Ace of Spades

By Water Fairy a.k.a. Mizu

Disclaimer: I do not own -Man. I only own a few characters.

Summary: "I never meant to die. Well, not that way, anyway." When helping a wounded Link, Allen is shot by Inspector Levrier who thinks he was the one who wounded Link in the first place. A month later, Allen is reborn…but not in the way he expected…

Tyki x Fem-Al x Lavi, Slight Fem-Al x Earl

First Night – And it begins to snow…

BANG.

All I felt was pain. Red, hot, excruciating pain. I lifted my hand to my chest and touched the place where my heart was bleeding out. I stared at the blood that made my black leather glove shine and turned to look over my shoulder. There stood the man who had recently made my life hell. He had a gun pointed at me, a crazed look on his face, a triumphant smile. Why? My vision began to blur. Why? Didn't he know I was helping Link? Oh…right, Link's right arm was badly cut from the Level 2 Akuma. It was bleeding profusely. Of course…Levrier would think I went Noah. A weak, gurgling chuckle escaped me. How…quaint. Link was staring up at me with wide, panicked eyes. I bet he never expected Levrier to do this.

"W-Walker!" he gasped, forcing himself to sit up. Idiot. He hissed as he put pressure on his arm, but he ignored it. "Inspector! Why did you do that?!"

"He became a Noah and attacked you, did he not?" Levrier's oily voice made my already trembling body to shake. I tasted blood now and I fell onto my side.

"No, he did NOT!"

By now, it sounded as if they were talking through a tube. Move.

"He SAVED me! How could you shoot an innocent boy?!"

"Ha…but he is not so innocent, is he now?"

"Inspector!"

"Two-spot?!"

I barely recognized Lavi's voice. It sounded so distant. I needed to get up. To tell them what happened, but my body wouldn't move. I felt a coldness grip my heart. Am I…dying? I heard a wail and then I felt someone take my body. I stared up blankly at Lenalee's face. She was crying and I felt tears well up in my eyes.

"H-Hey…L-Len-Lena…lee…" I murmured. Blood made my lips bright red. "S-So…rry…"

"No…Allen-kun…no, don't die…please…" Lenalee's pained face made me cringed. I never wanted to hurt her. She was practically my first friend in the Black Order.

"What did you do to him?!" Lavi's angry voice made me glance to the side, towards where Levrier stood.

"S…hoot…" I gurgled. Lenalee made shushing sounds. I could no longer feel my legs.

"Well?!"

"He…shot him…" Link's voice was weak. Could the Akuma blood virus have gotten into him?! I heard a soft gulp of air. "Inspector Levrier shot Allen Walker through the heart."

There was an angry noise –almost like a snarl- from Lavi and then he came into my line of vision. His single visible emerald green eye was tight in pain and his lips were in a tight line. I smiled up at him.

"L-La…vi…" he closed his eye and I noticed tears roll down his cheeks. "That's…not…pro-proper…for the…successor for…B-Bookman…is it?"

"Shut up, you reckless moyashi," he mumbled, leering down at me. I smiled a bit and then coughed, splattering blood all over my body. "Allen!"

"No, Allen-kun!" Lenalee held me tighter.

"L…avi…Len…a…lee…tell the…others…I…said g-g…good…bye…" I just managed to say the last syllable before I felt my life slip away.

"NO! ALLEN-KUN!"

"ALLEN! NO! MOYASHI COME BACK!"

I was floating now. I was floating above my casket as everyone stood in the Order's cathedral. They were all dressed in black. Most, if not all, of the Exorcists were in their uniforms. Link was there as well. I noticed Lenalee clinging to a stony faced Kanda, who awkwardly patted her back. Komui wasn't even reacting to the physical contact. Arystar Krory and General Froi Tiedoll stood behind them. I noticed Miranda Lotto, Noise Marie, Chaoji Han, and General Cloud Nyne holding crosses. I never knew they cared for me this much. I mean, sure there were funerals for those who died, but…not even shishou got a funeral (not that I blamed them). Johnny Gill, another person who I had grown close to, was sobbing next to Reever Wenham and Cash Dopp. I felt myself becoming torn as I watched the scene. I knew that General Zokalo and the newer members of the faculty probably didn't give a rat's ass about me, but it was surprising to see them here anyway. Even people from the Asia Branch had somehow made it.

"Everyone…" I murmured. I knew they couldn't hear me. I noticed something I didn't before. A familiar head of red hair was missing as was a golden golem and a swirly ponytail.

I glanced around, wondering where they were. I looked up and to my surprise I found them looking from the balcony. Timcanpy was nestled in Lavi's hair, which covered the redhead's eyes. Bookman was praying something. I noticed that Lavi's knuckles were white. I gulped, though I could not breathe since I was a ghost.

I couldn't stay here. I…couldn't bear looking at their faces. Watching them as their grief either turned them sour or made them empty. No. I…wouldn't dwell here anymore. I couldn't. Taking another breath I did not need, a turned and rushed out of the Order. Through the walls and out into the wide surrounding area.

