"Devina!" she heard Lavi yell. She sat up on her elbows, panting heavily.
"Yo, Lavi," she gave him a salute and he glared at her with his visible pupil. She had no time to waste on small talk so she tried to stand up. It was a painful process, her ribs were aching, but she noticed Miranda had Time Record activated and soon, her broken ribs were no longer an issue. The two Akuma were advancing when they stopped in their tracks, hands flying to hold their heads while they groaned. Devina's head twirled as she heard Chomesuke make a similar sound.
"Sachiko, are you in pain?" Lavi was the first to ask her.
"I'm… not…" she was gripping her head very hard. "H-he's calling," she rasped.
"The Earl is calling," the Akuma were chanting before they kicked off the ground and flew out of sight. In a matter of seconds, the sky was filled with shooting Akuma, flying in the same direction the other two disappeared to. "Head to Edo," Chomesuke muttered.
"All these Akuma… are heading to Edo?" Lenalee asked incredulously.
Bookman's face turned grim, "there's close to no chance of our survival if we head into Edo now. Do you still wish to continue?"
"That's a needless question, Gramps,"
"Of course, we'll keep going, for Mahoja-san and Anita-san… and-" Lenalee began.
"For Allen, too," Devina finished. "I'm going after that Noah," Tyki, she had almost said but that was only a dream. That couldn't have been his name.
"Alright then, let's go to Edo," Bookman said reluctantly. Lavi was about to say something but was interrupted by Chomesuke's cries.
"Sachiko, does your head still hurt?"
"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Chomesuke?" the girl exploded. "I'm receiving orders from the Earl, a huge chunk of them and I don't know if I can fight this…" the Akuma was struggling to remain on her feet. "I'm an Akuma that's been modified by Cross Marian, and therefore I shouldn't have to obey Earl-sama… but…" her eyes were turning completely black, and a black star appeared in the middle of her forehead. "This message is too strong… it would seem." Chomesuke stood up straight, ready to head off.
"Chome-"
"Sorry, Lavi, but I need to head to the Earl's side at once…" the Akuma spoke mechanically.
"The Earl? You can't mean that he's here?" Lenalee demanded.
"The Millennium Earl has just arrived at Edo, the Imperial Capital."
Devina knew something was absolutely wrong with her, because instead of wearing a horrified expression, one matching her friends', she was brimming with excitement. She had heard of The Earl ever since she'd joined the Order and she was absolutely jovial at the prospect of meeting him so soon. Devina wanted to rip him apart, her hands were itching to kill, kill, kill, that she didn't notice the sword that had materialized in her iron grip.
"D-devina?" Lavi called out, and she turned to him, crazed and smiling.
"They're here, Lavi!" she grinned, but Lavi saw it wasn't her sheepish, silly usual grin but something more maniacal and… frightening. "Let's go all out, eh?" He had wanted to scold her for forcing him into the cave back then but whenever he wanted to speak up something popped out of nowhere trying to eat them alive. He sighed, shaking his head.
"Alright, I'm gonna form a Fire Seal, you fly at them and obscure yourself within it," he commanded and she nodded once in acknowledgement. Lavi smacked his hammer into the floor with a cry, "Gouka Kaijin: Hi Ban," and the fire dragon shot out into the sky. Devina rushed in its flames, hiding within its middle as it went straight for the fattest Noah.
The Millennium Earl released some kind of an attack that tore the dragon apart. Devina secured her footing onto her plank and she floated toward him.
"Devina-chan, so nice to finally make your acquaintance," he began, and she nearly barfed, "even if accompanied by such rude and severely helpless companions."
"So, you're the Earl?" she asked, studying his appearance. The Earl has grey skin, similar to Tyki's; calling his body large is an understatement. He wore a long top hat, a pair of glasses to obscure his golden eyes rest atop an abnormally large nose.
