Requiem of Time: Chapter Sixteen - Allen


Allen took a deep breath as he stepped outside the brothel, relishing the scent of the dozens of food stalls stretched out before him. He placed his top hat on his head automatically, dressed in his open coat Marshal uniform. Timcampy wasn't with him this time; not for this.

So close to death, he was going to take the time to appreciate everything around him. He felt bad for the complementary breakfast he had eaten as he was sure it was a large cut in Anita's profit, but there were certain times it was allowed to indulge one's self.

Allen walked forward with sure, steady steps, albeit slowly, as he observed the smiling people around him and the goods offered at the various venders on his way. No one knew he was leaving, as it should be, yet he had left Timcampy with a message explaining everything should they ask, which they would when he didn't return by the night.

He never encountered any Akuma as he made his way out of the port town, and he didn't know whether that was good or bad. Instead, he took it as added peacefulness in what could be his final moments.

He had played cards with his friends, both past and present, all morning, and with the winnings (so much smaller than normal when he's against Sarah - the girl's luck transcended his cheating ways) he gave it to whomever passed his fancy, mainly some hard working folk he saw and the occasional homeless person.

Finally, Allen cleared the town and entered the bamboo forest.

As it was still several weeks before he would have arrived this far in China, it would be some time before the whole Suman Dark episode and Tyki and such, and Allen did not want to have to wait. He could not afford to wait. So he set out to the forest, alone, knowing that despite her failure Lulubell would not yet have given up and as such should lure her out to him. However, too much was riding on Lulubell to know if everything would be done right or if she would simply kill him.

Now far from humanity, Allen sat on a rock, the forest blocking the sun and painting the surrounding area a surreal green, and pulled out his cards. It wasn't the deck Tyki had given him so long ago - the one the man had taken back from him at this exact area - but like always he found the cards comforting.

He had the crystalline blade sheathed in his boot, yet that would only be for the black Crown Clown when it appeared. Also in his possession was a small bag of catnip - since this port town was large enough to import and sell some - yet for today's purpose bringing that out would be counterproductive.

Eyes closed and still shuffling, Allen knew when Lulubell approached. In fact she wasn't trying to be quiet. He opened his eyes and saw… Sarah?

The brown haired girl was standing there awkwardly, the sun setting somewhere in the distance behind her, and she blushed when she saw him staring at her. After a moment of silence, she said, "I'm sorry, master, but I saw you leaving and decided to follow you. Since it's already so late and we're so far from town, I was wondering if you wanted company to help you sleep."

Allen smiled looking back down to his cards. One card slipped out suddenly - a mistake in his shuffling. He picked up the fallen card with a sigh, and he glanced at it. The ace of spades. "I'm no longer still so naïve as to be deceived by just an appearance, Lulubell-chan. You taught me better." He slid the card back into the deck.

'Sarah' paused, and a moment later Lulubell stood there. Allen had to admit it was rare to see that particular Noah in a dress (the same kind Allen had bought Sarah not long ago), as opposed to Rhode wearing them almost exclusively. He preferred her in her suits.

"With your eye, you are impossible to ambush with Akuma; you hold your friends too close to make any move against them for a hostage situation; you have been able to see through all of my disguises and every one of my traps; and now you say I have taught you. Why?" Lulubell asked, calm yet with a fury in her eyes. She had failed the Earl; there would be blood to pay.

"I think that's the most I've heard you speak in two years," Allen replied with a smile. Ready, Crown Clown? Warmth was his response, and Allen stood. After taking a deep breath, Allen held out his left, mangled arm. "This is what you're after, right? Leave the others out, and this is yours."

The two stared at each other, and silence reigned. Allen figured he knew what was going on in her head, all the precautions and what was expected verses what is happening. He wondered if Lavi knew what he was doing right now as he had given all the Innocence fragments to him before leaving. A strange thought, but it was what came to mind at the moment.

Lulubell, with her black hair tied into a ponytail and grey skin and band of stigmata, studied him for a moment longer before saying, "You are a fool, Allen Walker." There was a sudden flash, and Allen felt pain.

The red appendage hit the ground with a soft thump, and Allen worked on keeping his face straight and the pain minimal. He covered the wound, eyes still locked with Lulubell's as her whip-like hand returned into her normal hand. Just then, a black apparition appeared between them. Allen grabbed his knife with his bloodied hand, lightheaded from blood loss and preparing himself for what could be his death.

Lulubell, while warily watching the black apparition as it finally solidified into the black Crown Clown, used her Noah powers of Dark Matter to destroy Allen's Innocence. To Allen's surprise, the black cloak vanished as his Innocence was extinguished.

Lulubell smiled at this, satisfied and believing she now knew the cause of those black cloaks. "You are a fool." Her hand morphed back into the tendril and impaled Allen's chest almost instantly, right through his heart. She ripped it back out, leaving a large hole there gushing blood out fatally.

How ironic… Allen thought to himself as his strength failed him. His smile was on his face, an old promise to end his life with one, and he made sure to wink at Lulubell as he finally collapsed to the ground. Rhode…

Allen slammed the door to his room in his ark behind him, still locked in a passionate kiss with Rhode. The smaller girl had removed his coat on the way over, and right now he was fumbling to remove her own blouse. "Too - many - damn - buttons," he muttered between kisses, causing Rhode to smirk, her arms and legs wrapped around him as they made their way towards the bed.

Finally, Allen got the white shirt off, just as the back of his legs hit the bed. Then, there was a sudden shift in weight. Rhode's legs left him as they returned to the ground, and her body shifted immensely. Allen opened his eyes in surprise, and he saw slitted golden eyes. "Lulubell!"

The woman smirked and pushed him back, and he landed on the bed with a little bounce. Allen fumbled with drawing his sword, not knowing if she was there to kill him or not. Before he could, however, Lulubell bound his hands. "What are you doing here?!"

"Rhode gave me permission to 'play' with you."

Good times, Allen thought to himself as his world grew darker. Another thought, so faint and far away, told him that was the Fourteenth's thoughts, not his own, but he was simply too far away. And then he was gone.


AN: And th-th-th-that's all folks. I suppose I need to get back to writing this, or whatever. Also, for all you complainers out there, there is much more Allen/Rhode scenes coming up long before Lulubell makes her next appearance... And some Tyki before then, too. Well, until next time, then. Next chapter shall be rather large, so it will be a bit of time before I finish writing it.