RAIN
Summary: When Kanda, Allen, Lenalee, Lavi, and Bookman were on a search for innocence in this starving-to-death village where everyone was doing whatever they can to get food. Among these people is a broken innocence . . . YAOI boyxboy
Lullaby in the RAIN
They hated me . . . I knew it . . . they despised me . . . I knew it . . . they didn't want me . . . I knew it . . . But why they hated me . . . I don't know . . . why they despised me . . . I don't know . . . why they didn't want me . . . because of who I am
"Is this really where we should be?" Allen turned the map this way and that as he looked at the village he was standing in front of. It looked run down and deserted. There were sickly-looking people sitting in front of the gates begging for food. Lavi couldn't believe what his one-green eye was seeing. He turns to their Finder, Toma, and asks, "Are you sure this is place?" The Finder nodded.
"Is this really the city the water goddess loved so much?" Bookman wondered out loud. "Water Goddess?" Lenalee repeated. "According to history, Meriva was a great city with many rivers running through it. There was so much water that their roads were the canals themselves. But even though there was a lot of water, the city didn't drown of the water. Instead, they were blessed with many things great, because of the water. That's why, this city was called the city the water goddess loves. But why it became like this, history never said."
Lenalee turned to look at the once-water-paradise city and sighed, "It sounds . . . so sad. Do you think the goddess doesn't love them anymore?"
"Tche. They just abused their blessing that's all." Kanda just said and continued to walk. "I don't give a damn about what happened here. I'm just here to get the mission done and over with."
"So cold . . ." Lenalee mutters.
As they walked through the town, everywhere they looked was starvation and death. Nearly everyone was begging for food. The passersby didn't seem to care and much to Allen's dismay, they even kicked or punched some of the poor beggars. All the inns were deserted and there seemed to be no place to stay for the night.
"Great." Lavi mumbles, while running a hand through his hair. "Now we'll have to camp outside with no food. And I was hoping for a good dinner."
"You're not the worst." Allen sniffled and looked down at his stomach. All the food that they had brought wouldn't be enough for his stomach and even if it did, there wouldn't be enough for everyone's full stomach.
"Might as well camp out." Bookman says and starts spreading out this big cloth he somehow managed to bring along. "Umm, Bookman, I don't mean to be a party-pooper but, that tent is way too small for all of us." Lavi said and placed his hands on his hips.
The answer was a conk to his head. "No Stupid! This is for Miss Lenalee! Who in their right mind would let a lady sleep like a man does? Someone has to show some class!" The short man yells jumping up and down like a rabbit and continuously conking Lavi's poor head.
"Tche." Kanda mutters and sits down near the fountain where they were deciding to camp. It was an empty ivory fountain with a statue of a maiden pouring water out from her jug. Allen, Lavi, and Bookman settle around the 'tent' made for Lenalee, pulling out the small bits of provision they had for dinner.
Allen sighs. "With this sort of dinner, we might have to leave tomorrow or go buy food someplace else."
"We wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for your oversized mouth." Kanda says leaning his back against the fountain. A bright red tic appears on Allen's forhead. "Well, I'd like to see how you'd pull through if you had a parasitic arm." He snaps back.
"Tche. You're annoying, now shut up and eat." Kanda rolls his eyes and bites into the sandwich Lenalee gave him.
Allen pouts as he bites down hard on his mega-sub. But as soon as the taste of food touched his tongue, all thoughts of BaKanda left his mind. Lavi and Lenalee roll their eyes amused and just concentrate on finishing the sandwiches.
As they were minding their business, a flock of beggars started crowding around something across the street where the exorcists were resting. "What's going on?" Lenalee wonders out loud, trying to peek through the crowd from where she was sitting, which was a rather 'safe' distance.
From the crowd, a person clad in a long tattered black cloak came running out, in his hands a single piece of steamed bread. No one knew where or how the person got the bread, but seeing food in the hands of a mere beggar made other beggars fight for it. As the poor beggar tries to run towards this small box in front of an alley only a few meteres away, the other men pull him back and try to reach for the steamed bread. But the little beggar wouldn't let them and hid the precious treasure deep inside his cloak hidden by his own flesh.
"How cruel." Lenalee says and starts to stand up, but Kanda pulls her back with a harsh tone. "How do you know whether or not he has stolen it from someone else or not? Take a scent. The brat's probably got himself into trouble, let him get out of it." Allen was appalled, but he knew that Kanda had a point and there was no use in arguing. Plus, who would want to argue while holding a delicious mega-sub?
But what Kanda thought turned out to be wrong when something horrible happened.
The beggar freed himself from the fleshy cage of men and ran towards the alley where the box was. As he neared the box, the exorcists' eyes widened as they saw a child's hand reach out towards the boy running to him. Two hands try to reach to each other, but then the terrible thing happened.
One of the beggars, who seemed to be a wealthy man before his demise, pulled out a gun and readied himself to shoot the boy and get the bread. But as he shot, the bullet missed the older boy and landed in the heart of the child in the box.
Lenalee screamed. She had just witnessed the murder of an innocent child. Allen and Lavi could only stand in shock. Bookman and Lenalee immediately run over to where the child was lying, probably with some medics, they could still save him.
The boy stopped in his tracks, obviously shocked at what had just happened. He slowly stumbles towards the box in a shaking manner. His hand slightly touched the cold body and immediately jerked back in fear. Lenalee looked at him, fearing that he would suddenly blow up.
His head looked up to heaven and cried out in pain. The pierce was heart-rending and sent the body chilling to the bone. Then a miracle happened, the sky darkened and thunder rolled. And for the first time in centuries, . . . . Rain kissed the dry ground.
Kanda, still partially in the state of shock, gazed up the sky, raindrops falling down on his face, cooling him from the hot day. "What . . . the hell?"
The treasure he held was jerked out from his hand and ravished behind him. He knelt there just staring at the dead body in front of him. It seemed as though his life had left with the child's dying breath. He just knelt there in complete silence as if he thought he were invisible to the rest of the world.
Bookman shook his head and stopped trying to find a heartbeat from the little child in the box. Lenalee's eyes closed in grief, squeezing the hot tears from her eyes. Just then, the beggar came over and held out his arms to the small, cold body, holding it close. Standing up, he starts walking down the empty street with the rain pouring down harder and colder.
Hush little child
let heaven cry for you
you will be here
asleep in my arms
spring will knock on your door
summer will invite you out to play
autumn will offer her bright colors leaves
and winter will draw pictures for you
let there be nothing but warm memories
of this world when you sleep
let there be nothing but happy dreams
of this place when you enter the dark
Spring will knock on your door
Summer will invite you out to play
Autumn will offer her bright leaves
And winter will draw pictures for you
But you won't be here anymore
You have left this cruel world
A sad memory
You will be there
Asleep in heaven's arms
Hush little child
I will cry for you
As the lullaby rings throughout the town, the figure of the beggar and his soulless burden disappear down the wet, abandoned street, leaving the exorcists speechless. Such a sad song, that heaven itself could not restrain it's windy howls and harsh, grieving rain.