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The Heart of Innocence

Chapter 1 Beginning

Arc 1 Endless Repetition

The Heart of Innocence

Hi everybody! I'm not dead and I haven't forgotten my responsibilities here (lol).

So, I know that I haven't been posting for a while, but please don't fret. I will be returning to share more of my Fracturing Skies stuff. I've just been working on modding my Skyrim install and needed to take a break from writing for a bit.

A user messaged me requesting a crossover story with Ichigo in the D. Gray Man universe (a Lenalee x Ichigo) story. Unfortunately, thanks to the website being totally bogus when it comes to email notifications, I was a month late receiving the heads up that someone requested a story. As such, even though I've messaged them back, I have yet to see a reply. Therefore, I'll be winging this storyline (they had a very barebones idea of what they wanted to see) and doing my best to make a romance between the two while having an actual storyline in there.

So, without further ado, let's get going!

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SUMMARY:

A Lenalee x Ichigo story in the world of D. Gray Man that was requested by a user via PM. An exploration of what the Heart of Innocence truly is, as well as a love story to prompt Komui to create more Komlins. God save the Black Order!

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I am going to mark this story as M for mature. I fully intend to go all the way (sex, swearing, etc.) so if that's not your jam, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

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THE HEART OF INNOCENCE

CHAPTER ONE: BEGINNING

ARC 1: ENDLESS REPETITION

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Ichigo thumbed his late mother's cross as he laid on his bed for yet another night, feeling Zangetsu's restlessness as he braced himself for the impossibility that was about to happen. He had lost track of how many times now, but each night, the day seemed to reverse itself. It was like he was trapped in a strange science experiment gone wrong, constantly reliving the same day over and over. He hadn't slept yet, although each time the clocks streamed through his bedroom and the sun shined irritatingly bright through his window, he felt refreshed like he had.

"Go-ood mo-orning, Ichigo!"

Sighing, he avoided the human missile that was his father, Isshin Kurosaki, plunging out of the ether to dive bomb him, the crazy man screaming the greeting as he careened into the wall on the other side of the room. Zangetsu had suggested to him that he could use the repetition to his advantage, testing just how long he could wait before he absolutely had to move if he wanted to avoid his father's planned collision, and he couldn't deny that it was benefiting his reflexes.

His white-haired twin took that moment to chuck their old man out of the window, grinning at the older man's dismay as he plummeted to the ground. The front door was locked, and it would be a bit before either of them took pity on the manchild and let him back into the house. Ichigo put a hand on Zangetsu's shoulder, sharing a grin with him before he poked his head out of the window, ignoring Isshin's pleas to unlock the door.

Their next-door neighbor, a woman named Miranda Lotto, was peering outside, drawn to Isshin's antics although they weren't a surprise to her anymore. When she glanced his way, he smiled and waved, "Sorry about him, Miranda."

She blushed and shook her head, "Oh no, it's no bother at all. Good morning, Ichigo!"

"Good morning," he replied with a smile.

Zangetsu elbowed him aside, leaning halfway out the window to look at her. "Anything different today?"

Ichigo jostled beside his twin to gauge Miranda's response with his own eyes. Even though Miranda had known them both since Mom had died, Zangetsu's black sclera and golden eyes (and his violent nature) had frightened Miranda even though they had both assured her that his bleached twin wouldn't hurt her. And for whatever reason none of them could ascertain, Miranda was the only other person in the whole town to notice that it was stuck in some sort of time loop. As a result, they had gotten closer during this unusual situation when normally he would have kept his distance.

It wasn't anything against Miranda. He just preferred to be alone. Ever since his mother died. Ever since Yuzu and Karin followed her into death. It was sometimes hard to wrap his head around the fact that half of his family was just gone. It would catch him by surprise and leave him reeling, clinging to the twin that both stood beside him physically and reached for him mentally. He didn't know how he would have turned out if he didn't have the strange psychic connection with Zangetsu that he did. It didn't bear to think about.

Miranda shook her head negatively, visibly struggling to not reach for Zangetsu, worry lines digging deep trenches into her forehead. He always had to push the limit of just how far out of the window he could hang before he'd start to fall. One of the first loops they had been through had resulted in the three of them hanging off the side of the building. Miranda had reached for Zangetsu (probably to stabilize him and keep him from falling), but she had slipped, gripping onto Zangetsu for dear life as she fell. Overbalanced, Zangetsu had nearly joined her if not for Ichigo's quick thinking.