I flew further and further away, until I found myself at a little town some ways away from London. I looked down at it, wondering if I could move on here. By now, the sun was setting. However, thick clouds covered most of the sky. I took painful gasps I did not need and held my head. Why did seeing them in so much grief cause me pain?

"At least I won't come back as an Akuma," I murmured, smiling bitterly. I wondered what would happen to everyone. I drifted over town for a while and found myself above a house a little away from the town. I didn't know why I was attracted to it, but I just sat, hovering over it.

Something small and white fell in front of me. I blinked and looked up.

"Snow?" I thought. Another bitter smile formed on my face. How appropriate. I sighed and looked down at the house. "Screw it."

I descended to the roof and slipped through the attic to a room. It was relatively small, with only a bed, a bedside table, a small bureau, and two small windows. A girl was lying on the bed propped up by pillows. She was looking out the window. I found myself staring at her. It was only 4:30. Why was she in bed? She didn't look sick. Her long brunette hair was loose and stopped a little above her armpits. I found myself cocking my head. If I had never gotten the curse, we could have been twins.

"Oh?" she turned towards me and I stiffened, before releasing a small laugh. I was a spirit…a ghost. How could she see me? "Why are you laughing, Mr. Ghost?"

I froze then.

"You can see me?!" I asked, floating over and stopping by her side. "You…can really see me?!"

"Well, yes," she laughed. "After all, I've heard the people near death can see ghosts."

And that's how I met Alanah Warner.

A month had past since that fateful day I met Alana. I had grown unnaturally close to her. Probably because she was living and I was not. Or maybe because she could see me and was very interested in me. We had exchanged stories. My stories about Akuma and the Earl and hers about her illness and her family. She had a rare disease that had been killing her since she was little and it had become worse recently. The doctor said she didn't have long to live. I found myself trying to make her last moments the best. She had asked me why and I said that I wished that someone had done that for me. Finally she asked me about how I died.

"Eh?" I blinked. Alana giggled, her small frame shaking. I had lately noticed that she was eating less and less. Her time was near, I guessed. "My death?"

"Yes, Allen," she said. "I…think I have only a few hours left."

I blinked, horrified, and shook my head. "My death was too tragic."

She looked worried. "Really?"

I sighed a bit. "Well, me and Link, remember the man I told you about? With the two dots on his forehead?"

"Yes, of course. He was told to watch over you," Alana nodded, leaning forward a little.

"Well," I paused, conjuring up the painful –in more than one sense- memory, "there was an Innocence we had recently recovered, and Link had been badly injured. Toma, a finder and two Exorcists, Lenalee Lee and Lavi, had gone to get help. I was trying to stop the bleeding and-." I choked a bit. I knew I had no tears, but I felt the burning sensation anyway. "And Levrier, the man who issued Link to watch me, s…shot me…"

Alana covered her mouth in horror. "No…"

"Yeah…in the heart…I died in Lenalee's arms…" I smiled ruefully. "I never meant to die. Well, not that way, anyway."

I looked up at her. Alana reached out and gently stroked the air where my cheek was. I smiled sadly and she smiled back, giving a shuddering sigh. My eyes widened as she fell back.

"Alana!" I cried out.

"Alana, dear, it's-no!" Alana's mother gasped as she walked into the room. "Alana! Alana! No, no…don't die! ALANA!"

"Michelle, what's wrong?!" Mr. Warner and his sister ran into the room. Vivian Warner covered her mouth. "No…"

"Alana…my Alana…no…" Mrs. Warner was huddled over Alana's lifeless body, sobbing. "No…no…"

I watched, horrified. No…not again. I screamed out. Why were my friends torn away from me?!

It was the next day. They held the funeral in Alana's room. She wasn't even embalmed. She was dressed in a white shift and covered by her blankets. A white cloth was covering her face. It went way into the night. By the time the last of the guests left, it was almost eleven-forty. Mrs. Warner was taken out of the room unconscious. I bowed my head, remembering something Alana had told me.

"When I die, I wish that you could take my body."

"Huh? Why?"

"Well, you died before your given time, right? So, you should be able to take my body so you can continue being an Exorcist."

"I don't think I could, Alana."

"Eh? Why not?"

"I…just don't think that's possible…"

I took a shaking breath. "Alana…please, let you have a pleasant after life."

I closed my eyes and uttered a prayer.

Water Fairy: Okay, this story had been bothering me for a while now. I had to write it down.

Words and Things to know:

Chapter title – "And so it began to snow…" Snow has two meanings. A lighter, more positive meaning, "purity", and a dark, more negative meaning, "death". Since Allen dies in this chapter and it snowed, I went with the negative meaning.

-kun – an honorific usually used for boys and male acquaintances in work or school. Sometimes added to girls' names if the user does not know the girl well.

Moyashi – bean sprout

Shishou - master

Preview:

I find myself in Alana's body, wondering how exactly I got there. I can now see ghosts and they're everywhere! After running from Alana's house and taking some of her clothes and the money she had stored in her room, my now ghostly friend, Alana, and I travel to Liverpool. Hopefully, Mother will be able to help me.

Second Night – The Reborn Exorcist