DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN D.GRAY-MAN OR ITS CHARACTERS!!
Story Summary: AU, two years after Lulubell's attack. The Black Order has been destroyed and the remnants have been forced into hiding to avoid getting wiped out by the Noah. Tiki has switched sides after witnessing the mass destruction and has been helping Rabi through the loss of his only "family" while the others slowly try to regain what they lost. River has taken charge and leads the small group of rebels against the Noah and the Akuma, which have taken over the majority of the world, making the world harsh and difficult to survive in. CrossRiver.
Chapter Summary: A prologue.
A/N – Okay, it's really sad. The first ever River-centric story I write and it's dark, sad and as depressing as a funeral. Sadly, I think I actually really like this idea and hope to complete it as well as my Melody story.
As you may or may not have guessed, some Exorcists have died, and the heroes are small in number and the war has been tilted in the Noah's favor. Will they win, or will this story end just as depressingly as it's started?
Also, the title "Afterglow" means, according to my dictionary:
"light glow: radiated light that remains visible after a source of light or energy has been removed, e.g. the glow sometimes seen in the sky after sunset."
The whole, "A glimmer of hope in the darkest of times" which was way too long for a title, so Afterglow, which seems to have the same meaning in a sense, was a rather fitting one. Of course, this could also mean that the hope was false. You'll just have to wait and see, dear readers.
Hopefully you'll find out, and yes. You DID read the pairing correctly. The crackness continues! Mwhaha!
Enjoy! Oh, and I will be a very happy person if at least one person cries during this story, and don't worry. There'll probably be a few comedic moments to break up the angst.
Afterglow
By:
-Minosuke Ichigo-
Chapter 0 – Beginning of Our End
The world was once beautiful. In danger, but beautiful nonetheless. There were people, children, animals and happiness, but now, in the shadows of a crumbling, destroyed village, there was nothing but sorrow and a bitter end. The screams had long since faded, leaving only blood stains and crumbled ashes as reminders of what had happened after the fall of the Black Order.
Innocent people died, children were slaughtered and only the lucky few survived. Good people who lived good lives were taken swiftly and without reason from the world, those like the sweetest and kindest of Exorcists. These heroes died protecting those they loved and their graves were hidden away, but there with fresh flowers as often as possible, but they were never mourned. Mourning meant the Earl won.
Tears were shed, but their last wishes were respected and they did not dwell on the loss of their friends.
Crowley and Miranda, two of the bravest, perished saving their friends during Lulubell's attack, and they were buried next to each other, having been their last wish before they were claimed by the cold hands of Death. Bookman had failed in his own way, sacrificing himself for his wayward student. There was nothing left for a grave, but his student made one anyway, slaving over a gravestone for days until it was finally completed with his sweat, blood and tears of anguish.
The most heart wrenching death had been that of Rinali. The girl, injured and unable to activate her Innocence, threw herself into the fray to save her brother from the Akuma and died in his arms. Since then, Komui has been in a catatonic state of shock, unable or unwilling to respond to the world and instead hiding himself in the memories of his sister and the good times he spent with her. He still holds her shattered Innocence close to his heart.
Finders and scientists alike were murdered cruelly and in the most horrendous of ways. A single Noah, sickened by the cruelty of his brethren, helped the remaining Exorcists and humans escape the carnage. He has since stayed near the broken Bookman apprentice in hopes of atoning for the sins he had committed and has sworn his loyalty to the cause of the remaining.
Leading this small band of misfits and strays is River Wenhamm, the once head of the Science Department, but now the caretaker of the last of mankind. He keeps a dim hope alive in the ranks of the dismayed soldiers of humanity, but he knows that unless they can find the missing Generals, their efforts are in vain.