I thought the last chapter was long. No, this one is longer. Curse my need to keep adding stuff when I'm in the writing mood! Please enjoy!

Chapter 19

Tyki's Visit

Tyki adjusted his cravat. He was incredibly nervous about this trip to his brother's mansion. Usually he merely felt wary: Road constantly tried to goad him into doing her homework, Sheryl pestered him with brotherly shows of affection. Even Tricia's kindness made him uneasy because he had never before met a woman without an ulterior motive. She truly loved her husband and daughter, with a devotion that Tyki nearly found blinding.

But none of those things were the cause of his worry. No, Tyki was concerned with the matter of his new nephew, the Exorcist.

From what Road said about him, the boy no longer held the fire or defiance he had before. Walker had become the Earl's puppet and obeyed the Noahs' orders without faltering. And Tyki didn't like the idea of his former enemy becoming...lifeless.

"Stop fidgeting," the Earl admonished. He was in his human form once more, looking surprisingly handsome and elegant. It was hard to believe that this well-dressed man was the lord and creator of Akuma. "This is just a small visit to Sheryl's home; it isn't a ball or a dinner party."

"You say that now, Earl, but two of my relatives are Noah, one an innocent human, and one an Exorcist," Tyki pointed out. "That is a mix that would cause even more excitement than any occasion we attend."

The Earl hummed his acknowledgement of the matter. "Indeed. Speaking of the Exorcist, you never told me why you gave him that order."

"What order?" the Noah of Pleasure asked innocently.

"You know perfectly well which order." Tyki made a face, averting his gaze to look outside the passing scenery. He saw people, humans both cruel and kind. He loved the duality of human nature because it complimented his own so perfectly. Light and dark sides of his soul, both parts of his life that he loved.

"Allen Walker is a boy; I don't mind causing him a little pain, or terrorizing him. But if he should die, he should die in a way that befits the courage and boldness he showed to us. I already had the Tease tear a hole through his heart and he survived. A quick death was what he deserved, what he earned for himself," the man finally told the Earl.

"Tyki Mikk," the Millennium Earl whispered. "I know how you love to cling to your humanity, but surely there was more to it than that! Even I will admit that he grew on me."

Tyki scowled. "Say what you will," he growled.

::+::+::+: ϒ :+::+::+::

"Uncle Tyki!"Road cried. Her small body crashed into the Portuguese man and nearly knocked him back into the carriage.

"I haven't even gotten down completely and you attacked me," Tyki chuckled. He wrapped his arms around the girl and continued his descent while holding her up by the waist.

"We haven't seen you in a while," the girl explained. While that wasn't technically true, the humans didn't know that. For Tricia, it had been four months since Tyki's last visit.

"That's very true," he agreed, setting her back onto her feet carefully. He turned to his brother and Noah ignored Sheryl completely and instead took Tricia's hand and gave the skin a courteous kiss.

"Tricia," he greeted with a warm smile. The woman gave him a returning beam that practically glowed with genuine sentiment.

"It's wonderful to see you again Lord Tyki Mikk," she said kindly. Her husband pressed closer to them, trying to get his brother's attentions as subtly as possible.

"Just call him Tyki, since he is your brother as well," Sheryl reminded his wife. His gaze became concerned when he shook his brother's hand. "You look a little pale. Are you feeling well?"

Tyki forced a smile. "I think you worry too much brother."

"Have you all forgotten about me?" asked a downcast voice. They all looked towards the owner, who stood at the steps of the carriage. Tricia moved towards him at once.

"Of course not, Earl! You are our most important guest," she quickly assured him, pecking each cheek. The Noah of Pleasure feigned a wounded look.

"Tricia, you can't show favoritism," he said mockingly. The gentlewoman's mouth widened.

"Why whatever do you mean, Lord Tyki? The Earl may be more important, but that doesn't mean I love him even more than I love you. Nor does it mean that I love you more than him." The words weren't really what sent chills down everyone's spines. It was more the tone of voice she took on and the expression she wore.

Road, Sheryl, and Tyki watched as Tricia led the Earl up to the house as if nothing had happened. They were all a bit frightened by the unusually inhospitable attitude she had just displayed.

"I never knew that your wife could be scary," Tyki remarked after a moment, "but I certainly pity you when she gets angry."

"You should see her when she scolds Road," Sheryl agreed wholeheartedly.

"I didn't sleep for a week after that first reprimand," the girl added nonchalantly. Both of the men looked at her incredulously. They were amazed that she could even talk about something like that without shuddering. "She is a rare human, instilling fear in order to encourage kindness."

I suppose that's one way of putting it, thought Tyki.

::+::+::+: ϒ :+::+::+::

After a pleasant lunch outside, the Earl noticed something wasn't quite right.

"There seems to be a family member missing," he observed. Tyki immediately knew who the missing person was. He decided to play along with the Earl, whose tone had become mischievous.

"Yes, what have you done with my nephew?" he teased. At once the human woman's face became apologetic.

"I couldn't bring myself to disturb him," she explained. "He's in the library reading."

Tyki blinked in surprise. That was not the answer he had expected to hear.

"I heard he came here unresponsive. I take it you finally got through to him?" The Earl truly sounded interested in hearing about the Exorcist's progress. Tyki recalled what the Earl had said earlier: If it is possible for a puppet to become emotionally attached, then I have failed. That certainly explained a few things, like why the Earl wanted to visit in the first place.

