Hey, free time. I remember that. It's where I get to sit down and do what I want to do instead of work and university... right? Or have I forgotten the definition? Its been so long since I've had free time maybe I have forgotten? That is a possibility...

I love summer!

/

The sound of pounding feet echoed on the hard stone floor, followed by the noise of harsh panting. Sweat rolled down Allen's cheek as he ran, faster and faster down the narrow hallways. He knew that he couldn't stop, not even for a second.

Allen stumbled as he ran, the sudden change in his balance that caused the stitch in his side to be thrown into more noticeable of existence. The sharp stabbing pain that spread up his spine with fiery precision caused a hitch in his already ready breathing.

Taking in another gasping air of breath, Allen pushed his worn body to go faster. He had been running for almost an hour now. His muscles felt like lead, and his jaw filled with an odd pins and needles sensation that was quickly growing well past uncomfortable.

Almost against his will, Allen felt his body starting to give out. Legs that had been so far over worked, started to stop, and the side of heaving chest rested against the dark stone wall. Even the extra in-human boost Allen's parasitic innocence added to his strength had been worn out.

Resting his head against the cool stone, Allen fought to regain his breath. Down the hall he could hear the footsteps of his pursuers coming closer. It had gotten to the point where he could hear them calling his name.

"Allen...

"Allen..."

Bitting his lip, Allen once again pushed himself up off the ground, and with a groan of exhaustion pushed himself back into a standing position and started down the hall again. He needed to find a place to hide, as his body would no longer support running for much longer. Even now, as Allen once again started running, he could feel the muscles start to shake.

"Please wait Mr. Exorcist..."

Allen throw out an arm to catch himself as he turned another corner. He had leaned into the turn far to much due to his exhaustion, and stumbled on the turn. Only the hand he had pushed off the cold, black brick kept Allen upright.

He had to find a place to hide, and he needed to find it soon.

"We just want to talk..."

A long row of door's flashed across Allen's vision. The entire hallway was filled with doors that made up the sleeping quarters of the exorcists. A small sigh of relief slipped past Allen's lips as the familiar sight registered in his brain.

He continued running even as he passed the door with his own name carved into it. Far to obvious if he was to hide there. The people chasing him knew the black order inside and out, every single nook and cranny. Allen had already been pushed past the kitchen, something that had his stomach screaming at him as loud as every other part of his aching, tired body. And to have hidden in the library would be walking right into their thickest point.

So Allen's feet had brought him here, the residential portion of the exorcist's base. Both Lenalee's and Lavi's room were out of the question however. A far to obvious place to look for Allen.

He was running out of options pretty quick here. And no matter how fit Allen was, no matter how fast, the... the... things chasing him where desperate. They could keep up this pace for hours more, something Allen just couldn't do.

That left only one option.

The colour left Allen's face as that final thought finally connect through into his mind. That honestly couldn't be his last resort. It just couldn't be, if there was anyone watching over the exorcists of the black order, than it couldn't be his last resort.

It was however. The narrow hallway that Allen had been following so religiously came to a rather definite end after this rather solid door. Allen raised a shaking hand to the small brass doorknob and hesitated on the spot. The people chasing him couldn't be that dangerous... at least Allen had a chance of being saved if he fought back. Something he wouldn't get if this room contained its original occupant.

"Mister Exorcist, won't you please try it?"

Scratch all previous statements, nothing could be worst than the fate he would receive by giving himself up to these people. With that thought in mind, Allen ripped open the door and pulled himself inside the room.

The air released itself from Allen's lungs in a sudden rush and he collapsed against the backside of Kanda's door. The room was pitch black, and thankfully empty. Kanda would have killed him if he had been here. That or thrown him back out to the science department, a fate far worse than death in Allen's opinion.

The science department had been hounding on him since the moment Allen had woken up that morning. It was the day of the first task, and Lavi had... 'accidentally' slipped to the science department all the information they had gathered on their midnight excursion the night before. Apparently the Science team had been working through the night, coming up with wild inventions for him to try out that would protect him from the dragon.

A drink to make him fly, a spray to make his clothes 100% fire proof. Pills that would stop his skin so durable that even a dragon bite wouldn't break the surface. Skin lotion to make him invisible.

