Tolls of Midnight
"Dialogue"
Thoughts, emphasis, etc.
/ Flashbacks and visions /
/ What happened before /
*sounds, actions*
Formal attack names
"Akuma (in their true forms) speech"
Written or oral communications (i.e. golems, notes, etc.)
- An Exorcist's Defiance –
*Soft music plays*
Raven took solace in the music of his flute. He sat cross-legged on the roof where Tyki had dragged him. He tried to ignore the fumes of his uncle's latest cigarette and the blindingly violent colors of the akuma gathering in Edo's skies. The music did little to soothe the exorcist's nerves.
The Earl explained that while the Noah of Will obviously didn't share the hatred of Innocence as the others, he did have the inherent power to destroy it. Also, he would have something of a double weakness in regard to dark matter and Innocence. He would be vulnerable to both energies, although the damage differed depending on his form. The only good thing about the whole affair was Raven's inability to be "swallowed" by the Noah memory. The Zeroth Noah wasn't a true Noah, after all. If wasn't as if the magic would press the will of someone else on him. But that hardly made things any better. His "family" may not kill him, but anyone else, especially subhuman exorcists?
The twins and Skinn Boric stood a short distance from Tyki Mikk by the fish statue. His uncle had more or less wrestled Raven out of his exorcist clothing, and now the young man was dressed in a similarly formal manner as Tyki with a white top cut low in the back. Raven still couldn't move his wings well with the black band around them. At least Tyki had the decency to lend him a shawl (a purple one from Road's collection) to cover up his wings. This was good for two reasons. One, he rather not have Skinn eyeing them all the time with unconcealed hate. Two, the tiny wings did nothing to ward off the winter chill.
Speaking of Road… she was worse as a family member than his enemy! The Noah of Dreams had a bad habit of bowling him over and gushing about how nice it was to have a "baby cousin/brother". Raven knew in the hindbrain of his mind that Road was inexplicably a lot older than him, but he hated being called a baby. It was bad enough Tyki kept calling him "little raven" all the time. And the games. Road had the bad habit of chasing him around the white streets of the ark with her floating, sharp candles or bullying him into a game of dress-up (*shudder*). His music faltered but picked back up again. If I never see another pink dress with ribbons and jewels, it'll still be too soon.
"Yecch! To think these are just he akumas in Japan?"
"Hee, hee, there's so many! What do you think the boss is going to do with them?"
Devit and Jasdero glanced over to where Tyki and Raven sat.
"Hey, Tyki and Mini-Tyki! Why don't you scat since you're no longer needed in Japan?! Hurry up and finish your job!" sneered Devit.
"Leave your stupid master to Jasdevi!" shouted Jasdero.
"Oh, is Master Cross dead then?" retorted Raven as he set the flute down. The Millennium Earl said Raven could leave the Ark with Tyki's oversight, so they could have left, but Tyki didn't look very motivated to go anywhere.
"Tyki-pon." called the Millennium Earl.
"Earl of the Millennium, please stop using that nickname," protested the Noah of Pleasure with a small huff.
The smoke wafting around the air began to annoy the captive exorcist.
"You should know better than to underestimate the Innocence. It shall do everything in its power to destroy us, for it is the devil."
Raven waved away the smoke cloud. "I'm not about the last part, but Innocence can be a stubborn thing. In the most extreme circumstances, it can and will evolve."
"Okay, okay! Sheesh, now I have both of you ganging up on me? Oi, you there!" commanded Tyki to one of the level 3s. "Go use the "box" to get to China ASAP. Bring me Allen Walker."
Raven glared at his uncle, a curious mix of hate and relief, when Tyki sent off an akuma to retrieve Allen. Hate for obvious reasons, but Allen had a chance if Tyki didn't go and finish the job himself. He swatted at the Teez fluttering around him.
"What, not talking to me, Nocturne?"
Silence.
"Aww, Raven-pon isn't too happy now, is he?"
