Endless Cycle, a d.gray-man fanfic

This is a one-shot dedicated to… ME! *gets shot*

No, seriously, I wrote this for myself (hah, how vain of me!), because I am really, really sad that the DGM is out of Shonen Jump. Hoshino-sensei is not only sick, but she has to look for a new publisher, too!

Oh, and I wrote this for two of my favorite authors in the DGM fandom (one of them hasn't updated anything for… two years, I think?) Moyashi-neechan and Hane no Zaia. I love them and their pretty little heads to death. They have some of the best ideas and/or plots like "Deviance", "Brother, Father, Wish", "The Fourteenth Apostle" and "The Road to Abaddon". Moyashi-neechan and I come from the same country, too. What a coincidence.

"There is no such thing as coincidences, only hitsuzen." - Ichihara Yuuko, xxxHOLiC.

Anyways, this is my theory of the whole Neah's memory transfer thingy and a past Allen with the same arm but no white hair or the cool-looking scar.

Warning: Contains spoilers. If you haven't read the chapters after the Alma Karma incident, I suggest you to do that first before reading this fic for you people will be confused and the story would be spoiled.

My sources for the whole idea is konkylie's post (#3119) here: forums. mangafox. me/ threads/ 354978-Current-Spoiler-Chapter-Discussion/ page312 (remove spaces). Remember, it's post #3119! There are some manga pages there that highlight whatever you will read in this fic.

Please R & R.

Enjoy!

The clock's hand strikes twelve, and it stops abruptly.

Allen had finally escaped the clutches of the Millenium Earl. When the Earl mutters about Mana's name and how he was the cause of everything, he had seized the opportunity to grab Johnny, hide him in a safe place, and fight against his assailant. However, luck was not on his side

A new Akuma had appeared. It was a Level Five and it chased after him. It was the most gruesome thing he had ever seen in his life. If the Level Four was a bit humanoid and oddly, had wings and a halo, the Level Five had its wings enlarged. Its skin still had its metallic color, but it was very much lighter; the color almost looked like a mix of silver and white. The soul attached to it, was the exact opposite. As the Akuma had taken a lighter shade, its soul was so violet it was almost black.

Though he tried to fight it, the Akuma had proved to be stronger than him; and now, Allen had no choice but to escape— especially since crosses had started to appear on his forehead and his eyes flickered from silver-gray to golden yellow. His skin was darkening, making him snap out of his tired stupor in alarm.

"Sleep and let me take over, Allen," He heard the Fourteenth say.

'Never will I,' Allen was losing control bit by bit. 'give my body to you…!'

The white-haired teen panted as he headed straight to a dark alley. 'How am I supposed get them of my tail?' He had come up with three ways: sneaking out, hide for the remainder of the day or until the Earl leaves, and opening a door from the Ark.

'That's it!' Allen bit his lip in frustration. It was risky, for the Level Five could find him because of it. Neah could also use that opportunity to awaken and trap him in his mind again. However, he had no other options. Sneaking away would prove to be difficult with the Earl and his Akuma as vigilant as ever, and they would eventually find him if he hid.

Singing the Fourteenth's song in his head, a bright white portal appears on Allen's side. As he predicted, it had caught the attention of the Akuma that had been chasing him. Taking haste, the white-haired teen stood up—albeit with difficulties—and slowly limped to the Ark's door. He had broken his left ankle during the encounter with the Earl.

This action had lowered his guard drastically. The Akuma had severed its right arm and turned into hammer, tossing it in Allen's general direction. He did not foresee the Level s assault, and ended up with a severe head injury; making him slowly lose his consciousness. Allen's head started to bleed because of the strike and his body swayed slightly.

'No!' He thought in panic. If he lost consciousness, the Fourteenth would take over. Using his every last ounce of strength, Allen had pulled his arm and brought out the Sword of Exorcism. He stabbed himself on his chest. Though it may prove to be useless, the sword could render the Noah inside him immobile.

Neah had started screaming inside his mind— bringing about a migraine. The Noah had managed to control Allen's right arm to pry the weapon out of their shared body. He continued to yell in pain and agony as he pulled it out and he willed it to make it return to its original state.

