A/N: The purpose of this story: An attempt to write a plausible, somewhat realistic romance between Tyki Mikk and an OC with a developed plot. Where there is no love at first sight, second sight or third sight. Where things are not so black and white, and there is always two if not three sides to a story. Wherein the line between what is good and evil are blurred and everything we think we know are put to question. (At least I hope so...)
Act 1—Scene 1
Prompt—Rain
Stormy Horizons
T'was a sight to see,
Black and White
Fighting so fiercely
Burning hate
Seething vengeance
A meeting bound by fate
Dark storm clouds swirled above; their swollen bellies an ominous sign of the torrential downpour to come. The wind had picked up from a barest whisper to a howling gale, all in the span of a few moments. The hot wind beat against the dry earth, picking up dust and debris, flinging it high into the sultry air.
A bead of sweat rolled down her neck and her palms were sticky; her black and silver trimmed exorcist uniform stuck uncomfortably to her skin and her curly ash-blond hair was thick with sweat. Her throat was dry, parched and lips cracked.
She was hot, tired and bothered, the blistering wind offered no relief, nor had the selfish clouds released their hoard of precious water to the earth below. At this point she wanted nothing more than to than to collapse in the humidity.
Tentative eyes scanned warily about her surroundings. The cracked earth of the dried up lakebed was all that could be seen for miles, off in the far distance a long mountain range stretched across the horizon.
It was far too quiet.
Her hand tightened around the raw piece of Innocence unconsciously.
"Miss Blackburn?"
Her eyes snapped back into focus, she turned slightly in acknowledgement of the Finder addressing her.
"Oh. Sorry about that Nathan," She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "I just got lost in my thoughts for a moment. What were you saying?"
The man known as Nathan sighed.
"We should be heading back now, it's a five day journey to our next stop, and we're on a tight schedule."
Yes, now that they had found and neutralised the phenomenon—namely Innocence—causing the peculiar drought, they could continue on to the next town and subsequently the next inn—which meant she finally got some much needed rest on an actual bed, she swore she was also taking an hour long bath when she got there. Surprisingly this mission had been an uneventful one, not a single Akuma had showed up, there were no troublesome villagers or superstitious people to deal with, in fact the only hardship they had suffered had been thirst, the heat and one too many flies. Never in her time as an Exorcist had a mission ever gone so smoothly…it was almost too good to be true.
She was getting a very bad feeling.
"Nathan, have you seen Sam at all? He ran off a while ago and I haven't seen him since."
Her fellow Exorcist, Samuel Woods was what you would call a very…animated man. He liked to talk, ad nauseam; and most of what came out of his mouth was, well nothing really. He talked for the sake of talking, most people had learned to tune him out but it still got on everyone's nerves. No-one would admit it out loud, but the tranquil quiet left in the absence of his incessant chatter had been one of the first reprieves they'd had all day.
Instead of Nathan answering, another voice cut in.
"That gabby gob? Oh, said is' gonna take a piss ova' there," the male voice sniggered "but obviously e' didn' say it tha' short, kep' addin' them fancy words a' is'."
She sighed. That thick accent could only belong to one man. The man in question was leaning over Nathan's shoulder like a particularly large monkey; Nathan's features gained a look of annoyance. He raised his hand and proceeded to whack the man in the face, remnant of how one would swat an annoying fly.
"Really Ackerman. That is no way to speak about Master Woods." The uptight Finder scolded the other man now rubbing his nose sorely.
"Pshaah, don' be a stick in the mud Nat," Ackerman looked at her with a beaming grin, "Oi, you agree with me don' chu Piper?"
An annoyed Nathan hit Ackerman over the back of the head.
"What have I told you about being so informal. Now apologise to Miss Blackburn for your crude mouth." He snapped.
