Jekhipe Chapter 6, a d.gray-man fanfic

Tyki watched his niece from behind as she stood against the side of the wagon, watching them load it up before they left once more. In the brightening darkness, he watched her yawn and move to pull her hair back out of her face- - -an old habit she had yet to lose.

"Tired, darling?" He murmured into her ear as he hugged her from behind. Her head tilted back against his chest, the tips of her hair brushing just under his face.

"Good morning, Kak." Rhode muttered back, sleep still heavy in her voice. She yawned again, her arms stretching out past him as she tried futilely to wake herself even more. Her arms settled on his shoulders against his neck, nimble fingers playing with strands of his wavy brown hair. "Where's 'Dero and Devi?"

"They're both in the process of moving the tent they use into a wagon." Tyki teased her gently. "Same as Lulubell, Skinn, even your mama and papa." Rhode used the position her hand was in to whack his head lightly at the teasing jab.

"Be nice." She scolded gently, rubbing her eyes. Allowing a lazy smile to cross her face, Rhode studied her uncle.

Despite the early time of day, he had somehow managed to both waken fully- - -he had been doing this longer, even if it was only by four years- - -and dress up into his usual traveling clothes; the sleeves of his white button up shirt were rolled up to his elbows, hair tied back to prevent it from falling in his face. Tyki noted the look of sadness that crossed her face at the sight of his hair. Making a mental note to cut it soon, as it was beginning to get ridiculously long, Tyki hugged her once more.

"You mustn't blame yourself for what happened, darling." He muttered. Rhode allowed him to hug her, one hand snaking between them to tug at the end of her hair.

A few days earlier, Rhode had been traveling alone from town with groceries. The sun had been beginning to set, and she had been almost home when she heard a muffled cry from the side of the road; after a moment's debate, she placed the groceries on the ground to investigate.

A young woman, no older than the girl herself, had been huddled in under a fallen tree. Rhode later described her as a young woman from the town, most likely the daughter of a baker or some other villager. She had shoulder-length black hair, big brown eyes, and a purple, half-torn shawl around her shoulders. Her hands were bruised and bloodied, as was what Rhode could see of her face, and the dark blue dress she wore was muddied and torn. She was shaking, from fright, and Rhode hesitantly offered her hand in help.

The girl took Rhode's proffered hand, peering up at her from behind a tangled mess of black hair; when she saw Rhode fully, a smile lit up her features, and she had licked her dry lips quickly.

"Not the one we wanted," She had rasped, her grip tightening on Rhode, "but good enough, eh?"

Eyes wide, Rhode twisted her hand out of the girl's grasp. She stepped back, terror filling her body and face as she watched the girl stand, completely uninjured despite the blood dripping down her face and hands; for a single moment, Rhode couldn't move.

It wasn't until the girl reached for her again- - -"after all, isn't this pretty little girl the princess of the Noah clan?"- - -that Rhode found it in her to move again. Almost tripping over an unearthed root by the tree, Rhode stumbled back only to find herself surrounded on the road. Around them were three or four boys, none of them any older than her uncle or Lavi, and Rhode had felt her skirt twist around her as she spun to see all of them at once (she mentioned later that she had cursed the fact it had been hot that day- - -she had been wearing nothing but a white thinly strapped shirt that gave a clear view of her breasts and a short skirt that stopped halfway down her thighs). The other girl crawled out, standing fully at what appeared to be the head of the circle around Rhode.

Coming to a stop, Rhode slid her feet out in a defensive pose, fists coming to a stop by her face as she had decided to fight her way out.

"What do you want?" She hissed at them, narrowing her eyes to hide the fear in her body. A strangled gasp left her as one of the boy's behind her wrapped her long braid around his hand and yanked harshly on it. As he yanked, her body followed the pull, making her drop her stance as her hands flew to the hair that fell just past her butt when not braided as it was now.

"Do all gypsy whores have hair as long as yours, darling?" The boy asked, sneering and mocking her. Rhode turned to face him as best she could, scowling deeply at the boy holding one of the things that had been her true pride- - -her hair.

"I'm no whore." She hissed back, eyes narrowing more as she allowed anger to replace the fear. "Don't mock me with your words or speak of a thing you don't know, you fool." His eyes narrowed as well; they had a stare down before he gestured towards one of his friends.

"Let's teach the whore," he stressed the word as he approached Rhode menacingly, "her place, boys." Behind her, the girl cackled loudly; Rhode ignored her until the boy with his hand in her hair was close enough, then she swung out one of her clenched hands; she caught his face, making him grunt in surprise. He stumbled in surprise, almost falling to the floor, dragging Rhode after him. She let out a yelp of pain, trying to get away from him while her body unwillingly and instinctively followed.

One of the boys had reach for them at the same time Rhode forced herself to pull away. A knife cut through her hair, releasing her from the other's tight grip, causing her to stumble back and fall back onto her palms, head banging against someone's legs.

Her gold eyes flew open to meet with furious gold.

"What on earth is going on here?" Tyki, who had been sent to get her when she had began taking too long, glared at the four boys around her. He'd expected her to be in the town still, distracted by a pretty trinket, not halfway to their camp surrounded by idiotic village boys.

"Kak!" Rhode scrambled to her feet, throwing her arms around her uncle's waist. She twisted around so she was behind him, her arms still tight around him, her gold eyes fierce again.

"Explain." Tyki ordered the group. A Tease, following high above its master as usual, fluttered down and landed on the leader's shoulder; he cried out in pain and surprise when it bit him harshly.

"It was nothing!" He yelped again, a sound slightly deeper than Rhode's, when the Tease bit him again. "No...it was Lyssa! It was Lyssa's idea!" Tyki's narrowed gaze moved from the boy to the girl who had tricked Rhode. She glared back defiantly before dropping her gaze to the ground.

"You gypsies," She snarled quietly, her gaze still defiant despite not meeting the older boy's eyes, "have no place here! You've no right to come here for any reason!" With a slight growl, she forced her gaze back to Tyki's. "Your whole troupe, master and all, will rot in hell for being nothing more than cheap whores and stupid drunkards! You're all outcasts, all of you! And you're only good for one thing." She spat on the floor between them. "Useless crooks, all you'll ever be good at."

"Your hatred gives you no reason or right to attack an innocent girl." Tyki hissed, one hand held out for the Tease to return to and the other holding gently onto the clasped hands around his middle; it was his silent way of offering comfort, as he could feel Rhode's arms shaking unnoticeably around him.

A noise sounded behind them- - -it came from the village, and Tyki smiled cruelly at the group before him.

"It appears to be getting rather late for boys and girls of your age to be out and about." The group stumbled back slowly. "Good night, all." Tyki allowed a truly evil smile to cover his face and he allowed himself to fill with a sadistic sort of pleasure as he watched their faces fill with fear- - -they knew, after all, his Tease were cannibalistic...

While they all turned and bolted, shoving past one another, Tyki turned to face his niece. Ignoring the arms around his waist, Tyki patted the space behind her head where her braid normally hung.

"My poor darling." He murmured softly, still petting her head. Rhode collapsed against him, her grip tightening as she placed her face carefully in his chest and cried. "I should have come so much sooner." His hand traced the jagged ends of her hair; the knife had cut unevenly due to the angle Rhode had threw herself. It was cut up to her left ear, getting longer at a slight angle until it reached just past her neck by her right ear.

In the middle of the road, where the leader had dropped it when the Tease bit his shoulder, the rest of Rhode's hair lay in a crumpled heap. It was tied at one end, the braid holding firm, and coiled around until it reached an uneven cut, where it had been separated from Rhode's head.