"You… won't get rid… of me easily, Allen," The Noah was hyperventilating. "I won't let… you."

The white-haired teen made his second attempt of forcefully removing the Noah inside him. He had repeated what he had done, and it proved to make Neah's control over him slip. The crosses on his forehead was gone, his golden eyes had reverted back to silver-gray, and his darkened skin turned pale. For some reason though, the pentagram scar on his face had started to fade. Light smoke came out from his left eye.

Before he could ponder over it, he had already succumbed to the darkness and fell into the portal. Completely out cold, he had no grasp of the Fourteenth's powers and the door shattered after he entered it, giving no way for the Akuma to follow.

In the distance, the Earl was displeased.

"You won't escape me, Allen Walker~!"

Allen felt really dizzy as if he was ran over by a train. He felt at ease, healed, and comfortable. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, blinking. He abruptly sat up as he realized that he was sitting on a bed. Allen looked around and saw that he was in a regular bedroom.

He felt an intense pain in his head. Absent-mindedly, he reached up to his forehead and felt something wrapped around it. 'Bandages? Why would I have them?'

Allen wobbily stood up from his bed and saw a mirror at the side. He stared at his reflection with a sleepy, slightly empty gaze.

A young boy no older than five stared right back at him. The boy in the mirror had auburn hair, gray eyes, and a thick wrap of bloody bandages on his head. He was wearing an oversized shirt that was sliding down his form, giving him a view of something red on his shoulder. Allen had rolled the sleeves to his elbows and was shocked to see a deformed arm with a green cross embedded on the back of his hand, making him gasp in surprise.

"Wha… what is this?!" He yelled in alarm. His outburst seemed to alarm other people, as a short man pushed the door open with great force. Allen was taken by surprise, falling off on the floor. The man had sleek brown hair pulled back from his head, similar to how Tyki's hair was when he wore a suit in his Noah form. He had weird make-up (or was it a tattoo?) around his eyes. He also donned a tattered brown cloak with peculiar designs.

A deep silence fell between them.

"Who are you… and why am I here?" Allen coldly stated as he stared at the short man. Said man stared back and raised an eyebrow, before clearing his throat to answer. 'It seems that I will not regret taking this boy with me, he proves to be more interesting by the minute.'

"You may know me as Bookman. I had found you in a forest, bleeding." The man did not spare a glance at the boy's red arm. He recognized the green cross. According to his knowledge, the arm was Innocence. It wasn't something that he hadn't seen before. "What is your name, boy?" The man doubted that the boy remembered anything because of his head injury.

Now that Allen (he's not aware of this name) thought about it, he had no idea. In fact, he didn't have any idea who he was and where he was from. "I… don't know."

"I knew it," Bookman muttered under his breath. He expected that the brown-haired boy would have amnesia. 'And that makes it all the better to take this boy with me.'

There was something in Allen's eyes that had captured his attention. The man didn't know if it was the guarded glint in the boy's eyes or if it was the slight dull gaze that disconnected him from the rest of the world. However, those kind of eyes were the kind that his clan needed— the eyes that Bookmen should always have: those that lack emotion attachment and those that have worldly indifference.

"Why not stay with me then?" He offered, giving his hand out to the boy. "Would you like to be my apprentice as the next Bookman?"

For little Allen was young and naive, trusting and lacking a purpose in life, he agreed without hesitation.

It wasn't very long when Allen—now dubbed as Bookman Junior or Bookman Apprentice—had fully adapted to his new life. He still doesn't know anything about his past, and frankly, he didn't care. Though he is disappointed that he could not cherish any memories of his childhood prior to his apprenticeship, he enjoyed going on journeys with Bookman, his father-figure.

Allen had proved to be a hard-headed lad, but he sucked in knowledge about different wars like a sponge. It was easy to teach him the ways of the Bookmen clan. The current Bookman, his mentor, was proud of him (but would not say it aloud) and he could not ask for a better student.

Throughout the course of years, the amnesiac boy had grown up to be a fine young man. There were times when his cheekiness would show, but at the end of the day, he was one of the most well-mannered people that Bookman knew. That made the older man happy (though he would not show it). Not only was the brat sly and clever (he was observant when he wanted to be), he learned how to be a proper gentleman, too.

