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Chapter 16: What Is Seen As Trust?

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Kanda's POV

I don't know whether this has happened to you all but when you've got a hunch on something, you stick to it. At least that's my conviction. I couldn't help but feel suspicious at Nova's questions. She just kept launching them nonstop and honestly, every time I asked what the hell this was about, she averted her eyes away from me. Proof that she was a horrible liar.

"What is this about?" I grumbled as I rubbed the side of my head, a headache approaching from the answers I had to provide.

So far, she's asked me if I knew what love was, which...took me some time to answer. Then came the question of what I thought of girls, resulting in the answer of, "As long as they don't piss me off, which rarely happens, I'd be fine with it." Finally, a question that I thought was absolutely idiotic and stupid to say was...

"Do you know about the birds and the bees?" If I was drinking something at that moment, I would've spat it out by now. But sadly, I don't, so instead I glared at the person who uttered such a question and stood up, now towering over her. Nova frowned as she looked up at me, an apprehensive look in her eyes.

"Why. Would. You. Ask. That." I enunciated slowly as I crossed my arms in front of her, waiting for an explanation. Which of course, would just end up being a horrible lie.

"Y-you know! Just curiosity!" She nervously replied as she turned her head away from me, probably mouthing to herself that she was in deep shit. Which she was at the moment.

"Pfft, like I'd believe a lie like that." I scoffed as I rolled my eyes, sitting on the side of the bed now. Nova whirled her head around, her eyes blazing, surprising me.

"I wasn't lying! Now answer the question!" She demanded as she pouted slightly, making my stomach clench in uneasiness, which of course meant that she looked cute. I held her intense gaze for a moment before sighing, holding my head in one hand. Just why did I have to fall for someone this awkward and bad at lying?

"Yes, I know what it is." I gritted out, hearing the barely covered up sigh that escaped Nova's lips. Immediately whirling around, I caught her gaze midway from looking her clasped hands.

"Now it's my turn to ask the questions. I think you've said enough." I suggested, nodding when she nodded, a worried look on her face. Hmph, well that's what she gets for asking me all these weird questions.

"Why did you just sigh just now?" As if she was expecting it, Nova blinked an unusual amount of times as she looked away from me, turning her head to the side.

"I-didn't sigh," She muttered under her breath, knitting her brows together, pissed that she got caught. I rolled my eyes and still stared intently at her, knowing that it bothered her.

"Right. And you didn't just ask me whether I knew what the birds and the bees were?" I added on, seeing her stiffen and her eyes narrow. A smirk slid on my lips as I moved on the bed, putting an arm beside me, leaning closer to her. In doing this, I could catch the scent of her; a light floral smell that made anyone who smelled it swoon.

"You're really weird sometimes..." I quietly said to her, still staring at the side of her face as she refused to meet my gaze.

"Yeah? Well you get really mad easily," She replied back, glancing back at me for a second. But in that moment, that was all I needed to see the look in her eyes; completely flustered and nervous. As if she were nervous of me?

"Don't tell me you like me..." I muttered under my breath, staring down at the floor as I waited for her to reply. It was almost instantly.

"A-are you kidding?! Why would I like you? You always snap at me and call me an idiot! That isn't something a girl would like in a guy like you!" She exclaimed, immediately stiffening at what she had just said. I replayed her words in my mind as I closed my eyes, feeling her gaze on my face.

So that's how it is then?

I felt the ghost of a smile appear on my face before I opened my eyes and met her gaze again, raising an eye brow. She looked back at me with the same expression except she bit the bottom of her lip in waiting.

"Is that really what you think of someone like me?" I softly asked as I leaned away from her, feeling the tension around her go away. Nova stayed quiet for a couple of seconds before she took a breath, holding it in until she let it out sharply.

"I dunno," She whispered as she turned away, closing her eyes. I stared at her angelic face for a moment longer before getting up to leave. However, before I reached the door, something stopped me. Her hand had reached into mine and pulled me for a second, stopping me in my tracks.

"If...if you were to put your complete trust in someone...someone who you respect deeply, someone who looks after you every step of the way...would you, even if something bad were to happen to that person?"

I blinked for a moment as her question spiraled through my mind. She's talking about herself...With a small smile; I turned around and walked back over to her, leaning close to her as I raised my hand.

"Yeah, if you love that person, then you should believe in them." I replied as I put a hand on her head warmly, lingering there for a second before I turned on my heel again and walked out the door. As I shut the door behind me, I leaned against the side of the wall, a hand over my face.

"'If you love them huh? Since when did I get so emotional?" I asked myself as I grinned on my way out of the hospital.

