"Intentions don't matter. It's the end result we're all judged by. Evil in the name of good is still evil. And when you dance with the devil, you seldom get to pick the tune."
― Sherrilyn Kenyon, Infinity
"Rei-nee."
Who's...calling me again?
"Rei-nee, wake up."
That voice, it's hers. "Kat, give me five more minutes."
"Rei-nee—" No, it's not my sister's voice. It's a little boy's. "My name's not Kat." My eyes slowly flutter open and immediately see the face of the one calling me. Blonde shaggy hair and blue eyes bore into my own as his face hovered over mine. The medical mask he wore over his mouth quickly snapped me back to reality.
At least...this very realistic dream.
"Oh, Eeze. My bad, I thought you were—"
"I know." He draws back from my face to give me some space to stretch out in my seat. The slight movement beneath me reminded me that we had boarded a train last time I was awake. I was so tired from this morning, I must have fallen asleep. Once I was done with my stretching, I turned to Eeze with a smile and although I cannot see his, I can see the one that shows in his drooping eyes. His eyes turn towards the corridor in the train and I instinctively follow his line of sight.
And of course, he never woke me for a dumb reason.
"You guys...why are you playing?"
The three grown men turn simultaneously to face me and only give me goofed expressions. Acting nonchalant won't help them.
"Ah, Little Queen's awake." Momo calls out to me with a smirk on his face.
"There's no harm in passing time like this, right?" Clark asked with a recurring smirk that I learned to ignore.
"Want to join?" Tyki's voice was always the one that took me by surprise when I wasn't ready. It wasn't raspy or groggy like the others'. More languid than not, it was also deep and truthfully...it still creeps me a bit.
"Like I said before—" I answer with a deflated sigh while leaning my chin on my hand. "I don't play with cheaters."
"Oh, c'mon Lil'Queen," Clark boasts showing me the back of the hand of cards given to him for their game. "We're playing just for fun. There's nothing wrong in that, now, is there?"
"If I recall correctly that was exactly what you guys said last time when we went to that bar and conned those people," I rectify their innocent charade into what I knew had actually happened. The looks they give me don't stop though and I heave a sigh in the end. "But it's none of my business what you do, really. Just don't involve me or Eeze."
"I heard an approval!" Clark called happily.
"Like Queen said, no harm done in good old-fashioned cards!" Momo added going back to their game.
Tyki turned his head slightly to face where Eeze and I were seated. "You sure comply with us easily."
"I don't." But my rebuttal wasn't much of anything when that knowing smirk formed on his lips. That only made me annoyed and made my decision to go back to sleep that much easier. I was about to too when I heard the door connecting the wagons open. Since the three were seated in the hall blocking any passage, I was about to tell them to move aside until I noticed that they had began to talk to the stranger that had stumbled upon them.
The more of the conversation I overheard, the more I felt sorry for the poor man. Those three never knew when to stop especially when they could con people out of their money. And that foreigner, seems like he's as much of a simpleton as they come.
It completely went by me how absurdly naïve the man they had captured had to be not to notice that they were cheating him completely blind. And then some. Within a few hours, they had him stripped to his underwear. Poor guy, he must be freezing.
They were about to go another round when the doors opened again. Tyki noticed this and turned towards the couple that had interrupted them. "Hm? Sorry. Right now, young kids aren't allowed to enter here."
While Tyki and the rest egged the man on for another round, I quietly eyed the two that seemed to be acquainted with the older man. That attire...there's no way I could forget that sort of clothing. But I remained quiet, like always, and simply watched as the youngest kid challenged them to a game. His coat against everything they took from his friend.
Fair trade since his coat was trimmed in silver or so he said. As always the trio took the bet knowing they couldn't lose. Another sigh escaped my lips knowing the kid was in for a pounding.
"Well, would you look at that."
"Wipe that smirk off your face, Lil'Queen."
"Oh but correct me if I'm wrong here—" I pointed at the hand that the white-haired boy had just placed atop the suitcase they had used as a table for the last five rounds. "Isn't that a royal straight flush?"
The boy's sweet smile mimics mine in intent. "I win again."
The three men before burst out in tantrum like the kids they really were and started gossiping in quiet whispers most likely about how they had failed to see the through the kid's cheating ways. Truthfully, he fooled me too. But no one could really blame us, the kid looked innocent as can be.
"Damn it! One more time!"
"Really." These three never learn. Instead of watching how they fail again, I sit back on my seat and look out the window. Ah, Kirilenko's coming up next. When I heard the boy call and the guys burst out in frustration I couldn't help but give a wry smile at their childishness. "You guys—" they all turned to me, snot coming from their noses from how cold they were. I tried to suppress back my laugh, I really did. Clearing my throat, I point out the window with my thumb. "Our stop's up next."
Quickly, I grab ahold of Eeze's hand along with my bag and just like that we climb down to the station but before we left on our merry way, I heard the boy's voice once more. "Here you go." He kindly held out everybody's stuff that he'd won over the course of the game out through the window and towards them. "I don't care as long as I got my friend's stuff back. It's hard to be naked this time of year, isn't it?"
And although they acted all cool, they still were shameless enough to grab ahold of their stuff. Well, I don't blame them really. Take what you can and give nothing back, I suppose. Out of the blue, I feel Eeze let go of my hand and walk up towards him while pulling something from his pocket. Stretching out his hand, he calls out to him. "Thanks." What is he giving him?
"Eeze, that's your treasure!" Tyki calls out while he rummages through his pockets looking for something. As he does, I come from behind Eeze and hold him by the shoulders gently. "Wait, wait. I have something to give him instead."
"That's really not necessary," the kid answered humbly with a wry smile. The train's horn blows before it begins to move again. Carefully, I pull Eeze away as it does when I notice that Tyki seemed to find what he wanted.