The list went on and on. In fact the only thing longer than this list was the ever growing register of possible and increasingly disturbing side effects that Allen's imagination kept coming up with. If these inventions could be ingested, or in anyway shape or form come into contact with his skin, Allen was not going to come within five feet of them.

Hint the running.

Allen fought to calm down, to gain control of his breathing. At this rate the science department was going to hear him. Allen clamped his mouth shut as the first set of footsteps pounded by and came to a stop outside Kanda's door. He was afraid that he would hear the rapid sound of his breathing through the door. The only thing Allen had to rely on with this hiding spot was the off chance that the science department figured he was more afraid of Kanda than them.

Under normal circumstances that would be true. But not today.

The last of the footsteps finally turned around and passed the door, and Allen breathed a sigh of relief. He slowly removed his hand from in front of his mouth and relaxed against the door. For the first time in over an hour, Allen allowed himself to relax. Slowly his breathing fell back into a normal rate, and his eyes sipped closed.

So tired, so hungry... At this rate he wasn't going to get a reasonable breakfast in before the first task started. Lavi would never let him live it down if he passed out half way through the task...

Grunting slightly at muscles that still felt like jello, Allen got back to his feet. Maybe there was enough time to try and make it back to Jerry and get an almost full meal before time ran up. But before he had a chance to stand up fully, the door knob rattled.

Allen pushed himself up the door. He had thought that the science department had turned around by now. Unless Kanda was back? Oh God, Kanda was back...

Frantic eyes scanned the room. It was absolutely pitch black, Allen couldn't see anything. That obviously meant there was no window in the room. No escape route besides the door. Allen backed up, trying to find a place to hide. He could use the almost pitch dark to his advantage. Maybe under the bed...

That would work... if he could find the bed.

Stretching his arms out in front of him Allen tried to feel out a head board, or at least anything that could represent a good hiding place. He panicked however as he felt nothing. It was almost as if the room was empty.

The door was starting to open.

Stifling a whimper of panic, Allen stumbled forward, trying to pick up the pace, or at least find a wall to be able to direct himself. A small beam of light entered the room as Allen tried to orientate himself, and a large grin started to conflict with Allen's ever growing sensation of panic. The bed was just to his left, pressed up against the far wall.

Allen surged forward, all caution forgotten in an attempt to hide. He only had a few seconds left before he was found. Oh god, please let it be someone coming in to clean. Who was he kidding? Kanda had made it obvious that no one was to ever, ever enter his room, it had to be Kanda.

He was so dead.

Allen's foot caught on something hard, just two feet from the sanctuary of Kanda's bed. In those last few crucial seconds, He fell face first into into the carpet at the same time the door fully opened.

"Allen?"

Allen's cheek lifted up off the carpet, meeting the concern gaze of Lenalee from the doorframe. "Lenalee!" he gasped, scrambling up to his feet and rushing over to where the black haired exorcist was standing. "I'm so glad to see you!"

Lenalee, blinked at Allen's odd behaviour and cast an eye around at her surroundings. "I was wondering where you were hiding Allen. I have to say this was the last place I would have thought to look for you. I only came here because I was out of places to look."

"And I only came here because I was out of places to hide." Allen said with a grin, pushing his sweaty hair out of his face with is gloved palm. "The science department had me running all over this place."

A single perfectly curved eyebrow rose at this, and Lenalee titled her head in confusion. "Whatever you say Allen." She said, before grabbing onto Allen's wrist and starting to drag him down the hall. "Come on, The task starts in two hours and I know for a fact that most of that time is going to be spent feeding you."

Nodding, Allen quickly fell into step with Lenalee, feeling her shift her grip on his arm to loop hers through it. They walked together in silence, Allen checking down each narrow corner before daring to take any step into the open.

It was a short walk from the living quarters to the kitchen, and the large cafeteria like room was already filled to the brim with people. None of them were wearing the white jacket that marked the science department however, and for that Allen was grateful. At this rate he would be able to get a snack in before the task started.

Allen could see the door to the kitchen, and his stomach announced its pleasure at seeing such a familiar sight in the only way it knew how. So close, he could hear the sounds of clanging pots, and chopping knives. He could smell the delicious flavours of garlic, and meat, and he could almost taste the mouthwatering food that he would soon be filling his mouth with.

