As promised I'm heading for Lyraxia and Kanda first. Then will I deal with the fight with Fay and North. I still have to decide how's it gonna go.

Thanks to: xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx and Taeniaea.

Now to the main event. :D

Chapter 36: Dragonfly, Grasshopper and Mockingbird

Lyraxia landed straight on the ground. Whatever Fay had sent them through it had worked. She looked around and recognized the place as the North American Branch. Fayth managed to get her inside of the branch without detection but why there? Kanda was with Allen in Jordan. Why didn't the Gate sent her there?

A sudden oppression hit her. Something was trying to get ahold of her body. She whispered lowly, "Arya." Arya activated in the slightest way protecting her body. She heaved a sigh feeling the weight off her body. She walked slowly attempting not to be noticed. Where was everybody? The silence disturbed her to the point that she began running regardless of the noise she made. She didn't know why but her gut guided her lower and lower. The lower she got by then the louder the ruckus she could hear. Turning the corner of the open doorway, she finally saw them. Level 4s surrounded the place. Everybody lined up against the wall. Three Noahs, one of which was the one from back in the Ark that she recognized. The Millenium Earl was there too while that familiar Noah and Allen both stood on him. On the floor near the other Noah was who she'd come here for solely.

She couldn't restrain herself, "Kanda!" The Noah near him and the other turned her way. Everyone else folowed suit. All except the one she'd called.

"Lyraxia!" Allen called along with the others from the Order.

"Impossible," Sheril called. "Nobody could've gotten away from me."

"Oh she's another story all together," Wisely answered him, a smirk on his face. "Isn't that right, Her Grace, Yulia...?"

"I'm not Yulia," she stated walking forth watching her surroundings carefully. What she was concerned about most was Kanda's immobility.

Wisely chuckled, "A maiden's heart always brings surprises. He's dumbfounded that's all. Now back to you, Yulia-"

"I'm not Yulia!" she shouted.

"Oh really?" Wisely said smirking. "Then tell me, did you know that if twins are born to a Pythoness, the least capable would be given as a sacrificial lamb?"

"I know that," Lyraxia said fierce. "That's why the Rakshana wanted me dead the second I was diagnose with my illness."

"You're little sister, Lyraxia, would've made a fine Pythoness," Wisely chuckled mockingly. "Of course, that was if she was the most capable." Lyraxia glared at him in confusion. "The tables were always on your side. The Rakshana are Destroyers of Darkness. Yulia, their Godess, promised to seal away the darkness that gnawed at them. She did so by giving up her immortal body and reincarnating as a mortal." Wisely's smirk only grew as the confusion in her face changed drastically. "That is to say that after seven millenia, Yulia, Goddess of Light, has been incarnated in this world. The name of that person carrying the Goddess's will is you, Merry Nightmare."

Lyraxia smiled vaguely, "I figured something was wrong with me. That's why Lyra hated me so much. She knew."

"Of course she knew," Wisely said cheerfully. "Why else would she hate you so much that you'd have to kill her?"

Lyraxia gritted her teeth and summonded Arya completely. "Then I'll deal with that later." She charged at Wisely but was stopped by Sheril all the while the Earl spoke to Allen. "Out of my way!" she snarled twirling the the sharp crystals and drawing Sheril back.

"Feisty," Sheril said. He licked his thumb and Lyraxia noticed the cut on her cheek. He'd not only penetrated Arya'a Innocence form but also the body armor on her skin. "That's cute." She heard a ruckus and the Noahs turned to see Kanda attacking the Earl but taken back by Tyki. Kanda's eyes only momentarily looked over at Lyraxia when he's attacked failed.

She understood and ran past Sheril who was complaining to Wisely because Kanda had Road's doll form holding her by her dress by his teeth. Allen got Tokusa while Sheril was distracted. She ran and noticed they were headed for the exit.

"Where'd you come from, whatever your name is," Kanda called to Lyraxia once they reached common ground. Ouch. That hurt.

