Ace of Spades

Reviews (by Lavi) –

Swirlyblue172 – Stop it, Swirly, you're going to make her head swell. (Me: Shut it, Lavi!) But, yeah, we all go insane in our own special way. (Allen's just a lot more special than others.) (Allen: Lavi…)

Victoria – Eh, sorry for the really long wait. Water Fairy's such a procrastinator. (Me: Like you're not?)

blah – Seriously, how'd this story become so popular and this is why you shouldn't be a procrastinator, Water Fairy. (Me: aklhfdjasdjkadad)

HikariNoTenshi-San, darkrose821, Outsider123456789, FallenHope-Angel, whatthehellwasithinkin, CrimsonKitsune333, kin-kinna, I-Love-Anime0, Hitokiri Shinzui, Rena Walker, xTincampi, AliceOfGrey, VampyreVixen16, Allen Hitori, luvu, Saltyeyes, Okamigakuma, Candaniki, Dragi, yannn, littlemissy3, AnimeCrazed121, angelz2, Heartbringer, music-rox12, MysteryPurplePerson, ChildofStorms, - Thanks for your reviews~!

End Reviews –

Lavi: We apologize for Water Fairy's incompetence.

Water Fairy: I'm getting dissed by a fictional character…greeeeat…

Twelfth Night – The Beginning of the End

I was well aware, for the past week or so, that Levrier was watching me. It was creepy, feeling his snake like eyes watching whatever I did. Sometimes I even shivered as if his gaze was leaving a trail of slime on me. Whatever I did, he was there and watching me. I was thankful that he couldn't follow me into my room. Of course, it was enjoyable hearing Lavi tease Levrier on "how the babysitting was doing". In all honesty, I could care less about what he was implying. I only really cared for was the hilarious reaction the German man had. His cheeks would become a blotchy red and he start snapping at Lavi in German and the redhead would only grin back, answering calmly in Levrier's native tongue. They would continue on for a few minutes, before Levrier would suddenly stop, glaring furiously at Lavi (and me, for that matter), and leave.

Of course, he'd be back minutes later, looking as if nothing had happened, but by then, I was either too engrossed in what I was doing or was zoning to notice him. That's how my life turned out. Being watched by my murderer, living in the Black Order with fearful people, branded a monster. Why did it surprise me so much?

The library had become my permanent residence. After breakfast, I would instantly go into the room, find a random book, and begin to read until lunch. Then I would return and continue until nearly the middle of the night. The next day it would continue. It was my routine now, a rut I hadn't realized I had gotten in. I had to say, by the end of the first week, I had finished one side of a bookcase and Bookman was then nagging on Lavi, asking him why he, as the successor of their profession, couldn't finish one book in the time I finished one bookcase. Lavi then would grumble about missions and life-or-death situations, sending me a half-hearted glare.

Lavi was very cute when he was angry.

I was reading when the letter came. Toma had brought it to me, saying it had just appeared outside the Order's gates. I looked at the envelope in my hands, the heavy parchment crackling under my fingertips. The writing on the front was a scrawl and my name was barely legible. Frowning, though glad that Levrier had to go report to the Vatican, I opened the envelope.

Dear Miss Allen Walker,

I would like to say that the Earl is much impressed at your desire to live. Taking the corpse of a girl was very daring. How do you think your precious God will judge you now? Now, I have not written you to talk about the details of your rebirth, but to call you out.

Miss Walker, come to the old sugar mill on the northern edge of London by two in the afternoon tomorrow. We have some things to discuss. If you refuse, I have an army of Akuma across the Channel waiting for my word.

Hope to see you then,

The Half

I stared at the letter, reading and rereading it for nearly ten minutes, before stuffing it back into the envelope. I was being called out by a servant of the Earl. And obviously Tyki had told the Earl about me. With discontented groan, I ran a hand over my face. My life was so twisted and knotted that I didn't even know what way was up anymore. Death threats shouldn't really surprise me.

