Jekhipe

Tyki and Road sat at the edge of the main wagon, their legs dangling off the edge as they watched the ground go by. They were heading back to the town that housed Lavi, Kanda, and Lenalee, which Tyki had affectionately nicknamed 'Black Order Headquarters' due to their constant state of black dress; to his surprise and amusement, the nickname had stuck so that whenever Road, Allen or Tyki talked about their stationary friends as a whole, their new name for the town slipped out. It made for interesting conversations when talking with other members of the troop, because it was almost a sort of inside joke that only the three of them knew.

The carriage moved at a pace far too quick for them to keep up with by walking, but much slower than usual. Skinn was driving, his wife and child seated by his back so that it would be easy to relay any orders to him. Road and Tyki were seated together in the far back, simply watching and listening. His niece had her hands spread across the wood behind them, her arms straight and keeping her upper body from touching the floor. Tyki leaned against the strong cloth of the caravan, his legs running underneath Road's arms. With the exception of yet another muffled argument between the Millennium Earl and Allen, who were in the section of the wagon between the two and Skinn, and the creaking from the wheels below them, the air around Tyki and his niece was filled with silence.

"It's been like this for too long." Road finally muttered unhappily, bending her arms at the elbows until her back hit the bottom of the wagon and she could tilt her head back against the wood. Her actions forced her uncle to move his legs, but he followed her gaze because he knew exactly what she was talking about. Through a small sliver of space where the Earl had drawn a curtain to give the pair an illusion of privacy, they could just make out Allen's face; withdrawn and full of uncharacteristic anger, silver eyes rimmed with black and full of stubbornness, he looked completely unlike the boy whom they loved and whom Road had grown up with. "He keeps making such a fuss, and all for some boy who's seventeen seasons and will most likely lose interest in him once he has him for longer than usual." Sighing slightly, Road looked away from what she could see of Allen and turned to face her uncle again. She had changed too, because of the constant arguments, looking unhappy and resigned in the face of their cousin's turbulence. "Even you and I aren't as upset to leave Lavi and Lenalee behind."

"He's gotten too close to the Kanda son, as he's wont to do. We all knew this would happen at some point." Tyki murmured back tiredly; rubbing his hand over his eyes, the older gypsy lay a hand next to his niece's as he thought of something to tell her he hadn't already said. They were growing up too quickly for his tastes. Allen was turning longing eyes more frequently in the direction of their 'headquarters', and Road was experiencing her first true heartbreak at fourteen seasons because of it. "He was always one to get too attached too quickly. It was endearing as a child, but now it's causing far too many fights. Darling- - -"

"Don't 'darling' me!" She snapped, standing suddenly and making Tyki blink up at her in confusion and surprise. Road stood for a moment, fists clenched by her side, trembling from keeping what she truly wanted to say inside. There was a deep scowl twisting her face, strands of hair falling from the braid hanging down her back and framing her fierce gold eyes. "He can't leave! Allen's part of our family!"

"I never said he wasn't, but Road- - -" Tyki tried again, but she cut him off almost violently as she stamped her foot on the ground. Her balance was not as impeccable as she thought, as the action made her stumble just a bit, but she knocked Tyki's hand away when he reached forward to help her. As she steadied herself, all of the hurt and anger she'd been keeping bottled up spilled out of her suddenly.

"He shouldn't even be having these thoughts! What, does he plan to just abandon us after all this time?" She hissed, trying not to alert anyone else to the topic of their suddenly heated discussion. Her lip curled at the thought, her golden eyes narrowed and suspiciously wet. "How dare he! It's not his place, he's only fifteen seasons, he's not even an adult! How dare he try to make decisions like this on his own, as if he were smart enough or old enough to!" Road had begun pacing shakily during her rant, fury and hatred in her eyes. She was still trembling, though now it was more due to anger than anything else; her arms began waving wildly as she spoke, adding to the crazed rant she begun. "Is this how he plans to repay Mana for taking him in? Is this his payment to us for accepting him into our family with open arms the way we did, when no one else wanted him? This-This absolute betrayal? I'll go tell Allen that under no circumstances can he just- - -let me go!"

Road was so engrossed in her tirade she didn't notice Tyki behind her. She turned, ready to make good on her threat to interrupt the Earl in order to speak with Allen, only to have her uncle grab her arms and keep her back. Her fury at Allen bled over to irritation at her uncle, and Tyki had to use his full strength to keep her back. The movement of the wagon wasn't helping either of them, who had to divide their attention between fighting and balancing on the moving wood.

"Calm down, Road!" Tyki grunted out- - -despite being a girl, Road was much stronger than she looked. And now, with fury and hate running through her, the adrenaline rush made her even harder for him to contain her. As she was now, though, she was bound to say some choice words to Allen that would surely alienate the two from each other for some time. Tyki didn't want to be caught in the middle of it, and he was sure no one else in their little group did either. As much as he loathed to put his hands to her in a controlling manner, she left him with little choice if they wanted to preserve some semblance of peace.

"Let. Me. Go!" She yelled this time, not bothering to keep her voice down as she had before, freeing one of her hands enough to swipe it around; the knuckles and back of her hand caught Tyki in the face as the younger gypsy girl spun to glare at her uncle, the force behind it snapping his head to the side with an audible slap.

They both froze, and the argument behind them came to a stop as the sound died down. There was no movement for a long moment, the only sound coming from the creaking of the wagon below them.

Road's eyes, narrowed in her anger, slowly widened as realization dawned on her. Her mouth worked soundlessly, trying to come up with something that could possibly save the situation that had gotten out of control. Tyki wouldn't look at her, still stunned by both the fact that she had hit him and the strength behind such a strike, and she felt panic welling up in her. She was already at odds with Allen, Tyki knew. The young girl didn't want to have her uncle upset with her on top of that, or the looks and whispers that would come from her striking a man of nineteen seasons of age. Still, having only fourteen seasons to her age, she didn't have the slightest clue how to fix the situations she found herself in.

"Uncle...?" She whispered quietly. Her hand, still in the air, retreated slowly as she brought it level with Tyki's face. Shaking slightly still, though now from fear and worry, Road gingerly touched the abused cheek; her breath was caught in her chest when he winced, dropping her other hand and yet still not facing her. She could hear Allen heading over, calling out to see if everything was all right, but they both ignored him for the moment.

Tyki was surprised by the amount of strength behind the slap; already, he could feel blood rushing to his face and a bruise forming on the abused flesh. Road touched it with her fingertips, making pain spike through it once more, and Tyki drew away from her more, putting space between them just as Allen managed to make his way through. He still looked angry, though it was significantly overshadowed by the image of Road and Tyki before him. His concern for them overcame the anger at their leader, which was no small matter, but it did nothing to sway Road to be as close to him as they were before. She turned her head to the side, pointedly not looking at him.

"What happened?" The younger asked quietly, silver eyes glancing from a stunned and turned away Road to a subdued Tyki and back. He seemed to be waiting for Tyki's niece to answer him, even as it was becoming quickly obvious that she was still harboring feelings of fury with him. Silence descended between the three, and it quietly became awkward.

"Nothing much, Allen." Tyki said at last; Road's head didn't move, but her golden eyes glanced at him out of their corners. She looked unsure and frightened, and he met his niece's surprised gaze firmly. Her eyes watered slightly at the stern look in his own, and Road bit her lip and looked down after a few moments. Satisfied that she would follow his lead and keep her silence, Tyki turned to Allen. "It's fine. Nothing to trouble yourself with. Right, Road?" Road nodded stiffly, her lower lip trembling.

