A/N: Here's the next chapter for you. All typed up and purdy. Next chapter will have more stuff in it. Hope you like this one though. No real action...I don't own D.Gray-Man

Chapter 9 : Day 11 -- Nightmare


Lightning flashed overhead as Lenalee walked through the large house, carrying a small candle in its holder. She had had a nightmare and she was scared of the thunder and lightning so she was going to see if her parents were still awake.

She padded through the dark house on bare feet. It was cold.

The young girl thought of her brother. Maybe he could help. But she didn't want to wake him up. She was getting near her parents' room and to her joy she saw a flicker of light coming from the mostly closed door.

She was just about to reach the door when thunder crashed overhead and she jumped, letting out a small yelp. She clung to the doorknob and the candle as it's roar died down.

"M-Mommy?" she whispered, opening the door a little.

She couldn't see her parents there by the light of the oil lamp sitting on the desk. But she did see a tall figure standing in the middle of the room.

He held something long and silver in his hand, glinting with red. His figure was shrouded with shadows and she couldn't make out his face. Then she saw something on the floor.

It was her mother and father.

She let out a small scream and dropped the candle, her grip tightening on doorknob. The man turned and saw her. She saw a haunting smile light up his face, his eyes flashing.

Lenalee screamed. The man gave her one more ghostly, wicked smile. The lightning flashed and he was gone.

People were running towards where the young girl was standing, screaming. They opened the door and stared. A maid screamed as well. People where yelling. Thunder crashed outside. Black turned white and everything was reversed.

Lenalee sat bolt upright in bed, covered in cold sweat. She had uttered a small cry before waking from her nightmare.

She was shaking, her heart pounding. Slowly it went down, but she kept her hold on the blanket.

And as she tried to remember what the man looked like, it slipped away like smoke. She wondered why she was dreaming of that now when eight years had past, then she shivered.

The girl felt a cold breeze across her face and she looked over at the window. It was open.

Her eyes widened in fear, her mind still thinking of the dream as she saw the silhouette of someone standing in the large window.

Then she spotted a flash of silver hair.

"A-Allen?" she whispered, standing up. The wind played with her nightgown and it fluttered.

He walked into her room, pulling off his hood. "I'm sorry to come so late…" he said. Lenalee stared at him, still shaking slightly.

"I-its ok," she said.

"You look…distressed," he said. The boy looked like he was holding something back, like there was something he wasn't telling her. She didn't notice. Not yet.

She shook it off. "Just a bad dream…What happened? Why did you come? I haven't talked to you in little less then a week and now you come in the middle of the night."

"I have…news," he said.

"Bad news? Good news?" she asked, walking closer. He stood there, his cloak billowing slightly. The thought that her room was on the second floor didn't even enter her mind. The moon shown brightly in the empty sky behind him.

"I just found that—"

But before he could complete his sentence, someone came bursting into the room. It was the maid. Lenalee jumped slightly and Allen backed up.

"Miss! You're brother! He's been in an—an—miss?!" she stopped, seeing Allen lurking in the corner.

"What is it?" Lenalee snapped.

"That's why I'm here," said Allen, stepping forward. The maid shrank back. He looked intimidating.

"What happened? Someone tell me!" she demanded.

Allen glanced at the maid, but she was frozen. "Tyki sent an assassin after your brother."

Lenalee stared at him for a moment.

"That's what I was going to tell you miss! You're brother was almost killed and he's in the hospital!" the maid said, regaining her tongue.

Lenalee stood, staring at the maid with wide eyes. Then her legs gave way.

The maid let out a cry of "Miss!" as she collapsed but before she could move, Allen had grabbed her, catching her before she fell.

"I have…I have to go!" said the girl, pushing away from the young man. He tried to hold her back.

"No! Miss Lee, you're too shaken!" he said.

She turned and glared at him. "You can't tell me what to do!" she said angrily, tears rolling down her cheeks. "It's my brother!"

And with that, she pushed away from Allen. She got a couple feet away before she collapsed once more. And again the silver haired boy caught her. This time she leaned against him.

"Miss Lee, you have to stay here," he said.

The maid, who had kept quiet as she watched, spoke up once more. "I got the call but the doctor said that no one could see him! They wouldn't let you in, even if you left right now Miss. It's best if you wait…"

"I have to go though! My brother—he could be dying and you—hold—me—back!" she pounded slightly on Allen's chest. He held her, letting her hit him weakly with balled fists.

