A Game of Poker, Chapter 34: Monster
Title: A Game of Poker
Author: Bookkbaby
Rating: Teen
Warnings: YAOI
Summary: LUCKY Pair. It started as a simple game of poker, but a little white lie from Lavi changes everything. ['If you lose... you spend the night here, with me, and let me do whatever I want with you.']
Warnings: YAOI, which means BOYS LOVING BOYS. If you dislike that, then the back button is easy enough to find. Please click that and leave. Limes are in the future, and lemons. Maybe some OOC, spoilers for the end of the anime later on.
Disclaimer: I don’t own these lovely characters, that honor belongs to Katsura Hoshino. (Though if Hoshino-sama ever has a sale, I call dibs on Tyki… what?) I don’t own anything but a copy of the anime series and all volumes of the manga in English. Anything you don’t recognize (like the plotline of ‘A Game of Poker’) does belong to me. Everything else… not so much. Please don’t sue.
Kudos to the awesome SisterWicked of AssHat Productions (a group I am now a proud member of), who got me started on Lucky and lets me use 'lovely'! Beta’d by N.H. Arawn and Misster Cackles! All remaining mistakes are mine.
Thank you to those who reviewed!
Last Time On ‘A Game Of Poker’:
Komui slumped where he sat, sudden weight crushing his shoulders.
If Mikk couldn't reason, would he still remember that he now belonged with the Order? Would he remember that the Earl was his enemy, not his master?
Komui buried his face in his hands.
What had he done?
And Now, The Continuation
Chapter 34
Monster
Power.
Tyki had thought that he had known what real power was before - the ability to shove his hand inside a human's chest and rip out their vital organs one by one, the strength to reject or stand upon the very air if he so chose, having hundreds of flesh-eating golems at his beck and call... those powers were trifles compared to this. Energy and strength seemed to hum in his every cell, making him faster and more dangerous than he was before he had fully embraced the Pleasure, Joyd, inside of him. Tyki knew that he was a formidable opponent when he was just tapping into his dark side's power, but now that he had fully accepted it, he could-
/KILL THE EXORCISTS./
Tyki reeled, clapping his hands over his helmet at either side of his head. He gritted his teeth, trying to force back the sudden wave of violent, sick pleasure that had welled up from the dark corner of his mind he usually hid it in.
He could feel it all over again, the pleasure of tearing Exorcists to pieces and leaving their bodies scattered for the Finders to find later. He could recall the thrill he got when Innocence lost its luster and shattered in his hand. A part of him - the greater part, he realized with a sinking feeling in his chest - cried out for that, for the feel of blood on his hands and the knowledge that it was an Exorcist's life in his palms. He wanted to watch an Exorcist's eyes grow dull as he wrapped his fingers around their beating heart and pulled it slowly from their chest. He wanted to -
/YES./
Tyki growled, shaking his head violently. His body shook from want so strong it was almost a need, senses tingling from the presence of hateful Innocence so close to him, polluting the air he breathed with its energy. He was vaguely aware of someone laughing, but so much of his attention was focused on keeping his Noah from taking control of his body that he didn't look to see who.
How the hell had Skinn done this? How had Skinn managed to control his Noah?
Had Skinn ever actually been in control?
"Foolish Tyki. Poor, foolish Tyki."
That was the Earl's voice. Tyki snarled and jerked his gaze up and glaring as best he could at the grinning man. He doubted the Earl could see his glare through the small gaps left by his helmet, but it didn't matter. The trembling in his body grew more fierce, as did the urge to turn around and slaughter everyone that had allegiance to the Black Order and Innocence.
"Did you honestly think that you could control it, Tyki?" the Earl asked him merrily. He waggled as finger at Tyki as if chastising a naughty child. "Not even my dear Road has enough control over Noah's Dream to make it do something it doesn't want to do, and what could be more hateful to Noah than protecting Innocence? Especially for you, since you've never even been able to work with your Noah!"
/KILL THEM!/
Tyki felt himself go cold. This had been a mistake. He could feel the power slowly spiraling out of his control, dark energy looking for an outlet as the Noah he had kept buried but for occasional borrowing of some of its powers clawed at his mind, urging him to kill.
He wouldn't. He couldn't. He had done this for Lavi, for the others in the Order, simply because he knew he wasn't strong enough to fight his former employer on his own. He had needed this power, but he wasn't strong enough to control this either.
He heard the Earl moving and he looked up again, growling a warning as the fat man drew closer with a confident stride. The Maker's smile turned nasty and then the fat man's gaze turned towards Lavi. The Earl lifted his sword over the prone redhead and before the sword even began to dip, Tyki was moving.
The Noah lunged, putting himself in the path of the blade and lifting a hand to block. With his fingers outspread, he concentrated on rejecting the air in front of his palm. The Earl's sword hit the shield with a resounding 'gong' and ricocheted off, sending the Earl back a half-step from the force.
/INNOCENCE!/
Tyki felt his body lunge at the Earl, too surprised to react as Joyd took full control of his body. An inhuman snarl twisted his lips and he brought up a fist to strike.
The Earl stepped back to gain a steadier footing and brought up his sword to block. The Noah noted the Innocence-dust-covered blade and instantly formed more vines out of dark energy to wrap around and protect his arm. His fist met the flat of the blade with a loud, metallic 'thunk' and the two fighters held their deadlock for several moments before the Earl coiled his muscles and forced the Noah backwards. Tyki felt his feet slide along the ground and he tensed his legs, digging the pads of his feet into the ground to slow his momentum. The initial intensity of Joyd's reaction had subsided and Tyki scrambled for control, managing to hold himself in place as the Earl watched him warily from ten feet away. The Earl lifted his sword almost defensively, watching Tyki for his next attack.
Tyki smirked. He could feel the darkness seething inside of him, his Noah wanting nothing more than the pleasure of destroying the Innocence before it. Apparently, Joyd couldn't tell the difference between the light dusting of Innocence powder the Earl had coated his sword with and true Innocence wielded by an actual Exorcist. The Pleasure was simply reacting to the energy emitted, and since Pleasure and Knowledge were contained in separate beings, it couldn't even tell that the Earl was no Exorcist. Tyki doubted that this had ever been a problem before, but it was unexpected good fortune.
All he had to do was focus Joyd's murderous intent towards the Earl and his pseudo-Innocence weapon. He felt his smirk widen, then falter as the scent of blood reached his brain through his darkness-fogged mind.
Lavi's blood.
Tyki kept his eyes carefully on the Earl, shuffling his feet back slowly until he felt something wet on the stone soak the hems of his pants and the bottoms of his feet. He risked a glance backwards, heart freezing as he realized how pale Lavi had become. The redhead was almost as pale as Allen Walker's hair, a shade Tyki had never seen on anyone who still lived.
He felt something crack, whether it was in his chest or his brain he didn't know. He growled, unsure whether it was himself or his Noah controlling his motions, and began to turn to attack the man responsible when his eyes caught a minute movement of Lavi's chest.
He froze, gaze fixed on the redhead's chest. Lavi inhaled again, chest rising, and then slowly falling as he exhaled.
Tyki reacted without conscious thought, two of the vine-like appendages on his back detaching painlessly from his skin and shooting towards the unconscious redhead. One wrapped itself tightly around the wound in Lavi's side while the other began winding its way around the injury on the redhead's shoulder. They were only makeshift bandages, but hopefully they could prevent any further blood loss.
Hopefully Lavi was strong enough to stay alive until Tyki could get him proper medical attention. Transporting him would require concentration he really couldn't spend. His darker side was still crying out for blood and his body was beginning to tremble again for want of violence.
The sound of heavy footsteps on the stone brought his attention back to the Earl and he snapped his head around, regarding the Maker warily.
"What have you done?" the Earl demanded, eyes narrowed dangerously though his mouth was still stretched into a maniacal grin. That grin, Tyki noted with satisfaction, seemed to be on the verge of disappearing.
"Apparently, Earl," Tyki responded, enjoying the look of shock that the Maker's face betrayed for a split second before fading into anger. "My hatred of you outweighs Noah's hatred of Innocence."
Let the Earl keep guessing. Tyki wasn't going to tell him the real reason why his Noah was being so agreeable or willing to attack the Earl. Let him think that Tyki's emotions simply outweighed those of Noah's Pleasure.
"You're lying, Tyki," the Earl said, grin fading into a fierce scowl. A shiver of fear shot down Tyki's spine, but he kept smirking confidently. "I hate liars almost as much as I hate traitors."
Tyki smirked, subtly preparing to lunge. They couldn't fight next to Lavi's still form. It was far too likely they'd damage the redhead even more and Tyki was uncertain that the Exorcist could handle taking more injuries.
/Kill.../
Joyd seemed almost petulant now, its former demand now just a whine accompanied by such longing Tyki could no longer deny it its desire. Tyki couldn't even see a reason to deny it. He fixed his gaze on the Earl.
[He has Innocence. Kill him.]
/INNOCENCE? KILL HIM./
/[Yes...]/
[/KILL./]
With a roar, Tyki lunged.
LINE BREAK
Kanda's eyes snapped open, mind going instantly from unconsciousness to full alertness in a split second.
"Oh, good, you're awake!" The voice was male and entirely too bright for the samurai’s current state of mind.
Kanda glared up at the speaker, his head pounding. He forced his way to a sitting position regardless, feeling his head swim at the motion. He scowled darkly, ignoring the headache and putting a hand to the shoulder he had dislocated before being knocked unconscious by the damn Earl's last attack. It tingled unpleasantly, but someone had obviously set it and wrapped it while he had been knocked out. It would do.
"You shouldn't move yet - you took a nasty knock to the head-"
A swift glare cut the nurse off.
"Where the hell is Mugen?" Kanda demanded. He glanced around, scowl deepening when he didn't see his sword. The fact that a certain stupid bean sprout was nowhere to be seen didn‘t help either.
