Chapter 24

Bittersweet Memories

Ash avoided Tyki after the small reunion. It was difficult to do, considering that all of the Noah would be staying at the Earl's abode. Still, he managed to do it, purposely seeking out the company of his other relatives in place of the time he would usually spend with the Noah of Pleasure. Ash was embarrassed by his own actions, but he felt as if he couldn't face his adopted uncle. There were emotions churning inside of him that he couldn't quite understand. It was warm, made him nervous around the man and antsy. Even worse, the emotion made him feel evermore like a child. Ash wanted to learn what kind of emotions had overtaken him. Not long after he discovered what his exact sentiments were, he was finally cornered by Tyki in the parlor. Directly in front of the large bay window, as a matter of fact.

Tyki seemed irritated as he considered the boy before him. "Shounen, it's been five days since you began to avoid me. Have I done something wrong or offended you?"

Ash blushed, forcing himself to meet the man's eyes.

"It's nothing like that," he said hesitantly. He had never done something like this before, and he was not sure of how he should proceed. Considering the fact that Tyki was family, he could do very little more to embarrass himself (after all, the man was a part of his household). "I've been struggling to understand this...change."

Tyki's expression became comical. "You're talking about puberty?"

Ash immediately was mortified. His jaw dropped in horror.

"No! Where did that even come from? Why would you even bring that up?" he demanded with an accusatory glare. The Noah held his hands up defensively.

"It's a perfectly natural thing to go through," he said with a fair amount of reassurance. "You're growing up into adult; there are a lot of hormones that go hay wire. Hair begins to grow in places it didn't before, you find yourself having naughty dreams, and end up waking up with a—"

Ash's face had flushed such a deep shade of crimson that Tyki decided to stop before the boy could pass out from embarrassment. He could also tell that none of these things were what had been bothering Ash. Tyki supposed that not everyone was an early bloomer like he had been.

"What's bothering you, Ash?" Tyki asked gently. He smiled when those big round eyes looked up at him with all of the adoration of a child in their favorite idol. They were such a pretty color, and possessed a roundness that never failed to draw Tyki's attention. Ash averted his gaze awkwardly.

"It isn't about that. I have been getting these urges lately," he explained shyly. The boy snuck a peek at Tyki's face. He was shocked to see that the man hadn't quite understood what he meant.

"What kind of urges?" he inquired curiously. Ash took a deep breath to gather his courage. Then he did something that truly shocked the Noah of Pleasure.

Tyki felt the hands of Ash—one of normal skin, the other of a substance that made his skin tingle—cup both of his cheeks. They tilted his head down so that his lips brushed against something that felt soft. He could smell Ash's scent, and when their mouths pressed together in a chaste kiss, he was surprised to find that he could taste the flavor of innocence that only Ash could own.

The boy let go and smiled up at Tyki. "I have wanted to kiss you since the 12th. I like you, Tyki. I didn't realize it until now, and I avoided you because of it."

The way he said it was so sweet and incredibly naïve. That smile was so impossibly pure. It made the man all the more uneasy. He recoiled from the boy at once and gave him a stern look.

"This isn't something to joke about," he growled. Ash glared at him, mood quickly becoming angry.

"I'm not joking, I'm serious!"

Tyki grabbed Ash by the shoulders, staring into the silver eyes until he had drilled right into the boy's soul.

"Listen to me very carefully, because I will only say this once," Tyki warned him in a dangerous tone. "You can't give me a kiss like that. I am your uncle, and incest is not something I'm into. Not only that, but you are a child. You have no idea what love is, or what it means to kiss someone like that."

Ash jerked out of his grip.

"I know exactly what I did and what it meant," he said heatedly. "You can't tell me what I understand or I don't understand; you're not me."

Tyki's expression darkened. What it became, he didn't know. However, judging by Ash's pained eyes, he knew it promised a tear in their relationship. One that could probably never be fully mended. A rush of guilt hit the man so hard that when the boy rushed out the front door, he simply sunk into one of the guest chairs of the parlor. He felt nothing, save the distant gravity of the knowledge that he had hurt Ash and the sickness in his stomach. Tyki buried his face into his hands, not knowing that this would be the last time he would see Ash, his nephew.