With a sigh, Tyki carefully hoisted Rhode up and began the walk back to their camp.

(Tricia had to even her daughter's hair out, and she did so without complaint; silent tears fell down her face as Rhode sat still as a statue and allowed her mother to cut her hair for the first time since she had been a baby. Both women had loved Rhode's hair, and the sudden loss of it sadden them both immensely.)

They decided to leave as soon as possible, to avoid any other possible confrontations.

Rhode tugged on the ends of her hair. It seemed that without the weight, her hair was naturally spiky. It flew in odd angles around her head, a few falling into her face.

"Do you think Lenalee will like my hair?" She asked pensively, eyes crossing a bit as she stared at a spike in the middle of her head.

"She might." Tyki said gently, his hand in her hair. "It makes you look cute, darling." Rhode smiled briefly, still staring at the lock of hair.

"Do you..." She cleared her throat when her voice came out raspy and harsh. When she was sure her voice was back to normal, she spoke again. "Do you think she'll still dress me up even though my hair's gone?" Tyki frowned slightly, hearing the unheard question in the almost too casual way she spoke.

Will she still like me even though my hair isn't as long as it used to be?

"Why wouldn't she?" Rhode shrugged, looking away from her uncle.

"Appearances are important to people like her." She muttered, her arms crossing almost self-consciously across her chest. "And part of dressing me up was doing some crazy thing to my hair that involved a lot of sitting still and a lot of pins. She can't do that anymore, because my hair isn't the same length any more. There's really nothing to do to my hair anymore." Tyki smiled warmly at her, though she didn't see it because she was insistent on looking anywhere but him as she revealed her insecurities.

"She'll find something to do." Tyki assured her gently, pulling her close again and pressing his lips against her forehead. "Don't worry, Rhode. She wouldn't abandon you over your hair. Besides, you know Lenalee isn't like that at all, right?"

"I know." Her words were muffled by his shirt. "I know, truly. But I can't help it- - -everyone would comment on my hair and how it was so pretty, and long..."

"Come on." Tyki pulled away from her. "We have to finish packing up. You'll see Lenalee in a few days, and you'll see that she won't leave you just because of a little thing like your hair. Surely appearances don't mean that much." Rhode made a face at him, her tongue sticking out at him. The expression made Tyki laugh- - -he had managed to successfully pull Rhode from her own depressing thoughts.

"Boys. Men!" She exclaimed, exasperation coloring her tone. "They don't understand how important appearances are!"

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Tyki saw their usual camp grounds before anyone else; he had ridden ahead of everyone else, determined to get away from them all for just a brief moment. He pulled his horse to a stop in the middle of the soon to be filled site.

It was quiet, and Tyki relished the lack of noise while he could. Once Jasdero and Devito came, the noise-less peace would shatter and be replaced by a different sort of peace, one that was born from the two constantly fighting and making up before fighting again. In their entire troupe, it was always those two who were the loudest among them.

Out of the corner of his eye, something silver flashed and he winced slightly before turning to face it.

Despite the two seasons that had passed from the sudden...departure of Allen Walker, none of the closer-bonded Noah family had forgotten the paler boy. Jasdero would whine, Devito would scowl, Lulubell's impossibly blank stare would get colder and, somehow, more closed-off; even Sheryl and Tricia would get a heartbroken expression on their faces, their hands intertwining as they supported each other silently every time his name somehow managed to slip out. The Millennium Earl refused to acknowledge anything about the boy who had traveled with them, though every now and then there was an aura around him that could only be classified as a deep, heart wrenching depression. He would knit something for each of them, a hat or a scarf or a bag for something, in the colors they had long ago decided on- - -an earthly brown for Tyki, an impressive violet for Rhode, a crimson red for Jasdero and Devito (it had been a deep midnight blue-black before for the two boys; it changed after Allen had begun placing himself more firmly into the life of Kanda Yuu and they realized that the color they had chosen was almost an exact match to the shade of the samurai boy's hair), only to find in the end, he'd created a silver something for Allen as well; some of the time, it ended up in the fire.

Most of the time, though, the Millennium Earl would hold it quietly and sigh deeply as he studied it, creating a picture of moroseness that would make Tyki pull Rhode away from the place they had taken while they watched their leader.

"Allen?" He called out, despite the slightly thickening of his voice. "Is that you?"

There was no response, and Tyki felt his tense body relax slightly. After a few moments, Tyki relaxed almost completely, his hand blindly reaching backwards to touch the side of his horse.

"Look over there, Lenalee!" He heard Lavi's voice coming from the tree and he turned towards it instinctively. Lenalee giggled and Tyki moved toward the duo with a smile- - -it felt as though it had been far too long since he'd last seen the red head.

He found them, Lavi standing among the branches, Lenalee sitting underneath him with her legs folded primly underneath her.

"Who is it you are looking for?" Lenalee turned her head and smiled brightly at him; Lavi spun around so quickly he nearly fell out of the tree. Only a hand grabbing the trunk saved him from falling and injuring himself.

"Tyki!"

"Is Rhode with you as well?" Tyki leaned down, giving Lenalee a hug and pressing a quick kiss to her forehead.

"I'm afraid not, Miss Lenalee." He smiled a bit at the glare she sent his way. "But I do have something to tell you about her."

"She isn't hurt, is she?" Lavi asked as he landed next to Lenalee.

"No, no, she's fine." Tyki hesitated slightly. "There was an accident with the last town. Rhode ended up getting involved in a small fight, and her hair was cut."

"Is that all?" Lavi snorted, leaning back against the trunk of the tree. Lenalee turned a small glare at him and he shrugged. "Her hair was pretty and all, but it was long as hell, don't you think?"

"How short is it now?" Lenalee asked; Tyki smiled inwardly. It seemed only a girl knew what really happened inside a girl's mind.

"Like this." He motioned with Lenalee's hair, placing his hands around where he thought Rhode's hair would be if it lay flat. Lenalee's eyes widened in sympathy.

"Poor girl." She murmured softly.

"She's under the impression you won't want anything to do with her now that her hair is that short." Tyki told her. "I put her mind at ease for a moment, but the closer we come the more nervous she becomes, though she won't admit it. See if you can't settle her nerves for her once the rest arrive, will you, Miss Lenalee?"

Lenalee's eyes blazed.

"Of course!" She almost snapped at Tyki. "What made her come up with such an idea in the first place?" Tyki shrugged.

"She said something about appearances, and how much you value them, Miss Lenalee."

"Of all the- - -I can't believe- - -" Lenalee seemed to struggle for words. Tyki watched her, amused, before glancing in their usual spot and seeing Sheryl and Tricia arrive, followed by Cross.

"They appear to be catching up." Lenalee's eyes followed Tyki's and narrowed.

"I'll be right back." With that, she stood up and began marching down towards them. Lavi and Tyki watched her go quietly.

When she was far enough, Lavi spoke.

"'Hell hath no fury...'" He quoted softly. Tyki turned to him and laughed.

"Hello, Lavi." The red head grinned at him after another moment of staring after Lenalee.

"Hello, Tyki." He greeted cordially. Jumping to his feet, Lavi stretched and nodded towards the camp ground, where the rest of the troupe had arrived and left a wide birth where Lenalee was sternly lecturing Rhode; Rhode was staring at the ground, hands twisting, but not even the distance could hide the smile growing on her face despite her biting her lip to stop it. "Shall we follow her, then? Make sure she doesn't abuse the girl too much."

