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The Good, the Bad, and Her

Chapter Four: Friends... Sorta

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"The enemy of my enemy if my friend."

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"We have to be quiet."

The younger girl's legs began to shake, her whole body trembling with the motion as she clutched the shirt closer to her. "W-Will he..."

"No." Her brother pressed his ear to the door, listening for any signs of their father.

No, that man was no longer their father. He was a monster.

An akuma.

Small hands, but firm hands ran over the girl's head comfortingly, and she looked up through tear stained eyes, meeting her brother's cheerful grin. His arms tightened around her, and he placed his forehead to hers, eyes shining despite the darkness.

"Don't worry, I'm right here."

Crash!

The two flinched, another vase hit the wall and they heard chuckling, sickingly sweet.

"Dears? Where are you?"

The girl choked back a sob, and the brother put his hand on her head reassuringly, staring at the door with narrowed eyes as his free hand tightened on the wooden bat beside him. "Daddy misses you!"

Slam!

"Don't you love Daddy?"

The footsteps began to draw near, hitting the wooden floor of the place they once called home. The girl's body began to shake and her eyes grew wide in fear as the footsteps drew to a halt.

"Kids?"

The brother stood, and the girl looked up in fear, clutching at his pant leg, tears running down the sides of her face, wetting the purple bruises on her cheeks. "D-Don't g-g-go—"

Her brother took her hand in his, cradling the smaller appendage as he flashed her a soft smile. "Don't be a crybaby now, okay? Everything will be alright, I promise."

Her eyes once more pulled over with tears, and the younger sibling never hated herself so much for it until this very moment. She was always crying, she could never do anything right like her brother.

She didn't want him to leave.

He turned to face the door as the footsteps drew to a halt, and the eerie humming began on the other side. His back was to her, but he turned his head, casting her a grin.

"I'll protect you."


"How do these work?" Rye shoved the passed out drunkard to the floor, resisting the urge to spit on the red faced drunk out of habit, though she settled for swiping his wallet when Lavi turned the other way. "Kill a demon, take the Innocence, and head back, right?"

"You make it sound so plain." Lavi sweat dropped, surveying the damage done to the bar with a whistle. "You sure did a number on these guys."

"He grabbed my ass." Rye added pressure to a man to her left, her foot digging into his hand as he let out a string of curses and groans. "They wanted to mug you—and this one..."

Her foot collided with a large man, causing his belly to practically jiggle at the impact as he groaned, rolling about in his own spit and beer. "Was annoying me."

Lavi blinked. The redhead had left the girl for practically two minutes—okay, maybe five, and he came back to find the regular drunkards of the bar knocked out and brutally beaten. It looked like whoever else had been in here had fled, and Lavi made a mental note to tell Komui to send an apology letter back to the owner of the bar.

True enough, he didn't like half the guys in the room, and they were getting on his nerves. But they were simply on mission, and information had to be found before they would be able to move on.

Rye wore a disgusted look on her face as she hopped off the hand of one of the drunkards, standing in front of Lavi with a dull look on her face. "I stayed put."

"I didn't think you'd run," Lavi rubbed the back of his head and glanced about, wondering if the owner had been caught in the fray. "We found a room at the motel we passed by earlier—Rye-Rye?"

Rye halted on her way out the door, turning around to throw Lavi a disgusted look. 'What did you just call me?"

"Ry-Ry!" Lavi beamed, looking rather proud of himself. "What do you think of that as a nickname?"

"That's gross."

"Eh? But your name is so short already—it can't just be Rye, is it short for something?"

"No."

"Seriously?"

"No."

"Then what's your full name?"

"No clue."

Lavi blinked at the girl in confusion. "What?"

Rye shrugged; shoulder her leather sack over her shoulder and turning her head so she could face him slightly. "It's just Rye. That's all there is."

She turned her face away from him, feeling her blood pulse beneath her as she trudged through the door, feeling her heart ache. That's all there should be.

Lavi stared after her with a sigh, rubbing his mess of red hair and looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully.

Not even a day in, and the girl appeared to have a temper she didn't try to control, and that itself was rather dangerous. At least Yu could sometimes contain himself, this girl seemed to have no care for her surroundings.

It seemed he'd been stuck with a hard one.

"E-Excuse me?"

Lavi blinked, turning his head downwards to meet a young girl—a pretty girl, with straight blonde hair and soft, doe like brown eyes. She twiddled with her fingers and looked up at him hopefully. "Are you with that girl?"

Strike! Lavi grinned, nodding his head dumbly as he looked down at the girl. "I'm Lavi, what's your name?"

"U-Um, Maya, but you see, I'm the daughter of the owner here..." Lavi's grin turned sheepish and he scratched at his chin, face paling slightly.

"Sorry for any trouble my friend caused, we can send money back to pay for any of the damages—"

"No!" Lavi stared at the girl in surprise, looking at her curiously as she shook her head, looking at the floor almost tearfully for a moment before turning her gaze back to him, eyes wide with gratitude.

