Minato Shiki- Why else would Tyki show up if not to make things more interesting, and quite possibly more bloody too?
CrimsonKitsune333- I'm glad you liked the chapter. It was really difficult to write after so much time off, but hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things soon!
MiniBloodyMurder- Lol. Thanks… I think.
sakurawitch- He pushed him away because I'm a sadistic bitch! Thanks for reviewing!
KitsuneHinote- OMG FINALLY! Thank you very much for your comments, I'm so glad that someone else realises that no character taken out of canon and put into a situation like this is going to be 100 percent IC. I'm glad you don't think it's completely crap!
Evil Pixies Are Yummy- Lol Whatever shall happen now?!
Shinimegami7- You're not kidding about the hospital thing… I had someone DIE on my ward. When you wake up at 3 am because a nurse at the bed next door is going 'Ethel? Ethel? Ooh, I don't think she's breathing, no, not breathing…' it kind of puts a downer on the rest of the day… And don't even get me STARTED on the food…
ShikiRima4eva-doublesided- Ah, I'm sorry, I do love a cliff hanger. I was seriously debating whether to end this chapter on one too, and… well, I guess you'll have to read it to see what I decided! And you want to know what happens? Believe me, so do I… I can't even remember where I was planning on going with this fic after chapter 15…
eMi to mAo 374- I'm glad you liked that chapter. Considering it's not action filled or anything, I think it might be my favourite so far. Of course, one with actual contact would have been better, but we can't have everything!
InfinityOnTheRun-Thank you so much for your comments, it made me all happy inside (and right now, I need lots of happy!) So… Allen knows that he wants Kanda, Kanda thinks he knows that he wants Allen, what will happen next?! (no, seriously, I'm stumped)
Saltyeyes- It was hardly Kanda's fault that Allen went all frigid on him!
knux33- It's a good word, I like it. I'm glad you liked this chapter!
Princess of Oblivion- You know, your guess is as good as mine, but I'm hoping for lots and lots of blood. (Bexi is giving me a funny look; I have no idea why…)
Linea Arlis- Yeah, Kanda could have stopped Allen from pushing him away if he really wanted to, but he was a bit confused about the whole thing, bless 'im. Oh well, maybe next time. That is, if there is a next time now that uber-awesome Tyki has arrived.
Harmony283- Well, not being the creator of these characters, I guess getting them completely right is not something that's going to happen. Everyone has their own interpretations of the characters, how they think they would respond to (lets face it, completely out-of-character) situations and as I primarily read manga instead of watching anime, I find that there is a lot more that the reader (and fan-fiction writer) can use their own imaginations on. As such I have tried my best to keep as close to the canon characterisations as possible while writing this type of fic, so I am sorry if you don't think that it meets the standards that you would like. (shoots beta a dirty look) I also went back and changed those mistakes, so thank you for pointing them out! And really, what's love without a little cliché? Thanks for your comments!
glon morski- Ah, we all love a bit of action! This chapter will hopefully satisfy and tide you over until next time.
marufu-chan- I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. And I know that if I were in Kanda's shoes, I'd be more than a little bit frustrated and probably very confused. And we all know that if you confuse an angry person, they just get angrier!
Melodicxstar- Well, I couldn't have them kissing just yet, I like to prolong the agony!
a1y-puff- Well, what is Tyki doing there? Ho ho ho… you'll have to wait and see. (Yeah, for like, all of five minutes until you read the chapter) And I couldn't have them kissing just get… I have more chapters to write! I love a good cliffy… but I wouldn't end two chapters on the run with one… would I? *shifty eyes*
Erendyce- It'll all make sense when you realise why I had Allen push Kanda away. I'm glad you liked the church scene… we all know that Kanda's not as heartless as he pretends to be!
Myaeve- *Hits you with an update* Here you go! And unfortunately, I am not allowed to give away siblings- I said I'd be happy just picking on Bexii instead of the others but she didn't seem too keen on that idea, and won't let me sell them. Dammit.
AnimeFreak426- Dammit. Do you just want to write this instead? Lol, I hate it when the plot is obvious! Just for spoiling my fun and guessing what's gonna happen next, I'm not going to talk to you. Well, obviously I am, since that's what I'm doing now, but you get the point. Hmph! (Love you really!)
Zexion's Somebody- How could I end it like that? Cos I am a sadistic bitch who likes to leave you hanging!!
And as always, thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited and alerted me or this fic!
Yes, it's late. Two weeks late. I am soooo sorry. These last couple of weeks have been hectic since I started my newest job and suddenly I'm working full time, getting up insanely early and going to bed super early so can get up again the next morning… and well, you can see my free time has gone poof. So I can only write at weekends really by the time I've got home, had my tea, washed my uniform and had a bath.
Chapter Fourteen.
