AN: I've procrasinated long enough with this chapter. Though if all goes well, this will finish on schedule. (Look, I sound so professional, using a 'schedule' for my writing)
Fading Gray
Chapter 10
He was cold and numb all over. Yet, he wasn't completely lost to the world. Against the coldness of October's night's air, his savior's breath felt wonderful on his cheeks. Allen felt the butterfly-light touches that left warm imprints on his skin. He wanted to sit up and thank the person who had just rescued him from certain doom, wanted to smile just to know who it was. And yet somehow he knew already who was the one that was bandaging up his wound.
Something soft was pressed against his lips, and all Allen wanted to do was push the girl off him, grin and say " Thank you, Rhode."
--
Running. Heavy panting. Wind rushing through his hair. The sound of clothes ruffling. Allen was moving once more, and there was only urgency and worry hidden in each of their steps.
--
The loud bang of the main door being kicked open. Two people behind him gasping for air. Ravi shouts loudly, disregarding that most of the members were already asleep. " Old man! Get down here!" Allen wanted badly to tell him to be quiet; you're disturbing everyone else.
He is dropped onto a bed. Old and sure hands hold onto his wrist, waiting for a pulse. A sigh. His makeshift bandages are unraveled and the sting of cold air rushing at the cut barely registers in Allen's mind. Bookman 'tsks' away, doing more checks before declaring " It's a good thing you found him when you did."
Allen knows that's not what Rinali wanted to hear. He knows that she must be sobbing quietly, probably on the shoulders of Kanda, or more possibly Ravi. He hears Kanda snort. " As if we didn't know that, stupid old geezer."
" I'll regard your rudeness as your overwhelming concern for Walker." Kanda scoffs, but Bookman ignores him and continues. " He's lost a lot of blood, but that can be fixed easily. However, his unconscious state is not curable." Ravi yells "what? Why?" but that is lost to Allen. All he registers are Rinali's hands holding onto his tightly, and her tears splashing onto his face.
Kanda tells Rinali to stop crying. Rinali interrupts Bookman's attempt at explaining why he can't cure Allen of his unconsciousness by yelling at Kanda. " Stop crying? At least I'm showing some feeling towards my friends and teammates! You guys are my world! We've almost lost you, I don't want to lose Allen too!" Her tears have stopped, but she continues to stare at Allen, grasping his hands. Allen desperately wants to pat Rinali on the back and say, "I'm fine Rinali. Please stop crying, you're not going to lose me anytime soon", but his hands won't listen and his throat is dry.
" You misunderstood me." Bookman begins when the room is quiet. " Allen's unconsciousness is caused by the Akuma's ability. He won't stay unconscious forever, but I can't tell you when he'll awake. It's best for you all to get some sleep now. I'll let Komui know about this."
Bookman leaves. It won't be for another hour or so before Ravi and Kanda forces Rinali to come with them and get some sleep as well.
And then the world fades.
--
All Allen can see is darkness; rather, he is the only object illuminated, so he assumes he is surrounded in darkness. He yells out for his friends, already knowing there will be no reply. "A dream?" Allen asks himself, wondering why he dreams of being alone in the shroud of shadows. In desperation, he calls for his friends again, pausing a moment before he adds a forth name to his list. " Rhode?" he ends weakly, a futile attempt to find company. He takes a step, and another and begins to walk. Not long after, he sees a light ahead, and rushes towards it.
And he stops when he realizes that the light was another person. A small figure in a snow-white nightgown, too light and airy to be worn during the colder months of the year. Yet somehow, Allen figured this was just one of the wonderful peculiarities of the girl. She looks up at Allen and reaches out her hand. Allen instinctively reaches out and grabs onto her.
"Where am I, Rhode. A dream?"
She doesn't answer right away, nor is she still staring into the exorcist's face. " Is there a place you want to go? I can take you anywhere." Rhode easily sidesteps the question.
" Any place…?" Allen muses, unable to comprehend how Rhode can take him- his consciousness anywhere. She was, after all, just a dream.
Rhode giggles at the confused expression on Allen's face, and holds on to his hand tighter. " Then I'll show you my favourite place."
A blink. That was all it took for them to leave the realm of darkness for another world, one that was of equal darkness- but for another reason. Allen immediately recognizes the place.
"Wha-why did you bring us here?" He whispers harshly at the girl by his side. His eyes were fixed on a young boy with white hair, wearing a patchwork coat, who was crying by a tombstone.
"Because this is my favourite place, Allen." Rhode grins sardonically, and pulls Allen with her into the bushes. " You remember this place, don't you?"
