...

- o0o -

– C-III –

- o0o -

Allen let out a heavy sigh, massaging his temples.

His migraine continued lurking right around the corner as if it was ready to pounce, but he ignored it in favour of watching the jellyfish bobbing up and down in the aquarium.

Obviously, there was a question that begged to be asked; several even, but Allen figured that he might as well start from somewhere, namely the reason as to why there had been a need for them to meet up in real life in order to exchange information in the first place.

"I honestly don't know where to start," proved to be the somewhat awkward response, which was then followed by a "How closely have you been following the news lately?"

Allen found himself resisting a sudden urge to pinch the ridge of his nose, or of the other's nose; at this rate, either would do just fine.

Truthfully, though Allen hadn't been paying all that much attention to the news as of late, he certainly hadn't ignored them. However, one might say that the things which he might have learned from the news as of late had been obscured by memories of other events, the most prominent of which had taken place at around three a.m. the very same morning.

The aforementioned event had included an unusually clingy and by no means sober flatmate, and had left a lasting impression to say the very least.

"Well, it wouldn't matter all that much, since they've mostly managed to keep it under wraps," Lavi commented softly, following his lead as they moved on to explore the rest of the aquarium. "Dunno how though."

Allen tore his attention away from the various specimens of fish to shoot the other a narrow-eyed stare. "Don't tell me that you had me dragged out of hiding over some random conspiracy theory."

Lavi scratched the back of his head. "Heh… some might call it that."

Allen directed his attention back to the fish. "Since I'm already here and everything, I'll hear you out and believe what I will," he finally yielded, moving along.

"Fair enough." The redhead picked up his pace slightly, and Allen aligned his own in return. "Mind you, this might just make you think that I'm crazy or something."

As if further evidence was even needed in order to establish that.

- o0o -

Despite Allen's well-founded doubts about the other's grip on reality, they ended up comparing notes at an indoor café located nearby. Then again, rather than them actually comparing notes, it was actually more of Lavi explaining things and fiddling with a notebook of his, all whilst Allen himself alternated between stirring his milk tea and sipping it, inserting a comment or a request for clarification every now and then, even though he would probably have been just as happy to leave the other to their monologue.

However, despite the fact that he ought to have known better, Allen had promised to hear Lavi out. The fact that he had ultimately been bribed with the promise of sustenance might have had some sway in his ultimate decision, but really, he ought to have known better than to agree to this meet up in the first place. Then again, it was just one out of many regrets, and overall, it hardly counted as significant; at this point in time, that is. Oh well…

"This is what I've spent the last month investigating, both on- and offline…" Lavi pushed the open notebook towards him, pointing at the scribbled word that was located right in the middle of the somewhat disorganised mind map spanning across the whole spread.

"Innocence?"

- o0o -

Allen wasted little time as he bounded up the stairs with his latest catch, seeing that the lift had once again broken down.

Though somewhat winded, it was with a sense of triumph that he reached his intended floor and whipped out his key, sticking it into the keyhole, unlocking the door and entering before shutting and locking it behind him.

He kicked his shoes off, put his stuff down and removed his cap soon thereafter.

He felt dirty; unclean somehow. That and tired, obviously; worn, stretched thin.

He was hungry, but felt nauseous at the same time and particularly so after he had finished eating. Rather, Allen found that he felt just about ready to scramble over to the bathroom to make best friends with the toilet, but he steeled himself, forcing himself to remain calm.

After all, it would have been very counterproductive of him to puke out the food that he had only just consumed; counterproductive and wasteful too, in not just one but several ways.

Instead of making best friends with the toilet, Allen opted for a shower and a lengthy one at that, by his own standards. He took it in darkness as well, having opted to do so after having taken a look at the state of his body, and of his left arm in particular.

The latter had always been a bit strange and had become even stranger as of late. It had always been discoloured and a tad dodgy. However, since it had rarely bothered him very much and had occasionally bothered the people in his immediate surroundings a great deal, it was more often hidden away than the subject of any deeper examination. In hindsight, Allen wondered whether or not he ought to be thankful for all this.

Admittedly, it was a tad bothersome to wear gloves in the summertime. The other seasons weren't that bad, neither in terms of temperature nor in terms of people staring and making remarks.

Then again, in terms of strangeness, his oddly-coloured hair along with the somewhat peculiar scar running down the left part of his face usually stole away most of the attention from the gloves.

Apparently, some people considered it a fashion statement. In a way, nowadays, Allen supposed that they were not entirely wrong about it, seeing that the gloves had become such an integral part of his appearance that he barely even thought of it anymore. Then again…

He slipped into a fresh set of clothing and exited the bathroom, rubbing at his hair with a towel. His hair; it was getting kind of long. Before long, if he left it like this, it would reach his shoulders. He thought about cutting it, briefly, before discarding the thought altogether in favour of reaching down to pick up his discarded gloves from the floor, bringing them along to the couch. There, he sat down, towel remaining around his shoulders. Soon, he slumped further in his posture, falling over so that the side of his head was leaning against one of the armrests.

