Just a moment I wanted to describe after reading the latest chapter of the manga. It's so nice – and finally we get to see Allen again! Hehe!

Warning: Spoilers for chapter 210.

Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray Man.

. Once Again .

Kanda didn't know what to say.

Then again, the situation was very chaotic: one moment that dratted clown was trying its best to get away from him (and he swore he saw the clown sweat buckets), and the next moment it was swallowed up by a huge, ugly, four-faced akuma who seemed to consist of just the heads.

Seriously, the Earl's inventions were getting freakier by the second.

The crowd was screaming. Someone – or several, Kanda didn't notice how many – was crying, and he heard her desperate pleas for someone to please save that kid!

Kanda was already sprinting towards the akuma, encountering little resistance even as the crowd crashed against him; it was as though a path had been sliced open like butter under a knife. Mugen vibrated in its sheath under the fabric Kanda hid it in. His deft fingers curled around the handle to pull the sword out.

Mugen never appeared.

There was a huge bang, then a huge blast of hot air smacked Kanda right in the face, causing him to wince and shut his eyes. He swiped at his face angrily to squint at his surroundings.

The akuma was no longer there. There were no more little feet peeking out of sharp akuma teeth, nor was there any sign of that idiotic clown. Instead, amid billows of smoke and dust and dirt, burst a wild silhouette of feathers and fabric and…a mask?

Kanda stared at the figure. It looked vaguely familiar, and yet he was quite sure he hadn't seen anything like it before. The feathers shot sky-high, buffeted by the wind, as dust and debris swirled around the figure like a cloak. Kanda desperately wished that the dust storm would abate, but his Innocence was a sword and therefore unable to blow the storm away.

The storm cleared somewhat of its own accord, darkening the figure as it left. The shape of the mock cloak remained, though, even as what seemed to be a pair of legs slowly became apparent. It was particularly bulky in the middle; Kanda noticed that, because while the dust-cloak flapped about in the dying wind, the bulk remained constant.

Then, with a start, he realised that the mock cloak was, in truth, a real cloak.

Allen's cloak, in fact.

Shocked, Kanda stared at the mask. The shape itself was vaguely familiar, yet dissimilar to the one he last saw, back when Allen opened the Ark for him and Alma then closed the gate permanently. It was larger, more intricate, certainly; and where the mask merely had pointed corners on each upper side it now had a pair of twisting, curving horn-like extensions that made it look like a joker clown.

The mask yawned backward, revealing a thickly painted face, long white eyelashes and solemn silver eyes. The boy had them barely opened, with a serene look on his face as he hugged the little girl close to his body with an arm. He could feel the poor victim quaking in fear, although she seemed too afraid to even squeak.

He looked up then, and Kanda found himself caught by Allen's gaze. Abruptly, the boy scowled, his features turned aristocratic by the wind – it blew his hair back and accented his delicate face. Kanda had to admit that Allen was crafty with cosmetics: not only did he use them to paint his clown makeup, but he also used them to paint his curse scar into a normal, five-pointed star with a single point extending to his cheek. The rough-looking scars were not visible from where Kanda stood.

The feathery edges of the cloak were much larger now, flaring out behind Allen like a lion's mane. Sometimes Kanda could see Allen's free hand-claw, half-hidden by the Crown Clown's cloak. He took in all the changes, noted the similarities, then looked up to lock Allen's eyes with his own.

Rage bubbled from within like a frothing volcano. This, at least, was familiar, the one familiar thing in this suddenly unfamiliar, topsy-turvy world. One thing still remained the same.

He still had the urge to stab the boy with his sword.

Before Kanda could do so much as to grab Mugen's handle, Allen floated down to the ground and let the girl down gently, supporting her with his wrists – because his hands were claws and he didn't want to risk hurting her – until he was sure she was able to stand. She stared at him through teary eyes, unsure of what to do. Kanda thought he saw, amid the shock and a growing sense of relief, a flicker of fear. And he was sure Allen saw it too, although he said nothing.

"Go back to your family," Kanda heard Allen murmur; his voice was deeper, softer, tired. If Allen truly was tired, though, his cosmetics hid it well. He let go of the girl, made to pat her shoulder, glimpsed his claws and decided to smile instead. "I'm sure your mum and dad are worried about you," he said.

The girl nodded. She took a step backwards, once, twice, then she whirled round and ran away as fast as her little legs would allow. Allen watched her go. No one said anything, not for a while.

Then, with a great shudder, Crown Clown deactivated, leaving a scrawny Allen with a huge, feathery wing-like thing that towered over him like a dreadful yellow plant.

What is that? Kanda wondered, but he cast the thought away to glare at Allen. Allen was already glaring at him, although his was muted, his silvery eyes dull and traced with resignation.

He coughed once into his fist. "Hello, Kanda," he said, awkwardly. He blinked, lethargically, as though to clear his vision. Something dribbled out of the corner of his left eye and down his cheek. It wasn't until it stained Allen's shirt that Kanda realised it was blood.

Allen coughed again, and this time Kanda caught the shudder that gripped the boy's body and squeezed blood out of his mouth. He swayed, then spread his legs wider apart to balance himself.

"That's all you have to say?" Kanda snarled, having finally found his voice. Allen smiled, a bloody smile made all the more grotesque by the exaggerated clown's mouth scrawled on his face.

Why did you come? That smile seemed to say.

I will save you was Kanda's answer, but Allen didn't need to know that.

First things first: he still wanted to slice him up very, very much. Into tiny bits and pieces.

Mugen glinted hungrily.

. owari .

Welcome back, Allen!

How was it? I've not written in a while and I fear I've become rusty (and I'm supposed to be studying because I'm having finals but meh).

Reviews, as always, will be greatly appreciated. What do you think will happen in the next chapter? I certainly can't wait to see!