A/N: So I totally and completely lost inspiration for this story. Sorry about that. (I actually lost inspiration for all fanficition period, so I started writing my own original stuff that will probably go unread by others for years to come). But I figure since there's only one chapter left after this one, I might as well finish it. Can't just let a story this short go unfinished, am I right? Also, thank you to poisonapplecat, Twistedmind64, I love pink, Masi-chan, titania2811, Takei Daloui, theweirdo, amenokuma, and Deugemia for taking the time to review! Really appreciate it, and sorry I didn't really reply to anyone. My FanFiction account has been kind of dead, due to the lack of creativity that I've had for writing lately. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Disclaimer: Meh, I'm not that great of a drawer, so no, I couldn't possibly own this manga (or any).
Chapter 4
Time Frame — Morning of November 5th, 1863
—3rd Person POV—
~Allen~
"Oh hell…" Allen muttered to himself, staring at his reflection wide-eyed. "I thought I washed all this gunk out!" And by 'gunk', he meant hair dye. The dark, reddish mahogany color that he'd dyed it the previous night, in order to pass off as Neah, was still there! It was more red than brown at this point, but he couldn't understand why; he was sure he'd gone to bed with his hair washed back to a pristine white. Had he been so exhausted that he hadn't even noticed…? Allen heaved a sigh; he honestly didn't even know how to feel about it at this point. At least he wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb any longer…
Allen briefly took note of the Fourteenth's shadow; it was even less pronounced than when he'd checked on it the other day. Now, it was merely a blur of dense, gray wisps desperately attempting to seize unto some sort of form.
A piercing growl finally startled Allen back to reality, and hoping that maybe Mana would be cooking breakfast by now, he quickly freshened up and got dressed. Unfortunately for the starving teen, both Mana and Neah were still zonked out in their respective rooms (it had taken Allen a while to spot Mana around the ridiculous stacks books in his room, and Neah had practically been drowning beneath a pile of music scores and Timcanpy's furry body). And as exasperating and amusing as it was, it didn't lessen Allen's hunger any less.
With a disgruntled pout, Allen trotted downstairs, hoping to raid the kitchen for some leftovers. Thankfully, all too aware of their endless appetites, Mana usually made sure of storing enough food to feed a small army. Allen grinned, loading his arms with food and spreading it out across the kitchen table, creating his own, personal feast. Not as good as Mana's fresh cooking, but the sheer amount made up for it.
Allen didn't waste a single second, and within minutes, all that was left were bare plates, some cutlery, and a couple of wrappers. The now, auburn-haired teen leaned back with a satisfied smile, nonchalantly picking up a discarded newspaper that Mana had been sifting through yesterday morning. He didn't really understand what was so appealing about it, and after reading a couple of mind-numbing stories of local town gossip and free trade overseas, Allen was about to dispose of it along with the rest of the mess, before something on the front page caught his eye.
November 4th, 1863
Allen blinked. And blinked again. He then rubbed his eyes, and stared back at the paper, wondering if there had been some sort of typo. But no, it was still there. Scrunching his eyebrows with puzzlement, Allen sat back, mind racing. Last he heard, it was 1898, so how was it possible for the date to have reversed itself by 35 years? Was the Ark really that powerful? Powerful enough to send him back in time? But it couldn't even send him back in time during his own timeline, because how could he forget meeting Miranda, or avoiding a confrontation with Lavi?
But before he could tear his hair out from frustration and further aggravate his headache, a rapid knock echoed throughout the silent house. It took him a moment to process the noise, before he eventually shoved his tumultuous thoughts to the back of his brain and reluctantly lumbered out of the kitchen, briefly wondering who'd think to show up at their house, considering it was a good distance from the town.
"Uhh…" was the most coherent and appropriate response Allen could think up, staring with a slight gape at the miffed Road, who stood at the doorway, pointedly glaring at him.
She then tapped her foot impatiently, but when it became clear that he would not react further, she let herself in with a huff. "Are you kidding me, Allen?!"
"Eh?!" Allen scrambled after her, as she stepped into their living room and sat herself down. "Road, what are you doing here?"
Removing her coat and dusting off the snow that had begun to cover it, she folded it atop her lap and said primly, "No calls, no visits, not even a letter!"
Allen's mind blanked and all he could think to blurt out was, "It's snowing?"
Road's un-amused expression caused him to backtrack. "Um, wait. What on earth are you going on about, Road? Why did expect anything from me?"
