Patty

It's raining, so I've gotten all wet, and now I'm so, so cold. It's not fair. I huddle against Liz, teeth chattering, 'cuz she's really warm.

She puts her arms around me and pats my head. "You all right there, Pats?"

I giggle, because it's funny when she calls me that. "Yeah, Lizzy. Are you okay?"

"Yup."

I look up at her, but she's staring at the sky and the rain coming down really fast like a blur. I smile. "You're a liar, sis."

Then she looks down at me. "What?"

I reach up and prod her nose, because I know it annoys her, and besides, there's a big drop of water on the end of it that was kind of annoying me. "You're not okay, you're scared."

"I am not scared." She sounds cross.

"Yeah you are." I wriggle out of her grip, and take my hat off, and shake it 'cuz there's water all over it. "You're scared of…of…" I frown, because I'm trying to remember what that word was that David said. "Those things. The…akuma."

Liz squirms. "So what if I am? Didn't you see them? They're covered in cannons for god's sake!"

"But you're not scared of kishin," I tell her, which is true because she's the best in a battle, when I'm with her, and Kidd, we're unstoppable.

Liz takes a really deep breath. I move backwards and look at her. I get the feeling she wants to tell me something really important. She drops her eyes, like she doesn't want to look right at me. "Well…the truth is Patty…I am scared of kishin."

Wow.

I stare at her.

"Really?"

She swallows. "Yes."

"B…but…" I frown, because this doesn't make sense to me. "You're so brave when we battle!"

"Actually, I'm not," says Liz, hugging herself. "I'm not as great as you think I am, Patty."

"Yes you are," I tell her firmly. "Stop being silly."

"I'm nothing without you, or Kidd."

Ohh. I smile again. "I knew Kidd would come into this somewhere."

Her cheeks suddenly go really red, and I know that means she's embarrassed. I like making her embarrassed, it's really funny.

"W-what're you talking about, Patty?"

"All you've done since we got here is moan about how much you miss him and stuff," I explain, and she goes even redder. I laugh. "You look like a tomato, sis!"

Liz slaps her hands to her cheeks. "First David, now you! I don't talk about him that much!"

"Why, what did David say?" I wipe some rainwater out of my eyes. This weather's starting to really annoy me.

"Just that I talk about Kidd a lot."

"Well, you do."

We both fall silent, listening to the rain. I've still got Jasdero's sling in my lap, it's damp and stained with black where he kept wiping his face on it. I start twisting it in my hands, running my fingers over the bumps in the material, 'cuz it was once a piece of curtain, and it's patterned with velvet flowery shapes. They've gone kind of icky and nasty in the rain though.

I hug my knees to my chest and press the material to my face. It smells damp and earthy, but it also kind of smells slightly of Jasdero. He's got a funny smell that I can't quite work out, like lots of different things mixed up to make one smell that's just Jasdero. Actually, it's a lot like David's smell. I notice these things. Liz smells of perfume and flowers mainly, because she thinks that smelling nice is important.

"Liz," I say after a while.

"Mmm?"

"I think we should go after them."

Liz groans and stretches her arms above her head. "Don't start that, Patty. We'd get lost. Let's just…stay here and wait for them to get back."

I clutch the material tighter with one hand and grab her arm with my other. "But Li-iz," I say, in the voice that always get me what I want off her. "I'm worried about them!"

She looks down at me in some surprise. "You like them a lot, don't you?"

I never thought about that before. "You're right sis." I move my feet slightly, and the ground squelches 'cuz it's so wet, with the same sound that the sponge makes when I throw it across the bathroom.

Liz frowns a bit and twiddles a bit of her hair in her fingers. "How come?"

"Why? Don't you?"

She shifts uncomfortably. "I dunno…they're - they're a bit weird, don't you think?"

I giggle at her. "No."

"They are a bit," she insists, and I can feel a tiny argument building up. I grin. Arguing with Liz is fun.

"They're nice." I frown. "Well, Jasdero is."

"He's…creepy."

I gently hit her, to let her know she's wrong. "Nuh uh, he's really cute."

She looks sideways at me, and smiles slightly. "You've got weird taste, Patty."

"Well you've got weirder taste, sis," I sniff. "You like David, and he's really nasty to us."

Liz shoves me so hard, I nearly fall over. "I do not."

Hooray, we're arguing! "Yah you do. You make googly eyes at him," and I make my eyes go all wide with my fingers.

