Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry for the late update! Hopefully this update will make up for it!
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Chapter 10: Something More
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Nova's POV
"Kanda, is that really you?" I asked as I blinked to make sure I wasn't dreaming. He-just how in the world could he be here? Did he finish his mission already?
"Who else would it be idiot? Now what happened to you?" He growled as he approached me, his eyes widening a fraction when he saw the large gaping hole in my side. Seeing this, I gave him a forced smile.
"Gruesome, huh?" I inquired as I took my hand off of the wound, glancing down at the splotch of blood that was on my hand. I was about to place it on my side once more but a hand grabbed mine before I could touch it.
"Don't," I heard Kanda softly say. I lifted my head to see his eyes locked on the wound, a sort of 'distressed' look on his face. My eyebrows shot up in curiosity as I met his gaze. What's with him?
"Anyway, I guess you finished your mission?" Kanda's face slowly pulled itself into a scowl as he nodded and released my hand, putting his hand on his hip.
"How can you even stand?" He asked as he met my eyes, a surprised look in his blue eyes. I pressed my lips together and looked at him as I leaned against the wall for support.
"Ahaha, honestly, I'm using all my willpower not to crash into the ground. I was heading for the hotel but-" I stopped when Kanda suddenly moved forward and wrapped his arm around my waist and legs, hoisting me up into his arms.
"K-kanda! What're you doing?" I yelped as he positioned me better in his arms. I tried to suppress the blush that heated up my neck as I attempted to escape his grip.
"Stop moving idiot or you'll open the wound even more." He growled as he tightened his arms around me. I kept in a shriek as I was in 'too close for comfort' with him. I lowered my head as my hair blocked my eyes, keeping my gaze on my hands that were in my lap.
"Why are you helping me?" I mumbled, crossing my arms in front of my chest. Instead of answering Kanda passed through the crowd and I lifted my head as I met eyes with the man who sold the fruit. He caught sight of my wound and for a second he looked a little bit sorry. I felt a rumble against my shoulder and recognized it as Kanda clearing his throat. I glanced up to see his eyes darting around as if in searching for something.
"Where's your hotel?" He asked as he glanced down at me. I blinked a couple times but then turned my head, pointing it out to him.
"Wait, but Lavi's out looking for the Innocence. The sandstorm's coming soon and we decided that we-" I winced as my wound throbbed but continued. "-that we would search for it while the sandstorm is happening to see where it is. I think you should go help him." I finished as I met his gaze once more.
"You look half dead. I think the Usagi can handle it himself." He bluntly stated as he came in front of the hotel. He gently put me down on the ground but kept his arm around my waist to support my weight. I rolled my eyes at his reply but figured that there was no changing his mind. On our way back to my room, limping, Kanda decided to have another conversation with me.
"So, what made you look so damn close to death?" He inquired, glancing over to me. I sighed at the memory and met his gaze with an angry stare.
"A Level 3 that's what. Stupid asshole," I muttered the last part as I glared off to the side. We stopped in front of my door and I quickly opened it, having Kanda drag me inside, painfully as a matter of fact. As soon as we made it to the door post of the bathroom, I collapsed in a heap on the floor, glad that the cool tile was pressed against my cheek. While Kanda was getting the medical supplies, I was carefully pulling myself up, leaning against the wall of the bathroom with a very pale face, the blood probably already staining the wall.
A shadow passed over me and I looked up to see Kanda with the bandages. Offering his help to stand up, I was about to grab the bandages when he took them away from me at the last second. Throwing him a confused look, I went for the bandages again when he pulled them away once more.
"What're you doing?" I asked as I leaned against the sink's counter.
"There's no way you can do this yourself." He replied, narrowing his eyes at me. I pressed my lips together and clenched my fists tightly. First, he takes me into his arms without my permission, and then he offers to help bandage my wound? No way in hell. No one was going to ever help me with that kind of stuff. Unless it's Lenalee. But that's it.
"Yes, I can. And I don't need your help with that, so why don't you go help Lavi?" I countered as I reached for the bandages once more. He raised them above my head with a quirk of his eyebrow and scoffed.
"Really?" I narrowed my eyes at him and crossed my arms over my chest.
"Yes really, now get the hell out of here and help your comrade!" I yelled as I grabbed the bandages and pushed him out the door, groaning in pain, fire sparking in my torso. Kanda suddenly whirled around when I groaned, making me stumble into him. His arms wrapped around me gently as I steadied myself.
"Ugh, just go." I muttered as I glared at him with one eye. He smirked as he pushed me back into the bathroom, him following.
"Now that you're like this, it seems as though you do need help. Che, figures." He rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. I sat down on the seat of the toilet and scowled at him, hoping that somehow Lavi would intervene and call for help.