"Your sword is right here." The nurse seemed slightly irritated with him now, but Kanda couldn't care less. The nurse indicated the sheathed weapon Kanda hadn’t noticed lying next to his legs. Kanda grunted an acknowledgement, leaning over to pick it up. His mood was soothed somewhat by the feeling of the cool hilt in his palm and he began to get to his feet. He felt someone lay a hand on his shoulder carefully - probably the nurse, since Kanda vaguely heard him telling Kanda to lay back down - but he shook off the touch and stood up. He wobbled unsteadily for a moment, but then his head cleared and he caught his balance.
Kanda began looking around again, this time further afield than he had when sitting down. There were two Finders nearby, probably ones who were ordered to accompany the nurse to help him do his job. Kanda spotted a large patch of white moving beyond the two light-robed men and focused on it, cursing inwardly when he recognized Allen. The stupid idiot with a martyr complex wasn't heading towards the Order building for medical treatment, but was heading straight back out into the battlefield. The white haired boy was making a beeline for the fight between the goddamn Earl and something Kanda only recognized from Lenalee's terrified descriptions - a transformed Tyki Mikk.
A spot of red near the fighting caught his attention and he swore again. Kanda started walking quickly towards the battle, ignoring the calls of the nurse behind him. He pushed past the two Finders, noting briefly that they were trying to gently convince him that it would be much better for him to return to the Order building. He nearly unsheathed Mugen at the suggestion. As it was, his grip on his sword tightened noticeably and the two Finders stopped attempting to block his path.
Kanda strode forward quickly, almost stomping towards the fight. He didn't know what kind of shape Allen was in, but the brat had taken the full blast of the Earl's earlier attack and even Kanda was still feeling the effects. The fucking rabbit wasn't even moving and though Kanda would much prefer watching the fight until the goddamn Noah got messily killed, he knew Allen wouldn't wait and Lavi probably needed the medic's help, but no nurse or doctor was going to get close enough to the last still-raging battle to treat him. The Exorcist almost didn't blame them - the fight was certainly intense, sounds like loud gongs echoing and loud thunderclaps of dark energy exploding every few seconds. The two combatants were almost blurs at times, the Earl's sword striking faster than a coiled serpent and the Noah blocking almost as quickly before either trying to attack with his bare hands or with the vine-like limbs growing from his back.
Kanda gritted his teeth as he watched Allen near the edge of the fight. The white haired boy's steps were slower now and Kanda could just picture the beansprout watching carefully for any opening that would let him join the violence, preferably an opening that wouldn't mean fouling one of his 'allies' attacks.
Kanda scoffed. He still didn't buy that shit.
The Exorcist turned his gaze away from the white-haired boy and looked down towards the ground as his feet carried him to the fallen redhead's side. His steps grew quicker and his eyes widened almost imperceptibly as he saw the pool of blood around the other's pale body. Kanda moved into a kneeling position next to Lavi, almost dropping Mugen. He slid one arm beneath the redhead's shoulders, ignoring the slightly lukewarm blood beginning to soak his sleeve as he hefted the heavy weight. Lavi's head lolled back and Kanda's scowl deepened.
He pulled one of Lavi's arms across his shoulders, holding the redhead tightly by the waist as he stood. Kanda leaned most of Lavi's weight onto his hip, holding tightly to the unconscious Exorcist's wrist and waist. He could feel blood soak into his side where his body met Lavi's, but ignored it as he took one last look at the fight. If he took five steps, he would be on the very fringes of it.
Allen had found his opening, it seemed. He was almost as fast as the other two, darting at the Earl from behind while the Noah rushed the Maker from the front. The Earl somehow managed to block both, ducking under the attacks and forcing Allen to abort his strike.
Kanda turned away, bad mood deepening. He shifted Lavi upwards slightly, getting a better grip. Then he noticed the vines that were covering what seemed to be injuries. Kanda scowled deeper and started walking back to the Order as quickly as his feet could carry him.
"He's still an asshole," Kanda growled, though with less venom than his voice had held before when speaking of the resident Noah. "And if the moyashi dies before I get back, I am going to fucking kill the both of you, understand me you stupid rabbit? I'm going to take Mugen and cut you and the sprout into tiny little pieces and feed you to the next Komurin."
Kanda began walking more quickly, muttering about 'stupid fucking martyr complexes' the whole way back to the Order.
LINE BREAK
It had been wonderful. Tyki's Noah had been acting exactly as he wanted and Tyki's consciousness had gotten lax about having control, allowing the more primal and powerful side of his nature to take over. The Pleasure had attacked what it had seen as an Exorcist and Tyki had laughed at how the weapon meant to kill him was now being used as a homing beacon of sorts for his dark side to attack. It was almost poetic.
The battle had been thrilling, but only for a little while. Tyki had been triumphant over his newfound ability to block using thin air and even turn the air into a projectile weapon of sorts. He had been proud of the sudden increase in his speed and strength, but even with all that he was still not the Earl's match. At full power, he still could not defeat the Earl and they both knew it, but Tyki was close enough in strength to get in a lucky hit and do serious damage if the Earl wasn't careful.
The man had only slipped up once and that had resulted in what Tyki was sure were broken ribs. Joyd had seen an opportunity and struck full force at the Maker's chest. A loud cracking sound had followed the strike and the Earl had been slightly hunched over ever since, as if it hurt to straighten up.
Good. Tyki hoped he was in pain.
Tyki had a sluggishly bleeding cut on his chest, though thankfully it wasn't deep. There were a couple of minor wounds on his arms from blocks that hadn't quite been complete in time, and he was sure his helmet was scratched from an overhead attack he hadn't been able to block at all. If it weren't for the helmet, ridiculous as it looked, Tyki knew that he would have died then and there.
Tyki had gotten in enough lucky hits to keep the Earl somewhat on the defensive, though unfortunately nothing save the blow that broke the Maker's ribs had been serious. Tyki's injuries were a bit worse, but nothing he couldn't handle. Tyki hadn't thought much beyond the next strike, the next dodge, the next block and hadn't even considered that he might need or get backup in the form of an Exorcist.
/INNOCENCE!/
The sudden shout from inside his own mind jerked Tyki out of his almost complacent state. The presence of the holy crystal was suddenly much stronger and Tyki felt his gaze snap towards the source. A slim figure cloaked in white with a sword almost the size of said figure was running at the Earl from behind, sword raised. Tyki felt himself growl in sudden fury, Joyd's attention suddenly diverted from the Earl even as his momentum drove him towards the Maker, one arm raised to attack.
The Earl's grin turned nasty and the fat man ducked as Tyki and Allen reached him. Tyki saw Allen pull out of the strike, the Exorcist's sword missing him by a hair's breadth as Allen sidestepped to avoid running Tyki through.
Tyki's momentum carried him through his strike, though he didn't connect with the Earl's body as he had intended. His hand sliced through the air above the fat man's head and enough of his body had been committed to the blow to knock his temporarily off balance when it didn't connect. He stumbled a bit and then, sensing the displacement of air beneath him, the Noah found a foothold in the air and leapt over the Maker, narrowly dodging the dark sword that would have sliced him in two from groin to shoulder had he stayed in place.
Tyki felt his body turn as soon as his feet met the ground, his eyes already zeroing in on the Noah's natural enemy: a true Exorcist. Allen seemed to be unaware of the Noah's shifted focus, his sword held defensively towards the Earl and silver eyes not even sparing a look Tyki's way. The Earl kept a wary eye on both of his opponents, sword held ready to block or attack depending on who moved first.
Joyd hardly noticed the Earl, lifting his hand and tensing his legs in preparation for an attack on the white-haired boy on the Earl's other side. A growl rumbled in his throat, fingers flexing at the imagined pleasure of feeling the Exorcist's heart beat it's last inside of his grasp-
[No, not him. He's not the enemy.] Tyki said firmly, trying to force his gaze towards the Earl. His blood ran cold when his head barely even twitched.
/KILL THE EXORCISTS./
[No-] When had he lost this much control? This was his body, not the Noah's, but all that was running through his mind were visions of Innocence crumbling to dust and human blood painting the stone beneath his feet a lovely shade of crimson...
/DESTROY THE INNOCENCE./
Shit, shit, shit..!
[I said no, damnit!]
He couldn't stop it.
He felt his body spring from the ground, feet running along the air over the Earl's head to get to what his Noah saw as his opponent. Tyki tried frantically to stop himself from the mad dash through the air, commanding his legs to stop moving and willing the air to stop holding him. His body stumbled but didn't fall, pace barely slacking as he bore down on the shocked-looking Exorcist.
He could hear the Earl laughing as Tyki's body descended from the air, the Noah's mouth open in an inhuman roar as his fist swung forward in a strike aimed for the white-haired boy's head. His fist was a mere blur, too fast for the other to dodge or block.
/KILL!/
LINE BREAK
"Over here!"
The nurse turned at the sound of the male Finder's cry, tightening her grip on her bag of medical supplies. She strode briskly towards the call. She had yet to find a patient to treat, mostly because the Akuma's blood virus was almost instant death to anyone infected. There was nothing she could do for piles of dust.
The nurse could see the Finder who had called her waving his arm to get her attention. They were near the forested part of the grounds now and many bushes dotted the ground, blocking her view of him from the waist down. She didn't spot the other Finder, the man's partner, until motion near the top of the bush caught her eye - the other Finder was likely kneeling behind the vegetation to assist whoever it was they had found.
She rounded the bush quickly, eyes already on the ground. The patient's dark coat and skirt identified her as an Exorcist, though her injuries didn't seem to suggest any difficult fighting. It looked like there had been a somewhat deep cut on her bicep and several more superficial scratches on her arms and legs, but all had clotted and would heal without assistance. The nurse was about to command the two Finders to lift the girl and carry her into Headquarters when she spotted the small puddle of red beneath the girl's head. Her short hair was matted with the stuff, the nurse noted, dropping down by the Exorcist's head and cautiously feeling her neck for a pulse.
"Should we move her?" one of the Finders asked. "We were told to-"
"Give me a minute," the nurse replied, cutting him off. He fell silent. The nurse located the Exorcist's pulse and nodded to herself, noting that it was steady. Unfortunate that the girl was unconscious, since there was no way to tell if she had suffered consequences from the injury, but they had to move her and get her into Headquarters. A quick bandage around her head might help the bleeding - some of the blood still looked fresh.
