Warning: Spoilers through Chapter 156 of the manga, probably going AU past that as it looks like the Noah's origins (or at least the 14th's) will be revealed in the next few chapters. Can't wait!

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Siiiiiiiigh...

A/N: Chapter 2 is finally done! Huzzah! (Does a happy dance...) Thanks for your patience. This chapter was a bitch. I knew what I wanted to happen but I wanted to make the Tyki/Miranda interaction somewhat believable. I'm not sure how happy I am with it... siiigh... I was also debating how much info to reveal. I wanted stuff to happen but not show all my cards just yet... . I do have the story plotted out pretty clearly so the rest of it should go up in a timely manner.

Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed. I'm so happy people are enjoying the story. (Hugs all around...)

Oh and a little treat at the end. I'm putting up one of my abandoned scenes as an omake. I was sad to cut this but it really didn't fit. You'll see where it was meant to go. Enjoy!

WORLD ENOUGH, AND TIME...

All the hate, sadness and suffering inside you right now is the truth of the past, seven thousand years gone. It's the memory carved into your genes. Your awakening has ended. You can see it already, can't you? The true form of this world.

-The Earl, D. Gray-Man, Chapter 96

Time flies on restless pinions - constant never.

- Friedrich Schiller

Oh God, Dear God, Merciful God...

He had been praying for so long his knees were stiff and bruised. He would not have been surprised if, when he finally stood, they bled. His wife had come out to call him into the house... oh how long ago... one hour, perhaps two? It may even have been yesterday... but no... she wouldn't leave him alone that long. She loved him, but, it was because he loved her that he could not stop. It was because he loved their children he could not stop.

The world had changed.

When had it changed? It had all seemed so beautiful to him, once. He loved his life and he lived it fully. Surely it would have insulted his God, who had given it to him, to use it poorly. But the world was becoming corrupted, evil. In friends he once greeted with joy he now saw the seeds of darkness. It was wormwood, devouring them. In their eyes he saw their souls decaying.

When he went to the markets he saw the grasping greed of men he once believed honest. Virtuous wives and daughters now flaunted themselves and teased the men that passed them, and those men, who once looked upon them with respect, now leered.

Men and women alike smiled, promising violence with their sharply gleaming teeth and he knew they would not hesitate to dash in the heads of their dearest companions on the merest whim.

And everywhere blasphemy. All things, desires, placed before God in men's hearts.

When had this happened? Where did this poison come from? Perhaps it had always been there. Was he seeing the world with God's eyes? His voice rose and fell with his prayers. He cried out, he wept, he tore at his garments and his flesh. He begged, an old man kneeling on bleeding knees before His altar.

Please God, please...

He prayed for a sign, for guidance.

God remained silent.

The old man despaired. His sons would come for him soon. They would carry him to the house. His wife would dress his wounds and his beloved daughter would cajole him into eating something, anything. They would talk to him quietly, carefully, as if he were mad and they would help him to bed. He would stare at the ceiling, pretending to sleep and in the morning return to the altar and begin again.

Praying to God who did not hear him.

Amen.

When...

Tyki was impressed. No, it was more than that, he was awed. How long had it been since he experienced that? They had moved in time! Well, their minds had, but still...

They had been aware, of course, that this Innocence was a strong one. To manipulate space/time required incredible power and yet, not even the Earl had paid it any mind. Perhaps it was because it had always been used defensively. Or maybe it was that it's keeper was so very restrained.

When faced with so many exorcists who blustered, and cursed and kept up attack after attack with their increasingly powerful weapons of Innocence, who could notice one who silently protected? So much gentle strength. It was no wonder her Innocence was the 'Heart'.

A jolt of flustered agitation from Miranda alerted him that she had caught the gist of his thoughts. Tyki was amused.

Ah Lady Exorcist, he teased, so very modest. You must be strong indeed to control such a powerful Innocence.

Well, that seemed to have an interesting effect. Her mind began fluttering about in a near panic, furiously denying she had any special strength whatsoever. Beneath that however was an oh so hesitant tingle of pride.

Oh her reactions were simply delicious, except, not being able to see her face considerably cut into his enjoyment. Actually, Tyki reflected, being disembodied was a distinctly unpleasant experience all around.

Do you suppose it might be possible to, at least, create the illusion of physical bodies?

He sensed her confusion at his abrupt change of track, then a tight curl of suspicion.

How do I know you wouldn't take advantage of it?

You're in complete control here. I may be able to bring my will to bear briefly but ultimately the one who affects this reality is you.

He could feel her mind skittering hesitantly along his own, feeling out the truth of his declaration. He resisted the urge to reach for it. The feeling of their minds tangling before had been a unique one and, in the opinion of the Noah of Pleasure, very enjoyable indeed.

Her mind slipped away. If Tyki had breath he would have sighed.

All right then...

Miranda began pulling her will around herself, shyly whispering to her Innocence what she wanted. Tyki could not decide if he found her modesty appealing or irritating. It was certainly different from the bravado of her former companions.

