Series/Disclaimer: D Gray-Man; which I don't own. Because if I did Daisya wouldn't have died. D:
Pairing(s): None.
Warning(s): Uh. . .violence?
Author's Note: I'm taking a break from Tremors because I've become TOTALLY obsessed with Daisya Barry from -Man.
This is planned to only be two parts, but unfortunately it looks like the second part might run really long to work it in the way I wanted. I have it planned to be laid out like an anime episode. Y'know, Part A, Intermission, Part B? Like that. But at this point in time I'm not sure how it'll work out.
Anyway, it isn't planned to span a huge amount of chapters. Probably three tops. But I have so much fun writing for Daisya - expect to see him around more. Maybe even in a relationship. -coughKandaorTykicough-
Enjoy!
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Daisya twitched his foot, kicking his bell up into the air with a familiar chime before catching it on his head. He was certain the metal would have hurt anyone else that had tried – but not him. The bell was similar to the weight of his old ball, the one he'd brought from Bodrum that sat safely in his room back at the HQ. That ball was softer but they were so alike that it was impossible for him to not make the connection. Not a day in his life had he been sorry that he'd placed his Innocence in the old bell.
He tipped his head just slightly to drop the ball back to his foot again, catching it with affectionate expertise. From there he continued playing, catching it on his knee, head, and kicking it high into the air only to start the cycle over again.
"Daisya?" the voice of General Tiedoll called back to him, not yelling but perhaps a bit concerned.
"Huh?" he caught the bell on his head once more and lifted his gaze only to have the question answered for him. Somehow, amidst his playing, Kanda and Tiedoll had caught up with and pulled ahead of him. Both were looking back at him, Kanda with a scowl at the preoccupied boy and the general with an amused smile at his student's games, "Coming!"
His bell shrank and he attached it back to his hood before running to catch up to and quickly pass them. It wasn't that his stride was long – both the General and the other Exorcist were taller than he was and equipped with longer legs – so much as it was Daisya's own determination to stay ahead. If there was going to be any action during this journey, or any journey, he wanted to be the first one there; nothing would be left if he fell too far behind.
"Don't get too far ahead," the General reminded him.
"Yeah, yeah! This isn't my first mission!" the boy called back, waving a carefree and dismissive hand over his shoulder.
Tiedoll was unable to prevent himself from sighing, shaking his head slightly but not attempting to mask the smile, "That boy…"
"He seems more annoying than usual," Kanda grumbled but somehow kept his voice sharp.
"Yes, this is his first time returning home in several years. I can see why he would be excited." The artist nodded as if agreeing with himself, his eyes acutely focused on the other's uniform in the distance.
"I thought he wanted to leave Bodrum," Kanda replied, tone flat with the statement despite his lack of understanding. His narrowed hues shifted from the jingling Exorcist to Tiedoll, "He's always complaining about how boring it was there."
The Marshall only smiled knowingly and eventually Kanda gave up, returning his gaze towards his distancing friend. Daisya had started walking backwards, arms folded behind his head but they dropped down to form a tunnel against his mouth when he noticed the two weren't talking anymore, "You're not talking about me back there, are you?"
"Watch where you're walking-" the dark-haired Exorcist began but stopped when Daisya abruptly disappeared from view with a surprised yelp. His hand tightened on Mugen as he prepared to run, "-fool!"
Picking up his pace he soon found that the vanishing act wasn't really worth worrying over – the klutz had simply lost his footing on a short ledge. Kanda jumped down, offering a hand to his comrade – which Daisya accepted – and pulled him too his feet. Grinning with a bit of nervousness at his spill, the brunette tried brushing some of the sandy dust from his uniform, "Thanks."
"Pay attention to where you're going," the taller scoffed, turning to continue the trek only to be halted by the scene before him.
Bodrum wasn't a large town but there was an aura of busy quaintness in simply looking over it. The blue sea brushed against the stretch of starched, yellow beach and from his position over it Kanda could make out the faint forms of people within the scene. The surrounding rock faces seemed to enclose it in a bed of safety with only its front exposed to the open sea. Everything felt serene despite the bustling of the markets and tourists within – it was hard to believe the prankster had come from such a place.
"Heh! Pretty nostalgic, isn't it?" Daisya beamed as he came up beside the other, "Even if you didn't grow up here – it's got that kind of atmosphere."
"It certainly is…" Kanda fought for the word, not out of wishing to spare offense to the other but more because it genuinely eluded him, "different…compared to the bigger cities we've seen."
There was a brief moment in silence between the two and he felt a certain sense of belittlement standing beside Daisya. It was the first time in his life he'd ever felt even the gentlest brush of inferiority, but it sent him reeling and tugged his gaze towards the other. Regardless of the fact he had to decline his vision just slightly to see the Exorcist, he felt like Daisya stood several feet above him. Perhaps it was the sense of nostalgia flooding his system, overwhelming him with invisible memories of his teammates – but he could sense a shift in the air between them.