"It's nothing." She murmured tearfully at her uncle's prompting. Allen frowned in concern, but when he reached out to touch her shoulder, she pulled away. His fingertips grazed the shoulder of her arm, and her swift withdrawal from him had Allen flinching back as if he'd been burned. "It's fine." She hissed, her gold eyes narrowed and accusing. Allen drew away with a surprised look.

"Tyki-pon?" The Millennium Earl finally joined their group, his hands falling firmly on Allen's shoulder. Though he was addressing Tyki solely to figure out the situation, the Earl's gaze felt as though it traveled between the three of them. "What's going on?" His hand squeezed Allen's shoulder, and the boy's face turned uncomfortable at the pressure. Despite the worried tone of his voice, Tyki could tell that the Earl in no way forgot what had been happening between himself and Allen Walker a few minutes prior.

"It's nothing, Lord Millennium." He answered, but the man seemed to forget everything when Tyki turned to face him fully. His bruise was darkening by the minute, and it was very visible on his face now. "Ah, Tyki-pon, your face!" He cried, pushing Allen to the side in order to see the other's face better. His fingers touched Tyki's chin, tilting his head to the side to better see the bruise blooming on his face. "What happened?" The man's gaze didn't move, but the atmosphere cooled. "Road."

"I..." Her voice failed her again and she didn't seem to know what to say. Between her uncle's silent insistence that she stay quiet about the matter, and her leader's direct order to speak what happened, it was clear that the girl was struggling to decide. As she opened her mouth again, the eldest felt it prudent to interrupt her before she said anything.

"It's nothing, Lord Millennium, truly." Tyki insisted, pulling his face away slowly so he wouldn't anger the Earl any more than he already was. The situation at hand was delicate, and it wouldn't do to make everything worse by getting his niece in trouble. "It's fine. A little bruise won't hurt me or anything." The Millennium Earl's lips pursed, but he let the matter drop as soon as he released Tyki's face.

"If you say so." He said decisively, casting a warning glance at Road. She dropped her gaze again, her fingers grabbing hold of her skirt and twisting her fingers into it. "Come, Allen." The Earl said firmly, reaching out to touch Allen's shoulder again. "I have not finished talking with you yet."

"There's nothing to talk about." Allen hissed, his stance becoming tense and his eyes narrowing again. The Millennium Earl seemed surprised, but the presence of both Tyki and Road made it almost impossible to say anything. He was not supposed to be having this argument in front of an audience; any grievances were kept private between the Earl and the culprits. Allen knew this.

"You're acting cruelly." Road told him instead, her eyes flashing as she took out her anger on the one who caused it. Tyki groaned silently and rubbed his temples- - -this was exactly what he'd been trying to prevent this season past. Allen and Road were too close for anything the girl said to not have anything aimed specifically at harming the boy. "Would you really abandon everything we've done for you? Everything Mana's done for you?"

"Road, please- - -" Tyki tried to get between them, but she moved around her uncle.

"What if he leaves?" She demanded of no one in particular. Nobody answered her, and she turned her golden gaze back at the boy closest in age to her. "He's older than you, Allen, and he's not one of us. He wouldn't understand you!" Tears were growing in her eyes, but her own stubbornness refused to let them fall. "What would you do then? You'd have nothing, Allen! No precious samurai, and no family to come back to. Is he really worth that?" The boy flushed, wincing as if the words physically struck him, and Tyki rubbed at his eyes again with a sigh. Silence followed Road's tirade, nothing but the creaking of the wheels and her heaving breaths. Even Lulubell and Skinn were suspiciously silent, waiting to hear what happened next.

Allen bolted forward suddenly without a word, startling everyone in front of him; Road reached out to stop him, but she just missed him as he jumped out of the moving wagon. Nobody moved; Allen had managed to shock them all with his apparent disregard for his own safety.

"Go make sure he's ok." The Millennium Earl murmured harshly, glasses flashing. The gypsies winced at his harsh tone, which was heard even over the surprised calls of Sheril in the wagon behind them. The Earl raised his voice just a bit, making certain the blonde knew his orders. "Lulubell, tell Skinn to slow down so that Tyki and Road can get off!" The wagon slowed almost instantly, making the three occupants on it stumble a bit- - -Tyki caught his niece's arm, giving her a small smile as a show of forgiveness; she gave him her own shaky one in return- - -before regaining their footing. As soon as they were steady, Road and Tyki jumped off and headed towards the tree they saw Allen running.

XxX

Lavi stood precariously in the tree, his hand blocking the sun from his face as he took up the watch he started way back when he was eleven- - -watching the distant horizon for the familiar caravans of the Millennium Earl and his Noah. Below him, more willing to wait than he'd like to admit to anyone, Kanda leaned against the trunk of the tree. Every now and then, Lavi heard his grumbled annoyance drifting up to him, but he dutifully ignored it the way a self-proclaimed best friend should. Besides, he knew Kanda had been missing Allen immensely- - -it seemed harder and harder for the pale gypsy to separate from the swordsman with each passing year, something that hadn't escaped the apprenticed Bookman Jr's notice.

Lenalee was sitting next to Kanda, her hands trailing mindlessly in the dirt as she giggled each time Kanda complained. She had a book open in her lap, the only source of entertainment the three had, besides the sword Kanda kept attached to his side since he got it at fourteen. He'd affectionately named it Mugen, and was especially fond of trying to skewer Lavi with it.

"Any sign of them yet?" Lenalee asked him anxiously. Lavi took a break from scanning the distance to smile down at her. He could hear in her voice how much she missed the young gypsy girl who had begun keeping her company and allowing Lenalee to dress her up like a doll.

"Not yet." He called down, looking up to scan again. Lavi felt his heart pound in his throat- - -he was missing his own companion, the older gypsy that was able to reduce him to nothing more than a stuttering mass of body as easily as the older breathed. As the friendship between the two became stronger over the years, Lavi had found himself noticing little things about the other boy. Small things, like how Tyki would have Tease appear at random moments while with the red head, or how his gold eyes softened whenever they met his own. Even things like how protective Tyki was of everyone in their group, and how he seemed to be the runner up in Tyki's affections after his niece and cousin. Lavi found himself hoping fervently that Tyki's affections ran deeper than familial ones- - -while he himself wasn't sure whether or not his feelings were classified as the ever-elusive 'love' everyone sought in their lifetime, Lavi knew that his own affections ran deeper than friends or family.

And this was to be the year, he decided. This year he didn't want to wait for Tyki to seek him out; he'd approach the older gypsy on his own terms, and the red head would confess when he felt he should. He knew Kanda felt the same way for Allen, though he'd never let it through the cold mask he kept firmly in place. Even Lenalee was nursing her own budding crush on Road, to Lavi's amusement. They'd all seemed to have chosen a gypsy to befriend and managed to fall for them, making them a strange little group in their town.

"Oh!" Lavi grinned suddenly. "I think that's them, guys!" Kanda muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'finally!' while Lenalee stood up, closing the book and holding it firmly against her chest.

Lavi stayed in the tree, his hand against the firm trunk, and watched as the caravans went by. He recognized Tyki's older brother, Sheril, leading the caravans, his hand on the side of the horse in the very front as the man chose to walk to their appointed campground. In the drivers seat was his wife, Tricia; even from the distance, Lavi could tell they were clearly in love and, at the same time, purposefully ignorant of Allen's own guardian, Cross Marian, behind them. The man looked drunk as he was slouched behind Tricia, facing the insides of the wagon and yelling at what was probably Jasdero and Devit. The twins were the only ones who managed to get a rise out of the red headed gypsy when he was especially drunk.

Lavi continued to watch as Skinn came behind them with Lulubell, searching what he could for Tyki, Road, and Allen; as he looked, he wondered in the back of his mind who would be the first one to be seen.