"Oh, I didn't," Tricia said with a laugh. "Sheryl did."

The Prime Minister choked on the glass of water he was drinking.

"I did?" he sputtered in shock. Everyone stared at him.

"Yes, dear. Don't you remember talking with him?"

"We didn't really talk about anything," he said defensively. He didn't want anyone thinking he had grown attached to the Exorcist. He only loved Road and Tyki. No one else. "He asked me to explain some stuff about books and I did."

"That's still bonding," the Earl informed him. Tyki murmured his agreement.

"I would never have thought that my brother had it in him to draw a child out of his shell like that," Tyki admitted. He slowly recalled a rainy night full of thunder. He remembered hiding under a bridge crying. He remembered Sheryl soothing away his fears.

Tyki grimaced. The brother from his childhood was far more mature than the brother he had now. He had no idea where the man had gone wrong.

"Mother, can I take Uncle Tyki to see Ash?" Road asked politely. Tricia nodded her permission.

Road pulled Tyki through mansion, finally stopping once there were no servants or people in sight or earshot. She rounded on her Uncle.

"How do you feel about Ashley?" she wanted to know, eyes narrowed suspiciously. Tyki rose an eyebrow.

"Ashley," he repeated dumbly.

"Yes, Ashley! Ashley is Allen's new name," she snapped. When Road saw Tyki's amused smirk, she scowled. "We call him Ash."

"Well, I don't really know 'Ash'," he said slowly. Road glanced at the floor, then looked back at her uncle.

"Then how did you feel about Allen Walker?" Silence met her question. The girl's eyes saddened.

"Allen Walker was a unique person. I think he would have grown up to be a fine man, a good Exorcist. Perhaps even a General," she said softly. Tyki listened attentively to every word. He could sense a longing in her voice, in her face. "He has had the Innocence for as long as he could remember. People shunned him, thought it was unnatural to have such a deformed arm. He found kindness in a circus clown, and the clown adopted him. The man died, leaving Allen all alone.

"The Earl found him sitting by the gravestone of his father. Allen took the Earl's offer and made his father into an Akuma. Of course his father tried to kill him in that form. Luckily for Allen his Innocence activated and saved his life."

"Is that where he got the pentacle from?" Tyki asked softly.

"It's a curse. It turned his hair white and gave him the ability to see the soul of an Akuma," Road answered. The girl met her family member's eyes. "Ever since I heard that story, I have been in love with him."

Tyki was silent. He had never heard of someone being cursed by an Akuma, or even surviving the process of turning a loved one into an Akuma. However, it made a certain kind of sense, even made it ironic. A young Exorcist turned his own father into an Akuma. The Innocence is so cruel to choose a mere boy as its host.

"I didn't care who he was," Tyki began, just as Road was about to lead the way again. She stopped in mid motion. "When I killed him, he was just the name of someone who needed to be eliminated. I thought it was a shame someone so young had to die, but I didn't care all that much.

"When he survived the Tease, he lured my interest. The night we played poker together, I saw a darker side to him, one that drew me in and gave me a feeling of kinship. I liked it when he fought back. Even when he nearly lost all of his hope, he still stood right back up." Tyki scratched his head uneasily. He really wasn't very good with words that came from the heart. "I'm not sure what to think of Allen, or even Ashley. All I know is that I wanted to watch Allen grow up, play poker with him again, or fight him a few more times. Ashley is just the shell that reminds me of all the things I can never do."

Road's eyes were twinkling brightly. She was glad to hear her uncle admit that he had become attached to their former prisoner.

"The important parts are still there," she replied confidently. "A new person may begin to form, but that would happen regardless of whether or not he has the memories of Allen Walker. That's part of growing up."

The girl took her uncle's hand and led him to the door only a few steps away. She opened it gently and poked her head through.

"Ash, Uncle Tyki is here," she called brightly. They entered the library quietly. Tyki's eyes immediately fell on the child sitting in Sheryl's chair. His eyes were bright and alert. There was a smile on his face, though it was awkward and stiff.

"Hello Tyki," he greeted with the barest hint of human warmth. To Tyki, that was all the proof he needed to know that Ash was no doll. Only two months since the Asian Branch mission and he had progressed this far.

It is actually easier to give him orders because he doesn't take everything literally, and he has learned about secrecy, Road confided telepathically. Tyki glanced at her. He supposed that would be a greater advantage.

"Hello Ash. What are you doing inside?" Tyki asked awkwardly. He wasn't entirely sure how their conversation would go.

"Reading," the boy replied matter-of-factly. "It is helping me learn about human interaction."

A brilliant idea formed in Tyki's mind, one inspired by the conversation he had shared with Road only moments ago in the hallway.

"I know a much better way to teach you how to interact with people," Tyki told him, removing the book from Ash's hand. "Why don't we go out?"

"Go out where?" the boy asked with a tilt of his head. The Noah of Pleasure smiled a smile that nearly ripped his face into two parts.

"To a place where you can learn about poker," he replied darkly. Road didn't like his idea.

"Don't corrupt him too much, Tyki," she warned. The man was already pulled Ash to his feet. He gave her a 'reassuring' smile.

"It's just a bit of gambling. What could possibly go wrong?" he asked.