"Make your mind up Patty, I thought you said I fancied Kidd?"

I hesitate. She's got me there. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"There you are then."

I scowl and fold my arms real tight. It's annoying when she wins our arguments, especially because it happens so often.

We both sit side by side and watch the rain fall.

"I hope they're okay."

"Me too."

I glance sideways at her, but I don't think she's lying.

***

David

As we walk up behind the akuma, it jumps slightly and turns really fast, its arm clicking and whirring as its bony arm mutates into a weird spiked cannon. It sees us though, and lowers it very slowly. "Lord Jasdevi."

Jasdero looks up at me, and his eyes are really wide and round with worry. I look straight at the akuma and scowl at it. "What is it?"

But Jasdero can't stay quiet, even though I've told him to let me do the talking. He's just too over-excited. "Is everything okay, hee? Is the Earl okay? Is he? Is everything fine? Is it? IsitIsitIsitIsitIsit?"

I whack his head, and his eyes fill up with tears. Ow, Debi!

Shh, Jas!

The akuma takes a step towards us. Its oversized teeth clack slightly in its jaw as it tries to work out what to say. Water runs over its domed, horned head. "I bring news, Jasdevi."

I roll my eyes at it. "No freakin' duh. What is it?"

"The exorcists, Lord Jasdevi."

I stamp my foot, and water splashes all up my leg. "Goddammit, cut the Lord Jasdevi crap and get to the point."

When it speaks again, it sounds a little pissed off. Fuck that, I just want to get this over and done with. "The thing is, Lord - I mean…the thing is, Lord Tyki and Mistress Road arrived to aid the Creator.."

"Yeah, yeah, we know all that shit, just get on with it!"

"And…and the exorcists have - completely depleted our ranks and - "

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." I hold up my hands. "Slow down there." This is getting confusing.

"What does depleted mean, hee?"

The akuma sighs slightly. "The exorcists kicked our asses, all right?"

That we can understand. "What the hell, man?" I yell at it. "Just how many were there?"

"Well over fifty," admits the akuma.

Shit. I blow out a long breath. "Go on."

"Although Mistress Road has managed to kill one," says the akuma hopefully. Me and Jas stare at it, unimpressed. It shifts uncomfortably in the rain, clanking noisily. "And Lord Tyki - was injured trying to protect the Creator. We've retreated to tend to him."

"Is he hurt bad, hee?"

The akuma hesitates. "Fairly."

"What the fuck does that mean?" I snarl. Why can't these stupid machines make sense for once? "Is he gonna die?"

"No, no. But he's going to be out of action for a while."

"Do we come and help, hee?"

The akuma looks overhead, nervously. If a machine can look nervous. "I - don't know."

For god's sake! "You idiot!" I yell at it. It steps back. "You come here, telling us that you've fucking lost the battle - "

"Now wait, I didn't say that…" it stammers, but I cut across it. "And that Tyki's been hurt and you've effing retreated and only one exorcist is dead, and you can't even tell us what we've got to do, or what's happened to the bloody Innocence you were after in the first place!"

Jasdero's staring at me. I blink, breathing hard. Maybe Liz is right. Maybe I should do something about this losing-my-temper thing.

The akuma avoids my gaze. "Um…well…"

"What?"

"The exorcists - got the Innocence."

We both say nothing. The rain hisses onto the leaves.

"You're kidding."

It stares at the floor.

The rain falls.

I kick some mud at it, and draw my pistol. So does Jas. "Say it!" I shout. "Say it! Say it's a lie!"

"I can't. It's true."

"David!" Jasdero suddenly lowers his gun and is staring skywards, rain falling onto his grey upturned face and soaking into his already sodden hair.

"What?"

Both me and the akuma pause and turn too. There's another distant grey figure in the sky, rapidly drawing nearer. I squint. "It's another level 3."

Me and Jas automatically look at the akuma standing in front of us. It shrugs. "I don't know."

The figure in the sky gets bigger, and bigger, and suddenly I jump back, 'cuz it's not just an akuma, there's Lulubelle sitting on its shoulders, completely wet through and wearing a plain black suit.

She jumps off and lands with a squelching sound in the mud, and suddenly I see that she's gripping her shoulder and there's blood covering one side of her face.

Jasdero squeaks.

"Jasdevi!" she shouts through the rain, running towards us. "Where's the Earl?""What?" I say back, completely confused now. "I thought you were with him!"