"I just came back from killing my baby sister, Mister. Thank you very much," she said with the same cold tone as his.

"Lyraxia," Allen said with a tinge of sadness.

"It was the only way to save her," she called. "At least she's free from this mad world."

The tubes from underground began to burst to the surface. The ducts then came faster than they could reach and bloked the exit.

"Now what?" Lyraxia said under her breath. Sheril was the doer. With the ducts he brought Alma's body to the surface. Lyraxia's eyes widened in vague recognition of the boy. "Gr-Grasshopper?" Kanda only stared at her eyes wide before turning back to Alma.

"Who is that...?" Allen asked staring at Alma.

"He's us, the Third Apotles's womb, Alma Karma. It's a man who was used as a test subject to create artificial apostles, just like Kanda Yu."

"Yu?" Lyraxia spoke the question that Allen had thought of.

"Who the heck is that?" Kanda said nonchalantly. Everybody stared at him in disbelief. Lyraxia was dumbfounded by the simplicity of his answer.

Then Road spoke, "What're you saying~? It's Alma! The failure that you killed nine years ago..." Kanda suddenly grasped Road's doll head in his hand, squishing way too hard.

"He's dead," Kanda said in a low voice that scared even Lyraxia.

Road stayed quiet for seconds before saying, "But he survived." She kept talking and talking, it was as if she wanted for him to get mad. To react. And he did. He squashed her head but she still talked, "What's wrong? Aren't you happy to meet Alma?" The doll fell. "Perhaps, the woman who made you slit Alma...Does she have anything to do with this?"

Lyraxia's eyes widened in fear. If it hadn't been for Allen, Kanda would've stabbed Road with Mugen. "Woman?" Lyraxia thought to herself. Allen couldn't possibly control his rage. She knew that much, no one could.

"Fine, if you don't believe it's Alma, then~" Road said with a brief pause. Wisely's eyes appeared beneath them.

"Wha-" the ducts took Lyraxia away by the neck before she had a chance to speak.

"Let alma himself prove it to you," Road finished.

She managed to find her voice at the last second, "Y-Yu!" But they were gone. Their minds at least. Their bodies stayed there, immobile.

Sheril made the ducts wrap more around her body and sustain her in mid air. "You're a real piece of work," he said with a smirk.

"Mockingbird!" Zhu shouted.

"Mockingbird?" Sheril repeated.

"That's the name her mother called her," Wisely said reading her mind. "But it's more than just a nickname isn't it. She called you that because she knew that your illness would give you immunity against being a Pythiness. Hummingbirds are more beautiful. Mockingbirds just, as their name implies, mock. You are a joke. The true Pythoness yet Yulia herself mortality incarnated?" He scoffed, "What a great package deal the Rakshana had."

"How cute," Sheril said. "Mockingbirdy huh?"

"Don't jest around, Sheril~" the Earl said. "Just feed her to the Akuma."

"Earl wouldn't seeing what's inside a Goddess reincarnated be a spree?" Sheril said. Lyraxia only narrowed her eyes. What were they going to do to her? Twist her like Tokusa said he could?

Wisely noticed and only chuckled. "Not that kind of inside. He's talking about you're connections." He raised his finger and pointed at her. She stared right in his unable to move, "That is, the ones you had with Kanda Yu and Alma Karma. You're Dragonfly and Grasshopper." She heard his voice echo in her mind before her vision blurred to black.

Merry, at age six and a half, walked about in the night through the place. Insomnia, she hated it. Since her mother died a month ago, she couldn't sleep. Lyraxia had no problem sleeping, was always a heavy sleeper. Not her. The least amount of sound would wake her. So she'd rendered to walk around at night. By the end of the month she'd learned every nook and cranny of the place. Tonight she found a lower basement place. She remembered the place from the tunnels they had taken to escape. This was were they primarily landed. She walked about, on and on and soon found herself in the coldest room. It didn't bother her since they felt like the nights at the desert. There were holes on the floor full of water and inside kids. Children perhaps a older than her. She was six but she wasn't stupid. Not naive like Lyraxia was. Although that was what made her so innocent and so childish. Something Merry wasn't.

