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Special update in honor of PeanutAngel! Happy Birthday and I hope that you enjoy!
Chapter Five - Memory of Noah
Once Nicholas had sent the Exorcists on the trail that would hopefully lead them to newfound trust in him, the young Noah made his way back toward the place that he called home. Or at least the place where he dwelled since the Noah of Praise couldn't ever recall thinking of the Ark as home.
It was true that Lord Millennium's manor was nice enough, as far as that went, but there had always seemed to be something missing. Something that would make it a home and not just a house.
As Nicholas pondered this thought a familiar face appeared in his mind's eye, the smiling face of his older brother Mana, and he finally realized what was missing. Although the Noah all claimed to be a family there really wasn't much love between them.
And they avoided contact with anyone outside of their 'family'.
Of course the Noah part of his mind was screaming that the lowly humans didn't even deserver their pity, never mind their love. But with his memories centered upon Mana, Nicholas found himself missing the brother that he had abandoned.
"Keep moving forward… never stop… until the day you die."
The Noah of Praise flinched as he recalled the last words that Mana had spoken to him on that fateful day when he had left to join Lord Millennium and the Clan of Noah. There had been no anger in Mana's kind eyes, only sadness, as he had walked away.
And Nicholas hadn't seen him since.
The only place that he had ever called 'home' had been the house that he had shared with his brother and their parents. Of course their parents had passed away when Nicholas was still fairly young but Mana had done everything in his power to make absolutely certain that he had never wanted for anything.
And he had been happy.
Once again the Noah part of his mind was screaming that all would be well once the Exorcists and other pitiful humans had been eradicated, as per Lord Millennium's plans. Shaking his head the Noah of Praise attempted to rid himself of this annoying voice in his head. He was constantly at odds with the Noah inside him, often wavering between what the memories told him to do and what his heart told him was right.
And his win/loss percentage was about fifty/fifty when it came to this struggle. He was different from the other Noah, Nicholas knew this fact to be true. They all seemed completely capable of cold blooded murder without even the slightest feelings of remorse. The same could not be said about the extra member of their family.
The Musician was in charge of the Ark, it's true master and the only one capable of using it's powers to their full extent. And Nicholas did as he was ordered by Lord Millennium but he also struggled with the little voice in the back of his mind that told him that perhaps he was traveling down the wrong path.
That maybe, just maybe, there was something about this world that was worth saving.
Glancing up the young man stared at the stars that dotted the otherwise black sky. There was beauty in the world, if one only paused long enough to see it, but this wasn't something that even he did often.
Normally his thoughts were consumed by the abject corruption in the world and the fact that all humans seemed capable of doing was hurting one another.
Which only caused the Noah inside of him to once more call for the annihilation of the entire human race.
Nicholas sighed as he entered the Ark and traveled down the familiar streets, making his way to Lord Millennium's domain. The Earl had once told him that it would be easier if he didn't suppress his Noah, which the young man hadn't understood at the time. Now he was fairly certain that he knew the meaning of these words. Unlike the others, he hadn't given his soul completely over to the memories of Noah.
He maintained more of his humanity than his siblings, which he had mixed feelings about. Sure it would be easier to cope with everything if he simply gave himself over to the memories and became what they wanted him to be but Nicholas still held out for some reason.
He wasn't exactly sure why.
Suddenly Nicholas was jarred from these thoughts as a by now familiar face flashed in his mind's eye.
The girl named Lyssa.
"Stop it," Nicholas growled to himself, removing his top hat and running a hand through his gray hair. He shouldn't be thinking about the girl; she was an Exorcist and he a member of the Clan of Noah.
And yet for some inexplicable reason he couldn't get her image out of his mind. There was something different about this girl and the young Noah found himself wanting to know exactly what it was that set her apart from all others that he had met.
Why did she intrigue him so when he could walk by so many others without even a passing glance?
