D.Gray-Man 1. The Meeting

Disclaimer - I do not own D Gray Man. All characters are the property of Katsura Hoshino-sensei.

A/N - This story is a prequel for 'Child of the Musician' and focuses on the relationship between the 14th and Lyssa. Yes, it is 14th/OC, I warn you now.

Chapter One - The Meeting

The sun was beginning to sink below the horizon as Nicholas Walker, also know as the Musician and 14th Noah, left the mansion of the Millennium Earl. The young man had an important meeting to attend; a meeting which must be kept secret from all other members of his family.

Because he would be killed should they ever find out that he was actually meeting with an Exorcist. With no plans to kill said Exorcist.

Yes, the great Musician, controller of Noah's Ark, was going out to meet with an Exorcist. He needed information on the other side and had found that General Cross Marian was a veritable fountain of knowledge. It also helped that the man had absolutely no reservations with speaking to one of the members of the Clan of Noah.

Cross was actually the only member of the Black Order who even knew of the existence of the extra member of a clan that should have had only thirteen. This fact had concerned Nicholas in the beginning but now he was convinced that Cross discovering his existence had been a blessing in disguise. For now he could manipulate the Exorcist for his own purpose.

Stepping outside Nicholas placed his top hat on his mahogany hair and, the moment he did, the young man felt a familiar weight settle on top.

"Hey Tim," the Noah said, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face. He hadn't seen the little golem since early morning and had been beginning to wonder where he had gone off to. "Where have you been?"

In response to the question Timcanpy flew into the air and opened his mouth wide. A forest was projected from the golem's mouth and Nicholas saw a familiar form walking along a path.

It was General Cross Marian.

"I see," the young man said as Timcanpy closed his mouth and resumed his perch on the Noah's top hat. "So you were keeping an eye on Marian. Good job."

A smirk appeared on the young man's handsome face as he departed the mansion to make his way to the secluded spot where he and the Exorcist were to meet. It always amused him that he had the most to lose from these meetings and yet the Exorcist was the cautious one.

The youth traveled away from the mansion that he had called home for a little over a year. Many things had changed since he had joined the family known as the Clan of Noah.

At first Nicholas had been reluctant to follow along with the others but in the end the memories of Noah had won out, causing him to turn into someone completely different.

And someone he wasn't entirely certain that he liked. But that was a completely unrelated matter.

For now he had to focus on this meeting with the Exorcist; he needed to gather information without drawing attention to himself.

With these thoughts running rampant in his mind Nicholas made his way toward the spot where he and the general would meet. This wasn't the first of these such meetings and the Noah didn't even really have to think about where he was going.

He could allow his mind to wander elsewhere.

"I can't believe that the man wants to meet out in the middle of nowhere like this," Nicholas muttered to himself as he walked across an empty meadow, followed along closely by Timcanpy. This was the last place that he would have chosen but for some reason the Exorcist preferred to meet out in locations like this.

It seemed he held more fear of their so called alliance being discovered than Nicholas himself. Which was weird since the Musician had the most to lose if anyone discovered them together.

"Deal with it Noah," a harsh voice called out.

Seemingly startled by the new arrival Timcanpy quickly ducked inside Nicholas' top coat.

It came as no surprise to the Musician that the Exorcist was following along behind him but he didn't make a big deal about the fact that he was being followed. Instead he merely turned around to face the one Exorcist on the planet who knew about his existence.

And it was in this instant that he learned that the Exorcist wasn't alone. Standing on either side of the red haired man were two women. One was tall with long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes while the other was younger and…

Nicholas' gray eyes widened as his gaze fell upon this young woman. With long, flowing chestnut hair and gentle brown eyes she was the most beautiful woman that the Musician had ever lain eyes on.

But who exactly were these women?

This meeting was supposed to be a secret; it had been their agreement to keep everyone else out of it.

So what had changed?

Nicholas felt a momentary flash of anger; the Exorcist was messing with his plans and the young Noah did not like that fact. He managed to rein in his emotions before they became obvious and when he spoke his voice was calm. His eyes were the only thing that hinted at his irritation.

And this was something that he couldn't control. According to Mana he had always displayed ninety percent of his emotions through his eyes.

"What's the big idea Marian? You promised that you would always meet me alone." The Musician glared at the Exorcist, irritated that he hadn't expected this. There was a hard look in his gray eyes as he gazed at the Exorcist whom he had foolishly thought that he could trust. "I should have known that I couldn't trust you."

"Calm down brat," the red haired man named Cross snapped, pulling a cigarette from the inside pocket of his coat and casually lighting the end. He really hated the fact that the brat used that name but decided to let it go for now. There were more important things to discuss at the moment. His gaze was focused on the young Noah, the extra member of the clan that he knew to be siding with the Millennium Earl. "Both of these beautiful ladies can be trusted. Maria is my wife," he gestured toward the blond woman before continuing. "And Lyssa is my apprentice." With this second introduction Cross motioned toward the younger woman who was standing on his other side.

"W… wife?" Nicholas sputtered, his eyes widening at this news. He was completely shocked by this little revelation from Cross and made absolutely no attempt to hide this fact. There were just some reactions that it was impossible to hide, even for one so accomplished at being emotionless. "Who in their right mind would actually want to marry you? Wait a minute… did you force her into it Marian?"

The blond woman named Maria chuckled softly, seemingly amused by the Musician's words, and Nicholas noted that her laughter had a musical quality to it. "He couldn't force me into anything, not even if his life depended upon it. He's nowhere near as tough as he acts." This said, Maria turned and lightly punched Cross in the arm. "You know, if you would just allow people to see the real you then you wouldn't have this problem. You're so dense."

"Shut up," Cross said but his voice wasn't anywhere near as harsh as it would have been had he been talking to anyone else.

"Oh I don't believe this," Nicholas muttered, still unable to believe the situation that he now found himself in. This was supposed to be a meeting to discuss plans to cease the war between the Exorcists and the Clan of Noah but it was turning out to be anything but. "I should have known that this wouldn't work out."

"The only reason it isn't working out is because you're too hung up on the fact that I happen to be married," Cross said, his tone irritated.

"Well excuse me for being shocked," Nicholas said, shaking his head. "But I was under the impression that you weren't exactly human and I'm still reeling from the knowledge that you're actually more normal than you let on."

"I'm nowhere near normal," Cross said, glaring at the younger man. Honestly he'd thought the Noah to be more mature than this. "There, now I've admitted to this fact so you can stop having a meltdown and we can get on with business."

Nicholas sighed as he gazed at this group of Exorcists, his eyes lingering longer on the young woman with the chestnut hair. Nicholas prided himself on his ability to predict things but he honestly hadn't expected this little set back to his plan. But, although it was an annoyance, he was fairly certain that even together these Exorcists were no threat to him.

He would proceed as though everything were normal. The advent of these two new Exorcists was an annoyance to say the least but shouldn't affect the over all plan.

"So do you have anything new to report Marian?" Nicholas asked, trying to keep his gray eyes from wandering to the young woman that Cross had introduced as Lyssa. There was something about this young woman that intrigued him but the Noah was at a loss as to what exactly it was.

Cross clenched his teeth together, annoyed at the brat's insistence on using that name. What he wouldn't give to knock that arrogant smirk off his face. Of course he couldn't do that since they were now an allied force against the Earl.

Or at least that was the story that the brat was telling.

"The Black Order is focusing most of it's efforts on finding new Accommodators. They want to fortify their army before they make any attempts to attack the Earl directly. And of course most of them have no idea of the existence of the Clan of Noah."

Nicholas nodded. He was aware of the fact that the higher ups of the Black Order were hiding the existence of his 'family' from their members. They didn't want the Exorcists to know just what long odds they faced.

Which was a good idea in his opinion. The Exorcist had no need to know exactly what they would eventually be up against.

"So what does the fat ass have up his sleeve?" Cross asked, breaking into Nicholas' thoughts and bringing him back to the present.

"Lord Millennium has a similar plan," Nicholas replied, having grown accustomed to the derogatory comments directed toward the head of his family. "He has stepped up production of Akuma to combat the growing number of Exorcists."

"And what of the Clan of Noah?"

"We are still under orders to remain below the Black Order's radar," Nicholas replied, his voice calm as he thought about the orders that he and his 'siblings' had been given. They were not to confront the Exorcists directly but were instead to remain in the shadows.

"So we have time to get things in order before the full blown war begins," Cross said, a thoughtful expression in the one red eye that was visible.

"So it would seem," Nicholas said, removing his top hat and running a hand through his mahogany hair.

He was prone to this nervous gesture and, although it annoyed him, there was nothing that he could do about it. Try as he might he simply couldn't stop.

Nicholas placed the top hat back on top of his head and glanced surreptitiously toward Lyssa once again; and, much to his horror, he found that she was looking at him.

The Noah quickly averted his gaze and acted as though he hadn't just been staring at the Exorcist.

"_What the hell is wrong with me?"_ he thought to himself as he turned his attention back to Cross. There was no explanation that he could find for why he was so intrigued by the young Exorcist.

It made no sense.

"Well," Cross said, a slight note of irritation evident in his voice as he spoke. "It seems that neither side is ready to make a definite move so we'll continue to monitor the situation from our respective 'sides'."

Nicholas nodded, enjoying the hard tone that appeared in the Exorcist's voice as he spoke of 'sides'. The young man was well aware of the fact that Cross was only siding with the Order because he occasionally benefited from their information system.

Other than that he held no allegiance with them. They were merely there for his convenience and, should they cease to be useful, Nicholas knew that Cross would ditch them without so much as a second thought.

They were the means to an end and nothing more.

"Very well." Nicholas turned to the two women who were standing with Cross and bowed politely.

Then the Noah turned and walked away without so much as another word or a backwards glance toward the group.

Although he did have to fight the urge to get one final look at the young woman who was brave enough to be Cross' apprentice.

"_That must take guts," _he thought to himself as he made his way across the meadow, unable to imagine being stuck with the red haired general for any great length of time. The ghost of a smile appeared once more on the young Noah's face, making his feel odd. He often held an arrogant smirk on his face but it was rare for an actual smile to appear there. But of course Nicholas couldn't dwell on the oddity of this situation. He needed to get back to the mansion before someone noticed his absence and grew suspicious.

After all, he wasn't exactly the most trusted member of the Clan of Noah. The others tended to look down upon him because he was merely the Fourteenth and that somehow made him inferior to them.

In their eyes at any rate.

However what his 'siblings' weren't aware of was the fact that Nicholas had never revealed his true powers to anyone; not even Lord Millennium knew exactly what he was capable of.

"So what do you think?" Cross said to the two women the moment that the Musician was out of earshot.

Maria held a thoughtful expression in her vivid blue eyes for a few moments, thinking about the youth who had just departed. "I'm not entirely sure. He's a difficult one to read but he seemed sincere enough."

"That's the problem with the brat," Cross said, his thoughts focused on the Noah of Praise. "It's impossible to tell what he's really thinking."

"What do you think Lyssa?" Maria turned her attention to the younger woman who was standing beside her.

Only to find that Lyssa was staring off into space, a strange look in her gentle brown eyes. The eyes that always reminded Maria of a deer.

"Lyssa!"

The young woman snapped to attention as she heard the voice of her master snap out her name and she turned her eyes toward him. But as always there was just a hint of defiance in their depths.

"We were asking your opinion of the brat," Cross said, his gaze focused on the apprentice that he had been reluctant to take on. He hadn't wanted to train anyone, and had refused several students before the girl, however Lyssa's refusal to back down had caused him to make an exception.

She wasn't afraid of him which had earned her a measure of respect in his eyes. A small, almost microscopic measure.

But more than most people achieved.

"Not sure," Lyssa replied, her voice uncharacteristically gentle as she thought back to the young man. "He didn't really give me the impression that he was lying but then again I got the feeling that he wasn't being entirely truthful either." The girl paused, realizing how weird this statement sounded. "It's hard to explain."

"So are you having second thoughts about this alliance with the Noah?" Maria asked in her musical voice, turning tender eyes to Cross.

"I'll proceed," Cross said noncommittally. "Because whether he's using me or not I'm still getting some fairly good information out of the deal."

"And what are you thinking about Lyssa dear?" Maria asked, noticing that the girl's thoughts seemed to have wandered again.

Lyssa thought back to that brief moment when their eyes had met and the strange feeling that she had gotten when staring into those stormy gray depths. "He…" she was slightly embarrassed to lend voice to these words. "He almost seems troubled by something."

A/N - and there's the end of the first chapter of Nicholas and Lyssa's story. Hope that you enjoyed, please be kind and leave a review!


	2. Intrigue

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Chapter Two - Intrigue

As the Noah of Praise traveled the familiar path back to the mansion of Lord Millennium he couldn't seem to keep his thoughts from wandering back to the two newcomers who had attended the meeting. He was still slightly annoyed over the fact that Cross had broken his word but Nicholas didn't really think that the two Exorcists posed much of a threat.

And that had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that they were women. Having come close to death at the hands of a girl on numerous occasions during his first days as a Noah, the Musician had developed a healthy respect for women and the power that they had.

No, he didn't view them as a threat because the Exorcists really were a pathetic group. They didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell in the war against the Millennium Earl and yet they continued to fight.

This train of thought was derailed as Nicholas felt something thump against the side of his top hat. His gaze shifted up and he saw that Timcanpy was fluttering around, seemingly agitated over something.

Nicholas quickly surveyed his surroundings and was soon all to aware of what Timcanpy was upset about. Standing at the gate of the manor, looking haughty as usual, was Serafina. The statuesque Italian woman, who had black hair and cold green eyes in her white form, ironically enough held the memory of Wrath. And she was one of Nicholas' least favorite members of the Clan of Noah.

And the one most likely to cause him trouble.

"And where have you been this fine evening my dear Nicholas?" Serafina asked, her gaze focused on the Musician as he walked toward her.

Nicholas was slightly concerned over the fact that he had been caught returning to the mansion but of course he would never show this fact. The Noah of Praise was confident in all things and it was this façade that Nicholas reverted to as he walked up to his 'sister'.

Reaching out he took her hand and kissed the back of it, although the act was wholly without emotion. His eyes revealed nothing as he reverted to his Noah form and gazed at Serafina without flinching. For some reason that he would never understand Nicholas was better able to hide his feelings while in his 'black' form.

But perhaps that had more to do with the fact that he had less emotion while in this form.

"I merely went for a walk Sera," Nicholas replied, using the nickname that the others used when referring to the Noah of Wrath. He was well aware of the fact that she didn't like for him to use it since in her eyes he was beneath her.

Which was of course the main reason why he chose to do so.

Serafina looked less than convinced by the Musician's words but of course she had no way to prove otherwise. She had never trusted this newest member of their family despite Lord Millennium's belief that he would be vital to their cause.

This boy who held the memory of Praise, a memory that had not been reincarnated since the first generation of Noah.

In the Earl's eyes the fact that Nicholas held this long lost memory made him special but Serafina was convinced that Nicholas was beneath them. Less a member of the Clan of Noah than the others.

And nothing was going to change her mind about that.

"If you'll excuse me Sera," Nicholas said, bowing to the tall woman with the cold eyes. "I'm exhausted and would like to rest a little before we dine with Lord Millennium."

"Of course," Serafina said, inclining her head to the Musician even as she cursed his very existence.

Walking past Serafina, Nicholas continued on toward the manor. He would have preferred to have entered the house unseen but it didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Luck was on his side since Lord Millennium favored him due to his ability to control the Ark.

Should the Noah of Wrath say anything to Lord Millennium the chances were good that he would merely shrug it off. And should he question him, Nicholas was certain that the Earl would take his word for what he had been doing.

"It's not a problem," the young man thought to himself as he entered the manor and made his way, not to the suite that belonged to him, but instead to the Ark.

As one of only three people who could control the Ark, Nicholas knew that the chances of someone else coming were exceedingly slim. And he had another measure in place to make certain that he wasn't disturbed.

"Tim."

At the word from his master Timcanpy left his perch on the Musician's top hat and flew into the air, opening the portal to the room that was known only to the two of them.

The secret room of the Fourteenth.

Timcanpy was the key to the room that he had added to Noah's Ark without the knowledge of any of his 'family' and thus the only one who could gain entrance was the Musician himself. The room was rather plain, completely lacking color. A sofa was positioned along one wall, white, and a piano stood in the center, also white.

Except for the keys.

Unlike the keys of a normal piano the keys on this one were reversed, black where they should be white and white where they should be black.

This was the true Heart of the Ark although Lord Millennium was unaware of it's existence. Not that it would have done him any good. As the true master of the Ark, Nicholas was the only one who could make the Heart respond.

And he could also use it to make certain that the Ark would never move again.

Walking across the room Nicholas sat down upon the sofa while Timcanpy flew to perch on the piano, where sheet music was meant to be kept. Nicholas had no need for such things so this position was reserved for Timcanpy.

It was the golden golem's favorite perch.

Nicholas removed his top hat and tossed it beside him on the sofa, once again running a hand through his hair. It was charcoal gray now, due to the fact that he was in his 'black' persona, and was only a shade darker than his natural eye color.

Nicholas detested the look.

As he sat on the sofa the Noah of Praise thought about the evening meal that still loomed ahead of him. He would just as soon skip the whole affair however Lord Millennium insisted that they all gather as a family whenever possible.

Nicholas would just as soon retreat to the parlor where he could play the piano but he wouldn't dream of openly defying the Earl's orders. Finding a way to avoid them without getting caught he would do but point blank refusal was suicidal.

Even for one of the Earl's chosen children.

Not that such a thing would even matter were it to be discovered that he was meeting with an Exorcist. That fact alone would be enough to earn him a death sentence despite the fact that Nicholas was merely using the man.

"What have I gotten myself into Tim?" the Musician asked idly, his golden eyed gaze shifting to the golem that was seated on the piano.

In response to this question Tim launched himself into the air and came to hover in front of the Musician. Opening his mouth impossibly wide Timcanpy displayed a picture of the three Exorcists that he had met with earlier.

And then, after only a few seconds, the clip focused on the young woman named Lyssa.

Reaching out Nicholas snatched Timcanpy from the air, forcing the little golem to cease with the display. "When did you even record that?" Nicholas demanded as he held Timcanpy, making every effort to keep the little creature from biting him. Timcanpy didn't like it when his master grabbed him in such a manner and Nicholas had learned the hard way to guard against the little creature's razor sharp teeth.

He had thought that Timcanpy had been hiding in the inside pocket of his coat however the little golem had somehow managed to record footage of the meeting.

Footage that he could now use against his master.

"I didn't even know you were capable of blackmail," Nicholas muttered to himself as he released his grip on the little creature. "You aren't going to show that to anyone are you Tim?"

A few seconds passed before Timcanpy shook his body, which Nicholas took to mean the same thing as a person shaking their head.

"That's a relief," the Noah thought to himself as he slumped over on the sofa. It would be very bad should that little clip fall into the hands of one of his 'siblings'. "I somehow doubt they'd believe that I'm just using the Exorcist."

At that moment an image of Lyssa flashed into Nicholas' mind, completely unbidden. The Noah still couldn't put his finger on exactly what was different about this woman; what was it that made her so intriguing to him?

He'd been approached by many women, mostly at the parties that Lord Millennium hosted on occasion, but none of them had made an impression on him.

And they had all been throwing themselves at him in an attempt to get his attention.

Maybe that was what caught Nicholas off guard about the young woman who was Cross' apprentice; except for that one moment when their eyes had met she had completely ignored his existence.

That was something that the young Noah wasn't used to.

"I wonder how exactly she ended up as Marian's apprentice," Nicholas thought to himself idly. "Perhaps a punishment or something."

Pulling a gold pocket watch from his vest pocket, Nicholas realized that this thought was going to have to be put on hold. He had less than half an hour to return to his room and prepare for dinner.

And there would be hell to pay should he arrive late.

Getting to his feet Nicholas stretched, grabbed his abandoned top hat, and then turned his attention to Timcanpy once more. "Come along Tim. You can hide out in my room while I have dinner with the family."

The irritation in Nicholas' voice was audible as he walked over to the white piano. Reaching out he tapped a familiar key with the tip of his gloved index finger. A clear note rang out, followed by the sound of a door opening.

With a sigh Nicholas left the sanctity of the room that was solely his and left Noah's Ark. Returning to the gloomy manor that he had grown accustomed to the young man made his way down the long corridor, traveling in the direction of his room.

And as he made his way along the barely lit corridor Nicholas hoped desperately that no one would bother him.

Which of course made it a certainty that someone would.

"Nicky-pon!"

The Noah of Praise visibly cringed as he heard this obnoxious nickname shouted out for all the world to hear. He turned toward the sound and barely had time to catch the small body that was sailing toward him.

"Road," he said as he placed the girl on her own two feet and stepped away before she pounced on him again. "I've asked you not to call me by that name."

"I know," Road said, golden eyes focused on her favorite 'sibling'.

"And yet you persist."

"Yep," Road said, offering Nicholas a broad smile. "So Sera told me that you went out today without telling anyone where you went. What were you doing Nicky-pon?"

Nicholas sighed; he really should have known that Serafina was incapable of keeping her mouth shut. He should be grateful that she had taken her problems to Road and not the Earl but as it was he was just annoyed. "I didn't feel the need to bother any of you with the trifling information that I was going for a walk."

"A walk…" Road repeated, eying the Musician. For a moment Nicholas thought that she might see through the deception but then the young girl rolled her eyes. "That sounds even more boring than playing the piano."

"It was," Nicholas said, nodding his head. "Mind numbingly boring."

Road laughed as she grasped Nicholas by the arm. "So are you going to get ready for dinner?"

"I was," Nicholas said, sighing and allowing her to hold onto his arm in a vice-grip. "Until you accosted me. Can't you find someone else to annoy?"

"I could," Road said, reaching a hand up toward the golem that was flying along behind Nicholas.

"Freeze!" Nicholas snapped. This was one of the few things that caused the Musician to lose his temper with his 'sister'. He knew her penchant for torturing things and refused to allow Timcanpy to fall victim to her sadistic whims.

"Fine," Road said in a whiny voice. "I'll leave it alone… but only if you promise that you'll play with me after dinner."

Nicholas wasn't really happy about the demand but knew that there wasn't really any choice in the matter. He would have to meet her demands or risk her doing something to Timcanpy. Because, while he could protect the golem now, Road would find a way to get to him should the Musician chose to anger her.

"Very well," Nicholas said, not really making any effort to keep the note of displeasure out of his voice. "I'll play one of your silly games with you but only if you promise not to lay a finger on Tim."

"I promise," Road said, now completely happy. She wasn't really interested in the golem anyway but knew that threatening it was the quickest way to gain compliance from her brother.

Blowing out a frustrated voice Nicholas continued on his way down the corridor toward his room. This day had been filled with one annoyance after another; first Cross had brought company to a meeting that was supposed to be private, then Serafina questioned him upon his return, and now Road was being a complete pain.

"Cheer up Nicky-pet," Road chimed up, skipping along beside her brother and humming a creepy little song under her breath. "Lord Millennium's plan will soon be put into motion and then the incessant boredom will finally come to an end. The humans will meet the fate that they deserve."

For some reason that didn't make him feel any better.

As always when Road spoke of the eventual destruction of the human race Nicholas' thoughts flashed to his brother. He hadn't seen Mana since he had joined the ranks of the Clan of Noah but that didn't mean that he didn't still care for his brother.

He could see Mana's face plainly in his mind's eye however, after a couple of minutes, it was replaced by the face of an angel with chestnut hair.

That Exorcist girl.

Lyssa.

Nicholas shook his head, in an effort to rid himself of these completely unwanted thoughts. He couldn't deny that there was something intriguing about the girl but he would have to stop thinking about it.

Because even if he did want a relationship with anyone, which he didn't, they were from completely opposite worlds. He was a Noah and she an Exorcist.

"That's a match made in hell if I ever heard of one," the young man thought to himself as he extricated himself from Road's grip and opened the door of his suite.

Road ran off giggling, leaving Nicholas alone with his thoughts. Which he was grateful for because they were confusing, to say the very least.

A/N- here's chapter two and it was Nicky-centric. '14th gives death glare to author' Hope that you enjoyed, please be kind enough to leave a review and tell me what you thought.


	3. Haunted Eyes

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Chapter Three - Haunted Eyes

After the departure of the Fourteenth, Cross and his group wasted no time leaving the scene of their meeting. It was best to distance themselves as quickly as possible, just to be on the safe side. Although they weren't afraid to fight, should members of the Clan of Noah arrive, they knew that they would be out gunned so to speak. And it important to pick your battles well, especially in this war.

For awhile the trio walked on in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. But, after awhile, Maria decided that a little conversation was needed to lighten the mood. "So Lyssa," she spoke up, addressing the young girl whom her husband was training in the ways of the Exorcists. "We're taking the day off tomorrow so what do you plan to do with your free time?"

The blond Exorcist gazed at her young companion for a few moments and it soon became obvious that Lyssa hadn't heard a word that had been spoken to her. There was a far off look in her eyes that said, plain as words would have, that her thoughts were focused elsewhere.

"You seem somewhat distracted Lyssa," Maria commented as the three Exorcists made their way back toward the inn where they had been staying.

Lyssa hadn't realized that she was being distant but as she realized that her friend had been speaking to her and she hadn't heard a word of what was said she supposed that it must be true. She offered the older woman a smile by way of apology.

"Please tell me that you aren't thinking about that Noah brat," Cross growled from his location at the head of their rather weird looking procession.

Lyssa had to bite back the urge to mutter a swear word under her breath as she heard these words from her master. Despite what the people at the Black Order had said about him being a drunken fool she had found Master Cross to be remarkably perceptive. A fact that was currently the bane of her existence.

The girl's silence was enough of an answer as far as Cross was concerned. Glancing over his shoulder he glared at the young woman. "Have you completely lost your mind girl?"

"What?" Lyssa snapped, suddenly irritated over Master Cross' harsh words. She had done absolutely nothing to earn that tone and the fact that he chose to use it anyway annoyed her slightly. "It's not like I just told you that I'm in love with the guy or something. So I was thinking about him, what's the harm in that? I mean you're allied with him."

"I'm keeping him close because it would be foolish not to," Cross said, thinking of the Noah whom he had came across purely by accident.

The Noah who had flat out refused to fight him when they met that first time, by a raging river. There was definitely something off about that particular brat and Cross wanted to find out exactly what it was.

And whether he could use it to his advantage.

"Well Master," Lyssa said, trying hard to keep her voice calm despite her irritation. Although why his words bothered her so much the young woman really couldn't say. "If it concerns you then it concerns me since I'm stuck with you as per orders from the top brass."

Although he cast a glaring warning in the girl's direction Cross couldn't help but respect the girl slightly. Few men had the balls to stand up to him and yet here was this little girl going toe to toe with him. Which was laughable because Lyssa was a third his size and not yet completely adept at using her Innocence.

"What exactly is bothering you about this young Noah?" Maria asked, completely ignoring the fact that her husband was growling at her not to press the issue.

A thoughtful expression appeared in Lyssa's large brown eyes as she gave some thought to this question.

"Is it because he's handsome?" Maria pressed, causing Cross to snort.

Lyssa shook her head as she thought back to the brief time that she had spent in the presence of the Noah of Praise. Thought back to that brief moment when their eyes had met. And it was in this instant that Lyssa realized why exactly it was that her thoughts seemed so focused on the young man named Nicholas. "It was his eyes."

Maria was somewhat taken aback by this response and she gazed at the younger woman, one eyebrow raised. "His eyes?"

"He had such a sad expression in his eyes," Lyssa said, once again thinking back to that brief moment when their eyes had met. "Haunted eyes."

"Considering the things that he's undoubtedly done in the service of that fat ass it comes as no surprise," Cross said, his voice hard.

"It seemed like more than that," Lyssa said, not really sure where this thought had came from.

"I hope that you're not thinking that you can save the brat," Cross grumbled from his position at the head of the group. They were approaching the inn where they had rented two rooms and the red haired general wanted to bring this conversation to an end. "He's a Noah."

Lyssa didn't think that the fact that he was a Noah meant he was any less worthy of salvation but she didn't lend voice to this particular thought. She was well aware of the fact that Master Cross was often irritated with her persistent desire to save people but she couldn't help it.

Everyone deserved a second chance.

Even the young Noah with the haunted eyes.

By this time the group of Exorcists had arrived back at the inn where they were staying. Their rooms were side by side and so they parted ways at the door, with Cross and Maria entering one room while Lyssa entered the other.

"Good night Lyssa."

"Night," Lyssa said as she opened the door and stepped inside. Closing the door of her room Lyssa heaved a sigh as she thought back to the inquisition that she had just endured.

And all because of some stranger that she had only just met.

"For crying out loud," Lyssa muttered as she removed her long Exorcist's coat and hung it on the back of the single chair that occupied the small space, along with the bed and small dresser. Unlike the other female Exorcists Lyssa flat out refused to wear the skirt that was included in the uniform, along with a short coat.

She chose instead to wear the same coat as the male Exorcists, along with a pair of loose black trousers and white blouse.

If not for her long chestnut hair and obviously feminine facial features it would almost have been possible to mistake her for a young boy. Not that Lyssa really minded this fact. She was a member of the Black Order so that she could save people from the Akuma.

The Akuma and the Millennium Earl.

The young woman's blood ran cold as she thought about the evil man that few Exorcists had ever encountered and lived to talk about. Lyssa was among that group although she hadn't been an Exorcist when she had met the Millennium Earl.

He had appeared to her after both of her parents, along with her younger sister, were killed in a carriage accident. Lyssa had been the only surviving member of her family and that was only because she had been home ill the day that the rest of her family had set out on a picnic.

A trip from which they had never returned.

FLASHBACK

The sound of crashing thunder awakened Lyssa from the kind deep slumber that you can only achieve when ill. The young girl groggily gazed around her room and gasped slightly as the room was bathed in light by the flashing lightening.

The girl was embarrassed to admit that, at the age of twelve, she was afraid of thunder but the pounding of her heart made that fact impossible to deny. Another clap of thunder sounded, causing the girl to jump and bury her head beneath the covers. Unfortunately she was forced to get out of bed when she heard the sound of someone pounding on the front door. Thinking that perhaps her parents had forgotten their keys and were stuck out in the storm the girl got to her feet and padded out of her room and down the hall toward the front door.

Reaching out Lyssa unlocked the door and then pulled it open, shuddering as yet another clap of thunder sounded.

"Good evening."

Lyssa's eyes widened as her gaze fell upon a strange man. She would have been afraid had the stranger not been clad in the uniform of a policeman.

"May I help you?" Lyssa asked in a somewhat timid voice.

"Are you acquainted with Edward Wolfe?" the officer began, his gaze focused on the small girl who stood before him.

"He's my father," Lyssa replied, gazing up at the policeman with confused brown eyes. What could the police possibly want with her father? "But he's not here right now."

"I am aware," the policeman said after clearing his throat somewhat nervously. "Young lady I'm afraid that your family was involved in a carriage accident earlier today."

Lyssa gasped, eyes widening even further as she received this news. "Are… are they alright?"

Lyssa could tell, by the look that appeared in the man's eyes, that she wasn't going to like the answer she was about to receive. "Don't say it…" the young girl silently begged. "Please don't say it."

"The carriage plunged from a ravine after the horses were spooked," the policeman said, his voice calm and emotionless. But his eyes showed sympathy for the child who was standing before him. "I'm afraid that there were no survivors."

"No," Lyssa gasped, barely able to lend voice to her horror.

The policeman reached out his hand to the girl. "Come with me miss. I'll take you somewhere to stay until arrangements can be made."

"No!" Lyssa exclaimed, feeling as though her entire world was collapsing around her. She pulled away from the man's grasp, ducked around him and dashed out the door and into the raging storm.

The thunder rumbled and the lightening flashed but for once Lyssa felt nothing in response. Her world had ended and in her eyes there was nothing left to fear.

"Come back!"

Lyssa heard the voice of the policeman calling out to her but she paid him no heed. She didn't even so much as glance over her shoulder as she ran through the pouring rain. Seeking even the tiniest measure of comfort Lyssa made her way to a river that flowed a short distance from her house.

This was where she ran to whenever she was upset over something and to this place she was drawn like a magnet even as her heart was breaking.

Sinking to her knees Lyssa allowed herself to lend voice to her sorrow and cried for the family that she had lost. Cried for the injustice of never being able to see her mother, father or sister ever again.

Cried out from the very depths of her soul.

"Poor child…"

Lyssa jumped at the sound of the voice that was calling out to her and as she slowly turned her head her gaze fell upon a strange looking gentleman with an impossibly large smile.

"Such a tragedy to be visited upon someone so young," the man said in a voice that sounded both sweet and the slightest bit scary. "How would you like for me to bring your family back from the clutches of your detestable God?"

Lyssa's eyes widened as she heard these words but there was something about the look in the man's eyes that she didn't trust. And even in her grief stricken state the child instinctively knew that this man was dangerous.

Jumping to her feet Lyssa dashed away from the river and the man as fast as her slender legs could carry her.

