Note: This is rated M for language and gore!

Silence
D Gray Man
A Stranger

Lavi leaned against the window, utterly bored. He was traveling with old Bookman to the Black Order. They were going to join the fight with the Exorcists and for the first time he'd appear in the history books with his new name. They were going to take the underground waterway in, but first they had to get there. He carefully touched his Innocence; it was in the shape of a hammer. He enjoyed using it already although he wasn't trained heavily in. Suddenly the carriage that they were in jolted to a stop.

Bookman stood, giving Lavi a look to be silent and stay still. He opened the door and they saw the Finder that had been driving it had gotten off and was now talking to a woman. In an instant Lavi took in the littlest details about the woman's appearance.

She was tall, she had short red hair cut around her face, although it was a lighter red then his own, duller as well. Her eyes were a bright blue and her skin was pale. She was dressed as an Exorcist, her body covered in black cloth that looked out of date. Her hands, her feet, everything up to her neck was covered with the black cloth. She was smiling and talking to the Finder easily. The Finder seemed to sense he was being watched and he quickly turned to look at Lavi and Bookman.

"Oh, sorry. I saw Rebecca and I know her from the Order…she disappeared years ago." The woman named Rebecca smiled easily at the Bookman in training and his mentor.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stop your ride, but I'm trying to get back to the Order too. Quickly as I can too. I have to get someone to the Order right away."

"You're protecting someone?" asked Lavi, earning a glare from Bookman. He clearly didn't want to get involved.

"Yes…my daughter." She made a strange clicking noise and then a girl quickly darted out from behind a rock. She was wearing a red dress that went well with her black hair and tan skin. A red ribbon, that matched the dress, went around her forehead holding back the midnight tresses. Lavi also noticed she was bare foot. She had a nervous stance, like she didn't want to be there. Not to forget her eyes were different colors.

Her left eye was a bright blue, the same shade as her mother's and her right eye was a golden-amber color. She seemed shy and stood half behind her mother, yet of course it, obviously, didn't stop Lavi from observing her.

"Would you like to ride with us?" Bookman's question startled Lavi. Why did he want them to ride along? Was Bookman just being kind or was there something else…?

Either way when Bookman moved so that Rebecca and the girl could climb into the carriage. They climbed in and sat across from Lavi and Bookman. Rebecca bit her lip and looked at the girl; she was looking at her lap, her lips pressed together.

"It's been a long time Rebecca" Bookman said. The girl and Lavi both looked at him. Their eyes were surprised. Bookman ignored them both. "Almost sixteen years to be exact…I suppose this is your Verinty you spoke so fondly about." He looked at the girl, her dual-colored eyes still surprised.

"Yes, this is my Verinty" Rebecca put her arm around the girl, Verinty, and hugged her close. She was stiff in her mother's arms. "Her father is dead now, she barely ever knew him because I had to keep her away. If the Earl ever laid eyes on her…" Now Rebecca was stroking Verinty's long dark hair. "She looks like them doesn't she?"

"If she would have two golden eyes…" Bookman shook his head.

"I worry about her, about everything" Lavi saw how sad Rebecca looked, how close to crying she was as she held her daughter. Lavi didn't know what they were talking about, but figured the old Panda would just tell him later.

"So who is her father anyway?" he interrupted.

"You have no matter in this at the moment Lavi" snapped Bookman. Lavi just rolled his eyes and looked at Verinty again. He wondered where she had gotten her name and what it actually meant.

"Actually…" Rebecca's voice penetrated the silence, and it sounded nervous. "I was wondering if you'd make a stop with me before we go to the Order, Bookman."

"What about Verinty and Lavi?"

"Let them go to the Order themselves, Komui will take care of them" Rebecca sighed. "I really need your help with this before I go back. Please, Bookman." She looked desperate. Verinty looked at her mother, looking worried.

"I'll take care of her!" Lavi inputted, smiling brightly. "I'll take care of her until the two of you come join us at the Order!" Rebecca looked at him for a moment and then smiled.

"Thank ever so much!" She really did look like she was going to cry. "But I must warn you about-"

"Don't worry about this pup, he can take care of himself and your daughter" Lavi was surprised that Bookman had so much faith in him, seeing as he was only sixteen years old. The girl looked about sixteen too. He remembered that Bookman had said he hadn't see Rebecca in close to sixteen years…Why had Rebecca hid while caring for her child? It surely had to be hard if she were an Exorcist, like he suspected.

"My name is Lavi by the way" he said, holding out a hand to shake hers. She didn't take it.

She looked away "I'm leaving Verinty in your care Lavi. She doesn't speak much so I don't expect she'll be any trouble. This will be good enough, Bookman." She banged on the wall dividing her and the driver three times.

