Requiem of Time: Chapter Fifteen - Miranda

Miranda had a frown on her face as she wandered the halls of the brothel, making sure not to stray to the lower floors for obvious reasons.

Allen would be leaving by himself, again, without any help or support from other Exorcists, and he would take the gamble of Tyki being satisfied with only destroying his Innocence and leaving a Tease in his heart… And that was assuming Crown Clown would seal that hole in his heart again. It was all so dangerous, so risky, that Miranda found it impossible to relax.

She wanted to go with Allen, her unchained Innocence would be useful - she knew it would - but he was right about it being more dangerous. Allen could handle himself better than he could himself and her, on top of the fact that he would destroy himself if anything were to happen to her.

Allen's sanity had to be a factor, she knew. And cursed.

Speaking of that, she had some things to ask that new apprentice who had been traveling with Allen for the last month. Miranda found the girl alone at the dining room, as expected of a parasitic-type Innocence user.

"Hello," Miranda greeted, sitting down at the table.

Sarah looked up at that, blushing at the fact that there were traces of food on her face. She wiped it away before responding. "Hi there, Miranda."

"I'm sorry for being blunt, but I'm here to talk about Allen. Did he sleep on the way over here? How is he, currently?"

Sarah's blush deepened when she realized what Miranda meant. "He slept. He is well, I think."

Miranda studied her for a moment before nodding. Then, she smirked slyly. "How was it?"

Sarah hesitated before answering, "I don't mind… He reminds me of a child when he sleeps."

Miranda sighed pleasantly at that. "He just makes you want to hug him and protect him from any harm, doesn't he? Something about him just pulls at those motherly heartstrings."

Sarah looked surprised. "E-Exactly." That's exactly what she had thought the first time she had shared a bed with Allen.

After another moment, Miranda's expression shifted. Her smile faded as her expression darkened if only slightly. Paranoid after the long trip over, Sarah wondered if this could be Lulubell in disguise.

"Did you notice anything… strange about Allen on the way over? Besides the nightmares?"

The younger Exorcist frowned at that…

"The ace of spades is… everywhere," Allen muttered to himself as he studied his cards. Sarah heard him but didn't comment, instead checking only her cards. Allen then grinned and showed his cards to her. "Five aces!"

Sarah frowned at that. He had four jacks and a six. Still unsure of the game, she showed her own cards. Four queens and a three. "So who won?"

After a moment, Allen's grin faded before he plastered a bright smile on his face. "You did, of course."

"I don't know if that's what you meant, but it's something I kept thinking about after I actually learned the rules to that card game," Sarah answered reluctantly.

Miranda was frowning now, her thoughts too deep to be horrified at the concept of Allen losing a card game. Aces…

"Don't you see them?" Allen asked her, his hands cupping a fallen maple leaf. "Aces are everywhere… Everywhere."

"Allen," Miranda laughed, "That looks nothing like a spade."

"Don't you see? They are everywhere, everywhere…"

And he cast his eyes over everything.

It had been nothing, Miranda was so sure then, yet with the haunting voice of Lenalee in her mind, this Miranda knew (feared) better. Kanda could explain the lotuses, being part of the Alma experiment as he was, yet only one thing could explain the aces Allen saw in the world. Miranda could recall that mad laughter she had heard not so long ago.

"Was there anything else?"

Sarah awoke to the sound of laughter, and she immediately noticed the lack of Allen next to her. Fearing the worst (and Lulubell), she quickly left her sleeping roll and moved as silently as she could towards the sound.

From behind a tree, she saw Allen in a clearing, his face so amused that she knew it had to have been him who laughed. He was currently only dressed in his black Marshal pants and top hat, so his mutated arm was hauntingly obvious in the full moon. That disturbing gear was on his face, the bloody eye spinning wildly.

Allen also held a crystalline blade, one he had begun carrying on his person after too many run-ins with that unexplainable black version of his Crown Clown. Across from him was Lulubell, watching him stoically in her Noah form. And between them was one of those said black cloaks.

"One of you is bad enough, but there are so many…" Allen called out, his body tense as he looked around at the ground, the sky, trees, and generally paying the one cloak before him as much attention as everything else.

"So many what?" Lulubell asked calmly, as if she wasn't there to kill him.

"Whatever these damn things are…" Allen answered. And then he moved.

The one black Crown Clown attacked, and Allen dodged, of course, yet his movements were… strange to Sarah. He sidestepped the Crown Belts, yet he kept side stepping, jumping back or over, ducking, diving… Even when nothing was going for him. That gleaming blade in his hand, the one Sarah had made for him, was a whirling blur with his quick strikes, yet in that wild dance among nothing he rarely struck out against the black cloak.

He stabbed the ground, carved trees, sliced air, and generally looked a fool among danger. Yet, he didn't ignore the cloak, only regarded it as much of a threat as the invisibles he was attacking. When a second cloak entered the fray between Sarah and him, Allen gave it as much regard as the first.

