Hi guys! I am submitting a new story. I apologise, but as I have, unfortunately, lost my love for Black Cat, I do not feel that I can continue writing 'Alternative Reflection'. Sorry, but it is being abandoned. :( I am in love with -Man at the moment and, since I know I won't get bored with it, I'm going to write some fanfictions for it! :D. So, here it is. IN THIS VERSION, LAVI DOES NOT KNOW ABOUT ALLEN BEING THE 14TH OR ANYTHING!

Allen's POV

It was cold.

That's all I could register. The kind of cold that burns your nostrils and persuades you to curl up in bed and never wake up. I, however, could not do such a thing. I had a promise to keep. I would never stop walking no matter what this cursed life decided to throw at me. There was no escape. It was my eternal punishment, the one debt that I was actually glad to pay off. Mana's life that was lost because of me will always be with me, forcing me forward into Winter's icy grasp. I had no room for complaining.

Now I am blocked by the harsh winds that are throwing me backwards, but I am persistent and do not easily relent. As my numb, freezing feet stomp through the snow with a heavy, mindless gait, I zone out and allow my self to be swallowed up by my thoughts.

Despite my promise to keep walking, I am hitting a wall. The 14th. Ever since I learned about the 14th being Mana's brother, it gets harder and harder to slap that familiar smile onto my face. I regret to think that it doesn't fool my friends anymore. Even BaKanda can see through it, or maybe he just doesn't care. I don't blame him. I am a Noah, the very thing we exorcists exist to eradicate. The more I think this, the more I understand what central is thinking. I am a danger to everyone around me, an unstable factor in their plan.

Even though I said I wouldn't lose to the traitor Noah, I can see his shadow becoming clearer and clearer and I know that it won't be long before it devours me completely. The aching pain that flashes through my body is more painful with each passing day and I don't know how long I can hold on. This pain is the most difficult I have ever had to hide, from Lenalee and Lavi especially.

I turn my head to the left slightly and see Lenalee hugging her coat around her waist trying to protect herself from the onslaught of the wind. Lavi, on my right, has a large green scarf wrapped up to below his eyes. I would laugh at the sight if it didn't send a wave of excruciating pain throughout my body.

I, for some inexplicable reason, do not feel the cold at all. In fact, I feel warm, as if I am standing in front of a massive bonfire, bathing in its warm glow. I peel my jacket off and turn to Lenalee, holding it out to her. She looks at me with a steady gaze of concern.

'Take it, Lenalee! I don't need it!' I yell out, trying to make myself heard over the howl of the raging wind. I can see that she wants to argue, but also knows that there's no point of doing so in this situation. She hesitates, then smiles in thanks and throws the coat over her shoulders on top of her thinner one.

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Lavi's eye staring at me. Even though he is not supposed to feel emotions or have a 'heart', I know that he cares about all of us, even me, and I know that he is worried about me. I try to convince him with my best reassuring smile, but he just frowns slightly before turning to face forwards again. I know that he doesn't believe that I'm all right, not that I'm ready to tell anyone the truth yet.

After speaking with Master Cross, I can't push that single phrase out of my mind.

'You will kill someone you love'. It resounds in my head every second of the day, my only incentive to tell everyone the truth. To protect them, I would do anything. I hope they will kill me when the time comes. Otherwise, I don't know what to do.

I am pulled out of my thoughts by a high pitched keening noise, and I feel a burning sensation in my left eye.

Akuma.

Lenalee and Lavi, noticing my eye's activation, activate their innocence and prepare themselves. I follow suit and soon we can see dark floating specs speeding through the air towards us.

Lenalee shoots forward with her Dark Boots, trying to reduce the amount of akuma before they reach Lavi and I. We rush forwards, following Lenalee in her assault.

They are only Level 1s so we defeat them quickly and without injury. As Lenalee drops to the ground to check if we are okay, I smile and assure her I'm fine while trying to ignore the horrible ache that activating my innocence causes.

Glad that the attack is over, I still can't shake a feeling that the akumas were too weak and of too few a number. An unsettling anxiousness keeps telling me that there is something far wrong.

That something far worse is lurking nearby.

I apologise for the bad ending. I am so bad at doing anything to do with action scenes, but please tell me what you think of the first chapter as a whole! Also, cliched cliffie. Sorry! Please hit the review button!