A/N: Thank you so much to Alice2795, Lena-luvs-cats, jy24, Alaia Skyhawk, m, and Leone Brion (x4) for all reviewing! I love you guys! :D Anyway, please enjoy!
Disclaimer: I'm sorry folks, my efforts to steal the rights of D. Gray-Man through legal means have been in vain. So of course, that means I'll be resorting to—wait what? You didn't hear any of this from me! Nope! Don't own anything! (Yet…)
Chapter 37
Time Frame — Night of April 20th, 1896
—3rd Person POV—
~Allen~
But moments later, when he felt someone giving chase, the dreaded feeling in his gut told him he never should've gotten involved.
But it was much too late for that.
"Damn it, Oliver," Allen muttered angrily, barely managing to navigate through the pitch black of the forest. "What the hell is going on?!"
He was surprised when Oliv—Mana actually managed to respond. "I-It's Neah," he stammered through gritted teeth, "H-he's located me using his Ark."
"His Ark…?" Allen mumbled, before recalling yet another one of Cross' lectures. "Of course," he muttered darkly.
"I-it's no use," Mana gasped, "He'll find us no matter what."
Allen knew he was right. So why am I running? Warily, Allen slowed down, stormy eyes flashing. (Briefly, he thanked the General for having trained him in the art of night vision.) Still holding Mana upright with a firm grip, Allen tensed his left hand as he sensed not one, but two individuals closing in on them. Brief moments later, they'd neared them to the point where Allen could pinpoint their exact footsteps just by their mere sound, but the trees and vegetation obscured their view.
"Mana…?"
The voice was apprehensive and unsure, unwilling to come closer. And for some reason, it rang familiar to Allen's ears.
"N-Neah," Mana murmured so quietly, even Allen had to strain his ears to hear it, but the pained grunt that followed wasn't as subdued, as Mana stumbled to the ground bringing Allen down with him.
"Mana!"
Slightly discombobulated, Allen was unable to completely detangle himself from Mana, before Neah was launching himself right at the boy. Scrambling back, the white-haired boy watched the pair of brothers, bewildered.
"Hey, are you okay…?"
Allen swiftly wrenched himself away from the small pair of hands attempting to help him, and instead jumped to his feet of his own accord. Moments later, he recognized Road's small stature. "I'm fine," he muttered briefly.
Road observed him with curious, golden eyes that were a stark contrast to her violet ones. "You don't seem all that surprised," she remarked with a tentative smile, which Allen found startling. He'd subconsciously expected for her to shout his name and come jumping at him, not this… this hesitant awkwardness.
"I'm not," Allen agreed with a nod, shoving his hands into his pockets and avoiding her piercing gaze, unwilling to delve into the contents of Neah's letter. The mere thought gave him a headache, and at this point, all he really wanted to do was return to his room and crash.
"You're okay, it's okay," he heard Neah murmur as he held Mana close. The family reunion coupled with the undergoing of his Noah transformation had clearly drained him, and all Mana could do was lean heavily against him, bright amber eyes dimming with exhaustion.
Allen jumped slightly, when Neah glanced up and met his gaze. (Something inside him prickled with recognition, and it took him a few seconds to recall why he appeared familiar. Neah was the same teenage boy that he'd run across back in the Rewinding Town, a lifetime ago. Despite his curiosity, Allen didn't bother to mention it.)
"Allen," Neah whispered, coming to his feet and hoisting Mana along with him. He gazed at Allen with an unreadable expression for a few seconds, before, much like Road, offering him a tentative smile. "I've wanted to meet you for quite some time, though this is certainly unexpected."
Allen nodded stiffly, and Neah's expression faltered. "Has… has Cross not given you the letter?"
He still remembered that? "Yes," Allen finally answered, his appearance defaulting back into its blank, poker state. "I read it just a few days ago…"
"Ah," Neah nodded, "I see. It's quite a lot to take in…"
"It hasn't really sunk in yet," Allen remarked dryly. On the surface, he was calm, if a bit uncomfortable, but inside, he was a mess. The three Noah that stood before him… they were his family. All his life, he'd only ever had Cross, but to know that there was more…?
Allen stomped down on the feeling. Now wasn't the time.
As if reading his thoughts, Road hurried over to Mana's other side. "Neah, we need to get him back home."
Startled from his trance, Neah reluctantly ripped his gaze away from Allen. "Right, of course," he nodded, and with a mere hum, the shards of light Allen recalled so vividly flashed into existence behind them. Neah and Road shared the brunt of Mana's weight, but before they were swallowed up by the blinding light, Neah hesitated and turned to him once.
"Would… would you like to come along?" he offered, though going by his expression, it was unlikely he actually expected Allen to accept.
Allen threw a pointed glance in Mana's direction. "This really isn't the best time."
"Ah, you're right," Neah nodded, expression a combination of longing and regret, before he finally tore he eyes away from Allen. Seconds later, they vanished and the shards of light burst and shattered.
Allen slumped back down to his knees, slightly bug-eyed. The small thump that landed beside him was what finally snapped him out of it. Spots in his vision from the blinding Ark Gate, he blindly reached beside him, hand landing on the hard cover of Timothy's book.
That felt like a lifetime ago.
Pulling the book onto his lap, Allen sighed. "But on the bright side, kiddo, it seems we're not going to war after all," he murmured with a relieved smile.
A/N: Oh my gosh, so I was supposed to write this yesterday, but instead I decided to procrastinate (because, why not?). And guess what I resorted to, in order to avoid writing? I made a fan video! xD Haha, in my defense, I've never tried making a video in my life, but it was actually pretty easy, just time consuming. Anyway, I posted my efforts on YouTube, if you want to go check it out. I wrote out the URL on my profile, under my D. Gray-Man section. It's about Mana and Neah.(:
Anyway, this is it folks! The last chapter! Of course, I'll give you guys an epilogue!(: Let me know what you think in a review please!^-^
(And actually, what do guys want covered in the epilogue? I planned it all out in my head a while back, but since I never wrote it down… well, I forgot… ^^;)