Chapter Title: Changes

Chapter Description: The nightmare continues, and Allen's shift in personality is revealed even more to Lenalee. When they awake Allen decides to take matters into his own hands while an exorcist worries about Lenalee's sanity.

A/N: Woah. I am so sunburned right now. I went on vacation and fell asleep on a boat without sunscreen on. Bad idea. Anyways, has anyone read 'X/1999' or 'Tokyo Babylon'? I'm just sort of curious. I seem to be writing for them nowadays than DGM. That, 'Pandora Hearts' and 'Fairy Tail'. The only non-DGM chapter fic I have going is 'Fairy Tail'. Ah… All so good… And I'm watching 'Soul Eater'. I can't wait to finish that up and begin to write some Death the Kid related stuff. Anyhow, hope you enjoy the chapter. Its alternate title is 'The Chapter in Which Everything Changes For the Worse'. Don't worry, I promise he'll get (somewhat) better very soon. And yeah… Allen/Road shippers rejoice… XD

Disclaimer: I do not own DGM, because if I did, Wisely would have all this character building instead of Kanda.

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"You shut your mouth, how can you say I go about things the wrong way? I am human and I need to be loved just like everybody else does."

-'How Soon is Now?' by The Smiths

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"Lenalee, you're so gullible. Did you really think that after all of that, I would still care, and still feel the same?" A few moments ago she had been walking towards Allen once again, and now… "I don't care about you any longer." She didn't even struggle against the chains that now bound her. "I won't even be happy when I kill you; my emotions will just be apathetic. I'll probably even be bored." His cheek touched hers as he leaned forward on the rock that he had trapped her on. "Your death will be just one of many. Impersonal and dull; when your blood splatters against the pavement I will not look twice for I will have killed all of your friends before that, and continue to kill afterwards. By no means will your death be anything special to me. Doesn't that make you insane? Doesn't that make you hate me?"

A deep breath. "No matter what you did, Allen, I could never hate you." And those words were true.

He had killed her friends and fought her. He had betrayed the Order and had taken part in destroying it. There was so much for her to hate him for, so much to be angry about. But when she saw his face she knew that she had lost. Forever would she be a slave to those eyes, even when filled with evil thoughts, and that would not change. She had given him her heart, and she could not undo that deed so easily.

He laughed; it was a low, deep sound from the bottom of his throat. It was not how he had laughed with her when they had been friends. It was the laugh of a wild dog, not a calm man. "That's what's so beautiful about this. You don't hate what's bad for you! You hate your silly God, and yet you follow him so happily to the grave." His head pulled back and he grabbed her chin with his right hand. Little red marks formed under his grasp. "But you don't hate me, the one who wants, more than anything, to stab you in the chest right now." A small puddle of salty water formed above his fingers. Breathing deeply, he leaned back towards her, as if he were going to kiss her. "Oh, and I would. I would. But this is just a dream." For a moment his lips hovered close to hers, and she thought that he was going to do it.

If his lips were to just meet hers, then maybe he would laugh with that usual happy look in his eyes and say 'April Fools!' and everything would be fine. They would still be on different sides of all of this, but he would be him and she could be her and they could have these little dreams together and they could both remain sane. It was a long shot, but she prayed deep within herself that this was all just a cruel prank. It was too horrible to be true.

There was a great gust of wind and he was miles away from her, it seemed. The shackles fell from her arms and she fell to her knees. It was not weakness of the body, but her breath was gone. "Allen." If there was no humanity left in him, it was over. There was no hope for anyone. "Come back, Allen." There would be no fairy tale ending to their story; she knew that. Still, she wanted to at least have a few happy moments before their tale reached its conclusion.

Giddy and cheerful, when Allen spoke it reminded Lenalee of the Earl, himself. "Goodbye Lenalee, my one, my only, my love!" Each mocking word dug into her soul and ripped out a little more of the small amount of hope that she had left running through her veins. "You and I shall meet again, and soon! Because it will be I who stops your breathing, and then your heart, and then your very life. Isn't that wonderful? Isn't that great? The world will be over soon, but you won't even be there to witness its destruction." The throaty laugh came once again; it echoed around the ruins of the Order. "So stay well until then, and let not a drop of your blood be shed until my sword reaches deep into your chest!" His eyes faced her, blazing with the humor that he found in this situation. "Make me that promise, my love, that none shall harm you until I kill you."

And with that, her eyes opened, brimming with tears.

--

It was very nice, Road thought, to see Allen so enthusiastic. Having woken up that morning, he came right down to have breakfast with them all and did so with a smile on his face. When asked how he had slept he told them that he had never had a better dream and that afternoon, he even graced the group with his presence that evening for a game of cards. A smile adorned Road's face the entire day.

