"I already told you how it is. I can tell you what you want, but it won't get you far because it is in fact a lie." They spit the gathering blood in their mouth. A few hits to the head didn't feel so good either. The stout man laughed. "Tell me Director, what do you want to hear? That I was wrong. That Allen isn't dead?" Lvellie answered the boy smugly,
"That would be good. Whatever pleases you of course. Though I must confess," the man strode across the little space separating Lavi from any further 'physical' interrogating. He flinched away, unable to get very far from the director who stood promptly in from of him.
"Being the Bookman's apprentice, I never suspected you of all the exorcists to run off. Don't you have strict 'rules' as a Bookman?" Lavi denied the snide comment an answer. He met Lvellie's playful eyes.
"I recall being told you record history. I would imagine being apart of it would make things a little more difficult. Wouldn't want to be biased in your recordings, now would you?" Stubborn silence. The man retained his calm, resisting from taking his impatience out on the boy right then. He kept prodding.
"I'd say from my standpoint you failed miserably. Your 'friends' are just people living every day to die one day and join the rest of the common people in this history you Bookman value so much. What is a friend?" Lavi deemed this a good time to speak up.
"It's something you'd never bother to comprehend, let alone understand." Lvellie matched The red-heads cheeky smile. Lvellie moved on quickly. Letting Lavi's remark seem ignored, Lvellie purposed a new thought.
"Say Allen is dead. How did it happen? Akuma attack? No, that seems too easy. So tell me. How?" Lavi had to think his response soon or there might be doubt that he was telling the truth.
'Akuma attack is out. Maybe the Noah?' he thought. 'He should buy it.'
"The Noah personally saw to it themselves." Lvellie seemed interested. He raised his eyebrow in question, clearly telling the other to continue. If it wouldn't have been suspicious, Lavi had so badly wanted to smile smugly at his small victory. Lvellie wanted to know more, and even a bigger victory was the directors silence. Retaining his current despondent demeanor, Lavi prayed his story would be believable.
"It was a week or two ago. Tyki Mikk decided approaching us in the middle of town was the best place to make his move. The Noah seemed too willing to comply with meeting in a more discreet place. There was no reason to drag innocent people into anything. He'd said he just wanted to talk. This wasn't the first time." Lvellie had grabbed a chair hiding in the room's shadows. The sun had dropped and the moon hung high.
"He purposed for the second time, that Allen join himself and the Noah. Allen objected again, but this time didn't end as well as last time. Tyki Mikk was far from happy with the answer. He insisted it wasn't a request, but an order from the Millennium Earl. He attacked, so of course we fought back." Lvellie seemed to be growing impatient with the passing minutes.
"Get to your point boy." Lavi needed to wrap this up. He didn't need words to understand that. The man's annoyed face was enough motivation.
"Allen was already pretty weak, so fending off Tyki and keeping Allen out of dodge of the Noah's attacks proved to be impossible. Eventually, a good blow to my head and a brick wall later was enough to incapacitate me. Consciousness mostly gone, I was able to make out the Noah's teases. "You're no use to us if you're this weak. Who would have guessed your own body would kill you?" That's what he said. Screams and then nothing."
Lavi knew none of this was true, but it wasn't much different than watching his friends health fail right in front of him. The thought crossed his mind more often than not whether the Asian Branch could actually help Allen. Lvellie took this chance to speak.
"How did Tyki Mikk kill Allen Walker? You have a good memory. Bookman made sure of that."
"Simple. Just like last time. Using his damn tease to eat a hole in Allen's heart. And let him bleed to death." Lvellie was far from done with his questions.
"So would you conclude that Walker's innocence did not save him this time?" Lavi was catching onto the other's game. He was making the boy relive his friends 'supposed' death in detail. And to make it sound like mere facts, despite being a lie, was still hard to stomach. Quieter, he resentfully responded.
"When you have innocence and dark matter, I'd say there's nothing saving you." That smug grin was back.
"I appreciate your cooperation boy, but you can drop the tone you insolent brat." Lavi did nothing to avoid the inevitable kick to his chest. The man would just retaliate even harder if he fought back. 'Pick your battles. It's just a little pain,' the red head tried to believe. It wasn't easy when you just had the wind knocked out of you.
"My last question, and then you're free to go back to your holding cell." Somehow the boy didn't believe his going back to that cold damp cell was really bait to get anyone to comply. As it stood, it did sound more appealing than have the crap beaten out of you.
"Spill it already," he spat weakly. Lavi didn't care if he displeased his interrogator anymore. Lvellie appeared to reluctantly let his prisoners defiance go.
"Why did you choose to come back." A small laugh, and steadier breathing than a moment ago, he picked himself up enough to lean against the wall again.