"Me?" she looks horrified. "No, no! I was, but…we split up! I…I lost him!"

"You're hurt, Lulubelle!" cries Jasdero, waving his arms everywhere. He's just as confused as I am. No, wait, more confused. Jas is always more confused than me.

"I know," she gasps. "We were followed. By exorcists."

Bloody hell! Is this turning into a war? "Are they still after you?"

She bites her lip. "They might be."

Behind us the akuma stand silently, awaiting orders.

Lulubelle sinks to her knees in the rain, and wipes her face clean. "We've got to get after the Earl."

"But he's retreated with Tyki and Road," I tell her. "What if he tries and gets home?" Fuck, I don't know what to do any more.

"Forget that, let's go!" Lulubelle's getting shouty.

"I - "

I never finish my sentence.

The akuma both look skywards, one screams, they jump sideways, and suddenly we're in the middle of the mother of all explosions.

The world's exploding a lot today.

I can't see anything.

***

Jasdero

When I open my eyes, I'm lying flat on my back and there's water falling into my face. Slowly I push myself upwards, and blink a few times. Someone's crushing my legs. I shove them off, and realise it's Lulubelle. She groans, and sits up. I move back real fast, because I realise that her arm - her arm is gone. The bomb or explosion or whatever that was has blown it completely to nothing. There's just…just a bloody mess, and a long sharp white piece of bone. The flesh and material of her clothes is all scorched.

Next to me, David sits hunched over, screaming.

"Debi!"

"I can't see!"

I try and move over to him, but for some reason I can't….I look down, and I can feel my breakfast rising in my throat at what I see. My legs are all…smashed. And burnt. Like Lulubelle's arm. I open my mouth and scream.

"Jasdero!" David raises his head and looks wildly around for me. "Jasdero, what's wrong?"

But I fall back from him, because he's not David any more, he's something out of one of my nightmares, because - because…

His face has been blown off, and there's blood everywhere and…and…

I double over and throw up right on the floor.

Lulubelle sits half bent, breathing really hard.

The akuma are both kneeling where they last stood, trembling and creaking like broken toys. One falls sideways, all scorched.

I can feel tears on my cheeks - or is it rain? - and I don't know what to do, 'cuz I can't even stand up, and David's….David's…

One of the akuma starts laughing, really creakily. "What a p-pathetic attempt." It slowly moves towards the other, and helps it up. "Not even Innocence. Just an ordinary bomb."

Lulubelle's nodding. "I knew it." She slowly shuffles over to me, one hand on her shoulder where there's bone and blood and -

I close my eyes and look away.

"It's okay, Jasdero," and her voice is soft and gentle, and that reminds me of Liz, so I open my eyes again.

She smiles weakly, and I watch as the bone shines in the rain and then - it gradually rebuilds itself. Muscle and flesh are suddenly twirling around her new arm, and then it's as good as new.

Carefully she flexes her fingers. "I do like being a Noah."

I look down at my legs. They're smashed up much worse than her arm was. After a moment, one of them slowly straightens itself back out as the bone clicks back to where it used to be, and then the burnt skin's healing over again and look, there's my leg again, just like it should be. Only bloodstained.

Another minute, and the other's back to normal too. I shudder with relief.

Jasdero, help me!

David never pleads like that.

I get to my knees and shuffle over to him through the rain. He's hiding his face again, and there's blood dripping through his fingers, into the mud and rain at his feet. I suddenly notice that his shoulders and neck are all burnt and gashed too - there's bone showing through his left shoulder. He must have been closest to the blast, and gotten a faceful of it.

I look at Lulubelle, and she smiles nervously at me. "He'll heal in a minute."

I swallow.

And wait.

David rocks.

The akuma look all around, and the first one arms its cannon. "Lady Lulubelle…Lord Jasdevi…"

"What?" snaps Lulubelle, not looking away from me or David.

"The bomb…it came from that direction."

"It's the exorcists," says the other, urgently. "They're coming."

"Go and deal with them!" she shouts. "We've got to wait for David!"

"But…"

"There's so many of them…"

"Only two of us…"

"David?"

I look up quickly.

Liz is striding towards me through the rain, big silver pistol shining in the rain.

Lulubelle starts to stand up, but I stop her. "No, hee! She's - a friend!"

"What?" snaps Lulu. "But…she's a human!"