Piper smiled to herself, silently walking off from the banter the two would undoubtedly start up. Out of all the Finders in the group she travelled with, those two had to be the most likeable. At the ripe old age of 32 and 35, Ackerman and Nathan were deemed veterans amongst Finders, sad really considering Finders barely lasted more than two to five years in the job, most had a tendency to drop dead from Akuma. To last ten years in the position was a great feat, even for some Exorcists.
A chorus of greetings followed her as she walked through the temporary camp they had set up earlier—with a wave or nod of acknowledgment here or there—she continued on her way through the group of sweaty males to the edge of the encampment.
"I'm just going to find Sam. I'll be back!" She called over her shoulder; walking in the direction the Exorcist had last been seen.
Crowds, she mused, were not her forte; the further away from the males she got the more it seemed she could breathe.
Piper had wondered many a time just how she had ended up in a place like this, in the middle of nowhere collecting 'god crystals'; powerful weapons that were meant to help win a war that had been raging on for little over a century now. And why this had all started? Because some fat old man and his creepy family had decided that humans were as good as disease filled rodents that needed to be all wiped off the face of the planet. Of course this was a justified reason to slaughter millions—well at least in the eyes of homicidal maniacs it was. But after a century of fighting in bloody warfare—no foreseeable end in sight—her own side, the Black Order, had become just as maniacal in its beliefs; the once humble church organization had become a controlling cult of zealots, obsessed with winning, no matter the cost.
But still…given the option she would take zealots over murderers any day—not that she had much of a choice in the matter.
Piper suddenly stopped, her legs locking up, back going stiff; her musings faded into nothingness at the sight before her.
Laying there on the cracked earth was none other than Samuel Woods, completely and utterly dead.
Dead, no that was too tame a word…maybe massacred would be more appropriate.
His body lay in a very awkward angle, limbs bent and warped. His features were twisted into a look of absolute horror, eyes glassy, mouth agape. His right hand—the one that wielded his anti-Akuma weapon—seemed to be broken with blood splattered along it. Piper forcibly made her shaky legs move towards him, with a slight hesitation she bent down to inspect his corpse. Judging from how fresh the blood was—she gently felt his skin—and from how warm his body was, he couldn't have died more than about fifteen minutes ago…with a detached feeling she noted that one of the silver buttons off his coat was missing. She placed her hand to the ground…only it wasn't the ground she felt. Something warm and slimy squelched under her palm, Piper started to shake.
God no…it couldn't possibly be…
She looked down.
A heart. A freaking human heart, leaking blood under her palm.
Dear God.
She heaved, bile burning up her throat. Her recently consumed lunch was now sullying the dirt.
Piper knew this mission had gone far too easily, she was a moron for not acting on her feeling sooner.
Whoever had done this was after one thing and one thing only, the Innocence. They had probably stumbled upon Sam—and assuming by his Exorcist uniform that he had the Innocence—had killed him. The most likely culprit was an Akuma, but Akuma didn't kill with such precision—his wounds indicated deliberate breakages in places most commonly used in torture—so either his killer was a very intelligent high level Akuma, or…one of them. And by God she hoped it wasn't. The killer would most likely have moved on to the next place the Innocence would plausibly be, at the Finder camp. While in fact it was currently in her possession…
Dammit! She had to get back, now!
Piper forced herself into action—deciding she would come back for the body later—she turned and sprinted for the encampment she had just left.
Piper hoped to God she wasn't too late…
. . .
The arid smell of smoke and ash was the first thing she noticed, followed soon by the coppery scent of blood. Piper had a strong urge to gag at the burning smells. The remains of their supplies came into view; they had been strewn about the place like pieces of rubbish. One of the two traveling caravans had been tipped on its side, and the other ransacked. Piper quickly drew her thoughts away from the scattered piles of ash and discarded clothing; there was no doubt in her mind as to what they were. The camp had been set up in the only outcropping of rocks for miles; this gave her plenty of cover to hide. Piper quickly dashed under a particularly low hanging rock, one that concealed her from the sights of flying Akuma. She quickly took a moment to catch her breath and assess the situation.
