-.-.-.-

Chapter 18: Feared Beings

-.-.-.-

Nova's POV:

I looked up over my book as I heard the door shut, grinning as Kanda came over with the tray of food. What made me grin even more was how embarrassed he looked, with that smug frown on his face as he approached me, not looking like he wanted to do this at all. As he lay the tray on my lap, I chuckled while he sat down, huffing silently as he crossed his arms.

"Eat," He grumbled as he sighed, refusing to meet my amused gaze. I shook my head with a smile and sighed, picking up my sandwich quickly. We both knew that if I didn't eat soon, I wouldn't be able to have the energy to solidify myself. And if the Generals found out that I had no real body, excluding General Tiedoll, well then I would be as good as dead.

I had my lunch down in my stomach in less than five minutes, leaning my head back against the pillows in content. I felt the tray move off of my lap and cracked an eye open to see Kanda setting it on the far end of the bed, meeting my gaze now. Finally. I grinned again, seeing him roll his eyes.

"Operation," He mentioned as he glanced at the spot where I had that large wound from before, and the bandages wrapped around my arm from the burn. I looked down at them as well with a frown and shrugged in reply.

"It went fine," I replied bluntly, clasping my hands together as I glanced back at him a couple times, only to see that he was staring at me with a raised eyebrow. I groaned in annoyance, seeing that he was trying to get the information out of me.

"Stop that! It was fine Kanda," I pressed on, emphasizing my sentence as I closed my eyes, not really in the mood to see his intense stare on me. I dropped my head into my hands as I let out a shaky sigh, balling my fists against my head.

"It it was fine then what's with the face?" He pointed out as I felt his presence near me, his weight moving me slightly as he sat by my feet. I shook my head, not wanting to answer, not wanting to tell, but if I knew that if I didn't say anything, he'd eventually get the answer out of me. It took a couple seconds for me to sit up and look down at my hands, as I recalled the operation reluctantly.

"The operation went fine like I said….it's just what happened after that, that upsets me." I quietly said as Kanda blinked silently, waiting for an explanation as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Komui came in…already knowing that I didn't have a body. I'm guessing it was probably General Tiedoll who told him that. But…he asked about it, about what took over my body, so I told him everything. And after he told me my instructions to not raise suspicion…well…he…he told me I couldn't be an exorcist anymore…." At this point, the tears streaked down my cheeks as I continued on.

"Avon destroyed my Innocence when I tried to get it back, and when Komui looked at the damage, he couldn't figure out why it wouldn't bring itself back together. He assumed that it was probably because my Innocence wasn't destroyed by using it to its maximum energy extent that the reason it wouldn't reform was because of Avon's weapon that destroyed it. I can't be an exorcist anymore…and I'm not an accommodator either…so how am I supposed to stay here? H-how am I going to keep living like this, without a body?"

"The Order may be covered with secrets, but they're not heartless." He quietly said as he met my gaze silently, his eyes staring intently into mine.

"No, they will! The Generals will find out sooner or later, and with an exorcist without a body staying here, they'd think of it as-" I stopped when Kanda suddenly moved forward and brought his head close, only mere inches away from my own.

"Did you not hear what I just said?" He growled as I sighed and casted my eyes downward, a frown forming in my lips.

"Yeah, but-"

"So you stay." He firmly interrupted, his burning gaze still locked on my face-I could literally feel it. And it was incredibly overwhelming. I sighed deeply before I raised my eyes to meet his, blinking the tears away. As I stared into his eyes, I could only see a wall pushed in front of it, conveying no emotion to me whatsoever.

"Alright," I jumped slightly when his hand clamped over my own, warming them instantly. I widened my eyes when his lips brushed mine for a second before pulling away, our faces close enough that our breath become one. We sat there in silence, staring at each other, before I moved my head to the side and rested it against his shoulder.

I couldn't help but think that…this person right here was someone who actually meant something to me. Though I might not know a lot about love and all that, I do know that when someone beside you, kissing you, talking to you, gives you this warm fluttery feeling inside, I know that that is the person you care about the most.

That's all I could ever ask for now. I just wanted to be safe, from all this pain and sadness. And being with him was all I could ever ask for.

BAM!

