Okay, yeah, I'm churning out chapters suddenly quicker? Than I expected? I hope this makes up for the measly fourth chapter, it was really short.
Title: Forever Walking Author: thebizarrehairtrio Summary: Immortality wasn't what he expected. The aging and de-aging randomly wasn't either, but he managed. It was how the world bloomed into being, descended from those wretched Noah, that surprised him. Humans really were foolish creatures. (An insight on who Past!Allen may have been.) (Some canon divergence.) Rating: T Category: Dark/Adventure Pairings: None Warnings: Scheming!Past!Allen, Feigning-Ignorance!Current!Allen, Immortal!Allen, Semi-AU. Disclaimer: Unfortunately, D. Gray-Man belongs to Hoshino Katsura. (But I am working on it.)
This… was not part of the plan.
Allen's smile grew fixed as he ushered in the visitors, the wrinkled visage of Bookman and his young apprentice. As they made their way to the parlor, the redheaded 'boy' glared darkly at their backs, fists clenched at his sides in a rare display of emotion.
Why are the Bookmen in Katerina's house?! He gritted his teeth, narrowed gaze on the recorders of history.
Allen was self-assured, however, that they wouldn't discover his real identity. He had too many years to disguise himself and hide his true visage from the clan akin to carrion birds, descending upon the battlefield with ravenous hunger. He scoffed inwardly. He hated the Bookmen. Perhaps it were because they were like himself, attempting to stay uninvolved even whilst on the frontlines, killing their emotions and squashing down whatever personal opinions they had. A Bookmen was just another face in the crowd, amongst both clan and humanity as a whole. He sneered reflexively.
He hated the Bookmen.
It was not only that, however. Neah and Mana were fast approaching their later adolescence, and with it, the awakening of their Noah. He couldn't let anyone realize the truth, until they themselves experienced it and gathered their 'family' together. It simply wouldn't do for the game to be uncovered before it even began, after all.
Snapped out of his musings at the sound of Katerina's welcome, the now fifteen year old boy moved to stand on the right of the doorframe, perfect to survey the upcoming conversation.
Katerina smiled kindly at her guests. "Welcome to my home. Is there perhaps a reason for your visitation today?"
Bookman shook his head in response, hands hidden in his sleeves. "Nay, we are simply travelers searching for a place to rest." Lies, hissed Allen inwardly. You are anything but travelers.
Delicately placing a hand over her mouth, the head of the household kept her kind smile. "Oh! Unfortunately, any sort of inn is miles away from my home… The Campbell manor is rather isolated from the rest of the world, which is what I enjoy about it, but seems to be a hindrance for your needs… Oh, I know!" She clasped her hands together over her chest, and Allen grimaced. Please don't say what I think you're about to say… "I offer you my home until you are well-rested enough to continue on your travels!"
Allen nearly facepalmed in response, but outwardly kept his impassive countenance.
Bookman nudged his apprentice to stand, and as one, they bowed to Katerina. "Your hospitality is most appreciated, Lady Campbell."
Katerina tittered softly, before smiling at the Bookman apprentice. "And your grandson is welcome to play with my sons and Allen. What's your name, dear?"
Allen observed as the mask fell into place, the apprentice lifting his arm to rub the back of his neck and smile almost bashfully. He rolled his eyes. "I'm Elias, ma'am, but most people call me Junior."
"Ah, you're such a polite boy! Allen!" Katerina waved him over. "Take Elias over to Neah and Mana are, wherever that is?"
Allen smiled welcomingly at the apprentice. "I believe they're in the piano room yet again, Miss Campbell," he informed her.
She sighed in response, exasperated but fond. "Of course they are. Encourage them to run around outside?"
"I'll do my best." He bowed slightly, before gesturing for 'Elias' to follow him. They exited the parlor, leaving the adults behind to continue speaking, and maneuvered their way down the hallways, the apprentice two steps behind the immortal, both wearing fake smiles.
Oh, the irony, sighed Allen. He turned to the apprentice, halting their progression. "Can I call you Junior?" he asked. It seemed an innocent question, but he wondered if the Bookman apprentice would realize the underlying message.
