When hearts Collide

I do not own D. Grayman or any of it’s associated characters, nor do I own any songs used within this fic. I do not make any money off of these works of fiction, they are for entertainment only.

Chapter One - Happy Birthday

‘I think my friend said, "I hear footsteps."
I wore my black and white dress to the
birthday massacre, birthday massacre, birthday
I wore my black and white dress

I think my friend said, "Stick it in the back of her head."
I think my friend said, "Two of them are sisters."
"I'm a murder tramp, birthday boy", I think I said
"I'm gonna bash them in, bash them in", I think he said

Then we wished them all a happy birthday
We kissed them all goodnight. Now he chases me to my room,
chases me to my room, chases me
In my black and red dress

I think my friend said, "Don't forget the video."
I think my friend said, " Don't forget to smile."
"You're a murder tramp, murder tramp", I think he said
"You're a murder boy, birthday boy", I think I said’

Happy Birthday - The Birthday Massacre

It was a hell of a way to spend a birthday, Kanda thought ruefully as he dashed down the narrow alleyway and into the cobblestone street. But the passage of time and the passage of life held little meaning to him most days.

Still.

A flash to the side and he dodged the glaring shot an Akuma had blasted at him. He stumbled, rolled back to his feet in a movement of deadly grace. Not bad for one bleeding profusely. His injuries were wearing on him but he had a mission to finish. Damn that level three anyway.

He chased the remaining Akuma to the nearby fields, grateful to away from civilians in his conflict. Now he had no need to hold back.

Focusing his strength into his legs, he tensed to crouch and then leapt high into the air, Mugen at the ready. The blade already glowing with his innocence.

With a final, perfect slash Kanda ended it. Rending the pitiful Akuma in two. The blast of the creature propelled him backwards and he spun in the air to land heavily on his feet. He panted slightly, fatigue wearing on him.

The pain of his numerous injuries wearing on him, forcing him to his knee. He braced himself with Mugen, panting more heavily. His eyes tightly shut. He tried to stand and flopped forward into the damp grass. He tasted the familiar metallic tang on his tongue.

Blood. His blood. Again.

The wetness of the grass was cool and fresh. It felt good against battle heated skin.

“Maybe I finally did it”, he murmured in a slurred voice. He closed his eyes to welcome the darkness of rest.

Finally.

A small cloaked figure left the edge of the surrounding forest, leading a large black horse. Aleia had just returned from selling herbs in the neighboring town when she nearly stumbled on a body lying prone in her path.

She'd been too busy looking back and scolding her large mount for nosing her while she tried to walk. She straightened, leaning against the heavily muscled side and looked down.

She blinked once, twice but the mirage didn’t fade from her tired vision. “What do we have here Lu?” she asked of her equine companion. Lu snorted softly.

“Um…hello?” she called softly. There was no answer.

Aleia moved closer, kneeling beside the strange person. Her eyes took in the stark black and white of his clothing, the blue black sheen of his long hair. At least she assumed it was a he, any woman with shoulders that wide was just plain scary.

He was very pretty though. So pretty.

Aleia gently rolled the downed man to his back and braced herself against his chest. Her hand encountered warm wetness and she looked down gasping. The front of his clothing was soaked with blood and his handsome face was far too pale. “Oh God. Hey, hello! Can you hear me?” she called louder this time, cupping his cold cheek. Her fingertips leaving small red spots on the pristine flesh of his face.

"Please...can you hear me?" she asked, she pressed her cheek over his heart. Hearing a faint but steady thump there.

"Heartbeat, thank you God."

She leaned over him again. "I'll help you" she promised him.

HIs eyes cracked open slowly. And she was struck by the dark gray depths of them.

“Won't.. die.. from this..An..gel?” he asked in a ragged breath, his hand lifted weakly to touch her lips. Then he slipped away once more, his hand falling limply in her lap.

Aleia sighed, “At least you are alive…for now. Come on Lu, lets get him home.”


She grunted and groaned as she hefted his long, heavy form over her shoulder and used her horse as leverage to stand.

"You could help you great sot, Down." she griped at the black beast.

Lu, true to his training, dutifully knelt and let her lay the limp man across his back

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aleia Flannely lived alone at the edge of town. She had Lu and a fat pair of cats for company but other than that she kept to herself. She had moved here because she knew no one and no one knew her. Life was better off that way, she had found.

