Structure
D Gray man
A Way of Life

Life for Tyki Mikk started out as his life almost ending. Before he was even born, his mother considered ridding herself of the child she did not want and could probably have no use for. The only thing that saved him was the kindness of a man who said he'd pay her to carry the child. He'd pay her enough money to raise the child into their teens where she could then let him on his own as he could probably take care of himself by then.

His life was sparred but it would not be much of a life at the start.

He knew from a young age that his mother was a whore, that she may or may not have other children, that he was the only one she kept. It was the only way the woman could make money and keep her freedom in the place they lived. She refused to be married, even after having him. The money she was given by the man who had saved his life was to be used only for him and such it was not much money. Enough to not starve, enough to keep clothes on his back as he toddled after his mother as they walked the streets. He had to keep so far back though, else he knew she'd be mad. He grew up with these rules and he accepted them for there was nothing else he could do.

It was all he knew.

He watched his mother walk away again, leading a man away. He looked like he had a lot of money. Tyki sat and waited in the street, watching the other people here. It was a town by a port, there were many strangers and many whores. The town's success was practically built off the whore who inhabited it.

There were other businesses, inns and such, but there were three whorehouses and then there were countless whores. Male and female, old and young. The oldest of them died off quickly though, lack of work meant lack of food. Young Tyki knew all this though he was only three years old.

He knew and accepted it, for what else kind of world was there? This was the world he knew, the world he accepted. Those that could work, worked. Those that could work, ate. Those who could work, lived. It was how it should be.

Hours later, his mother would return, counting the money she earned and she'd motion for him to follow. It might mean going to get something to eat or it might mean going back to one of the whorehouses to sleep. They never went to the really nice one to sleep, usually the one near the port which stank like death and despair. His mother wasn't one of the pretty whores who littered the whorehouse in the middle of town. They smiled and waved to him as he passed, all of them beautiful people who could probably better themselves, but saw no reason not to.

Tyki thought, that if he had to work in one of these whorehouses, that would be the one he wanted to work in.

Time passed for him and soon he was fourteen years old. Since he was twelve he noticed some interested glances. Now he saw interested stares. Before they had frightened him a little, why would they be interested in a child? But now he smiled back. His mother was already threatening to throw him on the streets if he didn't find a job. Why not take a popular occupation for the town he lived in?

His smiles seemed to encourage them, but not enough to approach him. He started wearing his shirt slightly unbuttoned at the collar, his hair, which had grown out a little and was dark, thick and curly, a little tousled. He perfected a slow, sexy smile and it was barely three months after his fourteenth birthday when he had his first customer.

She was an interesting one, she came back three more times before she departed on a boat. Tyki didn't remember her face, so he'd never know if she came back. Maybe she did, but he didn't remember.

But he found pleasure. It was an interesting thing, he decided he liked it and being a whore, as long as he got pleasure in return, would not be so bad. He flung himself into the business, as if he were jumping off a cliff, for he didn't know any other way of life.

Things went on for nearly a year with nothing going wrong. But then one day, the one whorehouse, the one of the far edge of town, caught fire. Everyone inside died, customers, workers, everyone. Nearly two hundred people in total. Tyki thought the accident mysterious, but he said nothing and proceeded as normal.

The incident stayed lodged in his mind though, he was unable to get it out.

He smiled for his customers though, he had quite a few loyals. People who came back time and time again. Male, female, it didn't matter. For the promise of pleasure, he would allow anyone to come to him. His business picked up and his mother's declined. She depended on him now. Lesser people would have turned her away, but he allowed her to stay as long as she knew who was bringing in the money. Him, not her.

She needed to know he was in charge now. As long as she knew that, he didn't care that she followed him around like a kicked dog. He didn't care. A part of him was comforted by her presence though – a child did need his mother, no matter that she was a whore who cared little for him until he was making more money that her.

He allowed her to stay though, if only because some part of him needed her. He never thought he would ever see another way to life.

Fast forward to his sixteenth year and a wealthy and beautiful woman approached him. Wealthy because she had gold rings, rings with rubies and a diamond around her throat. Beautiful because her chestnut colored hair fell gently around her face, which was an almost perfect heart, her eyes were wide and almost alien. They were blue like the sky. Tyki knew she'd pay well if she were his customer.