Initially, he had panicked; the first time that it had happened.

It had all been that guy's fault really, wounding him and thereby setting off a chain reaction of troublesome events. After all, a sword equipped with the power of Innocence was…

Even without logging out properly, the sheer force of it had snapped him right back into a state of disoriented hyperawareness; to the unmistakable stench of blood in the air.

He had found himself on the floor, hyperventilating; bleeding; panicking.

To think that what took place in the game could have physical consequences? Before this event, he hadn't really bothered thinking much of it. However, even now, it was still undeniable that actual experience had a definite ability to open up one's mind to new possibilities; to rapid realisations.

Naturally, waking up with blood oozing from his palm had given him a bit of a wakeup call as to the reality of his own situation. As such, he hadn't really been all that shocked when Lavi had turned up with word of Innocence on his lips; he had since long suspected that such was the case, even without formulating stupid theories. The fact that Innocence had some sort of ability to affect the world even outside of the game had already been established; the blood had served as all the explanation needed for him to buy into the possibility of it being so at the very least.

Obviously though, he had attended his meeting with the Bookman apprentice under the guise of relative unawareness, along with a fair amount of indifference in regards to the things that he did know. Like the redhead seemed to favour hiding his scheming behind a friendly façade, Allen greatly favoured keeping his cards close to his chest.

After all, even though the other certainly had a few years on him, Allen had been playing AO far longer than the other, and though the other seemed specialised in gathering information, there were still parts of the game that remained hidden from the eyes of most.

The Beta Deal had lasted for merely three months, and to the extent of Allen's own knowledge, very little hand changed in-between the beta version and the official one. Rather, the game would have been perfectly ready for an official release a month into the Beta Deal at the most, if not even before that. The glitches had been few. Rather, it had been following the actual release that the glitches had increased. After all…

Rolling onto his back, he lifted his arm, staring at his left hand; at his abnormality. The injury; it had healed up all nicely now, though a scar still remained. Rather, a scar was to be expected; he had been surprised that he had managed to make do without stitches.

Innocence…

- o0o -

"Innocence?"

Lavi dropped another piece of sugar into his coffee.

"It's a type of crystal that exists within the game, and has the ability to synchronise with certain players, granting them special powers."

- o0o -

He breathed in deeply, allowing the limb to fall down onto his ribcage, and then breathed out, slowly. Innocence, huh?

From the very start, he had intended to keep his status as an accommodator of Innocence under wraps, not because it was Innocence, but because it was his trump card; had been at any rate. That was before the so called Black Order guild had even been established and before most of its members ‒ current or former ‒ had even joined.

Really, to think that those people over at the Black Order guild had gained such a sway in such a short amount of time; whoever backed them had to be in possession of a fair deal of cash, or at the very least some type of influence that could sway others into joining them and into doing their bidding.

After all, their sudden rise and expansion within mere weeks of the game's official release could hardly be explained otherwise. Besides, them owning not only one but several buildings ‒ including a great black tower standing at the top of a cliff ‒ further emphasised that they had invested a fair deal of currency into the whole affair.

Then again, Allen supposed that he could allow them the benefit of the doubt and attribute their sudden rise, expansion and seeming wealth upon the fact that they had more people who would work and earn, whilst he was but a single player, beta tester and Innocence accommodator or not.

Besides, even though Allen himself at this point possessed a fair deal of money even by real world standards, he was hardly one to spend it upon virtual property, but was rather more inclined towards gathering and saving it in order to eventually invest it into his actual future.

After all, who knew what those Order people were thinking, recruiting members and particularly those in possession of Innocence? Admittedly, that way, they might be able to defeat more akuma, but…

- o0o -

"Because Innocence exists within the game – and outside it as well."

- o0o -

He was back at the café, his eyes leaving the page for the first time in minutes, whilst the other went about stirring their half-forgotten coffee. "What?"

Had the red-haired scholar been in possession of a pair of glasses, then this would have been the moment for him to push them further up the ridge of his nose. "In a manner of speaking, of course," Lavi remedied, smiling somewhat apologetically. "Initially, I wrote it off as a part of some sort of cool expansion pack." He shrugged mildly, putting the spoon aside. "That it would eventually be released on the market or something… which it obviously wasn't."

"It synchronises only with certain players?"

The redhead nodded sagely in response.

"Then what is it…" Allen questioned, studying the mind map with seeming disinterest, his eyes straying further from the current main topic and onto the keywords that were scribbled around it. "Innocence?"

The response came surprisingly swiftly, and to the point at that.

