Heya guys ~ ! *grins* It has been far too long since I updated this =_= But, luckily, my exams (except for one more at the end of this month) are finished *heart* So I can now write and update, yeay! XD Thank you so much to everyone who's supported me during my 2 months hiatus, and enjoy the chapter everyone :'3
NOTE: I really want an image header for this fic, but I have the drawing/editing talent of a fish ^^" So, to you artists out there: contact me if you want to make me one? Please? With cherries on top? I'll write you something (maybe some *cough* Laven smut *cough cough*) :L
Thank you to Stavarn100, MidnightAbyssx02, Ookamikyo, storyandstories, Kimura Yumi, and XenoKosMos for reviewing/favouriting/subscribing. And thank you to MidnightAbyssx02 for help with my Chinese ~ :'3
Also, I advise rereading the first few chappies - I've made a few changes :') I haven't edited chapter 4 onwards, so dw about the ones after that XD haha
AND ~~~ 100th reviewer gets a oneshot ;')
And I lost your fic, Stavarn100 - I'll rewrite it at some point ;_;
[DISCLAIMER]: I, unfortunately, do not own D Gray Man or any of the characters that Katsura Hoshino-san has created.
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Do what you, what you want
'Til you find what you're looking for.
Got to remember who you really are.
But every hour slipping by screams that I have failed you.
Hello, hello, remember me? I'm everything you can't control.
Somewhere beyond the pain there must be a way to believe.
Evanescence - What You Want
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Chapter 10 - Between The Lines
"Where have you been ? !"
"Well, you see..."
"We got a bit lost."
"Or rather Allen-chan got us a bit lost."
"I didn't get us lost! It's all Lavi's fault!"
"My fault ? ! How was I supposed to see that dead end when it was miles away, stupid beansprout!"
"The name's Allen!"
"Though you really shouldn't have squished those peasants, baka usagi-chan..."
"They shoulda moved! We weren't hard to miss!"
"It's your fault, Bookman Junior. Get over it."
"No-one asked your opinion, Two Spot!"
"Oh? And who was the one who spent hours off somewhere and left us waiting until dark to leave?"
"ENOUGH!"
Everyone flinched as Bookman shouted, backing away as the old man's eyes glittered with anger.
"I do not want to hear these feeble excuses!" he snapped, glaring at everyone, (though at Lavi especially). "You should have been back hours ago. Now get inside!"
And with that Bookman left them standing just outside of the doors of Bookman Headquarters, the old man grumbling venomously as he stomped inside. Lavi and Allen both sighed.
"Let's just get inside," Lavi murmured, placing his Innocence back in its holster. "Before Gramps decides to skin us alive..."
So, exhausted from their 'exciting' journey back to HQ, the four of them trudged inside and headed down the long corridor that led to the lift. None of them spoke along the way, though Allen, Link and Medic were all still burning with curiosity over where Lavi had gone. Lavi himself felt rather content as he led the others deeper inside the building. Unlike that morning, where the memories of his past burned within him like a fire gone out of control, Lavi felt nothing but peace.
For he wasn't the monster that he and everyone else believed him to be.
"You're out mighty late, Bookman," the lift operator murmured as they reached the lift. His eyes narrowed and grew suspicious when he noticed the others standing behind Bookman. "Where have you been?"
"It is none of your concern," Bookman replied harshly. The lift operator fell silent. Wordlessly, the man stood aside and let the five of them enter the lift.
"Where to?"
"Dormitory Level."
With a clang the gates shut and the lift moved downwards, the chains holding it up clinking as it dropped slowly. The passengers were silent as the lift moved, but said silence wasn't awkward or overpowering; all of them were lost in their own thoughts.
"Here you go," the lift operator murmured, bowing his head respectively. Bookman simply nodded in reply. The five of them quietly got off of the lift, leaving its operator to go back upwards on his own.
The Dormitory Level was deserted; not a single person could be seen in the corridor. The sound of Medic sighing echoed loudly.
"I've gotta go drop these off and head to my room," Medic said with a yawn, re-adjusting her hold on the bag in her hands with a quiet rustle of paper. "Oyasuminasai Bookman, Link, Allen-chan, baka usagi-chan."
"'Night féijíchǎng!" Lavi said cheerfully, giving the brunette woman his trademark grin. "Don't let the bed bugs bite!"