"You see, these men always cause trouble in the bar, and my father can't do anything about it because they bring in the money—and today they were getting out of hand, and she saved me!" Maya took a breath, looking up at Lavi pleadingly. "Don't scold her, okay?"

Lavi paused, the realization settling in his head as Maya handed him a small brown bag, a rather delicious smell wafting from it. Silently, the Bookman successor took the paper bag into his hands as Maya offered him a kind smile. "She ordered this, but she didn't stick around long enough—it's on the house."

A grin touched the redhead's lips and he nodded, giving the pretty girl a final smile. "Thank you, we'll be on our way."

Maya beamed, a relieved expression coming onto her face. "Tell her I said thank you!"

Lavi nodded, waving to the sweet girl as he exited the bar, avoiding stepping on any hands and other body parts as he slipped out the door, holding the bag at his side.

"And she saved me!"

"Annoying her, huh?" Lavi felt a grin touch his lips as he tilted his head back to look up at the sky, the darkness settling over the blank canvas. "She is a softie after all."

Lavi shuffled the memory somewhere into the back of his mind, wondering if he should mention it to Rye just to tease her. The bag was warm in his arms, and curiosity tugging at the back of his mind, he unfurled the top and peeked inside.

Instantly, the warm, sweet smell of the cinnamon rolls from inside assaulted him, and Lavi's eye softened as he held the bag in one arm, stuffing the other into his pocket. Despite how cold the girl acted, she was nice at heart.

Such a predictable character. Lavi sighed slightly, shoulders slumping. Not much interesting there.

"What's that stupid look on your face?"

Rye's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the redhead. Lavi glanced up in surprise, finding her leaning against the wall, watching him approach. Lavi's eye flickered to the sign, recognizing the motel they were staying at. "How come you didn't go in?"

"I don't have a key." Lavi got the distinct feeling that there was a reason deeper than that, but he pushed it to the side for now, a mischievous look flickering across his face.

"Rye-chan, open up would you?"

"Stop coming up with nicknames—mmph?" Rye blinked, eye wide as she stared at Lavi above the creamy cinnamon roll. Lavi grinned, pressing it closer to her, despite the fact that cream was smeared across his fingers and around her mouth.

She stared at the redhead in disbelief and quickly swatted his hand away, pulling the half eaten bun out of her mouth and casting him a dark glare. "What the hell was that for?"

"These were for you." Lavi held up the brown bag and Rye blinked, recognition flittering over her face. "The girl back there said they were on the house."

Rye was silent, and Lavi blinked in faint surprise as a red blush seemed to dust over her cheeks, and she glanced to the half eaten bun in her hand, eyes softening ever so slightly. "I see."

The junior Bookman felt himself pause as a bitter smile touched her lips, confusion rang through Lavi like a bell as Rye turned her head sideways, looking somewhere far beyond him. "Thanks."

Lavi let a grin plaster itself on his face, ignoring the odd look Rye gave him as he strode forward gripping her shoulder to guide her into the motel. "No use standing outside now, right? We can have a nice sleep and then get started in the morning!"

Rye opened her mouth to protest, but the redhead would have none of it as they stepped into the motel. Lavi blinked at the familiar uniform belonging to the Finders. Rye drew to a halt a few steps behind him, slipping her hands into her pockets.

He glanced to her out of the corner of his eye, but put his hands behind his head, grinning at the Finders. "Are you here to help on the mission?"

"Yes," The first one stuck out his hand, a young man with blonde hair and green eyes. "I'm Mark, and this is Jones."

The second Finder was a far older man, graying around the temples, and creases under his eyes from age. There was a soft smile on his face as he bowed slightly. "We hope we can be of use to you, Exorcists."

"Lavi." Lavi shook hands with the two, a nonchalant look on his face. "Let's be done soon and head home, eh?"

Jones turned brown eyes to Rye, and a small smile touched his old face. "And you, my dear?"

Rye looked as if she'd been slapped. The girl turned her head to the older man and Lavi noted the look of discomfort on her face. "Rye..."

"Quite the healthy name," Jones murmured, and Rye blinked while Lavi spluttered, a laugh escaping his lips.

"Where's our room?" Rye questioned, and Lavi turned to the girl, grinning slightly.

"Second floor, down the right hall, third door. Gramps and I are the one right after." Lavi turned to the two Finders. "Have you heard anything about the town?"

"Well," Rye turned on the three, silently making her way up the stairs. Something told her she should be down there and listening, but at the moment, she just had to get away.

So he's a Finder. She recalled the old man's face and felt her gaze hit the floor. Who would've thought I knew the Order way before they came.

Komui had said that the town was reported appearances of a strange monster, that was easy enough to be dealt with, considering it was most likely an akuma. If there was Innocence involved, they just had to find it and be done, and she could go back.

The sooner the better, right?

"Oh, my, are you hurt, dear?" Rye blinked, head shooting up as an older woman stared at her with wide eyes, hands reaching for hers. "Those look bad..."