And finally, ten years after his apprenticeship, Allen was ready for his greatest work yet.

He was to record the Holy War with Bookman.

Bookman and Allen stared at the brown-haired teen in front of them. From their memory banks, this person was the Millenium Earl's most trusted member and the only Noah to ever have compassion for humanity. There was something familiar about him, but the brunet apprentice could not pinpoint where he had seen him.

"My name is Neah Walker." The golden-eyed teen slightly bowed. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Bookman and Junior."

"I share the same sentiments, Mr. Walker," The middle-aged man replied smoothly, voice devoid of any emotion. "I shall ask you, though. We are informed that you are a Noah, but we do not know what disciple you are or what Memory you are holding." Neah still had the pleasant smile plastered on his face, as if expecting the question. Maybe he did— amongst those who knew of the Noah's identities, only a few knew about his standing in their family.

"I am the Fourteenth child, the Noah of Destruction, and the Musician of the clan." That statement made both Bookman and Allen's eyes narrow in curiosity, or in the older man's case, he raised an eyebrow. The Musician chuckled at their reactions. His number was to be kept secret but the Earl had given him orders to share information (not too much, though) with the impartial humans. They were recorders of history, after all.

"Pardon my bluntness, but I was under the impression that there were only thirteen Noahs. What changed, Mr. Walker?" Allen inquired before his guardian could open his mouth. "Neither I nor Bookman had heard about a 'Fourteenth'."

"You see," The Noah scratched the back of his head. He felt a bit uncomfortable under the scrutinizing gazes of the historian duo. "I don't really understand it myself. The Earl told me that I held Noah's memories after the Great Flood. This was also the first time that a fourteenth Noah appeared in the clan." The pair ceased their calculating stares, reverting back to their emotionless glances. Even though they were normal humans, they gave the brown-haired teen shivers. It was just unnatural for a person to be that emotionally detached.

"I see," The panda-eyed man murmured. "Thank you for the information." The Noah stepped aside to let him in. When he was out of sight, Allen's face broke into a wide grin, startling the other. He stretched his arms and let out a deep breath. "Finally, the old man's gone! I can relax now."

Neah's eyebrows were furrowed. He was confused. At first, the auburn-haired male was all cold and uncaring, then he was all smiles and flowers. Really, were people of the Bookmen clan bipolar? "Um… what exactly do you mean, Bookman Junior?"

"Bookman is too stiff." He wagged his finger and looked at Neah as if the answer was obvious and the other was stupid. "I can't act like I really do around him! He'll hit me if I don't behave like a proper historian." The Noah nodded in sympathy. During his first time with the Noah family, the Earl had forced him to learn proper etiquette and fine dining. He would be struck on the head or kicked around if he didn't do it right. Suffice to say, their methods worked.

"Oh, and call me Alain, Mr. Walker~," Allen said in a sing-song manner. It was the attitude of his 47th persona, the one specifically made to gather information from the Earl and the Noahs. He had to act like a carefree man who tries to hide his quirks from his mentor. He had to act like an airhead with a spunky sense of humor. "It sounds better than plain old 'Junior'," He faked a grimace. The other didn't notice.

"Alain… then in exchange, you will call me Neah. It's only fair." The brunet apprentice nodded, not finding anything wrong about the offer. "Alrighty, if you say so~!"

"Well then, welcome to the Noah family, Alain."

Allen, or Alain as he was called by the Earl and the Noah, had gotten friendly and a bit attached to a few. Namely, Neah, the Fourteenth's human brother, and a servant boy. He got along quite nicely with the others, too, just not as close.

The Noah family had fourteen members. The first was the patriarch, Adam Walker, the Earl himself. The Second child was Tryde, the Noah of Judgment; whose human name was Ledon. The Third was Joyd or Eden Parkinson, Noah of Pleasure, his Poker buddy, and Ledon's cousin. Eden's older half-brother was the Fourth, Dezaiasu or Willard Parkinson, Noah of Desire. Fifth was a white-haired teen named Wisely or Favian Mendel, Noah of Wisdom. The Noah of Corrosion and Sixth disciple was Fiidora or Crowther Evans, a wealthy Englishman. The Seventh was Akuno Kannon, Kannon Akuno in English, who was the Noah of Pity or Mercy.

