Angel Fantasy: "Papa Antenna, Activate!" Is from the manga, chapter 158 (Flower of Evil) page 8, top right panel. Rhode mentions Allen's name, and Sheryl 'activates' it (whatever the hell it is) while asking, "Rhode? Did I detect a note of affection in your voice when you said 'Allen?'" The actual activation text itself is in black Japanese in the manga I'm reading, with its translation above it. If you can read Katakana (I can so I verify this), it says it in that too.
Requiem of Time: Chapter Twelve - Allen
Traveling the roads he had taken the first time around was simpler than Allen thought it would be. Timcampy, the mystery finally solved, was also the same Tim that Allen knew, not the one from the past. Thus he was able to retrace his old route through the mountains and small villages. The modified golem also made a decent companion, as he always did.
However, Allen had to smile at the town with the flooded river once they arrived. It was raining hard, and the open coat and top hat were little protection, but Allen remembered this town specifically to be the one where he first met Lulubell. While Tim was good company, the Allen had rather fond memories of the Noah of Lust.
Already in town, he searched from inn to inn, knowing that he would find no room in any due to the river and how late it was. Currently, Timcampy was curled up inside his hat, the golden tail sticking out. Holding his hat against the wind, not bothering to hold his coat closed, Allen saw what he had really been looking for.
"Meow." The tingle of a bell accompanied its graceful movements.
Lulubell, Allen had learned rather fast, was an extraordinary tactician. Never proud nor vain, ready to move at the drop of a pin and ready to pull out just as fast, her plans were executed perfectly or not at all. Her plans involved little risks and guaranteed much success, and her perfect control over her emotions allowed for a cold logic that most humans were unprepared for. Allen included.
So that he was fooled by this plan the first time was entirely expected, and that she had chosen the same location for one of her carefully thought-through plans was not unexpected. Smiling now, however, Allen had learned from his mistakes, and Lulubell had taken it upon herself to force some strategy and perception into his "naïve head."
What his Noah sister (perhaps more accurately the Fourteenth's Noah sister) had taught him, however, had little to do with how Allen jogged over to the small black cat and gushed over it.
Allen crouched into the rain and petted the cat's head, thumbing the silver cross on its forehead - a standing mark of one of the Noah. "What a cute little kitten you are! That birth mark is adorable." Allen felt Timcampy shiver inside his hat as he ran his hand over the wet fur. He almost laughed at his faithful companion.
When the transformed Lulubell turned - most likely to lead him to her specially prepared inn - Allen snatched the cat into his arms. "Aw you poor thing, you are all wet! I'll take you home with me and give you a nice dry place to sleep tonight." There was nothing more satisfying than feeling Lulubell stiff with surprise in his arms; this was simply pay back for the things she had done to him.
Allen finally zipped his coat closed slightly, enough to keep Lulubell trapped inside with only one arm, and said, "Maybe I can get you a bowl of some nice, cold milk." Shock turned to the sense remarkable fast for the Noah, and she soon began struggling and scratching. It was a pity she didn't realize that she had greatly contributed to his ability to repress pain to the point where the claw marks were nothing more than warm tingles.
Allen also knew Lulubell had the perfect opportunity to be able to strike him down, so close to his beating heart with the ability to shape shift, and he was sure she was thinking it as well. But that wasn't the way she worked. Careful as she was, perhaps too much so, today was only meant to scout him out, where the Akuma would do the real work instead of her.
"Maybe I can find some catnip as well," Allen said with a smile, still on a direct path towards the empty inn he knew Lulubell would have led him to. Lulubell twitched suddenly, halting her brutal assault against his chest at that single word. Her one weakness, Allen knew… And exploited remorselessly…
The giant dragon that landed before Allen didn't even cause the young Marshal to blink. The force of her landing, however, did cause his top hat to blow off, which had him frown. "Good evening to you too, Lulubell-chan."
The dragon craned her neck to bare her fangs menacingly. "Today I will kill you for the Millennium Earl, Allen Walker."
"Is that anyway to treat your brother?" Allen asked, casually dodging one of her swipes. He laughed when she pulled back to unleash a gale of fire towards him. The Crowned Clown responded accordingly, protecting him entirely. As soon as the stream was done, Allen whipped open the cloak to reveal a brown bag held in his right hand. "Or someone who was going to offer you this?"
Lulubell was known for her fierce devotion to the Earl, and for her disregard towards Rhode's threat to leave Allen alone. Then again, Rhode had granted Lulubell and Tyki full rights to (in her words) play with Allen. To Allen himself it was a paradox, but he had learned to respond accordingly.
With one sniff of the bag, even Lulubell's loyalty was shot into the ground. A moment later, where a large dragon had been was now a cuddly kitten, purring attractively and rubbing against his leg. It let out a little mew. Allen laughed softly to himself, the Fourteenth echoing the sound, as he picked her up gently and tipped a handful of catnip into his non-Innocence hand. Lulubell's purrs grew louder as she feasted.
Allen smiled as he opened the inn door, Lulubell no longer making a real struggle, and closed it behind him. He gave a silent prayer for the people who had previously owned the inn as he made his way towards the stairs. "It seems no one is here right now. I'm sure they won't mind if I pay tomorrow, huh kitty? Hmm, you need a name…" He pretended to think about it.
"I know! How about Lulubell? Do you like that name?" Ah, there was that stiff-with-shock cat again. Allen smirked to himself. "Lulubell it is, then."
Closing the door to one of the inn's many rooms, Allen deposited the cat gently onto his bed. With a glance, he saw that indeed his stomach was a bloody mess. Nothing wrong with starting a scar collection early, as Rhode would say. God knows he had enough back then.
The sight of Lulubell on his bed, even in her cat form, unwillingly sent another memory forth in Allen's mind.
Allen, twenty years old, opened his eyes to the ceiling of his and Rhode's room in the Ark. A glance at purple and black bed sheets told him that it was the Earl's Ark, not his own. He could feel the warmth and soft form of his wife pressed against him, curled up as usual after their nightly activities. Staring at the ceiling, he idly stroked her soft hair, enjoying the feel of her breasts pressed against his chest.
Wait.
Since when did Rhode have breasts? With a feeling of horror, Allen turned his head to get a good look at his 'wife.' The grey skin was right, but the long, black hair was all wrong. This could not be happening. What was his sister-in-law doing in his bed?
Allen wracked his brain hard for details of the previous night, and he had vivid memory of Rhode being with him. Rhode, his wife, not Lulubell. Lulubell, the Noah of Form. Surely she hadn't…? Awakened by his movements, Lulubell opened her slitted golden eyes and stared at him without blinking.
"L-L-Lulubell, what are you doing in my bed?!" Allen cried out, forcing himself out of her (comfortable) embrace and jumping out of bed. One squawk later, he was holding his pillow before him to hide his nudity.
Lulubell finally moved, if simply to sit up and stretch provocatively, not bothering to cover her chest. Allen tried not to notice the way her dark nipples stood out. She then just sat there, staring at the wall in silence. Just before Allen could shout again, there was a flash and where Lulubell had sat was an imitation of a smirking 'Rhode.' "Would you prefer me to look like this again?"
Allen cursed loudly.
Yes, that memory was definitely unwilling, and Allen shook his head to clear it. That hadn't been the last 'incident' either. Noah of Lust indeed.