"Leave her alone!" I shout, trying to keep Lulubelle down. "I promise she's a friend!"

"Jasdero, what happened?" asks Liz. "There was an explosion…" She notices David. "What's wrong with him?"

David lifts his face and looks wildly around. "Jasdero? What's happening? Is that you Liz?"

He faces her.

She steps backwards, and screams. "What…Oh god, David!"

"Lady Lulubelle!"

"Shut up!" bellows Lulubelle at the akuma. "Go after the exorcists! Stall them!"

The akuma glance at each other. Then they both disappear.

I wonder how long 'til the exorcists get here.

I wonder how long 'til David gets better.

Because he will.

***

Liz

I stagger back and before I can help myself I throw up on the floor. The sick splatters the muddy ground, mixing with the rain and dirt. I can't help it.

David's got blood streaming down his front like a river. He makes a funny choking noise. "Oh Jasdero…I can't…I can't see…"

Jasdero looks scared. He stares at the woman kneeling next to him. She looks familiar…I realise that she's the one from the photos. So she's family, of sorts.

Her left arm is bare in the rain, the entire side of her jacket burnt and destroyed, but strangely her arm appears untouched, fresh even, compared to the rest of her.

But none of that matters, because David…doesn't have a proper face any more.

What do I do?

In my hands, I feel Patty tremble. "Liz…Liz…I - " She's never seen anything so horrific. Neither have I.

In the distance, there's a sudden explosion. Again.

The woman looks up briefly. "They've met the exorcists."

I tremble, and look at Jasdero, who's gazing at his brother's bowed back, vomit, blood and mud all down his front. There are tears pouring from his eyes, although that could be the rain.

David said that they were the 'bad guys' but if the exorcists could do…do this to him, then I wonder who's really the villain here.

I take a shaky step towards him, and then carefully kneel in front of him, forcing myself to look at him. He removes his hands from his face. My stomach quails at the amount of blood there is.

The disfigured mess moves and from somewhere amongst that wreck of burnt skin, mangled muscle and smashed bone a strangled voice emerges. "L-Liz?"

"It's me, David."

"And me," says Patty.

"Why can't I see?"

"You're…you're hurt."

Jasdero puts his arm in mine and buries his face in my shoulder. Although he is very dirty, and wiping his teary, snotty face all over me, I let him.

"I can't feel anything…" groans David.

The woman stands up. "I can hear the exorcists."

"Get better, David!" howls Jasdero.

I know the Noah can heal, but to what extent? Is…David ever going to be normal again?

Patty gives a little hiccup of surprise. "Liz!"

I look up. So does Jasdero.

Behind the falling rain, David's bloody, ruined face shimmers slightly, like the heat haze on a road in summer, and then I see the broken bone of his jaw shifting like a jigsaw, reconstructing itself.

Oh my god.

I stare, transfixed, as the muscles stretch and contract, pulling themselves tight around his skull once more, and then the skin starts slowly creeping back into place. As it slithers over his head, we all watch as David's familiar features slowly start to take shape once more, from his pointed nose to his sharp jaw and wide mouth.

And then just like that, we're looking into David's face, and he slowly opens his eyes and they're just as gold as they've always been. He blinks a couple of times and wrinkles his nose.

Jasdero leans forward slightly. David lowers his hands further and gazes blearily at his brother. "J-Jas?"

"Here, Debi."

David extends a shaky hand and runs his fingers over Jasdero's face, touching the stitches of his top lip and feeling the curve of his nose. Jasdero smiles under his brother's touch. "Okay, Debi?"

"I…I can see again.""

"No duh, bitch," says Patty in what is unmistakeably a mockery of David's voice. He rubs his eye and stares at me through the rain, his long fringe clinging to his already damp face. "Hello, Liz."

"Hello, David."

Suddenly I realise the woman is staring at me hard. Jasdero shifts apprehensively, and waves a hand frantically to get her attention. "Lulu! Lulu!"

"What, Jasdero?" she says, not taking her eyes off me.

"This is Liz, hee. And Patty. Don't…I mean…leave them alone, okay?"

"But who are they?" she demands, standing up and towering over us, glowering suspiciously.

"They're friends of ours," says David hoarsely, pulling his coat back over his newly healed shoulders.

"Well…" 'Lulu' appears to about to say something more, but an explosion in the distance cuts her off. She grits her teeth and shakes her head impatiently. "All right, fine. I'll leave them alone."

