Moyashi-neechan: This story has some and eventually great differences with canon. So yeah…it's AU…hopefully.

Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray Man or any of its characters. They all belong exclusively to Hoshino Katsura.

The Inevitable Path

"Run, Tim… Take Suman's Innocence and run…"

"Go."

"If you don't…Everyone will be unable to go look for Master."

"You must go…"

That's what I said and, ever obedient, Timcanpy flew away with the Innocence safely within him. And I was left alone. Lying on the ground, incapacitated, weak, and vulnerable in the presence of a Noah. A ruthless killer. A cruel deceiver. A complete monster.

I stared at the crescent silver moon, the lone witness of my impending demise. It wasn't different from all the nights I have seen in the past. But somehow…at this very moment, the moon seemed to be larger. It shone more brightly. It is a sight that was somehow lovely. Haunting. And sad. I vaguely heard the Noah commend my efforts of saving Suman's Innocence but I did not care.

Not at all.

This is the end. I can feel it. I have done all what I can do. I have no regrets. I have fulfilled my promise to Mana: to keep walking forward whatever path I have chosen. And now…

And now…

..

.

I faintly heard the Noah's whisper, his promise of a slow and agonizing death for a brave fellow like me. If I could I would have laughed. Me? Brave? Absolutely not. I just did what I can do, what I should do, and what I must do. Nothing more, nothing less. There's no bravery in all of my deeds.

None at all.

I coughed out blood when he suddenly plunged his hand through my chest with a Tease in tow. And true to his promise… as I felt the golem's first sharp bite…

I screamed.

It was painful.

Excruciatingly painful.

Callous Time seemed to have found this moment worth for me to relish as seconds felt like hours.

But…

..

.

Funny…even though I could feel my flesh get torn and shredded as the wretched golem continued to gnaw through my still beating heart… I don't feel any fear, panic, or dread. Instead I felt…

Relieved.

..

.

I tasted the blood in my mouth.

I'm dying.

..

.

But I no longer care.

This is as far as I could go, Mana.

I just hope…

..

.

My whole body has become numb. My breathing has become heavy and laboured. My vision has become fuzzy and dark.

I'm dying

..

.

But it's all right.

I just hope I've made you proud.

Mana

I'm so foolish. Lenalee berated herself as she flew over the tragedy stricken village. Her nose is filled with the scent of smoke and blood. She could hear screams, wails, and sobs of hurt and mourning everywhere. Carnage was all over beneath her but she paid no heed. The only thought running rampant on her mind is Allen. Allen. Allen. Allen.

Lenalee hated herself even more as she remembered how useless she has been for the past few hours. After hearing Suman's sealed fate from her brother, she lost it. She cut off herself from reality and went into her own world of grief. Her family is broken. She will have to fit the shattered pieces of her life again.

For hours she couldn't move. No. She refused to move. Lenalee could not find the will to do so. She just sat limply at the floor looking like a broken doll, shedding endless tears. She remembered the boy she never knew but smiled at her during that dreadful night, when she first encountered a Fallen due to the Order's ruthless obsession to win the war. She remembered her nightmares. The ruins of a church in a dark night, her crying atop the destruction, alone, omens of terrifying things to come. What if it's true? What if in the end, I'll be the only one left? What if everybody dies? I don't want to be alone. I don't want my family to disappear.I don't want my world to disappear. I-

A bright light pierced the sky and Lenalee remembered the white haired boy she left behind. The kind and selfless boy who might very well still be fighting for his life. And Suman's. And for the safety of the people in the doomed village.

Fresh tears threatened from her eyes while she flew in the sky in a desperate search. How could I be so selfish? I shouldn't have given up like that. She was so caught up with the past and the possible future that she didn't paid any attention to the present. To what is happening now. Allen needs me. I should be fighting. She wiped off the tears from her eyes and shook off unpleasant thoughts. Lenalee continued with her search with more determination.

Where are you Allen?

This is the worst. Yao muttered numerous profanities and complaints as he and another finder trudged through the outskirts of the ruined village. Stupid orders!

Everyone in the Asian Branch knew the Fallen Incident. Bad news spread like wild fire after all. It was something that took the Asian Branch off guard. Their area has never encountered such catastrophe; Asia has a low number of Akuma attacks and Innocence related happenings. They don't even have official exorcists in the branch. So, all in all, having a horde of Akumas flying in China with a berserk Innocence to boot is a situation way way off the Asian Branch's capability.

But when another news was delivered, that a group of exorcists were in the area and were already handling the situation, they sighed in absolute relief. Having the burden of something they had-no-idea what-to-do-about lifted off their shoulders was a blessing from heaven. But such bliss was cut off when all the finders in branch were gathered and was given the mission to retrieve the Innocence of the Fallen once everything have calmed down, a task which they were doing in the dead of the night.