"Yes, I suppose." Tyki stood as well; when he made to walk, Lavi grabbed his arm and pulled him close, pressing a firm kiss on his lips.

"Welcome home." The red head muttered, face flushing darkly. Tyki grinned, placing his forehead against Lavi's. It was a routine they had begun shortly after they had confessed: every time they met up, Lavi would tell him the same 'welcome home' because he knew that the gypsy had no true home, almost as if it was a running joke between the two. The greeting made Tyki smile each time, which encouraged Lavi.

"Thank you." They kissed again, Tyki taking Lavi's hand as they did and pulling the red head after him when they parted.

Together, they made their way back to camp.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"How did you join the Millennium Earl's troupe?" Tyki was leaning against the trunk of the tree, for once not high above the ground, Lavi in between his legs, the boy's back pressed against his chest and his head on the gypsy's shoulder. His own arms were draped loosely around the red head's waist, and there had been a comfortable silence between them until Lavi spoke.

"Hm?" The red head traced a design on one of his hands, his face slightly red if the way it suddenly heated up was any indication.

"How did you join the Millennium Earl's troupe?" Tyki laughed, leaning his head back.

"It took you almost nine seasons to decide whether or not you should ask such a thing?" He asked, amusement in his voice. Lavi's face heated up a bit more, the red head muttering something about a 'touchy subject' while he waited for Tyki to continue.

"Are you going to answer me or not?" Lavi asked after a moment of silence. His face was still red, though he hid it determinedly from sight. Tyki sighed through his nose, wrapping his arms more firmly around Lavi's waist while his chin found refuge on the red head's shoulder.

"Well," He started off, "I suppose that Sheryl's told me enough times." Tyki licked his lips quickly, and started talking. "I was approximately two seasons of age, and all I had really was Sheryl. He was...oh, about eleven seasons, I suppose. He had stopped on the side of the road with me- - -I believe we had been sent away for safety reasons."

"What kind of safety reasons?" Lavi interrupted suddenly, twisting his head slightly to look at the gypsy out of the corner of his eye. Tyki shrugged, the action more felt by the other than seen.

"I'm not quite certain just whom we were supposed to be protected from," He said, "But Sheryl said that we passed by where our old troupe had been setting up camp when we joined Lord Millennium, and it had been burned to the ground; women, men, children, there wasn't a single survivor among them, with the exception of us." Lavi went quiet, his back and shoulders expanding as he took deep breaths.

"I'm sorry." Lavi said quietly. Tyki shrugged, unconcerned. It wasn't as though he had any memories of the time before or even for a while after they joined the Millennium Earl and his troupe. He'd been too young to really remember anything at the time, not even remembering the amount of pain that came with getting any sort of tattoo on any surface of ones body. Everything he relayed to Lavi now was really Sheryl's memories as they were told to him a few seasons after the birth of his niece.

"At any rate, Sheryl had stopped to rest for a moment when Cross saw us. He'd been riding ahead, and had spotted us long before anyone else did."

"You were saved by Marian Cross, of all people?" Lavi asked semi-incredulously. The older red headed gypsy was not known for his kindness and hospitality- - -more for his ability to seduce any woman he wanted and wracking up huge debts that were more often than not unpaid. Tyki snorted, knowing what Lavi was thinking about.

"Cross is only two or three seasons older than Sheryl; he was thirteen seasons when he found us, and at the time he wasn't as...unique or eccentric as he is now." Lavi scrunched up his face slightly, trying to imagine a younger, less drunk, Marian Cross. Maybe with slightly shorter, less wild red hair, and a more open, friendly face.

He couldn't.

"Are you certain it was Cross?" He asked, just to be sure. Tyki laughed.

"Yes. And when Lord Millennium finally reached us, he gave Sheryl a choice: they could leave us be, and leave us to face the world on our own, or we could join them, and have the comfort of another troupe, another family despite how we were thrown together. Sheryl had been warned that we could never leave, and that we'd be getting tattooed, as a sign that we belonged among them as family."

"And Sheryl chose to join you both." The older gypsy heard the disapproval the boy tried to hide; the fact that it was there at all confused the gypsy immensely. Surely joining something that offered protection and a supportive lifestyle when one was unable to do so was a good thing? Their ages of joining where unimportant; Sheryl saw a benefactor providing what he could not, and decided that in the interest of their own survival, they would join. They survived, and the idea of him never having a true choice of joining had never bothered him before.

Did it bother Lavi?

"Twas a better fate than leaving a child and a toddler to the mercy of the world." Tyki said with another shrug that was more felt than seen. "People are not so friendly to gypsies, young or not. At least with them, we'd have some form of protection. And besides that," Lavi felt Tyki laugh softly. The gypsy decided to put the questions he could feel Lavi coming up with off, if only for a moment. "Sheryl had caught the eye of a pretty young gypsy girl. After he joined, they ended up courting each other and got married the first season we were there; and about a season after that, she was pregnant with Rhode."

"That young?" Lavi gasped, twisting around as much as he could to face Tyki. "Tricia was only thirteen when she had Rhode?"

"It's a long standing tradition that generally is upheld in our troupe. Tricia and Sheryl were married as soon as they realized they wanted nothing more than the other when it came to love. Even now, they still want one another, though Tricia was insistent on not having any more children after Rhode." Tyki sighed softly, almost inaudibly. He completed his task; Lavi's mind was no longer on the ages he and Sheryl had been when his brother had consented them to join the Millennium Earl's troupe.

The semi-thoughtful look on Lavi's face, however, promised a question Tyki may or may not want to answer. He raised an eyebrow when the red head opened his mouth but didn't say anything, choosing instead to close it.

"Are you married now, then?" Lavi asked quietly after a silent moment. Tyki seemed startled by the sudden question before shaking his head. If that was the only thing bothering his red head, then he had no qualms about clearing up that particular misunderstanding.

"Rhode and I seemed to be the exceptions to that particular tradition. Lord Millennium brought it up once with me, a few seasons back, but he noted I seemed to lean more towards not marrying anyone in our troupe and dropped it quickly. And Rhode..." Tyki shrugged. "She has always been Lord Millennium's favorite. He treats her like a beloved grandchild, and wasn't so eager to marry her off to anyone so soon."

As Lavi suddenly relaxed against Tyki, the gypsy realized that the revealing of that particular tradition of theirs had worried the other more than he had previously thought. Smiling slightly, Tyki pressed his cheek to the red head's briefly before turning and pressing a soft kiss to the skin.

"If I would marry anyone, it would be you." He murmured in the boy's ear. "Lord Millennium is aware of that; he holds no grudge against you, or me." Lavi turned his head slightly to smile at him, a slightly hopeful look in his eye. "Besides, if both parties truly loved each other, Lord Millennium has no wish to go against them." Tyki's arms tightened around Lavi's waist. "In truth, Lord Millennium is like a doting grandparent. All he really wants is for his family to be happy."

"Like with Allen?" Lavi snorted lightly. Tyki froze behind him, still unused to the sadness and slight pain that came from hearing about the boy. Lavi cursed slightly, turning around so that he was straddling Tyki's thighs and pressing a kiss to his cheek. "That was a low blow." He murmured. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Tyki tried to wave it off. "It's been two seasons since then. You'd think that we were over and done with it, yet..." Lavi didn't say anything as the gypsy sighed. Tyki debated silently with himself before his arms tightened around Lavi's waist. "How is he? Allen."

