Hana: We're back~ Miss us?
Kanda: No.
Allen: Yu...-sighs- Neither Hanashi nor XavierForest own D. Gray-man...I think it's for the best.
Hana: Keeping it short and sweet? Fine then. Enjoy the chapter, and see y'all next week~
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+ - Chapter 2 - +
Komui sighed, as he finished up stitching up the newest addition to the ever growing collection of John and Jane Does. It wasn't the most pleasant of jobs the man ever had, but he found that the deceased were more willing to tell their tales than any of the living ever were. It was amazing how the body can tell its story of its final moments.
This one, for example, was male, about forty-seven, he worked out, showing calluses from years of what he could only assume had been heavy lifting. There were lacerations over his right eye, and lower left lip. He had bruises on his neck, and Komui knew well enough those had been hickeys. Perhaps from a mistress, rather than his wife.
The story was clear as the sun outside. The man cheated on his wife, wife found out, a fight ensued. That explained the scratches on the man's face. His wife had tried to slap him, but barely missed, her nails catching his face as the man tried to dodge. Cause of death, however, wasn't as clear. Just about anything could've been done, from O-D, to the poisoning of his liver. He'd have to wait for the blood sample to come back.
His metal doors slammed open, Kanda entering the cold room, jacket on his form to keep the colder air at bay. "What'd you find out?"
Right, this was a victim of this so-called "Crowned Clown". "Name unknown, about 47, we won't know more until the lab work comes in. Other than that, I'd hypothesize he'd been poisoned before going back home. Could've been his mistress. Why? Haven't a clue."
"Che." Kanda was pissed; this whole 'Crowned Clown' thing was supposed to be behind them already. He couldn't even tell his fiancé because he didn't want the boy involved in something that he would most definitely stick his nose in.
Especially when it had to do with their not-too-distant past. All Kanda wanted to know was why was someone impersonating Crowned Clown, and for what reason.
"Kanda, I think you should tell him." Komui stated, moments later. "Call me crazy, and I know you will, but I'm getting this rather bad feeling of all this."
"You're right. I will say you're crazy." Kanda bluntly pointed out. "Listen, Moyashi has enough on his plate as it is. I want him focusing on finishing college, and then we can worry about the damn wedding. This whole...shit hitting the fan thing has to be kept away from him."
"But I really-
"Komui, he doesn't have to know. I'll worry about this imposter. We'll get him behind bars, and none will know the wiser."
"You know things have a way of coming forth, Kanda." The Chinese man sighed. "Listen, you two are perhaps the best thing that happened to each other. Don't let secrets tear you apart."
"He won't know, so it won't matter," Kanda muttered, attention turning back to the resident corpse. "When you get the samples back, call me."
At that, Komui shook his head. "You need a break. Go home and get some rest, and when you come back, the samples should be here."
"I'm holding you up on that, Komui." Kanda grumbled. "I wanted to stop by before heading home."
"Fair enough."
"Che," came the expected response.
"I'll see you tomorrow. Now go back home to your fiancé and I'm sure you'll find some way to release all that tension."
Kanda inwardly smirked. He might have one or two ideas... "Whatever, I'm off now." With delicious images in his mind, Kanda started to head home.
( * * )
"Yu~! What's up? Y'miss me? I bet ya missed me~!"
Not even ten minutes left to his destination, and the first greatest annoyance just had to pop up. What. The. Actual. Fuck.
After the shitty day he'd had at work, Kanda most definitely did not want to have to deal with Lavi Bookman. All he'd wanted was to get home and pound his lover into the sheets: did the fates have something against the idea?
"Yu~ Hey~ Yu~! Hey! Listen up!" Why was he starting to remind him of some annoying video game character? What was that sprite's name again? He couldn't be bothered to remember...shit, didn't it sound similar to "Lavi"?
"..."
"Uh...Yu? Hello? You listening? Yuuuuuu~" Fuck. His. Life.
"Rabbit, you speak another word, and I'll roast you on Mugen's blade."
"Have you noticed how close your name is to a certain annoying sprite's?" Kanda's hand was now on his beloved weapon's glaring at the red-head.
Uh-oh, I think he's serious! Lavi thought, paling when the blade of his friend's katana was visible. But I have to keep Yu busy...for my little buddy!
"Sprite? I didn't know you were into those kinds of things!"
Kanda drew the sword, resting it on the other male's neck. "Shut up."