"When everything you cared about is taken away, you'd be surprised how easy it is to give up." With very little hope of Allen making a complete (if any) recovery, and everyone at the Order who meant something to him being so far out of reach, it was starting to feel like his lie might be the unfortunate truth. Lavi met the directors sharp gaze. "So if turning myself in is a step closer to something that used to feel like home is what I have left, why wouldn't I?" The Director just stood there. 'What's he going to do now?' "I think you missed a spot when you hit me last time."
"I'm calling Lenalee Lee to come and escort you. Back to your cell that is." Lavi said nothing. He didn't want to see Lenalee. Not yet. Last he'd seen her he had been the reason she was sad. And broken.
"Not even a thank you?" I'm letting you go back to your cell to rest." Biting his lip, restraining a smart ass remark, Lavi couldn't meet the others face anymore. Muttering a 'thanks," The Director accepted the boy's thank you.
"You can work on that. There will be plenty of time." A knock sounded on the heavy door. "Your escort is here." Striding over to the door, Lvellie had one more thing to say before he would let whoever it was in.
"Please update Ms. Lee about the current situation. If you don't feel up to the task, I don't mind doing so for you."
'Over my dead body,' Lavi thought, his anger getting the better of him.
"I can do it." He sounded confident to his own ears. He could hope the man heard it the same. The door opened and Lenalee entered the room. Her eyes quickly found Lavi, and she panicked. Quickly, however, she made a choice. Turning to the Director, she asked what she could help him with. Lvellie explained that Lavi Bookman needed escorted back to his prison cell. She nodded in understanding and calm and steadier than Lavi had expected his friend to be, crossed the room to him.
She helped him up without a word. He was grateful for the silence. It was easier. Lvellie nodded his approval, Lenalee acknowledging him with an almost undetectable smile and nod. Upon leaving the room, what smile was there was gone as fast as it came. The girl was familiar with the route to their destination. Visiting Allen's cell when she did, the same feeling of dread crept it's way back now. Descending the never ending floors and stairs, the two reached the door the girl would have to close, trapping Lavi the same way Allen had been.
"Lenalee. I'm sorry." She didn't say anything except still keeping her support so he could stay upright. She helped Lavi sit up and find his balance before she left him leaning against the wall.
"Before you go, I need to tell you something." Lenalee turned, facing the door.
"What is it?" She didn't sound angry, or even frustrated. She sounded broken; Or afraid that if she spoke she would completely lose what control she had.
"It seemed pointless before, the first time I read it. But I think you'll understand. 'What seems obvious is not always what is, however what we want the truth to be is not always false.' Here, it's not much but it's something.' Lenalee turned again, seeing that Lavi was untying something from around his ankle.
"Here." She met his outstretched hand and felt something that weighed next to nothing fall into her palm. She examined it, eager to understand what it was. It was a ribbon that had seen better days. Tattered and coming undone along its seams, Lenalee closed her hand tightly around the gift.
"Thank you Lavi. I'll be by with some food tomorrow morning if I'm allowed." She was slow to leave, but knew it had to happen. Hearing the door click into place with a heavy echo through the empty hallway, Lenalee climbed the stairs, her hand still closed tight. Making it back to her room in silence like before, she didn't want to be alone in the dark. Lighting the candle beside her bed, the girl uncurled her hand. The ribbon was a faded red. Her lips found her lost smile. This was Allen's.
Her friend always wore it. She would too. Tying it gently, yet still securely around her wrist, she grinned. She heard a faint knock on her door. "Come in" she called. A familiar face with a hesitant look about them stepped in.
"Can you not sleep?" Lenalee asked. Kanda shut her door.
"That's about the jist of it," he admitted, coming to sit beside her on the bed.
"Lay down, we'll talk in the morning. I have so much to tell you," she sounded more hopeful than she had in a months time. "I think things are going to be ok. It's not completely clear to me yet, but I trust Lavi." Kanda, already dressed for bed, pulled the covers back and payed down.
"Get dressed and we'll talk in the morning then. I'm looking forward to some good news for once," he returned the girl's smile." She hurried changing for the night and climbed into bed, ready to share the others body heat. She always slept better with the Samurai beside her.
"Thank you Kanda. And remind me in the morning I need to fix this," Lenalee gestured to her wrist, holding it up enough for Kanda to see. "I need to fix the seams."
"Will do Lenalee. Good night," he hugged her closer, pulling the covers over the both of them. He would be naive to not recognize the ribbon around the girl's wrist. Maybe there was hope after all, the thought crossed Kanda's mind before he fell asleep.
Thank you for your time and reading to chapter 31. I love constructive criticism and ideas. I've taken such ideas from reviews in the past and incorporated them into Yume, so please share you thoughts and ideas in the reviews or a message. I want to hear what you as the readers think and believe could happen. I hope to hear from you soon. :)