She knew that Samuel Woods was dead, his Anti-Akuma weapon gone.
The Finders were dead, and their camp pillaged. She highly doubted that any of them escaped, meaning she was the sole survivor…
Before she could stop herself, her thoughts returned to Nathan and Ackerman. Piper's throat went dry; she felt the prickling of tears and her fingers curled tightly into a ball.
Dammit! When she found the frigging Akuma responsible for this—she grit her teeth—she'd take pleasure in avenging her fallen comrades, they deserved that much.
But now, now was not the time to grieve, that could wait until she sorted out this mess.
Voices—she recognised by the slight metallic warble as Akumas—sounded near where she hid.
"We've searched this whole place from top to bottom. And we can't find a single piece of that damn Innocence!" One of them complained.
"Yeah. It's nowhere." Another whined. The Akumas' combined screeching in their grating metallic voices was enough to make her cringe, just as she considered exorcising them, someone else beat her to the punch.
"Shut up, the both of you. Your incessant whining is giving me a headache." Snapped another voice, this one though was not an Akuma's metallic wail—far from it in fact. This voice was a smooth baritone, deep and rich; there was something so alluring about it. Just the sound of it sent shivers down her spine, yet at the same time it had a lulling quality, like she could just fall asleep to it. This was the kind of voice that could melt ice and make any woman within hearing range weak at the knees.
If voices had texture; she would describe this one as something akin to velvet—black velvet.
"The Innocence is here. So stop complaining and find it, I don't care if you have to turn this place upside down. Now stop bothering me and go do your jobs." The unquestionably male voice said a note of well hidden exasperation in his sonorous voice.
God, she could listen to him talk all day—Piper blinked, what was she doing? Now was not the time or place to drift off over the sound of some random male's voice. Speaking of the man, just who the hell was he to be talking to Akuma in such a familiar way…?
"But r-really we have searched everywhere. None of us can feel even a trace of the Innocence's presence. Please believe us Lord Noah."
Piper felt her heart skip a beat.
Did that Akuma just say…Lord…Noah...? Noah, as in one of the Millennium Earl's homicidal, insane family members Noah?
Shit.
From what she knew, the Noah were a race of super-humans who worked directly under the Earl. Not much was known about them, the only real information anyone had to go off was rumours, old tales and speculations. But it was common knowledge that they were callous, sadistic and utterly insane—well maybe not the last one, but she assumed it was a pretty accurate guess, considering anyone stupid enough to follow the Earl of Millennium had to be pretty screwed up in the head, at least in her books they were. The Noah were also hell-bent on destroying humanity, funny thing was, they weren't just all talk, no, supposedly they were all insanely powerful, General level powerful.
The words Noah and survival didn't belong in the same sentence; the mere thought was a contradiction in itself.
And of course Piper herself had the misfortune of running into one.
With a sinking feeling she realised that the chances of her own continued survival had just dropped by half.
"Do I have to do everything around here?" Piper tensed at the sound of the Noah's voice. "The Innocence should be just behind that overhanging rock." He added in exasperation.
Oh shit. Somehow he had felt the presence of the raw Innocence tucked away in the small pouch on her thigh.
Screw vengeance, that could wait till later, now she had to concentrate on saving her own ass. Hopefully one of the horses had survived, if not, well she would be running back to England—
It had gone quiet.
Why had the talking stopped…?
A breath, the barest shift in the air, those were the only signs.
"Well, well. If it isn't an eavesdropping Exorcist."
The hairs on the back of Piper's neck stood on end, a chill running down her spine at the sound of a smooth voice from right in her ear. There was someone behind her…but that was impossible, considering the fact that she almost had her back pressed against a solid rock wall.
"You wouldn't happen to have a piece of Innocence in your possession would you, sweetheart?" He whispered, sending a fresh round of shivers down her back.