Allen, to Lavi's surprise, was the first one out, his bare feet hitting the ground as he jumped from the still-moving wagon. He lost balance and almost fell on impact, but managed to steady himself without falling. His hair was in disarray, his chest heaving and fists clenched. Lenalee made an alarmed noise as he did so, nearly dropping her book in surprise. Lavi glanced down briefly; Kanda's face was set in a dark scowl, his hand gripping so tightly to Mugen that his knuckles were turning white. He didn't say anything to them, instead raising his voice and addressing Allen directly.

"Oi, Moyashi." Kanda called harshly; the tree was close enough to the road that Allen heard Kanda clearly. The boy's silver eyes met the swordsman's cobalt and Allen bolted towards him, his arms wrapping around the taller male's waist and his face burying itself in Kanda's chest as soon as he was close enough. Kanda let out an undignified squawk at the sudden contact, one that he denied fiercely later, his hands going to the boy's shoulders as if to shove him away. Allen tightened his grip, his body shaking slightly. He was clearly distressed, and Kanda glanced almost wildly at his friends before slowly wrapping his arms around the pale gypsy.

Lavi forgot to look for Tyki; instead, he dropped down to the ground and shared a confused look with Lenalee. Allen was clearly upset about something serious, and none of them were equipped to deal with this properly without knowing what it was. It could have been something about Mana, because the man's death anniversary seemed to coincide with both Allen's birthday and the Noah's return to their town, but with the way Allen was acting, it didn't seem likely.

"Moyashi-chan...?" He asked softly, reaching out to touch Allen's shoulder.

"He's been in trouble with Lord Millennium lately." Lavi and Lenalee turned to see Tyki standing behind them, looking apologetic and worried, a red-purple mark covering a good side of his face. Behind him, Road peered at them, sending a grim smile at Lenalee briefly before locking her gold eyes on Allen.

"It isn't fair that you're doing this, you know." She informed him coldly, her words tinged with exasperation, as if she had been saying the same thing for a long while. Allen stiffened a bit at her voice, and Kanda turned a dark glare at the younger Noah. She returned it fiercely, dislike growing on her face at the sight of him. "It's only going to destroy the whole family. And it's started already, thanks to you and your stubbornness."

"What is Allen trying to do?" Lenalee asked curiously. Tyki smiled vaguely at her, placing a warning hand on his niece's head. Road's eyes flashed before her face and demeanor changed completely. They watched, Tyki with a vague sort of amusement, as she grinned at Lenalee as if it was the first time she had seen the girl.

"Lenalee!" She cried, racing around Tyki to wrap the girl in a tight hug. Her sudden change made Lavi and Lenalee blink, Kanda returning his attention to Allen as Road chattered away. She sounded almost normal, completely different from the cold words she had for her favorite cousin. "Sastimos, Lenalee! How are you this day?"

"I'm fine, but- - -" Road pulled away with an exaggerated gasp of surprise, her hands going to the other girl's shoulders as they began a conversation about who-knows-what. Even now, at eighteen seasons and with Lenalee as his friend, Tyki still had no more understanding of the girls he met and knew than he did ten seasons previous; he learned to let them do as they pleased and tried to stay out of their way when he could.

"Wait." Lavi stood in front of Tyki, frowning in confusion. His eye was locked on the gypsy's cheek, concern building in the green orb. "What happened to your face, Tyki?" The red head didn't wait for an answer; instead, he reached up and gently touched the area around the mark. It stung, and Tyki's eye scrunched up slightly in response as the red head inspected it with light fingers.

"It's nothing." He said insistently, though his tone was flippant. Road's lips had pursed, glancing back at them just a bit. Tyki met her gaze out of the corner of his eye and, with a slight shake of his head, she turned back to Lenalee. "Just a bruise." Lavi's visible eye narrowed lightly.

"What happened?" He asked quietly. Something about it didn't feel right to the red head, especially with how flippant and quiet the gypsy was about it; Tyki had never before come to see him with such an obvious mark of punishment on his face. Actually, the elder gypsy never seemed to have any kind of bruise on his person at all. Seeing one now didn't exactly sit well with the red head, and he was determined to get to the bottom of it. "Did you get in trouble for something?"

"Of course not." Tyki covered Lavi's hand with his own and pulled it away from his face. As he did so, he allowed their fingers to intertwine. He watched with slight amusement as Lavi's breath caught in the boy's chest, his eye darting from Tyki's face to their hands and back quickly. His attention properly diverted, the gypsy leaned forward just a bit so that there was less space between their faces. Lavi's face instantly flushed crimson, nearly matching his hair in intensity. "You shouldn't worry yourself so, it's not healthy for you." Lavi smirked slightly, trying to recover.

"You're not healthy for me." He replied back, not missing the flash of emotion going through Tyki's eyes and the raised eyebrow. Rolling his eyes, Lavi leaned forward and gave Tyki a brief, yet tight, hug. The gypsy was warm, and firm against his own body. Tyki embraced him back, inhaling the familiar scent of Lavi. "I've missed you. Let's walk around for a bit. You can tell me what's been happening to you all lately."

"Later, Lavi." Tyki ruffled Lavi's hair as he pulled away, dislodging the ever-present green headband but not the eye patch. His eyes traveled to where Road and Lenalee were watching them, and where Allen was finally pulling away from Kanda. His voice held no room for any other idea as he said firmly, "after we help settle in. They're going to need us to set up all of our tents before nightfall. Come along, Road, Allen." As they said their goodbyes, Allen just a bit more reluctant then Road, Tyki pulled Lavi close. His lips right by the red head's ear, the gypsy didn't miss how the boy shuddered as he whispered his instructions. "Meet me just outside the town Lavi- - -I'll see if I can't have a replacement and spend more time with you tonight. Ok?" Lavi nodded, a grin on his face as he tried to control the blush taking over his face and the racing of his heart. With a smirk, Tyki waved once at him before following Road and Allen in the direction of the stopped caravans.

XxX

Lavi walked with his fingers tangled with Tyki's, the older having permission from the Earl to roam about their area despite the approaching night and subsequent opening performance. He'd used the same logic on the Earl as he had when they'd discussed Road beginning her own act. Jasdero and Devit had been coveting the opening act for far too many seasons, eager to excite the crowd with their own performance. The Millennium Earl had agreed to let them cover Tyki, though it was with some clear hesitation that he allowed them to do so. Tyki knew he was disapproving of the time that they were spending in town with the three aristocrats, but didn't know how to assuage the fears of their leader.

Perhaps there was nothing to be done. Allen had brought Kanda to the campground earlier that day, right as they finished setting up, and hadn't been seen for the rest of the day. His tent was his own, and not even Cross dared to go near it. The swordsman had brought Lenalee along, and she and Road had spent the day together as well; they were currently in Sheril and Tricia's company, as they were preparing Road for her own performance. And he, Tyki, had been excused from performing at all tonight. He'd given up the spotlight in order to spend more time with Lavi, the red head walking serenely by his side as they left the campground behind.

"Where are we going?" Lavi asked curiously, watching as several young girls ran past, their feet bare and their skirts fluttering around their legs. Tyki shrugged carelessly while he watched them race around the corner of one of the tents. It was getting late, he knew, and heard as the girls came to a stop and greeted one of their mothers. A quirk of a smile was on his face as he turned back to Lavi.

"Nowhere, I suppose." Lavi grinned at him, the smile lighting up his face and highlighting the mischeif in his green eye before tugging him forward. Confused, Tyki followed as well, allowing their connected hands to pull himself around people until they had reached the tree that seemed to hold far too many milestones for them. Feeling amused, Tyki waited a moment to disengage their hands before climbing onto the first branch, Lavi following behind him.

