The List

Summary: The Holy War has finally ended, with the Black Order victorious and every one alive. Life is supposed to be perfect now, but Komui still has one thing do. And how does this ties with Ellen?

Okay, I said that I was going to write a sequel to 'Home'. I had written a second chapter to 'Home' but in the middle it just got stuck on a scene and I couldn't finish it. Then I decided to just make a multichaptered fic based on an idea I was going to put in 'Home' and voila, 'The List' was born.

Warning: Serious angst, drama, Fem!Allen (I love gender-bender fics, for some reason. They're just so fun!) minor character death.

Pairings: LaviLena, onesided Yullen, KomuiFem!Allen (yes, I'm serious. It's going to be very slow-building, though. The plot calls for such a romance! If you don't like the pairing, don't worry. Komui won't be hopelessly smitten with Ellen the moment they're alone. In fact they're only get together at the last few chapters or so. What can I say, I have a thing for strange pairings.)

It wasn't often that the Black Order was silent. In fact, it was almost always filled with sounds, whether it was from Exorcists training to be stronger and hopefully not die in battle, the sound of funerals being held for the fallen comrades, or from the Science Division trying to deal with whatever malfunctioning invention Komui made.

People had differing opinions about the head supervisor of the Black Order. Some thought that he was nothing more than an eccentric with a sister complex bigger than the sun itself. Some thought that he was nothing more than an idiot who did more harm than good. A very small minority (namely the Komurins) hailed him as a genius and the greatest scientist to be born. There was one thing that they all agreed upon, though.

Komui Lee was not someone to be triffled with. After all, it took a special kind of smart (and crazy) to gain such a position at such a young age. As insane as his creations were, they weren't things that could be created in the span of a minute or by someone with a less than superior intelligence. His Komurins could be incredibly dangerous, if only he poured proper time and research into designing them. And his obsession with Lenalee was scary. Some people even considered to use his sister-complex to scare the Earl into submission.

(The above idea, by the way, quickly scrapped, the originator fired and disposed of, and the personnel files were hidden so deep in the Archive that not even a Bookman could possibly access. Everyone involved had their minds wiped and the idea was labeled as an absolute last resort- mainly because a battle between the Earl and a Lenalee-obsessed Komui would lead to the destruction of both sides in a truly spectacular and cataclismic manner)

At the moment, though, Komui was nothing more than a weary young man slumped tiredly over the desk in his office silently thinking about the days that had passed. The rest of the Order was celebrating the downfall of the Noah clan, but here he was reminiscing of the old days with no one to accompany him but a few old photographs and a bottle of booze. Komui hardly ever drunk, but he supposed that today was as good as ever. It wasn't everyday that you got to celebrate the destruction of your arch-enemy, after all. And Komui was surprisingly good at holding his liquor, unlike a certain white-haired female Exorcist, Ellen Walker.

Ellen Walker. Komui let out a sigh as he thought of the young girl. She had defeated the Earl, single handedly, almost at the cost of her own life. The sheer strain of wielding a parasitic innocence for days on the end, with almost no food, would be fatal for a lesser Exorcist. And her wounds -oh God, her wounds. Komui never thought that such a small body could possibly contain that much blood. As it was, they were lucky that Ellen's blood type matched with his own since most of the other Exorcists and personnel were injured during the battle. Even now Ellen was still unconscious, a fact that had put a damper on everyone's happiness.

And she wasn't showing any signs of waking up. Perhaps it was for the best, since her body was still in the process of healing. If she woke up, then she would be re-introduced to the new-and-improvised concept of absolute pain. God knew she needed to rest. If she was awake, then she would probably try to sneak away and cause even more harm to herself.

"Nii-san?" a voice called. Komui lifted his head to see Lenalee standing at the doorway. "Nii-san, what are you doing here alone? Wait, is that alcohol? You know you're not supposed to drink!" she exclaimed.

"Ah, come on, Lenalee, it's just a bit of amazake [1]. Besides, it's not like anyone around here is working, anyway." Which was true. The Final Battle, which had lasted for several days, had taken a lot out of everyone. Most of them were either relaxing, sleeping, or out cold in the infirmary.