"I don't need your help, Kanda Yuu." At the mention of his first name, his eyebrow twitched annoyingly. Kanda glanced down at me with an icy cold glare as he put his hand on the hilt of Mugen.
"Don't call me by that name." He said in a low voice, a vein popping out on the side of his head. I chuckled lightly and was about to call him Yuu again when my golem popped out from my jacket.
"Nova! Hey, I found the Innocence! Are you alright?"
Oh thank you Lavi. I shall forever be in debt to you!
"You did? That's great! I'm okay right now. Oh you'll never guess who I found! Yuu's here!" I excitedly explained, grinning as Kanda pulled out his weapon, its tip gleaming near my face.
"YUU? YUU! COME HELP YOUR DEAR FRIEND WOULD YA? There are rounds of akuma here who would just love to fight you! C'mon Yuu!" Lavi crooned through the golem, his voice pleading. I turned to Kanda who had a deathly aura around him, the air around him dark. I sweatdropped and chuckled as Kanda grabbed my golem and started yelling into it.
"WHEN I GET OUT THERE USAGI YOU ARE GOING TO BE DEAD!"
"Ahaha! So Yuu really is there! I'm glad you came to visit Yuu! Now, when you step outside, get to a high place and search for the large horde of akuma that are grouped together in the sky, that's where you'll find meeeeee~!"
Just then, the link was cut off. I smiled softly at the exorcist in front of me as he handed my golem back to me silently.
"Looks like I don't need your help." I cheerfully said, grabbing the bandages in my hands. Kanda threw me a glare before he sheathed Mugen and sighed. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and meeting my eyes. I raised my eyebrows in surprise when the gaze he gave me was filled with a hint of reluctance. Wait, he didn't want to leave?
"Just…wait here alright?" He quietly asked, putting a hand on my shoulder softly. I nodded and once and grinned.
"Of course, it's not like I can go anywhere right?" I replied with a smile, watching his expression soften, only a little.
"Che," He muttered before he walked out of the bathroom and shut the hotel door behind him. I sighed and closed my eyes for a second before shutting the bathroom door to bandage my stomach. I took off my jacket, wearing my white t-shirt and spandex shorts, and saw the blood already soaking my shirt.
I grimaced and pulled it off, grabbing a new one by the sink. Carefully cleaning my wound, I wrapped the bandage around my stomach, slightly messy, but an alright job and slipped on my shirt once more. I took the dirtied exorcist coat and stepped out the door only to freeze in place and stare at one person.
"Ah, hi there," My mouth dropped slightly as I recognized the man. He was from the train! The memory of him standing on top of the train surrounded by fire resurfaced in my mind.
"H-hello," I replied softly as I continued to stare at him. He was just sitting on the edge of my bed, holding a lit cigarette in his lips.
Just how did he get into my room?
After a moment of silence, I awkwardly walked back over to my suitcase and placed my jacket on top of it. Doing this, I could feel that man's eyes burn into my back. The pressure was just so immense, if I started talking, I don't think I'd be able to keep going. Turning around, I faced him with raised eyebrows.
"Can I…help you with something?" I asked hesitantly as I leaned against the wall across from him. The handsome man wearing a simple white collared long sleeve shirt and gray pants raised his eyes to meet mine; an eerie yellow against a sharp silver.
"I'm looking for someone," He replied, taking a drag from his cancer stick. I narrowed my eyes at this and nodded, waiting. "Someone who goes by the name of Nova,"
I widened my eyes at this and immediately tensed up when the man in front of me smiled. He stood up from his spot on the bed and took a drag before holding it between his two fingers.
"Are you the one I'm looking for?" He asked, raising his brows at me curiously. I stared into his eyes and caught the gleam of amusement and pleasure in those frightening yellow eyes of his.
"What if I am?" I quietly retorted, my nervousness fading away to a determination. If he did something, I'd have to react quickly. I noticed as the man approached that there were pentacles lining around his forehead. Instantly, I remembered learning about people like this. Who serve under the Earl and are called Noah's; and that there were 13 of them.
"If you are, then I have some exciting news for you." He answered in the same tone, quiet but with a hint of danger somewhere in it. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously and instantly moved to the side, away from the wall, and away from him.
"Who are you?" I inquired with a quirk of my eyebrow. Mr. Handsome grinned for a second before putting the cigarette back to his lips. The next moment, I couldn't even comprehend what happened until I was pressed against the floor, a hand wrapped around my throat. He had literally vanished for a moment before appearing behind me, to grab my throat and slam me into the floor. As I tried to breathe calmly, I sent a cold glare up into the man's face. He simply looked down at me with an amused smile, his face coming only inches away from my own.