But that night, when Allen dragged her into his room, things changed, just a little. "Road." He said, his eyes sharp and cutting into her own. "There's something that I want to go do."

Desperate to keep the mood as bright as it had been that entire day, she twirled around with a smile, leaning on the wall to Allen's room. "And what would that be? Tell me that it's school appropriate, Allen, or else the Earl will be angry with you." The smile that she had tried to pass to Allen was not reciprocated.

"I want to go kill the exorcists. One by one. Alone." Pausing, he closed the distance between the two of them. "I need you to cover for me, Road. The Earl doesn't want us moving without his commands, and if I were to do this, he would be furious. I need you on my side."

"Why me, Allen?" Irritated at the extra responsibility that was being thrust on her, she crossed her arms. "Isn't there someone else that you could get to do your dirty work? Tyki or Wisely? Why does it always have to be-"

His lips landing firmly on hers cut off her voice. Eyes wide, Road could do nothing but stare for a moment. This was strange, it shouldn't be happening but… She shut her eyes. There was nothing that said that she couldn't enjoy this time. Maybe Allen had finally realized the depth of her feelings for him. Sure, her father would sure to be furious with her, but that didn't change the fact that this was… really happening?

"Lenalee!" Pushing Allen's chest, she shouted that at him. "Wasn't it just yesterday that you were going out of the way to save your little exorcist girlfriend?"

Laughing as he touched the spot where she had pushed him, Allen closed that distance once again. "I'm sorry if I was going to quickly, Road. That girl though… She's totally out of my mind now. I could care less." His right hand reached up to her cheek and a finger traced a line down her face. "I've just recently realized what is important to me, and that list includes you at the top, Road." Once again, he reached down to touch his lips to hers, but she dodged.

It had finally dawned on her.

"You're not Allen, are you?" He stared. "This isn't like him at all." A smile grew on his face. "You're the Fourteenth; there's no Allen left in his body anymore. You've taken him over." The smile took over his features within an inhumane quality about it.

The hand that was still on her cheek tightened its grasp. "You're quite smart, Road. No one else would have been able to realize that so quickly." That hand now reached down towards her neck, holding it in a threat; he would try to kill her if there was no other choice.

Knowing that she couldn't die in the form that she was in now, this didn't scare her in the least bit. "What are your intentions then? Just to kill the exorcists and help the Earl along?" The previous incarnation of the Fourteenth had betrayed them all. Just as Allen had betrayed the Order, would he betray his family?

Laughing just a little, his grip tightened. "For now, at least. What happens in the future is up to fate, which not even you know." Taking a breath, he let go, and all traces of the evil lurking inside of him was gone. Taking off that mask, he looked the same as he had all day. "So, will you cover for me, Road? It would mean a great deal to me if you would do me that small favor."

Wanting to bring the old Allen back, but not wanting to make an enemy out of this new one, she nodded her head. "Sure, Allen, I will, but on one condition."

Smiling, he tilted his head slightly to the side in a gesture that most would have found adorable. "And what would that be, Road?"

"You cannot kill Lenalee Lee, no matter what."

The dark look returned to Allen's face once again, the façade growing thin. "W-What?" He asked through clenched teeth.

"I will help you until the moment that you spill her blood. When that happens I'll report to the Earl, who will kill you immediately." As happy as a clam on the outside, she smiled and tilted her head in the same fake way that Allen did a moment ago. "Do we have a deal?"

The darkness spreading over his features even more and his voice coming out with even more of a struggle to keep calm, he asked a breathy "Why?" to Road.

Giggling, she put a finger to her lips. "I have my reasons."

But they both knew why it was Road didn't want Allen to kill Lenalee. She was the key; if the real Allen was to ever escape the influence of the Fourteenth's personality, Lenalee would be the reason why. And though Road wanted nothing less than to have to rely on an exorcist, she knew that this was the only thing she could do to help the Allen that she really did love.

--

It was still the middle of the night when she woke up. Around her everyone else was asleep, recovering from the attack. Moans of pain and from nightmares were everywhere; no one had been saved from the horrors of the past few days.

Eyes wide open, she stared at an open sky. There had been tents set up, but those who were most injured had been given first priority to spend the night in them. Lenalee did not rank on that list. A broken heart was not an injury that could make you die; it was just something that made you feel like you were no longer able to live.

Still, it wasn't too bad to be sleeping under the dark sky. It was empty, but still, full of promise. There were so many stars out there. On one of them there had to be other worlds, places that would survive even if this place was destroyed. If the Earth was the center of everything in the universe, then what would be left when the Noahs won and it was gone? No, there had to be something else.