"The last time you were drunk you destroyed half of the Headquarters, nii-san." Lenalee said in a dry tone.

"That was General Cross' fault! How was I supposed to know that he spiked my drink with vodka?" Komui protested.

"Uh-huh… and why, exactly, were you drinking with General Cross to begin with?" Lenalee asked, scepticism leaking into her voice. Komui huffed and crossed his arms.

"Well! I needed some help with an experiment of mine, and he was an ex-Order scientist before becoming an Exorcist, you know? I just wanted to ask for some help…"

"What experiment, nii-san? Was it one of your Komurin again?" Her voice was curious, tinged with just the right amount of threat.

"No! It's one of my pet projects!" One out of many, of which I can't show to you until they're finished. "It's a se~cret!" Komui said cheerfully.

"Nii-san! If it's anything dangerous then I'll-"

"Oh no, Lenalee. In fact, I bet that you'll love it." Komui rubbed his hands together. "You'll just have to wait and see, my dear sister~ Now shoo, shoo! I still need to finish my project!" Komui pushed Lenalee out of his office and locked the door. She could always use her Dark Boots to break the lock, but she would most likely destroy the wall along with it. Not a preferable scenario. Besides, she had a feeling that, maybe this once, her brother wouldn't mess up.

A mad cackle echoed through the halls of the Headquarters. Lenalee sweatdropped.

…On another thought, collateral damage sounded like a very, very good idea.

She was just about to kick the door with her Innocence when Reever popped out of the room adjacent to Komui's office. Her brother's assistant looked rather frazzled and tired, like he hadn't slept in weeks. He looked at Lenalee directly before saying, "Don't".

"Ehh?" Lenalee asked. "What do you mean, 'don't', Reever?"

"I know what Komui's doing, and it's perfectly safe. Well, probably. I still think that it's not possible, but I said the same thing about robots and he proved me wrong. Multiple times." Reever looked at Lenalee. "Have a bit more faith in your brother, Lenalee. He probably won't do anything dangerous."

"If you say so… wait, you said you know what my brother's trying to do?" Lenalee asked. "Mou! He won't tell me anything! He's so unfair."

"If it's any consolation, Miss Lenalee, I think it's meant to be a surprise for you. I'm pretty sure that he's only told a few people about this. Just me and General Tiedoll."

"Eh? General Tiedoll, you say?" Lenalee asked, perplexed. "Why would nii-san tell General Tiedoll? I don't think that nii-san has any particular interest in the arts…" Reever shook his head and frowned, as if annoyed with himself.

"Damn, I told you too much, Miss Lenalee. Well then, I need to get going. Aren't you supposed to be going somewhere too as well?"

"Umm. Not really. I was going to tell nii-san that it's lunch time already and ask him to have a lunch with me but…"

"Oh. Then if you don't mind, would you take these," Reever pulled out a tray of glass bottles, "to the infirmary? It's the medicine I promised the matron yesterday…"

"Of course I wouldn't mind," Lenalee smiled brightly at Reever. "I'm happy to be of help. At least I'm not sitting idle…" Reever could almost see the Cloud of Gloom ™ that shrouded Lenalee. During the last battle, she had been hurt and was forced to watch from the sidelines as Ellen and the rest fought for their lives. There was also the teeny-tiny fact that her Innocence could be the Heart and they couldn't afford to loose her, so they had forced her to stand by.

"Go, now. The Matron needs the medicine for everyone. Don't dawdle," Reever said kindly but sternly. Lenalee perked up immediately. She was intending to visit anyway. Much to his chagrin, Lavi hadn't been discharged yet and the boy could get… restless without any company. Lenalee fought down a small blush as she thought of the male Exorcist.

Get a hold on yourself, Lenalee. He's a Bookman! He'll leave us soon…

I know… that's why I intend to enjoy his company for as long as I can.