The woman was such an odd mixture of insecurity and determination. And the Heart had chosen her...

His reverie was interrupted as he began to feel enclosed, a pulse of physical sensations. A comforting weight, fabric on skin, solid floor beneath him. The background hum of Miranda's mind faded away as the usual barriers slipped into place.

He sighed and stretched. Ah, a body again. He flexed his hands and examined them. Ash gray. But of course she would imagine his Noah form. It was simply ironic that he could barely sense the Noah at the moment. Still he wasn't about to complain. It had been a shock when they started falling and the Noah curled in upon itself so abruptly. It was protecting itself from the Innocence he knew, but still, he sighed with pleasure, he hadn't felt this human in a long time. Of course, he was now almost entirely powerless...

Tyki glanced up at the newly embodied Miranda. She was peering around nervously. He didn't blame her. He understood she'd been trapped in one of Road's dreams once and the limbo bore an uncanny resemblance to it. Everything was darkness except for the checkerboard square of floor on which they stood, eerily illuminated from nowhere. Nothing else existed on it but themselves and that red door, a surprisingly mundane looking thing if one ignored the fact it was missing a wall. Above their heads other doors hung unsupported, disappearing far above into the black.

Tyki, long unimpressed by the unusual, found his attention captured by the intriguing figure of Miranda Lotto. As if sensing his gaze, her eyes, large and brown, darted to his. He winked and she started, looking quickly away. She was, he decided, quite attractive. He hadn't noticed it before, but then he'd never directly confronted her before. He saw her first in Edo, unconscious and stretched to her limit. How had he referred to her then? It was something unflattering. Over the past few months he had seen her during various battles, always at a distance, desperate and tired. Just a short while ago, in the rubble, she had been weary, red eyed and bruised, but now... This was, he realized, how she was meant to look.

Besides those lovely eyes, she had a pert little nose and full lips. Her hair was thick and dark and tumbled appealingly over her shoulders. She had attired herself in her uniform and, while it clung enticingly to her curves, Tyki felt it was completely unsuitable. She really ought to wear a proper dress, something in a rich green silk perhaps...

She was looking at him expectantly. Oh damn, she'd asked him something. What had she said?

It wasn't like him to be so distracted. He scowled.

Her eyes widened in horror.

"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!"

Tyki blinked. Ah, she was panicking again. Yes, it was definitely more entertaining when he could see it.

"I've made an entire mess of everything!" She wailed, her hands dramatically catching up her hair. "And it wasn't my place to ask! I'm sor...!" She trailed off abruptly.

"No... wait...," she murmured.

The next moment she was jabbing her finger at him aggressively, a truly terrifying expression on her face. Tyki took an involuntary step back.

"I am NOT sorry! You are a Noah, my enemy! And... and... my Innocence has trapped you. You have to do as I tell you!"

Tyki gaped slightly in shock then slowly, wickedly grinned. She was such a wonderfully odd woman.

"All right."

She shook her head furiously. "No! You have to... what?"

She frowned at him as her intensity gave way to confusion

"What do you want me to do," he drawled. He slipped his hands into his pockets and waited.

"Um... I said... maybe... we should go through the door?"

"Ah good, I was wondering when we might get to that."

"Yes," she said softly. She stared at the door, but made no move towards it. She began biting at her bottom lip. It took a special effort on Tyki's part to drag his gaze away from it.

"There's a problem?"

"Yes... no...", she sighed and gave him a strange look. "Shouldn't we be fighting?"

"Do you want to fight me?"

"I should... I... I would if I knew how," she admitted. "But I'm not a warrior. That was what the others did, I was just supposed to protect them..." Her face suddenly crumpled and she took a shuddering breath. "I couldn't even do that..."

She looked miserable. Tyki frowned and found himself desperately wanting a cigarette. The Noah would have enjoyed her pain. Bereft of his black self for the moment, the human Tyki only felt an uncomfortable compassion.

Miranda sighed, and, with effort, seemed to gather herself. "Allen always used to say 'keep walking, keep moving forward.' " She smiled at Tyki. It was a tired smile, and sad, but it was the first of hers he'd seen. "The only way forward is through the door. There's no choice I suppose but to go."

Tyki watched with interest as the Exorcist stepped towards the door. Slowly she reached out and touched the handle. It swung wide immediately. She hesitated. With a flicker of amusement the Noah watched as she visibly gathered her courage. She squared her shoulders and passed firmly through. Tyki was drawn along in her wake.

Out of limbo...

and into hell.

"Madalena."

The woman slowly opened her eyes. Though obviously weary she was still lovely. High cheek bones, large dark eyes, and honey skin were framed by waves of thick black hair spilling across the pillows that supported her. She smiled and it was like the sun breaking over the horizon.

"Adorado," she breathed.

A young man, boyishly handsome, leaned towards her and rained gentle kisses upon her face, she giggled as his lips lingered on the beauty mark beneath her left eye.

When he finally withdrew she turned her gaze to the swaddled child cradled in her arms.

"Your son."

