Disclaimer: D Gray Man and all its original characters belong to Katsura Hoshino. I have made up this outrageous plot for my own amusement and for the pleasure of the potential readers. No money is being made. Please respect my work and don't repost the story in its entirety or in parts anywhere else. Links to this page can be easily given instead.

Author's note: Normally I prefer shorter stories / one-shots or crossovers (a moment of shameless publicity: I'm really proud of my Black Butler / D Gray Man story "Dies Irae" www fanfiction net / s / 9621082 / 1 / Dies-Irae), but I got this idea and I knew there's no way to write it other than completely re-writing the story told by the manga's author and that it's going to take many words.

It's inspired by a song and by a picture, both which I had found online and by Kanda's thoughts from my own story (www fanfiction net / s / 9779772 / 1 / Stolen-season) about a "different, happier kind of future".

There might be some romance in this story, but it'll never become an important part of the plot (other than possibly driving the caracters to reckless decisions). There will surely be angst, but again, as a driving force, rather than just for the sake of angst like in many of my stories (www fanfiction net / s / 9210170 / 1 / That-Butler-Gourmandises). Most of all there are supposed to be adventures, suspense, maybe some mystery and hopefully some surprises.

Garden of fruitless blossoms

Prologue: A different, happier kind of future

Something was shaking him, rousing him from his slumber as his curiosity rose as well. What was that shaking? It was rhythmic and repetitive and rather gentle. He didn't remember any shaking in the Institute, not of this kind at least, definitely not "gentle". Then, suddenly, memories started coming back as his brain woke up more and more, taking in the foreign smells mixing with some of the familiar ones.

He had managed to synchronise with his Innocence. Both, he and Yuu had managed, in a middle of one of their nastier fights, shocking everybody including themselves. However, whereas they simply returned to their fighting, their weapons rending it so much more vicious, the scientists rushed in to separate them, worried they might get hurt.

Alma winced internally at the memory of that intervention. He hadn't really meant to decapitate that man as he swung his Innocence-overgrown arm at Yuu. He wasn't entirely sure whether Yuu regretted slicing through that other man, because Yuu hated the scientists. However, since they let him out, then they had probably judged him safe, as they had done with Alma. Both he and Yuu had been isolated and tested, their synchronisation as well as their mental health, in the aftermath of that bloody misunderstanding. Once judged mentally stable, Alma had been let out of the isolation and started on the second stage of the project: training. Yuu had joined him some weeks later, sullen and angry.

'Are you awake Alma?' asked a friendly voice that Alma immediately recognised as Bak Chang. He opened his eyes and blinked his vision into focus, as usual momentarily confusing Bak for Doctor Edgar. One day he would have to ask why they were so similar.

'Are we soon there?' he asked instead, stretching and smiling at Yuu, who looked away immediately, scowling. Alma didn't lose his smile though, knowing by now that anger and hate were Yuu's way of coping with their harsh reality, as much as smiles were Alma's. Besides, he knew that Yuu didn't hate him, so Alma let his excitement take over.

After the synchronisation and final testing, as he called it in his head, his world had suddenly changed. He had been let out of the Sixth Institute and, even though he had been training in the Asian Branch for a year, there was no end to his amazement. There was a vast expense of blue over his head, there was water falling on him when the blue turned fluffy and grey, there were so many people and unending corridors, rooms full of books or screens and there was something called "food" that replaced medication and that tasted. There were so many words he didn't know! Every time he had thought he had it covered, something new popped up much to his delight and Yuu's annoyance.

Now, that they were on their way to the headquarters of the Black Order, Alma fully expected to be even more amazed. Already the "trains" were astonishing in themselves: huge machines racing across the world that was far bigger than he could have ever dreamed up. The mere number of hours it took to cross "Asia" and get to "Europe" was enough to make Alma's head spin, especially when Bak opened the map and taught them about places they were passing.

In the thrill of it all, Alma had almost forgotten that, going to the headquarters to finish their training and become Exorcists, he and Yuu had left the other two who had woken up behind. Yuu didn't care much, or so he said, but Alma threw a fit when he was told they would be separated for as long as it took the two new ones to synchronise and complete the second stage of training. He was still very unhappy about it, but as he looked at Yuu, he smiled again: he was with his brother after all and he had sworn to protect his younger, angry brother.