The nurse turned from the Exorcist and dug into her medical bag for some clean linen. It took her only a moment to locate what she needed.
She withdrew the roll and turned back to the Exorcist. Carefully, she slid one of her hands through the drying puddle of blood and lifted the girl's head. She felt around carefully for the wound. It was fairly small, directly on the back of the girl's head. The cut had probably been caused by the Exorcist's head striking the ground. The nurse held the girl steady, ignoring the blood soaking her palm, and motioned with the hand holding the bandage to the Finder kneeling across from her.
"Hold her up - I can't support her weight and bandage her head properly."
She thought the Finder might have nodded. He slid behind the unconscious Exorcist and rested her lower back against his lap, using his hands to hold her shoulders. The nurse kept her hand on the girl's head, trying to make sure she wasn't jarred too badly.
While the Finder helping to hold the patient up settled, the nurse looked up at the other Finder.
"Go get a stretcher from headquarters. Get back here as soon as possible."
The Finder nodded and turned, walking briskly around the bush and heading back towards the Order building.
The nurse bit the end of the bandage and pulled it free. Cautiously, making sure the end of the bandage didn't touch the ground and careful to not lose her grip on the Exorcist's head, she began to wrap it around the girl's skull. She made sure to wrap it tightly around the injury, temporarily holding it shut.
She had just tied off the bandage when the Finder she had sent to fetch the stretcher arrived, carrying the requested item under his arm.
"Put that down," the nurse ordered, motioning to the area next to the unconscious Exorcist. The Finder did as told, setting the stretcher down on the ground.
"Get her legs. On my count of three, lift her and carefully put her down on the stretcher."
The Finder at the girl's head shifted his grip to hold her by the armpits while the other moved to grab the girl under her knees.
"One... two... three."
In unison, the two Finders lifted the Exorcist and laid her gently down on the stretcher. The nurse glanced around, checking to make sure she hadn't overlooked any other people in need of treatment.
"Is there anyone else here?" she asked one of the Finders. He shook his head.
"We checked. There's no one else within thirty feet."
The nurse nodded, grabbing her medical bag.
"On my count of three, lift the stretcher... one, two..."
Both Finders lifted as she said 'three'.
LINE BREAK
Allen stared in wide-eyed shock as Tyki's fist descended, too stunned to even attempt to block. He cried out as the blow connected with his cheek, sending him stumbling backwards several feet. He found his balance and raised his gaze, only to see Tyki bearing down on him again.
"Tyki!" he called desperately, Crown Clown already moving to block the next strike. Tyki just roared in response, seemingly unable to hear him.
The next blow went through his shield and struck him full in the stomach. Allen doubled over, painfully meeting the follow-up kick with his chest. Allen was propelled into the air by the kick, tumbling and totally disoriented. Another blow caught him in the chest. The Exorcist's body was driven further up into the air, scrambling desperately for a purchase that was impossible to find.
Allen coughed wetly as another blow, ringing with the force and sound of a gong, caught him in the stomach. He curled in on himself instinctively, crying out again when what felt like a kick hit his already-bruised ribs. Allen's body uncurled as it was flung through the air, the Exorcist's silver eyes searching desperately for his opponent so he'd had some warning where the next blow was coming from.
His gaze landed on the Earl. The Maker was standing on the cliff several feet in front of the edge, but there was no sign of the possessed Noah.
Allen didn't even have time to wonder where his opponent had gone before he heard a displacement of air behind him. There was the sound of a gong and then pain exploded between his shoulder blades. Allen gritted his teeth, turning as his body plummeted back towards the ground. He reached out with his hand, still gripping his sword tightly, and latched onto the Noah with the Crown Belt.
The Noah was jerked out of the sky, the unexpected move pulling him off of his invisible perch. The Pleasure growled furiously, trying to yank itself free of the ribbons.
Allen smiled, but the smile was shoved from his lips as he felt his body strike something solid, something warmer than rock. Allen barely heard the Earl's surprised 'oof' as the sudden, unexpected hit drove the Maker back a few feet. The Exorcist's eyes went wide as Tyki's form rapidly filled his vision.
The Noah slammed into the Exorcist and the Earl, sending the three over the cliff's edge.
LINE BREAK
Tyki could feel his body strike Allen's and his former master's. He could feel it as they began to fall. The Pleasure halted its descent with a growl, catching itself on thin air before it could fall too far. As soon as it stopped, there was a harsh tug on its arm and Tyki could feel his body nearly lose its balance before Joyd steadied itself once more.
The Noah's eyes went to the white cloth wrapped around its arm. It growled dangerously, following the line of white to the Exorcist dangling over empty air. Allen was clinging to his sword and his cloak with all of his strength, silver eyes wide with fear. His life literally hung by a thread.
Tyki could feel his lips twist into a cruel smile. The vines on his back twitched eagerly and knew in an split second what the Pleasure was going to do. He suddenly felt chilled, but knew he could do no more than fractionally slow his darker side.
He was proven correct when two vines suddenly extended and moved as quick as lightning to wrap around the Exorcist's chest. Allen yelped as he was lifted to eye-level with Tyki, suspended in midair with only the vines and the thin cord of the Crown Clown to keep him from a deadly fall.
Allen swallowed heavily and looked up, meeting Tyki's eyes.
"Tyki..." Allen said, attempting to look through the Noah to the man beneath. "You can beat your Noah-"
[What do you think I'm trying to do, boy?] Tyki snapped in reply, though he knew Allen couldn't hear him. He felt his arms lift, hands reaching out for the white haired boy's slender neck. Tyki gritted his teeth, putting all his will into stopping his arms. His hands twitched and the ascent slowed, but did not stop.
Allen leaned away from him, legs kicking in air to try and back away as the hands neared his neck.
"Tyki-" Whatever Allen had been about to say was cut off by the Exorcist's gasp as the Noah's hands - Joyd's hands - settled on his neck and began to squeeze. Two thick ribbons of the Crown Belt shot towards the Noah's hands, but the Pleasure's grip was too tight for the living white cloth to work its way between palm and throat.
Joyd grinned, exerting only enough pressure to close Allen's windpipe and not enough to snap the boy's neck and let him die swiftly and relatively painlessly. Allen's face was turning red, his eyes almost comically wide and mouth open as he struggled to breathe. The two strips of the cloak fell away, utterly useless.
[Stop!] Tyki commanded, doing his best to force his fingers away from the Exorcist's neck. He could feel the pulse under his grip, feel it as the boy's heart pumped blood through the arteries and veins-
Joyd growled in reply, effortlessly reasserting it's control. Tyki redoubled his efforts, but his will was no match and he knew it.
Allen's wildly shaking hand rose to his throat, fingers that were probably already going numb trying without success to pry Tyki's hands off. The boy's sword dangled from one strand of his cloak, swaying slightly in the wind.
Joyd took no notice of the weapon except to note that it was Innocence. It growled at the blade, tightening its grip on Allen's throat and then grinned widely. Allen's silver eyes had already begun to dull, his already weak struggles getting even weaker.
"Ty... ki..."
LINE BREAK
Kanda scowled as he approached the Order building. Lavi's unconscious body was a heavy weight and Kanda wanted nothing more than to drop the redhead into the care of the nearest nurse and head back to the fight. Lavi was too moronic to die here. Kanda wasn't worried. Not even a little. Not the tiniest little bit.
Kanda looked around for Komui. His scowl deepened when he didn't see the man anywhere. What he did see was the Head Nurse descending the steps and walking briskly towards him, snapping an order to two Finders to grab a stretcher and follow her. Without checking to make sure her order was obeyed - which it was, Kanda could see two male Finders scrambling to grab a stretcher and practically tripping over themselves in haste to fulfill their task - she approached Kanda and his burden.
"My nurse tells me you and Allen Walker left his care," she said severely as soon as Kanda was in earshot. He turned his scowl to her. "Very well, you'll be following me to the infirmary and you will be on bed rest for the next week."
"Che," Kanda replied, knowing better than to outright refuse unless he wanted his ear grabbed and his chances of escape to drop to zero. The Finders appeared next to the Head Nurse just then, so he was spared from elaborating. As soon as the Finders set the stretcher down and one moved to take Lavi from him, Kanda let the redhead go and turned to leave.
"Kanda Yuu!" the Nurse said sternly. "You will-"
Kanda didn't hear the rest, Mugen gripped tightly in one hand and his feet already carrying him rapidly back to where he had left Allen.
She could confine him to bedrest in the infirmary for the next two weeks. He couldn't care less. With the way he had been healing lately and with who his opponent would be, he might need it.
LINE BREAK
The solution hit like a bolt of lightning. Considering how painful this was going to be, Tyki thought dryly, the simile was actually fairly apt. His chest ached at the memory, but if that was the price...
He abruptly released all control of his hands and arms to the Noah. He could feel his grip tighten around Allen's throat but made no move to lessen the pressure. The boy made a worrisome gurgling noise, but Tyki ignored it and hoped the Exorcist had enough strength left to last a few more minutes. They were both dead, otherwise; Allen by his hands and he by the hands of Allen's fellow Exorcists once they realized what he had done.
Time was not on his side and he cursed mentally. If he had just realized it or if the boy had just done it the moment he realized that Tyki was not in control, this wouldn't have happened.
Joyd laughed, taking Tyki's sudden lack of resistance a sign that Tyki had given up. Tyki smiled grimly. Without allowing himself any more time to consider, his will surged forth with one target.
His mouth.
The Pleasure barely reacted as Tyki asserted control. All Joyd cared about was strangling the Exorcist; it didn't need to speak. Tyki quirked his lips into a dry smirk. Finally, something was going right.
"Stab me," he croaked out. He could tell the moment that the words reached Joyd's ears. It instantly took notice of him and the little control he had was immediately attacked. He could feel the Pleasure tearing at him, angry growls sounding in his head as the Pleasure tried to gain back the control it had so easily given over. Tyki gritted his teeth and clung to the only thing he had power over.
He could vaguely sense his hands tightening still further, Allen's choked noises growing louder. The boy's silver eyes were huge, though from shock or a lack of air, Tyki didn't know. He could sense his metaphorical grip on his lips slipping, control shifting back to the Noah. He growled in frustration.