With a sigh, Allen removed his wet top hat and shed his drenched coat. Timcampy took to hovering above him as Allen stared at the cat sitting on his would-be bed. Finally, Allen sighed and said, "Alright Lulubell, you can transform back if you want. I know who you are." As much fun as it was to get back at Lulubell for things she wouldn't even remember, Allen was planning on getting some sleep that night.
The cat's tail had stopped its fluid motions at that, going stiff for the third or forth time in one night, as Allen inspected his deck of cards for water damage. Luckily he had remembered to remove the ace before the rain had begun; he had needed to get a new deck after the ace was ruined when the false Crown Clown had got Marshal Yeeger back in Belgium.
Then, there was a small flash of light as Lulubell transformed back into her human state, particularly the black haired Noah form. It took Allen approximately three seconds to realize what was wrong. "Y-Your clothes, Lulubell-chan!"
How oddly convenient, or perhaps ironic, that a black cloak had appeared next to her at around the same time she transformed back. Then Allen recognized the cloak as the false Crown Clown that had hurt his former wife and Tyki alike, as well as turned Yeeger insane. "What are you? You just don't die…"
The whip-like tendrils with spikes extended from Lulubell's fingers as she eyed both Allen and the black cloak without betraying emotion. Then, she struck out towards both opponents. She was wrapped in black Crown Belts immediately for her efforts.
Despite the situation, Allen flashed back to another time with her in a similar predicament, before he found out about her catnip weakness…
Crown Belts surrounded Lulubell in her human form, binding her at all angles. She did not struggle against her captivities, yet before Allen could sigh in relief she shifted forms yet again and slipped out as a cat. With a groan both he and Crown Clown began chasing the elusive cat around, trying to capture her once again.
Off to the side, Rhode face-palmed at the spectacle of both Allen and the white cloak dancing around after the cat. "Just leave my fiancé alone, Lulubell…"
Now that Allen thought about it, Lulubell, being the only Noah devoted enough to the Earl to attack him after he married Rhode, had come after him many of times in similar situations, though for all her careful planning and ambushes, in some way or other it usually descended into ridiculous scuffles like that. He supposed the catnip change everything.
Focusing back on the Noah, Allen was almost relieved to see that the cloak was covering her now. It was a running joke between him and Jasdebi that her Noah title of Lust had nothing to do with her portion of Noah's memory, not that he would ever admit it to anyone else.
However, Allen then found himself in a predicament. Both times he had faced this damnable black cloak, this false image of his own Crown Clown, Rhode had been there and had given him one of her candles to defeat it. Now, without Rhode and in a room stark empty save for a bed, Allen didn't quite know how he was to end (he didn't want to say kill as the cloak kept coming back) the false Crown Clown, whatever it was.
Gritting his teeth, Allen decided to just wing-it. Lulubell wasn't meant to raise her voice above her monotone, and her screaming was just… unnatural. It was she, with Rhode, who had taught him to endure pain. What the hell must those taken be feeling to give off such a sound, those who are so silent through pain otherwise?
Narrowly dodging a black Crown Belt, Allen hooked his fingers under the mask and ripped it off Lulubell's head. Grabbing a handful of cloth, Allen then ripped the whole thing off of her, though he was too preoccupied to be embarrassed by her nudity.
What must someone be thinking if they were looking through that window right now?
The cloak fought back fitfully, shifting around supernaturally in his grip. Allen slammed the mask portion into the ground, hoping it would at least crack or something. No such luck.
Finally, the cloak went rigged and shifted in a sudden whoosh, spinning out of Allen's hands as the mask turned to glare at him through eyeless holes. Well, Allen considered it a glare. He slammed his fist into the mask, and it turned much like a face would before facing him again. As Allen lifted his fist for a second time, a Crown Belt pierced his stomach, as well as four others binding his limbs.
Definitely not my best idea, Allen thought briefly before the pain hit him. It was then he was reminded of the first time he had been pierced by this cloak, and like those before him a scream tore out of his throat unlike any he had given before. There was something powering that cloak, like dark matter or sorcery yet different than both, that seeped into his body like a molten corruption. It seared away his flesh, froze it solid, rent it remorselessly, shocked him like a bolt of lightning all at the same time; it was pain in the worst sense.
Allen let out a gasp as the Crown Belt receded from his stomach, and rolling his head forward he could see a gaping hole in addition to a massive black blight surrounding it, the blight a sort of cold fire that smoldered chillingly as his body fought to banish it. Perhaps having Miranda along would not have been such a bad idea, if only for the oozing wound.
Allen Walker, perhaps known better as Marshal Walker to some, and Fourteenth to others, was known for being the only Exorcist born with an Innocence fragment already synched with him. Abandoned by his real parents and cursed by Mana, he had the ability to see the souls of Akuma, and later feel what they felt as his curse leveled up. Destined to destroy Time, according to Hevlaska, and gifted with a rogue Noah's power and promise to kill the Earl, much had been assumed about what he would do. Married to one of Earl's bodyguards, with a vast knowledge of sorcery, Allen had also led the third faction in the war between the Earl and the Order. It was even rumored that he possessed the Heart of Innocence.
So why then, in the face of all that, was he so powerless against some ridiculous emulation of his own reformed Innocence? Would all that prestige go to waste in one fell swoop by this thing before him? This second chance blown away faster than the first?
Allen, shirtless and hatless, spat out blood, glaring at the cloak holding him down. Death was not a concern for him; it never had been. His only wish was to see his Rhode in Heaven, and this second chance had taken even that from him. The things he hated in life were few, including only Central, the Earl, and very little else, but at this moment he felt rage flowing through him in waves, with no outlet.
The cloak tensed, and Allen knew it about to send out another Belt to finish him off. In a split second decision working more off memory than actual thought, Allen activated his Innocence, allowing his arm to slip through its bonds, and swung his body to the side as hard as he could. He narrowly dodged the belt, though his three other limbs held him limited. Already the cloak must be readying to loose another Crown Belt.
And that's when Allen had enough.
The thing he had been most glad for with this second chance was that the Fourteenth was currently sleeping inside his head still, not speaking, not influencing, and not trying to take over. He wanted that peace for as long as possible, but seemingly with no other choice Allen broke all bonds separating him from his Noah powers.
The fiery rage died to a cold fury as Allen's skin melted ashen, a band of stigmata appearing on his forehead as his hair curled unnaturally. The Music started immediately, that blessed, wretched music that had been implanted inside his mind. Humming softly to himself now, a smile tugging his lips with the pain in his stomach fully repressed now, the Musician had taken over.
Allen knew that Innocence was useless against this false Crown Clown, yet the abilities of a Noah appeared effective.
To those passing by outside on the street, they would have seen a large light flash in the window of that particular hotel room.
Inside the room, Allen collapsed to one knee, his skin immediately returning to normal color. Where the gaping hole had been earlier was now just a thick scar, and the blight had almost finished receding. Before Allen was the remnants of the false Crown Clown - scraps of cloth and shards of metal. He was breathing hard, and his Innocence ached.
He turned to glance at Lulubell, checking to see if she was alright. Instead he got a shameless eyeful, and he reluctantly averted his eyes after finding her well enough (more than well enough, in some aspects). Standing up again - the coldness over his new scar finally vanished; his body finally relaxed - he grabbed his still wet coat and offered it to Lulubell so that she could cover up.
Her golden, slitted eyes were regarding him expressionlessly, her face as stoic as any other time, yet Allen knew her to be exhausted by the faster and audible breathing. That she wasn't trying to kill him was reason enough to believe something was wrong. That she was drop-dead gorgeous and he no longer married was a thought consciously repressed.
