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Chapter Sixteen - Monster
It had been a couple of weeks since the Musician last left the Ark and Road was making it a point to keep an eye on her errant brother. Some of his behavior as of late had been somewhat suspicious and she wanted to keep track of him just incase. He often left the manor on his own, telling the others that he was going out for walks or to look for Innocence, but the Noah of Dreams had her doubts. She could tell that there was something different about Nicholas and she wanted to find out what it was.
His behavior and even his expressions had changed but Road was having a difficult time figuring out what had changed.
And that was making her increasingly curious.
"He's hiding something," the girl thought to herself as she watched Nicholas making his way toward the front door of the manor. It looked as though he were going out again but to her knowledge he hadn't told anyone where exactly he planned to go. Not that this was all that unusual for him. The little golden creature named Timcanpy was fluttering in the air beside his head and Nicholas was talking to him. Unfortunately his voice was so low that Road couldn't pick up on what he was saying.
"What are you up to Nicky-pet?" Road questioned in a whisper as he slipped through the door. Making a decision the young girl quickly tracked down a couple of level two Akuma. "I need for you to do something for me…"
Having spent more than enough time with his family Nicholas was finally going to meet with Lyssa again. He had sent Timcanpy with his message earlier in the day and the little golem had returned mere minutes ago with Lyssa's reply.
She was willing to meet with him again; even seemed rather happy about the prospect.
Nicholas couldn't keep a small smile from spreading across his face as his thoughts shifted back to the message that Tim had delivered. This meeting was just going to be between the two of them since Cross and Maria were apparently already off on some mission of their own. That didn't happen often, from what Nicholas knew of the red haired Exorcist, but there were rare occasions where the general left his apprentice alone.
"That's convenient," the young Noah thought to himself although he wouldn't dream of saying something like that to Lyssa.
Leaving the manor and the Ark behind him Nicholas made his way to the location where he and Lyssa were supposed to meet. She had chosen the location this time which was the reason why Nicholas had brought Timcanpy along with him. The little golden creature led the way, showing Nicholas the way to Lyssa. It was moments like this where the young Noah praised himself for the little tracking device that he had developed.
"That was one of my better ideas," he thought to himself as he followed along behind Timcanpy.
The tracking device had been designed to help him keep track of any Exorcists that he might encounter and had been incredibly useful during those first days of his so called alliance with Cross. But now Nicholas was mainly using Timcanpy's talents for a completely different and self serving purpose; finding Lyssa when she chose their meeting place.
It didn't take a tremendous amount of time for Nicholas to locate the spot where Lyssa was waiting, thanks mainly to Timcanpy. And the moment they entered the clearing the little golden creature immediately left the young Noah's side. Flying over to the spot where Lyssa was sitting on the ground the golem landed on her shoulder.
"I don't think I'll ever understand why he seems to prefer your company to mine," Nicholas said as he walked over to the spot where the beautiful young woman was sitting. Timcanpy had settled on her shoulder quite comfortably and made no indication that he intended to move any time soon. This happened nearly every time that the two of them met with one another and Nicholas had actually came to expect it from his little golden friend.
"I guess it's just my winning personality," Lyssa said, offering him a warm smile.
Nicholas allowed himself a brief laugh at that comment, deciding that it would simply be more work that he was willing to do to keep his emotions in check. It always seemed to him that he lost some of his calm façade when he was around the Exorcist girl. He stared at Lyssa, a small smile on his face and one eyebrow arched. "So are you trying to tell me that I don't have a winning personality?"
Lyssa shrugged. "You said it, not me."
Nicholas held up his index finger as he walked toward her, a menacing look appearing in his gray eyes. "That's a dangerous thing to be saying, especially since you're alone with me."
"I'm not alone," Lyssa said casually, giving a sudden, sharp whistle. There was a rustling sound in the brush nearby and Sorana suddenly appeared. Her gaze shifted to Lyssa before falling on Nicholas. Instantly the dog's ears fell back and she bared her teeth.
