Disclaimer: I don't own D Gray Man. I do not make money from writing this. Please don't sue. I'm quite broke.

Warning: Unbeta'ed. Possibly some OOCness. Clumsy POV shifts. This is an imagined version of Japanese high school and living, influenced by the things I've seen from anime and manga, and input from YuKanda. I don't think it should affect the so called 'plot' but I should try to make it as realistic as possible. However, I do acknowledge that the reason for Kanda going on a train in maid costume in the first chapter was weak. It was a stretch and I shall edit that one when I get the time, so for now, I think it would be reasonable at some level for Kanda to think that it was safe since no one could recognize him if he went out in full costume? Anyway, here's chapter 3.

Kuro-chan Chapter 3: Outside School

The machine roared to life and Kanda waited patiently. He checked the surrounding area quickly and fished out his bank book and card from his bag. He fed them into the machine one at a time and checked his watch again as the humming sound buzzed softly, lolling his sleepy eyes to almost close. It was still very early afterall. He had decided to skip breakfast that morning and went for a quick jog. A mild drizzle of cold rain was falling when he got out but he still went on, pulling his jacket's hood up over his head and making his way to the nearby park. The rain did not stop, only becoming stronger and he thanked his earlier decision to put on the jacket or he'd be soaked by his second lap. He let the water run down his back since it did not get through his jacket, feeling the coldness of it still, and continued to run through puddles and mud. On his way back, he decided to drop by the nearest ATM machine to get some money and check if Lenalee has already made the transfer of his fee.

The numbers on the screen confirmed the transfer. He punched a small amount to make a withdrawal, vaguely thinking of the things he needed to buy. He had been running low on milk, eggs, and instant noodles. And maybe a few pens?

The first week of school went by in a flash, pretty much how it had always been in his life, uneventful and repetitive. He did two more photoshoots with Lenalee after the Hatsune Miku one which definitely helped his savings but nothing else was out of the ordinary in the past few days.

Except maybe that guy.

That weird foreign kid with red hair that always tried to talk to him, played nice with everyone, and spent most of his time cracking jokes with the Moyashi and the fujoshi from hell. Every person in the school seemed to have grown a liking for him in just one week and was all Lenalee was blabbering about when she did Kanda's hair and makeup for the past shoots.

'Lavi is funny. Lavi is in the library. Lavi will. Lavi is smart. Lavi is awesome. Lavi won't. Lavi likes cosplay. Lavi bought a manga. Lavi will eat with us. Lavi is the best.'

"Tch," he muttered as he tucked away his money, card, and bank book.

It irritated Kanda. Not because he felt jealous like what the Chinese girl seemed to be thinking when he brushed her off after one of her Lavi-rants, but because somehow, there was something about the new kid that nobody else noticed except for him. No, that's not quite right. Lavi's small smirks at him, sent his way at the briefest moments when nobody else was looking… it was as if he was taunting him. It was as if he was purposefully showing Kanda something while blatantly flaunting a façade to the others.

He ignored it at first but as the days rolled on, he found it more difficult. It was unsettling, like a mosquito bite begging to be scratched. What was he up to? Kanda couldn't help but ask the question but as soon as he did, he beat himself up for it and told himself that he didn't care. He had enough going on right now without some stupid bunny adding more mayhem.

His jog back to his apartment was swifter and wetter. He swiftly slipped in and closed the door behind him. Kanda placed a small bag of supplies he had picked up on the way on his counter and hastily peeled off the soaked jacket. The apartment was a simple one with just the necessities, a small room where he had mattress and a small closet, a kitchen/dining room, and a small bathroom. He took a quick shower, put on an old shirt, jeans, hoodie, and sneakers before he was marching out of the door again. It was still early but he figured he didn't have anything to do anyway. He thought of visiting him for a moment but decided against it.

Might as well be early at work.

"How did the first week go?"

Lavi looked up from his bread and tea at the sudden question. Bookman was sitting opposite him holding his own cup with two hands, eyes closed as he waited for a response. It was early morning and even though it was a weekend, it had been an unbreakable habit of his to rise before the sun did. His mentor had been away for most of the week and had just gone back the previous night while Lavi was eating in front of the TV.