Laughing in amusement and giving the others a little wave, Medic walked away and headed up the stairs to the infirmary. Once she left, Bookman opened the door to the room the four of them were going to be sharing, and let the others inside before shutting the door behind them.
Without saying a word the old man walked up to the bed furthest away from the door, sat down on it, and took out his beloved pipe. Link picked the bed closest to the door and gave Lavi and Allen a glare before slumping down on it and lying down. Being left with the two center beds, the two teens gave each other a smile and a quick murmur of 'good night' before lying down and preparing for sleep's calming slumber.
Before long, the two teenagers were asleep. Link stayed up for a while, watching the both of them like an eagle would watch its prey, but eventually got into bed and went to sleep – dealing with the two teenage Exorcists had taken a lot out of him. Bookman, however, did not sleep – he had noticed the different air around his apprentice, and also noticed that Lavi was holding onto something inside of his jacket. And the hoops that Bookman had allowed the red head to buy a few years back were replaced by tiny studs that Bookman did not recognise.
The old man was suspicious.
As time passed, and Bookman continued to ponder and frown at his sleeping apprentice, he noticed the red head stirring in his sleep, his features contorting into a frown. Lavi rolled onto one side, then the other, making small noises of fear and what Bookman could distinguish as "I'm sorry", said so quietly that the old man had to strain his ears to hear it. After a few more minutes, Lavi stopped moving and sighed, single eye opening to reveal a green iris filled with pain.
Bookman frowned at the emotion shown in his apprentice's features – from the pain in his eye, to the way he clutched at the front of his jacket with small pants, to the way the red head was just about stopping himself from crying. And as the red head turned to face Allen, Bookman started to realise that Lavi had been 'Lavi' for far too long.
When the old man knew that the red head was definitely asleep, he got up and left the room silently. Heading down the deserted corridors of the Dormitory floor, Bookman tried not to think of the consequences of moving on, and his own curiosity about the poems, and how heartbroken his apprentice would be to move on and lose his current persona – nonetheless, they had been at the Order for too long.
Using the stairs instead of the lift, Bookman headed down to the library, quietly lit a candle and sat down in a plush armchair. Lighting his pipe for the second time that evening, the old man took a deep breath in of nicotine-filled smoke and let out the smoke in a perfect ring. After a few more puffs from his pipe, Bookman got up and walked towards the back of the library, taking a candle with him to light his way. As the minutes passed, he eventually reached the oldest part of the library, where the most ancient of texts were kept. Eventually, Bookman stopped and placed the candle on a shelf near his head.
With deft fingers, the old man perused through the volumes before him, murmuring their titles as he pushed the tomes away. Then, when he had almost reached the end of the shelf, Bookman found what he was looking for.
Picking up the heavy book, coughing a little at the dust that was expelled into the air as he pulled it off the shelf, Bookman made his way back to the seating area of the library. When he reached his chosen desk and chair, he sat down with the book and flicked through the pages until he found what he was looking for.
Erasure of long-term personalities.
Some things had to be done.
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Blinking sleepily and wondering where Bookman had gone, Lavi lay in his bed and resisted the urge to wake Allen up. He should have expected that his sleep would not go undisturbed that night, considering the events of the day, but he had been so tired after their eventful journey back from town that he hadn't even worried about what sleep would bring.
Have you forgotten me?
It hadn't been a nightmare. It wasn't frightening enough, or horrible enough to be considered one. But it had not been a pleasant dream – it left Lavi feeling cold and empty inside, making him clutch the photo of him and his mother in his jacket pocket.
Why didn't you stay with me?
It had been years since Lavi had dreamt of his mother. When he was younger, he dreamt of her often. His dreams had always been of pleasant memories, his mind shutting out the horrible events that parted him from his family. As Lavi got older, his dreams became more horrible and violent – he began to remember more clearly, though he tried to hide this from Bookman. The old man had probably heard his screams in the night; it would have been impossible not to be woken by them. It was probably the reason why Bookman kept changing his personas on a regular basis as he got older.
Erasing personalities was a great distraction to Lavi's psyche, after all.
As this came to mind, Lavi shuddered. He had always hated having his personas erased. The persona never went willingly, and it often took Bookman an entire day or more of near constant wrestling with his mind to make the persona break free.
And then Bookman had to deal with Lavi's true selves afterwards.
