Well…I needed a story for Thursdays….

If you are new to my stories, then welcome! I am Mei-chan4 and I write stories in which the characters somehow or another obtain a small child and how they deal with said child. This is mine and my co-creator's, Sakura02, take on what it would be like for the -Man characters.

For those of you that read my stories, I hope you enjoy this one as much as you do my others!

Everyone, please enjoy!

Twelve year old Allen sighed as he laid on the small bed in his small hotel room. Really, his master couldn't wait to get out on the town and drink away all their money. Well, it wouldn't do him any good to simply sulk in his hotel room. With another deep sigh, he stood up from his bed and left the hotel, deciding to explore his surroundings.

He didn't know how long he had been wandering around when he heard a strange noise coming from the alleyway directly beside him. Allen paused and listened carefully. "Is someone there?" He called softly. After waiting a few moments and no answer, he made his way into the alley. He didn't get very far when he saw just what was making the noise.

A small girl sat huddled against the wall. She couldn't have been older than three and she was much too scrawny for her age. Her hair may have been blonde but Allen couldn't tell from all the dirt clinging to her stringy hair. Her eyes were a dull green that stared listlessly ahead. Her thin legs were pulled to her chest and her dingy dress hung tattered around her knees. The girl's eyes slowly glanced over at Allen.

"Hello there." Allen smiled warmly at the little girl. "What are you doing in such a scary place like this?"

"Waiting…" She answered so faintly Allen barely heard her. She winced as her stomach growled loudly.

Allen continued to smile. "Waiting for who?"

"My mommy…she said she'd be back…but she's been gone a long time…" The girl answered.

"What's your name?" Allen asked. He reached out and smoothed the girl's wild hair down.

"Claire…"

"Well, Claire, I'm Allen Walker. It's nice to meet you. Are you hungry, Claire?" Allen smiled as a for a brief moment light flashed in Claire's eyes. He could feel from her something similar to himself.

Claire chewed thoughtfully on her lip. "But…I'm supposed to wait for Mommy…"

Allen continued to smile warmly as he held his hand out to her. "It's okay. I'll help you find your mommy, okay? Let's get you fed and cleaned up."

Claire hesitated a moment before putting her tiny, pale hand into Allen's gloved one. "Okay…"

Allen hummed as he checked the water in the bathtub. It was just right for little Claire. He smiled warmly at the little girl standing nervously in the doorway. She seemed more alive after she had wolfed down three steaks, a bowl of soup, five orders of mashed potatoes and twelve glasses of milk. Allen wondered idly where she packed it all but decided he couldn't judge considering how much he ate. "Claire, the bath is ready."

Claire hesitantly stepped forward. She peered nervously into the full bath. She looked at Allen briefly for reassurance before taking off her dirty dress and jumping into the bath.

To say Allen was startled when a pair of wings popped out of Claire's back would be an understatement. He watched in fascination as she went about scrubbing herself clean, not at all concerned about the white wings with black tips protruding from her back. "Um…Claire…what are those?"

Claire blinked as she paused in cleaning her arm. "They're my angel wings. Mommy gave them to me. Can you help me wash my hair, Allen-ni?"

"Oh…sure." Allen was silent as he gently washed Claire's hair. As more and more of the dirt disappeared, Allen realized Claire's hair was indeed blonde. It was an almost blonde white color. "How did your mommy give you your wings?"

"She gave me this pretty shiny thing and fed it to me. It hurt at first but I got my wings so it's okay." Claire smiled brightly up at Allen. "I'm all clean, Allen-ni. Can I go to sleep now?"

Allen helped Claire out of the bath and dried the small girl off. He loaned her one of his shirts and took his time gently combing Claire's hair out. He wondered if her wings were similar to his arm. He gave her his bed and tucked her in. "Sleep well, Claire."

Claire yawned and snuggled under the covers. It had been a while since she had gotten to sleep in a bed. "Will we look for my mommy in the morning?"

"Of course." Allen reassured. He leaned against the bed and soon nodded off to sleep along with Claire.

"Who the hell is this kid!?"

Allen groaned as he woke up to a rather irritated looking Cross. He glanced over and was relieved to see Claire was still sound asleep. "Please don't wake her up, Master. This is Claire. I found her in an alleyway and brought her back. She has wings on her back…"

Cross frowned and strode over to the bed. He lifted the covers and saw that there were indeed wings. He gently stroked one of the feathers, noting how Claire's small body shuddered. "Innocence…"

"She doesn't have any family, Master. Her mother just left her in the alleyway." Allen said quietly.

"No way." Cross said firmly. "There is no way I'm dragging another kid around. It was bad enough with you."

Claire yawned as she finally woke up. She sat up and rubbed her sleepy green eyes. She looked around before her eyes landed on Cross. "Who are you?"

"Claire, this is my master, Cross." Allen said.

"Oh, nice to meet you Mr. Cross." Claire smiled sleepily.

Cross looked at the bright eyes of Claire and then down at Allen's pleading. He looked back and forth between the two. Finally, he sighed in resignation. "All right, she can stay."

Allen grinned. "Thank you, Master."

Cross watched Allen painstakingly prepare Claire for the day. They'd have to buy her clothes which would be a pain. Then again, women did love men with small children…

Neither Allen nor Claire noticed the sly grin on Cross's face.

And that's the end of the first chapter. Please review and let me know your thoughts!