Chapter 52: Crow and Cherry - Clash

"We both know what the answer would be."

The sound of water running and the sensation of it falling across her body would be the only thing keeping Lucy grounded to the earth, preventing her from diving completely into the depths of her mind, grasped by the fear she was overcome with. Nighttime had settled in Soula and the Grim Reaper stood in the shower cabinet of her dorm room's bathroom, her eyes empty as she relived the moments that had happened with her protege on the twilit streets, hands clutched against the teal tiles of the wall.

After he had told her that, Noah's eyes blinked and he quickly shook his head. When he looked back at the young woman, his eyes had returned to their original color. His face was denoted by a slight red, matching his irises and his mouth was curled upwards in a flustered smile.

-I'm sorry, that really sounded bad, huh?- he chuckled nervously, running his hand across his blonde hair- I didn't mean to sound so...so villainous, haha! It's a given that, even if I was a part of another faction all along, I would do my best to avoid fighting you. You and everyone here in Soula are still my friends, no matter if you came second. And, like you said, I owe you all for supporting me since my stay.

"I just...yours is a question I can't answer easily, Lucy. I like you all, but I also must keep whoever I left behind in mind. But even so, I could never bring myself to be your enemy, ever!"

With those words carrying less confidence towards Lucy than he most likely hoped for, the boy turned her back towards her, picked up his books and resumed his walking.

-Let's just hope me being an enemy never comes to pass, yeah?- he said.

And while Lucy was sure those words were meant as reassurance, she couldn't shake the strong sensation that they carried a second, inner meaning.

That of a threat.

"Noah isn't like that...I know that." she thought, returned to the warm world of her bathing- "But I don't know if I can say that about...whoever he was."

She took deep breaths to calm herself. The "relaxing" shower she hopped onto right afterwards to help her calm down wasn't doing the job, that's for sure. She ran her fingers through her platinum locks, trying to process the situation and her feelings. To try and understand that little nasty sensation that was permeating the depths of her stomach.

"Someone whom you thought harmless suddenly looking at you like that...heh, even that strongest BladeMaster would be scared, right? I'm just human. I...wonder if this is what everyone else felt back then when looking at me...

Terri, Sobek and Allie won't admit it but I could see their relief when they saw me again for the first time in years. I don't...think it was completely the happiness of seeing a friend again. But more so the relief of getting something off your shoulders. Their smiles are broader...they don't jump or shake when I find them around town and say hi...

And the reason Hanzo sounds so frustrated...heh, I can garner a guess."

-They were all afraid...or challenging me. - she said out loud, like the words would carry more weight upon being added a voice to them.

Her hand ran across her skin, going down to her midsection, fingertips grazing the old scars she got from making a show out of herself throughout all of Karash. They then landed on the one Tal gave her on her left kidney. It was still very ugly and purple-ish, and when she touched it, the sting made her flinch slightly.

"I wonder if that Tal guy's slash left some of his blood powers inside me. This thing is being a bitch to fully heal, no matter how many times Eldus tries to cure me, so his blood might be passively messing with mine, preventing the scar from properly healing.

Yeah, that would have that creep Tal's name all over it. From what Allie told me, he seems anything but pleasant. Sadistic, with a clear disregard for human live, always sticking to Balthazar..."

Noah's stare came back into the forefront of her mind. She then tried to recall Tal's sadistic, cackling stare behind his mask.

"I can't help but...remember that mask freak's merciless stare when I think of Noah's eyes now. Such a venomous killer intent...I wonder if I had the same stare back then..."

She tried to look into her own reflection on the shower handle's back, but her face was all distorted thanks to the metal's curvature, making her sigh in frustration.

-This is stupid. Since when have I become so philosophical, looking to see if my eyes had changed since then..? Pah, they've always looked like two shiny, perfect alexandrites. What matters if they carried light. I could have never seen either it or the lack of it, anyways...- she muttered.

"And neither can Noah. If he keeps like this...seeking an identity he barely knows...he might start looking at people like he did to me. Seeing them like targets, after the treasure he holds deep inside himself but can't reach."

She curled up her fist, pressing it against the wall.

"I can't allow it. I told him the first day he came here that the world doesn't need any more Grim Reapers. But I should have been more honest with him. With everyone else.

That neither does it need any more Angels.

But how...how do I make him see that he's already good enough..?"

-Yo, Lucy!- a familiar voice sounded beyond the bathroom door- If you have enough cash to buy yourself some new Pyre Enchant stone to install on the shower heater, that's cool by me! But if you don't, then get out before you dry it up with your long-ass showers!