He approached her first, a rarity for him. He had a lot of pride and almost always made them come to him. Sometimes he led them around in circles beforehand. Let a pleasant bud grow inside them both that would burst into a thousand colors before long.

There would be no leading this woman around. He needed her, he needed her now. But when he approached her, she only gave him a coy smile. He was thrown off. He usually gave the coy smiles.

"Tyki?" She called him by his name, which wasn't unusual. "You are Tyki right?" Her accent was exotic. He gave her a lazy smile at her words.

"Yes, that'd be me"

"I've been looking for you. I'm not disappointed. They said you were beautiful, I don't know why I didn't believe them. You certainly outshine my expectations" Now he was thrown off again. Beautiful? Him? Well he supposed he had good looks, he worked hard to look good. He even had a beauty mark on his face, which made many other jealous. He just watched her for a long moment, wondering where this was going.

"I run the…uh…entertainment center in the middle of town. I want to teach you some things Tyki, make you rich." She was standing right before him now. Her one hand was on the back of his neck, her other hand laying on the bare skin that his slightly unbutton shirt bore. "Would you like me…teach you things?"

"Teach me all you like" He breathed. She laughed a breathy laugh.

"Let us go, let the lessons begin"

And oh how they began.

Within a year he was the most wanted whore in the town. He dressed nicely for the customers, pretended to be a wonderful gentleman, but he wanted more. He wanted…Anything else other than this. The pleasure was all he did this for now. Not the money, but the pleasure. But it was wearing fast and Tyki found that this was not the type of life he wanted for himself.

What if he had children? Would he want them to grow up like this?

The answer in his head was always no. No he did not want his children to be whores, no he didn't want to be a whore while his children grew up and got respectable jobs. If he ever had children that was, he was careful about that bit. He didn't want a child of his to grow up as he had.

So, he proceeded in his life carefully. It wasn't like he had been raised any other way.

And it proceeded slowly, and he felt like he was losing himself by the day. He wouldn't stay at the whorehouse now, not often anyway. He rather wander the streets, tussling and then fixing his wavy hair as he went. It was like a nervous gesture. It was a show of how uncomfortable he was with his current life.

It was on one of these walks that he went to the port. There he saw a nobleman's boat. He stood and watched it for a long time, wishing he could board it and leave this place forever. He never wanted to come back here if he had to leave. He sighed to himself, wistful.

"Beauty isn't she?" A voice startled him and he jumped at the man standing a bit behind him and to the left. He turned to the man, who couldn't have been ten years older than himself. Probably about five at most. The man smiled at him.

He was a charming looking man, his features mostly dark. He wore a monocle over his one eye and was dressed as a noble. He looked kind, young and actually friendly. Most people at the docks were hardened sailors that had no time for the whores or if they did they took the cheapest, quickest whore they could find.

"So whats a beautiful boy like you doing down here?" He asked. For some reason, Tyki was creeped out by his words. A awful chill ran up his spine but he did his best to appear friendly. The man seemed amused.

"Just…out for a walk"

"Do you work in town?"

Why did this man seem so interested in him?

"Yes. I work at the large entertainment center in the middle of town"

"Ah, the whorehouse" His tone was matter-of-factly. It didn't sound like he was being cruel or anything. Just stating a fact.

"Yeah. Why are you asking all this? Who are you?"

The man paused. "My name is Sheril. I just wanted to…" He paused as if he wanted to say something but he stalled. "Just wanted to see if anything of interest had occurred in this town" With that he walked away, leaving Tyki feeling like that man knew something he did not. He shrugged it off. He was sure people were asking for him by now. He had to get back to work.

That was just how his life was after all.

Days gave into weeks, weeks gave into months and soon, Tyki just wanted it all to be over. They all gave him dozens of reasons to be doing what he was doing. The woman, the one who had recruited him, Azura, was always trying to convince him to stay. He supposed she realized he was depressed and in risk of leaving this place for good. He was her most popular worker. She needed him.

Just like his mother needed him.

It kind of made him sick how these adults fed on him like parasites. He didn't know how to swat them away though. He didn't know how to get them away from him without endangering himself from it. It was like in a way he needed them. He knew why he needed his mother, but Azura? Why would he need that whore?

