Going over this, I feel as if I have to edit a lot of this and make it go in a different direction. Since I neglected that other fanfic for so long, I felt as if you guys needed an apology chapter. Especially since that last one was a cliffhanger.
Chapter 11
A Kiss Equals Hypnotism?
Allen opened his eyes slowly. He blinked in the darkness, the objects blurred at first and then clearing up. He frowned and began to approach what he could see appeared to be a mirror reflecting light. The closer he came, the more clear the images became. He stopped in confusion, than gasped.
"What the hell?" he demanded angrily. "What did Road do?"
^%^%#$**&%
"Is this wise, Earl?" Tyki asked as he cradled the General's body in his arms. He could see that Allen slept quite peacefully under Road's spell, which was a relief. When he had seen the Earl's expression, he began to scream in an agony Tyki did not understand.
"Would you prefer him to remember what he saw in all of our eyes? A human has never seen that before; when a member dies, our eyes relay the true emotions of Noah, and it is concentrated from so many deaths, that even an Exorcist would go mad from seeing it. Is that what you want?" the Earl asked.
Tyki shook his head solemnly. He lifted his head up to where the twins were shouting in their search for tissues. He blinked in momentary surprise.
"I never knew your tear were black!" he remarked. They glared at him.
"Stupid Tyki!"
"Our makeup is running!"
Lulubell approached them, carrying a few towels in her arms. The twins left Tyki alone in exchange for wiping their faces off. Once they were distracted, Tyki turned back to the Earl.
"Why did you ask Allen to face us if he was crying?" he said softly. "Why risk him losing his sanity?"
"There was something I needed to know," the Earl replied. "Something about Allen crying didn't feel right. He loved Skin, which could be why he cried. But there was also another possibility..."
"What possibility?" Tyki wanted to know. His heart raced, full of the hope that perhaps Allen had shown signs of being a Noah.
"I do not wish to say. After all, it brings to mind a betrayal that burns as much today as it did thirty five years ago." The bulbous man tilted his head. "Do not worry Tyki; Noah or not, Allen Walker is still family. Nothing will ever change that."
Tyki wiped his eyes. He didn't know how he should take the Earl's words. Could Allen be a Noah? If so, he hoped it wouldn't be Skin's incarnation. Wrath was always a powerful and tragic embodiment that controlled its host, turning that person into a puppet.
"Exorcist or Noah, It doesn't matter to me," he declared. Tyki scowled as Road came prancing over. She knelt down next to her uncle and peered into her step-brother's face.
"Is he sleeping well?" she wanted to know.
"No thanks to you. What exactly did you do?"
"I gave him a dreamless sleep, and right now I am erasing his memory of what he saw in the Earl's face. And whatever else he may have seen." The girl looked over at the twins. "You two should probably go keep the Exorcists occupied; we have to hold them off for Father, Lulubell, and the Earl to leave."
They complained, but Road summoned a door behind them, the doors opening. She smiled sweetly. "Go in, or I will make you one of my dolls."
The two left at once. The Noah of Dreams gestured to the young General's limp body.
"We should probably give him a cover story," she suggested. "After all, he will be returning with the Exorcists to the Black Order, right Millennium?"
The Earl nodded. "Yes. For as long as he is with the Exorcists, he is safe. None of us will hurt him, and none of the Exorcists will treat him as the enemy."
Tyki slipped his hand in his pocket. He brought out the small bag which contained the golden golemn, Timcampy. He put it in the coat pocket of Allen's uniform, his own gift in return of the playing cards and the button. The Noah of Pleasure wanted to see Allen's face light up with joy upon seeing a friend he had not seen in two years. But that was not to be.
The Earl knelt down, kissing Allen's forehead in farewell. Lulubell came over to pay her respects. But the one who gave the most tender gesture was Sheryl. The prime minister, when he came over, knelt down slowly. He looked at Allen and with an uncertain hand brushed back some of the white hair gently, as a parent would caress the head of a sleeping baby.
