Warning: Up to date through Chapter 159 of the manga. That said... Hurrah! Tyki's back! And, if possible, hotter than ever! (drools)
Disclaimer: Hoshino's, not mine, darn it...
A/N: Thanks once again for your patience. Miranda was being stubborn and Tyki was being perverse (surprise). As a result the first part of the chapter kept getting longer, so I decided to cut it in half so the original second part will be the next chapter... Once again, thank you for the lovely reviews.
WORLD ENOUGH AND TIME...
Life is like a hand of cards. You have to play the hand you're dealt, you can't win by folding, and sometimes you must take chances in order to win.
-Mike Conner
...in the small matters trust the mind, in the large ones the heart...
-Sigmund Freud
It was on the tenth day of his prayers the messenger came.
He was just as the old man had imagined him to be. He was handsome, tall and broad shouldered. Gold spun hair, sea blue eyes.
An angel of God.
"God loves you, God hears you." The messenger said. "And he has a task for you, but there is too much darkness in your own soul to know him."
The man cried out in despair. "Then what must I do that I might hear?"
The messenger's smile spread wide across his face.
"Ah, my Lord Noah," he sighed, "you must make a sacrifice."
Tyki was brooding. He was doing a lot of that lately. By rights, after today's victory, he should have been celebrating. Drinking himself into oblivion perhaps, but no, he had to go find the last exorcist and play...
Tyki ground out his cigarette in irritation and immediately lit another.
As smoke curled about his head, he toyed absently with the deck of cards he always carried with him, his gaze straying towards the unconscious Miranda Lotto.
Only a short while ago he had come to, tangled around her body. For a brief moment her soft brown eyes held his before she'd fallen unconscious again. He was weak himself and could barely move; but the pleasure of contact with such a warm, comfortable body negated any discomfort. Then the Noah had called to him, that instinct to kill exorcists, to destroy Innocence. He could feel it burning through him, that terrible need.
He had tamped down the murderous impulse and pushed himself up and away from the woman. And what had he done since then? Nothing. He found an overturned dresser on the other side of the blown out room and settled. A good half hour had passed, a good half hour of having that woman at his mercy.
He stared across the room at her. He wasn't sure why he hadn't killed her yet. That Innocence of hers was not a weapon, and yet...
It felt as if it had done him as much damage as that 'exorcism' of Allen Walker's.
His gut twisted. His past. It had never troubled him before. It belonged to his previous life. Something to be dismissed and forgotten. It was a pain that no longer mattered, except... it had mattered. Seeing it again and, even worse, as an outside observer. Everything, all the old feelings... revived and relived.
And she had seen it too.
Just for that he should kill her.
He wanted to kill her.
He didn't want to kill her.
The White and the Black warred in him more fiercely than they had for months.
Of all the Family, Tyki was the one in the most control of his Noah, though, considering the death and destruction he often left in his wake, that wasn't saying much. Then, almost a year ago, his control began to falter. It was first compromised with the extended time devoted to the Earl's death list. That was followed immediately by the drawn out battles with the exorcists in Edo. Finally, on the Ark, in the battle with Allen Walker, the last threads of his control were cut. Intending to exorcise the Noah, Allen only succeeded in upsetting the delicate balance Tyki strove so hard to maintain, and the Dark was set free.
Since that time, when the Noah had consumed him so completely, Tyki had redoubled his efforts to contain it. He did not want to lose himself again. He had always been a bit frightened of his dark side. Now he was absolutely terrified. The Earl had called it his 'Awakening' but Tyki was determined to keep it sleeping. Even during those last battles with the exorcists, Tyki did not engage himself unless absolutely necessary and then, when he did, he killed swiftly. No taunting, no lingering, despite the urges of the Noah.
And the urges were strong, there was no denying that. In that final clash, as he watched the others take on Lenalee Lee and General Cross with the full power of their Noahs, he had been practically shaking with the desire to release his own. It had taken the entirety of his will to prevent the Noah from unleashing itself completely on Allen Walker.
"You're going to have to make a choice sometime, Tyki."
Wretched, foolish boy. Allen actuallycounted the Noah among the humans he intended to save. Instead the boy had died, though not by Tyki's hands. The Noah of Pleasure watched the tendrils of smoke swirl away above him thoughtfully. Allen Walker had died so strangely. Something important had happened but he was at a loss as to what it might be.
