Christoff." The man left, slipping around the Big Top, presumably to get the Ring Leader from the performers' tents. "Now, what can you do, stranger?"

Allen loosened from his gentleman posture, allowing his Red roots to show to the woman, Ginevra. "I can do a lot, Madam."

"Oh?" Her smile was sly, the whip in her hand completing the seductress vibe.

"You must be a Lion Tamer." He mused for a moment. He remembered a lion tamer at the Circus. The man, Jamie, was large and was known for his kindness. He was killed while taking care of his favorite lion, Leo. No one knew what had happened to the strong man, but many performers avoided Cosimo for days afterwards. The fact that a woman, who was much smaller than Jamie, had the same job made the former exorcist even more curious about this circus.

"That I am," she admitted. "But, the question was, what can you do?"

"A little bit of everything." Allen conceded. It was the truth after all. Mana might have focused on being a clown, but Allen had learned from many different teachers. Swords, daggers, knives, tightrope-walking, animal care, juggling. Allen could do anything that would get a smile from an audience.

You could take the boy away from the circus, but there was no way you could take the circus out of the boy.

"A Jack-Of-All-Trades? We don't have one of those." Ginevra smirked. "Daddy, can we keep him?"

From around the side of the Big Top, a red haired man returned with Christoff. His smile matched the Lion Tamer's. "If he can put his money where his mouth is, darling." The Ring Leader promised.

And, of course, Allen did. He passed all of their tests with flying colors. He had officially joined the circus for the second time in his life, as a performer.

It was two months later that the Ring Leader and his manipulative daughter realized that Allen had a knack at escaping death by the skin of his teeth. They immediately started to use this to their benefit. Allen became their Dare Devil clown, riding off to do stunts at their bidding.

Five months after fleeing from the Black Order, Allen finally shed the old skin that had been dragging him down. He knew that this new home would not last long, there was still a war going on with both sides after his head.

So, he changed his looks. He dyed his hair, hunted down some colored contact lenses, became proficient at makeup. He did all he could to make Allen Walker disappear. No one would think of his old self when they ran into him.

It wasn't until a full year after running away that his new life caught up with him. A letter appeared in his personal tent, addressed to his new name. When he brought it to the two that owned his life, they agreed that he should go. This might be the publicity that the circus needed.

Allen plastered a smile on his face and painted his face till someone else looked back at him. This familiar stranger that would replace Allen, just as Allen had replaced Red. It was an endless cycle of destruction and rebirth.

He looked at the letter one more time to double check the address. His now purple eyes turned back to the building in front of him.

"Keep walking. Never stop walking." He allowed the words to slip through his obnoxious smile. As long as he was alive, nothing else mattered. Not his name, not his personality. He just had to keep his promise. No matter what.

The letter was shoved into his tight pocket as Allen covered his head in a dark helmet. The words echoed through his mind as he entered the room, its occupants turning to stare him down.

Dear Skull de Mort,

You are cordially invited to a gathering of the seven strongest members of society…

Allen was used to playing the clown. For this new life, for this second chance, he could do it forever. Just grin. Grin and bear it. Never ever stop smiling, no matter how much it hurts. That is the job of a clown. And Allen, the King of Clowns, knew this better than anyone.

The door closed resolutely behind him.

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD IT WAS TO FIND NALEI'S NAME?! I was starting to think I imagined the character. Nalei and Mina need more love. Sure, they're purely anime characters, but they affected Allen. And yet, they aren't even on the character list. For shame, FanFiction. For shame.

Not exactly how I wanted it to go, but Skull!Allen/Allen!Skull would not leave me alone. It works so well, too! Skull is considered a joke by the Arcobaleno and Allen literally is a joke. It works! Kinda surprised that with all of the THIS CHARACTER IS REALLY THIS CHARACTER stories, I have yet to see this. Oh well.

Hope everyone enjoys!