It was no joke that Wisely had become suspicious of Mei. It was already suspicious enough that she was on good terms with the former 14th Noah, and that he couldn't read her thoughts. There would have to be a reason behind it, and he wanted to get to the bottom of and know why.
However, Mei didn't give him a proper answer, the only words leaving her lips being: "You will know when the time comes."
Wisely frowned to himself as he sat on the floor of Tyki's room, crossing his arms, pulling the blankets closer to him.
"What are you doing here, Wisely?" Tyki slightly raised his brow when he saw his nephew in his room. He had just come back.
Wisely spared him a glance, but didn't respond, only continuing doing what he was doing before.
Now that I think about it, what happened to Apocryphos? Is it after Sin, or is it going to start pursuing the 14th's reincarnation? Wisely suddenly thought. He glanced back at Tyki, seeing that he was going to bed, yawning.
On a side note...Wisely read his uncle's thoughts, which were a jumbled mess at that point of time.
Joyd may take action? Wisely raised a brow to himself, wondering if it was a coincidence that everything seemed to line up.
---
The following night, the Noah dispersed around the world, appearing as the leaders of akuma that the exorcists were fighting.
In the North American Branch, most of the scientists, including Rouvelier and the branch Chiefs, were taken a hold of by Sheril's Noah ability. They were held there without their will, watching on as Alma Karma awakened, who was the second exorcist who had an akuma nucleus planted into them.
While they were busy doing whatever they needed to do over on that side, Sin was forced to stay inside the Ark.
The main reason they're not letting me outside is because Apocryphos will get to me...I think, Sin thought, an image of the earless independent Innocence popping into her mind.
...so what now? What do I do in this time? Pry and see what I can find inside this Ark? She paused her thoughts for a moment, then hit a fist to her open palm, finding that she had actually thought up of a good idea.
"Not a bad idea..." She mumbled to herself, standing up. She headed to the door, remembering that nobody would be in the Ark. They would all be out, confronting her former exorcist companions.
...I hope that nothing bad happens to any of them, Sin wished that the Noah didn't do anything too horrific. She had remembered in one of the dreams she had, she had witnessed the Noah torturing an exorcist; something that was seen by absolute coincidence.
But I can't hope for anything like that; what with knowing how much the Noah hate Innocence. I can't even be sure that they wouldn't kill me if I was left alone. Sin sighed to herself. She pressed a finger to her forehead, closing her eyes for a brief moment to calm herself down.
She opened the door and took a look both ways before heading out. She was going to go exploring, and exploring she went.
The rooms she went to were all pretty normal, nothing out of the ordinary. It was like any other noble's house she went to; expensive ornamentation everywhere, and everything was clean. It wasn't like the old Ark at all.
...is this really just a normal home though? I'm on the Ark, so there's bound to be something interesting here, Sin pouted and crossed her arms, letting out an annoyed groan.
She continued down the hallway, checking in every room. Surprisingly, all of them were left unlocked. It was like they expected her to come around and check out every room.
That's strange...Sin thought back to when she was on the old Ark that was now being controlled by the exorcists, now that I think about it, the old Ark had all its doors open. The only door that we had to 'unlock' was Road's door, and we were given the key by Tyki.
Sin stopped walking and pressed a loose fist to her lips, brows slightly knitting together.
Will there be any of Road's doors here? Wait, it's possible, but she'll know if I enter them, won't she? But then again, not all of her doors are locked.
What am I even thinking? I'm just exploring. There's nothing to find, most likely. It's just something to do while they're out doing who knows what, the princess headed forward again, this time not caring whether or not the doors were locked or unlocked.
---
Allen didn't stop Kanda from thrusting Mugen through his torso, cleanly cutting through to the other side. He and Kanda were fighting, due to Kanda being too worked up to see the big picture, and Allen was trying to help. However, it ended up like this.
It was the final step for Allen to start becoming the 14th.
At the back of Tyki's mind, he wondered how Sin would take the news. Would she attack and scream at him that he didn't do anything to stop it, or would she be accepting of the news, or would she sulk?
In the end, he just leave it at that and continued what he had to do.
---
Sin peered inside the last room, finding that it was a study. It didn't seem like anyone had been in it, nor did it look like it had been disturbed in a while. She walked in, hearing the light taps her feet made against the floor. Going over to the table, she looked through the drawers. Most of them were empty, except one.
She took out the item, staring at it for a moment. It looked very old, but it looked to be a piece of jewellery of some sort.
"A bracelet...?"
...no, dingus, that's a necklace.
Mei? How do you know? Have you seen this before?
Yeah, I have. That used to be mine from when I was still alive.
It's yours? How come it's here, though?
Why are you asking me? As if I'd know! I don't know what it's doing here in the first place.
That's strange...if it's like that, maybe the Earl kept it as a memento or something.
As if he would do that.
Sin hummed lightly and put it back into the drawer, closing it gently. She didn't want to destroy something antique, even if it was accidental.
That necklace...was given to me by the Noah Joyd, back then.
Mei suddenly speaking to her with personal stories really surprised Sin. She stopped and stared at the bookshelves that lined the wall, not taking in any book titles, waiting for Mei to continue.
After all, it was a precious opportunity that Mei would come out and talk about herself. But she didn't know what she would say. The first sentence was already surprising to Sin.
I'm surprised you're not asking any questions.
I thought I'd wait for you to finish first.
...just ask a question, damn it!
Oh, um, okay then. Joyd is the Noah memory that inhabits Tyki, isn't it?
That's right. But he was an actual, live, person back when I was still alive. The Noah memory...it's something like what we're going through right now, where I am a memory that you can speak to. I'm pretty much an old lady.