"A sugar mill, huh?" I murmured, folding the letter and stuffing it into my pocket. I stood and walked out of the library heading towards my room. "I should write a letter…"

It was hard to sleep at night now. My mind was plagued with constant nightmares and painful memories. My body ached and shivered every time I moved and I had been tossing and turning lately. My room (to me at least) either seemed like a furnace or a freezer. Timcanpy had long since stopped sleeping with me after I had accidently crushed him once. Tonight was no different than normal. I was tossing and turning, groaning as the memories attacked my psyche.

After another round of tossing and turning, I gave up on trying to sleep. What was the point, anyway? I would be leaving the next day. Sitting up, I noticed the clock on the wall said it was two AM. Strike that, I would be leaving later that day. I rubbed my face, groaning. This life as an exorcist was exhausting. Whatever God's plan was for them, I didn't want to be part of it. Standing up, I groped around my room for clothes. I wasn't staying here. The Half, whoever that was, had called me out and I wanted to be there to prove to him that I wasn't a coward. That my change hadn't made me weak.

Minutes later, I was sneaking out of my room, making sure that Timcanpy was not with me. The dark halls of the Order were foreboding, but a swallowed the illogical fear. Just because I was woefully directionally challenged, did not mean that I would get lost. After all, if worst came to worst, I would jump out a window. Crown Clown would protect me. The halls were weirdly fuzzy at certain intervals, but I tried to ignore that fact that my eyesight seemed to be going.

The chilly presence of Alana gave me some solace that in the vast dark world, I was not alone. She followed after me, not talking, but simply staying close. It gave me strength and when I finally reached one of the exits (thankfully not the one with the guardian), I had a new courage. I suppose deciding to sacrifice myself for my friends were a good booster. I was still cold as a corpse, but I had a fire burning in my chest. Navigating through the grounds proved to be difficult when your body was slowly dying, but I managed to get away from the Order in an hour or so. Finding a way to the edge of London proved much harder. It was nearly daylight by the time I found a carriage where the horse didn't immediately try to maim me. Of course, this horse was rather old and seemed to be blind in its right eye, but beggars can't be choosers. (Why they had a half-blind horse was beyond me.)

The ride to the sugar mill was depressingly long and silent. The horse would only walk and I was far too afraid to try and make it go faster. It already looked as if it was going to keel over at any minute anyway. I watched the early morning activities of bakers and other members of society. There were a few shady individuals, but they were easy enough to ignore. Paying attention to my surroundings was an easy way to get my decaying body off my mind. I was becoming very good at noticing little details in buildings or discovering certain ways people acted. Not that it helped much. I could still feel the cold clawing at my body and mind and I knew that I would most likely die –again- at the sugar mill.

"Might as well die saving my friends," I muttered as the old horse bumped along the road. By now I could see the old sugar mill rising behind the rundown buildings of the ghetto. It was dark enough out that I couldn't quite make out details, but then again it could just be fact that the mill was burned.

It was noon when we finally reached the mill. We had stopped for a break near the edge of town and the horse had promptly fallen asleep. I don't know how long we sat there, but I became antsy when the sun had risen high in the sky. By now my friends would realize I wasn't there, but I wouldn't dwell on that. I had two hours until the deadline and I was determined to prove to this "Half" that I was punctual, if not early. The carriage clattered along as the mill finally came into sight completely. I had been right when guessing that it was burned. The brick building was tall and seemed intact, but on one side it was burned and falling apart. That did not bolster my confidence, but no matter. I was walking to my death anyway. Either the Half killed me or I fell.

Climbing out of the cart proved difficult, but I paid it no mind. I was far too preoccupied to even notice the slight pain in my right ankle. This was it. No matter how much I hated making my friends unhappy, I had to do this. I had to leave them. Had to, needed to, wanted to. A twisted smile worked itself onto my face as I practically heard Kanda calling me an idiot. The memories of my funeral came back to me and I sighed, stumbling to the mill. I'd make them sad again. I'd make them hurt. But I needed to do this. I didn't want to live like an Akuma. I didn't want to be a devil. And this was an escape. A way to finally, finally, go on into sweet oblivion.

