Day: 352 as a comrade

I stuffed things in to my suitcase completely at random. The night before I had completely forgotten to pack things for the mission which would be tomorrow. The thought of going to china brought back memories of my family. They had promised me they would take me when I was older, but now I was going without them. Maybe it didn't look it sometimes, but I always had waves of homesickness. Oh I loved the Order, but that didn't mean I couldn't miss home. I gripped the locket around my neck that I hadn't opened for a very long time. I was scared to open it, because my family might not have looked the same now as it did in the picture. I was scared. Shoving the last few things in to my suitcase and slamming it shut I hurried to the training grounds where my training awaited me.

"You're late!" Zokalo said as I walked through the doors to the training grounds. "Sorry, I had to finish packing," I apologized.

"Oh yeah, that mission that you're going on tomorrow right?" Zokalo asked.

I nodded.

"Man I don't understand Komui's logic! If there are sightings of the Earl there he should send a general, not underlings!"

"The loss of an underling is less than the loss of a general though. He just wants to keep you guys out of danger." I sighed. "The heart." I reminded him.

Zokalo mumbled curses under his breath. "Let's get training started already."

t

I sat in the infirmary rubbing my aching joints. Not even extending the training to four hours helped me make any progress. "I wish that general of yours would stop pushing you past your limits. You train for way to long and get sent on so many missions that once you finally get back you're already seriously injured." The head Nurse complained like she always did. "How many life threatening situations do you have to put yourself in for the Order to be happy with you abilities!"

"Would you like me to count all the times I've been in a life threatening situation?" I joked.

"38 times, don't test me Sephiria."

"I thought much more than that," I wondered. "Only 38? What a small number."

"It's more than any other exorcist has been in." The Nurse snapped back. "You're too much of a workaholic."

"I know," I laughed.

Leaving the infirmary I took a look at the newly formed rings around my wrists. Why couldn't I do it? What was the problem? "Hello Sephiria, what's with the serious face?" A voice that sounded an awful lot like Lavi's asked while wrapping his arms around my waist. "Hey Lavi! What are you doing!" Allen yelled irritated.

"Sorry Beansprout, I'll lay off," Lavi teased letting go of me. "She is yours after all.

Allen's cheeks turned a bright red and he opened his mouth to scream in to Lavi's ear about him being a total idiot, but I beat him to it. "What the hell are you talking about," I stomped my foot. "I only belong to ME!"

"Yeah," Allen agreed.

"Me thinks you doth protest to much," Lavi played. He was just being his usual self, joking around and such, but for some reason I felt like he wasn't his normal self at the moment. I knew Lavi, and Lavi knew me. We knew everything about each other, told everything to each other. You could almost say we were like best friends, so I was always the first to notice these little things. Something was bothering him. I quickly grabbed hold of his hand without even thinking and dragged him away. The only way to describe Allen's face at that moment was 'appalled', absolutely appalled.

I wailed with him until I found an empty hallway where we could talk. There I released his hand and turned around. "Okay, tell me what's wrong," I said.

"What do you mean by that? Nothing's wrong." Lavi looked at me confused. I definitely wasn't imagining it though. Lavi was upset about something. I stared at him hard. "Sephiria, really, everything's fine."

No it wasn't, but he didn't want to tell. I had to play along. His eye was somewhat the same as Allen's eyes on Christmas day at the diner. Same extreme maturity that was almost distant. Of course Lavi was older, but he definitely was the last person on the world to be deemed mature. Allen and Lavi were both hiding something from me, and I didn't like it.

"I see," I replied. "Sorry it's just that you seem to be acting weirdly today, actually ever since I blacked out with Aaron and you. I thought one of them might've said something stupid or something." I saw Lavi pause for a moment, "well they didn't so it's okay," he reassured me. I nodded, "well that's good. I'm just going to go then." I waved then walked away.

Solara:

I found that it became much easier to take over Sephiria's body any time that I wanted. I turned back around and walked towards Lavi. "You forget something Seph?" Lavi asked then he saw the eyes. "It's me Lavi," I told him.

"Solara?"

"Yeah, seems you can't say anything to Sephiria about what's bugging you so tell me. It's about your feelings for her am I right?" right away I knew I'd hit the bulls eye.

He actually nodded. "Ever since you brought it up I can't get it out of my mind. Before I knew that I liked her and it was okay, but then you verbalized it and…." he trailed off. "I don't want to take her from Allen, but it's getting harder and harder not to try."

"Then do it," Solara shrugged. "It's not like she and Allen are anything more that friends anyways so you wouldn't exactly be taking her from him."

"But Allen's my friend and-"

I cut him off, "friend my ass! Do you know how many people give the person they love to their 'friend' and regret it for the rest of their life! In love timing is everything (for you We Were There/ Bokura Ga Ita, fans) and if you let her fall for Allen any more she'll never fall for you!"

Lavi had his head hung and took every single one of my words in, but even so "I won't do it." he said plainly. "I won't take her."

I sighed. Of course that was what Lavi would say. He was a soon to be Bookman and he'd never had true friends before. Then I walked back the spot where Sephiria had walked to.

"What are you doing?" Lavi asked.

"I'm going to make it so Sephiria never knows that I came out," I answered.

"Wait Solara, is it true that when you get strong enough you'll take over Sephiria's body and then she'll-"

"She'll die," I finished for him. He winced.

"Can't you just not take over?"

I shook my head, "no, that's impossible. My soul will take over on sheer impulse, I won't have a choice.

"Is there any way to stop that from happening?" he said through his clenched teeth. I could almost laugh. The both of is already knew the answer was yes, and we both already knew how to save Sephiria.

"You'd have to kill me Lavi."

The air seemed to get thicker in the hallway. I turned my head so that I was facing away from Lavi, "even I don't know how to kill myself without taking Sephiria with me though. So I suggest before I consume her soul to confess." I took a glance back at Lavi to see his reply and he nodded. I felt a smirk rise on the corner of my mouth. "You'll probably regret the day that you let Allen take the girl you love," I told him, because it was true. I repeated the words that Aaron had told me so long ago "in love timing is everything. If you don't convey your feelings at that crucial moment even fate will pass you by." (extreme We were there/ bokura ga ita moment! This is not copyright! There are quotations by this thing!)

Sephiria:

I felt like something had happened but I just brushed it off and continued to wale away from Lavi still wondering what he was hiding from me. Although I felt as if I would be finding out very soon. Now I had to concentrate on the upcoming mission. The Duke could be there and that was the most important thing. I would tear him apart if I found him.

Before I had brushed off that moment like it was nothing. Maybe if I had a clock I would've noticed how fast my time was running out.

Solara's lecture of love… another kaichou wa maid?