"You asked who I was didn't you? Well, I'll introduce myself. My name's Tyki Mikk. And I'm sure you know I'm a Noah right? Based on your knowledge or whatever the crap you learn." He said, the cigarette smoke escaping from the corner of his mouth and into my face as he breathed.
"Now, can you guess what Noah I am?" He asked with a grin. I gritted my teeth as I tried to get my hand up to my neck but Tyki's other hand caught my wrist and pinned it against the floor. Now he was too close for comfort.
"What news do you have?" I asked through my clenched teeth, trying not to breathe in the stench of the cigarette.
"Aren't you looking for a certain General?" He replied, his amused eyes widening. I breathed in sharply at the mention of her and pulled my head up to try and get him off me but he just tightened the grip around my throat, making me stop.
"Where is she?" I demanded, glaring angrily into those yellow eyes of his.
"You won't get to see her yet. I thought I should just let you know that you have two choice." I narrowed my eyebrows in confusion when I when him release my wrist. "I know based on your actions, that you won't attack me hm? Because I can just kill you right here if you do." Tyki released the grip around my throat and sat up, leaving me on the floor taking deep breaths. I sat up and glared at him angrily, wanting to punch his face for violating my personal bubble.
"You said I had a choice?" I growled, crossing my arms in front of my chest. Tyki chuckled and took another drag, letting the puff of smoke out through his nose as he sat against the bed.
"Yes, you do. I'll give you a couple days to think about it before I come again. Now, your choices are either, one: you come with me freely to the Earl for your imminent death and might possibly get to see your General again, or two: you fight against me reaching the inevitable death of your friends and then die in front of the Earl, never seeing your dear General ever again."
"….so you're saying that I die even if I choose one?"
"Exactly~! Now you understand your fate?" Tyki said with a wide smile. I glowered at him, clenching my fists in anger.
"So what happens if I don't choose one?" I inquired, deciding to test my theory. The smirk that was on Tyki's face slipped off as he gave me a serious frown.
"If you don't choose one, then you'll just die." After a moment of silence, I glared angrily into the floor. I'd fight back and just attack him here but I remembered that this was a hotel. I couldn't afford wrecking it.
"The Earl wants me dead?" I growled, pissed off even more. The Noah in front of me frowned for a second before giving me a stare.
"I don't think it'll be a waste to tell you. You are the last Krest after all. I'll just leave a few parts out hm? The Earl doesn't like you to put it simply. He hated your mother and your brother so why not just kill all of them? Oh and the prophec-" He cut himself off, shutting his mouth as he narrowed his eyes. "Damn, that managed to slip out." He muttered to himself quietly. I went back to the word he cut off silently. Prophec…..prophecy?
"Anyway, I'll leave you to your choices. It'll be nice seeing you again Nova," Tyki said as he stood up, taking one last drag before he headed towards the door. I watched as he pulled the door open and gave me one last glance.
"Oh, and if you were on our side. I do believe things would have been different between us." I blinked in confusion as he left, shutting the door behind him.
Getting up from the floor, I held my side as I let the golem flutter above me.
"Hey Nova, Yuu here wants to know if you got the bandages on okay!" I rolled my eyes as Lavi's loud voice filled my room.
"Yeah, it worked fine." I replied, trying to sound normal. What just happened moments before was still replaying in my mind.
"We got the Innocence too! We'll be back there in a few minutes!"
"Alright, see you." I cut off the connection and sighed as I fell against the bed, still feeling Tyki's hand wrapped around my throat. I fingered where he squeezed it and winced when it throbbed. Another bruise, great. What Tyki said before he left still wound around my mind. I widened my eyes when I realized what he had said.
"He hated your mother and your brother so why not just kill all of them?"
He killed my brother. The Earl killed my brother.
Things just got way personal.
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Kanda's POV
When we had told Nova that we had gotten the Innocence, I couldn't help but feel a bit off for some reason. My first thought was, did something happen? It seemed as though the Usagi noticed it too because once she cut off the connection, he exchanged glances with me.
"What do you think happened?"
"How the hell should I know?" I replied with the usual irritated glare. Lavi rolled his eye like normal as we made our way back to the hotel. On the way I felt a pair of eyes land on me, and following me. I turned my head, ready to glare the living hell out of them when I saw that it was the fruit vendor from before.
When he had spotted Nova and her wrecked condition, I noticed it but chose not to look over. It would just add to the stress that I had at the time. Stress, ha, like I would have that. The fruit vendor was giving me a guilty look and I wondered what was wrong with him. Not bothering to ask, Lavi and I walked past him and entered the hotel, heading up towards the rooms.
"Well maybe you should check on her," Lavi suggested before we fell into silence again. I remained quiet.
"Did you get a room too Kanda?" Lavi asked as he stood in front of his door. He was going to put the Innocence in a safe place before coming to visit Nova.