Yuu was now looking at his lap where, on his hands, resting palms up, Alma could see a beautiful lotus flower, glowing faintly. Another one was sitting on the floor, next to where Alma's legs were dangling, too short to reach the floor. Did Yuu see the lotuses as well? Alma was pretty sure he did, if only because of the way he was looking at "his" lotus sometimes, with a mix of fear and hate. They never talked about it, however, because old man Zhu had told Alma that the flower was an illusion and that he should never mention it to anybody and, Alma guessed, he had said the same to Yuu.

A knock on the door snapped Alma out of his thoughts and made Yuu jump a bit in his seat. His little brother had been very jumpy and somewhat afraid, even though he tried to not show that, since they had left the Asian Branch, so Alma sent him an encouraging smile that was greeted with a frown. Ignoring the frown, Alma looked at the door. The Finder that was escorting them on their way poked his head in.

'We've almost arrived Mr Chang, Sirs Exorcists,' he said in a tone that made Alma wonder if he was still afraid of them. He was, by the looks of it and Alma guessed that Yuu's hateful glares did nothing to dispel the fear either.

'Thank you,' Bak said with a friendly smile and the Finder disappeared, closing the door. 'We'll take a short ride in a carriage and then a boat trip to the headquarters,' Bak said, turning to Yuu and Alma. 'Once we're there, we will immediately meet Supervisor Lee and then you guys will have some time to explore. The training will resume tomorrow.'

'Great,' Alma enthused, smiling brightly at Bak, because he thought the man deserved that smile. He must have had a patience of a saint, since he had managed to somehow coax Yuu into cooperation after the synchronisation and Alma knew from experience how difficult it was to get Yuu to do anything, especially when it concerned the Project. Bak had been in charge of Yuu, after the synchronisation and, Alma had once overheard, had been the only reason why Yuu had ever been let out of the isolation. As it was, Bak Chang was one of the extremely few people at the Asian Branch that Yuu tolerated. Alma assumed that this was why he was accompanying them, rather than Renée Epstein who had been in charge of Alma.

The ride in the carriage and the trip in the boat were far too short for Alma, who suddenly started to be anxious about their new home. He even went as far as grabbing Yuu's hand for comfort, when they were standing in front of the supervisor's office. He was grateful when Yuu didn't yank his hand back, only shot him a withering glare, until the door opened and they stepped in, both trying to look serious and respectable, like they had been taught Exorcists should look.

'Welcome to the headquarters,' said an Asian man, standing up behind his desk. 'My name is Komui Lee and I'm the supervisor of the Black Order. Those here are my chief scientist, Reever Wenhamm and the head nurse, Mary Jane, who is in fact the chief medical doctor of the Main Branch,' he added, pointing to the blond man and a serious-looking woman, standing close to his side. 'Those two are the only ones to whom I have chosen to disclose the true nature of those,' the supervisor hesitated. 'Children,' he finished. Alma frowned and looked up at Bak, who was frowning as well.

'Is this a secret?' he asked and Bak looked at him with some surprise before smiling slightly and saying that it was a secret for the moment. Then the frown was back as Bak looked at the supervisor again. Between the two of them, Yuu was glaring at the floor fiercely.

'Thank you for the welcome,' Bak said and Alma thought there was something forced in the politeness of his tone, but he assumed it must have been his mistake. After all, he was not very good with emotions. 'My name is Bak Chang, those are Alma and Yuu, Alma's fighting teacher Jim Epstein and Yuu's sword-fighting master Hei Chang.'