A head slowly peaked its way out from underneath Allen's collar, perking up at the thick smells wafting through the morning air. Slowly, Timcampy unwound his tail from Allen's neck and spread his wings to pull himself up into the air, the golden tips smacking Allen's ear.

"There's someone I haven't seen in a while," said Lenalee, her fingers rising up to lightly brush against the edge of Timcampy's tail. The golem skirted forward at the touch and rose higher into the air, circling impatiently above Allen's head.

Allen sighed softly, looking up to the golden ball that hovered above him. "He's been staying in my room a lot lately, and I don't know if it's because Master is gone or if it's because of all the people at Hogwarts. Although, for some reason though he wouldn't leave me alone this morning. Not that I mind but it is kind of odd."

"He's probably worried about you" Lenalee mused "He's pretty in tune to how other's are feeling." and Allen nodded in agreement, watching the golden golem with an odd look in his grey eyes.

"Lenalee?" Allen asked, a soft hesitation in his voice, "Will you watch him for me? I'm worried that he's going to get in the way, and end up as Dragon bait."

Lenalee nodded, but she soon began to bite on her bottom lip slightly, as if she was trying to hold in something that she oh so desperately wanted to say. Even as Allen removed his arm from her's to press his weight onto the door to the kitchen, she stood there in a moment of frozen apprehension before she shifted suddenly, reaching forward to latch onto the wrist that rested on the door. "Allen, please tell me you have a plan."

Allen paused, looking down from his hand to Lenalee's refusing to look his friend in the eye. "Allen, this isn't funny. You need to have a plan for this. I heard the other teachers talking with their students and they have what they're going to do right down to the last millisecond."

"Sorry Lenalee. I have an idea though, does that help? Plans never work out the way their supposed to for me. Don't worry, it'll all work out." Allen said, attempting to reassure Lenalee, waving his free hand in the air in an almost desperate fashion. But to no avail.

"I know Allen, I know you. That's why I want you to promise me that you won't let yourself killed." Lenalee implored, her large eyes becoming huge as they stared into Allen's face. He could hear the fear that echoed like the chime of a bell in Lenalee soft voice, and the delicate hand that gripped his own so tightly shook.

With a soft sigh Allen allowed a gentle smile to touch the edges of his cheeks. His hand wormed its way out of Lenalee's death grip and gently cupped Lenalee's face, whipping away the single crystal tear that had welled up in her eye.

"I promise Lenalee. This is a school remember? They won't let things get out of control. So don't worry. All you have to worry about is making sure that Jerry has a feast for us when I get back and everything will be perfect."

Lenalee giggled, tilting her face into Allen's hand before stepping away. "Alright then" she said, a smile that mirrored Allen's own suddenly appearing. "We should get you fed before the task, can't have you embarrassing The Order... I mean Rose Cross, by becoming to hungry to move, can we?"

/

Cheering was the only thing Allen could hear right now. A single unified tone that could only come from the merger of Hundreds of voices that in this case could only signify one thing. Harry's portion of the task had finally concluded. Now whether that meant that the 14 year old had managed to steal this mysterious Golden egg, or the Dragon had fried him in the attempt, Allen was unsure. The cheering crowd wasn't an help. Harry had become rather unpopular over the last month. Many of his own year mates would have been cheering for the dragon right now.

Allen shivered at the thought, trying to get rid of the vision of Cajun style Potter from his mind. This was supposed to be a safe event. From what he had seen, the Dragons were being kept on a very short tether, long enough to keep steeling the egg a Challenge, but short enough so if one wanted to run they could. Despite being a ferocious, man eating Dragon, there was supposed to be little that could go wrong.

Allen tightened his fist as his stomach started to knot in fear and worry. Were all the people that had left the tent before him alright? Would he be alright? Allen yelped as the perfect model dragon in his hand bit into Allen's palm, showing its displeasure at the rough treatment, forcing Allen to drop the magically animated figurine.

When Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch entered the tent a few hours previous, the two men had explained the task, and supplied a velvet bag, daring each of the TriWizard contestants to pull out the contents of the bag. Which in the end had revealed the dragons that Allen had seen earlier, and judging by the extreme lack of surprise from his competitors the ones the others had seen as well. Each dragon model had a little tag around their necks that showed what order they would be going in.

Blood welled up in Allen's palm, and the Exorcist quickly moved his injured hand up to his mouth in an attempt to stem the flow of blood.

