Disclaimer: D. Gray-Man characters belong to Katsura Hoshino; I got the plot idea from a yaoi manga for Ittoki Otoya X Ichinose Tokiya (Uta no Prince-Sama)

Claimer: I own the OC Shiloh

Warnings: near the end Lavi may seem OOC; I am insinuating there's sex (no lemon, though); AU

Pairings: Lavi X OC, THERE IS NO Lavi X Allen


"You should help Bookman find another errand girl... I can't do it anymore..." she mutters. She's been doing this after every time she comes by for the past month.

She must be psychic because she always came by whenever he ran cool metal in-between his fingers, looking at the intricate little vines that make up a locket. He looks up at her when she speaks as she watches him with that rather blank face as per usual. He gives what he thinks to be a fake smile.

"Bookman has an errand for you."

She would always drop by in the beginning. She would always be friendly and strike up conversations like any normal person. She would always seem genuinely interested in anything anyone told her, silent, seeming to be listening. He would always have to crack only the wittiest of jokes in order to earn at least a smile out of her.

It's a fact she has a nice smile-something she doesn't show often. It's not like he feels she should smile more often. He just feels like he should have a chance to admire a good smile-not a lot of women had them in his opinion.

She was thin, a bit pale, and she doesn't really seem to wear make-up. It's different, considering how most women he would see would practically paint their faces. He didn't like her; he just had a natural attraction for something different from the usual. It's something to practically study. She normally came by to do little errands for Bookman, but since he's at the counter while the old man is in the back he would have to receive the things she brought or relay a list to the woman.

The first time they met she said her name was Shiloh. It wasn't until the third time they met that the redhead gave her his name. She said it was a unique name that's foreign on the tongue and she seemed to like to say his name.

"I got a small package of mini water bottles for Bookman again, Lavi. Is he going to make you get them again?" she asked-these sorts of questions she would ask often always earned a little chuckle out of him.

He's not really sure what to call the little relationship-probably something normal between acquaintances that weren't really considered friends.

She was a friendly girl who always listened but never seemed to open up about herself. He was a guy who talked about pointless things openly. It's a fact she was cute in her own way. But when facts come to truth, he didn't really feel like he had a bond with her. He never let bonds show themselves in his life. He had no need for them, as Bookman has taught him time and again.

[][][][][]

"I haven't been coming and yet you still set a place at the table for me..." she mutters. "I said we can't do this anymore, didn't I...? This isn't a good time to be stubborn."

She had disappeared for a week before suddenly coming by a bit late at night. Lavi walked her to his apartment yesterday and she didn't seem to mind despite what she's saying now.

"You're saying this again?" Lavi chuckles as he makes some coffee.

Shiloh sits at the table. She stares at the place where the table has been set for her. There's the usual plate ready for use. There's two slices of bread sitting in the toaster, ready to be put down into the toaster to be almost burnt into a charcoal. There's her cup of coffee with two lumps of sugar and a bottle of French Vanilla cream ready to be used as well.

"What's the use of leaving everything out? It's an unhealthy habit," she sighs. Shiloh pulls down the bottom of the large shirt she's wearing that belongs to Lavi.

"Just in case you come by here again," he says with a nonchalant shrug. "It's easier to leave that stuff out for you. Are you sure you don't have time to eat breakfast here?"

"Lavi... I'm being serious when I say this time is the last time I'm coming..." Shiloh says, staring at Lavi's back as he makes some pancakes for himself, as if wondering why he doesn't put a shirt on if he bothered putting on boxers.

"Would you really want to miss my famous coffee, though?" Lavi asks with another chuckle. He's not making an excuse for her to come over.

It's not in his nature. It's not like he's attached to her.

But it was the last time she came by. After a few weeks, he finally stopped leaving out a plate and cup for her.

After a few months of her dropping by, Bookman started to tell his grandson to walk the girl home when she would come by a bit late at night.

One day he managed to get her to walk another way. She hardly seemed to mind, taking things nonchalantly. It was inevitable, really. It only made perfect sense that you would take home people that you're attracted to.

It didn't mean anything, really. And when she came back the next day, she was really good at acting like nothing happened. They were back to being good acquaintances.

So he thought it would be alright if he occasionally led her a different way, toward his apartment instead of her house. At first she never stayed long, and then at some point he told her that she might as well stay at his apartment since it was too dangerous to walk alone at night.

It was common sense. It still didn't mean anything to him. It wasn't kindness.

[][][][][]

"Hey, you're Lavi, right?"

The redhead blinks, pocketing the locket he has as he looks up. A white-haired teenager stands at the door, holding a bag of what seems to be water and a few other healthy-looking snacks. Lavi raises an eyebrow, nodding and giving a normal smile.

