Chapter 16

The Story of the Fallen Star

"Yuu-kun," Laia calls him, a wide smile on his face.

It was rare for them to be able to enjoy such solitude and a relaxing day out of the Black Order's prying eyes. Both of them are resting on their journey to find another akuma's lair, and Laia had grown tired because she had fought and got injured on her previous battle with an akuma. To be fair to her, Kanda had allowed them to rest underneath a large tree, a piece of clothe strewn out underneath them and they enjoys a small lunch that Laia had bought nearby.

"What?" Kanda retorted angrily, his hands itching to get his Mugen to slice up her neck or her hair. Though he liked to see her in long hair, he liked it more when it is strewn all around her instead of donned up in a huge bun of hair and braided with pearls. She had told him that if they ran out of money, she would trade the pearls for money or for food, as she had learnt her lessons last time when they ran out of money.

"Do you wanna hear a story?" Laia said to him, and one hand reaching out to touch his hair gently. Never before Kanda had allowed someone else to touch his hair and she is the only one that he did not want her to stop touching his hair. He likes the feel of her soft touch on his hair, and he wanted it to be there as long as possible.

"No," Kanda said, one hand palming his Mugen's hilt. Gosh, she is so talkative…

"Well, there is once a prince who looks up to the stars. There is a myth about the stars by then, in which whomever who owns a star's heart and eats it, they would live forever and ever and ever…" Laia started, regardless of Kanda wanting to hear it or not. Kanda closes his eyes and lies back, willing himself to not hear it.

But he couldn't stop hearing the story from coming out of her mouth.

"Then, one day, a star came out of the skies and falls into his kingdom. He saw the fallen star, and in search for it, he himself rode on a gallant white horse and rode out of his kingdom in search for it. Days gone by, he finally found the star, and when he found it, he is surprised to find himself looking at a beautiful woman's face."

"Hello," the woman said to him, fearless and kind as she smiles at him in the most beautiful smile ever. "Would you tell me how to get back up to the skies? I've fallen out of it accidentally, and I want to return home."

"The prince, upon hearing her request, smiles up at her and a plan to keep her by his side is formed in his mind. He told her that she would have to live a full life as a human, as he has been sent by the sky god to keep her by his side as his wife and be with him until she dies. Then she could go back up to the skies."

"The star believes him, and they rode back to his kingdom and a celebration is held in honor of the prince marrying the star. At night, the prince carried the star into his room, and there he told her that he is going to make love with her, and begun to undress himself."

"This is a stupid story…" Kanda said, huffing out when he heard that the stupid prince is going to fuck the star. Laia smiles and continues to touch his hair softly.

"The star is terrified. It knew that when someone took her virginity, she could never go back up to the skies again. The prince advances on her, and she ran. The prince caught her and ripped off her clothes, while she screams for help."

"Help does come, but it does not help her. Instead, it was a few men who begun to take off their clothes. The prince smiles at her and said to them, "I am going to do it first. Then you may have the desserts."

"It was then the prince enters her. The star screams for her lost virginity, then the prince begun to fuck her so hard she rocked with the intensity of their lovemaking. The prince spills his sperms inside her, and he allows the rest of them to rape her until they are satisfied."

"One by one, the star is raped, and her light dwindles until it is no longer glowing. She thought about it, since there is a penis already inside her, moving against her will as she screams for them to stop, she thought about killing herself after they are done."

"They finish fucking her, then the star, naked in her glory, hurled she out of the balcony, and the prince lost his bride that night."

"The star, upon coming into contact with the ground, she sinks in, and she becomes Persephone, the wife of Hades. She rages her revenge on the men who has raped her, and pulls them down to the underground with her and becomes her slaves for eternity. The end…"

"What a fucked up story…" Kanda commented, and Laia smiles at him.

"Daisya told me…" Laia said, and immediately, Kanda's veins popped. Laia heard it and laughs out loud.

"Your veins popped!" Laia exclaims loudly, laughing like there is no tomorrow. "Your veins popped!"

"Shut up, and don't say another word about Daisya that bastard. I don't wanna hear it," Kanda warned her, and stood up, brushing off the dust from his exorcist outfit. He pulls Laia up by her arms and held her by her waist.

"Shut up about Daisya, alright?" Kanda said to her, his arms around her waist getting tighter and tighter. "I don't like you saying another man's name in front of me…"

Laia smiles gently and hugged him back. She knew he is jealous, and she had told him that story just so that she could see him gets jealous. She might get a few lashings from him, but it is worth it at the end. He always hugs her whenever he gets jealous, because he wanted to hide the blush on his face from her.

To him, Laia is like a star. She shines brightly whenever she smiles, and when she wields her Innocence, her rage burns brightly like a star. She is beautiful, like a star, and she is kind, like the star. To him, everything about Laia is like a star. So bright, so shiny, and so beautiful and out of his reach.

But no matter how far she stood from him, he would always be able to reach to her in time to save her from all sorts of trouble. Like Komui had said to him earlier, whenever Laia disappears, the first person sent out to find her would be him, because his magical eyes have been set to find her at first glance no matter where she hides. His sight would zoom into her magically whenever she tries to hide from anyone.

And whenever she is found out, she would give out that cute little pout. Gods above, he thought to himself. She is so adorable… why is she so adorable?

To him, Laia is a star. She would forever be a star, shining brightly underneath his protection. He is an Exorcist, and another apostle from the Second Apostle Project that protects the heart. She is the star, and she is the Heart. She would always be there, shining brightly like a star of hope for everyone.

A star of hope for everyone.

The star of hope.

Star of hope.

Of hope.

Then, somebody told him her birthday. It was today.

