Spoiler Warning: Hints relating to recent manga chapters, though nothing blatant.

Disclaimer: D. Gray-man, Tyki and Miranda all belong to Katsura Hoshino. None of this is mine.

A/N: I am finally updating. I lost my way for a little bit, trying to figure myself out as a writer and how that fits into my life... but that's neither here or there. I apologize for the wait and hope you enjoy the latest installment. I really do appreciate all the reviews. Thanks to everyone and special thanks to

tsuzusushi on lj for the lovely fanart... bribery of the highest order! ^_^ (Link on my FF homepage for the interested... )

WORLD ENOUGH, AND TIME...

Drawn by your growing,
we gather like disheveled hair.
Even spirits come to bow,
We were dead. Now we are back.

- Rumi

The angel watched the estate below.

He watched the sons and their wives, toiling in the vineyard. He observed them with mildly interested detachment. They were like the cogs and wheels in the odd machines that one built. Tiny, but vitally important in the small roles they would play.

Almost without conscious thought his eyes slid to only daughter of the Noah household. Her graceful hands traced delicately over the vines, gently tying them off when they threatened to bend and break beneath their own weight.

That girl saw only the beauty of the world, the forgetfulness of her soul shielding her from the pain of separation that God had inflicted upon them all. Her face shone with contented joy and for a moment the angel envied her. After a long while he dragged his gaze away and sought out her twin, the fourth son.

He was apart from the others, studying the potential harvest, calculating, young eyes seeing everything.

This was one who could learn an angel's secrets with ease. He was intelligent, observant, and, perhaps most telling, he questioned. Already he sensed the boy hesitated in placing his full trust in him. He would have made a good magician.

Ah, but that did not matter now, his distrust would amount to nothing, his potential likewise. Already the first and last magician of this damned prison was designing the tool that would crack it wide. The secrets of angelic alchemy he had imparted taking shapes in that strange human mind that not even he could have dreamed.

He would end the world for him, that one... his tool... his mad master.

Perhaps then God would condescend to look down on His Creation and see what He had wrought.

"The only reason I did not take his life with my own two hands was that, at the end of it all, the boy stopped fighting...

"Allen Walker... killed himself."

With those last words echoing in her mind, Miranda collapsed onto the bed. Her eyes remained wide, staring into the black, a ringing, rushing sound in her ears. Somehow she had pulled away from Tyki and made her way up the stairs to her room.

He had not tried to stop her.

She wanted to believe Allen would never have done such a thing, that that brave and beautiful boy would have never given up.

She knew though, he had not been the same boy who had saved her. He had changed.

Changed by the Order. Changed by the Noah.

Perhaps he had changed as much as this.

The roaring sound consumed her every sense and, when the dark finally embraced her, it was a welcome relief.

She was running through the corridors of the Black Order.

It had finally happened. She was exhausted but when the alarms went off she knew why and so, she ran. She had been back from her mission only a few hours but stories of the events in the North American branch of the Order had already reached her. It was all shrill, confused gossip. The Noah, the Third Exorcists, a creature known as Alma... the 14th. She didn't know the details but she knew one thing for certain.

She had to help Allen.

She stumbled and fought to keep her balance against the tide of fleeing support staff. In the distance, getting closer with every step she took, explosions and shouts of battle rang out. It soon became easier, faster to move as the civilians disappeared from her path. Now only Exorcists and Crow filled the narrow corridors, running towards the upheaval as she was.

But, she suspected, for very different reasons.

She glanced at the Exorcist running next to her. His face was a mask of fury.

She turned quickly away. Choji's hatred was a frightening thing.

Within moments the corridor gave way to the impossibly wide rotunda, surrounded by five stories of open galleries. She hesitated, attempting to orient herself when suddenly there was a shout and the wall above her exploded. There was no time to activate her Innocence; she cried out as she threw her hands above her head.

After a moment she dropped them, and looked around in shock. Choji was bracing a large chunk of rock easily, grinning down at her.

"Thank... thank you Cho.."