They sat above the earth in silence together, facing the camp set up and watching as blue smoke drifted from one of the main tents- - -a product of Jasdero and Devit's guns. Tyki didn't know what Lavi was thinking of, but he was recalling each interaction they'd had in this particular tree. This had been where he'd brought Lavi, all those seasons ago, when the red head had followed him home with the groceries and they'd talked until supper time. This had been where Lavi had promised to become a gypsy and travel with them, and where he'd failed to show up for the rest of the season. They'd had many conversations here, high above the earth and the rest of the world, just the two of them. He couldn't bear to bring anyone else to this particular tree, and knew that though Lavi brought Kanda and Lenalee to wait for them here, Lavi couldn't actually bring them for anything other than that. Once the Noah were there, it became their tree, in nearly every sense of the word. Though it grew taller and taller each time Tyki saw it, changing slowly with the passage of time as surely as they were, there was no denying it; when he thought of what a home was like, he thought of this tree with Lavi by his side.

He wondered if it would still be something similar to a home if Lavi left it. He sincerely doubted it, because it wasn't that returning to the tree felt something like coming home. It was returning with Lavi, returning to Lavi, that brought forth these feelings.

"Hey, Tyki?" The gypsy glanced over at the red head, though the other's eyes stayed firmly on the rising smoke, which was slowly turning red. He didn't seem to want to look at the gypsy, but his hand was trembling just a bit. "Would the Millennium Earl oppose a relationship with someone outside your troupe?" Tyki blinked slowly, thinking over the question in his mind. It was said so seriously for Lavi, and the question was one Tyki had almost been anticipating. If not for Lavi to put the knowledge to use for himself, then for Lenalee or Kanda. He thought back to when the Earl had sat him down, two seasons past, and they'd finally had a conversation about marriage. Tyki had been careful not to mention Lavi when talking about his particular interests, but the Earl seemed to know that the red head was on his mind.

"Maybe not at first." He said slowly, trying to find a proper way to word it. "But, if it will not go anywhere after a time, then yes, I suppose he would. Relationships outside of the troupe are infinitely harder to maintain and, in the long run, much more distracting." He glanced at the tent again- - -blue smoke once more- - -then turned to face Lavi fully, his legs straddling the tree branch underneath him to keep his balance. "Why do you ask?"

Lavi fidgeted slightly before taking a deep breath. His lips were trembling now, just a little bit as he tried to gather his thoughts. "I don't think..." He murmured softly, fingers twisting in his lap. "I think I..." Lavi struggled for a moment more before resolutely moving towards Tyki.

Before the older gypsy could do anything, Lavi had pressed his lips against Tyki's. The action stunned the older gypsy for a moment- - -he hadn't been expecting the sudden contact, and in spite of his shock, warmth bloomed in his chest. While he knew of his own growing attraction to the red head, Tyki had no sure way of knowing Lavi felt anything past friendship for him. Knowing his feelings were reciprocated made the older gypsy smirk when Lavi pulled away, face crimson.

They sat in a silence that was comfortable for Tyki, though he knew the red head was burning with a need for any type of response from him. Tyki watched out of the corner of his eye as Lavi endured the silence, biting his lower lip and glancing at him every now and then. His fingers resumed their previous twisting, entangling his hands together as he awaited Tyki's response. After a few moments of amusement, Tyki moved just a bit so he was sitting firmly on the tree branch, sliding himself over until their bodies connected from hip to thigh while their legs swung idly in the air. His hand reached over and gently untangled Lavi's, taking the red head's left hand in his right and intertwining their fingers once more.

"You know," He started conversationally, gold eyes turning to where purple smoke filled the air while Lavi whipped his head up from their body positions to take in the gypsy's profile. Tyki had his full attention, and the gypsy intended to make use of that in order to ensure there were no misunderstandings between them. "I knew my feelings had begun running deeper than friendship that night you found me in the storm, searching for Road and Allen."

"What?"

"I realized it when you had been drying my hair that night," He continued, seemingly unaware of Lavi's surprised voice. Confessing to the red head was freeing something in his chest, something that had been unknowingly weighing him down. "And as I had been unsure of where you stood with your feelings for me at that point in time, I chose to keep quiet." Tyki smiled at Lavi and leaned over to press a kiss to the red head's temple. "Knowing that you would want this with someone like me, who wanders as freely as an uncaged bird, makes me incredibly happy, Lavi."

Lavi leaned into Tyki's arm, both content to just sit and not say anything to one another. Tyki didn't even need to hear Lavi's confession for him; just needed the warmth of his body connected to his and the phantom feeling of pressure on his lips.

"Do you..." Lavi swallowed lightly; when Tyki looked down at him, his free hand was fingering the eye patch the other hadn't taken off since they were reunited. He looked extremely unwell, his face pale in the moonlight. Even the gypsy by his side wasn't enough to assuage whatever fears he had, which meant that what he was about to say was monumental to him. "Do you want to...see...?"

"Only if you're comfortable." Tyki answered, understanding the unfinished question. Lavi didn't move for just a moment, frozen in place before he pulled himself away and tore off the black fabric quickly, as if he would lose his nerve if he moved too slowly.

For a moment he wouldn't face the gypsy, almost as if ashamed; then he took a deep breath and turned his face to him. Tyki hesitantly reached out and touched the freed skin; it seemed odd, looking at Lavi's uncovered face fully for the first time since they'd met. The boy's face was still pale, still open and the same face Tyki had grown to appreciate. But there was something just the slightest bit jarring about being able to run his fingertips from the bottom of his jaw over the soft curve of his cheek to his warm temple, unhindered completely by the string and cloth that held his eye patch to his right eye. Tyki repeated the action several times, noting with a slight interest that the skin around his eye was just a little bit lighter than the rest of his face. Lavi shuddered as his fingers got closer and closer to his eye until the gypsy felt the scarred skin on his fingertip.

His fingers gently touched the marked eye as he finally turned his eyes to study the scar tissue surrounding it. The burn only covered the boy's eye, allowing him to wear the eye patch as it didn't seem to go any further than the sunken part of the eye, just inside the bone and skull. There was no eyebrow along the bone, and it appeared that the object used to burn him was hot enough to fuse the skin together in a twisted mess; if Tyki had doubted it before, he knew it with certainty now: this boy would never be able to recover fully from this experience. Even now, as time had passed and Lavi had put the whole thing from his mind, there was no way he would be able to forget it completely. The skin was darkened red and gnarled under his fingertips, a visible mark to everyone who would want to see and point at him, and Tyki let out a quiet sigh of discontentment.

How had he allowed this to happen?

"I wore the eye patch before because I liked to pretend I was a pirate." Lavi admitted. His eyes were scrunched up tight, though his body was slowly relaxing under Tyki's careful touches. "Even when I was nine years old, ten years old, up until I was kidnapped, I still liked to play pretend. But I always knew that if I took the eye patch off at night, I'd still look normal. I wouldn't have this horrid mark on my eye and watch as people gave me pitying looks because I took it off."

"I'm sorry it happened." Tyki murmured gently, pulling Lavi to him despite the awkwardness of the position. He relaxed fully, his hands gripping tightly to the loose white shirt Tyki wore. The gypsy ran a soothing hand through the red head's hair, making the other boy sigh in contentment. "Especially because it happen while you were waiting for me."

Lavi shrugged lightly in the awkward embrace, inhaling Tyki's scent deeply while he was pressed against him.

"It's fine." Lavi murmured back. "I try not to think about it too often, but every now and then..." He trailed off when Tyki pulled away and pressed his lips gently against the eye that no longer worked. The scar felt odd and uneven under his mouth, much rougher than the rest of Lavi's face. "Tyki..."