Instead of taking the article of clothing, Lulubell instead shifted her form to that of air and vanished.
Allen sighed, setting the coat back up on the chair. Blowing out the candle, he collapsed onto his bed. He was hungry enough to eat the entire storage of food in two restaurants, yet right now he only wanted sleep, nightmares be damned. Timcampy flew down and nestled against his neck, tail wrapping around him as comfortingly as possible.
Allen smiled as his eyelids grew heavy. "Thank you, Tim." And finally he fell asleep… And dreamed.
Allen was seventeen years old, facing down two Noah. He still wore the silver Exorcist's coat, and he was currently equipped with Crown Clown and the Sword of Salvation. It was only chance that Link had been ambushed some miles back and was busy with those Akuma as Allen faced these two Noah alone.
Rhode and Lulubell. Allen would admit he had never seen the two female Noah work together before. This would be interesting.
"We are going to play again today, Allen," Rhode said happily, grinning at the young Critical. This was, of course, after she had given him another kiss on the lips - this time involving tongue - and nearly squeezed him to death. Only Lulubell's indifferent comment had pulled the pair apart.
Allen himself still felt tingly from the kiss, though he scowled at them. Rhode had proved herself human time and time again; there was no need for her to kiss him, an enemy, whenever they met. And now he had the pleasant taste of candy cherry in his mouth because of her shocking addition of tongue. Rhode stuck the red lollipop back in her mouth with a wink.
Lulubell, seeing Allen remaining there to fight, warned, "You are about to make a mistake."
With a surge of Rhode's Noah ability, Allen's world collapsed around him. It ended with a sudden splash into water. Everywhere he looked, in all directions for as far as he could see, was said water, up to his waist in depth. By then, Allen was well versed in Rhode's abilities, so he knew himself to be in either an alternate dimension or a simple dream.
Either way, both Noah still stood before him, though Rhode was swimming happily in the water, strangely in a swimsuit instead of her dress. As Allen frowned at the small Noah, Lulubell suddenly changed her form into that of water, blending in with it seamlessly.
So that's what she meant by mistake.
There were many other dreams that night as well, memories really, though Allen was happy to find none associated with the Fourteenth awakening. A crippling pain in his stomach had Allen shout suddenly after he awoke, and he groaned at how starving he was. It was time to make good on that meal.
****
"So… Good…" Allen muttered, contented, with his hands resting on his exposed stomach - currently rounded with the sheer amount of food he had just eaten. Across from him were three waitresses, a waiter, the cook, and the restaurant's owner, all of which with their jaws dropped to the floor. He just loved places that advertised "if you can eat (this), you get your meal free" - it was always the biggest thing on the menu and they happily obliged when he ordered more than one.
It was their fault for not believing he could eat fifteen Big Alz's, whatever that was. It was good though, and filling.
Upon leaving the restaurant with the crying owner, Allen smiled at the beautiful sunny sky. That meant he could cross the river that day.
The appearance of fifty Level One Akuma only made him smile wider. It wasn't Lulubell's doing, either. As a Marshal, carrying multiple Innocence on top of wearing the 'target' coat attracted hordes of Akuma. His eye was already activated, and a sea of purple auras filled his vision. With a stray thought his left arm became the bolt cannon.
"Good morning, Akuma…"
****
Timcanpy was curled up on Allen's shoulder as he stepped off the ferry, good mood still lingering. He was surprised to feel a sudden vibration inside his coat.
As a Marshal, he still carried around the five additional Innocence fragments, although now he carried around thirteen after taking Yeeger's eight when he went insane for the second time. However, this was only the third time in Allen's life that a fragment had found a suitable host.
With a smile, he opened his coat and allowed the green shard to free itself. Then, it was a wild chase to follow said fragment to whoever it had chosen.
Allen laughed as he leaped over carts and people, eventually clambering to a rooftop to keep the green speck in sight. Then it slowed down and made a direct path towards one lone house. Allen grinned as he made his final jump, holding his hat against the wind, and proceeded at a calm walk towards that house.
There was a commotion going on inside, of course, and Allen took the time to school his eagerness before knocking loudly. Really, Tiedoll had rubbed off on him when it came to apprentices. A woman, looking around her upper thirties, answered the door. She looked slightly distressed, as expected.
"May I help you?" Although she did not stutter, her voice was small.
Allen removed his top hat to perform a polite bow. "My name is Allen Walker. May I come in?" The woman blinked at him. "I may be able to provide assistance to your new problem."
The house, on the outskirts of the town, was very modest - little more than a shack, really, with its crude wooden design and thatch roof. Still, the family had done what they could with what they had, and it had a cozy feel to it with its home-made wood table and chairs, wash basin for dishes, elaborate mounted cabinets, and even a cheap sofa. Allen could only guess the husband's occupation, probably an artisan.
The man himself, lower forties with a goatee and well-trimmed hair, not to mention leather apron, was seated at the dinner table next to a young woman - his daughter - who looked around eighteen. The girl had her back to him, but Allen could tell by the stance of the family that she was the new Innocence candidate.
Allen bowed again to the husband before reintroducing himself. After, he walked over to the table to get a better look at the girl. She was hiding her hands.
"Excuse me, Allen, but what are you doing here?" the man asked, obviously impatient at what appeared a trying moment.
Allen smiled kindly at the man and asked, "Have you ever heard of Akuma?"
The man frowned, standing up slightly. "Look, I don't know what you're-"
"Please, this involves your daughter."
The man narrowed his eyes and sat down again. "Yes, everyone has. A child's story, monsters to frighten stubborn brats. What does this have to do with…" He trailed off, glancing at his daughter.
Allen sat down at the table, his kind smile cranked full power. "Not a story. Believe me, sir; Not. A. Story." Taking a deep breath, Allen continued, "What your daughter has just received is a fragment of Innocence, a gift from God granted to those he sees worthy to fight the Millennium Earl and the Akuma he creates."
"Like I said, stories," the father grumbled.
Allen pretended not to hear him, setting his own arm on the table. "I am an Exorcist, one of those Apostles of God. This is my Innocence." He removed the glove and rolled up his sleeve. The family, including the quiet daughter, recoiled at the sight of the mutated flesh. "If you would like proof, sir, you may have it… Innocence, activate!"
The family's jaws dropped as Allen's white arm appeared in a flash of green light. Allen smiled at them, holding his claw non-threateningly. "Over time, my Innocence - just as your daughter's will - has changed and evolved as I became more in sync with it. This is my weapon to fight those children's monsters, the Akuma." He changed it into the arm-cannon and drew it in its sword form for emphasis.
The parents looked fearful, flinching under the eyes of the fifteen year old child with those haunted eyes and painted smile. The white hair was unnatural, the scar rugged, yet with his height and youthful face his age was unmistaken. The sword that boy laid on the table was too massive for even the husband to carry properly, and yet the boy handled it with care and ease - and with one hand.
The girl, however - with her brown hair that went past her shoulders and striking blue eyes, heart-shaped face and full figure under the aged yet clean housedress - stared amazed at Allen's Innocence. Slowly, shyly, she brought her hands from under the table. Her Innocence manifested apparently as a parasitic-type.
By the blood dripping down the white and red hands, Allen guessed the Innocence had replaced her hands entirely. The hands themselves were normal sized, yet with an elegant curve to them that smoothed what would normally have been the protrusions of knuckles and tendons. Both hands were a radiant white, with a single rose painted on the back of each, and red lines framing the segments between the finger's phalanxes. Nothing gave away her new power right away, yet.
