It's been three weeks! Sorry for not posting, work is hard and my life is just bad XD
Anywhos;
frenzy4eva - I earn some medical terms reading this. Save Lavi please! And enjoy your post exam time!
Answer - Thank you very much! Well, I aim to educate and pleases you guys XD. You'll see Lavi soon, worry not, and I've enjoyed and spent my post exam time doing nothing but... youtubing and other useless shits XD
Also, any more reviews are welcomed! I appreciate your support! Without further ado, let's continue on with the story, shall we?
Chapter Twelve: Nightmare
"You sure about that? It could trigger…"
"I'm certain. As I am now, I won't be able to do a damn thing."
Kanda woke up calmly in the dead of night. He hadn't raised his head or opened his eyes right away, instead he took his time getting used to the sound of the light rain outside, and the sound of another's even breathing. There was ruffling of clothes, and someone's voice cut through the silence of night.
"Galahad had arrived. You can train with him, unarmed versus weapon of his choice." The man from the other side said. Kanda remembered the sounds of wings fluttering and the slight static barely noticeable; it was clearly his golem she was using. Did he mind? No, but he was disturbed by the fact that she had not asked him. But he elected to listen, for now.
"We've done that before, in the past." She said calmly. He could hear what he reckoned to be annoyance in her voice. "I'd rather train with weapon as well, in case I need the Demon Armor. That thing can defend, certainly, but its offensive prowess is subpar. I'd like to get that fixed."
"Then you can fight him with weapon while you use yours. It's simple." The man voiced. There was a pregnant pause between them, and a low, awkward whistle sounded from the golem. "Oh…"
"Yes, that." She affirmed whatever the man had realized. "If he's going to have a shot at me when I snapped… well, you get my point… That's why I want to do this three-on-one as often as possible, when you are all free. Holding back even a little while training unchained is just… it's not a thing."
"I understand. I'll make preparations." The man said, at last. "There's one more thing. As we speak, Master Vincenzo has hired teams of erasers to eradicate any evidence about that. They should be done before the Earl finds out. And, about that… who tipped the Earl off?"
"Who do you think?" She half-snapped, something uncommon for her to do (outside of medical fields, Kanda noted sourly), and her voice brimmed with anger, boiling underneath the cold and calm surface. "There's very few who know about it, fewer who have information on the locations. And there's only one that wants me tortured."
The Owl? Kanda questioned silently. What had Rei been hiding?
"Of course that would be a logical conclusion. However, other possibilities must not be overlooked. I'll give you the reports and intel gathered as soon as you got back. Estimate?"
"Alexi just gave me updates on Lavi's condition. He's almost stabilized. We leave at dawn."
"How are you?"
"What's with the randomness?" She asked, amusement dancing in her tone. More ruffling of clothes, and she added. "And I'm fine. Thank you for asking."
"You're lying." The man said flatly. "You are fucking lying to me again, Ma'am. Don't do that. Just tell me the truth. How. Are. You?"
"I'm f –"
"Don't give me the bullshit!" The man roared in anger, accompanied by a loud bang, probably from hitting whatever object was nearest. "Don't lie to me, Rei, not now, not ever! You think we don't know better? You are an idiot!"
To Kanda's surprise, she didn't retaliate. Instead, she remained silence for minutes on end. The opposite party of the conversation said nothing, either, and the air grew heavy. Kanda stirred, but not enough to draw attention to himself.
That's when she said; "Nightmares."
"About?"
She sighed heavily. Kanda chanced looking up, and saw that she was sitting by the window, her head against the cold glass, her eyes looking to the dark and unseen horizon. Her eyes were full with sorrows as she spoke. "…A lot of things that I've done. I questioned my judgements to this day."
"Their bloods aren't on your hands, Ma'am." The man said. Blood? What did she do? Did she kill someone?
"I have to face the consequences of my actions, Aiden. You can't convince me to think otherwise." She said.
"They have made their choices long ago, and all of them know what would come of it. And so have you. But you chose what's better for the greater good – sacrificing an arm or a leg to save a man's life is what you live by, isn't it?"
She laughed bitterly. Kanda felt like something was crushing on his chest at the sound of it, so unnatural, so painful.
"The difference between a life and a limb is that taking a life has more to it than you can see. Can you feel it still? That every time you do it, you're giving something away?"