Sweetheart. If there was one thing Piper hated it was being called pet names, especially by pretentious men. Her fingers twitched in anticipation, body coiled for when she felt even the slightest shift in the presence behind her.
"And if I said no, Noah?" Eyes narrowed.
A pensive chuckle, followed by a hot breath ghosting passed her ear.
"Ah, then I would have to say you're lying."
In was in the next moment she realized she had to move, move, or die.
A change in the air—so slight it could have passed as nothing more than the wind—proclaimed from behind her.
With reflexes born of experience, adrenaline and sheer luck—she darted to the side as a flash of purple energy slashed passed where her head had been, just barely missing the powerful—and very near fatal—strike. She came back to her feet in a roll, half in a crouch, her back facing the figure behind her.
"Going for someone's blind spot isn't very honourable you know." She said scowling.
"Honourable? That is quite ironic coming from an Exorcist, sweetheart."
She grit her teeth, her scowl deepening.
Just what the hell did he mean by that? And sweetheart, really?
Eyes flittered back and forth, scanning, watching for an opening, the perfect chance to get away. The tall figure behind her stirred, from her peripheral she could just make out his weight being shifted onto one leg—although the move was harmless she still stiffened anyway. Piper knew she had to be very careful how she played this. This man; this…Noah was an unknown and if the rumours—or the fact that he'd almost killed her through a solid rock wall—were to be believed, was also very dangerous. If she wasn't careful, she would quickly find herself very dead, probably in a similar fashion to her longwinded ex-colleague—being tortured then having one of her vital organs removed—probably while still conscious—didn't seem like the most pleasant way to go.
Upon feeling the weight of the Noah's gaze, Piper tensed.
There was a sigh.
"…Look. Let's not make this any harder than it has to be. Just hand over the Innocence in your possession and we will both be on our merry way, no harm done. I really prefer not to kill little girls." He drawled, his baritone almost sounding…patronizing.
W-what? Did he just call her…?
Piper felt an eye twitch. Sweetheart once, annoying. Sweetheart twice, demeaning. But being called a little girl, especially in such a condescending tone of voice, in a way that implied she was weak, that, that was a big no-no in her books.
Who the hell did this sexist bigot think he was!? Noah or not, no-one got away with demeaning her in such a way, especially after he'd killed her comrades. Survival, who needed that? Oh no, this man was going to frigging die.
And yet, her insides churned with fear—most likely she would be the one to end up dead.
. . . . .
To think, the little elusive piece of Innocence he been searching for— the goddamn rock he had 'interrogated' an Exorcist, made an entire hoard of Akuma tear a base apart for—was in the hands of a child. Well at least she looked like a child, from what he could make of her features from behind she couldn't have been more than perhaps fifteen or sixteen years old.
He could feel another sigh coming on.
Why was it that the Exorcists seemed to be getting younger and younger? It was saddening to think that mere children were being forced to fight in a war. As much as he enjoyed hunting Exorcists, the thought of killing an innocent child —a girl no less—left a bad taste in his mouth. Although, child or not, the very fact she was one of the Order's dogs meant that she had lost her naivety long ago—had been indoctrinated and manipulated by the church and God—perhaps it would be a blessing if he killed her.
In the long run it didn't really matter, her death was inevitable—whether by his hand or another's—such as was the fate all the humans and their fleeting existence.
The girl, who had her back turned to him—not a smart move on her part—seemed to be bristling at the comment he had made earlier. Without the slightest warning she lashed out, spinning on the ball of her foot she brought her leg up in a high kick, the heel of her heavy boot arcing towards his mid-section. He didn't bother to move, a foot was of no concern to him—not to a being that could become intangible at will—that is until her foot lit up with the familiar radiance of an Anti-Akuma weapon.
The man's gold eyes widened fractionally before he dodged, just missing her green glowing boot from cracking one of his ribs. Her foot continued on its trajectory and instead of hitting flesh, it hit hard ground. The ground cracked and caved in slightly on contact with her heel, the green glow immediately dispersed. He looked at the newly formed crater with mild horror and awe.