"Who are you?" startled she turned. A boy was there with a coat. Short brown hair and huge round brown eyes. A tiny scar-like feature across his nose distinguished him. He stood up and walked up to her. He was taller than her maybe two years older. He was definitely taller then she was. "I've never seen you before." She sighed, he certainly acted like a little kid.

"I wondered here," she said not answering his question. "Where is this place?"

"The womb shrine," the boy answered. "My friends sleep here." She came closer to one of the holes. She could see them in there, asleep.

"They're your friends?" she said in disbelief. "But they're asleep. People can't breath underwater. Are you sure they're alive?"

"Of course they are," the boy said happily. "Proffesor Edgar said that I came from one of these too. My name's Alma."

Merry looked at him, stupiefied. Hadn't this kid just asked her her own name? What the hell was he doing saying his? She shook her head, "My name's Merry but call me Mockingbird."

"Mockingbird?" Alma repeated. "What's that?"

"What's a mockingbird?" she repeated. Where did this boy come from? She scratched her head, "It's a bird that imitates sounds." She looked over at him. "From where I come from children are named after animals to show their personality. I'm a mockingbird." She looked him over once and snapped his fingers, "And to me you look like a grasshopper."

"Grasshopper? Why am I a bug?" he asked confused.

"You're taller than me but you think like a little kid to me. Meaning you're younger than me," she said explaining him. "Do you sleep here?"

"Just come here some times," Alma said.

"You're one weird one," she said.

"Weird? I'm not the one with a bird's name, Mocky!" Alma called to her.

"Mocky?" she repeated. She chuckled, "Look who's talking Grassy." She started laughing and he laughed along with her. She spent a good time with Alma after that. For months, they spent together while Merry kept her time with Lyraxia constant so she wouldn't guess she was spending her time with somebody else. Then that day came.

"Whoa," Merry said staring at the boy who, according to Alma, had come out from one of the holes. He hadblack dark orbs and long black hair, which Edgar wanted to cut but said that would come after they verified his status and health. He had a little black stare in his eyes as she stare into them.

"What is it?" Alma asked her.

"Pretty face," Merry said, speaking her mind.

She noticed that his eyes had widened a bit, "Pre...tty?"

"Ah!" Alma and Merry exclaimed together. "He spoke!"

"Proffesor Edgar!" Alma called to him. "Yu spoke!"

"Are you okay? How are you feeling?" Merry asked.

"Fine..." he answered slowly.

"That's good," Merry said smiling. "My name's Merry. Most of the people here call me Mockingbird so you can call Mocky."

"I'm Alma," he came beside her smiling. "Mocky calls me Grasshopper. Grassy for short. You're Yu. What name do you want to give him?"

"Mmh," Merry thought. "Draggy," she spoke and smiled at him. He poked his noise with her small index finger, "Short for Dragonfly."

The days passed and soon the year was coming to its end. Alma and Yu were only getting worse at eachother. Alma wanted to be friends with Yu but Yu didn't as much. Merry was trampled inbetween the two. Dragged from listening to Alma cry about how Yu was so mean to hearing the complains from Yu about Alma. She liked them both together but seperately they were a little too much for her seven-year-old self.

"Found you!" Lyraxia jumped her sister clinging on her back one night.

"Lyra," Merry said surprised. "What're you doing here?"

"I wondered where you were going all this time so I followed you," she called. "What is this?"

"The womb shrine," she said. She hadn't seen Alma or Yu all day. Edgar said that they were going to be out for the day for some tests. He didn't explain further. She didn't ask either.

"Why are there kids in the water?" Lyraxia asked kneeling and leaning over one of the holes. "Are they fish?"