He refused to call him by a fake name. In the end, the apprentice's identity was simply Bookman Junior, no matter what name he claimed he owned. He didn't wish to address him by the mask while he was aware of its presence.
The apprentice blinked, looking rather confused even through the mask, but nodded. "Of course. And you are… Allen, correct?"
The other nodded as well. "Yeah. Welcome to Campbell manor, Junior." He turned, continuing on their walk to the piano room in silence.
Gradually, the sound of the piano filled their ears, and Allen unconsciously relaxed his shoulders, smiling fondly. It was the Earl's precious lullaby, taught to his fragments by Katerina. It was Neah who played as if the notes were engraved upon his very soul, while Mana sang as if the words were ever present in his being. He glanced at Junior, whose mask couldn't conceal the instinctive awed expression and softened eyes. The melody was always beautiful to hear, even to him, who knew its origin.
They came upon Neah, focused on fingers dancing across the keys, while Mana sat with his back to his twin's, eyes closed as he sang the lyrics to the melody his other half played. Neah's hair was as short and ruffled as it was the first day Allen met him, three years ago. Mana's, on the other hand, was long, reminiscent of the Earl's, and tied in a low ponytail with a ribbon Allen procured from his trips to town. The twins were twelve now, to his fifteen, and were still as annoying as they were the day he met them.
(Well. Maybe not Mana.)
The song ended, and both twins opened their dark eyes, landing on the boy behind him in eerie unison.
"Allen!" Mana came forward first, throwing an arm around the older boy, peering at Junior while twirling a sidelock around a finger. "Who's this?"
Neah narrowed his eyes suspiciously under his bangs, getting to his feet and crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah, Allen, who's this?"
"A guest," he provided, returned the half hug Mana gave him. "His name is Elias, but you can also call him Junior. His grandfather is with Katerina in the parlor."
Both twins grimaced, knowing their mother's weakness for guests who come to the mansion. She could never turn them away, what with the next town being miles away.
"Alright then!" Mana stuck out a hand to Junior, smiling widely. "I'm Mana D. Campbell, and that over there is my twin, Neah D. Campbell! Nice to meet you, Elias!"
Junior took the outstretched hand and shook it, smiling back with his mask of 'Elias' firmly in place. "It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance as well, Mana. I'm Elias, or Junior, as you already know."
Neah rose an eyebrow, coming closer until he stood behind Mana's other shoulder not already occupied by Allen. "No surname?" he asked curiously. His twin smacked his side, ignoring his yelp of protest.
"Sorry about him! He's rude," explained the longer haired twin. "It's been years, and he still hasn't warmed up to Allen at all!"
Neah muttered something along the lines of "I'm not rude, it's an honest question", dodging the next smack his twin sent his way in the nick of time. "Mana!" he complained.
"Neah!" mimicked said twin. Allen rolled their eyes at their antics.
"Welcome to Campbell manor," he deadpanned at Junior. "Greatest place on Earth."
The apprentice snickered in response.
"So…"
"Yes, Junior?"
"Are you…" (Are you magical? There's something about this mansion, Allen. There's something in the air, in the field of wheat, in the gnarled tree with a name. There something about Neah and Mana, about that song, about Katerina and her missing lover, and about you. I want… I want to know what it is.)
"Junior?"
"It's… nothing. I was just going to ask if you needed glasses!"
"Glasses? What makes you think that?"
"Well, you see, I've been observing you lately, and—"
(I… guess I'm too cowardly to ask, aren't I?)
"Elias!" called Mana, waving him over from his perch on Cornelia's branches. Neah smirked down, his position even higher up than his twin's. The Bookman apprentice stared up at the pair, looking for Allen unconsciously.
"Where's Allen?" Immediately, Mana's happy face turned sour, pouting while Neah's own expression spasmed.
"Mother sent him into town," he said in an almost whiny tone, kicking his feet back and forth. "We're not even allowed to go with him, and she won't send anyone else up him!"
Junior recalled the other servants of the household, noting their old age. "Well, it's reasonable. I don't think Veronica or the others would be able to make the journey."
