-Tethered-
-By: DeathHeiress88-
Summary: "…Your arm's telling him where we are. I'll slice it off for you…!" And so, Tyki did. Mercilessly, viciously, and oh so bloodily. But the stupid Innocence remained. Moreover, it shackled Tyki to Allen as a punishment.
Disclaimer: Nope. Not mine. Only writing for fun.
Warning: I recommend reading first the preceding manga chapters of DGM before reading this fic, because you'll have a little difficulty in understanding what is happening. Spoilers up to chapter 205! And some things that aren't just for kids, so please beware!
One mistake
Is all it take
One weakening
To do the failing
Mistake
They laid Road under the untainted white moon.
"Why won't she wake up? Innocence attacks don't affect Road, right?"
Tyki narrowed his eyes at the Ninth, wondering what happened but not that overly concerned. His Genes are not crying, Road's 'dreams' have just broken. It's nothing to worry about, it happened before…but…
He sighed and looked at the other way.
"Don't look at me. It might be that the damage goes as deep as the Noah memory."
Tyki paused as he tried to explain the situation in a way that the exorcist-turned-Noah or Noah-turned exorcist, whatever the case may be, could understand.
"It seems that Apocryphos is on a whole other level than all of your Innocences."
The Portuguese watched Allen Walker's distraught face and his fists involuntarily clenched. "Shit, we can't use Road's doors…"
The boy exclaimed something under his breath, and based on his reaction Tyki assumed he didn't sense the presences sent after them.
Tyki inwardly sighed at their predicament. He quickly unraveled his simple (quite too simple) plan to the cheating boy. Not checking whether he was understood, or even heard, he thrust the Noah of Dreams into the younger one's arms.
"It's decided. Here's Road."
"HUH? YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING! WHY ME?"
The teenager spluttered indignantly; a red flush of anger , which in other circumstances would amuse Tyki, splashing across his scarred cheeks.
Tyki would have replied that he need to take the gigantic golem (how did this golden ball even managed to grow?) and protect both of them while running if not for the sudden scream that tore out the boy's throat.
"Hey! Cut it out!"
He heard the boy snap at his arm. Tyki's eyes widened as he saw the Innocence go berserk, in an instant he was beside the boy. He pushed Road's body aside; pinning down the Innocence-laden arm harshly, not caring at all if he broke it.
"What the hell are you doing, you idiot? Stop it!"
"Shut up! Don't touch me!"
Tyki gritted his teeth in frustration. The boy was still struggling stubbornly. This obstinacy would have charmed Tyki if only it was exhibited in a situation where no fucking Apocryphos was on their tail.
Not to mention the lack of foolproof plans to escape this place.
Fuck it.
"It's not responding…I can't stop it…!" The teen bellowed more to himself than to Tyki.
Suddenly, Tyki felt a tug coming from the Innocence. His eyebrows furrowed, what's this? A random reaction of Innocence to his Noah genes? But as Allen Walker stop struggling, abruptly staring at the darkness ahead of them, Tyki realized the problem.
The Innocence was not tugging at him. It wasn't for him, it was for—
"Apocryphos…!" The reluctant boy in his arm breathed out.
The questionable pieces clicked into a pattern and a dangerous plan was formed in Tyki's mind.
"…Your arm's telling him where we are!"
He buried his chin into silver-white hair as he leaned closer onto the quaking body of the Fourteenth's 'host'. The Noah of Pleasure gripped the arm that he had once ripped apart savagely.
He whispered into the boy's ear.
"I'll slice it off for you…!"
And so he did.
Mercilessly.
Viciously.
Bloodily.
Just like how he did it the first time.
Red.
Allen's world was then tainted red.
He could no longer discern the Apocryphos' voice beckoning him. He could no longer feel Tyki Mikk's body against him. He could no longer see Road's body that lay beside Tim.
He could only focus on the pain.
And the word that rang in his mind before his arm was cleaved off.
Both of them sat there on the forest floor under the canopy of trees, blanketed by stark silence. One panting from shock, the other trying to endure the pain.
Which quickly diminished, as if there was none from the start.
Allen's eyes opened in surprise and he gaped in further surprise at the sight of his arm.
Attached.
Intact.
'Wh…what?'
He was sure that it was cut off!
Bloody hell, he felt it beingcut off!
He even saw the blood!
…Or did he really?