Not that she really was a whore. She was 'retired'. She 'trained' the workers, male and female, how to please. She told them that their own pleasure was irrelevant. Tyki had ignored that part. Maybe that was why he felt not happiness here anymore. No joy in the pleasures he found. He wasn't finding pleasure anymore. It was quite sad.

Which helped his depression out. It came to the point where Tyki barely worked, though he still had plenty of money…Not that it made him happy. He wanted to do something else, something with his hands.

It was then he met a card shark who had sailed in looking for pleasure. He had heard about Tyki and requested his attention. Tyki didn't want to give him any, but the man won him over with one simple sentence.

"What if I teach you how to play cards?"

An interesting offer. Most people just wanted sex and to leave. This man offered to spend time with Tyki and in that moment, Tyki realized what was really wrong with him. He was lonely. He had sex with dozens of people, but it didn't mean anything. There was no love there, no companionship. Even if it was just to learn cards, Tyki took the man up on his offer.

This was also the first customer that Tyki committed his name to memory; Ronald.

The man smoked a pack a day, played cards like a shark. True to his word, instead of throwing Tyki right into the bed the man sat at the small table in the room. It had only two chairs, a small round thing that was more decoration than used.

"So, Tyki was it?" Tyki was interested that the man actually knew his name as well. He had only found out the man's name because it seemed he had been here twice before – before Tyki was working here.

"Um…yes" He sat at the table feeling out if his element, vulnerable. He felt a shy blush spread on his cheeks.

"How old are you Tyki?"

"I'm seventeen"

"So young" The man sighed and tapped the ashes of his cigarette into the ashtray in the middle of the table. "What is someone as young as you doing work as a whore for?" For a moment, Tyki felt ashamed of his chosen 'profession'.

"I…I don't know what else there is to do" He admitted.

"Theres plenty you can do, kid" He said, watching Tyki. "Lemme teach you how to play cards. Maybe you can start cheating people out of money, rather than sleepin' with 'em for it" He shuffled the deck and Tyki watched. "It's not hard, sit down" Tyki obeyed. "Now I'm gonna teach ya what each card means, listen up, kid. I'll also teach ya how to deal the other guy the shit cards" He grinned now at Tyki and then handed him a cigarette. "Let's start"

Thus started their lesson. In fact, Ronald didn't have Tyki sleep with him at all. He just taught him. Tyki didn't ask for payment either, he didn't need it. Ronald came back the next day and the next and the next after that. Tyki felt something for him, a bond of sorts and it was wonderful. It helped fill that void inside of him.

On the sixth day of their lessons, Tyki actually beat him at poker. He smiled brightly at it. He thought that maybe Ronald threw the game, but maybe…maybe he had actually beat it.

"Finally!" he said, "I thought I'd never beat you!"

Ronald just stared at him for a long moment. Tyki watched him, wondering if he had done something wrong. Instead, Ronald stood, slamming his hand on the table, scattering the cards everywhere. His other hand reached for Tyki, grabbing his shoulder, jerking him forward.

His mouth found Tyki's and it wasn't like anything Tyki had experienced before. It was gentle, though he had tugged roughly at Tyki to get him there. He had no idea what to do. Ronald moved away suddenly and paced away, his hand in his hair.

"Ronald?"

"Dammit…I told myself I wouldn't…I mean, theres just something about you kid" He had no idea what the other male was talking about. "You're like ten years younger than me and yet…It's so wrong for me to want you."

"Are you kidding? I'm a whore" Tyki laughed. "Everyone is supposed to want me"

Ronald just shook his head. "You've had sex with people but you've never really slept with them." He ran his fingers through his hair again. "Tyki, I…want you but…Not just for sex" This left Tyki feeling confused but some kind of hope sprouted in his chest.

"Listen to me Tyki." Ronald was now before him. He tenderly stroked his hair back from his face. Tyki felt a hot blush on his cheek. "Listen to me now. I have to leave for two weeks. Two weeks and I'll be back and if…if you want, you can come with me that time. Leave this behind, start a new life…with me"

"Ronald…I…"

"I know, probably strange. You're probably not used to…this"

"I'm not" He answered simply.

