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Chapter Ten - Scheming Noah

A couple of weeks had passed since the Fourteenth's attempt on the life of the Millennium Earl and during this time not a day had gone by that they weren't attacked by Akuma and the occasional Noah. The Fourteenth had long since gotten rid of the annoying Exorcist General, although he was certain that the man was still following them and keeping tabs, and he had to fight the battles on his own.

And keep Mana safe in the process.

He was always careful to shield his brother using magic when he was forced to fight. He didn't want any of them to know what Mana looked like, just in case the current battle turned out to be his last. Thankfully enough it was very difficult for one Noah to defeat another since their powers tended to counter balance each other.

The two exceptions to this were the First Child Road and the Musician himself.

But luckily enough the two of them never met. He was forced to fight against Tyki Mikk, the Noah whom he had greatly enjoyed beating at cards. That fight ended in a draw and the Fourteenth managed to escape with Mana but these constant battles set his mind into overdrive. He was well aware that it was only a matter of time before the Millennium Earl caught up to him and he had to get Mana settled and out of sight before that happened. His wounds were never going to have a chance to heal, due to the constant battles that he was forced to engage in, and he was resigned to the fact that his next meeting with the Earl would be his last.

Resigned but not ready to just roll over and die.

There were two things that he had to accomplish before his demise and his determination knew no limits. First he had to get Mana to a safe location and second he had to find a host. He had decided on the use of a bit of forbidden magic in order to make sure that he could kill the Earl with his own hands. It was a rather complicated spell and would seal his memories inside a host body. Over time the memories would over ride the host and slowly turn the chosen person into the Fourteenth himself. This was a last option, not really something that he had wanted to do, but at this point in the game there really wasn't any other choice. He was going to die, of that he was certain, but the Musician was still determined to get his revenge against the Millennium Earl and this was the only way to make sure that this happened.

The moment he decided upon his course of action the Fallen Noah began searching for a strong body to play host. He needed some kind of added power, coupled together with the ones that he already possessed, if he were going to stand a chance against the Earl.

The Exorcist General had been a candidate for about ten seconds but then the Fourteenth decided that it wasn't a very good idea. Sure the man was a powerful Exorcist but he was also a chain smoking, heavy drinking bastard and the Fourteenth had no desire to inhabit his body. With his luck the General would probably drop dead before his memories had the chance to take over the man's body.

Yea, that option was definitely out.

It wasn't easy to find a host body with the right potential and it was even harder to keep his intentions hidden from his brother. The Fourteenth knew that Mana would definitely not approve of the decision that he had made but he was determined to both destroy the Earl with his own hands and also to return to Mana. He knew that the spell he was going to use was beyond cruel and that he would be robbing another of the chance of life but there was simply no other way to do it. He had to have more power to defeat the Earl and he didn't have the time to gain that power for himself.

"Allen," Mana suddenly called out, effectively drawing the Fourteenth's attention away from his thoughts. "I think someone's coming."

The Fourteenth was instantly on high alert and he quickly discovered that his brother was correct. Someone was indeed coming and that someone just happened to be a member of the Clan of Noah. This was the last thing that the Musician wanted to deal with right now but there wasn't any other choice. The Fourteenth quickly whispered a spell to conceal his brother and then shoved Mana into a group of bushes.

"Well, well," a cruel male voice called out as a shadowy figure approached the spot where the Fourteenth was standing. "Lord Millennium will be so happy. I found the Traitor Noah."

The Fourteenth stood, an arrogant smirk appearing on his face as he gazed over at his former 'brother'. "Try not to get too excited. You have to be alive at the end of this in order to go and tell him."

The Noah narrowed his eyes and rushed toward the Fourteenth. He was determined to subdue this traitor and then take him back to the Millennium Earl, who would surely reward him for his actions. His orders were that the traitor had to be alive but the Earl had issued new orders to bring the Musician back by any means necessary. It didn't matter if he had been beaten to a bloody pulp just so long as he was still breathing.

"I don't think so," the Fourteenth said as he evaded the man's attack and launched one of his own. "There is no way in hell that I'm going to die at the hands of the likes of you. I still have things to do so I'm afraid that I'm going to have to kill you."

From his spot in the bushes Mana watched the two Noah fight. He desperately wanted to rush to the aid of his brother, who had sustained a few serious injuries on top of the ones that still hadn't had the chance to heal properly, but he knew that Allen wouldn't appreciate the interference. And he also knew that he didn't stand a chance against the Noah. Sure he knew a few magical spells but nothing that would allow him to fight on the same level as those two.

He would just have to wait and hope for the best. "Come on Allen, please be okay."

The Fourteenth did manage to emerge from the battle victorious, leaving his opponent laying on the ground dead, but he knew that this would complicate the situation even further. Everyone would be out for blood now and he could feel that his days, perhaps even his hours were numbered. He had sustained yet more injuries and knew that these newest additions, much like their predecessors, wouldn't be given a chance to heal.

He would have to find a host soon.

That meant that he couldn't be as selective as he had planned. He was loathe to rely on luck in a situation such as this, since his luck had never really been all that great, but decided that as soon as the opportunity presented itself he would perform the spell and seal his memories in whomever happened to be there at the time.

There was nothing else that he could do.

"Let's go Mana," the Fourteenth called out, beckoning to his brother. "We have to get out of here before someone comes along and finds him."

Mana nodded and quickly ran to join his brother. He could tell, by the expression in Allen's eyes, that the boy was concerned about their situation and he wanted to comfort his brother. But what could he say? What words could he possibly offer to make this situation better? The simple truth was that there was nothing that he could say that would even come close to making this okay so he chose to remain silent. Allen seemed to be lost in thought and Mana didn't want to disturb him. He did however reach out a hand and place it on his brother's shoulder.

The Fourteenth smiled at Mana's attempt to offer him comfort. He was going to miss this when he was gone but there was nothing to be done for it.

As he and his brother fled the scene of this latest crime the Fourteenth was going over the steps in the spell in his mind. He had been studying this particular spell for quite some time and was fairly certain that he could pull it off. It was difficult but well within his skill level.

"I have to find a host," he thought to himself, clenching his hands into fists.

A/N - and there's the end of chapter ten. Hope you enjoyed, please leave a review and tell me what you thought.

Mana: You're up to something aren't you?
The Musician: Now whatever would give you that idea?
Mana: Because I know you.
The Musician: 'merely laughs'