"Lavi… Lavi wake up."

Lavi lifted his head from the (surprisingly comfy) table and looked at the green haired exorcist, Lenalee. The trio had been travelling for 3 days before retiring to an inn; Lavi however had been travelling with Bookman for the past 3 months in Germany. They were visiting a man called Robert Koch, rumoured to have figured out the mysterious illness that had swept through Germany.

"Do you want anything to eat?" Lenalee asked him.

He shook his head, "No… I'm not hungry." He rested his head back on the table but suddenly noticed the concern in Lenalee's amethyst eyes, "Lavi, you haven't eaten anything since we set off, are you okay?"

Lavi gave her a reassuring smile and nodded. "Im fine, don't worry." She didn't look too convinced; luckily Allen stepped in after eating twice his body weight in food.

"Lavi's been travelling with Bookman before we met up, he's just tired." That managed to convince her and he was thankful for it, but as of late, he hadn't been feeling himself, true, he hadn't eaten in days, but soon after leaving Germany, he hadn't been eating as much as he should and was losing weight because of it, but the thought of food him feel sick. A few hours later and they retreated to their beds; Lenalee had her own room whilst Allen and Lavi shared a room with 2 single beds. Allen was out like a light as soon as he hit the pillow; Lavi however was wide awake, staring at the ceiling.

"This doesn't make any sense, one minute I can't keep my eye's open and the next I'm restless…" Lavi sighed and turned to face the window, it was a cloudy night but the crescent moon was still shining on them. Lavi suddenly started to cough uncontrollably, not wanting to wake Allen or Lenalee; he buried his face in his pillow to muffle it. He finally stopped after 5 minutes, lifting his head off his pillow and was shocked to what he coughed up… blood.

"Damnit, this is the 3rd time now… what's wrong with me?..." Turning his pillow over, he finally drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, the three exorcists left the inn and continued heading to a small city where a number of 'strange incidents' have been happening, most likely the work of an akuma. Luckily for Lavi, no-one heard his coughing fit last night or noticed the blood stain on his pillow, worrying his friends was the last thing on his mind.

The track to the town was much longer than they anticipated; the scenery looked the same in every direction you looked. Lavi kept his hands behind his head and stared up at the sky, but every time he redirected his attention to the road ahead he stumbled from the dizziness. Allen wasn't keeping his eye on the road either; he was still reading the file about their mission.

"Turns out people are just dropping dead without an explanation..." Allen cringed at the thought of that, the thought of that made him think of Mana, he never fully understood how he died. Lenalee gave him a comforting hug seeing him cringe like that. He was more the less the youngest out of the three after all and he was still quite new to what Akuma do to the people around them with no free will. Lavi also noticed Allen cringe and playfully messed his hair up.

"Eh, don't worry Moyashi."

"My name's Allen!!!" Lavi laughed and sprinted away, Allen close behind. Lavi looked over his shoulder to see how far Allen was behind him, but when he turned his head back, everything seemed to blur and spin causing him trip and fall onto the ground. Allen couldn't help but laugh at first but immediately stopped when Lavi didn't get up.

"Lavi?.. Lavi you okay?" He shook his shoulder lightly but he still didn't wake. But as soon as he passed out, he woke up again, not quite sure what happened.

"Are you okay Lavi?" Lenalee asked him, concern swimming in her eyes. Lavi looked around a few times before sitting up.

"I... think so..." He stood up with Allen and Lenalee's help and they continued heading towards the town, Allen thought Lavi had hit his head when he fell, it seemed logical but even Lavi knew it wasn't true, he couldn't help but think to himself,

"I passed out again... it's getting worse..."

..:~~:..

When they reached the city, it was deathly quiet, no sign of life anywhere.

"They must've been evacuated." Allen finally spoke up. "Lenalee, you go with Lavi and see if anyone got left behind, I'll look for the akuma." They all agreed and split up into different parts of the city, both Lenalee and Lavi had no luck in finding anyone or anything.