"Terra's Touch," the girl whispered quietly, as Allen inspected the hands with approval. "Th-The… Innocence called itself that."
Allen nodded, sheathing his sword back into his arm. He held out the white claw for a handshake. "Crown Clown." She smiled slightly and shook the metallic hand. Her Innocence felt soft.
"So… So what happens now?" the father asked. "Can she take that 'Innocence' off? She has things he needs to do, and she's too young to-"
"No," Allen interrupted sharply, sending a steely gaze the father's way with his dull grey eyes. "She cannot take it off. It's a part of her now, till the day her body returns to the Earth and her soul enters Heaven, and I was only ten years old when mine first activated." Allen paused to emphasis his next point. "She must come with me, so that I may train her to be an Exorcist and how to use her Innocence. If she remains here, the Akuma will come for her Innocence and kill you all. At best, she alone may manage to survive if her Innocence fights under its own power."
The father was trembling at this, and her mother appeared close to tears. Allen sighed and stood form the table. "I'll give you time to say your goodbyes. I'll be outside, waiting."
Allen sighed again after closing the door behind him, replacing his top hat. Sometimes getting a new apprentice went well, with smiles and waves like with Timothy; sometimes it was something that simply needed to happen, like when Cross had come for Allen; and sometimes it was hard, forcibly severing ties and shattering dreams of whatever future the candidate could have had, like with Lenalee.
Thirty minutes later, the girl stepped outside, putting on a brave face with the tears still in her eyes. The parents stood at the doorway, the father hugging his crying wife as they bid her goodbye. The man, with arms almost as thick as Allen's torso, glared at the young Marshal. "Treat her well, or I will come for you." Allen nodded back.
Allen then smiled at the girl, "Well then, my new apprentice, shall we head out?" The girl nodded, still in her worn once white dress with a small backpack. A set of gloves now covered her new hands.
The parents watched as their daughter - their beautiful, perfect angel - walked away with a perfect stranger - one who appeared at least three years her junior. Children's stories had taken her away, torn their world asunder in a single burst of green light. The mother could only sob, and the father glare with patriarchal concern. That boy would treat her well, and train her, so that one day she could return to them. Of that they were certain. They hoped.
"So what's your name?" Allen asked as they walked, the house disappearing behind them.
"Sarah. Sarah Omarova," the girl answered with a small smile as she played around and inspected Timcampy, who kept trying to get away so that he could show the way to Anita.
Allen smiled at her and continued onward, silently thinking about the threat of Lulubell and those false Crown Clowns and whatever else awaited him on the way to Cross. For sanity's sake he could only wish that the Fourteenth Noah stayed asleep.
****
"Innocence, activate!" Sarah commanded, and she smiled when her now grey hands flashed back into white and red.
Allen threw another stick onto the fire. "Good job, Sarah. Now, trying getting your Innocence to use one of its abilities. You should know them the same way you knew its name."
The girl frowned at her hands, searching within herself for whatever it was she was supposed to find. Allen waited, patiently. It always took a long time for the first time, unless one was tossed into battle.
The duo was currently camped out some miles from the last town, and Sarah assured Allen that they would reach the next town the next day. Two sleep rolls had been laid out, and Timcampy was currently asleep inside Allen's top hat next to his sleep roll.
After a few more minutes, the girl let out a frustrated sigh and said, "I don't feel anything." There was a sudden noise, and she blushed. "Except hungry… I just ate, too."
Allen smiled at her. "You are a parasitic-type, like me. You need to eat a tremendous amount of food now to replenish the energy your Innocence uses."
The girl put one her white hands over her stomach. "How much is that?"
Allen grinned and pulled out a huge stack of dried meat, fruit, and several loafs of bread. "This is the appetizer."
Sarah deadpanned.
After an embarrassing amount of food consumed between the two of them, both laid down in their separate sleeping rolls, although Allen had no intention of sleeping that night. After a few minutes, with the fire now smoldering in the darkness, Sarah asked, "Can you tell me a bit about yourself, Allen?"
Allen, with his hands behind his head, stared into the starry sky. After a few moments, he said, "Tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll tell you everything about who I am and the war you are now entering." The girl didn't respond, although a few minutes later her breathing steadied out.
After lying there for a few moments longer, Allen sat up and returned to his place on the log next to the fire. One night of no nightmares did not mean it was cured, no matter how good of a day he had. It gave him time to reflect a bit on his feelings.
Rhode, as always, was first on his mind. She was showing affection for him again, but Allen wasn't sure how to respond to it. He loved her, dear God he loved her, but something just felt so disconcerting about being with her once again. She wasn't his Rhode anymore, and that was a thought he was having a hard time getting over. How did one deal with knowing someone they loved so deeply was alive yet didn't remember anything of what they had once shared? And with what he knew about her, from her favorite candy to the patterns of her favorite dress, from her dislike of medicine to how to respond appropriately to one of her tantrums, applying that knowledge felt like cheating her.
And then there was Lulubell. Even with the Musician asleep inside his head, Allen was still under sway of what the Fourteenth Noah had tried to force upon him - namely, the childish yet insistent crush he had on Lustul, correctly transferred over to Lulubell. Through the whispers and rages and conversations Allen had had with his Noah implant, Allen had discovered that tidbit about the man, along with a variety of other things such as how young the Fourteenth had been upon betraying the Earl.
Of course, that didn't make it any less bothersome. Whenever he had been around that particular female Noah, Allen didn't know whether to sigh in exasperation or be relieved that the Fourteenth would dim his attempted take-over in favor of convincing Allen to pursue Lulubell. The encouragements received after Lulubell's intrusions to his love life were about as hard to fight off as noticing Lulubell's attractiveness.
And before Allen could force that thought from his head like the good husband he tried to be, the rock solid one that he was No Longer Married lodged it in place.
That led him to think of his own thoughts on the Noah of Lust, from a bachelor's point of view - strange and saddening as it was. Everything that related her to her title came first and foremost, though Allen tried to look past that. He knew her better than he knew he should. He knew her behind her cold indifference, knew the cause behind it. He had seen Lulubell Awaken, met Lustul as well, and had been the one to seal the true Noah away again.
It was hard picking his thoughts from the Fourteenth's, but Allen felt that some of the attraction was his own. Lingering pain from his severance from Rhode flared at that thought, but Allen knew that he had to let her go. If there was some way to give her her old memories back - and Allen in recent days had gone over his known spells over and over for any trace of something similar - then he would be there in a heartbeat to try it out, yet so far nothing had come to mind.
And all he could do now was mourn… and move on.
Watching the trees for the subtle Noah as he waited for the sun to rise, Allen felt the loneliest he had in years.
****
Allen didn't feel the bags under his eyes as he moved out with his new apprentice, hoping to reach the next town for a satisfying meal and a refilling of his wallet. They hadn't walked for two minutes before Sarah asked, "So can you tell me about yourself now, master?"
Another memory was just the thing Allen needed at the moment.
"Master!"
Allen cursed as he darted from corridor to corridor, lost in that underground maze. "Charles! Hold on!" Timcampy flew ahead of him, hoping to provide some assistance by locating Allen's apprentice's golem.
"M-Master… There's too many… It's too late," the voice was much softer now, yet the design of the building carried it all the way to Allen.
"No, it's not!" Allen shouted harshly, his boots skidding as he turned around and went back the way he came. It had to be close… It had to be.
