Well, folks, it's been two years! It's coming up on half a decade since I started this fic and let me promise you, it'll be more than that before I forget it. First, thanks to everyone who kept this thing going. Hn, waterlit, lostinmusation, everyone else, and most of all karina, you probably all have paying employment and better things to do now than read fanfic for a long-dead minor character in a long-dead anime. I certainly do! But this work has followed me for a good part of my life, and I must see it through until the end.

The story so far: Daisya, a young exorcist at the Black Order, has learned after a variety of near-fatal escapades that his best friend Kanda, has been keeping him alive at the cost of his own lifespan. Together with the precocious Lenalee and the reliable Marie, they are guaranteed to survive the next few years of their lives. How do they do it? Stay tuned to find out.

The gothic arches of the Black Order soared into the heavens above far more earthly matters. Through the slim windows of the dining hall, damp, blue spring-time light covered wooden tables and chairs, settling over finders and exorcists like a fine mist. Two children chased each other around the hall, a boy of nine and a girl of ten picked up by returning exorcists.

There were not as many as there once were.

The next-youngest exorcists were all sat at the same table somewhere near the kitchen, picking the bones of their breakfast. To an outsider, they might seem to be keeping to themselves, three teenagers and a young man sunk into the circular conversation of family.

"You think they might let us out today?" one of them asked, a stocky boy in bandages and a loose cloak."I hear the river's gone down."

"My brother said we can't afford to stay in here much longer," the lone girl answered.

"Yeah, but are we actually allowed out?"

"If you want to leave, leave," a skinny boy said.

"Whether or not it's safe, they may have to send out a team," the young man concluded. "They cannot afford to let akuma go unchallenged."

"Here's hoping it's us who get to challenge 'em."

"Are you bored, Daisya?" asked Marie. "You really should have told us sooner."

Daisya aimed a kick at him under the table, which had about as much effect as a poke.

"It's been weeks! Seriously, I don't know how you guys stand it."

"It's not like we've had any rest," muttered Kanda.

"I like spending time with the people here," Lenalee said simply. "The flood may not be good for everyone, but at least it means we can all catch up."

She finished the last of her congee, putting the bowl aside neatly and starting on the small plate of dried fruit they had in lieu of the fresh stuff.

"Ugh. That's cheesy."

Kanda flicked an apple seed at him, grazing him on the cheek. "Shut up, you like it too."

"I think Kanda may be right," said Marie slyly. "You've seemed quite eager in our lessons, Daisya."

Defeated, Daisya set to fiddling with his bandages, rewrapping the ones he could reach and pinning them back in place.

"Fine, fine. Look, I'm happy that you've all been keeping me busy," he said, "But it's still not fun, being trapped in one place."

"Yeah, since it actually forces you to work," said Kanda. "The rain's already stopped. We'll be out of here soon."

"You sure?"

"Sure."

"Though I will still expect you to practice with me," added Marie. "If you want to increase your solo capabilities, you must learn to control your pitch."

"I already control the pitch."

"Not the football pitch, your musical pitch," said Lenalee. Kanda grumbled quietly at the joke, while Daisya offered her a high-five.

"You're getting so sharp, you'll cut yourself!"

"I—"

"Hey," Marie interrupted. "Does you hear footsteps?"

The hall was full of the soft shuffling of movement, but those seated at the table quieted down and concentrated on the patchwork of noise. Sure enough, when they quieted down, they caught a more purposeful stride making its way toward them from the opposite end of the hall. Kanda, whose eyes were sharpest, saw him first.

"It's Reever," he said.

"He looks worried," Lenalee commented.

"Don't tell me we're trapped for longer," whined Daisya.

"Good morning, Reever," said Marie.

"Morning," Reever said tiredly. "Sorry, it's been a long night. How healthy are you all?"

"Couldn't be better!"

"We're doing all right."

"Fine."

"What is it?" asked Marie.

Reever waved a file in front of them. "More Finders fallen off the map. We're still cut off from the road, but the North African HQ already needs all the help it can get—damn, and I just signed the transfer for the twins. They'll—no, they'll be there by now—"

"So you're sending us out, right? We get to leave?"