"Darn! Why couldn't the exorcists do this instead! They're far more capable with this! What if we encounter Akumas along the way?" Yao would have kicked the dirt in the ground if it weren't so childish.

"We don't have any exorcists in the branch." Zhou quipped. "Don't count on the exorcists who fought that so called Fallen either, after a battle like that will surely leave them exhausted."

Yao was not willing to give up in his complaints though. "Then what about the exorcist who has been training in our branch? Shouldn't she be the one to search for the Innocence?"

Zhou raised an eyebrow at the idea. "Her?" he said with a dubious tone.

Yao remembered the messy haired woman who was as clumsy as a baby learning to walk. He could still hear her non-stop wails of panic and failure. He actually has a strong suspicion that the woman was part banshee for that. Oh and when she apologizes…He still consider it a mystery how on earth did Director Chan made her stop from doing it so for every minute. Then he thought about her suicide attempts. Her innumerable, silly suicide attempts.

"All right, you're making a very good point but still-"

Yao never got the chance to finish when they heard a shout and he felt a sudden of pain in his legs. He knelt on the ground by the sudden onslaught. He looked into his left and found a boy brandishing a tree branch.

"Die! You monsters!" the boy cried as he hoist up his weapon for another attack.

Yao tackled the boy to the ground in self-defense. "No. Stop! Stop! It's okay! I'm not a monster. Look at me. Look at me."

The boy stopped struggling and looked up at him. His face was all dirty, there's even a trail of blood in his forehead. "You're not a monster?" he asked.

Yao smiled. "No, I'm not." Then he got off the boy. "I don't have stars anywhere in my body as far as I'm concerned." He added. The boy did not understand what he meant. He immediately turned around when he heard shouts of "Big brother" behind him. Apparently, Zhou found two more children hiding in the trees near them.

"Big brother!" they called.

The boy ran towards them and hugged them tightly. "Didn't I tell you not to come out? You should have stayed hidden! Those monsters might come back."

"It's okay. He said the monsters are already gone." The pigtailed girl said while pointing at Zhou. The boy looked back at them with disbelief.

"Don't worry. You're safe now. We promise." Zhou reassured the children.

Yao could never understand why his current partner was more focused on the brats rather than the more important issue which is "You said monsters were after you?"

Another boy, no older than five perhaps, nodded his head. "We ran out of the village when the big scary white monster came out. Mama and Papa told us to run and...and..." the poor child sobbed as he remembered the recent events that night: the screams, the fire, the light, the monsters, the big shadow claw. His sister held him tightly. Yao felt pity for the little ones. So young and they're left to fend for themselves already. A situation he is no stranger of since he was orphaned at a tender age after an Akuma attack.

"We were supposed to go to the bamboo forest but suddenly another white monster appeared and chased us." The Big brother of the group continued their story. "We ran and ran. Then we hid behind the trees over here. I grabbed a fallen branch and hit the monster in the head. It disappeared after that."

Yao and Zhou exchanged looks. What? "You're sure about that? When you hit it, it just disappeared?" Zhou further questioned the boy while Yao frantically searched for the said tree branch. Yao could hear the boy's uh-uhs and huhs and whats when he finally found the item. He inspected it carefully, observed it from different angles and...

"This is nothing. Nothing but an ordinary branch." He concluded. His partner shook his head. Zhou had checked the boy for any signs of Innocence as well and came up with none.

"Is that really what happened children?" Zhou asked the little ones again.

"It's true! That's what really happened!" the girl answered.

Yao released a sigh of frustration. This is a strange occurrence no doubt but is it Innocence or Akuma related? Perhaps. Not sure. Maybe. There are some parts of this scenario that seemed...not right.

"We have to report this." Yao could see that that was the only sensible thing they could do at the moment.

Zhou nodded in agreement. Then he grabbed two of the children's hands as he started the long walk back to the Asian Branch while he urged the oldest boy to keep up with them.

"What in the world are you doing?" Yao asked after a few moments of bewilderment.

"Taking the children." Zhou answered simply.

"I could see that but why?" Yao regretted the question he asked as innocent eyes stared up at him. "Uhm...not that I'm complaining but-"

"It's an insurance that we will not be sent out to the field again after reporting."

Yao could only blink in surprise at the candid statement. Zhou trying to find an excuse to escape a finder's task? Zhou? Zhou?

He rubbed his temples as he experienced a confusion and shock induced headache. "This is one crazy night." Yao muttered as he ran to catch up with his fellow finder and the children.

None of them ever noticed the green eyed white owl that has been watching them the entire time.