Tyki: I'm here, why?
Link: I could ask the same.
Wisely: I second that. -looks around- I can't say I'm really fond on being here.
Hana: Oh hush up. You're here, so disclaim this story.
Tyki/wisely: -look to Link-
Link: ...-sighs- Hanashi and XavierForest don't own D. Gray-man. I'm not sure what wouldhappen if they actually did.
Hana: Rude much?
Wisely: Enjoy the story.
... ... .. ..
+ - Chapter 13 - +
Tyki paid the grimy rat of a man, before heading back out of the alley. Donning thick-rimmed glasses, and baggy getup, he groaned when he met back up with Wisely and Link. "Well?" the German male probed.
"Just as Mr. Kitchen Knife suspected. These murders aren't random." Almost three full weeks since his release, and he was being worked to the bone. Well, by his standards it was being done as such.
When it didn't seem like Tyki was going to continue, Link — with what little patience he had left— raised a brow. "And? What's the connection?"
"That's all we got so far." Tyki admitted after a pregnant pause. "We'll have to head towards another of my old hauntings. I have formal AKUMA who was loyal to a tee towards Lulu Bell, and by some extension, to me."
Link unhappily nodded. Why was he stuck with this job again? He'd hated this NOAH from the moment they'd met, so why'd he end up as one of the people in charge of him?
"Because you're one of the few that our lovely PMS-ing wannabe samurai can trust," Wisely yawned, looking at the agent through the corner of his eye.
"I would appreciate it if you would cease answering my thoughts like that."
"Can't be helped. And it's a truth you do need to hear. Kanda trusts you. And to some degree, myself."
"Fine then. Where do we find this guy?"
"Girl, actually." Tyki corrected. "She's a good kid, only loyal as much as she is for Lulu Bell 'saving' her from being another girl forced into trafficking."
"You use that term rather loosely, I take it." Link said, catching the pause after Lulu Bell's name.
"Honestly, I don't know what she thought, when she took the girl in. Perhaps she just wanted someone to do her nails."
"I don't know..." Wisely mused, staring off at something they couldn't see. "I think that was what Lulu Bell thought in the beginning, but eventually..."
"I suggest you cease there, before you gross yourself out." Tyki reprimanded his adopted nephew. "Again."
Link blinked in confusion, "Again...?"
"D-don't ask." Wisely grumbled.
"Alright... then..." Link murmured, frowning.
"We should head off now before it gets dark. I hate to bust your bubble, two-dots, but there are people that can take out even you if not in the right company." Tyki said, already heading off.
The German nodded, and the glared at Tyki. "That's not my name."
"And do I care? Nope. Not at all." Tyki said, otherwise ignoring the other male.
Link's fingers twitched towards his gun. Don't do it... don't do it... he thought to himself.
"Yes, don't do it. We need the man alive." Wisely said, uninterested in the man's thoughts. "I believe we still have a ways to go?"
"We're almost there, actually."
The German relaxed a bit at the news, though still perturbed at having been stuck with the duty of chaperoning Tyki.
"He's not that bad," Wisely shrugged, glancing back. "At least with him, I don't have to watch the willing continuous degradation of someone I consider family."
"When you say that you mean..."
"Don't push your luck, fuckwad." Wisely growled. "I lost my sister because of you."
"Harsh."
"I'm glad I was an only child." Link grumbled. "But even if I had any siblings, and the man who did that was near me as well, I'd share Wisely's sentiments."
Tyki 'hmm'd, hand searching his coat for a pack of cigarettes. "Siblings aren't that bad."
"Says the man whose brother had questionable motives." Wisely muttered. "I didn't like him in the slightest."
"Are we any closer to point B?" Link decided to ask, changing the subject.
Finally finding his pack of cancer sticks, Tyki nodded absentmindedly. "Nearly.
"Rather vague, aren't we?"
"I don't think it matters. Neither of you are rather fond of me talking, now are you?"
"No," Wisely agreed without missing a beat, "we're not."
"And there you have it."
"However, what we want and what we need are two different matters entirely," Link added.
"As it is." Tyki grumbled. "I would love to have free reign like I used to, but that doesn't seem to be happening either."
"For a good reason." Link glowered. "You said we were almost there, are we any closer?"
"Yeah, we're about forty metres closer than we were since the last time you asked," the Portuguese male muttered dryly.
"Can't get there any quicker." The German and British males both grumbled.
"Tough crowd." Tyki mused. The rest of their journey had been in a heavy silence.
(* - *)
When Wisely finally heard the other NOAH's thought of 'ah, we've arrived', he was just about ready to collapse in relief. The minds of the people he was with were giving him a headache, and while he wouldn't go as far as to say that he'd of preferred Yu Kanda's company, there were many places he could think of that he'd rather be.