"Daisya," Lenalee cautioned. "Let Reever tell us what's going on first, okay?"

"Thank you, Lenalee," muttered Reever. "The field agents think it's something more than a couple of akuma, in a place called Bremen. No confirmed kills, but we got a call from one Finder in the region just a few days ago, and none of the three we sent there have reported in. If they get another foothold there, it'll make our lives even harder. I don't like it, but you four are our best team. Marie, Daisya, you can cover more ground than the rest of us put together. Kanda, you can take a hit. Lenalee—I don't like it, but we'll need someone who can travel fast. If something happens—"

"I'll report back," said Lenalee simply. Across from her, Kanda nodded. "I understand."

Reever sighed, more tired than ever. "I know. Briefing's at ten sharp, Komui's office. He refused to let anyone else handle the logistics."

"You mean half past," said Daisya, "He's never on time."

"You're telling me. Marie, General Tiedoll had a note here about you, uh—"

"It should not present a problem."

"Okay, good, moving on."

"Wait, what's not a problem?" asked Daisya sharply.

"The General and I have been experimenting with the capabilities of my Innocence," Marie said smoothly. "As I said, it should not present a problem."

Kanda fidgeted beside him, hands wrapping around the edges of his coat.

"Good. That's it for now—and, you guys?"

"Yes?" asked Lenalee.

"Do me a favour. Make it back here, alive." Reever tapped her on the head with his file. "Your brother wouldn't let me hear the end of it."

"They will," said Kanda, speaking for the first time.

"We will," the others corrected together.

"I'll hold you to that. Anyway, I've got a three-foot stack of paperwork to sort out yesterday, so I'll be going. Enjoy your breakfast, or, uh, what's left of it."

With a vague wave over their empty plates, Reever turned and strode off. The light was paler now, more grey than blue as the diners filtered out of the hall in twos and threes.

"Finally," said Daisya. "I don't know what I'd do if I had to spend another minute studying, eh?"

"You don't study."

"Kanda, you're catching on. When'd he say we're meeting? Ten?"

"Closer to ten thirty, as you pointed out," said Marie.

"And what's the time?"

"Dunno," said Kanda, as Lenalee took a watch from her pocket that seemed far too large for her hands.

"Ten minutes to nine."

"Hmmm. Anyone up for a game?"

"Don't forget to pack," said Marie.

"Yeah, yeah, I can just shove everything into my bag. How about we meet in the back courtyard? We can do some two-on-two."

"Fine," said Kanda.

"I might take longer," said Lenalee. "But I think I have time. Marie?"

"You do need some combat practice, don't you, Daisya?"

"Yeah," Daisya said cheerfully, a grin sitting on his face like a cat on a cushion. "I really do."

He hopped to his feet, brushing crumbs off his cloak and on to the floor before grabbing his tray and bolting.

"Last one up does the paperwork!"

With a clatter of cutlery and scraping of chairs, the other three followed him.

...

The four exorcists stood panting in Komui's office. Marie stood between a red-faced Daisya and Kanda, while Lenalee hurriedly untangled bits of twig from Kanda's hair. The time was 10:42 AM, and the office was empty.

"Daisya, are you sure you're all right?"

"Look, I've been hurt enough to know when I am. Okay?"

"I could never question your judgment," said Marie dryly.

"He's fine," Kanda interrupted. "I'm the one he landed on."

"I thought you couldn't pick the ball up in football, anyway," said Lenalee.

"Yeah, unless you're playing by rugby rules."

"Which we weren't," said Kanda.

"Until you picked up the ball!"

"I was defending the goal."

"You were ahead of the defense line!"

"You both seemed to be having fun, at least," said Lenalee.

"Yeah, she's right," said Daisya.

"Whatever."

"Regardless, you shouldn't start wrestling the day of a mission," Marie concluded.

"But—"

"Hey there!"

Daisya's argument was cut off by the whirlwind of loose paper and general disorganization that shot through the door, appearing on the other side of the main desk without actually seeming to walk through the room.

