Chapter 24: Last Resolution
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Where have all those oaths led us?
Where have those dreams we've abandoned fled to?
Is this your last resolution?
Will we have to break others to fulfill it?
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"N-noah…?" Allen muttered under his breath as soon as it dawned upon him. I couldn't help the grin the flitted to my face. The appearance was only for a good second or two but I knew well that it had registered into the younger exorcist. He seemed to get the idea and tightened his grip on the sword and I waved my index finger in front of him. "Not so fast." He cocked a mere brow and the next instant I was beside him my hand planted on top of his gripped sword.
"It's over, Allen." My light spoke and I cursed mentally. I looked worriedly upon Tyki's unconscious form, indeed the mark of a Noah had disappeared upon his forehead and the gray tinting of his skin had melted away leaving the flawless pale color of his actual complexion. A sigh escape my lips, out of sorrow and anger. Yes, I'd known how to hide my emotions for the past few years.
My inner demon was screaming for blood lust but I didn't want to waste the bond that I had shared with them. Not yet. It would be too early to betray just yet. I balled my hands into fists and Allen seemed to be less tense in his posture and he let his sword revert back to his left arm. The others came towards us and I smiled at them apologetically. "Rien, you're all right." Lavi spoke and hit me square on the back and I was propelled forward at the force. "Ouch, you're going to knock my lungs out Lavi." I joshed and they laughed.
Yet my carefree mood wasn't suitable for my cerulean blue eyes never wandered away from the prone figure of Tyki who seemed to look dead. It crushed my heart to leave him like that. Lenalee probably noticed my grim expression since it was her hand that had slipped unto my closed fist. "He's not going to hurt you anymore." I swallowed hard at what she said for there was no comfort in her words. I tightened my fists before relaxing them and replying, "I know." My voice was hoarse and strained, I know. I was making an effort to cease myself from running to his prone body and assessing his wounds.
I didn't want to destroy my mask now that I had so little time to mingle with exorcists. Tyki…
Reluctant as I was, I had to avert my gaze from the prone position of the fallen noah. My eyes then strained to his young niece who was still a crisp corpse. A silent sigh escaped my lips as I dejectedly took the two images of the fallen noahs. Anger coursed in my veins. I looked at the beaten forms of my friends, the relaxed posture that signified their victory from the battles.
Who is truly to blame for this war?
It's not Allen and the fellow Black Order's fault for they are fighting for the greater population of human beings but…true they are sparing the humans. Yet it is also the humans themselves who have summoned the akumas, afraid of the loss of their beloved people.
My gaze slid to the prone form of Tyki, his heart-wrentching figure sprawled upon the battered floor and littered debris. It isn't Tyki and the Noahs' fault; they were only fighting to their beliefs. But whose fault was the growth of their ill beliefs?
Was there really a god? If there was, why has he brought about the great destruction that is this secret war? Who truly has more sins? The exorcists or the noahs? Both sides would kill. Yes I know that the noahs kill recklessly, and yet we, the exorcists kill as well. We kill the akuma because we know that what we use in killing them will spare them. Yet killing is killing, no matter what. Black or white, it's still the same. We kill to attain various goals.
In fact, when I think about it, it's the noah's side that is more justifiable. They don't force people to be akumas. It's the humans fault that akuma's have been littering here and there. In fact, if not for the earl, they might not even see their beloved ones again.
I unconsciously bit my lower lip in frustration; it's not like me to think this way but now is the only time for me to freely contemplate of these things. As soon as I go back to the order, we'd have to do those nerve-wracking reports and think forward to our missions that Komui would give us.
Unlike the Earl, there have been records of the innocence being experimented on several probable children just to have them be compatible with this and that. I had learned of that story from Lenalee and it wasn't a very pleasant one. I shuddered at the memory of the many children that had been sacrificed just for the sake of the innocence. Yet the Earl, he doesn't create akumas but he makes use of a human's most vulnerable state of mind and thus the akumas are born because of human weakness. Weakness, it's such a common thing amongst human beings. After all, the God above created the humans weak.
Imperfect beings that would loiter in this desecrating earth.