How indeed…

Vivid images from the events of the past few days flashed rapidly in his mind. He could pick out each scene and retrieve the specific days they took place from memory, a skill he had long since mastered. Typical brains pick out either pleasurable or traumatic experiences more easily but his own did not make any discrimination. Each boring lesson from school, his classmates' names and faces, Allen's polite smile, and Lenalee's voice all played at the back of his head in a manner that should have confused him but didn't. "It was alright," Lavi said.

Bookman nodded. "Your training has prepared you for the academic aspect of it in the past so it is only expected."

"Yeah," he agreed. "It's interesting to hear it again though, from their point of view I mean. "

There was silence as Bookman continued to sip his tea while Lavi pondered what next questions might be. It was true though, he had spent his time this past week listening to things he already knew and he wondered why he was even being made to attend a place that was supposed to teach a student something. He had not learned anything new at all but he knew better than to question Bookman's reasons. He supposed it was to learn more of the kind of people in this country? Their culture? How to mingle with them, perhaps?

"The order is pleased with your progress," the old man said quietly.

He nodded. "Thank you. I am glad."

His mentor shook his head and said, "Do not be too quick to thank them. I told you, the order has a very deep history and what you know is but the tip of the iceberg."

"I know."

"You don't," he insisted shaking his head. "If you did, you wouldn't be glad."

They have talked about this countless of times and by now they both knew what the other would say to each question and rebuttal but all their discussions ended at the same line, Lavi's reason for doing what he was doing.

Bookman sighed, stretching his neck from side to side. "I will be going again tomorrow but I shall be back before the week ends. I trust you know your way around by now?"

Lavi nodded. "Your trips are becoming longer and more frequent," he commented.

"You're sixteen. You should be expecting more freedom by now," Bookman said before finishing his tea.

"I do like the idea of it. I just didn't think it would be given," he countered lightly. "But yeah, I can manage."

"Good. Then I will be off. Buy something for dinner as I might come back late again."

When Bookman left that morning, Lavi had nothing else to do. His guardian had stopped giving him new readings since school started and had left no instructions for anything specific that he had to accomplish by a specific time, which was it usually was. Still, he figured he'd make himself more productive and started researching topics off the internet that he had not read yet.

Since he had an unbelievable ability to multitask, Lavi found himself not only reading about some obscure literature about mythological creatures but also researching about Kuro-chan, and consequently, the characters she was portraying, and in further consequence, anime. It was entertaining and he found he was enjoying the free time even though he couldn't find it in himself to do completely nothing.

A few hours passed and he had been successful in digging up information on all subjects he had decided save that concerning the cosplayer's real identity or even how to reach her. His irritation gradually grew until he had closed the book he was reading and he had about eight tabs on his browser that were all dedicated to the pursuit of his object of interest at the moment. Still nothing turned up. His searches always led him back to Dark Boots studios.

He stared at the contact details on the website for a long time, contemplating if he should do it until he heard a loud growling that took him a long time before he realized was his own stomach. He glanced at his watch and was surprised to see that it was already lunch time. Lavi was still in his pajamas and he knew for a fact that the bread they had for breakfast was the last edible thing in the kitchen. He had to go out.

"Doing nothing is even more tiring than doing something," he groaned from his comfortable seat in front of his computer.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Good morning," greeted someone unseen as soon as Kanda stepped in through the glass doors of the small convenience store. He politely nodded in return even though the other couldn't see him and immediately made his way through the shelves of snacks to retrieve his red apron and store cap below the counter.

Bak Chang, a good natured young man and also his boss emerged from the store room with a box of juice cartons in his hands. He spotted Kanda on the register and he smiled brightly. "You're early," he told him as he cut the tape off the box with a pair of scissors.

"Woke up early," Kanda said with a shrug. "You want me to get the rest?"

"This is the last one. Just load these in the cooler after checking the register and then restock the candy isle," Bak told him and he went back to the storage room.

Kanda did as he was told, swiftly and methodically with practiced hands. After he was done, he checked the other shelves and decided to restock the other items too. He arranged the new issues of magazines and other periodicals on the stand as the store music was turned on and he was humming along a familiar tune.

A few shoppers dropped by to get coffee and magazines but it was still relatively early for them to be expecting more people. Kanda proceeded to mopping the floor while Bak sat behind the register, also donning an apron and a cap.

