I sincerely apologize for the delay on this. Really. I haven't been near a computer at all, and it's an absolute monster of a task to to post from my phone, you have no idea. Anyway, here's the, possibly, long awaited chapter of A Bullet With Butterfly Wings. I hope the chapter lives up to the story! XD

Yoshi: haha well here's the next chapter! XD

Read, enjoy, and don't forget to review!

Chapter 13

Adam snarled furiously as he worked, closing his eyes to pull more focus on what he was doing. His hands were cackling with dark energy, growing stronger as he tried to make it bigger and more powerful.

It was like pulling mud through a thin sheet of metal covered in tiny holes. He could feel his power on one side, just barely out of reach, but it was almost painful trying to access it. Already, he'd passed out from exhaustion and over exertion at least three times in just that day; a fourth time was just around the corner, he could feel it. Magic filled him at an infuriatingly slow pace, making the dark energy crackle with more vigor and- - -

He forced himself up with a sudden jolt, his head smashing into the corner of a nearby table and forcing him back down instantly. Clutching the injured areas, the throbbing back of his head in one hand from hitting the ground and the slightly bleeding lump on his forehead with the other, Adam closed his eyes again and mentally reached out, searching for the power he knew resided somewhere in him, the magic he had just been accessing only moments before.

It was gone, as it always was.

Cursing slightly, Adam rolled over slowly and carefully brought himself to his knees, hesitating a moment when his head swam dangerously before using the table to pull himself into a standing position. Leaning heavily on the wood, Adam glanced to a window to gauge how long he'd been out. The darkness of the night indicated that it was early in the morning, around perhaps four or five.

Seventeen hours, then.

Making a face as he stretched, Adam breathed heavily as he gingerly felt his head. Each time he tried to access his powers, ever since he'd discovered them, had resulted in his loss of consciousness. The first time had only been an hour, and it seemed that each time he tried had gotten longer and longer, especially the more times he tried to access it in one day.

And the more he tried to tap into it, the harder it became to hold onto even a small amount of it.

With a heavy sigh, Adam rubbed his face and sat down, wincing as his fingertips brushed against the cut on his head. Despite the pain and exhaustion that came from trying and trying and trying and trying and failing, something pushed Adam to try more and harder and better each time. Something that, when he first gained consciousness a year ago outside an unfamiliar village, it was easily ignored because it was barely there.

Now, it's a pounding in his head, throbbing along faster than the beat of his heart, a strange and urgent need to discover and access this horribly unfamiliar-yet-familiar power residing in him. It's a necessity worth more than his health, food, water, rest, more than the air he needed to breathe to keep himself alive. It was almost a tangible thing, the need to regain control of the magic buried in him, and he was determined to do it even if it was what killed him off.

With a sigh, he relaxed and began the process again.

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"Do you miss him a lot?" Lavi jumped from his position in the chair, his gaze moving from the surrounding forest to meet the almost hidden gold of Tyki. His mouth worked furiously- - - miss who me who is it I'm supposed to be missing?- - -but before he could speak the gold eyes moved from his emerald to the trees. "The old man who was here before you. There was a connection between the two of you. Something deep- - -Rhode said there was an image of you in his bag. Do you miss him a lot?"

"I..." Lavi sighed but looked out across the trees.

"Rhode is the same." Tyki muttered absently, fingers trailing up and down his arm unconsciously. Lavi frowned, and Tyki continued without prompt. "She acts strong, and she clings to Miss Lenalee to hide it, but the closest she's ever had to parents is my brother and his wife."

"Are they...?" Lavi trailed off, his lower lip being worried by his teeth as he cautiously glanced at Tyki.