"Do i-"
His words were cut off with a loud snarl as his control was ripped forcefully from him. Tyki was slammed back into his mind and was suddenly a completely helpless observer in his own body. He could feel Allen's rapid pulse against his palms, see Allen's lips as they gained a blue tinge, hear his gasps for breath-
[Damnit! DO it!] Tyki snapped, spirit going cold. Was the Exorcist already too far gone to lift Crown Clown?
Allen's eyes were glazed over, slipping shut.
Somewhat frantic, Tyki tried to extend his will to his hands. If he could just pry his palms away, buy the Exorcist a few more-
There was a sudden motion out of the corner of his eye. Tyki could feel Joyd instinctively turn to look and then felt its eyes widen as it recognized the blur of white and black slashing towards it. Tyki didn't even have time to wonder where the strength and speed of the strike came from before he felt the blade pass into his shoulder and slice cleanly through him to his hip. Without looking, he knew a trail of glowing white crosses had appeared where the blade had gone through his body.
In the second before the crosses started to burn, Tyki smirked.
The sound and scent of burning flesh met his ears and nose before the pain hit. Tyki roared, agony like a thousand white-hot knives prodding every inch of his skin hitting him hard. He barely realized it when he dropped Allen, only noticing when he felt a harsh tug on his arm from the thin thread of the Crown Belt that still clung to him.
Even that small observation was quickly drowned out.
He could hear his Noah shrieking, the sound reverberating in his head. It was so loud, all he could hear was the enraged, pained screams. His head throbbed from the sounds. His chest burned like hellfire, as though the cut had truly split him in two and the gap was being lit with unholy flames. The burning grew more and more intense, like Joyd's black blood was pouring out of him and fueling the fire. His hands ran mindlessly over the injury and found only unbroken skin.
/INNOCENCE!/
Tyki tried to jerk away from the sound, but it was inside his own head. He shook his head violently, lifting both hands to press against his skull.
/KILL THE EXORCISTS!/
[No.] Tyki growled in reply, doubling over as the Noah dug its mental claws in to try and gain back control. Tyki held fast, gritting his teeth as he embraced the fire burning him alive. Joyd shrieked again, retreating from the Innocence. Tyki forced it back to its corner in his mind, reasserting his dominance over both the dark and his own body. He could feel his strength draining, the extra power embracing the Pleasure had given him dwindling to nothing.
He straightened up, lowering his hands. They were still a much darker gray than usual and shook slightly from exhaustion and from relief. The vines on his back had disappeared, having faded as the extra power inside of him had gone. He was himself again. Tension he hadn't even been aware of evaporated, muscles relaxing of their own accord.
A heavy weight hanging from one arm made him look down. Allen was dangling over thin air again, the Crown Belt wrapped thickly around his arm and helping keep his grip on Crown Clown secure. No doubt it was the cloak that had allowed Allen to strike so swiftly and powerfully. Allen's eyes, still slightly glazed, were watching him carefully, searching for any indication of who was in control of Tyki's body.
Tyki lifted up his arm and extended his hand down towards the Exorcist. Allen looked at it uncertainly for a moment, then looked back up to Tyki's face. Tyki smirked. The white haired boy smiled in reply and lifted his arm. The strips of the Crown Belt unwound from his hand, one piece still tightly gripping the Crown Clown. Allen grabbed Tyki's hand and allowed the older man to pull him up.
Tyki felt pain race across his newly-formed scar and his grip spasmed briefly, but he gritted his teeth and pulled the Exorcist up to stand beside him. As soon as he was able, he shifted his grip from the white haired boy's hand to his upper arm. Sparks of pain still moved across his scar, but he could endure those.
He and Allen may have been able to stop Joyd, but the Earl was still here. Tyki had almost forgotten about the Maker, but with the Exorcist no longer in immediate danger of dying the older man realized how strange it was that the Earl hadn't reappeared. The fall would not have killed him, so why hadn't the Maker shown himself?
"Lets get back to the top of the cliff," Tyki said, tightening his grip on Allen's arm. The boy was a burden here, since Tyki would need to be touching him at all times to keep him from falling. He couldn't fight like this. Allen nodded in reply, a determined look on his face.
Tyki turned to walk back, but the sudden sound of very familiar chuckles stopped him dead. He turned around swiftly, pinpointing the source of the laughter in an instant.
The Earl was floating through the air more than twenty feet away. His pink umbrella was wide open and carrying him, though oddly enough the Maker wasn't moving closer to Tyki and Allen. Instead, he was moving straight up.
"Earl," Allen said, voice the closest thing to a growl Tyki had ever heard out of the boy. Allen hefted Crown Clown and Tyki winced as more pain shot through his chest.
"So you regained control over your Noah," the Earl remarked, sounding almost petulant. "Pity. I was looking forward to you killing the Exorcists for me, but it seems like it cost you."
Tyki put his free hand over his chest, covering the fresh scar. He glared at the Earl. The fat man hovered, level with them, then lifted his free hand and snapped his fingers. A crowned set of doors with a heart-shaped top materialized out of nowhere. Tyki's eyes narrowed further. He recognized that doorway.
The padded doors slowly swung outwards, revealing the small girl that stood just inside. Blackness surrounded her, the faint outline of three bodies lying on the ground behind her just barely visible. Two stirred slightly, but the third was completely still. Tyki almost smiled as he recognized the unmoving figure as Lulubell, but turned his attention to his still-living enemies. Road's eyes were cold, expression hard as she stared back at Tyki. A large bruise covered one side of her face, but she seemed otherwise unharmed.
The Earl floated gently up to the doorway and stepped inside, closing his umbrella with a quick, sharp motion. The Earl turned to face Tyki and Allen.
"You've slaughtered my lovely Akuma," the Earl said, his voice a menacing singsong. "You've murdered my darling Lulubell. Forgive the cliche, but you haven't seen the last of me."
The Earl's gaze focused on Allen.
"And next time, that sword will not save you."
The Earl lifted his hand and gave a jaunty wave, smile wide and false. One of the corner's of Road's mouth curved upwards, though her eyes remained cold. The doors swung shut, hiding the Earl and Road from view and then the doors disappeared entirely. All that was left was clear blue sky.
Tyki and Allen stared at the spot the doors had hung moments before, both too stunned to move.
Slowly, Allen lowered his sword. He folded his arm across his body, allowing the Crown Clown to transform back into his arm. Tyki kept a steady grip on his arm, making sure he didn't fall. When the light from the transformation had died down, Allen looked back at Tyki and smiled weakly.
"Let's go back." The boy's voice was hoarse - his throat had gotten badly bruised when Tyki had been strangling him. Tyki nodded, gaze shifting briefly to Allen's Innocence-formed arm and then towards the top of the cliff. Funny, how the weapon that had once released Joyd in all its fury had also been the thing to help him seal it. His expression darkened as he recalled the Earl's last words.
Next time, he would make sure that he wouldn't need the Crown Clown to save him.
LINE BREAK
Kanda glared over the cliff's edge with as much venom as he could muster. Considering the situation, he could muster quite a lot.
Kanda had arrived just in time to see the Earl and the little girl disappear through a doorway that had vanished into thin air. He had scowled upon seeing it and sheathed Mugen, but it was only when he had heard voices over the cliff's edge and looked over it that his scowl had developed into a full glare. The goddamn Noah was holding on to the sprout's arm, walking with him through the air to the top of the cliff.
Kanda didn't know why, but something in him was snapping and growling angrily at the sight. It was sickening, how close that asshole was to the white-haired moron, practically hip to hip. It didn't help when Tyki and Allen actually reached the top of the cliff and the swordsman saw handprint shaped bruises developing on Allen's neck.
The Japanese Exorcist's glare shot to the Noah, narrowing even further.
"Kanda?" Allen asked, apparently surprised. His voice was hoarse and Kanda could hear him try to clear his throat. "What are you-"
Kanda looked away from the Noah. The sprout had stepped away from the Noah the moment his feet had touched the ground. Kanda's glare morphed back into a scowl and he seized Allen's wrist without preamble. Allen yelped in surprise as Kanda abruptly turned and began walking back to the Order building, half-dragging the beansprout with him.
"What are you doing?!" Allen demanded, trying to yank his wrist free. Kanda shot a glare over his shoulder, tightening his grip.
"The stupid Nurse sent me after your sorry ass," Kanda lied, still half-dragging Allen away from the Noah. For good measure, he shot a deadly glare towards Tyki. The Noah apparently didn't see him, but was rather removing his ridiculous looking helmet.
Kanda turned his gaze forwards once more.
"I can walk by myself!" Allen protested, still trying to free his hand.
"Che."
They passed by Komui and some of the Finders and medical team that had been helping with the clean-up after the battle, but neither paid them any mind.
LINE BREAK
Tyki tugged his helmet off his head, wincing as some of his hair got caught in the intricate pattern of the metal. He would need to get his hair cut soon - having this much was just a bother.
He tucked the helmet under an arm and looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps. The Supervisor was walking towards him, the man's usual white suit somewhat soiled by patches of dust. Komui looked exhausted, like he had aged ten years since Tyki had seen him last. Komui was followed by several men and women in white robes, some with a red band of cloth around their upper arms.
Tyki turned to fully face the Supervisor, shifting slightly and suddenly uneasy. He had been freed from the shackles, but that had been a desperate situation. The threat was gone for now; would he have to allow himself to be bound again?
He took a small, half-step backwards. Komui smiled tiredly and stopped. He extended his hand towards the Noah.
"Tyki Mikk," Komui said, voice exhausted but still strong. "Welcome to the Black Order."
Tyki stared at the hand for a long moment, then looked back up at Komui's face. With a small smirk, Tyki stepped forward and took the offered hand. He shook Komui's hand once and then let it go.
"Thank you, Supervisor," he said, only the faintest hint of habitual mockery in the title.
TBC…
A/N: Again, thank you to all who reviewed. ^_^
Sorry for taking so long to write this. I do not think chapter 35 will take as long to write, especially since summer break is coming up and I should have more time to write then.