"Kanda-kun, I'll be stepping out for a couple of hours but later but I will be back before the more busy times. Can you manage alone till then?" Bak called.

Kanda adjusted his cap and nodded. "Yes, of course. Leave the store to me."

"You are so dependable," Bak said and fixed his bag. "I just need to meet this supplier but it won't take long."

"Just do what you have to, Bak-san," Kanda said and resumed mopping.

"Alright then," he said as he got up. "I really need to thank Komui for recommending you."

Kanda ignored the comment thinking that it wasn't really a big deal. He had been working in the convenience store since summer vacation and he didn't think the job was too hard. There were busy hours and, occasionally, troublesome costumers but nothing he couldn't handle. He used to work here everyday but his hours got lessened to just weekends ever since the start of the school year.

It wasn't because he chose to or his boss thought he was doing a poor job. In fact, Bak had been satisfied with how he did things, even though he thought his employee needed to be a little bit friendlier, as there was initially an increase in his female patrons. They tried to talk to him, especially the young ones that came in small herds and it was a test of patience on Kanda's part. Soon though, they realized that Kanda never entertained anyone. Not even the cute ones or the sexy ones or the male ones, each incident an interesting story that the grumpy teen will take to his grave for sure. Still an eye candy was an eye candy and they never really left, though they had calmed down considerably and no longer asked for his number or bothered him with their annoying attempts at a conversation.

Another perk of having the grumpy youth was that he had managed to drive away the annoying people who came in and read the magazines for free. Bak had tried everything from using sign boards and the store mop to send them away but none worked. However, Kanda needed only to glare at them and not once did he have any problem about it again.

Kanda needed the money and Bak found his ideal employee but it didn't stop him from reducing Kanda's work hours. Kanda had a feeling that Komui was responsible for his boss letting him work only on weekends because when he tried to talk to Bak about it, the man would have none of his arguments. "Earning money is good but your priority should be school," Bak had told him sternly.

"Take care of the store!" Bak said happily before leaving and Kanda was alone.

He ran the store without a problem even when the busy hours started and more costumers came in. He glanced at the store's watch and realized it was way past the time his boss should have been back.

Lavi scratched the back of his head as he walked in the convenience store near his apartment and the cool air from the air conditioner hit his face pleasantly. He realized he forgot to comb his hair as his fingers tangled with the red locks so he hastily patted them down and hoped they stayed in place. It was the first time he visited this establishment as Bookman usually did the shopping while he practiced his kanji before classes started.

There was a short cue at the counter and he proceeded to the coolers, scanning the packages of microwave meals and packed buns. He got two meals and a bun, and decided to take a box of flavoured milk as well. Bookman left him a relatively larger amount of money this morning and Lavi decide to scan the magazine section and snack isles as well .By the time he reached the counter, the store was empty and he placed his items on it.

"Would you like me to heat these up now?"

Lavi's eyes widened slightly at the familiar voice and sure enough, the person he saw when he looked up was glaring at him. He paused for a moment, taken aback by how blue those eyes actually were, and flashed his customary smile. "Just that one, thank you."

"Tch," the other muttered and snatched one of the cold meal packs.

Lavi watched happily as his classmate put his food in the microwave and heat it. He took in the red cap and apron and his smile got wider. "Have we met before?" he asked seriously.

Kanda shot him a glare but did not respond.

He decided to settle on one of the chairs near the counter and wait for the late lunch being prepared by the most unlikely person to cook for him. Never in a million years did he expect to run into his classmate like this but he found it so amusing that he couldn't help the grin on his face. The apron. And the cap. He tried to tone it down as Kanda walked over to him with his food and set it down carefully in front of him.

"Thank you," Lavi said happily and proceeded to rip the plastic of the disposable utensils when Kanda grabbed his wrist.

"You haven't paid for that yet," he told him dangerously.

"No friend's discount?" Lavi tried but his classmate's glare intensified considerably. "Right," he said and softly pulled his arm free from the somewhat aggressive store attendant. Kanda released him easily.

They walked to the register and Lavi fished out some bills from his pocket. Kanda took them quickly and without comment, punched in some buttons, and handed him back some coins.