Allen couldn't believe what he had just nearly let happen, what he had encouraged to happen. He would have liked to lay all of the blame at Kanda's feet, but he had never been a fan of self-denial, and was fully aware that it was himself who had reached out to pull Kanda closer. Sure, the older youth had been the first to make contact, but Allen had known just by looking at him that Kanda wasn't really sure what exactly had been happening between them. His body had acted, following natural instincts, but in his dark eyes there had been doubt- Kanda hadn't really known what he wanted.
Allen scrubbed his face with his hands. It wasn't fair on Kanda to treat him this way, but Allen knew that he'd lost control of himself, doing something he'd vowed never to even allow himself to contemplate.
He couldn't kiss Kanda, no matter how much he wanted to- couldn't be more than allies or not-quite-friends. Not with anybody, but especially not with this man. Allen couldn't allow himself to love anyone. Because if he did, he'd kill them.
0o0o0o0o0
Kanda glared at the Noah, his face a mask of enraged hate and his eyes spitting fury. His knuckles whitened around the hilt of his sword as he spread his feet wider, taking on a fighting stance. "What do you want?" he growled, watching as the Noah took a few steps forward, for all the world looking like he was out for a stroll.
Tyki laughed, rolling his shoulders casually as he stepped into Kanda's personal space. "Undoubtedly for the same thing as you, Mr. Exorcist" he said as he circled behind the shorter man.
It was then that Allen reached the door, still full of embarrassment for his earlier actions and fuming that Kanda had just walked off without him. "Look Kanda, I…" he trailed off when he saw the Noah, "Oh…"
Tyki seemed surprised. His eyebrows rose to meet his curly hair, disrupting the row of crosses on his forehead. He turned to look at Kanda, a smirk on his face. "Or perhaps I am not here for the same thing as you" he said slyly. "Do your superiors know you are sneaking off to meet you male lover? In the house of God, no less," the Noah said in a condescending tone.
Kanda snarled, drawing Mugen in one rapid movement. "He's not-!" he started to deny furiously.
"Oh really?" the Noah interrupted, smirk still in place. "Then you won't mind if I…" He stepped up close to Allen, catching the end of his ponytail between long grey fingers and lifting it to his face as of to kiss it.
Allen had to stop himself from hitting the Noah, knowing that the only way to land the satisfying strike he really wanted to would be to use his left hand, which would almost certainly give the game away. They were in a pretty precarious situation as it was, as soon as Tyki called in the Akuma he doubtlessly had patrolling the town for the rumoured innocence, Allen's curse would activate and he may as well hang a sign around his neck saying 'I'm Allen Walker, please kill me' for all the good his disguise would do him. So instead of hitting the Noah like he really wanted to, Allen turned quickly, tugging his hair free and backing away from him to where Kanda was standing, ducking behind the older man as though using him as a shield. He made sure the left side of his face was hidden behind Kanda's back, just in case.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Kanda hissed in a furious whisper.
"If he finds out who I am, we're totally screwed!" Allen breathed back. Tyki might not get particularly chatty with the exorcists, but it didn't mean that the risk of his whereabouts, and more importantly, his travelling companion, reaching the Order was one that could be ignored. And he was under no illusion that he or Kanda would be able defeat the Noah without a long bloody battle that neither of them was prepared for. "If we want that innocence we need to get away… maybe if I run he'll let me go."
"Running away, Moyashi?" Kanda sneered, not taking his eyes from the grey-skinned man who was watching their conversation intently.
"Sod off BaKanda" Allen snapped, careful to keep his volume low. "I don't like this any more than you do."
Allen hated the fact that his only strategy involved him running away and leaving Kanda to distract Tyki alone, but somewhere in this jumble of buildings was an innocence fragment and a bunch of Akuma searching for it. He didn't like it, but he knew that he stood a better chance of finding it than Kanda, if only because his eye could see where the Akuma were gathering.
Tyki clasped his hands behind his back and regarded them with golden eyes, head tilted to one side thoughtfully. There was something strange going on, he noted. There was definitely something almost… possessive… about the way that the exorcist acted around his companion, so this was no casual acquaintance, and, though the shorter of the two teens looked like he was cowering in fear- his stance seemed right and the way he hid himself behind the exorcist was certainly convincing- Tyki was no idiot, and there was something lurking in those clear brown eyes that were watching his every move, as though the boy was fully aware of what the Noah was capable of. Perhaps this trip was not a wasted venture after all. First he would take care of the exorcist, though he wouldn't kill him, not yet anyway. All the better to have his little friend watch as he snuffed the life from those fiery dark eyes and destroyed that annoying innocence, before he would turn his attentions to the delightfully, sinfully beautiful boy and showing him just what the Noah of Pleasure was capable of.
