Gray Silence

It's been so long since I've written any Fanfiction. I put up a 100 line poem for D. Gray Man, so please check it out. It feels good to be writing again. Oh yeah, this is gonna be really long. I'm going with shorter chapters which means, you're gonna get over 20 chapters. Know that now!

Note: No note, really…

OMG, I AM SO SORRY YOU GUYS! WOULDN'T LET ME UPLOAD ANYTHING YESTERDAY, SO IT HAD TO BE ON SUNDAY! AGAIN, REALLY SORRY IT'S A DAY LATE!

Oh yeah, the song used for this chapter's title is by Three Days Grace. Every song fits the chapter, by the way.

SPOILERS FOR LATER CHAPTERS

Pain

Three Days Grace

-

Cat and Kanda rushed down the streets of Atrani in a desperate attempt to reach the forest before anyone else was killed – including a stupid Finder by the name of Everett Lowell. The black wolf ran besides the samurai's feet, trying to match his speed while not tripping either him or herself. Her bright blue eyes shined a yellow-green in the man-made light, reflecting it back eerily as wolf eyes always did. Long, slender, silver claws hit the stone below her paws, causing a clacking noise to start up every time her feet met the earth.

Kanda's Exorcist coat billowed out behind him, causing the red and black attire to expose his black pants and black boots. His black hair swung to and fro because of the wind rushing past him. He let out a soft 'che' and pulled out Mugen as several Akuma appeared. Both teenagers skidded to a stop; surrounded, they had no choice but to fight.

"Cat, I'll create an opening. You go on to the forest." Kanda told her, twisting Mugen slightly to the right where the very edge caught the glare of the moon.

"Right," she said, watching as he launched himself upwards.

"Kaichu: Ichigen!" He cried. Bluish-silver insects appeared, their red eyes glowing like blood. From their long pointed noses sounded a screech that had the Akuma reeling for a moment. The slow machines couldn't block the attack and most were destroyed with the single hit. Before Cat could launch herself forwards, a figure appeared and it smiled. It was the Level Two that had chased her the day before.

"Go, it's a Level Two; I can handle it." Kanda took a fighting stance, waiting for it to transform and come at him. As Cat jumped past the Akuma, it began to change shape. From a human body it transformed into something that looked like a griffin. Silver feathers glittered brilliantly in the moonlight and it let out an odd roar before it launched itself at Kanda's waiting form.

Now the question is what lies in wait for me?

-

Entering a small clearing on stealthy legs, Cat looked around, casting a wary glance around. As soon as she had gotten closer, the screams of Akumas had stopped. Something just wasn't right. The breeze that had once rustled the trees and made the leaves dance, stopped, and Cat tensed. Her eyes shot back and forth, looking for her opponent. Then, in the distance, a figure appeared. The woman smiled, beckoning with her hand for Cat to come closer.

Cat narrowed her eyes and stepped forward about ten paces and lifted her head bravely. "Transform, Akuma, and let's get down to business."

The Akuma chuckled. "Ah, yes, alright. But first, what is your name, Exorcist? My name is Velonica. I am a Level Three Akuma."

The wolf inwardly flinched; it had been awhile since she fought a Level Three. It wasn't anything she couldn't handle, though. "My name is Cat." She said confidently.

"Cat?" The Akuma had a bout of laughing, making Cat roll her eyes.

"Go ahead and laugh now before I rip you apart!" Crouching down, she watched as the Akuma abruptly stopped laughing and suddenly pointed towards her right. Cat looked left and saw another Akuma holding Everett. "Idiot…" she hissed under her breath.

"If you don't listen to me, I may just kill your comrade." Velonica began.

"Kill him then. I don't even like him." Cat had sat down and yawned, looking bored. Both Akumas and Everett stared at her in shock.

"W-what?!" Lowell cried in utter disbelief. Velonica laughed.

"Alright, I see that won't work. You and I will fight, then." As she said that, her body began to morph and Cat stood back up, taking her stance.

"Straighten your spine! Your tail must be out straight, with your head raised proudly! Your legs must also be straight, but you need to relax your knee joints where you don't end up passing out." The whisper of her old mentor from the Pack, Kamots, surrounded her. Cat followed his instructions, as if the old brown wolf were besides her, instructing her like any other day of training.

While correcting her stance, the Akuma had turned into a small dragon-like creature, its silver scales glittering like frost. Her wings out-stretched and Cat realized she was no match for the dragon in her first form. Allowing power and adrenaline to run through her veins, her body morphed as well, but into a large wolf. Cat acknowledged that the dragon was still twice as big as her, but in this form, she at least had a better chance.

"You're so small! You'll never win!" The dragon roared at her, its ice-blue eyes glittering dangerously.

Cat smirked and crouched using the front half of her body. "That's what you think!"

-

Kanda flicked Mugen to the right, letting the blood fly off of it. The griffin-like Akuma in front of him was now dead and laying on the ground. After a moment, it exploded, just like the rest of them. Glancing around to make sure no more Akuma were near, Kanda sheathed Mugen and began to walk through the blood and flames, stepping over body parts in his way. Looking in the direction of the forest, he frowned deeply, sensing a fight between Cat and the Level Three Akuma had begun.