"Miss Lee…Miss Lee…" he murmured. She didn't listen, just continued to hit him. Her legs weren't strong enough to hold her, and so she leaned against him.

"Lenalee!" he finally said forcefully.

She stopped instantly, staring up at him with wide eyes. Tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

Lenalee saw his silver eyes, and they were calm and cool, with something like worry hidden behind it all. And as she fell into the depths of those silver oceans, she felt herself calm slightly.

And he had used her first name. Had he ever done that before? She couldn't remember. The terror of her dream was still there, lurking inside her, along with the fear she had for her brother. She couldn't leave him alone. She had to go!

"Is there anything I can do to help Miss?" asked the maid.

Lenalee didn't hear her at first. Then she shook her head and looked over at the maid.

"C-call…call L-Lavi," she managed to say shakily. The maid nodded and hurried away instantly.

"Sit down Miss Lee," said Allen. He had reverted back to her last name.

She swallowed and nodded, but couldn't walk on her own, so the assassin helped her to her bed. As he did so, she felt something rise inside her that she hadn't felt for a very long time. She stared up at him as they made it across the room, her mind calming as she watched him.

He glanced down at her and she looked away. Allen helped her sit and she sat, holding the blankets tightly, staring at the floor.

The maid hurried back in. "I called him. He'll be here as soon as he can."

Lenalee nodded, looking up from staring at the floor. For the past minute or so, she had been taking deep, soothing breaths to keep herself from throwing up or passing out.

"I'll leave you," said the boy.

"No!" Lenalee said sharply, desperately. He looked back at her, an odd look on his face. "P-please…stay here until Lavi c-comes at least."

He watched her carefully, then nodded. Allen walked back over to where she sat slowly.

Inside, the shadow purred its approval.

The maid walked from the room once more to wait for Lavi, leaving Lenalee and Allen alone. He was looking out of the open window at the grounds. The draperies fluttered in the wind, and the sky was clear.

"He's here," murmured Allen. He was still staring outside. Lenalee could see nothing when she glanced up, but tears clouded her vision.

A minute or so later Lavi appeared.

"Lavi!" she called out and got up. He hurried over to her and she almost fell into his arms.

"Komui's in the hospital? How'd this happen?" asked Lavi, holding Lenalee as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"Tyki sent an assassin," said the young man standing in the shadows. Lavi looked up, surprised. He hadn't noticed Allen standing there.

"Allen!" he said. The silver eyes were slightly guarded.

"I must leave," he said and headed for the window. "I'm sorry."

"W-wait! Alle—" Lenalee stopped. She had turned just in time to see Allen's cloak disappearing out of the window. She rushed over, Lavi following in case she fell.

"He just jumped!" she whispered, watching the black figure walk swiftly across the snow and out of her grounds.

Lavi stood watching Allen walk away. "Lenalee, get back to bed…we'll g-go see your brother tomorrow, ok?"

She nodded, gripping the window frame. "L-Lavi, c-can you…help me?" she asked weakly. He nodded and helped her walk over to her bed.

"Sleep well…I'll stay here," he said as she tucked in. She nodded and closed her eyes. Lavi sat besides her, watching her fall asleep. It took no more than five minutes before her breathing slowed and she was asleep.

"Goodnight Lenalee…" he murmured. He closed the window before leaving. He would stay here for the night, he thought. Lenalee wouldn't mind. She probably would want him here.

ooo

Sunlight filtered through the window, waking Lenalee. Her eyes flickered open and she sat up slowly. She wondered why she felt so horrible, then remembered and burst into tears.

Then she pulled her face from her hands and wiped her eyes.

"Pull yourself together," she said aloud. "He's not dead! He isn't! They would've called, wouldn't they?"

She got up slowly and walked over to the window. The sky was bright blue, the ground bright white. The sun shown happily in the blue bird sky.

"It looks so peaceful," she murmured. Lenalee decided that she would call the doctor, see if Komui was all right and find something to calm her nerves. She glanced outside the window, down at the pond.

She pulled on a winter dress, white and blue, with warmer layers, then hurried downstairs.

"Miss! You're up already?" asked the maid, surprised. She held a tray with a teapot and several biscuits.

"Who are those for?" Lenalee asked the maid.

"Mister Lavi," the maid answered. "I think that he would be hungry."