"I'm not as altruistic as you, so I don't. We don't, actually. They've made their choices to be there, to cost us the war. If you hadn't done what you did, none of us would've been here." The man, Aiden, tried to reason with her.
Kanda could piece it together a little better now – difficult choices, those are what's eating her silently from the inside. And she wouldn't let go.
"Yeah…" She agreed. Although her heart wasn't agreeing to the idea itself, her reasoning, her brain, did. "Yeah… we do what we must. They've made their choices, so have we. This is war."
"Stay safe, Ma'am." Aiden said after a pause. "I'll be seeing you."
"And I you."
She cut the line and stayed like that for a good few minutes. Kanda thought he had heard enough, so before she decided to do anything else, he got up.
Rei gave him a surprised look. "Kanda-san… you were awake?"
"Yeah." He replied as shortly as he could, stretching one arm above his head, his eyes never left hers. She diverted them to the floor when his gaze became investigative. Without waiting for her excuses, he stalked towards her, dragged a chair with him and planted it down before her, the back rest facing in her direction. He sat down, his arms crossed atop the back rest. "For a while."
"For what it's worth," She said, looking out the window again, and up at the absent moon. "For what it's worth, I… I make no excuses for taking lives."
"I know you don't." He replied shortly, his eyes bore into hers still. But no, she refused to look back. "But that man is right. Whatever the reasons are behind their actions, if they're compromising you and your comrades' safety, killing them is the right thing to do."
"Said someone who had never taken a live," She murmured with a smile, finally turning her face in his direction. She leant her head against the window and looked at him through her lashes, face unreadable. "There's no reason in the world good enough to justify killing a man, Kanda-san."
"Do you judge the police who shot a murderer to save a civilian's life guilty, then?" Kanda asked, ignoring the not taking a life bits. Of course he had. But that was mentioned in the reports, so of course she would know. Why she hadn't considered it a kill was beyond him… but that wouldn't work against someone like her. He had to find another way to convince her that her kills were backed by good reasons. "Would you blame a man who kills another to save his family?"
"It's not the same thing."
"It sure as hell is."
"It's irrelevant."
"You're out-reasoned, and now you're being a fucking moron, Akihiro." Kanda snarled through gritted teeth, his hand reached for her wrist and yanked at it hard enough to force her to look him in the eye. "You know what I said and what you did is the same fucking thing."
"What do you know what I've done?" This time, she didn't hide her anger and let it burst out, not in flames, but in sheering cold that could freeze hell itself three times over. She pulled her arm back and slapped him, hard enough to crack his lips and draw out blood, sending him stumbling off the chair in surprise. She rose from her seat and looked down at him, fists clenched and shook. "What do you know? You don't have a clue. Don't go ranting idiotic monologues about 'you did the right thing' when you have no idea what crimes I've committed in the name of this war."
"Then tell me." He forced out, propping himself up on his elbow, his fingertips brushed away the blood tickling down his chin. "So tell me, and let me tell you what the fuck I think of it."
"What you think does not matter." She said. "Nor my opinion on the things I've done. They are the one who'd judge me." She pointed out the window, into the darkness beyond. There was no longer just anger in her voice… now, it was mixed with fear. "And they're right. I deserve retributions. I deserve to be called out there and get beaten to death. But I will not – not until my duty here is done."
"Of course my thoughts and yours matter, you idiot!" He snapped back, rising up quicker than she'd anticipated and took her hands into his before slamming them to the wall, pinning her between the wood and his body. "I don't give a fuck who they are. They don't have the rights to judge you for what you did to save yourselves and others. I don't need to hear the whole story. I know you. I know you did everything for others, and not yourself."
"You know me?" She repeated and, much to his dismay, started laughing at the emptiness above them. "You? Know me? No, Kanda-san, you don't. You don't know who I am – What I am. You don't know me. No one does. No one will."
She had stopped laughing now, and hung her head, defeated. Sensing no more resistance from her, he let her hands go and stepped back, his concentration still focused on her features; the way she breathed, the way the laughter died down. What's left on her face now was a weary smile.
"Just –" She began, her voice hoarse. "You'd do well not to stray too close to me, or you might get burned."
He frowned, looking at her strangely. "…Why?"