He could not hear the words of their hushed conversation, but the gist was clear, and he grinned at the prospect of a hunt. He waved a hand dismissively. "Let your boy-toy go, Mr. Kitchen-knife" he granted magnanimously. "I have no interest in the slaughter of ordinary humans when there is an exorcist around to play with, though the same cannot be said of my Akuma. I promise you he won't get far."
Allen glanced at Kanda, waiting for his response. Kanda closed his eyes for the briefest of moments before nodding tersely, adding in a quiet growl "Once you get it, head back to Paris. Don't wait for me."
Allen had no intentions whatsoever of following those instructions, and he suspected that Kanda knew that, but nodded anyway, the lie making them both feel better about separating. He splayed his hand fleetingly across Kanda's tense back before turning and sprinting away into the darkness.
Tyki watched with amusement as the slight figure disappeared into the gloom. See you soon, boy he grinned before turning his attention back to the exorcist, his grin becoming wider and more sadistic. "Now then" he said with a small bow "Shall we?"
0o0o0o0o0
Allen darted down an alley, finally deciding that he was safe enough to stop and catch his breath. His eye had activated a while ago, testament to the presence of nearby Akuma, but he counted himself lucky that he hadn't run into one yet, tired and out-of-sorts as he was feeling. He leant into the damp brick wall, trying to calm his rapid snatching breaths and racing heart. He had taken several random turns along narrow streets and shady alleyways and knew that he wouldn't be able to find his way back to the church without difficulty. Good. The harder it was to rush back to Kanda's side, the less likely it was that his resolve would falter. He had to find the innocence before the Akuma did, and then, maybe, he'd be able to get Kanda away from the Noah before something happened. If Kanda got hurt then he'd never be able to forgive himself.
What was worse was the fact that he knew that he might never see Kanda again. Not that he thought Kanda weak- far from it- but there were so many things conspiring against them, and for the first time since he'd pushed Kanda away in the quiet sanctuary of the church, he regretted doing so, and if either if them died, he'd never know whether what he had thought he had seen in Kanda's eyes was really… a noise cut that thought off before it had fully formed.
Allen's breathing slowed and he was finally able to snatch a lungful of air, glancing around as he tried to locate the source of the sound. There were shuffling footsteps approaching from the opposite end of the alley- two, maybe three, people were headed towards him. Now they were getting closer he could make out the low murmur of their voices, and, though he couldn't distinguish the words, he could tell that it was a man and a woman talking in an intimate whisper.
He was just about to turn and leave the relative safety of the alley, not wanting to be spotted by the couple as he skulked in the darkness but they rounded the corner and his eye revealed that they were not the human couple that they were pretending to be.
He tensed, expecting an attack, but the Akuma just strolled by, paying him hardly any attention, though the woman gave him a fleeting curious look as she passed.
He stalled in confusion, turning to watch the two demons walk away, wondering why they hadn't attacked him. Then he realised- he wasn't wearing the coat that would identify him as an exorcist that would usually draw their attention. He could only think that their concentration on following Tyki's orders to find the innocence was keeping their attention away from attacking any humans they stumbled across.
'Idiot boy.'
The voice in his mind startled him and he scowled- he'd been half-hoping that the Fourteenth wouldn't start talking to him again- it had been several days since the Noah had last spoken.
"Those Akuma are searching for the innocence. How long do you thing you've got until they sense ours?"
'Ours?!' Allen asked, outraged. 'Crown Clown is my innocence, it has nothing to do with you!' He crossed his arms petulantly. 'A Noah cannot possess innocence.'
The Fourteenth sniggered. 'If that's what helps you sleep at night. Now, are you going to find that innocence or not?'
'But they- Akuma-' Allen turned to look back in the direction that the 'couple' had departed, the need to destroy them and free their souls warring with the desire to find the innocence cube and get Kanda away from Tyki, hopefully in one piece.
There was a definite smirk in the voice now. 'The sooner you find that fragment, the sooner you can get back to the exorcist.' The Fourteenth's voice softened slightly, as though he actually understood Allen's dilemma. 'It's more important that you find it than destroying those Akuma right now.'
Allen knew that the Noah was right- finding the innocence and stopping it from falling into enemy hands and being destroyed took precedence over chasing down those Akuma, but he still hesitated- never before had he willingly walked away from any Akuma. He bit his bottom lip uncertainly, shifting his weight a little as he looked back the way that he had come. Kanda was still fighting, was counting on him to get the innocence to safety. Kanda trusted him.
That made up his mind and he started running- away from the Akuma, further from Kanda and hopefully nearer to the innocence.
'That's right boy, think of the bigger picture.'
'Just because this time you're right does not mean you can talk to me.'
The Fourteenth sounded unusually angry. 'You and I, we are on the same side. I no more want the Earl to win this war than you do. You should welcome anything I have to say on the matter with gratitude on bended knee!'
"I would, if it didn't come with the unfortunate side-effect of my death!" Allen snapped, speaking out loud, his voice shattering the rain soaked silence of the street.