Why did Joyd give you the necklace back then? Were you two friends?
Friends? Rather, we were lovers.
Sin stood in silence, her blue eyes widening at the information she was given.
"WHAT?!" She exclaimed loudly.
Oi, oi...just because no one's here you don't need to be so loud.
Ah, um, I'm sorry. That was just quite a shock. I didn't expect that.
Eh? Didn't you hear the Earl, though? Not too long ago, he told you that I fell in love with a Noah. Well, newsflash: the Noah was Joyd.
Ah...is that so?
Yeah, it is. Except, he's nothing like lover boy so chill the hell out.
But, I'm not...
Sin sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. She leaned against the desk, supporting herself.
She couldn't really deny much considering that she didn't even know her feelings towards Tyki. She knew she was fond of him, but how much of that was romantic, she didn't know. It was a foreign feeling to her.
Anyway, Tyki is nothing like Joyd. I'm not going to steal him away from you or anything.
W-what?! That's not what I was thinking!
Haha! You were totally thinking that!
No, I wasn't!
On a side note, do you remember when we were at the tower in the old Ark? The place where you saw Tyki in his Noah form and was shocked as all hell?
...yes, I remember that.
Well, remember when he became the dark knight, and I took over your body and fought him? At that time, that was the first time I had seen him in 7000 years. It was a very, very long time. I'm pretty sure that you'll now understand why I acted that way towards him.
Sin was reminded of that time, and now knew what those gestures from her meant. She didn't know that it would lead to something like this, but now that Mei had told her, she felt like she could trust her words. She didn't seem to be lying, either.
But rest assured, Tyki is all yours. I have no intention of taking him from you.
H-hey! Mei! Stop it! He's not my lover! He's a friend! I think...
Oh man, if he heard that he'd be devastated. What do you mean, 'I think'? You confused or something?
What are you going on about, Mei?
You're dense as all hell.
What's that supposed to mean?! Do you know something I don't?!
I know a lot of things you don't, dummy.
Hmmmm...
Oh, and by the way, you only have 3 more times to use the Wings of Seraph before you're taken over by me. Just a little warning, if you keep struggling, you're going to get hurt more, and I don't want to damage your memory.
Damage my memory? Mei, you want to preserve my memory?
It was strange hearing Mei say that to her. Sin honestly thought that Mei wouldn't care whether or not she was swallowed by her memory. But time and time again, even just a little bit, it didn't seem like she wanted her to be.
Wanting answers, Sin waited for the Innocence's memory to respond, however, Mei didn't answer her question.
At it again with the silence...the former exorcist sighed to herself and ran a hand through her now medium length hair, pushing herself off the edge of the desk. She made her way outside, going back to where her assigned room was.
What Mei had said just before, with the number of times that she'd use her wings before she was taken over, made Sin think. It was strange how Mei knew, and how she was warning her beforehand.
She was slightly frightened by the prospect of losing control of her body and consciousness to Mei. She didn't know what she wanted to do, and she absolutely hoped that she didn't just go out on a killing rampage to kill every single person who had opposed her and wronged her.
I still don't know much about Mei? What is her goal, anyway? She never told me.
Sin stopped in her tracks, staring at the floor. She wasn't going to get anywhere by just questioning herself. Who could she ask? Who would know something that she didn't, apart from Mei?
The Noah of Wisdom! Wisely! Sin clapped her hands together. He might know something! He reads minds, after all! Maybe he can read Mei's mind and tell me what's going on inside that head of hers!
...but they're on their 'mission' right now, aren't they? Sin started to walk slowly again, deep in thought.
Her mind wandered to Tyki, whom she had noticed was someone who stayed with her no matter what happened. He was always the one who had accompanied her, and someone who she now trusted a great deal.
Should I tell Tyki about what's happening to me right now? She quizzed herself, wondering what she should do.
Tyki was a Noah who had a sworn loyalty to the Earl. Sin was suspicious of the Earl, who had brought her in to help her and protect her, thinking that he had an ulterior motive. If she told Tyki about her problems, he might relay them to the Earl, and that might not do well in her situation.
It might even impact Tyki and Leon, who she both wanted to protect. Depending on what the Earl had in store for her, it might impact them both negatively if worst comes to worst.
This is why I'm so hesitant. I have to be cautious of everything, and I'm starting to hate it! She massaged her left shoulder gently, closing her eyes.
...who can I even trust now?
---
Once the Noah had returned from North America, they dispersed and did whatever they wanted to do, with Tyki heading straight to where he knew Sin was. It was easy to find her, outside resting and drinking tea.
However, Wisely was there before he was, chatting with her and enjoying tea together.
Now, Tyki wouldn't normally be the one who was pissed, but seeing that Wisely had beat him to the punch, it slightly irritated him.
"I wasn't exactly a fighter but they still asked me to fight." Wisely pouted with his bottom lip out, crossing his arms.
The woman just laughed lightly, "At least you didn't get hurt." She murmured.
"Oh! You're so nice, Sin!" Wisely grinned, leaning on the table with his elbows. He was surprised that her words were so genuine, even for a Noah. When he looked into her mind he found out that she hoped no one was hurt.
"Oi, what are you doing?" Tyki came up to them, having heard the last part of their conversation. Was it just his imagination or was Wisely being a little bit strange?
"Welcome back, Tyki!" Sin smiled warmly at him. She reached her arms out to him as in a hugging gesture, which surprised both males as they stared at her with astonishment.
"What's this?" The beauty marked Noah questioned. Was he seeing things or was she asking for a hug? He wasn't too sure, so he continued to stare at her with slightly widened eyes, almost frozen.