'Epstein and Chang, eh?' the supervisor muttered so quietly that Alma was sure only the two standing next to the supervisor, himself and Yuu had heard. He didn't sound happy. Why wouldn't he be happy? 'Very well, Mr Chang, we have rooms prepared for you all and I understand that the teachers will be staying while you-'

'It's Bak and I will be staying for the moment as well,' Bak said and paused. 'Komui,' he finished with the slightest of smiles. Alma caught a small wince on the supervisor's face, before the man's expression turned neutral again. 'I'm in charge of the scientific side of the second stage of the Project. I will be staying until I'm sure that one of your staff can follow through with the medical and scientific check-ups on Alma's and Yuu's progress,' he explained. This was new to Alma and he fidgeted in the effort to not speak. Yuu glared at him and he tried to stay still. After all, they were supposed to be Exorcists, not some silly kids.

'Very well,' the supervisor said. He glanced at some papers on his desk. 'They have no family names?'

'No, they don't. Will that be a problem?' Bak asked. Alma looked between the two men, for the first time realising that his and Yuu's names only had one part while all the other names had at least two. The supervisor sighed.

'I suppose it will not be a problem. I'll tell Lenalee's tutor that he will have two more students starting tomorrow,' he said and glanced at Alma and Yuu, for the first time actually looking at them. Alma smiled and the supervisor looked away quickly. 'Although the Central wants them out in the field as soon as possible,' he said. This made Yuu look up at the supervisor for the first time, albeit briefly and only to send him a scorching glare that made the man recoil slightly.

'I know,' came Bak's solemn reply. 'They are not quite ready, but will soon be. I'll coordinate the tutoring with their training,' he assured the supervisor, who nodded curtly.

'What is tutoring?' Alma asked, unable to stay quiet anymore. It was not in his nature to not ask questions and there has been at least ten he wanted to ask already. Yuu scoffed, but Alma only elbowed him in reply, enjoying the furious glare this had earned him.

'Teaching,' Bak said, putting a calming hand on Yuu's shoulder and turning to the supervisor to ask whether there was a place appropriate for meditation in the headquarters. Alma hoped there was, because meditation was nice for him and somehow necessary for Yuu.

'It was mentioned as one of your requirements,' the supervisor replied, still not sounding happy. 'It has been prepared but if you find it not to your liking, something else can be arranged,' he amended. Alma smiled at him again, because all that was needed was calm and he was sure the man knew that.

'Who is Lenalee?' he asked before Bak could answer to the supervisor. This time he directed the question to the supervisor, looking up at him with curiosity. He noted a small smile that stretched the man's lips. It died when he asked whether Lenalee was a kid like himself and Yuu.

'Lenalee is an Exorcist in training and she's ten years old,' the supervisor said stiffly. Three years younger than Alma than, and two years younger than Yuu, Alma thought, ignoring the stiff tone for the moment. 'She is not like you,' the supervisor added quietly. Alma nodded.

'You mean she's human?' he asked, to make sure that he understood. He was confused by the shock that coloured the supervisor's face as the man stared at him and then looked at Bak. He looked at Bak as well to see him pursing his lips.

'Yes, she's human,' the supervisor said after a long moment of silence. 'She's my younger sister,' he added and Alma smiled to this because that was something he could understand. The supervisor looked startled by the sudden smile.

'Yuu is my little brother,' Alma announced, ignoring Yuu's hissed protest. 'How old are you?' he asked. Bak laughed shortly.

'I think that's enough of introductions for now, Alma,' he said, his tone lighter than it has been since they had entered the headquarters. Alma turned to look up at him, pouting. 'How about we look at our rooms and rest a bit before dinner? Maybe we can even arrange to meet Lenalee then, what do you say?'

'Awesome,' Alma exclaimed and looked at the supervisor again. 'Can we please meet Lenalee for dinner?' he asked in his best pleading tone. Usually, using this tone gave him whatever he asked for. 'I really want to become friends with her,' he informed the man who looked at him with a weird mix of emotions on his face. Alma held his ground. Finally the man nodded wordlessly and Alma grinned, turning to Yuu and forcing his grin to stay bright and happy when faced with another withering glare. He knew that Yuu didn't want to become friends with anybody, but he was going to drag him through it forcefully, until Yuu saw the benefit of having more friends than just Alma.