Still, dead was dead. They had won. Or so he had thought at the time. He knew now they hadn't quite won yet. One exorcist remained alive... and the Heart.
The Heart... in this woman's hands. The Earl had been right. It hid itself well.
He could finish it in a moment. The Innocence would be destroyed, and the woman with it.
And why shouldn't he kill her? The Earl's scenario would play out unopposed. After all, wasn't it the reason he wore so much blood on his hands in the first place? Their holy contract with God... the destruction of the world.
The Noah within keened it's approval...
NeverforgiveNeverforgiveNeverforgive...
Tyki passed a hand wearily over his face as if he could brush away the darkness. He could not betray his family... betray Road...
Except...
The memories of another family played in his head.
Except...
He had felt... human again. There, within that Innocence, he had felt free of the Noah. Free from that dark pressure within his mind.
He longed for that again.
Saudade.
An odd, terrible, wonderful idea was taking shape.
As long as that woman lived, as long as that Innocence remained intact, he could hold on to the light a little while longer. He licked his lips nervously. He was in possession of a wild card, the one thing that might overturn the Earl's carefully laid plans. It was the ultimate hand. If he played it, he would either lose everything or win it all.
He couldn't even be sure what could be considered the win... or the loss.
He shuffled aimlessly through the deck as he thought. On impulse he randomly chose a card and flipped it over. He stared at it for a while before breaking into dark, delighted laughter.
The Queen of Hearts.
Feeling oddly satisfied, Tyki leaned back and waited for his exorcist to wake.
Slowly, uncomfortably, Miranda regained consciousness... again. She was getting rather tired of it. She was sore, and the ground was rough. Would it really be too much to ask, she thought with a flash of irritation, to wake up in a nice warm bed for once? With a groan she carefully sat up.
"Ah, you're awake."
Miranda lifted her head wearily. Tyki was watching her from across the decimated room. His back was against the far broken wall and his arm was draped over the leg he had drawn up in front of him.
For a moment she was envious of his ability to look as elegant and as comfortable in a pile of rubble as he might in a palace.
"Do you know," Tyki began casually, "how long you've been unconscious?"
She shook her head cautiously.
"One hour... and do you know," he leaned forward avidly, "how long it's been since I found you here?"
She shook her head again but he didn't answer immediately. He drew out the moment, taking a last long drag from his cigarette, before flicking it away.
"One hour, five minutes."
Miranda blinked.
"Oh, yes," Tyki's grin grew wider. "Consider the time it took for me to offer you assistance, and then our lovely little tumble when you activated your Innocence, not to mention that brief moment when we, ah, returned, before you so rudely passed out. That leaves significantly less than a minute for us to have played in the past. Or, should I say, my past."
He slipped down and moved towards her slowly, gracefully, with all the deliberation of a stalking cat. She crawled back, never taking her eyes from him for a moment, and painfully hauled herself onto a lone unbroken chair. It wasn't ideal but it was far less vulnerable than her previous position. Miranda's limbs felt as though they had been weighted with lead but she prepared to defend herself anyway.
And yet... her mind was on fire with curiosity. She'd known the Noah were human, now she'd been shown the proof of it. Tyki had been human. She had felt an immediate affection and sympathy for his younger self. Even now, with the Noah burning through his golden eyes, somehow, she couldn't help but see the human Tyki there as well. She wondered if Allen had seen that all along.
He had come to a stop, far too close for comfort, and his eyes glittered strangely as he looked down at her.
"You were poking around in my private personal past. It was very forward of you I thought, but then," he shrugged. "I've always thought you exorcists had terrible manners."
"I'm sorry." Her response was automatic.
He frowned at her. "Do you mean that I wonder?"
She giggled, perhaps a little hysterically. "Probably not."
"Gallows humour, Lady Exorcist? No matter," he waved his hand airily. "I have a proposition for you. Well," he frowned. "Less a proposition than a declaration I suppose." He grinned. "I am not going to kill you. You are coming to live with me."
Oh no, oh no no no no. "No...,"she stood unsteadily, her breath catching as she realized she had come up within inches of his body "I'll fight you..."she choked, "I'll fight you and you won't have any choice about killing me."
Tyki's eyes narrowed and Miranda's heart beat wildly as his hands caught her shoulders. He pushed her back into the chair. He pressed down firmly, leaning in until they were eye to eye.