So why had she brought a strange man, a wounded one at that into her very private home?

‘Because he IS wounded’ she mentally berated herself as she rinsed yet another cloth in the steaming herbed water. Bending back to her patient, she carefully cleaned the large gash in his abdomen. “A wound like this is generally fatal” she told her sleeping charge, “Oh well, I’ll stitch you up and if you don’t take a fever you might just live. Knew I should have taken you to the hospital.”

But the hospital had been too far away and he'd lost so much blood.

She worked through the night, a stitch, a dab at the seeping blood, a stitch. In silent, maddening monotony. Soon, she spoke to him just out of sheer boredom.

Useless things, idle chatter. The sort that a man like him probably wouldn't want to hear at all. Served him right for complicating her night. His large form took up most of her spare bed. She'd started an IV on him, and hoped for the best.

She sometimes used her home as a makeshift clinic when others were too injured to make it into town. She had seen all manner of wounds over the years, but these....looked like...battle wounds.
Sunlight was just peeking through her window when she finished her task. She straightened with a groan for her aching back and gathered everything into a large bowl. She made her way fuzzily to her kitchen and set the items aside to be cleaned.

Then she turned on leaden feet and returned to her spare bedroom where the man lay sleeping, his mid-section heavily bandaged. She pulled her chair closer to the edge of the bed. Reaching out she traced a fingertip through the dark fringe of bangs on his brow.

No, she decided, pretty didn't do him justice. His hair was too dark, his skin too pale, his face too perfectly shaped. Angelic perhaps... she estimated him to be close to her own age, perhaps a little younger.

He lacked the usual lines near his eyes and mouth that most people got. Well, if they smiled. There was a faint line between his eyebrows. she wondered if he frowned alot. She rested her cool hand against his brow.

She jolted when his hand grasped her wrist in a firm hold. She lowered her gaze to lock eyes with him once more.

"How are you feeling?" she asked gently.

He said nothing, merely pulled her hand down to his mouth and pressed a half coherent kiss on her now clean palm. Then his eyes slid shut again and she sat there for a moment trying to calm her racing heart and her flopping stomach.

“Who are you?” she asked quietly, “What tore you up this way?”

He gave no answer. And she wanted to plead ignorance.

But in her heart she had an idea. She knew that there were some things in the world that most people wanted to ignore. Even so those ignored, rumored things could destroy an entire life.

They had ruined her life, hadn't they?

Her leaf green eyes swept over her dresser where several dusty photographs stood in their frames.

Yes. Those unspoken of things had taken away the ones she loved the most. Her verdant gaze fell on the man before her once more. “Did they kill you inside too?”

He was silent as a statue though, and she found herself drifting to sleep under the soft inhalations and exhalations from the bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kanda woke to the tight itch of healing wounds and the dull ache and dizziness of blood loss. However, he did not feel the wet grass, or the chilled night. Rather, he felt soft linens, and the crackling of a fire nearby caught his ear. Slowly, he forced his eyes open.

Plain, cream colored ceiling. His dark eyes traveled lower over cream walls and dark wooden frames of flowers and far off places in paintings. To his side the gleam of a metal pole and the lines of a medical bag. He closed his eyes and opened them, forcing them to focus. His toes covered by a dark coverlet, warmth near his side.

Turning his head he found himself staring at the crown of a head. A bright, fiery red head.

Lavi?

No, not the bookman The hair was long and pulled up in a messy bun, a pen sticking through the mass of flame hued curls. Some of those bright tendrils spilled over his arm like rivulets of blood. Silky soft, blood.

A woman. Her head was pillowed on her forearms and her small hands were in clear view. Such small hands. And somehow he saw her with brilliant green eyes that rivalled the younger bookman's.

He recalled moonlit features, a soft gaze of green. A sweet voice, urgent to his ears. Flesh soft against his lips. He blinked slowly and hard, trying to force the images in his head to fall into place.

He shifted slightly and grunted at the pain his small action caused. The woman stirred and lifted her head from where it had been laying near his hand.

