DISCLAIMER: I don't own D. Gray-man, all belong to Hoshino sensei... If it was otherwise... Lavi and Kanda should have been together from a VERY LONG TIME!

WARNING: YAOI - if you don't know what this word means, or if you don't like boy/boy relationship this story is not for you, don't say I didn't tell you! You know the song, DON'T LIKE DON'T READ!


WARNING N.2! Mention of racism and violence (this is mainly in later chapters)! Please note that I in no way am encouraging or approving of racism. It's just that to keep the story as possibly close to its historical period, I must use terms, ways of thinking, and behaviors proper of the factions involved in WWII. So, if references to Nazism or to its ideology is offensive to you, please refrain from reading. I don't want flames about it. I want to make it clear that I don't approve in any way Nazi's actions and that I'm not a racist, I'm just using the historical setting as a background.


Well, I know that maybe this AU could be a little far from the usual view of the WWII that everyone have, but I can't help it, Kanda is Japanese, so he belongs to the Axis... Sorry about that^^;;

And, as always, it's Kanda/Lavi or LaviYuu, whatever you wanna put it.

Now, beta this time is Annette Aoi, thank you SO much for your precious help and your willingness to explain things to me! *BOWS*

What else to say?

Enjoy!

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FROM DOOMSDAY TO DOOMSDAY


Chapter 1: Burning Books


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Kanda walked quickly down the corridor leading to the office of General Tiedoll, wondering what else could have happened to make them call him with so much urgency.

Ever since that damnable war had started (1), he had a really bad feeling about the implications coming with it. Then, when Japan expressed the intention to join the fucking Alliance (2), he had been chosen as a sacrificial victim to please the German future allies.

He hadn't had a moment of peace; each day was a different problem, a rebellion in a different place, spies and collaborators to eradicate...

He believed that his duty was only to work with the high German officials to stem the leak of information that recently plagued both their armies but realized pretty soon that he was almost at the same level of a hostage, and he didn't like that at all.

First of all, he was practically forced to wear a German uniform instead of his own with the justification of 'so not discomfort people'. Second, he was assigned completely to Schutzstaffel's (3) special unit with executive powers and all related duties. Not that serving with the so feared SS troubled him that much; he just found it extremely annoying to have to deal with tasks that had absolutely no relation with his own nation.

He knocked on General Tiedoll's door. General Tiedoll was a very weird man in his opinion, too easygoing and tender hearted to be a General of the Reich. So, he wasn't surprised that much when rumors were reported to him that the man had French origins.

Tiedoll's always cordial voice invited him to enter, and Kanda slowly opened the door, presenting for a formal report as befitted with someone of such high rank.

"Oh, Yuu-kun, it's you. I was waiting for you. Sit down." The man waved his hand, pointing to the chair in front of the massive desk.

The General's manner irritated the Japanese youth more every day, but the man was his superior, and he couldn't threaten him as he would with any other person. Kanda suppressed a sharp comment about this informal use of his first name. He just tightened his jaw and sat down where he had been shown to sit.

"I would like to ask to not use my name so thoughtlessly," the black haired youth said simply.

"Oh, but why, Yuu-kun? All my soldiers are like sons to me, you know." Tiedoll whined shamelessly, looking at him with teary eyes.

"Che." The sound escaped his lips before Kanda could stop it. "Why have you convened me with such urgency?" He asked flatly.

"I received orders from the Central Command, directly from the Chancellor's office. And they're not pleasant." Revealed the man, shaking his head sadly.

"What is enjoyable in a war?" Kanda retorted sarcastically. "So what?" He added, casting the General an impatient look.

"There's some 'cleaning' to do between Jewish sympathizers." Tiedoll finally said, sighing.

"What a news." The Japanese man spat out in a harsh tone.

"This time Hitler wants to give a clear example to all those who spread written material judged offensive to the Reich; your task is to gather as many books as possible containing those subversives texts, and then burn them in the main square for everybody's eyes to see."

"Fantastic." Kanda raised his hand to his face. "Who will be my interpreter this time? My knowledge of German language is still very limited."

"I will ensure there's someone able to understand your orders. Don't worry." Tiedoll reassured him paternally, which Kanda hated more than anything else, after his insistence to call him by his first name.

How the man learned his language was a mystery, but he could use it enough to irritate him, and this was a fact.

"Very well. Is that all?" The Japanese youth couldn't wait taking leave to mentally prepare himself for the terrible nuisance that expected him shortly after.

"Yes, you can go for now. I'll send you an orderly within a couple of hours. Start from the Central Library, and then search through all the places in this list." The General handed him a sheet, which Kanda read with feigned interest.

"Will be done." The Japanese officer said, rising. Then greeted him by standing to attention, and Tiedoll nodded, smiling.