"Let me see!"

"What is that?"

"Monster."

"It's fine." Rye suddenly jerked her hands back, cursing herself for being so weak and giving into the inner panic. It wasn't like that anymore. "I just scraped myself up is all."

"Oh," The older woman looked displeased, hands hovering as if she were going to reach for her hands again. "If you say so, dear. But you know, this town has a wonderful hot springs in the forest next door—it does wonders!"

She felt something in the back of her mind register this, and Rye looked up at her in curiosity. "Really? How so?"

"You see, a few months ago, some townsfolk were out hunting for game. But one of them had been attacked by a bear and toppled in. They had thought it was just a lake at first, but the man came out and all his wounds were healed up and gone!" The old woman smiled warmly, rubbing her arm. "That thing does wonders, miracles even. It would surely heal up your hands without a doubt!"

I have to doubt that somehow. Rye opened her mouth to question the hot spring, but the women's gaze turned far off. "It's a shame my husband couldn't hang around long enough to take a dip."

Rye eyed her curiously, inwardly profiling the woman. She knew that akuma were born from people trying to call their loved ones back, and she wouldn't put it past her to see it happen here.

Rye offered her a small smile, quietly thanking the woman and slipping off into the room Lavi said was hers.

Rye's eyes skimmed over the room, it was simple, with a desk and two beds. She noted the balcony to the side and the two windows as possible exits, and with a tired yawn, let her leather sack hit the floor.

The girl carelessly undid the few buttons at the top of her shirt, shedding the jacket she wore, and tossing it somewhere to the side—she'd get it later. Her knees hit the bed and she collapsed, feeling drowsiness fill her as her face hit the cool pillow.

I forgot how tired I could get with this thing. Her fingers twitched, and she shut her eyes tugging a stray pillow closer to her and nestling her head into the other one.

Sleep was a step away, but red and green made her pause as his brows furrowed slightly, remembering Lavi's expression.

The idiot knew more than she expected—there was still the mystery about the Bookman name she had to remember, but that wasn't it.

His eyes.

Well, eye.

It was the same thing when they had first met. He wasn't just all grins and laughs, there was something else to the male that had her on guard, something with the way he looked at you made you feel like you were being sorted and profiled, and filed away.

She didn't like it.

But his annoyingness makes up for it. She let out a sigh, not even bothering to pull the covers to her as she let sleep overcome her. I'll deal with it in the morning.


When morning came, Rye wasn't sure how to deal with the situation.

Rye blinked, staring blankly in front of her, unable to process what she was seeing.

The bright, emerald green eye was shut, red hair flat against his face and covering his forehead, eye patch still on. There was a look of peacefulness on his face as Lavi slept, inhaling softly and snoring peacefully as his head nuzzled into the pillow.

The proximity of the face across from hers slowly began to register in her head, and finally, Rye was able to piece together a reaction as to why the redhead was sleeping soundly in her bed.

The girl's arms and feet shot out, efficiently shoving Lavi out of the blankets and onto the floor. The male let out a groan of displeasure and Rye shot up, hair tousled and eyes narrowed coldly as she chucked a pillow at the redhead.

"Ow! What was that for, Ry-e?" Lavi rubbed his head, looking up at her through sleepy eyes. "Is it morning already—"

"Why were you in my bed?" Rye spat, practically hissing as Lavi blinked, Rye looking furious. "What do you think you're doing?"

Lavi yawned, rubbing his eye as he stared up at her. "But this is my bed."

Rye's gaze was cold, and Lavi paled at the tendrils of blood flicking about her. "H-Hey! I'm telling the truth! This is Gramp's and my room!"

Rye glanced around, spotting her discarded things from the night before. But her eyes caught sight of what were most likely Lavi's things, considering the discarded coat and headband.

Rye blinked, brows furrowing as she turned to Lavi. "But you said third room."

Lavi blinked as well. "This is the fourth room."

Well, shit. Rye blinked, wondering how on earth she had failed to count the correct number of rooms, and wandered into Lavi's room instead. Then this is my fault...

"This room has two beds." Rye glanced back to the redhead who flinched. "Why did you have to sleep with me?"

"The Old Panda took the other one," Lavi gestured to the small bundle under the blankets in the other bed.

"Then sleep on the floor."

"But it's cold!"

Rye would've retorted, but seeing as this wasn't her room in the first place, she sighed, rubbing her eyes tiredly as she faced Lavi. "You should've woken me up then."

"You were so peaceful though," Lavi grinned, leaning back on his palms. "Kinda cute actually."

Rye wondered how a person dead asleep could look cute to anyone in their right mind, but she settled for the fact that Lavi wasn't right in the head. "My bad."

She moved from the bed, silently realizing the covers had been pulled up for her, and she trotted drowsily to the other side of the room, snatching up her jacket and bag. "I'll go get ready in the other room... sorry for the inconvenience."

