My first LavixOC fic. I hope Lavi isn't OOC.
Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray Man. If I did, I'll make sure there were more interactions between Allen,Kanda and Lavi X3
Lavi fell to his knees taking in deep breaths; the extended handle of Tettsei supported his weight. His surroundings were bathed in crimson red, akuma residue was every where; the night air still and filled with death. This was one of the biggest akuma nests Lavi has ever seen, taking him almost the whole day to exterminate. He let out a short sigh, wondering how much of the blood on his uniform belonged to him and the accumulating logs he has yet to complete. Panda… The foul smell of exposed blood was definitely getting to him.
"Lavi!"
He lifted his head slightly upon hearing his name. Standing a foot away from him was a familiar face, her uniform drenched in blood and still panting from the battle. He gave her his signature grin before losing his grip on Tettsei and fell onto the bloody ground, unconscious.
X+X+X+X
Lavi opened his eyes, the white blur slowly fading away to reveal an empty ceiling. He turned his head slightly to the left to see a girl his age rinsing a bloodied rag in the metal basin on the dresser. Her Exorcist's coat was off and her shoulder-length strawberry blonde hair sparkled under the warm sunshine.
"You're awake!" she said as she turned to face him, drying her hands on her skirt.
"Ah, the inn?" Lavi asks. She nods in reply.
"I had to bring you back after you collapse on the field last night," she replied.
"Sorry 'bout that. Ouch!" Lavi yelped as he attempted to sit up on the bed. She rushed to his side.
"You have a few fractured ribs and even though I've bandaged them, you'll still require medical attention when we return to HQ," she explained, her hands around him for support.
"Ari, your arm," Lavi said, referring to her bandaged left arm around his torso.
"Oh this? An akuma in human form slashed me with a scythe. Careless, no?" Ari replied with a nonchalant smile, pulling her hands away from him.
Then, a rather loud grumbling sound filled the space between them, taking Lavi and Ari by surprise,
"Haha, it seems that my stomach needs food," Lavi laughed, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.
"Let's head downstairs then, I still have to make the call back to HQ," she replied, giggling slightly.
Lavi nodded and got out of the bed slowly with Ari's help, careful not to hurt his fractured ribs any further.
X+X+X+X
Lavi sat on one of the high stools along the bar top, waiting for his order to arrive as Ari made her way towards the phones with their assigned golem.
"Here ya go, two bowls of gulasch," the friendly middle-aged bartender said in a heavy accent and set two steaming ceramic bowls in front of Lavi.
"Thanks." The man nodded in acknowledgement and resumed his previous task of wiping the beer glasses.
While savouring his bowl of gulasch, Lavi silently observed his surroundings, a Bookman habit. It was past breakfast and hence, the inn was almost empty. Behind the bar was a simple wooden shelf, glasses of various shapes and sizes lining up neatly on it. A picture frame standing above the arrangement of scotch, whisky and vodka bottles caught his attention. A young girl was sitting on the inn's bar top holding a beer glass filled with juice. She was surrounded by the rest of the inn's crew – bartender, cook, housekeeper and owner – all smiling happily.
"Excuse me, is that the owner's daughter?" Lavi asked, pointing at the picture.
"Hm? You don't know her? She's Ari Shevchenko, the violin prodigy from Ukraine," the bartender replied, his smile faltering.
Lavi couldn't help but glance at Ari who was still on the phone, nodding slightly with her back against him.
"The picture was taken about three years ago when she performed in Palais Auersperg, months before she suddenly disappeared," the bartender added as he wiped another glass, squeaking sounds filling the air.
"Disappeared?" Lavi asked as put another spoonful of gulasch into his mouth. His interest was definitely piqued.
"Not much is known about the sudden disappearance but word has it that it is the work of her family – the Shevchenko's are very influential in Ukraine and Russia. Such a shame, she was such a sweet and bubbly young girl," the bartender said, reminiscing the past.
Lavi remained silent and continued eating his beef, vegetable and spice medley, processing the info he had just received as Ari climbed onto the high stool next to him.
"It seems our plan to return to HQ this afternoon stands. So, I saw you talking rather animatedly to the bartender. What's so interesting?" Ari asked as she picked up her spoon and stirred the reddish-orange soup.
