"Devina? Are you alright?" Lavi's hands gripped her arms from behind, and he lifted her up easily.
"U-uh, yes, I just tripped," she said lamely, and he chuckled.
"Do you need me to walk you back to the Medical Wing?" he asked.
"N-no, no. I'll be fine, thanks,"
"Sure," his laughter faded but his smile remained intact.
Devina slapped herself as she remembered the reason she was out of bed in the first place. "By the way, have you seen Cross?"
Lavi was surprised she disregarded the general's title while saying his name, but he didn't comment. "I think he's in a meeting with the Generals," he answered, and he noticed her face fall. "Devina, is this about what happened back at the Ark?"
"Goodnight, Lavi," she had began to walk away and her hands waved at him.
"Devina!" he called, but she didn't turn.
Back on her hospital bed, Devina couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned, restless, but sleep refused to take her.
She kept thinking about everything Lavi had said. His questions haunted her… Why did she lie to him? Why did she let herself be stabbed instead of him? And why did she jump in after him, when the Ark collapsed? Had Allen not restored the Ark, she'd be dead now. She hadn't given that much thought, but it certainly startled her. She was willing to risk her life for this guy.
She recalled how he hadn't been honest with her either, and how he managed to get her talking without actually saying much himself. Her blood boiled at her stupidity, and she screamed into her pillow. That sly bastard. She even told him she was having weird dreams. It could've all been an act to get her to tell him more about the Noah. There was always that possibility. He was a Bookman, after all, and at the end of the day, she still knew nothing about him. And he had the audacity to say I was easy to talk to. She fumed. She didn't realize she could be so easily outsmarted.
"D-devina?" Lenalee's hand was on her bare back and Devina jolted in shock.
"What?" she straightened, and looked around. Lenalee stood by Devina's bed, arm still on her back while Miranda rubbed her eyes.
"Is everything okay?" Lenalee asked sleepily.
"Y-yes. Yes, everything is fine," Devina stammered. She noticed Lenalee looked adorable when she was sleepy.
"You were screaming into your pillow. Are you hurting?" Miranda asked this time.
Devina shook her head, "no, really, it's nothing. I'm just a bit upset with myself at the moment. Sorry I woke you," she said apologetically, "please go back to sleep."
"You sure?" Lenalee asked her.
Devina nodded vehemently, her neck cracking in the process, before Lenalee went back to her own bed, and they were all swarmed up by the silence.
She settled into her bed and rested her head against the pillow. The last thought she had before sleep took her was why Lavi kept touching her so much, and why she had liked it, despite her act.
Devina was dreaming again. She realized it immediately because Thomas was there. They were hiding behind a trash bin outside the bakery, waiting for the baker to toss out unwanted bread. There was always something that was undercooked or burnt or just plainly undesirable, and he left it out beside his backdoor.
When the baker stepped out to fulfill his routine, Devina and Thomas went still as stone. The moment the door closed, they rushed forward picking up each and every piece of bread before they scurried back to the main road.
"Should we get some apples, too?" Devina asked her partner in crime.
"The market's probably closed now, Devi," Thomas said with feigned impatience. "You should've said so sooner."
Devina scoffed before she elbowed him. "Shut up, you jerk," she laughed slightly but then quieted down. "Everyone's just so sick of eating bread everyday," she remarked.
Thomas thought silently. "Maybe we can steal something tomorrow," he began, "but we'll need Mark's help."
Devina nodded, then turned to smile at him but he was gone. The bread fell from her hands as she saw a shadow moving in the alley to her left.
She knew it was really stupid of her to follow it, but her legs carried her closer to the shadow, and she turned left into the alley it had disappeared into.
Devina screamed as she came across the woman she saw in another dream. She had her hands closed around Thomas's neck, cutting off his airway. Her skin turned a grey shade, and slowly, stigmata marks appeared across her forehead.
"You… you… stop! Stop!" Devina shouted. "Stop hurting him! Please!"
The woman turned to face her, and Devina saw her wicked features stretch into a smile so wide, it made Devina's skin crawl. Her eyes were bloodshot and crazed, but Devina could see the mole underneath her left golden eye.
"Who are you? What do you want from him?"
"Him?" the woman asked softly. "I'm not here for him, Devina dear. You've forgotten everything, and I'm here to remind you. You… seem to have forgotten me, too." The woman's face looked incredibly hurt, and her grip tightened around Thomas's throat. "I'm Joyd, the Noah of Pleasure,"
Devina blinked back tears. "I- I'm sorry, I'm sorry, okay? I'll try to remember, I promise. Please, don't hurt him. Don't hurt him…"
"It's too late," the woman whispered, her grin returned, and she snapped his neck.
Devina woke up to Kanda towering over her, a bored expression across his beautiful face.
"K-kanda!" she squealed, as she often did whenever he was near her. She tried to control her scattered heart and focused on catching her breath. She sat up quickly, trying to hide her discomfort but she nearly bumped into his head.
"You're finally awake?" he asked her, his voice sharp.
"What do you want?" she asked just as sharply, but she hadn't intended it to come out like that.
"Get up. Let's go train," he ordered, already turning around to head out.