Sweating, Lavi tried to take a step back, only to have the blade bite into his skin. "So where's this sprite from, Yu-chan?"
"I'll give you a three second head start."
As Lavi ran like the devil were at his heels, he found himself wondering in his panic-induced mind if Allen purposely set him off to his death of all things from a prank he pulled just a month ago.
. . - * - . .
"Bored."
"Shut up in there, sick NOAH scum."
"Is that really how you treat your inmates? Rather sad you fall into one of those pathetic stereotypical bad cop things."
"Shut. Up."
"Oh, did I strike a nerve?" The Portuguese man grinned, eying the eyesore of an officer...of a male, really, keeping watch of him. What, did he think he'd walk through walls or something? That ability would be rather useful, the convict noted. He could tear out the hearts of his enemies, and crush them as they die. They'd be alive enough to see that event, right?
The officer glared. It really made him sick, to be stuck in the same room as Tyki Mikk, but a job was a job. Though, he couldn't understand why the bastard hadn't been given the death sentence yet.
"What was your name again? Something foreign...Asian, wasn't it?"
"Shut. Your. Fucking. Mouth."
"Hmm...must be then. Korean? No, no, you're far from such...Japanese? Hrmm...doubtful...ah, perhaps Chinese then!"
"I don't know what game you're playing, but I'm not joining in."
"Han." The male stiffened. Tyki smirked with sadistic glee. "Yes, that was it. Han...Chaoji Han, if I'm correct. Names never were my strong suit."
The man, now identified to be Chaoji, glared at the NOAH, a passion beyond that of normal hatred burning in his eyes. "Go rot in hell, I'd like to say, but it irks me that you're soulless ass would think it's a trip to the beach."
"Hey now, that's just rude. I'm not really one for hot weather, so I don't think that hell would be suited to my tastes." Oh yes, this was a good way to relieve the boredom.
The man was about to argue with the NOAH, when his name was suddenly called out. "HAN! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT FIGHTING WITH CONVICTS?"
Chaoji visibly flinched. Why was he always the one to get in trouble? "To not to." Chaoji grumbled to the female officer that called him out.
"You know, I wouldn't mind you watching me, lovely~" The glasses-wearing woman visibly shuddered.
"Han, keep an eye on him. Ignore anything he says. You're sanity will last longer."
"Yes Officer Hess." What was he, twelve? He was an adult, not some brat!
The woman sighed. "Be careful, and don't let him rile you up."
The Chinese male silently nodded, turning away from the prisoner.
"You rather enjoy destroying my source of entertainment." Tyki Mikk firmly stated, "You deny me my cigs, feed me to a-"
"I would watch what you say." Moa said, looking to the man behind bars. "Just because I don't want Han doing squat, doesn't mean I might not accidentally hit you with a bullet between the eyes."
"Quite feisty~ I know of a place where we-"
"Finish that sentence, and I'll tear your damn tongue out!" Chaoji exclaimed, clearly appalled with the indecency the NOAH was displaying.
"You make it sound as though I were about to say something rather vulgar." Chaoji blinked, before his face turned a furious red. "Seems you're quite a pervert, I was simply going to say, "I know just the space where we could have a relaxing chat.", for shame on your, Officer Han."
Moa sighed. " 'Why haven't you yourself married?', Claire asked of me... 'a husband might do you good,' she says. This is why I choose to remain single."
"Harsh." Both men simultaneously whispered, the younger glaring at the elder upon hearing his thoughts spoken the same time.
"Maybe I should get someone else to watch over this man..." Moa grumbled, realizing just how pointless it was to have Chaoji here at all.
"I'm perfectly capable of handling him, ma'am," Chaoji insisted, shooting the Portuguese man a dirty glare.
The woman sighed, running a hand through her long brown hair. "I don't know if that's true or not."
. . - * - . .
The antique shop wasn't a place Eliade would ever dare think to associate herself with in the past, and yet, here she was. Working there with the love of her life, as dorky as he was, in fact. "Eliade, dear, have you seen that old grandfather clock? I have a client coming in to pick up soon."
"I believe it's in the back room, Arystar." Eliade called back. "You said you'd leave near the door so you'd find it faster." Which didn't do the man much good. She mentally noted. what was it about this man that drew her to him? He wasn't anything like men she dated in the past, in fact, he was the complete opposite. Often times, she found herself wonder, what is it about Arystar Krory that made her want to stay with him?
Perhaps it was something she herself would never truly know. All she knew was that he made her happy, and she made him feel the same way.