The Eighth was the Noah's Wrath, a burly greek man named Odysseus. The Ninth was his female confidante, Road Kamelot, Noah of Dreams. The Tenth and Eleventh children shared one memory. Together, they were Bondomu or Liana, a beautiful blond-haired woman. Separated, they were Liane and Anna, French delinquents with gothic tastes. They were the first females to become the 'Bonds' of the family. Twelfth was Lustul or Bastet, a shape-shifting Egyptian lady who loved cats. Next was the Thirteenth, Maitora or Wiley, an orphan who held the 'Ability' of the Noahs. Last was Neah himself, the prized Musician of the Noahs.

Nobody knew why there were fourteen members.

This was one of the main reasons why Alain (Allen) had to act all buddy-buddy with the Noahs. They didn't seem to notice. The Bookman pair had often tried to coax out answers from the Millenium Earl, but the man wouldn't budge. However, with the man's constant smile, the two could not read his expression to determine whether or not the fatso was lying.

Bookman and Allen had made several hypotheses on the issue. The older proposed that the new memory arose because the Noahs had recently discovered the Ark, their dimensional transportation. The younger thought that Neah's memory had existed before, and only became the 'Fourteenth' because the Noah of Bonds split into two.

Anyways, what they both didn't expect was for Junior to get attached to the family, in spite of their bloodlust and sadistic tendencies. They too, like him, had lost hope in humanity. He, because of the wars he had recorded with his mentor, as well as how people treated him after seeing his deformed arm. The Noahs, because humans are corrupt and selfish, only thinking about themselves. The two sides had found kinship with each other and it wasn't long until their relationships became true.

Alain freely showed his emotions.

Alain was not impartial anymore, siding with the Noahs without hesitation.

Allen was becoming Alain, a mere persona.

Bookman feared that his apprentice would one day become too attached but did not do anything. When he had asked the younger about his feelings and his future, the teen had given him a confident smile, winning the older man over.

"Sure, I'm considering them precious… but they're just ink on paper. We will leave them one day, because I will be the Bookman after you."

He had accepted the answer, but his lack of action would one day prove to be too late.

"Hey, Alain!" Neah waved, and an older teen with the same shade of dark brown hair was behind him. He wore a crisp suit, and his hair (which was longer than Neah's) was tied into a ponytail. The apprentice was slightly shocked to see him because he resembled the Earl in his human form, a lot. He placed his book down on the table and decided to walk towards the pair who barged into the library.

"Neah, how nice to see you~!" He laughed and stared at the Noah's companion, a calculating gleam appearing in his eyes. "Who's this?"

The Noah of Destruction pushed the other forward. "This is my older brother, Mana D. Campbell. You're probably wondering why we have different surnames, right?" He scratched his head after seeing the questioning look on Allen's face. "Well, we're orphans. A few years ago, our mother, Cornelia, adopted Mana but not me because she couldn't handle two kids at the same time. She promised to come back for me, but my Noah awakened before that could happen, so the Earl took me in."

"I see," Allen murmured. "Will the Earl be accomodating for Mana and Cornelia?"

"Yeah, he said he would." Neah was very happy. Not only was his Noah family here, his human one, too!

The Bookman Apprentice extended his hand out. "Nice to meet you, Mana. I'm Bookman Junior, but you can just call me Alain." He smiled brightly. "I hope we can be friends~!" The somewhat shy brother of Neah, after contemplating for a few seconds, shook hands with him. An equally bright smile appeared on his face. "The pleasure's all mine, Alain."

"Oh, no, it's on me!"

"No, I insist that it's on me."

Their smiles were blinding for the neglected Noah. They were also creeping him out with the sparkles around them. Neah sighed. Two jovial people had joined forces, both heads filled with flowers. Allen was quite the airhead at times.

Slowly but surely…

"Mana, Neah, see what I found!"

