The morning's first rays of light shone through the window and played on Lavi's face. He tried to shoo them with his hand, but as he awoke he settled for covering his eyes from the light, grunting tiredly. "I bet it's not even 8 'o clock yet."

He glanced at the clock on his desk. 6:47 am.

'…I should cover that window with something. Damn early sun.'

He shifted so that the light wouldn't disturb him, but during that he almost squished something that was beside him.

"Whoa!" Lavi stopped his motion, otherwise he would have rolled over the person next to him and just turned in his place to face the child he shared a bed with.

'Right. Yuu is here…' He glanced at his little bed-squatter uncertain of what to do. Leisurely he leaned his cheek on his hand and watched Kanda sleeping beside him silently. 'It's gotta take some time to get used to being awakened with Yuu by my side.' He thought. The raven was only about 20 centimeters away and had a really sweet and innocent look on his face as he snuggled against his pillow and frowned in his sleep. A mild smile graced Lavis features and he brushed lightly the now nine-years-old boy's face with his hand. Kanda's scowl cleared from the touch and for a moment he was totally still. Then, slowly, his eyes opened.

Observant dark eyes met with a green one. It was silent. Kanda watched him coolly, without moving an inch. Lavi wondered what was going on in the raven's head but didn't show the curiosity on his face, he looked back with the same intensity. Finally the other one blinked and opened his mouth.

"You're too close."

Silence.

"Say what?" Lavi lifted his head from his hand looking surprised.

Kanda frowned at him, now fully awake. "Don't stare at me when I sleep. It's creepy." He turned his back towards him and yawned. Lavi kept on staring as he got up from the bed and headed for the bathroom. He had expected a punch or something more cutting from the raven. Usually you wouldn't even be able to get that close to him without getting hurt, and to that Kanda had sounded so unconcerned.

"Hmm…" The redhead lied in the middle of the bed with his hands behind his head. 'Guess he's already used to me…?' The thought struck through his brain. 'Does that mean he doesn't mind me 'coz he thinks of me as a friend? Have I finally cracked Kanda Yuus eternal defense system!?' Lavi laughed out loud(lold: D) at the thought and smiled widely at the ceiling. 'Somehow the thought kinda makes me happy.'

There was a quiet slam. "Usagi. We're going."

Lavi turned his head to see Kanda already at the door waiting for him, with clean clothes and his hair tied up. The redhead looked at him, confused.

"Yeah, where?"

The raven-haired child glanced at him irritated. "The cafeteria, you idiot."

"Why already?" The redhead asked and frowned at the thought. Kanda gave him a look that said it all. "Okay, okay. Let me just get some clothes. I'll be right there." He sighted in defeat.

At the cafeteria:

As they walked in Lavi yawned extravagantly, lifting his hands high above his head and made sure Kanda noticed it. The raven just che'd and pretended like he didn't see it, continuing towards the counter. The other one followed obediently, watching his every move closely.

"Aren't you at least a bit tired Yuu-chan? Don't tell me you always wake up when the sun rises?"

"Only idiots like you sleep through the noon." He answered after ordering his food. "If you didn't see, there are many people already eating there." He nodded his head towards the hall.

Lavi had to admit he was right. There were quite many people here before them. "…I guess you're right. But I'm still tired." He pouted.

"Whatever." Kanda took his tray and headed for a table. The redhead hurried after him with his food, but stopped for a moment as he noticed one of his comrades.

"Hey, Allen! What'cha doing up so early?"

The white-haired teen looked inside the cafeteria door and smiled when he recognized the one calling him.

"I could ask you the same!" He yelled back. "Did Kanda keep you up all night again?"

Suddenly the people close to them got really quiet.

Lavi could feel the temperature dropping. "Eh?" He looked around abashed and felt the gazes concentrating on him. "No! That's not what- You got it all wrong!" He tried to laugh it off and shot a pleading glance to Allen's direction. The teen took the hint and tried to help. "Y-yeah, I didn't mean it like that… Lavi and Kanda aren't-Um…"He just didn't know how to continue his sentence and the faces all over the room didn't seem to listen at all so Allen froze. His brain was overloaded by the awe how this had happened.

Lavi watched in horror as Allen was apparently sinking in somewhere deep. There was no sign of life on his face anymore, only an empty shell with a hysterical smile.

The redhead couldn't think or speak anymore. He just felt like laughing at the situation. Then he felt the coldest feeling he had ever experienced riding up his spine.

'Uh oh.' He slowly turned to look behind him, sweating like crazy. As expected, there, couple metres away stood Kanda emitting a really dark aura.

Lavi laughed nervously. "Ah, Yuu-chan… I was just explaining this little misunderstanding here. Nothing you should burden yourself with-"

"Baka usagi!" He looked really dangerous even when he was nine years-old. Lavi gulped.

………………………….

"You hit hard for a kid." The redhead muttered meekly as they were finally eating on their table. "You know, it wasn't actually my fault. Allen's the one who said it."He complained. Lavi was now quite black and blue in his middle torso(Kanda couldn't reach his head) and he didn't feel like moving for a while.

"It's your fault for talking to that moyashi! Nothing good comes out of that." Kanda talked to his food, too pissed for a proper conversation.

Allen, knowing this all had been his fault, had decided to scurry off quickly right when he saw Kanda behind Lavi. So the raven had to take all his frustration on the redhead.

"By the way, now that I remember. What was up with you yesterday? When we were eating and you decided to throw your food on me, remember?" Lavi changed the subject, trying to get his grumpy friend to forget the embarrassing incident and to talk to him again.