The jester blinked as he became aware of his friend's staring and looked over at him, a smile once more spreading across his features to expose slightly inhumanly pointed canines, "Let's not slow down now! I know it's boring but we've got a job to do!" His voice wasn't loud but it was enthusiastic – as Daisya often was – and that shrouded feeling dissipated as he turned to slide down the rock faces leading towards their destination.
Kanda hesitated, turning towards Tiedoll, unable to make out his eyes as the sun caught on his glasses, "I suppose all places are to be swept up in this war." His vocalization was quiet but cryptic and Kanda was unable to come up with a response. Instead his eyes turned forward again, watching Daisya continue his decent as though it was a professional sport that he was the best at.
A frown imprinted itself on his face, "Wasn't it a bad idea to send Daisya back to his home? If he should be killed and his family discovers it-"
"That's why we're here," Tiedoll said, "Should Daisya encounter any trouble he cannot handle – that's what comrades do." He turned a smile to his second student who seemed slightly taken aback by the action, but the expression quickly evaporated, "But let's be positive for now."
He still didn't move even as his master turned to follow after the young Exorcist who had paused to wait for them on an outcropping of stone. His free hand waved invitingly and he called for them to hurry up, something Kanda found himself hesitating to do. It was inevitable, though, that they continue to move forward so the unsure stability he had was pushed to the back of his mind as he moved to catch up with them, a strange feeling, quite different from nostalgia, settling over him.
------------------------------------------
"Charity Bell – Shoot!"
The orb shot through a string of Akuma before returning to the jester-like Exorcist and falling to his foot. Within minutes they erupted, lighting up the sky and taking some surrounding demons with them. As he juggled the ball back up onto his knee, Daisya grinned, "Ta-da!"
"This way, Daisya!" Kanda called, gesturing for him to follow as he ducked down an alley between two towering buildings. As he caught up the voice of the Marshall resonated from the golem fluttering between the two of them.
"Yuu? Lead them towards the sea to limit the casualties," he instructed, his voice calm but serious to suit the situation. He had every faith in his students' abilities but that didn't make the situation any less dangerous, "Is Daisya still with you?"
"He's here," Kanda replied, his voice laced with a slight annoyance at the casual use of his first name. He turned down another alleyway in the darkness only to be halted by the sound of Daisya's voice.
"This way! We can follow the rock faces to get to the sea near the edge of town," he said, pointing in the direction they'd previously been following, "If we cut straight through they'll attack the buildings."
Quite used to being the one that gave orders under their master, Kanda was both agitated and thankful for his friend's knowledge of the terrain. This sea-side town was Daisya's home and it should only make sense he be given the spotlight; particularly when they were traveling in the dark with buildings shadowing the moon. The Japanese boy nodded, backtracking to follow along behind Daisya as they dodged along the backsides of buildings. Within minutes the towering rock faces came into view, only one more open road between them and the safety of darkness.
Daisya was halfway across the road when he heard a shrill scream, sliding immediately to a halt and spinning his gaze to find that the looming figure of a level one Akuma had heard the same thing. There was only a split minute before it would be in range, already its gun had locked onto the newly found prey.
"No you don't!" he kicked up the silver bell as he moved forward towards the collapsed heap, "Shoot!" His foot collided with the ridged edges of his bell with amazing force that had been built up through his love of soccer. Between the strength in his legs and the pure power and speed of the Charity Bell, the Akuma stood no chance. But still Daisya wasted no time in coming upon the figure and sweeping it up into his arms, barely dodging the few bullets fired before his Innocence made contact.
The bell emerged on the other side, leaving behind an internal screeching as it looped around, skimming the ground at an intense speed before Daisya halted it under his foot. His head tilted up towards the refreshing light of the moon as the Akuma exploded, leaving no trace save for the black splotches on the ground where the bullets had hit, "Ta-da…"
"We need to keep moving, Daisya," Kanda's voice cut through the air with the same chill as his blade.
Daisya laughed through his exposed teeth, "Don't be jealous, Kanda," he chided. Turning his gaze to the form in his arms he surveyed her face closely for a moment or two.
It was a young girl, probably barely eleven years old, and all the commotion had knocked her out cold. His eyes lingered on her closed ones for a few minutes, brows knitting in concentration as the smile left his face. A swarm of wistfulness became him for a minute as his mind struggled to put the pieces together, mental fingers reached out to brush the finished memory when Kanda called out to him again.
