AN: Eh...I think I'm overloading myself here...but eh...yea. Enjoy! ;; Hehe...

Chapter One

Betrayal

"As the chosen successor of the Bookman, you must live."

He sat alone in the darkness of his room, thinking. Twice he tried to sneak out and visit her, yet twice he stopped himself. It's been four years. If he couldn't save her four years ago, what could he possibly do now that would be of any help? So there he was, broken, and barely able to restrain himself.

Three more hours until sunrise, three more hours before the night is over, and then it would be another year before he gets like this again. When morning arrives, he would shield himself behind that mask again, and nobody would be able to tell that he was distracted by the thoughts of that night. It would be as if it never happened. Lavi clenched at his knees, sitting up with both legs pulled close to his chest.

"Just three more hours." He mumbled over and over against, sounding as though he was about to lash out and scream.

Suddenly, a loud explosion was heard from the tower opposite of his room. His eyes widened; his mind snapped out of the trans he was in moments ago. He turned to his right, where the only window to his room was located, and found smoke coming from one of the towers of the Black Order. It was her chamber. He leapt off his bed, his innocence activating as he did. Outside his door, he found Finders, as well as Exorcists like himself rushing to see what had made the commotion.

The East side chamber was forbidden, so why the sudden explosion? He rushed after the crowd, shoving Finders out of his way as he did. He was so unlike himself that night, so unlike himself that when a couple of Finders fell against the floor, they thought it was Kanda who had rushed past them.

Lavi rushed down the corridor, his innocence was clenched so tightly in his hands that his knuckles had turned white. The smell of smoke drifted in the air as he neared his destination. The holes in the tower walls were an indication that something definitely wasn't right.

'It couldn't be.'

As he travelled forward, he had noticed the army of level one Akumas that were clouding the sky. Kanda was already there when he reached his destination, fighting off as much as he could. Though the Japanese was outnumbered, the swordsman did not show any hence of panic. The graceful movements of his katana, which led to his attacks, were quick and painless. Lavi joined the fight, though the reason behind this uproar was still a mystery, he was sure that the issue would reveal itself. Surely enough, in no time at all, the Akumas were defeated, and the real problem emerged.

A man in his mid thirties stood before the two young Exorcists. A body was rested in his arms. Immediately, Lavi recognized the person he was carrying, and became tense. She was a woman in her early twenties, just about the same age as Lavi at the moment. Her raven black hair, which was soaked in red liquid a moment before, was now sticking to her face. Her naked body was exposed to the night wind. One glance at her ghastly skin would give away all her secrets; she was either dead, or nearing death. Lavi couldn't tell anymore. It's been four years since he visited, four years since that dreadful night. Somehow, it seemed as though the nightmare was replaying itself. He rushed forward in an outbreak of rage, wanting to punish the man for disturbing her peace, but Kanda held him back.

"He's a Noah." The swordsman warned; knowing Lavi wasn't in the state of mind to go up against someone of his statues.

Kanda could see the frustration reflected the Bookman's eyes. But in order for Lavi to win in a duel, first he would have to have a cool mind, or else he was destined to loose the minute he draws his weapon. This time, though, Lavi did not listen to Kanda's warnings. The Noah was making his escape, and Lavi wasn't about to let that happen. His actions surprised even Kanda as his innocence gave way to a full flare of flame.

Kanda gritted his teeth. "Idiot!"

He rushed after the red headed Bookman, snatching the back of Lavi's belt as he did, barely dodging Lavi's own attack, which had been deflected back the moment it came within a one meter radius with the Noah. The force of Lavi's flame dragon threw the two Exorcists back. The two jumped back once again as the flames hit the stone bricks of the tower floor, crumbling what's left of the area underneath their feet. The entire East side tower, which had been standing half an hour ago, now crumbled to pieces under Lavi's attack. Down with it came thousands of years of built up dust. When the smoke from the collapsed tower had died down, the Noah and the girl was nowhere to be found. Leaving both Exorcists and Finders in a daze.