"I am not what you think I am, Kanda-san." She said, smiling sorrowfully as she slide down the wall, back to her chair, and held her head in her hands. "I don't want to hurt anybody."
Seeing that, he –
He just couldn't ask any more than he already had.
It's… too much.
They hurried back to the Order as soon as the sun rose up from the skyline.
Alexi went with Lavi to the OR. Rei was forced to check in at treatment room by the wards. And he was glad Alexi talked her out of going to surgery in that condition, because if she did, she might just pass out in the field.
After given a troubling report to Komui, they were given a short break. That man had sent Marie and Daisya to their supposed original mission. After all the mental shit he'd seen Rei pulled, he supposed this was a very good idea. After he left Komui's office, he promptly ignored the other two and went to the medical wings in hope to –
In hope to what?
He realized then that he had come to care quite a great deal – more so than he'd like – about that idiot woman, much to his chagrin. There was this strange feeling that she needed help. And from what that man – Aiden, he thought the name was – had asked of him, plus him seeing Rei broke down first hand, he felt like he just had to check in on her or whatever else along that line.
When he arrived at the treatment center, he found Rei sitting crossed-arm by the corner, probably waiting for her turn. Many finders and CROWs were in the room, waiting for the same thing. Names were being called, albeit slowly, but judging from how she blew at her hair, it might take quite a while for her to get her injuries threated.
Without further delay, he stride past aisles after aisles and sat at the vacant seat beside her before she even noticed him.
She glanced at him, unsurprised and uncaring, before returning her attention to her previous task; picking her nails.
"So," He began, a bit awkwardly. "Sorry."
"Apology accepted." She said, shifting in her seat and turned to look at him fully, now. She gave him a faint smile and a quick nod before turning her focus to the dirt beneath her nail. "You know, Kanda-san, I've never thought you to be the asking type."
"Nor I, really." He snorted.
For almost an hour after, he just sat there, not really looking at anything while Rei seemed more intent on taking that dirt out from under her nail. The silence was awkward, at best, and people around them seemed to notice it somehow; most slowly backed away while some just outright got up and went somewhere else.
When the nurse called her name, Rei got up and walked directly towards her. He thought that was just going to be the end of it when she turned back –
"Kanda-san," She said quietly, looking down for a moment before glancing up and offered him a smile – neither forced nor faked, but a real, authentic one – before bowing her head slightly. "Thank you… for trying."
She went behind the green curtain, and he'd never seen her again that day.
The operation took nearly twenty-three hours, but they finally did it.
"His vitals are stable, and we've stopped all the bleeding and correct all major deformities." Alexi declared as he pulled off his surgical mask, walking briskly beside Lavi's bed. He lay unconscious, with drainage tubes sticking out from his skin. He then nodded towards the grayed-uniform one. "Can you take it from here?"
"Of course," He said, thumping at his chest proudly. "I'm the only one not getting yelled ay by Rei-san, so I'm pretty confident. Not that I should be worried in the first place, since I'm an anesthesiologist, unlike you."
"Don't rub that mistake on me, dude." Alexi replied with laughter. "Gimme a call if you're moving him up to the ICU – and pass that info to Chief, too, you know… to cull her worries."
"Will do." The anesthesiologist nodded back. "Have fun sleeping."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."
So the gray doctor and nurses took Lavi to the recovery room to make sure he had no… immediate complications. For such an extensive surgery, that might take hours on end before he can be safety discharged to the ICU. Alexi yawned then stretched his arms up above his head as he walked to the opposite way, ignoring the exit from the operative corridor, and made it to the doctor's quarters.
Well, somehow along the way, he had schedule himself another surgery four hours from now, so he might as well catch some shut-eye here. He glanced at the clock – oh damn it's already fucking noon, perfect – but ultimately decided against getting food. Sleep won.
When he opened the door, he was greeted by a rather… unnerving sight.
"Chief?" He called at the woman sleeping (or trying to) in one of the beds, her uninjured arm raised to cover her eyes. At his calling, she peered from the gap and gave him a weird look. He blinked once, twice, then, "Why in the world are you here!? You're supposed –"
"Not so loud." She groaned, rolling to the side, facing the wall. She pulled the pillow and pressed it against her ears. "Just help repaired ruptured AAA."