"Come with me anyway" He took Tyki's chin in his hand, tilted his head back to look up at him. "Come with me and find yourself a new life, even if its not with me" Then he kissed Tyki, this kiss was hotter, deeper. He felt hot and cold inside, he wanted Ronald, he wanted to trust him and maybe….well to tell the truth, the hole inside him was filling up. He felt…better than he had in weeks.

"Come back for me in two weeks" He told Ronald breathlessly. "I'll leave with you"

"Two weeks" Ronald promised.

Tyki knew it'd be the longest two weeks of his life.

The only thing that kept him centered, focused was the fact that Ronald left him his lucky deck. The cards which he had taught Tyki with, now belonged to Tyki. He kept them with him always. He never let them leave his sight. He shuffled through them whenever he was bored and it made him think if Ronald. It helped him get through the time.

He noticed Azura becoming almost frantic by the end of the first week. She made calls, frantic calls that she ended the moment Tyki walked into the room. He found himself annoyed with her and was glad that in another week, he would be gone. He had not told her, but he made no plans to tell anyone.

He began to pack a few things he wanted, began to get ready to leave. At the end of the two weeks, he had a small bag and went to the dock to wait for Ronald. Ronald's boat soon came and Ronald soon came off the ship. Like the child Tyki yet was, he ran to embrace him, hugging the older man tightly.

"You came back!"

"You act like I really wasn't going to come back" Ronald's tone was amused and he pushed Tyki back so he could grin at him. "Good to see ya though, kid" He ruffled Tyki's hair causing him to smile, though he'd be upset if anyone else did it.

"I got to grab something in town and by then the ship will be here." He explained and then he began to lead Tyki away from the pier. His arm was around Tyki's shoulder. Tyki didn't mind. He felt safe. They were just entering town but Ronald stopped.

"Something feels off…" He muttered and Tyki looked at him.

His mouth opened he was about to speak but the gunshot interrupted him. Next thing he knew he was yelling; "Ronald!"

There was so much blood, so much blood, so much blood! He pressed his hand against Ronald's chest, trying to stop the blood. Ronald grabbed Tyki's arm. "Go!" he hissed.

"What?" He knew there were tears in his eyes. He knew he was crying, but he couldn't process the words.

"They…They were aiming for you! Go! Go!"

"If I go, you'll die!"

"GO!" Tyki stumbled to his feet. "Go….Tyki…go…"

He moved, running into town, the piers were a dead end. He ran and ran until he found an abandoned building. He climbed inside and hid himself away behind piles and piles of old rotting lumber. He sat there and cried silently to himself, knowing the first person who cared about him, the first person who showed interest was surely dead. If what he had said was true, he had died to save him. Tyki felt terrible, more than terrible. He felt like shit. The loss burned a hole in his chest and made the tears hotter on his face. He worked on not sobbing, on staying hidden until he couldn't stay hidden anymore.

It was three days later when Tyki returned to the whorehouse. His eyes were bleary and he was probably dying of dehydration. He didn't want to live anymore but he wouldn't let Ronald's sacrifice go to a waste. Azura greeted him with a smile he didn't – couldn't – return. There was a look of horror on her face though, just a moment later. He regarded her with a blank look.

"Tyki! Tyki, you're bleeding!" She ran forward, pressing a cloth to his forehead. It hurt, so he pushed her away. She stumbled to the floor.

"Don't touch me" He muttered and made his way to his room. He lay on his bed and glance at the mirror. On his forehead were bleeding wounds. He was too numb inside to really feel the pain or acknowledge anything but the emotional pain he was going through. So he closed his eyes and found sleep.

Kill…kill….kill….kill…kill…kill…kill….kill…kill…kill…kill…kill…kill…kill…kill…kill…kill…kill…

Tyki's eyes opened. The words kept going on in his head. Kill? Kill who?

Kill…the…Kill…the….

He blinked, the pain in his skull increased. It felt like someone was ripping the flesh off his skull. Kill the what?

The mantra went on and the pain, emotional and physical, went on. He didn't know what to make of it. The blood pooled by his head, by his hair. What was he to do?

KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL

No Tyki thought. I think I'll go to sleep

And though he was in pain, somehow he found sleep. The mantra repeated itself anyway.