"Wonder if Allen's having more luck than we are?" Lavi questioned, Lenalee smiled and looked up at him but that sweet smile of hers soon faded, "Lavi, your face looks flushed." She reached up and placed her hand on his forehead, he was burning up.

"You've got a fever." Lavi froze; his mind raced trying to think of an excuse but he couldn't think of anything she'd believe.

"I uh…" He was interrupted by Allen crashing into the ground. "Allen!" Lenalee cried out as he slowly got back up.

"Akuma… 3 level 2's." Lavi took out his hammer, Lenalee activated her Dark Boots and all three of them rushed into battle with the akuma's. These akuma were strong, 2 of them were destroyed and their souls saved, but the 3rd was stronger than the other 2 and the trio were having a lot of trouble with its camouflage ability. If it had just been Lavi and Lenalee, they wouldn't stand a chance, Allen's eye could see through the camouflage with ease.

"Lavi! 3 'o' clock!" Allen cried out to him, Lavi swung but missed by an inch, they were all tired and it was affecting them badly. The akuma suddenly disappeared from sight, it was hiding.

"Allen! Can you see it anywhere?!" Lavi kept his guard on high alert in case it were to jump out at them, Allen was scanning the area, he couldn't see it anywhere, not even with his eye and it scared him, it could easily hurt both Lenalee and Lavi.

Everything went silent, just the wind could be heard. Lenalee kept an eye out from above in case it was to attack from the sky or if it'd show itself she could warn Allen and Lavi. Within a flash of movement, Allen was suddenly launched into a building, dust and debris flew around them making it hard to see the akuma. The building was about collapse, Allen was knocked out cold and if he didn't wake up he'd be killed. Lenalee didn't take any chances and grabbed Allen away from the collapsing building. She layed him down and found his head was bleeding slightly but was still alive.

"Lenalee…" His voice was dazed, but clear none the less. He tried to get up but Lenalee gently pushed him back down. "Allen, you hit your head, just rest for a bit." She looked over at Lavi who'd just managed to land a hit on the akuma.

"Lenalee! Is Allen okay?" Lavi shouted.

"He's fine! Can you hold the akuma off for a while?" She couldn't leave Allen but she felt awful for making Lavi fight by his self. Allen's eye's suddenly widened; the akuma was right behind Lavi with its claws raised above his head.

"Behind you Lavi!!!" Allen cried out as loud as he could, Lavi spun round and ducked before those razor sharp claws could touch him, this was his chance. His raised his hammer as the fire symbol appeared and he slammed it into the ground.

"Gouka Kaijin! Hiban!" A huge fire serpant rose from the ground and devoured the akuma, destroying it in one go. Allen smiled as he saw the soul go back to it's original form and soon fade away. Lenalee was relieved that neither of them got hurt badly, just a few scratches but nothing fatal. Lavi suddenly began to cough again, it was more violent this time and forced him to drop to his knees, blood dropped to the floor and his head began to spin.

"Lavi!" Lenalee helped Allen up and rushed over to his side just as he fell limp to the ground. Blood dripped from the corner off his mouth and his vision was starting to blur, his breath was laboured, everytime he inhaled a stabbing pain ran through his chest. Lenalee placed her hand on his forehead again, it seemed even hotter than before.

"Lavi! Lavi stay with us." Lenalee desperatly tried to keep him awake but it did no use. Darkness started to surround him and Lenalee's voice seemed to get further and further away.

"Lavi ... Lavi hold on…"

"Where am I?..." Lavi thought to himself as he was starting to come around, he opened his eye's but everything was still blurred, he was being carried by someone.

"Allen?" It was no louder than a whisper but loud enough for Allen to hear. "Lavi, glad to know you're still with us." Lenalee was also relieved that he'd finally woken up.