The Noah instantly took a step back, his eyes focused on the dog. The husky did not look happy to see him and was making no effort to hide her displeasure. "I forgot about the dog," he muttered. "So I take it Marian didn't make you get rid of it."
"Oh he tried," Lyssa said, whistling yet again. This time Sorana walked over and sat down beside the young woman, placing her head in Lyssa's lap. "It just didn't work out so well for him."
"Great," Nicholas thought to himself. "Now I'm never going to be able to get anywhere near her."
Noticing the look that had appeared on his face Lyssa motioned to the Noah. "You can come over here… I promise you she won't bite."
A wary expression remained on the Musician's face even as he took a couple of steps toward the spot where she was sitting. He didn't trust the dog not to attack him and wasn't going to give it any reason to. Not that he thought it would really need one. "So you say but I vividly recall the first time that we met."
A smile appeared on Lyssa's face as she too recalled the day that she had found Sorana. Or, to be more precise, the day that Sorana had found them. "But that was then… she's gotten better." Reaching down Lyssa rubbed behind the dog's right ear. "It's just that, for some reason she doesn't like anyone who's male."
"Well," Nicholas began, rolling his eyes. "In case you've forgotten I happen to be male."
And, as though to add to the overall effect, Sorana growled softly from her position at Lyssa's side.
"Of course I haven't forgotten," Lyssa said, her musical laughter ringing through the air. She had to admit that she was slightly amused by his hesitation. Surely the Noah wasn't afraid of a mere dog. "But so long as you don't threaten me I can promise you that Sorana will behave herself."
"If you say so." Nicholas still didn't sound one hundred percent convinced but he made his way over to Lyssa none the less. Keeping one eye on the dog the young man sat down beside the Exorcist, enjoying just being near her. "But I'm not going to be happy if she mauls me, just so you know."
"I say so," Lyssa said as Nicholas joined her under the tree. A couple of minutes passed, without Sorana attacking him, and Nicholas visibly relaxed. "See? You should listen to me more often."
"Don't press your luck," the Noah said although the smile on his face belied the slight threat that had been contained in his tone.
"Ooh," Lyssa said, elbowing him in the ribs playfully. "I'm so scared."
Nicholas briefly thought about retaliating however a low growl from Sorana quickly served to put an end to that particular plan of action. "I'm doomed to be at a disadvantage forever now aren't I?"
"Pretty much," Lyssa said with a bright smile. She seemed to enjoy the thoughts of him perpetually being at a disadvantage. Made things decidedly easier for her.
"Lord Noah…"
Nicholas' eyes widened in horror as he heard these words. Gray eyes shifted in the direction that the voice had came from and his gaze fell upon three level two Akuma. The group was staring at him in disbelief and Nicholas silently cursed himself for not noticing their presence. "Unacceptable," he growled as he scrambled to his feet.
"Road said that you were up to something," another of the Akuma snarled, casting a scathing look in the direction of Nicholas' companion. "But none of us dreamed that you would actually be meeting with an Exorcist."
Gray eyes turned golden as Nicholas shifted to his Noah form. Normally he wouldn't even dream of going up against the Akuma but these three had seen him with Lyssa so there was no other choice. They would have to be destroyed. "Lyssa," the young man said as the Exorcist rose to stand beside him. "Use your Innocence to destroy them."
Lyssa was also aware of the fact that it was detrimental to their plan that she and the Musician had been seen together by the Akuma and she nodded. Reaching up she gripped the pendant that hung around her neck, at the same time whispering, "Salvation, Innocence Activate!"
The pendant grew into a full sized violin and Lyssa immediately drew the bow across the strings. Nicholas found himself becoming lost in the music as the Akuma attacked and Lyssa countered. The desire to destroy her Innocence was still present but it seemed to be less intense than normal. A fact that made it easier to focus on the battle. Her abilities were impressive and for a moment it looked as though she would be able to handle the group on her own. She managed to take care of one out of the three almost immediately before focusing her attention on the remaining two. However, as she was battling one, the third member of the group decided to attack from behind.