'Touché' the Fourteenth murmured before falling into silence.
"What was that?" Allen said after several minutes of random wandering, pausing when he heard a distant clattering coming from the rooftops.
'Don't ask me' the Fourteenth said snidely. 'I'm not allowed to speak, remember? Though you'd do well to not talk aloud when alone, you appear quite mad.'
Allen ignored him, looking around for any clue to the whereabouts of the innocence he was searching for. Although he hadn't found it yet, it appeared that the Akuma were having no more luck than he was- the two he saw earlier were certainly in no rush.
The clattering noise, like something tumbling down steps, rang out again, sounding further away than before.
Intrigued, and with no other lead to go on, he decided to go and find out what exactly it was. Glancing around, making sure he was truly alone, he activated his innocence. Thanks to the emblem on Kanda's uniform coat, he'd eaten exceptionally well these last few days, not that he and Jo had been starving in Paris- he made enough money to pay for their room and the massive quantities of food he consumed twice over, and that was without taking into account the items that Jo managed to 'acquire'. The thievery was something that Allen condoned, but it was second nature to the girl, and Allen doubted he'd ever break her of it completely.
The improved diet had done wonders for his synchronisation rate and activating his innocence felt as natural and fluid as it always had, for which he was glad. At the moment, when the rest of his life was in a constant state of flux, it was nice to have some sort of consistency.
He used Clown Belt to haul himself onto the rooftops, the sound of his boots on the tiles echoing loudly and confirming his suspicions.
There was someone else up here.
0o0o0o0o0
Tyki gave Kanda a mock bow. "I wonder how far your little boy-toy will get before my Akuma destroy him?" He sighed, sounding both regretful and derisive in one breath. "I do hope he's still alive when I've done with you. It would be my pleasure to take care of him since you'll no longer be around to do so."
Kanda levelled his blade at the Noah's smirking face, activating Mugen to level two and feeling the usual tug of the twin blades as the tattoo that was already spreading over his shoulder grew a little more. "Shut up you sick fuck" he snarled. "You won't get the chance to touch him."
"Ah, this familiar dance" Tyki grinned, spreading his arms wide, purple light creeping up his forearms and solidifying into blades of dark matter over the backs of his hands. "It seems we are doomed to repeat our parts until we die. Though," he paused, giving Kanda a sly look. "This time you are quite alone."
Kanda did not dignify that with an answer, wasting no more time on idle chatter and useless posturing as he charged towards the Noah almost silently, the only noise he made was the barely discernable sound of his boots on the rain-slicked ground.
The grin dropped from Tyki's face, recognising that the exorcist was serious and could not be further provoked into making a mistake- he was far too focused.
At the moment at least.
Tyki allowed a small smile to creep back onto his face. He was sure that, given enough time to become frustrated, and if goaded with comments about the fate of his companion, the exorcist could be forced into rash action. Tyki just had to be patient.
He lifted his arms to stop the exorcist's blow and push him back, innocence and dark matter meeting, neither one giving against the other.
Kanda scowled as the Noah blocked his attack holding Mugen at bay easily. He had known that was not going to be an easy fight, but he couldn't remember the Noah being quite this strong the last time they had met. He caught the tail end of a smirk trailing across the other man's face and it didn't give him a good feeling. He couldn't be sure just what it was about this man that put his teeth quite so on edge, but what he did know was that the Noah planned to do… something… to the damn sprout.
He pushed a little more, leaning all of his weight onto the twin swords, trying to force the Noah backwards. He wasn't sure what he was hoping to achieve- the last time he'd fought a Noah and won it had killed him, and though he knew he had improved since then, and even though he hated to even acknowledge the thought, he didn't think he'd get away from this battle unscathed.
The only thing he could do was distract Tyki long enough for Allen to find the innocence and get the hell out of there.
He hoped that the fact that it was Allen who had suggested that they split up meant that he would hold true to his promise and head back to Paris once the innocence had been retrieved, but somehow he knew that it was in vain- Allen would never just leave without at least finding out what had happened to him first, so that left him with one option- he had to defeat this Noah before Allen came back and once again made himself a target for whatever plans the Noah had for him.
He snarled, pushing all that he had into forcing the Noah back, freeing his blades from the stalemate with the ringing sound of grating metal, only to quickly change direction and scissor the two blades back at the Noah's neck, hoping to end it with a swift decapitation.
Tyki's eyes widened in surprise as the swords swung back at him, and he only just managed to avoid getting his head removed by leaning backwards so that they cut through empty air. He was surprised that the exorcist had nearly managed to out-manoeuvre him with such a simple attack, but he wasn't going to let the younger man get complacent- it had been nothing but a lucky move, after all. He grinned smugly, holding his bladed arms out to the sides mockingly. "What's the matter, Mr Exorcist? Can you not manage to cut me with your knife?"