"Ah, you don't have to," Lavi stood, dusting his pants and moving towards the girl. "I didn't mean to make you un—"

"It's fine." Rye rubbed her neck, eyes shutting slightly as she contemplated how comfortable the floor was. "It was my bad in the first place."

"There's no need to apologize," Lavi waved his hands dismissively, a grin adorning his lips. "I got to sleep with a cute girl—"

Rye watched as a pillow collided with Lavi's head with deadly accuracy, sending the redhead to the floor in a rather ungraceful heap. Bookman sat up from where he slept, eye twitching in annoyance. "You're too loud in the morning!"

"Y-You're too cruel, you Old Panda—"

Rye winced, another pillow sending a trail of smoke from Lavi's head. The girl faintly wondered how a pillow could do so much damage, but finally decided not to dwell on it.

While the two argued though, Rye couldn't help but be faintly mesmerized by the interaction.

Something inside her felt odd as she watched the two, Lavi's indignant shouts and Bookman's annoyed face—something about it made her feel almost...

Envious.

Realizing how stupid it must've sounded, Rye quietly slipped from the door, leaving the two be.


"A hot springs?" Lavi had his hands behind his head, looking up curiously as they trekked through the town square.

"Supposedly it works miracles," Rye cradled the ice cream cone in her hands and took a bite of the vanilla flavored treat. "Didn't you guys say Innocence did stuff like that?"

"Hmm, it's a good chance this is it." Lavi agreed, looking up thoughtfully. "According to the Finder's, some people here have claimed that people who go to the woods have been disappearing, and rumor has it it's some bear or monster that's been getting them all."

The woman never said anything about that. Rye fiddled with her bandages. "When did it start?"

"Two months ago."

"Close to the time of the hot springs." Rye rubbed her head, looking up tiredly. "Let's just check it out and get this over with."

"Don't sound so depressed!" Lavi slung an arm around the girl's shoulders, much to her annoyance. "Maybe a trip to the hot springs is exactly what you need."

Rye shrugged the arm off her shoulders. These exorcists would be the end of her, she knew it. "Let's go then."

Lavi blinked at her in surprise. "Seriously?"

Rye rolled her eyes, maybe it was all her imagination and this guy really was an idiot. She paused in for a moment, causing Lavi to look at her curiously as she blinked. "Where's Bookman?"

"Ah," Lavi looked up. "He said there were some things here he wanted to...look up."

Rye raised a brow at the vague answer, but brushed it aside. It was none of her business anyway. None of them were.

"Exorcists!" Rye flinched at the name and Lavi turned as Mark and Jones came up behind them, packs slung over their backs. "I hope we didn't take too long."

Mark was grinning brightly beneath his hood, and Jones offered the two a warm smile. Lavi shook his head. "You're fine. Did you find anything else out?"

"Actually," Mark pulled out a small town map from his pack and handed it to Lavi. "We talked to some of the locals, and they were kind enough to help us mark where the hot springs is, though most are to afraid to even set foot in the woods."

"This will help." Lavi mused, glancing over the map. "I guess we'll just have to check it out on our own."

Rye was half in and out of the conversation as Lavi and Mark discussed where they should enter the forest and how to be prepared. It was obvious that despite being so young, the redhead was far more than experienced in the field.

How long has he been here?

"I'm glad to see you've been doing well."

Rye froze for an instant, but as her mind sorted through options, she settled on who it was. Besides, she recognized that voice. Red eyes met crinkled ones, and Jones offered her a warm, fatherly smile. "You look a little thin though, are the bakeries not good where you are now?"

Rye felt the corner of her lip threaten to twitch, but she merely shrugged. "I've been getting my fill at the Order. The chef there makes sure of that."

Jones grinned, tugging at his pack. "Jerry is quite the mother hen."

Rye shuffled her feet, feeling odd in the silence. "You look...well."

"Though old." Jones sighed, hefting his pack up higher. "I'm getting much too old for this business. Suppose I'll retire soon, I've done my time."

That's good. Rye thought in relief, though she felt selfish for thinking so. "I didn't know you worked for them."

"Me neither."

Rye turned her gaze the other way. "Just started."

Jones grinned, and he leaned on one leg. "Didn't think I'd see the same little thief working for a place like this."

Warmth she felt only now and then filled her, and she stared at the ground, feeling her lips threaten to turn into a smile. "I wasn't that bad, was I?"

"Depends how you are now." Jones mused, and Rye laughed lightly, hearing the man begin to chuckle as well.

It was strange, despicable, and at the same time, wonderful, Rye realized. Seeing Jones again was something she seemed to need, and the feeling she'd get when she met people like Leah, the ones she couldn't help but stay behind with, was present once more.

Lavi watched the exchange curiously, looking at the two over the map as Mark continued to explain the trail routes. Rye's face was almost relaxed, and Jones was smiling softly, and the scene seemed almost bittersweet for some reason.