The Earl took Lero, summoning a portal. One by one the members of the Noah family left until only Tyki and Road remained with Allen. Tyki lifted his head up.
"What is your plan?" he asked carefully. The girl smiled. Without answering by use of her voice, she leaned down towards the General and kissed him on the mouth.
#%R(*(&&%
The Exorcists entered the room, looking worse for wear. Tyki beckoned them forward.
"Come. Sit with us," he ordered. "There is less than an hour before the Ark is completely downloaded."
The group came forward reluctantly. The first one to see Allen was Lavi; he knew at once there was something wrong.
"What did you do to him?" he demanded with an accusing eye.
"We took him of course! He didn't wake up until a few minutes ago. I thought he would be better as my doll," Road sang. She danced away from her chair, coming to sit on Allen's lap. Her eyes sparkled dangerously. "One kiss...and he has become mine."
Tyki ignored the jealousy he felt in his chest and decided to direct his attention to the Exorcist group. To his surprise there were only two Exorcists, and one human. The human's expression threw him off; it was angered, disgusted, scornful.
"This is a General?" he demanded, pointing a finger at Allen's slumped form, whose grey eyes were dull and lifeless. "If he can be captured so easily, then he must be weaker than I thought. I cannot believe that the Order would give power to someone who cannot even defend himself."
Tyki's face rested on his hand. The free one lay on his lap, clenched beneath the table. His eyes narrowed onto the human who had spoken.
"How old are you?" he asked brusquely. Chaoji blinked.
"Twenty," he replied automatically.
"Look at your companions. You are older than all three of these Exorcists; did you know that?" Tyki questioned. Chaoji stammered an incoherent sentence, which the Noah ignored. "Out of these three Exorcists, the youngest is only fifteen, and he happens to be a General. Is he not young? He has barely entered adolescence, and yet the Order has announced him old enough to not only fight in a war, but to be stronger than the other Exorcists. He fights harder than the girl does, and even harder than the boy, does he not?"
Lenalee looked ashamed, casting her gaze down to her lap. Lavi however held his head up high.
"Yes," he answered in a quiet voice.
"Not only that, but he wields parasitic Innocence." Tyki laughed loudly, even though his eyes were dead serious. "Every time he fights in this war, his own weapon draws energy from his body, shortening his lifespan little by little. He knows all of this, and yet he still fights."
Tyki leaned forward, his eyes piercing though Chaoji. "Fifteen years old, and he has been killing Akuma for five years longer than you. What right do you have to call him weak?"
The Chinese man looked away, a drop of sweat rolling down his face. Lavi watched the entire scene, trying to remain as impartial as possible. But he couldn't. His mind kept asking why. Why would a Noah defend an Exorcist? It made him question what sort of relationship the Noah had with Allen, if it was one sided, forged by a deep respect. Could there be more to the so called 'evil side'?
Did you record it Bookman? Lavi's eyes widened as he heard that foreign voice inside his head. He turned to Road, shuddering upon seeing her conspiratorial smile. If anyone could discover this secret, it would be you.
"Are you ready to earn your freedom, Exorcists?" Tyki asked. His voice had become pleasant once more.
"What do we need to do?" Lenalee asked in a quavering voice. Tyki leaned back in his chair, smiling as they all shared that same, wary look in their eyes.
"One person can ruin the Earl's plan," he explained. "The Fourteenth Noah, a traitor to our family, left his will to one of your people. I want you to find him."
Lenalee cringed, knowing that his request would be a difficult task. She hoped that they knew who they were looking for. "Who?"
Road hopped off of Allen's chair with a tinkling laugh.
"Marian Cross."
I forgot to tell you on the poll! The next DGM story will be relative short, and sweet! I felt like doing something light hearted, and not too drawn out. Just thought you should know. Oh, and a plot bunny came to mind, one for Lavi. Whenever I get to that, I think you all will really like that one. It should be interesting. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed my apology-chapter. The poll is still open!
My name has also been changed to Semper Tardius