The Dragon model glared at Allen as it landed on the off white sheet of the medical cot Allen was currently using as a chair. A small curl of dark smoke erupted from the beast nostrils, and flame red scales rustled restless over each other as it curled up into a cat like ball, the little tag around its neck inscribed with a little five falling down to the blankets.

Allen sighed as he looked up to the thick canvas that surrounded him, feeling closed in all of a sudden. He was the only one left in a tent that had previously held over ten people. Contestants, media, teachers... everyone. Yet he was left here, sitting in the dark which was not a feeling that Allen found he was found of. Nothing like dead silence to increase every single feeling.

Again the canon blasted, signalling that it was Allen's turn to enter the stadium. The force of the explosion ripped through the thick canvas of the tent with the force of a small earthquake. A sudden sharp chill ran up Allen's spine as the tent shook around him, sealing his sentence.

No matter how often Allen told himself that there was nothing to worry about in this task. How often he reassured Lenalee that he would be alright. There was no denying the fact he was most definitely not looking forward to fighting this dragon.

A dragon may have nothing on a level 4 akuma, as Lavi had repeatedly joked, but neither did Allen with out the Crown Clown. An item that Allen had been informed was far to risky to activate with so many prejudiced people around.

There was also that possibility that Lavi was wrong about the strength difference between a level 4 and the dragon. There was nothing more viscous than a mother protecting their young. Maybe a nesting Dragon could hod their own against any Akuma. Besides from what Allen had seen the night before, these dragons were huge.

Allen slowly pushed himself up and off the low cot. It squeaked as his weight left he metal springs, causing Allen to wince at the squeaky noise, and the dragon model to growl.

This was it.

Allen's fingers touched the edges of the canvas door and parted the flap. Almost immediately he was bombarded by a tidal wave of cheers, boos and screams. Taking a deep calming breath, Allen fought to ignore everything that was happening around him. As his mind slowly started to clear and the apprehension disappeared, Allen started to run over and finish the rough plan that was only half formed in his head.

"Promise me that you won't let yourself killed"

As strategies went this one kind of failed in terms of helping Allen get his goal, put it would be very useful for slipping out of the bar of survival. Promises to Lenalee almost always to end up that way. However strategies had never really been Allen's strong point, he was far more of a swing your sword and hope it makes contact kind of person. One of the many reasons why when they spared, Kanda almost always came out on top.

This time however, there was no sword, no weapon, and his opponent was going to be a lot meaner than Kanda could ever hope to become. All of which meant Allen needed to think his plan thorough a little more.

Sharp pieces of gravel crunched underneath Allen's boots as he walked further and further into the arena, taking the time to look over everything.

The arena that Allen walked onto was a rock wasteland. Towers of rocks cracked the surface, providing both protection and perch. Where this had all come from, Allen most certainly did not want to think about. When he and Lavi had finished there rounds last night this rocky wilderness had not existed.

The crowd had fallen silent, Allen could feel each and every stare upon his back. Allen tugged off the hood of the floor length black jacket he was wearing over top of his uniform to protect against the bitter november air, letting his white hair fall free of the hood. The sleeves came free next, and the thick material slipped from from Allen's arms and from his body. The cold wind cut into Allen's uniform like a knife, but he knew that tit would be worth it to gain full mobility once more, it would be a hazard when playing with fire.

The jacket was draped over the edge of one of the rock pills. The black material a sharp contrast to the light grey of the rocks. Hopefully he had placed the jacket in a place where it would survive the onslaught of the fight, but still be in a place where Allen would be able to find it.

Shutting his eyes, Allen let the breath he had been holding to release into the air, before analytically surveying the terrain, not allowing himself to be taking in by the awe of his environment. At this time he could only focus on the task at hand: the gold egg.

The centre of the arena was a stack of blush grey eggs. They where nestled in a nest of smaller stones and wood. Each one of the eggs could easily out weight any ostrich egg that had ever existed, and sandwiched between the pile was the golden egg that allen was supposed to be looking for, polished to absolute perfection.

The eggs were contained in the only clear section of the arena. A large opening that meant absolutely no protection. It seemed that the only way to take the eggs would be to make a break for it and pray for the best.

Bracing himself, Allen quickly to one last scan of the area, ears perked up for any sign of the giant fire breathing lizard that was to be his playmate for the next several minutes. The brute seemed absent however, probably watching him from behind one of the rock mountains.

