A/N: I'm a Lavi/Yuu shipper, so I felt bad that Alma would have no one D: And I don't know what color Alma's eyes are, no matter how much research I did -_- So I kind of made it up :D? And in my research, I found out his hair is brown. O_O I THOUGHT IT WAS BLACK OTL. Also, the italics are Mikan's memories, flashbacks, etc.
Pein: Now start the story.
Muuu: Pein? What're you doing here D:?
Pein: *Random muscle-flexing pose* Because I want to.
Muuu: That doesn't answer my question o_o
Pein: I don't care.
Muuu: D: Way to hurt my feelings.
Pein: Yeah, whatever. And since we got offtrack, I'm going to get us on the right one again. You shouldn't write this particular one-shot.
Muuu: And why not? O_O
Pein: From the intel I managed to collect, you seem to be the only one who wrote this *waves hand in attempt to remember the word* pairing. That's the word.
Muuu: -_-" I guess I'm not normal.
Pein: You sure aren't.
Muuu: Would that mean I'm unique :D?
Pein: No.
Disclaimer: Would it be bad if I said Alma could be mine? *randoms squabbling* It is? T_T" I don't own D. Gray - Man or the characters ^^"
Pein: Of course Alma can't be yours. Pfft, he's obviously Kanda's.
Muuu: *insert dramatic gasp here* PEIN! Don't tell me you're an Alma/Kanda shipper D:?
Pein: ...Maybe.
Muuu: WHAT.
Pein: Don't worry. I'm sure this pairing will catch on...one...day..?
Muuu: :DDDDD Does that mean you have hopes for this one-shot?
Pein: No.
Muuu: D:
Pein: Just shut up and start the story already.
Lavi: *random in the background* What's this about Alma/Kanda shipping?
Muuu: *sigh* On with the story!
Nine years ago...
"How long do I have to wait for you to wake up?" she heard. The voice sounded distorted, like it was in water. Or was it her in water? Could it be both?
Her eyes slowly opened, pupils contracting due to bright light she wasn't used to. She slowly unwrapped her arms around her legs and she stretched out her legs the best she could. She could hear a voice excitedly gasp, apparently eager. Her head shot out from the suffocating water. Putting her arms on the ledge of the pool, she hoisted herself out of the water. Her long hair clung to her body and laboratory personell stormed in, ushering the boy that was talking to her earlier out. His brown eyes met hers and her pale cheeks flushed a bit. He grinned at her before the door slammed close. She was roughly pulled up and had water harshly splashed on her. A towel draped over her; the door suddenly opened, revealing the boy from earlier with clothes similar to his. He rushed to her, handing her the clothes. She nodded thanks and took the clothes. The boy turned around, embarrassed to watch her dress. One of the laboratory scientists cut her ivory-colored hair to a length of mid-back; she pulled the tight shorts on and put on the undershirt. She layered a short jacket over it and looked over at the boy. The laboratory doctors and whatnot left the room, and began preparing a room for tests.
"What are you so happy about?" she quietly asked.
The boy had a bright grin plastered to his face; his eyes curved to become half-crescents.
"I have a friend," he replied as his grin turned to a soft smile.
Her pale cheeks once again dusted pink as she tried looking elsewhere.
"I'm Alma," he smiled as the corner of his eyes were pricked with tears. Alma held his hand out as a gesture for her to shake it.
She grasped his small hand in her own and asked,
"What's my name?" she asked as she traced the horizontal scar on the bridge of Alma's nose.
"I heard them call you Mikan Kono," he shyly mumbled, "but I'm still not sure." He began fidgeting out of embarrassment.
"Then I'm Mikan Kono?" she inquired as she held onto Alma's hand.
"Kono is your last name! So, you're just Mikan!"
"So, I'm Mikan?"
"Sure!"
Mikan remembered for the rest of that month, she and Alma played games in the garden. The doctors and scientists ran tests on both of them simultaneously, due to the both refusing to separate. And then Kanda awoke.
They were playing tag in the building when Mikan ran into the 'pool room', as she and Alma called it, when suddenly, a bubbling came from another pool and Alma dragged the younger with him.
Alma crouched down and she crouched with him.
"Hey," he asked, "are you awake?"
When he recieved no response, he inquired again.
"Perhaps, are you awake? Hey. Raise your hand if you're awake."
An arm poked out of the water, and Alma's eyes lit up brighter than Mikan's ever seen.