"I gave you no permission to work!" He whispered-yelled at her, his face contorted into a mix of disbelief, anger and worry. "And you're here after AAA surgery? Really? I can't change what you've already done, but now I can, so get the fuck out of this bed and back to your room!"
"You have surgery in four hours." She pointed out groggily, pulling the pillow off her face enough to show him her eye. "I want in."
"No, you will not."
She groaned again and raised her left arm. He raised an eyebrow at that, but before he could really ask, she explained. "The bite might be deep, but the marks are all stitched. No blood, no weakness, no numbness… I'm fit for duty."
"You forgot to mention the large-ass gash. And the anemia. You had twenty two percent hematocrit!"
…Usually, the hematocrit – blood concentration – would vary from around thirty-ish to forty-ish in normal people. She lost too much blood, and thus, the anemia. She was so unfit for duty!
"Mmm… wake me when your patient's in." She mumbled.
"No, I will not."
"Do it, or I'll nitpick the crap out of every orders you made in the wards."
"…You cheater."
"The correct wording would be 'You Exploiter'… FYI."
"…I hate you." He said what he was thinking at the very moment. Most of the time, he respected her, see her as a little sister who outshined him by a huge fucking margin. Most of the time, she was nice (except in surgical fields. Every single one knows she's a fiend once she put on the green suit and hold a scalpel or, in some cases, hammer), and most of the time, she was rational.
Well, not this time, though.
She waved her hand like she was swathing a fly and mumbled incoherently, rolling again so that she was face-up. Pulling the pillow fully off her face, she propped up on her elbows and rubbed her eyes with her injured hand's finger, ridding herself the tears building up during her nap.
"I know you love me." She muttered, smiling innocently at him. She then reached for the curtain, pulled off its restraint, and let it veiled her forms as she fell back along with it. "Wake me, okay?"
"…fine." He said at last, laughing mostly to himself. Well, seeing how she didn't flinch or other things, it was safe to assume that the wounds weren't as bad as it looked. He meant, really, when he caught a glimpse or two of her injuries, he thought she might even need surgeries. Besides, she had told him once that working was one way to let her, quote; "Gets my mind off stuffs".
"How's Lavi?" She asked, concern written all over. If he could see her face, Alexi thought she might've been frowning and biting her nails.
He pulled the curtain up and tapped at her shoulder, forcing Rei to turn and look at him.
He smiled, inducing her to do the same. "He's fine, now. Lots of blood loss, sure, but stable. Mostly vascular damages and a few burns, but nothing too major… except for the cardiac tamponade bit and the whole femoral artery rupturing twice thing. There's still his blood on the OR's ceiling as we speak."
She groaned. "You can spare me the details."
"I thought you'd wanna know." He grinned, tapping her forehead playfully. She rubbed at it and stuck out her tongue at him, so he tapped her temple. "Now go sleep. Don't worry, I won't risk you nitpicking my orders for a surgery. But only once, or I'll use force to kick you outta here."
"Roger that, sir." She mock-saluted him. "Now lemme sleep… warm bed…"
He smiled and shook his head, even though she would not see it, and took off the hat on his head and tossed it to the side. Kicking off his shoes, he plopped down on the bed opposite from her and stared at the ceiling (or rather, the bed above) as he closed his eyes.
And given that they'll have yet another twelve-hour operation in four or less hours, plus Rei's dead-tired state, it'll be hell in the OR if they messed up even by a syringe's width.
And, trust him; she knew how to kill people with words.
Just thinking about it sent him chills.
When Lavi woke up, he was greeted by so much white his eye hurt.
He blinked, and then blinked again. The last time he was lucid (not really), he had a tube shoved down his throat and a lot of narcotics he wasn't even sure if those were dreams or not.
But there was nothing in his mouth. His legs was bandaged and put in traction device, pulling his leg slightly upward. The weigh hung from the end of his bed and out of sight. His whole body was covered in so many shits he felt so damn hot and sweaty.
He exhaled a little louder than usually, and as soon as he did that, he felt someone walking over to the side of his bed.
"You're awake." Rei said, a gentle smile on her face. She wore her white gown with her frameless glasses hanging from her nose. She passed the chart in her hand to someone else before standing right beside him, both hands on the railing of his bed. "How are you feeling?"
