"Twenty Years" (Part 8) Epilogue Final

[Sinamon]

Twenty Years

(Part 8) Epilogue, FINAL
Written 3/19/11
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"How did the 14th get the other Noah to join him?" she asked, sniffling the last of her tears away.

"He only managed to convince a few, though they were integral to the victory. Tyki had a human family of his own whom he adored, even though he wasn't related to them by blood. I didn't know it at the time but I had met them all on a train once. They did seem close. He was always caught between two worlds that way, though he was certainly very loyal to the Earl. But the 14th never ceased in his plea for the specific humans Tyki cared for. He advocated for their survival as hard as he would have for Mana's and soon Tyki could not think about seeing his friends destroyed. Rhode always seemed to have an affinity for the 14th and hung on every word he said but he seemed to think that the thing that convinced Rhode to save humanity was in getting to know me. I can't explain what it was or why. I don't think I ever did anything to make myself stand out but, in the end, she didn't want humanity destroyed if it meant there were people like that out there who were able soften even her cold heart as the eldest of the Noah. And lastly, Wisely. Even though the 14th had killed him during their last war, Wisely understood why and hadn't held a grudge. In his last incarnation, Wisely was born into the body of a homeless man. He saw much cruelty and hardship before he fully materialized. But he also experienced much kindness and mercy in humanity. In the end, what won them over was a very human trait: selfishness…the selfish desire of not wanting to lose what they valued."

"What happened to them afterwards?" Lenalee asked tentatively, unsure of whether it was all right to ask or if it was something she should let alone.

"Honestly, I don't know, Lenalee. When it was finally time to resurface within myself and fight alongside the 14th, it was years after I had arrived. I saw Lavi and Bookman had been recruited somehow but they didn't know I was still there. For all they knew, it was just the 14th using my Innocence. The war lasted months. With such destructive powers and resilience between them, it was hard to get the upper hand and keep it. I was afraid for Lavi and Bookman because they were like thin sheets of paper thrown into a mill. In the end, it was just me, the 14th, Rhode, Tyki and Lavi. I didn't know how to mourn for Bookman and Lavi was close to death himself. But I was no longer Allen and the 14th had gained more strength in the years he had my form to himself. I couldn't say anything to Lavi, I couldn't tell him I was sorry or tell him I missed all of you and wanted to go home."


Lenalee had reached over to hold his hands then, feeling the sorrow of never being able to go home close to her heart but also relieved in knowing they both found their way back to it, respectively.


"He told Lavi not to concern himself with me and sent him back home almost immediately. I was grateful, even if I couldn't say goodbye," said Allen, ruefully.


"But he sent you back, too, Allen-kun. How…why…?" Lenalee felt strange asking that last part because if she could say anything to the 14th now if she had the chance was to thank him for sending Allen back. But she could not understand how it was possible.


"Why?" repeated Allen, as he thought back to the inner dialogue he had had with the 14th after he sent Lavi back. "He said that he wanted me to live because…because Mana would have wanted me to…because Mana loved me as much as he loved him and he would never destroy something so precious to his brother."


"Oh, Allen-kun…I'm so happy for you…" was all she could say before she had embraced him then. She knew that, for most of his life, the doubt that poisoned Allen's heart was in not knowing whether his adoptive father truly loved him for himself or if it was because he knew of the 14th's soul within. The Noah had confirmed for Allen that he was the sole reason Mana lived and loved.


"Then, abruptly, I felt him leave me," continued Allen, as he held onto Lenalee. "I knew I was whole again and my body was mine. But before I was sent back here, I saw the body of Cyril start to move. I had no doubt he was dead since it was my hand that killed him but it may be that the 14th took over his body. Though I can't say for sure, I think they are going to start to recover and rebuild as a family. And then maybe…maybe they'll come back to live among us. After all, they found a reason to save humanity, as if we were the animals in the Ark this time."

Lenalee was in awe of the time and measure it took for all of that to happen. In his second attempt, it had taken over 20 years for the 14th as he planned, plotted, and executed his mission with Allen's help in the end. And because of it, he was able to save what he and Mana cherished. It was all for that one love he was able to experience and love turned the tide of mankind's fate.


"Good morning, Lenalee" chirped Allen, brightly, as he walked up to her bench, breaking her out of her memories.


"Good morning, Allen-kun!" she said, slightly shaken.


"Is everything all right?" he asked.


"Yes…it's just…I was just thinking again about everything that had happened with you."


"It's a lot to take in, I know," he said as he handed her a cup of hot, steaming tea and sat beside her.


"It is," she replied simply, with a nod, and took a temperature-testing sip of her tea.