"You stupid woman," he growled. "Would you throw away your life so easily? I'm not going to give you a choice about living."
Miranda was intensely aware of the heat radiating from the man. She thought her skin might be burning where he touched her. Still, something coiled within her, preparing to strike. Her leg twitched. Tyki seemed to read her intentions as a flash of alarm crossed his face and he stepped hastily away.
"Ah, no, we're not doing that again."
"I won't be your... doll."
Tyki laughed. "It's Road that has the dolls. If anything, I'm more likely to keep a mistress."
Miranda's stomach fluttered wildly. "I won't be that either!"
"Pity."
Miranda blinked as Tyki unexpectedly settled himself on the ground in front of her, sitting crossed legged in the dust. He swiftly produced another cigarette and lit it. He gave her a searching look.
"What you are, Lady, is something far more precious than that. You are the last exorcist, and, much more importantly, the keeper of the Heart."
"The Heart?" She looked startled.
"Didn't you realize? The rest of the Innocence was destroyed but yours is still powerful enough to trap a Noah and drag us both through time. I'd say," he added dryly. "As indications go, it's a pretty good one."
Miranda's mind reeled. Her Innocence was the Heart. She had possessed what the both sides had searched for for so long...
"Mien Gott..." she whispered.
She wasn't useless. She was so much worse than that. The Black Order had fallen, her friends had died, the world was lost, because she was too stupid to make use of, to even realize she possessed, the one power that could have saved them all. She couldn't breath, she couldn't think...
"It's all my fault. I killed them all. I..."
"Don't be foolish," Tyki snapped.
It was as if he had dunked her in ice water. Her eyes flew to his in shock.
"You are not responsible." His eyes were locked on hers. "You could only use as much power as the Innocence allowed you to."
"But I was too weak..."
"I've seen you in battle and I have never seen an exorcist operate so consistently at her limit. If your Innocence didn't evolve it was certainly not because you were incapable handling it, or too lazy to."
Miranda was staggered. Tyki Mikk, a Noah, an enemy of both exorcists and Innocence, was telling her she was not to blame. What was most surprising, because he was a Noah, and because he was more likely to tell he she was responsible just to hurt her., she believed him.
"The question, Lady, we should asking is why did it evolve as it did now and not earlier?"
"We?"
"I am going to give you the time and space you need to develop that Innocence of yours."
Miranda gaped at him. "What?" She said weakly, "Why would you... ?"
He gave her a dazzling, boyish smile as he spread his hands wide. "Isn't it obvious? I'm curious! You possess the Heart of Innocence, it moves in time, and it waited, actually waited to evolve itself! How can I possibly resist something so mysterious?
"Besides that, well, let's just say I'm not entirely convinced the Earl's scenario suits me, or," he shrugged, "maybe I'm just bored. Without you exorcists about, there is nothing to stand against us. A challenge is far more entertaining, don't you think?"
Miranda couldn't process this.
"This is just... it's just a game?"
"Well, yes, of course, but, this is also a chance, Lady. A chance you would never have had otherwise."
"You say it's a challenge, but if you can destroy me anytime you want..."
"I might, Lady, underestimate you. I might, for the sake of the game, allow your Innocence to progress to a point where I would be unable to stand against it."
Miranda's mind worked furiously. "Wouldn't it be more of a challenge to let me go?"
"What, and play hide and seek, like children? I count to a hundred and you disappear? So you would prefer I walk away, hmm?" Tyki looked thoughtful. "You might just escape at that, however, you are currently weak and most likely hungry, and London is full of akuma who would not hesitate to destroy you. I'd say if you come with me your odds of survival are significantly higher." He smirked at her.
She shook her head in disbelief. "Even if you mean this, the other Noah... the Earl, they would never agree..."
Tyki blinked at her, actually looked at her as if she were the one not making any sense. "Well, I'm not going to tell them, am I? It wouldn't be much of a game then."
This was madness. He was mad. "I'm an exorcist... why would you keep me alive? Won't the others be suspicious?"
"My family will certainly understand the somewhat perverse irony inherent in wanting to 'own' a former exorcist. I think they'll be rather disappointed I got to you first."
Miranda shivered.