"I'm the Millennium Earl, yes, last I've checked," he grinned at some inside joke, which triggered laughter amongst the Noah. Devina heard one that was terribly familiar and when she looked down, she saw him. Tall, dark, and handsome, Tyki. "Before you go off attacking my Tyki-pon, would you care to hear a preposition? I can't just shrug of chancing upon you here as a twist of fate,"
Devina tried to hide her faltering, as she heard the Earl call his name. It was Tyki; his name is Tyki and her dream held some truth to it. "I have no interest in striking any kind of deal with you," she was glad her voice didn't come out as shaky as her heart. A sword was already materializing between her fingers. "I don't care for anything you have to say to me right now, actually. All I want to do is kill him," and with that she attacked. Out of nowhere, the Earl blocked her attack with a gigantic sword of his own, made of steel, anointed by many crosses and a thin golden hilt.
"Little child," the Earl reached forward and held a gloved hand to her cheek. Devina jerked back forcefully, and was distracted when she heard Lavi shout from bellow. Tyki was descending to fight him. "I have no interest in fighting you," the Earl continued.
"I have no interest in fighting you at the moment, either. Let me go," the Earl seemed to be studying her for a moment, before he looked down.
"Tyki-pon, can you handle her?"
Tyki seemed to be grinning, "leave her to me, Sennen-kou."
Devina didn't have anytime to wonder why the Earl wasn't killing her himself. Instead, she pushed that thought to the back of her head and launched at Tyki, her plank almost setting itself on fire to maintain the speed with which she was descending. "TYKI!"
She was finally on the ground, her legs leaving dents on the ground she trampled and she lifted up her sword arm and waved it at him, eager to wipe off the permanently etched grin on his face.
"Devina, mole-guy is mine, don't interfere," she heard Lavi shout from behind Tyki and she seethed.
"Oh, how undeniably honorable of you, but get in line, Bookman," she snapped, ramming her sword into Tyki's defenseless arm. Tyki managed to block by summoning Tease and having it wrap like a shield around his forearms; metals clanged and the Noah proceeded to grin. "What the hell are you smiling at?"
"Even battered and bruised, you're still absolutely breathtaking, Lady Devina,"
Had she not been so angry, she probably would've frozen in place, confusion and shock coloring her face. Instead, she growled and attacked him with her sword again and he deflected with his shield. He didn't seem to need a second one to defend his back against Lavi. Lavi's attacks were passing right through him, and nearly hitting her before he'd stop too short.
"All of this for your little boyfriend?" he asked, amused. "Isn't he a little too young for you, Devi?"
"Shut," slam, "the," another slam, "hell," she decided to cheat, "up," she slithered her leg in the space between his two feet, and she wound it around one of his ankles, before she tugged. Tyki swore as he lost his footing, but like an acrobat, he retained his balance in no time at all.
"I see he's taught you his cheating skills," he mused, running a hand through his curly hair, setting it loose; it cascaded down his narrowed eyes in short uneven bangs.
Devina lifted her leg and prepared to land a kick to his chin, while Lavi mimicked her. Tyki managed to stop Lavi but not her, and he feet landed squarely against his jaw. He gave a low grunt.
"This is a bit too low, even for you, Devi," Tyki taunted, and Devina's anger was washing over her like a raging volcano.
"Stop calling me Devi and stop talking to me like you know me, you fucking prick," Devina gasped as his hands wrapped around her throat once again, awakening the aches she'd managed to suppress since she'd last seen the Noah. She was struggling against his iron grip and she heard Lavi call her name. She beckoned for him not to interfere but knowing Lavi, he probably wouldn't listen.
"I've been very patient with you, Devina," Tyki's voice was low and menacing. Devina struggled as she was lifted in the air, legs kicking and hands tugging at his choking hold. "I've been trying to tell you something for quite some time now, but all you've done is try to kill me."
"You're tiny and small. Use your size to your advantage." Devina could almost hear Klaud's words ringing in her ear. She twisted her arms around the Noah's and used them as a momentum to lift one of her legs high enough to deliver a kick to his chin. He didn't budge.
"You need to stop fighting me,"
"Gouka Kaijin, Hi Ban," Lavi's flames were out to envelop the two of them, and in order to evade, Tyki jumped out of the way, dropping a gasping Devina to the ground.