Kanda's eyes narrowed at the Noah who insisted on mocking him even now, but said nothing, raising Mugen once more, searching for an opening, and not finding one. Despite the Noah's seemingly relaxed pose, Kanda could find no weakness in his stance, and he was as irritated as hell. It was getting the point where he was even considering abandoning all of his training and just charging at the Noah to see where that would get him, but before he could decide whether to act recklessly in the hope of surprising the so-far unruffled Noah, a loud rumble tore through the air, echoing along the tiny streets. Even in the relative darkness, a clear cloud of dust could be seen silhouetted against the pre-dawn sky.
0o0o0o0o0
Allen skidded to a halt on his precarious perch on the roof tiles, open-mouthed in shock. The level three Akuma seemed to find his surprise amusing and laughed. "What's the matter, little human? Never seen an Akuma before, have you?"
Allen didn't try and correct the demon, though he was annoyed about the 'little' comment- he had grown, after all. Though to be fair, when you're ten foot tall yourself, most people would look 'little'. He took notice of the glowing green object in the Akuma's hand.
"Where are you taking that innocence?" he asked the Akuma. The demon looked down at his hand then back up to Allen, confusion written across its ugly features.
"You're no exorcist" the Akuma said with conviction. "You're not wearing a coat."
"No, I'm not" Allen agreed amiably. "I am not with the Black Order."
'Don't push it too far, boy. The Akuma will kill you just to simplify matters if you confuse it.' The Fourteenth warned softly.
Allen sniffed in acknowledgement but didn't otherwise reply. Instead, he turned his attention back onto the Akuma. "How about you give me the innocence? I'm heading back to Tyki now"
The Akuma stalled, obviously out of its depth. "Lord Tyki-Noah?" it asked slowly.
"That's right, He's fighting an exorcist right now. Why don't you hand over the innocence and go and help him out?"
The Akuma seemed to be considering Allen carefully, its head tilted to one side as it thought. "Who are you?" it asked eventually, apparently at a loss.
"Nobody important" Allen assured it, taking a step closer with his hand extended.
Warily, the Akuma reached out with its own hand, offering the innocence cube to Allen. Just before he could take it from the demon, however, the Akuma snatched its hand back, a scornful sneer on its face.
"You think I'm stupid, human. You might not be wearing the coat, but you have innocence. You are an exorcist." It spat the word 'exorcist' as though it tasted foul.
Allen frowned. "Not anymore I'm not" he corrected, but his smile was grim. "You are right about one thing though- I do have innocence." And as he spoke he activated Crown Clown, moving to slice the Akuma with his claws before it could get away, but it was faster than he had thought, and dodged the blow easily, dancing out of range across the rooftops.
Gritting his teeth in irritation, he sprang after it, arms pumping as he attempted to catch up with the deceptively speedy Akuma. The tiles beneath his feet were slick with rain and made movement difficult, though it seemed that the Akuma was having no such trouble at keeping it's balance.
"Lord Tyki will be most pleased that I killed you and found the innocence" the Akuma said as it dodged another blow from Allen, moving smoothly from one roof to another.
Allen scoffed. "Tyki Mikk has tried and failed to kill me before, I hardly think that the likes of you will fare any better."
It looked like the Akuma didn't know whether to believe him or not, but what it thought was not relevant- it was only a matter of time until Allen managed to get close enough to finish it- after all, the Akuma was only defending, perhaps it knew that to come close enough to attack would mean it's destruction.
The delay was frustrating the hell out of Allen. He needed to get back to Kanda, not waste time chasing down this Akuma. It was the thought of Kanda that drove him to act recklessly, jumping forward suddenly, startling the Akuma which hadn't expected him to make such a bold, and in hindsight, stupid, move.
The Akuma's reach was longer, so despite the length of Allen's claw-like fingers, the outstretched demon's hand had to actually pass through his body before Allen could touch it. Which is exactly what happened.
Luckily the Akuma's taloned-hand only hit the upper, fleshier part of his shoulder, though the impact was enough to dislocate the joint and punch a sizeable hole through his flesh, as well as snapping the thin collarbone and fracturing his shoulder-blade. Allen felt the joint sag as the Akuma started to disintegrate, it's arm pulling free before it was completely destroyed. As it vanished, it's soul finally free, the innocence it had been carrying dropped to the tiles with a soft tinkling sound.
Allen sighed, deactivating his own innocence so that he could use his left arm to support his now injured right as he walked forward to collect the retrieved fragment. But even as his fingers closed around it, the beams supporting the roof gave a warning groan before the ground was rushing up to meet him as he fell in a confusing tumble of tiles and wood.
0o0o0o0o0
"It would seem that my Akuma may have gone overboard with your little friend" Tyki said, smirking. He attempted to contact the level three that he knew should have been in the area, but nothing answered his mental address. "How strange" he muttered, the purple blades vanishing as he crossed his arms and rubbed his chin as though confused. "My Akuma appears to have been destroyed, yet the exorcist stands before me."