Like perhaps in a nice secluded library with a good book to occupy his time. "Something...feels off." Tyki said, looking around the area. "Quick, hide!" He pulled both younger men with him in the alley with him, and made sure all three of them were pressed against the wall.
"What the bloody hell is wr—"
"Ssh!" Tyki scolded, looking at the two younger males on his right. "Stay where you are. Something's dreadfully amiss here."
"Where'd he go? I know I saw Mikk here somewhere!" A burly man ran past their narrow hiding spot. "Tch, stuck in the slammer and—"
"And what?" This voice was calmer, monotone, perhaps. "You, yourself, had told me where I can get my hands on one Tyki Mikk. He wasn't where the officers left him, nor does he seem to be in any of these...'haunts' you've claimed he'd recent when he was an actual free man. Dear, oh dear, seems like you've been wasting my time, my dear child."
"W-what are you—!?" Three sets of eyes widened, when the familiar sound of metal slicing flesh and bone could be heard.
"Apologies, but I believe I've said I never liked it when the scum of the earth who waste such precious time."
Link frowned, listening to and memorizing everything, filing it away for later use. That voice... it wasn't familiar, per se, but there was something... it was on the tip of his tongue...
"Apocryphos." Tyki and Wisely had cursed.
Link glanced at the two ex-NOAH, eyes widening. "Apocryphos?"
"Yes, the very one that would've put Allen in danger." Wisely growled. "What is he doing here? He should be in jail."
"Quietly as you can, walk farther into the alley." Tyki ordered, not taking his eyes off the man killing the other male slowly. That had always been that bastard's style. "Mercy" to those who were "forgiven", and then tormented to "sinners". However, 'Mercy', was a term used very loosely. Even by his own standards. "It would be bad if he found us."
Link and Wisely looked to one another, before looking at Tyki, and nodded. They weren't armed. And although Link did have a gun, he hadn't had the chance to reload it.
So in this instance, it would be more beneficial for them to follow the Portuguese man's directions, and then later inform someone of Apocryphos' escape.
Quiet as they were able, and miraculously missing every can, bottle, and all the noisier trash in general, it wasn't too much longer before they reached the backstreets, out of sight, and out of earshot of the man they witnessed killing a, what the trio assumed to be, a thug.
"Why was he after you, Mikk?" Link spoke up, after a long silence.
"I don't think I'd want to know." Tyki said, before looking to Wisely, "Did you catch anything from his thoughts?"
"That's the oddest thing." The British male in the group said, already diving into his own thoughts, "I hadn't heard him in the slightest until after we were pulled out of their line of sight.
"You...didn't hear them?" Both Link and Tyki were surprised by this. Link was the one to speak again as a thought crossed his mind, "We have to find her at all costs. If Apocryphos finds her before we do, we're in trouble with finding our lead."
More seriously than before, Tyki nodded. Even if he was... well... he was a lot of things... but not even he wanted to face Apocryphos. Unless he was heavily armed. And had a whole pack of cigarettes in his pocket.
Perhaps two packs would be better. "We'll go this way. There's a secret way into the building we can use."
"Of course there's a secret entrance to the building," Link muttered, "and of course you know where it is."
"Please, don't act so surprised." Tyki muttered. "Come, we're wasting time standing here."
The FBI agent bit back a sigh and followed the other, despite how everything he'd ever been taught, everything he'd mercilessly drilled into his own mind and body, screamed out against it. Listening to a criminal... he winced.
"If it makes you feel any better," Wisely said, noticing Link's distress, "I'm not at all happy about this either."
"Again, hold your enthusiasm." Tyki all but growled.
(- * -)
"Who is it? I already told—" The door opened, and a girl, maybe almost a full-fledged woman, stood, ready to speak her mind on whoever she thought it was, but blinked in surprise when she instead saw the trio of men at her door. "Tyki? And a traitorous one is here too I see."
"I take it you're Miss Mimi?" Raising a skeptical brow, Mimi eyed the twin-moled FBI agent. "I'm Howard Link, of the FBI."
"What? You gonna throw me behind bars?"
"That's not the case at all." Tyki quickly explained. "If anything, he's...I suppose you could say he's my parole officer, if you wish to be technical."
"Quite a demotion." Wisely said with a snicker. "Hey, I'm not the one who ended Lulu's life, and you know it."
"But I take it he was with you." By 'he', Mimi could've either meant Link beside him, Neah, or Allen. She didn't know the first two, so it was safe to assume she meant Allen, or Crowned Clown, as she knew him as rather.
"He had been. But even you know that Crowned Clown has—"
"Don't think I believe such BS for a moment." Mimi growled. "That bastard has been killing off AKUMA left and right!"
"But that can't be true." Link said, "My colleague was there when Crowned Clown took his final breath."