At first Bookman refused to tell Lavi why he woke up restrained after having his persona erased. The red head never remembered the events that occurred, only the feeling of being exhausted and utterly drained. But, as Lavi became more aware of his state of mind, he realised that his true selves were just as unwilling to be forced out of control as his personas.
Shifting so that he was lying on his side, Lavi sighed and turned to stare at the sleeping form of Allen in the nearby bed. The white haired teen had a very peaceful expression, lids moving slightly as he dreamt, his lips slightly parted as he breathed in and out slowly and deeply. The sight of Allen looking so calm made Lavi smile. Almost unconsciously, the red head reached out and stroked the side of Allen's face, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear and chuckling quietly as Allen moved slightly in his sleep.
Then, glancing at the prone form of Link in the next bed, and knowing that he could easily roll onto the floor if Bookman came back, Lavi got out of bed and clambered carefully into Allen's. Gently lying beside the white haired teen, Lavi sighed and buried his face in the crook of Allen's shoulder, breathing in the boy's almost sweet-smelling scent. Before the red head realised it, his eye started to droop and he fell soundly asleep, one arm wrapped loosely around Allen's waist and the other propped underneath his head.
The night passed undisturbed.
The next morning dawned and Link woke up at 5am sharp, as he did every morning, sitting up and stretching. Glancing to his right, Link froze as he spotted Lavi's empty bed and the familiar tufts of red hair visible at Allen's shoulder. The blonde scowled and stomped up to the pair of them, who were still deeply asleep.
Then, taking a deep breath, Link snuck up right beside them.
"WAKE UP!"
With a yelp, Lavi shot upwards and fell off of the bed, single green eye wide with surprise. Allen sat up sharply and gazed around with bleary wide eyes, blinking repeatedly and wondering what the hell had just happened.
"What on Earth do you think you're doing ? !" Link snapped, glaring at the two of them and crossing his arms. "If you do not provide a solid explanation as to why I caught you in… such a fashion…"
Allen carried on blinking, looking more and more confused as he looked between the furious Link and the still sleepy and utterly bewildered Lavi sitting on the floor.
"… Huh?"
"What do you mean, 'huh'?"
"Exactly that. … Huh?"
"Stop saying 'huh' ? !"
"But I don't understand what you're talking about!"
"Same here, Two Spot."
"I AM NOT TWO SPOT!"
The blonde CROW was beginning to go red in the face, eyes narrowed and his mouth a thin line as he struggled to keep his anger in check. Just as Link prepared to give both Exorcists one hell of a lecture, that was sure to give them headaches to last a lifetime, Bookman opened the door to the bedroom and stood in the doorway with his usual apathetic countenance.
"What is all this racket about?" Bookman demanded, narrowing his eyes at the fuming CROW and the two bewildered teens sitting in front of him.
"I caught your -"
"MORNNIIIIINNNNGGGG ~ !"
Everyone jumped as Medic suddenly burst into the room, knocking Bookman over and sending him flying into Link. The brunette smiled sheepishly and helped the old man up.
"Gomen nasai, Bookman," Medic apologised, bowing her head respectfully.
"It's fine..." Bookman muttered. "May I ask what you are doing here?"
"Oh! I wanted to get Allen-chan to help me upstairs after breakfast," Medic replied, smiling. Allen blinked then gave an affirmative nod and returned the smile.
"Then you can help me with these poems then, brat," Bookman said, kicking Lavi in the head for good measure before leaving the room. Lavi pouted and scowled.
"Bloody lǎo toúzi..."
Dragging Allen with him, muttering and rubbing his face as he went (and missing the dark look that Link gave him as he left), Lavi headed to the Cafeteria. The corridors were busy and full of people, and the two Exorcists had a hard time making it to the stairs. Allen wondered why they weren't using the lift, but he had noticed that people were still glaring at Lavi and he guessed that his friend didn't want anymore contact with the members of the Bookman Clan than necessary.
Heading up a few flights of stairs, Lavi and Allen soon came to the Cafeteria. It was packed with people, and the pair of them knew it would be a while before they would be able to sit down and eat.
Allen's stomach grumbled loudly in protest.
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"Innocence Activate!"
Swiping two fingers along the length of the ruby-coloured blade, Kanda entered into a battle stance. Before him, an array of wooden training dummies stood. Standing on the sidelines, the Science Department, Komui and Lvellie stood and prepared to take notes. They had done the same for Lenalee after her Innocence evolved.
