Chapter 1

The smell of blood was apparent in the air, the eyes blank and empty in a way only death could make them. Tyki has seen enough people with the same expression, perhaps they weren´t as young as the boy, but the expression had always been the same.

He tries not to think too much about how well the Cheater Boy A would have fitted into his little human group, he doesn´t think of them much these days anyway when he lights up a cigarette. The familiar taste makes the bitter sting on his tongue fade away into something more pleasant and he puffs out the smoke.

The little yellow golem flutters above his head despite the order it´s master has given it and Tyki glances at it. Unwillingly, his gloved hand reaches up to touch his healed cheek void of any mark.

Burning silver eyes narrowed in anger—was that a hint of self-loathing he saw? –the harsh sting of a hand against his cheek, pure shock and a hint of excitement settling into his bones, explosive words coated in frustration—

"What are you still doing here? He´s dead and I could easily break you and take the Innocence he tried so hard to save and destroy it."

The golem shakes his head, teeth baring—and that´s got to be the sharpest teeth Tyki has seen on anyone. He exhales the last bit of smoke before he throws the cigarette bud on the ground, stomping the fire out with his shoe.

His job was done, he´s collected his souvenir for Ezze. He should return home and bring the good news with him. The Earl would be pleased immensely by the news.

Somehow, his feet don´t move.

Instead he crouches down besides the boy and the cards he´s thrown to the wind. White hair mattered with mud and blood, ashen face bruised and sickly pale, body lying on the ground missing one arm—it´s a true masterpiece.

One that makes his stomach flip for some reason.

"It´s such a shame…I would have liked to play another round of poker with you, boy."

There´s no reply, neither does he expect to hear one. Still, he reaches out and does something he´s never done before.

He checks to see if his target is really dead. Of course, there should be no pulse, no heartbeat, only icy skin. He´s given the boy a hole inside the heart—no ordinary human could heal from that. Not only that, but the boy has been utterly exhausted after trying to save a fallen comrade and having his arm destroyed. The pain alone should have sent the boy into the afterlife.

So, why does he feel a pulse?

"Impossible."

Tyki says, wide-eyed when he hears the irregular and weak pulse beneath his gloved fingers. He moves to lay his ear onto the boy´s chest and feels the strong heartbeat as the urge to kill overrides his disbelief.

"So that´s how you´re still alive…" Tyki muses, leaning back. He can´t quite keep the hate out of his voice as he considers his options. "Innocence…who would have thought. You´re quite special aren´t you, boy?"

The most plausible course of action would be to destroy the center piece inside the boy´s chest now. The mist was getting thicker and his skin crawls as the option crosses out. If the cursed thing was still around the kid, then even killing him would probably not result in the way he wanted it to. There might be a chance that the boy´s the heart, though. To be saved by Innocence in such an extend…

It was unnatural for an Exorcist, even if it was a parasite one.

Amber eyes narrow at the pale face with silvery eyes of washed out grey and he sighs as he moves to pick the boy up.

"Well, it seems you´re going home with me boy. Road will be ecstatic about that."

There might be the danger of Sheril, just the thought of the man makes him shudder, but the kid would have other things to worry about. His thought was cut short when something slammed into him with the force of a large soccer ball.

"What the…you´re going to try to protect the boy, huh? Well, too bad for you—I don´t take nicely to the fact when someone separates me from my prey."

Dark Matter sparks at his fingers as he lunges from the crushed tree towards the large overgrown golem which has taken to growl threateningly in front of his fallen master. The yellow nuisance breaks apart from the force of his attack, though, there´s no Innocence to be seen.

"You should have left when you had the chance, golem."

Tyki picks up the boy, bridal style—it wouldn´t do if he died on the way back—and frowns lightly at the blood staining his clothes. The suit was new, and he hated getting expensive things dirty, the nagging of his overbearing brother was enough to cause a headache worthy of awakening.

"No way! You´re all just full of surprises…"

The Golem somehow is back in it´s former little size, takes a glance at him, but doesn´t try to come near him. It takes off into the sky, flying as Tyki calls Akuma to deal with it. The thing was annoying, more so than the twins at dinner, he´s not sad to see it go. Though, stubbornness lays within master and pet, he notes.

"Let´s go home, boy. The others are dying to have fun with you. I hope Road will give me the chance to play one round with you, before she breaks you."

He leaves the card and the large amount of blood behind as he walks away. It would be a nice surprise for the friends of the boy, he thinks, lips curling into a grin that stretched across his entire face.

It´s too bad he isn´t there to witness their despair.