"Probably wouldn't survive the journey," Neah commented callously. It said something about how upset Mana was that he didn't even scold his twin.
"It'll be alright," Junior attempted to reassure them. "He'll be back before you know it." Seeing Mana's narrowed eyes, he hastily tacked on, "Maybe he'll even bring back souvenirs for you!"
At this, the grouchiness on Mana slightly lifted, while Neah scowled at him. "Stop talking like you're a grown up," he said snobbishly. "You're still a kid, you know."
"I'm fourteen!" replied Junior hotly. "If anyone's a kid here, it's you!"
"Allen's older than you!" Neah shot back. "So you're also a kid!"
"But I'm older than you! So out of the four of us, you and Mana are the youngest! Ergo, you're the kids!"
"Stop fighting!" complained Mana, cutting off his twin before he could respond. "You guys can be so annoying!"
Neah looked away, chastised, while Junior mentally berated himself for getting so caught up. This family… is very dangerous, he realized. I started thinking of them as actual people and began caring, even after this short while. I forgot I wasn't Elias, just wearing the face called 'Elias'. His eyes narrowed behind his glasses. Who… are these people?
"—go to the piano room. Elias, you coming?" Junior was snapped out of his thoughts by Mana's smiling face and outstretched hand.
"Oh, yes, of course. Maybe Neah will be able to teach me how to play, if he doesn't burst into flames at my proximity," he teased. Aforementioned twin whipped around to glare and gesture rudely at him in response, not even bothering to dodge Mana's smack upside his head.
"I bet I could teach you!" the shorter haired twin snapped. "Even if you were the worst piano player ever, I'm your magnificent teacher who'd be able to make you a good player through my esteemed guidance!"
"You're on!" declared Junior in response, smirking. "I bet you'll fail!"
With a laugh, they raced across the fields, long brown hair whipped behind the older as he chased the pair of dark haired twins back to the mansion.
Junior awkwardly patted Mana's back as he clung to his front, sniffling. "Do you really have to leave?" he asked mournfully. Junior nodded solemnly.
"Sorry, Mana. But we have to move on." He was mindful of his master's critical gaze on him, inwardly wincing at the future lecture he'd receive. He didn't mean to get attached. This mansion… The people here, Mana, Neah, Allen… They were just so very easy to get attached to.
Neah stared at him, struggling to remain impassive even as his eyes glistened suspiciously. "Listen up, weirdo!" he declared. "If I ever see your face again, you better be able to play at least decently and gotten rid of your annoying smirk!"
Of its own accord, Junior's arm stretched out, and patted the top of Neah's unruly mess of hair. Both people froze in unison, before the younger grasped the older's wrist, tears starting to slide down his cheeks. Please don't leave, his grip conveyed. With Neah's hold on his wrist and Mana's embrace around his torso, Junior felt his resolve almost start to crumble. He looked up, meeting silver eyes with his own blue ones.
"You have a dream, don't you?" asked Allen softly. His expression was sad, but encouraging. Junior was spellbound under his gaze. "You have a goal to complete. Don't let us hold you back from your wishes, Junior. We'll be here." Waiting, was what went unsaid.
He could feel a sob build up in his throat, and tore off his glasses, tossing them to a surprised redhead, who caught them. "I noticed your vision sucked!" he said through heaves he turned into hysterical laughter. "So keep those safe for me, okay?" Until we meet again.
"I promise," swore Allen, before his tone turned lighthearted. "While they aren't my style, I'll do it."
Junior laughed. If it sounded more like sobbing, that was nobody's business but his own. "Bye, Mana. Bye, Neah. Bye, Allen." What have you done to me? Look at what you've done to me. Now, with this… will I ever become Bookman?
He turned away, following behind his master. He didn't look back.
"Discard your name," Bookman said. "There's a new war for us to record. It's a secret war, although it hasn't truly begun quite yet. Do you have a name in mind?"
Junior breathed in the scent of the wheat, the wind whipping his hair around his face. He took a black ribbon, one of Mana's he gave him, and tied his hair back. "Yes. This time, I'll be…
"Allen."