The snarls and chuckles of the Level Three's was getting louder now, and Allen pushed himself even harder. Crown Clown had gone down a different route, hoping to expand the search, yet Allen knew he would be there first with his Sword of Salvation. One Death Ball and…
"Run."
"No, Charles! Don't use-"
"RUN!" There was a splattering sound. Allen was so painfully close. WHERE?!
"Charles!" Skulls had already negated Allen's eye, and his minimal magic as well. Only a small light from Timcampy shined the way.
"Ninth Circle…"
"CHARLES!"
"Dante's Redemption!"
Allen slid to a stop as the whole world seemed to shift, and he fell to his knees with pieces of rock falling precariously over his head. There was light now, of course. A wave of molten flames spilled through the passageway only feet in front of him, yet he barely felt the heat.
Allen impaled his sword into the ground, crying, as the screams of burning Akuma filled his ears. Just one more turn, a few more seconds, and he could have-
"Me? I'm Allen Walker, fifteen years old. Unlike you, I was born with my Innocence, and abandoned by my parents because of it. A circus took me in as an orphan, and it was there I first met Mana…"
There would be no secrets, not to this slip of a girl on the border of womanhood. She was coming into the Exorcist business with thoughts of myths and fantasies guiding her, and Allen exploited that to tell the whole truth. If resurrected souls-turned-monsters were real, why couldn't time-travel be? Or Noah, or Allen's innocent connection with them?
This version of his life wasn't the full recount he had given Cross, but time consuming in its own right as he had to explain certain things about Noah and Akuma - things that Central would later vehemently deny. He felt it best to get the truth across first, before the Dark Order told her that all Noah were evil and those who associated with them just as bad, before they told her that Akuma were just simply killing machines, and those who pitied them allies of the Earl.
To Allen, and thus to Sarah, there was only one 'bad,' and that was the Earl. The Akuma were slaves, the Noah bodyguards, and what the Dark Order did with half-Akuma was no better than what the Earl did. There was the third faction, Allen's faction, and to that is where Sarah belonged. The goal wasn't just to stop the Earl, no, the goal was to save the Earl, as the Fourteenth had tried thirty-five years ago, along with any Akuma they came across.
Any other Exorcist would have been struck silent by Allen's retelling, in fact anyone from the Dark Order would have been, but since Sarah was new, since she still had her fanciful view of her new life, she took it all with a grain of salt. With a smile, she finished the story for him, "And so now we are headed after your Master, Marshal Cross, so that you can take the Ark again and destroy the egg, right?"
Allen nodded from his place at the table. The story had taken from that early morning to now just before bedtime, and they were now both sitting at a little table in the hotel they were to stay at. Allen had, of course, replenished their money supply through underhanded methods, and they had enough for separate rooms.
The new Exorcist sighed, her face sinking into her hands and a dreamy smile on her face. "I would like to meet this Marshal Cross." Allen twitched. H-how?
Not much later, both retired to their rooms, where Allen huffed at the sight of his empty bed and set down a bottle of what the town considered its finest wine. Going through his life story for a second time was just too much. He opened it before moving on, going out his window to relax on the hotel's wooden roof.
Allen stared up at the stars as he drank, making sure to keep an eye out for his Noah pursuer. He had cast a barrier around Sarah's room to warn him if anyone entered, but from experience he knew it wouldn't hurt to catch sight of her first. Timcampy curled up on his shoulder and slept, while for the second night in a row Allen fought the frightful call of sleep.
****
Lulubell was a silent cat as she peered out at her prey from the overgrowth not far from the road.
Marshal Allen Walker was as frustrating as they came, even after only one attempt. His left eye, as the Earl had warned her of, was the greatest inconvenience; Akuma were key to most of her plans. On top of that, apparently this Allen also knew of her cat form and by default both her Noah form and human form.
Then there was that black thing, whatever it was. She only had a glance at the object, trying to evaluate it for possible threats, before it had engulfed her. She couldn't remember much about what it had done to her, besides pain.
Then, Lulubell bared her teeth at this, that thing (she guessed a cloak or shawl of some kind) had been removed by Allen. He… saved her? Was that the right word? Lulubell didn't know enough of that object to judge its final effect. After Allen had removed it, of course, he… changed right before her. That skin, that power… It was undeniable.
Allen Walker was a Noah.
A Noah, kin, a brother by clan, family. And the Duke Millennium wanted him dead.
"If you die, surely someone will grieve for you."
Allen had said that to her, once. Lulubell couldn't remember when, and that bothered her. That night had been the first night they met, she knew it was, yet she had the faintest recollection of a prior meeting… and Allen showed that too.
Silently, cautiously, she followed them from among the bushes and wildlife, perfectly hidden from their view.
Something was off about this whole situation. Allen was a Noah - who apparently knew her - and she knew of him. And the Duke Millennium wanted him dead.
There was only one person who fit that bill, in both regards. The Fourteenth Noah, the Musician, the Player… Allen Walker.
How the renegade Noah managed to be compatible with an Innocence fragment, she did not know, yet Lulubell knew her master would be very pleased to have the head of this particular Exorcist. There was something about Allen that bothered her, too. His smile, the offering of protection for her modesty, his kindness… something about all that got to her.
It made her want to kill him.
And he had lied about the catnip. Lulubell's tail flicked especially hard at that as she bounded forward, her bell left with Mimi to assist in stealth.
****
It was time to see Sarah's Innocence in action.
In the next town, Allen's eye immediately picked up several Akuma, which he pointed out for Sarah. For a moment he almost missed his Level Two eye, when he could force the Akuma out of their disguises. However, a curse was a curse, no matter how useful it was. He would only be that much closer to its later stages. And death.
The new Innocence candidate stood next to her master proudly, removing her gloves as they stared down three inconspicuous men. Her heart fluttered with excitement as she shouted, "Hey Akuma! Show yourselves!" This would be her first time saving lost souls, and hopefully she would see what her Innocence was.
She gulped as the Akuma did indeed show themselves, grotesque spheres of guns and dark matter. The representation of the darkness within one's soul. She gave a glance towards her master for encouragement, only to find him… gone? She blinked at that, the crowds rushing past her in fear.
At the nearest restaurant, Allen ordered a nice meal fit for forty people. Out the corner of his eye he watched the activities of his newest apprentice. Damn Cross for his brutal methods… but at least they showed results, right? He laughed darkly to himself.
"Master!" Sarah shouted fearfully, jumping and trying fitfully to dodge the shots from the three Akuma. "Marshal Walker! Where are you?! Help me!!!"
Inside the restaurant… "Here is your food, sir."
"Ah, thank you very much."
Sarah let out a little cry as her back hit a wall, the Akuma closing in. Tears were in her eyes. This wasn't what she thought it would be like. Allen made it sound so easy, so fulfilling. She thought his experiences with his own master had been an exaggeration. Where was he? This was her first time, and he wasn't even here to help. She was going to die.
Just as the Akuma reached, she closed her eyes and screamed, "MASTER!"
Allen finished his cup of tea and stood with a content sigh. Glancing at the waiter, he said, "Please excuse me, I'll be right back." The man nodded, uncertain.
Allen rounded the corner of the building and entered the nearby alley. Once he got a peak inside, he whistled audibly, impressed.
One of the Akuma was a statue of solid gold, frozen and gleaming in the sunlight magnificently. Another was simply a pile of sand, already blowing away in the wind. The last, however, was by far the most interesting. Earth, from the dirt road, had risen in a great spire and impaled the minion of the Earl. Similar spires had emerged from the stone of the building and opposite wall, each the matching element as they also impaled the demon. Only the remnants of its explosion remained.