"Yay!" he cheered. He repeated the interjection continuously like a mantra. "I'm so glad because I thought I was going to be all alone!"
Suddenly, a shocking pain jolted throughout Mikan's chest, causing her to put her hand over the area where her heart was. What was that? she thought.
"Hey, Alma, whe-"
The brunnette ignored her and continued. "You know what? They call you "Yu"!
Mikan got up and went to alert the laboratory personnel.
They ran in, shoving the young girl out of the way. She heard commands coming from Alma about getting medicine and Doctor Edgar's lab coat.
I don't remember Alma doing all that stuff for me, she thought as she turned to walk away.
"Wait! Mikan!" she heard.
The ivory-haired girl turned around to see a grinning Alma. "Let's go play in the garden later, okay?"
Her eyes windened in surprise as her face broke out into a grin. "Yeah!"
Suddenly, Kanda stormed into the room they shared; they were currently staying at the North American Branch, where they were short on rooms. He plopped himself down onto the other bed and gave a long, frustrated groan.
"Did you find Lavi yet?"
He shook his head.
Mikan sighed. "Do you have an idea as to where he went?"
"No. He and Bookman suddenly went missing."
"Oh."
"The science department found a file," Kanda randomly said.
"File?" Mikan questioned.
"About the Second Exorcist project."
"That's us, right?"
"Yeah. They found out about another surviving project."
"And that other is me, right?"
"Ah."
"Does that mean I have to leave?"
"Just make sure you're on your guard."
"You know, Yuu, I overheard the Asian Branch guys talking about Alma." Kanda sneered hearing the name. "They were talking about this thing called the Third Exorcist project."
"What's that?"
"Akuma, Exorcist hybrids," she said, not sure if she should continue.
"And?"
"They used Alma's cells," she replied, being sure to pick the right words.
"He's still alive?"
She hesitated but still muttered an, "I'm not sure."
Suddenly, the door flew open and the two Second Exorcists were on their guard, Kanda with his hand on Mugen's hilt and Mikan ready to activate her Innocence.
"Kono, down to the basement with me," Leverrier said, "and Kanda, go to your team."
"Che." Kanda's face drew to a scowl as he headed to the office.
"Now, Kono. Follow me, and don't get lost." Leverrier led her to the elevator that led to a large basement floor that made up the laboratory.
Dreading what was to come, Mikan felt the foreboding feeling beginning to form in the pit of her stomach as they were heading down.
"I'm sure you know of what happened to Alma Karma?" the inspector suddenly inquired.
"Yes."
"Then prepare for what you're about to see," he said as they got off the elevator.
Leverrier lead her to a familiar room. He gestured to a glass-covered pool.
"Does he, in any way, look familiar to you?"
Mikan froze. "Y-yeah..." She rigidly walked over to the edge of the pool. The ivory-haired girl felt the hot tears collecting on her bottom eyelid as her bottom lip quivered. Her knees buckled and she banged her fist onto the strong glass. "A-Alma," she said as she choked back a sob. "Wh-where will Yuu go to?"
"He'll be stationed to the Jordan camp," Leverrier gruffly replied.
"And what will happen to Alma?" Mikan covered her mouth and nose to make breathing steadily easier. She got back up again and sat down on her legs.
"His half-Akuma half-Innocence cells will be used as the Womb for Third Exorcists. We've already managed to create five of them," Leverrier explained. "I'll take my leave. Be sure to lock the air duct when you leave," he hinted.
"Alma!" Mikan called.
"Oh, hey, Mikan!" the brunnette greeted.
She ran up to him and threw her short arms around his neck and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. He wrapped his arms around her thin waist as he buried his face into her ivory hair.
"You smell like fire," Alma pointed out.
"They just dismissed me from an Innocence bonding session," she explained. "They told me I'm done for the day."
"Oh." They were quiet for a moment, just standing there, hugging. But Alma pulled away and placed his hands on her shoulders. His expression was serious. "Listen, Mikan, I need you to escape. You know that corridor we used to play tag in? Go in that one. And there's this little trap door. If you jump on it a little, it'll open and close back up when you get through. And escape through the sewer path, okay?"
"What happens if I come back?"
"I might kill you."
"It doesn't matter, will it? You said we heal fast, right?"
He gave her a smile that made her heart flutter. "Just be sure not to be noticed, okay?"
Mikan watched her best friend's figure go down the hallway and turn to the room where Yuu would be bonded with the Innocence.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps and people talking in the hallway. Mikan scanned the room for some sort of escpe in the form of a convenient exit. She silently thanked Alma for teaching her how to crawl through air ducts.
