About: A small village at the edge of Germany – one easy mission goes out of hand as they calmly walk into the trap arranged for them. The events are a mystery, because the one exorcist who survived is now fighting for his life and what about the other one? Is his body buried in the ruins together with the villagers, or is he also somewhere struggling for his life?
Warnings: shounen-ai – don't like, don't read
Disclaimer: D. Gray-Man and its characters belong to Katsura Hoshino
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- 1 - Loosing You –
It's the worst feeling ever, when you know you have to do something before it's too late, but you just can't. It was a feeling that the red haired exorcist knew just very well. He was lying there, unable to move, unable to help his beloved one. The battle with the akumas was still going on around him, unaware of one exorcist soaked in red liquor, still breathing.
It was an ambush they weren't prepared for, and now they're paying for it. The village was full of them. If only Allen was with them, his cursed left eye would have seen thru it before it would be too late. The mission was simple enough – just to retrieve one innocence. Simple enough. And after, he had planned to stay one day longer, just he and his beloved one, to enjoy one normal day – maybe staying in bed all day, doing nothing but simply sharing their time. How naive he was. First or all, the black haired teen would slice him open before he could even think about something like this – but he was allowed to at least dream about it.
He looked up at the sky, crowded with low level akumas. The village was in ruins, most of the akumas that were pretending to be villagers were also buried underneath it. He saw a blue flash piercing the black crowd – the second illusion of his dear friend – taking out about third of them. He tilted his head a little to the right, to see the Japanese youth occupied with a level 4, his innocence screaming with pleasure.
He sure felt miserable, looking at the fight. He let himself be so easily beaten, not been the greatest help at all. And to think that he wanted to protect him from any harm, to be near him. How could he even think about it now that he lost? The finder that came with them was long dead – giving his life for the attempt to send a message to headquarters for help. He wasn't even sure if the message got there or not. It doesn't matter anymore. He wasn't able to fight anymore, with his body in that shape and Yuu… even one strong as him has its limits. He was beginning to feel his consciousness leaving him little by little. Closing his eyes wasn't a move he was willingly making.
A loud, high-pitched scream that only an akuma could make echoed thru the air, through every cell in his dying body. Forcing his eyes open, he saw the blue once again taking control over the sky, the akumas retreating. Was it over? Have they what they came here for? And why haven't they finished him off? Was he just a little worm to them, someone who could not hurt them anymore? Or have they just overlooked him? He tilted his head to where he last saw the Japanese exorcist convicted that he would see him standing there, Mugen sheltered and that expression on his face he always had after a won battle. His one green eye widened in horror at the scene before him.
There, where he last saw his Yuu-chan, stood now the level 4, smiling his cranky smile. It wasn't the one he saw Yuu fighting with – this one was unharmed, without even a hint of dust or any other dirt on him. If he had fought Yuu, even just for a few seconds, the damage would be there. That he was sure of. But that wasn't what shocked him. It was that which he was holding in his arms - the unconscious body of Kanda Yuu. There were no visible wounds on his body, and thru the torn uniform his cursed tattoo could be seen – black as the darkest night in comparison to his pale skin. His long hair was free from the biding, the quiet wind playing with it. Even in his unconscious state he wasn't letting go of his innocence – the long Japanese sword Mugen.
When the level 4 saw him looking his way, the grin on his face widened. He slowly floated to the right. Lavi tried his hardest to look after him, to see where he was taking his Yuu-chan. He mustn't wait long to see where the akuma was going – it was even within his field of vision. There, at the edge of the destroyed village, was a carriage. Black, with golden ornaments – even the horses were black, the finest from all, with red devilish eyes. One lonely figure dressed in black with a tall hat got out off the carriage. Lavi couldn't see his face clearly – because of his dizziness his vision wasn't sharp as always. The akuma handed the boy to the mysterious figure, who took him and reentered the carriage. As the door closed and the carriage made its way out of this graveyard, the akuma joined the other low level ones and they also took off.
Lavi made a last desperate attempt to stand, but failed. As his head sunk once more to the ground, his consciousness slipping away from him again. With all the regrets going thru his mind until he could no longer hear the retreating akumas, feel the ground beneath him or concentrate. With the image of his beloved – that he couldn't protect – in the hands of that mysterious man, he let himself be embraced by the darkness.
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The air in the cafeteria was tense this morning. No one was laughing, or even talking. The news about the events that happened yesterday in a small village at the edge of Germany traveled fast and there wasn't a person now in the order that wouldn't know about it. When the team that they have send arrived at the scene, the village was in ruins, no one in sight. Not a single human could be found, not even an akuma. There were just the ruins, like someone took care of the corpses. The only one they could find was the bookman junior, lying in the dirt in his blood and unconscious, but still breathing – his heart trying his hardest to beat in rhythm.