'Mr- I mean Bak,' the supervisor called. Alma glanced at the man, worried about the somewhat pained expression on his face. 'I didn't think they would be so nor- so young,' he said, his tone somehow forced, as though he didn't really want to say anything. What was he going to say first? Alma wanted to ask him. Instead, he looked up at Bak's pursed lips and sad expression. Was Bak still upset about what had happened to Alma and Yuu? Alma knew, from Yuu, that Bak didn't like the topic of the synchro-testing and anything that went with. He knew that it made Bak sad to mention what had been done to Alma and Yuu. Was the supervisor upset about that now as well? He glanced at the man again and saw that his eyes were gleaming suspiciously.

'Don't worry mister supervisor,' he said, because he didn't like it when people were sad. He grinned when the man jumped and looked at him and Yuu. 'Everything is easy when one has friends,' he informed him. He was repeating a phrase from one of his books, but he knew that it was true because he wouldn't have survived the syncho-testing without Yuu there to help him. He wouldn't have kept his sanity had he been alone in the darkness of the Sixth Institute. He wouldn't have been able to quell his burning anger, towards those who had subjected him and Yuu to such torture, without Yuu being there, angry and in desperate need of calming. He wouldn't have been able to breathe if he hadn't had somebody to laugh with.

He wrapped an arm around Yuu's shoulders, hugging his little brother close to his side. Next to him, Yuu relaxed his tense shoulders minutely, only to tense up again when the door to the office banged open.

'Brother, brother,' called a new voice, loud and shrill, making Yuu physically flinch. The pitch was similar to that of their younger sister, whom Alma and Yuu had only met once after she had also woken up from her cold, little pool.

Turning at the same time as everybody around him, Alma saw a girl who ran into the office and stopped dead, blushing as everybody's attention turned to her. Then her eyes met Alma's and her expression brightened again. 'So it's true that there are new kids coming,' she exclaimed. Alma tightened his grip on Yuu's shoulders because he felt the other tensing even more, ready to pull away.

'Well, since you're here,' the supervisor's voice came from much closer than before and Alma spared the man a fleeting glance, only to see that he came to stand just behind them, next to Bak. Yuu looked at the man longer before resuming his inconspicuous attempts at getting away.

'Those are Alma and Yuu and they will be training to be Exorcists as well. Boys, this is my sister, Lenalee,' the supervisor said, his tone warm and kind. As the girl came closer, Yuu finally managed to push himself away from Alma and stepped to the side, glaring at the girl. Alma made sure to smile for the both of them as he said that he was happy to meet her. She smiled at him again, very carefully not looking at Yuu.

'Do you want me to show you the place?' she asked, enthusiasm crackling like electricity in her voice. Alma nearly jumped on the spot at the suggestion, but he had no time to reply because, for once, Yuu beat him to it.

'Can I go to my room now?' he asked as soon as she had finished her question, his tone cold and indifferent as he looked at the floor again. The girl's expression faltered.

'Let them have some rest, Lenalee. They have just arrived from a long trip from the Asian Branch,' the supervisor said, although his tone wasn't quite as warm anymore. Alma pursed his lips, knowing that Yuu had managed to insult the man. He was about to say that Yuu was just shy, to defend his little brother, when the supervisor spoke again. 'You'll show them around after dinner, alright?'

'Alright brother,' she replied with a new smile, waved at Alma and left the office, skipping. The supervisor sighed when the door slammed shut behind her. In the momentary silence, Alma opened his mouth to speak, but the supervisor was faster.

'She has gone through some dreadful things herself,' he said, sounding like he was talking to himself, sad and contemplative. 'Just two weeks ago, another young exorcist was killed and she took that blow very hard. It's the first time I see her smile since then, so please be nice,' he added and Alma realised that he was actually talking to Yuu. Bak put a hand on Yuu's shoulder again, in a gesture that meant Yuu should not say anything because Bak probably knew, like Alma knew, that Yuu would have no sympathy to share. Because Bak and his teacher were the only people to whom Yuu actually listened, Yuu glared at the floor again.

'He's just shy, mister supervisor,' Alma said to his brother's defence, smiling at Yuu's glare and then at the supervisor's worried expression. 'And you shouldn't worry: we can't die so we won't make Lenalee sad,' he added very matter-of-factly.

The supervisor stared. Alma didn't understand why.