END FLASHBACK

It was only later that Lyssa learned that she had been visited by the Millennium Earl, after joining the Black Order. And once she learned the identity of the man who had offered to revive her family, as well as what would have happened had she not fled, Lyssa was grateful that she had survived that night.

Even then she'd had the uncanny ability to read people's emotions and the young woman gasped as she realized, possibly for the first time, why she recognized the haunted look in the young Noah's eyes, even thought he was trying to hide it. It was the very same look that she had seen in her own brown eyes for years after the loss of her family.

With this knowledge came an increased desire to learn what exactly had caused such a sad expression to shine in the eyes of a Noah. They weren't supposed to have feelings to the same degree as normal humans and yet the look in Nicholas' eyes had been unmistakable.

"So what brought that haunted light to those stormy eyes?" Lyssa thought to herself as she prepared to retire for the night.

Master Cross had warned her against constantly trying to save people who could not be saved but Lyssa knew that she would ignore this advice again, as she had so many times in the past. She was well aware of the fact that the Noah were supposedly evil, the powerful pawns of the Millennium Earl, but the young woman refused to believe that anyone was irredeemable.

Everyone, the Noah included, were the masters of their own destinies and if Nicholas chose to change his fate then he could.

That was what she chose to believe, despite the fact that Master Cross was continuously telling her that her naiveté was going to end up getting her killed. If it did then that was simply the price that she would have to pay in order to keep her humanity.

"I want to see the light," Lyssa murmured as she changed into her nightgown and settled down to read a book. She always read before going to bed; it gave a brief moment of normalcy to her life. "I want to see the light that I know is shining behind those haunted eyes."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the room next door, Cross and Maria were also preparing for bed. And the red haired Exorcist was lamenting the day that he had taken on an apprentice. "She's going to do something stupid," he muttered to himself, pouring a healthy measure of wine into a glass. "I know she is."

"She wants to save him," Maria said in her musical voice, gazing at her husband fondly. "And you can deny it all you want but I don't think that you believe the boy's beyond hope."

"He hasn't been with them long," Cross admitted grudgingly. "But he has the same hardened look in his eyes that they all have."

"That doesn't mean that he's beyond all hope," Maria reminded him as he walked across the room and lay down beside her. "It just means that he's seen things that no child should ever have to see."

Cross was forced to give some thought to this comment from his wife; both sides recruited the chosen, no matter the age. This war knew no age limit.

In fact the Noah brat couldn't be much older than Lyssa herself; but the fact remained that the Millennium Earl had gotten to him. And, despite their supposed alliance, Cross didn't trust him.

"You're just going to have to trust that things will all work out for the best," Maria said as she reached up and began to massage Cross' shoulders. "Have a little faith."

A/N - and there's the end of chapter three, this time Lyssa-centric. Hope that you enjoyed, please leave a review and tell me what you thought.


	4. Chess Pieces

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Early update! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Chapter Four - Chess Pieces

As Nicholas made his way to his suite once more the young man thought back to the news that Lord Millennium had delivered to them over dinner. A group of Exorcists were being a particular nuisance to his plans of making a vast army of Akuma and thus he had decided to make a sort of example of them.

A shadow crossed Nicholas' golden eyes as he thought about this death sentence that had been delivered to the group from the Black Order. It was true that he didn't know the Exorcists in question, and the Noah inside of him was screaming for their deaths, but Lord Millennium's decision to kill them set the gears in the young man's mind into motion.

In a matter of seconds Nicholas made a decision that could alter the course of his life, or even end it, should any of his 'surrogate' family find out about it.

"Nicky-pon!"

The Musician bit back a swear word as he heard the childish voice that was calling out to him, once again using the nickname that she knew he loathed. The news from Lord Millennium had caused him to completely forget about his promise to entertain Road after dinner. He recovered quickly however and turned to offer his 'sister' a smile. "Give me ten minutes and then I shall meet you in the drawing room."

Road seemed placated by these words and she nodded. Turning away from the Musician the girl skipped off down the hall, singing a creepy little song to herself as she went.

With a sigh Nicholas hurried to his suite, knowing that he only had ten minutes to do what needed to be done. Reaching out the young man grasped the door handle with a white-gloved hand and quickly pulled it open. Stepping inside the Noah's golden eyes scanned the room, searching.

"Tim," he called out the moment he spied what he had been looking for.

The little golden creature immediately fluttered over to his master, hearing the urgency in Nicholas' voice.

Walking over to the small writing desk that was positioned in one corner of the opulent room Nicholas quickly wrote out a message in his flowing script. Then, once the message was complete, the Noah of Praise folded it and held it out to Timcanpy.

The little golem seized the paper in his mouth.

Once Timcanpy had the message grasped securely between his teeth the Musician walked over to the room's single window. Reaching up he unlatched the window and opened it just enough to allow Timcanpy to squeeze through. "Go Tim. And make absolutely certain that none of them see you."

With a brief nod to his master Timcanpy flew off into the night.

"Let's set the pawns into motion," Nicholas muttered to himself as he walked away from the window, leaving it open so that Timcanpy could reenter upon his return. "This should ensure that I have Marian's trust."

Nicholas was well aware of the fact that the Exorcist General didn't completely trust him, not that he could really blame the man for that. He was, after all, only using the man to gain information on the Black Order. Until now he hadn't really given Cross any information that would be detrimental to Lord Millennium's plans but this time he would be directly preventing an attack.

It was a calculated move on the part of the Musician and one that the Noah hoped would gain Cross' trust.

As he thought about this chess game that he was playing with the Exorcists a face suddenly appeared, unbidden, in his mind's eye. The face of an angel framed in shining chestnut hair.

Nicholas growled low in his throat as he shook his head in an effort to rid himself of this wholly unwanted image. Walking over to the door the Noah strode out into the hallway and made his way to the drawing room, where he would be forced to entertain Road for the next several hours.

But his mind was already focused on what would take place after that.

* * *

Maria was awoken from a sound sleep by the sound of someone knocking rather loudly on the door. In fact it almost sounded as though someone were ramming something into it.

Getting to her feet the blond Exorcist made her way over to the door, quickly unlocking it and pulling it open.

"Lyssa is that…"

Her voice trailed off as she pulled the door open to reveal… nothing. Maria was irritated for a moment, having been woken from a sound sleep by someone's apparent prank, however her mood changed when she happened to glance down.

There, lying on the ground, was a folded piece of paper.

Leaning forward Maria picked it up and carefully unfolded it. Her blue eyes scanned the page and then it fluttered to the ground as she gasped in shock.

"Honey," she called out as she bent to retrieve the message, using the endearment that she only used when the two of them were alone. "You're going to want to see this."

Grumbling due to this uncalled for wake up call Cross never the less got to his feet and walked across the room to the spot where his wife was standing. The moment he was at her side Maria handed him the message and waited patiently while he read the contents.

"Damn it!" Cross swore, irritated over this summons from the Musician. Who the hell did the brat think he was, ordering them to meet with him again? And at some unholy hour of the morning no less. "Go and wake Lyssa."

"Right," Maria said, rushing over to the bed and grabbing the robe that she had left hanging on the bedpost. The blond Exorcist quickly pulled on the robe and then made her way to the room next door.

Knocking loudly on the door she called out, "Lyssa, wake up! We have a mission!"

A few moments passed and then the door opened to reveal Lyssa, clad in her nightgown. "What's going on?" the young woman asked, her brown eyes still bleary from sleep.

"We received a message from the Noah," Maria said, focusing an intent gaze on Lyssa so that she could judge the girl's reaction to this news. "We have to meet with him in a couple of hours. Apparently he has something important to tell us."

"I'll be dressed in five minutes," Lyssa said, turning away from Maria without another word.

Maria had seen the spark that had appeared in Lyssa's brown eyes at the mention of the young Noah but was choosing to ignore it. She had meant what she said about having faith and trusting that things would work out.

Closing the door Maria turned and made her way back to her own room. When she entered it was to find her husband pulling on his Exorcist's coat and, deciding that she should probably get dressed as well, she made her way over to the small closet where she had hung her uniform. Like Lyssa she wasn't one for the skirt that came with the uniform and chose instead to wear a long black dress under her Exorcist's coat. It would have impeded the fighting abilities of most but with her rather unique Innocence it wasn't an issue.

Ten minutes later the three Exorcists were all assembled in the room that Cross and Maria were sharing. Grim expressions marred all three faces as they discussed the possible reasons for this summons from the Noah of Praise.

It had to be something serious to warrant a meeting in the middle of the night and right after a previous meeting no less. Nicholas had expressed a desire to keep the meetings spread out since he said that his 'siblings' tended to take interest whenever he went somewhere alone and yet here he was ordering another meeting less than ten hours after the first.

That set off warning bells in Cross' mind but he chose to keep this from the two women who were sitting together on the bed. Pacing around, with a cigarette in one hand and a glass of wine in the other, the Exorcist general thought about the possibilities.

A. This could be a trap or  
B. Should the brat be telling the truth then the Millennium Earl was planning something major.

Either way Cross didn't like it.

* * *

Everyone was either occupied with something or had retired for the night when Nicholas finally decided that it was safe for him to slip out of the manor. This was a big risk for the Noah of Praise as it would be much harder to explain why he was leaving in the night but the young man was determined to make this move.

It was of the utmost importance to the chess game that he was playing.

As Nicholas quickly made his way through the darkness he felt a familiar weight settle on his top hat. Reaching up he absently tugged on one of Timcanpy's little wings. "Did you deliver the message Tim?"

A thump on the side of his hat, courtesy of the little creature's tail, was all the answer that Nicholas received for his question. But it was enough. He had already known, without having to ask or receive a reply, that the message had been delivered.

Timcanpy had never failed him.

"Prepare to witness my best performance yet," the Musician said as he walked along, cloaked in shadow. A grin spread across his face as he thought about the news that he was about to deliver to the Exorcists. The news that four of their own had been targeted for execution by Lord Millennium.

In no time Nicholas arrived at the site of their previous meeting and when he did it was to find the place empty. Gazing around the Noah vaguely found himself wondering if maybe the Exorcists weren't going to show. That would indeed be a mistake on their part since the message that he had to deliver was of the utmost importance to them.

But if they chose to ignore his summons then it would be on their heads.

Now that they had arrived at the designated meeting place Nicholas reached a hand up and seized Timcanpy, before the golem had the chance to flee.

He had plans for his little friend and in order for them to work he couldn't allow the Exorcists to see him. Couldn't allow Timcanpy to be connected with him.

"Sorry Tim," he whispered as he shoved the golden creature into the inside pocket of his top coat.

A few minutes passed, during which the Musician stood around and stared off into the darkness, and then the young man heard the sound of footsteps approaching. His guard was immediately up but, after the passage of a couple minutes more, a familiar red haired figure emerged from the darkness.

Followed closely behind by the two young women.

Nicholas' gray eyes lingered on Lyssa a moment longer than the others but thankfully, with the darkness, it was impossible for her to notice.

"Alright brat," Cross said as he came to a stop a few feet away from the Noah of Praise. 'We're here so tell us what the hell it is that you want."

Nicholas felt his anger rise momentarily but he forced it aside. He was the master of his emotions, never losing control, and the Musician refused to allow Cross to anger him. "Calm down Marian. I just thought that you might like to know that a group of your comrades, and I use that term lightly, have been targeted by Lord Millennium."

Out of the three Exorcists, Lyssa was the only one who voiced horror at this news. She gasped as she heard the words that were so calmly spoken by the young member of the Clan of Noah.

Four Exorcists were targeted for death.

Her brown eyes were filled with horror but the young woman did her best to push her emotions aside. Now was not the time to get emotional and she refused to give way to the approaching tears. Clenching her hands into fists Lyssa strengthened her resolve.

She could collapse into tears later but for now something had to be done to prevent this murderous plot.

Nicholas watched the calculating look that appeared in Cross' one visible eye as he heard this news. The faint moonlight allowed him to gauge the man's reaction however the women were both bathed in darkness so he couldn't read them as easily.

Although judging by the small gasp of horror he could tell that Lyssa at least was adversely affected by the news.

"Which group of Exorcists are the target brat?" Cross demanded, still attempting to gauge whether or not the Noah brat was speaking the truth.

"They're stationed in Italy," Nicholas replied calmly, fully aware that the red haired general only half believed him. It didn't really matter if Cross believed him, only that he followed the tip and witnessed the attack. That way, no matter the outcome, Nicholas would seem to be on their side.

This should cement their trust in him.

The pawns were in place and the move had been made. Now all that was left to do was for the Musician to sit back and watch the game unfold.

"You don't know their names?" Cross asked, his glaring gaze focused squarely on the brat that was standing before him. He was aware of the fact that this could all be a trap and was looking for any hint in the Musician's demeanor that would point toward deception.

"Lord Millennium didn't share that information with us," Nicholas replied calmly. "He merely stated that he would take care of the problem."

"So the fat ass intends to kill them himself?" Cross demanded, finding this odd. The Earl was NEVER personally involved in things like that.

"No," Nicholas said, shaking his head ever so slightly. "They aren't worth the effort. He's taking some Level Three Akuma to do the dirty work and merely going along to supervise."

That statement had the ring of truth to it and Cross knew that, despite his reservations, he would have to look into the brat's claim. "We'll take care of it. Thanks for the information."

Nicholas inclined his head.

Turning Cross prepared to walk away. They didn't have time to waste; he and the girls would have to travel to Italy and hope that they made it in time to save the targeted Exorcists. "We'll be in touch."

"I look forward to it," Nicholas said, bowing slightly as the group of Exorcists walked away.

The Exorcists quickly made their way down the path that would take them back to town. Nicholas watched their departure until they were out of sight and then he reached a hand inside his top coat and pulled out Timcanpy.

Timcanpy was irritated over having been shoved in the Musician's pocket and, the moment he was free, the golem made a move to bite his master.

Nicholas narrowly avoided having the flesh of his nose seized by the irritated little golem and he was forced to hold him by the wings in order to prevent Timcanpy from trying the move again.

"I'm sorry Tim," Nicholas said. "But I have an important job for you and I couldn't let them see you. No one can connect you back to me."

Timcanpy settled down at this point and Nicholas released his hold on the creature. "I want you to follow them Tim. I need to know how this goes and I won't be able to question Lord Millennium about it. That would be too suspicious."

Timcanpy nodded and then flew off in the direction that the Exorcists had departed in. Nicholas watched the golem leave and then turned, a satisfied smirk appearing on his face.

So far all was going according to plan.

A/N - I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, please be kind enough to leave a review and tell me what you thought.


	5. Memory of Noah

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

**Special update in honor of PeanutAngel! Happy Birthday and I hope that you enjoy!**

Chapter Five - Memory of Noah

Once Nicholas had sent the Exorcists on the trail that would hopefully lead them to newfound trust in him, the young Noah made his way back toward the place that he called home. Or at least the place where he dwelled since the Noah of Praise couldn't ever recall thinking of the Ark as home.

It was true that Lord Millennium's manor was nice enough, as far as that went, but there had always seemed to be something missing. Something that would make it a home and not just a house.

As Nicholas pondered this thought a familiar face appeared in his mind's eye, the smiling face of his older brother Mana, and he finally realized what was missing. Although the Noah all claimed to be a family there really wasn't much love between them.

And they avoided contact with anyone outside of their 'family'.

Of course the Noah part of his mind was screaming that the lowly humans didn't even deserver their pity, never mind their love. But with his memories centered upon Mana, Nicholas found himself missing the brother that he had abandoned.

"Keep moving forward… never stop… until the day you die."

The Noah of Praise flinched as he recalled the last words that Mana had spoken to him on that fateful day when he had left to join Lord Millennium and the Clan of Noah. There had been no anger in Mana's kind eyes, only sadness, as he had walked away.

And Nicholas hadn't seen him since.

The only place that he had ever called 'home' had been the house that he had shared with his brother and their parents. Of course their parents had passed away when Nicholas was still fairly young but Mana had done everything in his power to make absolutely certain that he had never wanted for anything.

And he had been happy.

Once again the Noah part of his mind was screaming that all would be well once the Exorcists and other pitiful humans had been eradicated, as per Lord Millennium's plans. Shaking his head the Noah of Praise attempted to rid himself of this annoying voice in his head. He was constantly at odds with the Noah inside him, often wavering between what the memories told him to do and what his heart told him was right.

And his win/loss percentage was about fifty/fifty when it came to this struggle. He was different from the other Noah, Nicholas knew this fact to be true. They all seemed completely capable of cold blooded murder without even the slightest feelings of remorse. The same could not be said about the extra member of their family.

The Musician was in charge of the Ark, it's true master and the only one capable of using it's powers to their full extent. And Nicholas did as he was ordered by Lord Millennium but he also struggled with the little voice in the back of his mind that told him that perhaps he was traveling down the wrong path.

That maybe, just maybe, there was something about this world that was worth saving.

Glancing up the young man stared at the stars that dotted the otherwise black sky. There was beauty in the world, if one only paused long enough to see it, but this wasn't something that even he did often.

Normally his thoughts were consumed by the abject corruption in the world and the fact that all humans seemed capable of doing was hurting one another.

Which only caused the Noah inside of him to once more call for the annihilation of the entire human race.

Nicholas sighed as he entered the Ark and traveled down the familiar streets, making his way to Lord Millennium's domain. The Earl had once told him that it would be easier if he didn't suppress his Noah, which the young man hadn't understood at the time. Now he was fairly certain that he knew the meaning of these words. Unlike the others, he hadn't given his soul completely over to the memories of Noah.

He maintained more of his humanity than his siblings, which he had mixed feelings about. Sure it would be easier to cope with everything if he simply gave himself over to the memories and became what they wanted him to be but Nicholas still held out for some reason.

He wasn't exactly sure why.

Suddenly Nicholas was jarred from these thoughts as a by now familiar face flashed in his mind's eye.

The girl named Lyssa.

"Stop it," Nicholas growled to himself, removing his top hat and running a hand through his gray hair. He shouldn't be thinking about the girl; she was an Exorcist and he a member of the Clan of Noah.

And yet for some inexplicable reason he couldn't get her image out of his mind. There was something different about this girl and the young Noah found himself wanting to know exactly what it was that set her apart from all others that he had met.

Why did she intrigue him so when he could walk by so many others without even a passing glance?

"_**Commit to the memories…"**_

Nicholas growled low in his throat as he heard these words echo through his mind. It had been the same ever since he had first joined the ranks of the Noah. This haunting inner voice would call out to him to embrace the memories and ascend to his true powers. First it had been encouraging him to give in to the memories and now it was calling for him to commit to them wholeheartedly.

The Noah of Praise had given in but only to a certain extent. He maintained more of his true self than the others and had every intention of keeping it that way.

Lost in thought Nicholas hadn't even realized exactly how close he was to the manor but he was grateful to discover that no one was waiting for him this time. That was a relief since this disappearance would have been much harder for the young man to explain.

Slipping silently inside the Musician made his way down the familiar corridors, hoping as he did so that he didn't run into any of the other Noah or worse Lord Millennium. Holding his breath the young Noah walked along the darkened corridors and then released the breath in relief as he discovered that there wasn't anyone waiting for his return.

Hopefully no one had noticed that he had left. It would look incredibly suspicious if they knew that he had gone out on the very eve that Lord Millennium had announced his plans to kill the Exorcists and then even more so when those plans were foiled.

And it was just to much to hope that none of his siblings would make the connection. While it was true that he often questioned their intelligence levels it was also true that none of them were THAT stupid.

Nicholas would have liked to go to his secret room but unfortunately his key was currently elsewhere. So the young man settled on going to the suite of rooms that belonged to him.

He felt completely drained, a regular occurrence when he had contact with Cross, or now the group of Exorcists. Whenever he was around them his Noah genes would scream out the need to destroy the Innocence and it was a difficult urge to fight. He was constantly at war with the memories as it was but when he was around Innocence it was ten times worse and much harder to ignore.

Entering the room Nicholas didn't even bother to light the gas lamps as he made his way expertly across the room to the large bed that was positioned on the far wall. Removing his top hat Nicholas tossed it carelessly to the side before sinking down on the bed, still fully clothed.

All he wanted to do was forget everything that had happened and sink into a dreamless sleep but the Musician knew that this wasn't going to happen. He hadn't had a peaceful night's sleep since he had first ascended to his powers as a Noah.

In an unconscious state the voice that echoed in his mind was much louder and nearly impossible to suppress.

The voice that screamed out that he was superior to the pitiful humans; sheep only fit for slaughter. The voice that told him the Exorcists must all be destroyed, the Innocence wiped from the world.

All Exorcists must be destroyed…

Once again Lyssa's face appeared unbidden in the mind of the Musician and he shuddered involuntarily as the Noah inside screamed out it's protests. It wasn't as though he were asking for this girl's image to constantly appear in his mind; he hadn't asked for it and he sure as hell didn't want it.

It was just another inconvenience for him to cope with.

"_**It will all be over once Lord Millennium's plans have been fully set in motion…"**_

Nicholas abruptly sat up as this thought echoed in his mind, a strange expression in his gray eyes. Lord Millennium's goal was the destruction of humanity, which of course included Nicholas' older brother Mana.

The one person on the planet who had never treated him as some kind of freak. Even his so called family couldn't boast this claim since they saw him as inferior due to the fact that he was the Fourteenth in a family that should by rights have had only thirteen.

The so called 'extra' member of their family.

And yet only the Musician could control and use Noah's Ark to it's full potential. Even Lord Millennium himself couldn't lay claim to this but that didn't seem to matter to the other Noah. He was different from them and therefore an outcast in this environment as well.

"_One of these days I'm going to prove to them that I'm not inferior," _Nicholas thought to himself as he once again placed his head upon the pillow. Casually he placed his hands behind his head and gazed up into the darkness.

Acceptance was something that he'd always longed for as a child and even as an adult to some extent. Everyone had always thought that he was odd, with the exception of Mana.

His brother had told him that he was unique and that his talents were a gift from God. Mana had also told him that he should never try to hide who he was or change his personality to suit other people. That he was who he was supposed to be and should embrace that fact.

It seemed as though he had forgotten these words during the time that he had spent with the Clan of Noah but now they came crashing back to him with full force.

Causing him to once again struggle with the person that he had became.

Nicholas sighed as he struggled to come to terms with his jumbled up emotions. Which voice should he listen to? The persistent voice of the Noah inside of him or the smaller voice that whispered that he had traveled down the wrong path?

It was obvious to the young man that this was going to be another one of those restless nights when all he could do was think about things that he couldn't change. The Noah was a part of who he was and there wasn't anything that Nicholas could do about that fact.

Yet at the same time the feelings that the memory of Noah was fighting to smother were also a part of him. And the two parts of him were constantly at war with one another, making Nicholas feel constantly conflicted.

Forcing his thoughts elsewhere Nicholas contemplated whether his plans involving the Exorcist General were going to work out the way he had been planning. Cross wasn't a stupid man, although he sometimes acted as such, but Nicholas was fairly certain that this newest bit of information that he had fed to the red haired man would serve to solidify his trust.

After all Lord Millennium truly had targeted the Exorcists for death and, whether or not Cross and his team arrived in time to save them, there could be no denying the fact that Nicholas had been telling the truth.

"It's going to work," he thought to himself as he continued to stare up into the darkness. "And then the game shall truly begin."

A smirk spread across his face as the young Noah thought about the fact that he had fooled a general of the Black Order. And all because he had chosen not to kill the man the first time that their paths had crossed.

FLASHBACK

The countless Akuma had been doing their part to wear down the Exorcist General and Nicholas grinned as he gazed through the trees at the battle. It was true that the red haired man would win the battle, Akuma were constantly falling to that weapon of his, but that was of no consequence. They could be replaced easily enough.

The red haired man sank to one knee as the last of the Akuma fell and in this moment Nicholas made a decision. While it was true that the members of the Clan of Noah were forbidden from revealing themselves to the Exorcists a plan was forming in his devious mind and Nicholas decided to act upon it.

Of course Lord Millennium would be furious should he learn of this disobedience but Nicholas was determined to make sure that he never learned of it.

Stepping from the grove of trees behind which he had been watch the battle intently the Musician came to stand before the Exorcist, allowing his Noah side to take control as he gazed down at the exhausted man.

"Good evening Exorcist," he said politely, bowing ever so slightly as he gazed down at the man through calculating golden eyes.

"Noah," the man growled through clenched teeth as he forced himself to a standing position.

Nicholas was somewhat surprised that this man knew about them but he hid this surprise well as he nodded his head in affirmation of the statement. Not that it had been a question on the part of the Exorcist, his words had been confident when he spoke that single word.

It seemed to be all that the man could do to hold up the large firearm that Nicholas knew to be his Innocence. The Noah inside was screaming for it's destruction however Nicholas was choosing to ignore this particular demand.

He had a better idea.

"Relax," Nicholas said in a voice completely devoid of emotion. "I have no intention of ending your life Exorcist. Actually I have a proposal that I think you will find to your liking.

The red haired man gazed at the brat standing before him, a wary look in the one red eye that was visible. "I'm listening brat."

Nicholas forced himself not to react to the derogatory comment directed at him. "I am called the Musician and I'm the extra member of the Clan of Noah, Fourteenth in a family that should have only thirteen. As a result of this fact I'm shunned by my family. I have decided to leave the side of the Millennium Earl and could provide you with useful information."

"Name's Cross Marian," the red haired man said, his voice hard as he continued to stare at the younger man who was standing before him. He didn't trust the Noah brat, this fact was evident by the look in his eyes, but it was possible that he could use this to his advantage. "Tell me what you have in mind."

END FLASHBACK

And that was how their 'alliance' had began though neither trusted the other fully. However Nicholas was hopeful that this would change on the part of the general due to this newest development.

"Dance Marian…" he muttered, a grin spreading across his face as he continued to think about the Exorcist General whom he had control over. "Dance to the tune of the Musician."

A/N - Hope that you enjoyed this chapter, please be kind and leave a review. I would like to know your thoughts on the story. Til next time the music has ended.


	6. Debate of Trust

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Chapter Six - Debate of Trust

Cross and his group had traveled as fast as they could to Italy, in search of the group of Exorcists unlucky enough to have been targeted by the Millennium Earl. And of course, after contacting HQ, Cross learned that this group was headed up by none other than General Klaud Nyne.

She was a new general and had actually trained together with both Cross and Maria. And, as the first female general in Black Order history, she seemed determined to prove herself.

"This isn't going to go well," Cross grumbled as he and the girls made their way to the inn where he had been informed that Klaud and her group were staying. All he wanted to do was get there, warn them about the attack and then get the hell out of here.

But of course he knew that this wasn't going to be what happened. When it came to luck he had two kinds; bad and none. Which pretty much assured that something was going to go wrong on this little trip.

Most likely the Noah brat had given them false information, sending them away from the location of some big event. That had been the first thought when the brat had informed him that this group of Exorcists had been targeted and yet he had still chosen to traipse across the damn continent to prevent an attack that in all likelihood wasn't even coming.

"You seem somewhat angry," Maria commented as the trio made their way toward the inn where their comrades were rumored to be staying.

"Oh I'm beyond angry," Cross growled, his hands clenching into fists. "I can't believe that I'm actually taking that brat's word."

Normally Lyssa would listen as her master complained but this time she felt the pressing need to say something. "Why would he tell you something like that if it wasn't the truth Master Cross?"

"That brat's up to something," Cross growled, not even bothering to turn and glare at his apprentice. "I just haven't figured out exactly what that something is."

Lyssa's thoughts shifted back to the mahogany haired young man from the Clan of Noah. The voice in the back of her mind, the one most influenced by the Black Order, was whispering that it was highly probable that the young man was using them but Lyssa chose to believe that he was being truthful.

After all she had definitely seen the haunted look in his gray eyes and she recognized that look above all others. It was the very same look that she had seen in her own brown eyes in the days, weeks and months after losing her family.

And she desperately wanted to know what had put this look in the stormy eyes of the young Noah.

"We have to look into the situation," Maria said in her musical voice, placing a gentle hand on her husband's shoulder in the hopes of calming him down before his irritation escalated any further. "Because if he is telling the truth we're the only ones who can help the Exorcists."

Cross growled a monosyllabic reply, knowing that Maria was right whether or not he wanted to acknowledge this fact. He couldn't very well tell the Order that a Noah had informed him of an impending attack by the Millennium Earl.

* * *

When the trio of Exorcists finally arrived at their intended destination it was to find General Klaud and her students leaving the premises. And a shocked expression appeared on the blond general's face when her gaze fell upon Cross and his two companions.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she and the others accompanying her made their way toward the Cross group. She was gazing intently at the three new arrivals while the little monkey sitting on her shoulders chattered in an irritated tone.

"Sav…"

Maria held up her hands at this point and gave her husband a meaningful glare. He couldn't tell Klaud whey they were there because then she'd want to know how exactly they had came across this information.

A question that they would be completely unable to answer lest they get themselves into a world of trouble.

"Just happened to be in the neighborhood," Cross amended, knowing that this explanation didn't sound sincere on his part but not caring enough to try harder.

"Sure," Klaud said, obviously not convinced by his words. "Well you can just get back out of the neighborhood. We have this mission under control."

Cross opened his mouth to say something on the subject however Maria, sensing trouble, beat him to it. "I'm sure you can handle it General. We'll just rest here for awhile and then be on our way."

Klaud nodded and she and her group continued on their way.

Maria waited until the group of Exorcists were out of ear shot before whirling to face her husband, a scowl on her face that would rival his any day of the week. "What were you thinking?" she demanded as she slapped him on the chest. "We can't tell them why we're here and we can't seem like we know too much or else they're going to be suspicious. We'll just have to wait for something to happen."

Lyssa couldn't help but smirk at the expression that appeared on her master's face as he was rebuked by his wife. Maria was the only one that Lyssa knew who could cause that reaction in the red haired general and it never failed to elicit amusement.

"Hey!" Cross snapped, turning just in time to see the smirk that was plastered on his apprentice's face. "She doesn't need any help from you!"

"I didn't say a word," Lyssa said in her own defense. It was true that several things had came to mind that she would have liked to have said but the fact remained that she'd managed to hold her tongue this time.

Cross growled profanities under his breath but didn't say anything else as he turned and began walking in the direction that Klaud and her cronies had traveled in. He had to keep an eye on this group and therefore didn't have the time to deal with his insolent apprentice.

"Come on," Maria mouthed to Lyssa.

Lyssa nodded and together the two women hastened to catch up to the irritated red haired man.

The youngest of the trio of Exorcists was bringing up the rear of their strange little procession and she turned quickly as she suddenly caught sight of a flash of gold.

"That's strange," the girl thought to herself as she strained her eyes in an attempt to catch another glimpse of the strange object. "I wonder…"

The young woman's thoughts returned to that day when she had first met the Noah of Praise and she vaguely recalled seeing a flash of gold duck into his coat as she and her companions approached. Thinking of the black golems used by the Order a theory formed in the young woman's mind.

Could the Noah have a golden golem? And if he did would he have ordered it to follow them?

"Strange," Lyssa muttered to herself, deciding to keep this newest development from the others. They didn't need to know about what she had seen until she was certain what was going on.

"We're getting close," Cross muttered as he began to pick up snippets of the conversations between the other Exorcists.

Maria nodded and began to sing softly, invoking her Innocence. 'Magdala Curtain' would prevent Klaud and her group from knowing that they were being followed while allowing them to keep an eye on the targeted Exorcists.

Lyssa was familiar with Maria's powers and knew that they were now enveloped in an invisible field that would shield them from detection. This was a very useful skill and Lyssa thought back to the battles that the two women had fought together and, reaching up, she gently fingered the pendant that hung from her neck. Their particular powers worked well together as had often been proven in combat with Akuma.

Noticing that the younger woman was absently playing with her Innocence, Maria reached out and grasped Lyssa's hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Stay calm."

Lyssa smiled weakly and allowed her hand to fall back to her side. She had little battle experience, having been a member of the Black Order for a short period of time, and she always felt butterflies begin to fill her stomach at the thought of battle.

But at the same time she realized that it was necessary and that the cursed souls inhabiting the Akuma both needed and deserved to be saved.

At the thought of saving the Akuma a by now familiar face appeared in Lyssa's mind's eye.

The face of someone else that she found herself wanting to save.

Nicholas.

The Noah of Praise.

Lyssa still wasn't certain whether or not the young Noah was telling them the truth about his intentions but she found that for some reason that didn't matter. She could tell, by the look in his eyes, that he was a person worth saving and she vowed in that moment to try everything in her power to do just that.

"I hope I'm not making the biggest mistake of my life," the young woman thought to herself as she continued to follow along behind her comrades.

* * *

Several hours passed while Cross and his group maintained surveillance on Klaud and her group and during that time absolutely nothing happened. Which of course only served to add to the irritation that was already radiating from the reluctant leader of this rescue mission.

"When I get my hands on that brat…" Cross growled, fire gleaming in his eye as he envisioned strangling that arrogant Noah brat.

"Master…"

"Stop," Cross demanded. "I don't want to hear one syllable in defense of that brat."

"No master…" Lyssa blew out a frustrated breath but was determined to try again to relay this rather important piece of news to the stubborn man. She needed to get through to him somehow, whether he wanted to listen or not.