It was obvious the two had history from somewhere, and Lavi was curious as to know where. But for now, he opted to simply observe, watching as some part of Rye shone that he hadn't seen yet.

There was obviously more to this girl than he'd thought.


Suspiciously enough, throughout the entire trek through the forest, they hadn't once come across any strange beasts or monsters or akuma, save for the wolf pack and a fox. Rye had begun doubting the mission when they finally reached the hot springs.

Billows of warm steam wafted up into the air like smoke clouds, bathing the area in a warm, humid feel. Trails of steam surrounded the area, making it almost too dense to see in some places.

Jagged rocks sheltered the pool from the outside, but turning inwards; they were smooth and covered in bits of moss. The pool itself was an aquamarine sort of shade, and not clear, but not muddy. It had a murky sort of appearance, and an herbal fragrance wafted up from it.

Rye didn't recall ever visiting a hot springs in her life, and she assumed something like this was for the more luxurious folk, but it was tempting none the less, and the warmth the pool promised was enticing.

"The healing hot springs," Lavi mused, crossing his arms over his chest as he eyed the area. "It's impossible to see with the steam everywhere... I can probably clear it up—"

"No need." Rye shrugged off her leather jacket, tossing it to the side as she began to unbutton her shirt. "If the pool is what has the Innocence, we might as well go in."

"W-Wait, Rye—"

"Problem?" The bloody eyed girl gave the redhead a blank stare, down to the bindings around her chest and shorts.

Her surprise was evident when Lavi was down to his pants and undershirt as he flashed her a flirtatious wink, flinging his bandana to the side. "I couldn't possibly let a lovely lady go alone now, right?"

Rye blinked dumbly as the redhead grinned hugely, running forward and cannonballing into the hot spring. Moments later, Lavi's head popped back up with a cry of pain. "Hot!"

"Exorcists are weird." Rye muttered, poking her foot into the pool before lowering herself in.

It wasn't until she was nearly chest deep did her feet touch the ground. The rock was smooth and rounded beneath her feet, slippery at the touch. Steam billowed around her face and pooled about her.

The water was at first a bit scalding, but the heat quickly died to a pleasant warmth. The feeling of peace was instantaneous, and if it weren't for years of being wary, she would have lay back against the rock and fallen asleep.

Probably the Innocence. The pool itself made her feel warm, energized, and she could feel her back tingling. Would they go away?

"Man, this feels great!" Lavi sighed, and Rye heard splashing somewhere in front of her. "Grainstalk?"

"Don't associate my name with the plant." Rye muttered, careful to maneuver herself so her back was to the wall, and the steam hid her mostly from view. "What?"

"Where are you? I can't see anything with this steam."

"I'm fine. You don't need to come any closer."

"Eh? How come?"

Rye pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance, and she felt the waves suddenly lap against her. "Or is there something you're trying to hide?"

She detected the mischievous lilt to Lavi's voice, and her eyes narrowed as she moved to the side, careful not to disturb the waters too much. "Bookman."

"I told you to call me Lavi!" Lavi groaned somewhere to her left, and she nearly jumped. He'd gotten that close already? "What're you so afraid off—"

"Mind you, we're in the water and blood spreads quickly."

"—have you found anything on your side?" Lavi amended, and Rye withheld a sigh of relief, walking carefully across the pool to make sure she didn't slip. "This hot spring is pretty amazing though, it'd be nice to have something like this back at the Order."

"Is there something is should be looking for?" Rye's eyes strained against the steam as she moved her arms carefully through the water, feeling along the floor with her foot. "Are all Innocence shiny or something?"

"Well, I'd say the radiate more like, but yeah." She heard Lavi shuffle about. "I think I should clear up the steam."

"You do—" Rye's answer was cutoff as her foot slipped along the rock, sinking deeper into a dip in the ground. Her head went under and she shut her eyes, her face submerged in hot water as she struggled to find her footing.

Instinctively, her arms flailed and she began gasping for air as she struggled to somehow right herself. She had to get to the top; she couldn't be that far, she wasn't going to drown.

Her bandages had long grown wet, and the wrappings slowly began to unravel from her hands, leaving her grasping for the remains as she flailed to try and reach the top.

I can't breathe. Rye's eyes struggled to open despite the heat of the water, and everything was a blur. I can't breathe. I'm going to... I'm going to...

You're not going to die.

She suddenly went still, and something flashed out of the corner of her eye. Her gaze instantly snapped towards the glimmer, but the blur of the water prevented her from identifying anything. Just as she was about to kick to try and reach the surface, arms were around her and she felt herself moving upwards.

Rye's head broke the water and she sucked in greedy gulps of air, choking on the water and feeling a searing pain go down her throat as she struggled to breathe. She breathed heavily, screwing one eye open and meeting a panicked green.

"Rye! Rye, are you alright?" Lavi helped the girl to find her footing, arms hovering about her in case she fell back into the water. "Take it easy—"

"Fine." The girl coughed, waving the redhead away as she moved a few paces away from him, still struggling to calm her heart and catch her breath. "I'm fine... Thanks."