"It's true," Wisely lied, crossing his arms where he stood. "Whoever is behind these killings is a Crowned Clown imposter." And then he paused, brows raising, the rest of what she'd said sinking in. "AKUMA? All the victims are AKUMA? Is that the connection?"
"Ex-AKUMA, since NOAH isn't around anymore, but yeah." She brushed a couple cotton-candy blue strands from out of her eyes. "I guess because you were NOAH, you didn't bother looking at the faces of those working under you." There was an edge to her voice, like she was accusing them of something.
"I believe I once told you that Wisely was a bit of an odd one." Tyki pointed out.
"Oh?"
"I never had AKUMA working under me." Wisely paused and paled. "We're coming in." He said dragging Tyki and Link behind him into Mimi's abode.
"What—mgph?"
"Shh! Listen, whatever you do, don't open that door. It'll be bad for all of us here." Understanding seemed to have flashed in the woman's eyes, as she nodded.
Quickly, the only FBI agent in the room turned the lock on the door, then moved back to join the others. "Who is it, Wisely?"
"It's our little friend from the alley."
"Apocryphos." Tyki growled. "He's a psychopath. Known by all for his heinous deeds."
"Yey tall, short hair, glasses?" Mimi asked, seeming a little paler. "He's been coming around here a lot lately. I got a glimpse of him through my door's peep hole once or twice already."
"He's been here?" Link asked in disbelief.
"Yeah...he gives me the creeps. No one knows I'm living here, at least...I hope that's still the case."
Tyki shook his head, looking down at the girl with brows drawn together. "If no one knows that you're living here, then how did I find you so easily?"
"Don't be a wise-ass." Mimi scowled. "No one outside the NOAH knew I was here."
"He's be an ass all day. Don't mind him at all." Wisely said.
"Shut up," the Ex-NOAH of pleasure hissed.
"You know how tempted I am to toss you to the literal and metaphorical shark right now?" The other ex-NOAH threatened.
"Again, shut up."
"Though, I doubt the literal one would get in more than a few bites; you'd probably give it indigestion or something," Wisely mused.
Both NOAH suddenly stopped their bickering when an aura so dark and menanecing emerged from a rather pissed-off German male. "I swear, mund halten, alle beide!"
"I don't know any German, but I'm pretty sure he just told you to shut up." Mimi pointed out. "And I agree. If you two destroy this place, Lulubell's vengeful ghost would be the least of your damn worries." Her own voice was low and menacing. Her demeanor quickly brightened, scaring both Tyki and Wisely, more so than her darker one. "Do I make myself perfectly clear?"
"Y-Yes ma'am!"
"Good! Now, is there anything you needed? Because once that bastard outside disappears, I want you gone."
"Actually," Link spoke up, taking advantage of the other two's silence, "You've told us that a Crowned Clown had been killing ex-AKUMA. Have you seen the imposter?"
Sighing, Mimi gestured to the couch. "Tea? Coffee? It's gonna take a while to explain."
"No thank you. We're fine. Just tell us everything you know."
"Fine..." Lips pursed, the young woman turned her gaze to the ground. "All those people on the TV... the ones dead... I knew most of them. They weren't in Lulu Bell's division, but sometimes I'd be sent out on joint jobs with AKUMA working under a different NOAH, and whenever I did, I'd meet all sorts of other AKUMA. Those guys... they were some of them."
"How are you certain Crowned Clown was the one to kill them all?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Mimi glowered at the blonde, "I saw it happen. I saw the white cowl, the silver mask, I saw him from the shadows."
"Besides the costume, what else could you make out of him?" Link continued, "Have you seen him before the AKUMA killings?"
The girl frowned unhappily, crossing her arms as she did so. "You're asking all these questions, but how can you be sure that he's really as dead as you think he is?"
"We saw his body." Link and Wisely both said in unison.
Tyki, for his part, remained silent. He had no say in the well-being of the boy after all. As far as he could tell, "Crowned Clown", and "Allen Walker" were two separate entities that had once been one. He'd often forget that the vast majority of AKUMA never knew who he really was. But he supposed underlings were underlings, and they were only ever told what they had to know, not what they wanted.
"I want to see it."
"Pardon?"
"You're so hung-ho on Crowned Clown being dead, the least you can do I show me the hard proof. Unless, there's something you're hiding?"
She really was Lulu's right hand woman. Tyki noted.
"And what evidence could we show to get you to believe us?" Wisely asked.
"How else? Show me evidence of his deceased form."
... ... ... ...
Duh-duh-duh! How are they going to prove Crowned Clown's "Death", I wonder?
Reviews are very welcome, they help show the love for the story~! Even if I could use it, R&R ain't for rest and relaxation, show this story love and I'll see y'all next week!
And seriously, don't forget to check to out XavierForest's stuff too~!
Before I forget! I'm working on a one-shot for Lavi's birthday today, so keep an eye out for that one, okay? :) I'll see y'all soon~!