Of all the people he could run into, it had to be fucking him. Kanda tried hard to focus on the magazine in his hands and not be distracted by the heavy gaze at his side, no doubt coming from the only costumer of the store at the moment who had been sitting there for at least half an hour already. Whatever the redhead was playing at when he asked if they have met before, it was probably nothing but his lousy crap humor because Kanda fucking knew it was none other than Lavi.

He really shouldn't have asked if the creep wanted to eat his food now. He should have just put them in a bag, shoved them to his face, and ushered him out of the store as fast as he can. But the question came automatically and he had asked it before he had given it any thought.

And now Lavi was there playing his little game again, pretending to eat while he watched Kanda's every fucking move. He needed to remind himself repeatedly, grudgingly, that he was a customer and no matter how strong the urge was to pull out one of those green eyes, he just had to endure.

Kanda rose and put the magazine back under the counter, acknowledging the fact that he had been reading the same sentence fifteen times. He decided he needed to move, to distract himself from those watching eyes, but that turned out to be a big mistake. He realized this as he retrieved the mop and started cleaning the floor while Lavi's gaze burned heavily on his back. The other was doing absolutely nothing (overt) but the unnerving gaze made him extremely uncomfortable and self-conscious that holding a mop felt like he was actually milking a cow. A terribly noisy cow. With human tits. He wasn't making any sense anymore.

The more he thought about it, the more self-conscious he became. He wanted nothing more than to smack him in the face that he almost wished the other boy would do something other than stare so he could lash out at him and he could say he was provoked.

"I know," Lavi called from his table, "was it on the train?"

Kanda almost broke the handle of his mop, anger quickly dissipating like fire doused with water, and hands going cold. It can't be…

"Nahh… The market perhaps?" Lavi continued to muse aloud. "I'm not really sure but your face is really fami-"

"Shut the fuck up baka usagi," Kanda cut in and gave up on trying to ignore the other. "If you are not going to eat that then I will repackage it so you can get out and leave me the hell alone right fucking now."

Lavi stared at him. "You finally spoke to me."

"Fuck off."

Lavi laughed. "You need to learn how to take a joke or you will lose customers. Nice seeing you too, by the way."

"Tch," he muttered in return.

"Can you join me?" Lavi asked motioning to the empty seat beside him. "It feels kinda lonely eating alone."

"I'm on shift."

"But there's no other customer."

"I'm busy."

"Doing what?"

"Cleaning the floor."

"But it's spotless."

"It is, isn't it?"

Covert rudeness was being battled out with feigned innocence. Kanda was not good at this type of fights, having trained himself mainly with swords rather than words. He silently cursed his industrious start this morning as he had literally nothing more to do in the store. Except maybe take the break that has been postponed because of his boss being gone but the rabbit didn't know that. So instead, he said, "I have to do the inventory."

Lavi swallowed a spoonful of his lunch before whining, "Who does inventories in the middle of the day?"

"I do so shut the fuck up," he said bluntly and went to the back to retrieve a thin stack of paper. He got a pen from the counter and started acting like he was checking the shelves when the door opened. Bak Chang walked in with a bunch of papers in his hands.

"Sorry I was late!" his boss said and took the seat behind the register. "Supplier turned out to be an old friend of mine who insisted that we have lunch together and catch up. What are you doing?"

Kanda flinched. "Doing the inventory," he said.

"You should use the inventory sheet," Bak said scratching the back of his head. "And do it at the end of the day."

"Sure," Kanda replied, refusing to look at the redhead.

"And speaking of lunch, you haven't had yours yet, have you, Kanda-kun?" Bak asked.

Lavi smiled at him and he shook his head vigorously. "N-No, I haven't. But I'm not hungry, Bak-san. I don't think-"

"You are on your lunch break then," Bak announced. "You can have an extended one today. I'll see you in two hours." When Kanda didn't move, Bak snatched the cap from his employee's head and pushed him out of the door. "Go. Now," he said.

The red apron hung neatly on one of the rails of the rainbow colored monkey bars. The words 'Chang Combini' were still readable at the front chest part though inverted.

Kanda sighed before stuffing the rest of his meat bun inside his mouth and staring into the sky. He was sitting on one of the swings in the nearby playground, deserted at this time of the day, as he chewed and lightly rocked himself backwards with his feet.