They all felt the carriage stop again and Rebecca and Bookman stepped out. Before Bookman did he looked at Lavi with one of his strict looks. "She's a very important girl Lavi, very rare. Make sure no one hurts her."

"Okay. You are going to tell me everything later, aren't you Panda?" the carriage jolted into movement again, even though Lavi was half hanging out the window. "Aren't you?" he called out. He didn't answer though. Lavi sighed, pulling the door shut and sitting back down, across from Verinty. She looked unsure and a little scared even.

"Hey, it'll be alright!" he said, grinning at her. She looked even more worried. He wondered why she hadn't even spoken yet. "Are you a mute?" he asked her. She shook her head and he wondered if she were kidding or not. The rest of the ride was silent, which almost bothered Lavi.

At the Order's Secret Waterway

They had arrived at the entrance to the Order. The ride down the waterway was long and even a little bumpy. Verinty had sat there, dual-colored eyes wide with fear most of the time. She had gripped the side of the boat with one hand so hard that the veins stood out on the back of her hand. Lavi had helped her out of the boat and since then she had stayed close to him.

They walked along with a few men dressed up in strange outfits. They looked really odd but Lavi didn't care. He figured he wouldn't be that long anyway. He was just an observer after all. Maybe he was sixteen years old, but he was trained through and through to smile, act happy and learn what he needed to, even if he betrayed people he pretended to be close to.

Finally, as they overlooked what appeared to be a funeral, the chief of the Science Department greeted them. He was holding papers in one hand as he walked toward them. Lavi gazed down on the scene below them. It was a funeral that was for sure. Hundreds of coffins were lined up in neat rows.

These people just lost a huge battle he thought to himself. He gazed at Verinty and she was watching the funeral, the people crying, wounded pounding on caskets and others that were wounded being escorted away, with what seemed to be empty eyes. She turned those eyes to look at the chief.

"Hello, my name is Komui Lee, are you the Bookman?" he asked, holding his hand out to Lavi.

"No, he will be along shortly" Lavi answered, shaking his hand and smiling lightly.

"Is she with the Bookmen?" asked Komui, gazing at Verinty. Lavi hadn't seen her move closer to him; he had been focusing on the funeral. She was closer than she had been the whole trip. Lavi was about to answer Komui, to tell him that she wasn't with the Bookman and he didn't know exactly who she really was.

"I am not" her voice shocked him because despite her shaking her head at the idea, he had begun to believe she was completely mute. "I am the daughter of Rebecca Whispers. My name is Verinty Whispers."

"Rebecca Whispers?" he seemed shocked. Komui's eyes glanced to Lavi, he saw them, as if Lavi might have a relationship with the girl or her mother. "Is your mother coming back?"

"No"

The answer shocked Lavi. Why was Bookman going with Rebecca if she wouldn't be coming back? Just then another man came walking up to the small group, Bookman following. The man waved to Komui and hurried away.

"I am sorry for being late. Duty called." He held his hand out to Komui. "I am Bookman" His face was almost grim. "This pup here is Lavi and the girl is Verinty, but from the look in your eye, I believe you already know that. Am I wrong?"

"You three can wait in my office, it is straight that way, and then we will talk" Komui said. Lavi noticed his eyes glancing down at the people below. Was he looking for someone he knew in battle?

"Very well" Bookman started to walk away, Lavi following. Verinty clung to the back of his scarf and followed behind him. She seemed to regress back into the timid girl that he had first met. This annoyed him for some reason. Sure she was pretty, but she was a useless face that would be blurred out of history.

They arrived at Komui's office before long. It was a complete and utter mess. Lavi wrinkled his nose but went to sit on the couch next to Bookman. He saved some room for Verinty as well. Her odd-dual colored eyes glanced around, cautious and wide.

"So, you are his daughter" Bookman spoke, making her eyes fall on him. She did not smile, if anything her look became depressing and grim.

"Yes. I rather think of myself as my mother's child."

"Can you use Innocence?" Lavi looked at Bookman and then at Verinty. Why wouldn't she not be able to use Innocence? She was human…wasn't she? Either way she shrugged, as if she had no idea whatsoever. She didn't seem to care either.

"I can fight"

"But can you fight against them?" Lavi was a littler irritated by Bookman's secrecy. Why was he seemingly keeping Lavi out on purpose? He was the next in line to be a Bookman. He would have to learn whatever Bookman was keeping to himself sooner or later.

She looked down at Bookman's question and frowned. "Did they get my mother?"

"Yes"

She was silent. "Is she…" She didn't finish her question.

"Yes"

She didn't say anything she just sucked in a deep breath and let out a loud sigh. Lavi could see the determination on her face, but he could also see the tears in her eyes. She didn't seem to want to cry. She took another deep breath in and combed her dark hair back from her face.