Humph. You're only going to hurt our feelings more, in the end. This is stupid. You should forget about him. He's just a slimy Octopi.

Slimy Octopi… you're channeling Nii-san, you know that?

Am not!

Lenalee shook her head, trying to stop the debate that was taking place in her mind. God, that was disturbing. First sign of insanity: arguing with your own self. She made a small, sad smile and left. There were people, people who needed her, and she wasn't about to let them down.

Inside his office Komui sat on his chair, staring at the cup of amazake in his hand. While its alcoholic content was nowhere near enough to make him drunk, it was enough to loosen his mind and let his walls down. Alocohol worked wonders to make one's imagination run amok and that was exactly what Komui needed. He lazily watched the contents of his cup swirl around, his mind in a faraway land.

If he concentrated and imagined just hard enough, he could see the lovely faces of his parents. Komui still remembered his parents clearly, and it hurt him beyond anything that Lenalee had no recollection of them. He'd tried to be a substitute father for her, but he could never, ever be their mother. He remembered the day when Lenalee was born, he remembered the day they took Lenalee to the Chinese New Year festival, he remembered his life with his parents as clear as a summer day, everything. The alcohol helped him even more, the image of his mother's face getting clearer and clearer as he began to focus on one specific memory: that of Lenalee's birth. Closing his eyes with a smile, he picked up a brush and began painting.

The Order is so silent, Lenalee mused as she walked through the empty hallways, carrying a tray with a mug of coffee and a bowl of her nii-san's favorite curry. Usually it's so lively and filled with sound. From Kanda's training, Lavi's pranks, nii-san's inventions gone wrong, among other things. Strange, I don't really miss it until it's gone. They're noisy, but somewhy those sounds make me feel safe. Now that it's quiet, though, everything feels so alien. So… not at home.

Not that this place feels much like a home to begin with. We might be family in all but name, but this place has too, too many unpleasant memories to feel like home. A home is somewhere you feel safe, somewhere you know you can return to safely. This is a place where nii-san gives orders to people and send them to their demise. I can hardly blame him for that, but this place can never be my home.

I wonder what onii-san is doing. He's been locking himself inside his room since yesterday. I really hope he hasn't hurt himself accidentally. Wouldn't be the first time that happened. Oh well, I can just use his spare room key. He hasn't gave me a reason to use it yet but it's his fault for making me worried.

I don't want nii-san to get hurt, damn it. I can't loose him. I just can't. He's the pillar of my 'world', if I loose him then the entire universe would come down crashing all around me. Stupid onii-san. He fawns all over me, but can't he see that I'm worried about him too? I saw him drinking two weeks ago, that was bad enough, but now he hasn't came out of his bedroom for almost three days!

"Nii-san? Are you inside?" Lenalee asked, knocking on the door. No answer. "Nii-san? Come on, Komui-nii, I've brought you some food. Starving yourself isn't healthy, you know." A pause. "I've made you coffee! Open the door, nii-san. Or I'll open it myself." Komui still didn't answer. Lenalee was getting worried. What if her brother had fainted from the lack of food? She fidgeted for a moment before giving The Ultimatum. "Onii-sama, if you don't open the door before I count to three, I'm kicking the door down!" Of course, she had her brother's spare room key but it didn't matter.

"One… two… three… alright nii-san, time's up. I'm entering with for-ehh!" Lenalee certainly hadn't expected that the door was unlocked and she could enter with ease. She almost fell down. Almost. Being a trained exorcist had its perks. Having very good balance, for one, which was helpful considering her fighting style. As it was, the mug of coffee on her tray merely sloshed spilling some of its contents. Man, I'm getting clumsy.

"Onii-san?" Lenalee inquired. Her brother's bedroom was dark. The lighs were off and the curtains were closed. She could vaguely see a human-shaped lump under the covers. Lenalee frowned and placed the tray of food on a table conveniently placed beside her. Hey, where did that table come from? I didn't recall it being there. Oh well. Just another of the 'Seven Mysteries of the Black Order HQ' again, I guess.