Lulubell was still at this, eyes passive, yet Sarah felt the Noah was wondering the same thing she was…

What was Allen doing?

"Other than that, however, everything seemed normal… Well, as normal as someone saving their potential murderer can be," Sarah finished.

Miranda was white-faced, something that wasn't too noticeable with her pale skin, yet Sarah picked up the distress in her voice. "Th-Thank you. That is all I wished to hear."

"Is something wrong, Miranda?"

"No, nothing for you to worry about. Excuse me, I do need to speak with Allen," Miranda dismissed herself quickly and left just as fast.

Miranda didn't know what she wanted Allen for, specifically, because she knew she couldn't bring herself to confront the problem with him. It just hurt so much to have actual proof his insanity had carried over from one life to the next, even with the Fourteenth asleep, that she needed to see and hear him to know that he was still her Allen.

She found the boy with an annoyed expression on his face, sitting down just outside Anita's room. A strange place, and she hoped for a not strange reason. Her insides were cold and uneasy.

"Allen," she greeted, a trifle unsteady in her voice.

Allen turned to her, his dark expression wiping immediately - genuinely, she noticed - and he smiled. "Hello, Miranda. How are you this night?"

His voice did warm her, and like so many times before she found herself immediately comfortable with him. "My, my, always so polite, Allen." She and the others all knew he hated being teased about his formality. With nothing else to do, she sat down next to him outside the door. "I'm doing fine." She gestured towards the door before her. "What are you doing here?"

"I've finally found my master… again. I've wanted to speak with him, and every time we are about to he gets away. I just know that he'll try again before the morning, so I plan on watching his door the whole night to prevent that." He was very resolute, making Miranda laugh.

"And if he tries the window?"

Allen suddenly deflated, his head sinking in a master-induced depression. In a very factual voice, he stated simply, "Master is going to escape again."

Miranda patted his back, trying to keep from laughing. "Oh Allen, I'm sure it will be alright. I'll watch the window for you tonight."

Allen twitched with a sudden hope, but it died just as fast when his conscious caught up. "No, you don't need to waste a whole night just for me. Get some rest."

"Allen, you of all people know that sleep holds no favor for me, and the feeling is mutual." She stood up. "So one night for a friend is much more preferred to another night of just that." Besides, I don't think I will be able to sleep tonight anyways.

After a moment, Allen nodded. Right before Miranda said her partings, he handed her one of the communicator earrings. "This way it won't be so dull." Miranda smiled and nodded before heading down to watch Cross and Anita's window from outside.

Once Miranda settled down at a comfortable location with a good view, she pressed the communicator button and asked, "So what do you think of this whole situation, Allen?"

There was a crackle before, "This second chance?"

Is that what you call it? "Yes."

"…I don't know. It's great having the chance to stop so much killing, to have the potential to end this war early, but Rhode is…"

"I know," Miranda answered quickly. Her heart went out to the poor boy, just like his went out for her when Marie was killed. She tried changing the subject. "Anything else?"

There was another pause before Allen said, "I'm afraid we will fail before the Scenario starts again."

"Why's that? From what I remember, you can hold your own against the Earl, and this time we have Marshal Cross."

Allen's Sword of Salvation slammed into the Millennium Earl's corrupted equivalent with an ear jarring clang. The Level Fours behind the man moved to attack Allen and were met by Crown Clown. Allen's Level Four cursed eye glared with malevolent fury, the black vapors as sinister as the man before him. Crown Clown enveloped Allen suddenly, as he and the Earl parted, and protected him from a sudden wave of Dark Matter. A moment later the two separated and reentered their battles…

"We've already lost Marshal Yeeger, and I was there that time."

"But that wasn't your fault, it was…"

"Crown Clown's, or whatever those black cloaks are. I'm afraid of those too, whatever they or it is. Miranda, he sang that song. Yeeger sang about Adam searching for the Heart of Innocence, and Rhode didn't even touch him."

Miranda hated that name, something that associated the Millennium Earl as human. "I'm afraid of them too, Allen." I'm afraid of so much more than that, Allen. So much more.

The two old friends spoke long into the night, the conversation drifting as conversations do. Other than their own voices it was quiet, with no visible activity coming from Cross or Anita's room. Miranda had to admit it was nice speaking with Allen, to see him so open (and sane). He was such a dear friend to her, she could not bear to see him wither away mentally.

In the morning, after the sun had risen slightly, she smiled when she heard his excited voice asking if she had seen Cross leave. "I'm sure, Allen."

She stood from her place outside, stretching slightly and brushing off her pants. Few people were out this early, mainly fishermen and stall owners beginning to set up. Just as she was about to head back to the brothel, she heard a loud, "CURSE YOU, MASTER!" She giggled at that. Despite their combined efforts, Cross had gotten away yet again.

Poor Allen…


AN: One more, tomorrow. I could have had that last conversation last chapter of course, but this would have been even shorter if it was just Miranda's conversation with Sarah. Next chapter at least is moving forward, because what would this story be without one more Allen and Lulubell scene?