Angel Fantasy: That look is cheating and you know it. And don't insult me; I'm a guy, of course I've fantasized about that. A graphic, juicy, steamy lemon... You're persistent, I'll give you that. This chapter contains the poll for lemons on the bottom. Yours, Heiryuu's, and my votes are already included... And, as I'm a couple chapters ahead of this, I'm at the point in the story where the first lemon would be right now (it's why I'm updating right now). I have the spot already sectioned off, simply waiting for the words, if I write them... I don't know what I'm getting at here, but I thought you should know I'm at that point right now.
WARNING: By the amount of reviews from last chapter, I could tell a lot of you missed it. I updated twice in one day, folks. Make sure you didn't miss the second!
Requiem of Time: Chapter Thirty-One - Allen (sticking to the pattern of 'every other' means Allen get's three in a row!)
You know, you could have them both.
The Fourteenth's face did not change from its wide grin in the mirror, and it certainly didn't speak out loud, but the mere context of the thought told Allen it was the Fourteenth's voice, not his own thought. And what a thought it was.
This was the first time the Musician had ever suggested such a thing, yet before Allen could just brush it away, some part of him took it very seriously. It was a hesitation, really, that forced him to actually think about what the man was saying. Take them both... Take both Rhode and Lulubell.
Allen was still for the moment, watching quite possibly the most dangerous Noah save the Earl, before he finally shook his head. Slowly at first, but then roughly as if to shake the very idea away. A dozen ideas came to mind as to why it could never happen - Lulubell did not think of him that way; he was married to Rhode; Lulubell would never betray the Earl that far; what would Rhode even say to such a prosperous idea...? Besides, Allen didn't even think that possible. How could a man have... two wives?
The thought that he himself was not against the idea never occurred to him.
Yet, before things could go beyond what they already were, the Fourteenth took advantage of Allen's hesitation to try and gain control. Not control, actually... Trying to force the idea of accepting Lustul into his mind. Regardless, Allen shoved the man back, another headache rising as a result of the brief battle. The man growled in the mirror.
Lustul, even better filled out than the already impressive Lulubell with Noah of Form self-enhancements (the straining business suit taking a new, more erotic image), took two steps towards Allen - each step rippling with suggestion, capable of turning any straight male into drooling putty - yet Allen managed to avert his eyes and merely pointed to the piano bench.
Her response was to turn... provocative. As if she wasn't a walking sex goddess before. "How wonderful to see you here, Allen Walker." How she managed to lace that simple sentence with a suggestive promise, Allen could never figure out. It sent a shiver down his spine, even with his wife right in front of him.
Scowling and jerking his finger at the bench more forcefully, Allen tried to keep his gaze away from her. Biting a pouty lip, the guilty yet oh so innocent stance she would have... He had met Lustul only twice in his life before this, and he was determined not to fall for her innate tricks of seduction again.
Silly Allen.
The Fourteenth had taken up the fight for control again the moment the woman first spoke, and Allen tried to divide his attention between that and staying out of this woman's clutches. Not exactly easy, especially since the Fourteenth was impressing his views of the woman as well as trying for control.
She's so beautiful I would have to be a fool to resist her affections, Allen thought to himself. The Fourteenth's thought, really, though currently he was inclined to agree. Yet I'll remain that fool so long as I can. A pained laugh started. Then, a mental image of her was conjured in his mind, again the Fourteenth's doing or his own he wasn't sure. Dear God, she really was beyond gorgeous. That brief weakening caused Allen to finally glance back at the woman... and instead he saw Rhode.
Lustul currently transformed as Rhode, of course, as evident by the suddenly too large suit. Half a suit. The pants had fallen away, exposing appetizing, light gray legs that Allen was so familiar with. The remaining baggy coat kept her about as modestly covered as Lenalee. Which was to say, not very much at all.
Allen's mouth went dry at the sight of her. He had once thought that Lulubell should remain with her suits, while Rhode looked best in her dresses. He suddenly revised that idea. He most certainly would not mind seeing Rhode like that more often.
This 'Rhode' produced one of her familiar grins, one finger playfully going to her lips. "What do you say we do it right here, Allen Walker? Just like this. I know you wouldn't mind."