Wisely whistled a low hum, a smirk on his lips. It wasn't every day that he saw something like this, especially with the Noah that held the memory of Pleasure. He looked to be a womaniser at a glance due to his good looks, but in actual he was a lazy, chill and friendly person who just wanted to live a free and interesting life.
Demon Eyes Wisely held back a chuckle, and if you add Sin to the mix, it stirs the momentum.
Wisely was aware of what thoughts were going through Tyki's head, and almost wanted to laugh out loud at how hesitant he was towards this specific woman. Sin, on the other hand, was just as interesting.
"A hug!" Sin waved her arms around a little. She had noticed the look of confusion that his face held. She stood up and slapped both her hands onto Tyki's cheeks, holding them there as she stared at his golden eyes with her own blue ones. "What's with that look?" She pulled his cheeks before wrapping her arms around his torso, hugging him tightly.
Tyki's blinked a couple of times before his jaw dropped open in shock, wondering what the hell was going on when she hugged him firmly. He could feel the colour come to his face when he realised she was the one initiating it.
At this point, Wisely had bellowed out in laughter, slapping his hand on his thigh as he held his stomach, finding the situation absolutely hilarious.
Tyki, blushing? What was this, a new era?
Sin shot Wisely a strange look, wondering what was going through that mind of his. She didn't understand why he suddenly burst out in laughter. Was he okay?
The Mikk hesitant put his arms around her loosely, looking the other way as Wisely laughed, his cheeks burning.
Damn it, Wisely!
The former exorcist, who had the side of her head resting against his chest, could feel his heartbeat become faster. She listened for a bit, finding that it didn't go back to normal.
She pulled away and looked up at him, seeing the tinge of red on his face. It was a very rare sight to her, since he pretty much never blushed.
"Tyki, you're not sick, are you?" She asked out of concern.
Wisely, whose laughter had died down, started laughing again, this time even more so than the last. He ended up wheezing on the ground, struggling to get back up on the chair.
"No...I'm not." Tyki managed to say. He knew she was looking up at him, but he didn't want to look at her because he knew he might do something she didn't like.
"But your heart is beating so fast, and your face is flushed." She removed one arm from around him and placed it to his cheek, turning him to face her.
Tyki stared at her for a long moment. He would have enjoyed the company without Wisely's laughing in the background. He rested his forehead on her shoulder, effectively hiding his face from hers.
"I'm not sick...just...overwhelmed."
"From me hugging you?" Sin questioned.
Tyki only hummed a short reply in agreement.
Sin placed her hand behind his head, rubbing it gently, "But you're special to me, so I wanted to hug you."
He knew already, but hearing her say it to him in a whisper made him want to want to kiss her right then and there, but his morals restricted him.
"Oh, expect some more hugs from now on." She nuzzled against his head affectionately.
Wisely had stopped laughing at this point, and only stared with an interested expression.
She's going to hug him every day, huh. I see, so it's because Mei told her that she only has 3 uses for the Wings of Seraph left before it consumes her mind, and thus she wants to do whatever she can for those precious to her.
But why now? I'm sure Sin doesn't use it much...
Oh.
Wisely's thoughts paused for a brief moment when he remembered that Mei was able to control her body and use it as she pleased.
So Mei's using it without her knowledge...does Sin know about this and is that the reason why she's doing stuff like this?
He stared at Tyki and Sin, seeing that they were out of their hug and just chatting now, talking about what happened during the time they were fighting the exorcists just before.
Well, it is interesting to see Tyki act like that. Wonder if Joyd is happy, too.
Wisely let a smile fall onto his lips when he took a sip of tea, watching the two. He remembered something like this from a very, very long time ago, something that he would have forgotten if he didn't meet Mei again.
---
"Hey, I need to go now. Wisely can keep you company, okay?" Tyki placed his larger hand on her head, ruffling her hair as he stood up.
They were playing a basic card game before his mission. Wisely and Road were with them, but Road was in her stuffed toy form, sitting on Wisely's shoulder. She had gone off him and jumped to Tyki, signalling that she was going to be in on the mission as well.
Sin had heard about the details of his mission when she asked. She was sulking a little while ago, but had gotten over it because there wasn't anything she could do. Instead, she just accepted it as it is.
"...okay. Stay safe. It's the Order so they're not very kind to the Noah." Sin warned.
"Not very kind is an understatement..." Tyki muttered under his breath. He was about to go, but Sin pulled on his hand, motioning him to turn back.
She reached her arms out to him. Tyki knew this gesture, so he leaned down to give her a hug, which she grinned at. She included Road in it, holding her by the back before breaking away.
She waved as they went, seeing them exit quietly.
"Do you really have to do that every single time?" Wisely questioned. He wasn't actually playing cards, but he was observing. He would have won if he played due to his mind reading abilities.
Sin's blue eyes flickered to him, softening when she saw his questioning look. She nodded once and hugged her knees, leaning on them.
"I think you already know what I want to say, but..."
---
When Tyki returned, Road was not with him. He was bleeding by the hands and was still in his general Noah gear.
"Tyki?!" Sin stood up abruptly when he walked in holding bandages.
Wisely merely turned his head, knowing the details from reading his mind. His eyes narrowed, knowing the toll this would take on Tyki, and especially Joyd.
"Tyki, you're hurt!" Sin headed over to him and took the bandages out of his hand, bringing him over to the bed so that he could sit down and so she could bandage him.
"Sin, don't move." Tyki spoke, but there was an edge to his voice. He grabbed her shoulder and turned her around, then wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly against him.