The act of confusion was dropped and he turned a sinister expression on the exorcist. "Tell me, before I kill you, just who is that boy with you?"
The exorcist smirked arrogantly. "You'll never know. He'll be gone with the innocence long before you get past me."
"We shall see" was all Tyki said as the blades re-materialised before he charged forward once more.
0o0o0o0o0
Allen groaned as he sat up, surprised that he hadn't been knocked unconscious by the falling debris. He did feel like the wind had been knocked out of him, and his already injured arm now hurt like a bitch. It seemed that due to his dislocated shoulder, he had been unable to use his right arm to break his fall, and the fall had broken him instead. It was too dark to see for sure but it seemed like at least one, if not both of the bones in his forearm had been broken when he landed. In his now-slack fingers however, the innocence cube was still glowing serenely, and he was thankful that he had not let go of it in the chaos of the fall.
He knew he had to get out of here- there was no way that none of the townspeople hadn't heard the roof collapsing, and soon the area would be swarming with locals intent on finding out what exactly had just happened, and if the collapse had been as noisy as he suspected, it was quite possible that Tyki and Kanda had heard it too, even from their distance.
It was that thought more than anything else that spurred him into action- if Tyki had heard the roof collapse, he would probably assume that it was the result of the Akuma catching up with him. What if he tried to contact it and got no reply? It was unlikely that he'd think that a simple human had finished off the machine-demon. If Kanda got hurt because of his carelessness…
He got to his feet, weaving precariously as he clutched his right arm with his left, trying to ignore the pain that throbbed incessantly from his shoulder. That Akuma had really done a number on him- if it came down to it, there was no way he'd be able to use his exorcism sword- his right hand was not going to be holding anything anytime soon.
Still… he couldn't hang around here all night- he couldn't even leave like he'd promised. Kanda was in danger and it was his fault- that was all he knew, and he couldn't go without the other man. They'd both known he wasn't planning on it anyway, no matter what Allen had promised before they separated.
He took a few uneven steps forward, testing out the rest of his limbs. Fortunately it seemed that everything else was in full working order, and he gritted his teeth and forced himself to move, steadily picking up the pace until he hit a lurching jogging run that caused him to meander slightly along the pavement, crashing unsteadily into buildings and grasping lamp-posts in an attempt to keep him upright. He used the distant crumbling spire of the abandoned church as a landmark, keeping his eyes on it as he ignored everything else. He knew it was careless- knew there were Akuma wandering around, that for all he knew Tyki had finished with Kanda and was now seeking him out, but none of that mattered. He kept himself moving determinedly, desperate to make it back to Kanda's side.
0o0o0o0o0
Kanda choked as the inhuman strength the Noah possessed pinned him easily against the stone monument like a butterfly to a board. Mugen was still tightly clutched in one hand- he wasn't going to be letting go of it in any hurry- and he used the other one to try and prise Tyki's hand from his throat, a rather fruitless effort that was forcing him to use more oxygen than he was getting, not to mention hurting his broken wrist like hell. He tried to slow his breathing, to calm down and try to think of a way to get the Noah to let go of him, but nothing sprang to mind. From this angle he couldn't as much as poke Tyki with his sword, and the Noah easily rejected any kick that Kanda actually landed.
There had to be something he could do- there was no way he was going to be choked to death in an old abandoned churchyard, in the small hours of the morning, amid damp eroded grave-markers with no one to witness but the dead. It wasn't his style at all.
He gritted his teeth and made as if to kick the Noah again, distracting the tall man's attention enough that he didn't see Kanda's hand flying towards his face until it had actually made contact.
The area of grey skin darkened with the blow for a brief moment before the Noah's regenerative powers wiped the evidence away, much faster than Kanda's own wounds were disappearing.
"That was a good try" Tyki commended with a small, mocking smile that only incensed Kanda more, "But I am afraid that your little love-taps will do nothing to harm me."
"Then how about one from me?" a new voice said, and before either the exorcist or the Noah had chance to react, a gloved left fist was flying at Tyki's face, landing hard against his cheekbone and sending the grey-skinned man's head reeling back with the blow.
Kanda took the chance to knee the Noah in the nuts before breaking free of his now slackened grip and, grabbing hold of the new arrival with his uninjured right hand whilst still managing to keep a tight grip on Mugen, began to weave his way through the gravestones to where he had a vague recollection of the gate being.
He was so furious that at first he ignored the pained noises coming from his companion, but even he had to stop when an angry boot kicked him in the back of his knee, catching him unawares and making him stumble.