"He's happier than I've ever seen him before." Lavi watched Tyki's face carefully before he continued speaking. "He still argues with Kanda all the time, but I think that's the only way those two can communicate with each other. He worries about you and Rhode a lot; Jasdero and Devito too. Because you four, well five including him, were the youngest of the main family. And he wants Rhode to know he's sorry about her hair- - -he heard about the attack on her from Lenalee." Tyki nodded solemnly, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the tree trunk behind him; despite his nod, he knew he wouldn't tell Rhode a thing Allen Walker said. It still hurt her to hear his name, something Tyki suspected Allen knew.

"It's good to know he's doing well." With his eyes closed, Tyki felt more than saw the strange look Lavi was giving him. "It would be a shame to have to go through all that with Lord Millennium, and be doing poorly because of something insignificant. The fact that he's doing well means what happened with Lord Millennium wasn't for nothing." Lavi smiled, shifting so that he was half laying against Tyki and closing his eyes. Tyki took a deep breath, his hand entangling in Lavi's vibrant red hair. Lavi leaned into him a bit more forcefully, his head following the movement of Tyki's hand.

"You miss him, don't you?"

"We all do." Tyki responded, sighing slightly. Lavi's hand started tracing patterns on the back of his own hand. "None of us will admit it, but we all miss him deeply." Lavi chuckled under his breath, muttering something about stubborn gypsies. Tyki just smiled.

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"LENALEE!" Tyki jumped up in surprise at the sudden anguished cry that suddenly came from the Lee household he currently stood in front of. There was another loud cry, a crash that echoed even outdoors, and silence.

Unsurely, Tyki stepped onto the porch and knocked on the door. There was a moment's silence before the door was pulled open by a haggard-looking Rhode. Her hair, where it met her face, was plastered with sweat, and she appeared out of breath. Her clothes- - -a pink tank top and black pants rolled up to her knees, her feet bare as usual- - -were sticking to her in odd places.

"Hi, Kak!" She greeted cheerfully. In the background, there was a loud wail once again.

"What on earth is going on?" Tyki asked, peering around his niece to look in doors. As he did, the house went eerily quiet.

"Ah, well..." Rhode giggled unsurely.

"YOU!" Tyki threw himself backward as a sudden piece of sharp metal (like the tip of a sword, his mind supplied helpfully) shoved itself into the space where his head had been. His gold eyes crossed to keep sight of it, so much so he almost didn't see the person behind the sharp weapon.

"Ah..." He trailed off, trying to name the virtually enraged Lee in front of him. "K-Komui? Komui Lee?"

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY PRECIOUS LITTLE SISTER?" The man wailed. Tyki glanced at Rhode for help, but she appeared just as lost for words as he was.

"We haven't done anything!" Tyki said insistently, placing his hands up in surrender. "On my word, we haven't touched her."

"I don't believe you!" Komui snarled; the sound came out slightly pathetic and whining. "What have you done to my little Lenalee?"

"Nothing!" Tyki repeated, gold eyes wide. Komui didn't answer that time; merely shoved the drill further into the gypsy's face while he backed away as slowly and carefully as he could.

There was another round of silence; neither relented until...

"Brother, leave them alone!" Lenalee came rushing forward, hitting her brother in the head, which resulted in him dropping the sharp object in Tyki's face (it was some sort of a mutated drill, Tyki realized). As he did, the older gypsy got his first look at Komui.

The male was wearing a white coat, and hat what looked like a matching white beret. He had dark purple hair (which made Tyki curious, as Lenalee's hair was a green-tinted black- - -where the hell did the purple come from?) that fell just past his neck, and a thin pair of wire glasses perched on his face. At the moment, he looked a mixture of things: stressed, tired, worried, slightly maniac, and a gleam in his dark eyes that Tyki wanted to say was protective but looked more like complete insanity to him.

"What did they do to you, Lenalee?" Komui whimpered from his position on the floor. "You've never wanted to leave before; why now?"

"Leave?" Tyki echoed cluelessly. "Where are you going, Miss Lenalee?" Despite the amount of seasons knowing the girl, he still added the prefix to her name (it was for amusement as much as respect; he absolutely loved the way her violet eyes would roll whenever he spoke to her formally, and now was no exception).

Lenalee gave him an exasperated look, complete with eye rolling, but smiled at him.

"Yes, leaving." She repeated. "I was thinking of maybe joining you guys this year." Tyki gaped at her, mouth working soundlessly as he took in the new information. Rhode bit her lip, smiling widely yet with a shy tinge to it; she seemed to be the only one aware of Lenalee's plan ahead of time. Komui let out a wail.

"You can't leave your beloved brother behind, Lenalee!" He scolded with a whine. "You don't know if they can keep you safe!"

"I'm old enough to make my own decisions, brother!" Lenalee argued back. Komui shook his head violently.

"You're only seventeen!"

"I'll be eighteen soon enough!" Komui shook his head again, hugging Lenalee around her knees. Tyki raised an eyebrow at the sight; was this really the scientist that was respected for his discoveries?

"He's only like this when it come to Lenalee." Rhode whispered suddenly in his ear. "They're each other's only family, so he can get a little...protective." Tyki watched the exchange for a moment- - -Lenalee was speaking softly, crouched at her brother's eye level so he didn't have to tilt his head back too far; she appeared to be breaking down all her brother's arguments, as he looked on the verge of agreeing.

"Forgive me for interrupting." Komui whirled quickly as soon as the words left Tyki's mouth. The man's quickness startled Tyki, but he didn't let it show. "My name is Tyki Mikk. I'm Rhode's uncle."

"Pleasure..." Komui said slowly, inspecting him. Tyki gulped lightly, ignoring the what-do-you-think-you're-doing? look Rhode was sending him.

"If you wish, I could keep a close eye on Lenalee for you." Lenalee gave Tyki a grateful, yet slightly pained look that clearly read 'I don't want another brother...'; he ignored that as well. Komui's eyes widened, though, and a look of faint horror began to grow in them.

"You're that boy Lavi likes, aren't you?" Tyki nodded once; Komui looked him over again. "You mustn't ever let her out of your sight. And makes sure she writes to me every single time you guys stop." He took hold of Tyki and pulled him close; Tyki could feel the man's breath on his own face. "And if anything happens to her...I'll make sure you pay..."

Tyki gulped; behind Komui, Lenalee began inching her way towards Rhode.

"I love you brother!" Lenalee said, pressing a kiss against her brother's cheek before taking Rhode's hand and pulling her towards the camp as quickly as possible. They both watched her run before Komui's grip, which had been on Tyki's shoulder, tightened painfully.

"If she gets hurt..." Komui started; Tyki gulped, pulling slowly away.

"It's not going to happen." He promised firmly. "You have my word, Komui Lee." Komui narrowed his eyes at him before nodding once.

"I'll hold you to that, Tyki." He waved a hand carelessly. "Now go find them before they get in any trouble."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Six seasons, Tyki mused as he stood with Lavi in their usual tree, was time enough for this to drag on. They had already proven two seasons previous that they felt something for each other, and had slowly gotten closer under the ever watchful gaze of the Millennium Earl, his now constant warnings of treading carefully around the Bookman Jr falling on deaf ears as Tyki allowed himself to fall into Lavi as completely as Lavi fell into him.

It had been almost humiliating, explaining to his leader that he couldn't marry anyone in the troupe when he was eighteen seasons of age and more than eligible for marriage. Even more so when the Earl's smile turned knowing and he'd asked why. Tyki felt his cheeks burn lightly now as he remembered stammering out that he and the Bookman's apprentice had fallen for one another, and had most likely been doing so from the instant they'd met.