Sin didn't speak, her lips parting slightly from surprise as she realised that his eyes were closed and he was trying to calm himself down with deep breaths.
She slowly returned his hug, wondering what had happened for him to be this distraught. The last time she had seen him like this was when his scars were stinging, and she had walked in by accident when she heard glass breaking.
She patted his back gently, "Tyki, what's wrong?" She asked softly. "Do your scars sting?"
When he didn't reply, Sin tried to turn herself around in his arms so that she was facing the other way. After she did, she took his hand and began to bandage it in the awkward position.
I see, so that's what happened, Wisely thought. He had just taken another look into Tyki's mind. What he saw was a memory from Joyd that had somehow shown itself to Tyki, the memory's current host. It was from the time that Mei had been killed by Apocryphos, and the memory and emotions from that time had leaked to Tyki, so much that he didn't know what to do about it.
That's the problem with something like this. Let's just say that you're not the only one who's suffering through all these flashbacks, Sin. Wisely turned to look at Joyd.
Joyd can't remember every single thing from back then, anyway. Only bits and pieces that were the most striking, like when Mei was killed. I guess that's why it's such a shock to the host. The mind reading Noah closed his eyes and sighed gently.
It's only going to get more confusing from here.
"Sorry..." Tyki took his arms away from Sin, having calmed down. He looked to his hands, seeing that they were all bandaged. He didn't even notice that she did that. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." Sin met him with a small smile, "Welcome back, Tyki."
In response, the male smiled, "Yeah. I'm home."
Just get married already, dumbasses, Wisely thought with a heavy, tired sigh. You two sound like an old married couple.
---
"We're not going to tell her about Bookman and Eye Patch Lad, okay, Wisely?" Tyki was now alone with Wisely. Sin had gone to bed, leaving the two of them to chill wherever they wanted.
"I didn't think so." Wisely responded. "She'd just go on the hunt for them and that'd make it annoying for us."
Tyki couldn't agree more. Sin had a mind of her own, so depending on what she wanted to do, she'd do it. Plus, they needed Bookman for questioning, too.
He did have a question for Wisely, though. It wasn't in his nature to just pry, but it struck his curiosity.
Wisely knew that he had something to ask. He answered his question anyway, "That was Joyd's memory."
Tyki turned to Wisely, surprised. His look turned annoyed when he realised he read his mind again.
"That was the memory that made Joyd hate Apocryphos even more." Wisely turned to look at Tyki, whose eyes had widened. "You realised it too, didn't you?"
Tyki didn't have a response to those words, knowing that what he said was true. He pressed his lips together and stared at the pond, replaying what he had seen when he was fighting Apocryphos.
He didn't know what to make of the situation. It was so strange, yet it couldn't possibly be true.
It couldn't.
---
Hm...so Walker's on the run right now, and Apocryphos has taken their attention off me, and is now intent on Walker.
Because of Walker, Sin's own situation has been overshadowed. Isn't that a good thing? So that she's able to move around without people trying to kill her more? Hm...I don't think it works that way, but still, sorry, Walker. You'll be our scapegoat for a while.
The biggest problem lies wherein the awakening of the 14th. I need to meet them soon; how will I do that? Getting out of here would prove slightly difficult, but meeting the 14th would take some planning and time. Plus, since Allen's on the run, that would mean that the 14th hasn't taken over just yet.
How long will I have to wait for this?
Mei was thinking (at the back of Sin's mind) about what Tyki had told Sin of what was happening at the Order. Sin was pretty shocked, to say the least, but Mei was absolutely annoyed at the outcome, but also finding that it was better that it was this way.
It's better if it came out like this. I need the 14th for this. I don't hate you Allen, but right now I need to meet the 14th.
Hm...it seems to me that Lover Boy has realised something when he came into contact with Apocryphos. Does he know? Hm...that doesn't seem to make any difference at all, so there's nothing wrong with that.
The biggest problem is whether or not I can get out of here without them noticing, and meet up with the 14th.
If I can do that, then I'll be able to start my plan.
...sorry, Sin. I need to do this.
---
"If you end up finding Mei along with the 14th, you need to stay by their side as well. It doesn't matter what Central has issued for Sin's kill on site order; you need to protect her until you are able to get the information I need!"
"...yes!"
---
In the following 3 months, Sin was still where the Noah were.
Wisely noticed that Sin herself wasn't doing anything suspicious, which made him wonder whether or not she wanted to go back to the Order at all, or go check on her former travelling companions and such.
The only thing that did strike his curiosity was Sin asking him whether or not he knew what was happening to her, and if he could read Mei's mind.
Of course, Wisely gave her an honest answer, not because they were on friendly terms, but because he felt pity for her. He answered yes for the former and no for the latter, even explaining to her when she didn't understand.
He remembered her dissatisfied face when he told her that he couldn't tell her anything about what was going through Mei's mind. Even with the discontent, she didn't sulk on it, easily accepting it.
"That's fine, stuff like this always happen anyway." She had replied.
I don't know if she is more pitiful than Mei, Wisely tapped his fingers against his knee.
"Oi, Wisely, you coming?" Tyki called, picking up the daffodil he had bought from a little girl on the streets. He placed a hand on his hip, waiting for his nephew to hurry up.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Wisely stood and put on a warm coat, readying himself for the cold. They were going to the circus that day, since Wisely was too poor to have seen one properly, and Sin and Tyki wanted to see it again.
"What's the flower for?" The smaller Noah wiggled his eyebrows as he smiled knowingly. He already knew but wanted to tease him.