"Here!" He tosses what looks to be a stack of cards, the ones they were playing with, towards the kid who swiftly catches them. Tyki goofingly grin while shouting out to him, "Please let us off with that, okay?" We watch the train disappear into the tunnel while Tyki keeps a smile on his face.
Before I know it, he plants one of his hands on Eeze's head patting it. "Keep that safe, Eeze. I went through a lot of trouble to get you that big chunk of silver."
Silver? Eeze nods before opening his palm and gazing down at the makeshift necklace with the silver attached to a cord.
Wait a minute. That thing...isn't a charm. Or a necklace. That's the—
"Tyki! Eeze! Reina!" Momo's holler startles me from my thoughts and makes me turn towards them. "Let's hurry up and introduce ourselves to the factory owner and go get some dinner!"
"Okay!" Eeze grabs onto my hand while I shift my bag on my shoulder after putting his necklace back on and hiding it beneath his shirt. Once done, he grabs Tyki's too as he does the same with his own luggage.
Frightening the hell out of me, the phone at the station begins to ring ominously and quite loudly. It was hard to ignore especially when I knew what it was. Tyki was the only one who paid heed to the call and answered. The call was quick and short but I'm sure it got the message through.
He played it off once again saying it was his secret job. "Sorry! I have a call for a different job."
"Another secret part-time job?" Clark was a little peeved about it but like always they weren't really mad at him. "Been getting lots of those lately!"
"Oh well, can't do anything about it." Momo, too, was being very compliant as usual. "We'll just go without you then."
Fine by me. Good riddance. Turning to Eeze, I simply grab ahold of his hand. "Come on, Eeze."
"Re-i-na." Damn it all. A simply glance over at him and that knowing smirk of his tells me that my gut was right from the beginning. "I'm going to need you for this one, too."
"That other boss has taken a liking to Lil'Queen too, hasn't he?" Clark calls with a smirk.
"That's good. The more you two work there, the better. Gives good grub that work."
"Yeah," I say through greeted teeth not wanting to let my emotions through in front of Eeze.
Tyki only grabs my shoulder with his hand and that only brings more dread to me. "Sorry, about this." But I know those words aren't for me. They're for them. Before they leave, I shake his hand away and come up to Eeze.
Unwrapping the muffler from around my neck, I neatly place it around his own. With a warm smile, I quickly plant a kiss atop his head. "Be good, all right? And make sure to take care of yourself. We don't want a repeat of last time."
"Yeah. I'll be more careful, Rei-nee. Take care of Tyki, too."
"Mm." The answer is small and barely comforting but he takes it. They start leaving but Eeze turns to look over his shoulder to tell Tyki something.
"Come back with some more silver for me, okay...?" The smirk that he gives the boy only sends chills down my spine.
Once they were well out of earshot, he turns to me before he speaks. "Well, shall we go?"
"Like I can say no." He chuckles at my words and I know he doesn't take it seriously. We walk out towards the tunnels were the trains had just left. Before reaching the entrance, I can already see his fatness standing on the other side. "Great..." Headaches, here I come. Tyki blows off a puff of smoke before he calls out to him.
"Can I have dinner before I do this?"
"Sure you can." That voice; damn that fat bastard. Tyki called out his gratitude for he was starving and although I was too, I wasn't so sure I would eat well before them. "Ah, I see you've brought Rei-pyon with you as well!"
Anger won't get me anywhere, I've learned that the hard way. "Please—" even when I'm polite, the poison slips from my lips. "Don't call me that."
As we walk through the tunnel, I can feel something working on the clothes on my body. It's him—that fatso, I'm sure. "Regardless, of what our dearest pooch has to say, I expect you both to be dressed properly. You won't be allowed into Mitsuboshi looking like that."
"Wow." That slight chuckle in his voice is hard to miss. "You get so fat because you always eat things like that."
"I'm not fat." Sensitive much? Perhaps not. But he does have an awful taste in clothes. I hate formal events.
"Well as long as I can eat, I don't care if it's food fit for a pig." His skin's...ah, I'm never going to get use to this.
"Make sure you watch your mouth, too." The Earl tosses the top hat at Tyki who catches it with ease. His once fair skin is now ashen and his attire completely changed. "Lord Tyki Mikk."
And although my clothes have changed as well my skin remains the same tanned color as always. Tyki swept his gloved-hand across his hair bringing it back to reveal his face and the stigmata that came across his forehead before placing the hat atop his head.
"Yes, yes." He tipped the hat and glanced over at me briefly. "As you wish, Millennium Earl." He gives me a smile that I've come to abhor before he reaches his hand out to me. "Ready, pooch?"
"Stop calling me that." Nevertheless, I'm forced to grab his hand as he guides me to the Gate that the Earl opened.
Another chuckle escapes him and this time I don't hide my contempt. "If the shoe fits."
If it fits...huh. Even though I hated them at the moment, he was right. At this moment, that's what I am. Nothing more...than a pet to the Noah Family.
Well, how's it looking? I'm really want to try this out but I want to see how it might be received first and see if I want to work with a whole story based on this.
Remember that everything is what it seems but then isn't. I know how the story starts and it'll be a doozy.
Well, this is something that I wanted to try. I've been thinking of doing this for a little while now. I haven't thought it all the way to the end but it's been an interesting idea in my head. For now it's a short oneshot with no summary. One thing I will say is that it's a TykixOC, the last DGM pairing that I've wanted to do for the longest.
My rewrite of WR:RD is still ongoing but I just wanted to write something new. I'll be going for a N:O:oU rewrite too but that'll be for later.
Anyways, hoped you enjoyed and stayed tuned for my other projects.