Lucy blinked and immediately turned off the water, exiting the shower cabinet and using a fluffy pink towel to dry herself, before wrapping it around her frame and using a second one to do the same around her drenched locks. She exited the room, facing a dissatisfied Terri.

-Finally.- the Titan grunted- If you want to have some "special shower time", at least let me go first. I'm drenched in sweat after training your lazy mercenaries. I think I also deserve a cut from your missions, especially if they keep bothering me out of the blue, asking me to train them while I'm just minding my business at the HQ. Seriously, you need an uniformed training drill schedule. You can't leave it to personal preference.

Lucy smirked.

-You're still the Brigade's prisoner, so don't push your luck on how I deal with my employees. And pay-wise, even Albus only pays Sobek for his work with some ice cream once in a while. Far as you both know, it's a community job.

-Still more than I get for being everyone's coach. At least I still have a warm bath to hop into every night, but if you keep hogging the cabinet, I might just bust in and force you to share.

-I have in mind more than a few people who would be happy to see the sad picture of your gorilla body stuck in that tiny space with me.

-Better than being a flabby pudding like you, sister!- she grinned.

-Excuse you! I'm plenty buff too!- Lucy shot.

-If you can't make your pecks dance, then you're not buff enough.

-Please, your boobs are the requiem of my nightmares...- Lucy shook her head, but began laughing back at Terri. A genuine laugh that maybe was a little louder than it should, especially since she had thrown a jab at someone that could honestly snap her like a twig, but she needed that reprieve from her dark thoughts. And Terri didn't seem to mind, always a good sport for back-and-forths, as she began laughing too, her laughter roaring, reverberating throughout the halls outside of their room.

-Heh...after seeing you buried in mission paper work, calling your guys back over and coordinating your guild's finances all at the same time, it's good to see you laugh, Lu-Lu.- Terri smirked.

Lucy slowly shook her head.

-Yeah. And it's always good to share that laugh with you.

-Ah, tell me about it. Between your posh richy-rich laugh and my roaring, we were the bane of any good night's sleep back at the Tower!

-Hehe...we really were, huh? And probably still are.

-Some things never change. And in my opinion, shouldn't have to.- the brunette placed her hands on her hips, reaching out to her shoulder and beginning to try and pry the sweat-filled leotard off of her skin.

Those words gave Lucy pause. She reflected on them, looking down on the ground.

-Some really shouldn't...-she agreed- I think I now know what to do.

She looked upwards, with a determined look, towards Terri, before her vision was obscured by a sweaty, smelly leotard landing on her face.

-Yup and that thing you must do is get outta my way. It's time for some for my evening T. Time.- Terri grinned, her chiseled, statuesque body glistening with sweat as she walked past Lucy, who quickly threw the dirty clothes on the ground, horrified, and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

The blonde huffed.

-Alrighty, just don't dry up the Stones yourself, Tee-Tee! she called out. The door immediately opened again, Terri's head peeking out of the bathroom.

-We need to work on our nicknames. Stat.- she said, her expression serious for a brief second before both women burst out in laughter again.

*

"Knock knock"

-Come in!- Noah's voice sounded from behind the door. Mercedes reached out for the doorknob and stepped into Noah's room. After so many nights of him coming to her room for sewing, it felt kinda weird to do the reverse. Of course, she couldn't stop to linger on those thoughts or else she'd begin to get all red in the face again.

Either way, his room had really morphed from the almost empty space she had stepped into the first few days Noah had stayed over at Soula, in order to give him spare clothes. Now, tall piles of books were stacked in the corner and covered his work desk. She could see all sorts of objects laying around that Noah had picked up in order to re-find his interests, from guitars to abacus and even vases with arranged flowers. It had become the room of a jack-of-all-trades, but at this pace the Mercenary feared it could become a garbage dump.

The man in question was on his work desk, examining a glass vase in front of him. Rather than arranging a set of branches by cutting and trimming them off following whatever aesthetic desire he had in mind, he was handling a set of thorn-less roses, taking each flower off of the vase, touching its petals carefully and then putting that flower back in its place.

-Is botany the answer to your hobby seeking?- Mercedes asked, standing at the side of his desk, watching him.

Noah looked up at her, his hair slightly disheveled and the bags under his eyes not as deep but not completely gone yet. Well, with all those books laying around, even the young woman thought it was wasteful to not read them, even if it was late into the night.