She blinked, looking around the room and then at him. Green eyes, green like spring leaves, framed by thick black lashes. Those eyes went wide as she jumped to her feet, “Oh! Are you ok?” she asked quickly, her small hand flashing out to press against his brow, then his cheek and then the curve of his throat.

Kanda would have pulled away if he had been able. He didn't like to be touched as a rule. Even as he noticed that her cool hand felt very good to him.

“Who are you?” he demanded. His voice rough from a dry throat.

She withdrew her hand from him, “Well, you don’t have a fever. That's a relief. From that accent I take it you are Japanese?”

He gave one, curt nod.

She poured him a small glass of water, “Isn’t it your custom to give your own name first?” she countered. She placed her arm around his neck and helped him drink the cool water.

Those dark eyes went wide for only a moment before they became hard and cold once more. He drank deeply, feeling the water slide down his throat to splash against the emptiness of his stomach.

“I am Kanda Yu” he said in grim tones, “You are?”

“I am Aleia Flannery. Nice to meet you Yu.”

He stiffened at her familiar tones. “Kanda. Just Kanda” he muttered.

She lifted one bright brow, “So then, just Kanda” she said, “What tore you up last night?”

He looked away from her and she set the glass of water on the bedside table, “I was thinking it must have been a demon of some sort, but…based on that crappy attitude you have, it might have been your date.”

His eyes snapped to hers. A mixture of shock and irritation flitting through them. How did she know about demons? How dare she speak to him that way?!

“I thank you for your care” he said in stiff formal tones, “I should be healed enough to continue my travels soon.”

She tapped her foot, “So it WAS a woman”.

He glowered at her for a moment, "It was an Akuma."

She nodded and turned, “Drink that water, I will bring you something to eat if you think you can handle it?”

Kanda nodded to the strange woman. Reaching over he took up the glass. She gave him a knowing smile and turned away. He glared at her back, missing the sly fox-like grin that spread across her features.

He looked down at himself, he was not healing as quickly as he would have liked. Did this mean he'd lost yet another petal?

She returned soon after to find Kanda scowling at her from the bed. He seemed like a very disagreeable fellow and she bit her lip to keep from telling him so.

He was hurt after all. She knew that when she was sick or injured she was a bear. She merely gave him a small smile which went unreturned and settled the wooden tray across his lap.

The smell of savory broth hit his nose and made his mouth water. ‘We’ll start with this” she said in professional tones, “If you keep it down, we'll go for something more substantial. If you need anything just yell. My room is just across from yours. Now if you'll excuse me I was up all night peicing together a very unfriendly animal.”

He watched her leave again and then he picked up his spoon. "Unfriendly animal huh? Troublesome."

He owed her. He hated owing people. Just who was this woman to talk to him as she had?

With a slight smirk he mused that he had once thought her an angel. She might look one but she'd very clearly fallen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kanda woke to a soft sound. A sound of distress and forced himself to move. She could be hurt. He hobbled to the hall and paused at her door. Yes, the sounds came from here. He quietly pushed the door open to find her tossing on her bed, her voice a pained muffle.

Nightmares.

With a sigh, he crossed the room and laid his palm against her brow, "Sleep. You are safe now" he said quietly.

And to his surprise she stilled and whimpered no more. Kanda glanced around her room to find two pairs of glowing eyes staring at him from the corner of her bed. The large cats separated themselves from the shadows to creep closer to her, as though warning him away.

He smirked at them and then took note of a picture on her bedside table. Lifting it he drew closer to the light of the window.

This was her. A very different her. She was laughing and smiling, and surrounded by men in a uniforms. Uniforms that matched... hers.

His dark eyes slid back to the bed, so she had been a fighter... not so different from him. She made a soft sound and he returned to the bedside, setting the portrait carefully back in it's place.

Then for reasons he didn't understand, he leaned over her and pressed a kiss to her brow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three days later, Kanda left the company of the woman Aleia. He had thanked her for her care as politely as he could and departed with all haste, eager to take on his next mission.

She had leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek, stunning him. "For luck" she told him.

Oddly enough however, a sweet face with bright eyes seemed to return to him again and again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two years later….

Komui sat behind his large desk and groaned. How he hated paperwork. Aside from a few patches here and there you couldn’t even see the floor of his large office anymore. Where was that damn packet anyway?