Allen began to walk towards the clearing, his pace quickening with every single step, until he was sprinting. Allen knew he had to be careful with how much speed went into his stride, for his innocence could easily take him past a speed that the wizards would consider normal.

That was something Komui had stressed numerous times. No matter how hard things got, Allen had to appear like a normal human.

The eggs were quickly coming into view, only a few feet left. Allen's eyes darted left, right and above. But there was still no sign of a dragon. This was far to easy...

Stretching out his arm, Allen prepared to dive for the golden egg that was almost in his grasp. He was so close, Allen's finger danced across the smooth surface of the cold metal.

A flash of red caught in the corner of Allen's vision and a guttural growl erupted into the air. The putrid smell of brimstone surrounded Allen, making his stomach churn and his nose burn, the smell only increasing as the seconds wore by. It took a little while for Allen to figure out why the smell existed in the first place.

At the very last possible moment Allen jumped to the hard left, using the momentum from his previous sprint to twist his body towards the ground and on to his wrist. When the blast of scorching flames filled the space where Allen had previously been standing, he pushed his weight up of his hand and shot up into the air above the blast.

The smell of scorched cotton and burnt skin followed Allen's landing however, and he stumbled slightly when he landed, clutching at his burnt wrist. The dragon gave Allen no time to recover however as it released another breath of fire before Allen was steady on the ground.

He dived and rolled, avoiding burst after burst of white hot flames that was shot in his direction. Allen danced further back, his feet jumping over lose rocks as he avoided the flames, until his back collided with the jagged edge of a towering rock. Wasting no time, Allen dove behind the rock pillar, the surface well worn by many a set of claw marks.

For a single second Allen relaxed, letting the pillar support his weight. His breathing came out in harsh, panting gasps as he tried to regain control of his breathing. From behind the rock, Allen could hear the sound of sharp talons racking against the stones, the eerie sound grating on his ears.

Allen looked down at the hand he was currently cradling so carefully to his chest. The uniform sleeve that had survived many an Akuma attack, that was designed to withstand just about everything was completely ruined. The material burnt away to ashes, right down to the metal fastenings. Gingerly, Allen removed the cuff which was all that remained of his glove, gasping when the white material moved to reveal shiny, red blistered skin bordered by oozing yellow white and cracked brown black that no longer looked anything like Allen's pale of skin.

Lenalee was going to kill him... but it couldn't be helped. Allen would just have to be more careful from now on.

Peaking his head around the rock, Allen was given the first eyeful of the full sized version of his dragon model. The one Mr. Bagman had called a Brazilian Fire mane.

The dragon towered above Allen, and even though he had seen the dragons last night in the forest, he was still astonished by the sheer presence of the beast. Composed of a long snake like body, the dragon coiled around the rocks, flame red scales glistening in the light. True to its name, the Brazilian Fire Mane had a crown of orange scales -or feathers, Allen wasn't truly sure- that surrounded her head, jaw and tickled down her chin and her spine.

The dragon prowled forward, walking heavily on thick tree stump like hind legs. Laking definite arms, she rested the tips of her huge wings against the terrain, the hand like structures that seemed far more equipped to be hanging on tree bark than balancing on rocks. The thin membrane that lined the boney structures was a few shade lighter than her body, and Allen could see right through them. Judging by the way the dragon was proportioned, how fine boned she was and by the awkward way she was carrying herself, Allen summarized that the dragon was far more at home in the sky than she was on the ground.

He could use that as an advantage. As long as he could keep her on the ground

The Dragon's head moved to the left, and Allen's breath caught in his throat as he met the tawny gaze of something that held far more intelligence than most people gave credit to. The way she stared down at Allen, as if he was some pathetic grub caused his stomach to knot. Some insignificant urchin who had bitten off far more than they could chew. Almost as if she knew, as well as Allen that with one snap of the huge jaws, he would be no more.

Maybe the best strategy here, would just be to sit for a few minutes. Behind the protection of his shelter and wait until the dragon calmed down and left.

But as flame red coil after coil came and wrapped around the rock Allen was hidden behind in a vice like grip, and lifted the huge stone up into the air, he knew that was not going to be an option.