"Oi, Miranda! You okay?"

She jerked her head up. Lavi balanced on a railing high above them, his hammer slung over his shoulder and a worried expression on his face. There was a sudden howl and the piece of wall that had nearly crushed her was spinning towards him. He released his weapon with a curse, swinging hard and shattering the wall into harmless fragments.

"Traitor!" Choji screamed.

With a mournful look in her direction, Lavi dropped out of sight.

"How... how can they?" Choji helped her to her feet, his face red and crumpled. His voice shook.

"How can they help him? He's a monster, a Noah! He's evil! They're evil... Traitors!"

Furious tears ran down his face and Miranda looked away, biting at her lip.

"We... we'd better go help," she whispered. She broke away from him and fled into the thick of the confusion. He'd lost too many of his friends, his precious Anita. He would never understand.

She looked around desperately as the she was pushed and jostled. She struggled forward and for one miraculous moment the way parted before her.

She saw them.

Lavi, Lenalee, even Kanda. They circled protectively around Krory and braced on Krory's back...

Miranda's heart wrenched painfully. Allen leaned on the older man's shoulder, eyes tightly shut and panting heavily. He looked feverish and she winced at the sight of blood seeping through the bandages wrapped about his head, stained in the pattern of a band of crosses.

They were being harried on all sides.

They were powerful exorcists, able to defeat their opponents easily but now their opponents were their comrades... their friends.

It was an impossible situation.

She took it in in a matter of moments before the crowd surged and they were lost to her sight once more.

All at once Lenalee burst into view as her Dark Boots carried her high above the battle. Whatever the girl had been planning to do was halted as strips of cloth shot after her, wrapping and tangling around her legs like living things. She cried out as she was yanked violently back to earth.

"Innocence! Time out... Time Out!"

Without thought Miranda launched herself into the crowd, the Time Record spinning in her hands. As she darted forward the power pulsed ahead of her, driving Finders and Crow roughly from her path.

Within moments she was beside the girl and the Time Dome closed around them, slamming shut in the twisted mask covered faces of the charging Crow. The taut fabric of the binding collapsed as it was severed.

Lenalee was crumpled on the ground, trembling as Miranda knelt beside her. She winced as she ran her hand over the unnaturally twisted leg. It was badly broken. It would take ages to heal but... for the moment... The power flowed through her as time reversed. The leg straightened, the cracked bone knitting itself back together. The girl sat up with a gasp and turned to her with wide eyes.

"Miranda..."

"I know I'm useless...," she focused on unwinding the fabric from Lenalee's legs, "But... but I want to help. Let me help."

"You know what he's becoming, don't you?"

"A Noah." Miranda met the girl's eyes fiercely. "He's still Allen and I won't let them kill him."

With a sudden rush of affection she reached out and touched Lenalee's cheek. "I am the adult here after all. Adults are supposed to protect children, not hurt them or... or..."

"I understand, Miranda. The girl rewarded her with a bright smile, if rather wan. She stood shakily. "Thank you."

Miranda followed her to her feet.

They both stared at the wall of the dome.

"They'll be waiting for us. When I lower this..."

"... they're going to attack."

Miranda nodded as Lenalee finished her thought. The girl bent her legs slightly, readying herself to fight.

Miranda took a deep breath and allowed the barrier to drop away.

There was an immediate blow across the back of her head and the pain that followed drove her to her knees.

Of course they had been waiting for them

She blinked through the dizziness and nausea, focusing on keeping the Time Record spinning, even as rough hands grabbed a hold on her arms. There was a sharp cry and Miranda jerked up in time to see Lenalee slammed into the wall.

Choji.

"Traitor! TRAITOR!" He was howling, beyond thought, his hand twisting around the girl's neck as she scrabbled for purchase, desperately trying to breath.

Dimly she could hear yelling, orders for him to stand down, but his hold only tightened. From the corner of her eye she saw Kanda, Lavi and the others struggling to get to her.

All at once there was a sickening crack and everything became eerily silent.

Lenalee slid to the ground, gasping.