The infirmary door slammed open and in a flash, Kanda and I split apart, each in our respective places just as the Head Nurse came in, a disapproving look on her face as she locked eyes with Kanda. I quickly met his gaze and saw a sparkle of annoyance in them as the Nurse approached, going on and on about how I needed to rest and that he needed to leave. As I smiled and watched him talk back to the Nurse, saying he was just giving me lunch and didn't want to in the first place, leaving the room immediately without a second glance. I thought that for once in my life after that, there was a little peace.

-.-.-.-

Avon's POV

I could only grin widely as I stood atop the only building that was now standing in the town. I had my sword up against my shoulder as I smirked down at the huge mess I made; bodies on the ground, all lifeless, with pools of scarlet, red liquid around each of them. It didn't take long to realize that this town was filled with happiness, and once I knew, it was over in a span of twenty minutes; a town, dead silent in less than thirty minutes, ha to think I could go this fast with this body.

I raised a hand to my face and admired how light and nimble Nova's body was, able to move fast and avoid any hit. Which I didn't really need since these happy-go-lucky people didn't even suspect a huge massacre. I clenched my fist and looked back at the quiet town, smoke rising from the buildings I destroyed. I tilted my head up to the bright blue sky and narrowed my eyes at how the sky could still be bright when there was the smell of death down here.

How I hated this world. But, if Master wants me to carry out his wish, then I will. There's no way Nova's getting her body back now. It's mine for the taking.

-.-.-.-

Sam's POV

I stared down at my shaking hands with widened eyes, a cold fear settling within me. So that's what that was? I ran both of my hands through my hair as I let out a quavering breath, unable to get the image of that thing out of my mind. Every time I closed my eyes, its face kept appearing, imprinted in the back of my mind. Was that how huge my hate was? To create a thing like that? I guess I could understand what Nova was feeling now. Wait. I froze in place as I realized something, my eyes closing in understanding. Then that means-

"Yes, I will take over your body soon." The deep voice rumbled within me, startling me out of my thoughts. I brought myself back to where I saw it before and stood in front of the looming creature, head tilted back as I tried to catch a glimpse of its face.

He called himself a Shigai, and even decided to explain what they were. Creatures created to carry out their purpose, to destroy all things living with happiness, ones who summon the machine like demons and those who use the cube of Innocence. He said that all Shigai have different true forms, and his just happened to be the most powerful and unbeatable of all. He was a mix of the elements thunder and ice and had a body coated in both of them, electrical sparks running all over his large form as steam rose from the ice. No one could beat him, he said. And he thanked me for fueling so much silent hatred that he was able to grow strong.

"So, if there are others like you out there, then who's the one pulling the strings? The one telling you all to do this?" I inquired as I watched the Shigai glance down at me, his blue chapped lips cracked into a grin.

"Like I said before, human, your hate was the most intoxicating of all that I've ever encountered. And the Shigai within that person…gets to be Master of all other Shigai." I narrowed my eyes at this, clenching my fists as the thunder-ice being let out a booming laugh.

"Once I take over that little body of yours, there's no way you'll get it back! I pull the strings here as you said! And you or your exorcists can't stop us from destroying you!" The blue being roared as he brought his face down to meet mine. I kept a calm, stoic face as his breath blew into my face, almost blowing me off my feet.

"So what will you do once you've finished your mission? Find more people to kill?" I said in a low voice, meeting his blue eyed gaze furiously.

"Once we finish our mission, we plan to become the most fearful beings of all. And that will require wiping out an entire population."

"We won't let that happen you selfish bastard. We exorcists are much stronger than your puny little brain thinks." I spat out as he whirled around to fume at me with rage.

"Are you really? And you don't think that that one exorcist can keep holding herself solid like that forever? She may not know it yet but keeping herself like that will destroy her mind completely. Even if you warn her about this, I already know that the Generals would go ahead and use her as an experiment. You really think that someone like her would be able to keep that up?"

"Yes, that's because she's Cynthia's daughter. She has the blood of a Krest within her." The Shigai's eyes widened at this, and stayed quiet for a moment, lightning crackling as he put a finger up to his temple.

"What're you doing?"

"Changing our plans," His eyes met mine with a wide smile. No. Shit! I messed up!

"Avon, shatter the girl's mind. I want her to experience the silence of nothingness because of the damage her family has done to us."

"No, stop!"

