--------------------------------------------------
"He'll pull through. Don't worry."
"But… Even the head nurse said…"
"Allen's a strong guy. And he's come this far already; I'm sure he would want to defeat the Earl with us."
"But Lavi…"
"No buts, Lenalee. Let's just leave it to Allen, alright?"
--------------------------------------------------
"Allen, watch out!"
Allen Walker glanced sideways and barely managed to dodge the yellow ball of energy speeding towards him.
"Thanks, Lavi!" he yelled. The redhead gave a small nod of acknowledgement before turning back to the sea of Akuma before him.
The exorcists, namely Allen, Lavi, Lenalee and Krory were on a mission to recover an Innocence in an abandoned town called Kenridge. However, the Innocence was intercepted by Lulubell, the Noah of Lust, and destroyed. Even then, the Noah stayed on to fight the four of them, and she brought along all her little Akuma friends.
What a wonderful gathering.
"Allen-kun! Behind you!" Lenalee yelled, pointing at the space behind him.
He spun around.
Wrong move.
In an instant, a grey spear-like shaped hand was pierced through his chest, and Allen felt himself being sent flying backwards towards a giant rock.
The last thing he heard before he hit the boulder and slipped out of consciousness was something so shrill that it blocked out all the other screams and shouts.
"NO! ALLEN-KUN!"
--------------------------------------------------
Allen found himself in a sea of darkness. There was nothing around him; the darkness stretched as far as he could see.
"Where am I?" he thought. "Am I dead?"
As soon as he thought this, however, a voice called out his name.
"Allen Walker. You have been called here to decide your fate," the voice boomed. Allen looked up, down, left, right, but it was impossible to tell where exactly the voice was coming from.
"My fate?" Allen asked, bewildered. This was starting to freak him out.
"Yes, your fate. Whether you live or die, it will be decided here, right now."
"You mean I'm dead?" asked a shocked-looking Allen.
"In reality you are still breathing, but you could slip away any moment. In spite of this you've been given a second chance. Now it's up to you to convince me that you want that second chance."
Allen paused. When he spoke again he seemed uncertain. "Exactly… how do I convince you?"
The voice answered almost immediately. "Give me one good reason to grant you that chance and I will. Fail to do so and I'm afraid you're fate will be sealed."
The gears in Allen's mind started turning straight away, trying to help him to think of one single good reason to tell the mysterious voice. Yet, he could not think of anything to say – he was still in shock over the whole 'second-chance' thing.
The voice seemed to understand. "If it reassures you, you have up to one hour to think."
Allen nodded even though he wasn't sure the source of the voice could see him (it was still so dark). "I'll start now."
--------------------------------------------------
There was the Earl. That would most definitely be one good reason to stay alive. In order to destroy the Earl of Millennium. The Earl made him turn Mana Walker into an Akuma, something that Allen could not forgive himself for doing.
The Earl had also done many horrid things to the people around him. He made Noahs do his dirty work and many of Allen's friends had lost their lives as a result. He had seen everyone around him get hurt because of the raging war between the Black Order and the Earl.
Allen desperately wanted to keep fighting. For peace. For good. And most importantly, for Mana.
Then again, Allen felt this wasn't the best reason to stay alive.
--------------------------------------------------
The Black Order. One of the only places Allen felt safe in. It was his home. After Cross Marian had 'abandoned' him, Allen had found a sense of warmth in the Order's headquarters.
There was the comical science department – Komui, Reever, Johnny and the others. If he died, he would definitely miss them as well. After all, it was them that made Allen feel welcome in the Order.
Jerry had also done that by putting up with all the tall orders that Allen made during meals. Jerry's food was simply delectable and Allen was sure he would miss the wonderful cook as well. Jerry was his friend and also made him feel welcome in the Order.
Then again, Allen felt this wasn't the best reason to stay alive.
--------------------------------------------------
The missions. How could Allen not miss those? The idea of helping people was extremely satisfying. And when Allen had completed a mission, he had always felt a sense of satisfaction. His deeds had helped another person. When they were on missions to retrieve Innocence, Allen would always smile when he saw that another person would join the Black Order as an exorcist.
By helping that person with his Innocence, Allen had helped many many more others. The new exorcist would definitely help other people in this raging war between them and the Earl.
Allen had also learnt many things during missions. He had learnt teamwork, and he had learnt patience. Despite this, Allen had also seen many things happen during these missions that he wished he could undo.