"What the fuck, Moyashi? What the hell do you think you're doing? You should be half-way to Paris by now." It was then he seemed to realise the state that Allen was in. He raised an eyebrow in question, words obviously failing him for the moment
Allen sniffed. "Stop looking at me like that, it's not my fault the roof collapsed." He tugged the arm that Kanda was still holding a little. "And can you let go? I'm pretty sure it's broken and you holding it like that isn't helping."
Kanda dropped the limb, still looking a little shocked at Allen's appearance. "Pretty sure it's broken?" he echoed. "It looks like it's about to drop off! Che, you make even the most simple of missions a fight for your life, Moyashi."
"Moyashi?" a smooth voice interjected as Tyki rounded a grave-marker and stalked gracefully towards them. "What a charming pet name. Beansprout, how lovely, though I fail to see the resemblance…" He studied the pair for a moment. "Of course, it is not the first time that I have heard that name from your lips, is it, Mr. Exorcist? Do you remember our battle in Edo?"
Kanda's eyes widened almost imperceptivity, though Allen saw it and wondered what it could mean. He had missed much of the battle in Edo before they entered the Ark, and the happenings afterwards had driven anything else from his mind, but if he had to put a word to the expression on Kanda's face, he would have almost called it… dread… maybe even fear… just what the hell was making Kanda look at him with that face?
"You used it like an insult back then" the Noah continued "said that you didn't care about that particular individual whom I had failed to kill" Tyki smiled as though reminiscing. "All the same, I do not think that you are the type to give pet names freely, and are even less likely to use the same one twice." He now fixed golden eyes on Allen, who felt his body tense. He cursed himself for being so slow- apparently Kanda had realised where Tyki's monologue was going long before he did. No wonder he had looked worried.
"It has been a long time, Allen Walker."
Shit was the first, rather eloquent, thought that crossed Allen's mind at that moment. He took a half step back, wondering if he should continue with his charade or whether it was too late to try and pretend to be anyone else. The look on Tyki's face suggested that even if he did try to deny the fact that he was who the Noah had guessed he was, it would do no good.
"Let me guess," the Noah said, grinning fiendishly. "You are wondering whether you can get away with a denial, aren't you boy? Forget it."
Allen said nothing, though the frown on his face deepened and he glanced at Kanda out of the corner of his eye.
"Now I wonder," the Noah began as he started circling the two exorcists. "Why is the Dark Order's golden boy running around in disguise?"
'Be careful,' the voice of the Fourteenth warned softly, 'my brother is not prone to moments of mercy, and right now we are all easy targets.'
Allen silently acknowledged the Fourteenth's words, though he hardly needed to be told what the Noah of Pleasures was capable of.
"Not that it actually matters to me," Tyki continued, truly looking like he didn't care one way or the other. "I wonder whether you have betrayed the Order?" he mused, one hand on his chin as he continued to circle. "But then I ask myself, why would your companion in this circumstance be none other than an exorcist? Are you under cover? No, since your innocence marks you for what you are to anyone with half a brain. Is the Order facing a mutiny? Has the harshness of the upper echelons forced you to lose faith? Have you both turned your back on the church? If that is the case, why have you not Fallen?" He stopped in front of Allen, standing a little too close for comfort.
Allen heard Kanda shift positions behind him, as though preparing for an attack that was inevitable and immediately forthcoming.
"Perhaps," Tyki murmured as he bent closer "Your Order does not trust you anymore." He leaned his face towards Allen's, bending slightly at the waist and staring into his silver eyes. "Yes. There is something in you that they fear. It was you who moved the Ark in Edo, wasn't it, boy? It was not Cross as the Earl believed, but his apprentice." He stood suddenly, looking triumphant. "Cross was not the one to inherit the memories of the Musician, was he?"
Allen said nothing, though the half step backward, bringing him closer to Kanda's comforting heat seemed to be all the answer that the Noah needed.
"How pleased the Earl will be when he discovers that I have destroyed the greatest threat to his vision for this planet."
The words took longer to register in his mind than it took for Tyki to move, and by the time he realised what the Noah had been planning, it was already too late. He closed his eyes as he braced himself for pain, expecting the Noah of Pleasure's hand to disappear into his chest and rip out his heart any moment, but the pain did not come. Instead he heard a surprised sound come from Tyki, and a harsh raspy cough from in front of him. He blinked his eyes open and stared in shock at Kanda's back, at Tyki's hand that was protruding from it and felt sick.
What the hell was Kanda thinking? How was this any better than Allen getting injured? Granted if he survived the initial blow, Kanda would be able to heal this wound far faster than he could, but never had he expected the older man to step in front of an attack to save him- it wasn't how Kanda worked. Although he professed to hate everybody, that they would have to fend for themselves and if they couldn't, well, it was survival of the fittest for a reason, Kanda had never really put those ideas into practice, but still, to dismiss them so blatantly as to put himself in the way of an attack that would have hit a comrade, without the cover of a battle to make it less obvious…
Kanda coughed again, a horrible, gasping noise that warned of internal damage.
