Title: Ignis
Genre: Romance, angst
Pairing: Lavi x Yuu
Rating: T+ (for swearing, rating may go up in later chapters)
Summary: Affection; it's something they both desire, a closeness a bond. A simple thought made complicated by pride and duty.
Lavi toys with emotions, Kanda pretend he has none to be toyed with. And that simple fact is the fuel to their fire.
I can't help it, whenever I right for Lavi he's always just so…sinister. I think I can work with that though.
Sinister Lavi, bad arse Kanda, let's see what kind of shit these two will get up to, shall we?
Ignis
The Black Order; an organization funded by the Vatican under Pope Leo XIII it exists with the sole purpose of destroying the Millennium Earl and his hideous mechanical demons, the Akuma.
It is the exorcists, soldiers of god whom carry out this burden with they're mystical weapons known as 'Innocence'.
October 1894, Black Order H.Q. England.
The chiefs office was a mess of crumpled papers, maps and week old coffee mugs piled to the ceiling that was accompanied by some foul stench even Bookman Juniors pallet could not define as anything natural; he scrunches his nose as he's forced to take in his dingy surroundings that where enveloped with dim candle light.
The old man beside him appeared to have nodded off at some point during the hour and a half they'd been waiting; but the younger new better than that, he must have been deep in thought, maybe even meditating. In any case the silence was tedious and Junior just happened to have some thoughts of his own to discuss.
"So..." the old man raises his head slightly peeking through narrow tired eyes waiting for his young apprentice to continue. "...We're going to become exorcists?" Junior asks monotonously as he finds his fingers fiddling with the loose stands of uneven red hair.
The old man gives a nod whilst lighting up a cigarette held in the yellow stain between his fingers.
He takes a long drawn out puff and smoke clouds fill the room; as if it hadn't smelled bad enough, tobacco needed to be added.
"This is our next post, unfortunately that also means we have to become closer to our target than we usually would. We where both chosen accommodators for 'innocence' that in itself is pretty amazing, we can use it to our advantage...however it can also be dangerous to us...we mustn't get too involved."
"I see." Too involved? How much more 'involved' can we get? The young Bookman asks himself as he slumps further down into the lounge looking rather unimpressed.
After a short while longer of waiting; hearing nothing but the hands of time ticking forward, the bulky wooden doors creak open, a tall Blonde man dressed neatly in a white lab coat strode in from the halls.
The two Bookmen stand to greet him; they brush down they're scruffy coats in an attempt at looking presentable, not that it had really mattered at that point.
In his hands the man had been flipping through papers and scribbling down some notes, "hello, my name is Reever Wenham, I'm the section Leader of the science department. Chief Komui is busy in the chapel at the moment so I will escort you there to finish this business."
Reever ushered the two into the halls, the Bookmen swapped glances but followed his direction.
The old man had been walking a few steps ahead of the other when he turned his head slightly, a curious look covered his withered face, and the boy cocks his head to one side, "Lavi, was it?" he asks confirming his pupils 'new' name and Junior nods.
They enter the chapel making their way through the aisles of coffins, sobbing finders and nurses alike, people throwing themselves over the boxes, screaming and begging God to bring them back to the land of the living.
The two Bookmen logged everything to memory apparently unfazed by the whole ordeal as they trekked to the overlooking balcony.
It was there where a young Chinese man in white uniform stood, a rose cross rested over his heart, his glasses were still slightly fogged from his tears; though he'd obviously tried to hide them.
"Welcome to the black order." he sniffled and held out his hand for the old man to shake. "I'm Komui Lee, Chief of the order"
The old man shook his hand as he too introduced himself "I have no name, but you may call me Bookman and that child is Lavi" he said indicating toward the redhead who's attention was stolen by they're surroundings.
Komui looked up from the short old man to the tall younger taking him in noticing the heavy bags under his single jade eye and scars carved on what little skin was showing.
Komui had read the little information he'd received on the two however knowing the boy was only sixteen came as a bit of a shock. To Komui he'd seemed to be at least nineteen if not older.