Devina swung her legs out of the bed and stood up. "Oi, oi, what are you… we can't train with your Innocence destroyed!" she bellowed but he completely ignored her. "Wait till I've washed up, you…" she huffed, before she made her way to the bathroom.
When she stepped out of the bathroom, the Head Nurse stopped her. "Where do you think you're going?"
Devina yelped, "eeep! Can I… go for a walk?"
The Head Nurse glowered at the small girl, and Devina quivered. "A walk, is it?"
"Yes," she said quietly.
The Head Nurse broke into a smile, and patted her head; the force behind it was immense, and Devina began to doubt she was merely a nurse. "If I find out you've used your Innocence, I'll tie you to your bed,"
"Nope, I definitely won't be doing that," Devina promised, before bowing down, and making a run for it.
Devina's walk to the training hall was almost a blur. She got there too fast and she felt incomprehensibly ready to tell Kanda off. She wasn't feeling like training, and with the nightmare she'd just had, she feared her Innocence would interfere.
She pushed the door open and she saw Kanda stand up from one red mat, grabbing a normal sword from where they were stacked in a cornered cabinet.
"Hold your horses, pretty boy," she breathed out harshly. "I'm not here to fight you,"
Kanda made his way to her and scowled, "why did you come then?"
"Well, it's rude to stand someone up, and I came to tell you that I don't want to train with you." Devina answered crudely.
"Don't tell me you're scared?" Kanda gave her an uncharacteristic smirk, and she faltered.
"Ehh? I'm not scared of you, I'm just afraid we'll repeat what happened last time," she admitted sincerely, and Kanda's smirk disappeared.
"Drop that already. Besides, you could never kill me," Kanda said, extremely annoyed.
Devina stared up at him, and huffed. "Okay, fine. I'll train with you under one condition,"
He hissed. "What's that, she-wolf?"
She quirked a brow. "Tell me why you want to train with me," she asked, curiosity getting the best of her.
Kanda's eyes narrowed, as he debated whether he would answer or not. "Everyone else hasn't healed yet, and I don't want to train with that moyashi," he said simply, and she nodded. "Pick up a sword, already," he grumbled.
"I don't want one," she declared. Kanda was about to object, wondering how stupid she could be for going against him weaponless, but he held his tongue.
"You're going to use your Innocence?" he asked instead.
Devina shook her head, her gaze falling to her closed fists. "I need to learn to fight without it," she finally said. Kanda's right hand moved as though about to drop the sword when she cut him off. "No, everyone I fight will probably be armed, so, please…" she trailed.
Kanda gripped the hilt of the sword and charged. Devina jumped back and then sideways, to get out of the doorway. "You can't pounce around forever, you need to defend, too,"
"Shut up! I want to think," Devina snapped, as she tried to plan out a course of action. She was absolutely clueless, but she needed to do something other than run around.
"You brat, stop, stop, stop," Kanda's voice was louder than she'd ever heard it. "You need to study your opponent, and their movement-"
"You're not giving me any chance to do that, are you?"
Kanda's nostrils flared. "Do not interrupt me," he hissed, and Devina bit her lip to cease her speech. "You're fighting someone with a sword, while unarmed, so that's already a disadvantage." He began explaining, and she opened her mouth to comment, but he raised a hand to hush her. "You are small and fast, however," he allowed, "you should keep your punches and kicks coming, as you fight your way into disarming your opponent."
Devina nodded automatically, "how do I do that?" she asked, and Kanda's narrow eyes widened.
"I don't leave a lot of openings," he admitted, "but you can aim for my sword hand, elbows, knees, legs…" he sighed desperately as he saw the puzzled look on her face. "Come at me," he ordered.
Devina followed his order and rushed in, her hand aiming for his wrist. She tried to jam the side of her hand into it, but Kanda caught her approaching wrist easily, and edged his sword forward so that the tip rested against her larynx.
"Again," Kanda ordered, and Devina backed up a few steps before she ran at him. She picked up speed, and when she appeared before him, she could tell it took him by surprise. She gripped onto his sword arm, and then jammed her hand into his throat.
Devina backed away as Kanda began to cough. "I- I'm sorry," she blurted.
Kanda regained his composure, standing up straight. "That was good. Again,"
Devina tried the same trick again, but this time, he was prepared. Kanda dropped his sword to the ground and gripped each of her wrists in his hand, before he pulled her closer and jammed his forehead into hers.
Devina moaned as he released her, and then she back up, choosing not to wait for another signal. She rushed toward him. "That trick won't work again," he warned her, but she already had a plan. For a second, she disappeared from his line of sight, before he realized she'd continued to slide against the mat, approaching him from below. Before he could react, Devina's leg pushed between his two feet, and she hooked her leg around his ankle, pulling him forward.
Kanda fell back, his head hitting the ground. "You're such a pain in the ass," he complained, before he stood up and offered her a hand. She took it and got on her legs.
"Again," Kanda reiterated, and she obliged.
Author's Note: Hello again! I had been meaning to update in celebration of Hoshino's return, but I got busy with a trip to Turkey, and then... well, I got lazy. Welcome back Hoshino-sensei! And congratulations to us, the DGM fandom for surviving this long hiatus. What did you all think of chapter 219? ^^