"They're fine." Tyki said. "But they aren't here, and that's what I think hurts Rhode the most. She's only ever had Lulubell, Miss Lenalee, and I as anything resembling parental figures in her life. It's damaging to a child, especially a young girl, to be without parents." Tyki sighed and faced Lavi again, reaching out and gently touching the red head before him for the first time; his fingers, both clawed and transparent human, gently pressed against Lavi's chin, making emerald eyes meet his own gold. A jolt went through his fingers, unknowingly sparking something underneath Lavi's eyepatch. "You must miss this man at least a little, especially if he was your caretaker."

"Yes, well, it's hardly a point of discussion." Lavi huffed slightly as he turned away. "I knew what I signed up for when I took the old man's place. I'm nineteen anyway, it was high time I left Bookman and tried to make my own living."

"How long were you with him?" Lavi sighed softly, his head pressing against the window as he thought.

"I met Bookman when I was young, maybe six or so." He said quietly, mind racing back to the day he first ran into the old man.

A small red head pushed himself up against the glass, peering curiously into the glass between his small body and the stacks of books in the bookstore. His emerald eyes, one accentuated by the black design around it, darted from shelf to shelf, his fingers drumming against the window before he made up his mind and darted around a passing woman; ignoring her startled cry, the boy raced into the bookstore before the door closed behind him.

Inside, nobody spared him more than a glance, allowing him to twist around and find himself pressed against a bookshelf. His eyes briefly darted up to the books high above his head (he learned his lesson the time previous- - -climbing amongst the books to reach the ones too far for him to see was enough to get him kicked out) before he reached out and trailed his fingers across the spine of a worn green book. Smiling slightly, he moved down the shelf, his fingertips pressing against the spines of books as he taught himself the words printed on them.

As he turned the corner, he saw an old man bigger than he was looking up at a book out of his reach. Curious, the young boy went up to him, following his line of sight.

"'Scuse me, mister." He called loudly, gaining his attention. "Whatcha lookin' for?" The dark eyes of the old man looked him over slowly, from his shoulder-length knotted red hair and his emerald eyes (his gaze lingered slightly on the marking around his eye), to his smudged and filthy face, to his mud-caked and worn-through oversized shirt, to the pants kept up only by a rope tied several times around his waist and full of holes, to his bare and filthy feet.

"I'm searching for book." He said curtly, and it was the younger boy's turn to look him over. The older man was neatly groomed, mostly bald except for a long white ponytail in the middle of his head, qpand wearing a long black jacket that trailed on the floor beneath him. The red head grinned toothily at him, ignoring the raised eyebrow and odd look he was getting from the slightly taller male.

"Which one?" He asked. "I read lotsa books already. Are ya lookin' for a certain book, mister?"

"That's quite enough." Bookman snapped hastily. "It's none of your concern, really. Where are your parents, child?" Flinching back as if he'd been slapped, the red head stared at the old man with wide eyes before helplessly shrugging.

"They went away." He said finally. "I dunno where they are." They stood in relative silence, the old man and the young boy, the red head sniffling quietly and the old man studying the younger intently.

"Don't know." The old man sniffed haughtily. "You must learn to speak properly. No more of this 'dunno' and 'lotsa' and such other nonsense." Rubbing his eye with one hand, the younger could only tilt his head and manage a quiet 'huh?' before Bookman grabbed his wrist almost painfully and all but dragged the red head out. "Now let's see if you can't look somewhat decent with clothes your size and a good scrubbing."

"I told him my name was" Alexander "Lavi and I began following him everywhere. It got to a point where Bookman couldn't go anywhere with me holding onto his jacket." Lavi jolted slightly as he remembered that he wasn't supposed to be getting used to life at the castle with Tyki and everyone else; Lavi wasn't an identity he was supposed keep long. Bookman was expecting him back, he was supposed to have gone back ages ago. He couldn't afford to be wasting time entertaining Tyki and Rhode. He wasn't Lavi. His name was...

What? Lavi panicked mentally, his fingers gripping the windowsill in fear. What was his name before he came here? It hadn't been Lavi, he knew that much. Lavi had come from Cross first, the bookkeeper who had abandoned Allen in the forest. It was a different name, something easy to remember...and, obviously, easy to forget.