"So how long are we going to stay here?" asked Lavi, turning Bookman. "It's filthy here" he looked down at the floor, which was covered in papers and books. Sure maybe his and Bookman's room was crowded by it was more of an organized crowd. This was just chaos.

"A while" answered Bookman. "And its home now. We have a job to do here" Verinty didn't seem interested in their conversation. At that moment Komui walked in and sat in the chair behind his desk, looking tired.

"I'm sorry, I had to check on my sister" he said with a sigh. He looked at the three of them and brushed some of his hair back out of his face. "So, you two want to help the Order. Your help will be welcome of course."

"We will offer our services, but of course you know why we're really here" Komui merely nodded. Of course he knew, they were Bookmen, he should have known.

"But what about her?" he motioned to Verinty.

"I can take care of myself" She imputed. She was frowning, like she thought she was really strong enough. Lavi saw how thin she looked, not really what a fighter should look like.

"Her mother asked me to make sure she adjusts well here" Bookman told Komui, completely ignoring Verinty. She frowned, looking very angry about the whole situation and then Lavi saw how sad she was. It was just a glimmer but the girl was upset. Maybe about her mother.

"I'll have rooms prepared and for now you three can do as you wish" Komui motioned to the door. He looked very tired. Lavi, Bookman and Verinty stood. They all turned and walked out the door.

"Lavi, take Verinty and get something to eat. I'm going to go look around" Bookman then turned and walked quickly away.

"Wait! Where's the-" but Bookman was already gone. He turned to Verinty. He didn't know the layout of the place but it would just take one good walk around for him to burn it into his brain. He scratched his red hair and then looked around. "Well let's see if we can get to the dining area"

She didn't reply, just followed him silently as they began to walk. It was almost like being along. Lavi didn't really mind being alone, in fact it was preferred. He would much rather be alone in silence, it was easier to think about the things he had to think about. Like this battle he was now going to participate in. It would be long and hard and not everyone who would go into battle would come back out alive.

He was walking almost aimlessly until he ran into a girl with long black hair that was let down. She was dressed as an Exorcist but she was bandaged up. Her eyes were red, as if she had just been crying. She looked at Lavi with a look that conveyed surprise. She stopped mid-step and just looked at him for a moment before his eyes shifted to Verinty. Verinty shrunk away from her gaze.

"Hello?" her voice was unsure, like she didn't know if she wanted to talk to them or not. Maybe she was just wondering who they were.

"Hi" greeted Lavi. "I'm new here. My name is Lavi, this is Verinty. We're looking for a place to get some food" The girl blinked a few more times, making Lavi think she may have been a little slow but then her face broke into a cheerful smile. She seemed like the cheerful type, one who got attached to her friends and one who would protect them the best she could.

"My name is Lenalee Lee" she said, holding out her hand for him to shake it. He did and recalled his hand quickly. She was pretty, he did notice that. He also made a note of her last name, figuring that she was Komui's little sister. She looked about his age, well a little younger, maybe fifteen years old.

"It's nice to meet you Lenalee. Like I said before, do you know a place we can get some food?" he smiled, putting just enough charm in it to make it seem real.

"Sure, this way" she motioned for her to follow them. He followed behind her with Verinty clinging to the back of his scarf. She kept close to him, seeming timid and a little scared. He didn't really mind though. She would get braver or whatever and run off to do whatever she thought she needed to.

They followed Lenalee into the dining hall and up to the counter. A man walked away, holding a tray of food. Lenalee waved to the man behind the counter who smiled at Lavi and Verinty.

"Well hello there!" he greeted, smiling. "Aren't you a cute one? Even with the eye patch!" He was very energetic and Lavi had to say that he liked that. "So what can I get you today?"

Lavi stared at him for a moment, blinked and the smiled. The smile was a little fake, but the man didn't seem to notice.

"Jerry, this is Lavi. He's with the Bookman that just arrived today" explained Lenalee and Lavi made a mental note that his name was Jerry as soon as Lenalee said it. He felt Verinty nervously playing with his scarf. He wondered if she had a split personality. One moment she seemed brave, the next she seemed timid and afraid of everyone and everything. Now she was afraid again. Once again, it was a little annoying. Couldn't she at least pretend to be okay?

Either way, he placed his order, for what he wanted from Jerry and in a few minutes Jerry had it for him. It was a simple sandwich with a small soda. Lavi didn't really usually drink soda, but he had nothing against drinking it. He started to turn away, Verinty still clinging to his scarf but Jerry caught wind of the dual-eyed girl.

"Hey, honey! Don't you want anything to eat?" She froze and looked at him, her eyes wide. "Is she part of the Bookmen too?"

"No, we're taking care of her though. She's an orphan" Lavi said, lying smoothly. Well, it wasn't completely a lie. Her mother was dead now and he had no idea about her father but he assumed that he was dead or she had disowned herself from him at the very least.