Allen had skipped his Bookman duties to slack off with the brothers, again. The brown-haired apprentice had a puppy in his arms. He had a few spots of dark fur on him, but other than that, the canine was white all-over. The brothers shared a knowing look. They both knew that brunet was one who could not turn a blind eye on the needy— especially distressed animals.

"That's a cute little fella," The older brother commented.

"I know, right?"

Neah smiled. "What are you going to do with it?"

The apprentice furrowed his eyebrows. "It's a he, and I'm gonna keep him." He rubbed his cheek on the pup's head. The Noah frowned a bit. "Won't Bookman disapprove of you having a pet?"

Allen seemed horrified. "Oh, no! I won't be able to take care of him. Unless," A mischievous grin replaced his previous expression. "someone would watch him in my stead." Neah had a look of epiphany on his face. He knew that 'look'. It was that same look that had sent him in trouble for many times already. He immediately crossed his arms. "Nope. There's no way Mana and I would take care of that mutt. I have Noah work and my brother's practicing on his circus acts." He stood firm and it appears nothing would change his mind.

Neah made a mistake glancing at them, though.

"Oh, Mana! Why is your brother so cruel? What about this poor, sweet little dog? He won't survive by himself!" He flailed his arms around dramatically. The Noah felt his eye twitch.

Mana had a patient smile on him. "I'm sure we can all work this out, Alain. I'm sure my brother would understand." The trio—yes, including the little fella—looked at Neah with the biggest doe eyes the Noah had ever seen. They even had some tears glistening at the corners, too. Faking a sniffle, the pair had talked with the sweetest voice ever as they held the puppy out to the other. "Please, Neah, please!"

The Fourteenth knew he had lost this battle. Slightly shaking, he took the dog from their grasps. "F-Fine. We'll name him Allen because Alain found him." How ironic that the puppy's name was so, and that Allen himself had a different variation of it. The puppy licked Neah's nose when he brought it to his face, making the Noah's heart melt at the adorable sight.

Mana and Allen huddled on the sidelines.

"I can't believe that he totally fell for it," The older brother said loudly, not bothering to hide his surprise.

"Told you Neah's a sucker for puppy dog-eyes," The brunet snickered. The Noah of Destruction had an angry red blush on his face after he heard Alain (not Allen, that's the dog now) speak.

"Shut up!"

…he didn't want to…

"So you're Cross, hm?" Alain brought out a magnifying glass out of nowhere, squinting his eyes at the red-haired child before him, before pocketing it after getting a good all-over of the kid. "Be glad that Marian's not your first name," He quipped randomly. Cross's face heated up in embarrassment as he clenched your fists.

"D-Don't say my surname out loud, stupid!" The apprentice merely scratched the back of his head. He stared at Road who had placed her hands on the kid's shoulders. "Why'd you bring him to me?"

"Bookman requested someone to show you sorcery. Marian right here," She ignored the 'hey!' from said ten year-old redhead. "is one of the best sorcerers we have. Neah brought him here three years ago. He can also understand Latin and Japanese so you can give him nicknames!" She gave a devious grin. "I personally call him Marian-chan. He likes being called by a pet name, no matter how much he denies it!" Paying no heed to the kid's splutters, the Noah of Dreams waved goodbye to the duo before leaving the room.

He laughed and rolled on the floor subsequent to learning about the other's supposed fetish. By now, Cross's face was as red as his flaming crimson hair. After a while, he immediately stood up and grinned at the younger male. Oh, he was so going to have fun with this! "You're my temporary servant now. The name's Alain, and you shall address me Master!"

"And why the fuck should I do that?"

Alain looked amused and feigned shock. "You like pet names, right? That means you're the kinky type, Ma-ri-an-chan~." He stressed out the syllables on the other's name, taking relish in Cross's utter humiliation. The apprentice pointed his finger towards the door and spoke in a wannabe-haughty tone. "Now go and take a bath, slave! You are in the presence of a beautiful being. Filthy things don't deserve to bask in my glory!"

"W-What? You've got to be kidding me!"

"No, seriously, you stink. Go on and clean yourself, kiddo. Then we can start with the sorcery-thingamajig."

…leave them anymore.

Two years had passed, and he was seventeen now.