-

Cat gritted her teeth as her claws slammed uselessly against the metallic scales of the dragon. Her fangs glinted in the light as she also began to dig her fangs into the Akuma, but all that did was nearly break her teeth. Cat leapt away before the dragon could lash out with its tail or claws. Sliding across the dirt and grass, she uprooted several blades of grass and weeds. Finally stopping, the wolf gasped in shock as a tail hit her in the side and sent her flying to the left.

Velonica laughed at the pathetic wolf's attempt. "I told you, I will win!" The dragon moved forward again and pinned down the black creature with razor-sharp talons. Cat struggled but the breath was knocked out of her as the dragon pressed down. With a small roar, the Akuma pushed down even harder, hearing a satisfying crack.

Pulling away, she saw the wolf was limp and barely breathing. "Dead already? How pathetic!"

Suddenly Cat stood on shaky legs and breathed in a large gulp of air. Trying to control her rapid heartbeat and rising body heat, she panted nosily, wondering what to do. She had been knocked into her first wolf form again, and couldn't find the strength to transform again.

"You're pretty determined, aren't you?" The dragon sneered mercilessly.

"Damn determined!" Cat corrected her sharply. Before the dragon could move, Cat had disappeared and reappeared next to the dragon's head. Velonica gasped as pain shot through her as the wolf fully tackled her head.

"How did you-?!" She was cut off though as Cat landed on her head and opened her jaws wide. Her fangs grew and they plunged downwards. Before they could penetrate the Akuma's rough skin though, she was jostled and accidentally bit her own paw. Pain shot up her right leg, and as she was knocked to the ground, she felt the leg go completely useless. The bullet wound from four years ago came forward, paralyzing her right leg, rendering it immobile.

"Ha!" The dragon opened its maws wide, as if to roar, but instead a flame of ice came lashing out. Cat barely dodged and landed in a messy heap a few yards away. Holding her right paw up next to her chest, she tried to hold herself upright on her three usable legs. Velonica stopped though, staring at the wolf oddly.

"What happened to your right eye? It was blue! Now it looks violet!"

"Not for long…!" Cat rasped, bending her head down. Holding her eyes shut, she quietly reached into the farthest depths of her mind.

I need to use some of my true power…enough to take down this Akuma! But I will not end this the same way as I did the last time…!

Eyes snapped open and the feral beast known as 'wolf' rushed at the dragon. The dragon watched in shock as she caught a glimpse of one blood red eye. Suddenly Cat's claws finally sliced into the neck of the dragon, causing blood to splatter everywhere. Before she exploded though, Velonica let out a wail and lashed out. Catching Cat in the side by surprise, she left a large gauge that poured blood. Like the Akuma, Cat fell to the ground, eyes distant and glazed over. Her body went limp and as blood pooled around her, a sword slid through the chest of the Akuma that held Everett. As it too exploded, Kanda towered over the Finder, staring at him with murder in his eyes. He pointed Mugen at his neck, but sheathed it again and began to walk swiftly towards his comrade.

"Next time you do something stupid, I'll let you die, instead of having your idiocy get someone else injured or killed."

As the Japanese picked up Cat – who had transformed back into human form after becoming unconscious – he stared coldly at her body. Not caring about the blood that covered him from Cat and the Akuma, Kanda began walking in the direction of the town again, leaving Everett alone.

-

"She was lucky it didn't go deeper; it might have broken more than just two of her ribs." The Nurse told both Komui and Kanda, who stood by, watching as the girl Exorcist drifted in and out of consciousness. Kanda had gotten help in Italy and had Finders pick them up – along with Everett – later. Reaching the Order swiftly, the nurses and doctors were able to more properly treat Cat. Not only did she have several small cuts and bruises, she had the long gauge in her left side that caused two broken ribs. On her right, her leg had been popped out of its socket and there were three broken ribs. Overall, she was in pretty bad shape, but for now, she was stable.

"Thank you," Komui thanked the Nurse lightly, tapping her shoulder briefly as she left. Kanda also turned to leave, and as he exited, Allen, Lenalee and Lavi walked in. Kanda gave a small 'che' when Lenalee paused to ask him how Cat was. When she got no answer, she turned to look at her brother.

Komui smiled lightly, moving where the three could see that Cat was still unconscious, but alive.

Lenalee gasped slightly when she noticed all the bandages that were visible from the crumpled blanket. There were bandages on her arms, legs, head; the ones on her chest and abdomen weren't visible to them. The males stared off into different directions away from Cat's body, but pain and anger was clear on their faces. As Lenalee softly began to cry, Komui wrapped an arm around her shoulders and took her out of the room.

Lavi watched carefully as Allen moved forwards to place his left hand over Cat's own left hand. The machines that currently kept her alive and breathing beeped at a steady pace, sounding like an odd beat to some sort of music. Allen looked down at her, finding tears beginning to form at the corners of his eyes. Shaking his head lightly, he smiled and sighed.

"Welcome home."

-

Eh, not my best – or longest – work ever, but I liked the fight scene. The last sentence has to do with the fact that Allen always considers the Order his 'home' like some others do.

-PA