. . . Well shit.
Dammit he should have seen that one coming, a hit like that would have broken a bone at least—a challenging feat considering he was a nigh immortal being.
"Let's get something straight," an irritated voice rang out.
"If you ever call me sweetheart again I'll kill you," He raised an eyebrow at this. "No in fact I'm going to kill you anyway, seeing as how my comrades are dead, probably no thanks to you." She spat venomously.
Amusement flittered through him at her bold statement.
Was this girl seriously threatening him of all people? He who could end her pathetic existence without the barest of effort?
His gold eyes narrowed.
"I'll take that as a no. I really hate to hurt a kid, but you leave me no choice."
The little Exorcist made a spluttering noise.
"Kid? I'm not a kid, I'm twenty-two!" She huffed indignantly.
The Noah did a double take, eyeing her form. Long, curly almost greyish blond hair, pulled into a high ponytail, grey-blue eyes, a pert, slightly upturned nose and freckles—accompanied by a stature of perhaps 5'3. Her features were turned down into a scowl, eyes narrowed into a venomous glare. On a man—or even a slightly taller woman—the look would be intimidating, but on her it looked somewhat comparable to a petulant child, pouting over the fact that her favourite toy had been broken. Quite cute really.
If he hadn't seen it for himself, he would never have believed this slip of a girl was capable a making a crater in the ground the size of his head.
He noticed that her hands seemed to be trembling, in rage or fear, he could not tell.
A smirk slid across his features as he took a single step forward; he could hear as her heart sped up, practically smell the fear coming from her, yet her stance and glare remained unwavering.
Definitely bravado, he mused.
Oh this girl—pardon, 'woman'—would be a delight to play with, he could already tell just by looking at her. Perhaps he would tease her for a while, and then—in an act of mercy—kill her swiftly and painlessly, after all, a women should die gently. Well, he might as well get things over and done with, he had better things to be doing with his time than supervising a horde of Akuma. The 'woman's' kick had been a lucky shot earlier—he'd merely been taken by surprise—and she certainly wouldn't get another.
He shifted then, faster than a human could ever hope to move, covering the distance between them in the blink of an eye.
"Well sweetheart I'm disappointed that you'd turn down my gracious offer for magnanimity, and seeing as how you have kindly informed me that you are not a child, I really have no reservations in killing you," The girl jumped at his sudden appearance choking back a scream, her heart beating wildly in her chest; he was almost disappointed at her oh so typical human reaction.
"But considering that you are a 'woman' and I am a courteous gentleman, I will make your death swift and merciful, if you give me the Innocence in your possession."
The Exorcist's expression shifted from shocked to outraged over the course of his words.
Ah, there it was, her amusing 'Death Glare'.
"Like hell, you bastard. Not if I kill you first." She seethed, her face going a most curious shade of red.
He chuckled.
"Ah well, can't say I didn't try."
He then moved to attack.
. . . . .
Bravado, all of it.
Every word from her mouth, a bluff.
She should run, run as far and as fast as she could; by staying, standing her ground she was digging out her own grave—her fellow Exorcist's death only testament to this.
But damn, the stupid Noah made it so hard with his infuriating pet-names and sexist comments, her wounded pride—as both an Exorcist and a woman—would not allow her to simply flee like a dog with its tail between its legs.
As an Exorcist it was her duty to stop any and all threats to God and the Church.
As a woman it was her responsibility to disillusion this man that just because she was of the 'fairer sex' did not mean she was weak—she got enough of that as it was at the Black Order.
And as Piper Blackburn she would personally see the Noah pay for each and every unnecessary death here today.
. . . that is if she didn't die trying.