"It's too late now, boy. That girl is a curse to us. Her mother destroyed our previous Master, and he was my father. She should die just like the rest of her family." I stumbled on my feet as I realized what I had done. Stupid! Without a second glance, I spun on my heel and took off, bringing myself out of the white tiled room.

I shot up to my feet and paced around for a second before I threw the door open and ran straight for the infirmary. As I ran there, panting, thoughts raced through my head like; will I be able to make it there in time? If so, how am I going to be able to stop it? What can I do?

Is there anything I can do to save the person who might be able to save us all?

-.-.-.-

Kanda's POV

I had somehow wandered back into Nova's room after I had taken a walk around the tower to see her writhing in pain under the covers. I instantly yelled for the Head Nurse and saw her poke her head out from a nearby hallway. As she approached, I went over to Nova's side and saw that she was clutching the side of her head as she clenched her teeth from the unseen pain, trying to keep her groans of pain muffled.

"Oi! What's wrong?" I tried to calm her down but she broke out screaming, her voice already hoarse. I stared at her with shock, hating to see her in agony like this. How I couldn't do anything to help.

"What's going on?" I whirled around as Komui ran in, an alarmed look in his eyes as he caught sight of Nova's condition.

"What happened?" He demanded as he shifted his gaze over to me accusingly. I gaped at him and shook my head rapidly.

"Don't know." The Chief of the Order bit his lip for a moment before taking a breath and nodding.

"Step out Kanda," He quietly said as he beckoned a couple nurses to come over. They rushed over, one of them putting a hand on my shoulder, a sign for me to leave.

I glanced up at him with a scowl but averted my eyes over to Nova who was sobbing. The Chief sighed sharply and glared straight back at me with the same ferocity.

"Just do it!" I stayed quiet for a moment, about to make a smart reply when the door burst open, Sam rushing in with a panicked look on his face. When he caught a glimpse of Nova screaming, he fell to his knees, breaking down.

"No! Dammit! It's my fault!" Sam yelled as he stared at the tile in dismay, eyes widened. I stared at him with a raised eyebrow when Nova started yelling like a banshee once more, startling all of us.

"Kanda!" Komui barked, make me growl as I grabbed Sam by the arm and dragged him out of the room reluctantly. All the while, he kept muttering to himself that it was his fault and that he shouldn't have told him. Who's him?

I dragged him all the way to the dining hall and threw him on to the bench where everyone was sitting at. They were surprised to see Sam looking so grief stricken as he ran his hands through his hair exasperatedly. I sat down next to him with a hollowed look, feeling everyone's stares on me and Sam.

"Geez, what the heck happened to you guys?" Lavi asked as he looked from me to Sam in confusion.

"Nova." I bluntly replied as the image of her pain filled face was imprinted in my mind.

"What?" Lenalee exclaimed as she jumped to her feet, shocked at the news. I glanced up at her and sighed as I turned my head as they passed me.

"C'mon!" Lenalee called as Lavi, Allen and her started running towards the infirmary.

"No visitors!" I barked over my shoulder, but Lavi waved it off, catching up with the others. I closed my eyes and stared down at the table in silence when I noticed that Sam was unusually quiet. I turned my head to see him with his head against the table.

"What did you mean by it was your fault?" I saw him stiffen visibly and waited as he turned his head to me, a worried frown on his face. He looked hesitant to say it as his eyes darted around.

"Say it," I growled as I narrowed my eyes at him. Sam met my gaze and sighed, sitting up as he ran his hands through his already disheveled hair.

"I…" And as he explained, I could only scowl even deeper as I learned what took over Nova's body, and will take over Sam's as well. Does that mean everybody has one inside of them?

"They want Nova to be rid of and by doing that…Avon shattered her mind."

-.-.-.-

Hi guys! Long time no see! I know the chapter went by a little fast. XD Let me know what you thought of it! Let me know if the KandaXNova moments were adorable! I hope I made them adorable! And now you all know that Sam is the one with the Master Shigai. So….yeah, that sets things into place doesn't it? Oh yes, and when the Master Shigai told Avon to shatter Nova's mind, in case some people got confused, I made it so that when Avon took over Nova's body, she could also meddle with her mind as well since she's basically linked to her. So, if some people were confused on that, I hope I cleared it up and it made tons of sense.

Leave a review for me! See you all next week! (I'll be updating weekly now~!)

*I revised the KandaXNova part. Too OOC the first time. XP