What the hell was his name?

Tyki stood quietly behind Lavi, watching the younger boy shake. Biting his lip and misinterpreting the reason, Tyki placed his hands on Lavi's shoulders, the contrast visible to him.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly. "I had not meant to bring up something so precious." Lavi ignored him, trying frantically to recall his identity before he came to this place. "You're free to leave any time you wish." Tyki lingered a moment, hoping Lavi would say something, but the red head was too caught up in trying to remember his name. With a slight sigh, Tyki leaned forward and pressed a light kiss on the back of Lavi's head. "I love you." He muttered almost inaudibly with his eyes closed. Lavi froze, thoughts interrupted and his eyes wide with surprise, as Tyki pulled away away and left him alone by the window.

Tyki raced down the hallway, his thoughts rushing in different directions. He felt almost as if he'd listened to the other boy's advice the night before and completely ignored it, yet honored it at the same time.

It was confusing, and he locked himself in his room for the rest of the day, Lulubell his only companion.

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Lavi threw things almost haphazardly into a bag, Miranda watching with wide eyes and wringing hands (though Lavi only caught the phantom movement out of the corner of his eye and ignored it the best he could). His face was flushed with excitement, and he was chattering with Miranda and Allen in a cheerful way he hadn't before. He didn't register their quietness and lack of energy until he was almost finished packing and the red head felt the tip of the mirror under his pillow as he sat down.

"What will happen if I leave?" Lavi asked quietly. He reached under the pillow, his fingertips absentmindedly tracing the thin gold design. Allen shared an unhappy look with Miranda.

"I don't know." The silver candlestick said quietly. "Maybe..." He trailed off and his human ghost moved over to wrap his arms around a silently sobbing Miranda, "things go back to normal?"

"Things are different now?" Lavi snorted, moving and pulling the mirror into the bag he was packing. Allen opened his mouth to respond, but for a moment he only gaped in silence before shifting and shaking his head.

"Of course things are different." Allen said softly. "You're here, aren't you?" Lavi gulped lightly and sat down again, his hands holding the bag open.

"Does my staying here really mean that much to you guys?" He asked. Allen sighed, pulling Miranda forward and placing his hand on top of Lavi's. Lavi's gaze was directed at the silent candlestick, the silver eyes holding the same pensive stare the human form held.

"It means so much more than you know." The candlestick murmured. Allen's grip tightened on Lavi, though the red head didn't feel it; with one last forlorn glance at Miranda, Allen forced a grin to his face and a cheer to his voice. "Stay one last night, for all of us. I beg of you, Lavi. You can leave in the morning, but grant us one last night." Allen watched Lavi bite his lip in contemplation. "We'll make it worth your while..." He all but sang, and Lavi grinned.

"One last night." He agreed. Standing, the red head moved right through Allen in order to place a finger on one of his arms. "Do your best, Allen Walker, to make this an unforgettable night." Allen grinned back and nodded; his grin faded as Lavi turned to tie his bag up. There was silence in the room for a few moments before Lavi stopped moving. "Hey, Allen?"

"Yes, Lavi?" Allen asked, looking up at the red head.

"Do you think..." Lavi licked his lips, refusing to face Allen. "Is it possible that Tyki might..." Allen felt his eyes widen, and he shared a hopeful look with Miranda as he hopped forward a little.

"Did Tyki say something to you?" He asked, barely able to keep the excitement out of his voice when the question presented itself. Lavi sat down again, slowly, and rubbed his temples under his headband.

"I'm not sure." He said finally. "I mean, I think he might have..." The red head hastened to say when Allen's face fell, "But I'm not sure, y'know? He said something, but I couldn't hear what it was..."

"It's fine." Allen assured Lavi, sharing a look with Miranda again. If Tyki said what the silver candlestick thought he did, then Tyki's sudden willingness to never leave his room made some sort of sense. "Don't think too much on it, Lavi." The red head frowned, looking between the two of them as they shared meaningful glances, but when neither offered to elaborate on them, he stretched languidly and collapsed backwards on his bed.

