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D. Gray-man (c) Katsura Hoshino
This is my entry for 's Alternate Universe Contest.

(before you read)
-I don’t really think Neah’s evil. Buuuut… I don’t like him as much since he hurt Johnny. Bad Neah. ;n;

-I support the older!Allen theory—that he was alive back when Neah was planning to overthrow the Earl, that he joined with Neah to accomplish this goal, and that this former Allen had a different personality. Therefore he doesn’t have his scar and I’m not sure what his Innocence was like (or if he even had it before Neah put the 14th’s memories into him).

-I also think that Cross was working with Neah and Mana to overthrow the Earl. : ) Because that would help explain how he received Timcanpy even though Neah created the little golem (and possibly why Cross is the only person who knows how to modify akuma—Noah insider information).

-Allen and Cross are waiting outside the building where the final battle with the Earl took place; they’re reinforcements just in case things don’t go well.

-Mana’s here too, by the way. : )

Alternate Universe: What if Neah had defeated the Earl?

“Neah, what have you done to our family?”

Hearing the words come from her hurt more than the young Noah had imagined they would. All his planning, all the hours he had spent thinking—never had it quite prepared him for this moment. He realized now that they never could; it is impossible to imagine hatred and grief on a human face until you've encountered it yourself.

“What have you done, Neah?” she whimpered.

Road clung to the former Earl with shaking hands as tears rolled down her cheeks. She didn't care enough to wipe them away anymore. Her family was gone, gone. And it was all done by the one she had trusted.

She looked incredibly small, he thought, huddled over there. It was as if she were crumbling into herself from grief and anger—from emotions too powerful to hold in such a small container. But he hoped one day that she would come around, and that one day she would heal. After all, as long as he survived the rest would reincarnate.

All except one.

Without meaning to, Neah glanced down at the body Road clung to. Motionless, cold, lifeless. A heavy pit settled in his stomach as he realized what he needed to do. His neck hairs stood on end.

“I've made a few adjustments to our family,” he said softly as he approached the corpse and the girl quietly, “and I hope you can forgive me after you've released yourself from the strings the Earl made for you. I’m tired of being surrounded by mad puppets.”

With gentle fingers he removed the corpse’s hat, pulled it over his head, and mechanically turned toward the shadows of the building. He felt empty. Very empty. But he needed to keep moving for the people who were relying on him.

“Mana?” he called.

From somewhere to his left came a light reply, and Neah limped over to search for his brother as quickly as he could. They had been lucky. They had been so lucky.

He knew that he would live through his wounds because of the Noah inside him. And although Mana had sustained a deep cut to his torso and nearly contracted the akuma blood virus while they were fighting the Earl, Neah fully believed he would survive as well. He was still in awe. For once his older brother had listened to him when he ordered him to retreat from battle. Now all that was left was finding his hiding place.

“Mana, help me out a little here,” he pleaded. “It’s dark as hell.”

Again Neah heard his brother’s hushed reply, this time closer and far easier to identify. He was located behind one of the few remaining pillars in the building, bleeding but otherwise fine.

Neah bent down and hooked his arm through Mana’s. It made him cringe to see his brother’s failed attempt at a smile, and for a moment he lost some of the former confidence he had in Mana’s condition.

“Are you okay?” the young Noah asked.

Mana managed a pathetic nod. “Yeah, I’ll be okay, don’t worry.”

Still not completely reassured, Neah decided to drop the conversation and focus on moving his brother. The plan wasn’t over yet. Defeating the Earl was just one of many of the long steps involved in Neah’s full scheme. He and Mana needed to get outside and let the others know they had succeeded.

“Let’s go see Allen and the womanizer, yeah?”

Suddenly Mana made a wheezing noise and his shoulders began to shake in an unnerving way. Neah tensed, preparing to place Mana back down so he could rest some more, but just before he started lowering his brother, Mana waved off his concern. And he realized his brother was laughing.

“Yes, let’s go see them,” said Mana.

Neah let out a silent sigh as he trudged his brother the rest of the way. His nerves were an absolute wreck. If he didn’t know reinforcement was just outside the walls he would have given up long ago.