Needless to say, he had no desire to relive that moment, tugging the waistband of Zangetsu's pants until he got the hint and slid further inside the bedroom with a pout. Miranda visibly eased before going back inside to do…whatever it was that she did with her day. Some loops he had hung out with her, the other woman severely depressed about the bad luck that had always plagued her. She would complain and cry before apologizing, seeming to suddenly remember his own losses, causing an increasing awkwardness between them before Zangetsu would bail, leaving Ichigo to trail behind him to keep him from terrorizing the town. He didn't hold it against her though. She was a sweet lady.

Ichigo pulled his upper half back inside, reaching for the window before Zangetsu stopped him with a hand on his wrist. The other male had a wicked grin on his face, eyes full of mischief.

"What are you going to do?" Ichigo was almost afraid to ask that question. His twin was crazy at times (all the time). It was a surprise that he had never gotten seriously hurt.

Zangetsu's smile widened before he tugged on their power. Ichigo felt the gentle pull before he was wreathed in fluttering dark energy, x-shaped bands tightening around his wrists and across his chest. He turned and saw Zangetsu's familiar white mask materialize over his face, one red line beneath his left eye like lopsided war paint. Zangetsu leapt to the open window in a single bound before dropping straight down.

"Look out below!" he cackled.

Ichigo heard their father shout, "Are you nuts?!" before a thunderous crash shook the building. Ichigo didn't need to glance outside to know that his twin had dive-bombed Isshin, most likely cracking the pavement in the process.

To jump out of the window without getting injured, the both of them had to release their power (and when one brother did, it forced the other into a heightened state too), but apparently their dad was a freak of nature. Isshin never got hurt from any of his crazy antics, but the one time Ichigo had attempted the same foolishness, he had ended up with a broken arm.

Hence Zangetsu powering up for his bonsai run.

As Ichigo padded out of his bedroom, he heard Zangetsu start to pound on the downstairs door, his twin's mental voice shouting in his head, 'Hey, Aibou! Let us in, will ya?' Ichigo sighed in fond amusement, noting that as he made his way down the stairs that Zangetsu had once again sealed their power, the shadows clutching to his skin disappearing like they had never been there.

He didn't understand the power that they had, nor how he had suddenly gained a monochrome twin out of nowhere. Zangetsu had been laying beside him after his mother had died, like he had always been beside him, sharing in his profound grief once they had both woken up. Even though all that was left behind was an ash pile and dirt riddled with stars, he knew deep down that it had once been his mother. Her cross had been sitting on top of her destroyed clothing, gleaming faintly in the sunlight, as clear an indicator as any that she was no longer in this world.

Isshin had taken to Zangetsu's appearance surprisingly well, fawning over the 'new member of their family' with the same gusto he approached everything else. Yuzu and Karin had been inconsolable at the time, barely engaging anyone, the twins lost in their own misery. Ichigo just wished that he'd had the foresight to intervene back then, that he had known what to expect and could have somehow prevented it.

Maybe then, they wouldn't have died.

Zangetsu nudged him mentally, a sharp elbow to knock him off his train of thought, a help that Ichigo was more than happy to accept. He didn't imagine that either pain would lessen anytime soon, despite it being nearly six years later, and it was all too easy to delve into it, to lose himself to the darkness.

Unlocking the door, he stepped aside as Isshin stumbled in, Zangetsu bowling the man over as he burst inside. His eyes were a touch wild, his grin wider and more manic, the steady thrum of his presence bursting with amusement. The white-haired twin shared his memories, prompting Ichigo to chuckle as well.

There were a group of kids that tormented Miranda every morning unless either he or Zangetsu were near her to dissuade them. They had apparently deemed it safe to start their routine for the day, scattering like startled birds when Zangetsu had flung himself out of the window to land on Isshin. He had then used his momentum to chuck the manchild at the group like a bowling ball, forcing the group to run to avoid getting flattened. Surprisingly, Miranda hadn't screamed in fright, but Ichigo got the feeling that it was a very near thing.

Following his thoughts, Zangetsu commented, 'I think she's sweet on Dad. I know for certain that she wouldn't have been as calm if it had been me to pop up in front of her.'

Ichigo glanced at him, gauging his feelings through his facial expression and the emotions thrumming through their connection. Isshin was stumbling to his feet, appearing no worse for wear, the man sending a surreptitious look outside. If Ichigo hadn't been watching for it, he didn't think he would have seen the corners of the old man's eyes softening.

'This is a good thing, right?'

Sometimes Zangetsu seemed to pick up what other people were feeling, especially if they were frightened or nervous, but when it came to the more positive emotions, his twin more often was at a loss. Either way, he loved his twin as much as he had loved his mother and sisters.