"Do you think maybe I could come back, after a bit?" Lavi asked curiously. Allen frowned, placing his hand on Lavi's.

"What do you mean, after a bit?" He echoed worriedly. "How long do you think you'll be gone, Lavi?" The red head licked his lips, thinking carefully on what he was about to say before he said it.

"I don't know exactly when..." He trailed off at Allen's crestfallen expression, his own emerald eyes widening in surprise. "I-I mean, I-I'll be back as soon as I can, but..." Lavi stammered, trailing off in a sigh as he ran his hand through his hair, a frustrated look coming over his face. "It's just...I don't think I'll be able to come back right away..." Allen swallowed heavily, forcing a smile on his face as he thought of what that might mean for the enchanted castle.

Was there no way for them to catch any sort of a break?

"I'm sure that whenever you deem it necessary to return, you'd be welcome with open arms." Allen said softly. Lavi threw him a smile and sat up again, picking Allen up and placing the silver candlestick on the ground.

"I need to finish packing now." He said quietly. "I'll see you in the morning." Allen nodded and motioned for Miranda to follow him out of the room. The wardrobe sent Lavi a watery smile before following.

When the door shut, Lavi collapsed on the bed and covered his face with a pillow; his normally covered, hidden eye was throbbing painfully under his eyepatch, causing a migraine.

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Allen leaned back against the headboard in what used to be his room before the enchantment happened, Kanda laying next to him. They were in an odd position (odd because Kanda hated showing weakness in any way, and for some strange reason he considered this weak), Allen holding his upper body at an angle due to the headboard and Kanda with his arms around the paler boy's waist, Allen's right hand playing fondly with the long blue-black hair.

"What do you think will happen when Lavi leaves in the morning?" He asked softly. Kanda snorted and tightened his grip on Allen's waist.

"Don't know." He ground out, his voice muffled. "Don't really give a fuck now." Allen breathed a laugh, his fingers catching a bit in the long hair.

"Typical Kanda." Allen mumbled with a fond smile. "Seriously, though." He sighed heavily. "What if this is the last time we're human? And we won't ever change back?" Kanda shifted in Allen's lap, moving his arm underneath him to push himself up. Allen watched the muscles in Kanda's back ripple as the former samurai brought himself face to face with the former bookkeeper. With a determined glare (Kanda Yuu was always determined to do something), Kanda pressed his lips firmly against Allen's, making the younger sigh and his eyes flutter shut as he gave into the feel on Kanda's lips on his own.

"I don't give a fuck right now." Kanda repeated lowly, his lips brushing against Allen's as he spoke. "Just shut the hell up and enjoy this now. Worry about tomorrow later." Allen shook his head, their noses rubbing together as he did so.

"Sounds deep." He murmured, wrapping his arms around Kanda's neck after a moment of hesitation.

(A moment Kanda must have noticed; the second Allen had his arms comfortably around his neck, the taller male turned his head a little and, in one of the more touching things Allen had ever seen Kanda do, he pressed a small, almost loving kiss to his deformed arm.

He would never admit to finding the action loving at all, least Kanda never repeat it again in this lifetime. It was one of Kanda's weird little quirks that made the samurai much more 'formidable'- - -Kanda's words, not his- - -yet lovable at the same time.)

"I don't feel like hearing you whine right now." Kanda muttered as he settled against Allen again. "So shut up and worry later." With a fond smile, Allen sighed lightly and continued playing with Kanda's hair.

"Imagine you had never come here." Allen murmured gently, ignoring Kanda's annoyed sigh. "What do you suppose you'd be doing right now?"

"You mean besides sleeping?" Allen smiled, laughing quietly. Unbeknownst to Allen, the soft laughter and the movements of his chest because of it made Kanda smirk gently, his eyes softening slightly. "I dunno."