Author: Bookkbaby
Rating: Teen
Warnings: YAOI
Summary: LUCKY Pair. It started as a simple game of poker, but a little white lie from Lavi changes everything. ['If you lose... you spend the night here, with me, and let me do whatever I want with you.']
Warnings: YAOI, which means BOYS LOVING BOYS. If you dislike that, then the back button is easy enough to find. Please click that and leave. Limes are in the future, and lemons. Maybe some OOC, spoilers for the end of the anime later on.
Disclaimer: I don’t own these lovely characters, that honor belongs to Katsura Hoshino. (Though if Hoshino-sama ever has a sale, I call dibs on Tyki… what?) I don’t own anything but a copy of the anime series and all volumes of the manga in English. Anything you don’t recognize (like the plotline of ‘A Game of Poker’) does belong to me. Everything else… not so much. Please don’t sue.
Kudos to the awesome SisterWicked of AssHat Productions (a group I am now a proud member of), who got me started on Lucky and lets me use 'lovely'! Beta’d by N.H. Arawn and Misster Cackles! All remaining mistakes are mine.
Thank you to those who reviewed!
Last Time On ‘A Game Of Poker’:
Komui slumped where he sat, sudden weight crushing his shoulders.
If Mikk couldn't reason, would he still remember that he now belonged with the Order? Would he remember that the Earl was his enemy, not his master?
Komui buried his face in his hands.
What had he done?
And Now, The Continuation
Chapter 34
Monster
Power.
Tyki had thought that he had known what real power was before - the ability to shove his hand inside a human's chest and rip out their vital organs one by one, the strength to reject or stand upon the very air if he so chose, having hundreds of flesh-eating golems at his beck and call... those powers were trifles compared to this. Energy and strength seemed to hum in his every cell, making him faster and more dangerous than he was before he had fully embraced the Pleasure, Joyd, inside of him. Tyki knew that he was a formidable opponent when he was just tapping into his dark side's power, but now that he had fully accepted it, he could-
/KILL THE EXORCISTS./
Tyki reeled, clapping his hands over his helmet at either side of his head. He gritted his teeth, trying to force back the sudden wave of violent, sick pleasure that had welled up from the dark corner of his mind he usually hid it in.
He could feel it all over again, the pleasure of tearing Exorcists to pieces and leaving their bodies scattered for the Finders to find later. He could recall the thrill he got when Innocence lost its luster and shattered in his hand. A part of him - the greater part, he realized with a sinking feeling in his chest - cried out for that, for the feel of blood on his hands and the knowledge that it was an Exorcist's life in his palms. He wanted to watch an Exorcist's eyes grow dull as he wrapped his fingers around their beating heart and pulled it slowly from their chest. He wanted to -
/YES./
Tyki growled, shaking his head violently. His body shook from want so strong it was almost a need, senses tingling from the presence of hateful Innocence so close to him, polluting the air he breathed with its energy. He was vaguely aware of someone laughing, but so much of his attention was focused on keeping his Noah from taking control of his body that he didn't look to see who.
How the hell had Skinn done this? How had Skinn managed to control his Noah?
Had Skinn ever actually been in control?
"Foolish Tyki. Poor, foolish Tyki."
That was the Earl's voice. Tyki snarled and jerked his gaze up and glaring as best he could at the grinning man. He doubted the Earl could see his glare through the small gaps left by his helmet, but it didn't matter. The trembling in his body grew more fierce, as did the urge to turn around and slaughter everyone that had allegiance to the Black Order and Innocence.
"Did you honestly think that you could control it, Tyki?" the Earl asked him merrily. He waggled as finger at Tyki as if chastising a naughty child. "Not even my dear Road has enough control over Noah's Dream to make it do something it doesn't want to do, and what could be more hateful to Noah than protecting Innocence? Especially for you, since you've never even been able to work with your Noah!"
/KILL THEM!/
Tyki felt himself go cold. This had been a mistake. He could feel the power slowly spiraling out of his control, dark energy looking for an outlet as the Noah he had kept buried but for occasional borrowing of some of its powers clawed at his mind, urging him to kill.
He wouldn't. He couldn't. He had done this for Lavi, for the others in the Order, simply because he knew he wasn't strong enough to fight his former employer on his own. He had needed this power, but he wasn't strong enough to control this either.
He heard the Earl moving and he looked up again, growling a warning as the fat man drew closer with a confident stride. The Maker's smile turned nasty and then the fat man's gaze turned towards Lavi. The Earl lifted his sword over the prone redhead and before the sword even began to dip, Tyki was moving.
The Noah lunged, putting himself in the path of the blade and lifting a hand to block. With his fingers outspread, he concentrated on rejecting the air in front of his palm. The Earl's sword hit the shield with a resounding 'gong' and ricocheted off, sending the Earl back a half-step from the force.
/INNOCENCE!/
Tyki felt his body lunge at the Earl, too surprised to react as Joyd took full control of his body. An inhuman snarl twisted his lips and he brought up a fist to strike.
The Earl stepped back to gain a steadier footing and brought up his sword to block. The Noah noted the Innocence-dust-covered blade and instantly formed more vines out of dark energy to wrap around and protect his arm. His fist met the flat of the blade with a loud, metallic 'thunk' and the two fighters held their deadlock for several moments before the Earl coiled his muscles and forced the Noah backwards. Tyki felt his feet slide along the ground and he tensed his legs, digging the pads of his feet into the ground to slow his momentum. The initial intensity of Joyd's reaction had subsided and Tyki scrambled for control, managing to hold himself in place as the Earl watched him warily from ten feet away. The Earl lifted his sword almost defensively, watching Tyki for his next attack.
Tyki smirked. He could feel the darkness seething inside of him, his Noah wanting nothing more than the pleasure of destroying the Innocence before it. Apparently, Joyd couldn't tell the difference between the light dusting of Innocence powder the Earl had coated his sword with and true Innocence wielded by an actual Exorcist. The Pleasure was simply reacting to the energy emitted, and since Pleasure and Knowledge were contained in separate beings, it couldn't even tell that the Earl was no Exorcist. Tyki doubted that this had ever been a problem before, but it was unexpected good fortune.
All he had to do was focus Joyd's murderous intent towards the Earl and his pseudo-Innocence weapon. He felt his smirk widen, then falter as the scent of blood reached his brain through his darkness-fogged mind.
Lavi's blood.
Tyki kept his eyes carefully on the Earl, shuffling his feet back slowly until he felt something wet on the stone soak the hems of his pants and the bottoms of his feet. He risked a glance backwards, heart freezing as he realized how pale Lavi had become. The redhead was almost as pale as Allen Walker's hair, a shade Tyki had never seen on anyone who still lived.
He felt something crack, whether it was in his chest or his brain he didn't know. He growled, unsure whether it was himself or his Noah controlling his motions, and began to turn to attack the man responsible when his eyes caught a minute movement of Lavi's chest.
He froze, gaze fixed on the redhead's chest. Lavi inhaled again, chest rising, and then slowly falling as he exhaled.
Tyki reacted without conscious thought, two of the vine-like appendages on his back detaching painlessly from his skin and shooting towards the unconscious redhead. One wrapped itself tightly around the wound in Lavi's side while the other began winding its way around the injury on the redhead's shoulder. They were only makeshift bandages, but hopefully they could prevent any further blood loss.
Hopefully Lavi was strong enough to stay alive until Tyki could get him proper medical attention. Transporting him would require concentration he really couldn't spend. His darker side was still crying out for blood and his body was beginning to tremble again for want of violence.
The sound of heavy footsteps on the stone brought his attention back to the Earl and he snapped his head around, regarding the Maker warily.
"What have you done?" the Earl demanded, eyes narrowed dangerously though his mouth was still stretched into a maniacal grin. That grin, Tyki noted with satisfaction, seemed to be on the verge of disappearing.
"Apparently, Earl," Tyki responded, enjoying the look of shock that the Maker's face betrayed for a split second before fading into anger. "My hatred of you outweighs Noah's hatred of Innocence."
Let the Earl keep guessing. Tyki wasn't going to tell him the real reason why his Noah was being so agreeable or willing to attack the Earl. Let him think that Tyki's emotions simply outweighed those of Noah's Pleasure.
"You're lying, Tyki," the Earl said, grin fading into a fierce scowl. A shiver of fear shot down Tyki's spine, but he kept smirking confidently. "I hate liars almost as much as I hate traitors."
Tyki smirked, subtly preparing to lunge. They couldn't fight next to Lavi's still form. It was far too likely they'd damage the redhead even more and Tyki was uncertain that the Exorcist could handle taking more injuries.
/Kill.../
Joyd seemed almost petulant now, its former demand now just a whine accompanied by such longing Tyki could no longer deny it its desire. Tyki couldn't even see a reason to deny it. He fixed his gaze on the Earl.
[He has Innocence. Kill him.]
/INNOCENCE? KILL HIM./
/[Yes...]/
[/KILL./]
With a roar, Tyki lunged.
LINE BREAK
Kanda's eyes snapped open, mind going instantly from unconsciousness to full alertness in a split second.
"Oh, good, you're awake!" The voice was male and entirely too bright for the samurai’s current state of mind.
Kanda glared up at the speaker, his head pounding. He forced his way to a sitting position regardless, feeling his head swim at the motion. He scowled darkly, ignoring the headache and putting a hand to the shoulder he had dislocated before being knocked unconscious by the damn Earl's last attack. It tingled unpleasantly, but someone had obviously set it and wrapped it while he had been knocked out. It would do.
"You shouldn't move yet - you took a nasty knock to the head-"
A swift glare cut the nurse off.
"Where the hell is Mugen?" Kanda demanded. He glanced around, scowl deepening when he didn't see his sword. The fact that a certain stupid bean sprout was nowhere to be seen didn‘t help either.