"I said shut it!" Cross snapped, turning to send a glaring look in the direction of his apprentice. It was in this moment that he caught sight of a large group of Akuma approaching from behind them. "Shit!"

Lyssa sighed as her master caught sight of the Akuma that she'd been trying to warn him about. If he'd only listened to her then he wouldn't have been taken by surprise but of course she wasn't really surprised by this fact.

That was just the way Master Cross was.

Lyssa's first impulse was to attack the Akuma and, seeming to sense this, Maria reached out and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. The young woman turned questioning brown eyes to her friend and received a gentle smile.

"We have to wait," Maria said quietly her gaze focused on her friend. "We can't let General Klaud and the others know that we've been following them because they're going to want to know why. And as you know we can't tell them why."

"Right," Lyssa said, nodding. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Maria said gently. "I know how you feel. Just have a little patience and we'll be able to come to their aid soon."

For her part General Klaud noticed the approaching Akuma a couple of minutes after Lyssa and her eyes grew wide as she took in their sheer numbers. What in the world could have caused so many of them to gather at once?

Lau Jimin began to chatter excitedly upon seeing so many Akuma and, with a few shouted orders to her companions, Klaud launched into action.

It was exceedingly difficult for Lyssa to stand by and watch as her fellow Exorcists engaged in battle but she knew that she had no other choice. So she toyed with the charm that was hanging around her neck, bit her bottom lip and watched the battle unfold.

The battle was fairly impressive and Lyssa gazed at the first ever female general with admiration in her eyes. Lau Jimin was impressive and the general quickly took out a large number of Akuma.

"Maybe we weren't necessary," Maria muttered, her gaze focused on the battle as well.

At that moment a slightly demented laugh echoed through the air and all eyes shifted skyward. The Millennium Earl was hovering above the battleground, a sinister smile spread across his face.

"You are indeed a nuisance," the Earl said, his beady eyes focused on the group of fighters.

"And that's our cue," Cross snarled, glaring at the figure in the sky. So the brat had been telling the truth; the Millennium Earl really had targeted this group of Exorcists.

Both Lyssa and Maria nodded and, the moment the barrier of Magdala Curtain was released, the trio rushed forward.

"More Exorcists?" the Earl said, sounding slightly shocked as his gaze fell upon the new arrivals. "You people come out of the woodwork like roaches. And you shall be squashed like them as well."

"That's what you think fat ass!" Cross snarled as he pulled Judgment and aimed the gun at his enemy.

Maria's heart skipped a beat as she heard the words that her husband directed at the Millennium Earl but she knew that he could handle himself. She needed to keep her attention focused on the Akuma.

"Are you ready Lyssa?"

The young girl nodded and, reaching up, pulled on the charm that hung from her neck on a thin golden chain. "Salvation! Innocence Activate!" The violin immediately began to glow with a strange aura and grew in size. Forming a bow with the energy of the Innocence, Lyssa narrowed her eyes and began to play. Luminescent music notes filled the air and began to wind their way toward the Akuma as Lyssa drew her bow across the strings, furiously playing the song that would bring death to the tragic creatures created by the Millennium Earl.

The music that would save their souls.

The Akuma who were hovering around her didn't seem even remotely intimidated by this strange girl nor the music notes that rose around her but they changed their tunes as the music seemed to infiltrate their minds. Screams echoed in the air as the Akuma began to explode.

Joining in with her friend Maria sang her song Carte Garde, opting this time for mind control. By controlling the Akuma she could keep them from fleeing and give Lyssa the time that she needed to bring an end to their pitiful existence.

"Curse you," the Earl snarled, realizing that this wasn't going to end as he had intended. The Akuma were quickly falling at the hands of the large group of Exorcists, something that he hadn't anticipated when planning this attack. This was a rather irritating turn of events and the Earl ground his teeth together in annoyance. He didn't want to engage the Exorcists at this moment and thus made the decision to flee.

After all, his Akuma had fallen, leaving him with no other options.

"We shall meet again Exorcists," the Earl said, his narrow eyed gaze focused on this group. They would all suffer for interfering with his plans and he made it a point to memorize all of their faces.

Especially the arrogant red haired man.

Taking a deep breath General Klaud surveyed the smoldering remains of the Akuma before her gaze came to rest on Cross. "I thought you guys were leaving?"

This question sounded nonchalant but the faint underlying tone of the woman's voice said that she was grateful that her comrades had hung around.

"We were on our way to another town," Cross said. "But we heard the noise from the battle and came to see if you needed help."

"Well," Klaud said, clearing her throat. "I'm grateful for the help."

Cross waved his hand dismissively. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I feel the need for a drink."

And with this Cross turned and began walking away down the trail that led toward the town that they had visited earlier.

"Master Cross…" Lyssa began once they were out of earshot of the others from the Black Order.

"What?" Cross said gruffly.

"He was telling the truth."

"Shut it!" Cross snapped, not in the mood to hear something like that right now. He needed a drink and he needed it now.

A/N - and there's the end of chapter six, hope that you enjoyed. Please be kind enough to leave a review as you leave. I really enjoy reading your comments about this story. Til next time the music has ended.


	7. Surveillance

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Chapter Seven - Surveillance

Once the threat of the Earl had been dealt with the two groups of Exorcists parted ways. General Cross led the way back to the town where they had first met up with Klaud and, once they arrived, he quickly located an inn where they could stay. This particular inn wasn't exactly up to his usual standards but unfortunately it was the best that this poor excuse for a town had to offer. Which meant that it would just have to suffice. He needed a drink and had absolutely no intentions of going anywhere at this current moment in time.

And the girls would just have to deal with that.

Whether they wanted to or not and at this point Cross didn't really care which happened to be the case. He had already been deprived of alcohol for far too long and the red haired general fully intended to remedy this problem the moment he entered his room.

Both Maria and Lyssa knew from experience that it wouldn't do any good for them to complain about their situation and both chose to just accept it gracefully.

"I guess we'll see you in the morning Lyssa dear," Maria said as they parted ways, each going to their own room. The two rooms were side by side, for convenience sake, but far enough apart so that there was no way that the occupants could disturb one another.

"Right," Lyssa said, nodding her head. The young woman wasn't entirely certain how she was going to occupy herself until they left this town but knew that she had to find something to keep her busy.

Opening the door the young Exorcist entered the sparsely furnished room, gazing around and hoping that this wasn't an expensive establishment. Because she knew that Master Cross would expect her to reimburse him for the money that he had spent for it.

"_Of course that's the way it's going to be," _Lyssa thought to herself with a sigh, walking over to the window and forcing it open a small degree. It seemed as though the window hadn't been opened for years but the room was too stuffy and the young woman wanted some fresh air.

Once she had finished her fight with the window Lyssa pulled off her Exorcist's coat and hung it on the back of a chair that was positioned near the room's single window. _"Looks like I'm going to be working as a waitress in the next town that we visit," _she thought to herself as she walked over to the bed and threw herself upon it.

This had became a regular occurrence since she had became Master Cross' apprentice and the young woman had accepted it as par for the course. But in this particular moment in time Lyssa found herself slightly annoyed by the thoughts of her forced labor. After all she was well aware that they all received a monthly stipend from the Black Order for living expenses and such and yet Master Cross still forced her to work whenever they spent more than one day in a town.

Taking a deep breath Lyssa forced these thoughts from her mind before she lost her temper and broke something. Something that she would then be forced to pay for.

Placing her hands behind her head Lyssa gazed absently up at the ceiling, not really taking in what her eyes were seeing. Her thoughts were squarely focused elsewhere. They wandered back to the battle that she and her comrades had fought and the young Exorcist couldn't keep a small smile from spreading across her face. The young Noah had been telling the truth about the Earl's intentions which went a long way toward earning her trust.

"He was telling the truth…"

Lyssa's thoughts were brought away from the Noah of Praise when she heard the sound of something crashing into the wooden door. A few seconds passed and then she heard the sound again.

"What in the world…"

Getting to her feet Lyssa made her way across the room, pulling the door open warily lest there be an enemy on the other side. And there, hovering at eye level, was a strange little golden creature that vaguely resembled the golem's used by the Black Order.

"So you're the one who was following us," Lyssa said, eyeing the little creature.

As though in response to this Timcanpy quickly darted around Lyssa and entered the room.

"Please, come in," Lyssa said, a hint of sarcasm in her soft edged voice as she closed the door and then turned to face the little creature. "Okay… so what exactly are you doing here?"

Timcanpy merely continued to hover in the air at eye level, looking almost as though he were sizing the young Exorcist up.

"He sent you didn't he?" Lyssa said quietly, walking across the room and sitting down on the edge of the bed. She knew the only reason for the little creature to be there was because the young Noah had ordered the golem to follow them.

The only thing even remotely debatable about the situation was exactly why the Musician had felt the need to send his golem out to follow them.

Timcanpy wasn't really capable of answering the questions posed to him however the little golem glided gracefully through the air, landing in the young woman's lap.

"Well you seem harmless enough," Lyssa mused as she absently touched one of the golem's little golden wings. "What about your master, how harmless is he?"

At this point Lyssa began laughing softly to herself. It was absolutely unbelievable that she was actually interrogating this little golem and she felt slightly foolish at this point. But that didn't stop her from continuing to speak to the little creature. After all, it wasn't as though the situation could get any more ridiculous at this point.

"I'll tell you what I think," Lyssa said in a whisper, as though she were imparting some great secret to the golem. "I think that there's a good person buried in there somewhere… someone who's worth saving."

It was barely perceptible, and had Lyssa chosen to blink at the wrong moment she would have missed it, but it seemed that the little creature nodded ever so slightly at these words.

"You think so too huh?" Lyssa said as she continued to gaze down at this little creature who had appeared unexpectedly at her door. "Well we'll have to see if we can't turn him into a respectable member of society."

This thought brought a smile to her face as Lyssa released her hold on Timcanpy and allowed the little creature to resume his hovering. The young woman once again fell back on the bed and placed her hands behind her head. As she gazed up at the ceiling, her thoughts were focused squarely on the young man with the mahogany hair and the stormy gray eyes.

The Noah of Praise whom she was now determined to save.

* * *

When Lyssa dozed off, a small smile still on her face, Timcanpy flitted into the air and hovered there for a few moments. Then the little golem whirled around and left the hotel room, squeezing out of the slightly open window. Traveling as fast as his little wings could take him the golem made his way back to the Ark, intent upon reuniting with his master as soon as possible. He hadn't been given any specific orders about when to return but the mission seemed complete.

Nicholas was sitting in the parlor of the Earl's manor, absently playing some inane song on the piano, when he suddenly felt something strike the back of his head. Reaching back the young Noah's fingers wrapped around a familiar form and Nicholas opened his clenched hand to reveal Timcanpy.

"I see that you're back," the Musician said, his voice quiet as he got to his feet and left the parlor.

Now that his golem had returned the young Noah was anxious to make his way to his special room, so that he could find out exactly what Timcanpy had witnessed. He needed to know that his plans were unfolding the way that he had intended and he didn't want to waste any time finding out.

But of course he couldn't risk watching this footage in a room where his 'siblings' could show up at any given time. It would be decidedly bad should any of them learn of his plans involving the Exorcists.

With these thoughts running through his mind the Musician absently made his way toward his secret room, following along behind Timcanpy. He had missed having the little golem around and it wasn't entirely due to the fact that he hadn't been able to get into his secret room.

The little golem was his constant companion, the only one whose company he could stand for extended periods of time. He could only handle his Noah siblings in small doses since they were annoying at the best of times and downright obnoxious every other time.

Timcanpy seemed to be his link to maintaining his sanity and he didn't like for the golem to be gone for extended periods of time.

Which was why he only sent the little golden creature out on missions when it was absolutely necessary.

Upon entering the hidden room Nicholas made his way not to the sofa but instead chose a seat on the piano stool. He didn't play, although he did run his fingers along the keys, but merely chose to sit there.

"Alright Tim," Nicholas said, turning his golden eyes toward the little golem who was hovering in the air a few feet away. "Show me what you recorded."

Timcanpy opened his mouth wide to display a very irritated looking General Cross. Not that this look was all that unusual for the man. Nicholas wasn't entirely certain that he could make any other face. The man's words served to prove to the young Noah that the general didn't trust him but that wasn't the part that shocked him.

No, the part that shocked him and caused his jaw to drop was hearing Lyssa stand up for him.

"What kind of Exorcist is this girl?" Nicholas muttered to himself as he continued to watch the footage that Timcanpy had recorded.

The gleam in the Noah's golden eyes became more intense as Timcanpy got to the part where the Exorcists had battled the Akuma. He was somewhat distracted by the rather unusual Innocence that belonged to Lyssa but managed to corral his thoughts enough to focus on the important aspects of the battle. And he could tell that his plans had been successful when he saw the look of disbelief on Cross' face.

"Dance Marian," the young man muttered, thinking that this would be the end of the footage. Nicholas made a move to turn his attention to the piano but paused when he realized that Timcanpy had more to share with him.

Which came as something of a shock.

Turning back to the golem Nicholas watched as the trio made their way to a rather shabby looking inn. The young Noah had been under the impression that Cross liked the finer things in life but, judging by this place, that assumption had been wrong.

"What exactly were you doing Tim?" Nicholas questioned as the strange footage continued to roll.

He completely lost track of that line of thought when the door of one of the rooms opened to reveal Lyssa, wearing a pair of slim fitting trousers and a ruffled white blouse.

"Tim!" Nicholas snapped, unable to tear his gaze away from this sight or, for that matter, to make his voice sound as angry as he had intended.

The golem wasn't supposed to show himself; he was just supposed to watch the Exorcists and report back with his findings.

But alas it appeared as though Timcanpy had gone completely off script with this one, going so far as to enter the room of one of the Exorcists. And it just had to be the young woman whose image Nicholas was already plagued with.

Removing his top hat Nicholas ran his hand through his hair, his gaze still glued to the image of the young woman.

"Well you seem harmless enough… What about your master, how harmless is he?"

Nicholas was completely taken aback by this question that the young Exorcist had posed to his golem. Was she still suspicious of his motives? But wait, that didn't make sense. After all she had defended him against her own master.

That didn't seem to be an action that someone who didn't trust him would have taken.

"I'll tell you what I think…. I think that there's a good person buried in there somewhere. Someone who's worth saving."

The image ended at this point and Timcanpy closed his mouth with an audible snap and then flew to his favorite perch on the piano.

"So she thinks that I need to be saved huh?" Nicholas said, jumping to his feet and beginning to pace around the room in an irritated manner. This girl wasn't like anyone that he'd ever met before, Exorcist or otherwise.

Who in their right mind would even think something like that, let alone speak the words aloud? It seemed as though she didn't entirely trust him but had chosen to act as though she did in front of matter.

And all for the purposes of saving him.

**_"There's no way to save you…"_**

Nicholas listened as this familiar voice echoed in his mind and he knew that the memory of Noah was speaking the truth. He couldn't be saved… nor did he want to be.

"She's in for somewhat of a shock," Nicholas commented, in what was supposed to be a calm and collected tone. But this time his voice betrayed him and the words came out sounding slightly forced.

Taking a deep breath, in an effort to calm his emotions, Nicholas ceased his pacing and sat down at the piano once more. The Noah of Praise was completely detached but at this moment in time Nicholas found that he couldn't even feign indifference.

And that fact only caused his irritation over the situation to mount. The young man once again ran his fingers through his hair before turning and beginning to play the piano.

But even that couldn't drive the face of the young Exorcist from his mind.

As the notes swirled to envelope him Nicholas found himself imagining what the song would sound like with a violin accompaniment. Found himself imagining Lyssa standing beside him as the two of them played the song together.

"Like that's ever likely to happen," Nicholas muttered as he continued to play, opting to change songs at this point.

For his part Timcanpy merely fluttered in the air, keeping an eye on his master. He could tell that the young man was agitated and knew that it was best to stay out of the way. The Musician didn't lose his temper often but it was never a good idea to get in his way when he did.

Knowing this Timcanpy chose to perch on the sofa and watch his master from a safe distance.

No matter what song Nicholas chose to play, nor how fierce his concentration, the young Noah found himself completely unable to rid himself of the image of Lyssa. He could still vividly imagine her standing beside him, playing the violin while he played the piano.

And, although he refused to admit it out loud, there was a part of him that relished this image.

What beautiful music the two of them could make together if only they weren't from two different worlds. Two worlds who were absolutely forbidden to meet, polar opposites of one another.

A/N - and here's chapter five and the two are starting to develop some feelings for one another. Although neither of them is going to admit to it. Hope that you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review and tell me what you thought. Til next time the music has ended but it shall continue.


	8. That Which Cannot Be Saved

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Chapter Eight - That Which Cannot Be Saved

Over the next several days Nicholas found that, try as he might, he couldn't get the image of the young Exorcist out of his mind. She plagued his thoughts and kept his concentration shaky at best. And of course this fact irritated the young Noah to an extent that he wouldn't have imagined possible. Nicholas had always prided himself on his ability to keep his emotions in check but that didn't seem possible at this given moment in time.

"That's it," the young man muttered to himself as he once again felt his thoughts begin to wander. The Musician had been attempting to clear his mind by playing the piano but this proved to be an impossible task. No matter what song he chose, the moment Nicholas placed his fingers to the keys, he imagined a violin accompaniment.

And a young woman with the face of an angel standing beside him.

"Timcanpy!"

The little golem appeared at his master's side in a matter of seconds. It wasn't often that the Musician used his full name and the little creature knew the signs of stress and irritation when he heard them.

"Record." With this hastily given order Nicholas began speaking to the golem although the words coming from his mouth were in no way directed at his little companion.

No, they were for the woman whose face had began to haunt his dreams. The Exorcist who thought that she could save him.

"I need you to deliver this message to the Exorcist named Lyssa," Nicholas said, a degree calmer now that his message had been recorded by the golem. He had never had this much difficulty maintaining his calm but there was just something about the woman that set him on edge. Some feeling that he couldn't explain but was none the less plagued by. "And make absolutely certain that Marian doesn't see you."

With a nod Timcanpy launched into the air and quickly departed the Ark, bound for the hiding place of the group of Exorcists. He was equipped with a tracking device of the Musician's design which allowed him to locate anyone whom he had previously came into contact with. Which was vital for tracking down the elusive group from the Black Order since Cross was so adept at hiding.

Had to keep the debt collectors at bay.

Nicholas watched as the golem flew off and then the young man returned to his piano, musing to himself as he absently struck random notes. He needed to have a word with the Exorcist but, now that he'd sent the summons, the Musician found himself wondering if she would actually show.

And would she bring the others along with her or would she come along as he had requested?

"I guess that's something that I'm just going to have to wait to find out the answer to," Nicholas thought to himself as he began to play the lullaby. He needed to play something soothing and this song seemed perfect for the situation.

* * *

For his part Timcanpy made haste to the location that the trio of Exorcists was currently calling home lest he chance making his master even more irritated. Luckily for the little golem it wasn't overly difficult to find them however Timcanpy soon found out that the woman named Lyssa wasn't with the rest of the group. Cross and Maria had taken up residense at a rather nice looking inn but the younger Exorcist was no where to be seen. So, with a shrug of his little wings, Timcanpy moved on to track the girl.

The little golem found the young woman waiting tables at a local tavern and looking as though she'd very much like to strangle someone. Or at the very least break something.

"You again?" she muttered as her gaze fell upon the little golden creature that she knew belonged to the Musician. "Does he have you spying on us again?"

With a shake of his small body, which was meant as an answer in the negative, Timcanpy flew up to the young woman and pulled on the apron that she wore.

"What?" Lyssa asked as she gazed at the golem, confused by his actions.

Timcanpy continued to pull.

"Fine," Lyssa said with a sigh. It was obvious that the little creature wanted her to follow him and who was she to refuse. Maybe he had something important to impart.

Untying the apron that she wore the young woman walked over to the man who had hired her for the day and told him that she had an emergency and needed to leave. Lyssa knew that Master Cross would be furious that she hadn't finished out the day but some things were just more important than working off debts that weren't even hers.

For his part the man who had hired her was very understanding and gave her the wages that she had earned.

Lyssa thanked him sincerely and then quickly turned and fled from the restaurant. She was very curious about the little golem's motives for tracking her down and wanted to find out exactly what was going on as soon as possible.

The minute the two of them were out of sight of anyone Timcanpy paused and played back the message that the Musician had recorded.

"A meeting…" Lyssa repeated, gazing at the little golem with confused brown eyes. "What could he possibly have to discuss… with me?"

In response to this question Timcanpy pulled on a strand of Lyssa's chestnut hair, seemingly trying to pull her along.

"Okay fine," Lyssa said with a sigh. If the Noah wanted to meet with her this badly then she supposed that she would humor him. Besides, it didn't appear that his little golem was going to give her much of a choice in the matter. He seemed incapable of taking no for an answer.

"I just have to go back to my room and change," Lyssa said, refusing to go to any kind of meeting with the Noah dressed as she was currently.

No one that she would have to see more than once in her life would ever see her in a dress. She had always been a tomboy at heart and didn't particularly like the way her body looked in a dress; in her opinion she was too skinny to make it look good. So therefore she just avoided dressing as a girl as much as possible.

With this thought in mind the young Exorcist made her way back to the inn where she and the others were staying. No one was around, for which Lyssa was grateful for, and the young woman slipped quietly into her room. She wasn't really certain where Master Cross and Maria were but was just happy that they weren't around.

She wanted to keep this particular meeting a secret from them if at all possible as they probably wouldn't understand or approve.

The young woman quickly changed into trousers and a pale blue blouse before pulling on her Exorcist's coat and leaving the room.

"Lyssa dear…"

Lyssa stopped short, her breath catching in her throat, as she heard the sound of Maria calling out to her. There was a questioning tone in her voice and Lyssa slowly turned to face her friend.

Maria opened her mouth to ask the question but stopped the moment she saw the pleading look in Lyssa's brown eyes. It was in that moment that she realized where the young girl was going.

"Just be careful," she whispered as she turned and walked away.

"Thank you," Lyssa said in an equally quiet voice as she continued on her way. She was a little upset that she had been spotted leaving for this little meeting but knew that Maria would keep the secret.

The young woman just hoped that this day didn't come back to haunt her later.

"Please," she whispered as she gazed up at the sky. "Don't let this be the worst mistake that I've ever made in my life."

Now were she to tell anyone that she planned to meet a Noah, Lyssa was certain that they would proclaim it a mistake but she wasn't so sure about that. There was something in that young man's eyes that seemed to almost be begging for help.

And as much as she might want to Lyssa found herself completely unable to ignore this silent plea.

She wanted to do everything that she could to save Nicholas from this world that he seemed to be trapped in. And she was certain that he was trapped whether he realized this fact or not.

"I hope you're not leading me into a trap," Lyssa muttered to the little golden creature that she was following along behind.

* * *

Lyssa was somewhat wary as she made her way into the clearing, following along behind Timcanpy. The recorded message had stated that the golem knew the location where they would meet but the young Exorcist's senses were in overdrive as she approached. The sun was just beginning to set and her searching gaze suddenly fell upon a figure standing beneath a large tree. The young woman's breath caught as she gazed upon the Noah of Praise. Nicholas was dressed in a tuxedo, complete with top hat, and Lyssa was forced to admit that he made for a very striking picture standing there with the sunset in the background. The fading rays seemed to make his mahogany hair shine and she couldn't help but stare briefly.

She had realized that he was handsome, she had eyes after all, but there was something about the sunset behind him that seemed to accentuate his good looks. Or perhaps it was just that she was allowing herself to look for the first time.

"Welcome," Nicholas said in a subdued voice as he watched Timcanpy and Lyssa enter the clearing. He could tell that the girl was nervous by the way she absently fingered the pendant that hung around her neck and this caused him to grin.

If only she knew what she were getting herself into.

"So why exactly did you insist upon this meeting?" Lyssa asked, deciding not to waste any time. After all she would only have a limited amount of time before Master Cross realized that she wasn't in her room and if he caught the two of them alone together then there would be hell to pay later.

A shiver ran down her spine as she thought about what his reaction would be should this little meeting come to his attention.

It didn't bear thinking on.

And she couldn't ask Maria to cover for her over something like that. Although she knew that her friend would do it in a heartbeat.

"Tim…"

The little golem immediately flew toward his master, pausing when he was hovering halfway between the Noah and the Exorcist. Timcanpy opened his mouth and began to play back the recording from the night that he had followed the Exorcists to Italy.

Lyssa gasped, not having realized that the little creature was capable of recording her words. They weren't something that she'd intended for the Noah to hear and she found herself slightly mortified.

"So you think that you can save me huh?" Nicholas asked as he took a step toward the young Exorcist. His gray eyes were focused intently on her, wishing to judge her reaction to this accusation.

Would she shrink away from him or would she stand up for the words that she had spoken that night? Would she still maintain this desire to save him?

"Yes," Lyssa said, her voice wavering only slightly as she gazed directly into the stormy eyes of the Noah.

Nicholas was completely taken aback by the conviction that he heard in her voice, as well as by the fact that she was looking him directly in the eyes. He'd often been told that his gaze was intense and even among his surrogate family few could look him in the eyes for any length of time but this little slip of a woman was doing just that.

The Noah of Praise saw in her a strength that few possessed and he was intrigued by it. Stepping forward he reached out and, after a moment's hesitation, touched her chin with the tips of his gloved fingers.

There was a fire burning in her chocolate colored eyes that the Musician had never seen in the eyes of another.

But there wasn't a chance.

"I cannot be saved," the young man growled as he pulled his hand back and made a move to step away from the Exorcist.

Acting on pure instinct Lyssa reached out and seized the young man by the arm, preventing him from fleeing. "Everyone can be saved."

For the briefest of moments Nicholas was lost in the look in her eyes. But then the moment was broken by the voice that screamed out in the back of his mind. "I can't…" he growled as he pulled away from the Exorcist.

"I don't believe that," Lyssa said, her voice containing a note of irritation as she watched the young man pace back and forth.

Nicholas wasn't sure which was more annoying, her assertion that he needed to be saved or her refusal to acknowledge the fact that he was beyond help. The Noah genes that coursed through his body weren't something that he could get rid of and that was just the way that things were.

"Why do you even care?" the young Noah demanded as he once again turned to face the chestnut haired Exorcist.

"Because when I look in your eyes I see someone haunted," Lyssa replied in a quiet voice, not certain what made her tell him the truth.

Once again Nicholas was forced to recall the day when Mana had told him that he couldn't hide his emotions because his eyes betrayed him. Was this young woman really seeing something in him that he couldn't even see in himself?

"That's just stupid," the young man stated but his voice was softer this time and his eyes had lost some of their harshness as he gazed at Lyssa.

"I don't think so," Lyssa said, noticing the subtle changes in the young Noah and taking them as a good sign. "And neither does your little golden friend. He thinks that you can be saved as well."

At this point in the conversation Nicholas focused his gaze on the little golem that was hovering between the two of them. It was impossible to judge emotions, because Timcanpy didn't have a face, but the Musician was certain that on the inside he was smirking right now.

"You planned all of this didn't you?" he accused, focusing his gaze on the little golden creature.

As though in reply to this accusation from his master Timcanpy hovered over to the spot where Lyssa was standing and perched on top of her hair.

"Traitor…" Nicholas muttered.

"Don't blame him," Lyssa said, raising a hand to lightly touch the little golem that was perched on top of her hair. "You're the one who sent him to follow us so it's your own fault."

Nicholas gaped at the young woman… had she really just told him off?

He had no experience with things like this, having always been fawned over by members of the opposite sex.

There was definitely something different about this woman; probably had something to do with the time that she'd been in contact with Cross.

Whatever the cause Nicholas found himself determined to figure the girl out, no matter what it took.

"So you want to save me," Nicholas whispered as he walked toward the young woman and casually brushed a lock of hair away from her face. "We shall see how you fair against that which cannot be saved."

Seeming to take this as a challenge on his part Lyssa gazed at the young Noah, determination shining bright in her brown eyes. "We shall see."

A/N - and here's the end of yet another chapter of Nicholas and Lyssa's story. Hope that you enjoyed, please leave a review and tell me what you thought. And I offer my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has previously submitted reviews for this story. You guys are awesome! The music has ended for now but rest assured that it will continue.


	9. Tentative Alliance

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Chapter Nine - Tentative Alliance

"I can't believe that he was actually telling the truth about that attack…"

After discovering the truth of the Musician's words concerning the Millennium Earl, General Cross made the decision to continue with their alliance. Even though he still didn't completely trust the brat Cross was banking on the fact that the Noah could provide useful information. And, should the Noah decide to turn on them at any point, then Cross could always deal with the situation when it arose. He did not doubt that the brat was powerful but Cross was fairly certain that he wasn't a match for three Exorcists.

"So do you think this meeting will be anything like our last?" Maria asked as she followed along behind her husband.

"No idea," Cross said with a shrug. For his part he hoped that the Noah brat wouldn't be telling them about another ambush planned by the Millennium Earl. He had better things to be doing than running off to save people from the Black Order. They thought that they knew it all so why the hell didn't they know when they were a target? Unfortunately Cross couldn't leave them to their own devices, since he was technically a member of their organization. Which meant that if the Noah told them of another assassination plot he would be forced to foil that one as well. "But I bet that the brat won't be happy to see all of us."

Cross was leading the way toward the spot where they were supposed to meet up with the Noah of Praise. And of course he was choosing to break the one rule that they had both agreed upon in the beginning. The Exorcist was well aware of the fact that these meetings were supposed to be between he and the Noah solely however he thought that this experience would be good for Lyssa's training.

As well as insurance should the brat decide to betray him.

For her part Lyssa was glad that Master Cross was choosing to include her and Maria in these meetings. But her reasoning was completely different than his. She still maintained that the Noah was someone worth saving and, after the little encounter with him, the young woman took this as somewhat of a challenge on his part.

Nicholas didn't seem to think that he could be saved and had all but dared her to try. And Lyssa was not the type of person to back down from a challenge. And the stubborn part of her refused to give up on someone who was so obviously in need of help.

"I mean seriously," the young woman mused to herself as she followed along behind Cross and Maria. "He's barely older than me, if he even is older than me. There's absolutely no way that he's beyond redemption."

As they walked along Maria gazed over her shoulder at the young woman who was trailing behind. It didn't take a genius to tell that Lyssa was preoccupied by something and Maria had the sneaking suspicion that it was the young man whom she was dwelling on. She had noticed the light that had appeared in Lyssa's eyes after meeting the young Noah.

And she was determined to allow things to run their course, whatever that course might be. She just hoped, for Lyssa's sake, that things didn't turn out badly. The girl wanted to save everyone and Maria fervently hoped that this wouldn't be the moment when she learned the hard truth of life.

Not everyone can be saved.

Of course she would never dream of telling the girl that she shouldn't make an attempt to save someone. No matter how far gone they may appear. Maria was a firm believer that everything happened for a reason so she would never try to dissuade Lyssa from doing what she felt was right. But that didn't mean that she didn't worry about the young girl. She had grown very attached to Lyssa in the months that the young woman had spent traveling with them and knew that she would be heartbroken should anything happen to her. She was almost like a younger sister to the older Exorcist at this point and Maria watched her skills grow with all the pride of an older sibling.

Before long the trio of Exorcists arrived at the designated meeting area. And, as they entered the clearing, their gazes simultaneously fell on the Noah who was there awaiting their arrival.

As the group entered the clearing where he had been awaiting their arrival for several minutes, Nicholas offered them a roguish grin. He felt his heart rate quicken as his gaze fell upon Lyssa but forced himself not to give away his emotions. He had to maintain his calm around the Exorcists, lest Cross grow suspicious.

"So Marian," the Noah said, his expression smug as he gazed at the red haired Exorcist. It was always amusing to get a rise out of his 'comrade' and Nicholas never missed an opportunity. Hopefully the self-satisfied expression would serve to annoy him. "Did you find the information that I provided to be useful?"

As much as he hated to Cross was forced to nod his head in the affirmative. So he did so grudgingly.

"Lord Millennium was most displeased by the fact that the three of you foiled his plans…" Nicholas' voice was devoid of emotion as he delivered this piece of news, as he was trying to return to his normal, detached manner. "I would watch my back if I were in your position."

Cross shrugged off the warning; he was completely unconcerned by the knowledge that he was now a target of the Earl. As an Exorcist this was to be expected and the red haired general was arrogant enough to think that he could manage to hold his own against the fat man.

For her part Lyssa was trying to figure out exactly what had happened to the young Noah. He seemed oddly emotionless at this present moment but the young girl knew that he had feelings. She had personally borne witness to that fact during their last meeting. Granted the emotion had been anger but it was still an emotion. Now he seemed completely blank; impossible to read.

"He must be trying to hide them," she thought to herself. It seemed to her that he was trying really hard to convince her that he was beyond salvation. But she wasn't buying it.

She still saw in him someone worth saving.

Suddenly Nicholas visibly stiffened. "Akuma…" the young man breathed. "They can't know that I'm here. If they discover me here with you then…" He didn't finish the statement but then again, he didn't have to. They all knew what would happen to the Noah of Praise if the Millennium Earl ever learned of these meetings.