"Guess." Allen twined Kanda's hair into a loose braid. "If I wasn't here..."

"Then I'd be a traveler." Kanda finished after a minute of silent thinking. "Not staying in one place too long, not leaving any clue as to where I'd go next. No attachments, just what I needed to survive on my own."

"What about Tiedoll?" Allen asked softly. "Noise Marie? Daisiya?"

"The less I hear of that pack of idiots, the better." Kanda snorted. Allen laughed again, and they lapsed into silence again. "What about you, Moyashi?"

"I'm not a Moyashi!" Allen retorted instantly before glancing up at the ceiling. "I'd most likely be in the bookstore with Master Cross, struggling to pay off his debts and deal with the many angry men and women after him." Allen sighed and closed his eyes, one hand moving to cup the back of his head while the other continued playing with Kanda's hair.

"Doesn't sound any better than me." Kanda mumbled quietly.

"At least I have some demented, twisted form of company." Allen smiled. "As horrible as it would be." There was silence. "Then, one day, a tall dark stranger would come to our village, and he'd be extremely cold and rude and call me a Moyashi- - -"

"That's it!" Kanda announced, moving to get up. "When you start imagining scenarios, that's my cue to get the hell out of here."

"No, no, I'm done," Allen protested, laughing when he managed to get his arms around Kanda's neck and prevented him from moving. "I'm done, really." They settled back into their previous positions, the window allowing the light of the moon to light the entire room.

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"It'll do you good to get out of the kitchen, Lenalee!" Rhode tugged on the older girl's arm, trying to force her out of the kitchen.

"What, and it's good for me to go right back into Komui's domain and have to deal with him being the overprotective brother he is?" Lenalee shook her head, trying to hide the grin on her face. "No way!"

"But, Lenalee, this could be our last night as humans!" Rhode exclaimed. "Do you really want to spend it cooking in the kitchen?" Lenalee hesitated.

"But...breakfast...and your uncle..." Rhode scoffed and waved airily, spinning on her heel.

"He won't mind the missing breakfast, I'm sure." Her face twisted in confusion and pain now that she didn't have to face Lenalee. "After all, Lavi's leaving tomorrow morning. I don't think anyone will want breakfast tomorrow because of it." There was a few seconds of silence, then Rhode felt Lenalee's arms around her waist, the older girl's chest pressed into her back. Lenalee's chin came to rest on Rhode's shoulder gently, Lenalee twisting her head so she wouldn't have to speak so loudly.

"I'll take a break." She promised quietly. "What is it you want to do, Little Mistress?" The fourteen year old beamed and spun around in the servant girl's arms, pressing a finger to the girl's nose and laughing when she went cross eyed to look at it.

"You're it!" Rhode squealed, pushing herself out of Lenalee's arms and darting down the hallway, her bare feet moving her quickly down the hall, her hair flying after her in her haste to get away. Lenalee smiled fondly, giving the young girl a moment's head start before chasing after the laughing teen.

Rhode laughed unabashedly when she heard Lenalee following her, though she laughed even harder when she spun around a startled Miranda, who let out a shriek when the young girl moved past her. Skidding to a stop when the hallway she ran down offered two separate routes in the castle, Rhode listened for Lenalee before taking off again to her right, moving down a darkened hallway that looked vaguely unfamiliar. She turned another corner only to stop short when she came face to face with gold eyes hidden behind glinting glasses, a wide, frightening grin underneath it.

Freezing in place and not hearing Lenalee's playful calls for her, Rhode did nothing but stare in horror at the Millennium Earl before her. His hand was on the brim of his hat, the other holding a pink umbrella, and he towered over the young girl, glaring down on her in a way that made her breath come in short gasps and her eyes widen in terror.

"Lord Millennium." She breathed fearfully, her body shaking minutely. The man before her said nothing; in fact, he didn't even move from the position he stood in. Rhode watched him carefully for a moment longer, the shakes her body created becoming more prominent as she did, only to realize one thing.

