Title: Cherry Smoke
Pairing: Tyki x Lavi / mild Kanda x Lavi (for my own sake)
Rating: T (definitely softer than the previous one)
Note: I don't normally do this (upload a oneshot for the purpose of answering anon reviews), but I felt the need to since I had two important questions (or…more than that) by anon reviewers. Thus, as to not break whatever rules FF has about just uploading review-replies—I wrote a drabble that hopefully people (who faved this) will enjoy.
Warning(s): slightly unstable minds, confusion (not as bad as the first), language, mild bit of fluff, um…and unintentional invasion of one's privacy. I think that's it?
Anon reviews:
Kai~chan: I'm glad you liked it (despite what it was, and all). And yes. The cherries. I'll let you take them how you will, since that was half the purpose behind them, but still disturbing no matter how you take them. As for Lavi's eye—and this part was meant to be vague so don't worry about being confused on it—what happened is Tyki used his bad!touch to make his hand go through the eye, and messed with (pinched/destroyed/etc) the optic nerves (which send cues to the brain that…makes you able to see…and stuff) therefore Lavi still has his eye, it's just blinded. And of course thanks so much for the review! *hugs* I do appreciate them, even if I hadn't necessarily been expecting any.
Kyouyamadanna- Your review is the main reason why I chose to update this (so hopefully you'll be able to see it) and I definitely don't mind explaining, just realize that the fic was supposed to be confusing, and that you were supposed to make your own deductions with certain things. I will also tell you to go back and re-read for some of these answers, which I hope you do (because the answer isn't obvious with the first read through, I did that on purpose). So anyway, here we go: 1-I'll say go back and re-read for this one. But Lavi is officially blinded in his lefteye. 2-Read the above review reply, but I'll repeat it here, Tyki used his powers to reach through Lavi's eye and mess with the nerves behind it, thus blinding Lavi without destroying his eye. 3-This was one of the ones I wanted you to figure out yourself. So I'll ask: What do you think the power is? Though it is somewhat explained at the end of this drabble. 4-that's actually a good question. You can interpret what Tyki says with what you think best fits. No way is technically wrong or right (though yes it does stem along the lines of he isn't acting how he's supposed to). 5-Again up to your own interpretation. 6-I won't say yes or no. Tyki could be thinking of quite a few things during this fic, so I let the readers decide. 7-Re-read the end for this one. The answer is obvious (or I tried to make it that way?). But as you can see from this continuation, yes he was saved. As for why Lenalee freaked out about his eye, I'm leaving this up for interpretation (since there's been so much speculation about Lavi's eye…I wanted to avoid what it actually looked like visually). 8-for where—re-read, the answer again should be obvious. How? That's also left implied because it isn't the focus of the story (read: basically come up with your own thing). And don't worry, I knew I'd probably get a reviewer who asked well intentioned questions like this (again, I did this continuation because I knew you wanted answers). I hope this little extra bit helps you out, but I would also like to know more about what you're planning to do with this piece of yours. *curious* (meaning give me your email next time, okay? If I hadn't decided to upload this then you wouldn't have gotten an answer *since FF doesn't allow us to respond to anon reviews in the same way* and FF's search didn't recognize the name you signed yourself as…). And you're very welcome (I hope it helps), and…my god this is a long review reply, but THANKS SO MUCH for the review! *hugs*
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He could still smell it, strong and pungent wafting over him in waves as his hands gripped mercilessly at the bed sheets. It had been three days, two hours, forty six minutes, and twenty three seconds since they had managed to escape from the Noah strong hold.
Lavi almost wished he hadn't left. Because now—now. No more cherries. Or at least, the smell was so faint that he could relax now, or try to. His body didn't want it, and the sudden lack of the intoxicating 'fruit' left him shuddering and withdrawn, un-accepting of anything food related that entered his mouth.
He knew he had given the Matron a hard time. More than a hard time. But he hadn't want to see it, quite honestly. He didn't want to see the copious amounts of wounds she saw on a daily basis—even though they paled in comparison, he could still feel the pain.
And he had absolutely hated it, when he had been forced on Kanda's back to be carried out—and was suddenly thrust into a dark never ending hallway—and screams. Screams, screams, screams.
He hadn't wanted to hear those screams. Hadn't wanted to know something he had simply read on paper and nearly forgot about.
It was sickening, and made the pit of his stomach roll, something that Kanda didn't much like when he had to stop to let the man throw up.
But he hadn't been disgusted, when he saw his eye. For that Lavi was thankful. But it was a small comfort in the grand scheme of things, with images of suicide, experiments, and training that should have been called the highest form of abuse—
Coupled with all the memories. Memories of the Souls of the Akuma, watching helplessly as the one who stole their skin tore away at flesh and bone.
It had all been too much.
Now he just wanted to be back, with Tyki's memories that he could all but memorize, and the broken fragments Road showed him, just for the sake of torture. He could take comfort in the books, though. They only saw hands, mostly. Few disturbing things. Bed sheets were worse, with how many times he had been thrown down on one—it was no surprise he started seeing images of himself, struggling against the blankets. Trying hard not to see, but knowing he had been forced to.
With his one good eye (or, not good, more like less painful) permanently blinded in a way he didn't quite want to question yet, it was his only option. Even if what he saw half the time wasn't reality, but the past of it.
He gasped again, against the covers, hand gripping harder—Why couldn't he stay somewhere so familiar?