"Shhhh." Tyki hugged the boy again, his cheek pressing against red strands of hair. "I'll still stay by you, if that's what you had been worried about before." An inexplicable tenseness that had surrounded Lavi from the moment the fabric left his skin left suddenly; Lavi's arms wrapped around Tyki as well, his hands once again clenching at the white shirt around Tyki's shoulder blades as he breathed shakily. Tyki comforted him as best he could, murmuring reassurances into his ear and pressing kisses against his head until the red head compare himself. He gave Tyki a grin when he met the golden eyes again, one that was much less uncertain than before.

"Thanks, Tyki." The gypsy nodded in acquiescence and looked toward the camp once more, Lavi following his gaze soon after. And when his hand shyly met Tyki's once more, Tyki took it and held onto it firmly.

XxX

"Why doesn't Allen have cross tattoos?" Tyki turned to Lavi at the question, his eyebrow raised. Ahead of them, Lenalee and Rhode were holding hands and giggling, the older girl wearing a long white summer dress and the younger gypsy wearing an old skirt of Tricia's and a tight tank top shirt. Behind them, Kanda was being forcefully dragged by Allen; both boys were covered completely, Allen even wearing a glove to avoid questions about his arm. They all turned to face Lavi, who had turned a bit and was staring at Allen's forehead in curiosity.

"What do you mean?" Tyki asked curiously, peering behind them at the couple as well. The pale boy looked slightly flushed, his left hand pressing against his forehead almost self consciously. "Allen has them as well. It makes what he's doing even worse than it should be."

At that, he watched as Lenalee sighed and Lavi pursed his lips- - -despite the hints Road and Tyki had been dropping during their current stay, the snide remarks of just what the pale haired gypsy was doing, nobody outside the three of them seemed to know or were willing to tell them. Tyki had the feeling Kanda knew though; Allen seemed to put all of his trust into the samurai, and every jab was met with a dark glower from the boy slowly turning man. All summer, Tyki had noted how Allen gravitated towards Kanda Yuu more than any of the rest of them- - -even Road.

Especially Road. Ever since they'd arrived, way back before it started getting cold for the winter season, Allen had somehow worked his way more firmly into Kanda Yuu's life, going so far as to sneak out of the tent he slept in with Tyki and the twins. The boys didn't know, both of them likely to sleep through certain disaster, but the eldest among them had always been a light sleeper. Tyki had made no mention of it to anyone, not willing to get the younger boy in trouble, but he was almost certain Road knew as well. She was doing remarkably well putting her trust in her uncle and not saying anything to her parents or the Earl, but she couldn't help any verbal rebukes that came out at him.

And if the intensifying glare the paler boy received from the Millennium Earl was any indication, their leader had his suspicions of his night time activities as well.

Despite this, Tyki noted how Allen only seemed truly happy when he was arguing with the older swordsman, odd as it was. He was more relaxed, his voice lighter and more carefree. It was almost painful to Tyki, knowing that he could only see the young boy Allen had been in their company if he was with the Kanda heir. As such, he and Road saw Lavi and Lenalee more times this season than ever before, so that it wasn't as strange that Allen was out in town with Kanda Yuu; it looked better with the three of them gone, as Road and Tyki could always convince Allen to return to camp, than if Allen had just gone by himself.

"Well, where are they?" Lavi asked curiously, returning to the previous topic. They all came to a stop, the two couples joining with Tyki and Lavi. Lavi moved Allen's hand, using his free one to brush the silver hair to the side. Allen's skin was pale and unmarried by anything other than the red star. "Why aren't they on his forehead, like yours and Road's?"

"He had that mark over his eye before we found him." Tyki explained. Allen gave him a slight grimace in place of a smile, but his silvery gaze kept going back to Lenalee and Lavi; clearly Kanda already knew the story. In deference to his cousin, Tyki gave them an abridged story. "Lord Millennium thought that his face had been marked enough, so decided not to put them on his forehead like the rest of the family. He's the only exception- - -even our doctor has them across her forehead."

"That doesn't tell me where they are." Lavi informed him when he stopped talking. Tyki laughed slightly. Clearly well trained, the red head was relentless when it came to something he was curious about.

"For that, you'll have to ask Allen." Without hesitation, the red head gripped Allen's shoulders tightly and nearly shook the gypsy in excitement.

"Hey, Moyashi-chan!" He said brightly. Tyki watched as Kanda's eye twitched and Allen groaned. Lavi ignored both of them, reflexively flinching back when Kanda put his hand on his sword . "Where are your cross tattoos?" The pale gypsy open his mouth, looking something resembling resigned.

"Across his chest, just under his collarbone." Everyone started at Kanda's voice suddenly joining in the conversation; Allen's face turned a darker crimson while Kanda stared off to the side, pink slowly covering his cheeks. He looked furious with himself, but continued. "There are seven."

Silence. Only the birds could be heard, the leaves rustling slightly as a soft wind blew through them. Road and Lenalee glanced at each other, violet meeting gold, before both girls blushed simultaneously; Road's face turning as scarlet as Allen's from the amount of blood settling in her face. Lavi's face was frozen in an expression that was a mixture of shock, slight horror, and faint glee. Tyki covered his eyes with his hand, pursing his lips in an attempt to keep in what he wanted to say as a response to Kanda Yuu's sudden statement. There many, many things he could say, but this was a conversation with which he had to tread carefully.

"And exactly how," he began slowly when he believed he could speak without throwing some form of insult at the two boys in his shock, not removing his hand from his eyes, "have you come across that information? Surely Allen didn't simply just tell you..." Both boys turned darker at the implications in his tone, but neither moved to deny anything. Silence reigned again. Kanda tightened his grip on Mugen at his side, cobalt eyes meeting Tyki's gold in a piercing glare when the older gypsy brought his hand down to regard Allen.

"Do you have a problem with it?" He snarled quietly. Tyki raised an eyebrow, looking from Allen, who had suddenly found the ground below them fascinating, to Kanda and back several times. Without saying a single word, he glanced meaningfully at Lavi, who was still facing his younger cousin. "Let us continue onwards, shall we?" Tyki artfully ignored the question and continued walking, carefully grasping Lavi's hand in his own. Road and Lenalee moved as well, the blushes on their faces not fading as they carefully placed more distance between themselves and set off ahead of the group. After a moment, Tyki heard Allen and Kanda begin walking again.

He couldn't help one last jab, which he said over his shoulder carelessly.

"You could have at least come to the Earl and paid for him, you know." He threw out conversationally. "Then I'm sure that everything would be resolved much quicker." Lavi and Road burst out laughing, Lenalee smiled and giggled; both of the non-gypsies had only caught the first part of his comment, and apparently the idea of Kanda paying for Allen was a laughable one. Allen even smiled, though he looked even more mortified than before. He hid his eyes under his hand, but even that couldn't hide the wide grin he was sporting underneath.

"Allen isn't something to be bought." Kanda growled. His words cut across everyone's good humor, sobering up all three simultaneously. He was glowering darkly at Tyki again, his face set in a deep scowl. The gypsy was taken aback by the look on the boy's face, slightly unsure of what to make of such an intense reaction. "He's a person, and people don't just have prices put upon them as if their worth is measured in gold or trinkets."

There was an awkward silence following this statement as they continued walking.

"That means that Yuu-chan got farther than any of us." Lavi said after a few nearly unbearable moments. His voice was falsely light, trying hard to lighten the gloom that had befallen them. The tone cause Lenalee to snicker and Road to turn and face him with a smile that didn't really reach her eyes before turning to face forward again; Tyki watched as she took Lenalee's hand in her own, and as the older girl entwined their fingers together. "That's not fair. He and Allen didn't even like each other at first!"