"Your sword is right here." The nurse seemed slightly irritated with him now, but Kanda couldn't care less. The nurse indicated the sheathed weapon Kanda hadn’t noticed lying next to his legs. Kanda grunted an acknowledgement, leaning over to pick it up. His mood was soothed somewhat by the feeling of the cool hilt in his palm and he began to get to his feet. He felt someone lay a hand on his shoulder carefully - probably the nurse, since Kanda vaguely heard him telling Kanda to lay back down - but he shook off the touch and stood up. He wobbled unsteadily for a moment, but then his head cleared and he caught his balance.
Kanda began looking around again, this time further afield than he had when sitting down. There were two Finders nearby, probably ones who were ordered to accompany the nurse to help him do his job. Kanda spotted a large patch of white moving beyond the two light-robed men and focused on it, cursing inwardly when he recognized Allen. The stupid idiot with a martyr complex wasn't heading towards the Order building for medical treatment, but was heading straight back out into the battlefield. The white haired boy was making a beeline for the fight between the goddamn Earl and something Kanda only recognized from Lenalee's terrified descriptions - a transformed Tyki Mikk.
A spot of red near the fighting caught his attention and he swore again. Kanda started walking quickly towards the battle, ignoring the calls of the nurse behind him. He pushed past the two Finders, noting briefly that they were trying to gently convince him that it would be much better for him to return to the Order building. He nearly unsheathed Mugen at the suggestion. As it was, his grip on his sword tightened noticeably and the two Finders stopped attempting to block his path.
Kanda strode forward quickly, almost stomping towards the fight. He didn't know what kind of shape Allen was in, but the brat had taken the full blast of the Earl's earlier attack and even Kanda was still feeling the effects. The fucking rabbit wasn't even moving and though Kanda would much prefer watching the fight until the goddamn Noah got messily killed, he knew Allen wouldn't wait and Lavi probably needed the medic's help, but no nurse or doctor was going to get close enough to the last still-raging battle to treat him. The Exorcist almost didn't blame them - the fight was certainly intense, sounds like loud gongs echoing and loud thunderclaps of dark energy exploding every few seconds. The two combatants were almost blurs at times, the Earl's sword striking faster than a coiled serpent and the Noah blocking almost as quickly before either trying to attack with his bare hands or with the vine-like limbs growing from his back.
Kanda gritted his teeth as he watched Allen near the edge of the fight. The white haired boy's steps were slower now and Kanda could just picture the beansprout watching carefully for any opening that would let him join the violence, preferably an opening that wouldn't mean fouling one of his 'allies' attacks.
Kanda scoffed. He still didn't buy that shit.
The Exorcist turned his gaze away from the white-haired boy and looked down towards the ground as his feet carried him to the fallen redhead's side. His steps grew quicker and his eyes widened almost imperceptibly as he saw the pool of blood around the other's pale body. Kanda moved into a kneeling position next to Lavi, almost dropping Mugen. He slid one arm beneath the redhead's shoulders, ignoring the slightly lukewarm blood beginning to soak his sleeve as he hefted the heavy weight. Lavi's head lolled back and Kanda's scowl deepened.
He pulled one of Lavi's arms across his shoulders, holding the redhead tightly by the waist as he stood. Kanda leaned most of Lavi's weight onto his hip, holding tightly to the unconscious Exorcist's wrist and waist. He could feel blood soak into his side where his body met Lavi's, but ignored it as he took one last look at the fight. If he took five steps, he would be on the very fringes of it.
Allen had found his opening, it seemed. He was almost as fast as the other two, darting at the Earl from behind while the Noah rushed the Maker from the front. The Earl somehow managed to block both, ducking under the attacks and forcing Allen to abort his strike.
Kanda turned away, bad mood deepening. He shifted Lavi upwards slightly, getting a better grip. Then he noticed the vines that were covering what seemed to be injuries. Kanda scowled deeper and started walking back to the Order as quickly as his feet could carry him.
"He's still an asshole," Kanda growled, though with less venom than his voice had held before when speaking of the resident Noah. "And if the moyashi dies before I get back, I am going to fucking kill the both of you, understand me you stupid rabbit? I'm going to take Mugen and cut you and the sprout into tiny little pieces and feed you to the next Komurin."
Kanda began walking more quickly, muttering about 'stupid fucking martyr complexes' the whole way back to the Order.
LINE BREAK
It had been wonderful. Tyki's Noah had been acting exactly as he wanted and Tyki's consciousness had gotten lax about having control, allowing the more primal and powerful side of his nature to take over. The Pleasure had attacked what it had seen as an Exorcist and Tyki had laughed at how the weapon meant to kill him was now being used as a homing beacon of sorts for his dark side to attack. It was almost poetic.
The battle had been thrilling, but only for a little while. Tyki had been triumphant over his newfound ability to block using thin air and even turn the air into a projectile weapon of sorts. He had been proud of the sudden increase in his speed and strength, but even with all that he was still not the Earl's match. At full power, he still could not defeat the Earl and they both knew it, but Tyki was close enough in strength to get in a lucky hit and do serious damage if the Earl wasn't careful.
The man had only slipped up once and that had resulted in what Tyki was sure were broken ribs. Joyd had seen an opportunity and struck full force at the Maker's chest. A loud cracking sound had followed the strike and the Earl had been slightly hunched over ever since, as if it hurt to straighten up.
Good. Tyki hoped he was in pain.
Tyki had a sluggishly bleeding cut on his chest, though thankfully it wasn't deep. There were a couple of minor wounds on his arms from blocks that hadn't quite been complete in time, and he was sure his helmet was scratched from an overhead attack he hadn't been able to block at all. If it weren't for the helmet, ridiculous as it looked, Tyki knew that he would have died then and there.
Tyki had gotten in enough lucky hits to keep the Earl somewhat on the defensive, though unfortunately nothing save the blow that broke the Maker's ribs had been serious. Tyki's injuries were a bit worse, but nothing he couldn't handle. Tyki hadn't thought much beyond the next strike, the next dodge, the next block and hadn't even considered that he might need or get backup in the form of an Exorcist.
/INNOCENCE!/
The sudden shout from inside his own mind jerked Tyki out of his almost complacent state. The presence of the holy crystal was suddenly much stronger and Tyki felt his gaze snap towards the source. A slim figure cloaked in white with a sword almost the size of said figure was running at the Earl from behind, sword raised. Tyki felt himself growl in sudden fury, Joyd's attention suddenly diverted from the Earl even as his momentum drove him towards the Maker, one arm raised to attack.
The Earl's grin turned nasty and the fat man ducked as Tyki and Allen reached him. Tyki saw Allen pull out of the strike, the Exorcist's sword missing him by a hair's breadth as Allen sidestepped to avoid running Tyki through.
Tyki's momentum carried him through his strike, though he didn't connect with the Earl's body as he had intended. His hand sliced through the air above the fat man's head and enough of his body had been committed to the blow to knock his temporarily off balance when it didn't connect. He stumbled a bit and then, sensing the displacement of air beneath him, the Noah found a foothold in the air and leapt over the Maker, narrowly dodging the dark sword that would have sliced him in two from groin to shoulder had he stayed in place.
Tyki felt his body turn as soon as his feet met the ground, his eyes already zeroing in on the Noah's natural enemy: a true Exorcist. Allen seemed to be unaware of the Noah's shifted focus, his sword held defensively towards the Earl and silver eyes not even sparing a look Tyki's way. The Earl kept a wary eye on both of his opponents, sword held ready to block or attack depending on who moved first.
Joyd hardly noticed the Earl, lifting his hand and tensing his legs in preparation for an attack on the white-haired boy on the Earl's other side. A growl rumbled in his throat, fingers flexing at the imagined pleasure of feeling the Exorcist's heart beat it's last inside of his grasp-
[No, not him. He's not the enemy.] Tyki said firmly, trying to force his gaze towards the Earl. His blood ran cold when his head barely even twitched.
/KILL THE EXORCISTS./
[No-] When had he lost this much control? This was his body, not the Noah's, but all that was running through his mind were visions of Innocence crumbling to dust and human blood painting the stone beneath his feet a lovely shade of crimson...
/DESTROY THE INNOCENCE./
Shit, shit, shit..!
[I said no, damnit!]
He couldn't stop it.
He felt his body spring from the ground, feet running along the air over the Earl's head to get to what his Noah saw as his opponent. Tyki tried frantically to stop himself from the mad dash through the air, commanding his legs to stop moving and willing the air to stop holding him. His body stumbled but didn't fall, pace barely slacking as he bore down on the shocked-looking Exorcist.
He could hear the Earl laughing as Tyki's body descended from the air, the Noah's mouth open in an inhuman roar as his fist swung forward in a strike aimed for the white-haired boy's head. His fist was a mere blur, too fast for the other to dodge or block.
/KILL!/
LINE BREAK
"Over here!"
The nurse turned at the sound of the male Finder's cry, tightening her grip on her bag of medical supplies. She strode briskly towards the call. She had yet to find a patient to treat, mostly because the Akuma's blood virus was almost instant death to anyone infected. There was nothing she could do for piles of dust.
The nurse could see the Finder who had called her waving his arm to get her attention. They were near the forested part of the grounds now and many bushes dotted the ground, blocking her view of him from the waist down. She didn't spot the other Finder, the man's partner, until motion near the top of the bush caught her eye - the other Finder was likely kneeling behind the vegetation to assist whoever it was they had found.
She rounded the bush quickly, eyes already on the ground. The patient's dark coat and skirt identified her as an Exorcist, though her injuries didn't seem to suggest any difficult fighting. It looked like there had been a somewhat deep cut on her bicep and several more superficial scratches on her arms and legs, but all had clotted and would heal without assistance. The nurse was about to command the two Finders to lift the girl and carry her into Headquarters when she spotted the small puddle of red beneath the girl's head. Her short hair was matted with the stuff, the nurse noted, dropping down by the Exorcist's head and cautiously feeling her neck for a pulse.
"Should we move her?" one of the Finders asked. "We were told to-"
"Give me a minute," the nurse replied, cutting him off. He fell silent. The nurse located the Exorcist's pulse and nodded to herself, noting that it was steady. Unfortunate that the girl was unconscious, since there was no way to tell if she had suffered consequences from the injury, but they had to move her and get her into Headquarters. A quick bandage around her head might help the bleeding - some of the blood still looked fresh.