"…Dizzy," He said. His voice was hoarse from the disuse and the abuses it had underwent, but all in all, it wasn't that bad. He glanced around, finding that he was surrounded by a lot of machines and monitors. He raised his arm slowly and painfully, brushing his burnt cheek, now covered in gauze. "…What –"
"I'll give you full details later." She said, putting a finger on her lips. He frowned – he did want some answers, because everyone knows he had a tendency to want to know everything, disregarding the appropriateness and shits – but eventually relented. He really wasn't in a position to actually say anything now, anyway.
"Rei…" He began, coughing as his throat dried. She patiently waited for him to gain his bearing, and once he did, he continued. "Thanks…"
"For what?" She asked back. He could feel guilt hidden in her voice and eyes. She skillfully hid her facial expression by letting the light reflected from her glasses, but a split second before she did, he noticed, anyway.
"You saved me." He croaked. "The attack ain't your fault."
"But if I had eluded the Owl sooner, you wouldn't have been put in this state, Lavi." She said, bowing her head slightly and sighed. "I'm sorry… and I'm glad you're okay now."
"Don't be too hard on yourself." He said. "…How long, though?"
"Three days. One of those we spent… repairing you." She replied while making an odd face Lavi couldn't really describe. She waved at the nearby nurse and ordered her something before shooing her off the room. With a smile, she added; "The results are satisfying. You'll be moved to regular wards in a few days."
"Not discharged?" He asked. He was hopeful he'll be back in action sometime soon, but from the look Rei gave him, Lavi could deduce that it wasn't the case.
She shook her head. "Sadly, it's not just your blood vessel that's torn. Your right femoral bone had fractured – into multiple pieces – and even with the Order's two-century equivalent of technical advancement, it'll still take time for your body to fully heal."
"How long?"
She shrugged. "A month, give or take a few days."
He paused to think, only to end up slamming his head back against the pillow and groaned. "Fucking dammit."
"Sorry."
"Not ya fault, Rei." He reminded her. "But hell, they're all Level Three, and it's the exact same number as when you fight them off alone in Chita."
"Well, you're not as good as I am. So there you have it!" She teased, her hand reached for his head and rubbed it until his hair became a bird's nest. He weakly protested, but laughed at her treatment. She sighed once, straightened herself up and pushed her glasses up slightly. "Well, it's good you're awake and able to communicate. The moss code we used back there was unpleasant."
"On my end, too." He muttered, earning himself her chuckle. "And gramps?"
"He's on a mission." She replied shortly, her hand adjusting at something by the IV line. "I'm reducing the amount of painkillers you're having, since you didn't seem to be in that much pain. Gives a holler if something changes."
"Will do." He replied. "Now get going, doc. I'm sure others need ya."
"They sure did." She said with an absent smile. "They sure did."
She left the room, and before long, he was dragged back into unconsciousness – dark, warm and comforting.
A week passed by in silence. Not much missions to do and too much free time.
And as per usual, this free time didn't count a certain workaholic doctor in.
"She seemed like she will fall down on her face and die of exhaustion." Lenalee commented as she put self-brew black coffee on Komui's table. She had not seen much of Rei, not that she usually had, but the rumors were unsettling.
"Believe it or not, it's how she deals with stress. And that is what I quote from her." Komui said and took a sip, his eyes scanning the reports Rei submitted about her field project on Innocence and their physiology. Lenalee didn't understand a speck of it, of course, but the length and sheer volume of results were staggering. Rei must've worked quite hard to accomplish this goal.
"Have you seen her outside of the OR yet?" She asked absently. "She'd only come out, as I heard from Alexi-san, more than Komui out of his office lately."
Her brother slammed his head into the table, surprising both herself and Fray at his sudden movement. He groaned. "Why am I always getting compared for that? Alexi included! So unfair."
"Because you are somehow here more than you are anywhere else, and all members of the Order knows your name. So of course you're going to become a base reference." Lenalee pointed out, crossing her arms and pressing her steel tray closer to herself. "And you're a workaholic. Like her!"
"To be frank, she takes her work more seriously than Supervisor Komui ever did." Fray added from the side and chuckled when Komui pouted at her. She then returned her face to normal and added. "But on this one, I'll have to agree with you, Miss Lee. Miss Akihiro has been… restless since she and Lavi were attacked in Holstebro."
