Chapter 3
After a few minutes of walking the jungle cleared and Lulubell sighed in relief as she saw a riverboat big enough for 5 people.
Cloud smiled.
"Can you get there on your own? My back is killing me."
Lulubell sighed but rose steadily to her feet and walked over to the boat and got in it and sat down at the bow. She looked up as Cloud stepped into the boat too, sitting down at her opposite side giving Lulubell a small smile.
"So now what?" Lulubell asked taking of her gloves, dipping her hands into the cold river water and splashing some water to her face sighing in relief as her headache calmed down.
"Well we have to wait for a while, I have a finder whit me but he is down in the local village getting some food. That being said, I think it's a good idea for you to change back into your other form. The finder might get scared if he comes and sees a woman whit grey skin, dark stigmata's and golden eyes."
"Yes he would" Lulubell said smiling in glee at the thought, but stopped smiling at the look on Cloud's face.
"All right, all right" she said, her hair changing from black to blonde, her skin going from grey to a regular white, and her yellow golden eyes turned dark and brown. Her stigmata's disappeared, except the now green middle one who stayed, the innocence, not caring that the Noah was changing forms.
"Better?" Lulubell asked halfway sarcastic, dragging her tie a bit loose in the heat.
"Much" Cloud said smiling then frowned as Lulubell's face suddenly looked surprised. "Something the matter?"
"My headache is gone" Lulubell said surprised. "Ever since the innocence got a form my forehead has been throbbing like hell, but now it's gone."
Cloud smiled. "Well not really surprising. After what we have gathered, just like dark matter, Noah powers are the innocence's complete opposite. It's like fire and water, when one meet's the other, the stronger one takes over. The innocence weren't going anywhere and you where in Noah form, one tried to eat up the other, therefore the headache."
Lulubell sighed lifting a few fingers to touch the emerald like stigmata on her forehead. "Great" she muttered and looked up into the jungle where a man dressed in a long beige trench coat came walking through looking at Cloud and then blinked as he saw Lulubell.
"Eh Cloud Nyne Sama who's she?"
"A new apprentice Timothy, now come down here and let's go, I'll explain as we head down the river."
As Timothy steered the boat down the river Cloud told him everything, Lulubell smiled at his expression when Cloud told him she where a Noah. After all the explanations where done whit Lulubell looked at Cloud.
"So where are we heading?"
"Cape Town" Cloud said. "There we will take a boat around Africa up to the Ivory Coast. There we will change ships up to Spain, and carriage from there to the start of France, and then train through France and then boat to the UK where we will walk to London."
"Well that is quite the trip" Lulubell said.
"Yeah not counting all the akuma we will meet" Cloud said smiling mischievous. "More than enough time for me to train you and your innocence."
Lulubell did not like the way she said that but who was she too talk down to her new sensei. She yawned, feeling pretty tired, it had been a long day.
"Hey Sensei, you mind if I get some sleep?"
"Feel free" Cloud said smiling, loving being called sensei.
Lulubell nodded in thanks, unbuttoned her bluish black jacket and took it off, folding it as a pillow and lay down in her seat in the big boat, trying hard to stop thinking about what her family where doing now.
DGMDGMDGMDGM
Whit the Noah's
DGMDGMDGMDGM
The earl didn't really know what was going on, but it could not be something good. He had been in the room for 5 minutes already, and Road hadn't smiled at him once… ok she had once but it was a forced smile.
Tyki hadn't touched his food yet, but was into his 5th game of solitaire.
The twins, having woken up from their coma after their battle whit Krory looked just as confused as him, as did Road's adopted father Cyril who looked concerned about the way his daughter was behaving.
Even Lero looked sad.
"So anyone want to tell me why you have gathered a family meeting?"
Road looked up, opened her mouth to say something, sighed and sank down into her sulk again.
The earl looked over at Tyki.
"Tyki pet?"
Tyki looked up from his cards and swallowed hard.
"It… eh… its Lulubell, she's…" Tyki stopped talking apparently having trouble finding the right words before he looked down on his cards again.
"DAMN IT CAN SOMEONE TELL US WHAT IS GOING ON?" It looked like Debitto had had enough walking around the bush.
"You want me to tell them Road Sama lero?"
"Please do Lero;" Tyki said answering for Road who just nodded once.
Lero nodded and started talking, not stopping or giving room for questions. When she was done everything was quiet for almost 30 seconds.
"LULUBELL IS WHAT?" Debitto was pissed; he had dragged out his gun, Jasdero right behind him.
Cyril sighed. "So Lulubell is lost to the enemy huh?"
The earl was not happy. He was downright pissed. Lulubell was one of his most faithful Noah, calling him her master, always stopping by in her cat form snuggling up to him, losing her over to those damn exorcists… "Well I guess there is nothing we can do now" he reasoned. "Lulubell is now a traitor and shall be dealt whit as any other exorcist. I understand why you left her alive when you did, but I will not accept it if you do it again."
The earl rose from his seat. "Now then, you Noah have a farewell party to have had, don't you?"
The Noah nodded and Road stood up dragging a small table to a wall. Tyki placed one candle on each side of it lighting it as Jasdevi placed a few bottles of milk in between them, Lulubell's favourite drink. Cyril got out glasses, filling them whit wine, beer and milk for himself, Tyki Jasdevi and Road.
They gathered around the table holding up their glasses.
"Good bye Lulubell" Road said and as soon as those words left her mouth, all Noah's started to cry.
The memories of Noah were grieving. And somewhere in the African jungle Cloud and Timothy blinked as Lulubell changed in her sleep into her Noah form, tears running down her face, as she felt the grief she had caused the family.