It wasn't real.

Rhode collapsed, Lenalee's voice sounding much closer and more filled with worry; the young girl couldn't bring herself to care. The relief that flowed through her at not actually coming face to face with the man that had given her nightmares when she was younger (yes, she had long since outgrown them by the time Hevlaska came around, but the fact remained that when she first arrived, the previous master of the castle had haunted her dreams in a terrifying manner) was so profound it was all Rhode could do to not burst into tears at that exact moment.

"Shh, shh..." Lenalee's voice came from above Rhode's head, her arms wrapping around Rhode's chest this time, her hair curtaining Rhode's vision of the Millennium Earl. "Come on, let's get out of here, Rhode."

"I haven't seen this hallway before." Rhode said shakily, getting to her feet with the help of Lenalee. "Why haven't I been down this way before? I thought I knew every room in the castle..." Lenalee led her out of the hall quickly, glancing back every few moments. "Lenalee, what is that?"

"We couldn't get rid of the stuff that the Millennium Earl created, so we moved it here." Lenalee said softly as they walked out. "We've been keeping everyone out- - -none of us wanted to worry any of you guys with this."

Rhode whimpered and curled in on Lenalee more, her body shaking violently again. Lenalee watched her with a frown, leading the girl to her room and sitting her down on her bed. With gentle coaxing, Lenalee convinced Rhode to lay down with her, her arms wrapped as tightly around the younger as Rhode's arms were around her.

"This is not how I wanted to spend tonight." Rhode muttered after she'd calmed down enough to stop shaking and speak. "It isn't fair. Tonight wasn't supposed to be like this. We're going to feel horrible tomorrow morning as it is."

"I know, I know." Lenalee soothed her again. "Let's calm down a bit, then we'll go see if we can't go outside and talk with Jasdevi, all right?" Rhode nodded slightly, a slow smile covering her face.

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"So that's it?" Lulubell asked dryly, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorway, her dark eyes locked on the figure of Tyki pressing his hand against the glass of the window. "After all this, you're letting him go?"

"What do you want me to do?" Tyki asked quietly. "What would you do, Lulubell?"

"I would make him stay!" The woman snapped. "At least until the spell breaks! Look, Tyki," she breathed desperately, moving and touching the other man's face with her fingertips, "we're so close. So close. We've almost broken the spell. The boy can't go just yet." Tyki placed his hand on Lulubell's, his fingers gripping her palm in his hand.

"We have no choice." Tyki smiled slightly when he looked down and saw Jasdero dragging Devitto through the gardens, both boys wrestling and play fighting as well as avoiding Komui by ducking under the flowers and bushes whenever he got too close. "At least, he'll get to see the old man- - -"

"Is that really so important?" Lulubell asked with a snap. "If he doesn't love you now, I fail to see how seeing one old man will change that in your favor. What on earth is going through your mind, little brother?" There was a knock on the door, followed by a slightly muffled 'Mistress Lulubell?';? Lulubell rounded on the door, quietly snarling. "Go away, Mimi, not now." Ignoring whatever else the girl said, Lulubell rounded on Tyki only to find him inches away from her, his hands coming to rest gently on her cheeks. They locked eyes, and after a moment, Lulubell repeated her question, albeit quieter and softer. "Why is this so important?"

"Because." Tyki responded just as quietly. "Somehow, Rhode was taken in by Sheryl, and when she finally felt at home with the man and his wife who found her, they left her here. Do you remember the face she used to make, her first years here, when Sheryl and Tricia came by to visit?" Lulubell nodded and bit her lip slightly to hide the amused smile. "Lavi would feel something similar to that, I'm certain, and who knows?" Tyki sighed, shrugging and pulling away from Lulubell. "Perhaps he would be happier away from this place."

"If you told him you loved him..." Lulubell said softly, but Tyki shook his head.