Lavi blinked at the girl, disbelief on his face before he closed his mouth. "Why didn't you tell me you can't swim?"

"Bath time, sweetheart!"

"It's stupid." Rye muttered weakly, spitting out a mouthful of water and holding a hand to her chest, breathing calmly. "My fault."

"You suddenly went under and you kept flailing," Lavi explained, his voice was soothing, and despite the annoyance she felt, she welcomed the sound. "Then you got still and I worried for a second—what happened?"

"Lost my footing." Rye rubbed her eyes and glanced down at the water, the memory of the glimmer flashed. "I saw something under there."

Lavi stopped, looking at her for a long moment. The look on his face reminded her of Leah's whenever she'd come back from a fight, that look of disapproval and worry, the kind that said they weren't happy with how careless you were with yourself.

His hair was down; dripping droplets and making the red hair almost glimmer in the steam. The side parts were almost plastered to his face, and his bangs shielded his eye patch.

For some reason, his hair down made her look at him differently. Seeing him like this made him look unprepared and almost... real. As if there was something fake to him before.

"It's probably the Innocence." Rye turned away from him, stepping carefully along the rocks. She took a deep breath. "How do you swim?"

"You want to learn how to swim now?"

"You just kick or something right—"

A hand suddenly rested on her head, and Rye stiffened. Her whole body went rigid with the touch, and Lavi brows furrowed slightly, but he offered her a grin. "Wait here, I'll check it out."

The girl said nothing, her fingers twitching underneath the water as Lavi went under the water, the pool rippling where he had disappeared.

"Wait here, I'll check it out."

Don't go.

Her hair was soaking wet now, and she watched the waters carefully, prepared to do whatever she could to somehow get Lavi up in case he drowned.

Why do you care?

It'll be trouble if something happens to him. Rye reasoned finally as she waded closer to where he had disappeared, counting the seconds in her head. How long can he hold his breath?

Just as she was tempted to dive back in, Lavi burst through the surface with a gasp, sucking in air as he pulled his hair back, leaning against one of the rocks. Rye watched him carefully, assessing that he was alright.

Lavi caught his breath and he rolled his shoulders. "There's definitely something down there all right—I think it may be what we're looking for. But it's stuck pretty deep."

Rye's brows furrowed. "I can—"

"Guys! Look out!"

Mark's panicked cries rang in her ears for a second before a beam of light shot past her, sending bits of rock and water flying in all directions. Rye's eyes narrowed and Lavi pulled out his hammer, ducking to the side as another few beams of light shot towards them.

Within seconds, she was flinging off the remains of her bandages and lunging out of the water. Her back collided with smooth rock and she felt tendrils of blood form as she searched the area.

The round ones that shot like cannons—Level ones? She assumed that was it.—surrounded the area from above, several of them floating and firing into the water, sending it flying. Rye's eyes narrowed and she flexed her fingers, wondering how she should approach.

Another set of the bullets the akuma fired went off, and Rye felt the sword form in her hands as she ducked out of cover, using the blood to propel her upwards as she swung down.

The sword wavered and extended, swinging down in one large arc that took three with it, sending an explosion into the air. Rye winced as she felt something slam into her shoulder, but she turned midair and tendrils shot out, impaling another two and causing them to explode.

This was different. Rye narrowed her eyes, spotting a black patterning appearing on her arm, almost in the shape of flowers. But as soon as they appeared, they disappeared, and the spot where the mark was ached.

"Rye, look out!"

Lavi's hammer shot past her, the large weapon extended as Lavi swung it about, and it collided several of the akuma together, causing them to explode as well. Rye hit the ground and she eyed the sky, noting that a few more were already beginning to show up again. "Are they after the Innocence?"

Lavi grimaced, swinging his hammer in a large arc. "Always are."

Rye chucked her sword upwards, watching it sail through the air and shooting through a few. The water lapped at their feet, and Rye ducked as more bullets flew by her, skimming over the top.

"We'll hold them here!" Her eyes snapped over to where Jones held up a large, camera-like object, a prism of lights projecting from the lens and immobilizing an akuma in a large cube. Mark held up a second one, keeping the akuma at bay from the two. "Get the Innocence!"

Rye quickly made her way to where Jones and Mark were, shooting tendrils out and disposing of a number of the akuma. The two Finders glanced to her appreciatively, and she simply inclined her head, knowing she should be after the Innocence instead.

Ah, who cares. Rye watched as spikes of blood settled into some of the akuma, causing them to explode.

"Die, exorcist!" Rye's eyes widened as a blow slammed into her from behind, sending her skidding across the rock face until her back collided with one of the rocks, jagged ends digging into her back.

Rye spat out a bit of blood and narrowed her eyes at the new akuma, the same agonized face mask was located on the belly, while the entire thing somewhat resembled a bear, with claws and a fur back. But the mechanical grin ruined the image and Rye sighed, rubbing her head in annoyance.