"Daisya-"
"I know, I know!" he said, faintly aware that his voice carried its own sharpness this time, "Don't get your hair in a frizz." He turned to head towards one of the nearby buildings, kicking his bell along as he moved. Tapping the door with his foot a few times, he was aware of Kanda's cold gaze on his back only furthering his own impatience; but it was uncharacteristic for him to be angry, "Open up! I'm an Exorcist – there's an unconscious girl out here!"
He turned his ear towards the door, listening for the movement behind it – the shuffling of feet and furniture – until a middle aged women opened it with a look of controlled fear. She looked over Daisya, eyes lingering on the silver cross that glistened noticeably in the moonlight like a beacon, before her eyes fell to the child in his arms.
"God bless you, Exorcist," she gasped hurriedly and accepted the girl into her arms, cradling her with motherly care.
"It's what I do," he replied, scratching his cheek lightly with a short fingernail, "Go back inside and hide – it isn't safe yet."
She nodded and closed the door as the jester kicked up his bell again and turned to catch up with Kanda, "I think I knew her." His voice bordered on aloof, as though his mind were not in the moment completely and someone quite different from the usual Daisya stepped in to take up the void.
"The girl?" The taller Exorcist wasn't sure if he asked out of his own curiosity or simply to entice Daisya into following as he turned to continue on their selected path.
He nodded, coming back into reality as he realized Kanda wouldn't have been able to see the gesture and running after him, "But I can't put my finger on it." He laughed abruptly at his own turmoil, an action that he often did that eluded Kanda's understanding, "This is going to bother me all night."
They reached the wall of rock within minutes and were soon running paralleled along the town, flitting in and out of visibility as the moon cut between the few and far between spaces of the building. Daisya's gaze roamed every time they passed through an open space between the buildings, though he wasn't sure if the gaze was one of an Exorcist or one of a former resident of Bodrum. The buildings and atmosphere hadn't changed and the constant scent of the sea flowed through him like an endless string of thread winding throughout his body, twisting in each muscle and fiber of his being. Once he had looked at Bodrum as a home and thinking about it now, it truly hadn't been that long ago, but now he looked at it like an outsider.
Suddenly a bubble of golden light erupted a ways in front of them near the shoreline, followed by several explosions in the sky. Both Exorcists stopped and Kanda placed his hand on the sleek sword at his side, "The General…"
"Let's not stand around!" Immediately he picked up his pace again, running by Kanda to continue along the rock face until the illuminated sand came into view. Once again the pair stopped, looking around for the form of their master and only hearing the caress of waves against the shoreline.
The scuff of movement against cement – "Shoot!"
Daisya kicked up the Charity Bell and spun completely in the air, using the seemingly awkward angle to give more power to his kick. However at the last minute he pulled the strength back, still sending the bell into the darkness but with less than a third of its usual power. Seconds later there was the shatter of glass and a surprised grunt of the disheveled General Tiedoll.
"Watch where you're kicking that," Kanda snapped, grabbing his teammate by the black material of his cape to yank him forward. Daisya was already laughing but fought to hide it in the face of the other's anger.
"I'm alright, Kanda," Tiedoll said, emerging from the shadows with his now destroyed glasses frames pinched between two fingers, "He does that all the time.
"All those times it's on purpose," Daisya said with a bit of guilt, once again catching the screeching bell under his foot, "That was an accident. Sorry, Old Man."
"I carry spares," he said, dropping the old frames into his chest pocket and replacing them with new ones from his bag. Once they were securely on his face and he was sure Daisya wasn't going to suffer the wrath of an irritated Kanda, his face became serious once again, "Did you find it?"
"No," Kanda replied.
"People are too busy hiding from these Akuma," Daisya interrupted, crossing his arms, "I'll bet if there is Innocence here it came from the trade center – that's probably why the Akuma can't find it either."
"What makes you say that, Daisya?"
He scoffed at the question but a smile still remained on his face like a constant mask, "What do you think, Old Man? Interesting things don't happen in Bodrum – they show up here." The two shared a brief chuckle on some inside joke before returning back to the mute night.
"So where does this leave us?" Kanda spoke up after a minute of discontent silence. When things didn't concern him he tended not to heed but he could tell there was a memory here that he had no clue about and preferred to move the focus back on their mission. Perhaps because he was goal focused; perhaps because he didn't like feeling left out within his own team.
"I suppose we'll have to investigate the city as tourists tomorrow," Tiedoll sighed, though he didn't seem completely disheartened by the fact, "Particularly the marketing district."
Daisya nodded in agreement with the ordered version of his own plan, his face taking a momentary weight to express the gravity of the situation. But it didn't last long before he was smirking again, watching the reflection of Akuma in Tiedoll's glasses as he looked up towards the moon.
"But tonight we have some fun!" he kicked up his bell once more as Kanda drew Mugen, running his two fingers along the sharpened edge.
"Innocence activate!"