Their relationship had, over the past two seasons, gotten as physical as Tyki dared to get. Neither felt the urge to rush the relationship they were creating slowly, hoping that the progressing bond was strong enough to survive any type of struggle that would come across it.

The upcoming departure brought to light the first problem.

"We're leaving soon." Tyki started conversationally. Lavi blinked at him, but Tyki kept talking. "Lord Millennium is considering not coming back for a few seasons, like last time." Lavi winced slightly, but looked down at where Tyki was leaning back against the tree, just a few feet between them as Lavi had pulled himself into a higher branch. The junior Bookman studied him; the relaxed yet tense way he sat against the tree, the white button up shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the way his eyes watched the distance carefully, his hair wild and wavy, in his face and partially covering his golden eyes.

"Is that so?" Lavi hummed in mock-thought, grabbing the branch underneath him and swinging down to sit beside his gypsy lover. "So you won't be returning next season, I assume?" Tyki was quiet for a long time, and each moment he stayed silent Lavi grew more and more worried. "Tyki?"

"Would you like to come with us, Lavi?" The gypsy asked seriously, his golden eyes catching Lavi's emerald. Tyki reached up and gently took off Lavi's eye patch; Lavi let him, despite the burn mark covering his eye and marring his face. Pulling the red-head's face close, Tyki pressed a gentle kiss to his eye, then the other, his cheeks, his nose...his lips.

Lavi touched Tyki's face just as reverently, hoping to draw his mind away from the inquiry Lavi didn't want to answer.

"Please, Lavi." Tyki murmured as they drew apart for breath. Lavi whined and tried to pull him back again, but Tyki resisted. "Answer me, please. Would you come with us?"

"Stop asking such a thing!" Lavi cried, angry for inexplicable reasons. He wanted to go, would follow them in a heartbeat if he could, but... "You know I can't! I won't leave Bookman by himself, and leaving him now would be worse than when Allen left your troupe- - -don't ask something that big of me, Tyki, please!" He pulled himself away from Tyki, burying his hands in his hair. He missed the way the gypsy winced when Allen came up. "Just...please..."

There was a few moments of silence, then Tyki let out a deep breath he hadn't been aware he was holding.

"I see." Was all he said, struggling to maintain his composure and succeeding slightly. It stung more than he expected- - -but then again, he hadn't expected Lavi to reject his offer (him, his subconscious pointed out, not just the idea, but the person as well...) so harshly, if at all. Lavi sniffed lightly and turned to face him.

"You could stay here." The red head breathed, reaching out to place his hand gently on Tyki's cheek again. The gypsy kept his eyes to the side even as Lavi gently turned his face towards the boy's own. "Please, Tyki. You could stay with me, and Gramps- - -he won't mind, honest, he won't- - -and you could still see your family, Rhode and Jasdevi and all of them, when they came back every season, after they come back- - -" Lavi broke off, unable to continue as the Noah turned golden eyes on him.

"No, Lavi, I wouldn't be able to see them again." Tyki muttered. When Lavi looked at him curiously, Tyki elaborated. "None of us have seen either Kanda Yuu or Allen Walker in the past two seasons. Did you think that coincidence?"

"N-No, I- - -"

"It's not as easy as it sounds, leaving the Noah clan." Tyki hissed; he could feel the frustration of the situation climbing and he looked away from the red head in front of him. "They don't want to see Allen Walker any more. He's a ghost in our troupe, one that we don't dare to even bring up, even in passing. He's been completely eradicated from our lives. Rhode won't even bring him up in the conversations that we share."

"Tyki, I didn't- - -"

"Yet everything that reminds her of him- - -a flash of silver, perhaps, or one of his leftover belongings, even the space in my tent where he used to sleep- - -every little thing makes us all wince, because while what Allen did was completely unforgivable, he was still family." Tyki locked his eyes on Lavi's again, willing the boy to understand. "We loved and cared for him, and he all but threw it back at us the moment Skinn died. If I did that, if I even considered it for a moment, do you know how much it would destroy them, or how it would shatter Rhode? That her beloved Kak abandoned her for the exact same reason Allen did- - -for a warm house and a tentative relationship that may or may not last beyond the first season?" Tyki sighed heavily, running his hands through his hair as he thought. "I refuse to make the same mistake; I will not abandon my family, Lavi." He said finally, grabbing Lavi's wrist firmly in his hand. "No matter what, I refuse to sacrifice them for you." Lavi's eyes reflected his hurt, and Tyki shook his head.

"What kind of family are you part of," Lavi snarled, trying to push past the pain of their situation; he focused on the anger, trying to lose some of the overwhelming emotions tumbling inside him, "that they would sacrifice the happiness of one person so that they could all stay together?" Tyki was surprised, his eyes wide, but Lavi seemed determined to say what he wanted. "That they would take one no older than a baby and force it into such a hopeless situation as this?" Lavi's eye gleamed with fury and pain. "This isn't family- - -family doesn't consider it a betrayal when one falls in love and leaves to spend as much time as they can with the one they love."

"And Bookman is any better?" Tyki shot back angrily.

"That's different!" Lavi hissed. "I'm all Bookman has. I'm the only other person in the house with him! And he still allows me to come out and spend time with you, because even if he doesn't understand how much you mean to me now, even if he never understands how much I value you, he knows that I'll be miserable trapped in that house while you're here!" Lavi rubbed at his eyes (and Tyki couldn't help think, in some part of his mind that wasn't focused on the argument they were having, how stunning Lavi looked at the moment, with his face flushed and his eyes passionate). "Bookman doesn't distrust everyone who approaches him for no reason, and he let me come when he thought you were all drunkards and thieves." Tyki winced at that- - -was that all people saw when they saw a gypsy? "He trusts that I'll come back to him, and that I won't vanish without a word. Bookman would allow me to leave, as it has always been my choice to follow after him, but I will not allow myself to abandon him after everything he's done for me!" Lavi held his head high, daring Tyki to try and talk him out of it before he spoke again. "Besides, Bookman doesn't take a child in only to turn and abandon him as easily as the Millennium Earl did Allen."

There was silence following the statement; Lavi had meant it to hurt, and the fact that it came from him rather than anyone else added to the sting.

For the first time, Tyki saw the differences between himself and Lavi; the red head was used to a certain comfort he would definitely lose should he choose to follow Tyki and his family. Here, the boy was respected for the fact that, as Bookman's apprentice, he had money. Lavi had everything he would need here: a constant source of the foods he enjoyed, the warmth and constant security that came from living in one home for most of his life, and strong bonds with everyone in the town he resided in.

And Tyki was offering...what, exactly? A chance to be with him in a way they would never be parted, yes, but that was it. Should Lavi follow him, he would be giving up everything. Tyki knew better than he did the dangers of being a gypsy; the tale he'd told Lenalee and Lavi about what happened to Rhode had a more than a few embellishments, as he hadn't wanted the two to worry (it didn't matter anyway- - -Rhode told Lenalee the whole thing anyway). Tyki embraced the unknown, as there was a great deal of unknown factors that came with being a gypsy; not knowing where or when they would get their food while they traveled, or if this would be the season they would have to leave a town behind for good. He was even used to the instant distrust from anyone they came across on the road.

He remembered his question from the first time he'd asked Lavi to join. Who would abandon such a life to live the way he did?

The thought stung more now than it had when he was eleven seasons.