"It's convoluted data. Somehow, it has managed to worm itself into numerous servers of the game, infecting it like a virus. From what I've seen, it tends to cause distortions, unless its fragments manage to attach themselves to something – to an item for example, or in rare cases to PCs," Lavi explained, pointing to the mind map. "Other than you, I know of two: Suman Dark, who is a member of the Black Order guild, and Arystar Krory the Third, who also recently joined that same guild. There are others though – like me – who harness the power of Innocence through a particular item."

Allen dipped his head slightly in acknowledgement of the fact before directing his attention back towards the scribbles.

"Anyways, most of the people who're involved with it are in the Order by now." Lavi shrugged mildly. "They've attempted to recruit me as well, obviously, but I had already formed a guild with the old man and felt like remaining neutral."

"I am a Bookman's apprentice after all…" There was a hint of pride to the other's voice. "We collect, trade, and sell information. Besides…" Lavi looked up at him now, lifting the cup of coffee to his mouth with a smile. "They weren't exactly pleasant about it either, so…"

"They've been making inquiries about you as well, for some time now," Lavi finished somewhat thoughtfully, surveying their surroundings and the people moving about. "Though they've become quite persistent as of late…"

Allen simply narrowed his eyes at that.

"Hey, don't give me that kind of look," Lavi admonished him somewhat exasperatedly, leaning back into his chair, staring up at the skylight in the ceiling. "I haven't told them anything. They didn't offer me a good enough deal. Besides, I happen to like you a lot more than I like them, and even though I'm an impoverished college student and all, I'm not the type to sell out my friends."

The tea was already lukewarm. It was a tad disappointing, but Allen continued drinking it even so. "I'm not your friend."

The redhead smiled broadly, undeterred. "Not yet."

Allen surveyed him critically for several moments before downing what little still remained in his cup. "If you say so," he yielded, deadpan.

Obviously satisfied, a triumphant grin crossed the other's face before it smoothened once more, giving way to seriousness. "Anyways, Innocence." Lavi pointed to the middle of the mind map. "You know the akuma, right?"

Despite a sudden urge to glare and to make a snide comment, Allen settled for dipping his head slightly in acknowledgement.

"Basically… to the extent of my knowledge, you can only destroy them with the power of Innocence. But…" Leaning forward, Lavi tapped the scribbles reading akuma. "Have you ever wondered what they are?"

Allen arched an eyebrow. "Convoluted data?"

"That too," Lavi readily acknowledged, tapping the page once more. "But have you ever thought about how exactly they come about?"

Allen didn't hesitate. "Not really."

"Somehow, I'm not surprised." Lavi was leaning back once more, staring up at the skylights. "Anyways, I've got an acquaintance in the Order – well, I would call him a friend, but he might skewer me if I do. A pretty sour guy to be completely honest. A swordsman."

"Are we talking foul-mouthed, katana-wielding, pony-tailed samurai wannabe?"

Lavi's customary grin made its inevitable return. "You know him?"

"We've…" Allen wondered how to best put it. "…met?"

"In other words," Lavi clarified, voice carrying way more than just a slight amount of amusement. "He attempted to skewer you or something."

"Yes. He attacked me right off the bat."

"Really?" Lavi looked mildly surprised at that, but he was probably feigning it, judging from the amusement that still lingered in his eye. "Did you do anything?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Damn sure."

Lavi shot him a look, but didn't pry, curiously enough. "In any case, he's recently called it quits." The redhead leaned forward once more. "A pretty nasty breakout from what I've heard."

Allen humoured him, leaning back into his seat. "So?"

"Well…" Lavi scratched the back of his head somewhat awkwardly. "I happen to know him in real life, so I made contact with him in order to find out just what had finally made him snap."

Again, Allen humoured him. "So?"

"It'll be easier if I show you, I suppose." Lavi took the notebook and flipped through it, soon thereafter retrieving a photograph that had been stuck in-between the pages, showing it to him. "See these people?"

Mildly curious, Allen leaned closer in order to get a better look. "Who are they?"

"That'd be Kanda Yu," Lavi said, pointing him out. "And his childhood friend Alma Karma."

"No way."

"It was taken years ago though," Lavi finally remedied. "Ten maybe."

Allen kicked up an eyebrow in response. "So they're like eighteen or nineteen now or something?"

"Yep." Lavi retrieved the photograph, giving it a last look before sticking it right back into the notebook. "We were in the same English class back in high school. They were exchange students," the redhead elaborated further. "And got married right after their high school graduation."

"I take it that they didn't live happily ever after then?"

He got an exasperated sigh in response, followed by a short pause.

"She convinced Kanda that they should both join the Beta Deal in Japan," Lavi revealed, pausing momentarily to chew a bit on his bottom lip. "Now she's in a coma and he's out for vengeance."

"Vengeance?"

"Well, not purely vengeance, obviously," Lavi swiftly remedied. "But yeah, he's royally pissed off about it all."

"If he's got a problem, there's Ark Enterprises." Allen tilted his head, first slightly to one side and then slightly to the other. "I don't know about the deal with their Japanese branch, but over here, we had to sign papers."