-Nah, today I'm just doing some exercises Jackson suggested. Now that the exams are over, he figured that he taught me everything I needed to know. So, as a last lesson, he said that I had to improve my image training in order to strengthen my Astral Blossom. So, I'm examining these roses. I wish I had actual cherry blossoms, but Lucy won't let me order a whole tree...

-Yeah, I've seen those trees on books, so I figure rose or tulip petals aren't too different. So, what's the plan to level up that weird technique?

Noah reached out for one of the roses and carefully removed one of the red petals off of it. He pinched it on both ends with both hands and began bending and stretching it.

-Master Rye and Master Gee complimented my technique, saying it's quite versatile. It's sharp like Astral Cut, but because of the Tera I inject into the move, the object I produce is not just a blade in the shape of a petal.- with that, he let go of the petal and summoned one of his own on his palm, beginning to try and bend and stretch it as well. But unlike the rose petal, Noah's bright pink blossom was being much more difficult to bend.

-It's still very metallic and it doesn't bend well...it's good for attacking in the moment, but it keep them out for long, I'll start being a detriment.- he explained. Mercedes nodded in agreement, her eyes focusing on the myriad of cuts and bruises Noah's hands and arms displayed, all he gained from training with that blender of a technique. If he didn't do something to reduce the sharpness of those petals, the Angel's Crow would have to ask for bandage supplies from overseas, as Noah was nearly hogging of the band-aids and other medical supplies of the Academy..!

Eventually, Noah dispelled the petal and looked back at White Feather.

-Anyways, did you need me for anything?- he smiled up at her. Mercedes nodded again.

-Yeah. Lucy called you. She wants you at the HQ as soon as you can.

Noah gave her a confused expression before checking a watch he had put up in the nearby wall a few days ago.

-It's still 2 in the afternoon. Why is she calling me so early? It's not training time.

Mercedes shook her head, shrugging her shoulders.

-Beats me. When she came in this morning, she tore through the usual paperwork of bounties and bills. She said she wanted everything done before she had to meet up with you. Did you get in some kind of trouble?- she asked, hands on hips.

-Maybe this is the fabled action of "hooking up" I've been reading about!- Noah said, placing his index finger on his chin as he looked to the ceiling, his expression a bit absentminded- She's going to call me over and get me behind the gym bleachers! Once there, she'll take me to the "Garden of Madness"...whatever that is. I just know that my innocence will be plucked awa--

His thoughts were interrupted by Mercedes softly bonking him on the top of the head with one of his books. A light blush coated her cheeks.

-Easy there. If she really wanted to whisk you away, she wouldn't have told me. What kind of things are you reading anyways..?- she asked with a huff.

-Oh, it was this book called "The Heroic Grasshopper".-Noah answered, digging through his pile and swiftly taking out a book in the middle of it, making all volumes above it tumble across the table. He showed it to Mercedes, the cover black and the title written in a fancy golden font- Lucy told Eldus I needed some, and I quote, "adult knowledge as well", so he dug through his library and took out this dusty thing he had been given years ago. I've been reading it, but it's kinda weir--

-You don't need to read those kinds of things!!- Mercedes quickly cut him off.

Noah blinked as he stared at the blonde.

-How do you know?- he then gasped, eyes beginning to shine- Are you already an expert on the matters of hooking up, Mercedes?! Wow, you're amazing!

His fascinated expression would then be promptly eliminated by Mercedes properly smacking him on the top of the head with his book, her cheeks deep crimson.

*

Noah's shoes kicked off a bit of dust with each step as he and Mercedes approached the Angel's Crow Mercenaries HQ. When he came down with the Backlash for the first time, a full Pyre Cycle, three months, had passed since he came to Soula. Since then, with the Hanzo and Allie fights and the whole thing with the Exams, the Mistral Cycle was almost done, giving way to the Aqua Cycle. Little over five months had passed since Noah arrived, without memories. He had grown so much, but little progress was made about his past.

But even so, his conviction had grown stronger. He had gotten newfound motivation as he learned that the Order was tied to his previous identity. And since the Order was threatening the friends and Kingdom that took him in, it was obvious that he'd help them out. The more he got involved with the Order, the more Noah knew that one day, he'd find that missing link between him and them. And working alongside Lucy's Mercenaries was the perfect way to keep interacting with the Elites.

He took a deep breath, the walk having given him time to recollect the past events and get his desires straight.

"Helping out my friends gets me closer to the guys that might have my memories...no, fighting the guys that might have my memories helps out my friends.