That sounds a wonderful idea. Allen easily isolated that thought as not his own, yet suddenly the Fourteenth tried to force him to say it. "That sounds-" Allen's face remained neutral as he fought back. "-an unacceptable idea." You damned lucky bastard, count your blessings! "Now please sit down."
'Rhode' stared for a moment, then in a little flash of white light was back to her normal form. Still without her pants. Oh dear. Allen's eye bulged wide as he almost lost control to the Fourteenth. The man was fighting desperately hard, now. At least this time she listened. Though, even without the Fourteenth, Allen was unable to take his eyes away from her as she sashayed to the bench. Her normal size had lifted her black coat back into place, if snug, and exposed a rather lacy pair of black panties. When she turned, he saw that they didn't even cover her from behind entirely! As far as he knew, they didn't even make women's undergarments that small! (*cough* end of 1800's *cough*)
Of course, Allen had seen this women in less than that, once upon a time, and his Rhode had her own pair of knickers like that, but that was only because she had them specially made, she said, for him to see.
Like with singing the vocals to the Music earlier, at least both Allen and the Fourteenth were in synch with the body's current act of staring. All the way until she sat down and crossed one leg over the other, emphasizing them, and crossed her arms under her breasts, also emphasizing those even through the coat.
Noah of Lust indeed. A damned walking innuendo.
Seeing him staring, Lustul smirked - a smirk that promised much more - and Allen hastily averted his eyes, turning back to Rhode. He would deal with her later; he suddenly had to fight down ideas as to how the Fourteenth took 'dealing' with Lustul. This was... too much.
Allen unleashed his inner Noah, and the fight for control - like playing push-and-shove with the man - suddenly became like playing push-and-shove with an enraged bull. As he had learned long ago, he stepped back, lessened his control, and allowed the Fourteenth a foot of control. Then, Allen danced away with the remaining portion. Like this, while he no longer had complete control, he had enough to prevent the Fourteenth from doing anything too drastic.
And right now that's exactly what the Fourteenth would do with his increased control, yet Allen was quicker. Tapping into the Music, the song always sounding into his head - he just had to interact with it - Allen channeled his powers as a Noah into the comatose Road.
Immediately, Allen's conscious was sucked from him, and he was propelled into Road's dream-world. And his mind spiraled back to the first time he had appeared there...
****
The woman was waiting for him; Road, the Ninth Disciple, the Noah of Dreams.
In this dream-world, things were peculiar. Like how there was no ground or sky or anything else in existence, really. Just a swarm of rapidly changing colors as Allen hovered to her. Also peculiar was how neither of them had clothes.
Road, looking the same as the woman lying on Allen and his wife's bed in the waking world, seemed surprised to see him coming, and in an instant she was suddenly beside him. It was hard to tell if she had simply teleported to him or lessened the distance or moved him to her. Things were always like that in dreams.
Road's hand was on Allen's bare chest, and she smiled up at him uncertainly. Allen stared back, confused. With a giggle, Road flicked him in the nose. "Don't be a fool, Allen. I have all of that life's memories. All her feelings, are mine. All her loves, are mine."
Allen stared at her, near gaping. He hadn't even considered that. He just wanted his wife back, but then... wasn't SHE his wife? His real wife? Even her voice was the same, if a bit richer and higher. An older Rhode. The real Road.
A real understanding dawned on Allen, and before he could control himself, his arms were wrapped around the flesh of her lower back, and he drew her into a kiss. He had been so worried when he woke up that morning to see his Rhode gone, in place of this woman, and he gave up a great measure of his control against the Fourteenth just to get her back. He just needed something real to prove it would be alright.
There was no candy flavor on her lips. Of course, that made sense given that she, trapped in the Dream, would not be able to eat any, yet it sparked something in Allen's mind, and he pulled back first.
Road smiled up at him, the same smile Rhode would have given him. "You don't know how long I've wanted to do that."
Allen peered down at her. The face was so similar, the hair style too, granted a less flamboyant color. There were even times he wished Rhode had grown up like this, for the sake of convenience if nothing else, and she even had all of his Rhode's memories. This was the real Road! Yet... Yet...