Lavi lifted his head slightly. "Papers?"

"Getting a clean bill of health, then filling out a form and signing papers…"

For whichever reason, Lavi looked very interested now. "Did they put in an advert or anything in order to get you to apply in the first place?"

"Not really."

"In Japan, they held a lottery," Lavi informed him, leaning closer now. "What did they do over here?"

A lottery, huh?

"I responded to some junk mail." Allen shifted slightly in his seat, rolling his shoulders to prevent them from stiffening any further. "Then, I received an invite."

A slight frown crossed the other's face. "Junk mail?"

Allen shrugged mildly. "It seemed fairly harmless."

He was stared at then, but he hardly let it bother him as he proceeded to reveal the truth as it was. "I was bored." And running low on funds.

Another incredulous look was sent his way. "What did it say, that email?"

Allen sent back a similar look, kicking up his eyebrow for emphasis. "You're asking me about the contents about an email that I received more than six months ago?"

"Well…" At the very least, Lavi had the decency to look mildly embarrassed. "The gist of it?"

- o0o -

Really, such an infuriating person; Allen had already suspected as much beforehand. But surprise, surprise, the other had managed to exceed his expectations.

Still remembering, Allen found himself fighting a sudden urge to smile.

- o0o -

He'd told Lavi that he didn't remember; that it had been something stupid and rather forgettable, which was close enough to how it had really been.

Hearing this, the red-haired scholar had momentarily looked rather stumped. Obviously though, it hadn't lasted very long, because soon thereafter, he had gained new wind. "Then what about the forms and stuff… what were they about?"

Again, an eye roll had definitely lain close at hand. Instead of giving in to the urge however, Allen had pulled out his cell phone for the first time in forever, beginning to compose a text as he continued speaking. "Normal things. Formalities. Legal stuff."

- o0o -

"And your folks just agreed to sign the papers for you?"

- o0o -

Again, in his mind, he relived the memory, shooting off a devil-may-care grin in the other's general direction. "I forged their signature."

There was little surprise; exasperation proved abundant however. "You did, huh?"

Allen's grin gradually morphed into a wry smirk that would have made Tyki proud. "And since the guy has yet to resurface, I'm safe," he added as he finished with the message, sending it.

"Uh…" Lavi actually looked a bit hesitant at this; like he was about to swallow soundly. "You didn't kill him or anything, I hope?"

"You're funny," Allen commented impassively, his facial expression now mirroring his voice.

"You have a strange sense of humour," Lavi insisted, still looking a bit nervous.

Retaining an impassive expression, Allen tilted his head slightly to the side. "After living the life that I've had, you'd either learn to view things my way or you'd go mental."

"Sounds harsh," Lavi noted, eyeing him almost cautiously. How curious.

"Well," Allen deadpanned. "Being abandoned without cash or passport in India wasn't my idea of fun either."

There was a beat of silence.

"Some guardian, huh?" Lavi eventually amended, sympathetically.

"Former guardian now, I suppose," Allen amended in return, not sorry in the least.

That earned him a somewhat puzzled look. "Former?"

"Well…" This time around, a small smile came to grace Allen's features. "Officially speaking, he's still presumed dead after having received multiple gunshot wounds before falling into the Ganges."

The puzzlement turned to shocked disbelief. "You're joking."

Allen's smile turned razor-sharp.

"You're not joking?" Lavi eventually said, halfway between deadpan and incredulous but definitely favouring the latter.

"Officially speaking, that is." Allen shifted slightly in his seat. "Even now, I haven't decided whether it's true or not, seeing that the guy's a serial offender when it comes to insurance fraud."

The redhead frowned at him. "Still…"

"I don't get out much nowadays," Allen remedied slightly, reaching up to adjust his cap as he continued speaking, lowering his voice. "Since I'm generally too busy dodging social services."

There was yet another incredulous look sent his way.

He shrugged mildly in response. "I'm currently freeloading."

The incredulousness remained. "And they haven't reported you to the authorities?"

Allen gave the redhead a look and then proceeded onward with his text message. "Nah… I mean, he's a pretty shady guy himself, so…"

The incredulousness was still there, though now it had grown darker with the addition of blatant disapproval.

"He used to be a part of the Beta Deal too, you know," Allen remedied, keeping names out of it, obviously. "Doesn't play a whole lot nowadays though, or at least not whenever I'm around."

For a brief moment, the other just stared. Then, they blinked. Then, finally, their facial expression changed, gaining something that Allen found it difficult to identify, and then they hummed, thoughtfully yet not. "Have you ever seen him play?"

Allen paused slightly. "No."

Lavi's frown deepened. "And you've never encountered him or anyone that you'd think might've been him in AO?"

Allen shrugged mildly in response. "Not that I can recall, no."