Bookman and Alain had just returned from their little historical excursion. When they had arrived at the Noah mansion, it had been quiet— too quiet. The middle-aged man brought out his Innocence, Heaven's Compass. He only used it when defending against the occassional Akuma. Anyways, something was definitely amiss. The air was thick and the aura of the house had an eerie feeling to it. It made the brunet's skin crawl.

"Keep your guard up, idiot apprentice!" The man barked out at the other. Alain nodded and had an offensive stance, just in case. The pair wandered around the house, but still no sign of the occupants. It was only until they entered the dining room that they felt completely threatened.

There, on top of the dining table, was Favian's corpse.

He was bloody all over and his body was bended awkwardly. Some of his bones had stuck out of his skin because of his limbs' misplaced positions. The two, because they were trained to block their emotions, didn't bat an eyelash at the sight. However, deep down, Alain felt queasy. His mind kept running in circles. What happened during the couple of weeks they were gone? How did he die, he was a Noah, wasn't he? Weren't Noahs supposed to be 'superhumans', as they had dubbed themselves?

The apprentice didn't want to face the truth for he had become attached to the Noahs, but he couldn't deny it. The Black Order, the Earl's enemy, didn't know of this location, so the only logical explanation would be… he bit his lip anxiously.

A Noah had betrayed the Millenium Earl.

But who?

They heard a loud crash upstairs. The Bookman pair exchanged looks before nodding at each other. Alain stayed behind to investigate Favian's death, and because Bookman was the more experienced Accomodator. A few moments after, an explosion echoed from above, opposite to the direction where his mentor went to. The brunet sent one last glance towards the deceased Noah before heading off to the source of the sound.

Along the way, he had seen the dead bloody carcasses of the other members. Ledon, Kannon, Odysseus, Liane and Anna— even Bastet, the nimblest Noah, had not escaped death. The teen hurried before anyone else could get hurt. If the Noahs fell, what about Cornelia, Mana, and Cross? They were just regular humans. They can't protect themselves from whatever threat there may be!

He stopped in front of the door at the end of the hall. He heard rambicious laughter from inside. Dread pooling in the pit of his stomach, Alain's eyes widened when he saw the Earl and the Fourteenth. Adam held an unconscious and heavily-injured Road in his arms. Meanwhile, Neah was holding the Earl's sword in his left, lying in a pool of blood.

"Traitor, you dare choose your human family over us? And using my own sword at that, too." Adam grounded the words from his mouth, a miasma of Dark Matter surrounded his body. "Then die there, drown in agony. Despair at the fact that you were not able to kill me. Despair at the fact that your mother is gone, and that you weren't able to protect your precious brother." The fat man guffawed as he disappeared in a flash of pink light, bringing Lero with him.

When the coast was clear, Alain stepped inside and saw the damage of the fight. Blood was splattered on the once luxurious lounge room. On the left side, Eden and Willard, held hands even in death. The Parkinson brothers were impaled to a wall by a lance with green sparks on it. The brunet's eyes narrowed. Innocence. On the right was an unconscious Mana and Cross, with Allen (the dog) licking their hands, trying to wake them up. Timcanpy, Neah's golem, was hovering just above them.

The Earl's words rang in his head.

Traitor… Neah had betrayed the Noahs?

He went to the bloodied Musician's side and knelt down beside him. He held the other's wrist and tried to feel a pulse. He had one, but it was faint. It was no surprise. After connecting the dots and figuring out that Neah killed everyone, he was sure that his friend would lose against the Earl.

"I failed… mother, Mana, and even Cross… I'm sorry…" The Fourteenth silently cried in frustration. Alain felt enraged and he slapped him, hoping to put some sense into him. He grabbed the other's collar. "Why, Neah? Why did you betray the Earl?"

"The Earl killed mother," He murmured. The apprentice went rigid at that. Adam had killed Cornelia, an innocent civilian.

"Mana accidentally found out about Adam's real plans," He said the man's name with pure malice. "and had told mother about it. She confronted the Earl and he killed her." Poor Mana, he was at the wrong place at the wrong time and being the biggest worrywart there is, he had confided in Cornelia hoping to find some comfort.

"What is he planning, anyway?"