“Well looky there,” said a nonchalant voice the second he stepped out of the building, “You actually survived—and both of you, no less.”

The remark earned Cross an immediate kick in the shin, courtesy of Allen.

“Damn kid, thinking you’re all high and mighty just because you joined up with us,” Cross murmured, attempting a threatening grab at Allen. The younger man in question, however, was already out of arms reach.

“Glad you made it,” said Allen as he helped prop up Mana’s other side. And even with his brother standing between them, Neah swore he could just barely see his younger friend’s smile. The kid was always flashing that grin of his, and he had to admit he felt better when he saw it.

“Believe me,” Mana whispered, “I’m glad we made it too.”

Everyone chuckled nervously at the comment for a second before Mana cringed and all the laughter ceased. Neah suggested he open a door to the ark so they could drop Mana off at the nearest hospital, but his brother stopped him with one look.

“No, brother,” said Mana with a pitiful expression as he reached out to lightly touch Neah's arm. “I’m staying. There’s no way I’d miss this.”

“But—” Neah started wearily.

“I’m staying,” Mana pushed.

Allen and Cross exchanged a knowing glance between themselves and nodded.

“Let him stay, Neah,” Cross said.

“Yeah,” agreed Allen. “Just for once. I wouldn't want to miss it either.”

I'm surrounded by fools, Neah thought as he glanced over his older brother and the pathetic smile he was giving him.

Neah looked between his two companions, back to his brother, and then to the two exorcists again.

“I don't think I asked for the extra input,” he said with a polite smile.

Something about his tone carried a harsher edge, and even Cross felt a small shiver go up his spine. However, when Neah turned and sat beside his brother on the steps, it appeared Mana had gotten his way.

“But Mana," Neah said, facing his brother now, "if you cringe one more time or start looking any more pale, I’m dragging you into the hospital myself. Even if they don’t arrive before we leave.”

Mana nodded as the two exorcists let out a sigh of relief. “All right. I understand.”

“Good,” Neah said. He then turned his attention to Allen and Cross, two of the only exorcists he had ever trusted. His eyes darkened. “Are you both ready?”

In affirmation, they activated their respective Innocence weapons and faced the small town located about two miles away from the steps they now stood on. Neah watched the Innocence flare up, glowing with power, and tried to keep his face expressionless.

Seeing the Innocence always evoked complex emotions within him. It was like a brief mixture of fascination and dull hatred combined together, and it was something he had never quite understood. This was surely the right thing to do, but the Noah inside him refused his logic with all its might.

You can still fix this, it whispered in the depths of his mind. The exorcists have their backs turned to you. It would be easy to kill them now.

Neah grimaced, the idea completely unappealing to him.

I don’t think so, he answered back. Then, using his heightened status as Earl, Neah called out to several Akuma in the surrounding area with his mind.

Listen, all of you, he thought.

Every akuma froze as his command came through. He had managed to interrupt one of the machines just before it killed its human family. They listened intently, carefully.

Come here, he ordered.

He could feel them shudder with fear as they realized the transition in power, as they recognized that the voice of the “traitorous Noah” held the power of the Earl behind it.

Now.

The akuma couldn’t refuse—they didn’t have the free will to. Within minutes they were floating above the steps of the building, swaying with trepidation as they stared down at the two exorcists Neah had immediately ordered them not to attack. When enough of them had gathered, Neah looked down at his brother, who silently nodded up at him.

“Cross, Allen” he said, preparing the two soldiers, “you can go ahead.”

Allen’s smile was gone now. Neah could tell because his younger acquaintance repeated the one phrase he always said before saving these twisted creations:

“Bring forth salvation to this tormented akuma’s soul.”

With that said, Cross and Allen jumped into the sky, taking the first leap into step two of Neah’s plan: the extermination of all akuma and the release of their captured souls.

End
I hope you guys enjoyed reading this and liked the picture!
Super huge thanks to for helping me fix up the story, better characterize Neah, and tweak the picture before I uploaded the story. Also thank you to for clarifying some questions I had about the rules for the contest. ^^

Description
D. Gray-man (c) Katsura Hoshino
This is my entry for 's Alternate Universe Contest.