"Did you get home okay last night?" he asked, asking much more than the question meant.


"Yes…no one saw me. Thankfully the moon was not full and there were a lot of clouds. But I should tell you, Allen-kun, I am certain my brother knows, though he won't tell a soul."


"I trust him," replied Allen, knowing that his life would indeed be over if the Vatican knew he was still alive but he also knew that Komui would never bring that upon him.


"He was there when I started to remember where I had first met you. I am sure he's deduced who I was supposed to meet at the garden and…"


"And…?"


"And I guess I've been a little too happy lately."


"I don't understand," Allen said.


"Nii-san has noticed. I think I told you a little…I was not…the same these past several years…"


"Ah…" he replied simply, understanding.


"But it's hard to remember how sullen I used to be even though it was just recently. It seems so far away now."


"I wish it never had to be that way for you, Lenalee: For you to never have smiled or laughed for that long...it was my fault, I'm sorry."


"You suffered enough, Allen-kun. You had to be alone all those years, waiting patiently for the right time to fight the Earl, not knowing what the Order or your friends were thinking of you. Even I would say that I wish that never was. But then I think of your sacrifice and what came to be and I wouldn't take it back because we're here like this. I plan on making up for all the smiles I didn't smile and all the laughs I didn't laugh starting now…with you…"


Lenalee placed her hands on either sides of his face and cupped it tenderly, beaming at him with a smile that only genuine joy could produce. Then she leaned in and kissed him lightly on the tip of his nose. When she pulled back, Allen was blushing furiously and looking at her rather winsomely. She laughed freely at his initial boyish embarrassment and enjoyed the warm acceptance and return of affection that shone in his eyes. He took one of her hands from his face in his and brought it up to his lips, closing his eyes and placing his own kiss on the delicate curved fingers that had wrapped around his.


Lenalee sighed, happier than she had ever remembered being.


"Allen-kun, can I ask you one more thing?"

(To Be Continued in the reply post right below...)

[Sinamon]

"Of course," he replied softly.


"When you first came to the Order, did you remember that we had met before? How come you didn't say anything?"


Allen chuckled lightly. "Well, if you recall, I was in fear for my life at the time."


Lenalee thought for a second and remembered his first encounter with Kanda. She giggled.


"And after that, as we walked the halls during your tour, you didn't seem to remember me at all. I didn't know what I was getting into and everything was already so overwhelming. So I thought, maybe I would get to know you as we were at that time. But even when I did think of bringing it up later, I remembered you saying how you had lost your memory prior to your parents death and I never wanted to bring anything up that would remind you of something so painful."


"I see…and you kept that ragdoll all of those years…"


"It reminded me of a happy time in my life. When I was with Mana…and when I met a pretty girl who talked with me and wanted to be my friend."


It was Lenalee's turn to blush and she took a sip of her tea to cover it as much as she could.


"The sun is starting to climb," Allen noted, changing the subject for better or worse.


"I should be getting back to headquarters before they notice I'm gone," she said as she set her tea down. "Will I see you tonight, Allen-kun?"


"You will, if you can evade your brother," he said, smiling.


"I'm turning it into an art form. Timcanpy helps keep on the lookout, too," she said.


"Have a good day, Lenalee," he said, finally letting go of the hand he had kissed and had continued to hold for the while.


Allen waited to see Lenalee turn the corner of Hatfield House before he himself walked out and along the streets towards Astley's Amphitheatre and Carnival. He would be training the horses today and he needed to take extra care to make sure he didn't exert all of his strength or else people would wonder how a young man his stature could reign in six large beasts using only his left hand. Though he may never slay or see another akuma again, his Innocence would always remain with him.


As he walked, he couldn't shake the urge that he was being followed. He tried shirking the feeling by taking some side alleys and short cuts but still felt a presence. He went down another darkened, narrow alleyway when he was suddenly jumped from behind and thrown against the wall. He prepared to fight back.


"Allen!"


"Moyashi."


"It's Allen!" was his automatic, belligerent response, as if no time had passed. "Lavi? Kanda?" he managed to eke out when he came to his senses, seeing as how Kanda's sheath had him pinned against the wall by the shoulders.


Kanda lowered his sheath and glowered at him, now at eye level. As much as it was purely out of habit, perhaps 'moyashi' may not ever apply anymore. Lavi came up and clasped Allen by the shoulders, then began shaking him violently, snapping Allen's head back and forth.


"How could you? How long were you gonna keep this from us, man?" Lavi demanded, still shaking him.


Kanda crossed his arms over his chest, Mugen still firmly in his grasp. Still glowering.


Then Lavi suddenly hugged Allen. "You stupid kid…I thought I'd never see you again…" he said, choking on his last words.