I let a sigh escaped my lips in exasperation, probably the stress is getting to me. I massaged my temples, trying to ease the thoughts away but they were always in my mind. Like a shadow that lingered in my thoughts, never letting them fade into the background. "Rien, you okay?" I let my gaze fly to Lavi and the others had a concerned gaze. I smiled meekly, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just exhausted." Lenalee smiled at me and I squeezed her hand for comfort.
"Well then lets get ourselves out of this place." Lavi spoke and we agreed but not before I glanced at Tyki's fallen form and reluctantly smiled as the feeling of my heart being fragmented permeated my inner thoughts.
I never thought this way.
Maybe my noah's getting to me.
Or maybe my sanity is just at its limit after everything that has happened.
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"The whole place is going to fall anytime soon." Allen spoke as another earthquake shook the place and this time I had to lean on the wall just so I can keep myself from sprawling on the floor. I looked around as we were on the upper floor where Road's door that led outside was propped. The whole on the floor linked to the lower platform where the two bodies of the Noah were. I looked at Allen as he continued to stare down the hole with a contemplative look.
"I'm going back down to get Mikk and Rero." Every single one of us was shocked, even I couldn't help the feeling from etching itself upon my face. "I'll help you." I spoke and his head whipped in my direction. "Thanks Rien."He said and I smiled at him.
"What do you mean you're going down to get him?!" Lavi retorted and I looked at his direction. "Don't worry Lavi, he isn't a noah anymore." The redhead didn't seem to be convinced. "What if the order knew that you're saving a noah and-"
"When I met Tyki, he was a normal human! He had human friends!" Allen cried at the youth with the bandana and eye patch.
I looked down at my palms, human friends huh? I looked at them. Yes they were human but I'd cut my ties with them soon so they won't be my friends for long. In fact, in the near future we'd probably the opposite of what friends are.
"You are going to betray our resolve?" Chaoji had spoken such lines. I balled my fist and glared at his direction. It was so tempting to just strangle him right then and there but I had to exercise some control. It was way too early to act as of yet.
"You're just an akuma just like the rest of them!" The newly acquainted exorcist spoke and it set me off my limits. I was about to strangle him right then and there when Allen pushed him aside and a great earthquake shook us off but this time strange black tentacles emerged from the floor and broke the platform with its presence. I cursed at the event but managed to propped myself unto one of my cards and thus staying afloat as my innocence supported me. I unconsciously winced at the cuts upon my fingers where I held my card.
It seems my body is now reacting to the innocence. I thought grimly but there was nothing that could be done for the darkness was now a part of me.
The tentacles rushed towards us, setting us apart from each other. I had to brace myself as the black limbs shot towards me, making me outbalance from my platform. I had to grip upon my suspended innocence while gritting my teeth. The edge of the card cut through my palm, eliciting blood from my being. The curse of being a Noah had fully controlled my body and all I could do was to put up with it at the moment. I pulled myself up and quickly wiped the offending blood unto my tattered and soiled uniform. As soon as the red liquid was wiped off, the evidence of wounds were not present. I mused to myself that maybe along with the acceptance of my Noah lineage has the power of rapid regeneration, not that it was a hindrance or anything.
I looked at the source of the offending abrasions and found the agonized form of Tyki. White crosses spoke of the path unto where Allen's infamous sword had cut him from the being of a noah. My innocence quickly led me down and I was glad to be on stable ground but the situation dampened my mood. Tyki voiced out his pain quite audibly and it was not an option to avoid flinching at the immense pain that was held with each cry that tore from his throat.
It took a great amount of self-control not to run to him. What made him like this? Why is this happening? I grit my teeth and had to watch as the battle between Allen and Tyki commenced yet again.
I shot my head up and my eyes widened as a strong force of energy shot out from Tyki, spraying a strange black ink. My arms were poised in front of me and I shut my eyes so as to avoid from getting them irritated with the strange inky liquid.
As soon as the noises died out, I looked at what changed and in fact it was such a formation. The once pale-skinned Portuguese aristocrat was now sporting a dark gray hue for a skin complexion and had black armor adorning his body. I involuntarily took a step back as fear seized through me, paralyzing my very being.
The same entity that had been the man I loved turned to me and my blood ran cold. His lips imitated certain words but no voice accompanied them. I raised a brunette brow in confusion and had stepped towards him, ever curious of what he had to say but it was a dreadful move.