"Commit to the memories…"
Nicholas growled low in his throat as he heard these words echo through his mind. It had been the same ever since he had first joined the ranks of the Noah. This haunting inner voice would call out to him to embrace the memories and ascend to his true powers. First it had been encouraging him to give in to the memories and now it was calling for him to commit to them wholeheartedly.
The Noah of Praise had given in but only to a certain extent. He maintained more of his true self than the others and had every intention of keeping it that way.
Lost in thought Nicholas hadn't even realized exactly how close he was to the manor but he was grateful to discover that no one was waiting for him this time. That was a relief since this disappearance would have been much harder for the young man to explain.
Slipping silently inside the Musician made his way down the familiar corridors, hoping as he did so that he didn't run into any of the other Noah or worse Lord Millennium. Holding his breath the young Noah walked along the darkened corridors and then released the breath in relief as he discovered that there wasn't anyone waiting for his return.
Hopefully no one had noticed that he had left. It would look incredibly suspicious if they knew that he had gone out on the very eve that Lord Millennium had announced his plans to kill the Exorcists and then even more so when those plans were foiled.
And it was just to much to hope that none of his siblings would make the connection. While it was true that he often questioned their intelligence levels it was also true that none of them were THAT stupid.
Nicholas would have liked to go to his secret room but unfortunately his key was currently elsewhere. So the young man settled on going to the suite of rooms that belonged to him.
He felt completely drained, a regular occurrence when he had contact with Cross, or now the group of Exorcists. Whenever he was around them his Noah genes would scream out the need to destroy the Innocence and it was a difficult urge to fight. He was constantly at war with the memories as it was but when he was around Innocence it was ten times worse and much harder to ignore.
Entering the room Nicholas didn't even bother to light the gas lamps as he made his way expertly across the room to the large bed that was positioned on the far wall. Removing his top hat Nicholas tossed it carelessly to the side before sinking down on the bed, still fully clothed.
All he wanted to do was forget everything that had happened and sink into a dreamless sleep but the Musician knew that this wasn't going to happen. He hadn't had a peaceful night's sleep since he had first ascended to his powers as a Noah.
In an unconscious state the voice that echoed in his mind was much louder and nearly impossible to suppress.
The voice that screamed out that he was superior to the pitiful humans; sheep only fit for slaughter. The voice that told him the Exorcists must all be destroyed, the Innocence wiped from the world.
All Exorcists must be destroyed…
Once again Lyssa's face appeared unbidden in the mind of the Musician and he shuddered involuntarily as the Noah inside screamed out it's protests. It wasn't as though he were asking for this girl's image to constantly appear in his mind; he hadn't asked for it and he sure as hell didn't want it.
It was just another inconvenience for him to cope with.
"It will all be over once Lord Millennium's plans have been fully set in motion…"
Nicholas abruptly sat up as this thought echoed in his mind, a strange expression in his gray eyes. Lord Millennium's goal was the destruction of humanity, which of course included Nicholas' older brother Mana.
The one person on the planet who had never treated him as some kind of freak. Even his so called family couldn't boast this claim since they saw him as inferior due to the fact that he was the Fourteenth in a family that should by rights have had only thirteen.
The so called 'extra' member of their family.
And yet only the Musician could control and use Noah's Ark to it's full potential. Even Lord Millennium himself couldn't lay claim to this but that didn't seem to matter to the other Noah. He was different from them and therefore an outcast in this environment as well.
"One of these days I'm going to prove to them that I'm not inferior," Nicholas thought to himself as he once again placed his head upon the pillow. Casually he placed his hands behind his head and gazed up into the darkness.
Acceptance was something that he'd always longed for as a child and even as an adult to some extent. Everyone had always thought that he was odd, with the exception of Mana.
His brother had told him that he was unique and that his talents were a gift from God. Mana had also told him that he should never try to hide who he was or change his personality to suit other people. That he was who he was supposed to be and should embrace that fact.
It seemed as though he had forgotten these words during the time that he had spent with the Clan of Noah but now they came crashing back to him with full force.