An image flashed in his mind, of a girl clutching him with arms and legs, a wild look on her childish face, the taste of candied cherry on her lips...
Road sighed, and her head dropped against his chest, cheek to flesh. Right, they were naked. Allen kept forgetting. Yet the reason for her sigh brought his attention away from that immediately. "You wish I was her."
Allen's human hand ran up her dark grey back, feeling the smooth flesh underneath respond to his touch, before running it down, ending on her soft rump. She pressed into him at that, yet Allen focused on her question. "I- I'm sorry, but I do."
Road turned her head to stare up at him, chin still on his chest. In this form, her face was practically to his, as opposed to Rhode who was a good foot away when she did the same action. Golden eyes peered into steel grey intently, and Allen almost lost himself in them. Suddenly, something goosed him, causing Allen to jump, and Road smiled lazily.
But then her face blanked, and her eyes bore holes into his. "You know that I am the true Noah. Rhode was just an image, a shade of me until I could Awaken. If you loved her, then you must someday love me, for no matter how hard you try to keep me sealed away, one day I must take Rhode into myself and come out the real me. It would make things infinitely easier if that happened in life, and not between the next reincarnation."
Allen leaned down and kissed her on the lips, and when he pulled back her look had softened somewhat. He spoke, "I do love you... but I just love her more. Please, let me have my Rhode back." Allen knew he was being selfish, and that his words had to be tearing apart her heart - she did, after all, feel what Rhode felt for him - yet right now he didn't care. He wanted Rhode.
Road's face remained soft as she nodded slowly, and Allen could pick out the faint trace of hurt in that look the same as he could Rhode. "I will submit myself to you, if you grant one request." Allen opened his mouth to agree immediately, but Road spoke over him, "A request from me, Road, not the girl who's been parading around as your wife."
That stopped Allen momentarily, yet still he knew he would do anything to get Rhode back. "What is it?"
"Lie with me, as a man would his wife." Her smile was grim; Allen realized that to her, she was his wife. "Do just that, and I will submit myself to being sealed away without a fight." She grinned at him. "And in this realm, I certainly could put up one hell of a fight."
Allen really didn't know how he felt about her - Road, not Rhode - yet he knew that he did love her, if not as much as Rhode. As such, he really saw no problem with the request. Smiling, he kissed her again, passionately. Road responded immediately and guided them down to whatever was holding them up.
One phrase stuck with him, the last before he followed the Fourteenth's instructions to sealing her away. "Remember, one day Rhode will disappear, and you must learn to accept me entirely as if it were her. I'll be waiting for you... my husband."
She looked exactly as he remembered.
Allen hovered towards Road, the only object visible among the swarming and flashing colors. Eventually, she saw him, and she smiled. "I've been expecting you, Allen." She filled his name with affection the same way Rhode would. They were of course still naked when he reached her, and they embraced again, thoughts on their modesty slipping away as it did in dreams.
"You know what I'm here for?" Allen asked from above her as he cradled her head to his chest. One day, she would be the one he had to learn to love, but hopefully not this day.
Road sighed and nodded, running a hand through his white hair. "Of course I do, but before we get into that, I want to talk to you about something Rhode has not."
Allen raised an eyebrow at her, stepping back so that they were face to face, yet not breaking the embrace. So far as he knew, Rhode was never keeping anything from him. Nothing important, anyways. "Hmm?"
Road's face was blank as she stared up at him, arms locked behind his head now. For the first time, Allen noticed he was his old height, not in his fifteen year old body. One word slipped through Road's mouth, and Allen froze stiff. "Lulubell."
"Wh-What about her?" Allen asked unsteadily.
"I know you love her, perhaps as much as you do Rhode. I want to know what you intend to do about her."
Thankfully, graciously, the Fourteenth was not in Allen's head here. It was all him, his thoughts his own and blissful silent otherwise. That gave him an opportunity for clear thinking. "Love her?"