For instance, the incident with MeiLing. They had been one step too late and MeiLing had lost her Innocence as a result. The sadness and regret Allen felt then could not be anymore extreme.
However, the missions that Allen went on were an essential part of being an exorcist. And Allen knew that though bad things happened, there were many joyous outcomes as well.
And Allen wanted to keep experiencing the joys and sorrows of being an exorcist.
Then again, Allen felt this wasn't the best reason to stay alive.
--------------------------------------------------
There were also all of Allen's close friends – Lavi, Kanda, Krory and Miranda. They were all very nice to Allen.
Lavi would always make him laugh whenever he felt down. And it was him that made Allen realize why being an exorcist was important. Lavi was also the comical one of the group; no mission was ever dull with him around.
Kanda was the extreme opposite of Lavi though. The blue-haired exorcist always called him "Moyashi", and the two would always argue. Nevertheless, Allen truly cared for his friend and he would miss those childish fights the two would always have.
Krory and Miranda were also close to Allen. Even though he didn't spend as much time with them since they were fairly older, Allen had formed a close bond and friendship with the two of them. During missions, they would all work extremely well together.
Then again, Allen felt this wasn't the best reason to stay alive.
--------------------------------------------------
Just then, a loud sob echoed throughout the darkness. Allen tried looking around for the source, but it was a futile search; the place was still in absolute darkness.
"Don't bother looking. You can't see anything from here unless I will it so."
"Could you please let me see her?" Allen called out. It was quite obvious who the sob was coming from.
"Alright. Just for a short moment."
A bright light started to form in front of Allen. When the light faded a little, Allen could see a young girl in what appeared to be the infirmary. Beside her was a bed and there was a white-haired boy lying as still as a log.
Wait. A white-haired boy?
"Indeed, that is you."
Allen's eyes widened in surprise. His whole body was covered in bandages, which were starting to turn a light shade of red. "Is that… blood?" he asked.
"Yes. You are supposed to die of excessive blood loss. Your wounds aren't closing." The voice answered.
Allen's mouth formed an 'O' shape and he focused his attention back at the scene. The young girl had dark green hair that was cut at her shoulders. The girl seemed to be crying, and her face was in her hands.
"Allen-kun… you have to get better…"
Allen froze. Lenalee was crying for him?
"She's special to you?" The voice asked.
Allen nodded.
And that brought him to his final thought.
--------------------------------------------------
She was a girl one year older than him. Her dark green hair would reflect the moonlight whenever she was out at night. She had an over-protective brother who would invent the weirdest things in order to protect her.
Her name was Lenalee. Lenalee Lee. She was brave and strong, and had been an exorcist for way longer than him.
She was the kindest person around. Once, when Allen was sick, she had brought up dinner for him without him asking her to. She would help anyone when they asked for her help, and she would do it with a smile on her face.
Allen could also tell that Lenalee was actually very worried about the ongoing war with the Earl. He knew that she sometimes dreamt of a life where the Innocence and the Earl did not exist. Perhaps if they did not exist, Lenalee would have a better and more memorable childhood. She had also told him once that to her, her friends were her world. If she lost a friend, it would seem as though a part of her world had died.
Sometimes Allen wished that Lenalee could lead a better life. It didn't seem right for a compassionate and thoughtful girl to be involved in this dreadful war.
Whenever he was down, the sound of Lenalee's voice would always cheer him up. Whenever he was feeling gloomy, the sight of Lenalee would always make him feel better. Whenever he was feeling discouraged, Lenalee would always comfort him. Whenever he was bored, the first person that he would look for was Lenalee. Whenever she was away on a mission without him, Allen would constantly think of her. And whenever he was with Lenalee, Allen felt extremely happy.
And it was then that Allen realized something. Something he should have realized a long time ago.
--------------------------------------------------
"Excuse me, I know how to answer you now," Allen shouted.
"Great. Let's hear it. It has to be impactful, so please remember that."
Allen took in a deep breath and looked at the light screen. Lenalee was still crying.
--------------------------------------------------
"I want to make her smile again."
--------------------------------------------------
This time, the voice sounded surprised. "That's all?"
"Yes. That's all." Allen said confidently. The voice didn't reply.
It was after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence when the voice spoke again.
"She's special to you, isn't she?"
"Very special. Even more so than my own life."