Now it was Kanda's turn.
"You may begin," Lvellie called, eyes narrowed. Kanda scowled and gripped his anti-Akuma weapon tighter.
Leaping forwards, Kanda darted and dodged around the dummies, slicing at them with Mugen quicker than the eye could follow. Soon, piles of wood littered the ground. Komui noticed, writing on a piece of paper in his spidery handwriting as Kanda fought, that Kanda's Innocence seemed almost flexible and fluid-like, not retaining solidity. Mugen seemed to flow as he attacked, swerving towards his target before he even reached it. It definately proved that Kanda's Innocence followed his mind opposed to simply being a weapon that Kanda wielded and controlled consciously.
Suddenly, a secret dummy that Komui had prepared dropped from the ceiling and landed right beside Kanda, a mock weapon directed straight at the teen's head. Almost simultaneously, Kanda cut the dummy in half. Even he seemed surprised by his own reaction time.
"Excellent," Lvellie purred, eyes glinting excitedly. "His Innocence reacts quicker than he does."
"Indeed," Komui replied, voice quiet. Kanda had demolished all of the dummies, and looked decidely pissed at continuing to be watched like a sort of test subject.
"Need more?" he asked bluntly, scowling at the group observing him. Komui shook his head.
"That's fine. Thank you, Kanda."
Sheathing his Innocence, Kanda walked towards the exit. The air outside of the Training Hall was pleasantly cool, and the raven haired Exorcist made his way slowly through the corridors of the Black Order, feeling ill at ease. He hated being the focus of everyone's attention, with them all poking and prodding him for more information on his Innocence. It pissed him off, to say the least.
I'm fighting of my own volition now.
Was that really true? Did Kanda really want to fight for the Order of his own accord? As this came to mind, the raven haired teen snorted with amusement and shook his head slightly as he continued to walk. No. Kanda did not want to fight for the Black Order. They meant nothing to him, and they only cared for his ability to fight.
That didn't bother Kanda in the slightest.
But, as he made his way to the Dorms, Kanda knew that he fought for something; for the woman he had yet to find, and his comrades. His 'nakama'. Albeit he despised quite a few of them, namely two particular Exorcists, the reason his Innocence evolved was because of Lenalee.
This didn't sit well with Kanda, and he scowled as he reached his room and opened the door before him.
Comrades could die. They were fighting in a war, and most don't survive them. Using his comrades as motivation would only lead to failure if they all died. So, entering his room, closing the door behind him, and sitting down on his rarely used bed, Kanda decided he wouldn't rely on his 'nakama'.
Kanda would rely on himself, like he had always done. Because, ultimately, he could only trust himself.
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The Library of the Bookmen was quiet, the silence punctuated solely by the sounds of soft breathing, a few people talking quietly amongst themselves, and quills scratching against parchment. Diligently reading and studying the words before them, master and apprentice tried to unravel what was being hidden from them.
"The numbers must mean something," Bookman murmured, looking for the umpteenth time at the coded first poem. Lavi nodded, rubbing his eye tiredly.
"I still think there could be a sequence between the numbers; a sort of pattern that we're missing."
"But you clarified that there is no connection between them."
"I don't know! We're obviously missing something!"
"That much is obvious, brat!"
"Wàngbāgāozi!"
"Rǔ xiù wèi gān!"
Both Bookman and Lavi sighed, feeling tetchy after an hour of no progress. They had gone through such things before, and solved them eventually. But it was still very frustrating, and the progress that was made hour by hour was slow indeed. The longest it had taken the two of them to decode something was 1 month.
Neither wished for that to happen again.
Lavi rested his head in his hands, staring at the parchment before him with his single eye narrowed in thought. The numbers were not meant to make it harder for the reader to decode the poem, but to give the reader something else; what this something was, Lavi didn't know. All he had gathered from Bookman was that the three locations they had visited thus far, and what year they had been built or became historically important, was connected in some way to the poem.
"In a way I wish we were still in the Order," Bookman muttered, leaning back in his chair. Lavi cocked his head and frowned.
"Why?" he asked. "Didn't we come here mainly to decode the poems?"
"Idiot!" Bookman snapped, whacking Lavi atop the head. "We came here to check in with the Clan, as you well know. And you certainly made a good impression to them all, didn't you."