"Everything will be OK, Allen," the said exorcist looked at the Chinese girl sitting before him. They were also in the cafeteria, with nothing else to do. All the missions were postponed and the ones that were out were returning to the order. It was one big chaos there, with everyone trying to find out what happened. The last information about the situation was from the message send by the finder present at the scene, and that was too little. There wasn't a situation like this before – the akumas attacking in such large numbers, or even laying a trap using an innocence just to lure them there.
She noticed the dark circles around his eyes. He hasn't slept all night, staying by Lavi's side as the boy desperately fought for his life. She couldn't believe in what kind of state have they found him. Maybe Lavi wasn't the strongest among them, but when he got serious, he could do anything. She desperately wanted to know what happened. But to learn that, Lavi would have to wake up first.
"You look tired. Maybe you should try to go and lay down, even if just for a few hours," tried again Lenalee. She was concerned about him too. It wasn't healthy what he was doing to his body. Now of all times they needed to stay in top form, awaiting orders that may come any minute.
"No, I'm OK," he tried to smile to assure her about it, but failed. "Really, I'm fine, Lenalee," he gave the soup before him another try, but left it alone after just one spoon. "I just don't have appetite," he added silently.
"This must be the end of the world if you're not swallowing 20 bowls of food in one try," a hand landed at his back, almost nailing him to the table and in the soup before him.
"Krory!" addressed Lenalee the vampire-parasitic exorcist that took a seat by Allen.
"What I don't understand is why you are giving the fault to yourself…" began the new arrival at the table, but was interrupted by Allen.
"If I could have gone there sooner…"
"The one who should torture himself over this is Lvellie," it was Lenalee that was now the one interrupting, "because it was him, who hadn't allowed you to go sooner. And besides, we all know what can happen to us on a mission and as exorcists, we're all prepared for it." Allen noticed a distant look in her eyes. And also something else - was it sorrow? "It's hard for all of us – not knowing if Lavi would wake up and I don't even want to imagine what happened to Kanda-kun."
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The strong pain in my legs tries to force me to open my eyes, but my mind is heavy from exhaustion and refuses to cooperate. From the wild wind playing with my hair I know that I'm falling deep inside this thick darkness. I try to move my fingers, just to feel water between them. I feel my body stopping from falling; my lungs are trying to give up the hope of tasting air, filling with the salty liquor.
I force my eyes open, opening my mouth in the last pained attend to bring some fresh air into my floated lungs, just to find myself lying on the safe ground under the crystal blue sky. The suns hands are reaching to the ground, sucking out every little drop of water they can get and I can feel warm sand beneath me with my fingertips. As I try to stand, a sudden pain in my legs brings me back to the ground, pinning me faced down, leaving me breathing heavily.
I don't even need to see for myself, as I already know what the cause of the pain is. I can feel it, hear it and also my great imagination is helping me. A thick chain going right thru my legs, pinning me down, not letting me go after the one I long for.
There it is again. I clearly hear something, or someone, but I can't see anything. I try as hard as I can to hold the screams that try to escape my mouth, not wanting to give away my location. Then, as I rise up my head, I clearly see the sky changing. The golden rays are deceasing, mixing with the red dying flames spreading thru the desert as the shadows start to rule over this god forgotten land.
There, just few meters before me I see the shadows retreating, making a way for a lonely figure clothed in black. I can't recognize his face – of course not. This is just a nightmare to torture me, so how could I imagine his face if I haven't seen it in the first place? But in his arms I clearly see the object of my every thought, clothed in dark blue kimono – his chest just barely making any kind of effort to breath.
The man looks at me, I can make out his devilish eyes. A grin forming on his face – he knows that he's making me suffer greatly because he has now in his hands the only one for whom I'm willingly do anything just to be near him.
I sit up, even if the pain is almost unbearable, just to see what he'll do next. The dunes are retreating, wind blowing away the sands, making visible a solid ground. The scenery is changing with every step he makes. Trees and pillars are forming out of the sand, replacing, completely changing the scenery so ordinary before.
Now, there is a road – on which ones end I'm sitting. Before me are the remains of some ancient temple, just the pillars standing still in this greenery. I see a big bed inside the pillars, with a lot of pillows, all ruby red, like the horizon right over me. The sheet is also red – an intense blood red – reaching all the way to the ground.
The air is numb, eternal quiet in this nightmare of mine all around. The only sounds I can hear now clearly are footsteps, clicking on this road. I see the man approaching, with Yuu still in his arms, with every step he takes he's nearer and nearer to me – and I to him. The man grins at me, before he lays Yuu-chan down on that bed.