Allen thought on it. He cared for her greatly, of course, but love? He had spent nearly a year with her after his honeymoon, and Rhode joined them only sometimes, despite the agreement. In their time together, Allen had come to understand a great deal about the near emotionless woman. For a full year she never had an attempt on his life, allowing him a clearer look at her and her life. In his mind, he had befriended her, become closer than friends, actually, but he was married... Love?
Of course, there was more to it than that. Nearly the entire time, the Musician has been impressing his own views of the girl on Allen, and try that he might, he couldn't keep it all out. That held some sway over his opinion of her. And the few romps he had had with her near the end of his first life... Allen blushed, suddenly awkward.
But love? 'Do you, Allen Walker, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife' love? Lulubell? She'd rather stick a knife through his heart. She practically had!
Road rolled her eyes. "As amusing as it is watching you struggle, don't bother trying to deny it. It's been rather obvious for some years now."
Allen's eye bugged. "Wha-"
"What I want to know, however, is what you intend to do about it? I've seen you repress those feelings, Allen, I see you try to ignore her, but they still exist. So what do you intend to do?"
Allen worked his mouth several times with no sound. How was a man supposed to respond to that? Safe answer seemed best. "I love you. I would never do anything you don't want."
Road's eyes turned half-lidded, and Allen knew she was irritated if not angry. "Oh really? What about when you exorcised Mightra?"
"That's different!" Allen groaned. "He was trying to attack Crowley."
"Regardless, back to the matter at hand, what do you intend?"
"...What would you want me to do?" Safe.
"A better answer," Road said, smiling. Then, a frown fitted its way on her face, as if he had said the stupidest thing in the world. "I want you to be happy, baka. It's for that reason alone that I let you seal me away last time."
That brought Allen back to the reason he was there. And a way out of that conversation. "And this time? Do I get my Rhode back?"
Road was silent, peeved that he was trying to sneak out of the conversation or actually contemplating on what he said. Then, that same soft, hurt look from before entered her face, yet she smiled slightly. "You really love her, don't you?"
"More than I can ever admit to." And that was truth. What did he intend with Lulubell? Whatever Rhode wanted, and that was that.
Road's smile stretched a bit wider, though her eyes looked a bit sadder. "And for that reason only I allow you to do this. Treat her well, Allen Walker."
Allen hated that look on her face, almost the face of his wife, yet he couldn't do anything about it. So leaning forward and giving her one last deep kiss, he followed the instructions the Fourteenth had given him long ago, building the cage around Road and forcing the True Noah to go into inactivity - a form of sleep, if you will.
And with that, he was sucked from the dream-world.
****
Most of the guilt Allen felt was banished when he opened his eyes and saw the girl who was his wife resting there on the couch. Most of it. Some still ate away, flashing images in his mind of the hurt look on Road's face. And so, unable to do anything about, Allen hardened himself against it, shouldering another burden on his back. On top of everything else he's gone through, he barely felt a thing different.
Of course, more immediately, the crippling hunger wormed its way through his stomach yet again, and the fatigue of no sleep in three days taxed his limbs again. Apparently that dream-world didn't provide real sleep either.
Yet right now, all Allen was really concerned about was the girl lying on the couch, yet to open her eyes. His wife. Returned. He could have laughed, danced, screamed in joy. Something. He wanted to scoop her up in his arms, smother her in kisses, get married again, even. Yet things like that could wait until she regained consciousness. A smile was on Allen's face.
Suddenly, he felt a presence to his left, and a cool, soft hand turned his cheek that way. Allen's eyebrows rose in confusion at first, but then he saw Lustul's face. He had forgotten about her.
The woman, with her radiating beauty - enhanced through her powers as Noah of Form - said to him with suggestive slowness, "I will have you." She then leaned in and kissed him.
Of course, right when their lips made contact, two things happened. The first was that Rhode opened her eyes, and that was the first thing she saw. The second was that the Fourteenth then had to bring his presence back to Allen's attention, and that came as a huge crushing force intending to take over Allen - or keep him in that position with Lustul, at least.
Like most rational married men, Allen freaked, fearing his wife's reaction, yet wrestling with the Fourteenth, he was unable to assert the control required to pull away. Instead of getting angry, or hurt, or any other reaction Allen expected, Rhode grinned. "So Lulubell too, Allen?"