Wait...

Which...comes first..?"

His expression scrunched up. He took his hand to his forehead, trying to sort out his thoughts.

"If I regain my memories, I'm sure Lucy, Eldus and the others will be happy for me.

But if we defeat the Order and I get nothing back, then everyone else gets nothing back. Then what's the point...

Wait, what am I saying? They took you in, of course you'd help them!

Because I'm sure that's what I would have done even before all this.

And helping them helps me get closer to what I was before.

And if I get to who I was before...I can help everyone better. I won't lag behind anymore, relying on sheer luck. Any future enemy will be toast before the old me! Because that's what Tera told me!

So it's a give and take...both ways.

Getting my memories back helps my friends out...

And so I help my friends so I can get my memories."

A small smile crept up his lips, as he focused again on the way forward...but not quick enough to see the wooden wall of the HQ right in front of him. His nose smacked against the surface with some force, forcing the boy to take a few steps back, a slight stinging pain on his nose.

-Dude, are you OK? You're taking "spacing out" to a whole new level. Your mind was practically in the stratosphere!- Mercedes said, looking at him with a strict but worried expression.

-S-sorry...-Noah said, rubbing the sore spot on his forehead.

And then...

The world crashed before him.

An invisible weight crashed on top of him, like he was getting pelted from all sides by furious waves, deep into the sea.

And crawling up his spine...

Was a chill deeper than those he felt while traveling in the tundra.

"This...is..." he thought, the feeling having become awfully familiar to him as of late.

He looked over at Mercedes, the girl's eyes also widening slightly as she looked around, trying to identify where that feeling was coming from.

Noah inspected his surroundings as well. He could tell that this feeling became more suffocating the closer his eyes scanned...towards the entrance of the Angel's Crow HQ.

The door was half open.

And then, a dainty hand could be seen reaching out from the darkness inside, placing its palm on the wooden surface and softly pushing the door open.

And the figure that walked outside...

-Lucy..?- Noah asked, looking up at the woman. Lucy looked back at him.

A smile, not unlike the ones she gave him every day, on her lips.

In her hand she was carrying two practice wooden swords.

-Lucy, what's up?- Mercedes asked, a trickle of sweat going down the right side of her face down to her jawline- I can feel the sour mood from outside...

Lucy grinned.

-Pfftt, sorry, you could tell? Yeah, just kinda peeved at the moment. Terri just came by to tell me that the Pyre stone from out heater just dried up. And since I'm the only one of the two that actually has money, I'm stuck with buying a new one, and those things cost a pretty penny~ Again, sorry!- she nonchalantly said, clapping her hands together.

And, as soon as it appeared, that immense pressure was...gone.

Noah realized that his face was awash in a cold sweat.

Lucy then looked back at the boy.

-Sorry to call you up so suddenly. I managed to wrap up today's work earlier, so yay for you, practice came nice and early. Catch!- she said, throwing him one of the swords.

Noah clumsily caught the wooden blade, looking down at it.

-Lucy, we haven't trained with these since the first day...what's the poi--

His eyes shot wide open.

He felt the heavy gravity threatening to smash his body into a pulp.

The feeling came back again.

And now...

It was on top of him!

He looked upwards to see a terrifying shadow above him, raising above its head a grizzly claw. In that fraction of a second, less than enough for Noah to properly identify his assailant, he raised the wooden katana, coating it with the incomplete Astral Soul aura, and clashed it against that shadow's claw!

Both objects crashed against each other. Noah could already feel himself getting pushed back, so he focused his intent on the toy sword and, soon, the complete aura coated it. And the second it did, a loud crack reverberated through his skull.

And then, both swords broke in half, the top parts spinning away in the air, landing on the ground in a mess of splinters.

Panting lightly, he looked back at his opponent, his eyes regaining focus through the sudden attack on all of his senses, only to see...

-Lucy..?- he let out. The Grim Reaper smirked back at him, but Noah sensed little kindness in that smile.

The feeling didn't let up.

That weight was still crashing atop of him.

That killer intent.

Lucy stepped back and tossed away the part of her sword that remained, before then summoning her Genesis, pointing the Blade at Noah.

-There's little time before the raid, Noah. Consider this your last training session before then. You've grown much these past few months and evolved a bunch. But I still have to assess your power, especially as you're still dealing with the Backlash. Only then will I allow or forbid you from accompanying us. So, as a final exercise...

"...you're dueling yours truly!"