"I should have learned my lesson long ago, should have listened when Lord Millennium told me to be careful, each and every time he's done so in the past two seasons." Lavi blinked at Tyki, confused, as the other stood up. Tyki, for his part, refused to look the red head in the eye.

"Tyki...?"

"I hope you'll excuse me, Lavi." Tyki said calmly, despite the war he could feel growing inside of him. Part of him was furious beyond all belief, questioning everything from Lavi's loyalty to him to whether or not this entire ordeal the red head put him through was just a cleverly-devised plan to hurt him once more; at the same time, he wanted nothing more than to stay with Lavi, to try and reason with the boy, convince him to see things the gypsy's way. It was giving him a headache, and despite his conflicted feelings, Tyki wanted nothing more than to get away from him. "I have to see to Rhode, as it seems Miss Lenalee does not have the same hesitation you seem to be having."

"Tyki, wait." Lavi said firmly. Tyki ignored him, jumping from the tree with the same ease and grace he'd had as a child and landing just as gently on the ground.

"Farewell, Lavi Bookman Jr." The red head in question called after him again, but Tyki bit his lip and ignored him as he made his escape.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Is it going to hurt?" Lenalee asked softly, tugging at her long hair. Rhode shrugged, looking over at her uncle.

"I don't remember getting mine. Papa says that I was three seasons when I got them. Kak?"

"It does." Tyki said quietly. "But when it's finished, the pain fades fairly quickly." He looked away from the two girls, glancing out of the tent to the town. "At least, so Sheryl told me."

Both girls glanced at each other, worry in their eyes. It seemed that he had accidentally sent across a double message they picked up on; he hadn't meant just the tattoos.

Tyki listened as Lenalee hesitantly struck up another conversation with Rhode, but what they were talking about was beyond him. He felt as though despite his body being in the tent with the girls, his mind and spirit were millions of miles away. Closing his gold eyes with a quiet sigh, Tyki placed his forehead in his hand and rubbed at his temples.

As he did, he felt the slightly raised skin bearing the cross tattoos on his face. He counted seven, starting with a cross in the middle of his forehead, the one that was slightly bigger than all of them; three sat on each side, even in size and spacing. The same pattern repeated everywhere in the camp: on Miranda's face, even though they were half-hidden at times due to the doctor's long bangs. Hidden away under Allen's shirt, a constant reminder of what he had been a part of and what he'd lost by leaving. On Jasdero and Devito's foreheads, though Jasdero had begun hiding all but the one in the middle of his forehead due to the strange red headband he found (it went around the sides of his head and over the top of it; Tyki was not quite sure what had possessed the boy to buy it, or why Devito even allowed the damn thing in the first place. But he let the boys be, as they had an exceedingly good aim and more often than not shot at the same time; a majority of the clan had learned the hard way that getting hit twice in the exact same second in different areas hurt immensely). He saw them on Lulubell's head, had seen them on Skinn's, and saw them on his brother and Tricia.

A fragment of his story telling to Lavi came back suddenly.

He suddenly understood Lavi's disapproval. Sheryl had been a child when he agreed to become a part of this family, and he himself had had no say in it; Tyki had been brought along because he had been too young to understand what was happening to them. And while he understood his brother's reasoning at the time, and even supported the decision now, he never asked for something like this. He was restricted, tied down to a family that wasn't his own flesh and blood, save for Sheryl and Rhode. There were no thoughts about leaving; Allen had them, those terribly enticing thoughts, and he'd fought against the Millennium Earl up to the moment he had been unceremoniously thrown out, so to speak. Tyki recalled what he had told Lavi earlier, and knew it was true. While Allen leaving them almost broke them, his own abandonment of the family he had for eighteen seasons would destroy them completely. (Not to mention that leaving the Noah and the Millennium Earl would destroy him as well; if not by guilt for betraying the people he'd grown up with and loved, then by the continuity that would occur afterwards. Tyki had no qualms about admitting it at all: he was a gypsy through and though, the blood running deep in his veins and heart; if he had to stay put in one place too long, family or Lavi, he would go insane). There was no choice for him; there never had been one to begin with. The instant the crosses had been inked into his skin, his fate with anyone outside the troupe had been decided and sealed.

For the first time in his life, Tyki Mikk truly regretted having the seven crosses neatly tattooed on his person.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Uncle Tyki." Rhode sat next to her father's brother, watching him as he stared off into the town that was quickly becoming more and more distant. It was still dark, the dawn not yet approaching as the Millennium Earl and his troupe traveled as quietly as they could away from town.

"Hello, Rhode." Tyki greeted, tearing his eyes away from the diminishing buildings to smile at his teenaged niece. Deeper inside, he saw Lenalee hovering behind them, her lip caught between her teeth as she watched the two of them, her hand rubbing at her eyes as she focused on not falling asleep standing up on a moving wagon. In the shade of the wagon they were in, the white bandages on Lenalee's forehead stood out underneath her green-black bangs, her hair falling in layers down her back and stopping midway. "What can I do for you, dear?"

"Cut the crap." She said harshly, pulling her knees up to her chest, the fabric of her long black skirt caught between her thighs and chest. "Please, Uncle Tyki." Surprised by her rather blunt request, Tyki nodded once, looking at her with a bewildered expression in his eye. Rhode sighed and placed her chin on her knees. "It's not fair." She mumbled, feeling her eyes fill with water despite her best efforts.

"What's not fair, dear?" Tyki asked absently, his eyes trailing over to the vanished town. Rhode watched her uncle stare into the darkened distance; before she knew it, a tear broke loose and began trailing its way down her face.

"It's not fair!" She yelled suddenly, the eerie quiet stillness that came with predawn shattered quickly, yanking Tyki's attention back to her as the dam broke and her tears fell freely. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Lenalee take a startled step forward before pulling back. "We pretty much all got what we wanted- - -Lenalee gets to travel with us, so long as she checks in every time we stop with Komui. And, even Allen- - -" She cut herself off with a hitched breath. That was the first time she'd said the pale boy's name since he had been let out of their troupe, and it had slipped out in her distress; she hadn't intended on bringing her once-beloved family member into her conversation with her clearly upset uncle. Tyki, glancing around worriedly, hugged Rhode to him, his hands trailing down her arms and back in a comforting manner.

"Shh, shh, darling, calm down." Tyki murmured in her ear. "Breathe, my dear, don't cry for your uncle, ok?"

"But I don't understand!" Rhode wailed. "Why is it Lenalee can be here, and-and Allen- - -" Her breath hitched again, but she continued nonetheless, trying to act as though she hadn't mentioned him once again. "but-but Lavi can't come with us?" Tyki opened his mouth, but Rhode continued before he could, the tears coming faster; her breath began coming in gasps and making her stutter and trip over her words. It was something she hadn't wanted to say, but she was all too aware that the option existed; in her distress for her uncle, the words slipped out almost against her will. "Or-or better y-yet, wh-why didn't you s-stay with h-him?"

Tyki pulled away from her for a moment, looking seriously at her. Her hair was spiked all over the place, and though she didn't meet his eyes, Tyki could sense her reluctance in telling him such a thing. He smiled slightly, hugging her to him again as he thought of how hard such a thing was for her to say.

"Come now, darling." Tyki said soothingly into the girl's vibrant spikes. "You know I couldn't leave. Despite anything you could say to try and convince me it would be all right, Lord Millennium wouldn't be pleased, and besides, we already lost Allen." He felt her hiccup at the name and sighed. This was what he had hoped to avoid- - -the pale boy was still a sore subject for Rhode. "We can't all keep leaving. And at any rate, I'm a gypsy through and through. I wouldn't be able to settle in one place too long." Rhode sniffed.