Tyki knew that Wisely wouldn't ever stop reading his mind, so he bonked his head lightly with his fist before heading to Sin's room. "Stop asking when you already know."
With one knock, the female opened the door. She was all smiles, dressed in one of Lulubell's female suits. She had her hair in a low ponytail and had fake glasses.
Tyki stared at her for a long moment, then grinned as he enveloped her into a hug.
Wisely gave her a thumbs up, liking the outfit. It suited her quite well.
When Tyki pulled back, he positioned the daffodil above her ear, situating it so that it didn't fall. "Here ya go."
Sin looked at him with interest, then to the side, trying to see if she could see what he put in her hair. With a touch, she realised it was a flower. "What's this for?"
"Just a finishing touch. Anyway, you all done?"
"Mhmm. Let's go!"
"It feels like I'm going to the circus with my parents." Wisely purposely spoke out loud so that Tyki and Sin could hear. Gamako, his frog that sat on top of his head, croaked in a way similar to agreement.
Tyki and Sin looked back at the same time to see Wisely holding a victory sign and a grin plastered across his face. The grin had come from the amusement he felt when hearing their thoughts.
The taller Noah and the former exorcist exchanged glances, before the latter started to laugh, holding her hand out to Wisely, "Well, then, son, let's get going, shall we?" She played along with him.
Tyki just stared at her weirdly, rubbing the nape of his neck. He was definitely not going to do that.
Even with them burning holes into him with their stares, he held his own, stating firmly, "No."
With a pout, Demon Eyes and Sin shrugged and laughed it off as they headed off to the circus that was currently in town.
---
"You guys go on ahead, I'll be right back!" Sin waved to the two men as she headed to the merchandise store, hoping to buy some things to remember the memory with.
"Where's she going?" Tyki turned to Wisely.
"She wants to buy some stuff from the circus." He lazily replied.
"Shouldn't we have gone with her? There's a lot of people here..." Tyki glanced around, seeing the number of people increasing as they flooded out of the circus tent.
"Nah, it should be fine. We should stay here; she'll know where we are."
The circus itself had just finished up, and Sin wanted to get to the store before a queue had started to form. She was one of the faster ones there, and when she went inside the makeshift tent to see what they had in stock, she felt something ominous, causing a shiver to go down her spine.
She ignored it, thinking it was just the cold winds, but when she felt the sensation of a hand touching her neck, then cheek, she immediately spun around, seeing that nobody was there.
Confusion settled in when she turned back around to continue browsing, wondering what was up. She touched her neck and cheek lightly, the lingering feeling of another's touch on her.
It was so strange, so eerie.
And then it happened again.
I need you to go to sleep, now.
---
Sin wasn't anywhere in the mansion, nor was she anywhere in the Ark. She had disappeared.
Tyki and Wisely had spent ages looking for her, unable to find her at all. It was like she had disappeared into thin air – which wasn't a good thing. Wisely wasn't able to find her using his Noah powers, which was worrying, and Tyki was high key freaking out.
"Where did she go?!" Tyki bit his thumb nail, glancing around with a paranoid gaze, trying to sift her through the people.
He was very familiar with her silhouette and would immediately recognise her if even a hand or leg of hers was spotted, however as of now, he didn't find her.
He pressed his fingers to his temple and took in deep breathes to calm himself down, to think rationally. Once he did, he shoved his hands into his inner pocket and took out a cigarette, lighting it almost immediately.
He dragged it out slowly, watching as the smoke dissipated in front of him. It had calmed him down even further somewhat.
Where would she have gone? Did she get taken away by somebody? Knowing how attractive she is that wouldn't be out of the question, but knowing her she'd fight back. Then what? Did she just up and leave?
Wisely was reading into his uncle's thoughts, agreeing with everything he was thinking. He didn't think about cutting his train of thought unless he thought of something that may help, but he was currently thinking, so he didn't.
Sin...did she get lost? Tyki's golden eyes widened slightly. It was certainly a plausible explanation, but he didn't know if that was possible if there was a huge circus tent that was easy to spot.
Wisely glanced at some ladies passing by, seeing they were looking at the handsome Noah weirdly, then to Wisely. Tyki was in casual attire, same as Wisely, and wore those glasses he took from the trash can back when he was travelling. He didn't want to have too much attention on him, which was working well.
"That guy's got a frog on his head...?" One of the ladies whispered to the other.
"He...he does, doesn't he?" The other glanced at Wisely before leaving.
...just now, were they low key insulting me? Wisely kept a straight face, not really caring. He inwardly shrugged and turned to Tyki, adding another possibility to whatever would have happened to her.
"What if Mei took over and left somewhere?" Wisely suggested. He had his reasons of thinking this way, but he didn't know if Tyki would understand his reasons as to why. Heck, he was even oblivious to the fact that Mei was testing him (Wisely looked into his head into what happened with Mei a while ago, dead in the middle of the night – except he didn't tell Tyki that he did).
"Mei?" Tyki turned to him with a slightly raised eyebrow. "Why would she do that?"
Wisely contemplated whether or not to tell Tyki. He decided for it, knowing that the Noah would find out later anyways. "You didn't know that Mei is able to take over her body without any resistance, right?"
Tyki almost dropped the cigarette from his mouth, but caught it clumsily, holding it between his fingers. He stared at Wisely for a good long second, wondering how he knew, and waiting for him to continue before expressing his shock.
"I've looked into Sin's head and I've asked Mei." Demon Eyes paused, putting his hands together to rub for warmth, closing his sleeves together. "Aside from what I just told you, what's more concerning is that Mei will probably take over Sin's consciousness in 2 or 3 more uses of the Wings of Seraph."