"…len…coming…the…com…" Alana cried as the sounds of horse's hooves reached my ears. I cursed and hurriedly ran –or stumbled- into the mill.

I ran up the stairs, not knowing how I knew to climb. I just ran until I found the place the Half was.

He was sitting on an old desk, his head propped up by his hand. He had his one leg braced on a chair and he smiled at me, amused to see that I was early. "You're early," he said, grinning. "I'm not surprised."

"You…You're the Half?" I gasped, panting.

He looked human, but I knew he wasn't. His skin was the Noah's gray, but his hair was shock white. His eyes were solid purple, like the aura of an Akuma, and his stigmata were a line of pentacles. He slid off the desk easily and stood, stretching. The Half smiled at me as if we were only there to talk.

"That I am," he remarked, wiping away invisible dust from his tight black shirt. "But you may call me Porphyrion."

"Por…phyrion?" I echoed, not sure why the name sounded familiar. I shook my head, not caring. His name meant nothing to me. He was my doom anyway. "I'm here. Now what do you want to discuss?"

Porphyrion looked idly at a dirty, crumbling book. He tilted his head and then threw it away before turning to me. "I want to discuss the Fourteenth with you. I have an offer from the Earl."

"No." Immediately alarms were ringing in my mind. "I will not join the Earl."

Porphyrion feigned a look of unhappiness. "Pity. I'll just kill you then."

"Allen!" The shout startled me. I had forgotten that I was not alone at the mill. I turned to the door, hoping against hope he wouldn't find it.

"Oh?" Porphyrion's voice sounded gleeful. "You brought friends."

"No! I didn't!" I said, whipping around. "They followed me!"

Porphyrion cocked his head, looking amused. "I don't care. The more exorcists I get to kill, the happier I'll be."

"…so you're the Half then?" I felt colder at the sound of Lavi's voice. Why was he here? No, no, no, no.

"Yes, I am," Porphyrion said watching purple flames flicker across his hand. "But pleasantries were past awhile ago." With that he lunged forward.

I don't know if he was aiming for Lavi intentionally, or not, but I remember jumping in front of him and feeling his hand slid through my chest. Almost immediately, I felt my heart stop and I collapsed, sliding off his arm. Porphyrion looked disappointed as if I had ruined his whole plan. My vision was blackening and I heard Lavi's running footsteps as an echo. He was crying my name, but I was incoherent. The blackness was swallowing me again.

And I didn't fight it.

"What am I going to do with you, Allen Walker?"

The voice was loud and quiet. It was male and female. Here and there. Angry and calm. Happy and sad. A confusing sound of pure power.

I was in darkness. That was the second thing I was sure of. A vast space of just blackness. I looked around and was startled at the being of pure light standing before me. It hurt my eyes and yet didn't. It made me want to cry and laugh. It made me angry and yet it gave me peace.

"Who…are you?" I asked, knowing exactly who the light was.

"I am that I am," it answered, the light pulsing at each syllable. "And you, Allen Walker, are truly a complicated one." I gulped and nodded, unsure if I should agree or not. "You have died, not once, not twice, but thrice. You want to help your friends, but rebel against the Church in which they work. You fight the Earl, but deep down believe such things he says because of who you host."

"The Fourteenth," I murmured only just realizing the masculine tone of my voice. "I'm…a male again?"

"Of course," God said. "And yes, Neah Walker, that is the Fourteenth, is who you host."

"Neah? Is that his name?" I was dumbfounded. I never realized that the Fourteenth might have an actual name. "But…I should be dead. I am dead. Why am I not in Hell? Or at least Purgatory?"

The light rippled as God chuckled. "You, Allen Walker, are an anomaly in the great scheme of things. You die when you should not. You unravel threads that were never supposed to unravel. And you are important. More important than you will ever know. You must live. That is why you keep coming back. Why you can never truly be defeated. Why the Fourteenth needs you so much."