"Are you awake?" Head turning, she saw Kanda sitting up a few sleeping bags away, looking at her. There were a few bandages on him, but luckily the attack on the Order didn't seem to leave him too injured. She was glad.

"Yes." She whispered, hoping that she wouldn't disturb the peace of anyone sleeping.

He got up and gestured for her to do the same. In silence the two of them walked until they reached the edge of the camp. When they did, Kanda turned towards Lenalee, the same stoic face that he always wore prominent on his face. "I've heard about all that's been happening to you lately." She looked down at her feet. "And I've heard about Walker and what he's been doing as well. I always knew that he-"

"Don't say a word about Allen, please." Still looking at the ground, she was pleading. There was no energy left in her to argue; all she wanted was to forget that the current Allen existed and just live with the memories of the old Allen in her heart. "I don't think that I can-"

"Lenalee, I overheard you in your sleep." Sighing, he crossed one arm over to grab onto the other. "You were talking to him. It was not something that I think-"

"He comes and sees me sometimes in my dreams." She whispered, her arms crossed against her chest tightly, as if they were what was keeping her from falling apart entirely. "And he says the most frightening things." Looking up, there were tears brimming on her eyes. "He says that he's going to kill me."

Kanda's eyes grew wide. "Lenalee, that's-"

"But it's not him, it's not Allen." The tears stayed firmly in her eyes as she shook her head. "It can't be; he's nothing like how he was."

"Lenalee, he's a Noah now, there's no chance that he-"

"No, there's every chance that he stayed the same!" Raising her voice to a normal speaking tone, she looked at Kanda with fire in her eyes. "Just because something like that comes along doesn't mean that you change entirely. When I became an exorcist I was still Lenalee Lee."

"If I recall, when you became an exorcist you had to be tied to a bed because your behavior was so-"

"This is different!"

"No." He put a hand on Lenalee's shoulder. "It's not." When she refused to respond, staring at him looking like there was nothing in the world that she could say, he dropped his hand back to his side. "Allen Walker is dead to us; he is the Fourteenth, a Noah, and someone who you need to cut of contact with." Turning around, he began to walk away, leaving Lenalee, but turned his head. "If those dreams continue ask your brother to make you some sleeping medicine that will cut out those insane dreams."

And he left her there, standing alone.

He, however, had a destination to go to. Back through the camp of sleeping people he walked until he entered a tent where a few people sat in quiet conversation. When he entered, they all looked at him with expectant eyes. "She's insane."

"You're joking." Howard Link said. "She's been through a lot, but she can't be-"

"She thinks that she's getting death threats from a Noah in her sleep." Kanda said as he took the only empty seat in the round table in the tent. "If that's not insanity then-"

"All Noah have unique abilities." Tiedoll interjected. "Perhaps it is Walkers to communicate through dreams. There is that possibility. We do not know the exact scope of the previous Fourteenth's abilities, but I wouldn't put that as something beyond his capabilities."

There was nodding around the table. Komui Lee sat with his head in his hands.

"Yes, but if those delusions are just the ramblings of a broken mind and not from the Noah himself, then Lenalee may be a danger to herself and to everyone around her." A man from Central who had come to replace the Inspector said. "Perhaps we should just take her Innocence now-"

"No, I'll tell you what we'll do." From the front of the tent came a booming voice that was familiar, but unheard for quite some time. Mouths opened in awe and shock. Kanda turned his head and could not believe his eyes.

Standing there with General Klaud Nine was the former General, Marian Cross.

"From here on out you'll listen to my instructions if you know what's good for you. I've been to hell and back, and I know some ways to help you all avoid the same fate that I had." Walking closer to the table, he pushed some guy from Central off of his chair and took a seat. Too scared at the man who was supposed to be dead to argue, he sat on the floor. "Lenalee Lee will not be staying here. Instead she'll be infiltrating the Noah." Komui's head popped up, a look of sheer terror on his face. "I have a contact on the inside. It's time for us to turn this war around."

--

It was cold and dark in that place. No sun reached the innermost depths of his mind. Surrounding him were only the thoughts of cold destruction that had been destroying him from the moment that he had become a Noah.

Bit by bit he had found himself being locked up within this place.

And more and more it was hard to keep his sanity. Each moment it felt like the pressure of these thoughts would make his brain explode and he would just die. This pain was worse than death, however. Each moment was a struggle, each breath more difficult than the last.

But he was surviving. However hard that struggle was, Allen Walker was not yet dead. Locked away in the cold recesses of his own mind, Allen stayed waiting, hoping, praying that one day he would be able to break through and solve the problems that he had created.

Because it had not been him in his body for a very long time.

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End of Chapter Nine