::+::+::+: ϒ :+::+::+::

Cross witnessed the whole scene. He was strangely angry at the sight of his apprentice kissing someone, a man who was obviously ten years older than him. The General was angered by the thought of such a pervert corrupting Allen. When he saw Allen run out the door, he quashed all the thoughts and began to follow the boy down the streets. He supposed it was fate that had given him the lack of appetite to eat the food Lavi had brought him. No one knew Cross's Apprentice as well as Cross himself.

The white hair boy fled into an alleyway, hiding by a couple of trashcans as he cried into his arms. The General noticed that the boy had maintained a healthy weight, had no visible injuries, and that the snow-white locks had grown longer. The ribbon which tied back his hair was vibrant scarlet, obviously a treasured gift, or brand new. The man knelt down next to the boy with a loud sigh. It startled Allen, but he merely looked at the man with a wary face. There was a spark of recognition when his eyes passed over the uniform, but it was faint.

"Why are you crying in this place?" Cross asked smoothly. Allen wiped his face on his sleeve.

"I confessed to the person I like," he whispered. The General nodded in understanding. He knew what it felt like to be rejected by someone you cared for. Hell, it probably hurt even more, since he could have any woman he wanted; except for the ones he fell in love with.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" he asked. The man handed over the desert that Lavi had bought from a Japanese store owner. "Here, have some."

Allen looked at the food curiously and with a slightly disgruntled look. "No thank you. I really don't feel like eating."

The General prodded him with the sticks filled with the rounded dumplings.

"Dango isn't bad. I always found that eating made me feel better after a break up," Cross admitted. When Allen still didn't reach for it, his gaze softened. "I promise that if you eat these, then you will forget all about the pain you're in. You will go to sleep, and wake up with no memory of what has happened today."

The boy took the dango from Cross. He ate every single dumpling, more tears pouring down his face as he did. When the last morsel was gone, he cried hard and long. General Cross sat by his apprentice in silence. He didn't have to say anything, because he knew that his presence alone was a comfort.

The boy cried until he fell asleep against the General's shoulder. When that happened, Cross allowed himself the time to run his hands through Allen's hair.

"I found you and thought that you would only be a vessel, Allen. You have to make me love you; every time I see you fall down, I feel as if I have to pick you back up." Cross looked at the unconscious form. So many months since he had last seen this deceptively precious life. "Since you are the closest thing I have to family, I will erase your memory. If you ask me to."

General Cross knew the Noah. He knew that Allen would remember every moment he had spent with them and would have to make a choice. Would he choose to continue loving them, or to begin hating them? Would he choose to remember those times, or forget them? General almost wanted Allen to forget. But he knew that if Allen forgot, he would not become a stronger.

::+::+::+: ϒ :+::+::+::

He dreamt of some indescribable place. There were no words to describe it other than Paradise, perhaps Eden. He never wanted to leave its blanket of safety and security, but he found himself being called upon. He couldn't help himself, so little by little he forced himself to enter the harsher, cruel world of reality.

Allen Walker opened his eyes for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. Almost at once, memories bombarded him. Sweet memories, bitter memories, painful memories; he could recall every moment he had spent in captivity. If the latter part of it could be considered captivity. There was no sense of right or wrong that could tell Allen what to do, if any of it had been real. If he was having a nightmare or had just woken up from one. He simply didn't know what to think. He was conflicted, and despite the Earl being his enemy, he felt betrayed. The wetness that poured from his eyes onto the pillow beneath his head was hot like blood.

Allen didn't know what to think anymore. He wasn't even sure if he was Allen now, or Ash. He simply wanted to forget everything.

And that is a wrap. There is a little bit of rearrangement, like that scene with Cross wasn't supposed to be there, You were supposed to see the gang at the end of this chapter, but where would the sense of drama go? :p

Hope you enjoyed!