"But…" I shook my head. "The Order finds me an abomination. I…I can't return to them. I have died and come back twice in their eyes. Once my Innocence saved me. The second…I took over the dead body of a girl. Am I not like an Akuma?"

"Alana gave up becoming an angel for you," God told me gently. "It is not every day we find a child so pure to give them the choice to join us as an angel. But she gave that up, so that you could continue your work as an exorcist. But now you have died again and this time the body you shall receive is far greater than the ones you've had before. You will be my prophet, Allen Walker. You will become my nephil."

"Nephil? Like…a half angel? Weren't those hated by you and the angels?" I gasped, looking shocked.

"Ah, but that is why you will become my nephil," God responded. "The only nephil that will ever be a prophet for me. Will you become my prophet, Allen Walker? Will you rise up again, this one, last time?"

I stared the light that was God. I stared and stared and knew what I had to do. But I was fearful. I did not wish to return to the Order. I didn't want to return to my life. But I knew that I had to. Taking a deep breath, I looked at the glowing mass that was God.

"I will."

What happened next, I would never remember. I felt like ice and I felt like fire. I felt needles digging into my skin and I felt soft downy blankets wrapping around me. I remember blinding white light and sweet, cool darkness. And then I was standing in front of the Half.

I could have been gone a few moments, but he was beaten and bruised and his eyes widened in shock. I heard a gasp behind and halfway turned to see Lavi brandishing his Innocence protecting the dead body of Alana and mine. No longer was my arm attached to it and its hair was once again brown. I returned my attention to Porphyrion and smiled.

"God has spoken," I murmured, relishing the masculine tones. "He does not approve of you."

I lunged forward, Crown Clown activating in a flash of dazzling light. I swung the blade at him and he jumped away, scowling. He had not expected another rebirth. He had not expected me to be here fighting him. I hadn't expected it either, but I didn't care at the moment. If I could just get this infernal devil away from Lavi, I would be fine. I charged Porphyrion, slashing as his abdomen. He jumped back and hissed in pain. So I hadn't completely missed him after all. He cursed colorfully and sent a wave of purple fire at me. I had barely enough time to dodge the fire when Porphyrion came rushing at me.

Somehow, as we fought, I pushed him to the broken area of the floor which over looked the burnt half the mill. Porphyrion looked behind him, still scowling. He turned to me and a sadistic smile formed on his face as he took a step back. Gasping, I rushed forward as he fell, only to be buffeted by gusts of wind.

"What?" I exclaimed at the large demonic wings coming from his shoulders. I scowled.

"Well, Walker, it seems to me your unable to die," Porphyrion said, smirking. "But remember, that's not always a good thing."

He began to fly away and on a crazy impulse, I jumped after him. What I expected was to fall, not feel the muscles in my back contract and me rush upwards. My eyes widened and I glanced over my shoulder at the magnificent pair of wings on my back. They were pure white except for the feathers on the tips of the left wing which were black. God's words flowed through my head as I rushed after Porphyrion.

"You will become my nephil."

Flying was exhilarating. I relished the feeling as I chased after Porphyrion. I had to stop him before he reached his Akuma or the Earl.

"Porphyrion!" I roared and he turned just as a wave of pure Innocence energy slammed into his face.

The sound he made could only be described as unholy. It clutched his face, screaming as his body bubbled. In a dazed rage, he charged me, not noticing the blade I thrust through his chest. He gurgled, eyes widening as the Innocence purged him. He pushed away from me, looking down at the blood-oil on his hands. Porphyrion raised his head to look at me and then he imploded.

I flew back to the mill in a daze, stumbling on the landing. Everything seemed like a dream. I was alive and I was a boy. I was now a nephil, a half-angel, but I was alive. No longer was I inhabiting an already dead body. This body was warm and alive and created by God. I couldn't help smiling.