"Allen, we've been moving for 4 hours we need to stop for a bit." Lavi suddenly felt sick, he'd been out for 4 hours? Since the town they were in had been evacuated and more or less destroyed, they tried to find somewhere where a hospital was or atleast somewhere they could recover and report to the Dark Order. They eventually found a safe spot by a river, it was quiet and it gave the them a chance to rest, espically Lavi. Luckily, Allen had remembered that they ran into some Finders a few days ago, he sent Timcanpy to find them and show them where they were so they could get picked up. Lenalee and Allen took turns in taking care of Lavi, one of them would watch him and the other would keep an eye out for the Finders. It was Allens time to watch for the Finders while Lenalee stayed with Lavi, he was getting worse, he was shivering but was hot to the touch.

"Lavi… just hold on okay? We'll get you to a hospital as soon as the Finders come." She spoke softly to him while he slept, the only symptoms he'd shown so far was a high fever, coughing up blood and chest pains, she noted them down, if the hospital staff didn't what was wrong with him, maybe Bookman did. She took his bandanna off and dipped it in the river then placed it on his forhead hoping it would stifle his fever.

It was starting to get dark, still no sign of the Finders, if it had taken them 3 days to get to the city, then they would probably have to wait 3 days for the Finders, could Lavi last that long? Lenalee shook her head, no, Lavi was stronger than that, all of them were and now was not the time to worry, for Lavi's sake, she had to stay confident. Lenalee's thoughts were interupted by Allen walking up to her.

"Still no sign… how's he doing?" Allen asked, concerned.

Lenalee sighed, "No better than when he passed out…His fever hasn't dropped at all…" Tears gathered in her eyes, seeing her friends hurt made her heart break, Allen placed his hand on her shoulder reassuring her.

"He'll be okay Lenalee, you think Lavi will give in to something like this?" That made her smile, he always knew how to cheer her up, both of them did. As the night went on, it got colder, all 3 of them were in sleeping bags, it didn't take them long to fall asleep, the fight before had more or less knocked the energy right out of them.

Lavi however was tossing and turning in his sleep, memories or wars and death flashed before him, the detail of them all seemed un real, he would have these dreams sometimes, cursing his memory when he'd finally wake up from the nightmares. But that was the duty he had as a Bookman apprentice, to record every detail he see's. Blood was spilling everywhere he looked, he begged for it to stop but it never did untill he woke up, but even when he did awake, those horrid memories were still there.

"S-Stop… please…" He whimpered in his sleep, he wanted to wake up, he wanted to see his friends alive and well, like they always were, it gave him comfort. He suddenly heard the screams of the fallen soldiers from past battles and wars, the faces of the fallen suddenly changed into those of his friends, all of them… dead. They'd been through so much, almost loosing their lives on so many occasions, but they all survived, they always have and they always will but those images of his friends dead scared Lavi more than anything the world of war could throw at him.

"No! they're alive!... stop it… please…" Lavi suddenly felt something warm against him, like someone was hugging him. The nightmares began to fade away, all he could see now was darkness.

"Wake up Lavi." Lavi's eyes slowly opened to find Lenalee holding him in a warm embrace, that's what he felt, she got rid of those dark memories. She didn't hear him did she? Please say she didn't.

"Lavi, you crying in your sleep…"

She heard. Crap.

Lavi blushed out of embarrisment but since his face was so flushed from the fever she couldn't tell. He looked away from her, but didn't shift from the position they were in, Lenalee had her arms around his shoulders and he was sitting up slightly so his head was resting on her stomach. He would have those nightmares every now and then but never told anyone, (except Bookman) it didn't seem important, but now it looked like he had no choice.

"Just a bad dream…" He finally spoke up, he still couldn't look her in the eye but knew she was concerened.

"Do… do you always have them?"

"No… but when I do I… I…" His voice trailed off, trying to hold his tears back afraid if he said one more word they'd spill over. Lenalee recognised the crack in his voice and hugged him closer hoping it would calm him down.

"It's alright Lavi." She gently ran her fingers through his hair, she remembered her parents would do that to her when she had a nightmare, it seemed to work for Lavi aswell. He was eventually calm enough to fall back to sleep, still in Lenalee's arms. She smiled, he looked like a child in a peaceful sleep. She was about to drift off herself, untill she heard Lavi say in his sleep,

"Arigatou… Lenalee…"