Allen breathed and exhaled deeply, patting Lavi on the back. He was hardly a kid anymore but he couldn't blame Lavi for thinking that. After all, it was the last memory he had of Allen.


"Did you follow Lenalee here?" Allen asked.


"No, no one can follow her if she wants to shake you off. She takes off using her boots and I can't even tell what direction she went."


"Then how…?" Allen wondered aloud.


"Komui sent us. He thought if you were alive, you'd be near or around this circus for some reason," replied Kanda.


"What does Komui want?" asked Allen, not sure of where this would lead them all.


"He just wants to know you're all right. Lenalee isn't saying a thing to anyone because she's so paranoid though she's walking around like she's seeing rainbows and puppies all the time," reported Lavi.


"It's disgusting," added Kanda with a sniff.


"Look, no one else is going to know about this, Allen. We're not going to make this a habit. But we had to see you, do you understand? And also, if you need anything, you just have to tell us. There isn't anything Komui won't do to protect you," said Lavi.


"He could start with not sending the whole Order out to see me…" started Allen, wryly, though he couldn't express in words just how wonderful it was to see them…even Kanda.


"Tch," rebuked Kanda. "If the heat is coming, we'll make sure you know."

Allen nodded, thankful.


"Now…we're supposed to be off on our respective missions but, since we're here, why don't you show us around the circus a bit, eh, Allen?" Lavi said as he draped an arm around Allen's shoulders. "Waddya do around here? Can you get us some free stuff?"


"Not with you dressed like that!" shouted Allen, as he pointed to the very obvious Exorcist's garb on both of them. "Come back in layman's clothes next time!"


"Okay, okay, you're right. But just remember, you invited us back," Lavi said, smiling snidely, though his eyes were brimming with unshed tears.


Allen sighed and conceded to that defeat.


As Lavi and Kanda turned to leave, Allen felt more relieved than anything. To see for himself that Lavi and Kanda were all right was more than he could ask for, especially when he could not ever seek them out personally. As he pushed himself off of the wall to go, he noticed Kanda had stopped in his tracks ahead of him. For a moment, he felt unsure of what to say to Kanda after all that had happened with Alma and his last encounter with him that nearly brought the 14th completely into being. But Kanda only turned to look over his shoulder at Allen, nodded once firmly, and then continued on. Allen supposed it was the biggest gesture one could receive from Kanda and he gladly accepted it.


As he headed toward the circus grounds, Allen realized that, at last, his world was slowly coming back together, piece by piece. His friends, who never stopped caring for him, would soon fill up those empty years that he had spent alone in the depths of his mind. And he would keep walking, keep living, as he had promised his father, even if it was outside of the Order. And he would ever start the mornings and end his nights with the first girl he ever met and wanted to know.


THE END (FOR REALLY REALS)


Thanks for reading!!! :-)

[Llaimrid]

uhm...there's a part where the contents are doubled...here..

"What happened to them afterwards?" Lenalee asked tentatively, unsure of whether it was all right to ask or if it was something she should let alone.


"Honestly, I don't know, Lenalee. When it was finally time to resurface within myself and fight alongside the 14th, it was years after I had arrived. I saw Lavi and Bookman had been recruited somehow but they didn't know I was still there. For all they knew, it was just the 14th using my Innocence. The war lasted months. With such destructive powers and resilience between them, it was hard to get the upper hand and keep it. I was afraid for Lavi and Bookman because they were like thin sheets of paper thrown into a mill. In the end, it was just me, the 14th, Rhode, Tyki and Lavi. I didn't know how to mourn for Bookman and Lavi was close to death himself. But I was no longer Allen and the 14th had gained more strength in the years he had my form to himself. I couldn't say anything to Lavi, I couldn't tell him I was sorry or tell him I missed all of you and wanted to go home."


Lenalee had reached over to hold his hands then, feeling the sorrow of never being able to go home close to her heart but also relieved in knowing they both found their way back to it, respectively.


"He told Lavi not to concern himself with me and sent him back home almost immediately. I was grateful, even if I couldn't say goodbye," said Allen, ruefully.


"But he sent you back, too, Allen-kun. How…why…?" Lenalee felt strange asking that last part because if she could say anything to the 14th now if she had the chance was to thank him for sending Allen back. But she could not understand how it was possible.


"Why?" repeated Allen, as he thought back to the inner dialogue he had had with the 14th after he sent Lavi back. "He said that he wanted me to live because…because Mana would have wanted me to…because Mana loved me as much as he loved him and he would never destroy something so precious to his brother."


