Disclaimer- I do not own D. Gray-Man or any of the characters from the series and will never claim them as my own.

Note: Chapters with 'Lavi' beside the number mean it's in Lavi's P.O.V.

That jerk only came with us to check out girls. The moment Lenalee and I stepped into a flower shop, he was in his own little world, going gaga over any pretty lady that dared to walk by him. We should have left him behind when we had the chance. It would have been less of a hassle than trying to find him every other minute. Which is exactly what we had to do every time we turned our backs.

"Stri-geck!"

A very confused Lavi stared back at me when I refused to let go of the collar of his shirt. I wasn't about to let him run off like that. After all, he did say he'd come with Lenalee and me, even if it was an excuse to go skirt chasing. And so, he was going to come along whether he really wanted to or not.

"Hospital's the other way." I said, pointed with my free hand.

Lavi looked back at the girl he'd had his eyes on before turning to me again. Defeated, he pulled my hand from his shirt and followed silently after. He was just going to flirt with the nurses once we got there, but it'd be easier to keep track of him. I was still trying to figure out how I thought someone like him was actually likeable. Before was just me being really confused because my sister was in the hospital and she was hurt and I had no idea what to do. Now that my head was actually clear, I knew I was just being stupid and using the red-headed fool as a sort of distraction to hold myself together.

"You should probably tell your friends that we're leaving in the morning." Lavi said suddenly. "It might be the last time you'll ever see them."

"How very cynical of you, Lavi." I replied.

He didn't respond. I couldn't deny that what he was saying might be true, though. I was going off to fight in a war that could very well kill me. Fighting against people could get you killed, but fighting against some freaky looking monster seemed like suicide. And it was all for a bunch of people I didn't really care about. I still don't know why I even agreed to this.

The trip to the hospital was brief. The area that had been damaged was closed off and we had to go through another entrance just to get inside. Monica was a sleep when we got to her room, so I asked one of the nurses to tell her I had stopped by when she woke up. I left the flowers and a card with her and then we left. I probably should have actually gone into the room to see my sister rather than just leave, but I had a feeling I wouldn't have wanted to even leave the country if I had.

On the way home, Lavi and Lenalee agreed to let me go tell Cathy and Vincent I would be leaving. As expected, Cathy got really upset and started crying. I had to keep telling myself that this was for the better and that leaving here would keep them safe. But I knew, somewhere in my heart, that it wouldn't matter where I went. They'd still be in danger no matter what I did. That is, unless we could get rid of the source of danger once and for all.

Before long, I was on my way back to the inn with the thought of my friends seeing me off in the morning still fresh in my mind. I'd never left the country before, let alone my own hometown. It made me excited and nervous at the same time. I really didn't know what to expect. Especially since I'd be on a train for the first time in my life, which was sort of terrifying.

"Are you alright, Miss Julia?" Lenalee asked.

"Yeah." I replied, waving her off. "I've just never been on a train before. Or even out of the country. I'm kind of nervous."

"Oh!" She replied, seeming somewhat surprised. "Don't worry. It's really not that bad."

"I'll take your word for it." I laughed. "Hope you aren't lying to me."

Lavi's silence bothered me somewhat as I looked over at the tall red-head. He'd shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked, but he didn't really look all that upset. And I found myself wondering why it even mattered if he was upset or not. It's not like he was my friend or anything.

"You should probably just forget about your friends." He said suddenly.

"Lavi!" Lenalee snapped.

"What?" Lavi growled. "It's not like she'll see them again after tomorrow! They'll eventually forget about her, anyway!"

"You don't even know them!" I hissed, cutting Lenalee off before she even got a chance to respond. "The three of us have been friends since we were children. What makes you, an outsider who knows nothing about these people, think they would just forget about me that easily?!"

There was no response. Lavi stormed off ahead of Lenalee and I and it was a good thing, too. Any longer and I would have hit him so hard that he wouldn't even remember who he was. How dare he act like that! That little bastard!

I wanted to scream a string of curses, but I'd already caused enough of a scene outdoors and didn't want to upset the crowd anymore than I already had. With a stamp of my foot and a huff of my breath, I made my way home, Lenalee right behind me. I wasn't going to let him get away with insulting my friends like that. I was going to make his life hell every chance I got until he came begging on his knees for me to stop. And what a wonderful day that would be.

The rest of that evening had been pretty quiet and I spent some time after dinner to pack my stuff so that I could leave in the morning. I didn't have to worry about the inn because it was in great hands until Monica was released from the hospital. It was a little upsetting that I wouldn't be here when she returned, but this is what she wanted me to do. I thought about all of these things as I slowly drifted off to sleep. When I woke up in the morning, I was going to have the adventure of a lifetime and I'd be just like the heroes in those silly little fairytales we used to be told.

And what silly heroes those people were…

Morning came quicker than I'd expected and I was woken up by the sound of knocking on my bedroom door. I rolled over to see Lenalee standing there with a smile on her face. I hoped she wasn't expecting me to leave without at least one cup of coffee. I'd end up falling asleep while walking if she did.

"Coffee…" I moaned, slowly making myself sit up. "You'll have to let me have a cup before we go anywhere."

