The moment her lips pressed against his, a rush of memories he didn't know he had come rushing in. It was as if she bridged a gap between himself and a past self he had had no awareness of prior to these events. He could remember his hair, the bookman leading him and guiding him as a pupil…
…and her.
The most vivid of those memories came to life as it became apparent he was in another body that wasn't his own, yet at once, he knew it was. The auburn hair he'd just remembered a moment before swayed from side to side as he walked the echoing floors of a long hallway. He stopped for a moment to gather himself. He had gloved hands, but he didn't need to see his skin to know that his familiar deformed hand wasn't there.
There was no mirror nearby, so he looked down to his clothes, noting that he had no exorcist uniform on his person, not even a form of it. Instead his left hand held a gathering of scrolls, something in his mind was telling him there were important plans inside of.
What were they again?
His thoughts were pushed back from someone calling his name, "Allen! What are you doing!? You know you need to get those put away before anyone outside of our order reads them! We can't allow exorcists or noah to read these vital historical artifacts!"
Allen turned to find Bookman, he looked the same, yet younger. The round circles still gathered around his lids, and his stature here confirmed that he hadn't shrunk from old age. A sudden lightening pain snapped him out of his staring, and made him stand up straight. Bookman had hit him on his head and now he withdrew the weapon into his sleeves. "Stop spacing out!" The older man continued. "The 14th's plan must go on! We can't allow it to be stopped! If things don't go according to what we agreed upon, then there will be no history to record!" The bookman warned.
That's right, they were in league with the 14th. But, what did that mean? What was a 14th? The 14th of what? He had no idea, and though he scoured his mind, he couldn't remember. "Ah-… Y-Yes."
"You don't seem like yourself… don't tell me you're backing out? Neah is out there already, preparing the assassinations as we speak. He's probably already taken down a handful of Noah. It's too late to back out now." He warned, his wrinkles beginning to show. Allen could tell because he frowned, but the wrinkles took longer to fill as his expression returned to normal.
"This needs to be done… We went through this… I understand how you feel, but with how things are, they just can't go on…" Bookman patted Allen's arm, a ghost of a feeling grazing his mind. He could feel it after all the years since it had happened, but it still felt as though it were the present.
After he passed, Allen continued to stand where he was for a moment longer, before his feet took him to a large library just down the hall. As the doors creaked open, his head craned high to see the tops of the stacks, but it was almost impossible. This was the bookman's library. Again something so familiar, yet so far hidden in his mind that it was almost a dream instead of a memory.
He continued forward, though he didn't make it too far before he heard the tapping of heeled shoes on the cold marble floor. A giggle echoed throughout the grand hall, a sweet voice bouncing off the arches of the room. Not too long after he turned to follow the voice, two arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him backward.
"Ah! R-Road!" Road? The response was natural, but he was still surprised to have the name of the noah escape his lips. She let him go so that he could turn around, only to prove his guess correct. Of course it had been her though. His heart jumped in his chest. It had always been a good feeling, but now, with the plan going ahead, it meant a sickness that he didn't recognize.
"Allen!" She called once again. "I didn't hear from you today! I thought we agreed to meet up after your secret bookman meetings?" She asked. Road peered at the scrolls he held, and he pulled them close. She pouted at not getting to know what he was hiding, but she acted mature enough to understand the situation most of the time. Bookmen were neutral, so she wouldn't interfere.
"I'm sorry Road, the meeting lasted longer than I thought it would." He apologized. He didn't know this was the same.
She seemed to accept his excuse, a smile spread on her as proof. "Don't they always take too long?" She took his hand and held it tight, pulling him toward a table to sit. "But it's okay, as long as I get to see you." Her smile was contagious, the shine on her lips as she licked them caught his eye. He wouldn't be able to kiss them anymore…
Wait was he betraying her? Was he betraying the Noah family? Did he have a part in all this? But what was 'this'? Why was he considering it a betrayal to the girl who killed exorcists and murdered humans without regard to consequences? She was part of the war, yes, and he seemed to understand that more in this body than he'd ever had in his other.
But the bookmen's job must continue, and the Noahs were getting out of hand. If they managed to kill off the human race, then they would have no records to keep, there would be no more bookmen, no more history.
She tilted her head at him, peeking underneath his bangs to get a glimpse of his eyes. "Hey, Are you okay? You don't seem yourself today…" She leaned close, hoping to get a smile from him once again. "Do you want to talk about it?" She offered. If she was anything, she'd always been a good ear. "I' here for yo-"
Her voice dropped as if someone had interrupted her. Of course they had. She could probably sense something was wrong, or perhaps the Millennium Earl was calling to her. She suddenly began crying, tears glittering down her cheeks.
There were Noahs dying.
Her eyes were shocked and Allen could tell she didn't know how to react, but he also knew she could feel their deaths. Neah was doing what he said he would and he would soon take down the Millennium Earl to take his place. The only part of this that Allen could feel in his heart was that he'd bargained for Road's life. He'd asked Neah to keep her alive, for his own sake. She was to be spared, unless she fought back and threatened the plan.
And she suddenly turned to leave. "I have to go-"
Allen dropped the scrolls and grabbed her, pulling her small body to his own. He could feel the wetness on her cheeks seeping into his clothes, but he didn't care. "Where are you going? I thought… I thought we were going to spend the afternoon together?" He was acting strange, he had to keep her here, safe. But with the circumstances, there was no way he could be himself in all this.
"Allen I have to go!" She struggled for a moment, her breath ragged as she pushed begrudgingly away from him. He kept his arms clasped on her tightly.
"What's wrong?" He knew what was wrong, but he had to play an idiot.
"I can't tell you just please, I have to go!" More tears streamed down her face as another member fell to the hands of their family's traitor.
Allen took a moment and pressed his lips to her own. "Alright, just- come back as soon as possible." He pleaded.
She stopped struggling and returned the light caress of their lips, just as she did, though, she pulled away and ran off. He knew she wouldn't come back, and if she did, he wouldn't be there. That was their last goodbye, and it was hurried, panicked even.
"I'm so sorry Road…."
His mind came back just as she pulled away. He was back to the body he knew. A smirk decorated her lips as she held on tightly to him, and he stared at her with confusion in his eyes.
Had that all been a dream from her, to trick him? Had that been a way to distract him? Why had it felt so real though?
"You'll remember soon enough…"
Tyki called out to her, grabbing her attention, and she looked back at her Uncle, playing the act of an innocent child fairly well. "Road you can't just kiss the enemy like that."
"Awww! But Tyki! I love him!"
Allen wasn't sure but, he heart was in his throat once again, just as it had in the memory. Did she know something he didn't?
Her smile told him she did.