"Promise, hee?"

"Yes, yes," she says in a biting voice, glancing over her shoulder in agitation. "Come on Jasdevi, we better go after the akuma."

David gets to his feet, wobbling very slightly. Jasdero holds a hand out to me, and after a moment's hesitation, I take it and he pulls me to my feet.

I hear another explosion. "These…exorcists. They just don't quit, do they?"

"Nope," mutters David, stooping and snatching his gun off the floor. Through the rain, we all see a column of black smoke twisting upwards from the trees, and there's a distant scream. It's a horrible scream, that sets my teeth on edge.

The woman called Lulu starts running. "That was one of the akuma!"

Jasdero and David follow, David still stumbling slightly. He slips on a patch of mud as he runs, and I catch him just before he falls. "Okay?" He stares at me upside-down, and I set him back on his feet. "We've got your back, David."

He brushes himself off and nods. "I know."

"We've got yours too, hee!" laughs Jasdero over his shoulder as he runs. The woman shoves him. "This is not a game! There's veritable army after us, ten exorcists and at least thirty finders strong!"

"Fucking hell," moans David.

Patty jiggles in my hands. "Liz, what's a finder?"

"I don't know, Patty."

Lulu throws an arm out suddenly, and Jasdero and David smack into it. They both double over together, and David glares up at her. "Fuck's sake woman, what - "

He falls silent. We all do. Ahead of us the broken figure of an akuma lies in the path, steaming slightly as the rain evaporates off its scorched and battered armour.

It raises its head as we creep closer and grins wonkily through a broken jaw. "N-Noah…It has been…an honour."

With a flash of light, it disappears before my eyes. In the last few seconds of its existence, I swear I see the faint form of a ghostly human disappearing skywards. I blink, and rub my eyes.

"You're not crazy, sis," says Patty in a strangely hushed voice. "I saw it too."

"What was that?"

"A soul," says David darkly. "A human soul. It was sealed inside of the akuma."

"Wait," I say, holding a hand up. "There are souls in this universe?"

"You have them too, hee?" squeals Jasdero excitedly.

"But you don't!" cries Patty in confusion, and the three Noah stare at me, before their gaze slowly shifts to the gun in my hands. Jasdero and David still haven't gotten used to our power.

"That's right," I say. "Patty said you don't have souls."

"We're Noah," growls David. "How many times am I gonna have to repeat myself to you?"

"We don't have time for this," snaps the woman.

"Sorry Lulubelle, hee."

That must be her real name. Lulubelle flicks her arm, and right before my eyes, it elongates and snaps into a weird whip-like thing.

I shrug. To be honest, this is starting to get so crazy, I really just go with it. I raise Patty, and pull the safety off.

David and Jasdero glance at each other. Overhead, the rain is gradually ceasing, but the air's still damp. Through the trees, I suddenly realise I can hear some very distinct bangs and shouts. Sounds like that last akuma is giving the exorcists a run for their money.

And then, just like that, it bursts through the foliage, and hurls itself past me, past Jasdero and David, past Lulubelle, and explodes out of existence like its sibling.

Lulubelle clenches a fist.

I step backwards.

Someone walks through the trees towards us.

Another someone appears behind them.

And another.

And another.

They're all wearing black. A beautifully silvered and patterned cross gleams on their chest.

The first one is brandishing an axe. "Greetings, Noah."

"Lovely to meet you," says Lulubelle coldly, and snaps her whip. "Let's skip the formalities, shall we?"

The man hefts his weapon higher and adopts an aggressive stance. "If you want."

"Get back, Liz," David commands. He and Jasdero flick their guns upwards and aim them at the newly arrived trio of exorcists. "Blue bomb!"

"Argh!" The axe-man dives sideways as his two companions disappear in an eruption of blue shards and frost. "You bastards!"

He charges at Jasdero, but Lulubelle gets to the exorcist first, moving faster than I would have thought possible. She flicks her arm-whip and it snaps the man across the face, sending a spray of blood through the air.

He slaps a hand to his face.

Lulubelle laughs triumphantly, but her grin is quickly wiped off her face as a fresh gang of exorcists emerge from the trees.

I sink to my knees and gape. There's so many of them! But not all are wearing black; some are wearing white, and many have their hoods up.

One of the black-clad figures steps forward. "You're going to wish you hadn't done that."