"Oh, Allen-kun…I'm so happy for you…" was all she could say before she had embraced him then. She knew that, for most of his life, the doubt that poisoned Allen's heart was in not knowing whether his adoptive father truly loved him for himself or if it was because he knew of the 14th's soul within. The Noah had confirmed for Allen that he was the sole reason Mana lived and loved.


"Then, abruptly, I felt him leave me," continued Allen, as he held onto Lenalee. "I knew I was whole again and my body was mine. But before I was sent back here, I saw the body of Cyril start to move. I had no doubt he was dead since it was my hand that killed him but it may be that the 14th took over his body. Though I can't say for sure, I think they are going to start to recover and rebuild as a family. And then maybe…maybe they'll come back to live among us. After all, they found a reason to save humanity, as if we were the animals in the Ark this time."

it's a bit confusing so you should edit this ^^

---------- Post added at 08:52 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:51 AM ----------

btw..i love your fan fic!! i just wish that things were this simple in dgm...so all of them will have happy endings ahahha

[Sinamon]

oooh thanks for catching that!!! you can tell i was doing a lot of cutting and pasting in here to fit everything in with the 10K character limit per post :-/ i edited it so it should flow the way it's supposed to now.

i firmly believe in happy endings (because there are just too many sad endings in the world). so you'll always get some form of that in my fanfics :-) it may not be rainbows and puppies all the time but i usually don't kill anyone off or have someone left miserable.

thanks so much for reading this fic and letting me know about the double content . i'll post a few more new ones soon!

[Llaimrid]

ahahah GO!! ehehehe i really love it!! i am proud to say that i read my favorite parts twice or thrice ahahha(those parts are very long so it's reasonable enough that only read it twice or thrice ahahah) well, you're welcome about the double content! ^^ i want others who will read this will not be confused ahahha

i shared my experience after i read this fanfic in fb.. ahahha someone asked me on where i read this..ahah well of course i shared it because things like this are supposedly to be shared ^^

yeah..i also want happy endings..but one time in my life..i got so sick of happy endings in animes ahahha because it makes me feel sad that after that happy ending..there's no epilogue or something..but now..gosh..i really hope that something like this will be the end of dgm !! >//<

[Sinamon]

ahahah GO!! ehehehe i really love it!! i am proud to say that i read my favorite parts twice or thrice ahahha(those parts are very long so it's reasonable enough that only read it twice or thrice ahahah) well, you're welcome about the double content! ^^ i want others who will read this will not be confused ahahha

i shared my experience after i read this fanfic in fb.. ahahha someone asked me on where i read this..ahah well of course i shared it because things like this are supposedly to be shared ^^

yeah..i also want happy endings..but one time in my life..i got so sick of happy endings in animes ahahha because it makes me feel sad that after that happy ending..there's no epilogue or something..but now..gosh..i really hope that something like this will be the end of dgm !! >//<

wow, thanks so much for advocating my fic on your facebook page!!! you'd make a great agent :-DDDD

i do hope that hoshino will not kill off allen and/or lenalee. even if they don't get together romantically, i will be happy if they just survive. if the fearsome foursome (aka OT4) stay alive to the end, i will be ecstatic! after watching a few animes and reading manga that had "realistic," "gritty," "tragic" endings, i only got mad at them. how am i supposed to feel when you make me care about certain characters and spending months, even years getting to know them, and then they get killed off or they never find peace? pissy, that's what.

rurouni kenshin was (and still is) one of my favorites. the manga gave him a peaceful ending. but then the samurai x OVA's took his life and just made it unbearably more sad and tragic in the end. like his life needed more tragedy, really. if anyone deserved peace, it was THAT guy. okay, ranting over :-)

thanks you so much for supporting this fic by reading and telling your friends about it. i'm touched.

[Rhode]

I liiiiikeeee!!!

I tend to not read fanfics because they're often confusing etc

I liked this one though! really good! I love how you linked it all up!
The only things I dislike;
Tyki's evilness
Bookman's death
happy ending (but I'm just cruel so you can ignore this one :P)

You dont have to change it, just letting you know that those things upset me > XDD

I REALLY like how Chaoji is missing and never turns up. Lenalee doesn't even list him in her reasons to cry (again!)

I WANT ALLEN TO BE IN A CIRCUS! (he'd be great!!)
And I love the conversation;
"...she's walking around like she's seeing rainbows and puppies all the time," reported Lavi.
"It's disgusting," added Kanda with a sniff.

(heeey, Hatfield, loving the local factor ;P )

Some parts were quite confusing though... when Allen is explaining to Lenalee what happened... I thought Lenalee was talking when it was supposed to be Allen! It really confused me, then I realised and had to reread! XD

overall; LOVE

Look forwards to future fanfics from you now

(BTW thank Llaimrid! she's the one who convinced me to read it!)