"What?!" Tyki's voice came out sharper and more on edge than he thought it would. He inhaled sharply, taking one long drag from the cigarette and breathing it out, throwing it to the ground and stepping on it. His expression was difficult to decipher.
Wisely couldn't really make out what he was thinking. His mind was a jumbling mess, but one thing was sure, he was shocked. It was almost as if he had completely forgotten that that was bound to happen in the future.
After a long silence, the taller Noah turned to Wisely, "Can you find her if you try?"
Wisely's brows rose slightly, seeing the almost desperate look in Tyki's eyes. It reminded him of the look Joyd once gave him a very, very long time ago, when he was begging Wisely to keep his relationship with Mei a secret until he was ready to tell the Earl.
With a snort, Wisely tried, closing his eyes to drown out other voices that he could hear, trying to search for the familiar voice of Sin. He knew he couldn't count on finding Mei's voice because she knew how to cut off the connection, but he knew Sin wasn't able to.
He tried very hard—but he didn't hear a thing from Sin. Not even a peep of her voice, not even a grunt, a squeal; nothing.
Knowing that it's possible that Mei's overtaken the body, Wisely thought of what Mei would do if that was the case.
Would she go find the 14th? That train of thought made him pause his search, making him open his eyes, pressing his hands on his knees when he sat down by the fountain.
"Did you find her?" Although his face was calm, his voice held an underlying edge to it.
Wisely merely shook his head, continuing his own thoughts.
Or is she trying to find somewhere to hide? He closed his eyes again, resting his cheek on his hand, contemplating the options.
According to the previous user of Seraphim and the patterns and what Mei did during that time over 35 years ago, he could conclude it's most likely that she'd go with the former idea rather than the latter.
He ground his molars and opened his eyes, glaring at the ground and wondering how the hell they'd find the 14th if that was the case. They haven't felt the presence of the 14th yet, not one where it was immediate that his transformation was starting to start again. It had been on a low for a few months.
Seeing Wisely's hard gaze on the ground made Tyki stuff his hands into his pockets, trying to keep them warm. His eyes averted to the crowd, darting around to find the one he'd always wanted by his side.
But she wasn't anywhere to be found.
"I can't reach her." Wisely finally stated. Tyki stayed silent, flickering his golden eyes to him. Wisely didn't dare look in Tyki's direction when he mentioned the next thing: "Sin's consciousness is probably being suppressed by Mei. I'm not 100% sure, but I think Mei went to find the 14th."
Tyki's slight twitch of the eye didn't go by unnoticed by Wisely. He could hear the thoughts swirling inside his uncle's head, the what, who, where and whys.
With a sigh, Wisely pushed himself off from his seat, brushing his clothes off. He turned to Tyki, who had a hard expression on his face. "Don't worry. We'll see her again."
Wisely walked ahead of the male, heading back to their current home. Tyki's fingers twitched, clenching into a fist inside his pockets as he followed Wisely.
The shorter Noah turned just slightly, seeing Tyki at the corner of his eyes. That expression was something that looked just like an angry face, but if Wisely didn't know him any better, it wasn't just an angry expression, with many other emotions behind that mask.
Looking forward, the frog owner stared up at the now cloudy sky.
'We'll see her again'...I know I said that, but which one will we see?
---
I swear I felt his presence around here somewhere.
Mei had taken over Sin's body and had held her consciousness back. She was going through the town, away from the circus. If Wisely or Tyki found her, they'd just take her back.
Not like that's going to stop me from leaving, ha!
Anyway...the silver haired lady glanced around, watching her surroundings, observing them to make sure she knew where she was going. Half of it was to have mental checkpoints.
She skidded and sharply turned at a corner, breaking out into a sprint once again. The presence of the 14th was near, she could tell. It took her a while to distinguish his aura and presence in comparison to the other Noah, but she was glad she took the time to familiarise herself with it. After all, they worked together.
Now that I think about it...I'm chasing Allen, aren't I? Is that why the signal keeps being weird?
With a small frown, Mei jumped on a window ledge and continued up, getting to the roof. She paused for a moment, stretching out her host's limbs to accommodate for the physical activity.
I forgot this body wasn't used to stuff like this.
Mei was in a different part of the town entirely, but she could see the top of the circus tent from far away.
She could almost hear Tyki freaking out, and Wisely trying to find her through the crowd with his Demon Eye.
Too bad, Wisely.
She placed her hands on her hips, raising a brow. Ah, I should really apologize to Tyki. I'm stealing his little girlfriend away. Eh, after all this is over.
Her crimson irises skimmed the clouds that were present far away.
Well...hopefully, anyway.
---
Mei didn't let Sin overtake her consciousness at all. Sometimes she let Sin see what was happening, but not let her control her body.
Where are we going now, Mei? Sin asked, concern hinting at her voice. Mei had explained to Sin vaguely about what she was doing, and why she ditched the Noah at that time. It had been nearly been two weeks since they last saw the Noah. Surprisingly, they didn't run into any of them, nor did they run into any exorcists or Apocryphos.
You're going to like it. But first, let's get you something to give as a gift. Mei was walking at a fast pace down the hills of China, the familiar surroundings making Sin gasp.
Before you even ask, let's just say we're going to infiltrate your home.Mei grinned at the idea.
Sin wanted to sweat drop. You can't really infiltrate your own home...
It sounded cool so at least let me say it this once?!Mei rolled her eyes and swerved her walking direction to the side when she saw the estate.
There might be those assassins lurking nearby, Sin warned.
Yeah. Don't worry too much, I know where they were. Should be fine.Mei headed to a blindspot where the watchdog assassins couldn't monitor, sneaking in through there when she felt that it was the right time.
In!Mei landed on the ground in the courtyard quietly, looking around to see that the place was as nice as always. It was completely different to when she had seen it last, where there were unconscious bodies everywhere, and blood smeared on the ground.
The silver haired woman quickly headed to where Sin's room was, opening it as quietly as she could before going in and looking at what she could find as a gift.
You're going to find a gift from all this stuff? Sin questioned. Who are you going to give it to?
If you didn't listen to what I said earlier, I said that you'd be giving it.Sin could almost see Mei rolling her eyes.
Ah...okay...well, depending on the person I can see what I have...? Sin wanted to shrug, but only being a consciousness, that wasn't exactly possible.
I think this will do fine.Mei headed to the drawer and pulled out a plain, but thick blanket. This blanket should be a good enough gift.
Just who are we giving that to? Sin omitted the fact that Mei didn't even let her choose.
...you'll know soon enough. But, as you may see them, they won't see you.Mei sighed through her nose and folded the blanket, putting it under her arm as she stepped back outside, making sure to stay quiet. There's one more thing we should do.
Mei quickly headed to the main office that Sin's parents normally worked in when they were alive. She went in unannounced, peering in first and closing the door quietly. She heard the noise of something getting written by hand, and someone's voice.
Ah.Mei nodded slowly in acknowledgement, taking a few steps forward and turning the corner, coming to the desk that lined the top part of the L shaped room.
She saw Li Jun and Leon at the desk, Leon writing something whilst Li Jun was doing some pointers here and there.
They didn't even notice her there yet.
...Leon, Li Jun...
"Long time no see." Mei spoke first. At the sudden voice, Li Jun and Leon's heads snapped up to look at the intruder. Their eyes widened as they took in the familiar appearance of Sin, but with different coloured hair and eyes.
Li Jun's mouth opened, unsure of what to say.
"Sister...? Is that you...?" Leon's voice was laced with uncertainty, but he still had a steady voice, albeit slightly deeper.
"Kind of." Mei took another step forward, giving them a smile. Li Jun bowed his head slightly at her, showing respect. She glanced at him, motioning for him to stop. She looked back at Leon, "Sin's still here, but she's not in control of this body right now. I'm just here for greetings."
Leon opened and closed his mouth, wondering what he should do. In the end, he stood up and approached his sister. Li Jun stayed at the back.
"You're a little bigger than what I last remembered." Mei mused, "You grew, didn't you, Leon?"
"How...?"
"Let's just say that I'm pretty much your sister, but not really. I'm just the other consciousness that this body has. What she's been through; I know everything." Mei shrugged lightly and ran a hand through her hair, "Anyway, I'll be giving this body back to Sin for a little bit so that you can talk to her."
And Mei did just that. When Sin was in control again, Leon and Li Jun watched as her hair changed to the dark colour they remembered, and the blue eyes that were as clear as crystals returning to replace the red ones.
Sin engulfed Leon in a hug, tightly and firmly. She didn't care if she was still holding the blanket, she only wanted to hug her dear brother.
"How are you, Leon? I'm sorry about this situation, but don't worry too much about it." Sin placed a hand on Leon's head, ruffling his hair. He was as tall as her nose now. "How are you coping?"
"I'm good, big sister." Leon grinned. "I'm still quite saddened by our parents' death, but I'm coping well. I have to be strong for those who rely on me, and on this family. So I have to go forward. Li Jun's helping me with my studies and for official business. He's really changed."
Sin looked up to meet Li Jun's eyes. Even from the short distance, she could tell that he was still feeling guilty about that time.
"Princess..." He started, bowing 90 degrees. "I'll do my best to prepare your brother to lead!"
"Lift your head, Jun." Sin sighed gently, "Please do. I'll be wishing for the best. I entrust my little brother to you. Prepare him well."
"I will!" He saluted.
Sin laughed a little, reminded of how he behaved many, many years ago, before he was warped for the worst.
"On a side note, how are things at home?" Sin asked quietly, glancing between Leon and Li Jun. If memory served her right, she recalled that her mother was going to help Jun out, but she died before she was able to.
"We found out she was doing illegal dealings, and thus she's been sent into prison." Leon spoke nonchalantly as if it was an everyday thing. He seemed quite proud of himself, sporting a small grin.
"That's great." Sin smiled warmly at both of them. It was then that she was warned by Mei.
Only a few more minutes and we'll be leaving.
Sin nodded to herself and turned back to Leon, "Leon, Road sends her regards."
Leon smiled softly, remembering his sweets loving friend.
"This is all I have time for right now." Sin could practically feel her consciousness being pulled, ready to be taken over by Mei. "I hope to see you both soon."
Mei took over again, the different coloured hair and eyes taking place of the original. "Alright. I hate to break it, but we really need to go. I pretty much infiltrated this place. Anyway, dunno when I'll see either of you again, so just play it safe, okay?" She ruffled Leon's head a little harder than how Sin would and grinned, "I'm rooting for you, little Leon!" She then looked over at Jun, "Keep this little guy in check, kay?"
"I'm off now." She turned around and began walking out, but stopped, looking over her shoulder for a brief moment. "I'm also taking this blanket from Sin's room—she said okay so now you'll know she won't have this specific blanket. Well, see you!" With a careless wave of the hand, Mei left quietly and quickly, making it seem like she didn't even stop by at all.
Needless to say, Leon and Li Jun were quite baffled by what just happened, the surprise only settling in a good five minutes after she left.
---
Sin. Go to sleep for a while.
Huh? Why—
Sin's consciousness zoned out. Mei let out a small sigh and glanced around. Invoking the Wings of Seraph, she flew into the sky, towards a certain location that would surely make Sin happy.
As she soared the skies, she glanced down, seeing the lights beginning to flicker on as the sun set.
She didn't feel guilty about using the Innocence that had Sin worrying, rather, she was thinking ahead about what to use those last uses for, as she suspected Sin wouldn't use them at all out of caution.
It's easier to get around this way, too. 2 more uses after this. How long can I prolong one session for?
The current host body was a good one – it was almost familiar to her, reminding her of her old one.
Before, it should have been hours at the most. It does drain a lot of energy, so I can't invoke it for too long. I think, for now, it should be a combined total of between 20 to 30 hours if I maximise it fully.
She paused her thoughts for a moment, hugging the blanket slightly closer to her body.
Though, I still don't know the maximum.
I still need to save one use, and the other, just a precaution. I'm quite thankful that the 14th has decided to come out right around now. Gotta thank Cross for that seal, and the Blade for holding it at bay.
Now that I think about it, I could have just removed the seal at any time, couldn't I?
With a nonchalant light shrug, she dismissed the thought, should save that sorcery for when I need to use it.
Shaking the thoughts out of her head, she continued flying back to Europe, knowing it would take a while to get there.
---
Eeez yawned as he held Clark's hand, rubbing his eyes gently. Clark glanced down at the child with a small smile.
"We're nearly there, so just wait a little bit." Clark took out a key to the room they were staying at in the inn. Momo yawned loudly behind him as he unlocked the door, heading inside.
They had finished off their job and had gotten back late. It wasn't anything unordinary for them, but it always left them tired.
When Momo reached the bed, he fell face first, immediately falling asleep. Clark sweat dropped and led Eeez to the bed they would be sharing. He put down their stuff and told Eeez to make himself comfortable while he changed Momo's position to a better one.
"It's cold tonight, isn't it?" Clark could see the dragon breath form when he talked. He hoped that they were warm enough. Glancing over at Eeez, he slid into the bed after turning the lights off, "Well, it should be fine." Even though he said that, he was worried about Eeez's health during the cold night.
Both Momo and Clark were used to it, but Eeez, being a lot smaller than they were, may not be, even if he said nothing against it. On top of that, he was sickly.
Eeez snuggled up to Clark when he slid into the bed, hugging him tightly so that he was warm enough. Like that, they drifted off to sleep.
---
"Finally here." Mei muttered to herself, hovering outside the window of the inn she knew Sin's former travelling companions stayed at.
She knew they were there due to understanding their presences; something akin to a skill that she had acquired over the many millennia she had memories of, kudos to the Innocence she had. However, it only worked with those she had spent a long time with, and only if she worked hard to find those trace presences. All in all, it was mentally taxing.
Opening the window from the outside was a simple task for Mei. She had opened so many locks in her lifetime that she could put a master thief to shame. She flew in but didn't retract her wings just yet, slowly floating over to the sleeping figures.
She probably wasn't as attached to them as Sin was, but she was fond of them. She gently poked Momo's cheek and held a snicker when he groaned in response, but didn't wake.
Over to Momo and Eeez, she took off the blanket and threw it over their bodies, tucking it in so that it would leave them warm. She was a little apologetic that Momo didn't have part in it, but in Mei's reasoning, she thought they would be sleeping altogether on the floor, so she got a blanket that was big enough to cater a few people.
Getting closer to the two that were sleeping, she poked Clark's cheek just as she did with Momo, laughing lightly when he did the exact same thing, groaning and moving just a little. But that little movement awoke the smaller child, whose eyes fluttered open and stared straight at Mei.
Mei was mildly surprised that Eeez had awoke, but didn't mind it too much. She smiled at him and reached towards him, ruffling his hair.
"Sin...?" He murmured gently, unsure. He couldn't see too well in the dark, but it confused him how she had wings. Something was different, but he didn't really know what.
Mei placed a finger to her lips as if to silence him, then tucked the blanket to his neck and patted his shoulder.
"Keep it a secret that I was here, okay?" Mei whispered, leaning over so that she was closer to Eeez.
It was then that Eeez saw that her eyes weren't the blue that he was used to, but a red. The hair not a black, but a silver. He felt no hostility towards him, so he didn't inch away.
"Sin's going to be a little busy from now on...but she wanted you to stay warm, hence this blanket. Do keep it safe; it was her favourite blanket from when she was a child." Mei chuckled lightly, "Tyki is also going to be a little busy, too, so like Sin, he won't be back for a little longer."
"Will Sin come back after she finishes her other job?" Eeez asked softly. He was an observant child, and he picked up that Mei talked about Sin in third person, so he went along with it. "Aren't you Sin?"
Mei paused for a brief moment, feeling a wave of fatigue come over her. She clenched her teeth and kept the smile on her face, trying to stay bright for the boy, "It's a little bit complicated but Sin is kind of me, but kind of not. Sin will come back after she finishes her job. Of course you'll be able to see her again." Mei's smile only got wider, trying to convince Eeez that all was fine.
Eeez smiled, "That's good...I hope her other job finishes soon...I want to see Sin and Tyki again..." His eyelids drooped, signalling that he was going to fall back asleep.
"Goodnight, Eeez. Sweet dreams." With a small kiss to the cheek, Mei waited for the boy to fall asleep before leaving, trying to find a place where she would be warm.
Rather than Sin's other job which finished ages ago, it's my job that I need to fulfil.
Hearing and seeing Eeez reminded her of the child she would have raised if she didn't get murdered.
Sorry, Eeez.