"I will not have him stay out of a warped sense of duty." He said firmly. "Not any longer. He will leave tomorrow to see the old man, and he will be free to choose as to whether or not he shall return or remain away."

"But if he's the one to help us, wouldn't giving him that option hurt more than help?"

"I don't know what else to do!" Tyki cried in frustration, hands running through his long wavy hair. "I know nothing about this, and I'm as lost as you are, Lulubell."

"If you truly loved him- - -" Lulubell tried, but Tyki interrupted her as he spun around and glared at her.

"I do love him!" He roared at her, making her eyes widen and forcing Lulubell to take a stunned step back. "And that's exactly why I'm letting him go." He sighed heavily and sat on his bed, rubbing his temples as he did. "This is...not as easy as you'd think, Lulubell. I don't want him to go away any more than you do."

"So why are you letting him?" She asked quietly. Tyki sighed again, biting his lip as he tried to word it properly.

"Do you remember what everyone used to say...before, I mean?" Lulubell bit her lip and shook her head, unsure where he was going with this. "'If you love something, let it go.'" Tyki quoted, staring at the darkened sky. "'If it returns, it's yours. If it doesn't, it- - -'"

"'- - -never was.'" Lulubell sat next to Tyki with a heavy sigh. Placing a warm arm around his shoulders, Lulubell placed her head against Tyki's. "Maybe now isn't the best time to enact such a saying. What if he never returns?"

"Then that is it." Tyki slowly began stroking Lulubell's hair. "Perhaps it's best, then. End it now, before everyone gets their hopes up."

"Everyone already has their hopes up that he is the one." Lulubell said quietly. "His leaving is tearing the castle apart; I can tell." They sat in silence for a while longer. "Are you going to see him off tomorrow?"

"Perhaps not." Tyki murmured absently. "I wouldn't want to ruin what could be a cheerful parting."

"He would want you there to say goodbye."

"I cannot bring myself to be able to." Tyki sighed and lay back against the mattress of his bed. Lulubell's hand hovered over his arm, the woman unsure of how the younger would react if she offered a comforting touch. "No more arguing. Leave me now, Lulubell, in peace."

"As you wish." She said softly, leaning over and pressing a soft, barely-there kiss to Tyki's temples before leaving the room as told.

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"I'll be back before you know it, guys!" Lavi said, trying to cheer up the few who had gathered to see him off. Kanda looked annoyed, Allen had an extremely forced smile, Lenalee was comforting Rhode, who looked like she was about to burst into tears. "I promise, you won't even know I'm gone!" With a slight laugh, Lavi ignored the voice in the back of his head that told him that he wouldn't be back any time soon, if ever, because the second Bookman saw him, they would be miles away from the nearby village before Lavi could even say 'how are you, you old panda?'

"Don't forget us, ok?" Rhode said earnestly, sharing a look with Allen, who shook it slightly. Lavi nodded at her, beaming until she turned tail suddenly and left, Lenalee following after her. It was quiet, Lavi not moving as he gazed down the hallway almost expectantly.

"He isn't coming, Lavi." The red head looked down at Allen, who shrugged helplessly. "He refuses to leave his room right now. Not even Lulubell can coax him out now." Lavi waited a moment longer, his hand tightening slightly around his bag as he waited for Tyki to appear. After a minute and half of waiting, Lavi sighed and smiled tightly down at the people he'd come to befriend.

"I'll see ya around, huh, guys?" He said quietly. Allen opened his mouth, but closed it again when Lavi shook his head. Shifting his bag so it fit more firmly on his shoulder, the red head turned away and started down the entrance to the castle. He stopped just inside the entryway, hand on the side of the door, and peered up at the main guardian of the castle. "'M I clear to go, Skinn?"

The stone statue maneuvered himself to look down on the red head standing in the doorway; the hulking human ghost beside the door glared just as fiercely, his arms crossed in annoyance.