Just fighting alongside her makes me think that being an exorcist couldn't be so bad.

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Nova's POV

As soon as Kanda left, I immediately started freaking out; half from being embarrassed for asking those stupid questions and the other for realizing that I had confessed, indirectly of course. I gripped the sides of my head in embarrassment, seeing that small smile on his face as he left. So now he knows; that I love him.

"Oh gosh," I whispered as I closed my eyes, a smile spreading on my lips. My stomach fluttered throughout the entire conversation and it still was. I buried my face in my hands as I tried to stop smiling, snapping up when the door opened again and the doctor stepped in with a tray of anesthetics to take another look at how I was doing with my wounds.

"Sorry, we need to take another look to see how you're doing." The doctor was a short old man with a bushy mustache and square spectacles. When he looked me in the eye as he sat next to me, he looked like a gentle, sweet, old man. I nodded and laid back down, feeling him inject the needle into my arm, the numbness seeping into my wounds in seconds. Soon I was off in dream land, in complete darkness, when I remembered Avon's words to me.

"…I can't really talk to you like this so when we meet again, back in that white room, I'll explain some more."

That's right; she wanted to explain more about why she was here…

Take me…to Avon.

With a flash of light, I felt like I was floating once more and lowered myself to the cool white floor to see Avon sitting, her eyes closed as she meditated in silence. I blinked in silence as I approached her, sitting down quietly in front of her, putting my knuckles together to meditate along with her. After what felt like an eternity, I felt her shift and opened my eyes to see her staring intently at me, her golden eyes glowing.

"So I see that you both know of your own feelings yes?" She sweetly asked, clasping her hands together. I immediately flushed, biting the bottom of my lip, realizing that she was inside me, seeing everything, hearing everything that happened to me. So there's no doubt that she heard…that. Avon chuckled lightly, bringing her hand over her lips as she looked at me with amusement.

"You humans are quite entertaining indeed," She softly said as she met my astonished gaze. There was something in the air that made her seem different than the last time I saw her. It seemed colder for some reason. As I stared into her eyes, I noticed that the golden color was starting to flicker, slightly, but then faster as it faded into a deep blood red. I gaped in shock, wondering what this meant. Avon, seeming to notice this smirked, her red eyes revealing a glare of indescribable hatred. This wasn't that cheery girl from before. It looked like a part of that didn't seem to exist in this Avon.

"I'll just tell you this now; I was never your friend." She stated, her hateful glare only growing larger as I widened my eyes.

"What?" I looked at her with wide eyes, watching as her tanned skin faded away, the pentacles disappearing as her silver hair faded to a deep black, her red eyes boring into mine.

What-what is she?

"You're…not a Noah?" I whispered as I stood up, looking down at her with a fear filled gaze. If she's not a Noah…then what has been inside me this entire time!? The person who looked like me, the one who used Avon as her name, stood up and raised her arms up, her whole form beginning to glow brightly in white light.

"What you see here isn't a Noah. I am much more than that! This is my true form!" She yelled as the white light spread out from her, igniting a blast that blew me off of my feet. I cried out in pain as I fell on my back and looked in front of me as what I saw in front of me then would haunt me for the rest of my life. It was a monster that now stood in front of me.

It was a human, merged with a completely messed up being; one that stood ten feet tall with a body that looked like it was made of fire. There were flames that surrounded her wrists, and as Avon stepped out of the blazing fire, the flames solidified and changed into two bands, locking on to her wrists. She wore blazing red armor with blood red boots, a menacing looking sword that looked like mine strapped to her waist. She grinned as she approached, her heels clicking on the now scorched tile, as black darkened wings unfurled.

"What you see here is the being created from the hatred buried deep in people's hearts. We are known as Shigai and have been around you people for ages, feeding on your hatred for each other, and growing strong till it was time for us to carry out our mission!" She looked down at me with wide eyes, filled with the hatred that I held.

"And finally, after waiting all this time, feeling your hatred towards the Earl, I can reside in my true form all thanks to you Nova!" Avon yelled as she broke out into laughter, raising her head to the sky, a wide grin on her face.

"But you saved me!" I exclaimed as I clenched my fists, gritting my teeth together as the ten foot Avon laughed once again, the roar of the flames deafening in my ears.

"That was all just so I could take over this body! I told you before you disgusting human that I wasn't your friend didn't I?" She growled as she leaned over and brought her face close to mine, her red eyes glowing with fury. I narrowed my eyes and put my hand out, activating my Innocence as the monster in front of me grinned, shark teeth shown in front of my eyes.