"You really don't want my lunch pack?"

He turned to his side and sighed at Lavi who was sitting at the swing beside him, looking happy and irritatingly innocent as he held out the plastic bag he himself had prepared back in the store. "No," he said.

"Okay," Lavi said simply and placed the bag down near his feet. "So how long have you been working in the store?"

How did I end up having lunch with this fool? Kanda stared at his classmate long and hard. He was very much tempted to not answer and just knock the other off the swing with a kick. Lavi was staring back at him and he knew, and there was no way he was wrong, that those green orbs could tell exactly what he was thinking but was choosing to ignore it and act happy, and continue the fucking game he had started a while ago. A week ago.

Nothing he had done had deterred the transfer student at all and he would have thought that he would finally give up after a whole week of being ignored or threatened. Whatever it was, it wasn't going to stop anytime soon, he realized. Unless he resorted to violence. But looking at thin frame under that red hair, baggy jeans, and old hoodie, it would be like beating up an old woman. He 'tch'-ed before sighing again and muttering, "About three months."

Lavi looked surprised at first but that look was gone in a flash that he wasn't sure he even saw it in the first place. "Ahh," Lavi said nodding as if that explained anything. "Must be nice. I mean, your boss seemed like a good person. Bak-san was it?"

Why am humoring him? "It's not so bad," he muttered without thinking.

There was a pregnant pause during which Kanda let his mind wander up the clouds and away from this enigma of a person. It was one of those sunny afternoons with white fluffy clouds running overhead with a slight breeze. Looking at the sky, he wondered if it was going to rain tonight. He hoped not. He glanced at his watch. He had consumed less than ten minutes of his two-hour break. That was plenty of time to do some things. More than enough to squeeze in a visit…

"You must really like bread."

He tilted his head up and saw Lavi staring down at him, grasping the chains of his swing and blocking his view of the clouds. He had apparently walked behind him while he was spacing out and was now rocking him slowly. "It's always what you eat at school, and even now," Lavi elaborated.

It's all I could afford. Kanda rolled his eyes. "Shouldn't you be at home now or with friends doing stuff?"

Lavi shook his head. "I'm new, remember? Don't have friends yet."

"Then go bother moyashi or Lenalee," he told him. The swing's movement was making him sleepy.

"I don't know where they live," Lavi said before moving back a little. Kanda felt hands gently push against his back and he was pushed forward, air gently running against his hair as he swung back and those hands caught him again before pushing. He went back and forth several times, the other lightly touching his back each time he moved backwards even though the momentum was enough and he wasn't really pushing anymore.

"Tch," he muttered and abruptly kicked against the dirt to stop the swing.

Lavi watched as Kanda stood and straightened his clothes. He gathered his own plastic bag, stuffed the apron in it, and drank the bottled water. "Go home," he told Lavi before moving to the playground's exit.

"Wait," Lavi called and caught Kanda's wrist. "Can't we hang out? Your boss said you have an extended lunch break, right? My place is really close by and-"

Kanda pulled his arm free. "I'm going somewhere and don't even think about following."

"But-"

"See that road?" Kanda cut him off, pointing at the street opposite from where they came from. "Walk straight and that will lead you near the train station. Take the train and get off after four stations. Walk down two blocks to the right and look for the big house with wooden gates. That's Lenalee's house. I'm sure she won't mind me telling you where she lives. You can't miss it. It has a plank outside with her family name, 'Lee,' on it. Five houses down the street would be where you can find Moyashi."

Lavi blinked and for a moment, he looked like he was going to protest some more but after some time he just nodded.

"I'm going," Kanda announced, feeling somewhat off but said nothing more as he walked to the street where they came from, never glancing back.

8:40 pm

Lenalee's room was usually cleaner than it was at the moment. The various costumes and wigs lying on her bed, chairs, and tables were usually kept neatly in boxes but the mess couldn't be helped from time to time, especially when she was editing pictures from a recent shoot or when she was getting ready for an upcoming one. Right now, she was doing both.

The last client was very happy with how the pictures looked that they requested three more shoots with her and the model she had used. She was glad about the positive feedback and so very excited with the prospect of her work being featured again in some site or in magazine pages but post-processing of pictures was important so she kept her attention on the screen of her computer.