"I didn't particularly like you at first." Tyki said conversationally. Lavi gaped at him, the pale hand in his going slack. Tyki laughed at the stunned, wide eyed expression the boy gave him. "Well, that's not to say I hated you. But at the time, I really hoped you'd disappear and stop bothering me all the time."

"Seriously?" Lavi said finally. He looked vaguely offended, as if it had never occurred to him that the elder gypsy hadn't particularly wanted him around when they were younger. Tyki shrugged slightly; even now, as old as he was and how far in the past it was, the subject was a sore spot for him.

"You were not the first person who offered to befriend a gypsy, particularly this one. I felt I had sufficiently learned my lesson the first time around, and had no desire to repeat the experience with you." Lavi narrowed his eyes at him, wordlessly prompting Tyki to explain. With a slight sigh, the gypsy went quiet for a moment before he spoke again. The wound wasn't fresh any longer, but it was a story that was best told quickly. "When I was four or five seasons, a boy around my age wanted to be friends." Tyki explained, Lavi staring at him with a familiar open and curious expression. "He'd come to visit me in the camp, and wanted to play. Sheril and Cross and even Lulubell had advised against it, but I wouldn't see reason. We spent most of the season nearly inseparable; and then he invited me to his house." Tyki made a face. "What a fool I was then, at such a young age. The Earl told me no, but I accepted and snuck out. His parents were uncomfortable with me, but that didn't deter me. Actually, it was his older brother and his friends. They were.."

"They were completely violent." Road said from ahead of them. She hadn't turned around, her voice just loud enough for Lavi to still be able to hear and understand her. "Papa told me. He said that they were horribly cruel, and they insulted our family and everything about us in front of him. They hit him a lot. Papa said that they didn't realize it until after Uncle Tyki took off his shirt, but when he did, he had so many bruises covering his body, his torso looked almost completely purple." Lavi looked from Road to Tyki and back, horror clearly on his face. He looked as if he didn't want to believe it was true, like the eldest gypsy was pulling some sort of prank on him.

"I hadn't mentioned it to anyone." Tyki admitted. "It was a little before Miranda joined us, and so it was Tricia's care that I fell under. It was humiliating. I tried to run away once. I didn't get far- - -Lord Millennium caught me and managed to get the whole story from me."

"Papa said that Lord Millennium brought Uncle Tyki in front of the whole troupe and told his story again." Road added. She'd turned around, but didn't release Lenalee's hand; her arm was pulled awkwardly across her chest, but since it drew her nearer to Lenalee, she didn't seem to mind much. "And then he said that outside humans by nature were cruel, and that only family could really support each other properly."

"I never saw that child again." Tyki murmured after a while. Lavi looked at him, then tightened his hand on Tyki's. "Even though it's a town that we have a regular season in, I've never again seen the little boy who tried to befriend me." His eyes were far away, because he was staring up at the sky as he reminisced. The red head at his side cleared his throat pointedly, and Tyki sent him a small smirk. "And when you introduced yourself, you reminded me of him. I didn't trust you at first." Road smiled and returned to her own conversation with Lenalee as Lavi leaned over quickly and pressed his lips against Tyki's cheek.

"I'm sorry." The other boy smiled shyly at him, swinging their connected arms slowly. The bashfulness didn't particularly suit Lavi, the gypsy thought.

"It's over and done with." Tyki said breezily, bringing their hands up briefly to press a kiss against Lavi's hand before allowing them to succumb to the pull of gravity once more. The shyness eased just a bit, and Tyki decided that it needed to disappear just a bit more to bring Lavi back. "Besides, you've been quite different from the start. Any similarities between you two have long since been banished."

"That's good." Lavi smiled widely as they went quiet again; each gypsy enjoying the last day they had together with their friend and significant other before they left the next morning. They walked on together, and in the ceasefire there was between them all, Tyki felt comfortable enough to wish that the moment would last forever.

And when dawn arrived, Road leaned against Tyki, asleep once more as they rode away from their grounds, Tyki watched as the only members of their group to come later- - -Cross and Allen- - -slept on in their tent. Sighing slightly and pressing his head against Road's, Tyki's gaze drifted over to the tree that held yet another milestone in his relationship with Lavi, a small smile lighting up his features. With a yawn, Tyki closed his eyes and slept, thinking of the red head and inwardly counting seconds until they came back the next season.

XxX

"Uncle Tyki, do you know where Allen is?" Tyki turned, his fingers stilling on the fabric he was currently tying around his neck. It was opening night in a town elsewhere, not one of their usual stops; the elder gypsy couldn't remember the name of the town at the moment because of his niece's distress. Road looked vaguely uncomfortable, her lower lip caught between her teeth and her brow furrowed.

"No." He answered slowly. "I haven't seen Allen or Cross around at all." Road entered the tent fully and sat on the bed Allen used. "He said he would be with Cross after we started packing up to leave..."

"And no one has seen either Cross or Allen since." Road said, bringing her hand up to rub her eyes. "But Cross decided to go a different way, didn't he? So they should be here any day now, right?"

"That's right." Tyki finished tying his dark tie around his neck and picked up his hat easily, the purple Tease fluttering from it as soon as he touched it. Despite having Jasdero and Devitto take his opening spot, Tyki still used his Tease in performances on stage. After all, they'd been a gift to him from the Earl, and there was no one else who would be able to control them as well as he did. "Cross had sent word ahead that they'd be here late tonight or early tomorrow; worry not, darling," he said teasingly, "for your companion will be here soon." Road flushed and stuck her tongue out; once she'd settled, though, a thoughtful look crossed her face.

"Perhaps the short separation is for the best." She said, "When Allen comes, he shouldn't be in such a horrible mood anymore, since he got extra time with Kanda. Maybe he'll give up thoughts of leaving us now." Tyki paused at her last sentence, his hat balancing upon his head. Despite her voicing it, both of them knew it was unlikely Allen would abandon such thoughts. They both knew the boy well, better than anyone else with the exception of Mana; and as such, both knew that once Allen got an idea into his head, it would remain there until he managed to somehow act on it or change anyone's way of thinking.

It had been an endearing trait when he was younger, though now it was causing more pain in the entire family than usual.

"Perhaps." Tyki agreed carefully. "Maybe Cross will finally beat some sense into that boy." Road smiled shakily and stretched, her back cracking in several places as she did.

And when Cross appeared the next morning, Road was at his side faster than anyone could blink. Tyki watched as the girl asked something of Cross, only to frown when the man shook his head and Road's jaw clenched tightly. She said something else, bowing slightly, then stomped over to Tyki, eyes blazing.

"Cross says he hasn't seen Allen since we left. Allen was supposed to travel with him, but Cross couldn't find him when he was ready to leave, so he assumed Allen would be with us. Which means that he's nowhere to be found." Road's jaw set and she seemed to struggle with her words, playing absentmindedly with her long hair. "Where could he be?"

"Perhaps it is time to go to Lord Millennium now." Tyki said, his pursed in disapproval. Road 'tsk'ed but agreed, following her Uncle in their sudden job of locating the Millennium Earl.

They found him easily; he had been standing outside of Skinn's tent, making some sort of over excited motions at the gypsy. Lulubell and their son were nowhere to be found. The blonde woman was likely following her child around the camp, making sure he wasn't being too much of an inconvience to the troupe members. Tyki regarded Skinn coolly for a second before turning his attentions on their leader.