"Happy birthday, Laia…" Kanda said to her, sliding a red rose into her hair. He knew she loves the flower, and had bought it for her on her birthday. She smiles widely and hugged him even tighter.

"Thank you, Yuu! I love you!" Laia exclaims, and Kanda gave a click of his tongue for her use of his first name. He didn't like it, but he like to hear it from her. He could never imagine her calling him by his second name. It would have sounded awful.

Kanda brought Laia back, and Lenalee is already waiting for her in front of the doors.

"Laia-san!" Lenalee called. "Where have you been? Come with me, there is something awful that has happened!"

"What is it?" Laia said to her, surprised and shocked with Lenalee being so worried. Lenalee pulls her to the staircases and into her room, and there, everyone tackles her and forces her to change into her new clothes as she screams at the sight of everyone tackling her.

"Kanda, I suggest you wait outside like the rest of them. Everyone would be at the hall there, and you can fetch her and make her your partner during that time when she comes down from the stairs…" Lenalee said, going off to her room to change into another dress.

Exorcist never had the time to celebrate anything. This time, for Laia's sake, everyone had put in an effort to make her birthday an event that no one would ever forget. Johnny had made Laia a new dress with a long skirt flowing to the floor, ruffles on the sides and laces everywhere. It was red in color, and her shoulders are entirely exposed. He had given the idea that everyone is to dance with her, and a sleeveless dress is most suitable in dancing.

Kanda waited obediently by the stairs for the arrival of Laia. The rest of the Exorcist has waited with him, and they smiles at him widely, as if taunting him for feeling nervous.

"Don't fret, BaKanda," Allen said, smirking at him widely. "She'll be gorgeous enough for you to faint after you blush…"

"Shut up, Moyashi!" Kanda retorted angrily.

"It's Allen, BaKanda!" Allen said back to him angrily as well.

The bell rung and a few of the lady Exorcists came out from the stairs doors. They came down gracefully, each one escorted by someone from the Black Order. Most of them are Exorcists paired up with Exorcists.

Then the last one came Laia. Kanda stares as she came down in ribboned high heels and in a wide red dress. Her long hair is evenly curled to perfection and it trails down her back and her front in long sleek and shiny locks. There is a small mask on her face, gold and red, and she is smiling with a red lipstick on her lips.

"She is beautiful…" Allen said to himself, as he drools over Laia's beauty. Laia came down and smiles at Kanda.

"Hi, Yuu!" Laia said to him, happy to feel beautiful for once.

Kanda had no words on his mouth. He couldn't form words. Not possibly with her this beautiful. Damn those people for making her look this beautiful…

"Y- Y- you…"Kanda stuttered, a hot blush on his face.

"I'm…?" Laia started.

"You... You're… beautiful…" Kanda stutters again, looking somewhere else. He didn't dare to look at her, for fear of having a nosebleed.

"Thank you…" Laia said to him, smiling widely at him and looks down shyly afterwards.

"Why don't you ask her for a dance, BaKanda?" Allen started from the sides, dancing with Lenalee in his arms. She looks ever so beautiful, and Komui gripped his handkerchief with tears running down his cheeks.

"Nii-san!" Lenalee happily calls him, and Komui is a happy man again, waving back at his beloved sister dancing in Allen's arms.

Allen pushes Kanda from behind and Kanda lurches forward with Laia in his arms, ready to dance in the dance floor.

"I have to tell you one thing…" Kanda started, staring into Laia's beautiful eyes. "I don't dance much…"

"Me neither, but I can teach you…" Laia said to him, and they begun to glide on the floor with Laia in his arms. One step by one step, Laia teaches Kanda how to dance, and soon he begun to glide with her in his arms on the dance floor.

They dances most of the night, stopping only for Laia to eat and drink to her fill, then they were dancing again. Kanda pulls her close whenever Daisya zooms past with Lenalee in his arms, and whenever someone else wants to ask for a dance from her, he would dance across and past them and ignores them, preventing Laia from even having to glance at their face.

"Yuu-kun," Laia called, and Kanda looks at her, paying attention to her. Gods above, she is so beautiful…

"What is it?" Kanda replied roughly, coughing to avoid another blush problem from arising.

"Why am I dancing with you all night?" Laia finally asks, and Kanda coughs more to avoid blushing. But his ears are already flaming red…

"Well…"

"And the others, they are asking for a dance as well… why don't you let me dance with them for a while? Just for a while…" Laia said to him, almost pleading with her puppy eyes.

I am not gonna fall for this trick ever again, Kanda said to himself, closing his eyes and held her tightly in his arms.

"No," Kanda said to her, breathing into her ears. He did not want her to see him blush, but she could feel just how hot his face is since he places it beside her own face. "You are mine tonight. All mine…"

The rest of the other male Exorcist stares on jealously with Laia dancing in Kanda's arms for the whole night. He did not barge even with the mighty General Exorcist patting his shoulders, and he brushes off his hands with a shrug, continuing to dance with Laia in his arms. All Laia did to calm down the angry general is smile at him, and the general melted.

The night went on smoothly with Laia in his arms. They dance through the night and Laia smiles, knowing that Kanda is the jealous and sweet type. He is her everything now. She loves him, and now, she knew he also loves her as well. They would be together for now, even for a short time, as Laia is a dying Exorcist. She couldn't possibly survive with that much Innocence patching up all her wounds and her broken bones. Hell, she has Innocences flowing in her blood, and her blood is one with the Innocence already.

With that much Innocence in her blood, she would die immediately when the Innocence leaves her body. The Innocence is fated to leave the Exorcists after the war is finished. They would forever be gone, never to return again. Allen as well. He would die with the Innocence, and fate has already given him his own fate, which is to die with Laia Elfreya, the girl that the God El loves…