Causing him to once again struggle with the person that he had became.
Nicholas sighed as he struggled to come to terms with his jumbled up emotions. Which voice should he listen to? The persistent voice of the Noah inside of him or the smaller voice that whispered that he had traveled down the wrong path?
It was obvious to the young man that this was going to be another one of those restless nights when all he could do was think about things that he couldn't change. The Noah was a part of who he was and there wasn't anything that Nicholas could do about that fact.
Yet at the same time the feelings that the memory of Noah was fighting to smother were also a part of him. And the two parts of him were constantly at war with one another, making Nicholas feel constantly conflicted.
Forcing his thoughts elsewhere Nicholas contemplated whether his plans involving the Exorcist General were going to work out the way he had been planning. Cross wasn't a stupid man, although he sometimes acted as such, but Nicholas was fairly certain that this newest bit of information that he had fed to the red haired man would serve to solidify his trust.
After all Lord Millennium truly had targeted the Exorcists for death and, whether or not Cross and his team arrived in time to save them, there could be no denying the fact that Nicholas had been telling the truth.
"It's going to work," he thought to himself as he continued to stare up into the darkness. "And then the game shall truly begin."
A smirk spread across his face as the young Noah thought about the fact that he had fooled a general of the Black Order. And all because he had chosen not to kill the man the first time that their paths had crossed.
FLASHBACK
The countless Akuma had been doing their part to wear down the Exorcist General and Nicholas grinned as he gazed through the trees at the battle. It was true that the red haired man would win the battle, Akuma were constantly falling to that weapon of his, but that was of no consequence. They could be replaced easily enough.
The red haired man sank to one knee as the last of the Akuma fell and in this moment Nicholas made a decision. While it was true that the members of the Clan of Noah were forbidden from revealing themselves to the Exorcists a plan was forming in his devious mind and Nicholas decided to act upon it.
Of course Lord Millennium would be furious should he learn of this disobedience but Nicholas was determined to make sure that he never learned of it.
Stepping from the grove of trees behind which he had been watch the battle intently the Musician came to stand before the Exorcist, allowing his Noah side to take control as he gazed down at the exhausted man.
"Good evening Exorcist," he said politely, bowing ever so slightly as he gazed down at the man through calculating golden eyes.
"Noah," the man growled through clenched teeth as he forced himself to a standing position.
Nicholas was somewhat surprised that this man knew about them but he hid this surprise well as he nodded his head in affirmation of the statement. Not that it had been a question on the part of the Exorcist, his words had been confident when he spoke that single word.
It seemed to be all that the man could do to hold up the large firearm that Nicholas knew to be his Innocence. The Noah inside was screaming for it's destruction however Nicholas was choosing to ignore this particular demand.
He had a better idea.
"Relax," Nicholas said in a voice completely devoid of emotion. "I have no intention of ending your life Exorcist. Actually I have a proposal that I think you will find to your liking.
The red haired man gazed at the brat standing before him, a wary look in the one red eye that was visible. "I'm listening brat."
Nicholas forced himself not to react to the derogatory comment directed at him. "I am called the Musician and I'm the extra member of the Clan of Noah, Fourteenth in a family that should have only thirteen. As a result of this fact I'm shunned by my family. I have decided to leave the side of the Millennium Earl and could provide you with useful information."
"Name's Cross Marian," the red haired man said, his voice hard as he continued to stare at the younger man who was standing before him. He didn't trust the Noah brat, this fact was evident by the look in his eyes, but it was possible that he could use this to his advantage. "Tell me what you have in mind."
END FLASHBACK
And that was how their 'alliance' had began though neither trusted the other fully. However Nicholas was hopeful that this would change on the part of the general due to this newest development.
"Dance Marian…" he muttered, a grin spreading across his face as he continued to think about the Exorcist General whom he had control over. "Dance to the tune of the Musician."
A/N - Hope that you enjoyed this chapter, please be kind and leave a review. I would like to know your thoughts on the story. Til next time the music has ended.