Bookman continued "We had an agreement to observe the war from an exorcists stand point..."
"Yes I am aware, the Vatican has informed me to grant you access to the orders resources, however you are required to be on call as soldiers." He paused for a moment, "As Bookmen I was lead to believe that such a thing would be, well, forbidden?"
"In a way..." Bookman confirmed looking thoughtful and bitter all at once, "…but we have our ways around such things."
Whilst the two adults where sorting out their business Lavi was staring off the balcony still studying the funeral and whispering notes for himself to hear.
"The coffins range within the hundred..." he listened to the tears and smelled the blood and disinfectant that plagued the air noting that too. "…these people..." he sighed "… seem to be on the losing side."
August 1895, Black order H.Q.
It had been just under a year since the two Bookmen had joined the ranks of the exorcists and in that time Lavi had made good use of the castle populace, wearing a friendly face coaxing them into a false sense of friendship, which was just one of his greatest methods of receiving information.
The 'mask' he'd worn had become a useful tool indeed after all to the apprentice Bookman humans where just ink to be read and recorded in his opinion.
When Lavi wasn't away on a mission he'd spend his days carefully monitoring those who lived within the castle, all the while seeming to be just another silly teenager. When night struck he'd be cramped at a study jotting down his day's records to paper or reading some of the text books the order had filed away safely in the library.
One night however upon completing such tasks the redhead dawdled back toward his room passing through the gothic candle lit corridors.
He lugged heavy books under his arm as he sort to rest his head for what little time remained of night.
It was difficult, his mind was relentlessly curious always looking for something else to learn.
Even if all he really wanted to do was sleep.
That night had been no different he realized when a loud clanging noise could be heard in the near distance accompanied by puffs and grunts, in that instant he dropped any hope of returning to his bunk and instead scurried over to a door labeled 'GYM' and tentatively slid it open just enough to slake his interest.
The image of an Asian man with long jet black hair flowing down his porcelain skin and dripping with sweat met his sight. Lavi lost his wits as his breath got caught in his throat and his hands lost grip of the books, they thumped loudly against the stone floor and the man ceased his actions noticing the redhead peeking through the crack in the door and shouted out at him.
"If you're not training then piss off!" He scowled pointing his katana in Lavi's direction intending it to be some kind of threat no doubt.
Lavi gulped down the lump in his throat and he strode in holding up both hands as a gesture of surrender.
In that moment of revealing himself to the sword wielding man he recalled all the information he'd collected on this particular person;
His name was Yuu Kanda, age 17; two months older than Lavi, Japanese heritage though his accent sounded closer to Chinese like Komui, not that he had any trouble speaking fluent English (or swearing it). His file was not one Lavi was privy to; anything he did know was simply what others had scarcely informed him. If Lavi remembered correctly (which of course he did) Kanda was notorious for being quite violent towards those most would call they're 'comrades'.
Lavi and Kanda hadn't honestly worked alongside one another before, in fact in the ten months he'd had been with the order the two had barely spoken a word to one another, but now...Lavi couldn't stop his curiosity. So he indulged it taking the usual 'friendly' approach; a teasing opening line.
"Your pretty good at swinging that over grown kitchen knife around, aren't ya?' Lavi cooed causing Kanda to spring at him without warning.
Lavi's heart stopped as his lone green eye gaped at the blade just barely missing him. Sweat poured from forehead as Kanda allows and devilish smirk to cross his face.
"You wouldn't be referring to Mugen now, would you?"
"Uuhhhh" For the first time Lavi couldn't think, well think of anything besides a cold blade inches from impaling his skull, which judging by the look on Kanda's face was quite an amusing thought and not one Lavi was keen on humouring.
"Then yes, I am"
The katana was lowered and Kanda flipped back around to finish up his training leaving the redhead to his own devices.
Lavi in turn slid down against the door in a state of shock; he let his breath go at last feeling as though he might just suffocate yet still despite his instincts he decided to stay in the others presence.
Just observing he assured himself.