Raven refused to respond. He didn't know whether he should hate Tyki Mikk for being the bastard evil Noah, or to give the annoying jerk a chance considering how close he was to the exorcist's mother.. He fingered the recovered silver pendant strung around his neck, remembering the conversation that took place but a couple of nights ago.
/ "Okay, I can accept you are my uncle. I'm not blind enough toignore our eerie resemblance. But, why did my mother never tell me about her siblings, and why weren't you surprise she didn't tell me?"
Tyki Mikk put his book down as he carefully formed his next words.
"Your mother, Aurora-neesan, was a very special lady. She was the oldest of the three of us. We were born in a noble household; however, I was an illegitimate child born out of wedlock. Our mother, your grandmother, was widowed at a very young age, many people came to comfort her and well…we have me. But Aurora-neesan never held the circumstances of my birth against me. She treated me the same as Sheril. She even covered for me when I skipped our private lessons and convinced our parents to excuse me from future schooling – not exactly a hardship considering I wasn't a legitimate heir or anything.
Our mother was not the most maternal person. As a high-ranking noble and recent widow, she had an obligation to attend balls and parties, and to search for a suitable husband to manage our family's estates. During the intervening years, she had had an affair, and I was born from it. For a member of the elite, this was absolutely scandalous. Our mother always blamed her fall in reputation on me, but she did find a husband, one of the minor nobles who only wanted the power of her higher household name. He had quite a bit money for a minor noble, so she accepted."
Here, Tyki's face darkened in old anger, his words quiet but furious.
"Our stepfather, in a word, was a bastard. He hated the three of us. I especially didn't like the looks he gave your mother and neither did Sheril. Things got worse the longer our mother failed to produce a child until finally the doctors announce her barren. That night our stepfather took things too far. I'm not going into details, but I don't think I ever saw Sheril more murderous. Aurora-neesan…she had bruises all over his arms, but we stumbled on them before anything worse could happen. A week passed. It started small. Our stepfather stumbled into several minor pitfalls - a failed attendance here, invitations lost in the mail, no carriage on a rainy night, and so forth. Then his bad luck took a turned for the worse over the course of a year. I knew exactly what Sheril was doing and helping, but we chose to keep kind and innocent Aurora-neesan out of it."
Tyki shook his head. "It never would have worked, though. Your mother was always the most perceptive and empathic person I knew. She could spot lies and deceit a mile away after living in such an unhappy home. It was only after the nobleman met an unlucky accident that she finally confronted the two of us.
I'll be honest. I never saw Aurora more furious with the two of us than then. She never raised her voice, but I could hear the all the weight of disappointment. But neither I nor Sheril could really bring up any repentance for our actions. Maybe it was the Noah sleeping within us, but we never felt bad or guilty about making that bastard's life hell.
We told her everything. She didn't say a word after our confessions. And we never got the chance to make clean the air between us. Our mother sent Aurora away, something about the grief of being a widow once more and raising a grown daughter too much of a burden for her when she had another child in school, and the youngest one in jeopardy of becoming a vagabond. Aurora was sent out of the country, and that was the last I ever saw of her.
You probably know more of what happened next. Sheril snooped around and found out about Aurora finding a suitor during her stay abroad, but then she up and vanished. I suspect your father had something to do with it, especially if he was the sage before you. She died and here we are," finished Tyki Mikk, face solemn.
The two sat facing one another in silence for several minutes. Finally, Tyki Mikk took is right hand and reached into his coat pocket. He fished out familiar silver pendent.
"I think this is yours. Sheril had this made for you mother, you know. The engravings are of a spider, a butterfly, and a firefly. Aurora, strangely enough for a young noblewoman, had a fascination for arthropods, and she thought these insects represented the three of us best. I had the chain fixed."
Raven clutched the lost necklace to his chest. He mouthed thank you, the words caught in his throat. /
The Millennium Earl's dark presence jolted Raven from his memory of the other night. He was scolding the other Noahs. Even Raven huddled down in the face of the grinning face but less-than-amused tone. Raven's eyes easily picked out the sudden flare of a dense purple aura lit by black points of light. The dark aura of anger dissipated as the Earl went back to directing the akumas. He commanded them to attack the generals who have arrived in Edo: Generals Cross Marian and Froi Tiedoll.