"How can I forget?" he mutters, still transfixed at the boy- the shadow of his past. Was he really that small when it had happened? When his life had completely changed? Allen's hands clenched into fists when he hears his younger self grievously murmur those words that were taboo for an Exorcist. He doesn't remember that Rhode's hand is intertwined with his own, or does he register that she was intently watching him by his side.
'I wish Mana didn't die!'
"Here he comes" Allen hears Rhode whisper, her tone unidentifiable. He hears the Earl's explanation, the childish plea for Mana to come back, and the scream that follows when the skeleton starts chasing the boy with the intent to kill. Allen doesn't need to see it all again, and he turns away. Rhode squeezes his hand slightly, and commands him to keep watching. Allen is compelled by her earnestness and slowly focuses back on the first time he had fought an Akuma.
It is at this time that Cross appears and rescues him from certain doom. Allen is astonished to find out that his master doesn't look a day older than the first time he met him. Allen and Rhode watch the pair leave before she pulls him out of the bushes. He is pale and clammy but she doesn't mind because somehow she understood because she's still human. They walk towards the grave hand in hand. She lets go of him and Allen kneels beside the stone and mutters words of apology and sorrow.
"Do you ever wonder what it would be like if you had never became an Exorcist? If none of this was happening?" Rhode suddenly asks quietly. She is still standing, her gown and hair ruffled by the imaginary wind. Allen doesn't turn around when he answers.
"All the time."
"I can show you."
Once more, Rhode's arm is outstretched, her hand welcoming. Allen hesitates, contemplating the promise of his companion. He stares at her face, and realizes her eyes hold no secrets or tricks. He holds on.
--
The first thing Allen notices when he opens his eyes is the clothes Rhode's wearing. A uniform replaces her white dress, something similar to the uniform she wears to school. Her skirt is green and plaid, she wears a small dress shirt with the sleeves folded at her elbows and she has a green tie. Roman numerals are embroidered onto the tie in gold, reading the number one. Black loafers replaces her bare feet, and her black socks reaches up to her knee, reminding Allen too much of Rinali.
"Uniforms looks good on you," Rhode comments, grinning devilishly. She drops her black schoolbag and leans against a locker as Allen analyzes his own outfit. It is the male version of Rhode's, green plaid pants, white dress shirt, black tie and dark green blazer. Black loafers. The Roman numeral for two is sewn onto his tie and Allen wonders if that signifies his class number.
Most remarkable of all is his left arm. It was, without a doubt, completely normal.
"Where…what is this place?"
"A world where Innocence and Akuma is just a myth. I guess, you can say this is the future, an alternate reality. Right now, we're—" Rhode's explanation was unfortunately cut short, when a worried voiced yelled for Allen. Three teenagers followed the yell, the shortest of the three running.
"Allen! We were worried something happened to you! You didn't meet us by the auditorium!" Rinali hugged Allen in relief. The latter was startled, awkwardly hugged his friend back.
"What were you worried about? You know I'll be okay by myself."
"She was worried that some people would do something to you for payback. You know, people like her brothers," Kanda bluntly explained, glaring at Rhode, who was standing right beside Allen. She returned his glare evenly.
"By the way, Allen, what are you doing with her anyway?" Ravi asks, putting a hand on Kanda's shoulder. " You do remember what her brothers did before the summer break, right? The fight?"
Rinali lets go of Allen, and watches him closely. Allen avoids Ravi's gaze, unable to come up with an answer to his questions as he tries to make sense of the past he apparently shared with Rhode's siblings in this world. Rhode understands Allen's confusion and decides to answer for him.
" It's my first day here. Jasdero and Dibitto left before I did, so I didn't know my way to the auditorium for the opening assembly."
Satisfied with her answer, Rinali tells Ravi and Kanda to be nice. Ravi obeys almost immediately, commenting how he couldn't believe a cute girl like Rhode could be related to the malicious twins in his year, but Kanda is still distrusting. Rinali smiles at Rhode then, and invites her to join them for the opening ceremony. Rhode accepts with a grin and decides to make small talk with Rinali and Ravi. Allen breathes a sigh of relief, and joins in with the fun.
--
"Took you long enough to get to the café, Rhode!" Jasdero shouts when his sister walks by, carrying her tray of food. Debitto waves and grins at his younger sister impishly.
"You two! You set my alarm clock an hour late! I just got out of detention!" She yells, pouting at her older brothers.
"Well, sorry? To make up for our horrible prank, we saved you a seat!" Dibitto attempted to look apologetic, though the expression didn't last long, as he succumbed to his brother's snickers. "Oy, shut up! I almost had her!"
"As if." Rhode scoffs. She then scans the cafeteria for any vacant seats left in the cafeteria, grinning when she sees Rinali and Ravi waving and pointing at the seat between Allen and Kanda. "I'm gonna go sit with some REAL friends."