"Al…len?" Lavi asked, looking stunned. Oodzuchi Kodzuchi hung limply in his right hand, inactive. He looked questionably at me, eye roaming across me. "You…but how…?"

I smiled weakly and shrugged. "I've learned not to look a gift horse in the mouth." I walked towards him, stumbling. Lavi rushed forward and caught me as I lost my balance. Laughing weakly, I stood with his help.

"Ah…I'm not used to this body," I moaned, shaking my head. I could feel the wings on my back and experimentally stretched the muscles. "Huh. So, Crown Clown doesn't have to be activated for me to have wings."

A jolt went through my spine as I felt someone touching my left wing. I blushed as I realized it was Lavi examining it.

"How remarkable," he murmured. He looked almost as dazed as I did. "My God." He chuckled huskily. "Allen, you really need to stop giving me heart attacks, okay?"

I shrugged, not sure if I could agree to that or not. "I'll try not to," I said. My smile slid from my face as a thought struck me. I was no longer a girl so these feelings I had weren't right. God had said nothing of them, but for some reason, I knew he wouldn't mind. "Hey…Lavi?"

"What?" Lavi looked down at me and I was briefly dazzled by the brilliant green of his eye.

"I love you." And then I kissed him. Lavi stiffened very briefly before he pressed his lips more firmly to mine.

"I love you too," he responded the moment we split. We stood for a few moments, close together, relishing each other's warmth. The clatter of the door opening caused me to jump and I turned quickly, folding my wings close to my body.

Lenalee came rushing into the room, cheeks flushed. She was huffing and she looked beyond worried. Her eyes landed on me and she made a strangled sort of noise. Shifting nervously, I gulped and smiled uncertainly at Lenalee. She looked at me and her hands went to her mouth. "A-Allen…you…you're…" she murmured breathlessly.

I nodded, my smile becoming a bit larger. "Yes, I'm male again."

Lenalee rushed forward and embraced me before pulling back, a furious expression on her face. "You were going to sacrifice yourself!" she scolded, her voice breaking slightly.

That, I couldn't deny and grinned sheepishly. "I'm sorry, but I…have been resurrected for the last time now."

"Maybe now you'll learn to be a little less self-sacrificing," Lavi muttered, bumping my arm. He grinned though. "You, Allen Walker, are a lucky son of a bitch."

I laughed as Lenalee scolded him for his choice of words. For such a large vocabulary, Lavi certainly could have a crude way of describing things. But it didn't matter; even if he had said it with more eloquence, I would have agreed with him. I was lucky to be favored by God. And I knew, more than anything, that me becoming a nephil would not keep the Fourteenth at bay for long. But for the moment, though I still had a feeling of foreboding, I would enjoy it, with my friends. I smiled as Lenalee turned to me and began questioning what had happened.

I told her everything as we exited the mill. Lenalee was shocked that I had met God and I wondered if anyone would believe me. Virtually, it would be just like when I had returned as "Aleina". I'm sure that my close friends would believe me and everyone else would look upon me with fear, but it didn't matter. For some reason, I felt stronger and more confident. To remain with my friends, I would take whatever Central would throw at me. For I knew that even if they didn't believe me, my friends would and if I could just have their support, then everything…everything would be all right.

I knew that nothing would be the same, but I would continue on, facing the Earl and his forces and whatever else was thrown my way. As long as my friends were with me…as long as I was with them…I was sure I would be able to handle anything.

X-X-X

OMG. I actually finished a story! Excuse me as I freak out.

Does the happy dance.

I'm good now. Thank you for everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and alerted this! I know I took forever to finish, but now that it is, I hope you'll forgive me. I know certain chapters are choppy and don't flow very well or are too fast, but I hope you still liked it. I may or may not go back and rewrite certain chapters. I know I said there would be a sequel, but there won't be. I'm sorry if I'm crushing hopes, but I am thinking of creating another D. Gray-man fanfic. :D

Again, thank you all for reading Ace of Spades!