Why did he have to see new things?
He didn't understand, as the washcloth ran lukewarm over his skin, and a hushing voice breathed over him. He almost asked who was it, but from the none-to-gentle way the task was being done, he could only guess.
And when he cracked one eye open and was hit so rapidly with the hint of smoke—smoke filled rooms, where the smoke wasn't just smoke but something else as well—he knew.
"K-a…nda?" The words croaked out, and the washcloth immediately stopped.
"Che," He shivered slightly when the washcloth was raised, making the skin under it turn cold with the surrounding air, and heard it slosh a moment later in the basin it had probably been in, "You're awake?" The voice had no pretense to kindness. But it had an uplift of curiosity. Like he was asking for someone else. Was telling himself it was for someone else.
"I…'ave…been." He hated how his voice sounded, hoarse and thick, " 'ow…long…?" his g's held an accent to them as well, something a Bookman was never supposed to have, and he tried immediately to correct it.
Except Kanda didn't let him, "Three days." Except Lavi knew that, didn't he? He had been keeping track, right?
"R-eally?" the hint of accent was gone, thankfully, when tried to force his next word out, "Good…I wa'…tryin'…ta keep…tr…ack…"
"Che, keep track?" He heard the uptilt of surprise, "You've been awake this entire time?" He couldn't nod his head in response, but his silence seemed to be enough, "Che…you really are a baka."
"An'…whadder…you…doin'…here?"
"Watching you." A pause, "Lenalee and the Moyashi are out on a mission again."
That shocked him. Just a little, "Re—"
"Yes really." The man cut him off, annoyance there, just a bit. He heard cloth shift but it didn't sound like the normal leather of his exorcist jacket, "They would have sent me as well, but," and he could tell the man was more than a little upset about that.
"Ya…got hurt?" Just for questions sake. To see if the man would lie or not.
"Che, no," Liar, "I'm already healed anyway."
"Wh…n?"
"When I was carrying you, baka." There was an edge of bitterness, and Lavi almost wanted to look at him again. Almost, "You better be fucking glad it wasn't any worse, or else you really would have had to walk on your fucking own." He muttered a few native words under his breath, and from the tone and shape of them, the man was frowning again.
Lavi wondered if the man smiled, would he be able to see it? He'd open his eyes just for that. Even if it meant seeing something he didn't want to. Even if.
"What the fuck are you smiling about?"
Lavi hadn't even felt his lips move, "N'thin…jus'…" he paused, thinking over the words to say, "…thanks, Yuu." A barely audible breath answered him, "N't sure what ta fuck I'da done if I was lef…there." Probably continue to see those images, he knew.
"Who knows?" And he hadn't expected the man to actually answer him, "We would have left you behind though." Like that was supposed to be comforting, "But they fucking insisted." He heard the man move, and the rustle of cloth against cloth. And suddenly he smelt soba, and green tea, and maybe a little like something bitter that he assumed made up for anger—
"Don't fucking do that again," the words were whispered, but Lavi kept his eyes shut. The man was probably pissed off, or maybe as close to sad as he would ever get, and though it was interesting—he wanted to see that kind of expression—he couldn't. Couldn't.
But his eye was pried open anyway, when a soft kiss landed on it. It wasn't even so much of a kiss, as it was a soft brushing of lips, and then hands were on his bare chest, and his hand gripped at the bed sheets for an entirely different reason.
The image he got was a happy one. Kanda smiling at some blurred figure in the background, holding up a lotus petal to the sunlight. Then blood. That's when he shut his eyes again; he didn't need to see the rest. Not now. So he cracked his lips open, and spoke instead:
"I won't." he knew it wasn't a promise he could keep.
"Of course not."
"O' course."
And then he heard the sound of a chair, grating against the tiled flooring, and Kanda was wearing those nice comfy slippers again, wasn't he? The ones Lavi used to steal all the time and hide. But he heard them pad, away, and stop at where he could gauge the door was. Kanda did like to take deep striding steps. And this hadn't been the first time he had visited him (as much as he had been dragged there the other times, which admittedly, hadn't been very many anyway), but that didn't matter.
"I'm going."
Lavi didn't ask if he'd be back.
And of course, since he didn't, it was obvious he didn't get an answer.
So very obvious, when he opened his eye back up slowly, to stare at the white ceiling that had seen so many deaths and surgeries.
Lucky him, he had been placed in the same damn bed Yuu had a few times ago—his eyes squeezed shut when he remembered the spurting blood, and the cracking bones that were healing just as they had been broken—
Turning on his side, he gripped the sheets roughly, sliding his eyes shut again.
He really did want to go back. Or maybe gouge his eye out. One or the other, but that man's words still hung true—
To be able to see into the past. AMAZING! AMAZING! How could you exist for so long without us knowing?
It led Lavi to wonder—maybe it had been too long. Maybe.
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And there you go. It ends on a slightly happier ending, and gives some insight on some themes from Cherry.
Again, review if you'd like. (This is a special treat for those who favorite this, I suppose?) But it's main purpose was just to answer anon reviews…which leads me to say:
I will ask that if you review again: PLEASE if you decide to review anon, at least use your username (if you have an account) or leave your email address. It's frustrating when I can't answer well-intentioned questions just because the person doesn't have an account/didn't log in. They're just as important as everyone else's.
*goes back to working on requests*
-Harmony283
