Twenty Years

Epilogue (Written 3/19/11)
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Hatfield House – Hertfordshire, England

Lenalee waited. The birds had just begun to sing as the dawn's light breached the surface of the world and announced another beginning. The subdued tones of the early morning painted the trees and grass into a sepia landscape, slowly brightening and becoming distinct with each passing minute. Allen would be there soon to spend a few moments with her before they went about their day – she heading back to Headquarters before most had awoken and he returning to the circus across town to make his humble living. They couldn't do this every day. Often times, Allen would end up being here alone when circumstances at Headquarters would bring too much suspicion if Lenalee left to come meet him….and he understood those times fully. He would just come back late in the evening and hope she could make their evening rendezvous instead.


She didn't ever want to part with him again when she had laid eyes upon him for the first time in 10 years at Brockwell Park. But she and Allen both knew they had to be careful or they may never have that freedom again. So, they agreed to meet secretly as many times as circumstances would allow here at the Hatfield House Promenade early in the morning and late at night.


When they had met each other at Brockwell Park, Lenalee had very little to say. She spent most of that night memorizing his face all over again to fill in the holes that time and memory had failed to prevent. Allen had changed so much and so little. He had grown and into a taller, lithe, broad-shouldered frame, but was still wiry all around, reminding her of his first days. He had let his thick white hair grow long enough to tie back, though she never knew whether he actually liked it or not. She had always gotten the sense that he never appreciated it on Kanda but perhaps there was a use for the length in the circus. It was something she would ask about later. At that time, all she wanted to do was let him hold her, cry on his shoulder as she used to do, breathe him in, rest her head against his chest, hear and feel his heart beating, and welcome his warmth. She marveled at his face, which hadn't changed much. He still had that boyish look about him though his eyes were deeper and more weary. He had smiled down at her. This was the smile she wanted to see…the one that didn't have to save anyone from pain…the one that only held and gave joy. The mark of his cursed eye was still there but, in the circus, it didn't stand out much; it just looked like face paint. He was wearing a long-sleeved jacket and gloves which made her assume he was still in possession of his Innocence. But, again, all of that didn't matter at the moment. What mattered was he was there with her, alive.


"I have been here every day at five o'clock since I came back, imagining what it would be like to actually see you sitting here," he had told her that day. "I don't have to imagine anymore…"
After a long silence of just taking each other in, it took everything they had to tear themselves away for the night. But they knew they had to return to their respective lives if they wanted to see each other gain. And so they made a pact: To meet at Allen's favorite historical grounds where a friend and benefactor of the circus could allow for privacy and a modicum of security. And so they came here to Hatfield House the next morning to meet again.


It was then that all the questions came flooding out and Allen was eager to answer them.
The first year he had been gone, he had spent warring with the 14th inwardly. Even though he was losing himself more and more physically, in his heart and mind, they combated each other continuously, each not losing or gaining ground. It was exhausting and it made him lose to the Noah physically quickly.


"Even though outwardly, The Earl and the other Noah saw the 14th, I was still there," Allen had explained to Lenalee. "I hadn't been lost yet. After a while, the 14th and I stopped arguing. Instead we began communicating. We had the same goals but not the means to accomplish them. He needed me to help him destroy the Earl. Without Innocence, he believed he would fail again as he did last time. That's why he chose me as his host, he said. And I needed his power as the Noah of Destruction to even reach the level necessary to dispatch the Earl, the first Disciple and head of the Noah family. My Innocence alone wouldn't ever be enough. Soon, we came to an agreement. He didn't want to destroy his family but he knew had little time to win them over to his side. I relinquished myself to the recesses of his mind to prepare for the inevitable battle. The family needed to believe that the 14th was finally in control and we led then to believe this."


"But why did the 14th even want to kill the Earl? Why did he betray his family?" asked Lenalee, finally able to ask the question even the Vatican couldn't ask.


"You see, to him, he wasn't betraying his family, he was trying to save it," Allen had said.


Off of Lenalee's confused look, he continued on.


"Every Noah is born as a human. Usually, at a young age, the Noah take over their host and leave their family, only turning to each other and nurturing the age old idea of humans needing to be judged and erased from existence. Somehow, they had taken God's old and singular judgment in man's history and decided it was theirs to carry out because they were the only ones worthy of being saved from the Great Flood. Instead of being grateful for being the only family God deemed salvageable, the seed of corruption slowly began to fester and grow within some of Noah's family. They did have power bestowed upon them as a blessing so that they could proliferate on the earth with that same goodness. But, over time, it was twisted into a hatred for humans who were at one point hated by God. As generations passed, the more powerful Noah who believed this were able to take control of the family and do away with those that didn't agree. Soon, all that were left were the 13 Noah you know of."


"But then the 14th came along?" stated Lenalee.


"Yes. And as hard as it is to believe, he was touched by an edict from God; not to be an angel of salvation but an angel of destruction. This time, God judged the Noah as unworthy for all of their corruption of the spirit and power he had given them, and he wanted to cleanse them off of the Earth, just as he had done with mankind and the Great Flood. Usually, Noah are born into single child families but the 14th was born into a family that already had a son; an older son. That was Mana. And Mana loved his brother with all of his heart, regardless of what he was. It was then that the 14th realized that he wanted to save mankind from the other Noah and willingly took on the task appointed to him by God because all he knew of humanity was that Mana was counted among them and he loved Mana with all of his being. If only for that, he wanted to foil the Earl's plans."


Lenalee had wept for the 14th when she had heard this. It was something she never thought she would do in her lifetime. But hearing how much he loved his brother and wanted to save humanity for his sake hit too close to home. After all, didn't she do that a little bit with Komui and her comrades? When he saw her tears of sympathy, Allen had reached over and gently wiped them away with his thumb, knowing she understood.


"The first time he tried to fight the Earl, he made a lot of mistakes but he also learned a lot. He knew what his strengths and weaknesses were. He also learned to love and be loved in return. I think it was meant to be that way. And his spirit was reborn in me not only because he knew I was an accommodator but also because he believed that someone born with Innocence in their blood was also appointed by God. He felt that he could succeed against the Earl when two people charged with the same mission could work together. The Earl loved and hated the 14th. As twisted as he was, the Earl always wanted to welcome the newest Noah with open arms because a great number of his family had died so long ago in the war between those who lived for humans and those who thought they were unworthy and should perish. The Earl was delighted to add to his family after thinking for so long they'd never grow in number. But he also hated the 14th for siding with the humans and reminding him of why there were only so few Noah left in the world. I didn't know it at the time but making me turn Mana into an akuma was his ultimate revenge against the 14th. So when he returned, the Earl wanted to start all over. In his iniquitous mind, the Earl thought they were even and could become a real family again."


"How did the 14th get the other Noah to join him?" she asked, sniffling the last of her tears away.

(To Be Continued in Part 8)