"He still deserved it," Lavi said quietly, green eye flashing with anger. "That lǎo bù sǐde was trying to rile me."
"And you fell for it like a fool."
Bookman's reply made Lavi fall silent. The red head rubbed his head, eye narrowed. After a few minutes of silence, Lavi turned towards his master.
"So… why do you want to be in the Order right now?" he asked, tone curious. Bookman snorted and stroked his hair idly as he looked to one side, gazing thoughtfully out a nearby window.
"There might be something on the original documents that I have not copied," the old man answered. "We might just be wasting our time trying to analyse these copies of the poems."
"But, if we had the originals…" Lavi murmured, looking thoughtful. Bookman nodded.
"We could make more progress than we are currently."
For a while both members of the Bookman Clan were silent, lost in their own thoughts. Then, as they sat in quiet thought, Lavi realised something.
His eye.
Looking at the copies, eye narrowed, Lavi knew that it would take them quite a while to figure out what the poems were trying to tell them. But, if they had the originals, and if Lavi used his right eye to trace the poems' history…
"Ne, Gramps…"
Bookman turned towards his apprentice.
"Yes, brat?"
"Could we use Allen to make a Gate back to the Order?"
"… What are you thinking?"
Though Lavi was good, much better than most, at analysing people and their body language, Bookman was much much better than his apprentice; he could easily tell that Lavi had an idea.
For a minute or two the red head was silent, looking slightly conflicted. Then, with a determined glint in his single eye, he looked up and met the eyes of his master.
"If I used my right eye on the originals, we would be able to find out who wrote the poems in the first place, right?"
Bookman's eyes widened.
"You…"
Lavi had forbidden himself from using his right eye many years prior, despite Bookman continuously asking him to use it when things became difficult. Bookman had always thought that his red headed apprentice was afraid of the power his eye held, and the boy had refused to ever let Bookman see what was under his eye patch. Then, two or so years before joining the Black Order, Lavi admitted to him one night, whilst travelling under the starlit skies somewhere in Eastern Europe, that his eye had led to the deaths of his family.
He blamed himself for it, and refused to use the gift, or curse, that he had been given because it had ripped his whole life apart.
Bookman, of course, scolded the boy and told him that Bookmen had no home, no name, and no past; unbiased observers of history, standing on the side-lines of time. To blame himself for something that he shouldn't even remember or deem important went against Bookman code. And the gift of perfect hindsight was one that Lavi would be stupid not to use.
Bookman dropped the subject, however, when one of Lavi's true selves came to the fore and promptly threatened him with a knife.
So, now, to hear his apprentice suggest using his eye so casually, as if he didn't mind using it at all, sent alarm bells ringing within Bookman's mind. What had happened to Lavi to drastically change his opinion on his ability?
"There's a lot that you're hiding from me, Lavi…" Bookman muttered, eyes narrowed.
"I know…" came the quiet response from his apprentice.
The red head looked a little nervous, almost a little scared too. But there was a determination in the red head's eye, and a challenging nature to his countenance as he sat and looked directly at Bookman.
"Well…" Bookman began after a while, looking away and rolling the copies of the poems up as he talked. "This is not the first time that you have kept secrets from me."
"Yes," Lavi confirmed, looking a little guilty now as he looked down at his gloved hands.
"And I have let you keep a few, even if they got you in trouble later."
Lavi flinched. He knew what Bookman was referring to, and also what he could be referring to as well; the image of Allen came to mind, and the red head swallowed uneasily, avoiding eye contact with his master.
"Yes."
"I shall not ask what has changed you so."
As Bookman said this, Lavi let out a breath that he hadn't realised he had been holding. But he wasn't stupid – he knew what was coming.
"But heed me, brat – when it comes out in the open, do not expect me to go easy on you."
And, with that, the old man stood up and walked away, taking the poems with him. For a while, Lavi simply sat and looked at his hands, eye closed. Then, sighing, the red headed Exorcist stood up and headed out of the library.
This wasn't the first time that he had hidden things from Bookman, nor would it be the last. And he knew that eventually the old man would find out about his visit to his old home, and about Allen. But everyone had things that they needed to hide; things that they just couldn't reveal to certain people, no matter what consequences would arise from doing so.
Lavi was only human, after all.
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"All done!"
