Rollison 7

I've decided to update again. I also want to update Fate Screwed Me Over as well, but I'll see what I get done today. Anyways, I would like to thank everyone for their reviews and support! It feels really great when I read what you thought, how you felt, and about your eagerness for more. For all of you, I dedicate this chapter!

Chapter 10

Red's POV

Some hours after my brief encounter with Mana, Tyki came to visit me once more. He was no less talkative, or flirtatious, but he did not try to engage in conversation more than the social norm and he did not try to come closer than I was comfortable with. He also brought dinner with him (something I appreciated since he must have escaped a family dinner to dine with me). It was a little awkward for me, listening to him eat nd occasionally remark on something or another, while I sat without taking a single bite.

"You have not touched your plate," Tyki said at last. "You are not going to eat, or are you simply waiting for me to finish before you begin?"

"I am not hungry," I explained briefly. "I do not eat much, nor do I eat often."

It was a shame really. In most cases Innocence has been known to cause after effects. In my case, it causes me to lose my appetite, and whereas I used to eat three times my weight in food per meal, I now eat half of a normal man's meal throughout a single day. And the food in the Ark smelled delicious. If memory served correctly, it tasted even better than it smelled.

"I have never seen you eat. Are you sure that you get enough food to survive?" he questioned.

"Do I look starved to you?" I retorted.

"No, but I it is certainly not easy to see your body with the clothes you wear. For all I know, you could be skin and bones beneath the shirt and coat you always wear here," he replied. "Would you care to strip for me so I can assess whether or not you are getting enough food?"

I tilted my head to the side, struggling not to scowl at him. He was definitely perverted.

"I would not," I declared. "I am beginning to wonder if I should report you to Lulubell for sexual harassment, and implied sexual assault."

Tyki chuckled. "She knows of my nature and could care less about who I involve myself with."

"I see." Damn him, that was probably true. Lulubell did not care what her family did as long as it was not dangerous to them physically, psychologically, or emotionally.

The Noah continued eating then, most likely polishing off the last bits from his plate. Then he turned his attention to me, curiosity burning in his aura.

"I have a question for you Red," he informed me in a tone more serious than most others he had used with me.

"Ask away," I replied, hoping it would have nothing to do with the Black Order enforced b Leverrier, the Exorcists, 'Allen', or even Leverrier himself. Those topics were…complicated.

"Mana and I were discussing you a while ago and he mentioned something that I thought was a little strange. He told me that he 'could not see anything of the person called 'Red''."

"I do not see how this is a question," I said with a suppressed sigh.

"Well I wanted you to explain why Mana could not see you," he explained. "Mana could not see anything about your personality, your intentions, aura, anything at all."

"I am an Exorcist. It is a necessity to hide all of those things," I answered curtly.

"No, you do not understand. Each Noah has his or her own gifts. One of Mana's gifts is to see inside of the person. He sees what each person is made up of, figuratively. But when he looked for 'Red' he saw nothing. He said it was as if you do not exist, or rather that 'Red' does not exist."

My heart skipped a beat. Swallowing, I forced myself to speak again.

"Who could I possibly be if not Red?" I asked.

"Mana could not see that either. That is what I wanted to know, so I asked you to explain. And I hoped your explanation would give me that answer," Tyki added. "But let me ask you directly: who are you?"

I pushed the tray away, standing up from the floor where I sat in front of Tyki. The metal bumped into something, I heard a liquid spilling. Proof that his words had unsettled me.

"You should leave," I told him.

"Red, please tell me! None of the Noahs here trusts you, nor is willing to learn about you besides me. Please, just let me in," Tyki begged, his warm hand clasping around my wrist. Automatically I jerked it away from him, a familiar spike of adrenaline rushing through my chest. I took a deep steadying breath, realizing that he was no enemy and that I should not attack him.

"Never grab me like that again. I am not used to being touched unless it is an attack," I warned him. "Now leave."

"Red," he began.

"Leave."

Tyki left.

::

Once more I found myself in my room for hours on end with nothing to do but the same things I did as an Exorcist. Sharpen, clean, exercise, take stimulants to stay awake, and repeat. There was an unspoken rule that I was to remain away from the Noahs, or at least minimize my contact with them. Considering the negative way they saw me, it was not a bad idea. In fact, it probably kept me safe. Or rather, safer than before.

After a while, I decided that it would do no harm sitting outside my room on the steps. I could listen to the others without coming into contact with them. They would not even notice my presence. So I did just that, going only as far down the steps from my room as necessary to hear the conversation. I was surprised to feel the presence of Bookman, Lulubell, Tyki, Wisely, and Mana in the common room. That in itself surprised me because it was very early morning and most Noah would still be sleeping. I expected only one or two people in the common room. But listening to the conversation I had learned that Bookman had come across Lulubell, who had been unable to sleep, and one by one the other two passer-bys had stopped. Tyki when he had returned from a visit at the temple (undoubtedly after making love to one of the priestesses) and sought to return to his room from a bath. And Wisely, who had gone to the supply room for medicine to cure his headache. Mana—well, Lulubell had dug him out of the room to make sure he socialized with them a little before going back to his brother's side. Unsurprisingly Mana remained silent throughout the conversations between them, despite the urges I could sense. He obviously wanted to speak out, ask questions, argue, anything but sit quietly. But Mana had always been stubborn, and he held his tongue in check.