What? Was the other Allen good friends with her something?! Allen wondered incredulously.
Her expression grew thunderous. "We had a deal!"
No. Nononono. How the hell do I get out of this?! I don't know what she's talking about! Allen grasped onto the first coherent thought and exclaimed, "I was sick!" It was the excuse Mana and Neah had given for him… right?
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, Allen, I know. Everyone knows. You were gone for a bloody week and then came back with dyed hair and a tattoo! Thank God the dye finally faded away! Goodness, Allen! Look, I have no idea what's been going on with you, but I hardly care. Neah has yet to apologize, and seeing as how you're back, it is still your duty to fulfill your end of the bargain."
Bargain?! Allen fidgeted, still standing by the entrance to the living room. Finally, he fibbed, "And have you fulfilled your end?"
Road leaned back onto the couch, sighing heavily. "I told you I was working on it. But seeing as how you suddenly disappeared, I figured it could wait. I mean, no point in encouraging her if you're not even around for her to do anything about it. Especially considering the lot of you didn't even show up for school yesterday."
"Her?" At this point, Allen was beyond confused.
Road tossed him an odd look. "Well duh. Lenalee? The girl you've been pinning after for the past year? Gosh, maybe you really were sick…"
Allen's face abruptly colored red. L-Lenalee?! But Allen shook his head instead. He'd worry about it later. "Um, r-right. Anyway, I really don't know what you expect from me Road. How exactly do you want me to fulfill your end?" It was a bit of a leap, but whatever bargain had been made, there hopefully hadn't been any specific details mentioned. And even then, he might be able to get away with blaming it on being sick for a whole week.
"Ugh! Never mind. You are utterly incompetent!" she huffed, and Allen could only blanch. What happened to the cute and vicious girl that had had the ultimate (and extremely weird) crush on him? It left him flabbergasted, watching the sudden shift in attitude towards him. Not that he wasn't grateful—and maybe this time around, she wouldn't be shoving sharpened candlesticks into his eye. Allen shuddered at the memory.
"H-hey! What are you doing?!" Allen demanded, watching her rip out a page from one of Mana's constantly read books. He cringed, but fortunately, it had been a blank one from the beginning of it, though he was positive Mana would flip out in any case.
"I'm writing a note," Road muttered, snatching up a nearby pen and swiftly scribbling across the page. "Hey!"
Allen ignored her indignant exclamation, tearing the note out of her hands once she completed it, silver eyes gliding over the slanted penmanship.
Mana and Neah,
Don't worry about my absence. Road stopped by and asked me to accompany her for the day. We'll most likely end up at her home either way, so if you need me, you can find me there.
Allen
P.S. Sorry about your book Mana!
The slip of paper was suddenly torn from his hands. Slapping it atop the coffee table, Road turned back and roughly grabbed him by the arm as she begin to drag him out of the house.
"W-wait! For goodness' sakes Road, at least let me go and grab a coat!" Allen demanded, exasperated.
"There," Road replied, seizing a random coat that hung from the coat rack beside the entrance to the house. She only paused to shut the doorway, and then continued to haul him through the thick, crunchy snow and onto the familiar path leading to town.
Eventually, the bitter wind that nipped at him became unbearable, so Allen forced her to come to a halt and finally had the chance to wrap himself up into the long, thick coat she'd given him. "The least you could do," Allen huffed, as he shoved his frozen hands into the pockets and walked beside her at a more sedate pace, "Is to tell me how dragging me out here is supposed to accomplish anything."
Road shook her head and mumbled something beneath her breath that Allen was unable to catch. She then turned to him, hair flattened on either side of her face from the snow that had melted in her normally spiky hair and weighed it down. "You read the note. I believe it should be obvious at this point," she muttered, and then added, "But, as it's clear it isn't, I'll explain. Since Neah, the bloody prat, isn't planning on apologizing, I figure that he'll freak out once he figures you're with me. That nitwit will probably accuse me of bewitching you or something just as daft, but I figure it's the first step to getting him to talk to me."
It took Allen a moment to process this, and even then, he was still utterly befuddled. "Um, why don't you just talk to him?"
Road stopped, actually stopped, and turned to look at him like he was the stupidest thing she'd ever come across. Her lips parted and closed, as if unable to form words to describe why that was the last thing she'd ever—
Allen quickly backtracked. "Okay! Never mind then…" Girls are downright barmy…
Road was still throwing him the occasional odd glance, but she eventually shook it off. "Right, this way then."