"He's here?" she asked. The maid nodded. "I'll go see him after I call the…the doctor."

The maid nodded. "I'll tell him that." And she hurried off towards the guestroom with her tea.

Lenalee went to the telephone and dialed the hospital.

"Mancal Willings Hospital, how may I direct your call?" a female voice said on the other end of the receiver.

"This is Lenalee Lee. My brother was taken in yesterday and I'm calling to see if…if he was all right," Lenalee said, slightly choked.

"Yes miss, right away. I'll get the doctor who is taking care of him right away," she said hurriedly and she was put on hold. It was several minutes before someone came back onto the line.

"Miss Lee?" a male voice asked.

"Yes?" she asked.

"This is the doctor who's working with your brother," he said.

"I-is he alright?" she asked shakily.

The doctor was silent for a moment and she could hear the sound of papers being flipped. He was looking at the file. "Mr. Lee is in stable condition, I'm glad to say. We were able to stabilize his vital signs and patch him up some. But it will take some time for him to heal completely."

"What injuries did he have?" asked Lenalee, gripping the telephone tightly.

"A fractured skull, bullet wound in the shoulder and two broken ribs. He also has bruises on his back and upper body…but we're almost absolutely sure that he has no internal bleeding," said the doctor.

Lenalee was shaking slightly. "Th-thank you sir," she said. "P-please call me if something happens."

"Yes miss, of course," he said. "Hang in there."

She made a small 'yes' noise and hung up the phone. She stood there, hand on the receiver for several minutes, head bowed. Then she took a ragged breath. He was alive, that's all that mattered. And he was still breathing. He was going to pull through.

Straightening her dress, she headed for the guestroom. She met the maid halfway there.

"Mr. Lavi is in the lounge," she said, carrying the tray she had had with her earlier.

"Thank you," she said and turned, heading towards the lounge. When Lenalee entered, she saw Lavi sitting on a chair by the fire, reading a book. "Lavi?"

He looked up and smiled, closing the book as he sat up.

"How's Komui?" he asked her. She smiled weakly and sat down on the couch beside him.

"H-he's…stable, that's what the doctor said," she said. "So he's going to live."

He gave a sigh of relief. "That's great news!" he said, smiling happily. She nodded, sighing.

"I…need some time…alone," she said. She got up. "Just…for a bit."

She left the room. Lavi watched her; still smiling then opened his book and continued to read.

ooo

Lenalee pushed off and slid across the ice gracefully, continuing around in steady strokes. The ice was smooth, perfect, frozen. She skated across, then spun, landing.

A figure watched her silently, sitting in the lower branches of a nearby tree. One leg folded under him, the other hanging down, he watched with a slight yearning that he had never known before.

Lenalee continued to skate, until a voice interrupted her.

"You always did love to ice-skate," came Lavi's voice from the bank and she turned to see him standing there. He was inches from the ice.

"And you always feared coming onto it," she teased, skating nearer to him.

"I don't fear ice! I just…don't like it," he said.

"This reminds me how we met," commented Lenalee, skating close to him. He stared at her.

"How's that? I forget…" he said, but he was smiling.

"You'll have to come out here if you want to know," she said, skating backwards. He glared playfully at her.

"That's not very nice!" he said, but he took a step forward onto the ice.

"Just be careful," she said, skating in a large circle as Lavi made his way onto the ice.

He walked slowly onto the frozen water, wobbling on uneasy feet. Slowly, he made his way out nearer to the center. Then Lenalee came up behind him and pushed him lightly.

"Whoa!" Lavi let out a yell and his feet flew out from under him. He fell backwards and landed on his back on the ice. Lenalee came over to him, looking down at him, a hand covering her mouth.

"I'm sorry Lavi! I didn't think you would fall like that!" she said. She crouched down so that her arms were around her legs and she peered down at him.

He grinned up at her, winded. "Its…ok," he said in a hoarse voice, pushing himself up into a sitting position. "I'll…live."

"I'm sorry Lavi!" she repeated.

"Well, this deserves a story. You owe me," Lavi said, grinning. He still looked slightly winded. She smiled at him and slid sideways, sitting with her legs to one side.

"Ok, fine," she said.

The figure sitting in the tree shifted slightly, ever so slightly. He could hear the two on the ice talking quite clearly and settled against the trunk, his head bowed.