"Yeah, that would be me. What's your name?" the redhead asks.

"Oh, I'm Allen Walker. Bookman asked me to help bring some groceries he got. He should be here in about a minute," Allen says as he sets down the bag. "I think you might see more of me since he asked if I could help him out more often."

"Oh yeah?" Lavi asks as he leans a chin on his palm. "You look like real friend-material, Allen. You're kind of short, aren't you?"

"Sh-Short?!" Allen exclaims with his tone raising an octane as an angry flush comes onto his face. Lavi laughs.

"How long do you think it would take Bookman to find a new errand boy or girl if I left?" Shiloh asked as she sets down a new container of sugar packs.

"Pfft, are you planning on leaving anytime soon?" Lavi inquired. He tried to get a smile when he said, "Are you planning on leaving poor little Lavi all alone to face the big scary customers to this small little bookshop?"

All he got was a raised eyebrow as Shiloh said, "Just want to know how long it would take until you got someone else you could try to make friends with if you're going to feel all alone."

"Eh, I don't think there's any person that could end up like you," Lavi said with a shrug. "You've got benefits. I can't imagine anyone being okay with that like you are. Besides, if we got an errand boy then it definitely wouldn't be the same as you."

She knew very well that they supposedly had no real bond. She didn't seem to care. She accepted that uncaring side of Lavi quite easily. It made things easier between them. He would much prefer she stay. It's a natural outlet for his tensions when they leave to his apartment some nights.

It's only natural. There are no feelings behind it-not on his side, and not on her side either. He's sure of it.

[][][][][]

Lavi's shift is over, and he's standing at the corner two streets over from the bookshop. There are two cars which are totaled. There'd been a second accident on this corner. He's currently present at the point when the people involved are already gone, and the police are currently trying to clear out the mess. He saw the whole thing because he was standing at the corner, rubbing the locket in his pocket since it was early and he had nothing to do. He stood shocked at the scene up until now.

He isn't sure how he would have reacted had the accident been like the first one that was on this corner. Lavi runs a hand through his red locks, putting the locket away and going to the other side of the road to get back to his apartment.

For the past three weeks he stopped wondering when Shiloh would decide to have a moment to reminisce and stop by the bookshop. Perhaps it's because he's distracted as of late. He only thinks of Shiloh during the time he rubs the locket since it once belonged to her, but he only does it for thirty seconds as he stands at the counter when there's no customers to bother him.

"It's like a test to see if I would be jumped if you don't walk me home," Shiloh said as she made large steps, lifting her legs up high as she walked. "All that needs to happen is I cross the road first, and then you can come after me."

"That's stupid. No one would jump you with someone right across the street," Lavi said with a doubtful glance.

"Well, it's possible someone might follow me. Why don't we check on that?"

The lean girl walked across the street first when the light flashed with that white stick figure walking. She crossed the street, as she would for a few months when he walked her home, and Lavi followed her when she crossed over. He never saw a man follow her when they would come to the corner and saw her by herself.

[][][][][]

"I'm surprised you decided to come here."

"I'm surprised you're here."

The redhead had walked to the park on his hour break. Bookman had started making it a habit to give his grandson hour long breaks because he felt like the twenty-four year old needs it. Lavi had been acting normal, and somehow Bookman thought it would be a good idea when he caught Lavi and Allen playing at an arcade.

He sits on the bench beside the lean, pale girl and she watches him do so. For once, she has a smile on her face and it isn't going away like it usually does.

"Can you come back tomorrow?" she asks.

"Will you be smiling again like you are now?" Lavi asks with a chuckle. "Why are you smiling?"

"I'll let you know tomorrow..."

This was the one and only time he took her out besides walking her to her house. She had come right when he had his break, so they both decided to take a brief walk to the park as they both sat down on a bench to people-watch.

"This isn't a date, is it?" Shiloh asked with a sigh.

"Pfft, nope," Lavi answered with a shake of the head.

"Good. I'd hate for you to get sentimental on me," she said boredly. "But we should do this more often. People-watching is fun, don't you agree?"

"Yeah, I guess it is."

It didn't happen again as they'd planned.

[][][][][]

"You actually look happy," Lavi comments as he sits beside Shiloh who's looking out at the park with a soft smile on her face. She turns to him as she laughs lightly. This is only the second time he's heard her laugh as she says, "Because I'm happy for you."

The redhead raises an eyebrow but looks out over the park. For now, during this time, it's only some mostly active people going through the park. Children are at school, parents and adults working. The only people here are the runners that aren't working right now or just normal people who aren't working.

"Are you...?" he inquires.

"I think we both know you're finally moving on... don't you think?" Shiloh says. "You're playing in the arcade with Allen... you're going to see movies with him, Lenalee, and Krory. You even came to the park again."