"No…" Lavi whispered, staring disbelievingly at the creation of his own masterpiece. His mind was a blank. "Where did they go?"

Before he had the time to adjust to what had happened, he felt himself flying backwards once again, this time, landing firmly on his behind. A bruise was beginning to form on his left cheek. He looked up, finding the swordsman standing half a meter away; his eyes were as cold as ice. Kanda was never in a good mood, but that night, he seemed extremely impatient.

"If you put my life in jeopardy like that again, mark my words Lavi." Kanda's voice was dangerously low. "That Noah won't have to kill you. I will." With that, he sheathed his katana, turned, and left.

It was early Sunday afternoon when the two new Exorcists arrived at the gates of the Black Order. People stopped and stared as they made their way towards Komui Lee's office. It was that time of the year again. Komui could sense that something big was going down, for things had been quiet lately, too quiet. Kanda was receiving instructions in the head's office when the two arrived, both dressed in their uniforms with their hood pulled low over their faces, as if afraid of the light. Kanda made the effort to look up; otherwise, no actions were taken to towards introducing himself.

"Yume Noboru."

"Ayumu Takashi, at you service."

The head of the Black Order held an amused smile as he glanced towards the new transfers. He had to say; he was somewhat impressed with what his fellow scientists in Italy had come up with. He had been informed a month ahead that two of the best they've got over there were going to make a transfer. Though the letter of recommendation had been buried along with his other files. Surprisingly, he remembered this meeting instead of thousands of others that desperately needed tending. He signalled for the two to remove their headwears, and they did, following strict orders as if they were some type of mechanical being. Komui smirked. He could get use to this.

"Now, for your next mission." Komui pulled three folders out from one of the many piles of paper on his desk. How he's able to find anything in those piles of mess still amuses him. "Rumour has it that a ghost ship has been appearing in the depth of the Mediterranean Sea. Your mission is to investigate and retrieve any innocence found in the area. Please keep in mind that if any Noahs were to show up in the area, you are to withdraw, and avoid any means of battle measurements. As this is a critical time, and we want to try to avoid any unnecessary losses."

"Understood." The two replied in union. Kanda said nothing

"By the way Yuu-chan." Komui watched as Kanda flinched at the nickname. Kanda would add this to his thousand reasons why Lavi should die, later perhaps. "You are in charge."

So there he was, standing with a dumb founded look on his face. Kanda had been, once again, put in charge of the noobs. This reached a point of familiarity with him, so familiar that he was beginning to wonder if it was a conspiracy against him. He sent Komui a glare, but knew he couldn't do anything about it. Komui Lee was, after all, the head. There was something about the smirk on the man's face that day though, that urged Kanda to punch the living day lights out of him. He would eventually find a way to satisfy his desires, perhaps when he reaches the rank of general.

"Yuu? Yuu Kanda?" The red eyed girl, Yume, asked.

Kanda recognized that tone, and he didn't like where it was going. He inwardly considered his escape route. Maybe he could even slice the girl in half, if she ever tried anything funny, that is. To his surprise, the girl that had been standing like a statue the moment before gave a piercing squeal at the sound of his name. Then, rushing forward, she began her attack on Kanda. The original plan was to cut her in half, but that couldn't be accomplished without his katana, which had been snatched out of his hand the moment the girl was able to get close enough to him to do so.

"Is this the famous katana that the great Kanda uses on his missions?" She examined it amusingly. "My, my, look how well crafted this is."

Kanda was growing more and more annoyed with her remarks by the minute. Yume, however, did not seem to notice. His eyebrow was twitching; a vane was threatening to pop on his forehead. If there were a perfect time to explode, it would be now. And he did just that; he exploded all over her, silently. The knuckles of his fist had made contact with the top of her head, the same way someone would hit an underling, even if the girl were only a little bit younger than he was. He hit her so hard that she stopped in mid sentence, when he removed his fist; a lump had replaced where his hand was moments ago.