"I'll wait for your report tomorrow evening." the young man nodded his head as agreement and left the room.

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"Goodness knows what idiot will fall on me this time," Kanda wondered, disappointed beyond words as he headed back to his office. "Although I was aggregated to Sicherheitsdienst (4), I find myself doing these vapid propaganda tasks."

The Japanese youth missed the reasons why he was always involved to resolve these things concerning the intellectual wing opposing the regime. Then a thought flashed him. "What if... if the leak was right here? Perhaps they suspect that there's something big behind this and hope that I'll remove the chestnuts from the fire for them."

"Che." Kanda snorted, his face darkening even more. "They're just using me..." He mentally added.

This thought greatly worsened Kanda's mood, whom violently closed his office's door behind him.

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After the five minutes that his temporary orderly reached him, Kanda had already wanted to kill the guy. A damn rookie, which among other things knew Japanese language as much as he knew German!

He cursed under his breath as they headed to the Central Library to complete what their orders stated. No one opposed or showed resistance to the books confiscation because they were unaware of what their destiny would be, Kanda said to himself, otherwise... Well, it would have been much more problematic.

They visited every place whose name was on Tiedoll's list, seizing a tremendous amount of volumes; almost all six of the trucks that made up their convoy were filled up with them now.

However, the last bookstore's keeper created them some problems, damn old man with dark circles! First of all, he asked too many questions that Kanda had no intention to answer. Secondarily, he opposed the seizure of his beloved books with a stubbornness that bordered on ridiculous. And he knew his language! Moreover, he understood him and answered back!

"Listen to me, old man. I have neither the time nor the desire to argue with you." Kanda hissed angrily, exasperated by the insistence of the old bookseller. "I'm just executing orders, and I can't make exceptions. Now step the fuck aside. Like it or not, we're taking those books." The officer concluded, and then motioned his soldiers to proceed.

"I won't allow it!" The old man growled menacingly, and with great surprise of all people present there, he rushed toward Kanda.

The SS Commander didn't seem surprised at all and stood still with a grin on the face. In a moment, two of his Schutzstaffel were in front of him as a shield and expertly blocked the man's assault, reducing him to impotence.

"Che." Was Kanda's only comment as he turned to leave that place, followed by his soldiers with the books and the two of them who had protected him.

The old man followed out of the store, trying to wrestle the numerous volumes from the Reich men's hands.

"Arrest him." Kanda ordered in a cold tone, continuing to walk without even looking back to check on the events.

"What's happening?" They suddenly heard shouting, and Kanda turned abruptly seeing a young man running towards them, breathless.

The same two soldiers shielded again their Commander, wielding guns, and the red-haired boy stared at the German officer like he was a vision while he approached the small group of soldiers without slowing down.

The officer watched him. His long raven locks framed his perfect face, eyes cold and impassive that stared at him without betraying any emotion, thin lips just curved in a delighted grin, and the wind... the wind that blew the rest of his long tresses, tied just below the neck in a low ponytail. Those eyes... No, he couldn't be German, what did he do leading an SS platoon?

"Che."

His vision uttered a sound of contempt and turned angrily to the soldier behind him.

"What is he saying?" Kanda asked his orderly.

"Oh, he's asking what's happening, sir." The man answered promptly.

"Tell him we're taking away a subversive and to keep clear of it." The Japanese officer said, but the newcomer anticipated him.

"You're arrestin' my grandfather? Why?" The youth exclaimed with a worried look.

He stopped in front of Kanda, panting hard. So he was Japanese, Lavi thought. He should have grasped it immediately. He couldn't have been Italian for sure. It was rather obvious now why he was in command, but not as much for the reason he wore a German uniform instead of his own army's.

Kanda looked at him up and down.

"So he's the grandson of this man. No wonder he can understand me too," the Japanese soldier told to himself.

"He refused to hand over the books and attacked me. Those are both valid reasons for his arrest." Kanda promptly informed him, staring coldly at the redhead's astonished face.

"Lavi! Don't interfere, or you'll be taken too. They want to burn the books in Opernplatz (5)!" The old bookseller urged the teen in a language that no one else present understood but him.

"What did he say? Tell me now or it will be the worse for you," Kanda ordered, really close to lose his patience. At least, the few he had.

"That I must not interfere..." Lavi partially lied, confused by his mentor's words.

"Wise advice. Now, step aside." The Japanese officer ordered. Lavi complied looking at them departing, taking away his teacher and mentor.

The group loaded into the Reich military vans books and librarian and left full speed, but Lavi knew where they were going for the grand finale; he would have join them there.

He must speak to that man again, convince him that his grandfather didn't mean to do anything wrong... If they were going to jail him, he would never see him alive again. He was sure of that.