Whether he had at some point in time pondered it or not, he had always considered it a matter of lesser importance. After all, though Tyki obviously had his quirks, he was hardly the only one.

"And you're just living with him – this shady guy?"

"For three weeks, yes." The lie slid easily off of his tongue, undistinguishable from the real deal.

"Aren't you like… worried about your own safety or something? That you might get sold off into trafficking or molested or something?"

Allen shot the other a blank look in response.

He gained a look of disapproving disbelief in return.

"And here I had you tagged as someone prone to paranoia."

Allen allowed his eyes to wander. "I'm not beyond it, but he doesn't worry me at the moment," he said. "The moment that I start growing concerned for my own safety, I'll obviously have to seek out a new place to live."

"Still…" The scrutiny continued. "You seem awfully casual about all of this."

It was certainly true enough, but…

"What can I say?" Allen shrugged mildly. "I've never really had a very stable home life, so this kind of stuff is pretty normal."

The scrutiny intensified. "I take it that this guy's not the first potentially dangerous individual that you've had the pleasure of hanging out with?"

Again, Allen shrugged. "I used to go gambling with mobsters." He closed his eyes briefly before snapping them back open, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips. "Does that answer your question?"

"In other words," Lavi began; disapproval once again apparent. "You're kinda used to living on the edge, huh?"

"I've been on the edge a couple of times." Allen shrugged once more. "I guess that you kind of get used to it."

"Then how about now?"

Allen blinked, tilting his head to one side. "Now?"

"Do you know how many people participated in the Beta Deal?" Lavi pressed, frowning still.

Momentarily, Allen impassively returned the stare. Then, he closed his eyes, resisting a sudden urge to pinch the ridge of his nose. "Just here in the UK or internationally?"

"Either."

"If I had to make a rough estimate…" Allen kept his eyes closed as he spoke. "Then about forty people in the UK?"

"Close enough," Lavi yielded. "It was forty-two."

"Internationally… somewhere around five hundred, I suppose."

Five hundred; give or take a few. It was a rough estimate, but Allen figured that it was around there or above, but definitely below one thousand in total. Still… "How so?" he asked, snapping his eyes open finally, taking in the other's serious visage.

Lavi brought out his notebook, leafing through it as he continued his impromptu interrogation. "How many of those people do you think are still playing nowadays?"

Allen offered up a helpless shrug in return. To be completely honest, he hadn't really thought about it. However, considering recent revelations, it was not without interest that he observed the other as they pulled out a pen.

"Have you encountered any of them lately – other beta testers, that is?" Lavi proceeded, twirling the pen between his fingers, a steely hint to his otherwise cheerful expression.

For several moments, Allen just stared impassively. Then, he once again allowed his eyes to wander. "You do know that I have a general policy of not associating with other players, right?"

"Still," Lavi persisted, the ballpoint of the pen hovering just above the page. "Do you recall spotting any people that you encountered during the months of the beta run?"

Allen reached up to adjust his cap. "I do recall seeing a few."

Lavi's gaze instantly sharpened. "How many?"

"Not an awful lot." Allen averted his eyes.

"But?" Lavi's gaze sharpened even further, to the degree that Allen could feel it stabbing him as he shifted his gaze to check their surroundings once more in order to make sure that no one was listening in on them; not too closely at any rate.

"Truth to be told…" Allen shifted slightly where he sat, putting one of his elbows against the tabletop as he allowed his knuckles to act as a support for his chin. "I just assumed that the avatars of people who die in the game were resurrected as akuma or something…"

"You're not incorrect," Lavi responded, jotting down a small note. "But…" He lifted his gaze to stare at him very intently. "What do you think happens to the players themselves?"

- o0o -

He found himself staring tiredly up at the darkening ceiling.

Even without attempting to lift either his head or limbs, he knew that they would feel heavy if he did. Perhaps it was due to the distant ache still lingering in his limbs and the receding one in his head, or perhaps he knew simply because his eyelids felt thicker than usual; weighed down by poor life choices and the exhaustion stemming from a chronic state of restlessness.

Even when sleeping, he was always alert. Truly restful sleep proved rare. Truth to be told, he figured that he probably hadn't had a full night's sleep in five years. Five years…

To think that it had already been five years since that fateful night.

Five years.

Five years.

Barring the visit that he had made to Doctor Murazaki, he hadn't set foot in a medical institution, going to some lengths in order to avoid it, to the chagrin of various officials and medically trained personnel. It wasn't so much because he had a phobia for such institutions or the people working there; he just didn't like the sight or smell of them, due to the unrelenting memories attached to them.

But no, it wasn't a phobia; phobia would indicate the presence of fear, and of all things that he might have experienced when making contact with them, fear wasn't one of them.

Since the events of that fateful night, things just hadn't been the same. Fear had entered his life and it had never really left him; with its continuous presence, he had simply become numb to it. But in the end, that was alright. It was for the best.