"Restless is an understatement."
The new voice gained their attentions. The one who said that was no other than Alexi himself, who now wore loosely-tied necktie, crumbled white shirt with his gown draped on his arm. He rubbed at his eyes for a minute before he walked to Komui's table and placed a pile of papers down. Lenalee followed his hand for a moment. "Alexi-san."
"Miss Lee." He greeted breathily with a nod, doing the same to Komui and Fray who nod in return. "Miss Fray, Supervisor."
"How is she?" Komui asked, clasping his hands together and leant slightly forward. "I imagined she had it rough."
"She did." He responded tiredly and motioned his hand to the sofa, asking for permission to sit. Komui granted him one while Fray picked up the medical reports and started skimming through. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Alexi murmured. "And she refused to go anywhere outside the medical wards or the OR. I can't persuade her to take her time off anymore."
"That bad?"
"Yes, sir." He said grimly. "That bad, sir."
"Maybe I'll have to talk to her myself." Komui said and got up. Fray, agreeing with his plan, didn't stop him, but the one who did was Alexi. Komui gave him an odd look. "Why are you stopping me?"
"I'd like you to talk to her, as well, but this… isn't exactly the time." He said. Upon receiving questioning looks, he elaborated. "It's not just Lavi that makes her… well, like this. She had been contacted by the College of Cardinals behind your back, Supervisor."
There was a three seconds pause, and the three of them yelled. "What!?"
"They called, and saying that every time they did she'd get pissed is more than an understatement. She would've thrown the mallet we used in orthopedic surgeries at the wall if I hadn't been there." Alexi said, paling at the memory. Lenalee couldn't imagine her being like that, though, but her brother seemed able to, and from his paled face, she believed he believed that.
"What do they want from her?" He asked. "Lvellie didn't tell me this."
"Because that man isn't responsible for it," Alexi replied with disdain clear in his voice. A sigh and he continued. "They called at least twice a day, and most of the calls got her worked up pretty badly. Sometimes she seemed torn and in pain, while others she seemed to want to tear them apart. And no, I don't know the details. She spoke with them in private."
"And working helps her how…?" Lenalee quipped in.
"It gets her mind off things like that." Alexi shrugged. "When she works, she gets into what I'd call a zone; a state of mind where she concentrates on what is in front of her and that alone. It's amazing how she seems to forget about any ongoing emotional wrecks she's experiencing or her worries."
Lenalee could detect the awe in his voice, and the way his eyes gleamed with unrivalled admiration. She let a faint smile formed on her face as she saw that child-like total admiration he displayed. She understood him, because she had talked to Rei about how to get stronger both physically and emotionally many times, and her advice had been very helpful.
"Can't you really force her off-work?" Komui asked. "I mean, you did that before with your director assistant of human resources… thing…"
"It's not like I haven't thought about it." He said, shivering unintentionally. She frowned. What could've gotten him so terrified? "Imagine this; Chief, as we know her, being her usually uptight self in the OR, plus being constantly called and angered two to five times daily for four days, plus having two shit-teams – well, not really, but some of them were drunk – for surgeries. Do you think I'll have the balls to order her around?"
Komui paled further, if that was even possible. "…no?"
"Nope." Alexi affirmed. "Certainly no. Well, I'm just here to give you the med reports, so…"
He stood up and, before walking passed her, he whispered in her ears before talking to Komui again;
"Meet me outside. Wanna talk – I'll be going now, Supervisor. Take care."
"And you." Komui seemed oblivious to Alexi's request, Lenalee noted, as her gaze trailed after the doctor before he disappeared out the door.
She stayed and talked with the two of them for a while before excusing herself out, saying that she wanted to visit Lavi (who spent most of his time sleeping) and walked out the door as normally as she could. As soon as she rounded the nearest corner, she spotted Alexi standing by the stairs, arms crossed with a frown on his face.
He looked up and smiled when he saw her. She smiled back and walked up to him, leaning against the wall in the same manner he did, her hands behind her back with the tray in her grip. "You wanted to talk?"
"Yeah, about Rei." He said, bringing out a pack of cigarettes and popped out one. He took it in his mouth and searched for a match in his pocket. "You mind if I smoke?"