Lenalee looked around her brother's room nervously. She hadn't entered her brother's room in- wait, now to think of it, she never entered her brother's room before. The Lee siblings were close, but they valued each other's privacy quite well. She knew for a fact that Komui never enter her bedroom without permission. And if he did… well, let's just say that his Komurins wouldn't be the only thing Lenalee destroyed.

Lenalee was a girl and thus, had a strict boy-hands-off policy regarding what she considered her 'territory' [2]. Not even her brother was exempt of that rule. Well. Maybe sometimes. Lenalee's eyes wandered around, taking a better look at her brother's life. A person's bedroom could tell you a lot about that person. Kanda's room was freakishly orderly and neat, devoid of any personal effects or decorations meaning that he was detached and distant, not having any particularly strong emotional attachment to something. The tidiness in the room was second only to Lavi's, whose bedroom was perfectly symmetrical. Although considering the amount of attention Lavi had for details, a damn near photographic memory, and Bookman upbringing, it was to be expected.

Komui's bedroom, in somewhat of a stark contrast to other people's white-painted walls, had panels of polished wood covering the wall. Not paint. Not wallpaper. The floor, as well, was covered with wooden panels and a soft greyish blue rug. Instead of, say, posters or photos, a 0.6x1.5 square meter tapestry hung vertically from the wall. It was red, covered with golden embroidery in the shape of Chinese characters. Lenalee was ashamed to admit, she never got the hung of reading Mandarin although she could speak it just fine. She knew, though, that the character on the top was how her clanname 'Lee' was written. Many words were sewn to the tapestry, all linked to others through golden lines. Lenalee's eyes narrowed as they followed the lines all the way to the bottom… there! She might be no good at reading hanzi but she could recognize her own name and Komui's easily. Some of the thread's color was brighter than others, meaning that they were sewn pretty lately. A needle and a roll of golden thread lied on the table, next to an open book. Curious, Lenalee picked up the book and looked at the front title.

The Lee Clan History and Family Tree.

"It's a family tradition, you know," a voice shook Lenalee from her musings. She 'eep'-ed and jerked around to see her brother sitting up on the bed, a blanket covering him from waist-down. His face was unnaturally pale and there were bags under his eyes. His normally oh-so-neat hair was a mess. In other words, he looked like he hadn't slept for weeks.

"Nii-san? Are you alright? Are you ill? Should I call the matron?" Lenalee asked in a slightly horrified voice. Komui smiled uneasily and scratched his head.

"I'm fine, imouto-chan. It's just that," here he sighed and yawned, "I've been working on my project for the few days… or weeks… uhh, actually I don't really remember…" Komui sweatdropped. "I really want to finish them as soon as I can."

"Well! That's no excuse for torturing yourself like that, nii-san! Have you ate anything at all for the last three days? Or slept? Or taken a bath? Sheesh, nii-san, at this rate you'll kill yourself before an Akuma does! You can't even care for yourself properly!" Lenalee started ranting at the elder Lee. And then found herself at the receiving end of a huglomp. A combination of a hug and a glomp.

"AWW! YOU CARE FOR ME SO MUCH, IMOUTO!" Komui cried, holding on to Lenalee like she was his lifeline. In many ways, she was. She was the only relative he had in this world. He had taken care of Lenalee for so many years since their parents died and even before that. He'd worked so hard to become the head supervisor of the Black Order for her. And that wasn't even putting into factor the amount of times Lenalee had protected him from Akuma, at the risk of her own life.

"Yes. Yes, I do. But you have to learn to care for yourself as well, onii-san!" Lenalee groaned. Typical. Just typical. Then she remembered what Komui said before and pulled herself out of the hug. "Nii-san, what did you mean by 'it's a family tradition'?"

Komui sighed, and suddenly looked like the weight of the world had been put on his shoulders. He looked like he had aged twenty years in the span of a second. It caught Lenalee off guard.