(before you read)
-I don’t really think Neah’s evil. Buuuut… I don’t like him as much since he hurt Johnny. Bad Neah. ;n;

-I support the older!Allen theory—that he was alive back when Neah was planning to overthrow the Earl, that he joined with Neah to accomplish this goal, and that this former Allen had a different personality. Therefore he doesn’t have his scar and I’m not sure what his Innocence was like (or if he even had it before Neah put the 14th’s memories into him).

-I also think that Cross was working with Neah and Mana to overthrow the Earl. : ) Because that would help explain how he received Timcanpy even though Neah created the little golem (and possibly why Cross is the only person who knows how to modify akuma—Noah insider information).

-Allen and Cross are waiting outside the building where the final battle with the Earl took place; they’re reinforcements just in case things don’t go well.

-Mana’s here too, by the way. : )

Alternate Universe: What if Neah had defeated the Earl?

“Neah, what have you done to our family?”

Hearing the words come from her hurt more than the young Noah had imagined they would. All his planning, all the hours he had spent thinking—never had it quite prepared him for this moment. He realized now that they never could; it is impossible to imagine hatred and grief on a human face until you've encountered it yourself.

“What have you done, Neah?” she whimpered.

Road clung to the former Earl with shaking hands as tears rolled down her cheeks. She didn't care enough to wipe them away anymore. Her family was gone, gone. And it was all done by the one she had trusted.

She looked incredibly small, he thought, huddled over there. It was as if she were crumbling into herself from grief and anger—from emotions too powerful to hold in such a small container. But he hoped one day that she would come around, and that one day she would heal. After all, as long as he survived the rest would reincarnate.

All except one.

Without meaning to, Neah glanced down at the body Road clung to. Motionless, cold, lifeless. A heavy pit settled in his stomach as he realized what he needed to do. His neck hairs stood on end.

“I've made a few adjustments to our family,” he said softly as he approached the corpse and the girl quietly, “and I hope you can forgive me after you've released yourself from the strings the Earl made for you. I’m tired of being surrounded by mad puppets.”

With gentle fingers he removed the corpse’s hat, pulled it over his head, and mechanically turned toward the shadows of the building. He felt empty. Very empty. But he needed to keep moving for the people who were relying on him.

“Mana?” he called.

From somewhere to his left came a light reply, and Neah limped over to search for his brother as quickly as he could. They had been lucky. They had been so lucky.

He knew that he would live through his wounds because of the Noah inside him. And although Mana had sustained a deep cut to his torso and nearly contracted the akuma blood virus while they were fighting the Earl, Neah fully believed he would survive as well. He was still in awe. For once his older brother had listened to him when he ordered him to retreat from battle. Now all that was left was finding his hiding place.

“Mana, help me out a little here,” he pleaded. “It’s dark as hell.”

Again Neah heard his brother’s hushed reply, this time closer and far easier to identify. He was located behind one of the few remaining pillars in the building, bleeding but otherwise fine.

Neah bent down and hooked his arm through Mana’s. It made him cringe to see his brother’s failed attempt at a smile, and for a moment he lost some of the former confidence he had in Mana’s condition.

“Are you okay?” the young Noah asked.

Mana managed a pathetic nod. “Yeah, I’ll be okay, don’t worry.”

Still not completely reassured, Neah decided to drop the conversation and focus on moving his brother. The plan wasn’t over yet. Defeating the Earl was just one of many of the long steps involved in Neah’s full scheme. He and Mana needed to get outside and let the others know they had succeeded.

“Let’s go see Allen and the womanizer, yeah?”

Suddenly Mana made a wheezing noise and his shoulders began to shake in an unnerving way. Neah tensed, preparing to place Mana back down so he could rest some more, but just before he started lowering his brother, Mana waved off his concern. And he realized his brother was laughing.

“Yes, let’s go see them,” said Mana.

Neah let out a silent sigh as he trudged his brother the rest of the way. His nerves were an absolute wreck. If he didn’t know reinforcement was just outside the walls he would have given up long ago.