"He planned to sacrifice all of us Noah to give himself a power boost." He coughed. "After I told everyone else, it's either they didn't believe me, they did, or they went on a rampage." Neah cleared his throat to continue. "Kannon, Wiley, and Odysseus believed me. Ledon, Eden, Bastet, and Road didn't. The rest went crazy and I had no other choice but to kill them."

"So, Kannon, Wiley, and Odysseus fought and died by the Earl's hands, huh," Bookman Junior solemnly said. It was sad— none of them had foreseen the coming tragedy. "Well, what are you going to do now?"

"Nothing," Neah whispered dejectedly.

And after fighting valiantly against Adam, he was going to give up?! "Nothing? What do you mean, nothing?!"

"The Earl is too much for me to handle, and I'm bleeding to death here." He let out a bitter chuckle. He winced when his wound acted up because of his body's shaking from laughter. This was the end. Everything he had done was for naught. "And one day, the other Noahs would be reborn and will wreck havoc again. Since I am an irregular Noah, I don't think I'll be given a second chance. I lost."

"If you're going to give up," Alain felt hot tears streaming down his face. "then use me."

Neah slightly choked and looked down. "Don't even bother, you idiot, you won't succeed!"

"No matter what I attempt, even if it's the most simple of tasks, it always ends in failure. Unfortunately, I find that my life is one big regret after another. Yet, after all these years, I still don't know when to give up. Is it my fault to keep trying when the results are always the same? Is it impossible for me to make things right?"

Alain sighed.

"Even if I'd try to give up, I don't think I could. It's not in my nature to submit in the face of disappointment. In the end, I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment. I really am an idiot… so…" He clenched his fists.

"Neah, use me. I can be someone who can protect your memory."

The Musician felt his unconsciousness seeping in. This was bad. He was really going to die now. "What… are you… saying? You'll… get killed." But none of his words were able to penetrate through the other's resolve. He stood up and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, staring straight into the Fourteenth's eyes.

"I'll do it… even if it takes dozens of years to pass until your awakening, without fail."

He gave no room for arguments. Neah could only smile sadly at him. There was no turning back. He nodded at Alain and placed his hand over his. The Fourteenth closed his eyes and the pink light of Dark Matter appeared on his hand. He started the memory transfer.

Unknown to them, Bookman was just outside the door, watching their every move. He shook his head. If he had acted sooner, then he would not have lost his apprentice. Alas, it was too late now. His student had involved himself further with no way back. He sighed. The middle-aged man stared outside the window parallel to the room.

"The sky is clearer today,"He noted absent-mindedly.

The cycle starts… the wheel of Fate spins.

No longer has Allen have control on his life. Everything falls into the hands of Destiny, giving him all that what is to happen.

Will he just take it, or break it?

His Fate has been sealed.

A brunet was standing in front of a grave. He wore a tattered brown cloak with unusual patterns. He knelt and placed a single flower on the pedestal. It was a Star of Bethlehem. "Did you know, Bookman had agreed to let me go, no questions asked." He had a blank on his face. "I seriously thought that he would be angry with my decision. But I guess, there's nothing he can do. I've already dug my own grave."

He didn't expect a reply from the dead. "If you're wondering, Bookman and I gave proper burials to the Noahs. Mana's in a coma right now, and Allen died in an accident a week ago. I left Timcanpy with Cross just as you asked in that video of yours."

Alain paused. "The brat found an Innocence fragment in Eden's killer flowers. He didn't think that it would've killed the Parkinsons. After finding out that it was compatible with the brat, we infused it in a gun. He called it Judgment," He gave a bitter chuckle. "and he says he's not one for pet names or nicknames. Oh yeah, Cross joined the Black Order to fund Mana's stay in the hospital."

After a bout of silence, he stood and left. A gust of wind blew past him and he gasped in surprise when he heard a voice. He turned his head to look back at the tombstone and saw no one.

"Thank you, Alain."

A smile formed on his lips.

"I won't stop, Neah. I will keep moving forward."

Alain's Innocence, battling with the Noah's memory inside its host's body, had regressed him back into a child and suppressed his own memories. It was to make the ex-apprentice cope up with the sudden changes in him. Twenty-five years had passed and the Alain that Neah knew had turned into a five year-old child named Red.