"No," Merry said sitting next to her. "Egdar said that this is where they're sleeping until they're born."

"Oh," she said. "Would they like our singing?"

"I'm not going to sing to them, Lyra," Merry said frowning.

"Oh come on, Merry. Just once. Please!" she pouted and begged. Merry chuckled and sighed. Lyraxia smiled and began by singing four small tunes in her high pitched voice. Merry came in with her sweet low voice as background. They sang together in a peaceful duet, softly to the sleeping kids. They finished together with Lyraxia smiling brightly and Merry smiling slightly. They sounded so much like their mother.

"Ah!" the twins turned to Alma. "Two Merrys!"

"No you idiot!" she called angry. "She's my sister."

"Sister?" Alma said. He stared from her to the other. "Why do you look the same?"

"Because we're twins," Merry explained. "Two people who look the same, born the same day, but aren't the same person."

"My name's Lyraxia," she said happily. Lyraxia noticed some bandaged on his arms. "Are you hurt?"

"Oh this, it's nothing," Alma chuckled nervously holding his hand slightly. "It's just from the synchro testing."

"Synchro?" Lyraxia repeated.

Alma looked over them and gasped, "Yu, watch out!" The two turned and they heard a loud splash. Alma and the girls went over as Alma helped him up.

"Who's he?" Lyra asked Merry.

"Yu," Merry answered her. "A friend of ours."

That's when suddenly Alma's arm come off with blood. Lyraxia gasped hiding her face on her sister's shoulders. Yu then noticed the two. Two.

"Are you alright?" Alma asked him.

"I'm perfectly-" he stood up but his arm came off just like Alma's had.

"You're not fine," Merry said matter of a factly. "Neither of you are." They sat against the wall, the two boys sitting next to eachother while Lyraxua clung to Merry, scared. They kept quiet and Merry noticed how their limbs grew back by themselves.

"Who the hell's the other," Yu asked.

"Huh?" Lyraxia raised her voice.

"My little sister," Merry said. "Lyraxia. She's Hummingbird."

"Hummy?" Alma asked not looking at Yu but at her.

"Yep," Lyraxia answered a little bit louder.

"She looks like you," Yu said.

"How many times do I have to say it. We're twins. We're not the same person," she said angry.

"Do you really hate it when people mistake you with eachother?" he asked. She didn't answer.

They remained quiet and soon enough the two began fighting. Lyraxia wanted to stop them but Merry stopped her. That's how they were. Somewhere deep in her, she knew that's how they showed thei friendship. But when they punched one another and every pore in their skin began bleeding, both fell to the floor.

"T-Time out..." Yu barely said on the ground.

"I agree..." Alma said.

"You're true idiots," Merry said nonchalantly.

"Oh boy," Lyraxia called. It was quiet but then Alma burst laughing along with Yu. The twins laughed along with them. From then on it was like everyday was a bliss. They had a friendship that was brutal but nonetheless a pure friendship. However Merry didn't get to see another day of it. Not soon after she was there the Rakshana went to take her away.

"Let go of me!" Merry yelled in Lyraxia's high pitched voice.

"Mocky," Alma said catching up to Lyraxia who cried although she was dressed like her.

"What?" Yu said turning to look at Lyraxia. And noticed immediately, "Why are they taking her?" He shook her by the shoulders but she wouldn't answer. "Why are they taking Mockingbird away!"

"Huh?" Alma said confused but Lyraxia only stared at him confused. "What are you talking about, Yu? She's Mocky."

"Why are they taking Merry?" he called.

They were already gone. "It was her idea," she said crying. "She said that if I was safe, it didn't matter."

Lyraxia, determined, left days after but was killed in the attempt. Those two were close to those two boys but never saw how it ended. Merry bloked away the memories of what had happened before she was found by Tiedoll. It they brought was pain.

She always thought, why would she want to remember that? Now she knew why she didn't want to forget.

A more in depth look into Lyra's past. Next time the whole fight...between who? You'll see.

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