"Don't ever touch my katana." He warned. It was more than he said all week. He hadn't been in a good mood that day. Unfortunately for Yume, she was on the receiving end of his bad temper.

It took a moment for her to recover from the dizziness of his punishment. As soon as her mind was back to function, though, her mood completely changed. "The famous Yuu Kanda hit me!"

Kanda gave an annoying grunt. Either the girl's mother dropped her on her head when she was a baby, or she was suffering from some kind of mental illness. He can't really tell, and frankly, he didn't care either. All he wanted was a descent sleep. He had returned from a mission recently, and the last thing he wanted was for some stupid fan girl to drool all over him. He gave one last effort to ignore her remarks, turning, he found the other Exorcist staring intently at him. He glared right back, before heading for the door.

"Lavi will be waiting at your destination." He heard Komui say. He stopped for a brief moment, guessing at the motive behind Komui's actions, then left.

"You must live."

As the successor of the Bookman, he had to keep going. Even if all his comrades had fallen, he must go on living as a recorder of history. He was to stay calm under all circumstances, to evade danger, and to witness all that has happened. It was his only task, but nowadays he was finding that harder and harder to do.

Lavi looked around the empty hotel room, as if expecting someone to greet him, but he was alone. His Oji-san allowed him to go on the mission by himself this time, or rather, he demanded that he'd be the one to track her down. After all, he felt at fault for all that had happened during the past few days. The attack of the Noah had left everyone in a daze; even Kanda seemed a little shaken up. And none, not even Komui knew the reason why they've taken a mere girl. She would be no use to the Noahs; her innocence was smashed, but clearly, they knew that.

No one volunteered to search for her, or perhaps they were all waiting for Lavi to react. He jumped the loop the first chance he got, and was assigned the assignment, despite the fact that the old man wasn't pleased. It had to be done, and he knew he was their best choice. He had tracked the Noah down two days ago. Apparently, they were travelling in circles; it almost seemed as though he was playing games with Lavi. Every time the young Bookman lost track of them, the Noah would leave behind some kind of clue, and he would catch up in a day or two's time. Lavi took a seat on his bed and stared outside the window straight ahead, watching as people hurried home from the falling snow. It was getting cold. He wondered if she would be able to withstand the weather. Last time he saw her, which was on the night the Noah attacked, she appeared ghastly pale.

"It's because she's on the edge of her deathbed you idiot." He had been pushed to the point of breaking. "If only you got over yourself and went to see her that night, instead of cowering in your room."

Lavi had been telling himself the same thing every night for the past four days. It was like he could never beat himself up enough about it. If she were to die, it would be his fault. Again, he was silent. It never crossed his mind what they wanted with her though. A half dead Exorcist was no help to anyone at all. Suddenly, he looked up, having all of his attention relocated.

"Rei…" He trailed off. His could hear his heart pumping. "Rei!"

Lavi was out his window quicker than he had ever moved. 'It's an illusion…it has to be!' His mind was practically screaming. He leapt from one rooftop to another, bringing himself one step closer with each move. His pulse fastened. What if she was a mere diversion created from his lack of sleep? He reached out to her, yet paused halfway, afraid that she might disappear if he were to touch her. Then, gathering his courage, his hands rested on her warm flesh. She watched him; her stare blank, as though she had just woke from a deep sleep, and was confused by all those around her.

He couldn't believe it. She was real. When Lavi was finally able to realize that, he wrapped his arms around her small body, pulling her in a hug. A rush of emotion washed through him, it was something he hasn't felt in years. Having her there, in his arms seemed to have triggered apart of him that had been locked away. For a moment Lavi was at peace, he no longer hated himself, but wished that time would stand still.

"Exorcist…?" He heard her whisper.