He saw nightmares in dream and in waking. Dreams of death and blood and of bodies piled up higher than anyone could see. He could see them eyes open or closed. He could almost see the blood on his hands. Sometimes he imagined he tasted it on his tongue. Someone brought him water every day, what he thought was every day at least. Maybe it wasn't He had no idea anymore.

Kill the….Kill them!

He sighed to himself. So close to telling him who he was to kill but he still didn't know. A depressing thought. His head rolled limply on the pillow, he was feverish and unable to sleep right now so he had to deal with the pain and the mantra that never quite finished itself or explained itself. How annoying.

"Is it?" a voice asked. He turned his head to look at a young girl. His eyes wouldn't focus all the way so it looked like she had golden eyes.

"Is it annoying to not know the end of the sentence?" She asked. He didn't answer. "I'll complete it for you – Kill the Exorcists. Destroy the Innocence"

"Kill…" He whispered. His throat was dry, his voice cracked. "Kill? I get to…kill?"

"Yes, you get to kill"

"I don't…I don't want…."

"But, if you do, the Pleasure is yours"

"Pleasure?" He smiled, or something like it. It had always been his. She didn't understand. His pain was fading though, he felt better than he had in a long while. He slowly sat up. "It'd be my pleasure…to get a shower"

She smiled, her eyes were golden. "Be my guest"

Once he was showered and dressed and clean again, he looked in the mirror. He hardly knew himself with the golden eyes and the different skin tone. The cuts on his forehead were now scars. He dressed in his best black suit and in his hand carried a top hat. Ronald's cards were in his pocket.

"You can kill them all you know – anyway that pleases you"

"Because Noah's Pleasures are mine now" He said. The pain, the sadness and depression were a memory. He knew Noah was holding them back for him, letting him work around them. How kind of Noah, how cruel.

"When you're done, I'll come pick you up" She stood. She had been sitting on his bloodstained bed. "Just call for me – Road" She smiled at him, her smile both malicious as it was sweet. A doorway opened up, she left. He was alone, but he knew what would give him pleasure now.

He found Azura in her room. She was dressed in only a robe and her panties. She was counting money, her breasts nearly popping out of the loosely tied robe. She looked up at him, her eyes nearly popping out of her head. He smiled, every so kindly at her.

"T-Tyki?"

"Azura, my dear, I need to know something"

She was silent. He knew she was afraid. She knew what was coming, just as he already knew the answer. He had always known - maybe he heard her confess during one of his fevered awake-asleep periods. Maybe he had just imagined her confessing in his mind, but he needed to hear the words, here, now. He needed closure.

"Did you hire someone to kill me?"

"Yes" She whispered, then she collapsed to her knees, tears pouring down her face. "Gods yes, but I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! I didn't…I didn't want to b-but you were going to leave with that man. I couldn't…I couldn't let you…The he got in the way and…and…"

"Did he die?"

"Yes" She lowered her head.

"That's all I wanted to know" He placed a hand on her should. "You're a brave woman" She looked up at him. He placed a hand over her heart. "And you're going to be a dead one" His head went through her chest; he gripped her heart, felt it and then ripped it out. It felt good to pull her heart from her chest, not leaving a wound. He dropped the beating organ on the ground as she choked and fell to the ground, rolling, grabbing at her chest. He left her there, he heard her choke out his name.

But that was all she had left in her.

He killed everyone in town. Guests, friends, co-workers, even his whore mother. Then he stood on the docks, watching his old life burn to the ground. He knew he could call for Road and aks for a door as she had said, but he didn't want that. He didn't want…He just wanted to be left alone. He wanted to go away for a while. The grief was held back but he could feel it yet.

Ronald…

He missed the older man, but there was nothing to do now. He got on a ship on the dock, on the water and then into the ship by the hull. A stowaway. That was what he would be. Where ever the ship was going would be fine with him. He just couldn't stand this place any longer.

Life was never going to be the same for him. He supposed that was just how things were.

What? I haven't updated in nearly a year? Okay, yes, yes you caught me. I've been busy with my life and I rewrote this chapter like ten times. I decided I wanted to explore Tyki's past. I haven't ever read anything on it. No, I'm not trying to set a standard. I'm trying to be creative and hopefully you all enjoyed this insight on Tyki. There will be one more chapter on his past and then I promise he and Devit will finally meet. You all gotta wait for the good stuff after all~ Leave me some reviews~!