"I made some earlier while you were still asleep." She said, her smile never fading.

"Oh! Thank you."

She nodded before leaving the room. I hadn't expected that, but she really was a very nice girl. So maybe I should have expected it. I yawned before finally slipping on the clothes I'd left out the night before. I quickly made my bed and took one last look around my room before grabbing my bag and leaving it for what I guessed might be the last time.

I didn't really know if I would ever be coming home after this. I know I'd had this thought many, many times already, but it was honestly the first times it actually stuck to me.

I might not ever come home.

I laughed the thought off and headed down for that one cup of coffee I really needed. I took the time to take in my surroundings, probably in more detail than I had in my entire life. There were shelves with my mother's knick-knacks and then there was that old bookcase my father had made when Monica and I were younger. The only books in it were ones that I'd never bothered picking up. I knew none of them contained information that would be of any use to me.

My eyes caught on a portrait hanging from the wall in our living room, which also doubled as the front "lobby". I'd avoided looking at it in so long for reasons unknown. It was the only portrait that was ever painted of our family and it was done when I was still a baby. My mom and dad were dressed nicely, side-by-side, as my mother held me in her arms. Monica was placed just in off to the side in front of my father, his hand on her shoulder.

Just seeing that painting there, and actually noticing it, made me drop my bag. It had just been Monica and me for the longest time, living our lives happily as we could. And, just like my parents before me, I was about to disappear from my older sister's life. Whether I would ever return or not was completely unknown. Maybe vanishing was just the way of this family.

"Miss Julia?"

I looked down to see Allen picking up my bag, the concern showing in his face. I smiled at him before taking my bag back and setting if in one of the armchairs. I'd come back and get it in a minute, after I'd woken myself up a little more. But, of course, on my way into the kitchen was no different than from coming down the stairs. I allowed my eyes to wander of every last inch of everything I saw, wanting to memorize each and every tiny detail as if my life depended on it.

I felt like I was acting like this was my very last day alive and that I wanted to go with memories of what was this "happy" life of mine. It could very well be my last day if I did something stupid. But, in my mind, what I was doing qualified as the stupidest thing any living being could possibly do. And I was only doing it because Monica said so. I would do anything Monica said, wouldn't I?

The thought made me laugh to myself as I poured a cup of coffee. Maybe all this was for the best. My sister didn't make decisions that she knew would do more harm than good, so surely there was something for me to get out of all of this. Whatever it was, I wasn't following along with it very well. If I didn't know any better, I'd just say she was sending me to my death because she wanted to get rid of me, but that wasn't how she worked.

And, before long, I'd already gone through two cups of coffee and was awake enough to function. Now it really was time to go and I had one last chance to look around this tiny little inn, the place I called home, before going out the front door for, quite possibly, the very last time. What a stupid reoccurring thought that was! "The very last time" was such a stupid thing to say. And it was all that damned Lavi's fault for putting those words into my head.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Allen asked as I locked the door behind me.

"No." I replied. "But I don't think there will ever be a time when I can honestly say that I am ready to leave home."

He nodded and the walk to the train station began. It really wasn't super far from my house, but it was far enough that I could take one last look at several of the shops and other homes in the area as we made our way there. I noticed things I don't think I'd ever noticed before, like how the sign hanging over the shoe shop was crooked or like how nice the bread from the bakery smelled when you walked by. But those were just silly things to notice. They would be nice things to remember, though.

I was moments from stepping onto the train when a familiar blonde came crashing through a crowd of people hollering my name as loud as she could. In her hands was a small cage with what appeared to be a fluffy animal. When she got to me, she was gasping for air and shoving the cage into my arms. I nearly dropped my bag as I tried to keep the cage from falling. When I actually got a look at the animal, I realized it was that rabbit Cathy had tried giving me some time ago.

I looked up at her, surprised that it was still alive and surprised even more by the fact that she had run all the way here just to give it to me. I was at a loss for words and could only smile at her. I didn't really think taking the rabbit with me would be a really good idea, though. There was no telling what could happen to it and I would hate to see such a cute animal in danger. Again.

"Please take her with you." Cathy pleaded. "So you don't forget us."

"I-I won't forget you guys." I replied in shock. "Ever!"

I felt a tug on my sleeve and looked to see Allen trying to get me on the train. It was about to leave and he don't need me getting left behind. I took one last look at the little blonde girl before getting on the train, new companion and all. My last day in my beloved hometown and I was taking a rabbit with me to who knows where. This certainly was going to be an adventure.

"I'll miss you!" I heard Cathy scream as the train started moving. She ran with the train as far as she could until it pulled out of the station. I could still see her waving as we got farther and farther away and I almost wanted to turn back, to be able to go back and stay there with her, but this is what I chose to do. Going with these people is what I said I'd do. For Monica.

A/N: And we're at the end of yet another chapter. One in which we get no interaction with Kanda. I apologize for that, but I'm afraid to write for him as he'd be the one character I would have problems with. Maybe later on I'll try and add him in or something. Anyway, hope you've enjoyed reading so far and I'm sorry for the long wait for an update.