Piper sidestepped as an arm went for her abdomen, then another for her head and leg. She was barely evading the barrage of strikes coming from the Noah. This was different from fighting an Akuma, they rarely got up close and personal, this man—she could tell by the effortless way he moved—was an expert, if not a master at close-combat. Piper wasn't quite swift enough to dodge one of his less noticeable strikes that glanced off her side, she gasped in pain, her ankle planting into the dry earth at an awkward angle. She stumbled backwards, tumbling to the ground.
Damn, he's fast—her eyes seemed to travel upwards for miles before they reached the smirking face of the Noah that loomed over her—and tall, really, really tall.
"Aren't you meant to be an Exorcist? I would have thought that you would at least be able attempt to fight—considering the bold statement you made earlier—are you really only capable of dodging? Make this fight worth my effort or I might as well just kill you here and now." His smooth voice drawled in what sounded to be slight annoyance.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, the swollen black clouds about to burst, the wind had died, it was as if the world was holding its breath.
"Come on, activate your Innocence Exorcist, entertain me." He mocked.
Piper scowled.
Innocence, oh how she hated her Innocence. The very thing that kept her alive was also the thing that would ruin her. Her Innocence was not something that she preferred to use, but if the Noah wanted to see it, then see it he would—along with the sole of her boot as it smashed his shin in.
"Fine, be my guest." She hissed snaking her foot out in a low sweep, her boot lighting up with a green glow. It seemed she had caught him unawares as this time he did not dodge at the last second, instead of the crunch of leg bones shattering—as per usual for one to be hit by her Innocence infused kick—it felt as if she'd just hit an iron bar, what did give way though was his footing.
The tall man let out a pained grunt of surprise as he went crashing to the ground. Not wasting perhaps the only opening she would get, she lunged forward, pouncing on top of the downed Noah, pushing him back down into the ground. He started to twist under her weight, almost breaking the grip her knees had around his torso.
Piper swiftly pulled the dagger strapped to her thigh out with a practiced flick of her wrist, pressing its blade to his jugular.
"Stop squirming or I'll slice you open." She threatened.
The Noah immediately stilled, his strange eyes coming to rest on hers, there was no fear in them, only what seemed to be an amused glint. A haughty smirk tugged at his lips, followed by velvety chuckle. The sound sent a tingling sensation down to her toes.
Piper's jaw clenched, annoyance flitting through her she scowled, pressing the cold edge of the dagger harder against his throat.
"And just what, pray tell, is so fricking funny." She growled.
"You know sweetheart, I've had a few woman try and jump me before—quite a lot actually—but none of them have ever been as forward as you."
Was this man implying that she wanted to—! Piper went red, humiliation burning in her cheeks.
"Y-you sexist pig! I'll kill you for—!?" She cried out in surprise as the Noah suddenly shifted beneath her, hooking his leg around her knee, he shifted his weight so suddenly she had no time to right herself as he flipped them both over. The wind was forced from her lungs, her skull hitting the earth hard, jarring her teeth from the force.
Blue eyes widened at the man now looming over her, they had just reversed positions. Instinctively she began to writhe, twisting and turning, bucking under his weight with all her might. He wasn't affected in the slightest by her struggles, he simply used his knees to clamp around her thighs and hips, using a hand to lock around the wrist that held her dagger like a vice. He leaned in close, his nose almost touching her own.
"You say that so often, but you have yet to make good on your promise, girl." Her breathed.
Piper suddenly became aware, very, very aware.
Aware of his form looming over hers.
Aware of just how close they were.
Aware of the way his eyes bore into hers.
A thread of fear wormed its way into her gut.
When she had first been told about the Millennium Earl and the Noah that followed him, she had automatically assumed that they would be grotesque and inhuman looking, seeing as they were so closely associated with the Akuma and their maker. But that was so very far from actuality—at least for this one—that it was laughable.
Grotesque? Hell no, not with a near perfect countenance and a voice like velvet, even piper herself—who had on more than one occasion been called oblivious to men—could see that he was handsome—who was she kidding, stunning would be more appropriate. While he wasn't grotesque—not in the slightest—but inhuman though?