"So once you've taken over my body, what will you do with it then?" I demanded as I held my sword in both hands, glaring up at the beast that was inside me this entire time.

"Carry out my mission of course! To destroy those that are glad, those that have nothing to fear in their lives, people who rely on you exorcists to do their work such as save their town! Oh, and my master, the ones who created us to be born into the ones who bear hatred, he also wants this Black Order destroyed as well. He bears a deep hatred for them anyway," I frowned at this, clenching the hilt tightly as Avon looked down at me once more, a scowl on her face.

"What, you gonna fight me when you're in that sort of condition?" She scoffed as she pointed at me, pointing at the wounds that I was now suffering in the physical world. I widened my eyes as I felt that stab of pain in my side once more and placed a hand on it, clenching my teeth together in pain.

"H-how?" I muttered under my breath as I looked back up at the beast in front of me. The flaming Shigai narrowed her blood red eyes and moved so fast in that one second. Her hand slammed into my side, sending me flying into one of the walls, creating a crater as I fell, face contorted with pain.

"This is your mind, the one thing that I live in. Which means that I can take any advantage of wounds outside of this place and inflict it on you here," Avon explained as she brought her hand down once more. I raised my sword just in time to not get crushed, yelling as the pressure went all to my shoulder.

"You're trying to take over right now?" I asked as I struggled against the force that was being placed on me, feeling a droplet of sweat roll down the side of my face.

"Of course! Now that I've fully awoken, I'll defeat you and take what's now rightfully mine." Avon declared as she swiped her other hand at me, grabbing me and bringing me up to her flaming face.

"You humans don't even know half of what we feel right now. Your hatred, your pain, it all flows into us."

"Then why don't my friends notice this!?" I exclaimed as she twisted her lips in disgust, her eyes looking up at the ceiling.

"Out of all of you, you are the only one who noticed-no wait, your Innocence was the only one that reacted to your hatred when you fought that Earl, thus me being born in this blank hell." Avon replied as she brought her face close to mine once more, letting me see the embers inside those red eyes of hers.

"Oh yes, the Earl and the people who call themselves 'Noah'. My master hates those people as well. So I am to dispose of them as soon as I finish with the other vile human beings who fear nothing." She thoughtfully said to herself, glancing to the side.

"No! Finishing the Earl is my job!" I growled as I was thrown back, doing a flip in the air, landing on the ground smoothly.

"You bastard! Who is this master?!" I demanded as I dodged her hand that smacked down on the floor, destroying the smooth tile.

"I'm sure you'll meet him one day. After all, he is in the Order." Avon softly said, startling me as she grabbed me suddenly and threw me to the ground, punching me repeatedly. As she lifted up her fist, I groaned in pain, my sword beside me as she looked down at me with scorn.

"Now, time for me to take over, human,"

I snapped open my eyes when it suddenly felt like my head was going to explode. It felt like someone was squeezing my head together with two large hands, making me grab on to my head as I shrieked in pain. Whoever was watching over me at the time came rushing in now, calling my name as I screamed. I could hear maniacal laughter resounding through my mind as I knocked my head against the pillows, wishing for the pain to stop. I felt two hands grab my shoulders and push me down on the bed to stop me from moving so much but even that wasn't enough. I knocked the person away with my arms and buried my head in my knees as I panted, looking through my fingers with tear blurred eyes.

"Nova…" I heard his voice next to me, soft and worried, but I couldn't. I just couldn't right now. I took a deep breath before curling my fingers, squeezing my hands tight. If I didn't do something quick, Avon would destroy them all.

"You need to get out of here now Kanda," I quietly said, sensing the tension in the air as more footsteps rushed in.

"Kanda! What's going on?" Allen asked as I heard him approach. Keeping my head leaned against my knees, the pain now being almost unbearable.

"Kanda, listen to me! If you don't get out of here, you are all going to die. You need to move!" I demanded as I heard the others gasp from surprise.

"Something is going to happen to me, and when it does, you are all going to be destroyed! Do you want that?" I desperately said as I lifted my head, meeting their gazes, almost instantly gripping my head in pain.

"Nova, what about you?" Lavi softly asked, the tension only getting thicker as the choice they had to make began to surface.

"I don't know about me, but I would give up my life for your sake, whatever the cost!" I replied as I glanced over at Kanda who was staring down at the floor, a frown on his face.

"Go!" I yelled, startling the others into running off.

"Please, just come back to us!" I heard Lenalee say before her footsteps faded away, along with Allen's and Lavi's. All that was left was Kanda now. There was a high pitched ringing that began to grow louder every second with Avon trying to take over.