Instead of a severed, bloodied arm, what he saw was just his arm. Just the arm that had killed so many. Just the arm that had caused his suffering from the start.
"How…?"
"My sentiments exactly." The vibrations that passed through Allen's back reminded him how close he was to Tyki Mikk. How close he was to the person that had tried to rip his limb from his body.
Twice.
He wrenched himself from the other's grip and backed away as far as possible. There was an unreadable expression on the Noah's face, but to Allen's chagrin, it was replaced by a cool mask of indifference.
He started to tell the Noah to keep the bloody hell away from him or better to go the fuck away completely. But he never managed it.
In a black and white blur, the Noah of Pleasure grabbed him at the waist and hurled both of them forwards. Allen's back met Timcanpy's side, his left shoulder colliding with Road's lithe ones.
"What—!"
But then, the Noah was gone.
Allen's mind was in a state of stupor, for some reason, the boy could not grasp the situation. He had been eating…Food delivered by Link…The Cardinal arriving…Link's eyes bursting with wings…
His Master's killer…
His arm…
Allen's right hand automatically moved to his left arm, assuring his self that it was not gone. Then, Allen felt it.
The change in his Innocence.
The teen looked at his arm, stupefied by the coldness of it. No longer was the comforting warmth he was used to, in its stead was aloofness, unresponsiveness to Allen's touch.
Allen bit his lip as he remembered the word that rang in his mind just before Tyki 'cut' his arm. He bit his lip, knowing that it was his Innocence talking to him.
And he knew that it is true.
Because deep in my heart I wanted everything to end, I just want to rest. I just want… just…
Because you see, when the Noah of Pleasure made a move to separate him from his arm, it wasn't 'Allen couldn't move'.
It was 'Allen didn't move'.
"TRAITOR."
One will change
To unknown range
His bonds will break
As another he make
Change
Something has changed.
Something is different.
It may be the feel of dead weight on his arm, yanking him back to where Road and the boy are. Or it could be the way his heart pumped a little faster than before. Or it could be the tears that threatened to fall out even if he doesn't even feel like crying.
But whatever that something exactlyis, Tyki is sure it has something to do with the raging Apocryphos in front of him.
"What—what did you do to Allen Walker?"
Tyki stared warily at the seething Apocryphos. It was crouched down in pain. And maybe a large deal of anger.
"What did you do to Allen Walker?" It repeated, staggering backwards.
"Now, we cannot…I…he…can't—!"
The Noah narrowly avoided the fist that came pummeling down at his face. He tried to pull a similar act, hoping to catch the Innocence in surprise.
No such luck.
The Innocence ducked out of the way and sent a beam of light at Tyki.
Tyki doesn't know what that beam is but he knew that it would only spell trouble for him. He dodged it and launched a wave of Dark Matter at the Apocryphos, planning to use it as a diversion and hightail his way out this pinch.
To his surprise, it hit the independent Innocence square at the stomach.
Tyki stopped dead at his tracks, shortly frozen in shock. The Apocryphos was gasping, doubled in pain. It was wheezing something under its breath all the while glaring at Tyki.
"You…have ruined…Al…len…"
The clue to the Heart, huh? I can't believe—
The Portuguese's train of thought halted, quite surprised at the intensity of hate level at him. It was not the loathing shown at him and Road earlier, the hatred at them for being Noahs. It was something that runs deeper, something that is focused on Tyki directly.
"I will retreat for now…But I will not allow you to corrupt him!"
The Apocryphos was slowly swallowed by the darkness, an exit quite unbefitting for something that should be holy. But his words continued echoing, vibrating over the faint sound of footsteps that signal the Order's exorcists. Tyki could only stare at the place where Innocence had laid, his brain befuddled at the events.
It was only after a minute or two that he remembered Road, of a large golden golem, of the white-haired teen that he hurled forward when he noticed the presence of the Apocryphos, and of the reason why he and Road had 'rescued' the boy.
He walked back where he left the First Child and 'The Fourteenth', unaware of a silver thread loosely binding his left arm.
Running through the forest, towards a certain white haired teen.
Spring will be born
But Winter won't be worn
Hark a new link
Born from exhaustion's brink
I don't know if it's "The Apocryphos" or simply "Apocryphos", so anyone who is sure what is the more appropriate term, please do tell.
I know that things are blurry right now, but please bear with it…Hopefully, next chapter will be more 'enlightening'…
XD
PLEASE REVIEW!