"Not unless you blow it in my face." She replied. He nodded, acknowledging her permissions and brought his foot up, lighting the match on the sole of his shoe with one swift movement of his hand. He lighted the cancerous stick in his mouth with a hand covering any smoke he might've accidentally blown her way. "So… do you need my help with something?"
"Women and your impeccable instincts." He laughed lightly. "Yes… I've talked to her. Komui had once, and no good came of that. My standings with her are… complicated, to put it lightly. I am her subordinates, she my mentor… out of work, we're friends, but inside it I can only do so much. Even if I'm an assistant to human resource's director, I can't outright force her out of work unless I go get papers from the director, who was scared shitless by her."
"Well… that's…"
"I know." He replied to her unspoken comments. "She had her ways… in order to do things she wanted. And Supervisor Komui is no better – speaking to her as her superior, and she'll find a way around, saying that, by her every word, mind you; someone else might've gotten it wrong."
"So what do you want to ask of me, Alexi-san?" She asked, sniffing a little as the scent of smoke sunk into her nose.
"I need a friend. Someone who stands on equal ground as she is." He said and looked straight at her. "An exorcist. Someone like you."
"…Why me?" She was genuinely curious. Someone like Bookman, who seemed the most rational, or Marie, was all obviously better choices. "I don't think I'm going to be good at making Rei-san sees reason. Marie might be better –"
"She needs words from someone who's a close friend, not big-brother figure or a grandparent." Alexi replied, puffing out more smoke and looked up at the ceiling above his head. "Please try. She'll drop dead at any moments now… and unless she stopped being so irrational, that figure of speech will become quite literal."
"I… understand." Lenalee relented, at last, sighing. "I'll try, but no promises."
"That's all I need." He smiled back and straightened himself up. "Well, I'm heading for a good day's rest now. I'll be seeing you later, and fingers crossed for good news."
"Wish me luck." Lenalee said absently.
How in the world is she going to pull this off?
She found Rei in one of the corridors by the Ark gate, probably just returned from calling of the College of the Cardinals.
She rested her arms on the railing, her eyes on the dark horizon and her jaws set as the golem beside her beeped, sounds of two people talking could be heard even from Lenalee's distance. Rei could be seen sighing over and over, and after one particular bout, she slammed her head on her own arms and just stayed like that, whispering something to the golem.
After the line was cut, or at least the conversation was halted, Lenalee decided to walk towards her peer. Upon hearing her rather light footsteps, Rei turned to her and gave her a weary smile before scooting to the side slightly, giving her the room to join in.
Once she did, the woman tilted her head to the side slightly. "So, Lenalee… why are you up so late?"
She laughed sheepishly, scratching the side of her cheek. "Would you believe me if I told you I just want to stretch?"
"I know your schedules enough to say that your statement is untrue." Rei said with a smirk, this time. She then sighed and looked at the moon. "So, who was it?"
"Who was what?"
"Alexi-san or Komui-san?" She asked. Lenalee tried her best to look clueless, but Rei saw past that, and a frown appeared on her face. "You can't lie to me, you know. You don't seek me out without reasons, Lenalee, and this is one of the more obvious ones. So, I'll ask again, who was it?"
"Alexi-san." She relented and bowed her head slightly. Rei chuckled, glancing back at her and waved her hand.
"It's fine, I'm not going to do anything." She reassured. "And to be frank, it's getting harder and harder to push myself like this. They're right; I need a break and a few days off, at least."
"Well, there goes days of me trying to figure out how to convince you." She said absently, into the sky, or to Rei, she didn't really care. She heard her peer laughed quietly at her words. She smiled. "I'm glad you finally decide to take a break, Rei-san."
"Yes, indeed. And I do appreciate the thought, Lenalee." She said, burrowing her face into the crook of her arms and looked up at the view before her, her lips curled into an empty, sorrowful smile. "I'll be fine. Don't worry."
Of course Lenalee didn't believe it.
But she supposed… Rei'd be fine for the time being.
Another fillers! Well, the speed'll pick up soon enough don't worry. I'm just giving the cast some rests! Aside from reviews, any questions are welcomed as well! :D
See you again later, because EXAM IN ANOTHER FUCKING TWO WEEKS GOD DAMNIT *rolls*
Alright, tata, have fun week-ending! :D