"Lord Millennium." The Earl turned to face Tyki, his smile as wide as always; it seemed the break from Allen's constant defiance brought back their leader's cheerfulness. Tyki hated to be the bearer of bad news, but knew that the matter at hand was of utmost importance. He had no doubt that Allen's disappearance had been chalked up to traveling with Cross, and when the Millennium Earl sought out the man and discovered Allen still missing, Tyki knew there would be hell to pay because he hadn't been told immediately.

"Tyki-pon!"

"Allen is missing." The Earl seemed to be taken aback, though his smile never wavered or diminished, and Tyki continued. It was best to get news like this said as quickly as possible, and he didn't even pause for breath as he rushed to get the words out while still making them comprehensible. "Cross is here, but Allen isn't. We have no idea where he is."

"None whatsoever, Tyki?" The Millennium Earl's glasses flashed, and Tyki sighed in annoyance. He never could lie to the Earl, after all, because the man had an uncanny ability to detect when any member of his troupe was being untruthful. Though it pained him to tell the truth, the gypsy knew he had no other choice.

"It's more than likely he stayed behind in the last village." He admitted finally, rubbing his eyes. Allen, it seemed, had discovered his newfound ability to create unnecessary drama amongst the Millennium Earl and those closest to him and was using said ability as best as he could. Tyki sort of wished the boy was in front of him so that he could give him a good thrashing himself.

"Ah." The Earl seemed to be deep in thought, the accompanying "I see..." coming out thoughtfully. They stood in silence until the Millennium Earl turned to Skinn. "I know you dislike being a messenger, but do go fetch Allen as soon as you can." Despite the pleasant way of asking, everyone heard the harsh order in his voice, and Skinn nodded once, shooting a withering glance at Tyki and Road; they both shrugged helplessly, Tyki's just the slightest bit apologetic. Lulubell was not going to be happy when she found out, after all.

"I'll leave now, Lord Millennium." Their leader nodded once before taking Road's arm gently in one hand and leading her away, Tyki following silently after. They waited a few moments while Skinn took what he needed, then watched as the older gypsy left back in the direction from which they came.

Road smiled when she realized that Allen would soon be among family again; she was the only one who seemed pleased that Skinn had been sent to retrieve him.

Days turned into weeks, though, and when three weeks had passed, Road approached Tyki with a worried look.

"We haven't traveled far enough to warrant them both being gone for three weeks." She bit her lip and looked into the distance. Her fingers were running continuously through her long hair, though it was far from tangled. Tyki suspected that she'd been repeating her actions unconsciously all day, not realizing she was doing it. "What's taking so long?"

"Allen is most likely being stubborn." Tyki sighed; he'd been gathering wood for dinner, and with Road's news he'd placed what he gathered on the ground. "It's probably best if we went after them now, to ensure they come back."

"Would Lord Millennium allow us to go?" Road questioned. As soon as it left her mouth, Devit appeared, twirling his gold gun in his hand.

"I'm supposed to take the wood in." He said. "Lord Millennium wants to speak with you both." Despite his careless way of speaking and the casual manner that he twirled his gun, Devit was clearly anxious. He was alone, the space Jasdero usually occupied suspiciously lacking the blonde, and his bottom lip was red- - -it seemed they all had a bad habit of biting their lip when worried.

Without a second thought, both Road and Tyki rushed towards the direction he came, Tyki giving Devit a soft but reassuring pat on the boy's head as he passed.

They found the Earl by the edge of their camp, two horses beside him as he waited for the to come within hearing distance.

"Go bring them back." His voice was stoic, but they could detect the worry in it as he fretted- - -the Millennium Earl was the type of leader who appreciated having his little family as close to each other and as safe as possible. It mattered not that they were all strays picked off the street; to him, and to them, they were family and family stood firm. He forgave everything they did to each other short of betrayal and murder, and despite his current tension with Allen, Tyki knew that his concern for the boy's well being was genuine.

He took the reins gently, accepting a pouch filled with money and handing one to Rhode as they both climbed on.

"We'll be back soon." He promised. "With them both."

XxX

They'd seen Allen long before he saw them, and in an instant, both sets of gold eyes turned relieved and infuriated. It'd been a long seven days of traveling, and even what little comraderie they had traveling with just the two of them had faded quickly to worry about their cousins. Meeting each other's gazes briefly, Tyki and Road slowed the horses they were on as they got closer to the pale boy sitting on the side of the road with his head in his hands.

Allen looked up when he heard them approach, and as they came to a stop in front of him, Tyki could see the red rimming his eyes.

"What happened?" Road spoke first, breaking the tense silence around them. Her eyes softened at the completely devastated look in Allen's silver gaze, and her voice was gentle as she said her next question. "Has your samurai finally left?" Allen grimaced at the words, looking as if he would rather be anywhere but facing his family.

"No." Allen's voice was harsh and choked, as if he'd been screaming or crying lately. It sounded raw, as unguarded as the look on his face and the trembling in his hands. Tears began to slowly fill his eyes again, and as the two watched Allen took a shuddering breath and stood.

"Where is Skinn?" Tyki asked firmly. Allen winced slightly again at the question. Something unpleasant coiled in the eldest's stomach, and he had to force himself to keep talking. "Lord Millennium sent him here to collect you nearly a month ago. There has been no contact since, and we've been expecting the two of you this entire time. Where is he?"

"Over here." Allen murmured in his hoarse voice. Tyki dismounted, Road doing the same, and they led their horses as they followed Allen. He took them to a small clearing, confusing Road and Tyki as they had been expecting him to take them into town. Instead, Allen had them stop as he searched the trees' trunks until he came across something that made him pause. He put his hand flat upon the trunk, bowing his head just a bit, before taking a firm and decisive step back.

"Skinn is here." He muttered.

Time froze.

Tyki rushed forward first, dropping his reins and striding quickly to stand beside Allen and see what the pale boy was seeing: a name and age carved shakily into the trunk of the tree.

Skinn Bolic, twenty-three seasons of age.

"You killed him?" Road hissed thickly, and Tyki nearly jumped out of his skin. He'd forgotten that she had come with him, forgotten everything once he had seen his older cousin's name carved into the piece of living wood.

Though he and the older gypsy never got along, Tyki felt an overwhelming grief build in his body. While they were never as close as he and Road, or even he and Miranda whom he treated very respectfully because of her willingness to treat them to the best of her abilities, Skinn Bolic had been something resembling family to him. He had, in a sense, been the protector of their small family, and Tyki bowed his head in a resemblance of respect at his passing.

Between them, Rhode had gone from hissing to screaming.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" She shrieked at him, fury and hatred making her voice cold, and the unfamiliar curse falling from her lips made Allen's eyes widen. It was a testament to the rage flowing through her frame- - -no matter what, the girl almost never cursed. Gone was the pity she'd felt when she thought Kanda had left Allen behind, gone was the love she normally held for her favorite cousin. Grief turned her into someone neither gypsy had ever seen before. "How dare you! You traitor!" Allen's eyes widened, and Tyki stood with his head bowed as Road's harsh words echoed in the clearing around them. "You killed him!"

"I didn't!" Allen insisted frantically, hands raised as a token of peace. Road ignored it as her hand swung out and backhanded Allen firmly across his face. His head snapped to the side, Allen not expecting the blow to come. Unlike when she had hit her uncle, though, she didn't stop.