"How many Akuma are there?" Cross demanded, knowing that the brat had the ability to sense the Akuma.

"Looks to be around twenty level one," Nicholas replied, pointing in the general direction of the gathering Akuma. "And three level two."

"Is that all?" Cross scoffed. "I can take care of them by myself." And, having said this, Cross began to make his way toward the spot that Nicholas had indicated. However he didn't get very far before Maria seized him by the cuff of his sleeve. Turning the red haired general found himself staring into a pair of very determined looking blue eyes.

Maria knew what her husband was thinking and, while she didn't doubt his skills, she still wasn't willing to let him walk into battle alone. She had taken a vow to stand at his side through good times and bad and that was something that she took very seriously.

And heaven help him should he try to stop her.

"You aren't going alone," Maria said, her voice indicating that this wasn't something she was willing to negotiate.

It was evident by the look in the man's one visible eye that he would like nothing better than to argue. But of course Cross was well aware of the fact that he wouldn't win the argument so it was simply wiser not to engage in it. With this thought in mind Cross turned to his apprentice. "Lyssa, wait here. This shouldn't take long."

Lyssa opened her mouth to protest but didn't get the opportunity. Pulling Judgment from it's holster, Cross ran off toward the location of the Akuma. Followed closely behind by Maria.

"So it would seem that you are once again alone with me…"

The coldness of the man's voice shocked Lyssa and she gazed toward Nicholas, trying to get a feel for why he seemed so different than the last time that the two of them had met. His voice was distant and cold and he seemed to radiate a complete indifference. The sane and rational part of her brain was telling her that she should be scared of him. But the other part, the insane and irrational part of her, was telling her that it was all just an act. And, for some unfathomable reason, Lyssa chose irrationality in this case.

"So it would seem," she said as she took a couple of steps toward him. A slight gleam appeared in Lyssa's brown eyes as she gazed intently at the young man. Her face was serious but her eyes betrayed a hint of amusement. "So were there really Akuma or did you just want an excuse to be alone with me?" Hoping to add to the overall effect, Lyssa batted her eyelashes couple of times.

Completely unable to believe the woman's audacity, Nicholas lost a measure of his carefully maintained composure. His gray eyes widened, showing his shock over her statement. "I beg your pardon…"

"Alright," Lyssa said, a smile spreading across her face. She'd merely wanted to see if she could rattle him enough to make him lose that cold façade. And, judging by his reaction, it appeared as though it was indeed possible. "Since you're begging I suppose that I will give it to you."

Stepping toward the young Exorcist, Nicholas gazed down at her. "You're not like the others…"

"I know," Lyssa said, tossing her chestnut hair behind her. "I'm naïve and delusional and I'm sure that there are more such words that describe me well. Unfortunately I can't really think of them right now but if you give me a few minutes I'm sure that I can come up with some more."

Tilting his head slightly to one side all Nicholas could do was stare at the girl.

"It was a joke…" Lyssa sighed as she closed the gap that separated them. "You're supposed to laugh, grin, something. Come on, work with me here."

One corner of the Noah's mouth twitched up into what may have been a half smile. Lyssa chose to see it as such and she beamed at the young man. But she wasn't willing to settle for a mere half smile; she knew that he was capable of smiling and wanted to see it for herself. "That's it… come on Nicky, you can do it."

"Nicky?" Nicholas repeated, completely stunned by her words.

Lyssa flushed and averted her gaze from Nicholas, not really having meant to call the young man by that nickname. She'd thought of him as Nicky a couple of times but had never intended to actually call him that. It seemed to represent a familiarity that they would never have. But alas it was said and there was nothing that she could do to take it back. No matter how much she might want to.

And boy did she want to. Shifting her eyes back to the Noah she saw that his eyes had taken on an almost distant look. As though he were deep in thought about something.

Nicholas continued to stare in the direction of the Exorcist girl but wasn't really seeing her. His mind was completely focused on the name that she had called him… a nickname that hadn't been used since he left home to join the Clan of Noah. Of course Road called him Nicky-pet but it wasn't the same and didn't evoke the same emotions that the name did coming from Lyssa's lips. There had been no hidden taunt, no malice behind the use of the name, and that was the part that had him completely stunned.

"Um… I'm sorry." Lyssa attempted an apology, hoping that Nicholas wouldn't hold a grudge over her use of the nickname. "I really didn't mean to call you that."

Snapping back to himself Nicholas shrugged off her apology. "Forget about it," he said dismissively, fighting to keep his voice emotionless… detached. Two things that he didn't feel when he was in the presence of this very odd young woman.

A very palpable silence descended upon the two as each debated what had just happened. Lyssa felt as though she had made a complete fool of herself and was now fervently wishing that she were somewhere else. For his part Nicholas was mulling over why that silly nickname had affected him so much. It wasn't really that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things and yet it had made him lose his cool.

If only briefly.

"I have to do a better job of keeping my emotions in check," Nicholas thought to himself, shaking his head. He also needed to get over his fascination with the young Exorcist girl but that wasn't something that he wanted to put into words… not even in his mind. It was far better to just ignore the issue in the hopes that it would go away of it's own accord.

"**Just kill the girl and be done with it…"**

"No!" Nicholas thought almost viciously, before he even realized it. And this served to shock the Noah once more, as must have been evident by the expression on his face. Lyssa gazed over at him and immediately became concerned. "Are you alright Nicholas?"

"I'm fine," Nicholas said, clearing his throat. He didn't even want to give thought to what had just occurred; it was yet another thing that he was going to choose to ignore.

"That was the most pathetic battle…"

Both Nicholas and Lyssa turned to watch as Cross and Maria made their way back into the clearing. The red haired Exorcist's gaze went briefly to his apprentice, as though making sure that she was unharmed, and then he sent a smirk in the direction of the Noah. "Those Akuma get more pathetic every time that I battle them…"

This was the first time that Nicholas was ever grateful to see Cross but of course he wasn't going to admit to this fact. Denial seemed to be an on going theme with him as of late. The Noah's mouth twitched up into a half smile, although it wasn't genuine as it had been earlier. Now it was arrogant. "Is that a fact? Well I'm sure that I could round up a suitable opponent for you…" Nicholas let the threat hang in the air, enjoying the annoyed look that appeared on the Exorcist's face.

"Let's just complete our business here," Cross snarled, resisting the urge to draw Judgment and blast the obnoxious Noah brat. It was taking all of his self restraint and the general decided that it would probably be in their best interests to speed up this little meeting. Before he did something that he wasn't likely to regret but that would, none the less, effectively end their alliance with the Noah. Because it was hard to be aligned with someone who was dead. "I have much better things to be doing."

"That's just fine with me," Nicholas said, his voice once again distant.

"It is just an act," Lyssa couldn't help but think to herself as she listened to the once again distant voice of the Noah. She was more convinced of this fact now than ever and was determined to bring out the young man's true nature.

No matter how hard she had to work at it.

A/N - And there's the end of yet another chapter. And Nicky and Lyssa got to do some more bonding. Hope that you enjoyed, please leave a review and tell me what you thought!


	10. Musing

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Chapter Ten - Musing

"_That's it… come on Nicky, you can do it."_

The young Noah's mind flashed back to this comment from the Exorcist girl as he made his way back to the Ark. He still couldn't believe that she had called him by that nickname and, judging by the look on her face, neither could she. It seemed to Nicholas that she had been under the impression that he had been offended by her use of the name but that wasn't the case.

He probably should have been offended, after all the nickname sounded decidedly childish. But for some reason he couldn't bring himself to be irritated over the fact that she had called him Nicky. The young man's feelings were strange to say the very least.

Not something that he could put into words.

He didn't really understand his feelings on the subject but knew that they weren't good. He should not be getting attached to the girl, no matter how fascinating he found her. Lyssa was an Exorcist and he a Noah. They were enemies and there wasn't really anything that Nicholas could do about that fact.

"And I don't want to," he thought to himself. Of course he didn't believe the words; they were merely spoken in the hopes that he might be able to convince himself that they were true.

Which was looking less and less likely as time passed by.

"This is so unimaginably stupid," Nicholas thought to himself as he approached the entrance to the Ark. Groaning under his breath the young man removed his top hat and ran his hand through his mahogany hair. It seemed to him that this nervous gesture had became worse after he met Lyssa and, as much as he hated it, there wasn't really anything that Nicholas could do about it. Of course this annoying habit was the least of his concerns at the moment. "There's no chance. Even if she could ever trust me, and I her, there's no way to have a relationship with someone you want to destroy."

And although Nicholas didn't really want to harm the girl the fact remained that the Noah of Praise did. The part of himself that he could only suppress and never get rid of really and truly wanted to feel the blood of all of the Exorcists running through his fingers.

An image of a lifeless Lyssa flashed before his eyes and Nicholas gripped his head in his hands. The sight horrified him on a level that the young man wouldn't have thought possible. He barely knew her and yet the thought of her death actually caused him pain. It didn't make any sense.

Now, for the first time, Nicholas found himself almost wishing that he had killed Cross when he had the chance and saved himself from these problems. It had been a calculated risk forming the so called alliance with the Exorcist and now it was beginning to appear as though Nicholas had calculated wrong. He had never expected to meet an Exorcist that he could stand, never mind finding a girl that he was beginning to suspect that he might be falling in love with. "Why did I let this happen?" Nicholas muttered to himself, completely irritated. His life would have been so much simpler if he'd never met the girl with the chestnut hair and the determined eyes.

"_I still think that you're someone worth saving."_

Nicholas shook his head almost violently, seeking to rid himself of these visions. Almost worse than the voice telling him that he was beyond all hope was this haunting voice whispering that maybe, just maybe, he was worthy.

Worthy of love.

"**It's not true… no matter how much you may wish for it to be."**

"I know," Nicholas growled, shoving the top hat back on his head and continuing on his way. He was well aware of the fact that the path he had chosen had damned him for all eternity. He didn't need the inner voice to keep reminding him of this fact. It was painfully clear to him. For awhile he had been completely okay with this knowledge but now; now he was beginning to question everything that he had once believed.

Lord Millennium's words had sounded so inviting in the beginning; they were going to make the world a better place. Yet, as time had passed, Nicholas had began to transform into someone that he didn't know.

Someone that a small part of him was ashamed of being.

With these thoughts running through his mind Nicholas was somewhat surprised to find himself back at the Ark. He hadn't really been paying attention to where he was going and considered himself lucky that he hadn't ended up wandering around lost. "Wouldn't be the first time," Nicholas thought to himself as he summoned the doorway to the Ark.

And came face to face with Lord Millennium himself.

"Good evening my dear boy," the rotund man said, the perpetual smile on his face growing even larger. His eyes focused on the newest child who had joined in his family, attempting to pick up on the emotions that Nicholas always sought to hide.

Nicholas was somewhat taken by surprise by the appearance of the head of his surrogate family but he didn't show that surprise. He easily slipped into the persona of the Noah of Praise and offered Lord Millennium a roguish grin. Reaching up the young man removed his top hat and bowed politely. "Good evening Lord Millennium."

"Good evening," the Earl said, his gaze still intently focused on the Noah of Praise. "And where have you been this fine evening Nicholas?"

Nicholas didn't even give any thought to his reply, knowing that he would seem suspicious if he did. Making absolutely certain to keep both his face and his tone completely impassive Nicholas answered the question that had been posed to him. "I was looking into rumors of Innocence in a village a few miles away. Unfortunately it would appear that the Exorcists beat me to it."

"I see." The Earl studied the young man for a few moments longer before he shrugged. "That is unfortunate my boy but of no consequence." This said the large man turned and began making his way down one of the familiar paths inside the Ark.

After the briefest moment of thought on the matter Nicholas fell into step behind the head of his rather dysfunctional family. The Noah of Praise had decided in that split second that he would have to hang close to the Ark for the next couple of days lest people begin to grow too suspicious of his actions and motives. He was already distrusted by several members of the Clan of Noah and didn't want to exacerbate the situation. Because, although he didn't personally care what the others thought, if they became less trusting of him then things would be decidedly worse for him. Which was something that Nicholas didn't want to deal with; he had enough problems dealing with the Exorcists.

It was best that he bide his time for a little while.

Of course this was the last thing that he wanted to do. What Nicholas truly wanted was to seek out the girl named Lyssa and determine once and for all why he was so intrigued by her. As well as to prove to her that he was beyond all hope of salvation. But this wouldn't be wise on his part and would only serve to increase any suspicions that the others might have.

"**Give in… destroy the Innocence… destroy the Exorcists…"**

Nicholas fought to ignore this inner desire as he followed along behind Lord Millennium. The Noah genes were constantly at war with the desires of Nicholas himself and this was the source of much of his current inner turmoil. No matter how much he denied it there was one simple truth that Nicholas couldn't escape from. He didn't truly want to kill Lyssa, although he had debated doing away with the Exorcist general a few times, but the Noah inside of him was a different story entirely.

And that wasn't something that he could get rid of. However the young man was determined to fight this urge… at least until the group ceased to be useful.

* * *

After the meeting with the Noah of Praise, Cross led his small group back to the inn where they were staying. He and Maria seemed none the worse for wear after their battle with the Akuma and the blond Exorcist was chatting with her husband. Lyssa, on the other hand, was incredibly preoccupied with the events that had transpired during the time that she was alone with the Noah.

"I can't believe that I called him Nicky…" The young woman ran a hand through her chestnut hair, once again feeling the warmth of a blush spread across her face. That was one of the most horrifying things that she had ever done and Lyssa couldn't get over her mortification. "Why do things like that always happen to me?"

Lyssa had never been great around people, always saying and doing the wrong things. Before they died her parents had tried their best to teach her the things that were socially acceptable but Lyssa had never really learned to control what she said. If the thought crossed her mind then the chances were really good that it was going to come out of her mouth. Which, like the earlier encounter with the Noah, tended to cause some very awkward moments. Over the years she had learned to deal with the embarrassment but this newest screw up was one of the worst.

"I called him Nicky…"

Idly playing with the charm that was hanging around her neck the young woman couldn't help but think that this moment was going to haunt her for the rest of her life. And yet a small part of her still, even after everything, couldn't stop thinking of the Noah of Praise as Nicky.

The nickname seemed to make him appear more human in a way.

* * *

When they returned to the mansion that was located in the Ark, the Earl led the way to the parlor. Nicholas wasn't entirely sure what the man was planning but decided to continue to follow him. The curiosity would only be appeased by finding out exactly what was going on and this was the only way to accomplish that.

As they stepped inside the parlor Nicholas became aware that the entirety of the Clan of Noah was assembled inside. This was strange, owing to the fact that they almost never assembled except for the family meals that Lord Millennium was so fond of. He acted as though this strange assembly didn't affect him however, an arrogant smirk on his face.

"I see that you decided to join us once again Nicholas."

The Noah of Praise turned toward the sound of this rather snotty voice, arching a brow at the haughty look that was plastered on Serafina's face. The Noah of Wrath was one of Nicholas' least favorite people however he didn't give even a hint of displeasure upon seeing her.

After all he was a master of concealing his emotions. At least when Lyssa wasn't involved. As much as he hated to admit this fact, and he would never utter it out loud, something came over him whenever the girl was around.

"Excuse me Sera," Nicholas said, bowing slightly to the woman. The motions were polite but that was the extent of it. His voice was devoid of emotion, giving away not even a hint of his true feelings. "I was out searching for Innocence."

"And did you find it?" Serafina asked, fighting to ignore the fact that the inferior Noah was calling her by a nickname that should have been reserved for the people that she actually liked. But with Lord Millennium around she didn't dare show her displeasure. The Noah of Praise was a favorite of the head of their family and the others all knew it. Though none of them understood it.

"Unfortunately not."

"Enough talk on this subject," the Earl said, the perpetual smile forever spread across his face. The rotund man turned his attention back to the youth who was trailing along behind him. "Why don't you play for us my dear boy?"

Nicholas nodded as he made his way over to the piano. He was aware of the fact that it was more of an order as opposed to the request that it sounded like but he didn't really mind. Playing the piano always helped to clear his mind and Nicholas desperately needed this comfort at present. His thoughts were a jumbled mess that it was nearly impossible to make sense of and the young man was hoping that music would help alleviate some of the stress that he was enduring.

Sitting down on the piano stool Nicholas poised his hands over the keys. He would prefer to be playing the piano in his secret room however a performance had been requested by Lord Millennium. The young man briefly thought about what song he should play before bringing his fingers down to meet the keys.

The customary energy began to swirl around the young Noah as the notes of the song filled the air. He hadn't chosen to play the lullaby but instead had opted for a slightly more upbeat song. Nicholas felt the familiar power swirl around him but it didn't give him the rush that he had came to expect.

That is until he imagined a violin accompaniment.

A small smile spread across the young man's face as this image appeared in his mind's eye. The inner Noah was screaming but in this moment Nicholas found that he could ignore it. Which was a rare occurrence and not something that the young man could easily explain.

But for the briefest of moments he had found peace.

Nicholas let out a small sigh as he continued to play, the music flowing from his fingertips without conscious thought. And, as he played, the energy continued to swirl around him… almost appearing to gain in strength.

Which of course the Earl couldn't help but notice. Sitting in a large chair across the room from the piano the large man stared at the Noah of Praise. Nicholas had his back to the assembled members of his family but even so the Earl could tell that something was different about the young man.

Fortunately for Nicholas he couldn't tell exactly what had changed about the young Noah.

Nicholas could feel several pairs of eyes focused on his back but the young man gave no signs of being uncomfortable. He had fallen into the persona of the Noah of Praise and practically exuded self confidence. As well as arrogance. He knew that everyone in the room was staring at him but didn't care. Nicholas was confident that none of them would be able to pick up any changes in his demeanor and he continued to play the song that he had chosen.

And continued to imagine what it would sound like if Lyssa were standing beside him, playing her violin.

"Perhaps someday…"

A/N - and here's the end of yet another chapter in Nicky and Lyssa's story. Hope that you enjoyed, please be kind enough to leave a review and tell me what you thought.


	11. Somewhere I Belong

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Chapter Eleven - Somewhere I Belong

Darkness filled the room where Nicholas was lying in bed, his thoughts firmly focused on the young woman named Lyssa. The same shadows that filled the large space also seemed to fill his soul but for the first time the young Noah found himself wanting to change this fact, found himself wanting to find his way out of the darkness. Nicholas had given up on ever being anything other than a monster but the girl who haunted his dreams made him think, for perhaps the first time, that he really may be saved.

Or at least that he stood at least a small chance. He had given up hope of that long ago but for some reason that he couldn't explain, Lyssa had brought it back.

Stronger than it was before.

The young man hadn't left the Ark in over a week; choosing to stay close so that his surrogate family didn't become suspicious of his motives. He was already the least trusted member of the Clan of Noah, the inferior fourteenth member of a family that should by rights have had only thirteen. But Nicholas didn't want to draw more attention to himself than was absolutely necessary.

Because, for the first time, he had someone's well being to consider. Personally he didn't fear death, which was why he had taken such a large risk, but the thoughts of Lyssa ending up dead because of his actions served to increase the young Noah's caution.

Road had been grateful for the fact that Nicholas had been hanging around the Earl's manor. She hadn't been able to spend much time with her favorite sibling since he had began to spend so much time away and had taken full advantage of the fact that he couldn't leave.

And had nearly succeeded in driving him completely and utterly mad.

But the face of the young woman named Lyssa had sustained him and helped him to cope with the irritation. And, for perhaps the first time, Nicholas allowed himself to utter the truth out loud.

"I think I love her…"

Nicholas' gray eyes widened as he whispered these words, allowing himself to finally admit this fact to himself. The words sounded strange coming from the lips of a monster but served to cause the young Noah's pulse rate to quicken none the less.

Of course these words caused the inner voice of the Noah to scream out in protest. The voice had grown louder after Nicholas had formed the so called alliance with the Exorcists and was growing much more difficult to suppress.

And impossible to ignore.

Every time that Nicholas met with the group of Exorcists the inner Noah began screaming for their deaths. The beast within was calling out for their blood, to see the crimson liquid coating the hands of the Noah of Praise. But the thought of Lyssa lying lifeless in his arms was something that Nicholas couldn't cope with. It caused him a level of pain that he hadn't imagined possible. Not physical pain, which was something that he could deal with, but a far less tangible pain.

"Can she really do the impossible?" Nicholas mused to himself, his hands underneath his head as he gazed up at the ceiling. "Can she truly save me from the darkness within?"

As these thoughts ran through the young man's mind he felt something crash against the side of his head. Reaching up his fingers closed around a very familiar form.

"What is it Tim?"

He asked this question as though he actually expected to receive a reply. Of course Timcanpy wasn't capable of speech but he did manage to answer the question in his own way. Opening his mouth the little golem produced an image of a smiling Lyssa. It was almost as though the little creature could read the thoughts of his master and had manifested them.

A small smile appeared on Nicholas' face as he gazed at the image of the young woman. Despite having been thrust into the difficult life of an Exorcist, not to mention having to deal with Cross on a daily basis, Lyssa always seemed to have a smile on her face. This spoke of an inner strength that Nicholas found incredibly admirable.

One that not many people could rival.

Suddenly leaping to his feet Nicholas strode across the room and lit one of the gas lamps. Then, once his chambers were bathed in a subdued light, the young Noah turned his attention back to Timcanpy.

"I want to see her again Tim." A strange light was shining in Nicholas' eyes as he uttered these words. His voice was soft, as though afraid that someone might hear, but the emotion held within was undeniable.

He really and truly wanted to see Lyssa again.

"Tim…" In this moment Nicholas made up his mind. This was probably among one of the most reckless moves that he had ever made but in this moment the Noah found that he simply couldn't bring himself to care. Standing up straight the young man straightened the collar of the white shirt that he was wearing. "I need for you to deliver a message."

* * *

"I can't believe that I'm actually going to do this," Lyssa thought to herself as she pulled on a modest, pale blue dress. It was one of only three dresses that she owned, having opted to dress as a boy since becoming an Exorcist. Even as a child Lyssa had never really been one of those prissy girls and now only wore dresses when she was working the odd jobs that she was forced to take in order to pay off the debts that her master managed to rack up.

She was beyond irritated that she had to wear such clothes to this meeting but since she was planning to tell Master Cross that she was going to work it was a necessary evil. Something she had to do in order to make her ruse believable. "I swear I'm going to get even with him for this someday."

Lyssa had been surprised, to say the least, when the golem named Timcanpy had arrived at the inn where she was staying. It never ceased to amaze her that the little creature seemed to always be able to find them, no matter how far away they traveled. Her surprise had only grown when Timcanpy had displayed the message that he had came to deliver.

Nicholas wanted to see her… alone.

Part of her couldn't help but question whether this was a trap but another part of her was thrilled with the requested meeting. And she justified her lack of fear with the fact that the young Noah had already had several opportunities to cause her harm. He hadn't acted on any of these chances and this fact gave Lyssa hope.

"I know that there's a good person buried somewhere within him," she whispered to Timcanpy, gazing at the golem through large brown eyes. The expressive orbs were shining with unshed tears even though Lyssa wasn't really sad. Okay perhaps she was a little distressed over the fact that Nicholas didn't see himself as someone worth saving. "I know it."

For his part Timcanpy hovered in front of the girl, as though the golem were sizing her up.

"Well let's get this disaster over with," Lyssa muttered, her fingers absently going to the charm that she wore around her neck. She seemed to have the tendency to play with the little violin that represented her Innocence whenever she was nervous. Yet, even though she realized this, Lyssa was powerless to do anything about it.

Stepping out of the room Lyssa closed the door behind herself, sighing as she did so. Then the young woman turned to follow Timcanpy, who was supposed to lead her to the location where she and Nicholas were to meet. Unfortunately she had only taken a few steps before she heard, "Hey girl!"

Jumping slightly, due to the unexpected arrival of her master, Lyssa rolled her eyes skyward. She had hoped that she would be able to leave the inn without having to speak to Cross but it would appear that fate had conspired against her. Which didn't really surprise the girl although it did further her annoyance over the situation. Taking a deep breath and willing herself not to say the wrong thing, Lyssa turned to face the red haired Exorcist General. "Yes Master Cross?"

"Where are you going?" Cross demanded, his one visible eye focused on his apprentice. As though he were daring her to lie to him.

"Off to find a job," Lyssa said, rolling her eyes toward the sky. She wasn't generally one to lie but for some reason it came easily in this situation. And she was able to act appropriately irritated over this fabricated job search. "Because someone doesn't know how to pay their own bills."

Cross regarded the young woman for a few minutes before shrugging and abruptly walking away.

"This isn't getting off to a very good start," Lyssa muttered, her brown eyed gaze shifting around. She was searching for Timcanpy but there wasn't any sign of the little golem. "Oh this is just great… I've lost my guide. Now what am I supposed to do?"

Lyssa continued to mutter under her breath as she walked away from the inn. She had informed Master Cross that she was going off to find a job so she had to go somewhere, lest he grow suspicious. That would not serve to make her situation better. But without Timcanpy she had no way to find Nicholas, which she had to admit was somewhat frustrating.

Blowing out an irritated breath Lyssa absently swiped at a strand of hair that had fallen in front of her face. "Never fails… if something can go wrong then it will. If it weren't for bad luck then I'd have no luck at all."

These thoughts were interrupted when Lyssa felt something underneath her long hair. Screeching, the young woman grabbed the offending object and gave it a fierce toss. She caught a glimmer of gold as the object went sailing and groaned as she realized what it was that she'd just thrown.

Timcanpy.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry Tim!" Lyssa rushed over to the somewhat dazed golem and gently picked him up. The little creature lay in her hands for a moment before giving himself a shake and then taking back to the sky. "I didn't even notice you ducking under my hair… I apologize."

Timcanpy nodded and then began flying, making it obvious that Lyssa was supposed to follow along behind him. Glancing around to make absolutely certain that no one was watching her, Lyssa fell into step behind the golem.

As she followed along behind the golden golem Lyssa didn't pay attention to her surroundings or to how much time passed. Her jumbled thoughts were focused squarely on the young man that she was traveling to meet. There had been something different about his eyes in the message that he had sent via Timcanpy and Lyssa couldn't help but wonder if something had changed.

And, if it had, was that change for the better or for the worse?

Having been occupied by her thoughts Lyssa was somewhat surprised when she arrived in a clearing in the forest through which she and Timcanpy had been traveling. Her brown eyes surveyed the terrain and soon came to rest on the visage of the Noah of Praise.

Nicholas had been awaiting the arrival of the young woman for nearly an hour and his breath caught in his throat as his eyes fell upon her. Instead of the Exorcist's uniform that she normally wore Lyssa was dressed in a pale blue dress. It was a modest affair that Lord Millennium would frown upon as too plain but Nicholas couldn't help but think that Lyssa was the loveliest thing that he had ever seen.

Stepping forward Nicholas held out his hand to the young woman. Wanting to see if she would trust him. "Welcome," he whispered, his gaze never leaving her face.

Slightly overwhelmed by this out of character behavior Lyssa placed her hand in the one that Nicholas was holding out to her.

Leaning forward Nicholas placed a brief kiss on the back of Lyssa's hand before offering her a genuine smile. The first that had graced his lips in a long time. "I was actually afraid that you wouldn't come."

The smile that spread across the Noah's face, coupled together with the kiss to the back of her hand, served to further unnerve Lyssa. She gazed up at Nicholas with a questioning gaze in her brown eyes. "Are you alright?"

With a laugh that was completely without humor Nicholas stepped away from the Exorcist. The inner Noah was screaming for him to destroy the girl's Innocence and Nicholas needed a moment to get a grip on that urge. "I'm about as far from alright as it is possible to be… and the fact that I'm here with you just proves that fact."

"Nicholas…"

Finally succeeding in forcing the voice that haunted him to the back of his mind Nicholas once again gazed at Lyssa. "Do you really think that I can be saved? That there is hope for even a soul such as mine? Surrounded by darkness and stained by blood."

"I do," Lyssa said without hesitation, her voice kind as she took in the tormented expression in the Noah's stormy eyes. "No one is beyond salvation."

Nicholas had known that she would say that and yet the words still managed to bring him a measure of comfort. He had needed to hear someone tell him that he was worthy; that it wasn't asking too much that he wanted to be saved.

And that he wanted this girl, this pure and gentle soul, to be the one who saved him.

"I'm still not certain if I believe your words," Nicholas said, choosing his words carefully. The emotions that were churning inside of him almost defied description but he wanted Lyssa to at least realize that he was sincere with his words. "But… but even if it's possible I know for a fact that I can't fight the darkness on my own." Taking a deep breath Nicholas prepared to do something that he had never done in his life. He was going to ask someone for help. "Please… please help me find somewhere I belong."

These words stole Lyssa's breath away and, without so much as thinking about any possible consequences, she closed the gap between them and wrapped her arms around the young man. Nicholas tensed for the briefest of moments, not having expected the embrace, but then he reveled at the feel of Lyssa in his arms. Even as the voice rose up to scream for her brutal death Nicholas found that he was able to ignore it. The voice didn't matter so long as he was able to hold this woman close. The fact that she felt he was worthy of salvation gave him hope for his future for the first time since he joined the Clan of Noah.

"No one…" Lyssa raised her head and locked gazes with Nicholas as she spoke, her voice forceful. "No one is beyond salvation. And I'll do everything in my power to prove that to you."

"Thank you," Nicholas said in a quiet voice, never having meant these words more in his life. He wasn't even certain if it were possible, and knew without a doubt that it would be difficult, but in this moment Nicholas desperately wanted to change. He wanted to find his way back into the light that he had left so long ago, so that he could stand beside this angel with chestnut hair and kind eyes.

Neither Lyssa nor Nicholas noticed the little golden creature that was hovering behind them and Timcanpy did nothing to draw attention to himself. He merely hovered in mid-air, observing all that went on between his master and the Exorcist.

A/N - Here's the chapter everyone's been waiting for… FLUFF! I sincerely hope that you enjoyed this chapter and ask that you leave a review as you go. Please? 'puppy-dog eyes'


	12. Risking it All

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Chapter Twelve - Risking It All

"Please… please help me find somewhere I belong."

As Lyssa made her way back to the inn where she and the others were staying the young woman couldn't keep her thoughts away from the mahogany haired young man that she had just spoken with. Nicholas, the Noah of Praise, had actually asked for her help. And even though she had vowed to help him when he had proclaimed that he was beyond all hope Lyssa couldn't help the small voice in the back of her mind that questioned whether she would actually be able to help him.

But this voice was all but silenced when the young woman thought back to the look in the eyes of the Noah. Those gray orbs that had been practically begging for help to escape the world he felt trapped in.

"How am I going to keep this one a secret from Master Cross?" Lyssa thought as she made her way back. That was fairly high up on her list of priorities, although it wasn't at the top of the list. She knew for a fact that he wouldn't approve of the choice that she had made but at the same time Lyssa was determined to follow through with her promise to help Nicholas beat the darkness.

This train of thought brought something else to Lyssa's mind and she realized at this point that she was going to have to lie to her master. Something that she rarely resorted to but also something that was unfortunately necessary owing to the circumstances. As they said, one lie inevitably led to another and another. It was a vicious cycle. Lyssa knew this and yet she'd still found it so easy to tell that first lie. She'd told him when she left that she was going out to search for a job but since that had been a lie she had no money to give to him. "Well this isn't going to go over very well," the young woman couldn't help but think to herself. And yet, for some reason, she was still in a remarkably good mood.

The time that she had spent with Nicholas had made Lyssa feel all giddy but she didn't want to admit this fact. The feelings that she harbored for the young Noah were strange to say the least and something that Lyssa tried her best not to dwell on for any great length of time.

"I'm so in denial…"

Lyssa found herself muttering these words as she approached the room in the inn that was designated as hers. Of course the fact that she could admit this to herself gave her hope for the future but it was only to a small degree. The more practical part of herself knew that she was risking a great deal with her current actions.

"Please Nicky… please don't make me regret this decision."

This was one of the main things that Lyssa kept repeating; begging for the Noah not to make her regret the decision to help him. Even though she had absolutely no intention of ever saying it to his face the young woman still couldn't keep from thinking it to herself. Because she really was risking a tremendous amount in order to help him.

In fact she was risking her very life.

Even though Master Cross was secretly allying himself with the young Noah, Lyssa was well aware that she was taking an even bigger risk. The Black Order would never see Nicholas as anything other than a threat and they would view the fact that she was attempting to help him as an act of heresy. Which was as good as a death sentence.

And yet Lyssa was still determined to do everything in her power to help the young Noah with the haunted gray eyes. Simply because he had asked it of her.

"Lyssa!"

The young woman jumped slightly as she heard this voice call out to her. Glancing over her shoulder Lyssa watched as her master walked toward her. This was the last thing that she expected but in hindsight Lyssa realized that she should have expected it. Because it was simply the way that her luck ran; if something bad could happen then it was almost a guarantee that it would.

But she hid her surprise and frustration and offered Cross a smile. "What is it Master?"

"Where have you been girl?" Cross demanded, gazing at Lyssa through his one visible red eye.