Laboratory personnel entered the room. One looks like Doctor Edgar, she thought. They were explaining the Third Exorcist project when suddenly, Old Man Zhu stumbled in. She then tuned out the conversation, in fear of having bad memories resurfacing. But she couldn't help but hear,
"We made them fight to the death with each other!"
Mikan quietly gasped.
"Wait! Alma!" Mikan called as she ran after him.
The ivory-haired kid rammed herself into him, wrapping her arms tightly around his torso. "I know you like Yuu a lot more than me," she said, "but you have to know that I like you a lot more than Yuu."
She felt him stiffen against her. "I don't like Yuu anymore than I like you," Alma said. "I like you both. I just can't afford to lose a friend. And if that means you and Yuu will lose me, then so be it."
"But Alma! What about us?"
"I'm sure you guys will take care of each other."
"No! At least let me help rescue Yuu, too! We're all friends, right?"
"No!" Alma yelled as he turned around. "I can't have you die because of something I chose to do!" he barked. His voiced reduced to a shaky whisper. "I can't have you guys die."
"But we won't," she softly mumbled. "My best friend told me, we won't have to be afraid of getting hurt, because we heal fast," she quoted, using Alma's words against him.
His eyes were hidden by his bangs. "Just, leave this to me, okay?" he said. He quickly bent down and pecked her cheek. Alma gave his friend a sad smile and wiped a tear from the corner of the latter's eye. "I'll be okay."
She quietly followed Alma's retreating form to the room Yuu was kept in, determined to help save Yuu.
But, alas, she was distracted for merely seconds, and lost Alma. Mikan aimlessly wandered around, half-expecting to see Alma stumble into her at some point.
She spotted a set of double-doors, both grandly intricate and symmetrical to each other. She pushed open the heavy doors and found several large containment units that looked like cocoons; she heard Doctor Edgar yell out something and a disorientated Alma slide down the shaft that led to the room.
"Mikan!" he exclaimed. "What're you doing? I told you to leave!" he yelled.
"I refuse to! Yuu's my friend, too! Just because I like you a lot more than Yuu, doesn't mean I don't like him at all!" she argued. "We're all friends, aren't we?"
"But I already managed to get him to escape!" he yelled back.
Suddenly, the CROW team barged in.
Both Mikan and Alma stiffened. "Mikan," Alma murmered to her.
"Hm?"
"On the count of three, I'm going to toss you through the wall."
"And you?"
"Don't worry about me. Are you ready?"
"Mhm."
"One. Two. Three!" Alma picked up Mikan and thrusted her through the drywall wall. She managed to get through four to five rooms and a hallway. The area clicked in her mind as familiar, and so, she ran and ran, ignoring annoyed scientists and doctors. When she reached the trap door, she jumped on it with all her might a ten year-old could muster and she fell right through.
Slipping and sliding down the sewer path, she managed to go into the river and escape.
A huge bang snapped her out of her reverie. Alarmed, she saw destruction throught the room and Kanda mutter something to Allen; the British boy nodded and summoned the Noah's Ark.
At the last minute before the ark closed, Mikan opened the air duct and jumped into the Ark.
She landed on her back, the force of the fall knocking all the wind out of her lungs. Turning her head over, Mikan saw Kanda and Alma leaning against a crumbling pillar. Getting up, she limped over to her childhood friends, remembering random memories that they shared.
"Y-Yuu," she mumbled as she fell next to him, "are you guys okay?" she asked.
He lightly chuckled. "Do we look okay?" he sarcastically asked.
She lightly giggled. "Not really."
"My arm is really sore," Kanda muttered.
"Arm?"
"That stupid happy-go-lucky Alma blew the other off."
"Oh. Well, I can hold him," she offered.
"Try not to make him crumble to dust. He's only his head, chest, and arm right now."
"No promises," she joked.
"He looks just like he did back then, right Yuu?"
"Ah."
"M-Mikan?" he hoarsely asked as his eyes blinked open.
"Yeah."
"Looks like we're all together again," Alma said. "Do you still like me a lot more than Yuu?" he asked with a smile.
Mikan flushed a bright red. Trying to avoid the topic, she tried to point out that Alma's right arm is back.
"Don't try to change the subject," Kanda sternly said.
She sighed, knowing she wasn't going to get anywhere with avoiding the subject. "Yeah," she shyly answered.