He closed his eyes, continuing to listen for sounds of anything that was unusual and therefore worthy of his interest.

Nothing.

In spite of heavy limbs, he reached for his phone, unlocking it so that he would be able to see what time it was.

The light of the display stung a bit in his eyes, so he only looked at it for just long enough to determine that it was almost eleven o'clock. It was getting late; late or early, depending on how one saw it.

Though decidedly reluctant to move, Allen sat himself up. He sat like that for a while, cradling his head in his hands as it once again began to pound, and once the pounding lessened some, he got up and dragged himself over to the bathroom.

Memories followed.

If he could have, then he would have slammed the door in their faces. However, finding them far too incorporeal and far too tenacious for such a thing to even work, he instead held the door open long enough for them to figuratively enter.

- o0o -

"For now, it's just a working hypothesis."

…That getting infected by the akuma virus influences the player as well.

"That's why I've been looking for people who participated in the Beta Deal, in order to gather proof…"

…To prove or disprove.

"I've made it my job to snoop around and to be in the know. I know stuff, and I know people, yet you people – beta testers – are really difficult to come by."

Allen shot a look into the mirror, meeting the eyes of the one standing there. "Perhaps you're just looking in the wrong places?"

A beat of silence. A heartbeat.

"Perhaps there aren't all that many of you left to find?"

He closed his eyes and then opened them, finding himself once again back at the café, quietly resigned to the seemingly inevitable.

"How many?" he finally asked, voice quiet and face impassive. "How many have you found… so far?"

"Excluding you and Yu…" Lavi paused slightly, tapping twice with the pen against the page. "None that have been in any condition to share their experiences."

"How many have you managed to track down?"

Again, Lavi tapped the page a couple of times, seemingly intent on gathering his thoughts. "Thirty-six," he finally yielded, jotting down another note. "And that's internationally."

"And in the UK?"

There was a brief pause, interrupted only by Lavi, who had taken to clicking with the pen. "You're the first," Lavi finally revealed, and Allen's thoughts came to a temporary halt and he lifted his head, sitting up straighter as the other kept on talking. "And that's just the ones who were a part of the Beta Deal." Another note was added. "There are others…"

"In other words… you mean to say that the players who are not in possession of Innocence are at risk of being negatively affected by or even turned into akuma? And you think that I haven't ended up like them because my avatar is in possession of Innocence?"

"Merely possessing it is no guarantee," Lavi corrected, his voice growing softer. "If you get killed by an akuma in the game, you still risk ending up like them."

Allen considered it, momentarily. Then, he summarily dismissed it. "You've been digging into this a lot, haven't you?" he instead noted, directing his attention to his phone as its display as it lit up slightly.

"I've barely spent a day doing coursework, if you must know," Lavi yielded.

"Huh." Allen picked his phone back up. "Some priorities."

"Says the middle-school dropout," the other quipped.

"What can I say?" Allen responded just as calmly, eyes scanning the message that he had just received. "I'm just not suited for the academic stuff."

"Then what are you suited for?" Lavi questioned as Allen shifted in his seat. "Gaming?"

Allen stood up, having retrieved his backpack from beneath the table. "Survival," he offered simply, swinging it over his shoulder.

Lavi stared more openly now, pen still in hand. "You're living with a shady stranger while playing a game that could very well turn you into a human vegetable."

Allen scoffed, resting his hand against the back of the chair that he had just left. "I'd rather try my chances with either than with the system."

"For how long?" Lavi countered, keeping his voice perfectly level even though there was a great deal of emotion simmering beneath it.

Phone still in hand, Allen snorted softly. "Until I've earned enough," he eventually yielded, glancing back at the other. "How so?"

"And how much is that?" Lavi questioned in return.

"More than I have at the moment," Allen commented, in the midst of composing yet another text.

"So…" The redhead regarded him somewhat thoughtfully, yet at the same time disapprovingly. "Once you've managed to make enough money, you'll stop playing?"

Allen didn't hesitate. "Yep."

- o0o -

"Even after everything that I've just told you?"

- o0o -

He awoke to darkness, to the distinct sound of a key turning in a lock and to the strange sense of déjà vu that accompanied it.

Curled up on his side as he was, Allen didn't move or make a noise as the door creaked open to admit a dark figure into the equally dark apartment.

As the door was pushed back shut, he closed his eyes and relaxed his body the best that he could, feigning sleep as he listened in on the other locking the door and removing their shoes before stepping further into the apartment.

As the muffled sound of footsteps on the carpet neared him, Allen found himself contemplating the wisdom of his previous action, or rather inaction.

Admittedly, he did have a fair bit of confidence in his ability to pretend, but still…

He opened his eyes just in time to see the other pause, hovering over him with a quilt that had previously lain discarded on the floor. "Tyki?"

A momentary look of surprise crossed the other's features before giving way to wry amusement. "Awake now?"

He was, in a manner of speaking, so he thought that he might as well play along with it. "I guess."