“Well looky there,” said a nonchalant voice the second he stepped out of the building, “You actually survived—and both of you, no less.”

The remark earned Cross an immediate kick in the shin, courtesy of Allen.

“Damn kid, thinking you’re all high and mighty just because you joined up with us,” Cross murmured, attempting a threatening grab at Allen. The younger man in question, however, was already out of arms reach.

“Glad you made it,” said Allen as he helped prop up Mana’s other side. And even with his brother standing between them, Neah swore he could just barely see his younger friend’s smile. The kid was always flashing that grin of his, and he had to admit he felt better when he saw it.

“Believe me,” Mana whispered, “I’m glad we made it too.”

Everyone chuckled nervously at the comment for a second before Mana cringed and all the laughter ceased. Neah suggested he open a door to the ark so they could drop Mana off at the nearest hospital, but his brother stopped him with one look.

“No, brother,” said Mana with a pitiful expression as he reached out to lightly touch Neah's arm. “I’m staying. There’s no way I’d miss this.”

“But—” Neah started wearily.

“I’m staying,” Mana pushed.

Allen and Cross exchanged a knowing glance between themselves and nodded.

“Let him stay, Neah,” Cross said.

“Yeah,” agreed Allen. “Just for once. I wouldn't want to miss it either.”

I'm surrounded by fools, Neah thought as he glanced over his older brother and the pathetic smile he was giving him.

Neah looked between his two companions, back to his brother, and then to the two exorcists again.

“I don't think I asked for the extra input,” he said with a polite smile.

Something about his tone carried a harsher edge, and even Cross felt a small shiver go up his spine. However, when Neah turned and sat beside his brother on the steps, it appeared Mana had gotten his way.

“But Mana," Neah said, facing his brother now, "if you cringe one more time or start looking any more pale, I’m dragging you into the hospital myself. Even if they don’t arrive before we leave.”

Mana nodded as the two exorcists let out a sigh of relief. “All right. I understand.”

“Good,” Neah said. He then turned his attention to Allen and Cross, two of the only exorcists he had ever trusted. His eyes darkened. “Are you both ready?”

In affirmation, they activated their respective Innocence weapons and faced the small town located about two miles away from the steps they now stood on. Neah watched the Innocence flare up, glowing with power, and tried to keep his face expressionless.

Seeing the Innocence always evoked complex emotions within him. It was like a brief mixture of fascination and dull hatred combined together, and it was something he had never quite understood. This was surely the right thing to do, but the Noah inside him refused his logic with all its might.

You can still fix this, it whispered in the depths of his mind. The exorcists have their backs turned to you. It would be easy to kill them now.

Neah grimaced, the idea completely unappealing to him.

I don’t think so, he answered back. Then, using his heightened status as Earl, Neah called out to several Akuma in the surrounding area with his mind.

Listen, all of you, he thought.

Every akuma froze as his command came through. He had managed to interrupt one of the machines just before it killed its human family. They listened intently, carefully.

Come here, he ordered.

He could feel them shudder with fear as they realized the transition in power, as they recognized that the voice of the “traitorous Noah” held the power of the Earl behind it.

Now.

The akuma couldn’t refuse—they didn’t have the free will to. Within minutes they were floating above the steps of the building, swaying with trepidation as they stared down at the two exorcists Neah had immediately ordered them not to attack. When enough of them had gathered, Neah looked down at his brother, who silently nodded up at him.

“Cross, Allen” he said, preparing the two soldiers, “you can go ahead.”

Allen’s smile was gone now. Neah could tell because his younger acquaintance repeated the one phrase he always said before saving these twisted creations:

“Bring forth salvation to this tormented akuma’s soul.”

With that said, Cross and Allen jumped into the sky, taking the first leap into step two of Neah’s plan: the extermination of all akuma and the release of their captured souls.

End
I hope you guys enjoyed reading this and liked the picture!
Super huge thanks to for helping me fix up the story, better characterize Neah, and tweak the picture before I uploaded the story. Also thank you to for clarifying some questions I had about the rules for the contest. ^^