Just a short epilogue to wrap up the story of Alma and Yuu. How about listening to "Explorers" from Muse while reading?
Epilogue
Lavi fingered the black beads on his wrist. It was against the Bookman code to keep anything personal, but this one bracelet he would make the exception for. The same as he would make the exception for remembering his friends, those particular, special friends who had saved his life years ago. They were gone now, for years, and Lavi could only come to visit the place where they had lived as often as his job would let him, which wasn't perhaps as often as he could wish for. In fact, it was the second time he managed to come after that time.
The house still stood by the cliffs that even Lavi came to call, in his head, by the name Alma gave them: the Cliffs of Gallifrey. As he approached he inevitably thought back to that year when he arrived on the 6th of June, late by two days compared to his plans, smiling at the thought of meeting Alma and Yuu, excited to see their reactions to the gifts he brought. The gifts he never gave them. If only he hadn't been late, he thought, before shaking his head. Considering wasted chances wasn't in his nature and even less in his job description, and even the pain of what had transpired wasn't going to change it.
Besides, he wasn't really sure he wanted to witness his best friend's last hours. It was bad enough to arrive and find Alma kneeling next to the bed, holding Kanda's hand and crying. Lavi didn't need explanations and the gifts he brought were forgotten as he rushed over to the bed, despite everything checking Kanda's pulse and finding none. He still remembered the sickening pain that erupted in his chest then and he nearly forgot Alma was still there, his diary discarded next to him on the floor. Only a soft sob made him remember the living Second and Lavi dropped to his knees next to the weeping man.
Alma died soon after Lavi arrived. He rushed to explain everything, once he noticed Lavi was there, and Lavi hushed him and held him close. How long they stayed there, sitting on the floor, Lavi had no idea. Enough for Alma to calm down and thank Lavi for coming, enough for Lavi to tell him about his latest mission in the neighbouring country, enough for Alma to peacefully fade away. And for the first time in his life, Lavi was genuinely grateful for the Bookman training. He wasn't sure he would have been able to dig their grave otherwise.
Lavi shook his head, clearing the memories as he neared the grave. He didn't need to remember how he carried the fragile bodies to the hole in the ground or how he cried reading Alma's last diary entry. Of course they were happy, but why did they have to leave? He shook his head again, pursing his lips as he focused on the inscription he had carved himself. At least the Black Order didn't find this place, he thought.
Back then he took all precautions, burning everything that belonged to Alma and Yuu, except for the diary, which he took with him. He wasn't sure why he didn't burn it together with the book of sketches. It wasn't like he was going to record that part of their lives here in History, lest one day somebody finds out. Oh no, he was taking that secret to his grave and, as far as History, Black Order and the world were concerned, Alma and Yuu died in Mater. He knew the Crows looked for their cores there and returned empty-handed, much to Lvellie's annoyance. The man should have known that if Allen let it slip where he had sent Kanda it meant that Kanda was long gone from there.
With the corner of his eye, Lavi saw the lightning reflected in the water and he turned to look at the Ark door with mixed feelings. Did they follow him here? He wasn't an Exorcist anymore, he hadn't been since the Noah had crushed his Innocence back then, and his mission with the Order has finished then. However, he found it difficult to just disappear and thus kept some contact. If it led the Order to Alma's and Yuu's resting place he would never forgive himself.
He sighed with relief when only Allen Walker emerged from the gate and watched how the smile evaporated from the pale face when the newcomer took in the scene. He felt a small, sad smile stretch his lips at the reaction and waited as the white-haired man neared. He had changed, he had grown up, Lavi thought, wondering when he had last seen Allen. Before Alma and Yuu died, he figured, or he would have told him.
'Am I late then?' Allen asked, his voice quiet. Lavi nodded, pursing his lips. 'I promised I would come and tell them when the war was won,' he muttered, glancing at the grave behind the redhead, his expression unreadable. 'When?' he asked.
'Two years ago,' Lavi replied without much hesitation. Unlike Alma and Yuu he wasn't able to live his life without counting the days. 'Tomorrow it will be exactly two years since Alma died, Yuu- I think he died a bit less than two years and a day ago,' he added. Allen shot him a long, careful look and nodded, before asking whether Lavi had been there. 'Only for Alma,' he said tonelessly. He looked away as Allen stopped next to him, looking at the grave.
'Well,' Allen muttered reluctantly. 'We won,' he stated dully. It sounded strangely dispirited. Tears welled in Lavi's eye and he blinked rapidly to dispel them. Bookmen didn't cry. And Lavi had already cried enough for Yuu and Alma. 'I was expecting some mocking remark here, BaKanda, something along the lines of: what took you so long, stupid beansprout? But I guess,' Allen trailed off. Lavi heard him swallow. 'I guess it took me too long.'
They stood in silence for a long while.
'You didn't even put their names,' Allen noted finally, his quiet voice barely audible over the rustling of the leaves in the nearby forest. Lavi looked at him, surprised to see tears trailing down his cheeks. It took a moment to understand the words. He nodded.
'They didn't want to be found. I didn't want, should the Order stumble upon this place by accident, to give away who was buried here. Just in case,' he said simply. In case there was anything they could use to bring them back, he thought but didn't say out loud. Allen nodded and said that he could do it now, because the Order was over. The war was over and the Noah were all killed, although with many sacrifices. 'Did you-' Lavi started and Allen shook his head.
'Nobody knows. I wanted to tell Marie at least, especially after Tiedoll died, but I was afraid somebody would hear and the Central was more than desperate for Exorcists,' Allen admitted with a tired sigh. 'Also Marie and Lenalee believed Kanda found his peace,' he added, a faint echo of hope in his voice.
'He had,' Lavi assured him. 'They had,' he amended firmly. He gave Allen the diary to read, so that he could find out for himself, while he carved the two names above the inscription. They left the diary in the bedroom and Allen gave Lavi a lift in the Ark. Next time, Lavi met Allen when the latter was planting tropaeolum between the tulips, saying that he read it was the symbol of victory and Kanda would probably know. Lavi wanted to laugh, but he had earlier planted the snowdrops, the symbol of hope, on the grave, so he said nothing. And neither of them said anything about the forget-me-nots that sprang up from the ground the following year.