He'd seen warriors of all kinds over his life, but there was just something about Kanda; frightening yet beautiful and maybe dare he even think it; a source of 'fun' in the otherwise drab castle.
he sat by idly and let himself play with that thought a while longer, curling up his knees to his chest and holding them tight in his arms, Kanda 'che'd' rolling his eyes
"Stupid rabbit" Kanda grumbles and continued his strikes.
"Rabbit?" oh goody, a nickname.
Kanda rolls around on the mat lunging his blade at nothing in particular, taking stances and striking again and again, all the while Lavi sat in the corner still gaping and interfering occasionally with his annoying banter,
"Wow you killed another one" he'd laugh throwing his hands in the air and continue pretending he was some damsel in distress "My hero!"
Kanda glared daggers at him and Lavi would cringe remembering his near death experience, well sort of, he knew now after spending over an hour irritating the fuck out of the Japanese man that he was all bark and no bite; not that he wasn't grateful for that.
"I thought I told you to piss off!" Kanda says lowering his blade frustrated by Lavi's playful grin that just seemed to widen every time Kanda shouted at him Lavi rocks back and forth in his sitting position, content and amused by the man before him.
"Just wanted to watch you~" and that was the god honest truth. Still Kanda didn't feel any more at ease, especially with that sickly sweet 'tone' in his voice.
"Like I said before, this room is for TRAINING, so get lost, Rabbit" Lavi sighs as he dusts down his pants and jumps down into the training pit, he held both hands on his sides, and said
"Fine, we spar then..." Kanda raised one eyebrow not quite believing his ears; sure he'd seen Lavi fight before; once or twice only against some random finders, as far as Kanda could tell he appeared rather weak and lacking in skill to say the least, certainly not worth his time. But still, he wondered it had been a long time since I've spared against a fellow exorcist.
"But no weapons, think you can manage that?..." Lavi said as his eye narrows and he grins menacingly. Lavi could see it on his face; the uncertainty, he knew he'd just have to give the other reason. And if his sources where correct there was something that really got under his skin "...Yuu~." he now had a reason.
There was a moment of silence; Lavi wondered if maybe he hadn't heard him; that thought was soon lost when the Asian turned to face him Fire burnt in his cobalt blue eyes, Kanda set aside his blade and takes up his hand to hand combat stance. "You're dead."
It was dark in the training room; the only form of light was that of the few candle lit lamps but vision was still distorted.
Kanda would hurl punches striking Lavi most of the time however when anything came at him that could be more dangerous Lavi seemed to slither around like flowing water.
Lavi only had one good eye, so at first Kanda only thought it natural that the fight would be in his advantage, but still there wasn't anything normal about the Junior Bookman, something about the way he spars that got under Kanda's skin and itched at his subconscious
It took Kanda by surprise when he realized even the attacks that did hit him where planned?
The bastard was playing with him. What could be more insulting?
Lavi lunged forward and Kanda blocked grabbing his wrist and twirling his arm around until Lavi's knees hit the mat, Kanda pushed his palm to the back of his head to push his face to floor and Lavi yelped mock surprise.
"You got me, Yuu. I give, I give."
"No you don't, and stop messing with me you faker!"
Faker? Lavi thought with his face still pressing down into the mat and Kanda loosened his grip on younger teen allowing him to raise his face to meet his.
"I know when someone's taking it easy on an opponent! You're not even trying to win. Your letting me hit you, goddamn it, and what evasive moves you've made are too fluid for you not to know what you're doing. You think you can spar against me and not fight seriously, it's insulting!" Kanda's scowl turned into a deeper sort of expression, something akin to embarrassment maybe? "If you spar with me you try to beat me! Got it?" playing around was one thing, technically speaking Lavi shouldn't have began sparring in the first place. Could taking it seriously have some negative effect on the record? Or maybe it was just his imagination besting him.
"If you don't..." Kanda grabs Lavi by the hair forcing him to his feet whilst still gasping. An evil yet playful grin sweeps his features and Lavi shudders he really is…scary! "I'll kill you."
And it was official, there was defiantly something fun about this.
-so what do you think? Keep going?