And at the wall, curled into a ball, was Sarah, her Innocence glowing a brilliant white and red. He clapped loudly for her, catching her attention. She stared at him with wide, tear-brimmed eyes, seeing only his smile. "Well done, Sarah. It appears your Innocence is one of the most interesting yet."
A few minutes later…
"YOU LEFT ME THERE TO DIE!"
"Please, calm down and enjoy your meal. The other customers are starting to stare," Allen commented mildly.
Sarah was standing up, towering over him menacingly with a certain fire in her eyes. It was times like this Allen wished his growth spurt would hurry up. He hated being small.
Only when she looked around at the others did she sit down, blushing, but she still glared at Allen. "You are no better than Marshal Cross," she spat.
Allen only smiled, cutting off a piece of steak. "I bought you a meal, didn't I?"
Sarah's glare didn't lessen as her stomach growled, and she ripped off a piece of bread and began chewing without looking away. "That's not the point!" she growled around a mouthful.
Allen folded his hands before him - Sarah was stunned to see most of his food gone already - and asked, "So what kind of attacks do you have?"
Sarah anger diminished rather fast at that, thinking back to that moment when the fear of death had taken her and her Innocence had… "Reconstruction, I think. Once I touched one I just changed it into whatever I wanted. And then I touched the wall and… I could reconstruct the wall, add to it so that it killed those demons."
"Save their souls," Allen reminded idly, leaning back in his chair. His food was completely gone now; Sarah blinked. "And I think you could describe it better as 'transmutation.'" Suddenly, he grinned. "Well, this should be fun."
****
Lulubell ran her hand over the solid gold statue, Mimi next to her describing how they were going to 'get those Exorcists.' An interesting new ability from the new apprentice. It was remarkable similar to herself, actually, only she could only change herself where as this girl could change other things.
It was time to make her move against her fellow Noah, the Marshal.
****
Allen and Sarah paused when they heard gunshots coming from the side. A special kind of gunshots. They both shot towards a clearing off from the road, where they saw a crying little boy running from one Level One. Allen's eye told him it was legit. With a glance at Sarah, she nodded.
"Innocence, activate! Terra's Touch!" Her hands lit up again. With one move, she slapped her hand onto the ground. There was only a slight rumble before a rock spire rose and destroyed the Akuma.
Allen looked at his apprentice approvingly before moving on towards the small boy. He kneeled next to the kid, noticing he was covering one hand, and asked, "Are you alright?"
The kid sniffed and nodded.
Allen gave him a small, comforting smile. "Do you know why that big, bad monster was after you?"
The kid nodded shakily.
At that Allen cocked his head. "Really?"
The kid nodded again. "B-b-because my hand is… is special."
"May I see your hand?"
After a moment, the boy uncovered his hand, revealing a stony appendage that could be mistaken for a gauntlet if it weren't for the fact that it appeared made of pure stone. The small, green cross on the back of it would label it Innocence.
Sarah gasped when she saw the hand, while Allen remained silent. That meant he could have a second apprentice. She wouldn't be alone anymore.
"Can your hand do anything?" Allen asked after a moment.
The boy nodded again, and suddenly his stone hand became a tree branch, and then back to stone, with a blocky finger elongating and retracting. Allen smiled at him, while Sarah laughed, delighted.
Allen patted him on the head and said, "You know, that ability always has the potential to amaze me, Lulubell-chan."
Sarah's smile slipped. Lulubell? Wasn't that the Noah Allen said was following us and could… She paled with sudden realization.
The boy had frozen at that, his face blanking suddenly. Then he opened his mouth, but Allen cut 'him' off, "Oh, will you just please stop showing up?"
Lulubell closed her mouth, teeth clenching, when she suddenly realized that Allen was facing something behind her. Turning her head, all she saw was black… Oh. That again.
Allen grabbed Lulubell in her boy form and jumped away from the cloak, just in time to dodge several black spikes. Setting her on the ground, Allen barked at Sarah, "Do you remember that thing we talked about?" Without turning to see her nod, he shouted, "Do it!"
Sarah kneeled again and slapped the ground. The spire of earth rose once again and tried to stab the black Crown Clown. It slipped away from the attack easily. With a frown, Sarah continued, raising more spires and launching more attacks.
Allen sighed, stepping forward. Sarah was barely in synch with her Innocence, so her attacks came slow and weak. Eventually those spires would be able to move as fast as she wanted them to. Gripping the end of one of the dead stalactites, Allen ripped off the sharpened point and held it like short spear. With a leap, he managed to engage the cloak.
A Crown Belt surrounded him immediately, yet he cut through it before the follow up spikes could get him. Jumping over the cloak, Allen rammed the sharpened rock into the mask and was happy to feel a crack… until he realized it was the rock that had cracked. Then one of the spikes grazed his arm, and Allen gasped loudly at the raw pain of the corruption on top of the wound. With so little contact, the wound looked like a black scratch instead until it vanished 'naturally.'
With a growl, Allen grabbed a handful of the cloak, his cloak, and rammed the jagged rock through the fabric. This time he heard the satisfying tear, and it was soon a simple matter of reducing it to a quivering pile of scraps, until that was all that was left.
Problem solved, Allen looked up suddenly. Lulubell left to her own devices with his apprentice did not sound promising. Luckily, the girl was more wary now and she stood so Allen was between her and the Noah. When Allen turned back to the transformer, he had only a split second to see the spiked, silver tendril only inches from his left eye.
And then it was in his eye.
"AAAAAAAAGHHHHH!" Allen screamed, his voice hoarse near the end. His arms were bound - legs as well - and he was utterly defenseless against the gorgeous Noah before him.
Lulubell had shed her jacket some time back, so now she wore only the white blouse and blue tie. Of course, said blouse was now stained with splashes of crimson - Allen's blood.
"I believe they heard you back at your precious Headquarters with that one, Allen," Rhode acknowledged, grinning at him with a lollipop in her mouth. She sat on the table he was strapped to, occasional going out to lick some of the blood Lulubell had spilt from him.
"Don't ignore the pain, Allen. Embrace it, accept it in its entirety, and then reduce it within your mind. You will feel it, that is undeniable, but you must reduce it," Lulubell instructed emotionlessly, another finger morphing into the tipped whip that impaled into Allen's stomach.
Allen harshly bit back a scream, his face contorting in agony. Rhode squealed in delight and gave him a deep kiss. "I just love that face, Allen." There was a trail of blood from her lip going down her chin.
The wide-eyed Exorcist gasped deep breaths once the finger was removed, before growling, "Again! Leave it there!" Rhode's grin widened, tongue darting out to catch that escaped trail of crimson.
Lulubell obeyed wordlessly, bloodied finger working its way into his stomach again.
Don't ignore the pain…
Embrace it. Accept it in its entirety.
And reduce it; reduce what you feel within your own mind. The pain is there, but it is up to you to decide how much to feel.
Allen flinched, but did not scream as the appendage left his eye. Too many lessens with Lulubell, with Rhode, to have something as controllable as pain cripple him. Still he slapped a hand over the gushing hole in his head. "Is that how you repay someone who saved you, Lulubell-chan?"
The small boy shifted into the black haired beauty, though the smaller clothes fit her rather snugly. She fixed on him a contemptuous look before suddenly sidestepping when a spire of rock appeared where she had been standing. With one more dark look, she turned towards the trees and quickly vanished.