The bashful Cross Marian had now become a General and one of the most extroverted people in the world. He still has Timcanpy with him and had kept his promise to his savior, the Fourteenth: to watch over his savior's brother.

Bookman eventually found a new apprentice to replace Alain.

Mana had woken up from his coma. The trauma from the death of his mother and the Noah incident had left his mind in tatters. He has become mentally unstable, and he believes that he is still seventeen— two years prior Neah's betrayal. When he found a dog that looked similar to Allen, he had mistaken it for his deceased dog and had given it the same name.

And ten years after Mana and Alain, now Red, had reunited, the Allen Walker we all know and love has come.

No matter what I attempt, even if it's the most simple of tasks, it always ends in failure. Unfortunately, I find that my life is one big regret after another.

Yet, after all these years, I still don't know when to give up. Is it my fault to keep trying when the results are always the same? Is it impossible for me to make things right?

Even if I'd try to give up, I don't think I could. It's not in my nature to submit in the face of disappointment.

In the end, I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment.

I really am an idiot…

Allen had no idea how right his words were.

Though he had said it, he felt that there was something hidden in his own words— something akin to a vague sense of déjà vu.

"Sleep and let me take over, Allen," He heard the Fourteenth say.

'Never will I,' Allen was losing control bit by bit. 'give my body to you…!'

At the split second he was about to sing the Musician's song, he felt something trying to stop him. He didn't know what it was, but he didn't think of using it anymore. It was as if the idea of escaping through the Ark had slipped his mind. Other ideas suddenly formed in his head and he grinned at his own cleverness. Somewhere else, a brunet of seventeen years smiled brightly.

"The cycle has stopped. What would you do now, my old friend Neah?"

And the mysterious teen faded into the darkness.

His job was done.

The clock's hand strikes twelve, and it moves forward.

So, how's this? Is my first one-shot any good? I left a lot of plotholes for your imagination. The official timeskip for Neah's betrayal is 35 years prior canon, in which Allen is 15. Therefore, when he is 5, only 25 years had passed.

Anyways, here is the timeline for Allen/Alain.

5: Allen ends up in a circus

7: Allen meet Mana

15: He becomes an Exorcist

16: He ends up in the past

Cue de-aging because of time-travel…

5: Allen was found by Bookman and becomes his apprentice.

15: The Bookmen pair join the Noahs. Allen uses his 47th alias, Alain (which is a variation of Allen). He befriends a fifteen year-old Neah, a seventeen year-old Mana, and a ten year-old Cross. They found Allen the dog.

17: Neah betrays the Earl. He transfers his memories to Allen/Alain. Bookman strips him of his title. The Innocence in his arm and the Dark Matter (courtesy of the Noah memory) forced him to revert back to a kid without a shred of memory to make him cope up with the changes.

Reset. 25 years later…

Back to the top. Only this time, the past Allen stops the current Allen from using the Ark and the cycle is broken.

Here is the list of the Noahs and their past names (along with the meanings):

1. Earl - Adam (same)

2. Tryde/Toraido - Ledon, Hebrew name which means "Judgment warrior"

3. Tyki - Eden (Parkinson), Hebrew name which means "place of pleasure"

4. Sheryl - Willard (Parkinson), Old English name which means "strong desire"

5. Wisely - Favian (Mendel), Latin name which means "man of wisdom"

6. Fiddler/Fiidora - Crowther (Evans), Old English name which means "fiddler"

7. Mercym/Maashiima - Kannon (Akuno), the Japanese name for the Buddhist deity of mercy

8. Skinn - Odysseus, from the Greek word 'Odyssomai' which means "to hate"

9. Road - Road Kamelot (same)

10/11. Jasdero & Debitto, Jasdebi/Jasdevi - Liane & Anna, Liana, French name which means "bonds"

12. Lulubell - Bastet, Egyptian name for the goddess of felines, love, sexuality, protection, beauty, and grace

13. Mightra/Maitora - Wiley, Old English name which means "crafty"

I had fun writing this long one-shot. Tell me if there are any mistakes because I only wrote it today!