This question caused Lyssa's pulse rate to quicken as she thought back to her meeting with Nicholas but she forced her mind away from those memories. Before she slipped up and gave something away that she would regret for the remainder of her life. "Just out looking for work… which I was unfortunately unable to find."

Cross studied his apprentice for a few minutes, as though sizing her up. Then he shrugged his shoulders. "Go and gather up your things. We're leaving."

And, without so much as another word, Cross turned and walked away.

Lyssa watched as her master walked away and then, once he was out of sight, she rushed to her room. Pulling the key out of her pocket the young woman let herself inside and promptly collapsed to the floor. Her body was trembling and she was mildly surprised that she hadn't given herself away with her clumsy ways. "I'm going to end up with gray hair before this is all over," the young woman muttered to herself.

After taking a couple of moments to collect herself Lyssa quickly changed into her Exorcist uniform before packing up her few meager belongings. She didn't see the need in having very many personal possessions so all that she owned easily fit into a small shoulder bag.

"I wonder where we're going…" Lyssa thought to herself, one eyebrow arched. "And why Master Cross is in such a big hurry." Then, after a few minutes of thought, the young woman shook her head. "I really hope that we're not running away from debt collectors again."

That was a constant in her life that Lyssa could definitely do without… and this time she didn't have any money to use in order to pay off her master's debts.

"I shouldn't have to pay off his debts," the young woman thought bitterly as she moved about the small room, straightening it up a little bit. If they weren't going to be paying for the rooms that they had used then the least she could do was to make sure that hers at least was tidy. It would help alleviate some of her guilt.

Then, once that little chore was complete, Lyssa threw her bag over her shoulder and left the room. Stepping back outside the young woman saw that Master Cross and Maria were standing outside their own room. And of course the red haired Exorcist general was looking impatient.

"I'm coming," Lyssa called out in a placating tone, rushing over to join her companions.

"Let's go," Cross said gruffly.

Lyssa was used to the gruff demeanor of her master and merely shrugged it off as she fell into step behind him and Maria. She didn't ask where it was that they were going, figuring that she would find out that information when Cross deemed it pertinent. Which meant that she would most likely know where they were going when they got there. Par for the course as far as Lyssa was concerned.

* * *

Nicholas wasn't sure how he felt as he made his way back toward the Ark, accompanied by Timcanpy. He had opened up to the girl named Lyssa; had asked someone whom he barely even knew to help save him from the darkness of his won soul. There was a part of him that felt absolutely mortified by this obvious show of weakness on his part but there was also a part of him that felt hopeful for the first time since he joined the ranks of the Millennium Earl.

"I didn't even think it was possible for me to feel hope again…"

The Noah of Praise had given up on ever feeling these emotions that were connected with humanity. Humanity was something that he had given up when he made the decision to embrace his Noah side. Even though he hadn't fully realized the implications of that decision at the time the fact remained that he had made it willingly. Had walked away from his brother, the only family that remained to him.

And oh how he regretted that decision.

Nicholas wished that he could go back to that fateful day and make a different decision but it was too late for that. He had chosen to walk away from Mana and knew that he didn't deserve to even ask his brother for forgiveness.

"I have no right to expect him to just say that everything is okay," Nicholas thought to himself as he continued on his way. Timcanpy was fluttering along beside him and the young man absently glanced at the golden creature out of the corner of his eye. "Because everything is decidedly not okay. And I don't want to put him in danger."

The thought of putting his brother in danger should Nicholas ever have contact with him again served to bring home the seriousness of exactly what he was doing. The risk that he was taking. An image of the Millennium Earl and the other members of the Clan of Noah flashed unbidden into Nicholas' mind. He was well aware of the fact that his demise would be brutal should the head of his family learn of his betrayal.

But it wasn't fear for himself that served as his main motivation for keeping this a secret from his surrogate family. It was fear for the young woman who had grown to mean a tremendous amount to him in the short time that he had known her. The angel that he was hoping would be able to bring the light back into his worthless life. The person that he had to protect at all costs. What the Earl would do to him for the betrayal paled in comparison to what Lyssa would suffer and this train of thought caused a much more disturbing image to appear in the Noah's mind's eye.

The image of Lyssa lying dead and bloody on the ground, the members of the Clan of Noah standing around her. Sadistic grins spread across each of their faces.

Taking a deep breath Nicholas banished this image from his mind. Clenching his hands into fists the young man thought to himself, "I refuse to allow that to happen."

As though he sensed his master's distress Timcanpy gently nudged the side of the young Noah's head. Nicholas was somewhat startled by this motion, not having been expecting it. But when his gaze fell upon his little companion the ghost of a smile appeared on his lips. "I don't want anything to happen to her because of me Tim… but at the same time I'm too selfish to let her go."

Shaking his head Nicholas removed his top hat and ran a hand through his thick, mahogany hair. This nervous gesture still irritated him to no end but there was nothing to be done for it. It was just one of the quirks of his personality.

"What am I supposed to do Tim?"

Nicholas didn't know what made his ask the question to the golem. He knew that Timcanpy couldn't answer him yet it brought him a measure of comfort just to be able to speak to someone. Of course what he really wanted to do was speak to Lyssa but that wasn't currently an option.

By this time Nicholas had reached the Ark and he was met this time not by the Millennium Earl but by Road. The young girl immediately threw herself at Nicholas, wrapping her arms around his neck and gazing up at him through adoring eyes. "I've missed you Nicky-pet!" There was a slightly petulant tone to Road's voice. And she had once again reverted to using that vile nickname that he despised. "Why did you leave for so long?"

"I was only gone a few hours Road." Nicholas spoke in a calm voice, at the same time working to extricate himself from the stranglehold that Road had on him. It really was a good thing that the Noah genes made them more resilient than normal humans or else he might have suffered serious injury due to the intensity of her greetings. Not to mention those so called games that she liked to play. "And I left because I had business to attend to."

"What kind of business?" Road pressed, reluctantly releasing her grip on her favorite sibling. "I wasn't aware that Millennie had issued any orders."

"I wasn't acting on Lord Millennium's orders," Nicholas conceded, the mask of the Noah of Praise descending to cover his emotions. "Or at least not any orders that he issued recently. He told us all to keep tabs on the movements of the Exorcists so that we can find the shards of Innocence before they do."

"So you were tracking the movements of Exorcists?"

"Unfortunately." It took much more work for Nicholas to make his voice emotionless but the young man knew that he had to succeed. Or else he would put Lyssa and the others at risk.

Something that he was desperate not to do.

"You poor thing!" Road's voice was filled with sympathy. She knew exactly how boring it was to track the movements of the stupid Exorcists and was glad that she hadn't been in Nicholas' place. Because she wasn't entirely sure that she could abide by the no killing rule. "I can't wait until we can kill those fools."

Nicholas watched as a sadistic smile spread across Road's face. He was well aware of her desire to kill the Exorcists and this only caused him to renew his vow to keep the knowledge of Lyssa from his 'family' at all costs. For a moment the carefully maintained mask that Nicholas wore slipped however, thankfully, Road didn't notice. Completely oblivious the young girl seized Nicholas by the hand. "Come on… I know what will cheer you up."

An image of Lyssa flashed into the mind of the Musician, bringing with it a soft smile.

Seeing her again was the only thing that would serve to cheer him up but of course he couldn't say that to Road. So he merely allowed her to lead him along the twisting maze of the Ark and to the manor that belonged to the Millennium Earl. He was only vaguely curious about where she was taking him and mostly hoping that this wouldn't involve him being forced to fight for his life against his 'sister'.

Because that was Road's idea of fun.

This turned out to not be the case however. Instead of summoning one of her doors and taking him to her private domain, Road instead led Nicholas to the large parlor. Then, once they were inside, she pushed him toward the piano. A smile appeared on the young girl's face as Nicholas took the hint and sat down at the piano, fingers poised over the keys. "This should cheer you up Nicky-pet!"

In the past simply sitting at the piano had always served to lift the young Noah's spirits but things were different now. He placed his fingers to the keys and began to play, as Road expected of him, but he didn't smile.

That is until his mind conjured up images of a violin accompaniment and an angel standing beside him.

Her image alone caused a true smile to spread across his face. And in this moment Nicholas vowed that this would someday be more than a vision. A dream that helped him get through his days.

"It's going to be a reality…"

A/N - The end of yet another chapter in the story of Nicky and Lyssa. I hope that you enjoyed, please leave a review and tell me what you thought. 'puppy-dog eyes'


	13. Fear and Elation

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Chapter Thirteen - Fear and Elation

The book that she was trying to concentrate on couldn't seem to capture Lyssa's attention. Her thoughts kept straying back to Nicholas; the man that she had promised to help find the light even at the risk of her own life. The young woman often found her thoughts going back to the handsome young Noah. Despite the fact that he was allied with Master Cross the fact remained that she and Nicholas were technically on opposite sides in this war that no one was supposed to know about.

"Oh I give up." Folding down the tip of the page that she had already read three times, Lyssa placed the book on the nightstand. It was a lost cause and she was getting tired of reading the same sentences over and over. Her concentration simply wasn't there tonight.

Lyssa was lying in bed in yet another less than glamorous inn when she heard the sound of someone or something knocking on the door. And based solely on the knock she had a fairly good guess as to who the culprit was. Getting to her feet the young woman walked over to the door and pulled it open, to reveal none other than Timcanpy.

"Hello Tim." Lyssa smiled at the golem as the little golden creature entered the room without invitation. In the weeks that had passed since her last face to face meeting with the Noah of Praise, Timcanpy had been her constant visitor. And it still amazed her that the little creature seemed to have absolutely no difficulty tracking her down. "What kind of message have you brought for me this time?"

In answer to her question the golem fluttered into the center of the room and opened his mouth wide. An image of Nicholas was instantly displayed and Lyssa felt her heart skip a beat as she heard that the young Noah wanted to see her.

Tonight.

"I guess I get to sneak out again," Lyssa thought to herself as Timcanpy closed his mouth and then moved to perch on top of her chestnut hair. This made her feel like a little kid trying to get something by her parents. Of course Master Cross was about as different from her parents as it was possible to be but the fact remained that he was still technically responsible for her.

At least according to the Black Order.

"Not that he ever really listens to them." Her master was notorious for ignoring orders from his so called superiors. To be completely honest Lyssa was more than a little surprised that he had actually made it to the rank of general. "Who exactly made that decision? Who, in their right mind or otherwise, thought it would be a good idea? Cause I feel the need to send a strongly worded letter of complaint to whoever is responsible for this fiasco."

Time seemed to pass by unbearably slowly as Lyssa waited around until it was late enough to sneak out of her room without fear of her master catching her. The hands on the small clock that was positioned on the mantel were almost taunting her as the young woman stared at them. Silently bidding them to move quicker. She was looking forward to seeing Nicholas again and didn't even bother to attempt to rationalize this to herself. Normally she'd at least make the effort but this time she didn't even bother.

She wanted to see him again; that was simply all there was to it.

"What is wrong with me?" Lyssa muttered as an image of the handsome young Noah appeared in her mind's eye. She shouldn't be harboring such feelings for anyone on the side of the Millennium Earl but then again Lyssa couldn't really see him on the side of the rotund man who was out for the destruction of mankind. The Noah of Praise seemed more like someone caught up in something that he couldn't escape… or at least that he needed help in order to escape.

And the young woman was determined to offer that help.

Because she wanted to see what kind of person Nicholas could be if only given the chance that he deserved. And because it simply wasn't in her nature to give up on anyone. Not even those that many would argue weren't worth the trouble that it would take to save them.

"He's worth it…" Lyssa thought vehemently as she got to her feet, preparing to depart for her meeting.

Reaching out the young woman grabbed her Exorcist's coat and shrugged it on. Then she reached back and pulled up the hood, covering her chestnut hair and obscuring her features. Then, taking a deep breath, Lyssa walked over to the door and grasped the handle. Glancing outside the girl scanned the area, making absolutely certain that her master was nowhere to be seen.

Because she couldn't use the same excuse that she had employed the last time. There's no way that Cross would believe that she was going out to look for a job at this time of night so Lyssa had to make absolutely certain that she didn't get caught.

Once Lyssa was absolutely certain that the coast was clear the young woman stepped out into the darkness. Closing the door behind herself without a sound Lyssa walked briskly toward a path that led into the surrounding forest.

With Timcanpy leading the way.

"How far am I going to have to walk this time Tim?" Lyssa questioned the little golem as she followed along obediently behind him. The distance that she had to travel for these little meetings with the Noah of Praise were never the same so Lyssa had no way to gauge how bad it was going to be. And of course Timcanpy couldn't answer the question that she posed to him.

The little creature merely continued to fly forward, glancing back every so often. As though to make certain that Lyssa was still trailing along behind him. And, while it wasn't exactly easy to make her way down the darkened trail, Lyssa did manage to keep track of the little golem.

"I'm coming," Lyssa assured him.

Timcanpy nodded his small body and then continued with his forward progress. Continued leading the way toward the location where his master was waiting.

Before long Timcanpy entered a small clearing, something that Nicholas seemed to be adept at finding. It was as though the young man had an innate sense of direction, something that Lyssa was sadly lacking. Stepping into the clearing the young woman's searching brown eyes fell upon the Noah of Praise within minutes. It wasn't easy to see him in the absence of light but there was no mistaking who it was.

"Hello," Lyssa said in a soft voice, offering him a smile that she wasn't even sure that he could see from this distance. Reaching up the young woman removed the hood that was covering her head, shaking out her chestnut hair so that it was soon falling over her shoulders in soft cascades.

With a smile spreading across his own face Nicholas quickly covered the distance that separated them. Bowing slightly at the waist the mahogany haired Noah held his hand out to Lyssa, who gave him her own hand without hesitation this time. Nicholas placed a gentle kiss on the back of her hand before raising his gaze to meet hers.

"Welcome," he whispered, straightening up and watching with amusement as a blush rose to color her cheeks.

"You sent for me…" Lyssa said, making every attempt to banish the embarrassment that his action brought about.

And failed miserably for the record.

"I did," Nicholas said, a roguish grin appearing on his face as he heard the note of discomfort that had appeared in the voice of the young Exorcist. "But it doesn't have anything to do with business…"

This last part was a confession that Nicholas hadn't intended to make however for whatever reason the words just seemed to come out. "Guess she just brings out the best in me," the young Noah thought bitterly as he waited for Lyssa to yell at him for his audacity.

But Lyssa just smiled.

"So I suppose that I should feel flattered that you wanted to see me bad enough to send Timcanpy out to get me… But you know I might not be so inclined to drop everything and show up the next time buddy boy."

"Buddy boy?" Nicholas repeated, a stunned and also somewhat confused expression appearing on his handsome face.

"Buddy boy," Lyssa confirmed, her gaze locked on the young man. "And while we're on the subject of Tim, there's something that I want to know. How is it that he always seems able to find us?"

The expression on the Noah's face turned to one of arrogance. "Tim's equipped with a tracking device of my own design. He can find anyone that he's came into contact with, no matter what steps they may take to hide. It's a dead useful little talent."

"You know I might be scared if I didn't know that you were harmless."

"I assure you that I'm far from harmless…" The voice of the Noah screamed out it's protest at this accusation and, as a result, Nicholas' voice had a sharp edge to it.

"Oh I fully realize that you could kill me in about two seconds and not even break a sweat." And yet there was a smile on Lyssa's face as she spoke this rather harsh bit of truth about what exactly the Noah was capable of doing. "But I also know that you won't… because buried in there somewhere is a good person."

The Noah of Praise was actually speechless.

Lyssa's eyes had adjusted enough to the darkness to pick up on this change in expression and it caused her to laugh. The sound was totally musical and Nicholas couldn't help but think to himself that he could listen to that sound for hours.

But something suddenly happened to take away the laughter, to be replaced by a scream. It was obvious, by the lack of light, that the night was overcast but there hadn't been even the slightest hint of a storm. That is until lightening suddenly flashed across the sky, followed mere seconds thereafter by an earsplitting crash of thunder.

The moment that the lightening appeared Lyssa jumped and let out an ear piercing scream.

Which startled Nicholas.

Stepping closer to the young woman he asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm…" Another flash of lightening and crash of thunder caused Lyssa's body to once again jerk uncontrollably. "I just… really don't like thunderstorms."

Nicholas could actually see the young woman's body shaking and, without thinking of any possible repercussions to his actions, the young Noah reached out and pulled Lyssa into his embrace. The moment that they touched it was as though the skies opened up, releasing a torrent of water. The lightening continued to light up the sky, the thunder continued to echo, and Nicholas continued to hold the trembling form close to his heart.

"Shh," the young man soothed as though speaking to a young child. "It's alright little one, I've got you."

In any normal circumstance Lyssa would feel embarrassed over the fact that she was clinging to him like a drowning victim grasping a life preserver. But as the lightening continued to flash Lyssa found herself actually feeling safe in his arms. As though nothing bad could get to her where she was right now.

"We're getting soaked," she managed to whisper, her face pressed against the front of his tuxedo jacket.

"It doesn't matter," Nicholas said nonchalantly. And in the grand scheme of things it really didn't. The young man wanted nothing more than to comfort this woman who meant more to him than his very existence.

The angel who had came to save him from the darkness and bring him back into a light that he had long forgotten.

He would endure much more than a thunderstorm for her. For her he would walk through the very fires of hell. "Not an altogether impossible notion…" Nicholas thought wryly to himself, an image of Cross appearing completely unbidden in his mind's eye. "Since her master is the devil himself."

The storm passed by almost as quickly as it had appeared and within twenty minutes the skies had cleared somewhat. Revealing a small amount of stars. The clouds parted to partially reveal the moon, which bathed the clearing in a subdued light. As though someone had placed a spotlight on the young couple. Clearing her throat Lyssa gazed up at Nicholas, fully prepared to apologize for making a complete fool out of herself.

However the moment that her gaze met his, the young woman found that the words simply wouldn't come. All she could do was stare up at this man who had held her throughout the storm and never once laughed at the absurdity of the fact that an Exorcist who fought against Akuma was scared of a little thunder.

"You're beautiful…" Nicholas breathed as he gazed down at the woman that he still held in his arms.

Lyssa could only scoff at this statement. "I probably look like a drowned rat…"

Reaching out Nicholas touched her chin with the tips of his gloved fingers, raising her face so that he could once again stare down into her brown eyes. "You look like an angel to me."

Lyssa gasped, her eyes widening as she heard these words escape from his lips. Now the rational part of her knew that it couldn't possibly be true, owing to the fact that she was soaked clear through to the skin but the part of her that was still a woman felt elated by the compliment.

Nicholas found himself absolutely mesmerized by this woman and, once again without a moment's thought about any possible repercussions, the young man leaned forward and gently touched his lips to hers. Hoping as he did so that he wasn't about to make the worst mistake of his miserable life.

Lyssa was startled by the completely unexpected advance from the Noah but, after the moment of shock wore off, the young woman wrapped her arms around Nicholas and returned his gentle kiss.

The pair remained in this gentle embrace for a few blissful moments before Nicholas pulled away and gazed down at the girl. He wanted to make sure that he hadn't crossed some invisible line but his heart became infinitely lighter as he noticed the light that was shining in her eyes. "That was…"

"…wonderful." Lyssa felt a blush rising to warm her face but at the same time she couldn't keep herself from smiling.

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Nicholas said, offering her yet another charming smile. "But I really think that we should cut this little meeting short. It would probably be in your best interests to return to your room and change into dry clothing."

"Oh I see how you are," Lyssa said, playfully slapping him on the chest.

"Um… no… it's nothing like that…" Nicholas was normally very articulate but something about this woman frustrated him and caused him to trip all over himself as he attempted to explain his intentions. It was beyond infuriating.

Lyssa couldn't help but laugh at the fact that her words actually had him stuttering. The ever arrogant Noah of Praise was acting like a nervous school boy and Lyssa had to admit that this fact amused her greatly. Grinning like the cat that ate the canary Lyssa once again wrapped her arms around him. "I was just giving you a hard time Nicholas. I fully realize that you have a valid point; I'm not so thick that I would just roam around in wet clothing."

"That was cruel," Nicholas murmured as Lyssa once again wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm just like that sometimes," Lyssa said, standing on her tip toes so that she could give him a quick peck on the cheek. "Side affect of hanging around Master Cross."

"We're going to have to do something about that," Nicholas said, only partially kidding. That red haired Exorcist was a bad influence on this gentle soul and Nicholas shuddered to think what prolonged exposure could do to her personality.

"I don't think there's a cure," Lyssa chuckled as she turned to depart. "If you want to schedule another meeting just send Tim! He knows where to find me after all." And, with these parting words, Lyssa turned and walked toward the trail that would take her back to the inn where she and the others were staying.

"Farewell my angel," Nicholas whispered as he watched her depart, a soft look in his stormy eyes. "Til next we meet… and I hope it's soon."

A/N - They finally kissed! Only took thirteen chapters to get there. I really hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter and I would be very much appreciative if you would leave a review and share your thoughts.


	14. The Nature of the Beast

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM or any of it's wonderful characters.

Chapter Fourteen - The Nature of the Beast

For the next several days Lyssa found herself completely at the mercy of her memories. She couldn't seem to get that night in the rain with Nicholas out of her mind, not that she was trying overly hard. Thinking about the kiss that the two of them had shared under the stars make Lyssa feel positively giddy. A feeling that was wholly unfamiliar to the young woman.

But one that she liked none the less.

"I knew that there was a good person buried within," she thought to herself as she recalled the tender way that Nicholas had held her while the storm had raged. The soothing words that he had whispered, telling her that everything was alright.

That she was safe in his arms.

And she had definitely felt safe in his arms, perhaps for the first time since the loss of her family. Which was utterly laughable since she had been in the arms of someone who was technically an enemy to everything that she stood for.

Someone allied with the Millennium Earl.

A shiver ran down the young woman's spine as Lyssa's thoughts went back to the fateful night that she had met the Earl. A storm much like the one from that night with Nicholas had been raging when the policeman had delivered the news that her family was gone, never to return to her. That news had devastated the young girl and she had fled into the storm.

Only to be approached by a stranger that she only later learned was the Earl.

The Earl had been seeking to turn her into an Akuma however some internal force had seemed to push Lyssa away from that spot. And she had fled. Which she later learned was the best choice that she could have made and one that so few others chose. Most feel victim to the man with the fake smile and the cold, calculating eyes.

Lyssa was brought back to earth by the sound of someone banging on her door rather loudly. Glancing at the clock that was positioned on the mantel the young woman groaned. It was five o'clock in the morning so who on earth could possibly want to talk to her at such an unholy hour?

She knew by the ferocity of the knock that it wasn't Timcanpy.

The girl didn't have much time to debate who the unwelcome visitor was because they once again began to bang on the door as though their goal was to knock it from it's hinges. Getting to her feet Lyssa grabbed for the nearest article of clothing to cover up her nightgown. Shrugging on her Exorcist's coat Lyssa quickly padded across the room and pulled the door open.

"Get your stuff together girl," Cross snapped, barely sparing Lyssa a glance. "You have two minutes starting now."

"Master Cross what's…"

But Cross interrupted the question before Lyssa even had the chance to fully ask it. "You don't have time for questions girl… you have a minute and a half to meet Maria and I outside. And we're leaving whether or not you're dressed." And, without so much as another word to the young woman, Cross turned and walked away.

Lyssa growled low in her throat in annoyance but none the less turned and quickly began to gather up her things. She quickly threw everything except for the clothes that she would wear into her shoulder bag before setting a new record for rapid dressing. With a look of utter contempt Lyssa shoved her nightgown into the bag and then stalked outside to meet up with her master and Maria.

Maria offered Lyssa a sympathetic expression while Cross merely glared. "You just barely made it girl," the red haired man snapped before turned and beginning to walk away from the inn where they had spent the night.

"Um excuse me…" Lyssa obediently followed along behind her master but she simply couldn't bring herself to do so without protest. "But would one of you care to let me in on what exactly is going on?"

Cross pretty much ignored the question however Maria took pity on the young girl. Gazing at Lyssa over her shoulder she said, "We've received word of a large number of Akuma in the neighboring town… and you can bet that they're up to no good."

"That's probably a pretty safe assumption," Lyssa said, absently playing with the pendant that she wore around her neck. "So do you think that there's Innocence involved?"

"I don't know what else would bring so many of them together in one group," Maria said, noticing the young woman's nervous gesture. "They aren't exactly social creatures."

Lyssa knew that Maria had a point and she felt some of her earlier anger toward Cross begin to dissipate. While it was true that he could have explained the situation to her Lyssa fully understood why they had to move quickly. The Akuma would no doubt be attacking innocent people and had to be stopped as soon as possible. And if there really was Innocence involved they couldn't allow it to fall into the hands of the enemies who would destroy it.

Plus there was the souls of the Akuma to think of… they had to be set free from their pain.

"Don't worry… you'll be free from your suffering soon." As this thought ran through her mind Lyssa continued to clutch the pendant that represented her Innocence.

* * *

With the rapid pace that Cross set it didn't take long for the group of Exorcists to arrive in the next town. And they were attacked by Akuma almost the instant that they entered the small village. The creatures seemed fiercely protective of something, which only served to raise the guard of the group of Exorcists.

"Salvation, Innocence Activate!"

Lyssa grasped the pendant firmly and watched as it grew into a full sized violin. The familiar bow formed and the young Exorcist began to play a haunting tune, lulling the Akuma and bringing them to their demise. And to their salvation.

Not even bothering to pay attention to what his two companions were doing Cross drew the large firearm that he wore holstered at his side and began firing. It was true that there was a large number of Akuma but it didn't seem to be anything that he couldn't have handled on his own.

So why had the brat insisted that he bring the two women along?

"If he's planning something I swear I'll…"

However the red haired general didn't get the chance to complete the muttered threat. A demonic sounding laugh rang out from overhead, causing Cross to shift his attention to the sky.

A level three Akuma was hovering overhead, offering up maniacal laughter to the world.

Which of course only served to infuriate Cross. With a sneer the man aimed the barrel of Judgment at the Akuma, deciding to leave the lower levels to the two girls. They were more than a match for the pitiful excuses for Akuma and the red haired general was now well aware of the reason why the brat had insisted that entire group come along. And he grudgingly admitted that this would have been a little more than difficult had he been forced to do it by himself.

But that didn't mean that he wouldn't have been successful. It just meant that it would have been harder.

Lyssa noticed that her master was fighting an Akuma the likes of which she'd never seen before. The thing was very strange looking but unfortunately the young Exorcist didn't get the opportunity to dwell on this fact. Or to help her master out with his battle. Having noticed that the girl was distracted one of the Akuma rushed forward, guns aimed in Lyssa's direction.

"Not a chance!" Quickly turning her attention toward the Akuma that had it's sights set on Lyssa, Maria opened her mouth and began to sing. Which served two different purposes; the first to seize control of the mind of the Akuma and the second to snap Lyssa out of the daze.

"Sorry Maria!" the young woman quickly apologized before pulling the bow across the strings of the violin and sending the soul of the Akuma to it's well deserved rest. "Guess I should worry less about Master and more about myself."

Maria offered the younger woman an encouraging smile before turning her attention back to the Akuma that remained.

Before long all of the Akuma had fallen at the hands of the three Exorcists and Lyssa, Maria and Cross briefly regrouped. "Alright," the red haired leader of the group barked out, his voice gruff as usual. "Let's split up and track down the Innocence… assuming there is any."

"Right," the two women said.

Walking away from the other two Exorcists, Lyssa quickly made her way to the outskirts of town. The young woman kept her eyes open for anything out of the ordinary that might reflect the presence of Innocence. And as she walked Lyssa hummed a light tune to herself.

"Looking for this…"

Lyssa jumped at the sound of the calm voice and whirled around to find Nicholas standing behind her. The Noah of Praise was holding out his hand, palm up, with a smirk on his face. And sitting in the palm of his hand was a fragment of Innocence. The young man was in his white persona save for his eyes, which were a tawny gold.

"How are you… managing to hold that?" As she posed this question Lyssa stepped over to the spot where Nicholas was standing.

The young Noah's smirk grew wider as his gaze shifted to the object that he held in his hand. The inner voice was screaming out for the destruction of the Innocence that he held but Nicholas found that he was able to push the voice to the back of his mind. He couldn't make it go away entirely but he could ignore it. "It doesn't burn or anything," Nicholas said with a shrug of his shoulders, not sure what if anything she knew about his Noah genes. "I just have the in-born desire to crush it."

"Well I applaud you for ignoring that particular impulse," Lyssa said, offering him a smile.

The bright smile that appeared on her face caused Nicholas' thoughts to return to that night in the forest when he had first tasted her lips. That night had haunted his dreams in the nights that had passed since then and Nicholas found himself yearning for another stolen moment with the young woman.

"Walk with me?" he asked, offering his arm to Lyssa.

It wasn't the smartest move that she could make, what with Master Cross in such close proximity, however Lyssa accepted the arm that he held out to her. Looping her own arm within his Lyssa allowed the young Noah to lead her along, not really even caring where it was that they were going. Or for that matter if her master caught the two of them together. Of course if she'd paused to give thought to that scenario then the young woman would more than likely have kept her distance from Nicholas. Because she was more than a little sure that Master Cross wouldn't be at all happy if he were to see the two of them together.

And that was putting it mildly.

Nicholas noticed the various emotions that were playing out across Lyssa's face. He could tell that she was concerned with the possibility of Cross seeing them together and he opened his mouth to offer her a few words of comfort.

But never got the opportunity.

A low growl issued from underneath a grove of bushes a split second before something rushed from said shrubbery and latched onto the cuff of his pant's leg.

"What the…" the Noah yelped in surprise. Glancing down Nicholas was soon painfully aware of the dog that had latched its self onto the cuff of his trousers. He was grateful that the beast had seized fabric and not skin but annoyed none the less.

Lyssa covered her mouth with her hand as she watched Nicholas fighting to free the cuff of his trousers from the jaws of a dog. A beautiful dog, she observed as the two of them danced around. Each trying to get the better of the other. The majority of the dog's fur was a light gray, about three shades lighter than that of a timber wolf, but it's chest, paws and part of it's face were white. And at the tips of it's ears and the very tip of it's tail were patches of purest black.

"So beautiful," Lyssa breathed.

"I can't believe you're actually admiring the creature that's currently trying to tear my leg off," Nicholas commented, still attempting to pull free. He glared down at the dog, his eyes shifting to golden. "Let go…" he growled, his tone slightly menacing.

In response the dog merely tightened it's grip and increased the volume of it's growls. It didn't seem even the slightest bit intimidated by the Noah.

"I don't think you scare her," Lyssa said with a smile, walking over to the spot where they were struggling. "Hey!" she called out, gazing at the dog… which immediately ceased growling and turned to gaze up at the woman. "Release him," Lyssa said firmly once she was certain that she had captured the dog's attention. She knew that the secret to dealing with dogs was that you had to show them who the Alpha was... and Nicholas certainly wasn't doing a good job of that.

"Like that's really going to work," Nicholas muttered as he listened to Lyssa give this command to the dog.

The gray dog tilted her head to one side for a brief moment before releasing her grip on the cuff of Nicholas' trousers. The creature gave the Noah one final look of disdain before she trotted over and sat down at Lyssa's side.

"What exactly was it you were saying about it not going to work Nicky?" Lyssa asked, one hand reaching down to rub the soft fur of the dog's head. Upon closer inspction Lyssa could tell that the dog was thin, much too thin, which gave her the impression that no one was taking care of the poor thing. "She really is a sweet thing, I think that maybe I'll keep her."

"W… what?" Nicholas sputtered, his gaze shifting back and forth between Lyssa and the dog that had tried to maul him. His gaze absently shifted to his torn trousers and this only served to irritated him more.

"I said I'm keeping her," Lyssa repeated, her hand still resting on the dog's head. The husky raised it's head to stare up at Lyssa, as though she understood the words of the young Exorcist. And Lyssa found herself gazing into eyes of the purest pale blue that she'd ever seen. "I shall call you Sorana and you shall be mine."

"Of course she has to adopt it," Nicholas thought to himself as he continued to eye the dog warily. "Because she has this desire to save everything."

Nicholas was fairly certain that the dog was going to make his life miserable but it wasn't as though he could stop Lyssa from keeping it. And, if it made her happy, then he didn't really want to.

"Lyssa!"

"Here…" Nicholas quickly stepped over to Lyssa and, ignoring the soft growls of the dog, placed the fragment of Innocence in her hand. "I've been attacked enough for one day so I'm going to take my leave. Good luck explaining furball there to Marian."

And with those parting words Nicholas stepped into a nearby grove of trees and was gone. Leaving Lyssa alone to explain to her master the fact that she was going to adopt the dog that was sitting at her side.

"This could be fun," she muttered to Sorana, absently running a hand through the dog's silky fur. "But I'm sure that you're worth it." Having said this the young Exorcist thought back to the sight of Nicholas attempting to remove the dog's teeth from the leg of his trousers. "Definitely worth it."