Suddenly, Allen heard someone clapping. A dim yellow light filled the area, just enough for Allen to notice that a tall hooded figure was walking towards him. The exorcist instinctively took a few steps backward.
"Relax. I won't hurt you." The hooded figure said, reaching out to place his hand on Allen's shoulder. Allen immediately recognized the voice as the one who had been speaking to him all this while. He looked at the cloaked figure. The bottom half of the guy's face could be seen.
"Who exactly are you?" Allen asked cautiously. He still did not trust this guy.
"I am a member of the Death Council. We give second chances to specific people who are on the brink of death." The hooded figure replied. "Now, Allen Walker. You have passed the test and I can safely say that that was one of the best answers I have heard so far in my thirty years in the Council." The hooded figure chuckled a little at the end.
"So… I can go back? I'm not going to… die?"
"Of course not." The figure said. "I wouldn't want to deprive you of the chance to help that young girl over there regain her smile, now would I?" he said, pointing to the light screen. Lenalee's face was still buried in her hands and her body was shaking with the force from her sobs.
"Thank you," Allen whispered.
"Welcome, Allen Walker. And let's hope we don't meet again so soon. You only get one second chance." The hooded figure waggled his finger at Allen.
He then proceeded to point his index finger at the right hand side. A bright white light shot out from his finger and a big archway started to form. When the archway had formed completely, Allen could see that there was really nothing behind it. Just more darkness.
The figure pointed to the archway. "Go, Allen Walker. That girl needs you."
Allen nodded and ran towards the archway. "Thank you!" he called, before he disappeared through the arch.
The hooded figure merely smiled before he started to fade away. "You're welcome, Allen Walker."
--------------------------------------------------
"Allen-kun… Please wake up soon…"
That was the first thing Allen heard when his eyelids opened. He glanced to his left and noted that Lenalee was still hunched over herself, and she was still crying.
"Allen-kun… I'm sorry… I… I wasn't strong enough… Please don't… don't leave us… don't leave me…" Lenalee hiccupped.
Allen smiled. "I wouldn't dream of it," he said.
Lenalee's head snapped up at once. "Allen-kun?!"
Allen nodded, as if to tell her that he was really okay. The female exorcist immediately wiped the tears away with her sleeve and sniffed. "I thought… you were a goner… Even the head nurse told us to be… be prepared… You're wounds weren't closing and blood… blood was flowing out… so much blood…"
Allen propped himself up using his elbows, which felt stiff because of all the bandages. "But I'm okay now, right? There's no need for tears anymore, Lenalee."
Lenalee nodded. "Yup, no need for tears anymore. I'll go get the Head Nurse now…" She flashed him a huge mega-watt smile. Allen's heart skipped a beat. Boy, did he miss that smile…
"Hey, Lenalee?" Allen said, reaching out to grab Lenalee's arm in order to stop her from going out.
"Yes, Allen?"
"I… Could you… Could you stay for a little while longer? I want to be alone with you for a few more minutes before everyone comes pouring in."
Lenalee smiled once more. "Sure," she said, sitting back down on the chair next to his bed.
"Oh, and Lenalee?" The girl looked straight at Allen when she heard her name.
"Yes?" she asked.
"You know… you're the reason I told myself I couldn't die," Allen started. "You're… really special to me."
Lenalee blushed. "I am?"
Allen nodded. "So can you promise me something?"
"Of course, what is it?"
"Can you smile for me every day? Even if I'm not around anymore, even if the world comes to an end and the Earl has won, could you smile for me?" He took a deep breath. "I… really like you, Lenalee."
Lenalee's cheeks turned a deeper shade of red at this. "I… I… I like you too, Allen-kun. I always have."
This time, it was Allen's turn to turn red. "So… does that mean you'll smile for me? No matter what happens?"
Lenalee beamed. "How about I start now?"
Allen returned her smile. "Thank you, Lenalee."
"Oh, and Allen-kun? I'm really happy I'm the reason you told yourself you couldn't die." Lenalee said. "I'm really really happy." She took his hand in hers and squeezed it tight.
"Me too, Lenalee." He replied, giving her hand a gentle squeeze as well. "Me too."
--------------------------------------------------
Emm297: TA-DA :D My first Man fanfiction! I hope you like it, and I hope you like the pairing AllenLena as much as I do!
Review and comment, if you please!
Thank you!
ALLENLENA FOREVER :D