"Wh-What about Lavi?" She asked quietly, wiping her eye furiously with her wrist. Tyki felt himself smile again- - -she was trying to hide her relief at the reassurance Tyki gave her that he wouldn't leave. "What excuse does he have, to stay in town and leave you unhappy?" Tyki sighed.

"You know as well as I that Lavi cannot simply just leave, Rhode." He said gently, moving her wrist and rubbing at her eye more carefully and gently, trying to remove traces of her tears. "Lavi is a part of the Bookman estate; he cannot simply pack up and go when he feels like it."

"Why not?" Rhode asked petulantly. Tyki smiled at the pout that graced her face.

"Because, darling, Lavi is Bookman's only remaining heir," however unofficial an heir, Tyki thought wryly, recalling a time when Lavi had told him Bookman had picked the red head off the streets as a child, "and as such, cannot be galavanting across the county with a group of gypsies. Besides," Tyki leaned towards her conspiratorially, and Rhode leaned forward as well. "I hear people of the Bookman estate are trained to be even colder and heartless than the Kanda family themselves." It worked slightly- - -a small smile appeared on Rhode's face, but her eyes remained troubled.

"I thought Lord Millennium didn't like it when we weren't happy." Rhode tried to argue. "Doesn't Lavi know that we aren't coming back next season? Surely you told him- - -"

"No, Rhode." Tyki cut her off gently, shaking his head. "Nothing would have worked out for us. Don't worry, everything will be fine soon." Rhode gave him disbelieving look, an eyebrow arched elegantly over prying gold eyes. "It was a hard choice, darling. It was either I leave, and be miserable because Lavi wasn't with me; or I stay, and be slowly but surely losing my mind and going insane because I can't move freely." Rhode stood up, realizing the situation was a lost cause. "I chose the lesser of two evils, so to speak." Tyki tilted his head back to smile once more at his niece. "I'll still see Lavi every season, when we finally return, so don't worry your pretty head over me, my dear."

Rhode pursed her lips, tears still clinging to her eyelashes, but nodding in agreement as she turned and walked away. Tyki watched her out of the corner of his eye; watched as Lenalee hugged her tightly, her lips moving against Rhode's ear as she whispered what was most likely reassurances to her. Rhode nodded at her, wiping her eyes gently before looking up, hiding Lenalee's face from view as she locked eyes with the older girl.

As they conversed with each other quietly, the older gypsy watched them for a few moments; he turned away when Lenalee wrapped her arms around Rhode again, sighing lightly.

Tyki looked towards the town once more, breathing deeply as the cool air went past him. As he watched, the dawn began, the sun rising behind the town. He shielded his eyes with his hand slightly, looking away after a moment when he heard Jasdero and Devito waking up fully and beginning to argue over something trivial.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Rhode tells me you are unhappy, Tyki." He groaned inwardly when he heard the deep voice behind him, carefully blank and devoid of any suffixes to prove how serious a conversation they were about to have. "Is this true?"

"Lord Millennium." Tyki bowed slightly as he turned around, his voice as carefully blank as the Millennium Earl's. "It is nothing, really. I shall get over it eventually." The Millennium Earl made a noise of agreement before stepping in and peering up at Tyki. Now that he was twenty seasons of age, he towered over his leader in a way he hadn't before.

"While that may be true," he started, "that is not what I asked, now is it?" Tyki sighed slightly, running a hand through his hair in slight exasperation.

He was sick of this whole mess. Tyki was tired of Jasdevi's slightly pitying glances at him- - -because yes, both boys would look at him with pity in their eyes from time to time, and it was wrong on so many different levels, starting with Devito's ability to look pityingly at him without making it mocking or into some form of a joke; he was done with Sheryl and Rhode's hushed conversations coming to a stop around him when he passed them by and continued in a hurried manner once he was far enough from earshot. He didn't want to see Lenalee looking at him with that sad expression in her eyes, as if she knew the true reason behind Lavi's refusal, or the sympathy from Tricia and Miranda as the women watched him do his chores around camp.

Tyki was tired of missing Lavi.

"I am fine, Lord Millennium." Tyki said firmly. "It is nothing to concern yourself with, truly." The Millennium Earl ignored him, glancing around the tent while leaning on his walking stick.

"I think you are lying to me, Tyki Mikk." The Earl said cheerfully, though his eyes narrowed at Tyki beneath the shadows of his hat. "You know how I hate lies, Tyki. Do not lie to me." Tyki sighed again, rubbing a gloved hand over his temples and eyes. Despite his subtle pleas to drop the matter, no one in the troupe seemed willing to do that; they either didn't see the hints for what they were, or they were very determinedly ignoring them (Tyki wouldn't put it past any one of them to just ignore his pleas). "I say once more: Rhode tells me you are unhappy, Tyki. Is this true?"

"Yes, it is true." Tyki admitted hesitantly. Anyone else, he'd deny it to the ends of the earth and back. But Lord Millennium required nothing short of brutal honesty, no matter how much it tore at the heart or how much one wanted to deny it. "I am unhappy. Not with you, or anyone else, but with myself for allowing what happened with Lavi Bookman Junior to happen." The Millennium Earl's piercing eyes left Tyki as the young man before him lifted his head in attempt to meet his gaze. Confused, Tyki opened his mouth to question him when the Earl suddenly swung his hand out, away from his walking stick.

"As it so happens, we found a fellow wanderer traveling all by his lonesome a few days ago." He said suddenly. Tyki blinked at the sudden change in conversation, confused by the importance of the statement. "He asked to join and we've already gone through all the necessary trials. Since he passed, he's one of us now, and will stay with you, since you had shared a room with someone else and therefore have the space now that the other person is gone. Understand, Tyki-pon?" The return of the Millennium Earl's beloved suffix cemented the end of the previous conversation, and Tyki smiled slightly at the many quirks of his leader. Allowing the topic to drop fully, Tyki nodded once in agreement.

"Yes, Lord Millennium."

"You can come in now," The Millennium Earl called over his shoulder loudly, causing Tyki to wince and his ever faithful Tease to flutter out of his sleeve and land on his shoulder. Touching the tip of its wing with his fingertip, Tyki raised an eyebrow in interest when a figure stepped into the room, a black hood covering a good portion of the person's face. "Now play nice, you two. Dinner shall be ready shortly. Tyki, you do not have to perform this evening."

And with that final message, the Millennium Earl was gone.

Tyki watched curiously as the person stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. Not knowing what else to do, Tyki moved to where Allen used to sleep, pulling the things that gathered on the unused bed off.

"Kasko san?" He asked conversationally. The other person tilted their head in confusion and Tyki sighed, his brow furrowing in his own confusion. There were few other clans that didn't speak the same language as they did, and the fact that the one his new roommate came from didn't speak the same language he did set him slightly on edge. "Whose are you? What troupe did you belong to before?" He elaborated, hoping the other understood that. The person seemed unable to speak, as they just shook their head slowly.

Tyki's eyes widened slightly, then narrowed at the implied answer: he belonged to no clan before this. The Millennium Earl took in an outsider? His movements, though not stopping, became stiff and forceful as he attempted to keep his sudden spike of distrust to himself. Asking permission for Lavi to join if he should choose to was a family decision. Same thing for the girl Rhode had become attached to. Thus, allowing Lenalee to join was one thing, as she had been known to the family for a few seasons beforehand, but allowing a traveler passing by at random was another thing completely. They knew nothing of this person, so despite the obvious trust his leader placed in their newest member, Tyki made a mental note to keep his guard up around this person.

