A/N: seeing as my last chapter where the Fourteenth took over Allen was named after a time of the day, I decided to do the same thing here (admittedly I did use Ohayou because that was the first word the Fourteenth said but still…). Oyasumi means good night in Japanese (forgive the spelling). If the first paragraph is a little confusing but it is basically the Fourteenth arguing with himself so I tried to write as if he was having the thoughts as I typed. Again I am entering exam time, this time it's my matric finals but the exams are spaced out so I will try to update at least once, but no promises. In this the things he heard in the dream was the voice of the fourteenth and it is written in the usual way while Allen's dream thoughts are in italics
Disclaimer: -man was not my dream, and I certainly didn't make it a reality
12. Oyasumi
The feeling hadn't left me and I wasn't sure I could resist the pull for long. Being alive had been exhilarating, even in the heat of a battle, even though I hated the idea of losing my nephew. If I could, I would do things so that we could both live, two minds and a single body. He dominant when we were an exorcist and I when we were a Noah but that would never be. There was also the worry, I hadn't realised how much things had changed and there were things I needed to establish. I had argued with myself for hours. Taking him over would be like giving in and I would do it over and over again if I could do it once but I needed to know. If I were that close than I could give him a little time, no, no, no there could be dangers that I was unaware of two seconds would harm no one and I could check. But two seconds could become two minutes which would become two days and so on. He'd shown he was capable of repelling me so if I tried to say he could sort things out. Getting there would require manipulating his mind, it doesn't need to be cruel, he is already dwelling on that time, in sleep he would be easy enough to bypass… and on and on. Why could I not escape myself, or at least commit myself without doubts. That was the danger of loving, it tainted your ability to think clearly.
So I poked and I hated myself for it, bringing my Allen's worries to the forefront of his unconscious mind. Again, we met in ruins but these ones from my memories not his.
"Only evil things? So why are you suffering?"
It went against all I had become to see him pinned to the wall with that blade of his, even though I knew it was all in the mind. It wrenched my heart to say it, but I needed to. It was the only way.
Stupid child… did you really think that the host body for the Fourteenth could be without sin?
But it was my sin not yours.
You didn't bring salvation to all of those tarnished souls. It was the left hand of god.
I hated destroying what he fought for but I knew I must, if only for a short while.
Your soul is the one that needs to be saved.
From me.
It had been so long since his thoughts had reached me in a dream that I had almost forgotten what it felt like, how he sounded
Ah… what is this? A dream? It's not a very good dream. Wake up… wake up~~
I was impressed and I felt like beaming at him even though I wanted to cry too. I was so glad that he could identify a mind trick like this one but right now, I needed him to be taken in. I hesitated but I knew how to win this and I hadn't time, so I called the one thing I knew would give me what I needed.
"Allen. Why are you standing around like that Allen? Come on Alle0 hurry up! There's a guest waiting for you."
Ma…na?
I hated doing this, manipulating the memory of my brother. And more than that, I knew what it would do to Allen, should our Mana be unable to remember him.
"They've been waiting for a long time A00. Come on."
Forget that last statement. It's a good dream.
The layers melted away and I saw the child my brother knew. You truly trusted him didn't you nephew? You follow him so willingly even though the world is dying around you and he cannot remember you name.
"Hurry, hurry 000"
"Hey hold on Mana! I'm not 000 just call me Allen okay?"
I pulled out, finding the weak point in my Allen's armour and blackness overtook my vision.
Slowly, slowly I opened my eyes. The innocence wound throbbed and again I came so close to life. I was unhappy and I guessed that it would be reflected on my face. It had been so long since I had needed to monitor my expression. I sat up in the not-quite-my body and I extended my senses. Feeling every part of this body and how dominant my memory was in it, then I stretched out even further. Seeing if I could find anything out about my Noah-siblings. Something had changed; I knew that, I could see it in how far the akuma had developed. Something moved in the corner of my vision, instinctively I looked down, but I did not move the entire not-yet-my head, just the eyes. Timcampy?
Then a voice broke my concentration.
"Allen-kun…"
The heart girl? What was she doing here?!
"You're awake? Oh dear, it looks like I dozed off on the inspector's bed…"
Allen woke to the sound of her voice, suddenly his conscious slammed against mine. I didn't fight back, I had found what I wanted to.
"I guess I shouldn't have come to see how you were right after my mission, huh? Ehhehe…has your fever gone down?"
And I felt the last of my grip on his body slide away.
Again I watched from my place outside his body but for once I was not entirely happy. When had so many of them awoken? I guess I should count it as a blessing that the Demon Eye was not yet awake. He might be able to see through my nephew to me. I didn't know how much my family knew or guessed but I was sure that they didn't know the extent of what I left behind. They knew I had left behind my Noah talent and my abilities but I doubted that they knew that I had left myself behind.
"Lenalee?"
"LENALEE LEE IF YOU ARE AWAKE THEN GET OUT OF HERE!"
My nephew and the girl peeked out of the door at the Inspector, if I was any judge he'd been standing for a long time.
"What are you doing, Link?"
"Eh! Don't tell me you have been waiting here the whole time?!"
"EVEN I CANNOT BE EXPECTED TO DO ANY WORK IN A ROOM WITH A LADY IN SUCH AN IMMODEST STATE! IF YOU OBSTRUCT MY WORK AGAIN I WILL BE LODGING A FORMAL COMPLAINT"
What a prude.
"It's true Lenalee…"
I'm sorry nephew but why are we agreeing with him?
"If it had been Lavi there is no telling what he would have done."
Fair point.
Oh don't worry… I can take care of myself."
I'd forgotten that women in the order where far more resilient and far more able to defend themselves than the ones I had known in life.
"THAT IS NOT THE POINT I AM TRYING TO MAKE!"
Excellent, that means I don't need to agree with you.
We shifted our weight on the door, still keeping it closed.
"OPEN THAT DOOR THIS INSTANT WALKER! THIS IS A DELIBERATE OBSTRUCTION OF MY DUTIES!"
Do you think he would relax nephew? It's not like we're going anywhere and he has already missed what he was supposed to be watching for, I owed the girl for that as it seemed she had prevented Central from finding out about my little escapade. The last thing I needed was those busybodies interfering.
I get the feeling that I was having some kind of dream, I wonder what it was…
Embarrassment flooded through me and in shame, I said nothing, he didn't need to know about that for I feared it would scare him, knowing that I could come out so easily. More than that I had used memories I had no right to and I had twisted them in order to achieve my ends. I was a poor excuse of an uncle.
"Allen-kun, are you ok?"
He turned our head to look at her, breaking out of his previous train of thought.
"Hmm, what's that?"
"No, it's nothing"
My sensors were immediately on red alert, one of the things I had always been taught was never trust a sweetly smiling person. Few of them actually mean it and they're usually not telling you something.
"I see?"
Ohh… she meant my fever
I hope so
"Very well. If you insist on shutting me out, I have no choice. I will inform Supervisor Komui that you are alone in a sealed room with Lenalee Lee."
Nephew, open the door.
Having my Allen go to an early grave was not one of the things I planned on.
"I'm sorry Link!!!"
Ah, he understood the gravity of the situation, so I returned to my previous conundrum. What was the girl asking about, was it concern for a hurt friend or had she seen and understood something else, something like me? I looked at her, watching her intently, waiting for the moment when she thought that no one was looking. Her hand crept up and she rested it on her sternum, and her face looked confused and scared. It was all I needed to see. She knew.