Shuffling through the disordered stacks of paper he whimpered in defeat. “Lenalee!” he wailed like a little child, “Come and help brother with this torture they call paperwork!”

The door opened and the younger woman walked inside of the messy space and sighed, “I have brought you help. This is Becca.” she announced, “An assistant to sort through and file this mess.”

His eyes all but glittered at the mention of it. Stepping aside his sister presented him with the first good look at this assistant he had.

A tall, lithe woman, with honey gold hair and vibrant sky blue eyes smiled at him. “I am glad to be of help.”

Lenalee was lifting papers of his desk and then stood up with a victorious smile, “Reever, I found the packet about that medical woman in Cork.”

Reever nodded, “Komui, we feel that this woman would be a great asset to the Order. I know that you have been wanting to send a medical specialist with the Finders and Exorcists, this woman can help get that plan in motion.”

Komui took the packet and opened it. A woman in a military uniform stood with a small group of soldiers, they were all smiling happily. Easily.

Komui scanned the rest, “She was not a medic with the military. It says that she worked in the Research field, and that her entire unit was wiped out in a demon attack. Does she have innocence? It doesn’t say here.”

Reever spoke up, “She has none that we know of, however she might be compatible with a fragment that has been found. Her research on energy and energy weapons was very detailed. It was only after the attack to her unit left her a sole survivor that she left the Ministry and moved abroad.

She all but vanished for a few years until she started patching up people as a local healer. She has moved around quite a bit, fluent in fourteen languages. She has had medical training as she apprenticed with the surgeon Sigmund Rostolf in Budapest.”

Komui nodded, “And you think that given a group of medics, she can train them for frontline trauma care.”

Reever nodded.

Komui considered it for a long moment, “Send someone to speak with her then. See if she will come.”

Lenalee smiled, “Allen is in that area. Shall we send him?”

“Yes.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Allen stepped off the train with a weary sigh, “I’m so hungry.”

Just ahead was a pub and he headed that way, eager to quiet the beast he called his belly before heading off to find the potential new medical specialist.

He pushed the door open and sat at a table near the window. When the smiling woman arrived to take his order, Allen blithely ordered one of everything.

She looked skeptical until he laid his money on the table, then she just looked sick. She hurriedly wrote down his order and left him alone however.

The table groaned under the weight of all his food but Allen happily dug in, clearing plates in record time.

He was just about to finish his cherry cobbler when a man’s voice reached him.

“Now now, Aleia” he said soothingly, “Don’t get so mad. I didn’t mean it like that.”

Allen glanced up in time to see a dainty fist connect with a large, square jaw, “Can it, Will” a female voice growled. Allen looked past the man to see a tiny red haired woman land another blow that sent the large man staggering.

“Aleia! You’ll break me jaw if you keep at that!”

“Then I’ll just fix your sorry ass I will”.

*Crack*

The man went to his knees, “I dink you boke by doze”

The woman gave him a feral grin and pat on the head, “Well better that than your balls right?” Then she turned and was gone.

Allen swallowed his food and reached into his pocket, he took out the photo and blinked.

No mistaking it. That was her.

Shoving back from the table, he dashed outside and nearly ran headlong into a wide black shoulder and a shapely calf.

He skidded to a halt and looked up to see the woman atop a monster of a horse staring back at him. “Careful” she warned him, “I would hate to see you get hurt by Lu here.”

Allen straightened, “Are you Aleia Flannery?”

She went pale, toyed with the reins, “I..am.”

Allen smiled, “My name is Allen Walker. I work with the Dark Order and I have come to deliver a message to you.”

“Dark Order? You are an Exorcist?” she asked in surprise. Her one time visitor had worn a coat much like his.

He stared down at his uniform, “Yes.”

Aleia considered him for a moment, then reached down for him, “Come on then I’d rather talk at home”

Allen took her hand and swung up on the back of the black beast. The horse balked and side stepped.

Aleia leaned forward to pat his neck, “Easy there Lucifer”.

Allen blinked, “His name is Lucifer?”

She winked over her shoulder, “Hold on tight.” When she felt Allen grip her waist and set her heels to her horse, “I call him that because he’s mean as the devil himself when he wants to be.”

The horse lunged forward and Allen knew that there would be more talk until they arrived.