"That's a level two." Lavi explained, at her side as he offered a hand. But Rye stood up on her own and Lavi sweat dropped. "They're not as dumb as level ones, and a little trickier to beat, but they're not too bad."

"Is there somewhere I should aim?" Rye questioned and Lavi blinked.

"Not really—"

Tendrils shot out within seconds, and Lavi blinked at the girl in disbelief, extending his hammer and shaking his head. "Okay then."

To Rye's annoyance, the level two managed to evade her tendrils despite the hulking build, and it kept disappearing into the steam, leaving her wanting to simple run head first and smash the thing herself.

Lavi kept off the other level ones, and Rye noted that it seemed he wasn't even breaking a sweat.

Is this all they do for a living?

She felt something appear behind her, but before she turned to face the new akuma, a prism appeared around it, keeping it off of her. Her gazed snapped over to Jones, who flashed her a grin. "I've got you covered, bambina."

Rye glanced to him gratefully and she felt the blood pool in her hands, arching upwards as she eyed the mist for the level two.

"You think blood can beat me?" Her ears twitched and tendrils shot, but she felt them sink through a tree. "Silly exorcists, you're all going to die!"

She heard a splash and she figured Lavi had gone in to find the Innocence. "That's fine with me."

There was a moment of silence and sharpened projectiles like claws shot out from the steam headed her way. Rye narrowed her eyes and ducked, watching the steam for signs of the level two.

She felt someone tackle her from behind and a pair of claws whizzed over her head, lined with a violet glow as they shot through the rock in front of her. Rye quickly turned and helped Jones up. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Jones flashed her an old man grin, rubbing the back of his head. Rye's brows furrowed and she noticed the rips in his cloak.

"Be careful," The girl brushed his arm, looking worried. "You've got a little longer to live."

Jones cracked a smile, and he glanced up at the girl with a bright grin. "I'll try next time."

Rye froze, her hands trembling as black pentagrams began to spread across Jones' body, covering his face and neck. She stood, unable to move as his face froze in stone, the grin still plastered on his face. Within seconds, the man crumbled and turned to dust, leaving behind a pile of dust and clothes.

Rye stared for a moment, feeling her fingers tremble as she stared at the pile of dust, unable to move.

"I think I'll retire soon."

"Got you~"

She felt something go through her.

Glancing down, Rye blinked at the large claw, arched and curved upwards and impaled through her stomach. The girl stared past the weapon, ignoring the laugh behind her. She distinctively heard Lavi shout behind her, and several explosions afterwards, but she could only stare at the dust.

The memory of when she had been younger, out on the streets in Italy flared through her mind. She had thought she could swipe something off the guy and get something to eat, but he'd caught her. Ready to fight her way out, the man had simply grinned, given her a place to stay, and fed her for the few days he was there.

"Why aren't you dead yet?" The level two questioned, and Rye blinked back into reality.

Within seconds, a wave of blood shot out from the wound, coming out from Rye's back and enveloping the level two in a thick coat of blood. Before the akuma could speak another word, the blood hardened, and an explosion rocked the air.

Rye inhaled slowly, feeling blood hit the ground as she knelt down, blinking quietly at Jones' remains. Bits of dust had been blown away, and she cursed herself for not having thrown the monster as far as possible.

"Are you alright?" She glanced back and realized that Lavi had taken out another level two and several level ones.

The red head was dripping, and some parts of his shirt were tattered. His hair clung to his face, and he eyed her worriedly, a hand stretched out as if to shake her for a moment.

Lavi's eye flickered at the remains and Mark was at Rye's side, examining his fellow Finder's remains. Mark shut his eyes, a tear leaking past and Rye stood.

She blinked twice.

"Fine." Rye answered, she turned to Lavi. "You?"

The redhead look surprised by the questioned, but he offered her a reassuring grin. "Ah, this was nothing." He held up a glowing object in his hand, an ethereal green light shining from it. "This was a bit of a pain though."

Lavi's gaze grew solemn. "Are you...alright? I'm sorry—"

"For what?" Rye bent down, searching through Jones' coat and revealing an old pocket watch. She eyed the metal device; it was beautifully carved, but slightly dented, the initials J.W inscribed on the outer edge. "You didn't do anything."

She remembered when she tried to steal it.

Lavi was silent for a moment, before he took a step towards the girl, putting a hand on her shoulder. "There'll be a lot more like this in the future."

Surprised to hear his voice so uncharacteristically serious, she flicked her gaze back to him.

The look on his face made her freeze. It was one of such loathing and distaste, that it almost startled her for a moment. But Lavi's gaze was on the remains and his eye narrowed, something far beyond her flashing through. Years of knowledge and wisdom in someone so young.

"War is ugly."

Rye was silent, and gently, she removed his hand from her shoulder.

"But the causes can be beautiful."