He took a shortcut, heading to the square in question, walking as fast as he could.

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Kanda watched the German students amass all sorts of publications on various piles in the center of the square, while his men did the same with what they had seized that day.

"Che." He let out an annoyed sound again, hoping that they would do it very quickly so to conclude once and for all that vapid task.

That was when he saw one of the students leave the closest group and walk towards him; it was the young man with red hair he had met just a few hours earlier.

"I'm not dangerous. I just want to talk." Lavi stated, raising hands in front of him in a surrendering gesture before the other youth could call his personal guard. He saw him raise an eyebrow in an annoyed manner.

"And, what about? Let's hear it." Kanda retorted in a menacing tone.

"My grandfather. He's not dangerous either. He's only a studious and a historian. That's why he cares so much for the books, and he didn't mean t'hurt you, really!" Lavi's expression was bordering on a begging one. "He just wanted to get you away from his precious books... We're not subversives or collaborators, and we're not even Jewish. Please, set him free!" The redhead exclaimed with emphasis, and gripped the sleeves of the Japanese man's uniform in the heat, fixing his one emerald green eye in the dark ones of the other.

Kanda was surprised to see such determination on Lavi's face and wondered how the redhead lost the other eye while thinking over on what to answer.

"You mustn't believe him, Herr (6) Kanda. He's lying," his attendant's voice interrupted those considerations, and Kanda turned to him with a questioning look. "He bears a Jewish name. He can't not be one. He's just a lousy liar and deserves to be punished as one!" Concluded the soldier.

"God no... That's not true!" Lavi was shocked. He hadn't considered that. He let go of his hold on Kanda and stepped back, feeling lost.

"That old man called you Lavi. It's a Jewish word," insisted the German soldier, accusingly.
"What fool would have baptized you with a Jewish name other than one of them?"

"I admit it. Lavi has a meanin' in Hebrew language, but it's not my real name." The redhead said, trying to defend himself from the accusation. "Bookman, my grandfather, he's a historian, as I tried to explain b'fore, and he thought it would've been easier for me to gather information 'bout their way of livin' with a Jewish name..." Lavi noticed with horror that he was getting into more and more trouble with each word he said.

"Did you hear? They spied on the Jews. They can't be a part of them." Kanda's tone was almost amused; the naivety of that guy was disarming. The SS official was certain he wasn't lying. Anyone would have sought a better excuse.

"Herr Kanda?" The soldier thought he hadn't understood his commander's words correctly.

"If they spy on the Jews, that doesn't concern us. The fact they read their writings is questionable, but you do have to know your enemy to deal with it, don't you?" The inflection of the Japanese officer continued to be sarcastic, which to Lavi left only presage a disastrous conclusion. He sighed resignedly, expecting to be imprisoned with his mentor.

"What we're going to do with him then, Commander?" The orderly asked, confused.

"He's harmless." Kanda stated, leaving his subordinate astounded. "You can go." He said then, turning to Lavi.

"And, my grandfather? If they deport him... without him I'll be alone..." Lavi murmured, looking at the Japanese officer with a desperate expression.

"Your grandfather will be questioned tomorrow. You can come to the Headquarters if you want, but I advise you not to." Kanda turned his back to the redhead, his attention back to the movements in the square. "I will try to obtain his release, but I can't promise you anything. Now go away before I change my mind." He added sharply, but his voice betrayed a hint of interest, even if Lavi hadn't caught it.

The orderly stared at him, shocked. He had just heard his terrible, heartless Commander saying that he would care for someone? Impossible. Surely he said that to get rid of that nuisance. Yes, that's it. That had to be it.

Lavi nodded and smiled gratefully but didn't go away. He remained among the students to observe as one of the soldiers threw gasoline on the mounds of tomes scattered all around the square, and after that, he offered to Kanda a lighted torch.

Lavi hoped that Bookman wasn't looking at that as well, when he watched the Japanese officer throw the torch against the biggest pile with coldness and indifference, and then order his men to proceed with the rest.

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It was the evening of 10th May 1933, the day in which piles of books were set fire to destroy people's memories. The flames of the pyres in Berlin's center square lit up the sky floodlit, rising high in the warm air.

Kanda turned his back to the fire and headed to one of the jeeps eager to return to the SS Headquarters, under Lavi's sad observation.

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NOTES:

(1) Kanda refers to the invasion of China by Japan, in September 1931.

(2) Japan will fully enter the "Axis Alliance" in 1936, while the WWII will start in 1939. The main nations in this alliance were Germany, Italy and Japan.

(3) Schutzstaffel: full name for the SS.

(4) Sicherheitsdienst: SS Intelligence Division, the Reich's secret Police.

(5) Opernplatz: Berlin's main square.

(6) Herr: "Mister" in German.