She still hadn't spoken to Jerry yet but she relaxed and walked to the counter, her fingers resting on the edge. She looked at Jerry for a moment and then she broke into a smile. "I'd like what Lavi had"

Lavi blinked in surprise. That was the first time she had used his name. Odd, but it was nice to know that she knew it since he would be watching her until Bookman decided whatever they were going to do with her. Again he wondered why her mother ran from the Order when she was raising the girl.

"Alright, hun! Coming right up!" He disappeared into his kitchen and came back out in a few minutes with her food. He handed her the tray and smiled at her. "You seem a little nervous. Don't worry, it's not as big and scary here as it seems" Then he gave her a wink and she really smiled. She turned, with her tray and walked with Lavi and Lenalee to a table. There they all sat down. Lenalee started talking about places in the Order and Verinty ate in silence, which really didn't surprise Lavi at all.

"Are you an Exorcist Verinty?" she asked. Verinty looked up, from taking a drink of her soda, looking shocked. Then her expression fell.

"I don't think I can use Innocence"

"Why wouldn't you be able to?" asked Lenalee, a smile on her face, but Verinty didn't answer and instead took another bite out of her sandwich. Lenalee frowned, watching her for a moment. She then looked at Lavi. "Why is she here if she isn't an Exorcist? Is she a Finder?" She glanced at Verinty again. "Is she really an orphan?"

"Yes, my mother is dead" she snapped, sounding angry at Lenalee. Lenalee looked at Verinty, surprised by her sudden anger. Verinty's face fell again and looked away. Lavi could see the grief in her expression. She was only human; she would be grieving for a while.

"I don't know who she is yet…But the chief of this place seems interested in who she is."
Lavi said honestly, because even he didn't know who she really was and the mystery pulled at his strings. He really wanted to know who she really was and what she had to do with everything. Why had Bookman gone with her mother? Who was her mother? Who killed her and why? It was truly annoying.

"Maybe I should ask my brother" he heard Lenalee mutter, which brought him out of his thoughts. He frowned a little, taking in the information that she just gave him. If the chief was her brother than that meant that Lenalee was pretty important then. He wondered what her role in the Black Order was as well.

Verinty finished her food and stood. "What do I do with this?" she asked her voice soft and strained. She was trying to hide the emotion in her voice.

"Just up there" Lenalee pointed out the location and Lavi quickly got up as well. "Where are you going?"

"I'm done. Thanks so much for helping us find this place? Bye!" He put his tray where Verinty had and hurried off after Verinty. He found her walking the hall a few branches off from the dining hall. "Veri!" he called. She stopped and turned to look at him.

"That's not my name" she answered.

"But it sounds cute" He answered with a grin. She rolled her eyes and started to walk away from him. He trotted easily after her. She gave him a mild glare and then she rolled her eyes.

"You're not going to leave me alone are you?" she asked.

"Not really. So where are you from anyway? Why were you and your mother away from the Order if she was an Exorcist?" he asked, curious to see if she could answer some of his questions.

"Mother and I were wanders. As for why we never came to the Order, I don't know" She looked at him and he saw that she shared her curiosity. There were a lot of things she did not know either. She almost looked desperate for the answers. "To tell you the truth, I wish I knew"

"I wish I knew too" he sighed, more on impulse than anything else.

"Help me then" her words were quick and low. He looked at her shocked. "I need someone to help me find out about my father. My mother never told me anything. If I'd ask she'd only say 'It's better if I don't'" She looked upset and frustrated. "I need to know and you want to know"

"I don't know…What's in it for me?" he asked, but he couldn't help but be interested.

"Getting all of your questions answered" she said, her eyes serious.

He stopped and put his hands behind his head. She stopped, looking at him. "Well…I guess that sounds good" He said. He held out one hand to her. "Alliance?"

She looked at him, her dual-colored eyes flashing and then she put her well tanned hand into his much paler one. "Alliance, at least until we find out everything I want to know about my father"

"So then we end it?" he asked. Did she think it would be so easy?

"Of course, because if he's still alive I have to find him"

"Alright then. Alliance, for now" He gave her a wryly smile and she gave him a grim one. Maybe their Alliance would only last until she had found what she wanted, but Lavi had a feeling that it would be very interesting until then.


This is my Lavi x OC story as you all know by now~ This story has some deep secrets and dark pasts hidden in it. Not everything is as it seems and bonds will be tested. So anyway, hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I tried to base it a little off the Manga, but I changed somethings (well yeah...) Anyway. As for the rule with all my stories, please give me reviews and I will give you chapters. I know this one wasn't so good but its interesting at the least right?

Disclaimer!: I don't own any characters from D Gray Man or D Gray Man itself.
Verinty is mine though, do not steal!