"Kas zhanes?" He asked instead. When no response was forthcoming, Tyki made a 'tsk' noise- - -how unlike him to forget something he'd just learned a moment before- - -and tried again. "Who do you know, here, in this clan?" There was the sound of cloth moving behind him, but Tyki steadily ignored him, his mind racing. There were so many of them...surely he knew at least one of them...

"Several people." The voice was slightly harsh yet calm and completely familiar. Tyki whirled around to see Lavi standing almost uncertainly before him, bandages around his head and a green headband being wrung in his hands unconsciously. "Um, Lenalee, Jasdero and Devito, Rhode..." Lavi met his gaze squarely, and Tyki could see the determination and insecurity clearly in the other's eyes. "You."

"Lavi." He didn't move for a moment, and Lavi took this as an invitation to move forward. "What are you doing here? Does Bookman know? How- - -" Lavi cut him off with a laugh; when Tyki started his questions, the red head had impulsively wrapped his arms around Tyki's waist.

For a moment, Tyki stopped because of the weird sense of deja vu he felt: he could be certain they had been like this at least once before, when Lavi had been thirteen and he had been searching for the camp in a storm just so that they could have some semblance of a peace of mind (not that it worked- - -they'd ended up worrying everyone more because Tyki didn't return at all).

Instead of pushing Lavi away, like he did that night, Tyki pulled the red head closer, closing his eyes and placing his cheek against Lavi's head.

"I'm sorry." Lavi murmured against his throat. "I didn't mean to upset you in any way. I wanted to come, I did."

"Clearly." Tyki smiled slightly.

"Bookman knows I'm here." Lavi said. "Well, he should know I'm here after a bit- - -for all I know, he knows now." Tyki sighed and hugged him tighter.

"So you'll be leaving soon then?" Lavi pulled away, a huge grin on his face, and gently tapped the side of his head; Tyki recalled the white bandages covering the boy's forehead moments before he saw them again.

"Can't." He said simply. "Not without something of a fight, I'm sure." Tyki pressed his fingertips against the white bandages as well, smiling slightly as he felt the thin strap of the boy's eye patch against his head.

Without warning, Tyki leaned down and pressed his lips to Lavi's, his arms tightening around Lavi's waist to bring the red head closer to him. Lavi made an encouraging noise in the back of his throat, wrapping his arms around Tyki's neck and burying his hand in the dark wavy hair to keep the older gypsy in place.

There was a slight battle for dominance before Lavi surrendered; they pulled apart for a brief moment, and Tyki touched the side of Lavi's face yet again. Lavi grinned then pulled away, looking around the tent.

"So I get to share a room with you, huh?" He muttered under his breath, glancing at Tyki out of the corner of his eye.

"I think it was planning on Rhode and Lord Millennium's part." Tyki said. "After all, we do have an extra tent due to Skinn's death." The name was said respectfully, as Tyki knew better than to disrespect those who had already passed on; Lavi nodded once before allowing a wide and playful grin to cover his face.

"Do I really have to take Allen's bed?" Lavi asked playfully. "Can't I just share one with you?"

"Not until we're married, Lavi." He scolded mockingly. Lavi whirled around, the black cloak twisting around his body.

"Let's get married." he said decisively. Tyki coughed into his hand, not expecting the words. Lavi ignored the older's shock, words escaping him as fast as possible. "Whenever. Soon. As soon as possible." Lavi grabbed both of Tyki's hands in his own. His eyes met Tyki's, excitement flashing through him. "We'll go back, and we can have a big ceremony and everything!" Tyki laughed, pulling his hand away from Lavi's and ruffling the red hair.

"You'll have to bring it up with Lord Millennium." Tyki informed him, trying not to laugh as the sentence made Lavi even more excited. "And a gypsy wedding is much different from a regular wedding." Lavi stared at him with wide eyes. "Much more planning goes into one, and as a result they're put off for quite a while." Tyki looked Lavi over for a moment, sighing lightly in amusement. "There is usually a price for the bride, or for the submissive in the relationship, to be given to the father. However, since you've just joined and have no real family among us, I wonder how that would work."

"There's a price?" Tyki shrugged.

"Yes. Sheryl, I believe, had given Tricia's adoptive father a box of gold trinkets- - -bracelets and necklaces and such. In return, he was given Tricia to marry." Lavi made a slight face.

"Can we...skip the bride price?" He asked hesitantly. "It feels too much like you're paying for me, to own..."

"I don't think it would apply here." Tyki shrugged. "This whole thing is already out of ordinary as it is." Lavi smiled slightly.

"Allen sends his best wishes to both of us." He said softly. Tyki swallowed with slight difficulty, and Lavi took his silence as a permission to continue. "He was the one who convinced me to come after you guys now, rather than wait until you decided to come back again...on the off chance that the Mil- - -ah, Lord Millennium," He corrected himself hastily, "would decide to not come back for a long while. And he said that since everyone here knew me already- - -all the important members who decide on everything, anyway- - -he said it might not be too hard to join."

A silence settled over them, thoughtful and comfortable. Lavi watched Tyki as the older thought carefully on what it had meant.

Even now, after he was the one to carry out the Millennium Earl's order to remove Allen from camp, the silver haired boy who had once been a gypsy was still thinking of them all; in some cases, such as his, and Rhode, and most likely Jasdero and Devito as well, Allen was still conscious of them, and worried for their happiness. The thought made Tyki smile gently, albeit a bit wryly; clearly, the boy wasn't about to change his opinion of them due to their circumstances, though he most likely had every right to.

In front of him, Lavi shifted uncomfortably.

"Should I have not brought that up?" He asked quietly, earnestly. "I'm sorry- - -I had been upset, and when I had calmed down you had already left, so I didn't know what to do. Allen told me which direction you usually go in after you leave, so I had- - -" Tyki pressed his lips against Lavi's briefly to quiet him.

"Perhaps," he murmured quietly against Lavi's lips when they separated, "we could have him witness the wedding. As a thanks for his quick thinking."

Lavi beamed.

Ok, guys! I've officially managed to kick myself into gear- - -I made a playlist for myself! XD I dunno if it helps my writing, but it encourages me to write, so whatever. XD this is almost done- - -which is slightly saddening to me (I dunno what's worse- - -the fact that I'm pretty much done with this, the fact that I'm still working on that stupid one-shot that's now reached over 8,000 freaking words, or that I now have to return to a slightly awkward Tyki in 'A Bullet With Butterfly Wings'). As for what happens to Rhode...well. *cough cough* evidently, listening to The Hunchback of Notre Dame while typing up a story about gypsies leads up to odd events happening in my story. Yea. Anyway, there's one last chapter- - -which is most likely the events before, during, and after the wedding (I couldn't find anything about the weddings in my half-assed research, other than they were married young, they placed emphasis on being virgins when they married, and the groom paid a price to the bride's parents, though it didn't say what the price usually was- - -forgive my embellishments, yes?), though it certainly won't be as long as this (it's almost as if this is the final chapter and the next one will be an epilogue, haha) and then onto everything else. As always, thanks to d-gray-geek (it's all good, darling, and I'm glad you use me as your Lucky fix, haha; yes, the other couple is RhodeLenalee- - -I read about it in Yullen, and for some reason I liked the couple; thank you for your continued support, haha, I loveses your reviews, they make me smile!) and Yueaifeng for both of your continued support for this story.

According to the website I found:

Kak=uncle