****
"Yes, Tim, I know I look like Lavi…" Allen sighed when Timcampy began making animations again. He now had an eye patch covering the hole in his head as his eye healed.
The duo had stopped at the next town for Allen to 'clean up' a bit, mainly wash away the blood and clean his uniform. The sun was setting, and Allen felt tired enough to fall asleep standing. It had only been three days since he last slept, and with Miranda as a motivator he knew he could last longer…
Yet, he was so tired.
Allen didn't feel up to gambling enough money for two hotel rooms, so he and Sarah both made their way up into one with two beds and a dividing curtain - the kind Allen had used during his earlier missions with Lenalee. Allen bid his apprentice goodnight after the fourth time of reassuring her he was fine and that her being faster or stronger or more skilled would not have changed anything. Against his will his head hit the pillow of his bed and wouldn't rise again.
Allen's one eye felt too heavy to open for long, no matter what he tried, and soon he found himself closing it with the intention of staying awake even with his eye closed. That was his last mistake before he slipped away into his nightmares.
****
"Master! Master! Please, wake up! Allen!"
Allen groaned, the pain in his left eye escaping his control for the moment. He opened his working eye to see Sarah standing next to his bed, wearing her sleeping gown. Even in the dark he could see she looked worried. "What's wrong, Sarah?"
"Allen, you were having a nightmare. It sounded terrible."
Allen laughed coarsely at that. He had a nightmare. Imagine that. Leaning back into his bed, he stared at the ceiling with a wry grin. Then he explained his little… 'situation.' To his surprise, Sarah agreed almost immediately to help. He hadn't even mentioned anything of the sort.
"…Are you sure? I'm fine, I just need to find-" He stopped when Sarah rolled her eyes and just went under his covers.
"It's just sleeping, right? Nothing wrong with that among friends, right? Besides-" She smiled mischievously. "-I've never slept in the same bed with another boy before. It's kind of exciting."
Allen felt like he should say more, but quite frankly he was too tired to argue. So with a brief thank you, he curled up and closed his eye again, quickly slipping into a sounder sleep.
For all her apparent bravado, Sarah was blushing bright red at her current situation. She wasn't regretting it, but she didn't realize exactly how close the charming younger 'boy' she called master would be. In the same bed, obviously, but he was practically touching her with the way he laid.
In the dark light, she could make out his face, with his contrasting white hair and the dark line just peaking from beneath the eye patch. He looked so… innocence this way. He was young, certainly - he appeared younger than even her - yet there was always that hard look in his eye, and the bags she had seen growing as of late gave him that haunted look. Now, he looked much more his age - younger, even. With the way he was curled up, almost like a child, she had the urge to reach out and embrace him with a motherly hug.
But she couldn't do that, right? He was her master, and he might misunderstand. She was eighteen, the age when her father was planning on having her married to some man she hadn't met yet so that she could have children to help around his small woodshop. Instead of Allen, this man could very well have been her husband, or not much later an actual child needing her love and support.
She blushed again. For some reason, she didn't think she would be able to sleep well that night.
****
Several days later, Sarah had brought up Lulubell again. Incredulous, she asked, "You really don't care that she stabbed out your eye?"
Allen thumbed his eye patched - Sarah was beginning to get used to it now, hence why she felt it was safe to bring it up in conversation - and shrugged. "She's doing her job, and it could have been worse. I'm not happy that she did it, but I won't just sit down and cry or plan revenge for something so trivial."
"Trivial? It's your eye!"
"It'll grow back." Allen shrugged again.
Sarah was about to say something else, but they saw a little boy approaching them. She glanced at Allen. Surely the Lulubell wouldn't use the same tactic twice? Allen just smiled and waited patiently, with his aced top hat, open coat, eye patch, and fluttering Timcampy.
The boy made a small bow before them before saying, "I was told to tell you there is something interesting in the cave on the outskirts of town, up north." He made as if to leave.
Allen stopped him short. "Who told you?"
"A man who called himself a supporter, sir." The boy slipped away, probably to go enjoy whatever that 'supporter' had given him to relay the message.
Allen hmm'ed to himself, thinking about it. "Supporters are regular people who have promised to help the Dark Order and such."
"But with Lulubell so obviously trying to kill us, wouldn't this just be a trap?"
Allen shrugged. "That boy was a human, not an Akuma, nor was he Lulubell herself. I don't really see how it could be a trap, but we do have a duty regardless."
Sarah followed him as he made his way towards the indicated cave. "How can you tell without your eye?"
"Wrong again, Allen," whispered Lulubell from behind him, the impaled fingernail sliding out before drifting down his back pleasantly, leaving a slick trail.
Allen shivered, but stayed focused. "How can I possibly tell you apart from other humans? You can shape shift perfectly." Deep claw marks were his punishment for being so… naïve.
"Think, Allen. Do not be fooled by something so simple as a body. As you well know, that eye will not always be there to help you decide if someone is an Akuma or human. The next time the Earl orders me to kill you, I expect you to be able to find me immediately, regardless of form," Lulubell replied stoically, yet right next to his ear so that he could feel her breath, and her fingers had resumed their soft dragging.
Just when had she turned from actively seeking to kill him to only when the Earl ordered?
"I'm sorry, I just can't get past the fact that you said so many words at one time," Allen laughed, not wincing when she penetrated his flesh yet again. He showed no sign of the strain of fighting off the Fourteenth Noah as he had been since Lulubell first began this training, hours ago. It was all just building up inside.
Allen smiled, but didn't answer. They reached the cave. Activating his Innocence, Allen entered using the swirling green light as a guide. Sarah followed, wordlessly…
Ten minutes later or so, Allen and Sarah exploded out of the cave at a dead sprint, stopping to catch their breaths only after reaching the sunlight. A moment later a swarm of Akuma also attempted to exit, yet the black spikes of the false Crown Clown were their demise.
Without his eye still, Allen still could not see what happened to their souls.
With a look towards Sarah, she slapped the ground and there was a rumbling within the cave. Panting still, she managed to get out, "Everything in that cave has been destroyed, including both of those… black Crown Crowns, I believe you called them. I think I got Lulubell as well."
Allen let out a final deep breath before getting his breathing under control, and he gave her a single nod. As they reluctantly returned to the road, Allen glanced at the puddle resting harmlessly near the entrance of the demolished cave. He winked at it before continuing onwards.
****
The next attack by Lulubell was a bit easier to recognize, several days later with his eye still not yet healed.
"So you say this statue just walk away?" Sarah asked, sending a look Allen's way that told him she remembered what he had told her.
"Yes. I saw it," Salem answered solemnly, his face orange in the firelight. "I'm just a drifter, though, so they thought I was lying…"
Taking a lit branch from the fire as a torch, he showed the duo where the 'statue' had cut down a tree. "I swear, it just uprooted itself and made its way up the mount. I didn't steal it."
"Well, it's understandable why they wouldn't believe you…" Sarah said hesitantly, trying to pretend she didn't know the source already.
"You believe me?" Salem asked, surprised.
Allen nodded at him. "Don't worry, we'll bring the statue back to the village." Then, he smiled at the man. "You can just stay here and spend time with that lovely woman hiding behind the tree."
"Eh?" Salem asked, but when an embarrassed Katia made her appearance his jaw dropped. "What are you doing here?"
Once pointed in the right direction, Allen and Sarah made their way up the steps towards the temple where Lulubell would hide in. Halfway up, Allen turned to face a ledge on the mountain behind them. One of Lulubell's servants, he knew. He contemplated waving to her, but decided against it in case it provoked an early attack.