A/N - End of another chapter and two updates in two days, I'm really on a roll. Hope that you enjoyed and for anyone who's curious the dog's name means of the sky. And this chapter is dedicated to PeanutAngel, who gave me the idea and who came up with the character design for the dog. Thanks a bunch my friend, you have been a tremendous help in this process.


	15. Innocence and Innocents

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM.

Chapter Fifteen - Innocence and Innocents

Lyssa watched as Nicholas departed and then she placed her hand once more on the soft fur of Sorana's head. She idly scratched at a spot behind the dog's left ear as she waited for Master Cross to meet up with her. It was difficult to just stand around and wait for him, feeling slightly like she was waiting for her own execution, but there wasn't anything else to do. The young Exorcist had the Innocence in the palm of her hand so all there was to do was wait.

And hope that he didn't go too ballistic when he laid eyes on her new furry companion. Not that she really thought this scenario likely; it was more believable that Cross would shout until he was red in the face.

"We could be in for a bit of yelling Sorana," Lyssa whispered to the dog, her voice reassuring as she strengthened her resolve so that it would stand up to whatever Master Cross chose to dish out. "But don't worry, Master's bark is worse than his bite… at least I think it is."

In truth Lyssa had never really had to face Cross' wrath; Maria had always been around to smooth things over. And to stick up for the younger woman. But the young Exorcist got the distinct impression that the red haired general wouldn't be overly happy about her decision to take in the dog.

"But I can't just leave you here so he's just going to have to deal," Lyssa thought as she continued to run her hand through Sorana's silky fur.

The gray husky whined, raising her head to gaze up at Lyssa through clear blue eyes. It was as though she understood the young woman's words and her tail beat out a pattern on the ground.

Lyssa smiled at her new friend but didn't get the opportunity to say anything further to the dog. She saw a familiar mop of flaming red hair round the corner and within minutes Cross and Maria were standing in front of her. And, as expected, Cross was eying the dog that stood at Lyssa's side with a rather hostile expression.

"What is that?" Cross growled, glaring down at the dog.

"She's a dog," Lyssa said, fighting hard to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. It irritated her that her Master asked such an obvious question and the young woman couldn't manage to keep her tone completely emotionless. But she tried, she really did. "And her name's Sorana."

Cross arched a brow at that statement. His apprentice was pushing it. "Why the hell would you feel the need to name a stray?"

"Because I'm keeping her," Lyssa stated in a matter of fact tone. "Which makes her not a stray."

"Excuse me?" Cross glared at the girl, unable to believe what she'd just told him. This was beyond pushing it and he wasn't at all happy about it. "There must be something wrong with my hearing because I thought that you said you were keeping the damn mutt."

"She's not a damn mutt," Lyssa said, her own voice rising slightly. It was rare for her to openly defy her master but this wasn't something that she was willing to back down on. Sorana was alone and needed someone to save her and that was exactly what Lyssa intended to do.

Whether or not she had Master Cross' approval on the matter.

Sorana easily picked up on the emotions of the two humans and, pinning her ears back, she began to growl at Cross. It was low and menacing and the meaning was not lost on the red haired general. It was a warning; stating as plain as words that she would protect Lyssa should he make a move to harm the girl.

Which didn't serve to improve the man's mood any.

"When exactly did you get so mouthy girl?" Cross said, his one visible red eye containing an irritated look.

"Must be from hanging around with you," Lyssa shot back, her voice beginning to calm somewhat.

"That mutt is your responsibility… which means if you don't earn the money to feed it then it doesn't eat."

"That won't be a problem Master," Lyssa said with a snort. After all she earned enough money to pay for most of the food and lodgings for the entire group so the young woman was fairly certain that she could afford to feed Sorana.

Maria offered the younger woman a smile, deciding to intervene in this argument before it escalated. Because the dog was still growling at her husband and the blond Exorcist shuddered to think what would happen if the dog decided to display it's displeasure in a more physical manner. "I think it's time we got back to the mission at hand…" As she said this Maria cast a meaningful gaze first to Cross and then to Lyssa. "We didn't find the Innocence."

"Oh!" Holding out her hand Lyssa revealed the fact that she had been holding the piece of Innocence the entire time. "That's not a problem. I have it right here."

"Where did you find that girl?" Cross demanded as he took the piece of Innocence from her hand. His gaze briefly shifted to the shard before his one visible red eye returned to the face of his apprentice.

"Sorana found it." Lyssa decided to omit the fact that Nicholas had been there, since it would seem odd that the Noah had disappeared without speaking to Cross. And the young woman rationalized that what she said wasn't exactly a lie. The husky had found Nicholas, who had been in possession of the piece of Innocence at the time. So, in a very round about way, Sorana really had found the Innocence.

"Let me get this straight… you're saying that the dog found the piece of Innocence?" Cross sounded incredulous.

"Uh huh." The great thing about it was that Lyssa had became adept at lying to the man with a straight face. So much so that Maria had once told her that she should learn to play poker because she had the perfect expression for it.

"Whatever." Cross really wasn't in the mood to debate the absurdity of that statement with his apprentice. "Let's just get the hell out of here."

Lyssa was more than happy to agree with that grumpy order. Glancing down at the dog who was still standing at her side, keeping a watchful eye on Cross, the young woman gave a short whistle. Sorana's ears immediately perked up and she offered her new mistress a tail wag. "Come on Sorana… let's go."

Sorana immediately leapt to her feet and fell into step at Lyssa's side. The dog seemed absolutely delighted to follow the young woman, which brought a small smile to Lyssa's face.

"I knew that you were worth it," the young woman thought to herself as she and Sorana fell into step behind Cross and Maria.

* * *

After his little meeting with Lyssa, not to mention her new furry friend, Nicholas made his way back to the Ark. And as the young Noah walked along his gaze shifted downward, a scowl appearing on his face as his gaze surveyed the torn cuff of his trousers.

"Stupid mutt," he muttered darkly as he walked along. He had been perfectly content to enjoy a few stolen moments with Lyssa and the dog had to interfere with this plan.

And the young Noah was not happy about that fact.

"And of course she wants to keep it," Nicholas thought to himself, shoving his hands into his pockets. That was more than likely going to make his life more difficult than it needed to be. The one consolation was the fact that he wasn't going to be the only one suffering due to Lyssa's decision. A smirk appeared on his face at this point. "I'm sure Marian was thrilled."

That was probably putting it mildly and Nicholas did have the decency to feel bad for Lyssa. But for some reason that didn't make him find the situation less amusing.

"Marian's going to be pissed."

And that was the best part of the entire situation as far as Nicholas was concerned. The young man chuckled to himself as he imagined the red haired Exorcist fighting with the dog.

"I really wish I could have been around to see that," he thought to himself. And perhaps have Timcanpy record it so that they could all relive it over and over.

"Nicky-pet!"

The Noah of Praise stiffened as he heard this all to familiar voice calling out to him. And it made his pulse rate quicken that she had discovered him so close to the location of the Exorcists. That was something that the young man knew he needed to remedy. Which meant that he had to find a way to get Road to go somewhere else. Before she discovered Lyssa and the others.

Shifting his gaze in the direction that the voice had radiated from his gray eyes fell upon Road, skipping toward him and casually swinging Lero.

"Stop, Lero!" the umbrella cried out it's protests.

Which of course went completely unheeded by the girl.

A smile spread across Road's face as she skipped over to stand beside the Musician. "I was wondering where you'd ran off to Nicky-pet," she practically purred. "I wanted to play and no one was around."

"They were probably hiding," Nicholas said casually, shifting into his Noah persona. He always made it a point to maintain this appearance while around his so called family. Because, for whatever reason, it was easier to hide his emotions while in his Noah form. "After all the others aren't really fond of your 'games'."

"You never seem to have a problem with them," Road said, her smile turning into a slight pout.

"Yea, well I'm a special kind of crazy," Nicholas said, his words having a double meaning that he was certain she wouldn't be able to identify. The young man arched one brow as he continued to gaze down at his sadistic little 'sister'. "So I take it that you'd like to play one of those games?"

The smile returned, brighter than before. "I'm so bored but you and I could have a lot of fun together."

"Why not…" Nicholas said with a shrug, adding to himself, "After all, my tuxedo's already ruined thanks to that dog."

Practically dancing in delight Road summoned the door that led to her own personal domain. Once again swinging Lero in a circle in front of her the young girl stepped through the door. Nicholas followed along behind her, although he did so at a much slower pace. His thoughts were otherwise occupied, although he was doing his best to remedy that problem.

Because it could prove fatal if he didn't get his concentration under control before he started Road's little 'game'.

Nicholas knew from experience that his sibling wouldn't go easy on him and the young man forced his attention to the 'game' that he had agreed to play. "I really am a special kind of crazy," he thought to himself as he followed along behind Road.

"This is going to be so much fun!" Road exclaimed, raising a hand and summoning a large amount of brightly colored candles.

Nicholas was once again forced to wonder why exactly she was so fond of the candles… as well as why her domain looked like something out of a child's birthday party. These thoughts were short lived however as Road directed the pointy candles toward him. The Noah of Praise

The young man had only agreed to play this game as a distraction so that Road wouldn't discover the group of Exorcists that he was allied with. But that didn't make his situation any less serious. Despite the fact that she was constantly saying how much she loved her family, when it came to her games Road didn't pull any punches with anyone.

Not that he really needed her to.

An arrogant smirk appeared on Nicholas' face as he allowed the candles to sail toward him. For a moment it looked as though he were going to be stabbed by all of them but then Nicholas began humming a soft little tune. Which caused the candles to freeze in mid-air, as thought they had came into contact with an invisible barrier.

The candles hovered in the air for a few moments before falling harmlessly to the ground.

"That wasn't fair Nicky-pet!" Road whined, her gaze focused on her favorite sibling. It still irritated her that she was rarely able to get the best of the Noah of Praise. His particular talents were really useful in fending off her candles.

"No such thing as not fair," Nicholas countered, offering the girl a roguish smile.

"I don't know why I even bother playing with you," Road said petulantly. The girl turned her back on her brother but Nicholas wasn't fool. He remained on guard, which paid off. Which a grin spread across her face the Noah of Dreams suddenly whirled around, launching yet another volley of candles in Nicholas' direction.

And this group was dealt with in the same manner as the first.

"Nice try," Nicholas said, the slightest hint of sarcasm contained in his voice.

"So where have you been all day Nicky-pet?" Road questioned, walking toward her brother.

"Just out for a leisurely stroll," Nicholas replied, not dropping his guard as Road walked toward him. Because he didn't put it past her to use this question as a diversion so that she could attack from close range. "And searching for Innocence."

"Which you didn't find," Road stated more than asked.

Nicholas shrugged. "I guess the reports were inaccurate."

Road shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well. I suppose it's no surprise that we get a few bad leads."

"Only natural," Nicholas said, his voice completely devoid of emotion. It really was a bonus that he'd learned to hide his emotions so well. And it came in handy now that he had decided to betray his family.

For Lyssa.

She was convinced that he was someone worth saving and now, opposed to proving her wrong, Nicholas was desperate to prove her right. More than anything he wanted to be someone that she could love.

Because his most fervent desire was to spend the rest of his life with her secure in his arms.

The young man smiled as this image appeared in his head, even as his inner Noah screamed out in protest.

Nicholas was lost in thought for a brief moment and that was all that it took for Road to notice a strange expression on his face. The young girl's eyes narrowed however she forced her features to be impassive as Nicholas shifted his gaze back to her.

"So," Nicholas said, offering his arm. "Shall we go?"

Road nodded, looping her arm in his. "You're no fun anyway."

But even as the 'siblings' left her special room Road was trying to figure out what had him so preoccupied. "What are you hiding my dear brother?" she thought to herself as the two of them made their way to the Ark.

A/N - Hope that you enjoyed this newest chapter. Please be kind enough to leave a review as you leave. 'puppy-dog eyes' Til next we meet!


	16. Monster

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Chapter Sixteen - Monster

It had been a couple of weeks since the Musician last left the Ark and Road was making it a point to keep an eye on her errant brother. Some of his behavior as of late had been somewhat suspicious and she wanted to keep track of him just incase. He often left the manor on his own, telling the others that he was going out for walks or to look for Innocence, but the Noah of Dreams had her doubts. She could tell that there was something different about Nicholas and she wanted to find out what it was.

His behavior and even his expressions had changed but Road was having a difficult time figuring out what had changed.

And that was making her increasingly curious.

"He's hiding something," the girl thought to herself as she watched Nicholas making his way toward the front door of the manor. It looked as though he were going out again but to her knowledge he hadn't told anyone where exactly he planned to go. Not that this was all that unusual for him. The little golden creature named Timcanpy was fluttering in the air beside his head and Nicholas was talking to him. Unfortunately his voice was so low that Road couldn't pick up on what he was saying.

"What are you up to Nicky-pet?" Road questioned in a whisper as he slipped through the door. Making a decision the young girl quickly tracked down a couple of level two Akuma. "I need for you to do something for me…"

* * *

Having spent more than enough time with his family Nicholas was finally going to meet with Lyssa again. He had sent Timcanpy with his message earlier in the day and the little golem had returned mere minutes ago with Lyssa's reply.

She was willing to meet with him again; even seemed rather happy about the prospect.

Nicholas couldn't keep a small smile from spreading across his face as his thoughts shifted back to the message that Tim had delivered. This meeting was just going to be between the two of them since Cross and Maria were apparently already off on some mission of their own. That didn't happen often, from what Nicholas knew of the red haired Exorcist, but there were rare occasions where the general left his apprentice alone.

"That's convenient," the young Noah thought to himself although he wouldn't dream of saying something like that to Lyssa.

Leaving the manor and the Ark behind him Nicholas made his way to the location where he and Lyssa were supposed to meet. She had chosen the location this time which was the reason why Nicholas had brought Timcanpy along with him. The little golden creature led the way, showing Nicholas the way to Lyssa. It was moments like this where the young Noah praised himself for the little tracking device that he had developed.

"That was one of my better ideas," he thought to himself as he followed along behind Timcanpy.

The tracking device had been designed to help him keep track of any Exorcists that he might encounter and had been incredibly useful during those first days of his so called alliance with Cross. But now Nicholas was mainly using Timcanpy's talents for a completely different and self serving purpose; finding Lyssa when she chose their meeting place.

It didn't take a tremendous amount of time for Nicholas to locate the spot where Lyssa was waiting, thanks mainly to Timcanpy. And the moment they entered the clearing the little golden creature immediately left the young Noah's side. Flying over to the spot where Lyssa was sitting on the ground the golem landed on her shoulder.

"I don't think I'll ever understand why he seems to prefer your company to mine," Nicholas said as he walked over to the spot where the beautiful young woman was sitting. Timcanpy had settled on her shoulder quite comfortably and made no indication that he intended to move any time soon. This happened nearly every time that the two of them met with one another and Nicholas had actually came to expect it from his little golden friend.

"I guess it's just my winning personality," Lyssa said, offering him a warm smile.

Nicholas allowed himself a brief laugh at that comment, deciding that it would simply be more work that he was willing to do to keep his emotions in check. It always seemed to him that he lost some of his calm façade when he was around the Exorcist girl. He stared at Lyssa, a small smile on his face and one eyebrow arched. "So are you trying to tell me that I don't have a winning personality?"

Lyssa shrugged. "You said it, not me."

Nicholas held up his index finger as he walked toward her, a menacing look appearing in his gray eyes. "That's a dangerous thing to be saying, especially since you're alone with me."

"I'm not alone," Lyssa said casually, giving a sudden, sharp whistle. There was a rustling sound in the brush nearby and Sorana suddenly appeared. Her gaze shifted to Lyssa before falling on Nicholas. Instantly the dog's ears fell back and she bared her teeth.

The Noah instantly took a step back, his eyes focused on the dog. The husky did not look happy to see him and was making no effort to hide her displeasure. "I forgot about the dog," he muttered. "So I take it Marian didn't make you get rid of it."

"Oh he tried," Lyssa said, whistling yet again. This time Sorana walked over and sat down beside the young woman, placing her head in Lyssa's lap. "It just didn't work out so well for him."

"Great," Nicholas thought to himself. "Now I'm never going to be able to get anywhere near her."

Noticing the look that had appeared on his face Lyssa motioned to the Noah. "You can come over here… I promise you she won't bite."

A wary expression remained on the Musician's face even as he took a couple of steps toward the spot where she was sitting. He didn't trust the dog not to attack him and wasn't going to give it any reason to. Not that he thought it would really need one. "So you say but I vividly recall the first time that we met."

A smile appeared on Lyssa's face as she too recalled the day that she had found Sorana. Or, to be more precise, the day that Sorana had found them. "But that was then… she's gotten better." Reaching down Lyssa rubbed behind the dog's right ear. "It's just that, for some reason she doesn't like anyone who's male."

"Well," Nicholas began, rolling his eyes. "In case you've forgotten I happen to be male."

And, as though to add to the overall effect, Sorana growled softly from her position at Lyssa's side.

"Of course I haven't forgotten," Lyssa said, her musical laughter ringing through the air. She had to admit that she was slightly amused by his hesitation. Surely the Noah wasn't afraid of a mere dog. "But so long as you don't threaten me I can promise you that Sorana will behave herself."

"If you say so." Nicholas still didn't sound one hundred percent convinced but he made his way over to Lyssa none the less. Keeping one eye on the dog the young man sat down beside the Exorcist, enjoying just being near her. "But I'm not going to be happy if she mauls me, just so you know."

"I say so," Lyssa said as Nicholas joined her under the tree. A couple of minutes passed, without Sorana attacking him, and Nicholas visibly relaxed. "See? You should listen to me more often."

"Don't press your luck," the Noah said although the smile on his face belied the slight threat that had been contained in his tone.

"Ooh," Lyssa said, elbowing him in the ribs playfully. "I'm so scared."

Nicholas briefly thought about retaliating however a low growl from Sorana quickly served to put an end to that particular plan of action. "I'm doomed to be at a disadvantage forever now aren't I?"

"Pretty much," Lyssa said with a bright smile. She seemed to enjoy the thoughts of him perpetually being at a disadvantage. Made things decidedly easier for her.

"Lord Noah…"

Nicholas' eyes widened in horror as he heard these words. Gray eyes shifted in the direction that the voice had came from and his gaze fell upon three level two Akuma. The group was staring at him in disbelief and Nicholas silently cursed himself for not noticing their presence. "Unacceptable," he growled as he scrambled to his feet.

"Road said that you were up to something," another of the Akuma snarled, casting a scathing look in the direction of Nicholas' companion. "But none of us dreamed that you would actually be meeting with an Exorcist."

Gray eyes turned golden as Nicholas shifted to his Noah form. Normally he wouldn't even dream of going up against the Akuma but these three had seen him with Lyssa so there was no other choice. They would have to be destroyed. "Lyssa," the young man said as the Exorcist rose to stand beside him. "Use your Innocence to destroy them."

Lyssa was also aware of the fact that it was detrimental to their plan that she and the Musician had been seen together by the Akuma and she nodded. Reaching up she gripped the pendant that hung around her neck, at the same time whispering, "Salvation, Innocence Activate!"

The pendant grew into a full sized violin and Lyssa immediately drew the bow across the strings. Nicholas found himself becoming lost in the music as the Akuma attacked and Lyssa countered. The desire to destroy her Innocence was still present but it seemed to be less intense than normal. A fact that made it easier to focus on the battle. Her abilities were impressive and for a moment it looked as though she would be able to handle the group on her own. She managed to take care of one out of the three almost immediately before focusing her attention on the remaining two. However, as she was battling one, the third member of the group decided to attack from behind.

Seeing red and growling low in his throat the Noah leapt forward. Humming a haunting tune he watched the level two's eyes widen in horror a split second before it exploded. Lyssa managed to take care of her opponent mere seconds later and she turned to Nicholas, offering him a grateful smile. "Thanks for that."

Nicholas' golden eyes went to the ground and he took a couple of steps away from Lyssa. He had desperately wanted to let her take care of the Akuma but the moment that the level two had attacked her from behind he had sealed his own fate. The young Noah hadn't even had so much as a second thought. But now that the deed was over and done with Nicholas had ample time to dwell on what he had done.

And to fear how Lyssa would react to it.

Of course he could hide it from her because she had no way to know the seriousness of what he had done. But, despite how much he wanted to hide the crime, Nicholas knew that he had to confess to Lyssa.

"You wouldn't say that if you knew what I'd just done," Nicholas said, his voice quiet and his gaze still resolutely focused on the ground. Before he met Lyssa the plight of the soul that he had just destroyed wouldn't have bothered him in the slightest. But the young woman had changed him, perhaps for the better although it didn't feel like it at the moment.

Lyssa looked completely confused by his words as well as by the expression on his face. She could tell that something had to be weighing fairly heavily on his mind due to the simple fact that he was refusing to look at her. Holding out a hand, wanting to comfort him, she took a step toward him. Only to have him back away, still resolutely refusing to look at her. "Why would you say that Nicholas? What have you done?"

Walking over to the tree Nicholas leaned against the trunk. Taking a deep breath he finally turned his gaze back to Lyssa. "I destroyed the soul inside the Akuma."

Lyssa gasped as she heard these words escape his lips. "What?" she asked, hoping desperately that she'd heard him wrong. "How can that be?"

Nicholas heard the pain in her voice and it nearly broke his heart. He hadn't intended to upset her but had merely acted on instinct when he saw the Akuma lunging toward her. "When an Akuma is destroyed by something other than Innocence the soul is destroyed."

Having delivered this bit of bad news Nicholas' gaze shifted back to the ground at his feet. He didn't want to see the horror in her eyes when the full realization of what he had done hit her.

"I'm a monster," he murmured, now more convinced than ever that his damned soul wasn't worth saving. Because he hadn't given so much as a second thought to the soul that he was damning to oblivion before attacking. But even if he had stopped to think about the situation the young Noah knew that his decision would have been the same. He would do absolutely anything to keep Lyssa safe. Even something that could cause her to hate him forever.

Nicholas was startled from his thoughts by the feel of a pair of gentle arms wrapping around him.

"You aren't a monster Nicky," Lyssa said in a gentle voice as she embraced the young man. She didn't like what he had done but at the same time she understood why he had done it. "And I still think you're worth saving."

It was as though she had been able to read his thoughts and had seen the fears that he felt in his heart. And, just like the angel that Nicholas so often compared her to, she was seeking to comfort him. Wrapping his arms around her Nicholas allowed Lyssa to comfort him; allowed himself this one moment of weakness.

"Thank you for that," the Musician murmured as he ran a hand through her chestnut hair.

"You're welcome Nicky."

Nicholas allowed the young woman to hold him for a few moments longer before he pulled free so that he could gaze into her eyes. "You're truly a unique and special person Lyssa. Anyone else would give up on me at this point."

Lyssa smiled as she gazed up into the Noah's golden eyes. She knew that she should be frightened of him in this form but for some odd reason she wasn't. "I know where you're going with this and I can tell you right now it isn't going to work. You're stuck with me Nicky."

Nicholas smirked at this statement. "I can think of worse people to be stuck with."

Yet even as Nicholas enjoyed this moment with Lyssa he couldn't keep his thoughts from wandering back to the earlier words of the Akuma. It seemed that Road had grown suspicious of him; which meant that he was going to have to be even more careful when he met with the Exorcists.

"This is going to make things difficult," he thought to himself. But that knowledge did nothing to shake his resolve.

He had made his decision.

A/N - Here's the end of another chapter and Nicholas is beginning to make people suspicious. Not good! Hope that you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review and tell me what you thought.


	17. Mission

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Chapter Seventeen - Mission

"Nicholas my dear boy…"

Seated at the piano the young Noah was forced to glance over his shoulder in order to gaze at the man who had spoken to him. Standing at the entrance to the parlor the large man was staring at the boy seated at the piano, his perpetual grin in place. Nicholas' fingers continued to find the correct notes in perfect rhythm even as he said, "Yes Lord Millennium?"

"I have a mission for you," the Earl said, his voice practically a purr as he eyed the extra member of the Clan of Noah. It was true that there should have been only thirteen descendants but that didn't diminish the fact that this boy's powers exceeded those of the others, perhaps even rivaling his own. Of course the others were not aware of this fact as the Musician kept his true powers a closely guarded secret, even from his siblings. "And it's one that I'm convinced only you can succeed at."

Abruptly ceasing to play the piano the Musician whirled around on the piano stool, turning so that he could face the Earl. The words of the fat man had served to capture the boy's interest. Out of all the members of his surrogate family the Earl was the only one who had even the slightest clue as to his true powers which made him wonder exactly what kind of mission the man had in mind. Because aside from the occassional hunt for Innocence he was mainly used to move the Ark and nothing more. "And what mission might that be Lord Millennium?"

"As you are aware I've ordered that the members of the Clan of Noah are not to engage the Exorcists in battle because I want their existence to remain a secret."

Nicholas nodded; he was well aware of this order. Of course he'd disobeyed it on more occasions than he cared to count but that wasn't something that the Earl needed to know. "I am aware."

"Well," the Earl said, his voice still practically a purr. "I'm going to make an exception that that rule in the case of one Noah and one Exorcist."

Nicholas nodded. "It's safe to assume that I'm the Noah of which you speak. So exactly which Exorcist is it that you wish for me to eliminate?"

"His name is Cross Marian," the Earl replied, his customary wide grin still in place, even as his eyes narrowed at the very mention of this nuisance. "He's a red haired general who is causing me no end of trouble. I want you to take care of this problem my boy."

The young Noah's heart actually skipped a beat at this pronouncement. He prided himself on being fairly efficient at anticipating snags in his plan but had to admit that this was something that he hadn't foreseen. Fortunately for Nicholas he was adept at hiding his reactions and his facial expression remained impassive. Getting to his feet and placing one hand over his stomach the young man offered the Earl a slight bow. "As you wish Lord Millennium."

With this the young man quickly made his way to the door that led out of the parlor. Striding quickly down the corridor Nicholas made his way to the front door of the manor, wanting the Earl to believe that he was off to fulfill the mission that he had been given.

When in truth the Noah of Praise was just seeking a quiet place in which to figure out what his next move should be. This unforeseen turn of events had thrown a wrench into his plans and he needed to find a way to avoid killing Cross while at the same time preserving his credibility with his family.

The Musician's thoughts were briefly deflected from this dilemma as he caught sight of a flash of gold out of the corner of his eye. Turning he watched as Timcanpy joined him. "What am I going to do about this little turn of events Tim?"

The golem shook his body as though to say, 'don't look at me'. Not that Nicholas had really expected for Timcanpy to be able to offer him any advice.

"Looks as though this round goes to the opposition," the young man muttered, referring to the fact that he had taken to looking at his little rebellion as a chess game. And at this point, he was at a decided disadvantage. But Nicholas was determined that he would prevail, whatever the cost.

"This isn't a game that I'm going to lose," Nicholas muttered to himself as he grasped the door handle and stepped outside. The Musician quickly left the Ark, gazing around as he stepped outside. It seemed somewhat strange to him to actually be emerging in daylight, since most of his trips were taken after dark.

When he was less likely to be caught with the Exorcists.

But of course that wasn't an issue at the moment given the mission that he had just been assigned by the Earl. His siblings would think nothing of seeing him with the group of Exorcists, granted if that were to happen then he would be forced to fight Cross. Not that this would grieve him since he wasn't overly fond of the red haired general. But there was always the possibility that Lyssa would be dragged into the battle and that was something that he absolutely refused to allow.

He could shrug off the loss of the general as a casualty of war, collateral damage so to speak, but knew that he would literally die if anything were to happen to Lyssa. It was true that the two of them hadn't really known each other all that long but in that short period of time Nicholas had grown very attached to her. And he was determined to make absolutely certain that nothing happened to Lyssa, even if something did happen to Cross.

"Damn," the young man swore, removing his top hat and running a hand through his mahogany hair. This was a rather vexing situation all the way around. "Alright Tim, I need for you to lead me to Cross."

The golden creature once again nodded it's body, in acknowledgement of the command from his master. With a flap of his wings Timcanpy soared into the air, shifting it's body this way and that before finally settling on a location. Nicholas fell into step behind the golem, perfectly content to allow Timcanpy to lead the way. He once again congratulated himself on the invention of the tracking device since without it his task would have been decidedly more difficult.

Timcanpy led the way to a fairly nice inn and, as they approached, Nicholas' gray eyed gaze fell upon the group of Exorcists. It appeared as though they were leaving and the young Noah briefly found himself wondering if Cross was skipping out on the bill again.

"Did you make sure to pay your debts before leaving Marian?" Nicholas called out as he made his way toward the group.

"Shut the hell up brat," Cross retorted, his gaze shifting toward the traitor Noah. It was obvious, by the expression on his face, that he wasn't the slightest bit pleased to see his reluctant partner in crime. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I was sent out on a mission by Lord Millennium," Nicholas replied, his voice devoid of emotion. He pointedly avoided glancing in Lyssa's direction, since this was almost guaranteed to break his calm façade.

Cross motioned for the Noah to accompany him and together the group began making their way down a trail, leading away from the inn. The red haired Exorcist general didn't want anyone to overhear what the brat had to say.

For that matter he wasn't entirely sure that HE wanted to hear what the brat had to say. Because it seemed strange to him that the Noah was given a mission and chose to come to him about it. That screamed out strange and the Exorcist general wasn't eager to find out exactly how strange it was.

But he had no choice.

"So what 'mission' does the fat ass want you to accomplish?" the red head questioned the moment that he was certain they were out of ear shot of everyone.

"He wants me to kill you," Nicholas replied, his gaze focused on the man's face. Desperately wanting to see his reaction to his news.

And he was not disappointed.

General Cross Marian actually seemed somewhat stunned by this pronouncement and his gaze quickly returned to the face of the young Noah. "Stop joking around brat," he said after recovering. "Because this shit isn't funny."

"I assure you that I'm speaking the truth," Nicholas stated calmly, enjoying this more than he should have given the circumstances. It was just that it was so much fun to rattle the man's cage a little.

"You can't be serious…"

Nicholas' smirk of enjoyment faltered as he heard Lyssa's voice and his head shifted in her direction seemingly of it's own volition. There was a horrified expression on her face as she walked over to Nicholas.

"That was the order that I was given," Nicholas said, his tone changing completely as he spoke to Lyssa. "But I have no intention of actually following through with it." At this point the Musician turned his attention back to Cross. "Which is why I came to speak with you."

"You wanted to make sure that I knew you were out to kill me?" Cross demanded, glaring at the boy.

"No you pompous ass," Nicholas snarled, losing his composure for the briefest of moments before the mask descended once more. "I came to see if you had any ideas as to how I can AVOID killing you and not arouse suspicions."

At this point a smirk spread across the red haired Exorcist's face. "I could always kick your scrawny little ass," he suggested.

"I said NOT arouse suspicion," Nicholas reminded the man, a matching smirk appearing on his face. "That's the one thing that would definitely make them suspicious."

Cross growled low in his throat, more than a little bit annoyed by the words of the Musician. However since he wasn't exactly sure which of them would win in an actual fight he chose not to comment. What he did do was to take a menacing step toward the young Noah, who held his ground with his smirk still resolutely in place.

"So what are we going to do about this?" Lyssa asked, stepping between the two males before the proverbial fur began to fly.

Sighing and stepping away from Cross, the Musician removed his top hat and once again ran a hand through his hair. "I honestly don't know… I wasn't expecting this. The Noah have standing orders not to engage Exorcists in battle but it appears that your master is such a nuisance that Lord Millennium decided to bend his own rule."

"Damn it," Cross growled.

"There has to be something that we can do," Lyssa said, her doe eyes shifting back and forth between her master and the man that she desperately cared for.

"I'm going to think of something Lyssa," Nicholas said, his voice turning gentle as he gazed at the young woman. "It's… it's just going to take a little time."

Cross' gaze remained locked on the two of them and, for the first time, the suspicions that he had long harbored were substantiated. It was obvious, by the tone of the Musician's voice, that there was something between the boy and his apprentice.

"I knew the girl was going to do something stupid," he growled to himself, clenching his hands into fists.

"What was that Master Cross?" Lyssa asked, having heard his muttered complaint but not having picked up on the actual words.

"It's nothing girl," Cross said, his voice laced with irritation. "And it has absolutely no bearing on the issue at hand."

"You should go into hiding until I can come up with a suitable solution to this problem," Nicholas said, his advice aimed toward the entire group.

"The hell I will," Cross snarled, his one visible red eye flashing fire. "I'm not running away from the Earl and I'm damn sure not running away from you."

Nicholas' gray eyes flashed gold as he whirled around, his glaring gaze focused on the infuriating man. "Your stubbornness is going to get you killed, you fool."

Cross made a move to grab the young man but Lyssa stepped between them, knocking her master's hand away and glaring at him. "Stop it, both of you! Now isn't the time for you to be fighting."

Cross merely glared at his apprentice but Nicholas instantly looked apologetic. "I'm sorry," he muttered.

And that was what cemented in Cross' mind the fact that there was something more going on than the two of them simply being on the same side in a war. He had no idea when exactly it had taken root but he was fairly certain that Lyssa had gotten herself into more trouble than she could get out of.

"It's alright Nicholas," Lyssa said, trying her best to keep her voice devoid of emotion. "Now what are we going to do about this situation?"