"Well, in our family, the Lee clan, it's a tradition for a mother to make something like this for her children. To make a family tree, and write down the story of the generations down in a book. So that we wouldn't forget our own heritage. I have my own, I'll show you later. Our mother was making one for you and had almost finished when she… you know. I thought she'd want you to have it, so I finished it." Komui examined his work closer. "I have shoddy needlework, huh…? God, this is awful. I never really got the hung of it, even when our mother tried to teach me. I would have corrected it, but I was too sleepy and then you came in. And I wanted to make it a surprise for you too."

Lenalee felt guilty now. "Onii-san, I'm so-" she said before getting interrupted.

"It's alright, imouto," Komui chuckled. "Shouldn't have kept it as a secret from you anyway." He ruffled Lenalee's hair fondly.

"Onii-saaan~ I spent hours combing it!" Lenalee whined. Then she looked at the tapestry again. "So this… this is our family tree? Geez, I didn't know that our family was this big. I can't believe it. Al the time, it was only you and I…"

"Oh, our family was really big [3]. Every time we had a reunion the house would be crowded. I remember our father having to sleep on the couch after you were born because a lot of our relatives came visiting. Father used to tell lots of stories involving his childhood… heh, even now I still remember most of them."

"Really? Can you tell me more, nii-san? Please?" Lenalee was incredibly eager. She rarely heard Komui mentioning their parents, if at all. It wasn't a topic Komui liked talking about, understandably. Still, she wanted to know more of her parents. How they looked like, what they liked to do, what kind of person they were… Lenalee didn't remember much about the incident that killed their parents, just the feeling of immense fear and tall flames burning everywhere. Komui nodded and smiled at her before repostioning them so that she was sitting on his lap.

"Of course, my darling imouto. Well, there was Father and Uncle Chunh's Monkey Incident…"

-To be continued

[1] Amazake is a special variety of sake (japanese rice wine) with ver lof alcoholic content. So low, in fact, that it can be given to children. Some people also think that it has medicinal properties. In any case, drinking amazake usually won't make you drunk, unless you have really, really low tolerance to alcohol like Sousuke Sagara from Full Metal Panic (who had a large portion of his liver removed due to a bullet wound and thus his system couldn't neutralize as much alcohol as most people)

[2] Eh, girls can be really territorial. I'm a girl, and someone touching my things without permission is a major Berserk Button for me. Like my brother, who borrowed my laptopn without telling, can certainly attest to. I don't like it when anyone enters my room too. Lenalee even more so, as she's living in a military order where men are the majority. Besides, when you live in a universe when anyone around you can be killing machine in disguise you have every right to be paranoid

[3] …Before you protest about China's One Child Only policy, please remember when DGM is set. It's set around the late 1800's to early 1900's. I don't think China had the problem of overpopulation at that point though I'm no historian so I don't really know. Besides this is DGM, the absence of a lot of the population can be easily credited to akuma. Seeing how China is pretty close to Japan (which has been overrun by akuma and is the base of the Noah family) I think it's pretty plausible.

O…kay, this was definitely longer than I expected. This was an idea I was going to put in the second chapter of Home (I was going to make I a two-shot but the second chapter was stuck and it can be a standalone story just fine) but I decided against it. Again, yes, Ellen will be paired with Komui. Because, I dunno, the pairing just meshes well together in my mind. Considering the plot, it's only logical.

So, what did you guys think about it? Obviously, the main plot hasn't started yet. The titular List won't even enter the story until another few chapters. This is just a set up for everything. I like to take things slowly, especially with the fluff. And I love sibling bonding time, teehee. Komui and Lenalee are adorable. I can totally see Komui trying to do something like that for Lenalee. Hey, this is the sister-complex guy who would build killer bots to protect his sister from suitors we're talking about. And I want to make Komui a softie at heart. Rawwr. And about the 'projects' Komui's been mentioning… sorry amigo, that's for me to know and for you to find up later (Really, really later). Anyways, this story will be pretty short and I have most plotpoints planned out in my mind. Expect angst. A lot of angst. And drama, can't forget that too. And major WAFFiness. Mmm, I can practically taste the fluff. Don't forget to read and review people!