Home Again: Intrusion

Chapter 5: Intrusion In The Heart, Part 2

Tyki's POV

"Tyki Mikk", the Earl seethed, dark matter dancing around his shadow. "My patience is running thin - how much longer do you intend to allow that brat to trample my plans?"

Brat? To his own surprise, Tyki felt somewhat offended by the Earl's insult toward the boy and wanted to defend him. Only I can call him that, he pouted, though stiff with fear as he felt the Lord Millennium's anger grow as he waited for an answer.

He put on a thin smile he intended to be convincing as he began to tease his elder, completely aware of the danger of doing so. "Oh? This wasn't apart of your plan, Lord Millennium? Surely this-"

"You're becoming weak, Lord Mikk", he cut in, tone clipped with restrained fury. "I wanted him to go with you so you might make him turn from the exorcists - I didn't intend for you to become soft and unable to perform the simplest of tasks because of him."

The noah turned his head away, his lengthy hair covering his face and shielding it from the Earl's sharp gaze as he mumbled numbly, "It won't happen again."

The Lord Millennium made his way to the door but stopped just before exiting, saying formally, "Tread carefully, Lord Mikk; this is your final warning."

As the door creaked shut, the noah of pleasure crushed the cigarette in his hand, biting his lip with a mixture of sadness and anger.

Allen's POV

Road was on Allen's bed and he could hear her from the bathroom, humming an unknown yet eerie tune. As he'd begun to grow tired, he'd noticed that Neah was beginning to take over. In a rush, he'd gone to the bathroom to watch in the mirror as the shadow figure laughed at him. It was a creepy cackle, like a crazy old man's laughter, and it asked him with an echoed whisper that taunted him despite the innocence it rang with, "It isn't working, is it?"

His eyes narrowed at the figure in the mirror, clenching his hands into fists and growling at it, "Shut up."

His hands shook with anger as he restrained himself from retaliating in a way that would draw attention, but his anger peeked when the shadow responded by saying in an unusual, sing-songy voice, "I can help you with that~..."

"No", he barked back at it, his voice echoing throughout the room.

No more than a second later, the bathroom door creaked open and Road peeked her head in, looking confused yet clearly trying to be careful not to upset him. "Allen", she asked, eyes wide and oddly hopeful.

Did she think - did she hope - that Neah was successful in taking over my body? He huffed out his frustration and the urge to question her before politely asking if she could create a door for him to leave the ark, to get some fresh air. Her response was a wide-stretched smile that worried him she might have some terribly evil plot sitting behind her lips.

Tyki's POV

As Tyki sat on his bed, tossing Allen's silver button up in the air and catching it repeatedly, he stewed over the Earl's warning and the way Allen so rudely interrupted his plans. Granted, he thought to himself. I could have taken the innocence if I pursued it hard enough, but I didn't think the Earl would mind if I waited for a later date. In any case, fighting those two off wouldn't be entirely impossible for me, but it would be a challenge to do all of that while trying to keep that rat from escaping.

He let the button land in his palm, the words "Allen Walker" facing the ceiling as he glared at it, before he closed his hand around it, laid down on his bed, closed his eyes, and groaned loudly.

Unsure of whether the groan was what made him feel as though he weren't the only one in the room or someone actually was in the room with him, he opened his eyes and looked up at Road, who hung her head above his, smiling innocently, though it was clear she was trying to scare him. He dulled his surprised expression at her and asked, "What is it, Road? You know I don't like you being in my room."

Her smile didn't waver. "Oh, but you like Allen in your room?" Without giving him a chance to respond to her taunt, she continued. "Speaking of which, he wants to go out but, as you know, our Lord Millennium wouldn't like him leaving without a chaperone and you don't look too busy~!"

He looked over at Allen, who stood with his back against the wall next to the door, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed, looking as though he didn't want any part in this. He looked back at Road, who's expectant expression hadn't changed since her entrance into the room, and gave her a simple "no", in response.

Allen's POV

Allen and Road walked the streets of a town that was so close to the Order's headquarters, the ex-exorcist suspected that his shorter "friend" had insidious intentions. Since he didn't have a clear idea of where he wanted to go and simply wanted to wonder the streets in search of a distraction from the fourteenth, she dragged him from store to store, asking his opinion on dresses she wanted to buy, which he had no interest in and, for once, didn't even slightly pretend to care.

She held up a blue dress so close to his face that he couldn't see anything around it, yelling, "Isn't this one beautiful~? Isn't it? Isn't it~?"

He laughed nervously as he pushed the dress out of his face before he caught sight of exorcist, talking to a civilian with a drawn picture that more than likely was of Allen or Tyki. He clenched his hands into fists and headed toward the exorcist, finally read to confront him and ask about his being alive. Not only that, he thought. But his innocence looks... different...

While before Chaoji's innocence was visibly no more than a simple bracelet, it was now a bracelet of white feathers that stretched from his wrist to his shoulder, like vines. "Hey", he growled, directing his his words toward Road, although he didn't stop walking toward the exorcist, nor did he look back at the one he was talking to."That looks like the innocence that guy at the order had..."

He recalled back when he was taken prisoner by the exorcists and how the man had attacked him with his feathered innocence. The noah had explained to him that it was apocryphos and who he was, but they hadn't said anything about his innocence somehow joining with another exorcists'.

Road grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks, though it only made Chaoji begin to walk toward them. She tugged on his arm, forcing him to follow her as she ran in the opposite direction. "We need to run, Allen! Don't try to fight him, like this!"

Like this...? So, she does know about my innocence, then... Or is there something special about Chaoji's innocence, now, that she can see...? They ran into a vacant alley and turned the corner, stopping only once they'd reached a dead end. They both stared at the wall for a split second before Road closed her eyes, seeming to be summoning a door into the alley.

She opened her eyes and they both stiffened once they heard a loud bone crushing sound, staring at the wall in silence for several moments as they listened for clearance to turn around.

"Idiot", Tyki said gravelly. They turned around and looked up at the bloody, ragged young man who loomed over them, a sharp feathered object pierced through his chest and only inches away from the ex-exorcist's head. As Road's door landed and opened behind them, Allen looked over at said girl, suddenly excessively worried by the fear he saw in her eyes.

(Yes, I plan to explain all of your questions, like how Tyki ended up being there even though he said he wasn't going to go, why he was acting the way he was, why Chaoji is alive and why his innocence is a little funky... Just continue reading ~(*^*)~ I'd add more words per chapter but I don't want anyone to get bored/hate reading my stories because they don't like having like 2000-3000 words per chapter, so ja. xD)