The rest of the walk through town was silent, and though Allen still felt uncomfortable casually hanging out with the once-Noah, he figured there would hell to pay if he tried ditching Road now. So he suffered in silence, until they reached a large mansion smack dab in the middle of town. His eyes widened a little, but he didn't say anything and continued following after the small-statured girl. And it was once they were inside and the maid had already taken their coats that Road rushed up the grand staircase, with only a quick call of, "I don't care what you do, just make sure to let me know when Neah barges in!"
Allen could only stand there, completely dumbfounded, before he eventually ambled into another room, slightly depressed. He continued on like so, before he stumbled into a large kitchen, gloriously packed with food. Figuring that after what Road had put him through, she owed him, he helped himself to snack, casually sitting at the kitchen table and praying that he wouldn't run into any more Noah.
Unfortunately, luck was not on his side (was it ever?).
"Boy, you better clean up this mess," Tyki grunted as he dragged himself into the kitchen and fumbled to make a cup of tea before quickly heading back out.
Allen blinked. Well… at least that was painless, he admitted grudgingly before shoveling yet another pastry into his mouth and chewing on it thoughtfully. Just as he swallowed, yet another person barged into the kitchen through the doorway leading to the backyard, and making quite the spectacle of himself.
"Damn it arseholes, go to hell!" a white-haired teen that Allen vaguely recognized as Wisely shouted out into the snow-covered backyard, before slamming the door close with a bang, cursing up a storm as he tried to shake off the mounds of snow that encased him.
Allen blinked, then sighed and bit into another pastry. He was going to need a good amount of fuel if he was being cursed to deal with every member of the once-Noah. What a pain. Why am I still here? It's not like Road made sure I would stick around… Then again, I'd probably just get lost in this stupid town and die of hypothermia or something equally as stupid, he thought with a grimace.
"Huh?" Wisely finally seemed to take note of his presence, and then nonchalantly shrugged it off. "Oh, hey Allen."
He then left.
With a bored groan, Allen sunk further into his seat, and just as he was beginning to contemplate screwing it all and attempting to get back home, Wisely returned, now dressed in warm and dry clothes. He ignored Allen in favor of rummaging through the cabinets. "Damn it, Allen! Did you eat all the bloody pastries?!"
"Eh?" Allen glanced at him and then back at the empty box that sat before him, only crumbs dusting it. "I guess so. I was hungry." He shrugged, seemingly not caring either way.
"Ugh! Sometimes I seriously hate you!" the other teen grumbled, face puckered in irritation. He then perked up. "Oh, I guess I can just raid Road's secret stash!" He disappeared once again and soon came back with another box, before plopping on the seat across from Allen. Before he dug in, he tossed Allen a quick glare. "I'm not sharing with you!" In response to the auburn-haired boy's indignant expression, he sighed heavily and tossed him a single one from the box. "There! But no more!"
Allen shrugged, and figured he wouldn't look a horse gift in the mouth. But just as the teens were about to dig in, an angered shriek echoed through the house.
They shared wide-eyed stared, before they simultaneously gulped and uttered, "Road."
Before they could be caught red-handed, they bolted for the nearby door.
Allen leaned over, hands braced over his knees as he gasped for breath. "D-do you think she knows it was us?"
Gulping in as much air as possible, Wise rasped, "W-we can always blame it on the twins." The white-haired teen abruptly toppled over as a barge of snowballs slammed against him. "Gah!"
Whirling around, Allen stared with wide, moonlit eyes at the pair of twins standing behind them, smirks spreading widely across their faces. For a split second, Allen didn't recognize them, considering they actually looked human. Not only were the classical Noah traits missing, but so was the stitching across Jasdero's mouth, as well as the thick, black makeup that usually encased both their eyes. Additionally, they were wearing socially acceptable clothing. But the most shocking change of all was that Jasdero's beloved blonde wig was completely missing from the picture. Rather, his hair was the same length and color as Devitto's, though it had a bit of a wave to it. The only thing Allen even found recognizable, were their vicious expressions.
"Blame what on us?" Devitto demanded, eyes narrowed and grin widening to show off his sharp canines.
Spluttering yet another string of curses, Wisely picked himself up with an indignant huff. "Bugger off you idiots."
A snowball to the face was his answer.
"No way!" Devitto shouted, Jasdero crying in agreement. "You still owe us a snowball fight! And no running away like a girl's petticoat this time!"