After a brief moment to consider it, Ichigo replied, 'Yeah, I think it is. They both deserve to be happy. I…I wouldn't be against it.' It was hard to think about his dad being with another woman aside from Mom, but with her gone, he couldn't find it in himself to try and deny his father happiness. And besides, he didn't have anything against Miranda. She was sweet and down to earth, both things his dad needed. She was the perfect woman for him.

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Ichigo knew the various areas that Miranda frequented on the loops but hearing her startled cry had him running down the street, Zangetsu on his heels. While the woman was flighty and quick to panic, this was unfettered terror. He and his twin shifted as they ran, darkness rising from his skin like hazy black armor. He skidded into an alley, finding Miranda there, unsure of what he was preparing himself to defend her against.

He had no plans besides 'show up and scare the crap out of someone', so seeing the bulky monster pinning the depressed woman to the wall left him scrambling to keep up. And it truly was a monster, possessing a deformed face that barely resembled one and a deadly looking mal-shaped right arm (its left was missing entirely with what looked like the head of a key sticking out where he expected to see one).

"Where is the innocence?" it demanded, breath hissing out between elongated sharpened teeth.

'What the fuck is this thing, Aibou?'

Ichigo shook his head. 'No idea.'

'Can I kill it then?' Ichigo didn't have to look at his twin to see the predatory smile stretching across Zangetsu's face.

"I'd let go of her if I were you," a voice challenged from the other end of the alley.

The monster shifted its attention to the newcomer, completely ignoring him and Zangetsu. Zangetsu took that opportunity to attack, his sword manifesting from a swirl of shadows to rest in his palms.

'What are you doing?!'

Zangetsu's blade sunk into the monster's left shoulder, causing it to recoil with a pained hiss. Ichigo pulled his shadows through his mother's cross shortly after Zangetsu started his attack, using it as a medium to summon a black bow to his hands. Notching an equally dark arrow, he braced himself to fire, recalling everything his cousin, Uryu Ishida, had taught him about archery. It wasn't his preferred method of fighting, but with Zangetsu up close, he risked getting in his twin's way with his brawling.

The monster released Miranda as it turned its focus to the twins, prompting Ichigo to holler, "Run, Miranda!" She didn't hesitate, darting out of range of the fight, even if she did hover near the end of the alley to watch. She wasn't the type of person to abandon another, no matter what the situation, but Ichigo really wished that she'd flee.

"Die, exorcists!" the monster hissed, lashing out with its clawed hand. The unfamiliar party parried the blow meant for Zangetsu, slicing up the length of its arm and forcing the attack to miss, his left arm looking like a strange energy sword (and Ichigo wasn't even about to consider what the rest of its appearance meant). Zangetsu spun and buried his blade into the thing's chest in response as Ichigo loosed an arrow at its head. The combined force of their attacks made it stumble before exploding, dirt and debris scattering everywhere. Behind him, Miranda yelped, but it didn't sound pained, so Ichigo kept his attention on the newcomer.

"Are any of you hurt?" the boy asked, his left arm changing back into the shape of an actual arm. With his hood down and the danger gone, Ichigo finally got a good look at the person that helped them. He had a strange tattoo over his left eye, irises glimmering silver in the light, and perfectly white hair to match Zangetsu's own. Zangetsu let their power go first, the effect rippling over to Ichigo, before wrapping an arm around the other white-haired boy with a grin.

Glancing back towards him, Zangetsu commented, "Hey, Aibou, he has white hair just like me!" The statement prompted a chuckle out of his victim, along with a strained smile.

Zangetsu was at ease, both physically and mentally, so Ichigo let himself relax slightly. He didn't fully understand how, but his twin seemed to know the people that he needed to keep guard around, those with nefarious intentions or simply ill will. Ichigo looked back to see Miranda shuffling forward uncertainly, glad to see that she appeared unharmed like he had earlier assumed.

To the other boy, Ichigo answered the question, "No, we're all okay. Thanks for asking."

"Can we keep him?" Zangetsu asked, his arm still firmly wrapped around the other boy.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and retorted with an exasperated sigh, " No." He looked at the newcomer, "Sorry about Zangetsu. He's just excited to finally meet someone else that looks like him." With a shrug, Ichigo stepped to within arms reach and extended his hand, "My name is Ichigo Kurosaki. Thank you for stopping to help Miranda." The woman in question was clinging to his shoulders now. He imagined her curiosity was currently outweighing her fear since he was there to protect her.

The other boy smiled and took his hand, shaking it with a gentle grip. "Of course. I'm always willing to protect innocent people from akuma. My name is Allen Walker."

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