"I haven't a clue," Nicholas admitted, rubbing the back of his neck absently. "But I'm going to come up with something." At this point he turned his attention back to Cross, who was scowling resolutely. "And it would be easier if Marian would stop being stubborn and help me."

"Shut your mouth brat," Cross snapped, his one visible eye flashing fire. "We've already established the fact that I'm not afraid of you."

"I could have killed you," Nicholas snarled, referring to the day that they had met.

"And if you were going to then you should have done it then," Cross retorted. "You've now lost your opportunity."

"Men," Lyssa growled, rolling her eyes in their direction. This uncalled for posturing on the part of her master and the Musician was starting to irritate her. She had half a mind to call for Sorana and sic the dog on the both of them.

"Would you both stop it?"

Cross whirled around as he heard the irritated feminine voice that had called out to him and the Noah. Maria was standing a few feet away with her hands on her hips, looking decidedly annoyed.

"This is a problem and we are going to address it," the blond Exorcist glaring at both males through narrowed blue eyes. "Without fighting. You got that?"

This last question seemed to be directed mostly at Cross and, after a few moments, the general nodded his head. "I got it."

Nicholas smirked as he witnessed this little interaction between the two Exorcists. It amused him greatly that the red haired man seemed to be under the control of his subordinate. Of course since the two of them were married it was to be expected that he would defer to her wishes.

"Alright brat," Cross growled, turning his attention away from Maria and focusing it on the Noah once more. "Let's figure out what we're going to do about this little inconvenience."

Nicholas' smirk grew wider as he heard these words. Inwardly he was grateful that Maria had been able to knock some sense into the man, so to speak, but outwardly he presented an indifferent façade. "It's a good thing that one of you has some common sense."

A/N - Well this is a decidedly inconvenient turn of events for our little alliance. How will they get out of this mess without making the Earl suspicious? Stay tuned to find out and please leave a review!


	18. Forming a Plan

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Chapter Eighteen - Forming a Plan

"So what are we going to do about this 'unfortunate' turn of events?" Cross taunted, his one visible red eye focused on the Musician. He absolutely hated the fact that he couldn't read the boy's expressions, which made it impossible to tell when he was lying and when he wasn't. So of course there was always the possibility that this was all a part of some alternate plan that the brat had dreamed up. Because, despite the fact that they were in a supposed alliance, the fact remained that Cross didn't trust the young Noah. "You're supposed to be the mastermind of this alliance after all."

"And you're an idiot," Nicholas stated calmly, the only outward sign of his irritation the harsh look that had appeared in his eyes. Despite his uncanny knack at keeping his emotions in check and generally hiding them from the world the fact remained that he was growing frustrated. This conversation wasn't really getting them anywhere and it was coming dangerously close to forcing the Musician to lose his composure.

Which would not be a good thing for anyone involved. And least of all for Cross.

"Why you little…" Cross snarled, a harsh light shining in his one visible eye as well. His hands were clenched into fists, as though he desperately wanted to punch the arrogant Noah in the face. For his part the Musician looked less than concerned by Cross' threatening air. In fact the light shining in his eyes made it almost appear as though he wanted the Exorcist general to attack him. Perhaps so that he would have the opportunity to vent some frustrations.

"Enough," Maria said, an edge in her voice that threatened violence toward both of the males if they didn't stop their argument immediately.

Both Cross and Nicholas simultaneously shifted their gazes toward the blond Exorcist but at this point Lyssa joined in on the argument. She had heard all of their posturing that she cared to listen to and was all for putting a stop to it. "I swear, could the two of you maybe grow up for ten minutes? This is a serious problem and the two of you are fighting like a couple of immature school boys."

Both Cross and Nicholas gawked at Lyssa, neither able to believe that she had just spoken to them in such a manner.

"What was that girl?" Cross demanded, taking a step toward his apprentice, a dangerous look in his eye.

Lyssa refused to back down. Normally she would show her master at least a little more respect and keep her mouth shut but today they had pushed her over the edge. "I told you to grow up Master. I can't believe that with all that's at stake all the two of you can do is focus on your differences. Damnable male egos."

General Cross was fairly certain that he had never been spoken to in such a manner and was equally sure that he didn't like it. He glared at the girl through his one visible red eye but even this dark look didn't cause her to back down.

"I think you've been a bad influence on her Marian," Nicholas commented, a smirk on his face despite his growing irritation with the Exorcist general. Listening to Lyssa tell the man off had gone a long way toward improving his mood. "She's starting to get an attitude."

"That's enough out of you as well," Lyssa said, whirling around and focusing an equally dark glare on the Noah. "We have a serious issue that we need to deal with so could the two of you focus for a little while? I know it's hard but at least try and make the effort."

Now it was Nicholas' turn to be taken aback by the words of the young woman. For a moment all he could do was stare at her through shocked gray eyes, blinking a couple of times in disbelief. "Did you seriously just…"

"Yes I did," Lyssa said, interrupting him before he even had the chance to finish the question. Placing her hands on her hips she gazed around at the group, making sure that she had their attention. And, much to her amusement, despite the fact that they all looked annoyed they were none the less looking in her direction. "Now I actually have an idea that might help us get out of this mess without serious bodily harm…"

Noticing the pause Nicholas arched one brow. "I'm sensing a that there is going to be a 'however' in this statement."

"And you would be right," Lyssa said, absently playing with a lock of her hair as she thought about how to word her plan so that it didn't sound as bad. Unfortunately there wasn't really a way to make it sound better so she just took a deep breath and blurted it out. "The two of you are going to have to fight, there's no way around it. But I was thinking that if Maria and I were to 'interfere' then Nicholas could withdraw without arousing suspicion."

Both Cross and Nicholas narrowed their eyes on the girl. "Are you out of your mind?"

But surprisingly enough Maria was nodding her head in approval. "That's actually not a bad idea… it's less likely to draw attention if the two of them actually fight."

"Not that I wouldn't love to break a few of Marian's bones I don't think that this is a good idea," Nicholas said, trying not to dwell on the fact that he and Cross had been on the same wavelength there for a moment.

"Why not?" Lyssa demanded, once again turning and focusing her gaze on the Noah. It was obvious, by the furrowing of her brow, that she wasn't happy with this proclamation.

"Because someone from my family could show up," Nicholas replied, choosing to completely ignore the fact that she seemed angry with him. He'd find a way to gain her forgiveness later if that were possible. But even if it wasn't it would still be worth it if he kept her safe. "And that would be decidedly bad for the three of you… me as well for that matter."

"And why exactly would it be bad for you brat?" Cross demanded. After all the other Noah were on his side.

"Because I'd have to save your ass," the Musician said, finally annoyed enough to resort to vulgar language. "And that would effectively blow my cover don't you think?"

"I have serious doubts as to where you would actually save us," Cross countered harshly, not really liking this topic of conversation. Everything about this day was irritating him to no end and making him want to go and have a drink in the worst kind of way.

"Scratch that," Nicholas said, not really all that happy with the situation himself. He gestured toward the two women. "I'll save the two ladies but you're on your own."

"Why you little…" Cross took a couple of menacing steps toward the Noah but was forced to halt his progress as Maria stepped in front of him. Placing her hands on her hips the blond woman glared at her husband, actually causing him to take a step back.

While Nicholas merely stood around and smirked.

"Alright," the blond Exorcist said, her voice instantly alerting the two males to the fact that she wasn't about to take any of their crap. "If the two of you don't want to go with Lyssa's plan then I want to hear you come up with something better."

The two men thought for awhile but were eventually forced to concede, much to their mutual chagrin, that Lyssa's plan, although dangerous, did give them the best change for fooling the Earl and the other members of the Clan of Noah.

Maria could tell, simply by the expressions that were mirrored on both of their faces, that the two of them knew they were defeated. Nodding her head in satisfaction she turned her attention to Nicholas. "I think that we should wait a few days at least before putting this plan into motion. After all it would look rather odd if you were able to find Cross so quickly."

Actually agreeing with this part Nicholas nodded his head. It would look suspicious if he were to find the general without much effort, seeing as how no one in his family was aware of Timcanpy's special ability. They all simply thought that he kept the golem around as a mere companion. "You have a very valid point. We'll postpone this meeting for a few days and I shall withdraw until then."

This said the Musician offered the two ladies a polite bow, glared in Cross' direction for a moment, then turned and walked away. He would have liked nothing better than to hang around and attempt to dispel some of the anger that Lyssa was no doubt harboring against him but that was something that would have to wait until the two of them were alone. Mainly because the young Noah was fairly certain that he'd already betrayed some measure of his feelings for the girl in front of Cross.

A thought that made him visibly shudder.

Cross managed to maintain what was left of his composure until after the brat had disappeared. But, the moment that he was out of sight and hopefully out of earshot, Cross turned his attention to his apprentice. He was above and beyond furious with her and wanted answers. Answers that he fully intended to get. Glaring at the girl he snarled, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Despite her earlier bravado Lyssa flinched as she heard the harshness that was contained in his voice. "I was just looking for a way to help," she said, her voice quiet but still filled with determination.

And a refusal to completely back down.

"I'm not talking about that plan of yours," Cross said, his voice low and somewhat menacing. "That was stupid but surprisingly enough not the stupidest thing that I observed today."

Slightly confused about how she'd managed to incur his wrath if it hadn't been by standing up to him and coming up with a solution to their problem, all the girl could do was stare. "Master I don't understand."

"I'm referring to your relationship with that brat of a Noah," Cross growled.

Lyssa was taken aback by his words but managed to hide her true feelings behind a quickly resurrected mask. "I don't know what you're talking about Master… aside from this alliance of yours I don't have a relationship with him."

"The hell you don't," Cross countered, not even the slightest bit convinced by her words. "I saw the way that he looked at you… not to mention the fact that you're the only one I've ever seen who could actually put the brat in his place. And neither of those things happened by accident."

Unable to banish the thoughts that she'd massively screwed up Lyssa shook her head in denial. "I think you're under too much stress Master Cross… you're starting to hallucinate."

Cross didn't look even remotely convinced by her words, in fact he seemed even more annoyed than he had before, but he dropped the subject none the less. "Let's get back to the inn," he snarled, turning toward a rather worn trail. It was obvious that he was in a hurry, owing to the fact that he didn't even wait around to see if the two women were going to follow him. He had other things on his mind. "I need a drink."

Maria immediately fell into step behind her husband and, after heaving a small sigh of relief, Lyssa followed suit. "I can't believe that I let that happen," the young woman internally mused as she followed along behind the two older Exorcists. Honestly she should have expected her master to pick up on the fact that she and the Musician were hiding something but the thought had never even entered into her mind. "That was so unbelievably stupid."

For his part the Musician was having similar thoughts as he made his way back toward the Ark. It was obvious that they had decided upon Lyssa's plan but the young Noah couldn't help but wish that a better option had presented its self. Because putting her in danger was the last thing in the world that he wanted to do. "I can't believe that this is happening… just when I found something in life that might actually make me happy."

Of course Nicholas knew that this should have been his first clue that it was doomed to failure. He'd never been able to find happiness in life, no matter how hard he tried, so why should things be any different now?

The short answer to that was that they shouldn't. But for a brief moment he'd held out hope that perhaps his luck had changed.

"I should have known better," he mused as he summoned the entrance to the Ark. He wasn't really in the mood to deal with any of his 'siblings' at the moment so the moment that he entered the Ark, Nicholas immediately made his way to his secret room. All he wanted was a few moments of peace and quiet and this was the only place where he was likely to find that rare treat. And only then because none of the others could enter this room… or even knew of it's existence.

Striding across the room the Musician sat down on the white sofa, for once opting not to take a seat at the piano. His thoughts were to focused on his meeting with the Exorcists for even the piano's soothing music to entice him. "I lost my composure," he growled, removing his top hat and running a hand through his mahogany hair. "I can't believe I allowed something like that to happen."

He'd never had a problem in the past concealing his feelings for Lyssa when the others were around but he'd failed miserably today. Not even stopping to think that this could be a result of the fact that his feelings for the girl had grown all the Noah could do was berate himself.

In his eyes it was an unforgivable failure and one that was likely to come back to haunt him.

"Just like everything else…" he muttered, shaking his head as he fell over on the couch. Lying on his side all the young man wanted to do was sink into the blissful nothingness of sleep but the voice that was screaming inside his mind wouldn't allow it. The inner Noah was restless due to his frequent contact with the Exorcists and that fact was making it much more difficult for Nicholas to suppress the voice.

It was screaming out for the destruction of the Innocence that he had came into contact with and wouldn't be appeased until that became a reality. Which ensured that the young man wouldn't know a moment's peace.

"So tired…" Nicholas muttered, making every attempt to ignore his inner demon. Closing his eyes his thoughts shifted, unbidden, back to the young girl with the doe eyes. Despite himself the Noah felt a smile spread across his face.

"She's worth any measure of suffering that I have to endure," he thought to himself, steeling his resolve and once again vowing that he would do whatever it took to both keep her safe and become the kind of person that she deserved.

"Only you, my love," he whispered, emotion thick in his voice.

A/N - End of another chapter and they've came up with a plan. Hope that you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review and tell me what you thought.


	19. Plan Set Into Motion

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Chapter Nineteen - Plan Set Into Motion

Skipping down a corridor in the tower of the Ark, Road Kamelot turned a corner and suddenly drew up short as she spotted a familiar figure walking in front of her. It was the Fourteenth, seemingly preoccupied by something, and this discovery served to brighten her mood. She had been searching for a way to occupy her time for what seemed like ages but none of her siblings wanted to play with her.

They all made the excuse that they were busy and didn't have time for her childish games.

A fact that caused a pout to form on her face as they one by one turned her down. Wishing that Lord Millennium hadn't taken Lero with him the young girl was forced to search for something else to do.

Which was the reason why she was so ecstatically happy to run into the Musician. It was easier to convince him to play with her than any of the others, for which Road loved him. Smiling brightly she called out to him in her most charming voice.

"Nicky-pet!"

The silver haired Noah visibly cringed as he heard the sing-songy voice that was calling out from behind him. Pausing mid-step Nicholas glanced over his shoulder, watching as Road skipped toward him. She wore a broad smile on her face and it was blatantly obvious by the sadistic gleam in her golden eyes, that she wanted something. And since she had used the much loathed nickname Nicholas was willing to wager that she wanted to play one of her deranged games.

Which, needless to say, he was NOT in the mood for at the moment.

"What do you want Road?" he questioned, his voice devoid of emotion despite the fact that he was beyond annoyed. She was the last person that he would have chosen to run into, which was of course the reason why it was her and not someone else.

"Do I have to want something in order to speak to my favorite brother?" The expression on her face was one of pure innocence but the Musician wasn't fooled.

"Yes," he deadpanned.

Road merely stared at him for a moment before she beamed at him. Taking a couple of quick steps she seized him by the hand, before he had time to register exactly what she was doing. As she gazed up into his eyes her impossibly wide smile grew even wider, though Nicholas wasn't exactly sure how that was even possible. "Well actually… I'm bored Nicky-pet. Let's play a game!"

The Musician was cautious around her at the best of times but the moment the word 'game' escaped her lips he was on high alert. Mainly by virtue of the fact that he had learned soon after his arrival that the Noah of Dreams didn't have a normal concept of fun.

Thinking fast Nicholas attempted to come up with a believable excuse for why he COULDN'T play her games. Much to his chagrin nothing immediately came to mind. So instead the young Noah decided on Plan B. living with his rather odd and sadistically dysfunctional family Nicholas had learned that it was always a good idea to have a Plan B… and sometimes even a Plan C.

"Tell you what Road," Nicholas said, doing everything in his power to keep his features impassive so that she wouldn't become suspicious. "Give me a few minutes to change clothes and then I'll play your little game."

"Okay!" Road chimed, happy that for once someone had actually agreed to play her game.

Without the need for coercion.

Inclining his head to his sibling, who was barely managing to contain her obvious impatience, Nicholas continued on his way. His constant companion Timcanpy was flying along beside him. Turning a corner, out of sight of Road, the Musician nodded his head ever so slightly. Taking the hint Timcanpy flew forward, opening the doorway to the secret room.

The Musician's inner sanctum.

"Road isn't going to be happy," Nicholas muttered as he stepped through the open portal. "But I don't have the time nor the patience for her fun and games at the present moment."

The quiet of the white room was a welcome respite but of course the young Noah found it impossible to relax. Despite the calm that came with being alone in a space that was solely his. Shoving his hands roughly into the pockets of his trousers Nicholas began to pace about the room in a restless manner.

"I can't believe that I actually allowed them to talk me into this ludicrous plan," he muttered as he paced.

Over three weeks had passed since that rather fateful meeting with the group of Exorcists and yet he was still stunned by his own agreement to go along with the plan. Despite his reservations he had told them that he would do it.

He'd been second guessing himself ever since.

The Musician had had nothing but time to dwell on this perceived mistake on his part. Biding his time, in an effort to not appear overly suspicious, Nicholas had merely been pretending to search for his assigned target. A performance that was necessary in order to keep his cover in place. Owing to Timcanpy's ability to track Nicholas knew that he would have little difficulty finding the red haired general but that would look strange to his surrogate family.

So he was forced to wait.

He still thought that it was a big mistake to involve the two female Exorcists but of course his opinion hadn't really been taken into consideration when they had discussed the various options.

"And she honestly thinks that this is a good plan," the young man muttered darkly to himself as he continued to pace. While it was true that he'd been forced to retreat to his secret room by Road's insistence that he play with her, now that he was trapped Nicholas was feeling decidedly like a caged tiger. He couldn't seem to sit still, or sit at all for that matter, and not even the piano could hold his interest. All he could manage to do was wear a hole in the floor with his incessant pacing. Back and forth, back and forth. The very repetitiveness of the motion was enough to drive him mad and yet the Musician simply couldn't stop.

His heart was racing and his hands were clammy, a sensation that he wasn't accustomed to and wholly didn't enjoy. A small part of his mind, the part controlled by the Noah genes that he possessed, couldn't help but think that such feelings were fit only for the weak and pathetic sub humans. But at the same time Nicholas was still human enough to fight against that train of thought. Because the brown haired Exorcist who had so thoroughly captured his intrigue was technically one of the sub humans that he had been taught to loathe and she was anything but weak. Lyssa was one of the strongest people, male or female, that he had ever met but that didn't mean that she was prepared to stand up against any of the members of his surrogate family.

A scenario that could easily become a reality due to her plan.

This was a thought that only served to further unsettle the young man and he came to an abrupt halt as images appeared unbidden in his mind. He couldn't keep Lyssa off his mind, nor could he shake the nagging feeling that something was going to happen. This plan of hers was foolhardy at best and suicidal at worst. A thought that Nicholas couldn't tolerate and yet at the same time couldn't force from his mind.

The sight of her bloody corpse lying on the ground.

Shaking his head almost violently Nicholas resumed his pacing, absently running a hand through his already unruly silver hair. This only caused it to stand up even more than normal but that was of little consequence to him. Granted the entire habit was an annoyance that he absolutely abhorred, but when he was stressed Nicholas couldn't seem to stop himself.

And at this point in time stressed was a major understatement.

And, as though all of this wasn't bad enough, the young man also had to deal with the little voice in the back of his mind screaming for the deaths of all three of the Exorcists. Admittedly this would make things easier for him, as well as solve several of his problems. But life without Lyssa wasn't something that he could handle. A direct contradiction to his nature as one of the members of the Clan of Noah but for perhaps the first time Nicholas was almost confident that he could fight against his nature.

For Lyssa.

"I'm not deserving of her kindness," he thought to himself as he made yet another lap around the room. "But I want to become a man who is deserving of her love."

Having reached this conclusion Nicholas once again abruptly halted his pacing, staring off into space for a moment as though transfixed. Then, with a sigh, he turned his attention back toward Timcanpy. The golem had been perched on the piano, in the place where the sheet music was meant to be kept, but he shot into the air the moment that his master turned his gaze in his direction.

"Let's get this disaster over with Tim," the young Noah said quietly, a distant look appearing in his golden eyes.

With a brief nod Timcanpy flew forward, once again opening the door so that the Musician wouldn't have to. Emerging from the secret room, Nicholas strode down the hall purposefully. There was no avoiding the inevitable so he decided that there was nothing to be done for it except to face it head on.

So that became his plan of action.

"Where did he go?" Road huffed as she made her way down the corridor. The Fourteenth had promised to play a game with her but then hadn't shown up. Which of course had put the young Noah girl in a rather foul mood. And made her determined to track down her wayward brother and make him regret that decision. "He promised to play with me and now he's…"

Her rant was cut short as she witnessed Nicholas turn a corner and make his way toward the door. Ducking back so that he wouldn't see her, Road locked her gaze onto the Musician. His features were determined and his steps purposeful… which effectively served to arouse her curiosity.

"Where are you going Nicky-pet?" she thought to herself, making a split second decision to follow her brother. She wasn't aware of any new orders from Lord Millennium so… a somewhat sadistic smile appeared on the girl's face. "Maybe he's found that red haired Exorcist!"

If that were the case then she decided that she could more than likely find it in her heart to forgive the Musician for avoiding her game. After all watching him fight and kill an Exorcist would be much more fun.

"This is going to be so much fun!"

Road was well aware of the fact that Nicholas wouldn't approve of her following along behind him so she resolved to be sneaky about it. Allowing him to exit the manor the Noah of Dreams followed along at a safe distance… and lamented the fact that she couldn't hear what he was saying to his little golden companion.

"I really wish that Nicky-pet would let me play with it," she thought idly as she made her way along the trail behind him. This was a completely random thought but then again that was pretty much the way that Road's mind worked. It took a great deal to hold her interest for any great length of time. Out of all of her siblings Nicholas was the best at keeping her entertained, which was part of the reason why he was her favorite.

And the main reason why she made it her business to know where he was when he was out of her sight.

This thought abruptly shifted to another as she continued to follow him along the path. She had no idea where exactly he was going, or what his plans were, but sincerely hoped that they didn't involve traipsing through the forest all day. Because that was definitely NOT her idea of fun.

"This better not be another one of his nature hikes," she inwardly ranted, recalling the hike that she and the Musician had taken soon after his arrival. They had spent FOREVER in the forest and it hadn't been any fun at all. He wouldn't even let her play with any of the little animals that were hanging around.

Had Nicholas not been preoccupied by his concerns about the upcoming 'battle' with Cross then he may have noticed that an unwanted entity was following along behind him. But as it was the young man was so caught up in his train of thought that the fact that he was being accompanied by Road didn't even register with him. Normally an incredibly observant individual this would become an oversight that would come back to haunt the Musician.

A/N - End of yet another chapter. Sorry for the delay but my muses have been less than cooperative as of late. Hope that you enjoyed, please leave a review and tell me what you thought.


	20. Battle Real or Fake?

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM nor any of the characters.

Chapter Twenty - Battle… Real or Fake?

As he made his way through the forest, gazing around every so often, the Musician's thoughts were focused on the 'battle' that was about to be fought. It had to appear realistic, owing to the fact that he was going to have Timcanpy hide himself away and record the entire affair. Which was why he had every intent not to go easy on the red headed Exorcist. After all he didn't know exactly how good any of the Exorcists could act and this had to be believable or his life, as well as the lives of all those involved, would be in danger.

A smirk played across the face of the Musician as he thought about the prospect of beating a little sense into the red haired Exorcist. As far as he could tell that was the one major plus side to this plan that Lyssa had hatched. In order to make the battle believable he would actually have to land blows. Because Lord Millennium was well aware of his powers, if not the full extent of them.

"This should be mildly entertaining," Nicholas thought to himself idly as he continued to walk. His pace was casual and yet at the same time deliberate… he knew exactly where he was going but didn't want it to seem that way.

Just in case.

* * *

"Oh," Road whined to herself as she followed along behind her brother. It seemed like they had been walking forever, and at an unbearably slow pace on top of everything. Road had to hang back in order to remain hidden from her observant sibling, which was only making the situation that much worse. And making her regret her decision to follow him. "This is SO boring… I should have stayed behind and found someone else to play with."

She'd been hoping that her brother would lead her to something interesting but it was beginning to appear as though he had merely been going out for a stroll. This wasn't wholly unlike him and for a moment Road debated turning around and returning to the Ark. She paused however as she watched her sibling come to an abrupt halt.

Golden eyes widened in mild surprise as her gaze fell upon a familiar, red haired figure. The Noah girl perked up immediately at the sight, now grateful that she had opted to follow her brother when he had departed. It seemed as though it was going to be worth it after all. A smile spread across her face as she felt the anticipation build. "This is going to be good…"

* * *

"You…" Nicholas made certain to keep his voice calm and devoid of any trace of emotion that might give him away. Timcanpy was hidden and recording this encounter and the Musician prepared to give the performance of his life. A smirk spread across his face as Cross turned to face him, his own features marred by a disapproving scowl.

"Who the hell are you?" Cross demanded, a convincing look on his face that was a mixture of mild confusion and great annoyance.

Stepping forward Nicholas inclined his head ever so slightly to the red haired general who stood a few yards away. "Greetings Exorcist… all that you need know about me is that I am the instrument of your demise."

Cross' gaze briefly swept over the young man, a disdainful expression in his one visible eye. "You don't look like much brat… turn and walk away unless you enjoy pain."

The Musician briefly thought about the 'sister' that he had left behind and he was unable to suppress a smirk. "Pain is an inevitability and something that you grow accustomed to in time… not that I think you're much of a threat."

Reaching down Cross drew a large gun from the holster that he wore at his side, raising it so that the barrel was pointed squarely at the mahogany haired youth. "We'll see just how accustomed to it you are." Having said this Cross pulled the trigger several times in rapid succession, launching a volley of bullets in Nicholas' direction.

In the blink of an eye the Musician shifted to his 'black' persona, his skin paling at the same time that his eyes turned golden and little cross shaped stigmata seemed to etch themselves across his forehead. Holding up his right hand haunting music seemed to fill the air as Nicholas brought the bullets to an abrupt halt. Acting as though they had struck something, despite the fact that nothing was visible, the bullets exploded. A smirk spread across his face as he turned his gaze back to the Exorcist, an arrogant look held in his golden eyes as he taunted the man. "Oh, I don't think I'll be able to cope with the flesh searing pain."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Cross snarled, appearing genuinely surprised by the fact that Nicholas had so effortless negated his attack. The bullets of his gun, Judgment, never missed their target and yet the brat had managed to bring them to a halt without so much as batting an eyelash. A fact that truly annoyed him.

Nicholas grinned as he realized that he had, however inadvertently, struck a real nerve with Cross. The man seemed beyond angry over the fact that his attack had failed. "Oh I apologize, was that supposed to be an actual attack? I thought you were merely playing around."

Unable to resist the urge to laugh out loud as she listened to the taunts that the Musician was directing at Cross, Road was forced to clamp her hand down over her mouth rather hard. That was the only thing that prevented her from bursting into raucous laughter and revealing the fact that she was hiding.

A fact that she knew would anger Nicholas… so it was just better if he never learned that she was here.

Because even the Noah of Dreams had things that she was afraid of and was fairly certain that Nicholas would capitalize on his knowledge in this area. A decidedly disconcerting thought however you chose to look at it.

Cross was forced to grit his teeth as the heard these words from the brat and, for a moment, he was tempted to forget that this wasn't an actual fight. He had been dying to wipe that smug expression off the Musician's face since the first time that they had met and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to do just that. With this thought in mind he once again leveled his gun in the brat's direction. "You're going to pay for that comment brat."

Completely unconcerned Nicholas merely waved off this threat. "I'll believe that one when I see it Exorcist." The young Noah had to resist the urge to call him Marian, since this would make it appear as though the two of them were familiar with one another. But since this was his favorite way of getting under the man's skin it was proving slightly difficult to do so. He actually had to bite his tongue a time or two in order to keep that particular taunt out of the equation.

"I'm going to kill you," Cross snarled, once again raising his weapon and firing several shots in rapid succession. The bullets flew toward the Noah, their course set and their target in sight.

"Such determination," Nicholas said, humming a tune as he eyed the bullets. He was well aware of the fact that the bullets fired from Judgment wouldn't cease until they found their target… or were destroyed. And it was the second option that Nicholas was putting his money on. As the Musician hummed golden threads appeared around him, seizing the bullets before they managed to strike their intended target. The bullets exploded harmlessly mere feet away from the young Noah, who continued to wear a smirk.

Despite the fact that he hadn't wanted to go along with this plan of action the Musician was forced to admit to the fact that he was actually enjoying himself to a small degree. It was always fun to infuriate Cross, there was a vein that popped up on the side of his forehead whenever he got really mad.

As was currently the case.

"I'm going to fucking kill you, you stupid brat…" These words were snarled in a feral tone and for a moment the grin that Nicholas wore faltered. His golden eyes shifted to Cross and he was stunned as the man actually lowered his gun… a second before he rushed forward. Taken aback by this rather abrupt change in tactics the young Noah didn't react in time to prevent himself from being tackled. He issued a small grunt as his body slammed into the ground, rather hard.

And it was in this moment that Lyssa and Maria chose to make their appearance. The two female Exorcists ran forward, weapons drawn as they approached the two fighting males. Not having realized that they were going to intervene in this moment Nicholas made an attempt to free himself but Cross weighed quite a bit more than he himself so it was proving to be a difficult feat.

"Get your fat ass off of me you damn Exorcist," Nicholas snarled in a low tone, attempting to free his pinned arms.

"Master Cross!" Lyssa could tell, by virtue of the vein that was protruding on his forehead, that perhaps Nicholas had taken their fight a little more seriously than he should have. She had to force herself to act the part that she had given herself, holding up her violin and focusing her gaze on the Musician.

It was his move.

Or at least that's what she had previously thought however it proved not to be the case as someone new rushed forward, joining the party uninvited. This unexpected guest was a young girl, dressed in a black and white Lolita dress, with short hair and a decidedly unhappy look on her face. At first glance she appeared to be a petulant child but this first impression proved false as her skin tone turned ashen and her eyes shifted to a glaring golden. "Get your filthy hands off my brother," she snarled, glaring at Cross as she raised her hands and summoned several brightly colored, and sharp pointed, candles.

Nicholas had only been pinned for a matter of minutes but he groaned in dismay as he heard the voice of Road. Using Cross' moment of surprise to his advantage he gained his freedom, shoving the larger male away and leaping to his feet. Things had just gotten complicated, what with the unforeseen and completely unwelcome arrival of Road, and Nicholas' mind raced in an effort to come up with a plan.

Before things escalated from bad to worse.

"Road, I…"

The Musician was unable to complete this sentence due to the fact that Road abruptly turned toward him, seizing him by the arm and pulling him forward. Once again holding out her hand the Noah girl summoned one of her doors, through which she proceeded to drag her very startled brother. Once they were safely inside her domain Road turned toward her brother, a sympathetic expression in her eyes. "That didn't go so well huh Nicky-pet?"

Growling low in his throat Nicholas reached up and ran his hands through his silvery gray hair. "I can't believe that I allowed her to follow me," he thought to himself, wanting to punch himself for having been so unimaginably stupid. His goal was to protect the woman that he cared for desperately and yet his stupidity had inadvertently led one of his siblings, and the most sadistic one at that, right to her. "How could I not have known that she was there? She could have hurt Lyssa and it would have been my fault."

Thinking that he was merely upset because the Exorcists had gotten the better of him Road reached out a hand, placing it on the Musician's shoulder in a comforting gesture. She had been angry with him when he had decided to ditch her in order to go after his own pursuits but now she was willing to forgive him. "Don't worry about it Nicky-pet, you'll get those filthy Exorcists the next time."

Resisting the urge to bash his head into the nearest wall Nicholas gazed down at the Noah girl. "Could you just kill me now and get it over with?"

"Don't worry about it," Road said again, wrapping her arms around him. "Like I said, you'll get them next time and I won't tell Lord Millennium anything about this."

For some reason her words were less than reassuring to the mahogany haired youth. Shaking his head Nicholas began walking away from her. "I think I'm going to go and lie down."

For once Road didn't make an attempt to stop her sibling; she merely watched as he walked away. After he had summoned the door to the Ark and disappeared the girl paused to think about the situation that she had just witnessed. Nicholas had been in control of the fight until that red headed fool had tackled him and then those other Exorcists had shown up. The Noah of Dreams was fairly certain that they could have defeated the Exorcists, despite being out numbered, but something about the look in the Musician's eyes had made her decide against that course of action.

But looking back on the situation there was something about it that bugged her just the tiniest bit. The Exorcist had gained the upper hand, if only for the briefest of moments, so why hadn't Nicholas opted to use his secret weapon?

"Why didn't he summon the Ark?"

A/N - End of another chapter and Nicky-pet had to be 'rescued' by Road… I foresee that coming back to haunt him later. Actually I foresee a lot of things coming back to haunt him later. Anyway, hope that you enjoyed the chapter.