The dragon growled once more, and a claw tipped wing shot back peddle to avoid being clipped in the ribs, and ducked, almost throwing himself to the ground when the dragon swung around to try and club him with her spiked elbow joint.

Once more the Dragon started to advance, her wings twitching with the need for flight. But with no room to manoeuvre, all the dragon could do was allow her thin body to drag across the earth. Allen dodged behind rocks, never running in a straight line as he moved towards the back end of the huge arena. The Dragon followed every movement, worming her way through the narrow crevices until she came to a lurching stop, the immense chain attached to the thick collar around her neck growing taunt. The Dragon growled as her advancement was hindered, and attempting to swipe at the offending metal ring, to no avail however.

Allen easily avoided the frustrated stream of flames that flared from her nostrils. Again and again she pulled at the chain, and the tick metal groaned under the strain that she was exerting. But she could not get close enough to Allen to be able to take his head off.

Advantage point.

Allen jumped up into the air, and pressed his foot into a small rock ledge that the pillar behind him provided. His knees bent and Allen kicked off, pushing himself higher into the air. It was now or never if he was going to win this task.

The dragon's neck swivelled around as she tried to follow Allen's path. Allen twisted in mid air, high above her head, and landed with a soft thump on the mane like scales just between the Dragon's short neck and her shoulders.

The scales scrapped against the thin material of Allen's pants, ripping at his thighs, and they felt almost as hot as their name sake. The dragon screeched in protest, the sound uncomfortably similar to that of a scream. She started flail madly, heading shaking this way and that in a desperate attempt to dislodge her unwanted rider.

Allen gasped, the air leaving his lungs in one huge whoosh as she whirled around and around. His head head whipped painfully on his neck, rocking around like a bubble head so much so that Allen could hear the bones creak and groan. The Dragon's wings flared, trying to pull herself into the air despite the extra weight. Allen's eyes grew wide as her long body started to head into the air, and desperately he lashed his foot, jamming it into the wing joint.

Despite a muffled roar of pain, the Dragon all but ignored Allen's attempts to keep her on the ground, and she shot into the air. Allen threw himself against her neck, clinging desperately as the world blurred around him, feeling the same lurching in his stomach that came from Lenalee's dark boots.

Higher and higher into the air she flew, soaring to greater heights than Allen found comforting. Until the chain grew taunt and the Dragon could no longer rise. But it was high enough, for when Allen peaked his head of the side of the dragon's neck he could barely see the people sitting in the stands. They looked like brightly coloured ants, far to small to pick up any details.

A burst of flame shot off unexpectedly as the Dragon turned her head. Allen had been far to focused on staying put on the slippery back of his ride and not plummeting to his death, that he was unable to fully fully duck out of the way. The flames singed his hair, burning the edges and made the metal earring that was edged in his ear beyond uncomfortably hot.

Yet Allen held on, clinging desperately to the heavy iron collar. He would only have one shot at this, for this high up, if Allen fell it would be game over.

Slowly the bucking and lurching came to a stand still. Allen could feel the dragon's chest rise and fall rapidly as her lungs struggled to regain the oxygen lost through her fight with the human on her back. This could be the perfect moment.

Taking a deep breath to settled his own breathing, Allen allowed himself to immersed in the memories of the 14th. The soothing, yet eerie piano melody echoed in his ear as the rest of the world disappeared, leaving nothing but the white walls of Noah's Ark.

In his minds eye, Allen envisioned what he wanted to do, what he wanted the music to do for him, what he wanted the 14th to do for him. At the same time, Allen fought to keep his mind clear and separate. Knowing that with a moment's hesitation on his part, could mean the Noah inside of him would take control.

That faceless spectre loomed over Allen as a piece of perfectly polished silver erupted on the wall before him, marring Allen's reflection with the distorted shape of another. That shadowy face mocking Allen as the white haired boy's fingers twitched and started to move in tune to the music. The dull whisper of an intangible but alluring voice starting to merge in with the music. Taunting Allen with what could be, what he could be.

The world lurched once more, snapping the ark from Allen's vision, and thrusting him back into the real world. Allen's eyes became huge as he felt his body dragged forcefully into a vertical position. By the sheer force of air pressure alone.

The Dragon had gone into a dive, tucking her huge wings tight into her lithe body as she thrust herself into a straight line, becoming a living arrow. Just like a hunter going in for the kill, the despicable beast had waited to until Allen had been completely distracted until trying to kill him once more.