Despite being the same entity as the man I had loved, he was not the in the same state of sanity that Tyki had been. It even appalled me what had motivated him to stab me right through my abdomen, his claw-like arms tearing through my organs and I knew that his hand had reached my back for I felt within me the flexing of his fingers before he withdrew his offending weapon of a hand from my body. I had fallen towards the ground, gravity pulling me down and my vision began to fade into black as unconsciousness swept over me.
And all I could think was –
Tyki, Why…?
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"Rien."
I shrugged the voice away.
"Rien. Wake up."
I felt myself being shaken but I was adamant and shoved the offending limbs away from my body.
"Wake up sleepy head."
I snuggled closer to the comfort of something soft but my sweet reverie was short lived when something hit me upon my head.
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I poked one eye open as I got annoyed at the multiple hits of a pillow that my body has sustained. I eyed the gleeful faces of Lavi and Lenalee with a pillow in their grasp. I swatted them with my arm while muttering, "Damn, don't ever wake me up."
Chuckles reverberated from them and I sat upon my bed while rubbing the sleep off my eyes. How long has it been since we came back from Japan?
I ran my hand through my brown locks and remembered how the battle in Edo had ended with loss and also some victory in hand.
The Millennium Earl had intervened in Tyki and Allen's battle since General Cross Marian had shown up. The older red-haired man had proved to be an aid in Allen's side while I stayed to watch from the sidelines since Tyki had proved a great foe. I was in a paralyzed state, unable to move for it might provide a great damage to my body. I had loss a great amount of blood and knowing the effect of my innocence upon me. I sure would bet that my utilizing of an innocence would only heighten the damage instead of secure the dafety of my being.
I had lost consciousness thereafter, the pain had overridden my senses beyond my limit but I had not missed what the Millennium Earl had said as he made his grand escape. "We shall acquire everything which was stolen from us. " His statement seemed so broad but his gaze was directed at me. Soon after that, all I heard was gibberish and then I had passed out.
I awoke to the noise of Krory's snoring and was surprised to be in HQ's infirmary already. I lost track of how long I had stayed in that sick place and was immensely glad to finally be released from the confines where I would have to be deprived of a night's sleep because of one patient's deafening noise. I pushed the two people out of my room and locked it as soon as I shut it. My hands quickly went to the lock to secure the privacy of my four-walled quarters. My still-bandaged flew to my abdomen specifically the place where my ribcage ended for it was the same area where Tyki's clawed hand pierced through. Bandages were still wrapped upon it telling me that it was a grave wound and it was a miracle that I had survived.
I chuckled to myself. Miracles. As if there was such a thing.
I got myself into decent clothes, while carefully redoing my bandages so as to help my wound to heal efficiently. Satisfied with my look, I quickly stepped out of my room and headed to the cafeteria which was the command of my growling stomach.
My thoughts swam with the words of the Earl which left me wondering if it was me who he was talking about. If so then how would he plan on getting me to his side now that I was in the homage of the Headquarters. I massaged my temple to ease out the stress that was slowly descending upon me and I found myself face to face with Jerry, the Headquarter's Chef.
"I'd like some waffles and bacon, Jerry." Quickly the cook set off to get my order and in minutes the meal was seat under my nose. I took the tray that held my food and proceeded to secure myself a good table to sit upon. I looked around and found Lavi waving at me to join their table but I shook my head to signify that I's pass his offer. He pouted and settled down, not happy with my answer but really I needed some time to think.
I quickly spotted a lone table and proceeded to settle down upon the seat, my hands instinctively grabbed hold of the silverware and shoving the pieces of food into the mouth to appease the growling of an empty stomach. As soon as I had seated, the food that had been served to me had left the plates and I was full from my meal. Now all that was left was to think about how I could be relinquished from the occupation of an exorcist.
How was I to fit in here when now I have embraced my blood as a noah? I frowned as the complexity of my situation dawned upon me but that was cut off when Allen cried a familiar word that I seemed to be looking forward to.
"Akuma!"
And by then I knew the solution had arrived.
A/N: *Yawn* That took me all night today. *Currently 5 in the morning* What can I say? I love being productive during the dawn. With this done, I'll get some shut eye.
So sorry the update took so long.
I hope you like this chappie and I'll really try to update soon.
Please review , it will motivate me to make the new chapter sooner. :3
Love you lots~!! Crim