"Do I understand this correctly: Noah cannot have children," clarified Bookman.

"Yes. We are a different species than humans, than the citizens of the Vatican," Lulubell explained. "The only reason we Noah exist is because being a Noah means your essence is able to infect others after a host perishes."

"And we cannot reproduce with each other because Noah lost that ability eons ago. As the last of a species, only us fifteen became 'ethereal beings' that have no physical form," Wisely continued. "A Noah is immortal, but at the loss of reproduction."

"So a Noah is really a possessed person," Tyki summarized," whose entire body structure has changed to accommodate the essence."

"Like parasitism," Bookman realized.

"I would say it is more like symbiosis," Lulubell replied.

"I see. And where do these 'essences' go when not in a host? I know that the number of Noahs changes, never exceeding the number fifteen. So where do they go?" Bookman asked.

"They sleep inside of the host they inhabit until the time is right to awaken. Or they will sleep in the minds of the ones who will bring forth the host and pass into it that way," Wisely answered.

"I see. And going back to the topic of reproduction, you said that the Noahs could not reproduce among themselves. I assume there have been relationships among your family. Is that not incestuous?"

Tyki laughed outright. "Very few hosts are related to each other by blood. The ones that are never mingle romantically or sexually. Neither are the Noah essences related. Relationships are not incestuous at all."

"It is interesting to see the way Noahs interact. Take the counter part for our leader, for example. That Noah never consorts with humans romantically in any life lived by the host. Yet with the other Noah the fifteenth is quite promiscuous. Most times the fifteenth takes as many as three lovers from the Noahs at once, or there have been times where only one is taken," Wisely explained. "Interestingly enough, the same relationships resurface. It takes the form of friendship in one host, romance, and simple familial ties in another."

"So the Noah also take part in things like that. I take it there are times when someone gets jealous, a relationship goes bad, rebounds, and other things like that?" Bookman asked.

"Unfortunately so," Lulubell answered before anyone else. And that is all she would say on the subject. The historian sensed that he should change the subject. As he pondered what he should bring up next, Tyki spoke up.

"I have a question for you as well, Bookman," he announced brightly, his aura told me that he felt quite the opposite. "Whatever happened to the boy Mana Walker adopted?"

The atmosphere immediately became tense, and Bookman was speechless. There was remorse, shame, guilt, curiosity. Even longing. I could definitely tell that Mana was listening to every word now.

"You do not need to answer that," Lulubell said quietly.

"Oh really? You do not find it suspicious that Allen was released back into the world and no one questioned him about the Noah?" he demanded. "If Allen had knowledge of the Noah, I think Bookman would have taken the chance to ask him about us. And yet he knows as much as any other citizen of the city."

I tried to imagine Bookman's expression. I remembered when he had tried to get answers from me about my family. I had told him nothing. Back then, I was still able to see. I still had some small amount of innocence.

"I did question him. Allen Walker told me nothing about you. He refused to even say one word to me," Bookman said at last. "Not long after that, he died of an illness."

Shock. Pain. Numbness. Fear. Disbelief.

"What?" Tyki asked.

"That is not—" Wisely broke off. "I see…"

"What do you see?" Mana asked harshly.

"In Bookman's mind, I see Allen's name scratched out. I suppose it makes sense that someone whose name had been erased would have no access to medicine or treatment for an illness," Wisely said coldly. I flinched, knowing that he was lying. He must have seen more than just a name crossed out. He must have seen into Bookman's mind and everything else about me.

"You are saying the system let him die?" Mana asked, anger filling him.

"Yes. And before you become angry with the system, recall who abandoned Allen Walker in the first place," Lulubell said quietly. "You allowed them to take him, and when he finally reached the hands of the Vatican, what did you think would happen? He came from the lowest level of the city, the blackest of society's scum. And we are the whitest in existence. He was lucky they only stripped him of his identity."

"How can you say that?" Mana demanded. "Have you no respect or care for a boy who lived with us for years?"

"We are Noah. Nothing outside of the family matters to us. You are the only one with a weak heart," she accused.

Liar, I thought to myself. If you really meant that, then why does your aura reek of guilt and remorse and grief?

"Can we stop arguing?" Tyki snapped. "Mana was not the only one who cared, and he was not the only one at fault. All of the Noah are responsible for this, but there is nothing we can do now."

Silence fell. Wisely rose up quickly, leaving the room without a word.