With a great mental heave, and a massive headache, Allen forced the Fourteenth away, and he pulled away from the Awaken Noah, wiping his mouth. "Lustul, not Lulubell," he said firmly, near pleadingly. That was a grin that hid her anger; it had to be. Her eyes didn't betray anything but amusement, yet Allen knew she had to be angry... right?
Deciding to fix things before they got worse, Allen unleashed the Noah again, and he sealed away Lustul before the Fourteenth could start another fight for control like that. The minor enhancements with herself vanished as her eyes closed - breasts and other curves receding to normal, the remaining coat now looking more natural and less... kinky, Allen guessed the word to be. He transformed back to normal just as fast, too.
Lulubell slumped, and Allen guided her gently to the floor. The very moment his hands left her, however, something suddenly slammed into him. There was a moment of confusion as he landed on the floor - something was on his chest, something soft pressed tightly against his lips, his vision was partially obscured by blue, and the blinding white ceiling did nothing to orientate him.
Then, things came into focus somehow. He could feel the small hands wrapped around him inside his coat, the familiar cloth of a blouse, the now faint taste of regular bubblegum in his mouth, the blue in his eyes became hair. Rhode was kissing him. Then, he was kissing her back. Fervently.
Allen crushed Rhode to him, pushed against her lips even harder. He heard her groan into his mouth. She was back! His wife was back! Before he could stop them, tears welled up in his eyes, and he was crying. She was back! Finally, after even losing hope, his Rhode Camelot was back to him!
Allen wanted to have her right then, in the Fourteenth's room, with the door opened - it didn't matter. She was there, back in his arms, and she was his. By the intensity in which Rhode returned the kiss, he could tell she felt the same way. He rolled her over, one hand snaking up to pull away the red ribbon she used as a tie, but he caught sight of the room's other occupant, lying unconscious on the floor right next to them.
Reluctantly, oh so very reluctantly, Allen broke the kiss, stealing two more quick ones before sitting up, bringing Rhode with him. Lulubell would be waking up any second now. He gave an apologetic smile to Rhode, invigorated by the mere sight of her returning smile, squeezed her hand once, and then moved on to check over Lulubell.
The woman was still stripped below the waist, and her coat rumpled by Lustul's actions. Her breathing came even. Funny, like this - almost as if she were asleep - she hardly looked like the most dangerous Noah, out for his blood. Her hard mask of detachment was gone, leaving only a soft peacefulness... And now she was awake, cold gold eyes glaring up at him.
Which was perfectly understandable. Lulubell just woke up, half-naked, with a sworn enemy staring down at her. He opened his mouth to apologize - or something to make her not quite so angry at him - when suddenly a cool, soft hand found its way behind his neck. A sense of Déjà Vu filled Allen, just before the hand brought his head down hard, stopping only when it made contact with Lulubell's... both connected at the lips.
Allen felt like he had enough surprises for one day, yet that had his eyes widen and arms flail. He was... kissing Lulubell? No, she was kissing him! What on Earth was going o-
An attempt, stronger than any before, was launched from the Fourteenth, and surprised as he was, Allen was too late to mount an adequate defense. His control over his body slipped away, forcing him in the background, while the Musician moved forward, taking full control.
Then, it was the Fourteenth kissing Lulubell.
AN: Dun-Dun-Duuuuuuh! Man, lots and lots happened this chapter. I nearly cried at the effort of making so many people go through so many emotions. That was horrible. And I only got 3 reviews last chapter. D: I really should make yall wait 2 weeks for updates.
Poll: Should this story be promoted to M and have lemons?
1. Yes (2)
2. No (1)
Alright, BEFORE YOU VOTE, READ THIS. Lemons were never intended for this story, yet I've been asked and thus am considering. Now, I've never written any form of citrus content before, so it's a toss up on how it'll turn out if I do. Also, truth be told, I am rather embarrassed by the idea of writing one, so (shake your fist at this if you want) even if the poll is overwhelmingly 'yes', I may still refuse. It all depends.