These Wizards truly underestimated the intelligence of this dragons, letting mere teenagers fight something that could easily be more cunning than any of them? Or had it been Allen who had underestimated how difficult this tournament would be? Magic must have given everyone a far larger advantage than he had originally thought.

Down, down, faster and faster. Allen could feel himself starting to slip as the ground rushed up to meet them. The collar was becoming to difficult to hold onto, and in desperation he entangled his left hand in the fiery feather like scales around the Dragon's neck.

The Dragon unfurled her wings with an ear shattering snap, jolting her entire body to a stop just several feet from the ground. Before Allen could even begin to comprehend what was happening, he was overwhelmed by vertigo. He flew forward, his hands leaving the safety of the dragon's mane and collar and gripped uselessly at air.

Desperately Allen grabbed up with his injured right hand and grabbed tightly onto the mane that dangled of the side of the Dragon's cheeks and down her chin. The Dragon didn't even react as his entire weight hung of the appendages. More now than ever, Allen felt less like a threat and more like her next meal.

Those brilliantly yellow eyes turned down to look at allen full on. Were the corners of those red scaly lips turning up into a smirk, or was it just Allen's imagination?

Allen's burnt hand began to shake as the damaged flesh was forced, not only to hold onto rough and hot material, but to support all of Allen's weight. Something that it should have been quite unable to do in its current state: second degree burns that bordered on third degree that spread across his wrist, inner arm and the palm of his hand.

The Dragon's scales rubbed against the charred flesh, and the dragon shook her head roughly from side to side, forcing a chocked scream to leave Allen's throat without hesitation or remorse.

Even as the agony died down to a level that Allen could once again control his need to scream, pain still seared unbearably up Allen's arm. He had to fight to remain holding onto those scales that were causing him so much pain.

It wasn't much of a dilemma however: hold on and be in pain, or let go and die. He had promised Lenalee that he would survive, there was no way that Allen was going to let it end here. If a 14 year old could manage, than so could he.

With a grunt, Allen swung his body up, trying to urge his free hand back up to the collar that suddenly seemed a mile away. His fingers were still a good distance from the metal surface of his salvation. So Allen swung his legs up into the air as if he was on a swing, trying to create enough momentum to carry him the rest of the distance. Gritting his teeth at the pain this caused his hand, Allen rocked back and forth until he once again tried to reach for the collar.

His fingers danced across the outside edge, and with one more swing, Allen was able to wrap the tips of his fingers around the collar. The dragon must have realized that this would be the perfect chance to get back at the nuisance that had been bugging her so, and snapped her jaws at the exact second Allen released her chin.

The razor sharp teeth grazed over Allen's shoulders, ripping through the fabric to create shallow scratches along the flesh hidden beneath. They weren't deep, or traumatically painful, for Allen had been to far out of the dragons reach when she had tried to bite him, but the effect was still there. For Allen's back arched as those teeth touched his shoulder, and the brief pain ripped through his flesh.

His fingers slipped off the collar, clawing uselessly at the air as his body flew past the dragon. Then he was falling, the air rushing past him, creating a tunnel of wind that restrained Allen within it's confines as he tried to comprehend what was happening.

Somewhere in the distance Allen could hear Lenalee's scream and Lavi's frantic shout penetrate through the disjointed mass of sensations that surged through Allen's mind and body. Or was he just imagining them as he fell? How high up was he anyway? Allen didn't know, but he was sure that it was high enough to cause some serious, possibly irreversible damage... and only if it didn't kill him.

Allen's head tilted back as his body was tossed about in the wind. He stared blankly up at the dragon, watching in slow motion as those mighty jaws opened once again, and sparks started to flicker around her forked tongue as the fire started to build.

Meaning that if the fall didn't kill him, than the Dragon would be sure to finish the job.

Seconds before Allen could collide with the ground, every single instinct for self preservation suddenly kicked his mind into overdrive. Every single conscious thought was erased and locked away until only two words remained.

"Crown Clown!"

You all must love me. The first time I update in... i don't even want to know how long, and its a cliff hanger.

Remember, my beloved readers: killing the Authoress in her sleep means no updates. Just thought I should remind you just incase some CSI worthy ideas are appearing in your heads.

I'll update soon I promise.