Allen, from nowhere,was now leaning on Choji's shoulder. Gracefully he spun the other man around.

The boy's skin had darkened to gray. Golden eyes sparkled and his mouth had twisted into a wide unnatural smile. Almost playfully, he wiggled the fingers of his deformed hand.

The hand that now bloomed horribly from Choji's chest.

"It's not nice," he singsonged into the other man's ear, "to hit girls." With a hideously wet sound he pulled his arm free and Choji collapsed in a lifeless heap at his feet.

Clapping echoed into the silence.

Allen looked up with a twisted grin and Miranda followed his gaze.

An elaborate doorway hovered high above their heads. The Noah, Road Kamelot sat in it, legs swinging, applauding with delight. Tyki Mikk leaned on the door itself, smoking, watching lazily.

Allen turned his overly wide smile to his audience as he shifted towards them and stepped over the body.

Miranda's arms were released as the soldiers of the Order tensed. She staggered slightly as she pulled herself to her feet.

Allen... no, not Allen anymore, the 14th, the Noah, stood unconcerned in the midst of his former allies, a predator among his prey.

The boy's cold golden eyes slid over as a flurry of activity caught his attention. He made no move as Komui inched his way over to Lenalee.

"Are you really the 14th now?"

"Shut up Tyki, of course he is. Aren't you, Allen?"

He laughed. "I awakened, didn't I? I thought you noticed."

"Mmm, and then you turned on us." Tyki flicked his fingers. The cigarette butt arced out to land, quietly smoldering, at the 14th 's feet.

The 14th kicked at it and Miranda shivered as he smirked and laughed again. " 'We' weren't ready yet." He pulled the blood stained bandage from his head then reached up, dragging his clean hand across the still oozing crosses. He examined his bloody fingers for a moment before licking at them.

"'We're' ready now."

Road trilled with delight, almost drowning out Lenalee's anguished cry. "Allen..."

For a moment those eyes flickered blue and that smile faltered.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I guess I wasn't strong enough after all."

Then the unnatural smile split his face once more.

"Shall we play, boy?" Tyki looked hungry. Miranda felt ill as Road giggled in response; a mad sound that twisted in her gut.

"Not today." He hummed lightly and one of the Arc's twisted doors unfolded from the air next to him. He stepped inside as his eyes swept the assembled Order. "Soon though. Oh, very soon."

And he was gone.

He'd broken her. He hadn't meant to break her.

Tyki slammed the empty glass back on the table, replaced the cigarette in his mouth and poured himself another drink.

He was in a foul mood. Everything had begun so well... what had gone wrong?

When he'd told her about Allen it was as if there had been an audible snap as the light in her eyes went out. That light had been there even through the sadness that had overtaken her in Piódão.

He'd wanted to say he'd become furious when she asked him about the deaths of her friends, but it had begun well before that.

She'd disappeared at the market but he hadn't been worried. She was completely under his thumb and in any case where would she go?

Then he'd found her in the church.

She was staring at that damned priest as if he were some sort of saviour...

He ground the cigarette out and took a deep drink, gasping slightly as the whiskey burned it's way down his throat. His face set in a scowl, he topped up the glass again and turned back to his chair. He threw himself into it, ignoring the splash of alcohol over his hand. He fought down the wave of sick disappointment that washed through him.

She was the Heart. He thought she was supposed to be strong.

Two days now she'd wandered about, a ghost with dead eyes, and that was only because he'd dragged her from her bed. If he hadn't, he doubted she'd have bothered getting up at all.

She was... somewhere else.

And he had no idea if she'd ever return.

A bitter laugh escaped him. The game had ended far sooner than he expected. It was clear he would have to kill her.

He should have realized from the beginning that woman's future would hold nothing but death. How foolish for him to imagine there might be any way but the Duke's.

The glass slipped from his grasp as he lifted his hands and studied the long, elegant fingers. He shut his eyes tight and groaned.

How foolish for him to imagine his hands were ever meant for anything but blood.

Music: Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri