Becoming Insane

A dark sinister purple cloud of insects floated above the treetops, searching for something hidden below the canopy of the Asian forest. Butterflies, beautiful but menacing. Tease, created by the Millennium Earl for the consumption of humans. Darting down into the trees, they echo a scream and disappear.

“So that’s where Suman fell.” Tyki Mikk put his tall top hat on and started walking. “So shall his innocence lie there.”

Of the five Noah, Tyki had been chosen to retrieve Suman’s innocence and continue to leave a gruesome trail for the Black Order to follow. This “trail” was also part of Cell Roron’s list, the little card in his pocket with the little wailing tone told him who he needed to kill for the Millenium Earl’s purpose and for his goal. Exorcists had been fighting Suman’s disfigured form, or maybe it seemed like it to Tyki. They may have been trying to save him. Tyki couldn’t tell either way, nor did her care to try. All he wondered was whether the exorcists who fell Suman were on Roron’s list. If they were, he’d be able to give the Tease another good meal to make them grow. A chuckle crept out of his mouth as he smiled. It would be a nice scene. Pleasure was in the taking….of life, purity, and love. Tyki Mikk, as the Noah of Pleasure, knew that taking was the only way of receiving. Pleasure received was pleasure taken, and thus earned. Whether it was taking the enjoyment of reading a book, or the enjoyment and simple gratefulness to be alive, he would take it.

Approaching the area where the Tease had come down, he saw moonlight illuminating a clearing ahead, and a lone figure on his knees. By the familiar shape of the dark coat he wore, and the reflections of silver thread and buttons he saw it was an exorcist. His feelings that one would be around were true and he grinned a moment at his good fortune. Next to him, Suman’s innocence sparkled on the ground, actually seeming to float inches above the dry leaves. Suman’s body was gone, completely devoured by the Tease. Nothing had been left behind.

A scream reverberated again and the swarm of them came down right for the exorcist, looking for one last meal. Smiling, Tyki stretched out his arms, palms facing forward, and called, “Tease, come.”

They paused and floated a moment before flying towards the Noah, entering holes dug into his palms. In a whirlwind of purple wings, they were pulled in and they took no time at all. Tyki held up his hands and watched the purple color swirl a moment, then soft purple wings bloomed up and out of his hand, creating two larger and identical Tease in each of his hands. The skull’s on their backs made a chattering noise. Tyki’s eyes lit up and he looked at them almost admiringly.

“My, my, they’ve gotten a bit bigger.” He murmured, bringing one up to kiss it on the little crown of the skull. Letting one fly on it’s own, he let the other rest on his fingers and he stroked it’s wings, still smiling as he looked at how beautiful they were.
“Nngh…B-Bastard!”

Looking at the exorcist, he realized he had almost forgotten him. Looking at him at first, he was surprised by his white hair, but his voice and face was nothing but that of an old man’s. A pentacle of an Akuma was above his left eye, and a red cross underneath it. He leaned on one hand as he glared angrily at him, but that glare was cut off when he screamed in pain, nursing the grotesque arm that had a cross on the back of the hand, he looked at him a moment then mused quietly, “That left arm…Innocence? Where have I seen him before?”

Deep in his memories, he suddenly remembered meeting a young kid on a train, with white hair and a scar on his eye. The young boy had cheated him and his friends out of their clothes and money to win back what that odd sniveling man in the black cloak had lost. He did more than that, he won back all their clothes and money as well. Yet, with all he won he gave back their clothes and money like a kind soul. “Oh. You’re that cheating boy on the train? You wouldn’t really recognize me now, but…”

The boy didn’t answer him. He asked his own question. “What did you do?”

“Ah?”

“What…did you do to Suman?” His arm twitched slightly and he pushed the words out painfully, his face sad and despondent as he asked him. “Did you…kill him? Answer me!”
Tyki was surprised that this young man wasn’t just a brat or a kid, but he cared and he had a serious face. Still, he took it for just a virtuousness that all kids had. Though he wasn’t much of a kid, he was still younger than Tyki. A friendly smile came upon his face and he said, “Well, he’s my enemy you know? That’s what you do…” The boy glared and just sat there, so the Noah lit a match and pulled out a slightly bent cigarette. Lighting it, he said, “Well, its kind of what I do. You’re not going to be getting away with this information so I’ll tell you. Listen well, kid.”

He looked like he was about to cry, the boy. Clutching his arms, little sounds came from his throat as he seemed to try and keep it back, but as Tyki watched that his eyes never wavered in their clarity, he realized that wasn’t the case. Those sounds were of pain as he cradled his deformed arm, and of hatred for what Tyki had done. The looks and sounds spurred him to tell the exorcist. “These are called Tease, cannibal golems created by the Earl. I don’t know why he chose butterflies; I guess he thought they were pretty. They eat humans. The more they eat, the more they reproduce. That’s their power though, not mine. Teases are just a tool. My power is…this.”

Suddenly, a glint came into Tyki’s eyes and he thrust his arm into the boy’s chest, sending it straight through. He eagerly watched as the boy looked at the arm in his chest, a look of amazement, not fear, in his wide eyes. Tyki just grinned. “Don’t worry, it’s not going to hurt. My arm –no, my whole body - can go through anything. Anything I choose to avoid. This is my power.” Slowly, he began to pull his hand back into the chest of the exorcist, eyes narrowing as his grin got bigger. “So, if I wanted to pulled out my hand, and decided I want to touch your heart…I could rip out your beating heart, without cutting your body at all.”

As his hand reached the warmth of his body, the center of a human’s life, he saw his eyes widen and he made a noise in his throat. Tyki’s eyes suddenly took a wide shape, pupils turning to a shape not normal for humans. There was that feeling again. That feeling, that wanted to see that look of fear. That fear, was what drove him as a Noah, the knowledge that he could kill this exorcist in an instant, and how he wanted to so badly. This feeling would not ease off of him until this exorcist was dead, and then maybe there would be one less follower of that false being they called God. The heart that his hand was wrapped loosely around beat softly. “How do you think it feels to have your heart ripped out while you’re alive?”

He closed his hand more, and the heart beat faster and faster, the lifeline of this exorcist was in his hands, the pleasure of life was just beyond his reach, he could take it at any time. Tyki was so tempted to; the knowledge of the end of that heart beating in his hand began to drive him crazy. Still, he wanted to wait long enough to see that look of fear on his face, he wanted to see what he saw in Suman, that need to live. He let out a soft sound from his throat and whispered earnestly, “Ah. Tell me...How do you think it feels?”

The boy was silent. His eyes looked like he was still in shock, still thinking about his situation. That look was beautiful. Wide eyed, though not innocent or ignorant of the pain Tyki could cause. He waited, waited for him to beg for his life. The urge to kill grew stronger as the heart in his hand beat faster. The white hair of the exorcist who’s chest Tyki’s hand was in blew in the wind as he lifted his head and in his face, Tyki saw a resolve he never saw before in an exorcist. This young man was willing to die for what those exorcists believed. A surprised look that had appeared on Tyki’s face relaxed. “You ruined my fun. I won’t rip out your heart. I’ll get my glove dirty. So normally I just hold the Tease and let them devour people.”

“Normally?”

“Yeah.” Tyki held up his hand and smiled while he thought back on what people associated with that man Cross he had come upon. “You hadn’t heard? No rumors about your friends who died with their internal organs taken out?” A Tease landed on the tips of his fingers and he smiled at it. “Daisya Barry…Kazana Reed, Chakar Rabon. Suman helped me, so I didn’t do that to him. I planted a Tease into him instead and turned him into a breeding ground. Thanks to that, I got a few more…”

The exorcist hung his head and Tyki couldn’t help but smile. He let the Tease fly off his hand and placed it on his knee, thinking a moment before realizing one more. “Oh! There was some marshal called Yeegar, too. I’m pretty sure I didn’t kill him off too. Why did I do that again? Oh, right! I made him a messenger. His organs were eaten, so he must’ve been in a lot of pain.”

Tyki laughed a little. He had a feeling that he was messing with the young man, and he liked the feeling. Idly, he felt him shaking around his hand that was still submerged in his chest, and he could feel his voice even as he whispered, “How…How dare you?”
“Hm?” He leaned down, eyes shining with expectancy. “What’s wrong, kid?”

“Everyone…” His voice shook and a few tears dropped from his eyes, running along the red scar that traveled down to his chin.

Excitedly, Tyki murmured, “I get it! You hadn’t heard!” Was he going to give in after he realized that Tyki had been the source of his pain, of knowing that all the people who had died, had perished to the Noah’s hand?

No. Anger had consumed the young exorcist and he struck Tyki with his disfigured hand. The force of the slap pulled Tyki’s hand out of his chest cavity. Taken aback by this surprise attack, he almost wasn’t ready for the next attack from him. “I won’t forgive you!”

Tyki caught the fist in his hand, his eyes on the exorcist’s own. Hatred and a deep sadness reflected back to him. Tears still flowed as they stared at each other a moment. Tyki’s heart felt pressured for a moment. “Didn’t think you had that much power left. That hurt a bit.” He stood, still holding the exorcist’s fist as he did. “But as you are now…” He now wanted to inflict great pain on him. He began twisting until finally he heard a crack, and a painful scream that accompanied it. Tyki dropped the hand and paused looked at the body that was kneeling down, shivering and trembling. It must have hurt to have your wrist broken like that. Again, that pressure returned and he had a memory. The Earl, speaking of an exorcist named Allen Walker. White hair, and a scar on his left eye; he was supposed to be cursed. Maybe this boy was him. Tyki pulled out Cell Roron’s card, twirling it on his finger a minute, then letting it float in the air. “Too bad kid. If you’d met me when I was “white” I would’ve wanted to play another round of cards. But, I’m going around killing people who are involved with a certain man. Are you…Allen Walker?”

He waited for an answer, but there was nothing more than the slight twitching that his arm made. The force on his heart was starting to press so hard he didn’t think he could breathe. An exorcist, one he wanted to kill. That painful pull that he always felt to kill an exorcist was there, but it battled a presence he didn’t like. He went forward and pulled up the boy by his shirt shaking him slightly. The weight eased slightly. “Answer me. Are you Allen Walker, kid?”

“That is correct…” Cell Roron moaned softly, poking his head out of the card where his cage was held. “This person…is Allen Walker! Delete, delete!”

The letters on the wall of the cage glowed red, as if to confirm that this was indeed Allen Walker, the young exorcist that the Earl had complained about. Tyki’s eyes glanced down at Allen and he smiled. He would get to kill this exorcist after all, without wasting his time. Deaths of exorcists could be avoided if he tried hard enough, and those that weren’t on his list were just a waste of time. Allen Walker, would die that night. “This is Cell Roron. He’s called the prisoner of the List Cell, and has told me who you are.” He reached forward, placing his gloved hand on his arm just below the joint of his shoulder. A purple light of electricity sparked and then turned into a current that ran through the arm. Allen screamed as the power surged in his arm, seeking to separate his weapon from his body. Tyki smiled, knowing that that lulling feeling in his body relieved some. “Let’s start with that Innocence of yours. Perhaps it will kill you.”

He watched as the exorcist writhed in pain as the actual form of his arm swelled and resisted the break, but soon snapped off and fell a few feet away. The Noah let go of Allen’s collar, letting him fall back as pieces of matter that his arm had consisted off fell with him. He was quiet as he stared at the arm that used to be attached to his body. The wind blew gently in the trees and created a rustling sound that disturbed the short silence that followed. Tyki looked over at the arm as well, his hand still sparking and itching to destroy the innocence embedded in it. “Did you know, kid? We can destroy Innocence. We Noah clan and the Millenium Earl…”

“Stop it…” His voice was hardly audible to Tyki. Allen’s eyes were blank, and they just stared ahead.

“I’ve destroyed all the Innocence I’ve gathered so far. If one of them was the Heart, then it would destroy all the others. That’s how we’d know it was the one. Now, what about your Innocence?” The Noah turned and looked at the Innocence that was sitting next to Allen’s head. It glowed slightly in the nighttime light. Tyki murmured, “That’s Suman’s Innocence right? If I destroy yours, and his is destroyed, that means yours was the Heart…”

Tyki chuckled, his smile widening as he looked back to Allen’s innocence. A small voice was emitted. “Stop it…” Tyki raised his hand over the object. “Stop it…” The electricity ignited in his palm then darted down, in search of the Innocence. “Stop it…” The arm tore apart grotesquely and the Innocence was summoned up to Tyki’s hand. “Stop it!” Allen screamed as Tyki’s hand enclosed the small cross and the lightning from Tyki’s hand lit up the clearing in the bamboo. It only took a moment, and then the Innocence sifted through his fingers, disappearing with the wind.

Tyki looked back. “Now then, was it the Heart?” No. The green piece was still glowing next to Allen. “Darn. Guess not…Oh, well. My mission was to assassinate this time, nothing else…”

“Delete delete delete delete delete delete de-...”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it…” Tyki murmured to shut up the list keeper. It gave off a small affirmative sound and was quiet. The Noah went over to Allen, not paying attention as he talked in a low voice to the golden colored golem. Suddenly, it grabbed the Innocence and took off for the sky. Tyki watched it fly until it’s glint disappeared in the night sky.

“Thank you, Tim…”

Tyki smiled. “Well, that was a smart thing to do…” He closed his eyes. Hey Akuma… He could hear the mass of them up in the treetops murmur to themselves, wondering about his order.

“An order from a Noah. He says to follow the Golden Golem.”

“What about orders from the Millenium Earl?”

The Millenium Earl told you to get Suman’s Innocence, right?

“It’s a Noah, that’s a Noah’s voice!” They sounded excited to hear his voice in their heads, almost relieved sounding.

The golden golem has it. I’m busy with someone else, so you guys can catch it and get the credit.

A ringing cry of cheers rang in his head. “Thanks, Mr. Noah! You’re awesome! Let’s follow the Golden Golem!”


Tyki turned his attention back to Allen and knelt down next to him. The sun was beginning to rise, sending a warm red glow over everything, and lighting the clearing a little bit more. “I can guess what you were thinking when you sent that golem away…
‘I’m done for. I need to at least send my golem to my friends’. You’ve prepared yourself for death, right?”

“If everyone is there…” Allen answered quietly, “If Tim and everyone are there…then there’s still hope.”

He had to applaud Allen; even in the face of death he was calm and strangely positive. “You’re optimistic to the end, kid. Well, pray that happens. To your God, if you like. But He isn’t there, kid.” That seemed to get to Allen. He clenched his teeth in anger, and Tyki felt the pressure again, to kill, but that other feeling actually began to make his chest tighten. The Noah pulled out a Tease, and smiled. That pressure was a more familiar feeling than the other that seemed to make his chest hurt, and he went with it. It seemed to give him enough satisfaction in the end. Who knew where the other feeling would take him. “Listen, Tease. Don’t eat him, just open a hole in his heart.”

Tyki turned his hand so his palm faced Allen’s chest. The Tease chattered happily as it got closer and closer to his chest. “I feel I should give courageous people like you time before they die. The blood will flower form your heart, and your body will fill with terror. And you will die, suffering!” He plunged the tease into the Exorcist’s heart, feeling Allen’s body jump as the Tease bit into the pumping organ. Allen coughed once, blood coming out with his last breath. The pressure eased, so quickly it was a relief to Tyki. “Did that hurt? But it’s okay now. We’re done.”

Yes, they were done. Allen was dead, and he could be wiped from the list. Tyki pulled his hand back, snagging one of the buttons on Allen’s jacket as he did. The thread holding it broke easily and he held it up, reading the name on the back. Allen Walker. He smiled as he pocketed it for his own collection. As a trophy. Tyki reveled in the feeling of killing the exorcist a moment then saw something poking out of his jacket where the button had been. It was a complete stack of cards, and it gave Tyki an idea. With the past exorcists, he had done something with their bodies to display their deaths to the others. He now had a way to display Allen. He reached in and pulled out the cards, looking a minute and remembering nostalgically the time he had had playing with Allen. “Pleasant dreams…” Tyki tilted his hand and let them slide out over Allen, smiling to himself. “Kid.”

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Someone I know who read this on AFF said that the way I separated the chapters was a little awkward and I agreed with him. So I fixed it.

I intended to just switch chapters and stuff but then my italics got all screwed up and so I just decided it would be easiest to reload it into AFF.

enjoy =3