Draping the quilt around him, Tyki then proceeded to crouch down, thrusting his hand out to lay it on top of Allen's head, ruffling his hair as though it was not messy enough already. "Tired?"

"Wide awake actually," Allen deadpanned, resisting the urge to swat at the offending limb.

After having tousled his hair a bit, the hand retreated. "Why?"

Why?

Allen pushed himself up into a seated position, thereby getting a better look at the other, who was still crouching before him, eyeing him keenly. There was something…

Then, breathing in through his nose, he had his answer. "You smell."

That earned him a surprised blink in response. "Tobacco?" There was head movement to the left. "Alcohol?" There was head movement to the right.

"Blood." Allen leaned over, reaching for a light switch. He flicked it, flooding at least the nearest part of the previously darkened apartment with light, including Tyki Mikk who narrowed his eyes, seemingly a bit sensitive to it. "Are you hurt?"

"It's just a scratch."

Just a-

"Let me judge that one for myself," Allen snapped as Tyki straightened, giving him a somewhat puzzled look. "Take off your shirt."

Even without the additional lighting, the smirk that played on the other's lips would have been perfectly evident. "Telling me to strip now, are you?"

"Yes," Allen deadpanned, rising to his feet. "Got a first-aid box?"

"In the bathroom, under the sink."

"Come on." He grabbed the other by the wrist, stringing them along like an unruly child.

Little resistance was offered. It was rather the complete opposite, with Tyki proving disturbingly agreeable throughout it all, removing his blood-stained shirt, taking a seat and watching with morbid fascination as Allen ‒ once again wearing his gloves ‒ unscrewed a bottle of disinfectant. "So… who decided to have a go at you with a large kitchen knife?"

Tyki hummed, decidedly unbothered by the fact that he was sporting a bleeding cut to his biceps, even as Allen set about preparing to clean and disinfect it. "Whatever gave you such an impression?"

Allen, perhaps because of the sheer outlandishness of the situation, found himself resisting a sudden urge to roll his eyes as he soaked a swab of cotton in the liquid. "Size," he then relayed. "And angle."

"You're unexpectedly good at this," Tyki noted, far too unbothered by the fact that Allen, after cleaning the wound, now retrieved the needle that he had heated up beforehand and strung it up with some thread.

"You're unexpectedly calm about this," Allen deadpanned, setting to work.

"Ye-ouch. That hurts!"

"It does?" Allen flatly responded, because vocal reaction aside, the other's physical reaction was still way milder than that of most; it was closer to that of one being given a shot than to that of someone getting stitched up without local anaesthesia.

Tyki muttered something about him having high standards before hissing anew as Allen tightened the stitches and fastened them to the best of his ability before appropriating a roll of bandages from the first aid box.

As the bandage first came into contact with the wound, Tyki tensed briefly before relaxing, slumping where he sat on a kitchen chair that had been brought along for the sake of convenience; relieved, from the looks of it.

Having finished with the kit, Allen set about appraising the damage that had been done to Tyki's shirt. "Your shirt's all bloody."

Tyki hummed somewhat thoughtfully in response, following him with his eyes.

Fully aware but ignoring it, Allen folded the shirt once and then hung it over the edge of the sink. "Body wash gets them out…" he began. "The stains, I mean."

Tyki sat up a bit straighter. "You're awfully cool with this stuff, you know?"

"I'm too tired to go into hysterics." Allen snapped the lid to the first aid kit shut. "Besides, you're the one who's been attacked with a large kitchen knife."

Tyki's expression shifted slightly, amusement now evident. "Fair enough."

- o0o -

Had it been up to Allen, then he would have returned to the couch, laid down, curled up and gone back to sleep. Tyki however had other plans in mind, saying things like "I'm hungry" and "Let's order pizza" to which Allen threw the now dry towel at him along with an "It's three a.m." and a refusal to compromise, regardless of whether or not there was a really good Turkish restaurant nearby which offered a twenty-four hour service and takeaway.

Ultimately, they had both been forced to compromise, though particularly in hindsight, Allen definitely felt like he had been the one who had gotten the shorter straw. After all, after a bit of negotiation, Tyki had proved perfectly willing to settle for some heated leftovers if only Allen agreed to drink with him, a deal to which the latter's tired self had agreed simply because downing a few rounds of foul-tasting alcohol still seemed preferable to heading outside.

In hindsight however, after he had downed the foul liquid and come to experience the various effects that it had on him, Allen recalled the fact that he had adopted a policy to avoid it for a good reason. As far as age limits was concerned, he had seldom given much of a damn in the first place. As such, the idea of underage drinking hardly fazed him. The effects however…

For all that he was, Allen wasn't a happy drunk. Neither was he a sad nor a particularly aggressive one; just a tired one. Besides, he wasn't even drunk to begin with, but rather a bit tipsy and as such, him being tired had less to do with the alcohol itself and more to do with sleep deprivation piled on top of other things.

