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Chapter 9: Shadow

Tyki's POV

Tyki walked into his room and rubbed the back of his head, sighing heavily. After coming back to the ark, the Earl gave him a stern talking-to for acting on his own and causing unnecessary drama.

He pulled the necklace from his pocket and looked it over once more. Although he wasn't quite sure what the boy's favorite color was, red looked good on him. This necklace had to have been worth quite a lot, so he honestly hoped that he'd like it.

After placing it back in his pocket, he took off his coat and walked over to the bed, stopping once he'd noticed someone lying on top of it and turned on the bedside-lamp. He froze once he recognized the white hair and blinked twice, making sure that he was entirely awake. Did he really come to sleep in my room? I thought for sure he wasn't ever planning on doing so... He must be really tired.

He smiled at the boy for cradling the pillow and smothering his face into it like it was the most precious thing to him. He walked around the bed, carefully put him under the blankets, turned off the lamp, and lied down next to him. Although the noah moved him and turned on the light, the boy hadn't so much as stirred in his sleep. He remained silent and resting with a look of pure bliss on his beautiful face. As if he didn't have a care in the world.

Maybe, Tyki thought, as he swept a light hand across his shounen's cheek. Maybe he is, when he's asleep. Or, maybe, it's just in here...

Allen's POV

Allen breathed in deep, taking in the comforting scent of grass, lavender, and vanilla. It smellt like someone who worked like a slave but lived like a gentleman, always being sure to make himself look and smell good for his peers. It smellt like Mana. His heart ached at the realization and he slowly opened his eyes, allowing himself to fully wakeup.

His vision focused and he realised, then, that he was lying face to face with a sleeping Tyki Mikk. Without thinking, the ex-exorcist jumped up, grabbed the pillow he was lying on top of, and went to smack the noah with it, but was stopped when he noticed a flash of silver coming from the night-table.

He put the pillow down, took another glance at Tyki to be sure he was asleep, and bent over him, grabbing the silver object from the table. It was an exorcist's button. Anger filled his heart as he realized it must have been taken from a fallen victim but, as he turned it over, his heart began to rise with love and sink with guilt. His name was on the other side - this was his.

At the Asian Branch, after being nearly killed by the noah, he recalled them saying that one of his buttons had been missing from his coat, and now he realized that the noah had kept it with him, near to him. It wasm't there the night before, so he must have carried it with him. Does he always carry it with him? And why my button? He's killed so many, why not Daisya's or Suman's?

Looking down at his sleeping enemy, his heart sank even deeper into his own guilt, if it even could. The noah had his hair out, sprawled across his pillow and over half of his face. He slept with his mouth partially opened, looking innocent, exhausted, and pure. Maybe, he's as genuine as he seems... I always paint him as a lying murderous pervert but have never considered that, maybe, he has a heart. Maybe, when he flirts with me, it's more than just personality and he genuinely means it. Maybe I shouldn't be so mean to him... He sighed and hunched his shoulders, tightening his grip on the button. I'm a horrible person...

The noah's eyes fluttered opened and he looked up at the boy with nothing but innocent surprise. "Shounen...?" Things must have clicked because that smug smirk of his came back and he propped himself up on his arm, looking at the boy as if he had just won some bet and yet... his eyes were filled with so much love... "So, you decided to take me up on my offer, eh?" His smiled broadened and he winked, making the boy's face burn with embarrassment.

Allen threw his pillow at the noah and dropped the button on the bed. "Sh-shutup, Tyki!" He ran off to the bathroom, ignoring the noah's laughter. That laughter sounded nothing like any kind of laughter he'd ever heard, from this particular noah. It was genuine and carefree, as though all burdens had been lifted. Is it because it's just the two of us? Does he feel comfortable, with me?

He stood in front of the mirror - Tyki's bathroom mirror - and looked at himself, fighting with himself internally. Tyki killed so many of his friends and nearly killed him several times before. He took part in blackmailing the ex-exorcist and seemed to not even consider that what he was doing was wrong.

And yet, every time Allen saw the man, he couldn't help but see him as slightly more human. Though the noah constantly gave him reason not to, Allen continuously grew to love and care for the noah, thinking of him as nothing but an innocent sweetheart despite his crimes.

It didn't make sense. How could Allen see this man as being innocent?

"Because you're just like him", the shadow in the mirror said.

"You're wrong", the boy growled.

Suddenly, the scar on his chest began to burn furiously, causing him to clutch it and hunch over, crying out in pain.

"Have you forgotten about this scar of yours?"

"Shutup", he growled. He was feeling dizzy and lightheaded, as though he might pass out, but continued to glare at the shadow.

"You stabbed yourself with your sword, which only harms evil, and had a hole ripped into your shoulder-"

"Shut your mouth!"

"Because you're evil."

Allen had enough of the shadow and, on impulse, punched the mirror with as much strength as he could, shattering it into pieces and leaving a dent in the wall behind the mirror.

"Oh, did I hit a nerve", the shadow asked through the shattered pieces of glass. It cackled loudly.

"Allen", Tyki yelled, rushing through the door with Road and the Earl. "Are you-"

"Be quiet", the boy barked, wiping the pieces of glass away, in the hopes that them being out of sight would cause it to silence.

"Huh", Tyki asked, confused.

"Allen", Road asked, worried.

"You're a monster", the shadow moaned.

"Stop talking!" He covered his ears with his fists, not wanting to be taunted any further and to look like a fool in front of the other noah but unable to ignore the shadow.

"You're a noah."

"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"Who are you talking to, Shounen?"

The familiar name caught his attention and his heart began to race quickly. What an embarrassing situation to be caught in... "It's...", he began, unable to find an explanation to give.

"You're bleeding", the noah said, casually. "Come back to bed. I'll bandage them, for you."

His face caught fire at the way he spoke to him as if they were... "lovers"... but he complied, anyway. He was too shocked at what had just happened. For the second time since he met the shadow, it taunted him. This time, though, it was more aggressive. As though it wanted him to be angry...

With wobbly legs, he began to stand up and, just when he thought he could handle it, he lost consciousness, completely.