"Ah," the man sighed as he reached out and twitched aside the blankets. He made a show of examining the boy. He placed a gentle finger over the mark under the baby's left eye."I think he will be as beautiful as his mother."

His expression grew sad.

"I should have married you, Lena."

"Your father would never have allowed it and if you'd defied him there would never have been any peace for us...," she smiled at the baby who was making a very serious attempt at eating his toes, "or for him."

"Still..."

"Hush." she murmured. She slid her hand gently across his cheek and tangled her fingers in his hair. She drew his head down and brushed her lips across his. "In the eyes of God you are my husband."

With a sigh the man pressed his forehead to hers.

Miranda softly released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding as the memory flickered out, except, this was not memory. This was the past, and it wasn't the past that flickered, it was them.

She and Tyki were shades of the future here. Tyki had gone still and silent when the first image played out in front of them. He might not have been there at all but for Miranda's acute awareness of his presence beside her.

After that first scene, though she tried to hold her Innocence steady, the past became more disjointed. She felt like a child trying to hold on to a kite buffeted in a windstorm. Miranda was reminded of the first time she had tried to deliberately control her Innocence at the Order. It had taken her ages to find just the right way of influencing it. It was happening again. The Innocence sped on ahead, dragging her in it's wake. It leapt from time to time, a minute here, a second there. There was no pattern to the past they witnessed. Only one thing remained constant.

It was Tyki's.

Tyki as a boy, a young man, human and not yet Noah.

A boyish, laughing father, teaching a child cards.

Older, finely dressed, dancing and flirting with empty smiles in the arms of glittering women.

Younger, covered head to toe in thick black mud proudly displaying a frog to his swooning mother.

A sullen teen, scowling at an older man with iron gray hair and cruel eyes who sneered, and tore a letter to shreds.

Older and dancing again, this time with drunken abandon around a fire with colourful men and women as a gypsy violin echoed wildly into the night.

The visions went on as Miranda wrestled with her Innocence. Through it all Tyki remained disturbingly silent.

The boy and his mother, dressed in black mourning, weeping as the man with the iron hair loomed before them.

At her side, Tyki groaned.

As if that were the catalyst the Innocence required, Miranda felt a jolt as it centered itself.

It was the face of Tyki's mother that flashed before them now, a beautiful face heavy with sorrow and that same face over and over again. She could feel Tyki trying to reach out, yearning desperately towards her but unable to touch.

Tyki was bent by a bed, weeping, and his mother's face was gray and still...

She felt something within Tyki snap, and the weight of his will bore down on her mind in an instant.

Stop this! Stop it now!

And his thought was filled with fury and a desperate anguish. She felt her consciousness violently thrust away. She lost what little hold she had upon the Innocence and blackness consumed her.

Miranda came to herself slowly. She felt stiff and her head ached. Gradually she became aware of a warm solid weight pressing against her and rough ground at her back. Her eyes drifted open and she turned slightly. Tyki's head lay upon her shoulder, face against the side of her neck. She was splayed beneath him, her fingers tangled in his soft black curls. She felt woozy, dizzy. Tyki was breathing lightly and his breath tickled against her neck. It made her shiver, though whether it was fear or... something else, she could not tell.

Already she could feel blackness pushing at the edges of her mind. The Innocence had drained her completely but she couldn't pass out again. She would be completely vulnerable. She tried to shift herself, but light exploded before her eyes, her head swimming. Tyki groaned, and it vibrated through her body.

Slowly, so slowly she felt each tiny movement as he slid against her, he began to raise his head. He was so close she could almost feel his eyelashes brush her cheek as his eyes fluttered open. His golden gaze met her own, then faded as, once more, she spiraled into darkness.

Omake – Tyki's Surprise

He sighed and stretched. Ah, a body again. He flexed his hands and examined them. Ash gray. But of course she would imagine his Noah form. It was simply ironic that he could barely sense the Noah at the moment. Still he wasn't about to complain. It was good, it was... Tyki glanced up at the newly embodied Miranda. He blinked and grinned wolfishly... it was very good indeed! He gave her a dark chuckle and she stared back at him wide eyed.

Oh it was really too rich, obviously still thinking about 'Alice in Wonderland', the woman had ended up clothing herself in a short blue dress, and white apron. Shapely long legs encased in white stockings flashed enticingly. As he watched she covered her mouth shaking slightly. Tears began to bead at the corners of her eyes. Crying? Not really the reaction he'd been expecting but...

Miranda burst into peals of laughter.

Hmm?

She seemed unable to control herself. Tyki frowned. Something drooped in front of his eye and he pushed it back in irritation.

He froze. Carefully he stroked his hand back over his head and encountered something long and furry. He caught the edge of it, pulled it down and peered intently at it. Immediately he reached up and found a second long and furry something and pulled that into his eye-line too.

Ears. Rabbit ears. White rabbit ears.

"I think my Innocence has a sense of humour."

Portuguese

Adorado - Beloved

Thanks again and reviews are love!

Song on constant repeat this time was Jealous of Your Cigarette by Hawksley Workman. It makes me think of Tyki...