With a relieved sigh, Medic and Allen sat back and slumped against the wall behind them. The infirmary was now completely spotless, and was more organised than Medic had seen it in years.
"Thanks for the help, Allen-chan!" Medic cried, hugging the white haired teen beside her, despite his protests at the contact. When she let go, Allen gave her a strained smile.
"Shall we go and eat some lunch?" Medic asked, grinning. Allen perked up instantly, and nodded eagerly; his stomach had been growling for quite a while, and the thought of food (and maybe seeing Lavi as well) was very comforting.
"Let's go!"
Heading out of the room, with Medic locking it behind them, the two of them took the lift downstairs until they reached the floor that the Cafeteria was on. The corridors were again teeming with people, and both Medic and Allen found it quite difficult to navigate their way through the throngs of Clan members. Eventually they entered the large hall, and joined the queue for food.
It took a very long time, but eventually they could order their food, with Medic gawping at the unbelievable amount of things that Allen asked for. They then tried to find a table to sit at, and found Lavi sitting alone at a table nearby, eating from a plate of pasta slowly with a morose expression. Almost instantly, Allen headed towards him and sat beside him, smiling.
"Hey."
The red head looked up, and gave Allen a warm smile.
"Hey. Medic didn't work you too hard, ne Allen?"
"No, it wasn't that difficult. Are you okay?"
At this, Lavi gave a forced smile and looked a little awkward.
"Gramps… isn't happy with me…" the red head replied, pushing the remains of his meal around his plate with his fork.
"Is he ever happy with you?" Allen questioned, raising an eyebrow. Lavi laughed.
"Yeah, I guess that's true," he replied in amusement, grinning. "Nah, I've pissed him off quite a bit this time. It's no biggie though."
"Hmm, if you say so," Allen said, shaking his head slightly.
Just then, a cook announced that Allen and Medic's food was ready, so the pair of them collected their food (Allen needed a trolley). Soon, the three of them were eating and chatting, Lavi's worries fading by the second.
When they had finished, piles and piles of plates littering the table, so much so that everyone nearby was eyeing Allen's towers of used utensils fearfully, they left the Cafeteria and headed down the now peaceful corridors.
"So, what now?" Medic asked, turning towards Lavi. "Are you and Bookman going to keep trying to unravel the poems?"
"Well we kinda need to see the originals, but they're back at the Order," Lavi explained. "Could you make us a Gate there, Allen?"
"If Link will allow it," Allen answered after a while, looking thoughtful. "We can go ask him."
"What's an Ark Gate?" Medic asked, frowning. Lavi turned to face the brunette and grinned mischeviously.
"You'll find out, hopefully."
So, heading down to the Dormitories, they eventually found their room and entered it. Lying on the bed nearest to the door was Link; the blonde was fiddling with his plaited hair with a bored, and slightly pissed, expression, brown eyes subdued-looking.
"Oh ~ ! What's this?" Lavi asked, grinning widely. "The ever-vigilant Link, slacking on the jo-"
A well-aimed kick to the nether regions sent Lavi doubled over on the floor, both Allen and Medic blinking in surprise at Link's lack of reserve.
"Hey, Allen needs those parts intact!" Medic stated, squatting and patting Lavi on the shoulder (who was whimpering quietly). "You might have killed their sex life altogether now!"
"WHAT?"
Allen turned to face Medic indignantly, a bright red flush decorating his cheeks, eyes wide. Link blinked, trying not to appear embarrassed yet starting to feel suspicious at the same time.
"What on Earth are you talking about?" the blonde demanded, narrowing his eyes at Allen's flustered countenance. He stepped forward, placing his hands on his hips as neither Allen nor Medic responded. Then -
"Ne Two Spot... you're kinda treading on my head."
Link jumped a little, looking downwards and realising that he had been standing on Lavi, who was blinking away tears of pain with a childish pout. Stepping backwards, Link sat down on the edge of the bed. Lavi got up.
"Right, now that we've made me sterile and braindead," Lavi said cheerfully, brushing himself down. "Can Allen make an Ark Gate to the Order? Me and Gramps need to see the original poems."
Link blinked. Then, after a while, he sighed and looked at the two Exorcists carefully.
"Fine. But we must visit Inspector Lvellie before we return here."
Both Allen and Lavi's faces fell, but they nodded nonetheless. At that moment, Bookman entered the room.