The mug of coffee siting at the side of her monitor was already cold, forgotten as she continuously touched up Kanda's Miku pictures. There wasn't much she needed to edit, mostly because her model was one hell of a doll but the colors needed to be slightly adjusted and the backgrounds modified. Click there, select here. After a while, she was very happy with the images she was seeing and her mind was already racing with concepts, colors, and backgrounds for the next shoot. After an hour more, Lenalee hit the 'save' button and stretched in her seat. Another batch ready to be sent.

The client wanted steampunk photos on the next shoot, a theme that she quite liked so even if her back was aching from all the sitting in front of the computer all afternoon, she happily bounced into her wardrobe and props room to match items for the said theme, trying to find inspiration and selecting potential materials she can use. She could already picture it, Kanda in big brown curls, wearing a white corset, short brown balloon skirt, thigh high striped stockings, worn leather boots, big black top hat, and giant goggles… and for props-

The phone on her desk suddenly rang, disrupting the flow of her creative thought process. "I should write those down," she scolded herself before picking up. "Dark boots photography."

"Hello?"

Lenalee adjusted the phone in her ear. "Yes, hello? This is Dark Boots Photography. How may I help you?"

There was a long pause from the other end. Lenalee was beginning to think that she should hang up when suddenly the voice was back.

"I wanna inquire about your services. Is this a good time?"

The caller was a male, probably in his fifties or sixties. There was a funny tone in his speech when he said 'wanna' and 'time' that made her think of their school's cook, Jerry, and the way he would ask the cute boys what they 'wanna' to order at lunch 'time.' "Sure. I'm Rika, the owner of the shop. May I have your name please?"

"Yes, it's Vic."

Lenalee retook her seat in front of the computer and fished out a pen and a small notebook from her drawer. She wrote down the caller's name. "Hello Mr. Vic. What type of service do you need?"

"Well, I need some pictures for some ads. They're mostly anime and games related so I was hoping if I could buy some of the shots on the portfolio of your website?"

She was yawning away from the phone's receiver before she answered, "I'm sorry but those shots have already been used in existing ads. I had permission to use them in my online portfolio but someone else own the images."

"Aww… That's a pity."

"Which picture did you want?"

"Oh the Tifa Lockhart one. That cosplayer is so fab."

She internally chuckled, thinking of the model. "If you want, I can shoot a different photo for you. Just tell me what you want for the costume, or if you have a character in mind, and the background you want. I can style and do hair and make up for your model too if you want but I'll have to add fees for those."

"Oh, yes that will be great. And I was actually wondering if we can have the same model."

Lenalee grinned. Her customers usually ask for Kanda to model for them. "Sure. I can talk to Kuro-chan about it so I can set a schedule with her."

"Wonderful. I'm thinking Alice in Wonderland-ish theme with her trademark blue dress but on the more sexy side. I want to shoot with you on location with my antique tea set-"

"On location?" she asked, straightening her back.

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

"Well," she began, thinking of how she could explain it, "Kuro-chan doesn't accept shoots outside my studio."

"Oh? Why not?"

"It's her wish to remain anonymous," she said. "She doesn't want anyone else to see her without costume on so I do all her make up and whatnot. Then I also shoot her."

"I see. But I really want her for the shoot. Is there no way that she'll make an exception?"

Lenalee grimaced. "I highly doubt it. She is… a very private person. It took me a while to get her to model for me and she only did it because I was taking care of her identity."

There was some shuffling sounds on the other end. She waited patiently, fiddling with the ends of her ponytail.

"I respect her decision. Thank you for your time Ms. Lee but I don't want to shoot unless it's Kuro-chan. I shall call again."

The line went dead before she could say another word. She slowly placed the receiver back thinking of the call. Did she hear him correctly? Did she really tell him her true name?

A lot of questions was on her mind by the time her brother knocked on her door to remind her that summer vacation had ended and to sleep early. She was lying on her bed when she realized Vic didn't her give his full name.

Author's Notes:

So it's been months. Sorry for the super long wait! Really, Shingeki no Kyojin and Ereri and Eruri… gahh… I've been VERY distracted. But I got a review so I started working on this immediately. Insomnia's next chapter might be updated soon too. I just ask one thing: PLEASE REVIEW! Please?