Too scary, thought the exorcist, until something else pricked at his senses. The Millennium Earl isn't only power nearby. Raven looked off to the side where a certain steady pulse of green light approached. Also, a fast-moving pillar of flames. He leaned over to tug at Tyki's pant leg next to him.
"We might want to move."
A familiar, huge fire snake headed straight for them. The Noahs scattered along with Raven, as the snake swallowed the Millennium Earl. But not for long.
With a single contemptuous gesture, the Earl dispelled the Fire Seal.
"As if such a pathetic attack would come from a general. Why don't you come out, you little rats?"
Raven clutched Tyki's arm tightly as they balanced on top of a level 3 akuma. It wasn't like the sky had handholds! And unlike the Noah of Pleasure, Raven couldn't simply levitate in midair.
Back to the matter at hand. The flame serpent was the Fire Seal so… He looked down with trepidation. Standing below was his comrades Lenalee, Lavi, Bookman, Lenalee, and Krory. In addition, Raven could see the gentle and quiet Miranda from the rewinding town, three men, and what looked like an akuma with a strange light purple aura. All of them had steely looks of defiance, despite the really, really awful odds against them. The group were discussing among themselves until someone finally took notice of him.
"Raven?!" shouted a surprised Lavi. "What are you doing with them?!"
How did he…? Oh. Bookman. Lavi probably could spot the bulge of his wings spread out slightly under the shawl. Otherwise, it would be rather hard to identify Raven with his uncovered and unfamiliar face. Raven cupped his mouth and shouted, "Not exactly willing here! Wings are tied up at the moment. Wait a minute…what are you idiots doing here?! There are hundreds, no, thousands of akuma and only four exorcists. And what happened to Lenalee?"
Lavi's expression only became fiercer. "Don't worry about us, Nightingale!"
Next thing the winged exorcist knew, two of his idiotic comrades went and charged.
One minute, Raven was gaping at their act of brainless courage, next minute his uncle chuckled, "Oh, it looks like some of your little friends came. Shall we go and greet them?" and they were off.
"Well, well, the gentleman and the boy with the eye-patch from before…how unsurprising."
Raven stumbled to his feet. "Tyki!" he hissed, "did you have to grab me and tossed me down here?"
His friends and their companions were more than a little confused.
"Raven, you look well, but how are you unhurt? I thought the Noah would kill you for sure," asked Lenalee anxiously.
"Forget that. Why is Raven acting so chummy with a Noah? I know we heard from Timcanpy of the Earl wanting Raven for something, but this is the same bastard who killed Allen!" scowled Lavi. He took a step forward. "And I am so angry right now, that I won't calm down until I smashed this guy into dust!"
Tyki Mikk chuckled. "Oh? Are you upset? Maybe you can keep me entertained a bit better than the little raven. Was the cheating boy a friend of yours? Are you angry about me killing him?" asked Tyki with a note of false concern.
"Shut up." Lavi's single green eye glittered dangerously.
"So you are friends with Nocturne's foster brother."
"Shut up!" Lenalee put a hand on Lavi's shoulder, but he roughly shrugged it off.
"Oh? Was she also his friend?"
"Shut up!" Tyki's grin grew more malicious as the exorcist began to lose his cool.
"Oh, then I'm sorry. I can understand how sad you must feel because I have them, too. What you refer to as friends."
"Shut up!"
Raven had had enough of his uncle's mockery. Quit playing with my friends' emotions! He kicked out at Tyki, only to fall through and lose his balance. His uncle hefted him up by the back of his collar. Tyki easily held him up as he continued taunting the red haired exorcist. After a minute or two of fruitless squirming and clawing, Raven gave up and listened to the back-and-forth between exorcist and Noah.
"I really do understand you, boy."
"Shut UP!"
"I've lost people near and dear, too."
"SHUT UP!"