"Kanda," I choked out, squeezing my eyes as I felt his arms wrap around me, bringing me close to his chest. He rested his chin on top of my head for a moment and whispered something to me, making me widen my eyes in shock. Then in the seconds passed, I felt something soft press against my cheek before disappearing again. In a moment-he was gone. I felt something cold roll down the side of my cheek and shut my eyes as white light covered my vision.

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"Hello?"

"Ah yes, Kanda is it? What's wrong?"

"Yes, Nova managed to help me escape. Is this about her?"

"…"

"….I see. I'm almost at the Headquarters so I'll provide some assistance. Hold that thing off as much as possible!"

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Komui's POV

As I sipped my coffee, I stared at the glowing screen inside my little room where all the others of the Science Division were packed in. We all crowded around the TV, watching as a hooded figure climbed over the cliff that is the Black Order. I snorted as the person fell flat on their face, getting dirt covered on their already filthy cloak.

However, as this person stood up and walked towards the front gate, a sinking feeling came into my gut. I ignored it as I took another sip of my coffee, glancing over at Reever who rolled his eyes at whoever was standing in front of our door guardian, probably freaked out that a talking head was yelling at them. As the person shifted from the screaming guardian, I caught a glimpse of blonde hair, and the jacket that looked like something I've seen before…said person kept turning their head as if in looking for something. Then with a tilt of their head, they looked straight into the camera, startling everyone who was in the room into screaming and or spilling their coffee, which was me.

"You idiots! Can't you recognize a General when you see one?!"

I jolted at that voice; as did everyone else, all gathering close to the small little television as the hooded person ripped off their cloak, revealing the form of the General whom we've been searching for this entire time.

"General Klaud!?" We all yelled, dropping our coffee and falling flat on the floor once again. I bit my lip in fear, feeling extremely guilty about what I had just thought before she revealed herself. The General herself looked in a pretty beat up shape; dried blood crusted on the side of her head, her coat in complete tatters, and a really peeved off look on her face.

I closed my eyes when she disappeared from the camera, knowing where she was headed for. In a moment, the door to our little 'observatory' was kicked down and there stood the General herself, fire in her eyes as she glared at all of us. She locked eyes with me and stomped over, shoving aside the other scientists with one big swoop before she grabbed a fistful of my uniform and dragged me behind her.

"W-w-wait! Don't kill me! You were unrecognizable under that cloak! Noooo!" I screamed as I clawed back at Reever who was giving me a pitiful smile. Suddenly, I was thrown out into the hallway, falling flat on my face. As I sat down, rubbing the cheek that had skidding across the tile, I felt a hand grab the same fistful of material as before.

"Listen Komui! Nova is in trouble! I just got word from Kanda that something bad is happening to her in the town of Shion and it's going to destroy the town! What're you going to do about it?!" She yelled as her gaze bore into my eyes, filled with intensity and worry.

"N-nova's in trouble?" I stuttered out as she pulled me up to my feet, closing her eyes as an eyebrow twitched in irritation.

"Yes and a town might be blown off the map!" She hollered as she opened her eyes, glaring at me at a hundred percent ferocity. I widened my eyes, still trying to process that the General is actually here, yelling at me.

"Right!" I yelled as I made my way towards the phone that broadcasted throughout the entire Order. "How did you get out?" I inquired as I dug it out of a pile of books, throwing it on my desk with a heave.

"Never mind that Komui, just get to Nova!" General Klaud growled as she chucked me the phone, shutting her eyes as she put her hand to a wound that I couldn't see. With a gulp, I pressed the phone to my ear, and clicked the button, clearing my throat.

"All exorcists available in the Order as of this moment; you all have a mission together. Head to the town of Shion immediately, as fast as possible, to prevent the town from being blown off the map! General Tiedoll, head with this team immediately!"

Somewhere in this large vast Order, a man lifted his head when he heard his name called, looking up from his work with a grave look on his face. He walked over to his chair calmly, grabbing his black and golden General's coat, slipping through it as he walked through the door of the General's office, the bottom of the coat draped behind him.

"Looks like things are going to get a little messy,"

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Hi guys! Um…The beginning of the chapter, what did you think of it? Was it alright? I think I added the whole 'take over' thing in pretty well didn't I? Kanda FINALLY did something other than hug Nova! Whoop! I hope you all understood that he kissed her on the cheek right? XD Thanks for reading the chapter! I probably won't be able to update as often since there's school now, so please be patient my oh so faithful readers! Thanks again and leave a review!