Disclaimer: I don't own Noblesse.

Author's note: New chapter's up. Enjoy!

Chapter 36: Deceit

"I brought some groceries", said Cruor with a grin when Hyun Ae opened the door.

She made a surprised face that immediately changed into a smile and gestured for him to come in.

"How did you know I hadn't eaten yet?", she asked while he followed her into the kitchen.

"Men's instinct?", he ventured and put the bags down on the table.

They were soon laughing together, slicing up vegetables and frying meat in the sizzling pan. Hyun Ae was happy. She felt incredibly relaxed around the red-haired man. Yet today something dampened his joyful nature, only slightly, barely noticeable, but something was different than usual.

As they sat down to eat, Hyun Ae gathered her courage and asked straight out.

"Is something worrying you, Cruor?", she asked. "You seem different."

He munched thoughtfully and slowly, stalling for time. Finally, he swallowed and had to answer.

His light-green eyes searched for hers. A pleading, nearly desperate expression lay in them.

"I...", he began and swallowed again against the lump that had formed in his throat. "I think...I'm in love with you, Hyun Ae Choi."

Hyun Ae's eyes widened in shock for a moment. A gentle smile slid over her face, but was immediately chased away by distress.

"How shall I put it", she said reluctantly. "You are a great man, Cruor, and I like you very much and I enjoy your company. It's just..." She struggled for words. "There is always someone else on my mind. It just wouldn't be fair to you."

"How's that being fair?", he wanted to scream at her. But she looked so crushed and genuinely sorry that his anger focused on something else and a hideous idea formed in his head as he saw the evening newspaper, still folded and unread. Without thinking he grabbed it and began to speak.

"No", he mumbled and stared at the headline, apparently terrified. "I hoped I could just forget that."

"Forget what?", asked Hyun Ae, grateful for the change of topic and reached for the newspaper. She scanned the article.

'Bestial murder in the forest', the headline read.

"Hyun Ae, you're a doctor, are you not? I can tell you, right?", whispered Cruor, gone pale.

"Of course, you can tell me anything", replied Hyun Ae alarmed and bowed over the table to cover one of his big hands with her smaller one. "I won't tell anyone if you don't want it. Please, tell me!"

The food got cold as Cruor recounted how he had gone jogging in the forest by the industry quarter and heard strange noises. Curious, he had left the path and gone deeper into the woods. Through a gap between the trees he had seen a monster kill a man in a white coat.

"You must think I've gone crazy!", he cried desperately. "But I swear, the thing had gray fur and then, before my eyes, it changed into a man. And the victim... I heard him say that his name was Turgo and he said something like a code..., M-21, I think it was..."

Hyun Ae jumped up from her seat, her face drained of all color.

"Eddie and M-21, you say?", she gasped. "Don't lie!", she suddenly screamed, lunging at him.

He dodged and held up his hands in defense. "It's true, I swear", he pleaded. "I ran away as fast as I could and called the police. Read the article!"

She stopped and her gaze fell on the newspaper again.

'...victim apparently by the name of Doctor John Brown...', she read. '...as if attacked by wild animals...'

She could read no more as tears welled up in her eyes. She sank back into her chair and began sobbing uncontrollably. The loss of Eddie, the horrible betrayal of M-21. She could think of nothing else for a span of time that seemed like an eternity.

"Shush", made Cruor and patted her back. He yelped in surprise as she threw herself at him and hugged him tightly, burying her wet face against his chest.

"Hold me, please", she whispered. "You're the last thing that links me to normality. How can I stay sane without you now?"

Cruor complied and took her into his arms, gently kissing the top of her head. His heart pounded in his chest as her fingers crept under his shirt and he was overjoyed how things were turning out to his favor.

Still, as she kissed him with burning lips, there was something bitter to this triumph and he could not shake off a nagging feeling of unease.

The scents of the facility were fogging his head. Fury burned inside him, fueling his heavily pounding heart. The taste of blood in his mouth.

Edward Turgo lay on the white tiles, dead. Blood slowly made its way along the joints like stiff red tentacles.

"See how powerful I made you?", said a voice.

M-21 shivered. To his horror, he felt the fury rise and with it the desire to hunt down, to attack, to kill the owner of the voice mercilessly.

"How about a 'thank you'?", whispered Crombel into his ear. He slid one hand down his back. M-21 stood frozen in place. He was afraid of what he might do, should he move.

Crombel licked his neck. Disgust welled up inside of him. Still Turgo lay there, his unseeing eyes staring up to him with silent reproach. His nose twitched when the doctor grabbed his chin and forced his mouth open.

Something snapped inside him. He bit down on the flesh that invaded his mouth. Hot blood ran down his throat. Then everything vanished in a blur of violence. There was nothing left except the desire to kill, to kill in the most painful way possible.

With a wet thud, Crombel's corpse fell down beside Turgo. M-21 stood there, panting. Two pairs of unseeing eyes stared at him. He looked down on his stained body and realized that the part inside him that had lusted for blood was still not satisfied...

He awoke with a scream. On shaking legs he scrambled to the bathroom. The taste of blood was still in his mouth. It would not go away, no matter how many times he washed it out, no matter how hard he brushed his teeth.

He jumped heavily when a hand took hold of his arm. Two voices spoke from afar.

"The hell are you doing this hour of the night, M-21?", said the one who sounded like Takeo.

"What are you planning with the soap?", said the other one alarmed. "That's not for eating. Bad M-21!"

Someone took the soap from his hands. Someone turned him around and slapped him twice, hard.

He blinked. Takeo and Tao came into focus, both looking very sleepy and slightly annoyed.

"There's blood in my mouth", M-21 said dreamily.

Takeo and Tao changed a look and each took one of his arms. They marched him out of the bathroom.

"You'll take one of the Principal's nice pills now", said Takeo gently.

"And then you and everyone else will go to sleep and tomorrow we will talk about the blood", said Tao.

M-21 nodded slowly. In the back of his head he thought that his comrades might have said something similar. He corrected himself: those two here were his comrades now.

He swallowed when something was put into his mouth and trotted off towards his room obediently.

He slept like a stone the rest of the night.

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