Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray Man in any way. I write, therefore I exist. :P
This fic is for all those who wanted a sequel to Seven Days. And many thanks to darkbrokenreaper for all the help! I am very grateful. *bows*
Chapter 1: The Meaning of Death
An explosion lit up the night sky. Wails of sirens filled the air as men clad in suits struggled to restore the order and calm the raging inferno.
***
Allen intently watched the screen of the mysterious box they called "television". His eyes were wide with curiosity as he watched the people inside move around and speak and sing.
Then Tiedoll walked into the room, holding the morning newspaper. Carefully placing it on the dining table, he walked over to where the white-haired boy sat and turned off the television. Allen looked up, the wide silver eyes full of confusion at why the screen suddenly turned black.
"Ah, it's time for breakfast." Tiedoll chuckled.
Allen looked back at the television set.
"You could continue after breakfast, okay? Lavi and Bookman are joining us today." The old man ushered the little boy to the giant table, silverware already set out. The aroma of freshly baked croissants, hot oatmeal, scones, muffins, and eggs wafted up from where they were set along the middle of the table.
Allen ran up to the table, stomach letting out a loud growl, and took a seat beside Kanda, who, in turn, was glaring at everything and everybody.
"Good Morning, Kanda onii-chan!" chirped Allen as he took 20 scones, 15 blueberry muffins, 35 croissants, a cup of milk, and an oversized bowl of oatmeal.
"Che"
Just then, a cheerful redhead approached the table. "Good Morning, Yu-chan!~"
…And then a menacing aura surrounded the table.
"Be thankful that I'm not allowed to bring Mugen down to the table, baka usagi."
Bang
A well-aimed kick to the head made Lavi fly across the room and land on his seat.
"Please ignore my idiot grandson, Tiedoll." Bookman stated.
"It's okay to have such spirited youngsters these days…" replied Tiedoll, chuckling as he motioned for Bookman to have a seat as well.
"Ah, I see that you have already received news about the fire." Bookman noted, glancing at the newspaper.
Lavi grabbed the paper. "35 Dead in Explosion" he read.
"Among the dead are……..."he continued, murmuring the names to himself.
Allen was stuffing the muffins into his mouth as he listened to Lavi list off the names. However, his eyes grew wide at the mention of one name. His shaking hands placed the muffins back on the plate and he swallowed whatever was in his mouth. "Lavi…could you please repeat that?"
"The name? Sure: Mana Walker."
"Mana…" repeated Allen in a hushed voice. By now, the table had gone silent, for tears had started leaking out of the corners of the white-haired boy's eyes.
"Allen-kun, did you know Mana Walker?" inquired Bookman.
"Yes…He was…my father."
At this confession, Allen promptly ran upstairs back into his room, crying. The table was silent and continued to be silent, nobody knowing what to say or do. At last, after glaring even more intensely at Lavi, Kanda left the table and walked upstairs.
***
Kanda stiffly stood in front of the door that led to the room Allen was in. Unanswered questions swam through his mind as he slowly pushed opened the dark brown oak door.
"Moyashi?"
A tiny sniff was heard from a lump in the middle of the bed on the far side of the room.
"Moyashi…"
The Asian boy strode over to the bed and stood beside it, staring intently at the bump.
"Kanda onii-chan…is that you?"
"Che."
"Kanda onii-chan, my heart hurts. Why does it hurt?"
"Cuz you're sad."
"Is it because Mana died?"
The sniffles stopped momentarily, and then started again a few seconds later.
"Most likely."
"What do I do now, Kanda onii-chan? I don't know what to do anymore…" The voice faded away and the trembling lump on the bed started shaking with sobs.
Kanda though back to when his own family was murdered, the day they left him behind alone in this harsh world. He wasn't going to let his precious Allen become the ghost that he became. He wasn't going to let him get eaten away by the sorrow that had started to consume his heart.
"What would Mana have told you to do?" Lame, but it was the best he could come up with. He had heard this phrase many times before, so it should cheer Allen up a bit. All the other kids cheered up, so why wouldn't he?