"Oh, we were just talking about that girl in the photo. Ari Shevchenko, violin prodigy from Ukraine," Lavi said with a nonchalant tone.
From the corner of his visible eye Lavi could see that Ari stiffened a little from the mention of 'Ari Shevchenko', the name she shared with the girl in the photo.
"Ah, her… She could've gone far," Ari said and placed a spoonful of gulasch into her mouth, the distinctive spice flavour seeping into her taste buds.
Lavi's lips curved into a smile, the gears in his head began moving as they both savoured their gulasch in the comfortable silence, squeaking sounds continued to fill the air when cloth and glass collide.
X+X+X+X
Lavi and Ari strolled down the cobblestone streets towards the train station, the Gothic towers and pointed arches above them. Their heavy Exorcists' boots made deep tapping sounds as they collided with the cobblestone ground, Lavi's flaming red and Ari's strawberry blonde flapped slightly in the light breeze.
"Ari! Look, a violin shop!" Lavi's cheery voice called.
Ari stopped in her tracks and looked towards the direction Lavi pointed at. There stood a small outlet, half hidden by the gloomy buildings around it.
"Lavi, we're in Vienna, of course there's a violin shop," Ari replied, rolling her eyes at the grin plastered on the redhead's face.
"Come, let's go have a look."
Before Ari could protest Lavi had already grab her wrist, dragging her towards the shop.
The door opened with a jingle and they both stepped in, the fragrant smell of wood greeted them. An old man appeared from the back, wiping his hands on the rag hanging from his apron.
"Hallo. How may I be of assistance?" he asked in a heavy German accent.
"Hallo. We're just looking," Lavi smiled. The luthier nodded in acknowledgement.
"That is your friend?" he asked again. Lavi answered with a nod and a smile.
One of the many handmade violins had captured Ari's attention. She hadn't notice that the luthier was slowly approaching her as she continued staring at that particular violin in awe. Lavi remained silent, the smile still on his features as he watched intently from the sidelines.
"Do you want to try it?" he asked. Ari jumped slightly from the abruptness.
"N-no, it is okay," she replied, smiling sheepishly.
"A Stradivari model made from Carpathian flamed maple, one of my finest works," the luthier said, taking the instrument down from the displaying unit and handed it to Ari. She stared at it for a moment but did not accept it until Lavi nudged her and gave her an encouraging smile.
Ari accepted the violin and place the chinrest under her chin, the bow in her right hand. She took a deep breath and her fingers began plucking. Lavi and the luthier watched as the bow moved at different gradients, weaving a unique melody. The tempo slowly increased, Ari's fingers moving up and down the fingerboard, shifting rapidly. Lavi's jaw nearly dropped when Ari's bowing increased in speed, her fingers continued plucking in split second intervals. Don't her fingers get tangled? The luthier had already closed his eyes, using only his ears to enjoy the tune. When it finally came to an end, an awkward silence engulfed them as no one spoke a word.
"Sorry," she mumbled and set down the violin on a nearby table before running out of the shop, the door closing behind her with a jingle.
Lavi turned towards the luthier and bowed slightly.
"Sorry for the inconvenience caused," he said with an apologetic smile.
"No harm done. She's really good for that's one of the best Paganini's Caprice #24 I've ever heard," the luthier replied as he picked up the violin and gently placed it back on the display.
"I'll let her know," Lavi said and then he was gone.
X+X+X+X
Lavi slid open the compartment door and found Ari sitting by the window, deep in thought. He closed the door and went to sit by her side.
"Sorry for making you feel uncomfortable."
There was no reply. Both of them remained in the odd silence, neither making any moves as the train began to move. Then, rather suddenly, Ari shifted and laid her head in Lavi's lap, startling him. Lavi stiffened at the contact and began scratching his cheek idly.
"I don't blame you, not at all," she whispered, so silently that Lavi had to strain his ears to hear it clearly.
Lavi's lips curved into a thin smile as he put his hand on Ari's head, his fingers weaving through her strawberry blonde locks. She didn't seem to mind.
You really love the violin don't you? It must've hurt a lot to abandon it.
To be continued...
lovexsorrows: So, what do you guys think of my LavixOC fic? It won't be cliched, I assure you. Thanks for reading! Reviews?