"Sorry I'm late, Lena, we just had a little bit of trouble with the phone, but I managed to give Reever the slip so! Your next mission."

The mask of distraction slipped off of Komui's face, leaving them looking at a serious young man around Marie's age.

"Over the last decade, there have been a few waves of above-average akuma activity around the world. Europe's been a hot spot for, oh, four years now? As akuma numbers grow, they kill more people while looking for Innocence, and when those people die, the people around them sink into despair and become willing to do anything for some sense of relief.."

Komui opened a marked-up paper map, spreading it across the table.

"Here," he said, pointing to a thick grey "x" mark, "Is the last reported location of the Finder Gertrud Proust. Three Finders we sent as reinforcements also disappeared before checking in. Over here is a report of a Noah-like being, called in by another Finder, Iris Ohm. This here is an independently recorded Noah sighting, second-hand, recorded and submitted by Lisa Sturm."

The three marks formed a loose cluster some way south of the city, shown to be a forest by the sketched icons of trees.

"Looks cold," said Daisya, leaning over the map. "You think—"

"Quiet."

Lenalee pulled him back with a small hand on his shoulder.

"Normally," Komui continued. "The best response to a Noah sighting is to avoid the area until such time as an exorcist general can be summoned and sent in. In this case, Bremen is a port city near the North Sea. If—and I don't—we can't know for certain—but if they have found our location, they could reach us in a few days. Until the flooding stops, we're trapped here. We can't risk an invasion.

"Of the exorcists here, you four are the only ones who have trained together for any amount of time. You stand the best chance of surviving—" Komui ran straight over the crack in his voice. "—at all. Which is what this mission might need."

Calm at best, Marie had now gone quite still, leaving the group without their leader. What was unusual was that Daisya, too, had frozen in place.

The girl. The one he saw. She was in the forest, wasn't she?

"Then we're engaging," Kanda said flatly.

She'd seen him.

"We can't know that until you're down there. Your chief objective is surveillance. Find a group of akuma or a Noah and observe their movements. If you find evidence of some kind of massed or co-ordinated attack on our Finders, gather whatever information you can. If you have solid evidence that HQ is the target, then send Lenalee back here and engage as best you can. We recommend—the Order recommends guerrilla tactics. At that point, you won't be trying to kill the akuma. You will do what you can to confuse, or slow them down. We're not even sure if there was a Noah there. Even so, do not engage with a Noah unless absolutely necessary. You will die. That doesn't means there's a chance you might not make it out, it means you will die."

She...but there were fourteen different Noah. Even if one was, she wouldn't be there.

"They're not going to give us a choice."

"Do you think I don't know that?" Komui demanded.

Unconsciously, Daisya raised his hand to his mouth.

"Then what's the point of this?" Kanda pressed on.

"Listen, these are the official orders. This is not, and I repeat, not a good idea. If the Noah know we're here, we're dead. The exorcists general are at least a week's travel away on foot. If they use their Innocence to travel faster, they won't be good for a fight. We're sitting ducks. I don't think the Noah are planning anything, and if they were, it wouldn't matter. We're on a skeleton crew, and we're trapped."

"And if they knew where we were, they'd have us under surveillance. Sending us away would guarantee an attack."

"Exactly."

"But we can't disobey orders," said Lenalee. "We don't have a good course of action."

"I know. For now, surveillance will do. If there's any unusual akuma activity, do what you can, but get out of there while you're still alive. If you find a Noah, run."

"And you'll cover for us." Marie didn't ask.

"Yes."

"So we're still...going, yeah?" Daisya asked.

Komui sent him a glare. "You're supposed to leave before sunset. Catch a train overnight to Hull, then find transport to the Low Countries. We've asked some Finders to get you to Bremen, but you'll have to go on foot form there."

"Understood," said Marie. "We'll be ready."

"Will you?" Komui said, almost to himself. "Never mind. We didn't have the second of half of this talk, by the way."

"What talk?"

"Daisya—"

...

"It's still high," said Lenalee, looking out over the swollen river below. The water had been churned to the colour of milky tea, flecked through with bits of flora and fauna it had tugged down into its current. It ran over the deck of the Black Order's main bridge, threatening to tear it away with each minute it flowed.