A pause. "Keep walking forward…"
"Then do just that."
"But-"
Kanda smirked at the pair of silver eyes that peeked out from beneath the white sheets. "That Mana person surely wouldn't want to see you like this, would he?"
Allen disappeared under the covers once more, unsure of what to say.
As he thought of Mana's death, a question appeared in his mind, his curiosity refusing to let it go.
"Kanda onii-chan?"
"What?" replied Kanda, somewhat irritated by the endless flood of questions. He was going to run out of good answers soon.
"What is the meaning of death? Why do people have to die? Why?"
Kanda's glare softened as he pondered over the question. "I…don't know…" he said, after minutes of careful deliberation.
Nothing else was said, and silence hung in the room. Kanda then decided to leave, wondering if he should train with Mugen today.
He also wondered if Allen was going to be okay…
***
The tall readheaded man looked up at the large mansion, now a black sillohuette against the purple sky. He blew out a puff of smoke as he pondered the mysterious last requests of the one known as Mana Walker.
***
Allen peered out from under the cozy sheets once again and noticed a figure overshadowing his bed.
Eyes puffy from the tears, he wondered if he was seeing things.
"…Kanda onii-chan?" he cautiously asked. No, that can't be true; Kanda had left a long time ago.
So who was it?
The scent of cigarette smoke filled his nostrils, robbing him of the fresh air left in the room.
"Stupid brat…are you Allen Walker?" the figure quietly asked, cursing under his breath.
"…yes…"
"That guy…I can't believe he wanted me to take up a brat as an apprentice." he complained to no one in particular.
Allen continued staring at the figure, and wrinkled his nose at the smell of the cigarette smoke that slowly filled the room.
"Idiot apprentice, get off your but."
"Why?"
"'Cause you're my apprentice now, that's why. All because of Mana…the Fourteenth. It's his will that you carry on his legacy."
"The…Fourteenth? Mana?" Allen was confused; nothing made sense.
"Arrgh…he didn't tell you?" groaned the figure, rubbing his temples, "That guy…anyways, you'll be training under me from now on. I will be your teacher. Clear enough for you? Seriously, dragging an innocent wimpy punk into all of this…how can he ever expect this brat to be an assassin?"
Allen furrowed his brows as he tried to process all of the information.
"An…assassin?"
"Yeah, now hurry up and get moving or else I'll throw you out of this room by force."
Throw? This is the second floor for heaven's sake! This must be what they call an insane person…
"If you train me, would I get to know the meaning of death?"
The figure blinked in surprise at the sudden question. The wide eyes then eventually narrowed and the slightly opened mouth turned into a smirk.
"You will get to know Death itself…brat."
And with that, black engulfed Allen and he felt himself getting carried away, alongside the mysterious figure. Don't worry, Kanda onii-chan…I'm going to be strong enough to protect you…and I am going to find the meaning of death…
Kanda ran into the room upon hearing the window break, only to find shattered glass on the floor, sheets strewn across the bed, and a cold wind removing the last traces of tobacco smoke that were left in the room. However, there was nobody there.
Looking around, he saw a note on the desk.
Kanda onii-chan,
I'm so sorry for leaving like this. Please do not worry, for I will surely become strong enough to defend you one day. I am going to go train somewhere…where, I do not know. But Mana was the one who wanted Cross to train me, so I am going to go with him. I will find out the meaning of death.
I love you, Kanda onii-chan.
Goodbye,
Allen
"Allen…"
***
Nyaaaahk…Chapter 1 ish done!!! Hope you liked it…school and upcoming tests and due dates have completely altered my sleep patterns….i think I have become nocturnal. :P
Please review…okay? Please? With a cherry on top? And tons of chocolate fudge and rainbow sprinkles and gummy bears and…well…you get the point… - -;
Updates will be slower than usual now…because of a mixed number of factors. Sorry!
well...then again...i am a huge procrastinator...so i guess i'm always slow. :P
Ja-ne~
Akari~