	21. Be Mine

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Chapter Twenty-One - Be Mine

Once he entered the Ark the Musician used it to return to the Earl's manor despite the fact that he didn't really want to go there. In truth he wanted nothing more than to retreat to his secret room in order to lick his wounds but it would look suspicious if he didn't return to the manor. And after what had just occurred he couldn't afford for anything else to make him look suspicious at this point. Too many things had already cast a shadow on his motives and he didn't want to add to the list.

"I can't believe that I allowed that to happen," Nicholas thought to himself as he reached out and pulled open the door of his room. Stepping inside he practically slammed the door before stalking over to the bed. His stupidity and the resulting incident had served to put him in a decidedly foul mood and he wasn't really doing anything to hide this fact. "I could have gotten her killed…"

Lyssa's sweet face suddenly appeared in his mind and the young Noah reached up, placing a gloved hand over his face as he shook his head. This kept happening... regardless of what he started out focusing on his thoughts inevitably shifted to Lyssa. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't keep her out of his mind… she had changed him, for better or worse. He was no longer the same person that he had been before meeting her although the voice of the inner Noah still screamed out in his mind.

"_**Destroy the girl and the Innocence!"**_

But Nicholas knew the simple truth of the matter; no matter what the voice of the inner Noah demanded of him there was absolutely no way that he could ever bring harm to Lyssa. At least not intentionally. Unfortunately it was a fact that he could bring her harm through his actions alone and this reality caused a shiver to run down his spine.

"I love her," the young Noah whispered, a soft look coming to light up his normally steely gray eyes. He was struck by a realization at this point and he knew what must be done. "And I have to protect her."

With this thought in mind Nicholas got to his feet, leaving his room and quietly making his way out of the manor once more. This visit had been brief but none of the others had seen him so hopefully no one would bring up questions later.

* * *

"I can't believe that the Exorcists actually gained the upper hand against Nicky-pet," Road mused as she idly tossed candles at a target she had set up several yards away. A target that strongly resembled the red haired Exorcist that her brother had been assigned to get rid of. After the Musician's departure the young Noah girl had felt the need to release some pent up frustrations. "The Musician dominated most of that fight so what exactly happened?"

Things had taken a turn for the worst when that red headed imbecile had decided to tackle Nicholas but even then he shouldn't have had any problems getting to his feet and pummeling the guy. But the Musician had hesitated when those two female Exorcists had arrived, which was the reason why Road had felt the need to interfere.

"Why did he hesitate?" Road asked herself as one of her candles pierced the dummy of Cross in the eye. Since this was her realm the target dummy that she had created was remarkably life like, as was evident by the fake blood that spurted from it's eye as it was punctured. A sadistic smile spread across her face as she witnessed this but even that couldn't distract her from these disturbing thoughts.

"I just don't get it…"

* * *

After leaving the manor Nicholas used Timcanpy to quickly locate the small inn where the group of Exorcists were staying. They had retreated some distance from the scene of their staged battle, a fact for which Nicholas was grateful. It meant that the chances that he would be caught by one of his siblings was low but more importantly it meant that Lyssa's safety was less of a concern.

Reliable as always Timcanpy led the Musician right up to the door of the room that he assumed must be Lyssa's. For once the young Noah didn't care if Cross caught the two of them together since, if all worked out as he hoped it would, it would no longer be a necessity to keep their relationship a secret. Reaching out he lightly knocked on the door of her room with a gloved hand, his other running through his hair in a nervous gesture.

For which he inwardly cursed himself.

A few minutes passed and then the door was pulled open. "Yes, what is…" Lyssa's voice trailed off as she realized exactly who it was that had been knocking on her door. She had been expecting Maria, since she'd known from the knock that it wasn't Master Cross, but of course the Noah who stood before her was the absolute last person whom she had expected to see. Reaching out she seized him by the arm, pulling him into the room before quickly closing the door. "What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"I apologize," Nicholas said, inclining his head to her ever so slightly, his gray eyes shining as he gazed at the girl. She was dressed in a ruffled blouse and loose trousers, her Exorcist coat hanging on the back of a nearby chair. "But I just wanted to make certain that you were alright."

"I'm fine," Lyssa said, gazing around as though expecting for someone else to join them at any moment. "But neither of us is going to be able to say that if Master Cross finds you here."

Nicholas scoffed, not even seeming remotely concerned about the possible threat that she spoke of. "I'm not frightened of Marian… and you shouldn't be either." His eyes flashed golden at this point. "If he ever lays so much as a finger on you I'll rip him apart."

Reaching out Lyssa placed a hand on his shoulder. "Alright Nicky, calm down. There won't be any reason for you to tear anyone apart."

Her gentle touch seemed to bring Nicholas back to himself and his eyes reverted to their normal shade of cool gray. The right corner of his mouth twitched up into a smirk as he once again ran a hand through his mahogany colored hair. "I apologize. I guess I got a little carried away… but I meant every word that I said."

Lyssa offered him a smile. "That's nice Nicky… so did you just come by to make sure that I'm alright or was there something else on your mind?"

"Um actually there was something else that I wanted to ask you…" Nicholas hesitated at this point, moving his hands nervously as he spoke. He was completely irritated by this but couldn't seem to force himself to calm enough to stop.

"What is it?" Lyssa questioned curiously, rather enjoying watching the nervous way that he was behaving. She was so accustomed to seeing him completely in control of his emotions that seeing this side of him somehow served to make him appear more… human. Proved that he wasn't the emotionless person that he pretended to be. A soft smile spread across her face as she waited for him to continue.

"Well it's just… I wanted to tell you…" A slight blush rose to color the Noah's face and he once again hesitated, running a hand through his hair as though compelled to do so by some other worldly force. This was a quirk that he'd had for as long as he could remember and yet it still annoyed him to no end.

"Come on Nicky," Lyssa coaxed, reaching out and taking his hand before he once again had the chance to move it to his hair again. He was going to have it standing on end if he continued on in this manner. "You can do it, I know you can."

"I want to protect you," Nicholas murmured, his voice much softer than normal but also slightly deeper. He gazed down into her doe eyes and seemed to find a measure of confidence. "And I…" Swallowing around the lump that had seemed to develop in his throat the young man managed to choke out the last two words. "…love you."

Lyssa's eyes widened as she heard these words whispered from the lips of the young Noah. Reaching out she seized his other hand, holding both of them within her own as she gazed into his gray eyes. They were the exact color of the sky before a thunderstorm and she knew, without a doubt, that he was capable of just as much destruction as said storm. But she also knew that there was a gentle side to him that was rarely seen but precious none the less. Smiling, in this moment she knew that she mirrored his feelings. And the young girl had a much easier time saying it. "I love you too Nicky… very much."

Nicholas' heart actually skipped a beat as he gently pulled her into his embrace. He hadn't even dared to hope for such a thing and yet she had told him that she shared his feelings. His angel had granted him a love that he didn't deserve but none the less desired. Leaning forward he touched his lips gently to hers, savoring the feelings as she returned his gentle kiss. Pulling away and seeing the light of happiness that was shining in her eyes Nicholas suddenly sank to one knee in front of her. Still holding her hands within his own he spoke, "I have no ring to offer you at present but I have to ask… Lyssa, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

This was insane. In truth they barely knew one another and yet Nicholas couldn't resist asking her this question and now he waited for her response with baited breath. Would she accept his proposal or would she do the sensible thing and tell him to get lost?

"Nicholas…"

His heart leapt into his throat as she spoke, afraid that she was going to refuse. Taking a deep breath he gazed up at her angelic face, praying for the first time in countless years, how many exactly he couldn't be sure. He knew that he would never be the same if she refused but all he could do was wait for her to finish.

"I would be honored to be your wife."

A smile appeared across his face as he leapt to his feet and seized her around the waist, twirling her around happily. His pulse was still racing and he couldn't believe his good fortune. The young man knew that he had done absolutely nothing to deserve her love but was grateful for it none the less. For the first time in a long time things actually seemed to be going right for him and Nicholas could only marvel at this fact.

"I swear I'll never give you cause to regret this decision…" he whispered sincerely before leaning forward and kissing her passionately.

A/N - End of another chapter and there was fluff! Not a lot but hey better than none. I sincerely hope that you enjoyed this chapter, please be kind enough to leave a review as you leave.


	22. Master and Apprentice

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Chapter Twenty-Two - Master and Apprentice

Nicholas was hardly able to believe that Lyssa had actually accepted his proposal and the wide grin that was plastered on his face was further evidence of this fact. A rarity given his situation but he simply couldn't help himself… or perhaps he just didn't want to. After all they had only known one another a short time so it would have been understandable if Lyssa had refused; hell, Nicholas was fully expecting her to laugh in his face.

But she hadn't.

She had actually said yes and with far less hesitation than one would expect from someone in her position. The young Noah was elated over this unforeseen turn of good fortune; so much so that he didn't notice the sound of someone knocking on the door. An unusual lapse in his normally hyper vigilant nature and one that would come back to haunt him any number of times in the years that were to come. Because Lyssa didn't notice the knock either and, at that moment, a gruff voice called out in warning, "Damn it, you'd better be dressed girl because I'm coming in right now!"

Lyssa paled as she heard these words, having no difficulty recognizing it as that of the general with whom she traveled. "Master Cross!"

"This isn't going to end well…" was all Nicholas had time to observe before the door of the room burst open to reveal the red haired Exorcist General. His one visible red eye surveyed the scene for a moment, an expression of absolute rage appearing on his face.

"What the hell is going on here?" Cross demanded, his gaze shifting back and forth between Nicholas and Lyssa, as though trying to decide which of them to kill first.

Nicholas took a moment to debate his response to this, at the same time lamenting the fact that he hadn't locked the door behind himself, but Lyssa didn't seem to need to do the same. Stepping forward and gazing squarely at her mentor the young woman replied, "Nicholas and I are going to be married Master Cross."

A reply which caused both Cross and Nicholas to gape in disbelief. Had she seriously just told him that piece of information without so much as batting an eye?

"Have you lost your mind idiot girl?" Cross demanded, taking a step toward Lyssa. Of course this prompted Nicholas to forget any reserve that he might have, sensing a threat to the woman that he loved. Shifting to his 'black' persona the young Noah stepped in between Lyssa and Cross, preventing the man from getting close to her. "I would advise against it Exorcist," he growled in a menacing tone, leaving no doubt to the fact that he would cause the man grave bodily harm should he make a move toward the girl.

Reaching out Lyssa placed a calming hand on Nicholas' forearm. "It's alright Nicky… he won't harm me." Standing on her tiptoes so that she could give him a quick kiss the young woman pushed him toward the door. "Master Cross and I have some things to discuss… I'll talk to you later alright?"

Nicholas was visibly hesitant to leave her in this situation but, after she gave him a reassuring smile, decided to trust her judgment. She seemed certain that everything would be okay so he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. But before departing he felt the need to issue a warning to the man who seemed incredibly irritated over the situation. "Alright," he finally said, leaning forward and pressing his lips gently to hers. This done he once again turned his attention back to Cross. "But know this Marian… if any harm comes to her you will suffer a fate far worse than death. Of that I can assure you."

Cross merely scoffed as he watched the Noah brat withdraw, shaking his head a moment before turning his attention back to the young woman whom the Order had left in his charge. In hindsight this seemed like a very bad decision on their part, not that he'd been very keen on it to begin with. This situation with the Noah was problematic and not something that would have occurred had he not taken Lyssa on as an apprentice. "Have you completely lost your mind?" the red haired man demanded once he and Lyssa were alone. "What are you thinking? He's a Noah."

"That may be true but that doesn't make Nicholas any less deserving of love than other people," Lyssa stated calmly, not even remotely intimidated by her master's harsh words. Despite his reputation she knew without a doubt that he wouldn't harm her… he may yell and curse but that would be the extent of it. And she had long ago ceased to care what others thought of her so being called an idiot didn't really have the desired effect either. "Noah or not he's been working on our side so how is he any worse than other people?"

"Have you thought about the possibility that he could be just using us?" Cross growled, feeling the need for a stiff drink. For some reason dealing with people always made him want to get drunk… one of the main reasons why he avoided it whenever possible. And dealing with this girl and that brat of a Noah always intensified this desire ten fold.

"Shockingly enough I did give thought to that possibility," Lyssa retorted calmly, not so much as batting an eyelash. Contrary to popular belief she wasn't completely vacant headed, not matter what Cross was constantly shouting. "In fact I'm fairly certain that was his intention in the beginning…" She paused at this point, giving Cross a moment to digest this information since this was a suspicion that she hadn't shared with either her master or Maria. She was closer to them than anyone else but had seen in Nicholas someone in need of saving and someone who genuinely deserved a second chance so she had kept her concerns about him to herself. "But he's changed a great deal since we first began dealing with him… not to mention the fact that he's had numerous opportunities both to kill and/or capture me and hasn't acted on any of them."

"You've been spending time with the brat." It wasn't a question; merely a statement of fact. Cross didn't need for her to confirm it, the confirmation was written all over her face.

"I have," Lyssa affirmed in a quiet voice. "And he isn't an innately bad person… it's not like he can help the fact that he was born a Noah. No more than I can help the fact that I was chosen by Innocence."

"I can't believe that you're even comparing the two," Cross said, reaching up and running a hand through his long red hair. He'd had his suspicions about the two of them for a little while now but hadn't expected to be having this conversation with his apprentice at any point. For whatever reason Cross had thought that the girl had better sense than to get mixed up with a Noah… obviously he'd been wrong in that assumption. "And you know if the Order finds out about this little union you'll be labeled a traitor, right?"

"I'll be labeled a traitor regardless if they find out about Nicholas," Lyssa stated in a matter of fact manner. She had no illusions about what she had done nor about how the higher ups of the Black Order would react to the fact that their group was conspiring with a known member of the Millennium Earl's side. Regardless of their motives, if anyone found out that they had allied with a Noah, they would all be tried for heresy. A charge that few, if any, survived. Which meant that she was well aware of the danger and willing to take the risk despite that knowledge. "So the way I see it, this doesn't really change my situation all that much. I can still fulfill my duty as an Exorcist… the only difference will be that I'll be with the man that I love."

"Stubborn…" Cross growled, actually marveling slightly that she seemed to have an answer for everything that he brought up. Had she put some thought into it or was she just pulling this stuff out of thin air on the spur of the moment?

If that was the case then the man had to admit that it was impressive. Not that this made him any happier about the situation.

"Unfortunate side effect of being around you for long periods of time," Lyssa tossed out casually, offering her mentor the ghost of a roguish smile. It spoke volumes that she teased him in such a manner, not many in the Order would dare. Of course she knew that the man was less threatening than he acted, something that the others likely wouldn't believe even if she told them. "Aside from that I really am sorry that you had to find out about it this way but… you know you really should knock before coming into a woman's room."

"I did knock," Cross snapped, his one visible red eye narrowing. "It's not my fault that you and the brat were too preoccupied to hear it."

Lyssa actually blushed in embarrassment this time around. "Oops…" she muttered, mirroring his earlier movement and running a hand through her own hair. "Guess we should have been paying a little more attention… that was careless."

"You think?" Cross said, rolling his eye.

"According to you, only if I have to," Lyssa replied, shaking her head ever so slightly. "And I apparently haven't been doing all that much of it as of late."

"That's the first thing that's come out of your mouth that made sense all day," Cross said, taking a deep breath and blowing it out. He needed a cigarette, since he didn't have any alcohol on hand so he reached into the inside pocket of his Exorcist's coat and pulled one out. Sticking it into his mouth he struck and match and lit the end, taking a deep draw appreciatively. Exhaling he gazed at his apprentice, seeming a little more relaxed thanks to the nicotine. "So what do you and the brat intend to do? Because I imagine that the fat ass is going to be even less pleased by this announcement that I am."

If she were being completely honest then Lyssa would have to admit that she hadn't really given any thought to how they were going to make the marriage work, what with the fact that they were on opposite sides of a fairly bloody war. But even this didn't make the young woman second guess her decision to become Nicholas' wife. "We'll come up with something."

"That brat's going to be the death of you," Cross snarled, unable to believe that she could be so calm about all this.

"It's possible," Lyssa said calmly. "But then again, given my occupation, the prospect of death is something that I face on a daily basis anyway so it's not like this decision is changing anything."

"You're hopeless," Cross growled, effectively ending the conversation. Still puffing on his cigarette the red haired general turned and left the room, leaving his apprentice alone with her thoughts.

The moment that the door closed behind her Master, Lyssa turned her attention toward a glint of gold that was just barely visible behind the curtain. She'd left the window partially open and didn't have to guess what it was that was hiding there. "Come on out Tim… you know I can see you, right?"

A couple of seconds passed before the golem emerged from behind the curtains, it's wings flapping rapidly as the little creature flew over to the girl. Reaching her Timcanpy opted to perch on top of Lyssa's head, one of his favorite perches.

"So Nicky sent you to spy on us I take it?" Lyssa said, despite the fact that she knew the golem was incapable of answering the question. And probably wouldn't have even if it were an option since he was completely loyal to the Musician. "I guess I can't fault him for that, given the circumstances. You can go back and tell him that all is well… Master Cross is a bit irritated, an understatement of course, but he'll get over it."

Timcanpy remained nestled in the girl's hair for a moment before shooting into the air once more. The golem hovered in front of Lyssa for a moment before abruptly turning and zooming out the window.

Lyssa chuckled softly as she watched Timcanpy's hasty retreat, a small smile appearing on her face. "I have my own personal stalker… not sure how I should feel about that."

This said the young Exorcist walked over to her bed and sat down, placing her elbow on her knee and using her hand to prop up her head. Gazing around she allowed her thoughts to shift back to the earlier events, to the moment when Nicholas had proposed. She hadn't been expecting it, even though she was aware that he harbored feelings for her, and was ecstatic that he had actually popped the question. Because it simply reaffirmed her thoughts that the two of them belonged together… that they somehow completed one another.

"It isn't going to be easy," she thought to herself with a sigh. She had no illusions that her marriage to Nicholas would be easy but maintained that she loved him enough to cope with anything that happened to come along. Having learned that life was too short to be overly cautious she was ready to take the leap, even without knowing how deep the chasm was. "But I believe that it's going to be worth any hardship that we have to endure."

A/N - End of another chapter, hope that you enjoyed. So now we know the 14th's actual name though I'm opting not to change it for this story since it's already so far along. Too lazy to do so.


	23. Plans for the Future

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Chapter Twenty-Three - Plans for the Future

"So how productive was your little talk with the hot-head?" Nicholas questioned as Lyssa came to meet him, as always following along behind Timcanpy. This had become fairly routine for the pair of them at this point, not that it really seemed necessary after their relationship had been discovered by the red haired menace to society that Lyssa called master. This question was posed calmly enough but there was an underlying tone to the voice of the Musician that promised great bodily harm to the Exorcist should it turn out that the talk wasn't productive.

"He actually took it fairly well, by his standards at any rate." This said Lyssa fixed Nicholas with a pointed look. "Like you didn't know that already… you did send Tim to spy on us after all."

For a split second Nicholas debated denying this accusation but in the end decided that it wouldn't really be worth his while. Shrugging his shoulders the young Noah walked over to the young Exorcist, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into an embrace. "Guilty as charged… but in my defense I just wanted to make absolutely certain that Marian didn't flip out after learning about our relationship. I'm not entirely sure that he's completely sane after all."

Laughing slightly Lyssa shook her head as she returned his embrace, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "Like you're really one to be talking about not being sane Nicky."

"I resent that remark," Nicholas said, arching one brow as he pretended to look offended by her statement. In actuality he was rather amused that she had the guts to say something like that to him but since he was adept at hiding his emotions there wasn't really any danger in her picking up on this fact.

Not that it mattered much.

"No," Lyssa said, a small smile still on her face. She wasn't fooled by the act, knowing that she hadn't really offended him. "You resemble that remark."

At this point Nicholas actually lost the battle to remain stoic, a smirk appearing on his face. "You are so mean to me…"

"You deserve it," Lyssa said, snuggling against his chest and just enjoying the feeling of being held safely within his arms. For some reason, despite the fact that they were technically supposed to be enemies, she found herself feeling safer than she had since she had been a little girl living with her parents. There was just something about him that radiated safety to her.

"Perhaps I do," Nicholas conceded, resting his chin on her head lightly as she placed her head on his chest. Reaching up he ran one hand through her soft hair, which she had pulled back into a low ponytail, enjoying the silky softness of it. "So have you came to your senses and decided that marrying me isn't such a good idea?"

This was said in a joking manner but there was an underlying tone that lent credence to the fact that the Noah was at least a small degree concerned that she may actually be having second thoughts. Not that he could really honestly blame her if that were the case. After all he was a monster who represented everything that she was fighting against… what girl in her right mind would marry such a person?

"Not on your life," Lyssa said, nuzzling against his chest.

"You're a brave soul indeed," Nicholas said after a brief moment, placing a gloved hand to her head and running his fingers lightly through her hair. "So then I suppose well have to figure out how this is going to work… seeing as my 'family', and I use that term loosely, can't know about your existence."

"I'm sure we can come up with something," Lyssa said, noting that something hard to identify had entered into his voice as he had said the word family. This, in turn, had made her recall something that she'd often wondered about him and it was in this moment that Lyssa decided to ask. "Nicholas… do you have any real family anywhere?"

Lyssa wasn't sure if it was the loss of her own family at such a young age that had made her ask the question of whether or not he had any but, now that the words had been spoken, she couldn't take them back.

Nicholas was silent for a moment, a far away expression appearing in his eyes. "I have an older brother… but I haven't seen him since I joined the Noah. He's a much better soul than I myself."

Lyssa was slightly confused by these words, surprised that he hadn't seen his brother since joining the Noah. "But… don't you ever want to see him?"

"Of course I want to see him," Nicholas said, the hint of remorse held within his voice. "He practically raised me but… by the same token I don't want to risk anything happening to him because of me." This revelation caused another thought to enter into the mind of the Musician and he suddenly pulled away from Lyssa. "And I'm only being selfish when it comes to you… I can't go through with this and put you into harm's way just because I don't want to be alone."

"Hold it right there mister," Lyssa said, walking over to him and capturing his chin with her fingers, forcing the man to look into her eyes. An amusing sight actually considering the fact that he was taller than she was. "I don't see it that way and I bet if you gave him the chance your brother wouldn't see it that way either… I'm marrying you because I love you and no amount of danger is going to make me change my mind. And it isn't as though I don't already have a target on my back since I work for the Black Order. Life is to brief to waste on what ifs and what could bes. I learned that a long time ago." Having finished her lecture she released her grip on Nicholas' chin, allowing him to turn away if he so chose. The Noah was too stunned to do so however and continued to stare at her even after he had a choice in the matter. "You asked for my hand in marriage so I'm afraid you're stuck with me now Nicky-pet."

"I can't believe you actually just lectured me," Nicholas said, blinking a couple of times as he tried to make sense of this girl who had captured his heart.

"Well you deserved it," Lyssa countered, wrapping her arms around him in an embrace. "And you'd better plan on seeing your brother again because if we ever have children I want them to have a family."

"C-c-children," Nicholas stuttered, this thought having never even entered into the equation. His eyes had grown slightly wider than normal as he heard this and he couldn't keep himself from blinking a couple of times in stunned confusion.

"We'll talk about that later," Lyssa said simply, smiling softly as she touched her lips to his in a gentle kiss. Pulling away she laughed slightly. "I can see you're not ready for it now."

"Nor am I sure that I ever will be," Nicholas said quietly before leaving things at that. "But aside from that, are you planning on remaining with the Black Order after we're married?"

Lyssa shook her head, somewhat sadly. "I think that would be too dangerous for all concerned. "Having an alliance with a Noah is one thing but actually marrying said Noah… that's a bit on the extreme side and I harbor no illusions of the higher ups of the Order being understanding."

"I'm sorry," Nicholas said quietly, easily picking up on the note of sadness that had appeared in her voice and feeling guilty for being the cause of it.

"There's no reason for you to apologize," Lyssa said, smiling softly at him. "This is my decision to make and it isn't as though I can't continue to be an Exorcist on my own… Considering who they stuck me with, life might actually be easier with this course of action."

Nicholas smirked. "I'd definitely choose solitude over being stuck with Marian… How you tolerate that man is beyond my ability to comprehend."

"It's a learned skill," Lyssa joked easily.

Leaning forward Nicholas captured Lyssa's chin in much the same manner that she had done to him before. "Are you sure that you want to do this?" Both his tone and expression were serious as he sought to make absolutely certain that she was one hundred percent sure that the choice she had made was the right one.

"I'm sure," she told him without even a second of hesitation.

"Very well then," Nicholas said with a nod. "I suppose the only thing left to do is go through with it then."

A/N - Short little chapter setting up for the wedding chapter! I'm excited about that one and hope that you are too, assuming that anyone's still reading.


	24. Into the Night

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM, nor the song 'Into the Night' Credit for each go to their respective creators.

Chapter Twenty-Four - Into the Night

"I can't believe I'm actually going to go through with this," Lyssa said nervously as she emerged from the small bathroom in the room where she was staying, dressed in a gown of palest blue. It was so light that it almost appeared colorless and was reminiscent of ice. Her brown hair was left loose and flowing, styled so that it curled slightly at the ends, and around her neck the young girl wore a choker that had belonged to her mother; the only thing that she had left to remember her by. Of course she was also wearing her Innocence, in the form of the violin pendant, and that also added a certain charm to the ensemble.

Or at least it did in her humble opinion.

"As long as you know what you're getting into," Maria said, smiling as her blue eyes fell on the girl. She had grown so accustomed to seeing Lyssa dressed in her Exorcist's uniform, which did nothing to enhance her feminine features, and she was actually a little surprised by just how lovely Lyssa looked when she put forth the effort. Which she so seldom did. Of course she had known all along that the younger girl was pretty but now she was seeing Lyssa as not just pretty but beautiful.

"I am aware," Lyssa said, soft smile resolutely in place as she twirled around, watching the skirt of her gown flair out around her. "Nicholas and I discussed all of the dangers beforehand… he wanted to make sure that I knew just how precarious this situation could turn out to be. I think he half expected me to back out but of course I have absolutely no intentions of doing that."

"You really do love him don't you?" Maria said, stepping forward and brushing back a rogue strand of hair that had fallen across the younger woman's face. She could tell, simply by the light that was shining in Lyssa's eyes, that this was the case. Maria simply felt the need to reiterate this face… needed to hear it from the girl's lips.

"More than I ever imagined possible," Lyssa said, smile firmly in place.

"Then that's really all that matters," Maria said with a smile, leaning forward so that she could wrap her arms around the girl in an embrace. She was somewhat familiar with unconventional relationships, of course not to the same extreme as Lyssa, so she knew where the girl was coming from.

"Well I guess it's time to go," Lyssa said after a last minute glance in the mirror. Personally she thought she looked odd dressed like this but she sincerely hoped that Nicholas appreciated the gesture. It had been so long since she'd dressed in such a manner and Lyssa felt somewhat self conscious as she stepped away from the mirror and made her way across the room. Chuckling softly to herself as she watched the younger girl fidget Maria fell into step behind her.

As the two women stepped out of the room a low growl could be heard from a short distance away. Instinctively Lyssa turned toward the noise and she couldn't help but smile wider as her searching gaze fell upon the very disapproving countenance of her master. Cross did not look pleased with the situation and was making absolutely no attempt to hide this fact from either Lyssa or Maria.

"You really shouldn't make noises like that Master Cross," Lyssa said with a light chuckle before she placed her index finger and thumb in her mouth and gave a sharp whistle. She probably shouldn't have opted to keep her mouth shut but she was too giddy for that to be an option at this point. So he would just have to deal with it. "You'll give Sorana the wrong idea or something."

The mention of the dog only served to increase Cross's foul mood, something that really didn't seem possible in this moment in time, and he began muttering various obscenities under his breath. Granted the fact that they were under his breath really was saying something for the red haired general. Normally he would simply shout them for everyone in the vicinity to hear. Apparently Maria was making progress in her efforts to tame him. This was the thought that went through Lyssa's mind, although she didn't say it out loud.

There was no need to further push his buttons, at least not on this particular day. Not that she would rule it out as a possibility for the future. It was simply something that the girl resolved to keep this in mind lest she need it at a later date.

It wasn't long before the husky appeared at Lyssa's side, rubbing her head against the girl's leg in an affectionate manner before gazing over at Cross and growling low in her throat. The dog still had an aversion to anyone of the male persuasion and Sorana disliked Lyssa's cranky master especially. Not that anyone who knew the red head would blame her for this obvious dislike. It was shared by most, as a matter of fact.

"You're a fool girl," Cross snapped as he gave his apprentice a piercing gaze. He knew that this was going to turn out bad just as sure as he knew that the world was filled with idiots. One of which the girl was about to marry.

"We've established this," Lyssa said with a smile as she shrugged her shoulders. "But at least I'll be a happy fool." After losing her family Lyssa hadn't thought that she could find happiness again but somehow, with Nicholas, that seemed more possible now. The danger was real and she wasn't ignoring it but nothing could be gained if you were to afraid to take chances in life. And it wasn't as though being an Exorcist wasn't a dangerous occupation in and of itself. She could just as easily die doing her job so as far as she was concerned the choice was fairly easily made. The risk was worth the happiness to her any day. With this thought in mind Lyssa whistled to Sorana before turning to gaze at Cross and Maria. "Come on you guys… I can't face my doom without my two best friends."

Cross merely snorted as the girl referred to him in such a manner but as Maria grabbed him by the arm he followed along behind his apprentice none the less. Muttering under his breath the entire time. "Idiot apprentice…"

Lyssa merely laughed.

It seemed that she had been doing a lot of that recently and the young woman knew that it at least had a little to do with the fact that she was nervous. She had no misgivings about marrying Nicholas but was still a little nervous about the wedding its self. Though she was sure that it was just the normal, pre-wedding butterflies that most brides dealt with on their big day. Nothing to be concerned about unless it caused her to irritate Cross to a level where he actually carried out one of his frequent threats.

* * *

Dusk had already fallen but the approaching darkness wouldn't prove consequential to the service that had been planned. It was the night of the full moon and the lunar rays that shone down from the sky, which wasn't marred by so much as a single cloud, would provide ample light. And, as per Nicholas' plan, it would increase the romantic atmosphere. The traitor Noah stood beneath a large tree, a minister whom he had found to perform the service standing at his side. He was in his white form and dressed in a white tuxedo with a blue bowtie and vest. In his opinion he looked strange in this particular outfit but he'd wanted something different… a sort of break away from the dark and depressing so to speak.

Sticking his hand into the pocket of his tuxedo jacket Nicholas fidgeted with the ring that was held within, toying with it as his thoughts shifted to the girl that he was about to marry. They were such polar opposites that it almost made this situation laughable but she truly was his salvation and for this the young man would be eternally grateful. Lyssa had saved him from the darkness that had all but devoured his soul and shown him that everyone was deserving of forgiveness.

Even a wretched soul such as himself.

As the rays of the moon began to illuminate the clearing where the ceremony was to take place Nicholas' searching gaze fell upon the trio of Exorcists as they arrived. Lyssa was leading the group for a change and the young Noah actually drew in a breath as his gray eyes fell upon his bride. The moon made the gown that she was wearing almost seem to shine and she just looked so radiant. A smile appeared on her face as her eyes locked with his and she walked forward with a confident air.

Nicholas could tell that she had no second thoughts or misgivings about this.

With Sorana walking at her side Lyssa made her way toward the tree beneath which Nicholas was standing. As she drew closer to him the young man held out a hand to her, a small and genuine smile on his face. Returning his smile Lyssa placed her hand in his and stepped closer. This was what she wanted; she had made her decision and was at peace with it.

"Are we ready to begin?" the minister asked as he gazed at the young couple, as well as the pair that had came to stand a short distance away. It was a rather small gathering but the man didn't question it.

Nicholas turned his gaze toward Lyssa, allowing her to make the final decision. And giving her one last opportunity to back out. Of course Lyssa had no intentions of back out and she nodded her head without so much as a split second of hesitation. "We're ready."

The ceremony was short and simple but Nicholas had chosen his own vows to speak to Lyssa, rather than those that were customary for the traditional marriage ceremony. She meant so much more to him than that and he wanted to prove this fact to her. The small smile that she had already been wearing only grew as she heard his softly spoken words before saying her own vows to him. When the minister pronounced them husband and wife Lyssa wrapped her arm around Nicholas and gave him a passionate kiss.

Nicholas beamed as she stepped away from him, looking slightly flushed, and a strange music seemed to fill the air as he once again took her hand. "I promise to love you for all eternity my angel…"

_**Like a gift from the heavens, it was easy to tell  
It was love from above that could save me from Hell.  
She had fire in her soul, it was easy to see  
How the devil himself could be pulled outta me.**_

Pulling her close to him Nicholas began a waltz, keeping time with the strange music that seemed to fill the air around them. Rays of moonlight illuminated the spot where the couple twirled as though lost in their own world, illuminating the pair as though a spotlight were being shone down from heaven itself. There would be hardships to face, both were aware of this fact, but in this moment nothing mattered except for the fact that they were safe within each other's arms.

A/N - End of another chapter and it was the long awaited wedding! It didn't turn out as well as I had envisioned it but I'm reasonably satisfied with it. Hope that you all enjoyed.


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