"Just why the hell wouldn't I?" I retorted coldly, giving the orange haired teen a glare. The Bookman stayed quiet for a second before his lips spread into a grin.
"Maybe you want to get comfy with our little Nova over there~" He teased as he elbowed my chest. I immediately scowled at him and shoved him off, pushing him into the door. He laughed as he let himself in, shutting the door and leaving me outside. When he had said that, something warm erupted in the pit of my stomach. Not familiar with any of these emotions, I just put it to the side.
I knocked on Nova's door and heard her reply, pushing it open to see her lying down on the bed staring up at the ceiling with a dejected look on her face. Keeping my usual impassive look on my face, I shut the door behind me and approached her, instantly catching the scent of something familiar.
The stench was…nostalgic and yet also angering. It reminded me of someone….and it lit a pit of fire in my stomach for not being able to remember it. Just what was it? When I came to the side of the bed, the scent was even more powerful as if it was on Nova.
"What smells just so damn disgusting?" I muttered, trying to remember. I met Nova's blank gaze and stood at the side of the bed, thinking.
"Cigarette smoke," It was soft, but I heard it. Instantly, that idiot's face popped up; that sadistic grin on his face, and that damn annoying gleam in his eyes. Tyki Mikk. The idiot that works with the Earl.
Suddenly it made all sense, why it was in this room. I looked around the room but didn't really notice anything.
"Was that damn Tyki here?" I demanded, glaring down at Nova's face. She glanced over at me with blank eyes before nodding slightly.
"He did," Her lips barely moved. I raised an eyebrow at this, suspicious of why someone like him would be here.
"What happened?" I quietly asked, watching her face for some sort of reaction. When she shook her head, I knew she was hiding something. I knew I shouldn't pry, but I was curious and I wanted answers.
"Nothing, alright?" Nova replied as she sat up, groaning softly, low enough for anyone else to miss it but me. After a few seconds, I caught a glimpse of a growing purple mark around her throat before she buttoned up her jacket all the way.
"...what...did he do?" I grounded out, feeling a growing anger within me. I was surprised by it. However more surprised when I saw her brush a finger across her nose. Was she crying? She sniffed quietly, sitting in the silence that was it the room. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of her.
"What...did he do?" I repeated, moving on my own as my hands gripped her shoulders tightly. I was bent slightly towards her, my gaze trying to seek her own, but her hair covered her eyes.
"You...shouldn't have to know," She whispered, causing me to blink at her words. I shouldn't have to? Okay...but why do I want to? Silence resumed between us two before I broke it.
"...tell me," I uttered, moving my gaze away from her to focus down her hands in her lap. I could already tell her astonished expression as she stiffened.
"You...you want to know?" She drawled out, her voice filled with curiosity. I nodded silently once, expecting her to start bawling or something. Instead, I sensed her lean forward to wrap her arms around my back, pulling me close. I was shocked by the sudden contact, not really a fan of it. But for some reason, with her, it brought a ghost of a smile to my face.
"Thank's Kanda, I wasn't really sure...who to tell..." She whispered; her voice slightly filled with delight as she pressed her cheek against my coat. I grunted in response and when she pulled away from me I couldn't help but feel sad. I took a seat next to her and glanced over at her as composed herself, her eyes darting around before she began to explain.
"Tyki came to tell me that I had two choices," She quietly said, getting my attention. "And whatever I choose, I'll end up dying apparently." I widened my eyes at this and looked over at her.
"If I choose the first one, I can freely meet the Earl and get my revenge and possibly get to the General. If I pick the second one, then you'll all be in danger of facing a Noah, as well as myself. No matter what, he says I'll die. I want to prevent that, but we need the General right? So, what if-"
"No," I knew what she was thinking. And I knew what the others would think of that idea. Of sacrificing herself for us. "Don't do that to yourself. The others wouldn't want that." I replied in a low voice, hoping to get my point across. Nova looked over at me with a wide eyed expression, like she can't decide what to do.
"But he'll come back. He's going to come back to either get me, or kill me and I don't know what to do," She quietly uttered as she hung her head. I wanted to reach out to get her attention but I decided not to.
"Oi," She lifted her head to peer over at me with a quizzical look in her eyes. "No matter what, don't choose. We'll all be fighting for you. Remember that." She stared at me for a second before nodding slowly. I gazed into her eyes and realized exactly how different she looked from her mother. She held a lot of emotions and she could express them so clearly. She was….something more to me.
And I wanted to find out exactly what it is.
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Author's Note: I hoped you guys liked that scene! The two of them needed some scenes together, so there are two for you! I hope things went smoothly with this chapter! And how did you like Tyki Mikk's entrance?
Please leave a review for me!