Great anger is boiling in me and all that just because this man could do something I could never do – to hold my Yuu in his arms, to lay his hands on him, to stroke his face, to kiss his forehead. As the man stands up, I can clearly see my beloved. The ruby red is a beautiful contrast to his dark blue kimono and his pale skin. He looks like a doll, so out of this world – I want so much to hold him in my arms, now even more than ever.
As the man leaves the ruins, the pillars start to glove, blinding me little. As I can see clearly again, I see the pillars transforming into a golden cage. So this is your objective? To lock him up in this part of land that you have build for him, in that golden cage like some canary? If I could, I would so much liked to slice his throat open just to add some stain to this perfect illusion.
He grins again, as if he's reading my mind, taking out long cord – a piece of Spanish rapier that I have seen many times in my life. As I feel the sharp end on my throat, I give him the worst look that I can – that is the only thing I can do now, because my hands are bind with three roots. I don't try to run or to make any other attempt – it would lead to nothing at all.
He takes the blade away, as if I were not worth enough to soil his blade with my blood. A sharp pain runs thru me, and I find myself in a desperate attempt to breath. It is like the air isn't going to my lungs even if I try my hardest, and I feel that I'm starting to lose consciousness – again.
Will it always be like this I wonder? Slipping out and back to consciousness against my will? Right now I know exactly where I am – I see the ceiling of the infirmary in the Black Order. I hear the Head Nurse shouting something at Komui, who tries desperately to get by her to me. I need to tell them what I know before it happens again. Not that I want. I want to go save Yuu-chan myself, but in the state I am in, it's unthinkable. They will save him, I'm sure of it. And even if Lvellie wouldn't allow them to go, Allen will go even if he has to sneak out alone. Because he's a friend. To us all.
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"What is the meaning of this?" shouted Malcolm C. Lvellie as soon as he entered the dark room with the round table – the meeting room. All the generals, the brand chiefs, bookman and Komui were already seated, waiting just for his arrival.
"We will discuss the next steps that are to be taken so that we can bring Kanda-kun back," started to explain Komui, not impressed or scared by the expression on Lvellies face. "I'm really sorry, that this could not have been done sooner, as the information we've got from Lavi could be sorted out just now…"
"That's not what I'm talking about!" interrupted him Lvellie, now standing by the table, facing Komui. "Who said anything about a rescue mission? We clearly don't know what the akumas were after, and we can't believe all that that brat said, because he could be under shock – so there's no real evidence that Kanda Yuu is still alive, and that he was taken away. What I'm trying to say is that I won't approve a suicidal mission."
"But we have to at least try!" Komui automatically stood up, shouting back at the man in front of him.
"With so few exorcists remaining, we can't risk to lose another one! We need them in order to fight the akumas!"
"They're not merely weapons! Or your tools to play with them as you like!"
"That's enough," the protest came from the last person they would think about – Renee Epstein, North American Branch Chief. "This is not going to work either way. I would like to take care of it myself." She stood up, took the file that lied before her and sooner than anyone could say something, she was opening the door.
"Why?" was the only question that echoed thru the room. Komui knew, as all there gathered, that is wasn't in her nature to just so offer her help to others.
"Simple. If you want to succeed, you need a calm mind. And that is impossible for all the exorcists in the headquarters. There are other matters that need to be taken care off; I'm just loosening some weight from your shoulders." And with that said, she closed the door behind her, not giving them the chance to respond in any kind of way.
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"Loosening some weight… yeah, right."
"Bak-chan."
"Don't call me that, Renee," it appeared that he has somehow sneaked out before her, and now was waiting for her to close the door to speak with her alone. "What are you really trying to do with this?"
"I'm just curious," heavy sigh escaped him. He wanted to say more but didn't have the chance as she shoved a paper to his face.
"What the…" he needn't to continue. As he removed the paper from his face and looked at it, it all came to him. "So this is why."
"You should know what it is, am I right? If they're after it all, together with the Earl of Millennium, then that's something I'm interested in."
"I thought that they were destroyed."
"I too. They were after the "second exorcists". No wonder they want that boy. But don't worry yourself about it. Like I said, I will take care of this matter. If you excuse me now, I must go to prepare."
"Do you have someone you can send there? You know what those people are capable of."
"Don't make me repeat myself," she jerked the paper from his hands and made her way down the long corridor. "I have the perfect person for this mission."
To be continued…
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Authors note: because English is not my mother language, I apologize for any mistakes I made or may do…
Next chapter: …One Night with You…