Lavi didn't respond for a while. Shiloh watches him for a bit, that smile still present on her face. It's the same smile he's seen not as often as he would have liked. It's a brilliant smile, no disputing that. Her presence feels so weak to him, and yet it feels so happy. She sets her hand on his, patting it and then settling it there.

The redhead sniffs, flicking his thumb under his nose as he turns away from her. He clears his throat, rubbing his neck as he blinks repeatedly to get rid of the slight tear that appears in his eyes. He heaves a calming sigh.

"And I thought I didn't really feel anything before..." Lavi says ruefully as he shakes his head. "Did you know I wasn't actually like that when you came along? Did you... see something... something warm? Because when you were in that accident... I didn't think that the warmth would come back again..."

"There's always going to be warmth," she laughs. "Friends are many things, but they're warmth that your heart can connect with, don't you think?"

Lavi swallows, blinking since there are no more tears. He turns to Shiloh who's watching him with that gentle smile on her face. She laughs, shaking her head.

She'd gotten careless. Just because there aren't normally cars driving through the streets didn't mean they would just disappear. He'd gotten careless, too. He was watching the sidewalk for any mysterious men that never came. She was walking across the street, looking back at Lavi to make sure he was looking out for her.

He isn't sure how they both didn't notice the headlights or that the white walking figure had turned into an orange person standing still. Maybe if they just decided to let Lavi do one thing for Bookman instead of having him do it himself, they wouldn't have had to meet that drunken driver.

It was the sound of tires screeching that snapped Lavi's eyes to the headlights as he heard a loud thump on a somewhat thin-metal car hood and the sound of glass cracking. A green eye watches as a thin person falls to the ground after rolling off the car that wasn't even on the right side of the road. The car door opens, slurred speech letting out curse words in panic as the redhead rushes forward.

He kneels down, a dark puddle starting to reach his knee. He lifts Shiloh's head as it rolls to the side limply. His hand felt wet, a really warm sticky liquid coming from her hair-from her head. There was a woman screaming at her boyfriend to call the police. He could hear the drunken driver vomiting, his barf sounding out as it hit the road's pavement.

This was unbelievable. Things like this didn't happen to Lavi-or at least shouldn't happen in front of him like this. It felt like only a minute passed by, but quite a bit of time came and went and before he knew it some strange man in a police uniform was telling him to let go of the girl. He blinks at the middle aged man, the leg he leaned on felt wet. They gently took her from his arms, but he kept a hold of something warm but metallic. It isn't until he felt the snap that he looked down, the police officer failed to have noticed that Lavi had a grip on it.

It was a locket. It was the one she wore all the time. One of the few things he knew about her was that her father, who passed away from cancer, had given it to her.

"So... does this mean that... you're going away for good...?" Lavi asks while his eyes are downcast and looking at the grass.

"I suppose... now, I know that you hate cheesy lines-and so do I-but I'm sure if you want to chat you just... gotta look around in here," Shiloh says as she pokes Lavi's chest.

The redhead takes out the familiar-feeling locket. He runs his thumb over the small red ruby in the middle. He never looked inside it beside the one time Shiloh showed him the picture inside of her two parents. He sighs, glancing at Shiloh as she looks down at the locket with love in her face.

"This locket is really important to me... do you mind...?"

The redhead hesitates. He tries digging his nail into the small crevices where dried blood has stuck itself. It's no use trying to clean it, though, he knows. He chews the inside of his cheek before slowly placing it in Shiloh's outstretched hand. She smiles down at the locket, closing her hand into a fist which she briefly sets against her forehead. Lavi watches her, and then she turns to look at him.

"I know for a fact we both know we had some form of love for each other. I'm sure you'll share those same feelings with others, too. You'll be okay, and I'll be okay."

Lavi feels her fingers run through his red locks as she reaches up and sets her hand on the back of his head. She leans forward to give Lavi a kiss to the side of his head. He swallows as she leans away with that brilliant smile ever-present still.

"Now... I thought that you had to go meet Allen since he needs to give you some stuff? I thought he was in a hurry," Shiloh laughs.

Lavi couldn't help the chuckle that escapes his lips. He stares at Shiloh for a few more seconds before standing up. He walks off, and when he reaches the grass he turns back but there's no one sitting on the bench. He stands there, staring for a second or two before turning forward with a smile and heading to the cafe where he's supposed to meet Allen to take the bread he got.


I actually had an idea to do this one-shot a little while ago. I really like the whole idea. It's lovely and tragic, and yet with a happy ending. I saw only 2 examples made of this sort of idea and I loved how both were executed.

I really hope you all enjoyed this one-shot as much as I did. Please leave reviews so I know I'm not the only one who likes this idea!