He is going to be trouble.

It was a while before anyone spoke.

"Where was his body laid to rest, so we can pay our respects to it?" Tyki asked quietly. Lulubell answered this time.

"If there was, and I doubt there was, we would not be able to venture there. Bookman has failed o tell you that after he was stripped of his identity, Allen was exiled to the outer limits of the city. Likely, his body was desecrated," she told them grimly.

Mana shook quietly, and I could hear faint sobs coming from his direction. I myself felt a little bad for making him grieve over me, but it was easy to ignore. Allen was dead, in a way.

"Such a fate is far too cruel for anyone," Tyki growled. "What did that boy ever do to deserve such a thing?"

"He compromised us," she answered.

"And he paid with his name and identity!"

"No. Allen broke the law by living with you here. He was punished by the removal of his name," said Bookman. "And once again he broke the law by compromising you. And he was exiled. If he ever associated with the Noah again, he would have been exiled to the deep Abyss."

In other words, death.

There was the sound of someone rising up—Mana this time—and he left without a word. Tyki sighed, obviously stressed.

"Very few of the Noahs favored him, but Allen was like glue to this family. With him around, even those of us who hated him thought the world was a brighter place," he murmured. "I can only hope that something like this never happens again."

"It will not," Lulubell promised.

"No, Lulubell. You cannot just keep everyone out. If Allen never came, we would have less heart than we do now. We would not know what it would be like to live happily in his light," Tyki protested, his voice nearly breaking. "The next time we care about someone—the next time someone brings light into our isolated world—do not push him away. Protect him. Lulubell, just hold onto that person and protect him!"

"I cannot promise that," Lulubell replied.

"Then I must leave you." Once again, someone left, until only Bookman and Lulubell were alone. I stood up, ready to leave. Until I heard their conversation topic take a turn.

"Forgive me, Lulubell. I have complicated things for your family," Bookman apologized.

"It is not your fault," she said with a sigh. "However, all of these things remind me of a similar topic. Your companion is dangerously beginning to affect my family in a similar way that Allen did. I want to know more about him."

Please do not tell her the truth.

"There is not much for me to tell," the historian replied.

"I know of the monstrosities performed by Central and the Cardinals. I simply want to know about that young man."

"Red is an orphan from the lower districts. No one knows his full background; when Leverrier recruited him Red did not even have a proper name. He was one of the very few who survived the training to become an Exorcist. He is an excellent actor and fighter. He is also, however, the one most likely to stab you in the back."

I winced at his honesty. It was hard to tell if he meant it as a compliment or as an insult.

"So he is a threat to my family," Lulubell said with determination.

"No, not in the way you are thinking. I simply meant that he often rebels against his master's orders. Red has no motive to harm anyone unless it is an order, and even then he resists the command. If you can, persuade him to show you his Innocence. It will prove to you how much of a nuisance he is to the Cardinals," Bookman told her. "You do have knowledge of this substance, do you not?"

"Of course. It is a substance that we Noah, who love freedom, hate." Lulubell made a disgruntled sound. "I feel uneasy with that Exorcist's presence here. I will ask Leverrier to reassign him."

I turned my head to the side, eyebrows furrowing. I had been looking to escaping from that life temporarily.

"Lulubell, I have no arguments. But consider Red's life. You know the hardships he goes through. At least allow him a little reprieve," Bookman advised. It sounded as if he were…concerned. Was it for my sake?

Bookman, you are out of character, I thought, unsure of how I felt about it. He had never shown me tenderness to me before. But neither had he condemned me before.

"Red is an Exorcist, Bookman. Exorcists are dangerous. Even to Noahs." Lulubell made a rustling noise. "I am not going to allow a threat anywhere near my family."

"He is as much of a threat as I am. Please, Lulubell—"

"You are an impartial historian, Bookman. Why do you speak on his behalf?" she demanded. There was silence as my companion mulled over his answer.

"Because he has grown on me. He wears a mask that no one tries to see past; but I have seen past it, Lulubell, that soul beneath a façade. And he is but a child. Full of tumultuous emotions an torn apart by the world he lives in. time has softened my heart to him. I want him to be free."

Bookman's words touched my heart and I found myself respecting and beholding him in a new light.

"Bookman…you have changed so much because of one soul. You have just presented that Exorcist as a new kind of threat to the Noahs," Lulubell informed him. Bookman's hope, what little I could sense, diminished. "However, even I can pity someone. Let him remain isolated here, on the condition thatonce a week he returns to his master."

"Why?" Bookman asked simply. "Why such a condition?"

"We are not here to provide a haven, Bookman. For you, this is temporary. At the end of your study he too will depart." Lulubell made an irritated noise. "I shall retire now. My only warning, advice, can be to harden your heart Bookman."

She ascended up to her own stairs. I listened to Bookman and tried to sense his emotions. The only thing I could decipher was the fact he was deep in thought.