It kind of worked. Kanda stopped eating as if he was remembering something. He stared his food for a while, then:

"Betsuni.." Kanda concentrated on his food again, strangely quiet all of the sudden. Lavi's eyes widened as well as his smile, now there was no stopping for his curiosity.

"Eh~! Yuu-chan, what are ya hiding?" The redhead was suddenly like a newborn person, leaning closer with a Cheshire cat smile. Kanda backed away looking like he'd want to be somewhere else.

"I already said it. It was nothing, you got on my nerves. End of discussion."

Lavi watched him as if trying to figure out if he was lying. Kanda felt uncomfortable under his eyes and tried to not show it, eating his soba. Finally the redhead seemed to let it go and started to eat. 'I'm so gonna find out why he did it.' He smiled.

............................

Little later the duo were walking out of the cafeteria when a yell resounded across the hall.

"YUU-KUN!!" Kanda startled at the too familiar voice echoing in his ears. 'God no!' Without even knowing why, he quickly hid behind Lavi's bigger figure and grabbed a hold of the leg of his pants so that he wouldn't move. From there he peered at the approaching general.

Lavi watched puzzled as Kanda was crouching behind his legs, almost pulling his pants off of him. Before he could voice his concern for the suddenly childishly behaving exorcist, general Tiedoll had spotted him.

"Lavi! Komui just told me about Yuu-kuns situation and that you're taking care of him. Is it true?" The fuzzy-haired old man reached the redhead and took a firm hold of his shoulders. Lavi stared into his asking eyes speechless, he was surprised from the sudden appearance of the general and hadn't really expected the interrogation.

"Um... Yeah, it's true." He scratched the back of his head kind of embarrassed.

For a moment Tiedoll did nothing but stare, but then suddenly he sank to his hands and knees, startling Lavi.

"Why? Why Komui? Why Yuu? Why him?" He mumbled to the floor. "Why didn't Yuu come to my care? Sons should be with their fathers, right...?"

"I'm not your son!!" The child behind the redheaded exorcist groaned before he could stop himself. He had stood up and was now eyeing his master like there wasn't anyone as despicable as him in the world. The general's eyes wandered to the source of the sound and they almost popped out of their sockets.

"Yuu-kun! You're so small." He noted.

Kanda looked away. "Che.", was his short, but clearly irritated answer.

"Why don't you come with me? You're my son and so I have to take care of you when you're so young."

"No way in hell."

"Come on, Yuu-kun." The general reached his hand and Lavi, who was watching their argument like a tennis match, for his surprise felt a tug in his shirt. 'Wha?' He turned to see Kanda keeping a hold of it, eyes burning threateningly.

"I'm not coming, you bastard. I'd rather be with this idiot than you." He spat to his face.

The other two were silent. Tiedoll was apparently going through a heart-attack and Lavi just stared the raven, who was clinging to his shirt. The whole scene was too confusing for him. Kanda tugging his shirt like a spoiled kid, his seemingly like a confession(that he thought Lavi was as at least a little more tolerable than his master x D) and the fact that the redhead had been dragged to this conversation so suddenly.

'Guess it can't be helped...' The redhead smirked and, encouraged from the raven's cute behaviour, he tossed the child on his shoulders. Tiedoll watched them looking somewhat shocked.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Kanda forgot his irritation for a while because now he was on the rabbit's shoulders, having a piggyback ride. It was too much for his pride so he didn't have the time to pay attention to his annoying master.

"Sorry sir, but I'm gonna take Yuu for a tour in the forest!" Lavi explained to Tiedoll, back to his all-too-happy self.

"I don't care about the fucking forest! Get me down from here!" Kanda interrupted and grabbed a share of red hair in his hands, pulling it.

"Ouch! Yuu-chan, stop pulling my hair! We're going no matter what so get used to it." He ordered the misbehaving child and continued his way towards the forest, leaving the depressed general behind.

.......................................

"You really should stop carrying me around. I'm going to hurt you someday." The Japanese was leaning against a tree and was watching his redheaded friend, who was lying in the middle of a flowery meadow.

"Come on Yuu. It isn't everyday that you're small enough to carry around, you know?" He smiled eyes closed, sniffing the aroma of the flowers.

"You just have a death wish, don't you?"

The redhead laughed. "Yeah, maybe..." He spread out his arms and stretched his limbs, letting out a content groan.

For a while the only sound was the passing wind and the leaves' rustling. Kanda closed his eyes too and tried to hear even the smallest sounds around him. Even though it wasn't actually a tour, Kanda felt some strange peace being in the forest. The wind was really relaxing.

...........

The Japanese opened his eyes, suddenly fully awake. It was already kind of dark and cold, sun was setting behind the treetops.

"Usagi?" Kanda stood up tiredly and walked to the lump in the middle of the meadow. It wasn't moving and he had a strange feeling in his gut.

"...Lavi ...?" He whispered when beside the redhead. There was no respond. Kanda tried to suppress the pulling feeling in his stomach and decided to try some more drastic measures

That put some life in the redhead.

"Ouc-What? What happened?" Lavi stammered sleepily right after Kanda had kicked him. He sat up and stared the raven like he didn't recognise his friend. "Yuu-chan?" He asked slowly.

"Who else. Come on, it's almost dark." Kanda started to walk towards the HQ, secretly relieved that the redhead had only been sleeping. He had after all complained about his lack of sleep in the morning...

"I'm starving!" Lavi patted his stomach surprised as he followed Kanda. "Let's hit the cafeteria."

"Whatever."

I liked this chapter : ) Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long ^^ Loved the reviews from chap 2!! 3 Keep it coming, you can suggest if you want something to happen. There are still some days I haven't planned.

HimawariChild