"I think Tyki Mikk is a damn fool for agreeing to this." He growled. "But you're free to go, boy. And don't let any one of us catch you around here unless you're willing to stay permanently, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, sir!" Lavi mock-saluted, stepping out towards the gate. He took a few steps, walking halfway to the gate, then turned again and waved at everyone watching him leave. "Don't you guys worry." He called back, eyes moving up the castle to the upper levels, hoping against hope to see Tyki silhouetted in one of the glass panes. "I'll be back before you even have time to miss me, I swear it!" He turned towards the gate again, his carefree smile dropping instantly as he began walking again.

Lavi wasn't even out of earshot before he heard Kanda's venomous "I told you guys you shouldn't have gotten your hopes up. The damn kid isn't worth this entire ordeal because he couldn't do it. I fucking knew something like this would happen." The words made him freeze in fear- - -did Kanda know more than he let on?- - -but the red head forced himself to keep walking and ignore the former samurai's words.

He placed a shaky hand on the gate for a brief moment, feeling a weight settle on his shoulders that hadn't been there before or even during his stay at the castle. Taking a deep breath as he faced the woods before him, Lavi prepared to make the day's journey go by as quickly as possible.

It surprised him when a horse came up to him after he'd been walking for twenty minutes. It was even more surprising when he realized it was familiar- - -the same horse that brought both him and Bookman to the castle.

"What are you doing here, huh?" He murmured softly, placing a hand on the flank of the horse. The animal snorted and stamped its foot, shaking its head and sending a clear message: get on. Looking around curiously, Lavi pulled himself onto the horse, confused but relieved he wouldn't have to make the entire journey on foot. "Onward, then."

The rest of the day was spent watching the forest for any particular kind of movement. Lavi, now that he had no real mission to finding either the castle or the village, took his time in looking around the beautiful forest around him. It was surprisingly green and alive, with splashes of color in the form of small animals and flowers along the ground. He was so distracted, when the first shouts of enraged voices reached him, he was startled.

Looking up, Lavi frowned when he realized several things: the trip back was nowhere bear as long as it was heading into the castle, there was smoke in the middle of the town, and even the house at the edge of the village, where Bookman lived, was dark.

Curiosity peaked, Lavi dismounted and walked toward the village, the horse following him. Making his way through the deserted town, frowning slightly when he heard windows closing around him, Lavi followed the sound of the men's voices to the center of town, right in front of Cross's bookshop.

And froze.

Adam stood in front of the fire, arms spread outward as he spoke. The men of the village were in a crowd around him, giving off enthusiastic cheers to every other thing that came from the man's mouth. Bookman stood with his head held high by Adam, though he looked uncomfortable standing so close to the man beside him and the people in front of him. Cross was leaning in his doorway, glass in hand and an unreadable expression on his face, Tiedoll beside him with a somber, worried look.

"Our people should not have to worry about a creature in the woods!" Adam yelled, addressing the crowd as a whole. "This is our town; our woods! We shouldn't have to avoid the trees just because of a horrible monster who wants to eat our children!" Lavi stared in horror as the men agreed, his eye throbbing painfully as he moved forward purposefully.

"Wait!" He called out, terror gripping his heart as he realized they wanted to go into the castle and harm his friends and Tyki. Everyone turned as one, their eyes wide with shock and surprise as Lavi barreled through them to stop them as best as he could.

"Lavi!" Bookman cried out, relief clear in his eyes and voice as he moved towards the red head, meeting him halfway and preventing him from going any further.

"You need to stop this!" Lavi directed at Adam, momentarily ignoring the old man with arms around his waist. "Please! Don't go after them!"

"You've managed to escape!" The man's voice sounded joyous, sending chills down Lavi's spine. The men around them cheered, but Adam wasn't deterred by his sudden reappearance. "That means the monster is angry!" He yelled over them. "His prisoner has escaped his reach, and he will waste no time in coming after him! We must protect our village!" The men cheered again, and Lavi felt his blood run cold when he sensed Adam's gaze lock with his own. "We must kill him."