"You might as well have!" Allen winced at her tone. Road hit him again, her open palm smacking him soundly on his shoulder. The hit was muffled by the clothes he was wearing, and she clenched her fists before swinging at him again. "It's worse that you stood by and allowed him to die!" Allen bit his lip, but didn't deny her statement, which made her eyes narrow. Her attack never slowed as she screamed at him. "We trusted you! We loved you! All we wanted was for you to be safe!" Road stopped, her gold eyes filling with tears despite remaining cold. Her chest was heaving harshly, a combination of trying to keep her tears at bay and the exertion she'd used to hit him. "We wanted you to stay with us. Those crosses on your chest mean that you're family. Those crosses connected you to me, to Uncle Tyki, to Papa and Mama, to Lulubell and Jasdevi, even to Skinn and Lord Millennium. They're the same crosses that Cross has, Miranda- - -even Mana wore them proudly." Allen winced at the name of his adoptive father, but Road kept up a torrent of words. "How dare you go back on everything he taught you, and on the care and support you got from us because he wanted you." Rhode hiccuped suddenly, her shoulders beginning to shake. She lost her battle, and water began slipping down her cheeks. "Why would you do this?" She asked coldly. The tears were falling quickly down her face, and Tyki placed his hand on her shoulder without turning around. "We-We..." Her voice faltered and she backed up until her back hit Tyki's shoulder, his arm between them, a thought occurring to her suddenly. "You didn't even care enough to burn him...did you?"

"...Kanda said it was unethical." Allen admitted quietly. "He's buried there, by the tree."

Road let out a wordless shriek of rage and flew at Allen again, punching his chest in anger. Allen moved back in surprise, but she stopped instantly. Returning to her uncle, Road buried her face in his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist, sobbing quietly but harshly into his shirt. Tyki wrapped one arm around her small waist, the other coming up across her shaking shoulders. As he allowed his niece to cry on him, he pressed a kiss to her hair as a few tears fell from his own gold eyes.

"Allen." The other made an acknowledging noise. "Don't move."

For a moment, all three of them were frozen in that moment: two gypsies standing in front of a tree, both crying, mourning the loss of a member of their family, while another stood a few feet away, watching with pained silver eyes. It felt almost surreal to Tyki, who was staring with blank eyes at the tree bearing Skinn's name and age. There was a part of him, a very big part, that didn't want to move. He wanted to just stay in this strange, unreal moment for as long as possible; Tyki knee, as soon as they got back to camp, Allen would be dealt with accordingly. He wasn't ready to handle it.

"We must return." Tyki whispered soothingly into Road's ear when her cries died down. She sniffed, nodding as she pulled her face away and rubbed at her eyes gently. Her eyes landed on Allen and went cold again. Tyki pursed his lips, but took her hand as he turned to face Allen. "Come, Allen."

"But I- - -" He protested; Tyki cut him off.

"You are coming with us." Tyki said firmly, his voice leaving no room for argument. Allen winced, but nodded hesitantly. The three made their way back to the road, and Tyki hauled Allen up to his horse, getting on in front of him. He felt a shiver go through him as Allen threaded his arms around his waist, holding onto Tyki desperately. He placed a hand on the pale one, barely touching the white skin underneath his tanned fingertips; with a heavy sigh, Tyki pulled his hand away and turned his horse back towards camp. "Let's go."

XxX

"We've got him, Lord Millennium." Tyki, who was holding Allen's right arm, roughly threw the boy in front of the Millennium Earl. Allen stumbled, but managed to right himself as Road entered behind him. The Earl gasped at such a treatment, but both remained stoic. Over the course of their travels back, Tyki and Road had hardened their hearts against Allen so that they would be able to inform the Earl as to what happened.

It had been a log journey home.

As the paler boy righted himself, Tyki glanced around the Earl's tent. The leader's tent was small and humble, though there was enough room for the main family to gather and relax on their off days of performing. As it was now, Sheril and Tricia were seated in one area, Road's mother sewing while her father lounged by her side, one hand in his wife's hair and the other holding a book up. Nearby, Lulubell sat with her child; her impassive face was unchanging even as the child of four seasons was pulling at her long blonde hair.

Tyki saw her and wished fiercely that the blonde woman wasn't there, that she wouldn't ever have to receive the news they were about to give.

"Allen-kun!" He cried out at the sight of the pale boy. His eyes moved from Allen to Tyki's impassive face and Road's cold eyes. His mood plummeted at their faces, knowing instinctively as their leader that something was very wrong. The Earl knelt beside Allen, one hand on the boy's shoulder as he tried to figure out what had them all looking so grim. "Where's Skinn? I want to know what took him so long." There was no answer, and his aura darkened. Without meaning to, his hand tightened on Allen's shoulder. The boy grunted slightly, but made no other sound and stayed where he was. "Where is he, Tyki?" The oldest stayed quiet. "Road?" She took a deep, shuddering breath and crossed her arms, but stayed silent as well. They were both looking almost pointedly at the last of their trio, and the Earl mimicked them. "Allen?"

"He's dead." The Earl's gaze rose and met Tyki's, then returned to Allen. With a single look, it was obvious the boy was telling the truth, and Tyki wasn't sure what was going to happen now. There was a tension in the room, one that had appeared the moment the words left the Allen's lips. All eyes were on them; Lulubell had even stilled her child, pulling the boy into her lap and hugging him to her.

"What happened?" She asked. Her voice was quiet but heavy, full of a newfound sorrow and unbirdled anger. The Earl moved to the side, allowing the woman to face the boy who had been the cause of her husband's death. Allen didn't look at her, didn't speak. Lulubell stood, taking her son with her, and walked to his side. Falling to her knees, she reached out and gently placed her fingers under his chin, lifting it slightly and forcing him to meet her golden eyes. Allen took a shuddering breath as he did so, though her gaze didn't waver once. "What happened to my husband, Allen Walker? What happened to Skinn?"

"I'm so sorry." He whispered instead. Sighing shortly in disgust, Lulubell stood again. With one last withering glare, she turned and gracefully exited the tent. She held the boy's hands as they passed first Tyki then Road, careful to not touch anyone else as she made her exit. As soon as the bottom of her skirt was out of view, the Millennium Earl turned his attention back to Allen.

"Where are his ashes?" He asked coldly. Allen shook in front of him, but didn't answer. They watched him for a moment before it became clear he wasn't planning on saying anything. The Earl opened his mouth to repeat himself, but Rhode answered.

"Allen didn't do anything." She said coldly. "He let Skinn die, and then didn't have the heart to burn him like he's supposed to because," her eyes flashed angrily and her emotionless voice turned venomous, "according to his precious samurai, it was 'unethical' to do so." The Millennium Earl snarled wordlessly, fury radiating off him.

"So," He started, his voice harsh, "is your precious little toy more valuable to you than family, Allen Walker?" Allen opened his mouth, but didn't get a chance to say anything. "A fling more important than lasting bonds? Did you want to leave so badly that you would murder a family member in order to stay away?"

"I didn't kill him!" Allen insisted angrily.

"If all you did was stand by and watched, you might as well have." The Earl hissed before abruptly turning his back on Allen. "I don't want to see him any longer. Get him out."

"And I should take him where?" Tyki asked, taking Allen's arm again.

"Out of this camp." The Millennium Earl turned to face Tyki. "I won't harbor a traitor among our midst. I don't want to see him at all after today."

"Tyki, please- - -" Allen tried, begging the older gypsy to listen to him, but Tyki wouldn't hear it. As soon as they were far away from the Earl and Rhode, the older gypsy pulled Allen around to face him.

"Do not address me so familiarly." He growled out. "You have brought this upon yourself, Allen Walker. I firmly support Lord Millennium's decision." He pushed Allen towards the horses. "Take one. Go back to the Kanda family and their son. And don't come back." Allen paused, clearly wanting to say something, before closing his mouth and doing as he was told.

As he rode away, Tyki watched him. And despite the tears he felt gathering at the corners of his eyes at losing yet another family member, this one closer and more dear to him than Skinn Bolic had ever been, Tyki turned firmly to return to the camp.

They had things to prepare for.