Definitely.
There was nothing human about his molten gold eyes and the ash grey hue to his skin, or the row of seven cross-like curse marks emblazoned upon his brow.
Horrible, misshapen beasts, she could deal with those, pretend them nothing more than animals needing to be put down. But this Noah, he was the worst kind of demon, the kind that could pass as human, some sort of twisted mirror reflection of mankind's darker vices. The worst kind of monster isn't hiding under your bed, but in the bare light of day, in plain sight but never seen. And that scared her more than any ugly monstrosity ever could.
Hysteria was starting to creep up on her, the claustrophobia she suffered from pressing in around her, her mind was screaming, 'your trapped, trapped, trapped!'
Piper renewed her efforts to escape with an edge of panic to her movements, she roared in frustration when she found them once again to be futile.
Lightning struck as the first fat drops of rain from the impending storm fell.
"Stop struggling. What are you, a rabid animal? Even those Finders and that bigmouthed Exorcist had more dignity than this before they died. Now I will ask one last time, where is the Innocence." The man snapped, but Piper wasn't listening, all of her thoughts had come to a screeching halt at the mention of her fallen colleagues.
She had assumed, considering what he was…but she had to be sure.
When she spoke her voice came out as eerily calm—quite contrary to the turbulent emotions churning just below the surface.
"Nathan and Ackerman, all those people, even Sam…you killed them in cold blood." It wasn't a question.
"What?" The Noah blinked, the grip he had on her relaxing. "Nathan…Oh you mean those Finders? No I didn't kill them, that's the Akumas job, I wouldn't dirty my hands with such cannon fodder."
C-cannon fodder. The grip she had on her dagger tightened until her knuckles had gone white.
"As for Sam I presume you're speaking of Samuel Woods, the Exorcist. Him I did kill but it was hardly in cold blood." The Noah leaned back slightly, using a hand to dig into the pocket of his very expensive looking coat, pulling out what appeared to be a silver button. The button still had a piece of thread attached to it, as if it had been untimely ripped from its cloth. He flicked it around revealing the words Samuel Woods engraved on the back.
"We are natural enemies after all." He said in an almost pleasant manner.
Piper snapped.
"You damn bastard! You tortured him and pulled his frigging heart out!" Piper jerked suddenly, wrenching her wrist from the man's lax grip. "How the hell is that not in cold blood!?"
Her dagger flashed, slashing right through his throat with a sickening squelch—or that's what would have happened had her blade actually made contact with his flesh, instead it passed right through him as easily as cutting the air. Her eyes widened in bewilderment. W-why hadn't it cut him, she had hit him before so why? Was this the fabled power of a Noah?
It started to rain.
The Noah sighed in exasperation, as quick as a snake struck its prey, he hit her wrist, sending her dagger spinning out of her grip and clattering onto the cracked earth.
"Judging by your expression your confused as to why I'm not choking on my own blood at this very moment." He smirked. "It's quite simple, unless I allow it no being can even touch me, especially you humans."
"—You dodged." Her voice cut in sharply.
"Hm?"
"If that was true than you wouldn't have dodged my kick, you wouldn't have fallen when I hit you."
The rain was coming in steady drops, completely soaking both of them through in a matter of seconds.
His grey lips turned down at the corners. "…that was a fluke. And it won't happen again. Although I must commend you for your efforts, you did manage to pester me somewhat, which is more than I can say for your weak allies."
Weak allies, humans…canon fodder.
"From what I gather you've taken those humans deaths quite personally, it's a pity, had you only been a few minutes earlier and not hiding behind a rock like some coward you could have perhaps minimalized the casualties here today. So in short their blood is not just on my hands but yours as well."
Yours as well…yours as well yoursaswellyoursaswell! That was it, that was the final straw. Insulted, belittled, humiliated, her pride and those of her fallen comrades trampled upon. Rage and hate boiled within her until she saw red. An Innocence radiance sparked and flared around her, the green glow that had once been around her boot lit up around her left hand.