Lavi smiled under his breath. "Yes Rei. We're both-"

Pain shot through his left shoulder. It took him a moment to react, before he allowed her to slip away from his arms. His clenched his wound and felt blood dripping from his arm. He didn't have time to react as her second attack was sent his way. She was known to have a strong kick. That night, Lavi had the pleasure of experiencing her punishment as she rounded off on him. Her foot made contact with his chest, and before he knew it, he was falling through the sky. He hit the ground with a thud, and heard a loud crack from his left arm. He let out a loud groan. Lavi felt for the broken arm with his other hand and cursed loudly under his breath. A wave of confusion overcame him. 'What just happened?' His thoughts were cut short as a foot dug itself into his chest; it felt as though every last ounce of breath was being squeezed out of him.

He saw the face of his attacker. She was standing there; not a speck of motion was shown on her pale face. Rei stared blankly at him, as if all the memory was washed out of her head. From the palm of her hands, she raised her weapon. Her dagger gleamed under the moonlight with the hilt gripped tightly in her hands. He gulped. This was not how Lavi imagined death. He shut his eyes and waited. This was punishment. It never came. Slowly, Lavi opened his eyes, only to find another had entered the battle.

"Drop it." Kanda's warning voice hissed through the air. The edge of his katana was already digging into the depth of her neck.

"Kanda." Lavi begged, his voice, strained.

"Drop it." Came Kanda's second warning.

With lightening speed, Rei changed her target, and before Lavi could react, the dagger was swung towards Kanda's sides. The skilled swordsman came prepared, and with a swift movement of his hands, he blocked the girl's attack. They had been training together since they were little kids, of course it would be easy for him to predict her moves. He swung at her again, with moves aimed to kill.

Slicing from above, Kanda would have taken out her whole entire arm if she hadn't dodged fast enough. Rei flipped backwards, putting distance away between herself and the two Exorcists. Kanda's blade pierced the place where Rei stood only moments ago, and managed to stop himself inches away from Lavi's face.

Ignoring his injured teammate, he went on ahead to challenge Rei. He never thought the need to raise sword against one of his own, but before he could stop himself, he attacked again; after all, it had been a while since the last time he ran into a worthy opponent. The two dashed through the empty streets, their speed equally matched. Clashing of metal echoed loudly in the depth of the night. Then, all was left quiet but for the heavy breathings of the two weapon holders.

A bazaar whistle in the distance broke the two's concentration. For the first time she go there, Rei showed a hence of reaction. She shifted her eyes sideways for a brief moment, as if searching for the source of the sound. Kanda saw his chance. He wasn't about to let her off that easily. If Komui's theory had indeed been correct, then she had betrayed the Black Order. Her very existence would be a hazard to the whole society. She must die.

He raised his sword. He never thought he would kill one of his own, but when it came to the goodness of the community, it had to be done. He could hear Lavi begging him in the distance. Although he appeared cool and collected, he could feel his heart beating out of control. 'Good bye.'

He raised his sword over his head, closed his eyes, and sliced.

The smell of blood never hit his senses. It was a sinful mistake, and he swore that night, that if he were to survive, he would never let his emotions get in the way again. For the instance he reopened his eyes, he came face to face with the Noah. The man smirked; Kanda's sword was clenched tightly in his left hand, while his right pushed Rei behind him.

"It's still too early to test her against you Exorcists, isn't it?" The Noah questioned.

Then, as quickly as the Noah appeared, the two vanished into thin air. Kanda growled, sheathing his sword. He would allow her to live, for now. He turned, walking towards Lavi, who was struggling to get up. His arm was broken from the fall, and it appeared that he had twisted his ankle somewhere along the way. Kanda snorted, wasting in no time to talk to his teammate. After all, it was Lavi who allowed her to take advantage of him.

"Was that really her?" Lavi questioned through pain, unable to believe himself.

Kanda paused, the moonlight outlining his perfect figure. It almost seemed as though he was stunned by the question. Then, out of the blue, he replied. "No."

不管多久，我都等待你的出现。