The nurse turned from the Exorcist and dug into her medical bag for some clean linen. It took her only a moment to locate what she needed.
She withdrew the roll and turned back to the Exorcist. Carefully, she slid one of her hands through the drying puddle of blood and lifted the girl's head. She felt around carefully for the wound. It was fairly small, directly on the back of the girl's head. The cut had probably been caused by the Exorcist's head striking the ground. The nurse held the girl steady, ignoring the blood soaking her palm, and motioned with the hand holding the bandage to the Finder kneeling across from her.
"Hold her up - I can't support her weight and bandage her head properly."
She thought the Finder might have nodded. He slid behind the unconscious Exorcist and rested her lower back against his lap, using his hands to hold her shoulders. The nurse kept her hand on the girl's head, trying to make sure she wasn't jarred too badly.
While the Finder helping to hold the patient up settled, the nurse looked up at the other Finder.
"Go get a stretcher from headquarters. Get back here as soon as possible."
The Finder nodded and turned, walking briskly around the bush and heading back towards the Order building.
The nurse bit the end of the bandage and pulled it free. Cautiously, making sure the end of the bandage didn't touch the ground and careful to not lose her grip on the Exorcist's head, she began to wrap it around the girl's skull. She made sure to wrap it tightly around the injury, temporarily holding it shut.
She had just tied off the bandage when the Finder she had sent to fetch the stretcher arrived, carrying the requested item under his arm.
"Put that down," the nurse ordered, motioning to the area next to the unconscious Exorcist. The Finder did as told, setting the stretcher down on the ground.
"Get her legs. On my count of three, lift her and carefully put her down on the stretcher."
The Finder at the girl's head shifted his grip to hold her by the armpits while the other moved to grab the girl under her knees.
"One... two... three."
In unison, the two Finders lifted the Exorcist and laid her gently down on the stretcher. The nurse glanced around, checking to make sure she hadn't overlooked any other people in need of treatment.
"Is there anyone else here?" she asked one of the Finders. He shook his head.
"We checked. There's no one else within thirty feet."
The nurse nodded, grabbing her medical bag.
"On my count of three, lift the stretcher... one, two..."
Both Finders lifted as she said 'three'.
LINE BREAK
Allen stared in wide-eyed shock as Tyki's fist descended, too stunned to even attempt to block. He cried out as the blow connected with his cheek, sending him stumbling backwards several feet. He found his balance and raised his gaze, only to see Tyki bearing down on him again.
"Tyki!" he called desperately, Crown Clown already moving to block the next strike. Tyki just roared in response, seemingly unable to hear him.
The next blow went through his shield and struck him full in the stomach. Allen doubled over, painfully meeting the follow-up kick with his chest. Allen was propelled into the air by the kick, tumbling and totally disoriented. Another blow caught him in the chest. The Exorcist's body was driven further up into the air, scrambling desperately for a purchase that was impossible to find.
Allen coughed wetly as another blow, ringing with the force and sound of a gong, caught him in the stomach. He curled in on himself instinctively, crying out again when what felt like a kick hit his already-bruised ribs. Allen's body uncurled as it was flung through the air, the Exorcist's silver eyes searching desperately for his opponent so he'd had some warning where the next blow was coming from.
His gaze landed on the Earl. The Maker was standing on the cliff several feet in front of the edge, but there was no sign of the possessed Noah.
Allen didn't even have time to wonder where his opponent had gone before he heard a displacement of air behind him. There was the sound of a gong and then pain exploded between his shoulder blades. Allen gritted his teeth, turning as his body plummeted back towards the ground. He reached out with his hand, still gripping his sword tightly, and latched onto the Noah with the Crown Belt.
The Noah was jerked out of the sky, the unexpected move pulling him off of his invisible perch. The Pleasure growled furiously, trying to yank itself free of the ribbons.
Allen smiled, but the smile was shoved from his lips as he felt his body strike something solid, something warmer than rock. Allen barely heard the Earl's surprised 'oof' as the sudden, unexpected hit drove the Maker back a few feet. The Exorcist's eyes went wide as Tyki's form rapidly filled his vision.
The Noah slammed into the Exorcist and the Earl, sending the three over the cliff's edge.
LINE BREAK
Tyki could feel his body strike Allen's and his former master's. He could feel it as they began to fall. The Pleasure halted its descent with a growl, catching itself on thin air before it could fall too far. As soon as it stopped, there was a harsh tug on its arm and Tyki could feel his body nearly lose its balance before Joyd steadied itself once more.
The Noah's eyes went to the white cloth wrapped around its arm. It growled dangerously, following the line of white to the Exorcist dangling over empty air. Allen was clinging to his sword and his cloak with all of his strength, silver eyes wide with fear. His life literally hung by a thread.
Tyki could feel his lips twist into a cruel smile. The vines on his back twitched eagerly and knew in an split second what the Pleasure was going to do. He suddenly felt chilled, but knew he could do no more than fractionally slow his darker side.
He was proven correct when two vines suddenly extended and moved as quick as lightning to wrap around the Exorcist's chest. Allen yelped as he was lifted to eye-level with Tyki, suspended in midair with only the vines and the thin cord of the Crown Clown to keep him from a deadly fall.
Allen swallowed heavily and looked up, meeting Tyki's eyes.
"Tyki..." Allen said, attempting to look through the Noah to the man beneath. "You can beat your Noah-"
[What do you think I'm trying to do, boy?] Tyki snapped in reply, though he knew Allen couldn't hear him. He felt his arms lift, hands reaching out for the white haired boy's slender neck. Tyki gritted his teeth, putting all his will into stopping his arms. His hands twitched and the ascent slowed, but did not stop.
Allen leaned away from him, legs kicking in air to try and back away as the hands neared his neck.
"Tyki-" Whatever Allen had been about to say was cut off by the Exorcist's gasp as the Noah's hands - Joyd's hands - settled on his neck and began to squeeze. Two thick ribbons of the Crown Belt shot towards the Noah's hands, but the Pleasure's grip was too tight for the living white cloth to work its way between palm and throat.
Joyd grinned, exerting only enough pressure to close Allen's windpipe and not enough to snap the boy's neck and let him die swiftly and relatively painlessly. Allen's face was turning red, his eyes almost comically wide and mouth open as he struggled to breathe. The two strips of the cloak fell away, utterly useless.
[Stop!] Tyki commanded, doing his best to force his fingers away from the Exorcist's neck. He could feel the pulse under his grip, feel it as the boy's heart pumped blood through the arteries and veins-
Joyd growled in reply, effortlessly reasserting it's control. Tyki redoubled his efforts, but his will was no match and he knew it.
Allen's wildly shaking hand rose to his throat, fingers that were probably already going numb trying without success to pry Tyki's hands off. The boy's sword dangled from one strand of his cloak, swaying slightly in the wind.
Joyd took no notice of the weapon except to note that it was Innocence. It growled at the blade, tightening its grip on Allen's throat and then grinned widely. Allen's silver eyes had already begun to dull, his already weak struggles getting even weaker.
"Ty... ki..."
LINE BREAK
Kanda scowled as he approached the Order building. Lavi's unconscious body was a heavy weight and Kanda wanted nothing more than to drop the redhead into the care of the nearest nurse and head back to the fight. Lavi was too moronic to die here. Kanda wasn't worried. Not even a little. Not the tiniest little bit.
Kanda looked around for Komui. His scowl deepened when he didn't see the man anywhere. What he did see was the Head Nurse descending the steps and walking briskly towards him, snapping an order to two Finders to grab a stretcher and follow her. Without checking to make sure her order was obeyed - which it was, Kanda could see two male Finders scrambling to grab a stretcher and practically tripping over themselves in haste to fulfill their task - she approached Kanda and his burden.
"My nurse tells me you and Allen Walker left his care," she said severely as soon as Kanda was in earshot. He turned his scowl to her. "Very well, you'll be following me to the infirmary and you will be on bed rest for the next week."
"Che," Kanda replied, knowing better than to outright refuse unless he wanted his ear grabbed and his chances of escape to drop to zero. The Finders appeared next to the Head Nurse just then, so he was spared from elaborating. As soon as the Finders set the stretcher down and one moved to take Lavi from him, Kanda let the redhead go and turned to leave.
"Kanda Yuu!" the Nurse said sternly. "You will-"
Kanda didn't hear the rest, Mugen gripped tightly in one hand and his feet already carrying him rapidly back to where he had left Allen.
She could confine him to bedrest in the infirmary for the next two weeks. He couldn't care less. With the way he had been healing lately and with who his opponent would be, he might need it.
LINE BREAK
The solution hit like a bolt of lightning. Considering how painful this was going to be, Tyki thought dryly, the simile was actually fairly apt. His chest ached at the memory, but if that was the price...
He abruptly released all control of his hands and arms to the Noah. He could feel his grip tighten around Allen's throat but made no move to lessen the pressure. The boy made a worrisome gurgling noise, but Tyki ignored it and hoped the Exorcist had enough strength left to last a few more minutes. They were both dead, otherwise; Allen by his hands and he by the hands of Allen's fellow Exorcists once they realized what he had done.
Time was not on his side and he cursed mentally. If he had just realized it or if the boy had just done it the moment he realized that Tyki was not in control, this wouldn't have happened.
Joyd laughed, taking Tyki's sudden lack of resistance a sign that Tyki had given up. Tyki smiled grimly. Without allowing himself any more time to consider, his will surged forth with one target.
His mouth.
The Pleasure barely reacted as Tyki asserted control. All Joyd cared about was strangling the Exorcist; it didn't need to speak. Tyki quirked his lips into a dry smirk. Finally, something was going right.
"Stab me," he croaked out. He could tell the moment that the words reached Joyd's ears. It instantly took notice of him and the little control he had was immediately attacked. He could feel the Pleasure tearing at him, angry growls sounding in his head as the Pleasure tried to gain back the control it had so easily given over. Tyki gritted his teeth and clung to the only thing he had power over.
He could vaguely sense his hands tightening still further, Allen's choked noises growing louder. The boy's silver eyes were huge, though from shock or a lack of air, Tyki didn't know. He could sense his metaphorical grip on his lips slipping, control shifting back to the Noah. He growled in frustration.