Seeing red and growling low in his throat the Noah leapt forward. Humming a haunting tune he watched the level two's eyes widen in horror a split second before it exploded. Lyssa managed to take care of her opponent mere seconds later and she turned to Nicholas, offering him a grateful smile. "Thanks for that."
Nicholas' golden eyes went to the ground and he took a couple of steps away from Lyssa. He had desperately wanted to let her take care of the Akuma but the moment that the level two had attacked her from behind he had sealed his own fate. The young Noah hadn't even had so much as a second thought. But now that the deed was over and done with Nicholas had ample time to dwell on what he had done.
And to fear how Lyssa would react to it.
Of course he could hide it from her because she had no way to know the seriousness of what he had done. But, despite how much he wanted to hide the crime, Nicholas knew that he had to confess to Lyssa.
"You wouldn't say that if you knew what I'd just done," Nicholas said, his voice quiet and his gaze still resolutely focused on the ground. Before he met Lyssa the plight of the soul that he had just destroyed wouldn't have bothered him in the slightest. But the young woman had changed him, perhaps for the better although it didn't feel like it at the moment.
Lyssa looked completely confused by his words as well as by the expression on his face. She could tell that something had to be weighing fairly heavily on his mind due to the simple fact that he was refusing to look at her. Holding out a hand, wanting to comfort him, she took a step toward him. Only to have him back away, still resolutely refusing to look at her. "Why would you say that Nicholas? What have you done?"
Walking over to the tree Nicholas leaned against the trunk. Taking a deep breath he finally turned his gaze back to Lyssa. "I destroyed the soul inside the Akuma."
Lyssa gasped as she heard these words escape his lips. "What?" she asked, hoping desperately that she'd heard him wrong. "How can that be?"
Nicholas heard the pain in her voice and it nearly broke his heart. He hadn't intended to upset her but had merely acted on instinct when he saw the Akuma lunging toward her. "When an Akuma is destroyed by something other than Innocence the soul is destroyed."
Having delivered this bit of bad news Nicholas' gaze shifted back to the ground at his feet. He didn't want to see the horror in her eyes when the full realization of what he had done hit her.
"I'm a monster," he murmured, now more convinced than ever that his damned soul wasn't worth saving. Because he hadn't given so much as a second thought to the soul that he was damning to oblivion before attacking. But even if he had stopped to think about the situation the young Noah knew that his decision would have been the same. He would do absolutely anything to keep Lyssa safe. Even something that could cause her to hate him forever.
Nicholas was startled from his thoughts by the feel of a pair of gentle arms wrapping around him.
"You aren't a monster Nicky," Lyssa said in a gentle voice as she embraced the young man. She didn't like what he had done but at the same time she understood why he had done it. "And I still think you're worth saving."
It was as though she had been able to read his thoughts and had seen the fears that he felt in his heart. And, just like the angel that Nicholas so often compared her to, she was seeking to comfort him. Wrapping his arms around her Nicholas allowed Lyssa to comfort him; allowed himself this one moment of weakness.
"Thank you for that," the Musician murmured as he ran a hand through her chestnut hair.
"You're welcome Nicky."
Nicholas allowed the young woman to hold him for a few moments longer before he pulled free so that he could gaze into her eyes. "You're truly a unique and special person Lyssa. Anyone else would give up on me at this point."
Lyssa smiled as she gazed up into the Noah's golden eyes. She knew that she should be frightened of him in this form but for some odd reason she wasn't. "I know where you're going with this and I can tell you right now it isn't going to work. You're stuck with me Nicky."
Nicholas smirked at this statement. "I can think of worse people to be stuck with."
Yet even as Nicholas enjoyed this moment with Lyssa he couldn't keep his thoughts from wandering back to the earlier words of the Akuma. It seemed that Road had grown suspicious of him; which meant that he was going to have to be even more careful when he met with the Exorcists.
"This is going to make things difficult," he thought to himself. But that knowledge did nothing to shake his resolve.
He had made his decision.
A/N - Here's the end of another chapter and Nicholas is beginning to make people suspicious. Not good! Hope that you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review and tell me what you thought.