Piper didn't stop to think about her next actions even once.
She raised her hand and preceded to slap the Noah with all her innocence-infused might right across his cheek. The man's head snapped to the side with such force that his tophat went flying off, along with his dark unruly hair coming undone, falling down to frame his face. He raised his fingers to the blossoming red handprint on his cheek dumbfounded.
"Fuck you. Have you no honour? Your blatant disregard for human life is appalling. I hope you rot in hell you monster." She hissed with such venom and hate it was almost tangible.
The Noah's eyes narrowed into thin slits, a look of barely contained rage coming over his features. In the blink of an eye he had stood to his full height, dragging her with him by the collar of her Exorcist coat, her feet dangling above the ground because of their gapping height difference. Piper grasped at his hand, struggling desperately, her innocence infused kick not quite reaching him as he held her far enough away from his body.
"Don't preach to me about honour Exorcist, not when you work in the name of that god. I usually don't like treating a woman in such a way, but I think I will make an exception with you. Seeing as you have managed to royally piss me off."
The man held out a hand, something black and purple unfolding from his palm, it looked somewhat like a butterfly.
"This," he said, "Is a Teez and it has quite the appetite for human flesh, and you will have the pleasure of being its next meal."
Before Piper could so much as blink he had pushed it right into her chest, he retracted his hand just as quickly, taking one of the buttons off her coat with it. With his unoccupied hand the Noah reached to the pouch on her thigh and pulled the raw Innocence from it, he then let her drop to the ground immediately afterwards. She hit her shoulder as she impacted with the ground, a sickening pop sounding from her arm.
Dislocated shoulder, her mind supplied.
A burning sensation enveloped her torso; she had to bite back a scream that was threatening to rip itself from her throat. Piper curled in on herself, her usable arm clawing at her chest, as if she could literally rip the burning from it. Through a haze of pain she raised her head to glare at the man.
"I hate you!" She spat.
"I assure you, the feeling is mutual." Gold eyes peered at her pained form, a look of perhaps pity crossed the Noah's face.
"You know I don't think I've come across a woman quite as explosive or uncouth as you. It is a shame we had to meet under such circumstances, I think I would have found you to be quite interesting. But perhaps it's for the best, children shouldn't fight in wars."
The pain intensified in her chest.
"May you be released from the shackles of your god," He glanced at the name inscribed on the girl's button, "Piper Blackburn." The aforementioned girl didn't see the look that crossed his face. He turned on his heel, calling out to the Akuma.
"Come, we're leaving."
The Akuma looked towards the Exorcist. "But Lord Noah, the Exorcist—"
"Leave her, she'll be dead within the hour. You can collect her anti-Akuma weapon later."
With that he disappeared along with the Akuma.
Blackness crept at the edge of her vision, she tried to move but it was in vain a blinding searing pain engulfed her.
"Dammit," grey-blue eyes turned skywards. "So this is how I die huh?"
Before the nothingness engulfed her entirely, her last thoughts were of the Noah she didn't even know the name of and the goddamn irony of it all.
All the while the rain continued to fall.
A/N: Ah, god, I hope it wasn't too horrible.
You're probably wondering, 'why is she publishing another story when she could be updating Lost and Found?'
Weeelll, because this little thing called a plot bunny wouldn't stop bugging me, that and I would like to see some more Tyki/Oc fics.
I am quite aware of people's reservations as far as OCs are concerned, I hope Piper wasn't too cringeworthy, but as this is the first chapter, she has quite some developing to do. As for her Innocence, that'll be explained at a later date.
So, Tyki apparently 'killed' Piper. What a great start to a relationship! I realise Tyki seemed to be quite...cruel, but do remember he is a Noah and Piper did slap him. Meh these things take time.
Rainbowrunner01 ridin' her rainbow out of here~