Tipsy or not, the fact did not change that he usually mellowed out, allowing things that would otherwise have triggered him.

Just the other night, he had socked Tyki in the jaw with a well-aimed uppercut for returning drunk and attempting to cuddle with him at that. Really. The uppercut had been perfectly justified, and neither Tyki then nor his sober but decidedly hung-over counterpart seemed to be nursing that much of a grudge.

In return, Allen supposed that he could allow for some degree of physical affection. People who had consumed alcohol were generally more honest about their feelings, and if such feelings towards him manifested as affection rather than as spite, then he most certainly preferred one over the other.

Besides, having dealt with a fair number of different people throughout his life, Allen found that he had developed a certain ability to discern whether or not they meant him any immediate harm. After all, though Tyki had definitely registered as a potential threat back there in the lobby of Ark Enterprises, there had been something about the other that had drawn him in, and judging from Tyki's reaction both then and later on, the interest was mutual.

Then again, perhaps calling it interest was a bit…

Truth to be told, they had probably recognised each other as similar, though the extent of this similarity had yet to be determined. Simply put, they were both misfits as far as society was concerned, and all that this entailed.

Besides, with him essentially freeloading the way that he was, tolerating the other's quirks ought to have been the least that he could do, even if they usually grated on his nerves.

"How was it, by the way…" he finally managed. "The party?"

For a brief moment, Tyki looked confused. "Party?"

"The other night," Allen clarified, rubbing his eyes. "I would have asked then, but your overly affectionate drunken behaviour had me distracted."

"It was tedious," Tyki dutifully informed him, emptying what little remained in his beer bottle before slamming it down onto the table.

"Then why did you stick around?" Allen dutifully wondered as the other leant back into the couch, slouching.

If anything, then the other's slouch grew all the more pronounced. "Because my brother's persistent, and I don't want him coming over now that you're staying here."

Hoh?

Allen leaned against the armrest at the opposite end of the couch. "How thoughtful of you."

Even without looking, he could feel the stare that was directed his way.

"You know," Tyki commented after a few moments of silence. "He accused me of being asocial as of late; of hiding a girlfriend."

Allen found himself resisting a sudden urge to snigger. "And what did you say to that?" he asked instead, honestly curious.

"Nothing much," Tyki readily admitted, accompanying his statement with a light shrug. "And then, he like started ranting and stuff, saying stuff like "You turn up here all dressed to kill and then you just stuff yourself without even giving a glance to all the girls who've been drooling over you from afar…" and "What's wrong with you, brother of mine?""

This time around, Allen did snicker, mostly because of the tone used. "Between girls and food, I'd also go for the latter," he then decided. "But what did you say?"

"I told him to mind his own business…" Tyki smirked at that. "And I told him that I would seriously appreciate it if he didn't attempt to embarrass me at every party or social gathering simply because he happens to find it amusing…"

Having never been to a high-end party, Allen found that he could only imagine.

"So overdressed," Tyki went on to say, smirk diminishing slightly. "People trying to one-up each other… pretending to be friends, despite being ready to stab each other in the back at the opportune moment…"

Allen found that he had little to say to that, eventually settling for a "Fair enough", motioning for Tyki to continue.

"And then Sheril accused me of having someone new in my life."

"And?"

"And I told him that I had acquired a new flatmate… and that we'd been getting along quite nicely so far."

"And?"

"And then he went all "Tyki, Tyki, Tyki… not another one of those harlots!" before downing another drink in his despair, going all "Raise your standards a little, brother dear! You could do so much better…" and stuff…"

Again, Allen could feel a smile tugging at his lips. "And then?"

"And then I told him that you were really cute, and had grey eyes and white hair and everything," Tyki said before pausing briefly to gather himself for what came next, adopting an expression of someone truly appalled. ""T-t-tyki… don't tell me you're into-…""

"Cats, Sheril, cats," Tyki went on to say, his smile becoming strained, as if he was mentally recalling the night in question. "'A small white fluffy grey-eyed stray… who used to stay at one of my neighbours' but decided to move in with me instead'… and that's how it is, because that's what I said."

A cat? "A cat, Tyki?"

There was a slight shrug.

"He's allergic to them, so I thought I might as well discourage him from turning up unexpectedly," Tyki finally elaborated, shooting him a meaningful look before returning his attention to the bandage wrapped around his biceps. "Besides," he added, picking at it. "Picking up stray cats is a socially acceptable praxis. Harbouring runaways is not."

"I'm rather amazed that you had the presence of mind to think ahead, considering your degree of intoxication," Allen commented, somewhat thoughtfully.

"Being drunk doesn't make me any stupider than usual," Tyki returned somewhat flatly, sending him a somewhat pointed look.

"Than usual," Allen repeated.

"Than usual," Tyki readily agreed.

- o0o -