[Sinamon]

I liiiiikeeee!!!

I tend to not read fanfics because they're often confusing etc

I liked this one though! really good! I love how you linked it all up!
The only things I dislike;
Tyki's evilness
Bookman's death
happy ending (but I'm just cruel so you can ignore this one :P)

You dont have to change it, just letting you know that those things upset me > XDD

I REALLY like how Chaoji is missing and never turns up. Lenalee doesn't even list him in her reasons to cry (again!)

I WANT ALLEN TO BE IN A CIRCUS! (he'd be great!!)
And I love the conversation;
"...she's walking around like she's seeing rainbows and puppies all the time," reported Lavi.
"It's disgusting," added Kanda with a sniff.

(heeey, Hatfield, loving the local factor ;P )

Some parts were quite confusing though... when Allen is explaining to Lenalee what happened... I thought Lenalee was talking when it was supposed to be Allen! It really confused me, then I realised and had to reread! XD

overall; LOVE

Look forwards to future fanfics from you now

(BTW thank Llaimrid! she's the one who convinced me to read it!)

thanks for reading (and big hugs to LLaimrid for strong-arming you into it lol) and for critiquing.

i love tyki-pon. he's a great character (and you know, kinda cute, too :-P) but i like seeing him play that dark side of him which he has in spades. he straddles that line between his noah and human self (i like how he talked about that in the manga) but when he's playing one part, he plays it all the way. of course, in recent chapters, it's gotten more gray and now we're supposed to like the noah apparently so his distinct characterization has become a little more hazy. but that's the road hoshino is going down right now.

i'm a sucker for happy endings :-) there aren't enough of them so i'm trying to make up for it LOL. there's a time for tragedy and comedy and happiness and i think allen and the gang have too much tragedy between them so i hope to try to balance it out...though i hope not in a goopy, sugary way.

i will try to make it more clear as to who is actually talking. i try to separate the current speaker by the double space between their lines. if they continue speaking from the previous line, i try to include something like "...Allen continued to say" or something to that effect to point out that they're still talking. but i will definitely take your advice and make it more distinct (or at least try to). i have a definite style of writing and, for better or worse, some habits are hard to break.

oooh i see you're in england. i <3 england. i've gone to visit about three times so far (i'm in california) and i always want to go back. trips there are too short. i wanted to use actual locations, such as hatfield house, because they were places i enjoyed visiting or am familiar with. i can't get enough of the country.

thanks again for reading and for your kind words. you may be the one that actually gets me to really like rhode after associating her with you LOL XD

[Llaimrid]

awww thanks sinamon-san, rhode-chan ^^ eheheh you guys are so lucky that you can go to other countries or places away from home.. well here i am stuck in one city and never had the chance to go to the other parts of my own country..TT_TT ehehe

keep up the good work sinamon-san and kepp up the constructive criticism rhode-chan^^ eheheh

im only here to comment and share my thought about this fanfic you guys just decide if it is criticism or not ^^ hehehe ..hmm..i can make my friends read this..(i know a considerable amount of friends who are dgm fanatic because i introduced them the anime XD) an "agent" ,what sinamon-san said ^^ eheheh

[Llaimrid]

......"OOOooohhh, it's very long but i read it alright. you might have been right about that theory because allen's innocence is a clown and a clown copies. but allen is the fourteenth and the fourteenth is a betrayed noah because of what he did to the ark but there maybe other reasons as well.[well, i support the fourteenth for what he did to the ark]the 14th might have felt that same feeling of wanting to save people like allen. the 14th might have noticed that because of the earl's doing, mana is affected and i suppose that the 14th loved mana that much that he would betray the earl.the earl must have killed mana and the fourteenth is already inside allen. allen is the fourteenth ever since he was born. so he should be really destined to fight the earl just like what hevlaska said to him.[i translated hev's prophecy hahah] So in the chapter 1?? the fourteenth said that he wanted to be the earl it maybe because he wanted to stop the war with his own hands. in order to do that, the 14th shall make a bad reputation of himself and to show that he is the greatest evil yet pure like allen. that's why his innocence form is a clown as to hide it's true purpose yet mimicking.
aww!! this is my first post for a theory!! it looks stupid...XP there's something i wanted to add here. i'm sure of that info but it's hard to explain it into words let alone to write it..haha.. sorry if it contradicts..."

i just realized that i had come up with the same conclusion like you did sinamon -san long ago about the reason why the 14th chose to betray the earl..this is a copy of my theory in the musician's room =>why do the earl have the same sword as allen""..