Title: Brightest in the Dark
Rating: T – For mentions of blood and stuff.
Summery: An Exorcist muses on the contrast of light and darkness in the mist of the battle.
Notes: My first fanfiction…Or rather not… This is my first fanfiction that I have done in a long time. And tactful criticism is much appreciated! And a little challenge to all the readers out there; from who's view is it in the story? I'll be eagerly awaiting all your answers and reasons why!
Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray-man, nor any of the characters.
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If there is light, there is shadow. Without one, there is no other, yet, they constantly struggle, a firm line when one begins and another ends. But if one is swallowed by the other, what use does the victor have? One can not know courage without fear, gain without loss…
Life without death.
Blood. That was all I could smell, feel, taste, see and even hear. The copper tang was harsh on the nose, the crusted crimson haven seeped through the black fabric long ago and dried there. I must have hit my head somewhere, a strong attack that sent me flying, cracking my head on the skeletal remains of a building. Or it might have been one of the numerous attacks that the swarm of Akuma dealt me. Either way, it trickled down my head, in down my lips, and with habit, I lick them. So now, I have the taste of blood on my tongue as well. There was no need to explain seeing the blood, it was like we were fighting on a sea of it, I could swear I could see my reflection everywhere I look on the ground. Hearing? Every splash as someone hits the ground, every drop as it rolls and falls to the floor… All in all, it seemed the world itself was bleeding.
Another swift attack, and another Akuma is destroyed, but another takes it's place as soon as it falls. Endless. It was like cutting off a head of a monster, and it only would regrow... It reminded me of some sort of story, but the particular name wouldn't come to me now, my adrenaline-clogged mind demanding me to fight. Left…Right…Left…Left…Up…Block… There were everywhere, and all I can do is hope. Hope…The last thing in Pandora's box, the most fleeting of all emotions, yet, the most powerful. Please be alright everyone.
It wasn't supposed to be the final battle, just another mission to retrieve an Innocence, but then, it spiralled out of control, and soon, everyone, I mean, everyone, was on the battlefield. Exorcists, Generals, Noah, Akuma… I swear, I even saw a glimpse of the Millennium Earl himself a while back… We might not have an army, but at least the newer recruits could hold themselves in this battle, it was all we really could ask for them, and least they had a brain, leaving the Noah to us, the more experienced Exorcists. I must have fought all of the Clan at least once, Tyki Mikk, Rhode Kamelot, Lulubell, Jasdevi… And the only satisfaction I could get was that they looked worse for wear, the 'Immortal Clan' worn down with fatigue and injuries. Proof that they were human…Still human… At least I could hear the other Exorcists fighting, explosions of Akuma destroyed, clangs of blows being exchanged…
Deflecting another blow, I demolish the opponent in front of me, watching the mechanical monster explode. No time…No time, I have to move on. Slipping behind a former brick wall, I catch my breathe, scolding myself this was no time, not the time for a break, but if I went out to fight any longer, I would fall over with exhaustion in the middle of the battlefield.
My back to the wall, and my head to the sky. It was so dark, the clouds obscured the sky, artificial things made from smoke from the burning bodies of the Akuma, and the attacks that affected the environment, or the dust and dirt from the earth that was slowly being torn apart by the battle. No clue whether it was night or day; had they been fighting for a hour…a day? Two? I must have lost track…
But what grabbed my attention was, a faint ray of light. The faintest, glimmer of illumination. It looked so…bright, surrounded by the darkness. Oh, look at me, I'm starting to think about all these poetic things…Must have lost too much blood…But it's more or less…What the Black Order was about, the faint light in the sea of dark… And even the faintest glow could shine bright compared to the darkness.
Speaking of darkness, what would happen when this war was over? Would we really be able to turn back to being ordinary citizens, free of the burden that we now carry, the weight of the cross no more on our shoulders? It was a strange thought, even if we strived for it. What would become of the ties that were forged in the mist of the silent battle? Will they break, wear out over time…Or remain? Where would everyone else go? Would they forget, and move on? It wasn't something so simple to push back into your mind; scars have ways of showing up, even if they were not physical.
A loud screech interrupted my thoughts, as I leaped out of the way, only years of training could prepare my body to react. Next second, where I was standing a moment ago, was a smoking crater, and a Level Three grinning at me. Gritting my teeth, my body fell into a defensive position, the battle was on again…
On and on and on. A dance of death as I traded partners over, and over again. It wouldn't stop, no, until one of us would perish. So far, I've been the one who has been left standing, battered, worse for wear, bleeding, but still alive. One, two…Three…Four, five. I've lost the number of Akuma I have killed, the number of bodies I've stepped over to reach my newest opponent, trying to ignore the way they lay on the floor, broken dolls, or neglected toys by a discontent child. Over and over again, it never seemed to stop… Until.
I wonder why I didn't hear them coming. Was it the blood thumping in my ears? Or was it the Level Four that had occupied my attention? Or was I simply being careless? Either way, the result was the same, someone laying open my side. Through blurred eyes, and feeling the blood seep through the fingers that clutched my wound, a face that grinned maliciously at me, that said something that was too hazed for me to comprehend, a grey face that distorted in front of me, but it was the sharp golden eyes, the black crosses engraved in the skin of death that kept the focus. The Noah tilted their head, looking down at me; sometime before, I must have fallen to one of my knees, hands trying to stem the blood flow. I still couldn't make sense of what they were saying. Words that buzzed through my ears, holding their meaning until they passed into my mind. It must have been something mocking…Or pity? They did hold the belief that we were fighting for a false God after all. But then, they vanished, an explosion of dust threatening to knock me over. I must have fallen over, as arms wrapped themselves around me, and more than one voice called out something. It might have been my name, and all I could do was not pass into oblivion. Someone was shouting, screaming my name, as the faces that were etched with worry hovered over me, distorting like the Noah's face.
Was it common for one to hear their heartbeat when they were dying? Thump, thump, thump. Would it just stop? Or will it slowly loose it's energy, slowly, ever so slowly, beat it's last and finally still? Was it common for you to hear your ragged panting as you gritted out the words to tell them to go back into battle, and leave you? But with the presence around you, I could tell they hadn't left. Looking down, through slits of my eyelids, I could see my Innocence, and wonder if it was alright to rest. Rest, just for a little while…
The last thing I saw before my vision faded to black was a light. The glow of my Innocence, burning a dazzling beacon in the darkness.
The brightest flame would burn before it flickers away…
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A/N: And that's the end to my oneshot! I hope you all like it…Or not. Since it's my first fanfiction/oneshot, I would really appreciate it if you leave me a little review.