"When they die- "
"SHUT UP" screamed Lavi.
"It truly feels like a part of your world dies with them," finished Tyki. "Like when I lost my dearest Aurora. But, you should worry so much, because you have other friends like the pretty girl there. Me, I have my nephew, her son Raven."
Lavi and the others stilled.
"What?!" finally choked out Lenalee. "Whose son?"
"Why, the little raven. His name is Nocturne Sage, my dear late sister's son. He disappeared about ten years ago, after akuma attack his home village. But he's perfectly fine with me, one of his last relatives. So, you don't have to be upset on his behalf. Or on the shounen's behalf either. He's alive, too."
Tyki now sported a lazy smirk, eyes filled with dark humor. "You'll probably see him soon, too. Wouldn't that be good? If you survive that is, and Allen Walker doesn't give the level 3 too hard of a time. Without his Innocence, though, the akuma should have an easy time getting him here beaten almost to death. I recommend doing your very best to entertain me until then."
Raven did not like that wide inhuman grin. He stepped back out of the way. Uncle Tyki had proven time and time again how futile it was for the captive exorcist to try and stop him without use of Night Soul. Plus, intervening was a good way to get a one-way ticket back to the ark.
Tyki Mikk played with Lavi while one of the two huge giant akumas tore through the city with their Evil Star: Gita. Without his Innocence, Raven was mostly a sitting duck if his uncle didn't phase him out of the way of the deadly dark matter rays (phasing worked only because Raven had a little bit of dark matter circulating through his Innocence and body). Even a parasitic-type wouldn't be able to take a direct hit from those with impunity.
Things seemed to be going well when BaKanda came out of nowhere to save Lenalee and the supporter from Tyki. Between him and the new dark-skinned exorcist, they managed to destroy one of the giant akuma that three competent exorcists couldn't even down for long.
Raven watched this all from the rooftop where Tyki had last dropped him off. At least, until Tyki suddenly showed up and hauled him into the air.
"Hey, hey, what are you doing?!" yelped Raven.
Tyki ignored his struggles with relative ease. "Careful, or else I might drop you, little raven. You can't fly with clipped wings. And you don't want to get caught in the Earl's attack, I assure you."
At the word "Earl", Raven's gaze darted over to where the Earl was and rapidly skimmed over to where the Earl now floated. A dense black sphere with streaks of purple lightning rapidly condensed in his hand before gradually, and then rapidly expanding.
"God," gasped Raven.
- Eclipse –
Gone. The entire city of Edo had vanished into a horribly flat, glossy black plain.
"Wow," remarked Tyki. "What power, Earl. Edo's a wasteland now."
Raven desperately searched around the glassy surface for any signs of life. Ringed yellow eyes honed in on several faint traces of life, human life. They survived. Raven let slip a relieved sigh, one not missed by the Noah standing just next to him.
"Oh, I see. So the humans and exorcists survived."
Raven opened his mouth to yell about the disappointment he detected, but a strange humming sent uncomfortable tingles through his Innocence. He swiveled his gaze around. A piercing green light pulsed down below. Within it, he could see the familiar life trace of his friend, Lenalee Lee. For a moment, his vision went double, the image of the astonishing green crystal overlaid with a warping green light. The sight was oddly reminiscent of something he saw before…
"Hmm, isn't that Innocence something? It's definitely a bit off," remarked the Millennium Earl.
I don't like the sound of that…
Both the Noah of Pleasure and the Noah of Wrath engaged the Kanda and Lavi while the other giant akuma waged war on the remaining humans, including what was most likely General Tiedoll. Raven couldn't stand being so useless. So when the Earl targeted Lenalee himself… the destined Zeroth Noah made a mad dash for her the moment the crystal deteriorated.
Raven could feel the burn of Innocence and dark matter against his skin, but he refused to let go of Lenalee.
"Ra-Raven!" whimpered Lenalee as creepy skull-like projections attacked them before the Earl himself appeared.