"I already said no! You guys fight just as dirty as Road, and unless she and Tyki are here to back me up, there's no way I'm playing against you two!" Wisely crossed his arms stubbornly, and begin to drag himself across the snow, but the twins exchanged a nasty grin and blocked his way.
"Then we guess you'll just have to stick with little ol' Allen over there~."
Allen gulped, and nervously stepped back. But it was too late. He'd already been dragged into it before he even knew what was going on.
"Get it together!" Wisely whispered furiously, smacking Allen upside the head. "This is war!"
Allen could only sigh. "I hate my life." Nonetheless, he softened his footsteps against the crunchy snow, as they slunk through the miniature forest that made up the backyard. They and the twins had agreed on a temporary break in order to stock up on more ammo (read: snowballs), but of course, the twins had yet to play nice. So rather, he and Wisely had ducked beneath their fort, pretending to make snowballs, when in reality they had slunk back into the cover of the trees and were making their way around, planning a surprise attack.
"There," Wisely said in barely a whisper, pointing to the backs of the snickering duo. "Quick, start making snowballs!"
Allen had to secretly admit, that this was somewhat fun. And although he'd rather be doing this with Mana and Neah, he couldn't help but smirk as Wisely shouted, "ATTACK!"
Quick as possible, they launched a flurry of snowballs, Devitto and Jasdero squawking in protest as they were practically buried beneath the mounds of snow. As soon as they ran out, Wisely seized Allen by the arm, and pulled him into a sprint. "Let's get back inside before they escape!" Allen didn't need to be told twice, and immediately matched Wisely's pace, and they soon launched themselves through the kitchen doorway, gasping for breath as they swiftly slammed the door close with dramatic bang.
"Quiet down," Tyki groused, flipping through the day's newspaper as he ate a light lunch of hot stew and warm bread. Allen's mouth practically watered at the sight, and without a second thought, he served himself a bowl, Wisely shrugging and following his lead.
It said a lot about how Allen had finally given up on the peculiar circumstances he'd found himself in, as he rescinded himself to having lunch with Tyki and Wisely. Fortunately, he didn't have to suffer through small talk, as Tyki hardly seemed interested in them, while Wisely shoved so much food into his mouth, it was a wonder he could even breath.
"NEAH!" Road's squeal practically reverberated throughout the house.
Allen stood with a sigh. "And that's my cue." Neither of the once-Noah paid him much mind, so the auburn-haired boy shrugged and ambled out of the kitchen, momentarily getting lost, before he figured out that Road's voice was like a beacon.
"Allen, there you are!" Mana called over with a relieved sigh, pushing past the bickering couple and making his way over to Allen. "Glad to find you in one piece!" Mana beamed, clapping a hand over his shoulder.
Said teen smiled exhaustedly. "Only just."
"Heh, yeah," Mana chuckled sheepishly, "Sorry if we took too long, but we rushed over as soon as we found the note. I really am glad you're alright though. After what happened last time we visited…" Mana visibly shuddered, and in response to Allen's perplexed gaze, he frantically shook his head, "Not exactly a memory you'll want to relive… Anyway," the bronze-eyed teen redirected the subject, "Why are you all wet? Though I'm surprised your hair isn't dripping the red off. I thought you washed out all this gunk last night."
Tugging at the dark locks with a grimace, Allen replied, "So did I. But I don't think it's coming off anytime. Did Neah get the permanent kind?"
"Hmm, could be," Mana replied thoughtfully, slipping off one of his gloves and rubbing a strand between his fingers. But when the color refused to come off, he shrugged. "Well, on the bright side," Mana grinned, "That awful tattoo is starting to chip off!"
Allen felt the world coming to a sudden halt. "W-what?"
Mana eyed him curiously before nodding over to a nearby mirror that hung on the wall. Almost reluctantly, Allen turned, hardly recognizing himself with the bright, auburn locks and almost half his scar in broken fragments that flaked off his skin. And behind him, where there once stood a Noah with a sinister grin, was nothing but a broken wisp.
Allen barely managed to choke out, "I-I have to go," before he sprinted out of the mansion and soon, off the grounds, ignoring the shouts that followed him.
A/N: So, just one more chapter left. Hopefully I can reveal all the old ideas that burned in my mind a couple months. If I can remember them. Hehe. I'm just kidding, I wrote most of it down, and now all that's left is actually writing the chapter (which is more difficult than it looks), but I guess we'll see. Oh, and be sure to drop a review on your thoughts!