Jasdero and Dibitto watches their sister walk towards the table Ravi was sitting. Almost immediately they get up and follow Rhode, sharing murderous glints in their eyes.
"Why did you come so late, Rhode?" Ravi asks, stealing a fry from Rhode's tray. Allen pokes at her rice pudding with a fork.
"My brothers set my clock an hour back." Rhode answers simply. Ravi, Rinali and Allen nods in understanding.
"Speak of the devils…" Kanda mutters, when the twins were standing behind Rhode.
"And what are you doing with them?" Dibitto demands Rhode.
Rhode turns to face her brothers and smiles sweetly, sidestepping the question with a simple " Oh, lighten up."
--
A pine tree decorated in colourful baubles stands tall in a corner of the room, guarding a respectable pile of multicolour packages. Eight people are gathered round an oak table, clapping as Allen blows out all the candles of the Christmas tree shaped cake. Rinali then takes care in cutting the cake in equal portions, while Jasdero and Dibitto joke around with Ravi, trying to make Allen tell them his birthday wish. Allen's foster father, Mana, takes pictures upon pictures of his son and his friends, laughing when Rinali or Kanda fails in avoiding the camera. Rhode playfully helps Mana, tricking her friends into being part of the pictures.
"Happy birthday, Allen!" everyone chants, beaming when Mana hands Allen his present, a golden ball with wings and tail that he had crafted.
--
"Did you like it?"
Allen had to blink twice before he realizes that they are back in the world of darkness. Rhode is once again in her white nightgown, and Allen is back in his exorcist uniform. He stares at his left arm, and almost feels disappointed that it wasn't normal.
"Was that… a dream?"
"I can only show you your dreams." Rhode answers bluntly, nodding.
"Then what about you? Do you wish to be a normal human?"
"Don't be ridiculous, I hate humans. Why would I want to be as weak as them?" Rhode answers without a moment's pause. She avoids Allen's eyes, turning around completely to hide her face.
"Then say that again while staring me straight in the face." Allen demands, walking towards her. Rhode does not obey, and Allen makes his assertion. " You want it too, don't you? That was also your dream."
"That's stupid! I already told you it was yours." She retorts, glaring at the boy. Her angry glare stops Allen in his tracks. He smiles sadly and pulls the girl towards him.
"Then tell me what I'm dreaming of right now." He whispers into Rhode's neck- she was a good head shorter than he was, and he found it easier to command her when height was at least to his advantage.
"Right now…" Rhode falters as she tries to imagine what Allen would dream about at the moment, but to no avail.
"So I was right." Allen mutters before he forces Rhode to tilt her head and press his lips onto hers. The kiss was chaste, short but still incredibly sweet. When they broke apart, Allen holds Rhode in his arms. " I want to thank you. For showing me my dream. And for saving me."
Rhode lets Allen hold her for a moment longer, then pushes him away with a gasp. She turns around then, holding her hands together behind her back. "This is goodbye, Allen. You really are… too kind." Her voice was even, and overwhelmingly sad.
"Rhode, wait!" Allen shouts, but the Noah was already gone.
--
There was no dramatic welcome when Allen awoke. It was simple really; his eyes suddenly blinked open and he had complete control over his body again. Slowly, he sits up, ignoring the pain in his middle. The full moon illuminates his room perfectly and he turns to face the window.
Goodbye?
AN: 1- The distant-sounding tone used in the first bit of the chapter is intentional. I wanted to mirror Allen's state of consciousness, so I hope it worked out.
2- SPOILER! Rhode's ability is the Dream of Noah, which means she can use dreams to hurt a person. Or she can lock someone into a dream world she created for them. /SPOILER I basically used my writer's liberty on her ability, making her able to go to different places, during different times and live in those dreams. I'm not too sure if she can go into the past, but that's what I wanted her to do.
3- The school bit of the dream are just fragments. The first section, when Allen and Rhode first arrive is the beginning of high school after the summer holiday. It's Rhode's first year, Rinali and Allen's second, and Ravi and Kanda's third. Jasdero and Dibitto are the only Noahs in my Highschool! AU because Tyki and Skin are both too old for high school. (I originally wanted Tyki to be a teacher there. but whatever) The twins are in Ravi and Kanda's year. The second section takes place during lunch on a day between the first day of school and Christmas. The last section, when everyone are friends is during Christmas, and Allen's birthday. Mana is there but not Cross because I totally believe Mana would not have died under different circumstances.
4- I can't call this an Allen x Rhode if he doesn't at least kiss her once. ... But I still think the kiss was OOC.
On another note, I am completely OBSESSED over the high school AU I created this chapter. Or just the idea of them in high school. Someone should totally write it.