"You, and that stupid fire dragon of yours, need to stop interfering, Eye-Patch-kun," Tyki snapped, his anger was palpable. He moved toward Lavi, holding a fistful of his jacket and he kicked him into the building where the other Exorcists were.
"LAVI!" Devina finally gained her access to enough oxygen to get her to shout his name. She stood up and realized for the first time that Bookman and Krory were struggling with two types of Akuma she'd never seen before.
She heard Lenalee call them conjoined Akuma, and realized that the Earl must've summoned every single Akuma in Edo in order to create such gigantic creatures; they were twice as tall as the highest tower in the vicinity. She needed to be done with Tyki in order to head back there and help them. But do you really care? She gritted her teeth, all you really want is to kill him. That's all that matters to you. You don't even care if you die in the process.
Tyki's abrupt appearance in front of her brought her back to reality and she held her sword, hilt up, to further defend herself. She saw Lavi fly over on his hammer, landing on the rooftops of the same building she and Tyki were on. She didn't want to admit it, but Lavi was in no shape to be fighting the Noah, and she didn't want to watch another comrade die at his hands.
"So, are you angry I've killed that cheating boy?" Tyki asked, addressing Lavi, now. "You couldn't have been friends, have you, by any chance?"
"Shut up," Lavi said evenly.
"Ahh, so you were friends,"
"Shut up!" his voice was rising.
"Was that cute lady Exorcist his friend as well?" Tyki asked, pointing towards Lenalee.
"Shut up!"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Must've been terrible for you. I understand, you see, I, too, have friends." Tyki's grin was taunting and Devina wanted to wipe it off his face, but she was frozen in place for some reason. She needed to know where Tyki was going with this.
"Shut up…"
"I know how it feels, boy,"
"Shut up!"
"When a friend dies-"
"Shut up!"
"It really, really hurts."
"SHUT UP!" Lavi screamed.
"Lavi, don't let him get under your skin. He's trying to rile you up," Devina warned and Lavi turned to look at her. Their eyes met, his gaze sharp and hurt and eccentrically green.
"She's right, you know… You shouldn't get so angry," Tyki paused, "after all, the boy still lives."
Devina was sure her heart stopped beating because her head was spinning and her lungs were surely not pumping oxygen into her blood. "W-what?" Allen? Alive?
"Yes, he may even be on his way here right now. You can see him, if you live long enough that is. That's still uncertain though, since I had the beautiful Devina here destroy his Innocence. The Akuma I sent will soon bring us his half-dead body, so it's just a matter of time."
"You really like the sound of your own voice too much, don't you?" Devina rasped out, breaking the silence.
Tyki's eyes twinkled and he even chuckled, "ahh, you injure me, Devi, I-"
"I told you not to call me Devi," she snarled. "Is- is Allen really alive?"
"Yes, it would seem my Tease somehow had failed to puncture his heart…" Tyki's eyes glazed, as if taken by the mystery of the occurrence.
"You don't seem so pleased about that?" Devina was giving Tyki a taste of his own medicine.
"Well, no, seeing as it was the first time Tease had ever failed me, of course I'm displeased." Tyki went on.
Devina smiled, "did it make you feel incompetent?" her heart was thrumming, "not to be able to serve your precious Millennium Earl?"
"Devina, what are you doing?" Lavi hissed at her, sidestepping around Tyki to get near her.
"Come on, Tyki, won't you shut me up again?" Devina taunted. She didn't know what came over her but she was enjoying the disdainful look he was giving her.
"You're really annoying me, Devi," Tyki stood straight and sighed dramatically, "but I promised the Earl not to kill you, so I'm at a standstill here. Shall I go after Eye-Patch-kun?"
Devina's face drained of all color.
"Eye-Patch-kun it is, then."
"No! No, no, no! Lavi! Lavi, get down!" Devina shouted as a swarm of butterflies flew towards the redhead.
Author's Note: I am back to writing, and it's all thanks to my darling, Pixie, and her sublime support. Please leave me some reviews? Please, please, please, with a cherry on top?