Title: Forever Walking

Author: thebizarrehairtrio

Summary: Immortality wasn't what he expected. The aging and de-aging randomly wasn't either, but he managed. It was how the world bloomed into being, descended from those wretched Noah, that surprised him. Humans really were foolish creatures. (An insight on who Past!Allen may have been.) (Some canon divergence.)

Rating: T

Category: Dark/Adventure

Pairings: None

Warnings: Scheming!Past!Allen, Feigning-Ignorance!Current!Allen, Immortal!Allen, Semi-AU.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, D. Gray-Man belongs to Hoshino Katsura. (But I am working on it.)

A board of black and white, clean and diverse.

He studied the pieces carefully, all in messy patterns that had no relevance to one another at all. At least, to anyone but him. But he could decipher it. Only he.

He spared a glance to the dark mahogany chest, as tall as your average table but at least a third of the size, shoved into the corner carelessly. An opalescent green light, like always, shone through in tiny rays between the cracks, and it creaked and rattled every few minutes, like the thing it held inside was alive. Which it really wasn't.

An inhuman grin split his face suddenly, but disappeared as soon as it came, regressing to the previous pensive frown like it had never materialized in the first place.

He let out a soft exhale, a bored sigh, staring intently at the black king piece, off the board and on the table. His fingernails tapped on the wood restlessly, and a humorless smirk curled his lips.

There was nothing to do. The Earl and his clan of Noah had disappeared the moment the wielders of Innocence, him included, failed to destroy them. The wielders were gone, souls devoured by that so-called 'Crystal of God' and trapped forever inside the vile substance.

He wondered when the war was finally going to pick up again.

Perhaps not for thousands of years, his subconscious muttered.

I'll die! he complained jokingly. Or go crazy!

You're immortal, it reminded him. And you currently are talking to yourself, so perhaps you already are crazy?

He sighed again, then snatched up the king piece, twirling it in between fingers. He could wait. He was patient. If there was anything being immortal taught him, it was the ability to wait.

He gently placed the piece amidst its fellows, then let the inhuman grin settle on his face, unbidden.

Make sure to put on a good show, Earl.

Though… Will you be able to win without all 110, Heart?