Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction and D. Gray-man belongs to Hoshino Katsura. The picture for this fic belongs to ElMroko (/art/Kanda-and-Lavi-96000529) on deviant art.
Cursed
"Yuu…you should be more careful," Lavi sighed as he kneeled next to his friend.
The two had been sent on an akuma hunting mission in a village. The exorcists had lead the akuma into the forest surround the village and continued their fight there as a means to lessen the damage to the unfortunate village. The battle was less than spectacular with there being at first only five level 1 akuma. Those were taken care of with ease. Unfortunately, things didn't end there. The higher level akuma had been using their level 1 companions as bait to distract the two exorcists and turned the tide of the battle upon their arrival. Three level 2s and a level 3. With the battle becoming much more intense, the two exorcists were beginning to lose their ground until the samurai decided to end everything at the expense of exposing himself to harm. The end result was as he had expected. The four higher level akuma were destroyed and Kanda lay panting on the ground littered with cuts and scrapes, blood oozing out of an akuma bullet wound and a deep gash running up the length of his chest.
"Tch," the sword wielding exorcist then grunted as his wounds began to slowly close themselves.
"Next time you decide on a plan to throw yourself into an onslaught of attack you could let me know Yuu. You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Lavi accused as he leaned back against a nearby tree.
"Don't call me by my first name! And if you did have a heart attack I'd at least get some peace and quiet baka usagi," the samurai spat back.
"Yuu, don't be so mean! You could have died!" Lavi said, though he knew the response he'd get.
"Tch. I won't die. You know that."
"Yeah, yeah~ 'cause of the tattoo on your chest," Lavi nearly sang as he said that.
"Tch. It's a curse seal, at least get it right," Kanda grunted again as he tried to sit up.
"Take it easy. The akuma are gone. Might as well wait till you completely heal," Lavi said as he jumped to his feet and tried to keep the samurai from standing.
"Don't touch me."
"Fine, fine," Lavi said slightly frowning as he held up both his hands to show he would comply. The two walked in silence as they trudged through the forest towards the village.
"You know, most people would call a near immortal body a blessing, not a curse, Lavi pointed out when he tired of the silence, "but you really should still take better care of it…"
"Tch," was the only reply the red-haired apprentice got from the moody samurai.
"Think about it! Throughout history how many people do you think poured all their resources to finding eternal life?" Lavi asked, walking backwards now so he could face his scowling friend, "countless!"
Silence.
The red-head sighed as he turned back around, arms above his shoulders supporting his head as he walked on with a bored expression, "I feel like I'm talkin' to a wall Yuu-chan~."
Lavi hid a smile as he sensed rather than saw the raven-haired man twitch.
"Come on Yuu-chan~ I'm bored~. Let's go find something fun to do!"
Another twitch, then the sound of a sword being drawn and a threat.
"Call me that again and you'll never have to worry about being bored again baka usagi!" Kanda threatened as he backed Lavi into a nearby tree, Mugen at his throat.
"Eep! But Yuu~!"
And the chase began, wounds completely forgotten. Lavi grinned as he dodged Kanda's swings while leading him deeper into the forest they were in; his plan was falling perfectly into place. The two continued to navigate the forest paths (well, Lavi running and leading the navigation while Kanda blindly chased him from behind swinging Mugen with murderous intent) until they came upon the remains of an ancient ruin.
Lavi stopped. His sudden halt causing Kanda to nearly crash into him.
"Baka usagi! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"We're here," Lavi stated simply as he walked slowly up to the remains.
"You know, Yuu, this used to be the home of a rather advanced civilization," Lavi said as he gently placed his hands on one of the rusting statues, "but they're gone now."
"Tch, as if I care," the samurai replied, looking away in annoyance.
"Some say they found it you know? The answer to eternal life."
"Usagi, if I wanted a history lesson I would've asked for one!" Kanda spat, impatient.
"This place was sieged by wars, all of them fought over the answer that these people found," Lavi continued, ignoring Kanda's outburst, "so many lives were lost for the sake of obtaining immortality. I've always wondered…the lives lost for the cause of eternal life…the lives these people should have been able to live…would it be enough, when gathered together, to allow one person to live such a long, long existence that they might as well be immortal? Maybe you're right. Immortality is a curse. For those who bear it and for those who seek it."
"Tch, what are you trying to say baka usagi? Say it straight and stop talking in circles."
"They discovered the secrets to immortality, Yuu. They answered the question that everyone thought impossible and yet still sought," Lavi continued, "but Yuu…they're long gone."
Kanda only stared at the red-head in silence as his green eye glazed over and his facial expression became forlorn and nostalgic.
"They're gone, Yuu. The immortals and the ones who sought it. Lives lost seeking something they could never obtain, forgetting what they already had and…" Lavi then paused before he continued, locking forest green with dark grey, "lives thrown away because it was something they thought they couldn't lose."
"Tch," at that sentence, Kanda scowled and turned, walking into the dense forest and away from the red-head and the ruins.
"…I guess that means he gets it," Lavi allows a small smile to decorate his face as he looks back again at the ruins, "neh~ I'm sorry I brought an outsider here, but I really don't want him to die."
The wind picked up, caressing the Bookman Junior's cheeks and brushing through his blood-red hair.
"I know. Don't worry. We learned in the end and stopped fighting," Bookman Junior smiled, "we who destroyed the immortals understood and pledged our eternal servitude to the ones we wronged."
The wind seemed to suddenly change directions at this answer, becoming harsh.
"No… I'm not still fighting. This is for the sake of the pact. To continue the work the immortals could not because we killed them all…" Junior smiled sadly as the wind died down, "we'll keep recording, we of the Bookman tribe, we who wiped out a peaceful and prosperous nation who had found their 'immortality' in the form of passing on complete records to new generations. It was a promise they made in the past. The pact that we are forever bound to and never allowed to forget."
Junior then reached up to his eyepatch and removed it, "see? You can still see it right? I am the next. The next seeker of the 'immortality' we found. This is the 'immortality' we sought and are now burdened with. We who have inherited their wills to record and forever keep the lineage alive. So we will continue to serve them, the ones we wronged, by casting away our lives, our hearts and our very souls."
Giving the ruins one last look, Junior returned his eyepatch to their place, covering his right eye once again.
"Hm~ if we really think about it this way...Yuu and I…aren't we both cursed?"
-End-
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