"Kanda…" Allen whispered stepping closer and spreading a hand across the slightly taller man's back. "What..? Why..?"
Tyki seemed to be in a state of shock, apparently not expecting the Japanese man to move so fast. He pulled himself together quickly however, and a sneering smile crossed his face. "I was going to have to destroy you sooner or later, but I was rather hoping to take care of little Allen first. Now I'll have your blood staining my gloves when I wrap my hands around his frightened little heart…"
"Stop Tyki, let him go," Allen said, stepping around Kanda who still hung limply on the Noah's arm. "Let him go" he said again, "and I'll make this interesting for you."
"Oh?" the Noah asked, amused. "And how will you do that?"
"Aren't you curious?" Allen whispered seductively, temptingly, as he slowly positioned himself between the Noah and Kanda, both pairs of eyes fixed on him, clearly wondering what exactly he thought he was doing. "Don't you want to know" he asked, wrapping his hands around Tyki's arm to guide it from Kanda's chest as he held the Noah captivated with his quiet words and lack of fear. He heard Kanda stumble behind him and knew that he was free. "Don't you want to know" he said again, forcing the spellbound Noah back a few steps, silver eyes locked with gold, "why I am not already dead by your hand? You tried to kill me twice, Tyki Mikk. Don't you ever wonder why I am still alive?"
The Noah swallowed and smirked. "The thought had crossed my mind, yes. No matter how we try to destroy you, you keep popping back up. Rather like a cockroach in that respect, aren't you?"
Allen smiled, though he found nothing humorous about the situation. "A cockroach? Perhaps. I do seem to have an innate ability to survive. Maybe I'm just stronger than you are."
"Doubtful" Tyki scoffed, freeing his arm from Allen's grasp and taking another step back to reclaim his personal space. This time Allen didn't follow him.
I hope this works he thought, talking a small, almost unnoticeable step backwards, then another, opening up the space between them. He also hoped that Kanda was ready, and that he wouldn't hurt him too much when he realised what Allen was planning to do.
"No matter what the reason, you won't escape this time, boy," Tyki said, crossing his arms and smirking, as though he thought that Allen's show of bravado was over, nothing more than a way of trying to buy time that ultimately, Tyki had an excess of. That was why he had allowed Allen to separate him from the Japanese exorcist, had allowed the boy to put space between them. No matter what Allen was planning, the ending would be the same- the two exorcists had nothing to look forward to but their own inevitable destruction.
That was why he was so surprised when the pre-dawn darkness was split by a blinding white light that bleached all colour from the graveyard and chased the lingering shadows of night away. He could only stare in disbelief as Allen turned, accelerating into a sprint that took him to his companion's side in a moment, hauling the other man to his feet and supporting him as best he could with his broken arm and injured shoulder.
He could only watch in stunned incredulity as the light vanished, taking the two exorcists and the portal to the Ark with it.
0o0o0o0o0
Jo looked up in alarm as a flash of blinding white light chased away the shadows that clung to the room, the dawn light not enough to break through the tiny, grimy window yet. She watched, terrified, as a series of shapes made of the same light descended from the ceiling, but what frightened her more were the two figures that tumbled from the light as though it was a doorway; two long-haired figures in disarray, splattered with blood and wearing ripped and tattered clothing.
She didn't know whether to scream or not- they hardly looked to be in the state where they posed a threat to her safety, but they had just tumbled out of thin air…she hovered indecisively on the spot, wringing her hands a little in nervousness. It wasn't until the brown-haired figure groaned and disentangled itself from it companion that she finally realised who it was.
Clutching his head, he shifted to his knees and lifted his eyes to hers. His face was scratched and bleeding, smeared with dirt and sweat, and the scar that she had only seen the once was showing through the concealer.
Allen gritted his teeth, trying to will the headache away. He hadn't had much choice, but he knew it was dangerous to use the Ark. It just gave Fourteenth permission to try and take over, and Allen had already been tired and worn out even before he attempted it. Now he felt completely wrung out. Kanda was going to kill him as soon as he could move, Allen realised. He looked down at the exorcist lying in a heap beside him, half on his front, half on his side, who was glaring at Allen particularly venomously though half-closed eyes.
"Are you okay?" Allen asked him, brushing dark hair aside so he could see Kanda's face properly.
Pale and dirty, shadows of fatigue under his eyes and smeared with blood, Kanda looked exhausted. His glared intensified under the scrutiny, and Allen couldn't have been happier to have that scorching gaze looking at him. There had been a point earlier when he wondered if he'd see it again.
"You're an idiot, Moyashi" Kanda growled out, teeth gritted in a grimace of pain that he was too tired to hold in. "I fucking hate you."
Allen grinned as Kanda closed his eyes. No, really, he couldn't have been happier.