"Thank you, Eliade," the man beamed as he went past, struggling under the weight of the clock he'd retrieved from the back room.
"Would you like some help with that?"
"No, that's alright," he declined with a slight shake of his head.
The woman had to bite back a smile. This man treated her as if she were but a normal woman, but little did he know that she could lift twice his weight and was an expert at both hand-to-hand and sniping. Of course, she'd given that up the moment she'd become more involved with Arystar. He was worth it. She couldn't let him be drawn in to her 'other life'. That would be her worst nightmare come to life.
"Kro-kins! Hide me!" Eliade flinched when she heard the obnoxious red-head run into the store, already finding his hiding place behind a few boxes.
"Damn Rabbit, get the hell back here!" And there was Kanda.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't destroy Arystar's store, Special Agent Kanda" The Japanese man paused in his action, and clucked is tongue, sheathing his beloved Katana. "As for you, Bookman Jr., grow up."
"That's just cruel, Eliade!" Lavi complained, popping from his hiding spot.
"What more do you expect? Last year, you broke one of Arystar's beloved heirlooms."
"Still holding that against me?"
"It was rather irreplaceable."
"So that's why you got stuck working here." Kanda grumbled. "I don't have the time or patience for you, baka usagi."
"You never have any time for me. I'm lonely, Yu-chan~!"
The Japanese male glared over at the red-head. "We spoke yesterday."
"But that was so long ago!" Lavi whined, still hiding.
"Not. Long. Enough." Lavi's phone suddenly vibrated, and a grin adorned his face.
"You know what? You're right~! I hadn't spent time with Lena a bit! You should totally get some rest, Yu. I'm sure Allen's worried sick about ya by now! Bye!"
Those in the room, blinked in confusion. "The hell just happened?"
"You're guess is as good as mine. Oh, by the way, you recall that thing you asked about?"
Kanda was half way to the door when Eliade brought it up. "Thing?"
"Oh, right, an album, that's what it was."
"What about it?"
"We managed to find it. I can't say it was the easiest thing to do though."
"Where did you find it?"
"Well, that's not our place to tell, I'm afraid." Krory said, entering the room. "I could've sworn I heard Lavi here just moments ago..."
"Che. The Usagi ran off," Kanda muttered, still waiting on an answer to his question.
"Ah, so that's how it is..." Krory muttered, "Like I was saying, we can't really say how we found this book. Goodness knows that character we had to deal with was rather shady."
"Hn...so you can't or just won't?"
"Sworn to secrecy apparently." Krory said. "I believe you have someone to go home to?"
"Book." Kanda held out his hand.
"Right, it's on the counter. Eliade, can you retrieve it?"
"Of course." The blonde woman stood, making her way to the other end of the store with graceful movements. Her time with NOAH had taught her a lot more than she'd thought it would.
Krory turned his attention back to Kanda. "You know, this whole Crowned Clown thing has gotten out of hand, has it not?"
"You have no idea." Kanda muttered. "It's an impersonator, but like the original he doesn't leave a trace of himself."
"You're certain it's not the original himself?"
"Impossible. The real one bit the dust. I would know, I'm the one that ended him."
Krory frowned, head slightly tilting to the side. "Are you certain that he died?"
"Yes," Kanda growled defensively. He'd killed Crowned Clown, and saved Allen Walker.
"He took a bullet straight between the eyes." This was true. The one they dressed up as the alias was shot between the eyes, ironically one Kanda himself actually did shoot. With Neah's expertise, not a trace of tampering had been left behind. Kanda made a mental note to not get on that man's bad side that day. "He died on sight."
"Ah."
"What's going on with you, disbelieving all of a sudden?" Kanda inquired the elder male.
"I suppose I'm on edge. Most of these incidents have been happening rather close to home."
Before they could continue, Eliade returned, book in hand. "Found it."
Krory smiled, accepting the book, "Thank you kindly, my dear."
Clucking his tongue, Kanda snatched the album from Krory the moment he could, and turned to leave. "I'm heading home. I'm tired, annoyed, and I have a distinct feeling the Moyashi is up to something."
"Then I won't keep you here. Good day, sir."
"Hn." Was his reply as he left the store.
... ... ... ...
Alright then~ Another chapter down, and a lot more to go methinks xD
Don't forget to give this story some love! R&R helps show how much you care~! :) See y'all next week, and also Congrats to all the Grads who have graduated, or are soon going to be graduating~! (We had our final graduting person today...amen!)