When the rocky terrain began leveling out, the duo heard a steady thumping sound nearby. Both looked over the edge to see the statue currently on the trail below them, heading towards the temple. Allen shared a look with Sarah before heading down to follow it.
Something about willingly walking into one of Lulubell's traps sparked a memory somewhere, but Allen ignored it as they ducked into the temple after the disguised Lulubell.
It was rather clever, really, especially if he had just been an untrained Exorcist boy who was lucky more than not. A moving statue had 'INNOCENCE FRAGMENT' written all over it, and without his eye he wouldn't be able to see the incoming Akuma. Since he was a Marshal, however, the Akuma would have to be a distraction from the real attack - Lulubell herself, disguised as the statue.
It would have worked the first time, too, if it had been for Allen's luck and Salem's dog. This time, however, Allen could only think of one thing once he climbed the tiers of statues to stare at the one Lulubell had transformed herself as.
"I already told you breast size means nothing to me, Lulubell-chan. I mean, look at Rhode's and I still-" A sudden swing from the sword had him jump back, laughing. Really though, he knew exactly what the sculptor had been thinking when he crafted that portion of the woman. She needed that solid breastplate to hold those up. (1)
As the Akuma flooded in, Sarah moving to hold them off, Lulubell glared at Allen. Was it impossible to deceive him with a disguise of flesh? She had underestimated him because of his age, a dangerous mistake in her own rules. This Allen Walker, the Fourteenth Noah, making jokes about her breasts…
She would no longer hold back.
As Allen prepared to meet her attack, a hovering black apparition appeared… again. There was another by Sarah, as well. Allen groaned. He was starting to see a pattern to this.
****
"Oh, thank you so much for saving me," Mimi gushed after Allen 'rescued' her from that Level One Akuma. She stopped short when she found herself face-to-face with the barrel of his arm-cannon.
"I haven't saved you, yet."
"Uh… I'll be your… maid?"
Allen peaked over at her from above the barrel. "Oh, you're a Level Two, aren't you? I can find a use or two for you…" He focused himself; how long had it been since he last used magic? "On… Abata-ura…" He trailed off when Lulubell descended from a nearby cliff and was suddenly between him and her maid. "Hello there, Lulubell-chan. How are you today?"
Off to the side, Sarah sighed. How many times was this Noah going to come after them, and from how many ways? She knew she should be petrified by this potential murderer, but after so many run-ins and Allen's pleasant greetings it was hard to hold onto that feeling of fear.
"Frustrated," was the one word reply.
Allen set down his pack. "Would you care to sit down and have some food with us, then? I am fairly certain I could get some fish, if you want."
"Who are you to speak to Lulubell-sama like you are some friend?" Mimi yelled suddenly. "We are trying to kill you!" She slapped a hand over her mouth at that.
"Allen Walker, because you are the enemy of the Earl, I will kill you," Lulubell stated simply as she transformed back into her Noah form.
"Today you die, Allen Walker."
"I will kill you today, Allen Walker."
"This is the end, Allen Walker."
"Quit running and fight me, Allen Walker."
"I will release him only if you give up your own life, Allen Walker."
"Meow."
"This time, Allen Walker, you will die."
"…May I just have the catnip now, then?"
"Yeah, good luck with that," Allen shrugged, grinning slightly at his memories of her earlier attempts. Catnip: the solution to (most of) life's problems.
Lulubell simply turned and began walking away. With a short command, Mimi followed quickly.
****
"You can take us to Tibet, miles away over these mountains of blistering cold through an oncoming blizzard, even though the last guide just told us that it's suicide, and that the only way was to wait for the storm to clear?"
The 'guide' nodded once.
Allen grinned and patted the 'boy' on the back. "Wow, Lulubell-chan, I didn't know you were so skilled at guiding. Well, let's go!"
****
Allen looked at the destroyed bridge with a frown. She was trying, he knew she was, but you can't trick someone after drilling every one of your tricks into their heads, ya'no? He sighed.
Sarah sighed as well and set her pack down. "I guess that means we have to wade across."
Allen sat down and pointed to the water. "Lulubell."
Drowning, deeper and deeper, water on all sides, pounding and pulsing against him; his head felt like it would explode from the pressure; can't swim out of this; can't swim out of Lulubell; he was going to die; his breath escaped him, trapped in the woman-turned-water as well; it was impossible… His world dimmed-
Sarah looked at him incredulously. "How do you always know?" Allen only shrugged in response.
Then, he smiled. "You know, we do have your Innocence…"
Sarah brightened, realizing what he was getting at. She then slapped the ground and formed a bridge over the river.
Halfway across the bridge, however, Allen stopped, staring off to the side. He held out his hand, and Sarah wordlessly handed him a nicely formed blade of crystal. Then, the black apparitions appeared, and Allen destroyed them just as they revealed themselves to be the black Crown Clowns. With a nod, he handed the blade back to her, and she let it return to what it was before.
She knew why he protected Lulubell, his 'Noah sister', yet she still found it hard to believe he was so set to protecting someone trying to kill him. Her master was a strange one, she was beginning to find.
They finished crossing.
****
The sigh of relief between the two Exorcists could have been heard for miles around when they finally reached their destination.
Anita's brothel. Cross's location. They had arrived.
For Allen, it was a time to finally clear up some mysterious that had plagued him since his master's disappearance all those years ago. From here, he would be able to get a head start against the Earl in the damnable Scenario, and perhaps this time he could escape Central's suspicions and the never-ending guard he had had. And then, there was Crown Clown's completed form on the horizon…
For Sarah, it was an end to Lulubell. At least, Allen had told her that Lulubell had stopped once they reached the coast. She shivered at the thought of more Lulubell. If it weren't for the fact that she shared a bed with Allen, she would never have been able to sleep at night. The man had a sixth sense for her or something.
That particular Noah had to have slowed them down by weeks with her persistent attacks that Allen never allowed to complete. Allen's eye regenerating into its Level Two form had also stopped them for a day, and even with him showing her the uses of it she still found the gear and free-turning, crimson eye creepy.
So perhaps, then, Allen wasn't exactly surprised when he heard a sudden exclamation from off to the side, and when he turned to see what it was he saw Lenalee there, and with her Lavi, Miranda, Bookman, and even the Finder he had sent off back to headquarters.
Lavi grinned at him, that same easy-going smile he had given when he agreed to join in on the suicide mission.
"Yo, Beansprout."
(1) Honestly, when I saw that scene in the anime (when Allen climbed up and saw the statue), that's the first thing that came to mind, and a birthing scene for this story. It was the whole Lulubell arc that inspired this story actually, among over things, and that exact quote popped into my head immediately, with the Rhode reference and everything.
AN: Well folks now I'm disappointed in myself. I shouldn't be writing this, especially not posting this, but I'm finding this so much more fun to write than my primary at the moment, yet I know I should be working on that... Bah.
Well, I did better on the Lulubell/Allen introduction than I thought I would, with a life-saving tidbit to help me out on making the Rhobellen pairing a bit smoother. There won't be any real romance or anything until much later, well after the Ark business and such, although that is coming right up.
Well, outline wise I AM well past the Ark business, but as I suspected I hit a nifty little wall when it came to post current-DGM. And the new DGM chapter was like a kick in the nuts; Allen, Rhode, and Sheryl meeting already? Well, at least it shall be entertaining.
I hope you all enjoyed this 13k word chapter.