"Good; because after thinking about it for the past nine years, I like you a lot more than Yuu, too." Alma grinned. "And it's kind of painful to lift my arms so can you kind of bend down and-"
"If you're going to eat each other, Mikan needs to carry you over there, because as much as I want to, I can't move," Kanda said.
"Shut up, Yuu," Mikan said as she stuck her tongue out at her friend. "You're just jealous because Alma likes me more."
He shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I got a redhead waiting for me at the Order."
After their chuckle-fest was over, Mikan smiled at Alma as the older smiled back.
"Just like old times," Kanda muttered. "You two smiling at each other like there's nothing wrong with it, and me alone in a corner."
"You can always smile with us, too," Alma said as he shot Kanda a grin.
"Yeah, I'm moving away," he murmered as he fell on his side and wiggled away.
"Yuu kind of reminds me of a worm, right now," Mikan said.
"I was thinking the same thing," Alma chuckled. "Sorry it took nine years," he sheepishly apologized. "Yuu kind of almost killed me back then."
"I know."
"So, uh, kiss me?"
Mikan grinned at him. "Sure."
She lightly pressed her lips against the brunnette's cracked ones as he tilted his head back. Mikan's ivory hair draped over them, sheilding them off from the rest.
"If you two are done sucking each other's teeth out, I'd like to converse some more," Kanda said as he hopped back.
The two pulled away, as Mikan sat back up straight again. "Yuu! Your leg is back!"
"Ah."
Kanda plopped himself next to the two older and sighed. "I feel nostalgic," he muttered.
"You're not the only one," Mikan said.
"Remember the time where we were playing hide and seek in the garden? And Yuu climbed in the tree but then he fell down?" Alma brought up. "And he ended up breaking his leg and both his arms?"
"And remember that time when we were playing tag at the pool room? And when Alma looked back to see if Yuu was still following him, he fell into the pool?" Mikan asked.
"And there was the time where we were playing rock, paper, scissors? But everyone kept choosing the same thing," Kanda said.
They all laughed as if they were recalling just yesterday's memories. They all sighed as the laughter died down.
Suddenly, the Dark Matter in Alma began acting up. Violently coughing up blood and staining Mikan's exorcist jacket, one of Alma's recovered fingers fell off. She patted his chest, hoping that it'll help him calm down.
"Don't use the Innocence, okay?" the brunnette said as he coughed some more. "Just let me suffer for a while; let me repent for the time where I killed those people."
"But Alma!" Mikan exclaimed.
"It'll help me feel better." Alma grinned at her, making her cheeks turn a rosy pink.
"Stupid," she said as the tears made hot trails along her cheeks, "you're dying, but you're still beaming at us like a fool."
"Well, I am 'stupid hppy-go-lucky Alma', right Yuu?" he joked. "Bye, you two."
"Bye, Alma," Kanda muttered.
Mikan's nose was running as the tears poured from her eyes like waterfalls. "B-b-bye, Alma."
"Don't cry," Alma said as his grin turned his eyes into half-crescents, "smile for me, just one last time."
The ivory-haired teen wiped away the tears and grinned at her best friend the best she could.
"That's what I like to see," Alma muttered. "Now, I'm really tired."
The brunnette closed his eyes and his breathing soon stopped. Mikan and Kanda looked up to see mud and lotuses around them. Alma's soul and his past incarnation's soul held hands as they walked and sunk deeper into the mud.
Mikan's eyes began to water as her bottom lip quivered.
"Alma wouldn't want you to cry," Kanda said as he ripped a piece of cloth from the remainings of his pants. He handed the makeshift handkerchief to the older. "Let's just go back to the Order, okay?"
Mikan sniffled a bit. "Okay. Do I have to carry you?" she joked as a giggle passed through her lips.
"Maybe. I'm still missing a leg and an arm."
The wind suddenly carried a voice over.
"I love you guys," the voice said.
"Love you, too, Alma," Mikan muttered as she stood up with Kanda on her back.
"Now, are you willing to take a three hour hike in the desert for that train?" Kanda asked.
Mikan groaned. "You should be glad you lost an arm and a leg and crumbling."
SOBSOBSOB TT_TT ALMAAAAA ;_; At first, I didn't like him, because he kind of stole Kanda from Lavi, but now, he's my second favorite character (after Tyki or Lavi, still can't decide).
And D: sorry if Kanda got OOC or something v_v" I'm not the most awesome at making characters stay in character. And didja catch the Lavi/Yuu implication? xD
Thanks for reading~ :']