"Still not that bad. 'Least we can walk this far."

Walking up behind Daisya, Kanda tugged him forward.

"Hurry up."

"Can't blame a guy for taking in the scenery. Where'd Marie get to?"

"He went to check out the second crossing."

"What did he find?" asked Lenalee.

"Still flooded. He's looking for a place to cross. We'll meet up on the other side."

"I don't see why he can't just come back here," said Daisya. "We're not supposed to split up."

"There's nothing for him to grab on to here."

"And I'm still not strong enough to carry him," added Lenalee.

"I guess," Daisya conceded.

"Get a move on, then."

"Fine. You ready, Lena?"

"Just a minute—" Lenalee sank down into a sturdier stance, planting her feet down on the thin grass that grew up in the mountains. "Ready."

"Gotcha!"

Daisya put an arm around her shoulders and jumped up as she brought her arms up under him. Her boots were already starting to synchronize, lifting them slowly off of the ground.

"Am I getting lighter, or have you grown?" he asked cheerily.

"I'm growing, I think. I'm trying to get stronger."

"You're definitely not losing weight," called Kanda from below.

"Shut up."

"He's just teasing," said Lenalee.

"So 'm I."

Having warmed up her boots, Lenalee increased the power flow, sending them up and over the brown river in a matter of seconds. Daisya felt a pang of envy as they soared. His synchronization gave him a little bit of strength above and beyond what he was capable of, but he couldn't fly like this.

"I'll let go on the count of three. One, two, three—"

Daisya let go of her as she released her hold and jumped down lightly on to the muddy ground.

"Kanda," he called across the river, "You think you can toss those over here?"

"Yeah."

He watched as Kanda heaved one of their packs, swung it experimentally, then sent it flying over the river. Daisya caught it with one hand.

"Got it!"

Once the bags were over, Lenalee flew back and fetched Kanda, who didn't look like he enjoyed the flight much.

"Is Marie coming over here?" she asked once they were all safely on the ground.

"We're meeting at the head of the road. He said there was still something he wanted to check."

The three shouldered their packs, looking down the small path through the rock and debris that surrounded the headquarters of the Black Order.

"What are we waiting for? He's probably down there already."

It was just for a second, but Daisya felt Kanda's eyes land on him.

"Yes, but we should save our energy," said Lenanlee. "Don't run."

"Spoilsport," Daisya said lightly. "Can I at least sing? It's technically practice."

"I don't think I can stop you," said Lenalee with a laugh.

"Good. You all in the mood for anything in particular?"

After a brief bout of bickering, Daisya eventually started on an Irish tune that snaked up between the rocks and bounced back at them eerily. The sun, high overhead at their departure, slipped lower until the high rock walls nearly hid it. Lenalee joined in now and then at the chorus, adding the parts that she knew in a thin voice. Kanda stayed silent.

A half an hour later, or thereabouts, a rich baritone added to the mix, hovering just under Daisya's reedy tenor as they rounded the final corner and came out on to a narrow dirt road.

"How was that, Marie? G minor, yeah?" Daisya nearly leapt forward at him, dancing from foot to foot to try and burn off the pent up energy.

"It was flat, but you were close."

"Aw, come on. What were you checking?"

Marie walked forward steadily, making the rest of them skip to keep up with his strides. The man was longer than a camel.

"Komui had me look at the siege defenses," he said.

"We've got siege defenses?"

Lenalee laughed while Kanda rolled his eyes, kicking Daisya's foot up from under him.

"The Order has existed for centuries," said Marie.

"They never told us about them!"

"You can't give up the information if you don't have any. Shall we be on our way? We should move quickly."

"We should make the most of the daylight," agreed Lenalee.

For the first time in a long time, a team of four Exorcists left the European branch of the Black Order.

Every comment I get is a gift! Four years later, I'm still reading them. Best wishes to all you reading this in the year of our lord 2021, even if it's just You-Know-Who-You-Are. I'm glad to have every reader here with me. Maybe, one day in the 2030s, we'll all be able to read the end of DGM together. Until then, take care!