"We have permission to leave," the old man stated, eyeing the group with an apathetic gaze. "We should leave now."
"Understood," Allen answered, nodding. "Where are we departing?"
"There is an unused training hall on the floor below," Bookman said. "Will that suffice?"
Allen nodded.
"Hey hey, can I come with you guys?" Medic asked, grinning. Everyone turned towards her.
"I don't see why not," Lavi replied, smiling and putting an arm around Medic's shoulders.
Allen, Link and Bookman sighed and shared a look of resignation - she wouldn't leave them alone unless they let her go.
Leaving the Dormitories behind, the 5 of them headed down the corridor and went down a pair of dimly lit stairs. The corridor below was dark, but a small slant of light from a pair of double doors at the end of the hallway let them see enough to make their way there.
Pushing the heavy wooden doors open, the group found themselves in a huge hall with arched beams supporting the ceiling, 2 large pillars of stone spanning at least a third of the room.
Standing nearby was the Clan Head and Head Archiver.
"We have come to see you off," Clan Head said with a false smile, eyes glinting as his gaze met Lavi's.
"How nice," Allen murmured, tone verging on being sarcastic. Lavi simply scowled and tried not to speak his mind.
"Well get on with it, Walker," Link said, giving the white haired teen a pointed stare as the atmosphere began to become more and more awkward.
Nodding, and ignoring the curious stares of the two old men standing before him, Allen closed his eyes.
Then the boy went to sleep
And one or two embers alive in the ashes
Flared up in the shape of your beloved face.
A circle of light appeared before Allen, making the room glow ethereally.
Thousands of dreams spread over the land
Stars like silver eyes twinkling in the night
You shining ones fell to Earth.
The top of a large pillar started to form near to the ground. Clan Head, Head Archiver and Medic stepped closer curiously.
Even though the eons turn many prayers to dust
I will keep praying
Please love this child
"And kiss the hand you're holding."
Allen hadn't meant to sing the last line out loud, but it was hard not to; the song always had such a pull on him.
Suddenly, a long white pillar of light burst upwards, the number "49" glowing brightly at its side. Medic gasped and fell backwards, jaw open in shock. Both Head Archiver and Clan Head blinked, eyes wide.
"A piece of important history," Clan Head murmured, tone full of reverence.
Ignoring the others, Allen stepped forward and put his head through the Gate. It led to the Ark, so the teen headed back out and smiled at the others.
"Ready?"
Nodding, Lavi and Link walked past Allen and through the Gate without hesitation. Bookman had to drag Medic in with him.
"Gehhhhh what is this place?" Medic cried, brown eyes wide with fear.
"It's called Noah's Ark," Allen replied, closing the Gate behind Medic and Bookman. "You can use it to travel between places, and I can control it."
Medic simply gawped and said nothing.
"Which door, Allen?" Lavi asked, looking around at the nearby buildings and doorways curiously. Stepping forwards, Allen headed towards a large building down the street and opened the door without stepping through it.
"This one!"
Following the young Exorcist, the others stepped through the door and found themselves in the Black Order Headquarters, numerous Ark Gates surrounding them.
"We're home," Allen called, smiling warmly as members of the Science Department saw them walk through the Gate.
"Welcome home!"
Standing, with a happy grin, was Lenalee; a tray laden with mugs of coffee was in her arms, the steam trailing upwards. Allen and Lavi grinned back.
They were home, and Lavi knew that despite his origins and the code of the Bookmen, the Order was home.
And it felt good to be back.
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[TRANSLATIONS]
- baka usagi-chan = my dear stupid rabbit (japanese)
- oyasuminasai = goodnight (japanese)
- féijíchǎng = flat chested (mandarin chinese)
- gomen nasai = I'm sorry (japanese)
- lǎo tóuzi = old geezer (mandarin chinese)
- wàngbāgāozi = bastard (mandarin chinese)
- rǔ xiù wèi gān = literally means 'the smell of milk is not dry/gone yet' - refers to someone being wet behind the ears, or inexperienced (mandarin chinese)
- lǎo bù sǐde = literally means 'an old man who just won't die' (mandarin chinese)
/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
Sorry this was kinda crap T^T I need some time to get back into writing, it seems ~
Chapter 11 will be out soon, please review and thanks again for the support. And remember, story header ;)
Much love, xrowa-chanx