"Do i-"
His words were cut off with a loud snarl as his control was ripped forcefully from him. Tyki was slammed back into his mind and was suddenly a completely helpless observer in his own body. He could feel Allen's rapid pulse against his palms, see Allen's lips as they gained a blue tinge, hear his gasps for breath-
[Damnit! DO it!] Tyki snapped, spirit going cold. Was the Exorcist already too far gone to lift Crown Clown?
Allen's eyes were glazed over, slipping shut.
Somewhat frantic, Tyki tried to extend his will to his hands. If he could just pry his palms away, buy the Exorcist a few more-
There was a sudden motion out of the corner of his eye. Tyki could feel Joyd instinctively turn to look and then felt its eyes widen as it recognized the blur of white and black slashing towards it. Tyki didn't even have time to wonder where the strength and speed of the strike came from before he felt the blade pass into his shoulder and slice cleanly through him to his hip. Without looking, he knew a trail of glowing white crosses had appeared where the blade had gone through his body.
In the second before the crosses started to burn, Tyki smirked.
The sound and scent of burning flesh met his ears and nose before the pain hit. Tyki roared, agony like a thousand white-hot knives prodding every inch of his skin hitting him hard. He barely realized it when he dropped Allen, only noticing when he felt a harsh tug on his arm from the thin thread of the Crown Belt that still clung to him.
Even that small observation was quickly drowned out.
He could hear his Noah shrieking, the sound reverberating in his head. It was so loud, all he could hear was the enraged, pained screams. His head throbbed from the sounds. His chest burned like hellfire, as though the cut had truly split him in two and the gap was being lit with unholy flames. The burning grew more and more intense, like Joyd's black blood was pouring out of him and fueling the fire. His hands ran mindlessly over the injury and found only unbroken skin.
/INNOCENCE!/
Tyki tried to jerk away from the sound, but it was inside his own head. He shook his head violently, lifting both hands to press against his skull.
/KILL THE EXORCISTS!/
[No.] Tyki growled in reply, doubling over as the Noah dug its mental claws in to try and gain back control. Tyki held fast, gritting his teeth as he embraced the fire burning him alive. Joyd shrieked again, retreating from the Innocence. Tyki forced it back to its corner in his mind, reasserting his dominance over both the dark and his own body. He could feel his strength draining, the extra power embracing the Pleasure had given him dwindling to nothing.
He straightened up, lowering his hands. They were still a much darker gray than usual and shook slightly from exhaustion and from relief. The vines on his back had disappeared, having faded as the extra power inside of him had gone. He was himself again. Tension he hadn't even been aware of evaporated, muscles relaxing of their own accord.
A heavy weight hanging from one arm made him look down. Allen was dangling over thin air again, the Crown Belt wrapped thickly around his arm and helping keep his grip on Crown Clown secure. No doubt it was the cloak that had allowed Allen to strike so swiftly and powerfully. Allen's eyes, still slightly glazed, were watching him carefully, searching for any indication of who was in control of Tyki's body.
Tyki lifted up his arm and extended his hand down towards the Exorcist. Allen looked at it uncertainly for a moment, then looked back up to Tyki's face. Tyki smirked. The white haired boy smiled in reply and lifted his arm. The strips of the Crown Belt unwound from his hand, one piece still tightly gripping the Crown Clown. Allen grabbed Tyki's hand and allowed the older man to pull him up.
Tyki felt pain race across his newly-formed scar and his grip spasmed briefly, but he gritted his teeth and pulled the Exorcist up to stand beside him. As soon as he was able, he shifted his grip from the white haired boy's hand to his upper arm. Sparks of pain still moved across his scar, but he could endure those.
He and Allen may have been able to stop Joyd, but the Earl was still here. Tyki had almost forgotten about the Maker, but with the Exorcist no longer in immediate danger of dying the older man realized how strange it was that the Earl hadn't reappeared. The fall would not have killed him, so why hadn't the Maker shown himself?
"Lets get back to the top of the cliff," Tyki said, tightening his grip on Allen's arm. The boy was a burden here, since Tyki would need to be touching him at all times to keep him from falling. He couldn't fight like this. Allen nodded in reply, a determined look on his face.
Tyki turned to walk back, but the sudden sound of very familiar chuckles stopped him dead. He turned around swiftly, pinpointing the source of the laughter in an instant.
The Earl was floating through the air more than twenty feet away. His pink umbrella was wide open and carrying him, though oddly enough the Maker wasn't moving closer to Tyki and Allen. Instead, he was moving straight up.
"Earl," Allen said, voice the closest thing to a growl Tyki had ever heard out of the boy. Allen hefted Crown Clown and Tyki winced as more pain shot through his chest.
"So you regained control over your Noah," the Earl remarked, sounding almost petulant. "Pity. I was looking forward to you killing the Exorcists for me, but it seems like it cost you."
Tyki put his free hand over his chest, covering the fresh scar. He glared at the Earl. The fat man hovered, level with them, then lifted his free hand and snapped his fingers. A crowned set of doors with a heart-shaped top materialized out of nowhere. Tyki's eyes narrowed further. He recognized that doorway.
The padded doors slowly swung outwards, revealing the small girl that stood just inside. Blackness surrounded her, the faint outline of three bodies lying on the ground behind her just barely visible. Two stirred slightly, but the third was completely still. Tyki almost smiled as he recognized the unmoving figure as Lulubell, but turned his attention to his still-living enemies. Road's eyes were cold, expression hard as she stared back at Tyki. A large bruise covered one side of her face, but she seemed otherwise unharmed.
The Earl floated gently up to the doorway and stepped inside, closing his umbrella with a quick, sharp motion. The Earl turned to face Tyki and Allen.
"You've slaughtered my lovely Akuma," the Earl said, his voice a menacing singsong. "You've murdered my darling Lulubell. Forgive the cliche, but you haven't seen the last of me."
The Earl's gaze focused on Allen.
"And next time, that sword will not save you."
The Earl lifted his hand and gave a jaunty wave, smile wide and false. One of the corner's of Road's mouth curved upwards, though her eyes remained cold. The doors swung shut, hiding the Earl and Road from view and then the doors disappeared entirely. All that was left was clear blue sky.
Tyki and Allen stared at the spot the doors had hung moments before, both too stunned to move.
Slowly, Allen lowered his sword. He folded his arm across his body, allowing the Crown Clown to transform back into his arm. Tyki kept a steady grip on his arm, making sure he didn't fall. When the light from the transformation had died down, Allen looked back at Tyki and smiled weakly.
"Let's go back." The boy's voice was hoarse - his throat had gotten badly bruised when Tyki had been strangling him. Tyki nodded, gaze shifting briefly to Allen's Innocence-formed arm and then towards the top of the cliff. Funny, how the weapon that had once released Joyd in all its fury had also been the thing to help him seal it. His expression darkened as he recalled the Earl's last words.
Next time, he would make sure that he wouldn't need the Crown Clown to save him.
LINE BREAK
Kanda glared over the cliff's edge with as much venom as he could muster. Considering the situation, he could muster quite a lot.
Kanda had arrived just in time to see the Earl and the little girl disappear through a doorway that had vanished into thin air. He had scowled upon seeing it and sheathed Mugen, but it was only when he had heard voices over the cliff's edge and looked over it that his scowl had developed into a full glare. The goddamn Noah was holding on to the sprout's arm, walking with him through the air to the top of the cliff.
Kanda didn't know why, but something in him was snapping and growling angrily at the sight. It was sickening, how close that asshole was to the white-haired moron, practically hip to hip. It didn't help when Tyki and Allen actually reached the top of the cliff and the swordsman saw handprint shaped bruises developing on Allen's neck.
The Japanese Exorcist's glare shot to the Noah, narrowing even further.
"Kanda?" Allen asked, apparently surprised. His voice was hoarse and Kanda could hear him try to clear his throat. "What are you-"
Kanda looked away from the Noah. The sprout had stepped away from the Noah the moment his feet had touched the ground. Kanda's glare morphed back into a scowl and he seized Allen's wrist without preamble. Allen yelped in surprise as Kanda abruptly turned and began walking back to the Order building, half-dragging the beansprout with him.
"What are you doing?!" Allen demanded, trying to yank his wrist free. Kanda shot a glare over his shoulder, tightening his grip.
"The stupid Nurse sent me after your sorry ass," Kanda lied, still half-dragging Allen away from the Noah. For good measure, he shot a deadly glare towards Tyki. The Noah apparently didn't see him, but was rather removing his ridiculous looking helmet.
Kanda turned his gaze forwards once more.
"I can walk by myself!" Allen protested, still trying to free his hand.
"Che."
They passed by Komui and some of the Finders and medical team that had been helping with the clean-up after the battle, but neither paid them any mind.
LINE BREAK
Tyki tugged his helmet off his head, wincing as some of his hair got caught in the intricate pattern of the metal. He would need to get his hair cut soon - having this much was just a bother.
He tucked the helmet under an arm and looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps. The Supervisor was walking towards him, the man's usual white suit somewhat soiled by patches of dust. Komui looked exhausted, like he had aged ten years since Tyki had seen him last. Komui was followed by several men and women in white robes, some with a red band of cloth around their upper arms.
Tyki turned to fully face the Supervisor, shifting slightly and suddenly uneasy. He had been freed from the shackles, but that had been a desperate situation. The threat was gone for now; would he have to allow himself to be bound again?
He took a small, half-step backwards. Komui smiled tiredly and stopped. He extended his hand towards the Noah.
"Tyki Mikk," Komui said, voice exhausted but still strong. "Welcome to the Black Order."
Tyki stared at the hand for a long moment, then looked back up at Komui's face. With a small smirk, Tyki stepped forward and took the offered hand. He shook Komui's hand once and then let it go.
"Thank you, Supervisor," he said, only the faintest hint of habitual mockery in the title.
TBC…
A/N: Again, thank you to all who reviewed. ^_^
Sorry for taking so long to write this. I do not think chapter 35 will take as long to write, especially since summer break is coming up and I should have more time to write then.