"Besides," he shrugged, " I am the Noah of Pleasure. If you were to offer your body in exchange for your life how could I possibly refuse?" He graced her with a suggestive curl of his lips.
The blood drained from Miranda's face.
"What," she said weakly, "are you going to do with me?"
"Nothing," he purred. "That you don't want me to."
Miranda stared at him in horror, ignoring her fiercely fluttering stomach.
Tyki scowled at her reaction. "I have no interest in forcibly bedding a screaming, crying woman if that's what you're worried about. Despite what I imply to the others, I won't lay a hand on you."
Miranda gasped as he immediately contradicted himself and captured her own hand. She shuddered as he traced lazy circles with his fingers across her palm. It tickled exquisitely even through the leather of her glove.
"It is not, Lady," he murmured. "that I would not enjoy seducing you," Miranda flushed deeply. "But that is not the game I am seeking to play." He released her abruptly.
"If you are constantly concerned about my intentions then it may affect your work with the Innocence, and that," he smiled, "is the point of all this, is it not?"
Miranda clutched her hand to her, trying to ignore that it was still tingling madly. Of course this was a game. It was a game designed for her to lose. He was a Noah. He would play with her, torture her in the most subtle of ways and yet...
"Why are you really doing this?" she whispered.
Tyki frowned and looked away. They sat in silence as the Noah concentrated on smoking his cigarette.
When he again met her eyes his gaze was clear and candid.
"I don't know Miranda Lotto," he admitted. "But if you and your Innocence die, then the Earl's scenario will be the only future."
He sighed.
"You will live. There is no choice about that. The only choice you have is whether you will divide your efforts fighting me or put all your determination into developing an Innocence that may actually save this world of yours."
Miranda took a deep breath. Her mind, her reason, screamed at her. Tyki could not be trusted, but somehow, though, somewhere deep, something in his words rang true. No choice, but one chance, as impossible as it might be.
No way but forward.
I'll keep walking, Allen.
"Yes."
Tyki smiled warmly. "You will trust me then?"
Miranda nodded jerkily. "I'll trust you... Tyki."
"Ah." Tyki closed his eyes and took a shaking breath. When he spoke again his voice sounded strained. "If we are agreed then..."
He rose abruptly. With one swift movement Tyki plucked the Time Record from Miranda's arm and dashed it to the ground. She barely had time to cry out before his heel came down hard on it. There was a brief flash of light and it shattered.
She wailed. With a cruel smirk Tyki crouched down. When he stood she saw her Innocence intact in the palm of his hand.
"The Heart, hmm?" His eyes glittered and his fingers twitched convulsively about the precious thing. Miranda tensed herself to leap at him. Then, with an dismissive shrug, he tossed the Innocence to her.
With a gasp she flung out her hands. She managed to just catch it, but overbalanced in the process and landed face first in the dirt.
"I'd tuck that away if I were you." Tyki's voice was thick with amusement. "It wouldn't do for the Earl to see it at this stage of the game."
Miranda sat up painfully and slipped the Innocence into a pouch on her belt. Tyki crouched before her again, handkerchief at the ready. Before she could protest he captured her chin with long elegant fingers and began gently cleaning the dirt from her face.
"Ah," he frowned, pausing in his ministrations. "You've cut yourself." She winced as he dragged a finger along the scratch in her cheek. With horrified fascination she watched as he studied the finger then, humming lightly, carefully licked the blood from it.
He offered her a wicked grin. "Very sweet, Lady Exorcist. Don't worry, it's nothing very much. We'll get you cleaned up properly at home."
"Home?" Miranda was feeling a bit lightheaded.
Tyki ignored her as he got to his feet and briskly dusted himself down. He smiled brightly as he held out his hand to her. She reached up, then hesitated.
"Come along, Miranda." Tyki closed the distance himself and twined his hand about hers.
"After all, we can't keep the Earl waiting."
German Mien Gott – My God
Portuguese Saudade – (A word for a feeling not found in any other language.) A longing for what was or might have been, and carries the hope that what has been lost might return, even as the one who hopes knows it is impossible.
A/N – I love this word. I think it describes Tyki and his Black and White sides perfectly.
Current writing soundtrack – The entire album 'Ash Wednesday' by Elvis Perkins, in particular the songs While You Were Sleeping, May Day! and It's Only Me. Thanks again! Next up – Miranda meets the Family...