We're doomed, thought the exorcist. Then he felt it. A strangely more powerful but all too familiar energy and presence that could only belong to… A figure settled down behind the two, a white claw holding off the Millennium Earl.
"Allen Walker," hissed the Earl.
"Good evening, Earl."
Both exorcists shed tears. Right behind them was Allen, a white furred cape and intricate mask giving him a truly clownish look.
"'Bout time you got here, Allen," weakly teased the other exorcist.
Allen forced away the Earl, but the Millennium Earl simply summoned up another dark energy ball. It threw Allen off him and into Raven.
"Raven," breathed Allen. Both boys knelt on the ground, the older one hauling the less steady younger boy up.
"Reunions are great and all, but the Millennium Earl does not look like he enjoyed your interference. Think you can sever some dark matter for me?" requested Raven with his back turned for emphasis. A single slash tore the bonds apart. Raven extended his wings to their fully activated length.
They didn't have any more time to talk. The Millennium Earl swung a black broadsword he created from the talking umbrella Lero. Allen's left arm barely blocked it in time. Raven darted forward, slashing with his wings. Back and forth, the three combatants locked weapons, neither side giving until the cloud of dust completely obscured the Earl from view.
- Moon Set -
The two exorcists nearly gave the redhead a heart attack when they came out of nowhere like that. Next thing the youngest exorcist knew, a sword nearly came down on both their heads.
"BaKanda! Quit it, it's Allen and Raven!"
"What the Hell?!"
Kanda and Allen locked into a familiar stare off and round of insults.
Raven sweat dropped when Lavi attempted to break them up.
Lavi wisely backed off. Then he turned to the golden-eyed exorcist. "I never knew you looked like that under your mask."
Kanda scoffed, "You look like a Noah with those eyes. Actually, you look like that curly-haired Noah from earlier."
"Was what the Noah saying true? Are you actually his nephew?!" Raven looked away uncertainly, his fingers tangling into his few white locks.
Allen face-faulted. "What?!"
More exorcists began to gather.
"Perhaps we should take cover first and recover. I swear I'll explain," promised the younger Walker.
Raven received a mix of reactions. The sailor, Chaozii, fell silent, glaring at the winged exorcist as if it was his fault for being related to a Noah. General Tiedoll and Noise Marie had unreadable looks on their faces. The Bookmen didn't treat him any worse or better, although Bookman gave him a look that said he knew Raven was leaving out pieces. And he was. He only gave the barest of facts, leaving out the bit of him being a Noah. Or technically, an adopted Noah. Allen…his older brother smiled as always, and he reassured the young teenager that his relatives changed nothing in his regard for other. This sent a shard of guilt stabbing into his heart. Raven promised to himself to tell Allen the whole truth once they could speak privately together.
Raven took a seat by Lenalee, using his wings to help cushion the injured exorcist. The general and the others discussed their situation. It didn't look good. The Black Order only had 13 exorcists left. With the threat of the Millennium Earl and Lenalee's conditions, he recommended Team Cross to leave the battlefield. Allen knelt by him after a while. She stirred.
"Allen…-kun? Raven-kun?"
"Lenalee?"
"Lenalee," breathed Raven in relief.
"It's us. I'm sorry…so sorry, Lenalee…"
"I should have tried to intervene earlier," muttered Raven. Purple eyes regarded gold and silver ones.
"Hush the two of you. Why say sorry? What are you sorry for? Are you sorry for Suman? Raven, Allen, the two of you saved him… He died as himself in the end, and died without pain. I'm sure the two of you saved his soul. Raven-kun, don't start acting like Allen-kun. You shouldn't try charging recklessly without regard for yourself. Your Innocence was chained by the Noah. You would have only gotten hurt if you tried."
She patted their cheeks. "I don't care what the Noah wants with the two of you. Welcome back…Allen-kun, Raven-kun."
A single tear slid from a golden eye. Raven leaned back with a blush. Then the two eyes widened, transforming into the odd two-ringed irises.
"Lenalee! Allen nii-san!"
A pentagram swallowed the two exorcists and drew in the others, including Raven himself.