Lavi turned to her in surprise, but she was already across the springs, rifling around until she came up with her leather jacket. She stared at the torn and battered thing with regret and stuffed it into her bag, pulling out a different coat and slipping it on.

The wound in her stomach had closed up, and she slipped the pocket watch into her bag, tossing the latter over her shoulder. "Ready to go?"

Lavi blinked at her back, and his brows furrowed for a moment, a small smile twisting his lips. "Hey, you're wearing the coat."

Rye paused, glancing down to the coat that had been designed for her by Johnny himself, every tailored detail meant to accommodate her.

This was the first time she wore it.

"Yeah."

She didn't know how to feel that it wasn't her last.


"How did your first mission go?" Rye blinked in surprise. Despite her mumbles of 'its fine', Komui had insisted she get bandaged somewhere, and a white strip had been slapped onto her cheek.

Lenalee beamed at the girl brightly, pig tails adorning her head as she leaned over the table to face the girl in front of her. Rye's brows furrowed, and she noted the bandages around her arms.

She must've gotten back from a mission too.

"It went fine." Rye shrugged; she set down her spoon, only a bit of melted ice cream left in the bowl. Jerry had insisted he feed her a full course meal, but it was late, and he should be asleep. "We lost a Finder though."

Lenalee stiffened and Rye glanced up, only to have her eyes widen in surprise at the look of sadness on the other girl's face. Lenalee's eyes seemed to glisten a moment with unshed tears, and she offered Rye a sad smile. "I'm sorry that had to happen on your first mission."

Rye froze, unsure of what to do as Lenalee wiped a tear away. "I'm sorry—it's stupid of me to be crying. I wasn't even there—"

"He died with a smile on his face."

Lenalee paused, looking at Rye in surprise, but Rye was silent as she cleaned up her several empty bowls, stacking them in a pile as she stood. The mess hall was empty, save for the two, and Rye had the distinct feeling that Lenalee had woken up just to come down.

Why would she do that? Rye offered her a soft look, shrugging her shoulders. "That's all we could've asked for."

Lenalee smiled up at her brightly, eyes shining with gratitude, she stood, moving to help with the dishes, but Rye waved her away. "Go back to sleep."

Lenalee opened her mouth to protest, but Rye was already on the other side of the hall. "Thanks for keeping me company."

Rye waited and heard the sound of footsteps echoing through the empty hall. The door groaned open, but only for a moment, and Rye paused when Lenalee's footsteps stopped.

"Welcome back."

The door closed shut, and Rye stood there, confused and puzzled at how to feel.


"Well," Komui placed a hand on his hip, the other cradling a hot mug of coffee. "Isn't this cute?"

The head chief eyed the sight before him in amusement. He had called Rye to his office to give a mission report, and Lavi as well.

By the looks of it, Rye had gotten here first. The black haired girl had taken up the corner of the couch, draped over the arm rest and eyes shut peacefully as she breathed softly, near soundlessly as she dozed off.

Lavi, instead of using the other armrest of the sofa had propped himself up on Rye, using her sleeping form as a pillow as he sprawled out over the rest of the couch, taking up the remaining space as he snored peacefully, a look of bliss on his face.

"It seems you two have something in common." Komui grinned, making a mental note to tell Reever to keep another blanket in his office. He pulled out the one he had, and cleverly maneuvered it so it covered at least somewhat of the two.

Rye's brows furrowed and she snuggled deeper into the couch, pulling further away from the warmth another person offered. Lavi's brow twitched and he shifted, moving his head closer and closing up the space Rye had created. The redhead gaze turned blissful as he nestled closer and he mumbled a sleepy 'strike' before returning to his peaceful snore.

A light bulb flashed above Komui's head and the scientist grinned, reaching over and snatching a camera off his desk. He saved most of the film to fill it up with pictures of Lenalee, but this was just too cute to pass up.

Grinning devilishly, snapping off a shot of the two. A picture slid out from the camera and Komui leaned back on his desk, examining the photo of the two, sleeping peacefully in the picture.

Komui snatched a pen and scribbled First Mission at the bottom before he tucked the photo away.

Eyes softening, Komui let out a sigh, wishing that the days would always remain peaceful like this, and that these children would never have to see the bloody end of this war.

"Good job, you two."


I couldn't resist. :D

I intended to just have Rye pass out on the couch, but I remembered how much of a sleepyhead Lavi is, and I decided that these two could be sleeping buddies. :)

I hope you all enjoyed the next installment of TGBH. Looking at all these nice reviews makes me wanna cry because you guys are so flippin nice, and I'm just like, these people are amazing.

Ya'll rock.

And just because I don't want Rye to sound like some war-crazy psycho, when she said "But the causes can be beautiful", I wanted to get the image that sometimes, even though war is ugly and terrible, the reasons people fight them are truly beautiful and inspiring. But that was uncharacteristically kind of her, and now little Bookman is confused.

Confused Lavi is good.

:D

Thank you all for reading, reviewing, and favorite/following. You guys are truly the best!

Marshmellow-

-OUT!